Victory by Argentina’s Roberto DeVicenzo, Antonio Cerda Began Tournament’s Rise to Worldwide Prominence
(SHENZHEN, China) – Mission Hills Golf Club – host site of the 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup – pays tribute to Argentina’s Roberto DeVicenzo and Antonio Cerda, winners of the inaugural World Cup in 1953, who were recently honored by the International Federation of PGA Tours, Omega and the Argentina Golf Federation for their groundbreaking victory that helped establish the now storied tournament as one of the great international events in golf.
Fifty-five later, DeVicenzo and Cerda still cherish their 10-stroke triumph over host nation Canada at Montreal’s Beaconsfield Golf Club. The tournament’s unique two-man team format and founding emphasis on playing for the honor of one’s country survives to this day.
“The Cup [creates] an atmosphere of competition through golf, because really it was about the relationships, not about money,” says DeVicenzo, winner of the 1967 Open Championship at Hoylake. “It was about playing to defend the honor of your country.”
Adds Cerda, twice runner-up in the Open Championship, including to Ben Hogan at Carnoustie in 1953: “It’s the only time you play with your heart because you play defending the golf of your country, not like other tournaments where you might leave something behind and say well I lost this one. In the World Cup you fight to the end and leave nothing behind.”
This emphasis on competing for the glory of one’s country makes the Omega Mission Hills World Cup golf’s closest approximation to the Olympics. On the heels of the memorable Beijing Games, Mission Hills’ Olazabal Course is set to welcome 28 teams of the best professional golfers in the world to China, November 27-30.
“Our role as host through 2018 of an event as prestigious as the Omega Mission Hills World Cup provides us a platform to promote the growth of golf in China and foster international goodwill,” says Tenniel Chu, Executive Director, Mission Hills Golf Club. “Like the Olympics, the tournament will showcase China’s continued transformation and rise to global sporting prominence.”
The award-winning Olazabal Course, designed by its namesake in collaboration with Schmidt-Curley Design, will test a field of 56 seasoned professionals, including nine past Ryder Cup participants: Ben Curtis, Soren Hansen, Miguel-Angel Jimenez, Robert Karlsson, Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley, Colin Montgomerie, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson. Also scheduled to compete are former PGA Tour winners Ryuji Imada, Rory Sabbatini and Brandt Snedecker.
About the Omega Mission Hills World Cup
The 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup continues a new and exciting era in the history of the event. John Jay Hopkins, a noted Canadian industrialist, founded the event in 1953 as a way to promote goodwill among nations through golf. Initially named the Canada Cup, it became the World Cup in 1967 and is scheduled to be played at Mission Hills Golf Club through 2018.
The World Cup represents the highest level of team competition in golf, earning its nickname as the “Olympics of Golf.” It is a four-day team event featuring a four-ball (better-ball) format on days one and three, and a foursomes (alternate shot) format on days two and four.
Offering the highest purse of any professional golf tournament in Asia, the $5.5 million 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup is also the only tournament in Asia sanctioned by all International PGA Tours.
In its first year as host, Mission Hills’ Olazabal Course was universally lauded by participants and media alike. Its namesake, the two-time Masters champion, collaborated with Schmidt-Curley Design to create a well-bunkered and dramatically contoured layout. Memorable holes abound, like the par-5 15th, featuring 24 bunkers, and the long par-4 18th finishing in the shadows of the massive Dongguan Clubhouse.
About Mission Hills Golf Club
Stretching across the lush, rolling hills of Shenzhen and Dongguan in southern China, Mission Hills is China’s highest rated golf club, and the largest golf club in the world according to the Guinness World Records. The property is home to 12 resort and championship courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Greg Norman, Nick Faldo, Annika Sorenstam, Ernie Els, Jose Maria Olazabal, Vijay Singh, David Leadbetter, David Duval, Jumbo Ozaki and Zhang Lian Wei.
Mission Hills is a full-service, luxury resort, featuring four clubhouses, three spas, a five-star hotel, three golf academies (including schools from world renowned instructors David Leadbetter and Cindy Reid), 51 tennis courts and numerous fine dining establishments serving cuisine from around the world. It has hosted more than 50 international tournaments, including the 1995 World Cup of Golf and the Tiger Woods China Challenge in 2001. The Olazabal Course will host the Omega Mission Hills World Cup through 2018.
Mission Hills’ recent awards and accolades include:
* IAGTO Golf Resort of the Year (Rest of World category)
* Best Golf Resort in China – Asian Golf Monthly (2007)
* Pete Dye Course named the “Best New Course in Asia” – Asian Golf Monthly (2007)
* Olazabal Course ranked the No. 2 course in China – Asian Golf Monthly (2007)
* Dr. David Chu, Chairman of Mission Hills Group, named one of the “Most Powerful People in Golf” – Golf Inc. (2007, 2008)
* Dr. Kenneth Chu, Vice Chairman of Mission Hills Group, named one of golf’s “Most Admired Operators” – Golf Inc. (2008)
* World Cup Course named one of the 10 “most significant and influential courses” of last 20 years – LINKS Magazine (2008)
* Olazabal Course ranked the No. 1 resort course in Asia – Golfing Magazine (2008)
Getting There: Mission Hills Golf Club is a short drive north of Hong Kong International Airport, www.hongkongairport.com. Flights on most major airlines from most major cities are available into Hong Kong. From the airport, Mission Hills transports golfers in luxury shuttles across the border to the resort hotel.
For more information about Mission Hills Golf Club, visit www.missionhillsgroup.com, email info@missionhillsgroup.com, or call (852) 2122 1616 (Hong Kong) — (86 755) 2802 0888 (Shenzhen) — (86 769) 8728 8888 (Dongguan).
Contact:
Shane Sharp
Buffalo Communications
704.519.8381 (cell)
ssharp@billycaspergolf.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.761.1444
sreynolds@billycaspergolf.com
