Winner’s Exemption to Masters Tournament Unprecedented for Asia-Pacific Region
(SHENZHEN, China) – Mission Hills Golf Club – the world’s largest collection of premier golf courses with 12 – announces its Jack Nicklaus-designed World Cup Course will host the inaugural Asian Amateur Championship, October 29 – November 1, 2009.
The winner of the event will be awarded an exemption to the 2010 Masters Tournament, marking the first time an automatic invitation to the Masters is being extended to an amateur championship in the Asia-Pacific region. The Asian Amateur Championship joins the United States Amateur, British Amateur, United States Amateur Public Links and United States Mid-Amateur as the only amateur tournaments in the world granting exemptions to vie for the coveted Green Jacket.
Mission Hills worked closely with the Masters, The R&A and the Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) to realize this landmark achievement.
“This announcement marks a milestone in the history of international golf,” says Dr. David Chu, Chairman of Mission Hills Group. “Asia’s best amateur golfer will now annually walk Augusta’s hallowed fairways, building on the Masters’ esteemed tradition of amateur involvement. The exemption is testament to Asia’s golf awakening and is a golden opportunity to continue Mission Hills’ leading role in growing the game globally.”
Mission Hills and the APGC previously co-founded the Mission Hills Asia-Pacific Open Amateur Championship. Established in 2006, it offered winners exemptions to professional events and was the first tournament in China where players’ results counted toward The R&A’s amateur rankings. These rankings determine priority for entry into other prestigious amateur golf championships, like the British Amateur and U.S. Amateur.
Adds Chu, who founded Mission Hills in 1992: “The strong track record established by the Mission Hills Asia-Pacific Open Amateur Championship served as a blueprint for the Asian Amateur Championship. It caught the attention of our revered partners and showed there are enough high-quality amateurs in Asia to merit a prized spot in the Masters’ limited field.”
The Asian Amateur Championship continues the club’s campaign to sponsor a complete collection of tournaments for China’s and Asia’s golfers to maximize their potential. Its involvement with the Mission Hills Jack Nicklaus Junior Championship, Faldo Series Asia junior circuit, Asian Amateur Championship and Omega Mission Hills World Cup offers a comprehensive series of stepping stones for Asia’s elite prospects to hone their games.
“We’re deeply honored to be the first host of the Asian Amateur Championship,” says Chu. “It’s yet another sign we’re coming closer to realizing our goal of making Mission Hills synonymous with golf in Asia.”
The club’s par-72, 7,323-yard, Jack Nicklaus-designed World Cup Course opened in 1994 and was the six-time Masters champion’s second design inChina. It has hosted a number of international tournaments including the 1995 World Cup – won by the U.S. team of Fred Couples and Davis Love III – the 2001 Tiger Woods China Challenge and several, “Ryder Cup-style” team competitions.
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 with a professional tennis academy, 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. In 2007, Mission Hills began its role as host of 12 editions of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.
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 (2006, 2007, 2008)
* Best Golf Resort Hotel and Best Spa Resort – Business Traveler (2008)
* Pete Dye Course named the “Best New Course in Asia” – Asian Golf Monthly (2007)
* Olazabal Course ranked the No. 1 resort course in Asia – Golfing Magazine (2008)
* World Cup Course named one of the 10 “most significant and influential courses” of last 20 years – LINKS Magazine (2008)
* 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)
* Tenniel Chu, Executive Director of Mission Hills Golf Club, named “Golf Entrepreneur of the Year” – Asian Golf Monthly (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
