World’s Largest Club Will Be Home to Grand Final for Next Three Years
(SHENZHEN, China) – Mission Hills Golf Club – the world’s largest collection of premier golf courses with 12 layouts designed by many of the greatest golfers and golf course architects from five continents – will host the 2009 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final on its Nick Faldo signature course, March 25-27.
The 54-hole Grand Final features a field of more than 60 boys and girls ages 13 to 21 from 13 different Asian countries. Supported by Mission Hills, UBS and The R&A, winners from the Faldo Series Asia’s three championships in China as well as its events in Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam are scheduled to compete. Five age group winners from the 2008 international Faldo Series Grand Final in Brazil and defending Faldo Series Asia Grand Final champion Rashid Khan (India) round out the field.
Mission Hills and Faldo will also announce an agreement for the club to host the Grand Final for another three years, cementing its status as “Home of the Faldo Series Asia.”
“Mission Hills is proud to renew its commitment to the Faldo Series Asia,” says Tenniel Chu, Executive Director, Mission Hills Golf Club. “Our support of the Faldo Series Asia is a key aspect of our initiative to provide the continent’s best junior golfers with top-notch tournaments to foster their rapid development.”
The lowest scoring boy and girl in the Grand Final will win a spot in a premier Asian Tour and Ladies European Tour event, respectively, and be afforded the opportunity to spend time with the six-time major champion Faldo. Five leading players will be invited to play in the 2009 Faldo Series Final in Brazil, and all competitors will earn valuable R&A World Amateur Ranking points.
Local children will be invited to attend the event at Mission Hills and given the opportunity to attend clinics conducted by Faldo and other golf experts. This outreach embodies Mission Hills’ and Faldo’s common goal of introducing golf to as many juniors as possible through a wide variety of means.
“We anticipate another exciting Grand Final,” says Chu. “With each passing year the stakes get higher, the fields get deeper and the play rises to a new level of excellence. We’re doing our part to nurture Asia’s golf stars of tomorrow and believe our efforts will yield a Green Jacket winner in the very near future.”
A collaborative effort between Faldo and the renowned golf course architecture firm Schmidt-Curley Design, the Faldo Course at Mission Hills is China’s first “stadium course.” It measures 6,892 yards from the tips and features mounding and earthen amphitheatres to improve the spectator experience. The course’s signature hole, the island green par-3 16th, will play a significant role in the tournament’s outcome, as will the drivable par-4 15th.
About Faldo Series Asia
Launched in January 2006, Faldo Series Asia exposes young people to competitive golf in an effort to nurture the game’s next generation of champions. Tournaments were held in nine different territories across Asia in 2008, with leading players advancing to the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills in March 2009.
The Faldo Series Asia is modeled on the acclaimed Faldo Series Europe which currently features 30 annual tournaments and over 1,500 golfers. Former champions of Faldo Series Europe include PGA European Tour stars such as 2007 Omega Mission Hills World Cup winner Marc Warren, Nick Dougherty and Rory McIlroy.
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
