Fourth and Final World Golf Championships Event of Season Set for Oct. 29 – Nov. 4 at Olazabal Course
(PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.) – The International Federation of PGA Tours announced today that the 2012 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions will be played the week of October 29 – November 4 at Mission Hills Guangdong, China, on the Olazabal Course.
The first HSBC Champions took place in 2005 and quickly established itself on the global golf map. It was awarded the title of World Golf Championship in 2009, further enhancing its reputation as one of world’s biggest tournaments. The previous seven editions of the WGC-HSBC Champions took place at Sheshan International GC, Shanghai with the following marquee players claiming the coveted title; David Howell, YE Yang, Sergio Garcia, Francesco Molinari and Phil Mickelson – the only one to have won the title twice – and in 2011 Germany’s Martin Kaymer became the latest to join that impressive roll of honour.
Mission Hills hosted the 1995 World Cup, the first major international golf competition in China. The longest among Mission Hills’ 12 courses at 7,320 yards, the Olazabal Course was designed by two-time Masters Champion Jose Maria Olazabal and also hosted more recent editions of the Mission Hills World Cup in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Developed by the late David Chu, Mission Hills is considered one of the first and most extensive golf and tournament facilities in China.
PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem, speaking on behalf of the Federation, said, “It is a fitting tribute to David Chu that Mission Hills Guangdong will host the 2012 HSBC Champions. David Chu’s vision for the growth of the game of golf in China was unparalleled and he, along with his sons Ken and Tenniel Chu, have executed on that vision. I have been to Mission Hills Guangdong on numerous occasions, and I know that the 2012 HSBC Champions will be an outstanding success there.”
Giles Morgan, Group Head of Sponsorship and Events for HSBC, said, “HSBC is excited about the prospect of the 2012 HSBC Champions being played at Mission Hills Guangdong. Like the Chu family, we saw the opportunity for growth in China and having nurtured HSBC Champions into a major event over seven years in Shanghai we can now look forward to expanding our horizons even further in southern China, both because of its proximity to Hong Kong and so that Chinese golf fans there will have an opportunity to witness the world’s best professionals compete.”
Dr. Ken Chu, chairman of Mission Hills Group, said, “Mission Hills has always been devoted to promoting international exchange and goodwill through golf. The Pearl River Delta has the most golf courses and largest population in China. With the World Golf Championships coming to Mission Hills in November for the first time, it will help to popularize the game of golf in China and further promote the region’s sport, leisure and tourism development.”
HSBC’s agreement for sponsorship of the HSBC Champions runs through the 2012 event. The International Federation of PGA Tours, HSBC, and IMG, the operator of the event, are currently engaged in discussions relative to the event’s future and will be making an announcement as to that at a later date.
The World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions is one of four World Golf Championships sanctioned and organized by the operational committee of the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Sunshine Tour. The other World Golf Championships include the Accenture Match Play Championship, Cadillac Championship and the Bridgestone Invitational. The 2012 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions boasts a prize fund of $7,000,000. For ticket information, regular field updates, the full qualifying criteria and more information, please visit www.hsbcgolf.com.
About The HSBC Group
HSBC provides a comprehensive range of financial services to around 89 million customers through four global businesses; Global Retail Banking & Wealth Management, Global Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets and Global Private Banking.
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 7,500 offices in over 80 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North and Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$2,716bn at 30 September 2011, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.
HSBC Golf Sponsorships
HSBC’s global commitment to golf encompasses all levels of the game, from grassroots to elite. In Asia HSBC has spearheaded the arrival of world class golf events, with its flagship WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai and HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore. The WGC-HSBC Champions is renowned as ‘Asia’s Major’ and was once described by 14 time Major winner and former World Number 1 Tiger Woods as “The crowning jewel of all of Asian golf.”
HSBC also sponsors the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship which has quickly become one of the biggest events on the European PGA Tour calendar, and, as golf returns to the Olympic Games for Rio 2016, presenting sponsor of the LPGA Brasil Cup, the nation’s one genuinely global golf event.
More recently HSBC became a Patron of The Open Championship and this partnership with The Royal & Ancient creates a centre of gravity to a global golf portfolio.
However, underpinning those blue-riband events is a longer-term goal to create a legacy from HSBC’s global tournaments through its sponsorship of youth development and grassroots programmes. As well as committing to the professional game, HSBC has a longer-term goal to create the legacy through sponsorship of youth development and grassroots programmes around the world. In China, HSBC supports the HSBC China Junior Golf Program – a sustainable long-term structure and framework upon which the future of Chinese golf is being built. This includes the HSBC-sponsored China National Junior Team, the HSBC China Junior Open and the HSBC National Junior Golf Championship: a year-long series of tournaments designed to give China’s elite junior golfers the competitive platform they need to develop their game. In the UK HSBC is sponsor of HSBC Golf Roots – The Golf Foundation’s national development programme which promotes the sport in schools, helps youngsters into clubs, and uses golf to promote important life skills such as honesty and respect.
For more details on HSBC’s golf activities, visit www.hsbcgolf.com.
About Mission Hills Group
Mission Hills Group (www.missionhillschina.com), owner and operator of Mission Hills in the heart of the Pearl River Delta and the tropical island of Hainan, is the pioneer in China’s fledgling hospitality, sports and leisure industry.
Founded in 1992, Mission Hills is recognized as the leading golf brand in the world and synonymous with high-end, luxurious and exquisitely-designed residences. Mission Hills has been the major driving force behind the sports and leisure industry in China. Its three world-class integrated leisure and wellness resort destinations have hosted more than 100 international tournaments. Mission Hills has also been accredited the “World’s Largest Golf Club” by the Guinness World Records.
Mission Hills’ properties sprawl over 40 sq. km. They include 22 championship courses designed by renowned players and architects from five continents, five-star resorts, award-winning spas and volcanic mineral springs, an international convention center, golf academies and Asia’s largest tennis facility. Mission Hills is also the official training headquarters of China’s Tennis and Golf Associations.
Today, Mission Hills Group has achieved many milestones and become the preeminent conglomerate in the sports, tourism, leisure and entertainment industry. The next breakthrough in the Group’s evolution will occur as it brings its tried and true branding and golf management services to Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Yunnan, Chongqing and other destinations.
Contact:
Stephen Reynolds
Buffalo Communications
703.891.3509
sreynolds@buffalocommunications.com
www.buffalocommunications.com
www.twitter.com/buffalocomm
