HSBC is supporting all levels of the 2005 Wee Wonders Open Golf Championships as well as ‘Team Wee Wonders GB & I‘ in the 5th Annual US Kids Golf Championships.
The 2005 Championships will celebrate its 10th anniversary with almost 3,000 competitors at 55 qualifying events and 9 regional finals across Great Britain and Ireland. The Grand Final will be held at St Andrews on 10 and 11 September 2005, a week prior to HSBC World Match Play at Wentworth.
HSBC Wee Wonders Open Golf Championships is the UK’s leading golf competition for boys and girls aged 5-12 years old with well over 10,000 competitors since its inception in 1995. Competitors to play 36 shots and place their flag where their final shot finishes. Played on a par 3 course the winners are those achieving the greatest distance around the course. The format used makes it enjoyable for all levels of golfer to experience the thrill of competitive golf.
HSBC’s association is part of a broader commitment to golf, from the grassroots level to its title sponsorship of the professional game’s high profile tournaments. In 2003 HSBC announced an unprecedented 10-year title sponsorship of the World Match Play tournament at Wentworth, which this year takes place September 15-18. Also this year the bank announced a new title sponsorship of the Women’s World Match Play; a new event on the LPGA Tour, which takes place at Hamilton Farm Golf Club, New Jersey, 30th June- 3rd July, followed by a further announcement of Asia’s most significant golf tournament, the ‘HSBC Champions’ tournament, taking place in Shanghai at the Shanghai Sheshan International Golf Club between 10-13 November 2005.
Alasdair Good PGA, director of Wee Wonders Limited, said, “2005 is set to be our best year yet. It is also a big birthday year in which we will be celebrating 10 years of the Championships. The continued support from HSBC is key in securing our future as well as developing opportunities for junior golf.”
Peter Dawson, chief executive of The R&A, remarked, “Encouraging youngsters to take up golf is of paramount importance to the future of our sport. To do so through organising a competition of the scale of Wee Wonders is wonderful not just for the game but also for the youngsters themselves. Here at The R&A we applaud HSBC Wee Wonders and look forward to following its progress throughout the season. Our best wishes go to all competitors.”
William Parry, head of sponsorship at HSBC, commented, “HSBC is delighted to be extending its support of the Wee Wonders event. 2005 is a big year for our golf sponsorship programme, and in keeping with this we continue to focus our efforts not just on the world’s leading men’s and women’s professionals, but also on the thousands of aspiring boys and girls golfers throughout GB&I. This year also being the tenth anniversary, we felt it a fitting gesture to reward Alasdair Good and his team of organisers, who have given so much to the event, that we step up our sponsorship and overall involvement to mark these celebrations.”
In addition, HSBC sponsors in a wide array of grassroots golf initiatives, in recognition that its activities must not only be focused on the most visible element, but also be accessible at a local level. This comprehensive programme involves an equivalent match play event for amateurs to determine the 2005 HSBC Amateur Match Play Champion; partnering with Golf Monthly to create the definitive local knowledge guide to UK golf courses and a host of other media and customer initiatives. www.hsbcgolf.com
HSBC Wee Wonders www.hsbcweewonders.com
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