The United States will defend its UBS Warburg Cup title on the spectacular Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island in Georgia, 14th to 17th November.
United States captain Arnold Palmer and The Rest of the World captain Gary Player will return to skipper their respective 12-man teams in the $3 million Ryder-Cup style format event sanctioned by The European Seniors Tour. Each team consists of six 40-49-age players and six over-50 players.
“I am honoured to return to lead the U.S. team,” said Palmer, who overcame Player 2 & 1 in the first singles match of the final day. “Last year’s competition was as tough and as exciting as you could get. It was a week of camaraderie with good clean competition and great golf. The matches came down to two pressure putts, one by Mark Calcavecchia at 17 and the other by Raymond Floyd at 18.”
“Although we ended up on the short end last year, I’m already plotting to gain revenge against my good friend, Arnold Palmer and the U.S. team,” said Player. “The first UBS Warburg Cup at Kiawah Island was just unbelievable. We had the best golfers in the U.S. challenging the best international players. It made for a spectacular week of golf and one that the two teams will treasure.”
“Arnold Palmer and Gary Player and their respective teams put on quite a show last year,” said Rory Tapner, managing director, UBS Warburg. “We are delighted to have these two greats returning to serve as captains. The Seaside Course is a spectacular setting for the second playing of the UBS Warburg Cup.”
“The European Seniors Tour is delighted to sanction the UBS Warburg Cup,” said Andy Stubbs, managing director of the European Seniors Tour. “International team match play is arguably the most exciting and it proved it once again in the inaugural UBS Warburg Cup.”
Sea Island provides a fitting backdrop for the UBS Warburg Cup. The Seaside Course opened in 1927 and was redesigned by one of golf’s greatest architects, Tom Fazio in 1999. Fazio blended the original nine-hole Seaside designed by Charles Colt and Hugh Alison with Joe Lee’s Marshside nine into a course that plays in the tradition of the legendary Scottish links. The par-70 course covers 6,945 yards from the championship tees.
Sea Island also has two other spectacular 18-hole courses – the Plantation Course, which was recently redesigned by Rees Jones, and the Retreat Course, recently renovated by Sea Island Touring Professional Davis Love III.
Ocean Forest Golf Club at Sea Island played host to the 38th Walker Cup Match in 2001. The Seaside Course is known for its natural beauty and breathtaking panoramas of the island, marsh, creeks, Atlantic Ocean and St. Simons Sound.
UBS Warburg is a business group of UBS, one of the largest financial services firms in the world with 71,000 employees in more than 40 countries. IMG is managing and staging the event. IMG is the world’s largest, most diverse and only truly global company dedicated to the marketing and management of sport, leisure and lifestyle. It employs a staff of nearly 3,000 people and has offices, sports academies and IMG-managed real estate facilities in 33 countries.
UBS Warburg www.ubswarburg.com