Schmidt-Curley Design has retained its title as Asia-Pacific’s Best Golf Course Architect in 2015.
It’s the fifth year in succession that Schmidt-Curley Design has captured the top prize in the Asia Pacific Awards’ Best Architect category and the ninth straight year that the company has claimed a top-three finish.
Co-founded by Lee Schmidt and Brian Curley in 1997, Schmidt-Curley is recognised as one of the world’s most innovative golf course design firms and has sculpted more than 150 layouts in 25 countries with 80 courses across the Asia-Pacific region.
“We greatly appreciate the honor and recognition,” said American Curley, who featured in the top-20 in Golf Inc.’s 2015 listing of the Most Powerful People in Golf in Asia.
For nearly two decades, Schmidt-Curley Design has been intimately involved with the Asian golf industry.
The firm’s extensive work at China’s Mission Hills also received praise during the Awards ceremony in Singapore.
Ten-course Mission Hills Haikou – entirely master-planned and designed by Schmidt-Curley – maintained its position as the Best Golf Resort in Asia-Pacific.
Its Blackstone Course, host of the 2011 World Cup of Golf and the World Celebrity Pro-Am, retained its Best Course in China title and was also named runner-up in the Best Championship Course in Asia-Pacific segment. Curley believes it has become ‘one of the premier tournament courses in the world’ and that many more events will be staged there.
Curley said: “The Blackstone Course at Mission Hills Haikou has established itself as one of the ‘must play’ venues in Asia. Its striking contrast of golf within a black lava field terrain is equally scenic and demanding and with risk/reward opportunity at the final holes, this course should prove to be one of the premier tournament courses in the world.”
Furthermore, Mission Hills’ Rose-Poulter Course was named Best New Course in Asia Pacific. European Ryder Cup stars Justin Rose and Ian Poulter worked on the design in conjunction with Curley.
Curley said: “These awards are testament to the quality of our outstanding and highly talented team and the professional service we provide.”
No fewer than five high-profile Schmidt-Curley Design courses have hosted a major professional event in 2015.
The sequence began in the last week of February when Korean Amy Yang held off Stacy Lewis and Tseng Ya-ni to win the LPGA Tour’s Honda LPGA Thailand. That event was held over the Siam Country Club’s Pattaya Old Course.
Two weeks later, the LPGA Tour returned Stateside with the Faldo Course at the Wildfire Golf Club at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa playing host to the JTBC Founders Cup.
Featuring generous fairways, large greens and 108 deep pot bunkers, the course was sculpted in conjunction with Schmidt-Curley Design.
Back in Asia in late March, the Blackstone Course at China’s Mission Hills Hainan was the scene of Korean Ryu So-yeon’s triumph in the World Ladies Championship.
Meanwhile, in the first week of April the venue’s Sandbelt Trails Course had the honor of hosting the Buick Open, the opening leg of the 2015 PGA Tour China Series won by New Zealander Josh Geary.
That was followed in June by the Plantation Course at Siam Country Club receiving plaudits from players and officials after staging the 45th edition of the Thailand Open.
Curley said: “We are honoured that so many of our courses continue to be selected as venues for top-level professional tournaments. We are proud also of our record of consistent design achievement, master-planning expertise and client satisfaction.”
Schmidt-Curley Design www.schmidt-curley.com
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