The International Federation of PGA Tours has entered into an agreement with Mission Hills Golf Club in China to host the World Cup in 2007 and 2008, and to host a World Golf Championships event at Mission Hills until at least 2018.
The World Golf Championships-Mission Hills World Cup will be held November 19-25, 2007, at the Josà© Maria Olazà¡bal-designed Olazà¡bal Course at Mission Hills Golf Club in China, located just 30 minutes from the Hong Kong border, and will mark the first time the World Golf Championships have visited China.
The Mission Hills World Cup is part of the World Golf Championships, a series of global events that bring the world’s best golfers together in competition in various formats at a variety of venues.
Up to 28 nations, including China as host country, will participate in the event, which will offer a purse of US$5,000,000.
“I am delighted to welcome the World Golf Championships to China,” said Mr. Liu Peng, China’s Minister of Sports. “The 21st Century will be a very important period of transition for Chinese society. China will become more open and have a broader horizon concerning sport. The World Golf Championships will also present a significant cultural opportunity to take China to another level internationally as sport, and this event in particular, will help China to integrate on a global level.”
Founded in 1994, Mission Hills is the World’s No. 1 Golf Club, accredited by the Guinness World Records, with 10 championship courses, designed by legendary golfers from the five continents: Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Vijay Singh, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, Greg Norman, Josà© Maria Olazà¡bal, David Duval, David Leadbetter and Jumbo Ozaki. It is an exclusive gated residential community housing a world-class five-star hotel, spa and country club with the largest tennis facility in Asia. Mission Hills is also an infrastructure that spreads over 15 square kilometers of land and is the first home to the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in China.
“Golf has over 500 years of history. I am proud to be part of this new historical moment,” said Dr. David Chu JP, chairman of Mission Hills Group. “To bring the World Golf Championships to China, a country with the fastest economic growth for the past ten years, signifies the breaking of tradition. By creating this new history, we can make golf a truly international sport. Golf can create a bridge for international goodwill between China and the rest of the world.”
At the end of this year World Golf Championships will have been played in ten different nations. The series only previous visit to Asia was in 2001 when the World Cup was played at Japan’s Taiheyo Club in Gotemba City.
“Golf in China only has twenty years of history,” said Mr. Zhang Xiao Ling – executive vice president & secretary general, China Golf Association. “Despite this, it has enormous potential for growth. Staging this prestigious event will help golf in China and Asia Pacific to compete at the highest level. The process of golf development will be accelerated and it will further help the region to integrate with the sporting world.”
Mission Hills Golf Club www.missionhillsgroup.com
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