Monday, May 12, 2008

Poland points towards Golf's World Cup

The Sierra Golf Club, Poland, will have the honour of hosting the 2008 Omega Mission Hills World Cup European Qualifier from September 25 – 28. Two-man teams from around the globe are expected to battle it out for the three qualifying spots available and the chance to take part in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup at Mission Hills, China, from November 27 – 30. The European Tour will have responsibility for overseeing the European qualifying tournament and will work closely with the both staff and members of the Sierra Golf Club to deliver a memorable Polish experience for competing players. Keith Waters, European Tour Director of International Policy, recognises the importance of bringing the Omega Mission Hills World Cup Qualifier to Poland. He said: “In bringing the Omega Mission Hills World Cup Qualifier to Sierra Golf Club in Poland, we are giving players more choice. In the past we have had qualifying events in Asia and Latin America. By adding a third qualifier in Europe, players have greater flexibility to select a World Cup qualifying event that suits their travel schedule. “It is also in keeping with the spirit of the World Cup to bring the qualifying event to an emerging golf market like Poland. This is the first event that The European Tour has staged in Poland, and bringing a truly international event such as the Omega Mission Hills World Cup Qualifier can only serve to further accelerate the growth of this magnificent game.” Tadeusz Siek, owner of Sierra Golf Club, added: “It is a great honour for Sierra Golf Club to be the host venue of the first Omega Mission Hills World Cup European Qualifier and to be able to showcase golf in Poland. Golf is growing rapidly in Poland, and we look forward to hosting the best players from Europe and around the globe as they attempt to qualify for a world class event such as the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.” The Sierra Golf Club was designed by Scottish-born architect Cameron Sinclair, and is a spectacular layout that makes the most of the natural landscape. The club boasts state of the art technology with GPS technology available to players, as well as golf simulators that allow players to hone their skills. The luxury 1000 square foot clubhouse will provide a memorable experience for players and spectators alike. The format for the first and third rounds of the Omega Mission Hills World Cup European Qualifier will be fourball (betterball), with foursomes (alternate shot) to be used in the second and final rounds. The Official World Golf Rankings will determine the first 18 nations to qualify for the Omega Mission Hills World Cup itself, and the European Qualifier will join the Asian and South American Qualifiers to determine the balance of the field. The leading three teams from each Qualifier will earn a place in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup. The Omega Mission Hills World Cup was first played in 1953 as the Canada Cup. The event is set to continue through 2018, and most probably beyond, at Mission Hills following the signing of an agreement in 2007 which brought the prestige watch manufacturer Omega together with the Club which introduced the game of golf to China by first hosting the World Cup in 1995. John Jay Hopkins, the noted Canadian industrialist, brought to reality a dream that golf could promote goodwill between nations with the inaugural World Cup played in Montreal in 1953 then called the Canada Cup and re-titled The World Cup in 1967. The International Federation of PGA Tours will, as custodians, oversee the 54th edition of the event as it unfolds in the same year as the staging in Beijing of the Olympic Games at which Omega has a unique role as Official Timekeeper.

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