PGA Tour Champions finalises Ryder Cup-style event for Dec 7-10
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American Jim Furyk, Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke and South African Ernie Els are captains for the inaugural World Champions Cup.
PHOTOS: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – The golf world will soon see a new event featuring many of the game’s most accomplished players, as the PGA Tour Champions is confirmed to be getting its own team competition in the form of the World Champions Cup.
The inaugural three-way competition between players from the United States, Europe and the rest of the world is slated for Dec 7-10 at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
American Jim Furyk, Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland and Ernie Els of South Africa were announced as the initial team captains back in 2021.
The World Champions Cup – which will feature players aged 50 and older from the PGA Tour Champions – was expected to debut in 2022 before being pushed back to 2023.
“The World Champions Cup is a tremendous addition to the game of golf and the PGA Tour Champions schedule,” said Miller Brady, president of PGA Tour Champions.
“This competition will give fans a new and unique opportunity to see the game’s greatest stars compete against one another on a global stage.
“Ernie, Jim and Darren are worldwide ambassadors for golf, and it will be thrilling to watch them and their teammates compete for the chance to win the inaugural World Champions Cup.”
Broadcasters ABC and ESPN will air the competition, which will pit teams of PGA Tour Champions players in a series of nine-hole team and singles matches, in a format similar to the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup for men’s golf and the Solheim Cup in women’s golf.
The team who earn the most points after 24 total matches will be declared the winner.
Furyk and Clarke have previously served as Ryder Cup captains for their respective teams. Els was the International team’s captain for the 2019 Presidents Cup.
Charlie Besser, the chief executive of sports marketing and events company Intersport, was credited with bringing the idea to the tour 10 years ago.
“The idea was really to build upon the excitement of the Ryder Cup and of the Presidents Cup, to try to bring everybody together, the entire world together in one event, thus the three teams, an International Team, European team and an American team,” Besser said on the PGA Tour website.
“And we all know that the guys who play PGA Tour Champions have got some serious old scores to settle with each other, and they are excited to get back out there and get after it.”
He added: “When you think about the three captains, Jim Furyk, Ernie Els and Darren Clarke, they bring immediate credibility to this event.
“They have experience, they have dedication, they have passion and when they were approached to participate as playing captains in this event, it wasn’t even a thought. It was an immediate yes, and how can we make it better.” REUTERS
