World Club Championship celebrates a decade of competition at Nine Bridges, South Korea
Club Champions from GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Courses in the World to Compete in Prestigious Amateur Tournament
Los Angeles (May 1, 2013) - The World Club Championship will celebrate a decade of competition on its home course, The Club at Nine Bridges, as well as Haesley Nine Bridges, in South Korea from May 19-24, 2013. Invited from GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Courses in the World 2011 list - a total of 22 clubs from 14 countries, including all past champions - will compete head to head for the Jay Lee Trophy.
The Championship will be hosted by the most renowned two Clubs in Korea: The Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island and Haesley Nine Bridges near Seoul. The ultra-exclusive and prestigious Haesley Nine Bridges, recently acknowledged as one of 100 Platinum Clubs of the World, will host a member/player tournament for the inaugural Merrins–Crow Plate, in honor of ten years of contributions by the Committee Chairman, Eddie Merrins of Bel-Air Country Club and Championship Referee, Tom Crow, former Australian amateur Champion and founder of the Cobra Golf Company. The three day tournament will be played at The Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island, currently ranked #49 in the World by GOLF Magazine.
The World Club Championship began in 2002 as a way to celebrate two of golf's greatest enduring traditions: amateur golfers and the world class clubs to which they belong. Having solidified its position in the world as one of the premiere amateur tournaments, the World Club Championship is often compared to the Ryder Cup, Walker Cup and the President's Cup by golf dignitaries, players and experts. The Championship is distinguished in that category as the only event in golf that features head-to-head competition by the world's top clubs chosen from GOLF Magazine's Top 100 Courses in the World.
"The Championship has grown in stature around the world. As we look to the future, invitations will become more coveted and clubs around the globe will vie for the opportunity to host this great amateur Championship," predicts David V Smith, Creator and Founder of the World Club Championship. "Last year, Mexico became the fourth country to host the Championship when we took it to Diamante in Cabo San Lucas, and we anticipate the opportunity to welcome another country host next year."
Participating clubs will be represented by their club champion and a partner of his choice with handicaps of 3 or less. The format will include two rounds of Four-Ball Stroke Play qualifying with the top four teams moving into Four-Ball Match Play semi-finals and finals.
The 2013 Clubs and Countries are: Australia's Kingston Heath (2004 Champion) & Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Canada's St. George's Golf & Country Club, England's Royal St. Georges Golf Club & Sunningdale Golf Club (2002, 2007 Champion), France's Morfontaine Golf Club, Ireland's Portmarnock Golf Club, Japan's Tokyo Golf Club, Mexico's Diamante Golf Club, Northern Ireland's Royal Portrush Golf Club (2005 Champion), Portugal's Oitavos Dunes, Scotland's Royal Troon Golf Club & St. Andrews Golf Club, South Africa's Durban Country Club (2011 Champion), Spain's Valderrama Golf Club, United State's Los Angeles Country Club (2009 Champion), Muirfield Village Golf Club, Oakmont Country Club, Pine Valley Golf Club (2006, 2008 Champion), Seminole Golf Club (2012 Champion) and the 2013 Hosts, South Korea's The Club at Nine Bridges and Haesley Nine Bridges.
The 2013 World Club Championship will be telecast throughout the world. The Golf Channel will air a 90-minute special in the fall of 2013. Sky Television will broadcast throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
