PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem and the Honorable John Eren, Victoria Minister for Tourism and Major Events, have announced an agreement between the two organizations that names the State of Victoria as the host for the World Cup of Golf in 2016 and The Presidents Cup in 2019. The partnership marks a return of The Presidents Cup to Australia for the third time in its 25-year history and fifth time in the 58-year history of the World Cup of Golf.
Both events will be played in the November timeframe in 2016 and 2019 on one of Melbourne’s premier Sandbelt Golf Courses. The venue and exact dates will be announced at a later time.
“The PGA TOUR and the International Federation of PGA Tours are elated to partner with the State of Victoria and bring The Presidents Cup and World Cup of Golf back to Australia,” said Finchem. “Australia is home to some of the best golfers on the PGA TOUR – not to mention some of the world’s most passionate fans – and we know Victoria will stage wonderful events for the competitors, as well as fans visiting and watching around the globe. The success of the recent 2011 Presidents Cup and 2013 World Cup of Golf has reinforced Victoria’s stature as a global golf destination and make the area a perfect choice to welcome these esteemed competitions back within the next four years.”
Honorable John Eren said, “We’re committed to growing our enviable calendar of major events, and securing events like The Presidents Cup and the World Cup of Golf do just that. We can’t wait to welcome golf fans from all over the world to visit our renowned Sandbelt and see for themselves what makes Victoria great.”
As a premier destination for golf enthusiasts in Australia and around the globe, Victoria is well-positioned to stage another exhilarating chapter in the World Cup of Golf and Presidents Cup history. The inclusion of these high-ranking global tournaments in the Victorian events calendar promises up to $66 million in additional economic impact to the State, thanks to an estimated 25,500 visitors and up to 408 new jobs being created.
Melbourne hosted the World Cup of Golf in 1959, 1972, 1988 and 2013. In 2013, the event was a 72-hole stroke play tournament held at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Jason Day shot a final-round 70 to win the individual tournament, and he paired with Adam Scott to claim the team prize. In 2016, the World Cup will return to its original team format.
The Presidents Cup was previously held in Melbourne in 1998 and 2011, at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club (both Day and Scott were members of the 2011 International Team). No other international venue has hosted a Presidents Cup more than once. Melbourne also holds the distinction as the site of the only International Team’s outright victory in 1998, which saw Peter Thomson’s International team defeat Jack Nicklaus’ U.S. Team 20.5 to 11.5. In 2011, Fred Couples led the U.S. Team to a 19-15 win over Greg Norman and the Internationals.
“I’m very, very happy that we’re returning to Melbourne, where I won the World Cup,” said Day, one of four Australians competing in The Presidents Cup 2015. “Whether we play at Royal Melbourne or some other golf course, I just like playing that sort of golf, and being back in front of the home crowd will be fantastic. And for up and coming players from Australia, they have something to shoot for – that goal of getting on that Presidents Cup team and playing in their home country.”
“It’s exciting news, anytime Australia gets big events” said Scott, a seven-time Presidents Cup participant. “Obviously with the World Cup going back and Jason and I having won it the last time it was played in Melbourne, I look forward to hopefully playing again, and the same for The Presidents Cup. These events coming back will keep inspiring another generation of Australian players, and for all the fans in the country to get the chance to see the best players from around the world is really thrilling. Melbourne is a great city for hosting events of this magnitude.”
“Professional golf in Australia continues to produce players who perform best at the highest levels of competition,” said Commissioner of the PGA Tour Australasia Brian Thorburn. “The return of The Presidents Cup and World Cup of Golf to Australia is a symbol of the continued growth of golf in the country and a testament to the quality and success of its players competing around the world.”
About the World Cup of Golf
The World Cup of Golf is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Southern Africa Tour. First played in 1953, the World Cup is one of the oldest and most prestigious global golf team events in the world inviting two man teams from 28 nations to play “For the Honour” of representing their country. The 2016 World Cup will be the 58th staging of this event, which has seen all of the greats of the game lift the prestigious trophy. The list of champions from the World Cup reads like a who’s who of golf. Great names such as Snead, Hogan, Nicklaus, Palmer, Trevino, Faldo, Ballesteros, Langer, Woods, Els and Montgomerie have all been able to call themselves World Champions
About The Presidents Cup
The Presidents Cup, a team match play competition featuring 24 of the world’s top golfers – 12 from the United States and 12 from around the world, excluding Europe – is held every two years, and since 1996 has alternated between United States and international venues. The Presidents Cup was developed to give the world’s best non-European players an opportunity to compete in international team match-play competition. Heading into this week, the U.S. Team has won eight of the 10 previous Presidents Cups, and the only win by the International Team came at the 1998 event in Melbourne. The Presidents Cup 2003 ended in a tie.
In addition to Victoria hosting the event in 2019, the next installments of The Presidents Cup will be held at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey in 2017, Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2021, and TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California in 2025. The venue for 2023 has yet to be determined.
The Presidents Cup is a unique golf event in that there is no purse or prize money; instead, each player, captain and captain’s assistant allocates an equal portion of the funds generated to charities of his choice. Since the inception of The Presidents Cup in 1994, more than $32 million has been raised for charity from event proceeds, including more than $5 million from The Presidents Cup 2013. Over the past 20 years, The Presidents Cup has impacted more than 450 charities in 15 countries worldwide and 35 states in the U.S.
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