World Club Championship First Round Qualifying Results and Thursday's Schedule
May 22, 2013
The 2013 World Club Championship officially began with the First Tee Ceremony. In celebration of a decade of competition, a representative from all past Championship Clubs teed off No. 1 of the Creek Course.
The past champions are: 2002 Sunningdale (England), 2004 Kingston Heath (Australia), 2005 Royal Portrush (No. Ireland), 2006 Pine Valley (USA), 2007 Sunningdale (England), 2008 Pine Valley (USA), 2009 Los Angeles (USA), 2011 Durban (South Africa), 2012 Seminole (USA).
The festivities ended dramatically with Championship Chairman Lil Pro Eddie Merrins teeing off to an explosion of color and fireworks.
First Round Qualifying Four Ball Stroke Play followed with all 22 teams from 14 countries teeing off No. 1 with a day of sunny, clear temperatures in the in the low 80's accented by a slight breeze.
Eagles were rare but spectacular with Durban making one on Par 4 No. 4, Royal Melbourne scoring on Par 4 No. 11, and Portmarnock finishing the round with an eagle on Par 5 No. 18. A total of 83 birdies were made throughout the round of 18 with 9 on Par 5 No. 9 and 12 on Par 5 No. 18. Royal St. George's had 7 birdies and Seminole, Sunningdale, and St. Andrews had 6.
Durban Country Club, South Africa traveled the farthest to Korea but finished first with a score of 66, minus 6. The team consisted of returning 2011 champion player Murray Gilson teamed with Graeme Inggs. They started off with an eagle on No. 4, a birdie on No. 7 and 9 for a 32 on the front nine. They finished the back nine with a 34 and birdies on No. 11, 3, and 4.
The young guns of Oitavos Dunes, Portugal came in at 67, minus 5. Ruben Figueiredo, just 16 years old, and partner Pierre-Alexis Rolland at 22 are the youngest players this year. They shot a 35 one under on the front nine and picked up speed on the back nine finishing with a 32 four under.
A four way tie for third place at 68 minus 4 included the Diamante, Mexico team of Enrique Guzman and John Pate; Kingston Heath, Australia team of Richard Macafee and Zac Morwood; the Portmarnock, Ireland team of John Greene and Stephen Walsh; and the Royal St. George's, England team of Karl Gilbert and Amir Habibi.
Tomorrow is the Second Round Qualifying Four Ball Stroke Play in the morning and the Semi Final Match Play – Top Four Teams in the afternoon.
Wednesday Qualifying Round Results (May 22)
| 1 | Durban | 66 |
| 2 | Oitavos Dunes | 67 |
| 3 | Kingston Heath | 68 |
| 4 | Diamante | 68 |
| 5 | Portmarnock | 68 |
| 6 | Royal St. George's | 68 |
| 7 | St. Georges | 69 |
| 8 | Sunningdale | 69 |
| 9 | Seminole | 70 |
| 10 | Royal Melbourne | 70 |
| 11 | Murfield Village | 70 |
| 12 | Oakmont | 71 |
| 13 | Valderrama | 73 |
| 14 | St. Andrews | 73 |
| 15 | Tokyo | 74 |
| 16 | Royal Portrush | 75 |
| 17 | Pine Valley | 75 |
| 18 | Royal Troon | 76 |
| 19 | Los Angeles | 76 |
| 20 | Morfontaine | 76 |
| 21 | Haesley | 77 |
| 22 | The Club at Nine Bridges | 85 |
Qualifying Second Round Schedule (May 23)
| 1st Tee Time | Club | |
| 7:20 | Oakmont | Seminole |
| 7:30 | Muirfield Village | Royal Melbourne |
| 7:40 | Sunningdale | St. Georges |
| 7:55 | Diamante | Royal St. George's |
| 8:05 | Portmarnock | Kingston Heath |
| 8:15 | Oitavos Dunes | Durban |
| 10th Tee Time | Club | |
|---|---|---|
| 7:30 | St. Andrews | Valderrama |
| 7:45 | Tokyo | Royal Portrush |
| 8:00 | Pine Valley | Morfontaine |
| 8:15 | Royal Troon | Los Angeles |
| 8:30 | Haesley | Nine Bridges |
