World Club Championship Returns to Home Course The Club at Nine Bridges, South Korea, May 17-22, 2015
Los Angeles (May 14, 2015) - The World Club Championship Committee is honored to bring together, May 17 – 22, 2015 in South, Korea, 22 club champions and a partner with handicaps of 3 or better representing their club from 13 countries around the world selected from GOLF Magazine’s Top 100 list.
The Championship will be hosted by the two most renowned Clubs in Korea; The Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island and Haesley Nine Bridges near Seoul. The Championship is distinguished 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 tournament week will begin at Haesley, which features an award winning club house, on Sunday, May 17th. Teams comprised of members and 2015 competitors will play an AM / AM for the Merrins – Crow Plate which is a tribute to the 13 years of contribution by Chairman Eddie Merrins and Referee Tom Crow.
The three day tournament will be played at The Club at Nine Bridges, currently ranked #45 in the World by GOLF Magazine. The Championship kicks off on Wednesday, May 20th for the First Round Qualifying Four Ball Stroke Play. On Thursday, the top four teams at the end of the Second Round Qualifying will compete in the Semi Final which is Match Play. Friday’s Chairman’s Stroke Play Winners will be invited back next year along with the Match Play Runners Up and the Championship team who will be awarded the Jay Lee Trophy.
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.
David V Smith, Golf Projects International Founder and the innovative creator of the concept for The World Club Championship, held this unique idea for years. It was only when he met Korea’s Nine Bridges Founder Jay H. Lee that he found a partner with the same vision and passion for amateur golf. Together they established the World Club Championship to honor one of the oldest traditions in amateur golf, the Club Champion. The Championship trophy is named to honor Jay Lee.
“The Championship has grown in stature around the world and club invitations have become more coveted. Future sites will vie for the opportunity to host this great amateur Championship,” predicts Smith. “Four countries have hosted the Championship including China, Mexico and the USA in addition to Korea. Next year, we anticipate the opportunity to welcome another country host.”
Past champions include 2002 & 2007 Sunningdale Golf Club, England, 2004 Kingston Heath Golf Club, Australia, 2005 Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, 2006 & 2008 Pine Valley Golf Club, USA, 2009 Los Angeles Country Club, USA, 2011 Durban Country Club, South Africa, 2012 Seminole Golf Club, USA, and the defending champions from 2013 Royal St. George’s Golf & Country Club, Canada. Below are 2015 Clubs and Competitors.
2015 Teams & Players
Australia
Royal Melbourne GC
Paul Little, Matias Sanchez
Canada
St. George’s G&CC
Mark Baines, Mark Elgner
England
Sunningdale GC
Steve Haggart, Matthew Mills
Royal St. George's
Ben Keogh, Stuart Mitchell
Ireland
Portmarnock GC
Jack Pierse, Stephen Walsh
Japan
Tokyo GC
Fumio Azuma, Shigeyuki Morioka
Mexico
Diamante GC
Mike Bateman, Enrique Guzman
No. Ireland
Royal Portrush GC
Andrew Mulholland, David Mulholland
Portugal
Oitavos Dunes
Ruben Figueiredo, Pierre-Alexis Rolland
Scotland
St. Andrews GC
Ross Duncan, Jamie Farmer
South Africa
Durban CC
James Buzzard, Jason Broomhead
South Korea
The Club at Nine Bridges
Ryoo In Hyo, Hwang Seong Tae
Haesley Nine Bridges
Kim Sung Eun, Chung Soon Min
Spain
Valderrama GC
John Davies, John Penning
USA
Bel-Air CC
John Ahn, Sean Barrett
Inverness Club
Greg Kasper, Steve Mitchell
Los Angeles CC
John Fischer, Bill King, Jr.
Muirfield Village GC
Ric Baird, Grant Christman
Oakmont CC
Spencer Mellon, Justin Miller
Olympic Club
Randy Haag, Kory Storer
Pine Valley GC
David Abell, Kelly Miller
Southern Hills GC
Scott Mabrey, Kevin Schultz
