World Cup (men's golf)

The World Cup is a men's golf tournament contested by teams of two representing their country. Only one team is allowed from each country. The players are selected on the basis of the Official World Golf Ranking, although not all of the first choice players choose to compete. The event was held from 2007 through 2009 at Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen, China, receiving the name Mission Hills World Cup. In 2010, it was announced that the event would change from annual to biennial, held in odd-numbered years, to accommodate the 2016 inclusion of golf at the Olympics. It resumed in 2011 at a new venue — Mission Hills Haikou in the Chinese island province of Hainan.^[1] The event also has a title sponsor, the first of which is Omega, so the full name of the event since 2007 has been the Omega Mission Hills World Cup.^[2]

The tournament was founded by Canadian industrialist John Jay Hopkins, who hoped it would promote international goodwill through golf. It began in 1953 as the Canada Cup and changed its named to the World Cup in 1967. With Fred Corcoran as the Tournament Director and the International Golf Association behind it (1955-1977), the World Cup traveled the globe and grew to be one of golf's most prestigious tournaments throughout the 1960s and '70s, but interest in the event faded to the point that the event was skipped entirely in 1986; it resumed the following year and became known as the World Cup of Golf in 1993. It was incorporated into the World Golf Championships series from 2000 to 2006. In 2007 it ceased to be a World Golf Championships event, but continued to be sanctioned by the International Federation of PGA Tours. The United States has a clear lead in wins, with 23 as of 2010.

In 1953, the format was 36 holes of stroke play with the combined score of the two-man team determining the winner. From 1954 to 1999, the format was 72 holes of stroke play. Beginning in 2000, the format is alternating stroke play rounds of bestball (fourball) and alternate shot (foursomes). From 1955 to 1999, there was also a separate award, the International Trophy, for the individual with the best 72 hole score.

The equivalent event for women is the Women's World Cup of Golf.

Winners

Omega Mission Hills World Cup

WGC-World Cup

World Cup of Golf

World Cup

Canada Cup

Performance by nation

Multiple winners

Teammates

• 4 times: Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, Fred Couples and Davis Love III
• 2 times: Kel Nagle and Peter Thomson, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead

As part of team

• 6 times: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer
• 4 times: Fred Couples, Davis Love III, Sam Snead
• 2 times: Seve Ballesteros, José Maria Cañizares, Ernie Els, Dan Halldorson, Bernhard Langer, John Mahaffey, Johnny Miller, Kel Nagle, Manuel Piñero, Peter Thomson, Lee Trevino, Tiger Woods, Ian Woosnam

As individual (International Trophy)

• 3 times: Jack Nicklaus
• 2 times: Roberto De Vicenzo, Johnny Miller, Gary Player, Ian Woosnam

References

External links

• Official website