Qualifying for the richest first prize in golf, the 2005 HSBC World Match Play Championship, begins next week with the Dubai Desert Classic – the first of four tournaments counting towards the HSBC European Tournaments Ranking.
The two European Tour players, not otherwise qualified, accumulating the most Official World Golf Ranking Points from the Dubai Desert Classic, the Johnnie Walker Classic, the BMW Championship and the Smurfit European Open, will qualify for the 16-man HSBC World Match Play Championship, which this
year moves forward a month in the golfing calendar to September 15-18.
The leading two European Tour players, not otherwise qualified, from the European Tour Order of Merit after the BMW International Open also qualify for the event, which takes place over four days of 36 hole match play on the West Course at Wentworth Club, Surrey, England.
For the second successive year, the HSBC World Match Play Championship is an officially sanctioned tournament with the results counting towards the European Tour Order of Merit and Official World Golf Ranking.
Last year, Ernie Els of South Africa created history by winning the title for a record sixth time to pick up the cheque for £1 million – the largest first prize in world golf – when he defeated England’s Lee Westwood by 2 and 1 in the final.
Meanwhile, HSBC has been active in the ‘off-season’, creating the richest first prize in the LPGA’s history – US$500,000 – with the launch of the HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship, the only individual match play tournament in women’s golf. The tournament will be played over the Independence Day weekend, 30 June – 3 July, 2005, at the Hamilton Farm Golf Club in New Jersey, USA.
Stephen Green, HSBC’s Group Chief Executive, said: “The newly European Tour sanctioned 16-man 2004 HSBC World Match Play Championship brought intense competition and record crowds to Wentworth. This year we’ve moved the tournament forward a month to September, as we work closely with The
European Tour to further improve the event for players and spectators alike.
“The men’s event has proved so successful that we’ve created the HSBC Women’s World Match Play Championship, which we hope will prove a milestone in the development of women’s golf.”
The complete 16-man field for the 2005 HSBC World Match Play Championship is determined by the following qualification criteria:
1. The Defending Champion.
2. The World Number One on the Official World Golf Ranking as at March 31,
2005.
3. The leading ten available players, not otherwise qualified (under criteria 1 or 2), from the HSBC Major Championship Rankings as at the conclusion of the 2005 US PGA Championship on August 14, 2005.
4. The leading two available European Tour Members from the HSBC European Tournament Rankings, not otherwise qualified (under criteria 1,2 or 3). These rankings will reflect the actual World Ranking points earned by European Tour Members in the following four events:
Dubai Desert Classic
Johnnie Walker Classic
BMW Championship
Smurfit European Open
5. The leading two available European Tour Members, not otherwise qualified under criteria 1,2,3 or 4), from the European Tour Order of Merit, as of August 29, 2005.
Prize money for the 2005 Championship will be £2.44 million with the following breakdown:
Winner £1,000,000
Runner-up £ 400,000
Losing Semi-Finalist (x 2) £ 120,000
Losing Quarter-Finalist (x 4) £ 80,000
First Round Loser (x 8) £ 60,000
Breakdown for The European Tour Order of Merit
Winner £406,660
Runner-up £271,110
Losing Semi-Finalists (x2) £137,372
Losing Quarter-Finalists (x4) £80,764
First Round Losers (x8) £42,151.
For further information please visit http://www.hsbcworldmatchplay.com/ or contact:
IMG: Tournament
Peter German +44 (0)20 8233 5000 mailtpgerman@imgworld.com
Media
Michele Mair +44 (0)20 8233 5000 mailtmmair@imgworld.com
HSBC: Media
Richard Beck +44 (0)20 7991 0633
mailtrichard.s.beck@hsbc.com
Sponsorship
William Parry
mailtwilliamparry@hsbc.com + 44 (0) 020 7992 1386
Notes to editors:
1. The HSBC Group
HSBC Holdings plc is headquartered in the UK. The HSBC Group serves over 110 million customers worldwide from approximately 10,000 offices in 76 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of [US$1,034 billion at 31 December 2003], HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as ‘the world’s local bank’.
2. IMG
IMG was founded by Mark H. McCormack in the early 1960s. The company is the world’s premier sports and lifestyle management and marketing firm, with an international staff of approximately 2,200 people in over 60 offices in more than 25 countries. TWI, IMG’s television division, is the largest independent distributor and producer of televised sports, managing a library of more than 150,000 hours. TWI annually produces and distributes 6,500 hours of original programming to more than 200 countries covering 200+ sports, as well as being a global leader in digital sports and entertainment. IMG is also commercially involved in an average of 11 major sports and cultural events around the world every day; IMG Consulting works with many of the world’s largest corporations on marketing and sponsorship programmes; IMG’s stadium and arena group works with leagues and franchises worldwide; IMG is the world’s largest non-character licensing firm, and is a leading literary agency and book packager. In addition, IMG Models is the world’s number one international model management firm, IMG owns and operates top sports and fitness academies, and IMG Artists is the top global performing arts management firm.
On 30 September 2004, it was announced that Forstmann Little & Co., a New York private investment firm, had acquired IMG with a majority interest in the company. Now formalised, this transaction heralds the beginning of an exciting new era for IMG, and brings with it significant potential for future growth.