The 2004 HSBC World Match Play Championship is to become an officially sanctioned tournament on The European Tour International Schedule, with the results counting towards the Volvo Order of Merit and Official World Golf Ranking Points, following agreement between the Tour and tournament promoters, IMG.
The field for the 2004 championship over the West Course at Wentworth Club from October 14 - 17 will be increased from 12 to 16 players. There will be eight matches, involving all 16 players, on the first day with all matches continuing to be decided over 36 holes. The winner will take away the magnificent Mark H. McCormack Trophy and a cheque for £1 million - the largest first prize in world golf.
The new qualifying criteria for the increased 16 player field are as follows:
- The Defending Champion.
- The World Number One on the Official World Golf Ranking as at March 31, 2004.
- The leading 10 available players, not otherwise qualified, from the HSBC MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS RANKING as at the conclusion of the 2004 US PGA Championship on August 15, 2004.
- The leading two available European Tour Members, not otherwise qualified, accumulating the most Official World Golf Ranking Points from the following four European Tour Tournaments:
Volvo PGA Championship
Smurfit European Open
Omega European Masters
The Heritage Tournament
Collectively, this will be known as the HSBC EUROPEAN TOURNAMENTS RANKING.
- The leading two available European Tour Members from the Volvo Order of Merit, not otherwise qualified, as at September 27, 2004.
Prize money for the 2004 Championship will increase by £140,000 on 2003 to £2.44 million in 2004 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
(This breakdown will be subject to The European Tour’’s normal breakdown for Volvo Order of Merit purposes).
Phil Mickelson, the current Masters Champion leads the 2004 HSBC Major Championships Ranking and is the third player to have qualified for the 2004 HSBC World Match Play Championship in October, behind Ernie Els, the defending champion, and Tiger Woods, the World Number One.
Peter Stringham, Head of Marketing at HSBC, said, “We were delighted with last year’’s inaugural HSBC World Match Play, the first of our long term partnership, and the official European Tour sanction is a major step forward in our plans to build on that success”.
Ken Schofield, Executive Director of The European Tour, said: “Mark McCormack, whose original concept this was, always had a close affinity with the HSBC World Match Play and we are pleased to have reached agreement with IMG over the official sanctioning of the Championship, with the prize money counting towards the Volvo Order of Merit and points available for the Official World Golf Ranking.”
Andrew Hampel, Managing Director of IMG Europe, Africa and Middle East, the tournament founders and organisers added, “The World Match Play Championship was very special to our founder, Mark McCormack, and as such we are dedicated to ensuring it continues to develop in a way of which Mark would have been proud.”
HSBC, the world's second largest bank, has signed a 10 year deal with tournament founders and promoters IMG for the World Match Play, which remains the world’’s only match play event with all matches contested over 36 holes. The 2004 HSBC World Match Play Championship takes place over Wentworth's famous West Course, from October 14-17.
