The International Federation of PGA Tours has announced that the World Golf Championships - EMC World Cup will be played at the Gotemba Course at The Taiheiyo Club in Shizuoka, Japan on November 12-18, 2001.
"In recognition of the 100-year anniversary of golf in Japan, the International Federation of PGA Tours is excited to bring this prestigious event to The Taiheiyo Club,” said PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem, on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours. "The Taiheiyo Club is the perfect venue to host the first World Golf Championships event to be played in Japan."
Kosaku Shimada, Chairman of the Japan Golf Tour Organisation, said: "We are very proud to be hosting this prestigious tournament. We look forward to the challenge and the responsibilities that come with hosting a tournament of this calibre."
The Gotemba Course at The Taiheiyo Club is considered among the top courses in Japan. The course, which was designed by Shunsuke Kato, one of Japan’’s leading golf course architects, offers views of Mt. Fuji from all areas of the course.
Since 1977 the Taiheiyo Club has been the site of the Taiheiyo Masters, a leading event on the Japan Golf Tour. The event traditionally draws a strong international field, and past winners include three-time champion England’’s Lee Westwood, Spain’’s Seve Ballesteros and José Maria Olazábal, Australia’’s Greg Norman and Scott Hoch from the United States. Japan’’s leading player, Jumbo Ozaki, has won the event three times, including twice at the Gotemba Course.
It was announced in December 1999 that the EMC World Cup would become part of the World Golf Championships, with the 2000 tournament to be contested on December 4-10 at Buenos Aires Golf Club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The International Golf Association (IGA) operated the World Cup from its inception in 1953 through 1999. The IGA and the International Federation of PGA Tours entered into an agreement last year whereby the Federation will sanction and operate the EMC World Cup as the fourth World Golf Championships event.
The World Golf Championships are sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian PGA, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Southern Africa Tour.
The World Cup had been contested twice in Japan. In 1957 the Japanese team of Torakichi Nakamura and Koichi Ono won the title at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, and in 1966 the United States duo of Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer won their third of four titles together at Yomiuri Country Club, also in Tokyo.
This year’’s EMC World Cup will be the final of four World Golf Championships events to be contested in 2000. The Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship, held in February at La Costa Resort and Spa, Carlsbad, California, USA, saw Darren Clarke earning the title, defeating Tiger Woods in the Championship Match. The NEC Invitational will be played August 21-27 at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, USA. This year’’s American Express Championship will again be held at Valderrama, Andalucia, Spain Nov. 7-12, with the EMC World Cup to follow a month later.
EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) is the world leader in information storage systems, software, networks and services, providing the information infrastructure for a connected world. Information about EMC's products and services can be found at www.emc.com
