Colin Montgomerie, The 2010 European Ryder Cup Captain, joined a distinguished cast this week at the Paris Headquarters of Vivendi, the French-based international media conglomerate which controls Canal+, Activision Blizzard, Universal Music Group, SFR and Moroc Telecon, to witness the launch of The Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros, featuring teams from Continental Europe and Great Britain and Ireland, to be held on the composite course at Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche, Paris, France, from September 24-27 this year.
Canal+ Events and Vivendi have signed with The European Tour to present an exciting major international golf event in each year of a four year agreement with The Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros, which will also be played in 2011, alternating with The Vivendi Celebrity Trophy to be played in 2010 and 2012.
The announcement was made by Jean-Bernard Lévy, Chairman of the Management Board of Vivendi, who was joined at the conference by Jean-René Fourtou, Chairman of the Supervisory Board (Vivendi), Jean-Louis Dutaret, President of Canal+ Events and Georges Barbaret, President of the French Golf Federation.
Jean-Bernard Lévy said: “Seve Ballesteros’s astonishing passion for the game is well documented and it is because golf is a passion that is shared by many people in France, the UK, Morocco and the USA that Vivendi has decided to become the main partner for this golf trophy. It is a unique opportunity to bring together the institutional world, the financial world, the financial community, individual shareholders, Vivendi’s subsidiaries and their clients and partners to take part in two fascinating spectacles – The Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros and The Vivendi Celebrity Trophy – which will provide competition for the best players in the world.”
Jean-Louis Dutaret added: “The aim of the world leader in communications and entertainment is to put in place immediately a global strategy for the world of golf. This has led to this major commitment to The European Tour that will provide an incomparable spectacle worthy of this leader in entertainment.”
Montgomerie paid tribute to the inspirational achievements of Seve and to the importance of the contest for which Ballesteros is Tournament President. He also captured the sentiments at the conference when he said that his fellow players and all those present joined together in sending Seve their very best wishes in his continuing recovery.
The Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros will ensure the continuation of the match between Continental Europe and Great Britain and Ireland which Seve himself created in 2000, which was subsequently played in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007 and which is similar in format to The Ryder Cup. The prize fund for the 2009 event was announced at €1,150,000. Members of the winning team will each receive €65,000 and the losing team €50,000. The Vivendi Celebrity Trophy will be a full field, 72-hole event with a Pro-Am format and will be played as part of The Race to Dubai on The European Tour International Schedule in 2010 and 2012.
Seve Ballesteros, the winner of 87 tournaments worldwide including three Open Championships and two Masters Tournaments, was, understandably, unable to be present at the conference but he sent a message from his home in Pedreña, Spain, where he is convalescing following four operations to remove a brain tumour after being admitted to hospital last October.
Ballesteros’ message read : “I hope all my friends are all keeping well. I would have liked to have been with all of you but I am still in the recovery process and this does not allow me to travel long distances. I am recovering well, step by step. It is a pleasure that Vivendi has decided to support the sixth edition of the tournament that Amen Corner created in the year 2000 and which carries my name. I would like to thank Vivendi and Canal+ Events for their support.
“France is a very special place for me. I have won there on several occasions and I have great memories of my achievements in this great country. I am very happy to know that I have a big number of friends and fans in France. Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche is a magnificent venue that brings to me excellent memories as well. I am sure it will be a great challenge for both teams.
“You all know how much passion I had for The Ryder Cup and match play format. The reason why Amen Corner and I thought about creating this competition almost ten years ago was mainly because of my passion for this sport. I am not sure if it is a coincidence or a fact that the European Ryder Cup team has done very well in recent editions but I believe that since The Seve Trophy started many players have gained great experience from playing a format that is not seen very often on The European Tour schedule.
“Today we are presenting the Vivendi Trophy with Seve Ballesteros and, once again, I want to thank Vivendi and Canal+ Events for the support shown. I also want to take this opportunity to thank George O’Grady for his involvement in this competition. Obviously I want to thank all my colleagues and the players for their support during these complicated times. I hope I can travel in September when the competition takes place and wish everyone the best of luck at St-Nom-la-Bretèche.”
George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, commented: “The Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros marks the start of a significant four-year partnership between The European Tour and Vivendi. The rich diversity of Vivendi’s business includes Canal+ with whom we enjoy a strong and loyal relationship through our television arrangements and we look forward to further enhancing those relationships. We are all well aware of the serious health challenges that Seve has faced with such great courage and therefore we are particularly appreciative of Vivendi’s decision to ensure with us that the match Seve created continues in honour of him and with his support as the Tournament President. Fittingly Seve has a special relationship with France where Vivendi is based and where he has won no fewer than nine times and also with Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche where five of those wins have come.”
Denmark’s Thomas Björn and Ireland’s Paul McGinley will be the non-playing Captains of Continental Europe and Great Britain and Ireland respectively for The Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros which will see ten players representing both teams over four days. Each team of ten will comprise of the leading five eligible players from the Official World Golf Ranking and the leading five eligible players from The Race to Dubai (not otherwise qualified from the OWGR) following the conclusion of the Mercedes-Benz Championship on September 14.
Montgomerie said: “The Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros is an incredibly important team event for The European Tour. It brings together 20 of our finest players in match play competition and while both teams will be determined to win, it is also an important precursor for The Ryder Cup and a chance to build relationships. Moreover, I am very keen that as players we pay full tribute to Seve and through this event we are able to do exactly that. Seve has been such a formative figure on The European Tour and it is good to take the opportunity to honour and praise his achievements.”
Björn said: “Team golf has always been very special to me. I have played in The Ryder Cup, Royal Trophy and all the Seve Trophies and to now have the opportunity to lead ten of the best players in Continental Europe against Great Britain and Ireland for The Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros is a great honour. Hopefully I picked up a fair bit from the various Captains I have served under, and particularly as one of Bernhard Langer’s assistants in The 2006 Ryder Cup, and I hope to bring all these experiences with me to Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche. Having played in all five Seve Trophies, this event is close to my heart and I will be doing all I can to secure a first win for Continental Europe since 2000.”
McGinley said : “It’s a great honour to captain the Great Britain and Ireland side for the Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros. This will be my first taste of being a captain and it is a role I am certainly looking forward to. I have plenty of experience of playing in teams with Ryder Cups, Royal Trophies and Seve Trophies and have learnt a lot from all the Captains I have played under. Colin Montgomerie, in his capacity of Ryder Cup Captain, was able to choose the two Captains and I was very honoured to be asked. It is a great tournament and hopefully we will have a competition played in the same spirit that Seve played golf.”
The 2009 Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros will comprise of five fourballs on both Thursday and Friday, four greensomes on Saturday morning, four foursomes on Saturday afternoon and ten singles on Saturday. In total 28 points are available with 14 ½ points required to win. In 2007 Continental Europe led 9 ½ -8 ½ going into the last day, but Great Britain and Ireland won the singles 8-2 for a decisive 16 ½ - 11 ½ victory. Continental Europe won in 2000 but Great Britain and Ireland have won each of the four subsequent matches.
Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche in Versailles, 12 miles west of Paris, is located in the pleasant countryside of La Tuilerie. It has a magnificent 18th century manor house that overlooks its two excellent courses both designed in 1959 by Fred Hawtree on lightly wooden, undulating terrain. The combined test that Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche comes up with as a distillation from the best of its two courses proves that for all its apparent benevolence it is utterly unforgiving. Demanding of total concentration, it is one of the best parkland courses that mainland Europe has to offer.
Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche, where the World Cup was played in 1963, was the host venue for the Trophée Lancôme from 1970 to 2003 and the venue for the Open de France in 1965 won by Spain’s Ramon Sota, Seve Ballesteros’s Uncle, and in 1969 when an emotional victory was claimed by France’s own Jean Garaialde, and in 1982 when Ballesteros himself won. Ballesteros also won the Open de France in 1977, 1985 and 1986, the Trophée Lancôme in 1976, 1983, 1986 and 1988 and the Tournoi Perrier de Paris with Jose Maria Olazábal in 1995.
