The 55th World Cup of Golf Live

The 55^th World Cup of Golf, or the Omega Mission Hills World Cup to give it its current (sponsor) name, takes place at the Mission Hills Golf Club in China from 26^th-29^th November 2009 in a contest you can watch live and online by joining us here at watchlivegolf.com.

As is probably obvious from the title, this competition has now reached its 55^th outing, and over the years it has produced top quality golf. In a nutshell, the tournament is contended by teams of two golfers representing their home country, and only one team is permitted to enter from each qualifying country. The players are normally selected to compete based on the official world golf rankings, although it has to be stated that not all of the original chosen decide to compete. From 2007 until 2018 the tournament will be played at the Mission Hills Golf Club in China and will be known on the calendar as the (sponsor) Mission Hills World Cup.

In the events first incarnation in its inaugural year of 1953, it was contested by just seven nations in what was then known as the Canada Cup. The tournament was actually the brain child of Canadian industrialist John Hopkins, president and founder of General Dynamics Corporation, who had a mission to try and encourage international goodwill through the game of golf. In reality Hopkins can understandably be called the father of international golf for his foresight to bring the nations together. His tournament of 1953 would grow to be the biggest international event in golf.

The 1953 event was won by Roberto de Vicenzo and Antonio Cerda for Argentina, in a tournament hosted in Montreal, while the following year in Quebec Peter Thomson and Kel Nagle won the second ever playing of the competition for Australia. The Columbia Country Club, in Washington D.C. hosted the third event and it was to ne the United States first of 23 victories in the competition so far, when Ed Furgol and Chick Harbert came home victorious.

But the annual tournament was to gain its real world recognition in the fourth year when it was held at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, one of the country’s most well-known and prestigious golfing venues. Crowds flocked from far and near to see the contest, which rightly received worldwide attention because of it. John Hopkins proudly said that “his” tournament had finally come of age that year thanks to Wentworth. The United States won that year as well with Hogan and Snead eventually lifting the trophy.

In 1967 the tournament became known as the World Cup of Golf and in the year 2000 it became one of World Golf Championships events, although today it does not fall under that umbrella, although the International Federation of PGA Tours still actually sanctions the event.

Since its inception in 1953, fifteen different countries have won the event, with the United States way ahead in the winners table with 23 victories. South Africa follow the way with five wins, Australia and Spain have four wins each, Canada has three wins, England, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Sweden and Wales all have two wins, while Argentina, Taiwan, and Scotland have all won it once. The 2008 tournament was won by Sweden’s Robert Karlsson and Henrik Stenson.

The way the event has been played over the years has also changed. In its inaugural year the tournament took the format of 36 holes of stroke play with the two scores of the teams players combined to find the winner. In the second event in 1954 this changed to 72 holes of stroke play, and this incarnation was to last all the way through to 1999. With the new millennium, the event adopted alternating rounds of fourballs and foursomes.

Twenty-eight teams will be contesting the 2009 World Cup of Golf, with some of the world’s finest players representing their countries. World number five ranked player Henrik Stenson will be partnering Robert Karlsson for Sweden and world number eight Sergio Garcia will be partnered by Gonzalo Fernanez-Castaño for Spain. The most recent major winner YE Yang of Korea will be partnering Charlie Wi and amongst the favourites for this year’s crown, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell line up for Ireland, Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher represent England, Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby join forces for Australia, Nick Watney and John Merrick will fight for the United States and Rory Sabbatini and Richard Sterne will carry the hopes of South Africa.

Join us here from 26^th-29^th November 2009 at watchlivegolf.com, for spectacular coverage of this year’s tournament.