Mission Hills Golf Club -- the world's largest collection of premier golf courses with 12 layouts designed by many of the greatest golfers and golf-course architects from five continents -- today announces that an unforgettable week at the 2007 OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup capped off a year to remember at the club.
Scotland, represented by the duo of Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren, defeated the American team of Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum on the third extra hole to secure the $1,600,000 first prize. It was Scotland's first World Cup victory since the event's inception in 1953. Fittingly, the region widely regarded as the birthplace of golf won in the country that holds much promise as the game's newest frontier.
"The World Cup is one of the most venerated titles in all of golf," says Dr. David Chu, Chairman, Mission Hills Group. "The tournament's rich history, combined with its founding principle of promoting international goodwill through golf, is what makes us so honored to have Mission Hills named the host through 2018."
And while the club has 12 world-class designs to choose from as host, the plan is for the tournament to remain on the Olazabal Course for the foreseeable future, according to Tenniel Chu, Executive Director, Mission Hills Golf Club.
"We have the luxury to play on a different course each year, but at the same time, what we want to try and create is somewhat similar to what Augusta has done," he says. "Every year, same course, same venue, same time. For the audience watching around the world, they will grow familiar with it and become emotionally attached to it."
Mission Hills' and the Olazabal Course's emergence on the international golf scene is emblematic of the game's meteoric growth in China, a fact not lost on Dr. Chu.
"Mission Hills' selection as host for the next 12 years is proof that the golf world realizes the integral role that we can play in the fantastic opportunity that China presents to grow the game," he says.
While the inaugural OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup was a great success, it was hardly Mission Hills' only noteworthy accomplishment of 2007.
Pete Dye and Zhang Lian Wei Courses Open to Critical Acclaim
This past summer, the club broke its own world record when it opened its 11th and 12th courses from legendary designer Pete Dye and Chinese golf hero Zhang Lian Wei, respectively.
The Pete Dye Course, his first in China, offers a marked departure from the property's other 11 designs. Dye trademarks are all present and accounted for throughout the 6,800-yard layout, including small pot bunkers, long tee-to-green waste areas, railroad ties used as sleepers and walkway steps framed by tall native grasses to provide a sharp, visual contrast. Dye and collaborating architect Brian Curley of Schmidt-Curley Design routed the course through dramatic, rolling hills, where the course is serviced by the recently-opened Mid-Valley Clubhouse.
The Zhang Lian Wei Course, on the other hand, is the first par-3 course in China. Designed by Schmidt-Curley in conjunction with Wei, the first Chinese golfer to compete in the Masters, it features design elements and greens borrowed from many of the world's most famous golf venues. Architecture aficionados will discover a history lesson of quirky designs such as the Postage Stamp green from Royal Troon, the Road Hole green at St. Andrews and Donald Ross-style "turtle back" green complexes.
"We are excited to add our 11th and 12th courses and to present our members and guests with 216 holes of outstanding, world-class golf," said Dr. Chu at the time. "It is an honor to have Pete Dye and Zhang Lian Wei represented at Mission Hills and we look forward to a lasting relationship with both gentlemen."
Mission Hills Golf Academy by Cindy Reid
In September, Mission Hills celebrated the opening of the Mission Hills Golf Academy by Cindy Reid. Vijay Singh, one of Reid's prized pupils, visited Mission Hills to mark the occasion.
Formerly the Director of Instruction at the TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Reid has worked with Singh as well as several other PGA Tour players over her twenty-five year career, including Jim Furyk, Fred Funk, Davis Love III, and Rocco Mediate. She is widely considered to be one of golf's premier teachers and is known for her ability to communicate and inspire her students. Reid is a Golf For Women magazine Top 50 instructor, is a regular contributor to The Golf Channel's "Academy Live," and is a contributing instructor writer to Golf For Women and PGA TOUR Partners Magazine.
The Cindy Reid Signature Golf School features an Elite Golf School and a Women's Elite Golf School in two and three day packages. The Elite Golf School is an intense program that caters to serious golfers who seek to improve their tournament play, while the Women's Elite Golf School focuses on basic fundamentals for female players. The Cindy Reid Signature Golf School also offers a Three Day Elite Short Game School geared toward experienced players. These schools are each highlighted by personal instruction from Reid.
"It is an honor to have Cindy Reid and the Cindy Reid Golf Academy here at Mission Hills," Dr. Chu said upon the academy's launch. "Over the years she has established herself as one of the game's great teachers and true ambassadors. Her instructional methods and philosophies further our goal of growing the game in China by introducing and retaining players through sound fundamentals."
Mid-Valley Clubhouse Opens to Service Dye, Nick Faldo Courses
This year Mission Hills also completed construction of the third clubhouse on its property.
The Mid-Valley Clubhouse is marked by its Spanish-style tile roof and Southwestern décor. It services the Faldo and Pete Dye Courses and features Chinese, Asian and Western cuisine in its Sunrise Café; the club's fourth spa, offering couple treatment rooms, a foot reflexology center, and spa retail boutique; men's and women's locker rooms, featuring 238 and 90 lockers, respectively, as well as saunas and steam rooms; a fully-stocked pro shop; and three banquet rooms with capacities between 60 and 120 people.
"The Mid-Valley Clubhouse, like its predecessors on the Shenzhen and Dongguan sides of the club, offers a multitude of amenities and is a paragon of luxury and opulence," says Dr. Chu.
He continues: "Mission Hills has always prided itself on offering the finest service in the world. Our guests will enjoy every aspect of their stay, from world-class golf and exceptional dining, to soothing spas and exemplary personal service from our devoted staff. It is these things that make the Mission Hills experience so unique and gratifying."
Faldo Series Asia Showcases Local, Regional Golf Talent
From December 12 - 14, Mission Hills' Faldo Course will host the grand final of the Faldo Series Asia.
The Faldo Series Asia features an annual schedule of tournaments in different territories across the region. Over 60 players qualify for the Faldo Series Asia grand final, hosted by the six-time major winner on his namesake course at Mission Hills.
Combining experience with education, Faldo Series Asia tournaments give talented young golfers, male and female from ages 11 to 21, the chance to benefit from top-level competition under strict tournament conditions and receive expert advice from guest speakers on golf related topics. Simultaneously, younger children gain access to golf at the tournaments through a program of grass-roots activities and the chance to watch the competitors in action. Results from the series count toward the R & A's World Amateur Golf Rankings.
"The growth of the game in China cannot be fully achieved without reaching out to and fostering interest among children and young adults," says Dr. Chu. "This is why our association with the Faldo Series Asia is of paramount importance to us and our efforts to spread golf throughout China. It is our hope that the program will help to identify the next generation of Chinese professionals who will one day vie for major championships on the game's grandest stages."
About Mission Hills Golf Club
Since opening in 1994 and hosting the World Cup in 1995, Mission Hills Golf Club has emerged as one of the world's leading venues for international golf events, hosting more than 50 international tournaments including the 2001 Tiger Woods China Challenge. In a resounding statement about its place in the pantheon of international professional golf, Mission Hills and the Olazabal Course will be the permanent home of the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup through 2018. In addition, Mission Hills has firmly entrenched itself as the epicenter of golf in China, one of the fastest growing markets in the world for the construction of new golf courses and grass roots growth of the game via junior golf programs.
Mission Hills seeks to create 'International Goodwill through Golf.' The Club occupies over 4,500 acres of land (the size of five Central Parks) and boasts 12 signature courses designed by golf legends from five different continents: Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Jose Maria Olazabal, Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, Zhang Lian Wei, David Leadbetter, Greg Norman, Jumbo Ozaki, Vijay Singh, Annika Sorenstam and David Duval. Each course is reflective of the designers' style, offering unique risk / reward challenges to the player. As a complete golf destination, the Club houses a five star hotel and world class spa and was voted Best Golf Resort in Asia by readers of Asian Golf Monthly in 2006 and Golf Resort of the Year in the Rest of the World category in 2005 by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO). In May 2004, the Club was accredited by the Guinness World RecordsTM as the World's Largest Golf Facility, making a name for itself in the world of premier golf through its exceptional ability to deliver an unsurpassed level of service excellence.
The Chu family, true ambassadors for the game of golf, have also invested heavily in practice facilities and instructional academies in order to promote the sport through retention of players. There are three practice ranges on site -- all with state-of-the-art amenities and TOUR-level conditioning. And Mission Hills has the rare distinction of having two teaching facilities from renowned instructors in the same location: the David Leadbetter Academy and the Mission Hills Golf Academy by Cindy Reid. In conjunction with international golf star Nick Faldo, the club hosts the "Faldo Series Asia" grand final. The Faldo Series provides the best young golfers in Asia with grass roots level access to the game through a series of goodwill competitions.
About the World Cup
The 2007 OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup launched a new and exciting era in the history of the event. John Jay Hopkins, a noted Canadian industrialist, founded the event in 1953 as a way to promote goodwill among nations through golf. Initially named the Canada Cup, it became the World Cup in 1967 and is scheduled to be played at Mission Hills Golf Club through 2018. The 2007 OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup offered a purse of $5,000,000. It was a four-day team event that featured a four-ball (better-ball) format on days one and three, and a foursomes (alternate shot) format on days two and four. The Scottish team of Colin Montgomerie and Marc Warren defeated the American team of Boo Weekley and Heath Slocum on the third extra hole to claim the $1,600,000 first prize.
Getting There: Mission Hills Golf Club is a short drive north of Hong Kong International Airport, www.hongkongairport.com. Flights on most major airlines from most major cities are available into Hong Kong. From the airport, Mission Hills transports golfers in luxury shuttles across the border to the resort hotel.
For more information about Mission Hills Golf Club, visit www.missionhillsgroup.com, email info@missionhillsgroup.com, or call (852) 2122 1616 (Hong Kong) - (86 755) 2802 0888 (Shenzhen) -- (86-769) 8728 8888 (Dongguan).
