Volvo Golf Champions moves to Durban Country Club

Volvo Golf Champions goes from strength-to-strength as the South African Government comes together to support the European Tour’s season opening ‘Tournament of Champions.’ The Volvo Golf Champions will take place at the Durban Country Club and is an exclusive, limited field event with no halfway cut, open only to European Tour players who have won an event on the previous year’s European Tour International Schedule, the only exception being current Tour Members with more than 10 European Tour victories. Defending champion Branden Grace has already confirmed that he will defend his title. 





Branden Grace has already confirmed that he will be defending his title.

The third edition of the Volvo Golf Champions will take place at the Durban Country Club in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province, South Africa,  in partnership with the Kwa-Zulu Natal Provincial Government, the Central Government Departments for Sport and Recreation and the Department of Tourism. The European Tour’s ‘Tournament of Champions’ will be the first event of the new year and will be played from the 10th to the 13th January 2013 with the most valuable purse on the African continent. In 2012 the prize fund was €2million, approx. ZAR21 million, and the 2013 prize fund will be announced in late October. 


The Durban Country Club is a renowned Championship course with an impressive résumé having hosted the South African Open on no less than 17 occasions. It enjoys beautiful vistas overlooking theIndian Oceanand, with its undulating fairways, lush vegetation and sand dunes is considered one of the most unique and challenging courses in the world. It was recently voted one of the Top 100 golf courses in the World by Golf Magazine USA and is undoubtedly a shot maker’s course that players will have to think their way around. 


The Kwa-Zulu Natal Provincial Government has given the Volvo Golf Champions their whole-hearted support as they seek to show the world the fabulous golf credentials of their Province. There are over 70 golf courses in the region which flourish in this beautiful gardenprovinceofSouth Africa, with its subtropical climate of lush and well-watered valleys, washed by the warmIndian Ocean. 


Significantly theKZNProvinceis being supported by the National Departments for Sport and Recreation and the Department for Tourism, who recognised the importance of a global international sports event in creating opportunities for South Africans, creating a long term legacy for the nation and generating exposure for the counties wealth of attractions and developing economic and business opportunities.    


Kwa-Zulu Natal has been selected to host the Championship having demonstrated to Volvo, IMG and the European Tour that it has the enthusiasm and credentials to showcase the region to an international audience and host the world’s very best golfers on one of its many fabulous golf courses.  


Per Ericsson, President of Volvo Event Management said, “We are delighted to be partnering the Kwa-Zulu Natal Provincial Government, the Department for Sport and Recreation and the Department for Tourism. I congratulate them for having the foresight and understanding of what this can do for the country and the province and I look forward to our corporation. Our plan is to rotate this great tournament around key destinations around the world and we are delighted to have formed a relationship withSouth Africawhose strategy matches so well with our vision for the Volvo Golf Champions. The quality, both of the course and the infrastructure at the Durban Country Club, offer the perfect platform for the European Tour’s 2012 winners to compete at the season-opening event.”


Ericsson continued, “The world final of our tournament for club golfers, the Volvo World Golf Challenge, will take place in the same week, with the winners ‘Playing with the Pros’ on Friday at the Volvo Golf Champions.” 


Guy Kinnings, Global Co-Managing Director, IMG remarked, “The Kwa-Zulu Natal Province and the South African Governments have done an excellent job in demonstrating exactly why the Volvo Golf Champions should take place in this region and in the end it proved to be an easy decision to choose this Province as our destination. IMG has over fifty years experience in running golf tournaments and, together with Volvo’s 25 years of golf expertise, this makes for a great combination in delivering this tournament with the help of our partners, the European Tour.  We are looking forward to working together to develop this ever strengthening tournament and we are eagerly anticipating what the third edition will bring.”   


George O’Grady CBE, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “We are delighted the Volvo Golf Champions is taking place inDurbanand that as our longest-serving partners Volvo will be continuing with their 78th European Tour event, a special relationship driven by passion and vision. This tournament of champions will see us welcome new partners, the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province Government and South African Government, and we also thank the Sunshine Tour for the opportunity to play on another leading course inSouth Africawhere golf, and its golfers, continue to enjoy a rich vein of form.” 


Michael Mabuyakhulu, MEC for Economic Development and Tourism, KwaZulu-Natal Province Government explained, “We are very happy to welcome the Volvo Golf Champions to our Province and are delighted to have been chosen to host the Volvo Golf Champions. As we look to grow our tourism offering, the hosting of the world’s major sports tournaments of this calibre is very much part of our strategy and this partnership with Volvo and IMG is the perfect fit. It is a world-class tournament with a top quality field and we know the province of KwaZulu-Natal will be able to provide a perfect stage for the golfers to display their talents on as they battle for the ‘champion of champions title’. 


Minister Fikile Mbalula, Minister for Sport and Recreation declared, “This is fantastic news for South African golf. Our leading golfers have made us very proud with their performances around the world. Ernie Els and Retief Goosen, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Trevor Immelman have all won majors showing the world the strength of South African golf and there is every indication that Branden Grace will follow suit soon. We want to ensure there are opportunities for our South African fans and aspiring young golfers to see our star players compete at home against other Tour champions and the Volvo Golf Champions is the perfect opportunity.” 


Deputy Minister of Tourism, South African Government, Tokozile Xasa, added, “This is a real boost for tourism in South Africa where we have so many wonderful facilities to offer visitors from around the world.KwaZulu-Natalis a beautiful part of our country and I believe that the Volvo Golf Champions will introduce golf fans across the globe to the many wonderful attributes ofSouth Africaas a best tourist destination as the event is viewed on television by many millions around the world.” 


January’s 2012 Volvo Golf Champions was held at the beautiful Fancourt Resort in George on the famous Links and was won bySouth Africa’s rising star, Branden Grace. He held off the challenge of his two boyhood heroes, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen to win his second event in as many weeks in a dramatic play-off. 


Grace, who also won the Volvo China Open in April, commented, “It was amazing to win such a big event so early in my career and to do it in a play-off against two players that I admire so much was unbelievable. I can’t wait to defend my title and hope I can keep up the trend of playing my best golf in Volvo’s tournaments! The Durban Country Club is a fantastic track and is a course known to throw up great champions. Ernie Els won the Centenary 2010 South African Open there and I think it is provides a wonderful window to show yet another fantastic golf destination in South Africa to the world of golf.” 


Retief Goosen, currently recuperating from a back operation added, “I lost out in a play-off earlier this year to a very worthy winner and would love to finish one place better in 2013. As I start my rehabilitation, it will definitely be motivating to set myself the goal to be back and ready to compete at this great event in front of my home fans.” 


The Volvo Golf Champions will be played from the 10th to the 13th January. An unprecedented gathering of global golfing talent is expected to line up at the 2013 tournament. In 2012 the prize fund was €2million, approx. ZAR21 million, and the 2013 prize fund will be announced in late October. 


The Volvo World Golf Challenge is Volvo’s global tournament for customers. Last year, more than 30 countries and in excess of 70,000 golfers took part, with 50 players making it all the way to the World Final. The most successful performers amongst the World Finalists get the chance to play alongside stars of the European Tour during the Volvo Golf Champions, live on television, in front of a worldwide audience of millions..


2013 Volvo Golf Champions Qualification Update 



















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Category (a):        
Winners of all the fully sanctioned and co-sanctioned tournaments listed below:
 

1

Volvo Golf Champions Branden Grace      
 

2

Abu DhabiHSBC Golf Championship Robert Rock      
 

3

CommercialbankQatarMasters Paul Lawrie      
 

4

OmegaDubaiDesertClassic Rafael Cabrera-Bello      
 

5

Avantha Masters Jbe Kruger      
 

6

WGC Accenture Match Play Championship Hunter Mahan      
 

7

WGC Cadillac Championship Justin Rose      
 

8

Open de Andalucia de Golf Julien Quesne      
 

9

Trophee Hassan II Michael Hoey      
 

10

Sicilian Open Thorbjorn Olesen      
 

11

US Masters Bubba Watson      
 

12

Maybank Malaysian Open Louis Oosthuizen      
    VolvoChinaOpen (Branden Grace)      
 

13

Ballantine’s Championship Bernd Wiesberger      
 

14

Reale Seguros Open de Espana Francesco Molinari      
 

15

Madeira IslandsOpen RicardoSantos      
 

16

Volvo World Match Play Championship Nicolas Colsaerts      
 

17

BMW PGA Championship Luke Donald      
 

18

ISPS Handa Wales Open Thongchai Jaidee      
 

19

Nordea Masters Lee Westwood      
 

20

US Open Webb Simpson      
 

21

Saint-Omer Open presented by Neuflize OBC Darren Fichardt      
 

22

BMW International Open Danny Willett      
 

23

Irish Open Jamie Donaldson      
 

24

Alstom Open de France Marcel Siem      
 

25

Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Jeev Milkha Singh      
 

26

The Open Ernie Els      
    Lyoness Open powered by Greenfinity (Bernd Wiesberger)      
 

27

WGC Bridgestone Invitational Keegan Bradley      
 

28

US PGA Championship Rory McIlroy      
    Johnnie Walker Championship (Paul Lawrie)      
 

29

Omega European Masters Richie Ramsay      
 

30

KLM Open Peter Hanson      
 

31

Italian Open        
 

32

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship        
 

33

PortugalMasters        
 

34

Andalucia Masters        
 

35

PerthInternational        
 

36

BMW Masters        
 

37

WGC HSBC Champions        
 

38

BarclaysSingaporeOpen        
 

39

Hong Kong Open        
 

40

South African Open        
 

41

DubaiWorld Championship        
 

42

Nelson Mandela Invitational        
 

43

Alfred Dunhill Championship        
             
Category (b):        
Past winners of the Volvo Golf Champions under 50 years of age on the first day of the tournament.
             
 

44

  Paul Casey      
      (Branden Grace)      
             
             
Category (c):        
Players with 10 or more official Race to Dubai/European Tour Order of Merit tournament wins under 50* years of age on the first day of the tournament.  (*NB. This age restriction in (c) does not apply to any full European Tour member ranked within 2012 Categories 1-8.).
             
 

45

  Colin Montgomerie      
      (Ernie Els)      
      (Lee Westwood)      
 

46

  Padraig Harrington      
 

47

  Retief Goosen      
 

48

  Darren Clarke      
 

50

  Miguel Angel Jimenez      
 

51

  Ian Poulter      
 

52

  Thomas Bjorn      
 

53

  Robert Karlsson      
 

54

  José Maria Olazabal      
 

54

  Vijay Singh      
 

56

  Martin Kaymer      
 

57

  Sergio García      

For more information please visit www.volvoingolf.com 


About Volvo in Golf


In 1988, Volvo changed the face and fortunes of the European Tour and has been a pioneer in golf for many years, successfully using its high-profile events portfolio to position the premium brand and create sustainable business partnerships with clients passionate about the sport. Thanks to effective media exposure, millions around the world have seen the renowned blue brand on the tees, greens and fairways of the world.


Volvo Event Management is responsible for the in-house planning and management of the global golf sponsorship activity shared by Volvo Car Corporation and Volvo Group. Volvo Event Management is based in Gothenburg, Sweden and has a representative office in Hong Kong. Volvo Event Management currently has a portfolio of four events under its auspices.


European Tour events:
Volvo Golf Champions – a champions only tournament
Volvo China Open – the national open golf championship of China
Volvo World Match Play Championship – professional golf’s most enduring match play event


Tournaments for club golfers :


Volvo World Golf Challenge – one of the most inclusive global golf series in the world targeted to Volvo’s customers, with its World Final staged in conjunction with the Volvo Golf Champions. Volvo’s customers are then offered the golf experience of a lifetime by ‘Playing with the Pros’ during the professional tournament, a completely unique possibility. 


Volvo Event Management has been headed by its President, Per Ericsson since June 2008 and has a core in-house staff supported by specialist consultants.


www.volvoingolf.com


http://www.facebook.com/volvoingolf


http://twitter.com/#!/volvoingolf 


About IMG 


IMG Worldwide is a global sports, entertainment and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging:  IMGCollege; IMG’s Joint Ventures in China, Braziland India; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMGAcademies; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing.  More information is available at www.imgworld.com.  Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/IMG_Worldwide and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IMGWorldwide 


About Durban Country Club


Since its opening in 1922 Durban Country Club’s par-72, 6157 metre course has been considered one of South Africa’s finest. The original design by Laurie Waters and George Waterman continues to compare with the best nearly 90 years later. As a result the Club boasts the unique claim of being the only course on the African continent to be rated in the Top 100 Golf Courses of the World by Golf Magazine (USA).


It’s not surprising that this excellent layout has been chosen to host the South African Open more often than any other courses – a total of 17 times, including the centennial event in 2010. The Club has recently appointed renowned golf course designer, Peter Matkovich, to ensure the course is in championship condition for the Volvo Golf Champions. 


A combination of lush vegetation, sand dunes and stunning views of theIndian Oceanmake this course both scenic and challenging. The design includes a pleasant mix of tall trees, thick bush, severe slopes and punishing bunkers, thus providing even the most discerning golfer with a demanding round of golf. It is a shot maker’s course and players are required to think their way around it. Durban Country Club provides the golfer with an opportunity to experience one of the finest and most unique golf courses in existence.


For more information on Durban Country Club please go to www.dcclub.co.za.


Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/DurbanCountryClub and twitter www.twitter.com/DbnCountryClub

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