Inaugural World Champions Cup Set 

Inaugural World Champions Cup Set

Els, Furyk and Clarke lead respective groups

Bradenton, FL. The World Champions Cup is a first-of-its-kind worldwide workforce golf competitors that can be contested December 7-10, 2023, at The Concession Golf Membership in Bradenton, Florida.

Impressed by the eagerness and custom of the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, the World Champions Cup will characteristic Group Worldwide, Group USA and Group Europe squaring off over three days of competitors that may renew a few of the sport’s most storied rivalries because the groups battle for worldwide delight and international bragging rights. The World Champions Cup is formally sanctioned by PGA TOUR Champions and is about to air on ABC and ESPN.

The World Champions Cup is an annual three-team, three-day match play competitors that can be contested throughout nine-hole matches that includes workforce codecs and singles play, with factors being earned for every gap received in every of the occasion’s 24 matches. The workforce with the very best level whole throughout all matches can be topped the champion.

Every of the groups competing within the World Champions Cup will encompass six gamers, together with the enjoying captains, and all can be energetic PGA TOUR Champions members.

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THE CAPTAINS

ERNIE ELS / Group Worldwide

Els, a South African native, will captain Group Worldwide. The four-time main champion and former World No. 1 was elected to the World Golf Corridor of Fame in 2011. Els touts a powerful resume that features 19 PGA TOUR victories, three PGA TOUR Champions trophies and 47 worldwide wins.

Probably the most vital of his wins are his two U.S. Open titles (1994 and 1997) and his two wins a full decade aside at The Open (2002, 2012). The Huge Straightforward has been a member of eight Presidents Cup groups and captained the Worldwide squad in 2019.

JIM FURYK / Group USA

Jim Furyk present official PGA TOUR headshot. (Picture by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)

Furyk will captain Group USA. Throughout his profession, Furyk has represented Group USA in seven Presidents Cups, 9 Ryder Cups and served as a Ryder Cup captain in 2018.

He’s a 17-time winner on the PGA TOUR, highlighted by profitable the 2003 U.S. Open, and is a three-time winner on PGA TOUR Champions – together with the 2021 U.S. Senior Open.

Furyk reached a profession excessive world rating of second in 2006 and spent 440 weeks ranked within the high 10 from 1999 – 2016. Furyk can be the proprietor of the bottom spherical in PGA TOUR historical past, having shot 58 within the fourth spherical of the Vacationers Championship in 2016.

DARREN CLARKE / Group Europe

Darren Clarke present official PGA TOUR headshot. (Picture by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR)

Hailing from Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Eire, Clarke will captain Group Europe. He’s most well-known for his 2011 victory at The Open at Royal St. George’s, the place he completed three strokes away from the sector.

In 2022 Clarke grew to become the fourth participant in historical past to win each The Open Championship and The Senior Open Championship, defeating Pádraig Harrington by one shot at Gleneagles in Scotland. Clarke has performed on 5 Ryder Cup groups and served as captain in 2016 for Group Europe.

Clarke’s resume consists of victories at two PGA TOUR World Golf Championships occasions and 4 PGA TOUR Champions occasions, in addition to 15 worldwide wins.

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The Concession Golf Membership’s Championship event, April 3, 2022. Picture by Daniel Wagner / WAGNER VISUALS

What prompted you to take part as a captain for the World Champions Cup occasion?

CLARKE: I’m overjoyed to characterize Group Europe as captain for the inaugural enjoying of the World Champions Cup.

I’ve been blessed to be part of many workforce competitions all around the world and it’s actually an honor to be chosen as a captain together with Jim and Ernie, two of golf’s all-time nice gamers. That is actually a primary of its sort international workforce competitors.

FURYK: I’m honored to guide Group USA onto the worldwide stage that the World Champions Cup represents. It has been such a deal with being a part of Group USA at totally different phases all through my profession.

I look ahead to having the possibility to captain Group USA and compete towards Ernie and Darren, with whom I walked fairways for greater than 20 years.

ELS: The thought for the World Champions Cup has been quite a lot of years within the making, and when first offered with the concept, I undoubtedly wished to be concerned. It’s actually an honor to be a enjoying captain for the internationals.

This sort of workforce competitors has given me a few of the fondest recollections of my profession and I’m certain that is going to be one other particular week. I’m actually wanting ahead to it.

What features of the occasion do you imagine will seize the curiosity of each golfers and non-golfers alike?

ELS: I believe golf followers will tune in and revel in seeing us battling one another similar to we’ve in majors, Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups these previous 20-30 years. I believe there’s one thing very interesting about that.

Additionally, the aggressive fireplace that all of us nonetheless have can be very apparent.  All of us wish to win and, as each golfer is aware of, whenever you issue within the workforce component of this occasion and never eager to let your teammates down, that all the time brings an added stage of drama and pleasure to the competitors.

CLARKE: What’s to not like? Golf followers get so excited for the Ryder Cup each different yr, and for the Presidents Cup within the years between – the World Champions Cup basically combines the 2, and it will likely be an annual occasion.

It’s going to be a lot enjoyable getting on the market and competing towards these guys and enjoying with one thing extra on the road than your personal scorecard. Representing Europe has all the time meant a lot to me within the Ryder Cup, and I do know the blokes on Group Worldwide and Group USA really feel the identical manner.

FURYK: The Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup are my favourite occasions that I ever performed in. To characterize one thing greater than your self, to put on the American flag in your sleeve, to be a bunch and play for a workforce is one thing I’ve all the time admired. And we’re bringing that chance again with the World Champions Cup, which I believe followers in all places will embrace, whether or not they’re on web site at Concession or watching on TV all over the world.

I didn’t play rugby, and at 6’2″, 195, I’m the smallest of the captains, so I would like no a part of them. However I did play soccer, basketball and baseball rising up and nonetheless have some nice associates from these groups in my life.

It’s an honor and I’m impressed coming off the Ryder Cup in September as a vice captain, cheering on our workforce. I noticed some wonderful golf from either side. I believe all of us, we loved these occasions.

How have you ever stored the aggressive fires burning all these years?

ELS: I’ve all the time mentioned I like the competitors; it’s what drives me. It’s nonetheless the case at present. It’s simply an innate a part of the skilled athlete’s make-up. It by no means actually leaves you.

FURYK: Now that we’re in our 50s, and I haven’t performed on one in all these groups since I believe 2014, it’s been 9 years, I miss them, I actually do. I’ve been part of them as a captain or vice-captain, however I miss competing in these, so this chance I believe we’re all grateful for.

I believe the matches are going to be actually pleasant, however they’re going to be extraordinarily aggressive as a result of we’re getting collectively 18 of the perfect gamers on this planet now over the age of fifty. These guys are extremely aggressive, they hate to lose and you’ve got three groups which might be going to wish to win the Cup.

CLARKE: It’s fairly easy – I like to win! I’ve been a part of the Ryder Cup eight occasions as a participant or captain, and it has by no means been a problem for me to get enthusiastic about enjoying in an occasion like that.

So I’m thrilled to have one other probability to go to battle with my teammates within the World Champions Cup.

Concession Golf Membership is the host web site for the occasion. What’s the strongest side of the course and the way do you see your workforce doing on the venue?

ELS: It’s a great-looking course, an excellent check. And it’s fairly becoming that it’s the venue for this new match play occasion, with the identify being impressed by Jack Nicklaus’ well-known gesture of conceding the ultimate putt to Tony Jacklin within the 1969 Ryder Cup – one of the vital iconic moments in our sport; a second that actually sums up the spirit of golf.

We’ve obtained a robust workforce and I believe we’ve a terrific probability at bringing residence the trophy.

CLARKE: I believe the course is fabulous. The entire facility’s fabulous. The follow vary, quick sport space, all the things about it’s great. The golf course has just a few risk-reward holes. There’s a pair stout holes on the again 9 that you just’re going to should hit some photographs.

The greens are sectional and really undulating, so when you get on the fallacious facet of a few of the slopes with the velocity that they’re going to be at, it’s going to be robust. You’re going to have alternative to make some birdies with the risk-reward ones.

The very last thing you wish to do in a workforce format is to lose a gap to a bogey, however that’s a risk with a few of the holes we’re going to play. However it’s an exquisite venue. It’s going to be very thrilling coming down the stretch there and enjoying these again 9 holes.

FURYK: Jack (Nicklaus) and Tony (Jacklin) did a terrific job designing the course, and it’s a becoming venue for high-level competitors. The PGA TOUR held an occasion there in 2021 and it has hosted the NCAA championships.

I believe it is going to arrange very well to supply a problem for all three groups and create alternatives some actually thrilling risk-reward situations. We’ve obtained a terrific workforce, however the European and Worldwide squads are actually sturdy as nicely.

Every of you has had an extended and distinguished profession in competing in golf on the highest of ranges. What particular second are you most pleased with in attaining?

FURYK: Probably the most memorable experiences for me for certain was capturing 58 within the remaining spherical of the Vacationers in 2016. However so far as being most proud, I believe I’d should say my U.S. Open victory in 2003.

Successful a significant and having my identify on that trophy endlessly is difficult to place into phrases. U.S. Open Sunday is all the time Father’s Day – my mom and father had been with us that week and that was my first Father’s Day as a mother or father. With the ability to share that win with my household was particular.

CLARKE: This may increasingly not come as a shock, however it’s no doubt The Open Championship in 2011. I had waited so lengthy to win my first main. I felt like after having a number of top-10s in majors early in my profession that I used to be shut, and it took longer than perhaps I had anticipated, so it was actually candy.

ELS:  It’s all the time exhausting to choose only one second. Possibly my first main win within the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont. I used to be solely 24 years of age, I didn’t actually anticipate to win the U.S. Open so quickly.

That actually was an enormous springboard in my profession; it gave me a variety of confidence and perception that I may win anyplace on this planet.

In the event you had a mulligan for one particular shot, you wish to replay – what’s the shot and circumstances tied to it?

FURYK: In the course of the 2012 US Open on the Olympic Membership, the sixteenth tee on Sunday was moved up about 100 yards. I pulled the fallacious membership off the tee and made a really tentative swing, and hooked it left. That shot led to a bogey and in the end value me the event.

ELS: I don’t actually dwell on issues in that manner. Ifs and buts, they don’t exist in sport.

The World Champions Membership is a workforce occasion. There was motion lately, through LIV and others, to increase golf into varied workforce codecs of play. How do you see this dimension shifting ahead and what function will the World Champions Cup play on this effort?

ELS: I believe the present construction with most tournaments being conventional stroke play occasions remains to be one of the best ways to go for skilled golf, however there’s all the time room for different codecs to exist and thrive.

That’s one of many huge points of interest of golf, whether or not you’re a participant or a spectator. And I’m excited that we’ll be capable to play the World Champions Cup yearly. Group golf is a variety of enjoyable and sometimes brings out the perfect within the gamers. We don’t get a variety of possibilities to play workforce golf, so we actually relish it once we do.

FURYK: I’m probably not certain that I can predict the longer term and whether or not we’ll see extra workforce golf shifting ahead. There was a variety of change in golf just lately.

However I like the format for the World Champions Cup, and I believe it’s terrific that we now have an annual occasion like this that brings collectively all the perfect gamers 50 and older for a singular three-team competitors. I do know guys are actually going to wish to win.

CLARKE: The world {of professional} golf has been very fascinating the previous few years, with a ton of change and a variety of new concepts. I do know that the World Champions Cup has been in improvement for fairly just a few years, so the concept for this to be a workforce competitors was within the works nicely earlier than a few of the different issues that we’ve seen come up within the golf world just lately.

Possibly this may open the door for some extra workforce occasions, however I do like the best way it’s now, the place occasions just like the World Champions Cup really feel distinctive and particular.

On a private stage — every of you’ve got received no less than one main championship. In the event you may add one other main that you just didn’t win which one, wouldn’t it be and why?

CLARKE: I suppose perhaps it might be The Open Championship in 1997 at Royal Troon. I led after the primary two rounds and was inside two photographs of Jesper heading into Sunday. Justin Leonard shot a outstanding 65 within the remaining spherical, and Jesper and I completed tied for second.

Had I been in a position to win that yr, I wouldn’t have felt the identical strain that I did till I lastly received one 14 years later. It is going to be enjoyable to have Justin and Jesper right here on the World Champions Cup with me. I’m certain we’ll share tales of that Open and lots of the different nice battles we’ve had through the years.

ELS: I’d should say The Masters. I had just a few near-misses there and clearly it might have been very particular to win that inexperienced jacket.

FURYK: I might have favored to win all of them, but when I needed to single one out, I’d in all probability say the 2007 U.S. Open. Being so near the place I grew up close to Pittsburgh, it might have been wonderful to win at Oakmont.

I had been in a terrific battle the yr earlier than solely to complete tied for second. Oakmont type of beat everybody up that week, and coming down the stretch on Sunday, each Tiger and I had a shot however neither of us may catch Angel Cabrera. It’s nonetheless one of the vital memorable experiences of my golf profession.

Ought to senior golf decrease the edge from 50 to a decrease age for eligibility?

FURYK: I believe 50 is the correct age. I received fairly shortly just a few occasions as quickly as I grew to become eligible for the PGA TOUR Champions, and also you see that quite a bit with guys who’ve simply hit the age of fifty. So I believe it’s finest to depart it as it’s.

CLARKE: No, I believe it’s good the place it’s. There are many gamers on the PGA TOUR who’re very aggressive nicely into their 40s, so I’d be blissful to see the age for PGA TOUR Champions eligibility keep at 50.

ELS: No, I believe 50 is ideal. Gamers are in nice bodily situation for longer today, so you possibly can play the common tour nicely into your 40s if you wish to.

When folks point out your identify what’s the one phrase you hope they use to explain your golf profession and total impression within the sport?

ELS: Folks will know me as The Huge Straightforward. That’s effective. The nickname has been connected to me for thus lengthy that I in all probability can’t ever escape it!

Severely, although, I wish to suppose that I’ll be remembered no less than as a lot for my work with The Els for Autism Basis as I’m for the trophies I received. That’s the extra significant legacy.

CLARKE: I don’t know, perhaps “competitor.” I really feel like for the reason that starting of my profession, each time I’ve gone out on the primary tee in a aggressive occasion,

I’ve been there to win. I believe that actually confirmed within the Ryder Cup, which we received 4 of the 5 occasions I performed.

FURYK: Effectively, I believe lots of people in all probability consider me for my uncommon golf swing! I suppose that simply goes to point out you that there’s nobody proper approach to swing the golf membership, and I believe I’ve been in a position to make my swing work for me all through my profession. I suppose perhaps I’d say “willpower.”

Golf has a variety of ups and downs, and it’s a sport that may humble you fairly shortly. I really feel like I’ve all the time been in a position to bounce again from these challenges and been fairly constant all through my profession.

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