Vijay Singh, Bernhard Langer and Steve Stricker to play in World Champions Cup in Bradenton
Vijay Singh, Bernhard Langer and Steve Stricker will be teeing off at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton this December as the first three automatic qualifiers announced for the World Champions Cup, the tournament announced today.
The World Champions Cup is a first-of-its-kind international team golf competition set to make its debut December 7-10. Singh, Langer, and Steve Stricker will represent Team International, Team Europe and Team USA, respectively, in the competition that will air on ABC and ESPN.
World Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els, 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke and 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk will each serve as playing captains for their respective teams of six competitors, all aged 50 and older and members of the PGA TOUR Champions.
More: Sarasota, Manatee leaders team up to attract one of professional golf's signature tournaments
"We are excited to be able to kick off ticket sales while simultaneously announcing a pair of World Golf Hall of Famers and one of the most clutch players in team golf competition as our three initial automatic qualifiers,” said Jason Langwell, Executive Director of the World Champions Cup. “To have Vijay, Bernhard and Steve join playing captains Ernie Els, Darren Clarke and Jim Furyk as the first six players in our 18-player field shows just how impressive this group will be when they tee it up in the inaugural World Champions Cup. We’re less than 80 days away from the first tee shot being struck, and the buzz is building quickly in Bradenton and around the world.”
Each of the three teams will consist of six players, including a playing captain. Automatic qualifiers for each team are determined by the top two point-earners in the World Champions Cup Historical Rankings, and the second automatic qualifier for each team will be announced in the coming weeks. Two Chairman’s Selections for each team will be announced soon, and the final spots for Team International, Team Europe and Team USA will be play-in positions based on the year-end Charles Schwab Cup standings.
Singh owns 34 career PGA TOUR wins, including the 2000 Masters and PGA Championships in 1998 and 2004. Elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2006, the native of Fiji has also won 18 times internationally and owns five PGA TOUR Champions trophies. An eight-time Presidents Cup participant, he won nine times during the 2004 season and spent 32 weeks as World Number 1 from 2004-05.
“I’m looking forward to competing alongside Vijay as we look to bring home the inaugural World Champions Cup trophy for Team International,” Els said. “Having played with and against him for the better part of three decades, I know just how competitive he is, and I expect him to be just as fired up as I am to battle against Team Europe and Team USA in this truly exciting new tournament.”
Langer counts the 1985 and 1993 Masters among his three PGA TOUR victories, and over the past 16 years has established himself as one of the most dominant players in PGA TOUR Champions history. Since turning 50, he has won a remarkable 46 times, including 12 senior major championships. A native of Germany, Langer represented Europe in 10 Ryder Cups from 1981 to 2002. Among his other accomplishments, the 2002 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee was the first World Number 1 when the Official World Golf Ranking debuted in 1986, and he has won tournaments on all six continents where golf is played.
“Having a player of Bernhard’s caliber gives Team Europe a significant leg up heading into the inaugural World Champions Cup,” Clarke said. “When you look at Bernhard’s level of play since joining the Champions Tour, there is no other player I’d want to be my teammate going into battle with the International and U.S. teams.”
Stricker captained the victorious United States teams in the 2021 Ryder Cup and 2017 President Cup, played in the bi-annual events eight times between 1996 and 2013, and will serve as U.S. vice captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup. A 12-time PGA TOUR winner, Stricker has finished top-10 in 13 major championships. Since turning 50, the Wisconsin native has won 16 PGA TOUR Champions titles, including seven senior majors. He has won five times this season and currently leads the Charles Schwab Cup Money List by a wide margin.
“Strick has been a friend of mine and a guy who I have relished competing with and against for years,” Furyk said. “Our experiences in Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups have been extremely meaningful, and getting the chance to add a new chapter to our team play experience with the World Champions Cup is something that I know we are both extremely excited for this December.”
The World Champions Cup will be contested across nine-hole matches featuring team formats and singles play, with points being earned for each hole won in each of the event’s 24 matches. The team with the highest point total across all matches will be crowned the champion.
Tickets are now on sale at www.WorldChampionsCup.com. Champions Passes, which allow access to the grounds and various grandstands across the course, start at $40 per day, with prices increasing the week before the tournament.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Vijay Singh, Bernhard Langer and Steve Stricker will compete in World Champions Cup
