(Makes clear in second and third paras elite tournament is not
WGC event)
Feb 10 (Reuters) – The inaugural Tournament of Hope,
widely proclaimed as the richest single event in golf, will be
held in South Africa late next year, the International
Federation of PGA Tours said on Friday.
To be played from Nov. 28-Dec. 1, the $8.5 million
tournament will become the sixth elite event to be sanctioned by
the world’s leading tours and will help raise awareness of
HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
Like the four individual World Golf Championships (WGC)
events which are widely regarded as one rung down from the
majors, it will bring together the best players in the world
based mainly on the official rankings.
“In addition to the Tournament of Hope, the promoters will
organise other awareness functions in South Africa and around
the world during the week of the tournament,” the International
Federation of PGA Tours said in a statement.
The 2013 edition will end on World AIDS Day and the
tournament will be staged on similar dates in future years.
Three of the individual WGC events are held in the United
States, the Accenture Match Play Championship, the Cadillac
Championship and the Bridgestone Invitational, while the HSBC
Champions is staged in China.
The Tournament of Hope was first announced by Sunshine Tour
commissioner Gareth Tindall last April when he described it as
offering “the biggest prize money in professional golf”.
No date was mentioned at the time, though Tindall hoped the
inaugural event could be held at the end of 2012.
The Tournament of Hope will join the four individual WGC
events and the World Cup team competition, which is staged in
China, under the umbrella of the International Federation of PGA
Tours.
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by
Julian Linden)
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