nedmstaffThere are just over three weeks to go before the first tee shot is struck in the inaugural World Champions Cup, the rosters for all three teams are now complete, and fans are guaranteed to see some of the game’s greatest players renew rivalries in the first-of-its-kind international team golf competition.
With the tournament set to tee off December 7-10 at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, World Champions Cup Chairman Peter Jacobsen announced today that K.J. Choi, Alex Čejka and Brett Quigley will be the final Chairman’s Selections for Team International, Team Europe and Team USA, respectively.
The final team rosters are as follows:
Team International
- Ernie Els (Playing Captain)
- Vijay Singh (Automatic Qualifier)
- Retief Goosen (Automatic Qualifier)
- Steven Alker (Chairman’s Selection)
- Stephen Ames (Chairman’s Selection)
- K.J. Choi (Chairman’s Selection)
Team Europe
- Darren Clarke (Playing Captain)
- Bernhard Langer (Automatic Qualifier)
- Colin Montgomerie (Automatic Qualifier)
- Miguel Angel Jiménez (Chairman’s Selection)
- Robert Karlsson (Chairman’s Selection)
- Alex Čejka (Chairman’s Selection)
Team USA
- Jim Furyk (Playing Captain)
- Steve Stricker (Automatic Qualifier)
- David Toms (Automatic Qualifier)
- Jerry Kelly (Chairman’s Selection)
- Justin Leonard (Chairman’s Selection)
- Brett Quigley (Chairman’s Selection)
“The rosters that we have assembled for the first playing of the World Champions Cup look incredible,” Jacobsen said. “An event like this has been long overdue, and we are all extremely excited to get underway in just 23 days.”
Each of the three teams competing in the World Champions Cup consists of six players, including a playing captain, and all are active PGA TOUR Champions members. Two automatic qualifiers were determined by the top point-earners in the World Champions Cup Historical Rankings, and the first two Chairman’s Selections were determined by Jacobsen. The final spot for each team was to be determined by the top available player in the final Charles Schwab Cup standings not otherwise already selected to participate, or a Chairman’s Selection.
The World Champions Cup is set to make its debut December 7-10, 2023, at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. Tickets are now on sale at www.WorldChampionsCup.com. Champions Passes, which allow access to the grounds and the grandstand, start at $40 per day, with prices increasing the week before the tournament. Kids 15 and under receive complimentary admission with a ticketed adult (up to four kids per ticketed adult).
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 in the first playing of the World Champions Cup. Jacobsen, a seven-time PGA TOUR winner and popular golf commentator, is the Chairman of the inaugural event.
Inspired by the passion and tradition of the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup, the World Champions Cup is officially sanctioned by PGA TOUR Champions and is set to air on ABC and ESPN. The World Champions Cup will feature Team International, Team Europe and Team USA squaring off over three days of competition that will renew some of the game’s most storied rivalries as the teams battle for international pride and global bragging rights.
Choi is an eight-time PGA TOUR winner – including the 2011 PLAYERS Championship – who also owns 10 international wins. The first Korean player to earn a PGA TOUR card, he was a three-time member of the International Team in the Presidents Cup and played in the World Golf Championships-World Cup three times. Choi’s first PGA TOUR Champions victory came in his first event he played on the tour, a two-stroke victory at the 2021 PURE Insurance Championship over Čejka and Langer.
“I’m excited to add K.J. to the International team because he’s a proven winner and a terrific team player,” Els said. “The team we have assembled looks amazing on paper, and I can’t wait to see these guys out on the course taking on Team Europe and Team USA.”
Čejka owns three PGA TOUR Champions victories – all majors. Born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Germany, he represented his adopted country in the World Cup 12 times as well as in the 2016 Olympic Games. He won four times on the DP World Tour, including the 1995 Volvo Masters, beating future World Champions Cup teammate Colin Montgomerie by two strokes.
“I love the competitiveness that Alex brings to the Team Europe lineup,” Clarke said. “He’s a great guy to have in our team room, and his track record in major championships shows me that he’s going to be ready to battle with these guys once December comes.”
Quigley is a two-time PGA TOUR Champions winner, including the Constellation FURYK & FRIENDS this October, when he beat Alker, a member of Team International and one of the hottest players on tour, by a stroke. Quigley’s 10 top-10 finishes this season put him 11th in the final Charles Schwab Cup standings.
“Adding Brett to our room really rounds out our roster nicely” Furyk said. “I’m excited about the level of play and the passion that he will bring to Team USA. We can’t wait to get to the first tee in a few weeks.”
The World Champions Cup is an annual three-team, three-day competition that 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.
The Concession Golf Club was named the Best New Private Course in America by Golf Digest in 2006. The seed of what would become The Concession Golf Club was planted in 1969, with Jack Nicklaus’ famous gesture of conceding the final putt in the Ryder Cup to Tony Jacklin, clinching the first tie in the competition’s history. Decades later, the two golf legends paired up to design and create The Concession Golf Club — a championship, privately-owned golf facility with no houses lining the course. The course has hosted the PGA TOUR’s 2021 World Golf Championships-Workday Championship at The Concession, the 2015 Men’s and Women’s NCAA Division I championships and the biennial Concession Cup.
ABC and ESPN will serve as the exclusive television homes of the World Champions Cup. Coverage will air Thursday, December 7 and Friday, December 8, as well as Sunday, December 10. The event will also feature a unique pro-am on Saturday, December 9.
Additional information about the World Champions Cup is available at www.WorldChampionsCup.com, on Twitter (@WorldChampsCup) and on Instagram (@WorldChampionsCup).
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