Canada Seeks To Reclaim World Cup Of Golf

Launched in Montreal as the Canada Cup in 1953, the 55th World Cup of Golf begins Thursday with Canada looking for its fourth title and first in 24 years.

Canadian Tour standouts Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Saskatchewan and Stuart Anderson of Victoria, British Columbia will showcase the Maple Leaf this week while Tour Director Dan Hallldorson, a two-time World Cup Team winner (Jim Nelford, 1980 & Dave Barr, 1985) is also in attendance.

DeLaet, the CanTour's 2009 Order of Merit winner, has won three titles on two continents this season. He began 2009 in South Africa where he finished tied for 2nd at both the Vodacom Championship and the Telkom PGA.

Returning to North America, DeLaet had a remarkable run of tournaments in June and July, finishing second at the City of Surrey, BC Invitational, won the ATB Financial Classic with a final round 64 in Alberta, took third at the Telus Edmonton Open and claimed the Players Cup title. During that stretch he also made the cut at both the Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic on the Nationwide Tour and the RBC Canadian Open on the PGA TOUR.

Heading back to South Africa in October, DeLaet won the BMG Classic as a final tune-up for PGA TOUR Q-School second stage and this past week easily advanced to the final stage before boarding his flight to China Sazturday for his second consecutive World Cup appearance.

Although Anderson was unable to advance to final stage of the PGA TOUR's Q-school, he has been playing some of the best golf of his career this season.

Competing against a strong international field last fall, he finished T-5 at the Argentine Masters and followed it up with a Tie for fourth at the Mexican PGA and tied for fifth at the ATB Financial Classic. Closing with rounds of 65-63, Anderson captured his third Canadian Tour title at the Desjardins Montreal Open in August.

This is Anderson's second World Cup appearance, having represented Canada last in 2004.

"We have a very good team this year," said Halldorson. "They won the qualifier in Estonia and work well together. What will also help is that Graham played here last year so he knows the course. My main job here is to be the cheerleader and to help them in any way I can.

"Having two Canadian Tour players here shows how the strong the Canadian Tour is." Says Hallldorson a former PGA TOUR winner," and it gives them tremendous exposure on the world stage."

The competition begins Thursday with competition in Fourball and Foursome on alternate days.

Canada's first World Cup title came in 1968 when Al Balding and George Knudson took home the crown.

ABOUT THE WORLD CUP

Founded by Canadian industrialist John Jay Hopkins with the hope of promoting international goodwill through golf, the Canada Cup officiially changed its name to the World Cup in 1967.

Three years into its 12-year tenure at China's Mission Hills Golf Club, the World Cup of Golf has recovered much of its old stature and romance. Dr. David Chu, the Chairman of Mission Hills, has rekindled the event's early ideals and made it a unique event on the world golf calendar.

Dr. Chu has a vision for golf that jibes with that of the late John Jay Hopkins, who saw golf as "a civilized and civilizing" pursuit and one which could promote international goodwill.

In 1957, defending champions Ben Hogan and Sam Snead brought immense crowds to Tokyo. But the Japanese team, relative newcomers to the sport, stole the show when Koichi Ono and Pete Nakamuru came out on top. Hopkins passed away shortly before the event, but Fred Corcoran, the World Cup's Tournament Director, knew exactly what he'd have thought about the results.

"If," said Corcoran, "I had any doubts about Hopkins' sincerity and the soundness of his doctrine, Tokyo erased them. It was hard to believe, watching the teams chatting easily on the first tee, that many of these nations had been at war only a few years earlier."

Overnight, Japan became a nation of golf fanatics and Ono and Nakamuru became national heroes. In 1956 alone, no fewer than 20 new courses were rolled out across the country and the first double-decker driving range shot up in Tokyo.

When Argentina won in 1953 at Beaconsfield G.C. in Canada, it was one of only seven two-man teams. The event would gain steam through the 1960s and 70s, becoming a "must play" tournament for the world's best players. However, its status soon began to dwindle.

Today, thanks to Dr. Chu's unwavering leadership, there are 28 teams eagerly vying to place their names on the original John Jay Hopkins trophy. Eighteen teams qualified automatically, while another nine are drawn from qualifying events in Europe, Asia and Latin America. The field is rounded out by the host nation, China. Once again, the World Cup is close to realizing its vast potential.

By offering the event a spectacular, 12-year home at Mission Hills, Dr. Chu has made his own distinct contribution to its storied lore. Twelve, he has explained, is a special number in China, one which signifies the 12 years in the Chinese horoscope and the completion of a cycle.

Meanwhile, his picture of the world swinging in unison is evolving all the time...

When YE Yang, who is competing in this year's championship, became the first Asian player to capture a major at the 2009 PGA Championship, the celebrations were not confined to Asia.

Over in Montreal, there was a day-long celebration which attracted in excess of 200 golfers from the city's South Korean community.

Where was it held?

At the Beaconsfield G.C., the World Cup's original home.

With files from the Canadian Tour, PGA TOUR & Buffalo Communications