Jack Nicklaus course to host 2015 Cup in Korea

Jack Nicklaus course to host 2015 Cup in Korea

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Mark Lamport-Stokes July 31, 2013

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PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem speaks to the media at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village …


By Mark Lamport-Stokes

AKRON, Ohio (Reuters) - The Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea in Incheon, South Korea has been chosen to host the 2015 Presidents Cup when the biennial team competition will be played in Asia for the first time.

The layout, located 40 miles west of Seoul in the country's largest economic development zone, was opened for play in 2010 and has since staged the over-50s U.S. Champions Tour's Songdo Championship, in 2010 and 2011.

It was also the venue for the KLPGA Tour's Korea Women's Open in 2012.

"Like Muirfield Village, Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea is Jack's vision and an impressive venue in its own right," PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said in a statement on Wednesday ahead of this week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

"We are thrilled to take the Presidents Cup there, which is not only a milestone in the event's history, but also a significant step in further elevating the game of golf in Korea."

Finchem was referring to the Jack Nicklaus-designed Muirfield Village Country Club in Dublin, Ohio, which will host this year's Presidents Cup from October 3-6.


"As we looked at different golf courses, different venues in Korea, we kept coming back to Songdo as a place that had the capability to host the Cup," Finchem told reporters.

"And also because we had the competitive experience of the Champions Tour, we knew that it was going to be an outstanding venue to stage the matches of the Presidents Cup, as well.

The Ryder Cup-style competition, which pits a 12-man team from the United States against a line-up of international players from outside Europe, has been played away from U.S. soil on four occasions.

Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia hosted the 1998 and 2011 editions, Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate in South Africa staged the 2003 Cup and Royal Montreal Golf Club in Canada played host in 2007.

The U.S. have established a virtual stranglehold on the Presidents Cup, winning the trophy at Royal Melbourne in 2011 for the seventh time in nine editions.

The only success for the Internationals came in 1998 when the event was first staged in Melbourne. In 2003, the teams battled to a 17-17 draw in South Africa.

The 2015 event will be held from October 8-11.

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Julian Linden)

Golf-No rest for in-form Snedeker in hectic tour schedule

Golf-No rest for in-form Snedeker in hectic tour schedule

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July 31, 2013


By Mark Lamport-Stokes

AKRON, Ohio, July 31 (Reuters) - Most players tend to pace themselves with the occasional break heading into golf's big events but in-form Brandt Snedeker has no qualms about his plan to compete in every PGA Tour event left on the 2013 schedule.

Fresh from his second victory of the season at the Canadian Open on Sunday, Snedeker intends to tee it up all the way through the FedExCup playoffs before likely making his debut appearance for the United States at the Oct. 3-6 Presidents Cup.

"I'm playing the rest and no concern at all," the fast-talking American told reporters on Wednesday while preparing for Thursday's opening round at Firestone Country Club in the elite WGC event.

"I'm being really smart about practice and taking time away. I didn't touch a club since Sunday, had two days off with the family, which was nice. I'm being real smart about how much I'm hitting balls and practising, and should be fine."


Snedeker always knew he would have a hectic late schedule on the U.S. circuit this season, and he prepared by competing only once in May and just once between the U.S. Open and British Open.

"I made sure I was working on the right stuff, that we had a clear game plan of what we were going to do these last nine events, eight events, and start to execute it," the 32-year-old said.

"Any time you put a lot of hard work in to execute your game plan and what you want to do, you start feeling like you're doing the right stuff.

"My golf game feels as good as it's felt in a long time, and I'm excited to keep playing. I did the exact same schedule last year and it worked out pretty well. Hopefully I can do it again this year."

Snedeker believes he is close to the spectacular form he displayed at the start of this year when he recorded four top-threes in his first five events, including a two-shot triumph at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

"Beginning of the year, I was driving the ball fantastic and I was hitting a lot of greens and hitting my irons fantastic," he said. "I felt like I haven't been able to piece that together like I was early in the year.

"Last week my iron play was phenomenal, but I didn't drive the ball particularly well. I got really lucky last week a lot, and then to do that this week is not going to be successful.

"I've got to hit fairways this week. There's no way around it. If I can just kind of get that mentality of my driver that I've had with my irons the last couple weeks, everything should be pretty good."

Snedeker, bidding this week for a sixth PGA Tour victory, has been paired with Northern Irish world number three Rory McIlroy for the first two rounds at Firestone. (Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Julian Linden)

No rest for in-form Snedeker in hectic tour schedule

No rest for in-form Snedeker in hectic tour schedule

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Mark Lamport-Stokes July 31, 2013

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Brandt Snedeker of the U.S. hits from the twelfth tee on his way to winning the tournament during the …


By Mark Lamport-Stokes

AKRON, Ohio (Reuters) - Most players tend to pace themselves with the occasional break heading into golf's big events but in-form Brandt Snedeker has no qualms about his plan to compete in every PGA Tour event left on the 2013 schedule.

Fresh from his second victory of the season at the Canadian Open on Sunday, Snedeker intends to tee it up all the way through the FedExCup playoffs before likely making his debut appearance for the United States at the October 3-6 Presidents Cup.

"I'm playing the rest and no concern at all," the fast-talking American told reporters on Wednesday while preparing for Thursday's opening round at Firestone Country Club in the elite WGC event.

"I'm being really smart about practice and taking time away. I didn't touch a club since Sunday, had two days off with the family, which was nice. I'm being real smart about how much I'm hitting balls and practicing, and should be fine."

Snedeker always knew he would have a hectic late schedule on the U.S. circuit this season, and he prepared by competing only once in May and just once between the U.S. Open and British Open.

"I made sure I was working on the right stuff, that we had a clear game plan of what we were going to do these last nine events, eight events, and start to execute it," the 32-year-old said.


"Any time you put a lot of hard work in to execute your game plan and what you want to do, you start feeling like you're doing the right stuff.

"My golf game feels as good as it's felt in a long time, and I'm excited to keep playing. I did the exact same schedule last year and it worked out pretty well. Hopefully I can do it again this year."

Snedeker believes he is close to the spectacular form he displayed at the start of this year when he recorded four top-threes in his first five events, including a two-shot triumph at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

"Beginning of the year, I was driving the ball fantastic and I was hitting a lot of greens and hitting my irons fantastic," he said. "I felt like I haven't been able to piece that together like I was early in the year.

"Last week my iron play was phenomenal, but I didn't drive the ball particularly well. I got really lucky last week a lot, and then to do that this week is not going to be successful.

"I've got to hit fairways this week. There's no way around it. If I can just kind of get that mentality of my driver that I've had with my irons the last couple weeks, everything should be pretty good."

Snedeker, bidding this week for a sixth PGA Tour victory, has been paired with Northern Irish world number three Rory McIlroy for the first two rounds at Firestone.

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Julian Linden)