 (22 September 2007 - Shenzhen) Mission Hills Golf Club, China, the world’s No. 1 golf club proudly welcomed today three-time Major tournament winner and signature course designer of the championship Vijay Course, Vijay Singh.
Singh conducted a skills clinic with his long-time friend and coach, Cindy Reid, at the Mission Hills Golf Academy by Cindy Reid, where he was able to rub elbows with budding junior golfers eager to learn top tips from one of the game’s living legends. During his visit he also consulted with Brian Curley of Schmidt-Curley Design (Scottsdale, Ariz.) on several modifications scheduled for the Club’s championship Vijay Course. Curley, who has been heavily involved in the design, plans to enhance several bunkers and drainage areas to make the course, a favourite of Mission Hills’ members and guests, even more playable.
Commenting on the day, Tenniel Chu, Executive Director of Mission Hills Golf Club, China, said, “We are always extremely pleased and excited to have a player of Vijay’s stature visit our Club to conduct a skills clinic, today, however, was especially important as he is one of the Club’s own signature course designers.” Chu went on to add, ”Over the years the Club and Vijay have developed a close affinity and ongoing commitment to progress the sport of golf in China, today’s visit further cements that belief and relationship.”
Speaking on his return visit to Mission Hills, China, Vijay Singh, said, “I am always truly delighted to return to the home of my first ever designed course. For me, today represented a fantastic opportunity to give something back to the sport that has given me so much over the years, through the instruction of budding junior golfers.”
The Vijay Course is a par-72, 6,833-yard-layout with a number of innovative design techniques, on the par-5 holes. In creating the course, Singh drew skillfully from famous designs around the world (including Pebble Beach), making the course one of the most spectacular in Asia.
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Pictured at the press conference (left to right) Tenniel Chu, Executive Director of Mission Hills Golf Club, China and Signature Course Designer, Vijay Singh.
ABOUT MISSION HILLS GOLF CLUB, CHINA
Founded in 1994, Mission Hills Golf Club, China, seeks to create ‘International Goodwill through Golf.’ The Club occupies over 15 square kilometres of land and boasts 12 signature courses designed by golf legends from five different continents.
The Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, José Maria Olazábal, Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, Zhang Lian-Wei, David Leadbetter, Greg Norman, Jumbo Ozaki, Vijay Singh, Annika Sorenstam and David Duval. Each course is reflective of the designers’ style, offering unique risk / reward challenges to the player. As a complete golf destination, the Club houses a five star hotel and world class spa and was voted Best Golf Resort in Asia by readers of Asian Golf Monthly in 2006 and Golf Resort of the Year in the Rest of the World category in 2005 by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO). In May 2004, the Club was accredited by the Guinness World RecordsTM as the World’s Largest Golf Facility, making a name for itself in the world of premier golf through its exceptional ability to deliver an unsurpassed level of service excellence. Mission Hills is the proud venue of the OMEGA Mission Hills World Cup for the next consecutive twelve years (2007 – 2018).
Hosting major tournaments has been a regular activity at Mission Hills, China and it all started with the first international golf tournament in China back in 1995, the 41st World Cup of Golf; followed by the Tiger Woods China Challenge in 2001 and the first two editions of the Dynasty Cup in 2003 and 2005. The Club is also the venue for the Mission Hills Asia Pacific Open Amateur Championship for the next 10 years and the “Home of the Faldo Series Asia.” Mission Hills was recently voted Golf Resort of the Year for the Rest of the World category by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO).
About Vijay Sing
A native of Fiji, Singh has won 31 times during his illustrious career on the PGA Tour. He is a two-time winner of the PGA Championship (1998, Sahalee G.C.; 2004, Whistling Straits) as well as the 2000 Masters Champion. He won four times and led the PGA Tour Money List in 2003 with $7.5 million. He followed up that stellar campaign with his best year-to-date in 2004, winning nine times and amassing nearly $11 million in earnings to again lead the Money List.
This exemplary play allowed him to overtake Tiger Woods as the number-one-ranked golfer in the world for a 26-week period from 2004-2005. Singh has made more than $54 million in official earnings over the course of his career on the PGA Tour. Singh’s winning ways have not been limited to the PGA Tour, however. He has tasted victory in many international locales, from Morocco to South Africa to Singapore. He has also been named to all seven International Teams since the inception of The Presidents Cup in 1994.
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