The International Federation of PGA Tours has confirmed philanthropic organisation the International Sports Promotion Society as the new title sponsor of the World Cup of Golf ahead of the 2013 edition of the tournament.
ISPS founder and chairman Dr Haruhisa Handa founded the International Blind Golf Association in 1998 and hopes partnering with the World Cup of Golf can help to further his organisation’s ambition to make golf a Paralympic sport.
Handa said: “At ISPS, we believe in the ‘power of sport’, its unique ability to create hope, to breakdown educational and cultural barriers, and to inspire people in a way that very little else does. For this reason, ISPS has a long history of supporting golf globally with a specific commitment to raising the profile of blind and disabled golf. Our ultimate mission is for golf to become a Paralympic sport. There is a great synergy with the World Cup of Golf embracing the same format and eligibility when golf returns to the Olympic programme in Rio 2016.”
The 2013 edition of the tournament will be played in Australia at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club from November 21-24.
Founded by the International Golf Association in 1953 – initially as the Canada Cup – the World Cup of Golf pits two-man teams representing 24 countries against each other in the strokeplay format.
In 2010 it was announced the World Cup would become a biennial event to accommodate golf’s place in the 2016 Olympic Games, meaning the USA is defending champion following Matt Kuchar and Gary Woodland’s 2011 triumph at the Mission Hills Resort on Hainan Island, China.