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Golfers tee off at World Match Play Championship
15 September 2005
HSBC’s World Match Play Championship starts today, Thursday 15 September, at Wentworth in the UK.
The 16-strong field, which has amassed 228 tournament wins, eight major titles and 11 European Tour Order of Merit wins, will compete for a winner’s purse of £1 million – the richest prize in golf.
Last year’s Championship was won by South African Ernie Els, and although Ernie won’t compete this year due to injury, the tournament has attracted a host of other big names, including Retief Goosen and Colin Montgomery.
The action starts soon after 7:30 BST, and will finish on Sunday 18 September, with all matches on day one being decided over 36 holes.
HSBC underlined its commitment to golf earlier this year by sponsoring the inaugural Women’s World Match Play Championship in the US. The Group’s third high profile golf sponsorship of the year, the HSBC Champions’ Tournament in Shanghai in November, will see Tiger Woods and the world’s top golfers competing for a total prize fund of US$5 million.
Visit www.hsbcgolf.com for live score updates, images from the course, and for your chance to win a VIP trip to the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai, China from 10-13 November.
Pictured: Stephen Green, HSBC Holdings Group Chief Executive and Colin Montgomery at a reception to mark the start of the 2005 HSBC World Match Play Championship.
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