Trevor Ng
The World Golf Championships (WGC) were introduced in 1999 to create a larger group of golf tournaments with a high global profile. The aim was to bring together leading golfers from different tours on a more regular basis, outside of the major championships. The WGCs include four individual events: the WGC Championship, WGC Match Play, WGC Invitational, and WGC Champions. While the WGCs have faced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and competition from other golf tours, they have attracted elite players and offered prestigious titles and high prize money. Tiger Woods has dominated the WGCs with 18 victories, while Dustin Johnson is the only player to win all four individual events.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose | To create a larger group of golf tournaments with a high global profile by bringing the leading golfers from different tours together on a more regular basis |
| Number of Events | 4 a year (3 initially) |
| Participants | Leading golfers from different tours |
| Prize Money | Very close to being the highest for any professional golf tournament |
| Winners' Rewards | Wedgwood trophies named for a golf legend; 70 to 78 Official World Golf Rankings points |
| Examples of Events | WGC Championship, WGC Match Play, WGC Invitational, WGC Champions |
| Notable Winners | Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els |
| Criticism | Lack of international venues |
| Status | Uncertain future due to COVID-19 and competition from other events |
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The WGC concept
While the \"World Tour\" concept seems to have been dropped, the four WGC events attract almost all of the elite players who are eligible to compete. They are among the most prestigious and high-profile events outside of the majors, with prize money that is very close to being the highest for any professional golf tournament. Winners generally receive 70 to 78 Official World Golf Rankings points, the most awarded for any tournament apart from the major championships (100 points) and The Players Championship (80 points).
The WGC events include the WGC Championship, WGC Match Play, WGC Invitational, and WGC Champions. While these tournaments started in 1999, two had roots in previous events. The WGC Invitational followed on from the World Series of Golf, dating back to the mid-1970s, while the WGC Match Play is the successor to the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf, which was inaugurated in 1995.
The WGC events have faced some challenges in recent years, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused the cancellation of the 2020 Match Play and Champions events. Additionally, there has been criticism that the events are not truly "World" events as they are mostly held in the United States. Despite these challenges, the WGC events have provided a platform for golfers like Tiger Woods, who has dominated the WGCs with 18 individual WGC titles, and Dustin Johnson, the only player to win all four individual WGCs.
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Winners' trophies
The World Golf Championships (WGC) were introduced to create a larger group of golf tournaments with a high global profile. The winners of these prestigious tournaments receive Wedgwood trophies named after golf legends.
The HSBC Champions features the Old Tom Morris Cup, the Dell Match Play Championship features the Walter Hagen Cup, the Mexico Championship features the Gene Sarazen Cup, and the Fedex St. Jude Invitational features the Gary Player Cup.
Tiger Woods has won 18 WGC titles, including three of the four individual WGCs. He also won the WGC-World Cup with the United States, although this is not counted as an individual win. Dustin Johnson is the only player to win all four individual WGCs.
The WGC Championship, WGC Match Play, and WGC Invitational events all began in 1999, with the WGC Invitational being the successor to the World Series of Golf, which began in 1976. The WGC Match Play succeeded the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf, which was inaugurated in 1995.
The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the WGCs, with several tournaments being moved or cancelled. The future of the WGC-Champions and the WGCs themselves is uncertain, as they have faced challenges due to the pandemic and competition from other golf tours.
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WGC-HSBC Champions
The WGC-HSBC Champions was an annual professional golf tournament held in China. Inaugurated in 2005, it was initially played at the Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai until 2011. In 2012, it moved to the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen for a year before returning to the Sheshan Golf Club in 2013.
The WGC-HSBC Champions became a World Golf Championship event in 2009, joining the WGC-Dell Match Play, the WGC-Mexico Championship, and the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational as the fourth tournament on the WGC calendar. The tournament primarily featured winners of the most important tournaments worldwide since the previous WGC-HSBC Champions event. Each of the six member tours were allocated a certain number of tournaments, known as co-sanctioned tournaments, which were assigned to a single tour.
The WGC-HSBC Champions had the highest prize money in East Asia, starting at $5 million in 2005 and growing to $10.25 million in 2019. The winners of the tournament receive the Old Tom Morris Cup. Notable winners include Xander Schauffele, Hideki Matsuyama, Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter, and Martin Kaymer.
Unfortunately, the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament has not been played since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the PGA Tour's conflict with LIV Golf. The future of the tournament remains uncertain.
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WGC Match Play
The WGC Match Play is one of the events in the World Golf Championships (WGC), which was introduced to bring together leading golfers from different tours on a more regular basis. The WGC Match Play was established in 1999 and is a direct successor to the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf.
The WGC Match Play is a straight knockout tournament involving the top 64 players in the Official World Golf Ranking. Each match is played over 18 holes, except for the final, which is played over 36 holes. The tournament was first held in February 1999 at the La Costa Resort and Spa in Southern California, which had previously hosted the Tournament of Champions for 30 seasons. The following year, it was held at the same location but was then moved to Australia in 2001.
In 2007 and 2008, the tournament was played at The Gallery Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona, and from 2009 to 2014, it was held at the nearby Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. In 2015, the tournament underwent a revamp and moved to TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, becoming sponsored by Cadillac. After a year in California, it found a new long-term home at the Austin Country Club in Texas, with Dell as its sponsor.
The 2022 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play was the 23rd WGC Match Play, with Scottie Scheffler claiming the title. The tournament was played from March 23 to 27 at the Austin Country Club, with Scheffler defeating Kevin Kisner 4 and 3 in the final. Corey Conners claimed third place, beating Dustin Johnson 3 and 1.
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WGC Invitational
The WGC Invitational, also known as the World Golf Championship-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, is a professional golf tournament established in 1999 as a successor to the World Series of Golf. It was one of three or four annual World Golf Championships (WGC) until 2021 when the number of WGC events was reduced to two.
The tournament was held at Firestone Country Club in Ohio from 1999 to 2018, except in 2002 when it was hosted at Sahalee Country Club in Washington. With a change of sponsor in 2019, the tournament relocated to TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, and was renamed the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. The event had a field of about 75 players, which is roughly half the number for a standard professional golf event.
The WGC Invitational was sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours, and the prize money was official on both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. From 1999 to 2005, the tournament was sponsored by NEC, and then by Bridgestone from 2006 to 2018. During this time, it was known as the WGC-NEC Invitational and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, respectively.
Some of the notable winners of the WGC Invitational include Tiger Woods, who holds eight wins, followed by Dustin Johnson, and Phil Mickelson, Geoff Ogilvy, and Rory McIlroy, who have all won three titles each.
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Frequently asked questions
The World Golf Championships (WGC) are a group of golf tournaments that bring together leading golfers from different tours on a regular basis. The WGC concept was introduced to create a "World Tour" with a high global profile.
There are four WGC events: the WGC Championship, WGC Match Play, WGC Invitational, and WGC Champions. The WGC Championship, WGC Match Play, and WGC Invitational all began in 1999, with roots in earlier events. The WGC Champions event was added later.
Tiger Woods has dominated WGC events, winning 18 individual titles. Dustin Johnson is the only player to win all four different WGC tournaments.
