Jackson Reid
The World Golf Championships (WGC) were a group of annual golf tournaments played from 1999 to 2023, created by the International Federation of PGA Tours. The WGCs were designed to bring together the best golfers from different tours more frequently than the pre-existing four major championships. While the WGCs were initially held in various locations, they began to be concentrated in the United States starting in 2007, attracting criticism for their lack of international representation. The WGCs have included events such as the Championship, Match Play, and Invitational, each offering comparable prize money to major championships and attracting elite players. However, the future of the WGCs is now uncertain, with the rise of \designated\ events and the COVID-19 pandemic impacting their occurrence.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year started | 1999 |
| Number of tournaments | 4 |
| Format | 3 stroke play events and 1 match play |
| Winners' trophies | Wedgwood trophies named for a golf legend |
| Tournaments | WGC Championship, WGC Match Play, WGC Invitational, WGC Champions |
| Locations | Doral, Florida, Mexico, China |
| Winners | Tiger Woods (18 WGC victories), Dustin Johnson (6) |
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What You'll Learn
The WGC-Mexico Championship
The WGC Championship was held between 1999 and 2021, with the WGC-Mexico Championship played from 2017 to 2020 at the Club de Golf Chapultepec in Naucalpan, Mexico. The tournament was previously known as the WGC-Cadillac Championship (2011-2016) and hosted at the Doral Golf Resort in Florida, USA. The 2020 WGC-Mexico Championship was won by Patrick Reed, who finished one stroke ahead of Bryson DeChambeau.
The future of the WGC-Mexico Championship is uncertain. It was not played after 2019 due to COVID-19 concerns and, in 2021, it was relocated to Florida because of travel restrictions. While it was scheduled to return to Mexico in 2021, the pandemic prevented this, and the tournament was instead held in Florida. In 2021, it was announced that the tournament would no longer be part of the World Golf Championships.
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WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play
The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play is an annual golf tournament that is part of the World Golf Championships. The tournament features the top 64 players from the Official World Golf Ranking, filled based on rankings from ten days prior to the event. If a player within the top 64 is unavailable, the field is filled by the next highest-ranked player.
The tournament is played in a match play format, with players competing in a round-robin format over three days, typically from Wednesday to Friday. The 64 players are divided into 16 groups of four, with each group containing players seeded 1-16, 17-32, 33-48, and 49-64. One point is awarded for a win, and half a point for a tie, with only the group winner advancing to the next round. In the event of a tie at the top of the group, a sudden-death stroke playoff is played to determine the group winner.
The WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play was first held in 1999 as the WGC-Andersen Consulting Match Play and was the successor to the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf. The tournament has since had several name changes due to sponsorship, including WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship and WGC-Cadillac Championship. The tournament has been hosted at various venues, including the La Costa Resort and Spa in California, The Gallery Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Arizona, and the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club. In 2015, Jason Day became the third player to win multiple WGC Match Plays, and in 2016, Dustin Johnson became the only player to win all four individual WGCs.
In 2019, a deal was signed for Dell Technologies to remain the sponsor and the Austin Country Club in Texas to remain the host until at least 2023. However, in March 2023, the PGA Tour announced that the event would end after the 2023 edition. The World Golf Championships as a whole have faced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and competition from the LIV Golf series, leading to their likely transition into "Designated" events.
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WGC-HSBC Champions
The WGC-HSBC Champions was an annual professional golf tournament held in China. Inaugurated in 2005, the tournament was hosted at the Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai for the first seven editions, except for 2012 when it was held at the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen. The WGC-HSBC Champions became a World Golf Championship event in 2009 on the European Tour.
The field of participants primarily consisted of winners of significant tournaments worldwide since the previous WGC-HSBC Champions tournament. Each of the six member tours was allocated a certain number of tournaments, ranging from 4 to 20. Tournaments were ranked using the Official World Golf Ranking strength of field ("total event ranking"), with a minimum requirement of 40. New events were included if they were expected to achieve a ranking of at least 40.
The WGC-HSBC Champions had the highest prize money in East Asia, starting at $5 million in 2005 and increasing to $10.25 million in 2019. Since 2013, the tournament has been an official PGA Tour event, with winners receiving a three-year exemption on the tour.
The future of the WGC-HSBC Champions is uncertain due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The tournament has not been played since 2019 due to COVID-19 concerns in China, and there are doubts about its resumption.
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WGC-FedEx St. Jude Championship
The WGC-FedEx St. Jude Championship is a professional golf tournament held annually in Memphis, Tennessee, as a regular event on the PGA Tour. The tournament debuted in May 1958 as the Memphis Open and was played annually at Colonial Country Club in Memphis through 1971, then at the club's new home in Cordova through 1988. It moved to its present location at TPC Southwind in 1989.
In 2019, FedEx took over sponsorship of the WGC Invitational and relocated it to Memphis in late July. The WGC event continued the charitable relationship with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and was renamed WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. For the 2022 season, the WGC Invitational was discontinued, and the first FedEx Cup playoff event was relocated to TPC Southwind with FedEx as the new title sponsor, becoming the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
The 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship will see the top 70 players compete in the first PGA Tour playoff event. The tournament will be hosted from August 6 to 10 at TPC Southwind. The event will feature some of the sport's biggest stars, including six former FedExCup champions, and will be headlined by World No. 1 and reigning FedExCup Champion Scottie Scheffler.
The World Golf Championships (WGC) were introduced 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. Winners of the WGCs receive Wedgwood trophies named for a golf legend. The WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational awards the Gary Player Cup. While the future of the WGCs is uncertain, they rank among the most prestigious and high-profile events outside of the majors, with winners receiving 70 to 78 Official World Golf Rankings points.
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WGC-Bridgestone Invitational
The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational was a professional golf tournament held in the United States as part of the World Golf Championships (WGC). It was established in 1999 as a successor to the World Series of Golf, which began in 1976. The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational was one of three or four annual WGC events until 2021 when the number of WGC tournaments was reduced to two.
The tournament was hosted at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, from 1999 to 2018, except in 2002 when it was held at the Sahalee Country Club in Sammamish, Washington. Between 2019 and 2021, the tournament relocated to TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, following a change in sponsorship. The event typically featured about 75 players, which is roughly half the number for a standard professional golf tournament.
The WGC-Bridgestone Invitational was sanctioned and organised by the International Federation of PGA Tours. Winners of the tournament received official prize money and Wedgwood trophies named after golf legends. Tiger Woods dominated the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, winning it eight times. His victory in 2000, with an 11-stroke margin, remains the largest margin of victory in any WGC event.
The future of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and the WGCs in general, is uncertain. The 2020 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the tournament has faced competition from the LIV Golf league, which has attracted talent from the PGA Tour.
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Frequently asked questions
The World Golf Championships (WGC) were held in various locations around the world, including the United States, Mexico, China, and Australia. However, starting in 2007, all three individual WGC events were played in the United States, with the WGC-Mexico Championship in 2017 marking the first time half of the events were held internationally.
There are four main types of WGC events: the WGC Championship, WGC Match Play, WGC Invitational, and the Tournament of Hope. The first three began in 1999, while the Tournament of Hope was announced in 2011 by the Sunshine Tour.
The WGC concept was introduced to create a larger group of golf tournaments with a high global profile by bringing together the leading golfers from different tours more regularly. The goal was to have a "World Tour" alongside the major championships.
Tiger Woods has won the most WGC events, with 18 victories. Dustin Johnson is the only player to win all four individual WGCs, and he is followed by Johnson with six wins. Other notable winners include Rory McIlroy, Matt Kuchar, and Ian Poulter.
