Jackson Reid
The WGC Championship, or World Golf Championship, was one of the World Golf Championships tournaments that ran annually from 1999 until its discontinuation after the 2021 tournament. The WGC was introduced to create a larger group of golf tournaments with a high global profile, bringing together leading golfers from different tours. The WGC Championship had many title sponsors and was known by many names, including the WGC American Express Championship, WGC Mexico Championship, and WGC Dell Technologies Match Play. The tournament was played at various locations around the world, including the United States, Australia, and Mexico. The WGC Championship was one of the most prestigious and high-profile golf events, offering prize money comparable to the major championships.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Years played | 1999-2021 |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Number of tournaments | 4, reduced to 2 in 2021 |
| Locations | Rotated to different golf courses around the world; Doral Resort in Doral, Florida; Golf club de Chapultepec in Chapultepec, Mexico; The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida; Austin Country Club |
| Sponsors/Names | WGC American Express Championship; WGC CA Championship; WGC Cadillac Championship; WGC Mexico Championship; WGC Workday Championship; WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play; WGC-Invitational; WGC-Championship |
| Winners | Tiger Woods (3 times); Mike Weir; Ernie Els; Dustin Johnson (all 4 individual WGCs) |
| Purpose | To gather the best golfers in the world more frequently than the four major championships |
| Ranking | Below the major championships and above most other competitions |
| Prize money | Comparable to the major championships |
| Points | Winners receive 70-78 Official World Golf Ranking points |
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What You'll Learn
The WGC Championship was discontinued in 2021
The WGC Championship was one of the World Golf Championship tournaments that took place annually from 1999 to 2021. The tournament was discontinued after the 2021 tournament, bringing the number of WGC events down from four to two. The remaining WGC events are the Match Play and the HSBC Champions.
The WGC concept was introduced to create a larger group of golf tournaments with a high global profile. The idea was to bring together leading golfers from different tours on a more regular basis. The WGC tournaments offered comparable prize money to the major golf championships. Winners of the WGC tournaments generally receive 70 to 78 Official World Golf Ranking points, which is the most awarded for any tournament apart from the major championships.
The WGC Championship had many title sponsors over the years and was known by many different names. The tournament was initially known as the WGC American Express Championship from 1999 to 2006 and was played at various golf courses around the world. From 2007 to 2010, it was called the WGC CA Championship and was played at the Doral Resort in Doral, Florida. The tournament name changed to the WGC Cadillac Championship from 2011 to 2016, and it remained at the Doral Resort in Florida.
From 2017 to 2020, the tournament was named the WGC Mexico Championship and took place at the Golf Club de Chapultepec in Chapultepec, Mexico. In its final year in 2021, the tournament was called the WGC Workday Championship and was played at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. Tiger Woods dominated the WGC Championship, winning seven times.
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Locations included the US, China, and Mexico
The WGC Championship, or World Golf Championship, was one of several World Golf Championships tournaments. It was held annually from the late 1990s until the early 2020s. The WGC Championship was discontinued after the 2021 tournament, when the number of World Golf Championships was reduced from four to two.
Locations for the WGC Championship included the US, China, and Mexico. From 2000 to 2006, two or three of the four events were staged in the United States, and one or two were staged elsewhere. Starting in 2007, all three individual World Golf Championship events were played in the United States, which attracted criticism from some golfers, including Tiger Woods and Ernie Els. In response, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem insisted that playing in the U.S. was best for golf as more money could be made there than elsewhere.
This criticism was muted after the 2009 elevation of the HSBC Champions, held in China, to full WGC status. In addition, the WGC-Mexico Championship in 2017 marked the move of half the WGC events outside the United States. The WGC Mexico Championship was played at the Golf Club de Chapultepec in Chapultepec, Mexico, from 2017 to 2020.
Other locations for the WGC Championship over the years have included Arizona, California, Australia, and Florida. The 2021 WGC Championship, known as the WGC Workday Championship, was played at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida.
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Winners receive Wedgwood trophies
The World Golf Championships (WGC) were a group of annual professional golf tournaments played from 1999 through 2023. They were created by the International Federation of PGA Tours to bring together the best players in the world more frequently than the pre-existing four major championships. All WGC tournaments are official money events on the PGA Tour and the European Tour. They are also sanctioned by the Asian Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour, and PGA Tour of Australasia. The WGC tournaments offered comparable prize money to the major championships.
Winners of the WGC events receive Wedgwood trophies named for a golf legend. The HSBC Champions features the Old Tom Morris Cup; the Dell Match Play Championship, the Walter Hagen Cup; the Mexico Championship, the Gene Sarazen Cup; and the Fedex St. Jude Invitational, the Gary Player Cup. Dustin Johnson is the only player to win all four individual WGCs.
Tiger Woods has the most WGC victories, with 18. Although not counting as individual wins, Woods also won the then WGC-World Cup with the United States, and 2-time WGC winner Ernie Els won the same competition with South Africa.
The WGC Championship was discontinued after the 2021 tournament when the number of World Golf Championships tournaments was reduced from four to two. The WGC Championship originally travelled to different venues around the world. After 2006, it found a home at Doral Resort in Florida, superseding the Doral Open.
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The WGC-Match Play won't be returning in 2024
The World Golf Championships (WGC) were a group of annual professional golf tournaments that were played from 1999 through 2023. The WGC-Championship was discontinued after the 2021 tournament when the number of World Golf Championships tournaments was reduced from four to two. The WGC-Match Play was the last of these tournaments and was held from March 22-26, 2023, at Austin Country Club.
The WGC-Match Play has been a favourite on the calendar since it was introduced in 1999. It was the only regular match-play event on the PGA Tour and was known for its straight knockout system, later changed to group stages. However, the introduction of big-money "Designated Events" by the PGA Tour has brought about the end of the WGC-Match Play tournament.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has confirmed that designated events are the main reason for the WGC-Match Play becoming obsolete. These events feature limited fields, no cuts, and guaranteed money and FedEx Cup points for the biggest and best PGA Tour members. While Monahan has not ruled out a Match Play tournament returning in the future, for now, it has been removed from the 2024 PGA Tour schedule.
The WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in China is the only WGC tournament that remains in contract with the PGA Tour. However, this tournament has not been held since 2019 due to COVID-19-related restrictions in China. Monahan has expressed uncertainty about the future of this tournament, stating that it is "difficult to foresee when we would play there again."
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The WGC was introduced to create a larger group of golf tournaments
The World Golf Championships (WGC) were a group of annual professional golf tournaments played from 1999 to 2023. They were created by the International Federation of PGA Tours to bring together the best players in the world more frequently than the pre-existing four major championships. The WGC concept was 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.
The WGC Championship was one of the World Golf Championships tournaments, existing from the late 1990s into the early 2020s. It had many title sponsors over its run and was known by many different names. The WGC Championship was originally hosted at various locations in Europe and the United States, but after 2006, it found a permanent home at Doral Resort in Florida. The WGC Championship was one of three or four annual World Golf Championships until the number of WGC events was reduced to two following the 2021 season. The winners of the WGC Championship receive Wedgwood trophies named for a golf legend.
The WGC tournaments offered comparable prize money to the major championships and attracted almost all of the elite players who were eligible to compete. They ranked among the most prestigious and high-profile events outside of the majors. Winners generally received 70 to 78 Official World Golf Rankings points, the most awarded for any tournament apart from the major championships, which carried 100 points.
The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the WGCs, with several tournaments being moved and the WGC-HSBC Champions in China never being played again. Despite the disruptions, the WGCs featured massive romps, tightly contested battles, and champions from diverse countries, showcasing the power and quality of the fields and competitions.
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Frequently asked questions
The WGC Championship tournament was held at different locations during its run from the late 1990s to the early 2020s. The final WGC Championship in 2021 was played at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, USA.
The WGC Championship tournament has had many title sponsors and has been known by different names over the years. Here are the locations where it was played:
- Rotated to different golf courses around the world (1999-2006)
- Doral Resort in Doral, Florida (2007-2016)
- Golf club de Chapultepec in Chapultepec, Mexico (2017-2020)
- The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida (2021)
The WGC Championship was discontinued after the 2021 tournament, reducing the number of World Golf Championships from four to two. The WGC-Match Play, another WGC tournament, also ended after the 2023 season, effectively ending the WGCs.
