The Omega Mission Hills World Cup is sanctioned and organized by the International Federation of PGA Tours, which includes the Asian Tour, European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and Southern Africa Tour.

First played in 1953, the World Cup is one of the oldest and most prestigious global golf team events in the world inviting two man teams from 28 nations to play “For the Honour” of representing their country. The 2009 Omega Mission Hills World Cup will be the 55th staging of this event which has seen all of the greats of the game lift the prestigious trophy. The roll of honour from the World Cup reads like a who’s who of golf. Great names such as Snead, Hogan, Nicklaus, Palmer, Trevino, Faldo, Ballesteros, Langer, Woods, Els and Montgomerie have all been able to call themselves World Champions.

In 2008, the Swedish team of Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson added their names to this great list of champions and we look forward to welcoming them back to Mission Hills to defend their title.

Of the 28 nations that tee it up on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009 at Mission Hills, 18 will have qualified automatically via the Official World Golf Rankings. China will take their place in the field as the host nation alongside nine nations who have prevailed at the qualifying events held in Europe, Asia and South America. The Championship format is a 72-hole stroke play event. The first and third days are fourball (best ball) play and the second and fourth rounds are foursomes play.

In 2007, the World Cup entered a new era announcing the commitment of a new title sponsor - Omega, and finding its home in China at Mission Hills Golf Club where it will remain until at least 2018. This was a historic development for the World Cup that marked the Championships first return to China since 1995 when the World Cup introduced the game of professional golf to the world’s largest country.

In bringing the World Cup to China once again, the International Federation of PGA Tours and the IGA have a unique opportunity to participate in the growth of golf in the world’s most populous country. China has a population of 1.4 billion with around 400 million youths. It is the fastest growing golf market in the world and there is no doubt that hosting the World Cup will support the acceleration of this growth by bringing golf to the doorstep of this vast audience.

The 2009 World Cup will be televised to the largest potential audience for any golf event in China. What better way to share the history, heritage, honour and excitement of this magnificent game.