POWERPLAY GOLF® IGNITION ATTRACTS CROWDS AND GLOBAL TV AUDIENCE
- Last-hole drama as rising Swedish star Caroline Hedwall wins PowerPlay Golf Ignition
- Gary Player, Graeme McDowell, Paul Casey, Ian Poulter praise exciting new nine-hole format
- Event shown on TV in over 30 countries
- Sponsors Saab delighted with debut of revolutionary new two-flag tournament golf series
Wednesday 1st June 2011: The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, South Wales
On Monday Swedish golfer Caroline Hedwall won PowerPlay Golf driven by Saab: Ignition in dramatic fashion to claim the honour of becoming the first Tour pro in the world to win a PowerPlay Golf event.
After a late barrage of six-point PowerPlay birdies, Hedwall triumphed over a star studded field including golfing legend Gary Player, current US Open Champions Graeme McDowell and Paula Creamer, Ryder Cup stars Ian Poulter and Paul Casey and Major Champions John Daly, Ian Woosnam and Helen Alfredsson.
Gripping from start to finish
Over nine selected holes on Celtic Manor’s Twenty Ten Course, and in front of a large crowd, the early pace setters were American LPGA Tour star Creamer and young French European Tour rookie Victor Dubuisson. When Creamer failed to convert a last-hole PowerPlay birdie, attention turned to Hedwall, who amassed an incredible 18 points on the final three holes with three successive PowerPlay 6-point birdies, including a brave 15-foot putt on the final hole.
Hedwall’s compatriot Helen Alfredsson and world number 12 Ian Poulter – who almost eagled the last after driving the green – both came with a late charge, matching Hedwall’s last-hole PowerPlay birdie, but the young Swede prevailed to take the £100,000 first prize.
“That was a lot of fun. I was in the middle of the pack with three to play but knew I still had a chance with PowerPlays in reserve. I was very nervous on the first tee but playing with Ian Poulter and Helen Alfredsson was a great experience” commented Hedwall. The victory caps a memorable few days for Hedwall, who secured her first Ladies European Tour victory on Sunday at the Allianz Slovak Ladies Open.
‘Caroline holed a mile of putts today and played stunning golf’, said 2011 World Matchplay Champion Ian Poulter afterwards, confirming that men and women can compete legitimately side by side in this exciting and volatile format. “I like to have fun on the golf course and the PowerPlay format means that you can get back into contention with some big plays towards the end,” he said.
Stars praise new two-flag, nine-hole tournament format
Other Ignition competitors also enjoyed their first experience of the new format. Ryder Cup star Paul Casey said “The course was set up very well by PowerPlay Golf. It looks like the girls have given us a good beating today and made better decisions, so fair play to them. This was great fun.”
Gary Player loved the emphasis the format places on course management. “Amateur golfers don’t realise how important course management is. Jack and Tiger won Majors with excellent course management and a strong mental game. PowerPlay Golf is going to teach amateur golfers a great deal about when to take a risk and when to shoot for a par.”
And current U.S Open Champion Graeme McDowell Tweeted: “Got absolutely spanked by the girls today. Lots of fun and a great concept.”
Saab delighted with debut event
The three-hour tournament was broadcast live to over 30 countries, ensuring that PowerPlay Golf’s new nine-hole format reached a broad audience of golf fans and sports enthusiasts. Saab GB Marketing Director David Pugh said: “It was a fantastic debut event and we look forward to working with PowerPlay Golf to develop this exciting new form of the sport. Our congratulations go to Sweden’s new star Caroline Hedwall for her impressive victory!”
Charities benefit from PowerPlay Golf
The event raised £158,000 for charity and in donations to golf unions. Organisers PowerPlay Golf donated £65,000 to charity, giving an additional 10% of each player’s winnings to their chosen charity, and a further £10,000 to each of three charities: The British Lung Foundation, Help For Heroes, and Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, the latter nominated as one of PowerPlay Golf’s event charities by Sir Ian Botham.
Four of the competitors donated a combined total of £93,000 to their national golf unions, in recognition of the support they received during their amateur careers. Paul Casey donated £20,000 to The English Golf Union, and Hedwall, Dubuisson and Kieffer each donated 50% of their winnings to the Swedish, French and German Golf Federations respectively.
Organisers plan next steps
Working together with international sports marketing giants IMG, PowerPlay Golf will now take its Tour pro series to two further continents – Asia and North America – later in 2011. Both events will once again feature an eclectic twelve-person field of male and female Tour stars of all ages.
Multi-sports group Convers Sports Initiatives, which acquired a controlling interest in PowerPlay Golf in November 2010, believes the televised events will act as a catalyst for the format’s roll-out throughout the global amateur game. Chairman Vladimir Antonov said “We are creating a network of PowerPlay Golf Official Venues so that amateur golfers all over the world can play the game. Superstars such as those who played at The Celtic Manor Resort on Monday are superb role models, and set the example of how exciting PowerPlay Golf can be.”
With planned collaborations with the National Golf Federations and Governing bodies around the world and with over 70% of golfers in a recent survey stating that they would watch and play a shorter format of the game, PowerPlay Golf looks set to become an invigorating force in golf. “We have made a great start but this tournament is only the beginning. We want to drive participation in all golfing countries and bring much needed extra revenue into golf clubs” stated Executive Director Peter McEvoy OBE.
Ends.
CONTACTS
Press: David Silvers, Professional Sports Group
Tel: +44 (0)1276 858930 Email: david@profsports.com
PowerPlay Golf: Jacqui Baldwin
Tel: +44 (0)1564 330684 Email: jacqui@powerplay-golf.com
Web: www.powerplay-golf.com
ADDITIONAL NOTES FOR EDITORS
Final scores and details from PowerPlay Golf driven by Saab: IGNITION on Monday 31st May 2011.
Total prize money: £350,000. Venue: The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, South Wales, UK.
| PLACING | PLAYER | POINTS | PRIZE MONEY |
| 1st | Caroline Hedwall (Sweden) | 32 | £100,000 |
| 2nd | Helen Alfredsson (Sweden) | 29 | £50,000 |
| 3rd (Joint) | Ian Poulter (England) | 27 | £32,500 |
| 3rd (Joint) | Paula Creamer (USA) | 27 | £32,500 |
| 5th | Victor Dubuisson (France) | 26 | £26,000 |
| 6th | Ian Woosnam (Wales) | 25 | £23,000 |
| 7th | Maximilian Kieffer (Germany) | 22 | £20,000 |
| 8th | Paul Casey (England) | 20 | £17,000 |
| 9th | Gary Player (South Africa) | 18 | £15,000 |
| 10th | Thongchai Jaidee (Thailand) | 16 | £13,000 |
| 11th (Joint) | Graeme McDowell (N.Ireland) | 15 | £10,500 |
| 11th (Joint) | John Daly (USA) | 15 | £10,500 |
About PowerPlay Golf® (www.powerplay-golf.com)
PowerPlay Golf® is a 9-hole version of the sport in which golfers aim for one of two flags on the green – a standard White Flag and a tougher Black (or ‘PowerPlay’) Flag. With limited PowerPlays available and extra points scored for net birdie or better when on a PowerPlay, golfers face extra pressure and exciting risk-and-reward decisions on each tee. The format enables broadcasters to televise a complete golf tournament in a very short time frame, opening up new audiences for the sport. Golf clubs become PowerPlay Golf Official Venues by registering online, whereupon they are sent a Club Pack containing everything they need to run PowerPlay Golf events for their customers. Golfers can register for free online to gain access to exclusive benefits from PowerPlay Golf and its global partners. CONTACT: Jacqui Baldwin, +44 (0)1564 330684 / info@powerplay-golf.com.
About Saab (http://media.saab.com/)
Saab, or Svenska Aeroplan Aktiebolaget (Swedish Aircraft Company), was founded in 1937 as an aircraft manufacturer and revealed its first prototype passenger car 10 years later after the formation of the Saab Car Division. In 1990, Saab Automobile AB was created as a separate company, jointly owned by the Saab Scania Group and General Motors, and became a wholly-owned GM subsidiary in 2000. In February 2010, Spyker Cars N.V. of the Netherlands, acquired the company from GM as an independently-run business. Saab cars reflect the brand’s unique Scandinavian design ethic, which is fused with its aircraft engineering heritage. The company is a global premium car maker with a distinguished history of innovation. It is recognized for its pioneering role in turbocharging, as well as occupant safety and the introduction of flex-fuel technology through Saab BioPower. Saab Automobile AB currently employs approximately 3,800 staff in Sweden, where it operates world-class production and technical development facilities at its headquarters in Trollhättan, 70 km north of Gothenburg. CONTACT: Saab Automobile Press Office, Tel: +46 (0)520 279797.
About Convers Sports Initiatives (www.converssport.com)
London-based businessmen Vladimir Antonov and Roman Dubov, Chairman and President respectively of Convers Sports Initiatives (CSI) (www.converssport.com) together with their partner Chris Akers, the former CEO of Leeds United, acquired a controlling interest in PowerPlay Golf in November 2010. Mr Antonov, 35, Mr Dubov, 36, and Mr Akers, 46, manage the commercial development of a growing portfolio of sporting brands through CSI, including: the Ferrari Team Russia race team; the Spyker Squadron motorsports team; North One Sport, the global promoters of the World Rally Championship (WRC); the Isle of Man TT race series; and the Velux 5 Oceans Race and Clipper Round the World sailing events. In 2011 CSI also acquired control of DBG Convers, a specialist in developing social networks, mobile applications and new media solutions for sports and entertainment brands and personalities including David Haye, as well as a 65 per cent share of Executive Sport Limited, the parent company of the “Leaders in Football” conference.
About IMG (www.imgworld.com)
IMG is a global sports, entertainment and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging. IMG College is the leader in collegiate marketing, licensing and media rights. IMG’s Joint Ventures, IMG Reliance and IMG CCTV, in the emerging markets of India and China, offer the company significant long-term growth opportunities. IMG Media is the world’s largest independent producer and distributor of sports programming. IMG Events and Federations owns and manages some of the most sought after events and includes long standing associations with the world’s most important sports organizations, leagues, and federations. IMG Fashion owns and operates fashion events around the world and IMG Models represents the world’s top models, leading designers and the most influential photographers, art directors and stylists. For the past 50 years IMG Clients has been the global leader in talent representation, including over 1,000 elite athletes, coaches, industry executives and prestigious sports organizations across the sports, entertainment, fashion and media industries. IMG Academies is the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and educational facility delivering sports training experiences to more than 12,000 dedicated athletes from approximately 80 countries every year. IMG Consulting connects many of the world’s leading brands with consumers through access to unique sports and entertainment properties. IMG Licensing is considered one of the premier independent licensing agencies in the sports, entertainment and media world. More information is available at www.imgworld.com.
About The Celtic Manor Resort (www.celtic-manor.com)
Host venue of The Ryder Cup in 2010, the five-star Celtic Manor Resort is set in more than 1,400 acres of wooded parkland at the gateway to Wales. With two hotels – a 330-room luxury Resort Hotel and an historic 19th century Manor House with 70 rooms – two exceptional spas, two state-of-the-art health clubs, a shooting school, fishing, tennis courts, mountain biking, walking trails and six outstanding restaurants, The Celtic Manor Resort provides a complete experience for business, leisure and golf travellers. In 2005 and for four years running from 2007 to 2010, the Resort has been voted the UK’s Top Conference Hotel by readers of Conference and Incentive Travel Magazine and it is Europe’s Golf Resort of the Year for 2011, chosen by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators. The Resort is the home of the Saab Wales Open, one of the premier events on The European Tour, and offers the challenge of three 18-hole championship golf courses, including the new Twenty Ten course, the first course in history to be designed and built specifically to host The Ryder Cup. For more information visit: www.celtic-manor.com.
Posted June 1, 2011
