- December 25, 2024
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The Concession Golf Club in east Manatee County thought it made a good impression in December when it hosted the first-ever World Champions Cup, a PGA Tour Champions-sanctioned team event, and Team USA took home the trophy over Team Europe and Team International.
Intersport, the agency that created the event, and the PGA Tour Champions agreed: It went so well the event is coming back to The Concession at least three more times.
On Jan. 18, Intersport announced the World Champions Cup will return to The Concession in 2024, 2025 and 2028. Host courses for the 2026 and 2027 events will be announced at a later date.
“All of us at The Concession, from our membership to our staff, welcome the World Champions Cup back for 2024, 2025 and 2028,” The Concession President Bruce Cassidy says in a release. “It was an honor to host such a prestigious event for its first playing last year, and we look forward to our long-term relationship moving forward.”
The 2024 event, which will be held Dec. 5-8, will see all three team captains return: Jim Furyk for Team USA, Darren Clarke for Team Europe and Ernie Els for Team International. Peter Jacobsen will also return as the tournament's chairman.
The World Champions Cup is a three-day competition contested across nine-hole matches featuring team formats, like Scotch sixsomes, and singles play. Points are earned for each hole won in each of the event’s 24 matches. Each of the event's three teams has six players, including the captains, who play in the event. The 2024 event will again air on ESPN and ABC.
“We are thrilled to announce a long-term deal to return to The Concession Golf Club,” says Jason Langwell, the Executive Director of the World Champions Cup and the Executive Vice President of Intersport Golf, in a release. “Concession proved to be a terrific host venue, and the course provided a stern test of golf for the best players in the world, setting up a dramatic finish on Sunday that came down to the final hole. We are looking forward to returning to Bradenton the next two years, as well as in 2028.”
Following the first World Champions Cup in December, which ended with a Team USA comeback victory, players were ecstatic about both the course and the event itself.
“This is our Ryder Cup,” Team USA's Jerry Kelly said on the event's final day. “It feels fantastic to be on a team. You know, you do make bonds with these guys. I've got their back any time. It's just a fun event."
At the December event, The Concession general manager Brian Weimann called the World Champions Cup a stepping-stone event for the club, which has also submitted a bid to host the 2031 PGA Championship. A good showing at the Cup could help the club's chances for obtaining the bid, Weimann says.
It was a strong enough showing to secure the World Champions Cup three more times. The 2031 PGA Championship bid is still to be determined.
This article originally appeared on sister site YourObserver.com.
