Canada did indeed spawn the World Cup of Golf. I’ve included the article below, or you can find it on the Ontario Golf website.
Congratulations to Brothers Francesco and Edoardo Molinari who captured Italy's first World Cup title!
Congratulations also, of course, to the Canadian Football League’s 2009 Grey Cup Champions, the Montreal Alouettes! It was another fantastic, tight Grey Cup finish.
Here’s the OG article on the World Cup.
World Cup of Golf Was Born in Canada
Twenty-eight teams are teeing it up this week at the World Cup of Golf at the massive Mission Hills Resort in China. Canadians Stuart Anderson (Calgary) and Graham Delaet (Weyburn, Sask.)-each a three-time winner on the Canadian Tour-are tied for fourth after Round One.
Three years into its 12-year tenure at Mission Hills, the World Cup has recovered much of its old stature and romance. Dr. David Chu, Mission Hills' chairman, has rekindled the event's early ideals and made it unique on the world golf calendar. Chu's vision clearly jibes with that of the late John Jay Hopkins (photo [above]), the founding father of the World Cup-known as the Canada Cup from 1953 to 1966. The Santa Ana, California-born Hopkins, who was president of General Dynamics (which created the world's first atomic submarine), saw golf as "a civilized and civilizing" pursuit and one which could promote international goodwill.
In 1957, defending champions Ben Hogan and Sam Snead brought immense crowds to Tokyo. But the Japanese team, relative newcomers to the sport, stole the show when Koichi Ono and Pete Nakamuru came out on top. Hopkins passed away shortly before the event, but Fred Corcoran, the World Cup's tournament director, knew exactly what he'd have thought about the results.
"If," said Corcoran, "I had any doubts about Hopkins' sincerity and the soundness of his doctrine, Tokyo erased them. It was hard to believe, watching the teams chatting easily on the first tee, that many of these nations had been at war only a few years earlier."
Overnight, Japan became a nation of golf fanatics and Ono and Nakamuru became national heroes. In 1956 alone, no fewer than 20 new courses were rolled out across the country and the first double-decker driving range shot up in Tokyo.
When Argentina won in 1953 at Beaconsfield GC, just outside Montreal, it was one of only seven two-man teams. The event would gain steam through the 1960s and '70s, becoming a "must play" tournament for the world's best players. However, its status soon began to dwindle.
Today there are 28 teams eagerly vying to place their names on the original John Jay Hopkins trophy (18 of whom qualified automatically, while another nine were drawn from qualifying events in Europe, Asia and Latin America). The field is rounded out by the host nation, China.
By offering the event a spectacular 12-year home at Mission Hills, Dr. Chu has made his own distinct contribution to its storied lore. Twelve, he explains, is a special number in China, one that signifies the 12 years in the Chinese horoscope and the completion of a cycle.
Meanwhile, his picture of the world swinging in unison is evolving all the time. When YE Yang, who is competing in this year's event, became the first Asian player to capture a major at the 2009 PGA Championship, the festivities were not confined to Asia. Over in Montreal, there was a day-long celebration that attracted in excess of 200 golfers from the city's South Korean community.
Where was it held? At Beaconsfield GC, the World Cup's original home.
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