HSBC Announces Women's World Match Play Golf Championship and the Biggest 1st Prize in LPGA History

HSBC Announces Women's World Match Play Golf Championship and the Biggest 1st Prize in LPGA History

'I've heard what a great event the men's HSBC World Match Play is in England, so I'm really looking forward to ours.' Annika Sorenstam

'I think the players and fans will enjoy the change ... I plan to be there.' Laura Diaz

'I love the cut and thrust of match play ... I just hope I qualify!' Laura Davies

NEW YORK, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- HSBC, one of the world's largest financial services organisations, is to sponsor the only individual match play championship in women's golf and has pledged a winner's cheque of $500,000, the highest in the history of the LPGA.

The inaugural HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship will be played over the Independence Day weekend at the spectacular Hamilton Farm Golf Club in Gladstone, New Jersey, between 30 June - 3 July 2005.

The championship will be the first official match play tournament to be played in America in half a century. Eligibility for the top class 64-woman field will be based on the leading 60 professionals on the ADT Official LPGA Money List (at 20 June 2005), the U.S. Women's Open Champion, leader of the Japanese LPGA Money List (at 13 June 2005), plus two special invitations by the sponsors. Players will compete in 18 holes of head-to-head match play golf culminating in a grand final on Sunday 3 July.

The five-year deal between HSBC, tournament organisers IMG and the LPGA includes a total annual prize fund from HSBC of US$2 million. The HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship, the only official match play tournament on the LPGA schedule, will be covered live in the US by CBS on Saturday 2 July and Sunday 3 July from 2:00pm to 4:00pm EST. The Golf Channel will broadcast the first two days' play. Internationally, the championship will be seen in major markets around the world with a cumulative reach of an estimated 100 million homes.

Stephen Green, Group Chief Executive of HSBC Holdings plc, in the US to make the announcement, said: "The HSBC Women's World Match Play represents another significant investment in golf by HSBC. As the world's most international bank, it is fitting that we are involved in a sport with truly global appeal. Golf is well-established in developed markets and suits the tastes and lifestyles of many HSBC customers. And it is a booming and aspirational sport in regions like Asia, where our Group was founded, and which remains crucial to our business.

"Golf among women is experiencing equally powerful growth, with nearly one and a half million new women players taking up the game in the US since the turn of the millennium. We are delighted to become part of this and we hope that by offering the highest winner's cheque in LPGA history, the HSBC Women's World Match Play proves an important milestone in the development of women's golf.

"The game very much mirrors HSBC's character and how we like to do business. Internationalism, inclusiveness and integrity are as much characteristics of the sport as they are of HSBC and we are proud of our association with the game."

Ty Votaw, the LPGA Commissioner, welcomed the new championship: "The drama of match play, coupled with the participation of the world's top female golfers at a superb new tournament venue is certain to create a thrilling event for fans in the Metropolitan New York area and around the globe. I'd like to thank IMG for conceiving the event and HSBC for lending their support to what I am confident will become one of the most exciting and popular tournaments on the LPGA schedule."

"I'd like to congratulate HSBC on their new tournament," said Annika Sorenstam, leader of the ADT Official LPGA Money List for the last four years. "I've heard what a great event the men's HSBC World Match Play is in England, so I'm really looking forward to ours. I really love match play -- it should be a lot of fun."

Welcoming the news, Laura Diaz, who achieved seven top 10 finishes on the LPGA tour in 2004, commented: "It's great to have a match play tournament on the tour. I think the players and fans will really enjoy the change. It should be a lot of fun and I definitely plan to be there."

Laura Davies, four-time Major winner and leader of the European Tour Order of Merit in 2004, added: "I'm really delighted there will be a match play event on the LPGA schedule this year. I love the cut and thrust of match play, it really suits my game. I won the last one we had at Gleneagles -- I just hope I qualify!"

Andrew Hampel, Senior Corporate VP, IMG, added: "IMG welcomes HSBC's commitment to the Women's World Match Play Championship which complements the bank's support of the men's World Match Play Championship in England. We are confident that this new event and its match play format will prove as popular and enduring in the US as the men's version has been over the past 41 years in the UK."

Commenting on the selection of Hamilton Farm Golf Club as the venue for the inaugural HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship, the club's owner, Dennis Townsend said: "We are delighted and thrilled that a worldwide audience will see Hamilton Farm and that the world's best women golfers will experience the beauty of the Highlands Course, where the challenging greens, dramatic bunkering and rolling terrain will test the nerves of the eventual champion. Hamilton Farm looks forward to welcoming everyone to the inaugural championship."

Sixty-four of the world's leading women's golfers will commence play for first round matches on Thursday 30 June. The 32 winners will face each other in second round matches on Friday 1 July, and the 16 winners will play round three on Saturday morning, 2 July. Quarter-final matches will be held on Saturday afternoon. The championship climax on Sunday 3 July will see semi-finals in the morning and the grand final in the afternoon. All matches will be decided over 18 holes of match play golf.

The US$2 million purse for the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship will be awarded as follows:

Winner US$500,000
Runner-up US$300,000
Losing semi-finalists (2) US$175,000
Losing quarter-finalists (4) US$50,000
3rd round losers (8) US$25,000
2nd round losers US$10,000
1st round losers US$5,000





For further information on the HSBC Women's World Match Play Championship, visit www.hsbcgolf.com

Media enquiries:

HSBC USA Stephen Cohen + 1 212 525 6901
Europe Richard Beck + 44 (0)20 7991 0633
William Parry + 44 7802 984044
IMG USA Steve Brener + 1 818 344 6195 (ext 103)
Europe Michele Mair + 44 (0)20 8233 5177

The HSBC Group


HSBC is marketed worldwide as 'the world's local bank.' Headquartered in London, HSBC is one of the largest banking and financial services organisations in the world. The Group's international network comprises some 10,000 offices in 76 countries and territories across Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With listings on the London, Hong Kong, New York, Paris and Bermuda stock exchanges, shares in HSBC Holdings plc are held by nearly 200,000 shareholders in some 100 countries and territories. The shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange in the form of American Depository Receipts. Through an international network linked by advanced technology, including a rapidly growing e-commerce capability, HSBC provides a comprehensive range of financial services: personal financial services; consumer finance; commercial banking; corporate, investment banking and markets; private banking; and other activities. The HSBC Group name was derived from its founding member, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, which was established in 1865 to finance the growing trade between China and Europe. For further information, visit www.hsbc.com.

The LPGA

Featuring the world's best women golfers, the LPGA's membership includes touring, teaching and club professionals. The LPGA tour in 2005 features 34 events, with the highest total prize money ever of $45 million. Since 1981, the LPGA and its tournaments have raised approximately $160 million for charity. From the dreams of its 13 founders in 1950, the LPGA has evolved into the world's pre-eminent women's professional sports organisation. The LPGA has grown from its roots as a playing tour into a non-profit organisation involved in every facet of golf. The LPGA Teaching and Club Professional (T&CP) membership boasts a total of nearly 1,200 women golf professionals who serve as teachers, golf professionals, club managers and coaches. Through the LPGA T&CP membership, the LPGA is working to increase the involvement of women and youth in golf, as well as contribute to the growth of the sport overall. The LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla. For more information on the LPGA, log on to www.LPGA.com.

IMG

IMG was founded by Mark H. McCormack in the early 1960s. The company is the world's premier sports and lifestyle management and marketing firm, with an international staff of approximately 2,200 people in over 60 offices in more than 25 countries. TWI, IMG's television division, is the largest independent distributor and producer of televised sports, managing a library of more than 150,000 hours. TWI annually produces and distributes 6,500 hours of original programming to more than 200 countries covering 200+ sports, as well as being a global leader in digital sports and entertainment. IMG is also commercially involved in an average of 11 major sports and cultural events around the world every day; IMG Consulting works with many of the world's largest corporations on marketing and sponsorship programmes; IMG's stadium and arena group works with leagues and franchises worldwide; IMG is the world's largest non-character licensing firm, and is a leading literary agency and book packager. In addition, IMG Models is the world's number one international model management firm, IMG owns and operates top sports and fitness academies, and IMG Artists is the top global performing arts management firm.

On 30 September 2004, it was announced that Forstmann Little & Co., a New York private investment firm, had acquired IMG with a majority interest in the company. Now formalised, this transaction heralds the beginning of an exciting new era for IMG, and brings with it significant potential for future growth.

Hamilton Farm

Hamilton Farm is a private golf club situated on an elegant, historic country estate. The club was born in the spirit of the world's greatest golf clubs, destined to set new standards for quality, service and pure enjoyment of the golf club experience. Located on the historic 535-acre James Cox Brady estate west of Manhattan in Gladstone, New Jersey, Hamilton Farm offers two spectacular courses: the par-72 Highlands Course, measuring more than 7,000 yards; and the Hickory Course, an 18-hole par-3 challenge that is the only USGA-rated 'short course' in the United States. The highly respected team of Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Dana Fry designed the two courses. Hamilton Farm is also home to the headquarters and Olympic training grounds for the United States Equestrian Team. For more information on Hamilton Farm, visit www.hamiltonfarmgolfclub.com.


Source: The HSBC Group

CONTACT: Stephen Cohen of HSBC, +1-212-525-6901

Web site: http://www.hamiltonfarmgolfclub.com/

Web site: http://www.lpga.com/

Web site: http://www.hsbc.com/


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