8/10/06

Far Hills, N.J., USA – At the close of entries, a record 126 teams (75 men's and 51 women's) will compete in the 2006 World Amateur Team Championships to be held near Cape Town, South Africa in October, according to the International Golf Federation (IGF).

Conducted by the International Golf Federation, the World Amateur Team Championships are two international team golf events -- for the Espirito Santo Trophy (women's competition since 1964) and the Eisenhower Trophy (men's competition since 1958) -- held biennially around the world. This is the first time the championships will be played in Africa.

The 2006 championships will be played at De Zalze Golf Club and Stellenbosch Golf Club in Stellenbosch, South Africa, approximately 30 miles from Cape Town.

The Women's World Amateur Team Championship will be played 18-21 October, followed by the World Amateur Team Championship 26-29 October.

The championships are hosted by the South African Golf Association and Women's Golf South Africa. Both championships are conducted over 72 holes of stroke play, and the low two individual scores of each day are the team's aggregate score. Teams consist of either two or three players.

In 2004, Sweden won the women's title and the USA won the men's championship.

Previously, the record for team entries was 48 in the women's competition and 66 in the men's competition at the 2004 Championships in Puerto Rico. The following chart shows the continuing trend of increasing international participation:

“To have surpassed the records for team entries is extremely exciting for us and bodes well for a great World Championship event,” said Neale Kunhardt, South African Golf Association vice president and organizing committee chairman. “It also demonstrates how eager the rest of the world is to come and play our world-class golf courses and experience everything else South Africa has to offer.”

Fiji is making its first appearance since 1990 and only its fifth time in the men's championship and fourth in the women's championship. In the Women's World Amateur Team Championship, England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are competing individually for the first time since 1964. In the previous 20 Espirito Santo competitions, these countries competed together as Great Britain and Ireland.

The IGF was founded in 1958 to encourage the international development of golf and to employ the game as a vehicle to foster friendship and sportsmanship among the peoples of the world. Serving as the International Olympic Committee's recognized International Federation for golf, the IGF is comprised of the national governing bodies of golf in more than 100 countries.

For more information, visit www.internationalgolffederation.org or call Stephanie Parel, IGF joint deputy secretary in the U.S.A. at 908.234.2300.

2006 World Amateur Team Entries (*First time participant)