Friday P.M. News Dump Special: Non-WGC WGC Finally Confirmed For South Africa

You may recall there was a lovely bit of European Tour gamesmanship with the scheduling of a 2011 event that would have forced the South Africans to decide between playing in their homeland or the Presidents Cup. It was averted with a compromise to create a $10 million World Golf Championship event that will conflict with Tiger's event at Sherwood and preceding the Race To Dubai conclusion.

Well, deep into this Friday while Tiger's out on the course at Pebble Beach and media around the rest of the world are not likely to be checking for breaking news, the press release went out announcing the first ever WGC that's not technically a WGC event.

There's nothing on PGATour.com, so here is the release...

International Federation of PGA Tours to sanction Sunshine Tour’s Tournament of Hope in South Africa

2013 event to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment

The International Federation of PGA Tours, an organization of the top professional golf tours in the world that sanctions the World Golf Championships and the World Cup, today announced that the Southern Africa PGA Tour (Sunshine Tour) will stage the Tournament of Hope as an International Federation of PGA Tours-sanctioned event beginning in 2013.

The Tournament of Hope will be the centerpiece of a worldwide awareness effort to be undertaken by the Sunshine Tour and partner promoter SAIL Rights Commercialisation (Pty) Ltd to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in Africa and globally. In addition to the Tournament of Hope, the promoters will organize other awareness functions in South Africa and around the world during the week of the tournament.

The Tournament of Hope will be staged in South Africa for the first time in 2013, the week of November 25 and culminating on December 1, which is World AIDS Day. The tournament will be staged on similar dates in future years.

The US$8.5-million Tournament of Hope will be a major international competition for the world’s best professional golfers with eligibility similar to that of the four World Golf Championships, based primarily on the Official World Golf Ranking and supplemented by the individual money lists and Orders of Merit of the various Tours that make up the International Federation of PGA Tours.

The European Tour, one of the founding members of the International Federation of PGA Tours, has already confirmed that prize money won at the Tournament of Hope will count towards The 2014 Race to Dubai, further consolidating an already strong partnership with the Sunshine Tour that stretches back to 1995 and which, in 2012, will see The European Tour co-sanction four tournaments in South Africa.

The Tournament of Hope will be the sixth worldwide event sanctioned by the International Federation of PGA Tours, joining the four World Golf Championships – Accenture Match Play Championship (Arizona, USA); Cadillac Championship (Florida, USA); Bridgestone Invitational (Ohio, USA); HSBC Champions (China) – and the World Cup (China).

Planning for the event and related activities is ongoing and further details concerning the Tournament of Hope, including specific player eligibility and venue for the event, will be announced at a later time.

"Clubmakers, instructors and best players on planet will tell you that belly putters are here to stay"

This Gary Van Sickle compilation of quotes and look at the belly putter's evolution is stamped February 2, just days before the USGA suggested they were taking a "fresh look" at the legality of such putting.  Either way it's a great primer on the topic with some quotes I hadn't seen before.

One of the key reasons the USGA took notice, according to new USGA President Glen Nager, is the spike in sales. Something Van Sickle touched on:

Scotty Cameron Putters is expecting a huge year. Before Scott’s run at the Masters, Cameron says his company would sell 500 to 1,000 alternative putters a year. By the end of ’11 the number was 10,000. Cameron is gearing up to move 15,000 to 20,000 this year.

Instead of simply adding length to conventional models, for the first time TaylorMade designed its alternative putters to perform at belly- and long-putter lengths. Last year, according to Michael Fox, a TaylorMade product-marketing manager, the company sold four times as many alternative putters as in 2010, and he expects to double 2011’s sales this year. “We were back-ordered 30 days at one point last year,” says Fox.

"Hole-In-One" Means Hole-In-One In Any Language

Note the commentary of Martin Kaymer's ace in Dubai Friday.

Cliffs Sold; Husband-Wife Duo Vows To Finish The Non-Tiger Woods Course

David Dykes introduces us to Steve and Penny Carlile of Marshall, Texas, proud new owners of The Cliffs, who plan to move forward with a Gary Player-designed course. Thanks to reader Scott for this.

Methinks the wife helped with the decision everyone wants to know about: whether Tiger's "under construction" design will be started finished.

However, the new owners — Steve and Penny Carlile of the Carlile Group in Marshall, Texas — said the fate of a Tiger Woods-designed course east of Asheville remains uncertain. Its future will be evaluated after an in-depth study to determine the best approach, Steve Carlile said.

The Carliles and Timothy P. Cherry, The Cliffs chief financial officer, told GreenvilleOnline.com this morning they anticipate filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy action for The Cliffs Club & Hospitality Group Inc., a wholly owned Cliffs’ subsidiary, known as ClubCo, that owns the golf courses and related amenities.