As many of you know, the SoHG has been working on a new Ryder Cup format tournament for the past few years. The inaugural tournament, tentatively titled “The SoHG International Hickory Cup”, is scheduled for October 2014, immediately after the World Hickory Open. It will pit a North American Team against a World Hickory select team. North American SoHG players will be selected from a qualifying process outlined below.
1) Format
Players per side – The minimum is set at 18, although 20 is preferred (based on costs of reserving the Monifieth courses for the two tournament days).
Day 1 – Morning foursomes, afternoon fourballs at Monifieth Medal.
Day 2 – Singles matches with all players at Monifieth Ashludie.
2) Qualifying methods – North American team
There are three handicap divisions – 0-5, 6-12, and 13+.
Six automatic qualifiers will be selected from each handicap division based on their points earned for play in the following five major SoHG events:
The Mountain Valley Hickory Open
The Southern 4-Ball Hickory Championship
The Belvedere Hickory Open
The U.S. Hickory Open
The Mid Pines Hickory Open
Automatic qualifying is based on gross scores (across all age divisions) in each tournament. Points are awarded for placing in top 10 in the respective handicap division. These are not the same as Championship Series points.Qualifying points for the North American International team are awarded as follows:
100 points to lowest gross score in each handicap division,
90 to second, 80 to third, etc., until 10 points for 10th place.
Qualifying points have been awarded for all 2013 SoHG majors. However, qualifying for the 2014 inaugural match has been extended to end with the 2014 Southern 4-Ball Championship. Thus there are TWO more tournaments in which a player will be awarded qualifying points for the 2014 International competition – the 2014 Mountain Valley Hickory Open, and the 2014 Southern 4-Ball.
Qualifying points for the 2016 tournament will begin with the 2014 Belvedere Hickory Open. An end date has not yet been set, as the qualifying season is determined by the schedule of the International Competition.
3) Availability of play for non-qualifying team members:
Should any of the 18 automatic qualifiers be unable to participate, their spots will become open to the general SoHG membership. The team Captain and his assistants will select players based on a variety of criteria, including their current International point totals, willingness to travel, and need to equalize handicap divisions (subject to team size limitations), etc.
4) Estimated costs
Approximately $3,000. This includes 7-8 nights hotel, green fees, entry fee for World Hickory Open, airfare, and 1-2 additional rounds of golf either before or after the official events being held Oct. 6-10, 2014.
North American Team Committee
David Brown, Captain, 2014 North American team
Rick Woeckener, Co-Captain
Mike Stevens, Assistant, Qualifying Standards
Breck Speed, Secretary