The 2022 edition of the WCGC Portugal, the World Corporate Golf Championship, which, at an international level, enters its 29th edition in 2022, has started.
This season, Golf Concept assumes the exclusive organization of the event in Portugal during the whole year of 2022, holding five tournaments, keeping the circuit’s tradition of only going through elite courses.
Everything kicks off on the course designed by the late Christy O’Connor Jnr. at Amendoeira Golf Resort, in Silves. The headquarters of World Kids Golf, which in 2021 hosted stages of the Portuguese Golf Federation Circuit and the PGA Portugal Tour, will now host the opening tournament of this 2022 World Corporate Golf Challenge Portugal.
Starting the 2022 circuit on a course designed by a former double champion of the Senior British Open is a luxury, but if we talk about courses designed by renowned players, the list does not stop there.
This year the National Final will be played on July 16 at Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort, a brilliant creation by the no less sublime Severiano Ballesteros, perhaps the best European golfer of all time. Royal Óbidos hosts since 2020 the Portuguese Open of the Challenge Tour.
And on June 4th, the circuit visits the challenging Axis Ponte de Lima, a design by the famous Silva brothers, Daniel Silva being one of the three rare Portuguese players to have won European Tour titles.
In between, there are also qualifying rounds on April 30 at Santo da Serra Golf Club, the stunning stage for the European Tour’s Madeira Islands Open between 1993 and 2015 (except for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011); while on May 21 the chosen course in Quinta does Peru Golf & Country Club, the home of Pedro Figueiredo, one of the best Portuguese players ever and a course that hosted the PGA de Portugal National Championship in 2012 and some Challenge Tour tournaments.
WCGC Portugal 2022 qualifiers
The qualifying rounds for the National Final are played by teams of two players (compulsorily over 18 years of age), representing a company. The system of play will be 18 holes of Stableford with a 3/4 course handicap. The National Final will be 18 holes of fourball/better ball Stableford with a 3/4 course handicap.
In each qualifying tournament, the first two teams with the best net classification, the first classified in gross, the two following teams with the best net classification (3rd and 4th) and the three following teams with the best gross classification (2nd, 3rd and 4th) will be directly selected. In total there should be 8 teams selected.
But this year there is something new in the regulations, as explained by Ana Massapina, one of the founders of Golf Concept, together with Estela Sargento: “The four teams not directly qualified and with more points after the qualifying stages have access to the National Final. One of the novelties for 2022 is the introduction of the WCGC Portugal Ranking, another way to qualify for the National Final”.
The team that obtains the highest net score in the National Final will represent Portugal in the World Final, to be held from 17 to 21 October in Tenerife. After seven years with the World Final being held in Cascais, it will now be Spain’s turn to take on the role of host country and the big summit is already being promoted with the “Road to Tenerife” campaign.
The emergence of Golf Concept in the leadership of the World Corporate Golf Challenge is natural and, in essence, continuity. After all, its founders had already been working on the World Final since 2015 and had been partners of the Portuguese licence held by Golftattoo since 2020.
“I would like to welcome Golf Concept as the World Corporate Golf Challenge licensee company in Portugal for the next three years. It is a great pleasure to be able to count on the vast experience of Ana Massapina and Estela Sargento, who I have had the privilege of knowing for many years, and who also collaborate in the organization of the World Final, to grow the WCGC circuit. My wishes are for good luck and I am sure that year after year the success can only be even greater,” said José Guerra, the Chairman of the World Corporate Golf Challenge worldwide.
“We will continue the excellent work that has been done in recent years, but we want to capture more premium brands and innovate with digital actions, so that the WCGC becomes, also, a sustainable and innovative event,” promised Ana Massapina.
The World Corporate Golf Challenge was born in 1993 and its growth has been exponential. It has already surpassed the membership of 50 countries and more than one million golfers (businessmen) participated in the event.
The WCGC is the perfect marriage between the worlds of golf and business, as can be seen by the media coverage over the years of 60 TV channels, 26 newspapers and 24 magazines.
In 2022 the list of sponsors is as follows: Audi, Costa Verde, Andros, Bee Engineering, Belmar, Bonne Maman, Distintus, Global International Relocation, Impetus, Paradise Escape, Adega do Redondo – Porta da Ravessa, AFirma, Banana da Madeira, BDR, Castelbel, Delifrance, Fitness Nestlé, Neighbours Premium Gin, Nicola, Super Bock, Philips, Uriage, Turkish Airlines, Uspot, Santos e Vale, Câmara Municipal de Óbidos and Federação Portuguesa de Golfe.
The list of media partners is as follows: Global Media Group (Diário de Notícias, O Jogo, Radio TSF, Jornal de Notícias, Diário de Notícias Madeira, Men’s Health), Golftattoo, Golf Magazine, Golf Report (SIC Notícias), Grupo Multipublicações (Executive Digest Magazine, Marketeer Magazine).
There is also a solidarity partner in 2022, the Portuguese Cardiology Foundation, through a protocol that reverts part of the value of each registration to the Foundation. The total amount raised will be awarded during the National Final.
