A year-long amateur golf event is debuting in 2025 with a $5 million prize purse.
It isn’t just within the professional game that golf prize money is getting bigger. Starting in 2025, amateur golfers will have a chance to compete in a year-long global event with a $5 million prize pool.
The World Golf Competition plans to feature more than 13,000 participants competing in more than 300 rounds of golf on over 200 different courses spanning North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
The entry fee of $4,500 covers all travel, accommodations, and dining during the tournament, along with access to some of the nation’s top courses – with names like TPC Sawgrass in Florida, Pebble Beach Golf Links in California, Pinehurst No. 4 in North Carolina, Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina, and Whistling Straits Golf Course in Wisconsin.
One of the industry’s leading business travel companies is a partner (and official travel manager) in the first-of-its-kind event, as Corporate Traveler will coordinate travel plans for all registered qualifiers. While this is Corporate Traveler’s foray into golf, the company has been a trusted travel partner for pro sports teams such as the New York Mets, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, New York Islanders, and more.
“We are looking forward to playing our part to inspire and celebrate the amateur golf community and bring people together across the globe for this dynamic event that has the power to transcend borders,” said John Van den Heuvel, the president of Corporate Traveler USA.
The World Golf Competition has partnered with Corporate Traveler to launch the event and coordinate ... [+]
So, how is the World Golf Competition set up?
All participants, with a valid handicap of 20 or below, will compete in the opening round, which gets underway February 2025 at some of the 16 zones around the world.
The top 50% of the field – using Stableford scores — will advance to the second round. Participants will be randomly slotted in groups of four and need to beat out the other three members in their group over 18 holes to progress, with the other spots filled (at least in the first round) by those with scores in the top 50% of Stableford scoring.
In the ensuing three rounds, the winner of each One vs Three competition progresses to the next round.
Take someone competing in the USA Eastern Atlantic zone, for example. They could play their opening round match on May 5, 2025 at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Virginia, followed by a second round match just over a month later at the Kingsmill Resort, which is approximately five miles away. The Zone Final would be held at the Primland Resort, also in Virginia, in August, followed by the Regional final in early October at Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina.
The winners advance to the World Final, which will be played in early November 2025, at the Punta Espada Golf Club in the Dominican Republic. Unlike the opening rounds, the final is two days (36 holes) of handicapped strokeplay with no cut.
The Punta Espada Golf Club in the Dominican Republic will be the site of the World Final, which will ... [+]
World Golf Competition co-founder Jon Kerr said the event is designed to give amateur players the opportunity to experience the life of a top professional, combining luxury service with the opportunity to play some golf courses to which they might not otherwise have access.
“It’s an exciting time to be in golf,” said Kerr, “And this competition is bigger than just the game as we’re diving into the technology, culture, fashion, and lifestyle that underpins the true, modern golfing experience, to give players the full experience.”
From clubs and courses to outfits, accommodations and travel, amateur participants with the means and ability will get a taste of professional treatment with the WGC.
