Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii – Nick Taylor claimed a two-shot victory at the Sanderson Farms Classic — the second to last week on the road to Kapalua — and became the first Canadian-born player to win on the PGA TOUR since 2007, qualifying Taylor for the 2015 Hyundai Tournament of Champions. The winners-only event returns to The Plantation Course at Kapalua from January 8-12.
The 26-year-old rookie used a masterful putting performance to defeat Boo Weekly and Jason Bohn by two strokes. Taylor made 178 feet of putts in the final round, bettering the field average of 80 feet by a wide margin. This is the first time Taylor is eligible for the Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
Bubba Watson, already eligible for the winners-only event via his wins at the Northern Trust Open and the Masters, added to his win total in 2014 at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions last week at Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, China. Needing an eagle to force a playoff with Tim Clark, Watson holed a long greenside bunker shot on the closing par 5 and made a 20-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to seal the dramatic victory.
Players only have one more chance to qualify on the road to Kapalua for the exclusive field by winning the last event on the PGA TOUR schedule in the 2014 calendar year. The final tournament is: Nov. 13–16: OHL Classic at Mayakoba
A full list of qualifiers can be found here – http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/hyundai-tournament-of-champions/qualifiers.html
A special Champions Clubhouse weekly ticket package is currently available for a limited time. The package, priced at $200, includes Clubhouse access for two, Friday-Monday of tournament week, with one preferred parking pass “P” for parking right at the course. This package and all other ticket options are available at www.pgatour.com/hyundai.
The Hyundai Tournament of Champions Official Pro-Am is taking place from January 7-8, and is the only Pro-Am on the PGA TOUR that guarantees participants will be paired with a tournament winner. In addition to the rare opportunity to play with PGA TOUR stars, participants will also play both courses at one of the most famous stops on TOUR. For more information, please contact Nancy Cross at (808) 665-9160 or nancycross@pgatourhq.com.
All four competitive rounds will be broadcast on Golf Channel. Follow the tournament on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HyundaiTOC or Twitter @HyundaiTOC to get updates and a behind-the-scenes look at the tournament preparations.
About Hyundai Motor America
Hyundai Motor America, headquartered in Fountain Valley, Calif., is a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Co. of Korea. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced through more than 820 dealerships nationwide. All Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S. are covered by the Hyundai Assurance program, which includes the 5-year/60,000-mile fully transferable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai’s 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty and five years of complimentary Roadside Assistance. Hyundai Blue Link Connected Care provides owners of Hyundai models equipped with the Blue Link telematics system with proactive safety and car care services complimentary for one year with enrollment. These services include Automatic Collision Notification, Enhanced Roadside Assistance, Vehicle Diagnostic Alert, Monthly Vehicle Health Report and in-vehicle service scheduling.
About PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, NEC Series-PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China.
The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 225 countries and territories in 32 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2013, tournaments across all Tours generated more than $133 million for local and national charitable organizations and in early 2014 the TOUR’s all-time charitable contributions surpassed $2 billion.
The PGA TOUR’s web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
