INTERNATIONAL STARS HAIL FIRST EUROPEAN TOUR EVENT IN BULGARIA A HUGE SUCCESS20.05.2013 | 15:54
The world's best golfers hailed the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Thracian Cliffs Golf and Spa Resort a huge success as Graeme McDowell lifted the trophy to win the title and the €800,000 first prize. Graeme McDowell, who won a tightly contested final match against Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee to move to Number Seven in the Official World Golf Ranking, said: "It has been a fantastic week and I have enjoyed it very much. Everyone has been so welcoming and I would like to thank everyone here at Thracian Cliffs, the Bulgarian Golf Association and the Bulgarian Government. It will sound easy for me to say because I am standing here with a magnificent trophy in my hands, but I think if you ask all of the players who came here this week they will all tell you how enjoyable it has been to come to Bulgaria." "We have been so well looked after from start to finish this week by everyone it has been great. Bulgaria is obviously a fairly new golfing country but hopefully we have helped start something special in this beautiful land and we can see a lot more people taking up the game here and really enjoying the sport." Semi finalist Thomas Aiken from South Africa added, "I thought it was fantastic. It's my first time here, and I would never have thought that Bulgaria would be this beautiful. I think it's a great destination for European holiday makers. I mean, when you compare it to countries like Spain, I think it's got the same if not more to offer and less people. It's a nice, quiet holiday to get away with the family, fantastic golf holiday here. It looks like they have got great beaches so why wouldn't you come. Aiken continued "It was fantastic. Volvo put on a great job for every event that they do. Another spectacular event this week, and the atmosphere was great. Even in a country that is fairly new to golf, you know, we had quite a few spectators out here the last couple of days, and you know, they were very supportive and it's fantastic golf course, what a spectacular view. It is also a great course to play, so all in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the week. Obviously I am a little bit disappointed to lose in the semis but it was a good week nevertheless." Per Ericsson, President of Volvo Event Management commented, "At Volvo, we take great pride in being innovative, original and forward thinking and we take enormous satisfaction that we are the first to bring a full European Tour event to Bulgaria with our partners IMG. Thracian Cliffs provided a wonderful stage for this great tournament and everything about the venue was wonderfully received by the players and we feel our 130th professional golf tournament has been a great triumph." Guy Kinnings, Global Managing Director, IMG Golf, the tournament's co-promoters added, "It has been a fantastic week of golf as we celebrated 50 years since the first World Match Play Championship. We are delighted to play a part in highlighting everything that Bulgaria, and specifically, Thracian Cliffs, has to offer. We congratulate Volvo on a wonderful 130th event and also thank the Bulgarian Government, the Bulgarian Golf Association and Thracian Cliffs for all the hard work they have put in to make this event such a tremendous success." Kinnings continued, "Graeme is a global star and a very worthy winner of the Volvo World Match Play Championship. Having started the week with the most international field ever assembled, it is very fitting that one of Asia's greatest golfers, Thongchai Jaidee, should come so close in the final." Keith Waters, Chief Operating Officer of The European Tour, said: "The European Tour would like to congratulate the Bulgarian Government, Volvo, the Bulgarian Golf Association, Thracian Cliffs and IMG for the hugely successful staging of the first European Tour event in Bulgaria at the Volvo World Match Play Championship. We are sure Graeme McDowell's victory will go some way to putting Bulgaria on the golfing map, and we hope to return to this outstanding golfing destination in the near future." Krassimir Guergov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Golf Association, commented, "We would like to thank the players for all their kind words and also to thank Volvo, IMG and the European Tour for giving us the opportunity to show off our golfing credentials. We have had a wonderful experience hosting the 48th Volvo World Match Play Championship at Thracian Cliffs and would like to congratulate our winner, Graeme McDowell." About Volvo in Golf In 1988, Volvo changed the face and fortunes of the European Tour and has been a pioneer in golf for many years, successfully using its high-profile events portfolio to position the premium brand and create sustainable business partnerships with clients passionate about the sport. Thanks to effective media exposure, millions around the world have seen the renowned blue brand on the tees, greens and fairways of the world. Volvo World Golf Challenge - one of the most inclusive global golf series in the world targeted to Volvo's customers, with its World Final staged in conjunction with the Volvo Golf Champions. Volvo's customers are then offered the golf experience of a lifetime by 'Playing with the Pros' during the professional tournament, a completely unique possibility. Volvo Event Management has been headed by its President, Per Ericsson since June 2008 and has a core in-house staff supported by specialist consultants. http://www.facebook.com/volvoingolf http://twitter.com/#!/volvoingolf About IMG IMG Worldwide is a global sports, entertainment and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in 30 countries around the globe. IMG's areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College; IMG's Joint Ventures in China, Brazil and India; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMG Academies; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing. More information is available at www.imgworld.com. Follow us on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/IMG_Worldwide and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/IMGWorldwide
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