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INTRODUCTION - PONTE VECCHIO CHALLENGE 2006
With a wealth of experience gained from the six previous editions, the Ponte Vecchio Golf Challenge changes formula and becomes a more wide-ranging event with a higher competitive edge: makes it debut this year as the first International Approach Championship – in other words aiming for a hole in one – and will be played by professionals, representing 15 nations, who are eliminated according to the match play formula (one on one). The competitiors will have six shots per match and have to centre three islands, positioned at distances inversely proportional to their score value (2, 3 or 4 points): the winner is he who, by centering the greens/islands, scores the highest number of points.
Just the first three names from the list of contestants are enough to gauge the competitive pulse of the Ponte Vecchio Golf Challenge – International Approach Championship. Mounting the tee-off platform located under the central arch of the Ponte Vecchio bridge there will be, among others: German Bernhard Langer, winner of titles around the world – including two Masters – and captain of the winning European Ryder Cuip team 2004 who annihilated their American adversaries by 18.5 to 9.5; Swede Robert Karlsson, winner of the 2005 edition of the
Ponte Vecchio Challenge, currently ranked number 3 in Europe and one of the European team members at the K Club in Ireland; Frenchman Raphael Jacquelin, winner of the Madrid Open last October and the best French player currently on the European tour.
The grand prize of 125,000 Euro adds spice to the this event, but the competitive element is just one of the many ingredients of the Florentine pre-Christmas weekend, organised by
Conte of Florence in collaboration with
Mediavip, with contributions from IMG and the patronage of the city hall and the Italian Golf Federation.
The international golfing greats are not the only leading players in this event: during the interval between the various phases of match-play, the tee-off platform will also see celebrities from the world of show business, TV and sport, making for a sort of pro-am competition.
For the non-players, however, guided tours will be organised on the trail of Florentine art and handcraft, as well as museum visits.
Some big screens will be set up both at the Ponte Vecchio bridge, as well as at other locations around the city, enabling the public to follow the progress of play. Sky Italia, as is traditional, will be broadcasting the highlights of the two days on December 25, with commentary by Mario Camicia. The Florence Rowing Club will be acting as an elegant “Parterre du Roi” for the duration of the event. In fact green areas will be set up in a heated outdoor ambiente along the banks of the river Arno where guests will have a front row view of the Ponte Vecchio Challenge from one of the most striking locations in Florence.
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