WORLD AMATEUR GOLF COUNCIL
ANNOUNCES 2000 SITES

The World Amateur Golf Council (WAGC), which comprises national governing bodies of golf in more than 85 countries and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the official International Federation for golf, has selected sites and a host country for its 2000 World Amateur Team Championships.

The Women's World Amateur Team Championship will be held on Aug. 23-26, 2000 at Berlin Sporting Club Resort in Bad Saarow, Germany. The World Amateur Team Championship will be conducted the following week on Aug. 31-Sept. 3 at the same facility.

It will mark the first time these competitions have been contested in Germany. The Berlin Sporting Club Resort features two courses, the Arnold Palmer Course that opened in 1995 and the Nick Faldo Course that first welcomed play the following year.

Representatives from national amateur golf associations of 35 countries founded the World Amateur Golf Council in Washington, D.C., in May of 1958. The WAGC's chief mission, as outlined in Article II of its charter, remains:

"To encourage the international development of golf and to foster friendship and sportsmanship among the peoples of the world."

The first men's championship was held in 1958 at St. Andrews (Old Course) in Scotland. Winners of the men's event take custody of the Eisenhower Trophy, named after the president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, at the time the WAGC was founded.

The women's competition was added starting in 1964 when it was contested at St. Germain Golf Club, St. Germain, France. The victorious women's squad receives custody of the Espirito Santo Trophy, donated by the Ricardo Espirito Santo family of Portugal.

The Council has been administered jointly by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club (R&A) of St. Andrews, Scotland, and the United States Golf Association (USGA) since inception.

The competitions are conducted biennially and rotate among three geographic zones: Australasian, American, and European-African. They feature 72 holes of stroke play over four days. Players must be amateur golfers under the Rules of Amateur Status of either the R&A or the USGA.