WGC-Accenture Match Play returning to Tucson in 2012
(MARANA, AZ) – April 5, 2011 – The PGA TOUR, on behalf of the International Federation of PGA Tours, and Accenture have announced that the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship will again be played at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz., in 2012. The event, which is the first of four World Golf Championships of the season, has been played in the Tucson area since 2007 and at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain since 2009. The 2012 Accenture Match Play Championship is scheduled for Feb. 20-26.
“We’re pleased to announce the extension of our partnership with The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain for the 2012 Accenture Match Play Championship,” said David Pillsbury, Executive Vice President, Championship Management. “The community of Tucson has supported professional golf for decades, and we’ve enjoyed five years of exciting, match-play golf since the Accenture Match Play Championship moved to Marana in 2007. I’d like to thank Accenture for its continued support as title sponsor of the event and as Umbrella Sponsor of the World Golf Championships. I’d also like to recognize and thank David Mehl, owner and developer of The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, for his partnership. We look forward to another successful Accenture Match Play Championship in 2012 when Luke Donald returns to defend his title.”
“Accenture is pleased to return to Marana, Arizona and The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club with the Accenture Match Play Championship in 2012,” said Roxanne Taylor, Accenture Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. “We look forward to again working with The Ritz-Carlton, the Tucson Conquistadores, the International Federation of PGA Tours and the hundreds of event volunteers to make the 2012 tournament the best yet for the thousands of spectators who attend the tournament and for those who watch it on television broadcasts around the world.”
The 2011 Accenture Match Play Championship, Feb. 21-27, crowned Luke Donald as the event’s second-consecutive champion to hail from England. Donald, now No. 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking, defeated Germany’s Martin Kaymer in the Championship Match, 3 and 2. Donald never trailed in any of the five matches he played en route to hoisting the Walter Hagen Cup. By virtue of his runner-up finish, Kaymer took over the No. 1 position in the OWGR.
In addition, the PGA TOUR has named Gerald Goodman as executive director of the Accenture Match Play Championship, effective immediately. Goodman’s appointment marks a return to the PGA TOUR, as this 20-plus-year veteran of the golf industry began his career with the organization in 1989 as a marketing manager. Most recently, he was tournament director of PGA TOUR events held at Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club in the Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla., area from 1995-2010. Goodman replaces former Accenture Match Play Championship Executive Director Wade Dunagan.
“The PGA TOUR’s Championship Management division is the absolute gold standard in tournament operations and management, and I am thrilled to return to the PGA TOUR family as executive director of the Accenture Match Play Championship, one of the premier events on golf’s global calendar,” said Goodman. “I look forward to being a part of this event for many years to come, as well as member of the accomplished and professional team that has made it so successful over the years.”
Dunagan, who was the Accenture Match Play Championship’s executive director from April 2008 through the 2011 event, said, “It has been an honor to be associated with this event and a privilege to work with Accenture, the Tucson Conquistadores and The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain. I am proud of what we have collectively accomplished in the last three years and very proud of the dollars we have raised for charity.”
Fans interested in purchasing tickets to the 2012 Accenture Match Play Championship can do so by visiting www.worldgolfchampionships.com or calling the Tucson Conquistadors Office at (520) 571-0400.
About The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain
With views of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course set among towering Saguaros, the initial residential phase will have 110 highly-customized Ritz-Carlton Residences offering a fluid series of indoor and outdoor spaces to be enjoyed year-round. The first phase of The Residences will deliver 72 single-family homes and 38 villas, along with many golf-frontage homesites and 16 exclusive custom estate homesites. Construction of The Residences incorporates high-end residential features such as wood and stone flooring, custom closet fixtures, special wall finishes and the finest appliances, all included in the base price. Request information or call toll free (877) 451-7205.
About The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain Community
The Ritz-Carlton community in Marana, Arizona includes a resort, spa, and golf club featuring Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf in addition to The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain. Encompassing 750 acres within the Dove Mountain master-planned community, the new Ritz-Carlton is the ultimate in luxury vacationing as well as luxury living in the high Sonoran Desert. The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain is designed to be a casually elegant yet sophisticated resort, featuring a 17,000 sq. ft. spa, and 250 luxury guest rooms, including 24 individual casita suites. Guests enjoy spectacular views of the Tortolita Mountains and historic petroglyphs carved into mountainsides from 300 BC to 1,400 AD by the Hohokam Indians. The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain also has magnificent views of four other surrounding mountain ranges comprised of the Tucson Mountains, the Santa Catalinas, the Rincons and the Santa Ritas. A variety of luxurious meeting spaces includes three ballrooms ranging from 2,100 sq. ft. to 9,000 sq. ft., as well as five individual meeting rooms. Three restaurants, from gourmet to casual, will serve sustainable, regional and organic cuisine with Southwestern influences.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., of Chevy Chase, Md., currently operates 72 hotels in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean. More than 30 hotel and residential projects are under development around the globe with future openings including Dubai International Financial Centre, United Arab Emirates; Dove Mountain, Tucson, Arizona; and Lake Tahoe, California. The Ritz-Carlton is the only service company to have twice earned the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, which recognizes outstanding customer service. For more information, or reservations, contact a travel professional, call toll free in the U.S. (800) 241-3333, or visit the company web site at www.ritzcarlton.com.
About The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain
Opened in January 2009, The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain is an essential component within the Ritz-Carlton community in Marana’s high Sonoran Desert. Twenty-seven holes of golf and the 45,000 sq. ft. clubhouse complex currently comprise The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, with an additional nine holes of golf proposed in the future. The club’s Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf emphasizes playability and aesthetic appeal while still posing a significant challenge to the world’s best golfers, who are tested by the layout during the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championships each February.
