HAINAN, November 26, 2011 (AFP) - The organisers of the golf World Cup in Hainan defended the tournament Saturday, saying key changes would be made in its format ahead of the 2016 Brazil Olympics, when the sport returns to the Games.
Hong Kong brothers Kenneth and Tenniel Chu countered claims that the event was under threat from a crowded schedule and lack of financing and sponsors.
"The World Cup is here is to stay and we will be making some drastic changes to raise the competition's profile and compliment the Olympics Movement," Mission Hills vice-chairman Tenniel Chu told AFP.
World ranking points will be awarded and the individual four-round trophy will see a return since it was last played in 1999 when Tiger Woods claimed the individual title.
"These changes will attract more high calibre players to the World Cup," said Chu.
"They will help assist the players and their countries to get a sense of what the Olympics is about and help them prepare for the Games," he added.
Tenniel's brother, Chairman and CEO Kenneth Chu, said as well as awarding ranking points, the event will be held biennially and staged "around the same time" each year on the tropical southern Chinese island.
But main sponsor Omega said while they welcomed the format changes, the date of the World Cup remains an issue.
"We have not said we are pulling out," Omega President Stephen Urquhart, said, after media claims that the sponsor was planning to pull the plug on the event.
The Chus said the event would continue with or without a major backer, because they wanted it to exist as a memory to their late father, the industrial tycoon known as the "father of Chinese golf", David Chu.
"I promise you, the World Cup will carry on whether sponsors leave us or not," Kenneth Chu told reporters, adding that the family would fund any future competitions if necessary.