Fightmaster Cup

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The Fightmaster Cup is a match play golf tournament involving players from North America and Europe. It is an event which involves golfers with the use of one arm only, with it being the first international tournament in history for one-armed golfers. [1] [2] The Cup is named after Don Fightmaster, described by Time magazine as "an Arnold Palmer of the one-armed-golf world". [3]

Match play is a scoring system for golf in which a player, or team, earns a point for each hole in which they have bested their opponents; as opposed to stroke play, in which the total number of strokes is counted over one or more rounds of 18 holes. In match play the winner is the player, or team, with the most points at the end of play.

Golf sport in which players attempt to hit a ball with a club into a goal using a minimum number of shots

Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.

North America Continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere

North America is a continent entirely within the Northern Hemisphere and almost all within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered by some to be a northern subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean, and to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea.

Contents

The tournament is played between one-armed golfers from the North American One-Armed Golfer Association, formed in 2000, and the Society of One-Armed Golfers, formed in 1932 and based in Glasgow. [4] As a team event, the winner will be one of the two continental organisations and not individual players.

Glasgow City and council area in Scotland

Glasgow is the most populous city in Scotland, and the third most populous city in the United Kingdom, as of the 2017 estimated city population of 621,020. Historically part of Lanarkshire, the city now forms the Glasgow City council area, one of the 32 council areas of Scotland; the local authority is Glasgow City Council. Glasgow is situated on the River Clyde in the country's West Central Lowlands. It is the fifth most visited city in the UK.

Team group linked in a common purpose

A team is a group of individuals working together to achieve their goal.

Continent Very large landmass identified by convention

A continent is one of several very large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, they are: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.

The inaugural meeting in 2008 was held just prior to the Ryder Cup, at The Cardinal Club in Simpsonville, Kentucky, near Louisville. [3] [5] The new tournament's requirements on participants are still being debated and discussed, with the exclusion of "assisted players" being a prominent issue. [4]

Ryder Cup mens golf competition between the USA and European team

The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe. The Ryder Cup is named after the English businessman Samuel Ryder who donated the trophy. The event is jointly administered by the PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe, the latter a joint venture of the PGA European Tour (60%), the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland (20%), and the PGAs of Europe (20%).

Simpsonville, Kentucky City in Kentucky, United States

Simpsonville is a home rule-class city in Shelby County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is located 8 miles west of Shelbyville, Kentucky and 23 miles east of Louisville situated along U.S. 60. The population was 2,484 during the 2010 U.S. Census.

Kentucky American state

Kentucky, officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state located in the east south-central region of the United States. Although styled as the "State of Kentucky" in the law creating it,, Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth. Originally a part of Virginia, in 1792 Kentucky split from it and became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is the 37th most extensive and the 26th most populous of the 50 United States.

Format

The 2008 Fightmaster Cup comprised two teams, selected by each of the two competing associations. Both teams consisted of twelve competitors, selected primarily from annually-held and end-of-season championships within their continental associations. [1] [5]

The tournament took place over three days, from September 11 through to September 13. [1] The match play format follows that of the Ryder Cup, with the tournament consisting of eight foursomes matches, eight fourball matches and twelve singles matches. [3]

A foursome, also known as alternate shot, is a type of match in the sport of golf.

The winner of each match scores a point for their team, with ½ a point each for any match that is tied after 18 holes. The winner of the Fightmaster Cup will be the association who scores the most points following the twenty-four matches over the three days. [1]

Rules

According to the rules of the tournament, only players who just use one arm to play and do not use the second during golfing in any way are allowed to compete. The exclusion of "assisted players" from the event is currently being debated; that is, players who use a second arm (or prosthetic substitute) to support the club despite the arm not being functional and responsive. The North American association has a division to accommodate assisted players, while the European association does not. [4]

Results

Fightmaster Cup
YearWinnersScoreRunners-upHost countryVenueRef.
2018 Flag of Europe.svg   Europe 1711 Flag of the United States.svg   North America EnglandWalmer & Kingsdown GC, Kent [6]
2016 Flag of Europe.svg   Europe 1513 Flag of the United States.svg   North America United StatesIndiana Wells Resort and Spa, Palm Springs, CA [7]
2014 Flag of Europe.svg   Europe 217 Flag of the United States.svg   North America Scotland Stirling Golf Club
2012 Flag of Europe.svg   Europe 20½ Flag of the United States.svg   North America United StatesThe Hilton Indian Lakes Resort, Chicago
2010 Flag of Europe.svg   Europe 1612 Flag of the United States.svg   North America Wales Marriott St Pierre Hotel & Country Club [8]
2008 Flag of the United States.svg   North America 19½ Flag of Europe.svg   Europe United StatesThe Cardinal Club, Kentucky [9]

Venues

Maps of Fightmaster Cup venues.

Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
2008
Red pog.svg
2012
Red pog.svg
2016
Fightmaster Cups held in the USA
United Kingdom adm location map.svg
Blue pog.svg
2010
Blue pog.svg
2014
Blue pog.svg
2018
Fightmaster Cups held in the British isles

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 The Cup Experience (2007).
  2. City of Louisville (2007).
  3. 1 2 3 Gregory (2007), 36.
  4. 1 2 3 Gregory (2007), 37.
  5. 1 2 Shafer (2007).
  6. "2017 Fightmaster Cup results", NAOAGA, accessed October 29, 2019
  7. "2016 Fightmaster Cup results", NAOAGA, accessed January 9, 2017
  8. "2010 Fightmaster Cup results", NAOAGA, accessed January 9, 2017
  9. "2008 Fightmaster Cup results", NAOAGA, accessed January 9, 2017

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