Countdown to the 2009 PGA Cup reaches four weeks

PGA NEWS takes a look back at past PGA Cups, the premier international event for PGA Professionals. The 24th PGA Cup will be conducted Sept. 18-20, at The Carrick at the DeVere Deluxe Resort in Loch Lomond, Scotland.

Remembering the 20th PGA Cup
Sept. 22-24, 2000

Jeff Freeman, then of La Quinta, Calif., had hoped earlier in the week that he would score the decisive point in the 20th PGA Cup. He got his wish under pelting rain at Wentwood Hills Course in Newport, South Wales.

Freeman, who had won the 1999 PGA Professional National Championship hit his approach on the uphill, par-4 17th hole 40 feet to the left of the hole. With his teammates and officials huddled under umbrellas, Freeman rammed his birdie attempt to the cup, with the ball caroming just over two feet away. He made his comeback putt for a 2 and 1 victory over John Dwyer of County Meath, Ireland.

Freeman's efforts gave the United States a 13½ to 12½ victory over Great Britain & Ireland, as the 10-member team of PGA Professionals retained the Llandudno International Trophy for the eighth consecutive time.

The U.S. kept a winning streak alive in the competition, having not lost in the Ryder Cup-style matches since 1984.

"The golf played was excellent," said Great Britain & Ireland Captain David Llewellyn. "We're not disappointed; we just got beat by a point. I thought we were as well prepared as we could be. And we lost by a point. When you lose as a professional, you are never happy. Tomorrow, when we wake up, we will realize it was a great fight, and we can hold our heads up high."

The 20th PGA Cup marked a beginning of increased international attention at the nearby Celtic Manor Resort. The resort later received the bid to host the 2010 Ryder Cup, and went on a massive renovation project on the site to complete The Twenty Ten Course in July 2007 -- the first course constructed specifically for golf's most compelling event.