REUTERS - The inaugural Tournament of Hope, widely proclaimed as the richest single event in golf, will be held in South Africa late next year, the International Federation of PGA Tours said on Friday.
To be played from November 28-December 1, the $8.5 million tournament will become the sixth elite World Golf Championships (WGC) event and will help raise awareness of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
"In addition to the Tournament of Hope, the promoters will organise other awareness functions in South Africa and around the world during the week of the tournament," the International Federation of PGA Tours said in a statement.
The 2013 edition will end on World AIDS Day and the tournament will be staged on similar dates in future years.
Three of the WGC events are held in the United States, the Accenture Match Play Championship, the Cadillac Championship and the Bridgestone Invitational, while the HSBC Champions and World Cup team competition are both staged in China.
The five individual WGC events bring together the best players in the world, based on the official rankings, and are widely regarded as one rung down from the majors.
The Tournament of Hope was first announced by Sunshine Tour commissioner Gareth Tindall in April last year when he described it as offering "the biggest prize money in professional golf".
No date was mentioned at the time, though Tindall hoped the inaugural event could be held at the end of 2012.
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; Editing by Julian Linden)
