Seve hails cup's new deal

Golfers from Continental Europe and Great Britain and Ireland will face off against each other in Paris this September in the The Vivendi Trophy with Severiano Ballesteros at the famed Golf de Saint-Nom-la-Breteche.

Ballesteros, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor last October and has since undergone a major operation to remove the growth, was unable to be at this week's launch of the competition, which will run from September 24 to 27.

Ballesteros, the winner of 87 tournaments worldwide, including three Open Championships and two Masters, did send a message in support of the new sponsors of the tournament.

"I would have liked to have been with all of you, but I am still in the recovery process and this does not allow me to travel long distances," said the 52-year-old. "I am recovering well, step by step. It is a pleasure that Vivendi has decided to support the sixth edition of the tournament that Amen Corner created in the year 2000 and which carries my name.

"Saint-Nom-la-Breteche is a magnificent venue that brings to me excellent memories as well. I am sure it will be a great challenge for both teams. You all know how much passion I had for The Ryder Cup and match play format. The reason why Amen Corner and I thought about creating this competition almost 10 years ago was mainly because of my passion for this sport.

"I am not sure if it is a coincidence or a fact that the European Ryder Cup team has done very well in recent editions, but I believe that, since The Seve Trophy started, many players have gained great experience from playing a format that is not seen very often on The European Tour schedule."

The Vivendi Trophy will ensure the continuation of the match between Europe and Britain and Ireland which Ballesteros created in 2000, the most recent taking place in 2007. The prize fund for the 2009 event will be €1.15 million (Dh5.9m).

Each member of the winning team will receive €65,000 and the losing team €50,000. The Vivendi Celebrity Trophy will be a full field, 72-hole event with a Pro-Am format and will be played as part of The Race to Dubai on the European Tour International Schedule in 2010 and 2012.

Thomas Bjorn and Paul McGinley will be the non-playing captains of Europe and Britain and Ireland respectively, which will see 10 players representing both teams over four days.

Europe won in 2000, but Britain and Ireland have won each of the four subsequent matches.

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