Six months before the start of the Ryder Cup 2018 at the Golf National, the captain of the European team takes altitude in Val d'Isère. Guest of the BMW Winter Golf Cup, Thomas Bjørn will play golf on snow alongside Pascal Grizot, Raphaël Jacquelin, Maria Verchenova, Loïck Peyron or Jean-luc Crétier… Before hitting a symbolic drive from the Olympic Face of Bellevarde!

The bet was a little crazy: to welcome Thomas Bjørn to Val d'Isère for the 6th edition of the BMW Winter Golf Cup in the ski resort of Haute-Tarentaise. Almost exactly six months before the start of the Ryder Cup 2018 in France (September 28-30 at the Golf National), the Captain of the European team has agreed to gain altitude at the invitation of Philippe Guilhem, creator of this concept of golf on snow launched eighteen years ago in Megève.

If the Danish champion with 15 victories on the European Tour between 1995 and 2014 decided to treat himself to this little Savoyard parenthesis on the eve of an extremely dense golf season for him, it is also to find himself in Val d ' Isère a spirit that is both sporty and friendly. Pascal Grizot, the President of the Ryder Cup Committee, will naturally be at his side to hit a historic Drive from the Olympic Face of Bellevarde on Friday March 23 at noon. Like an echo of the famous Drive from the Eiffel Tower performed by Thomas Bjørn and Jim Furyk, during the One Year To Go last fall in Paris…

This same March 23, in the grandiose setting of the Manchet Valley - where the golf course on snow is designed by the technical teams of the Winter Golf Cup in close collaboration with the slopes service of Val d'Isère -, Thomas Bjørn and Pascal Grizot will play their 9 snow-covered holes during the Winter Golf Cup by Ryder Cup & BMW. They will be in the company of several personalities from the world of sport, the media or entertainment.

  • Philippe Guilhem & Pascal Grizot - © Jean-Louis FEL

A big fan of golf, comedian and actor Fred Testot will be part of this very special edition of the “Winter” in Val d'Isère. On the sports side, after a 2017 edition where professional golfers had feasted among themselves (Alexander Levy, Romain Langasque, Grégory Havret, Raphaël Jacquelin and Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts were present), the 2018 event brings together great sportsmen from all walks of life. Some for the “special Ryder Cup” day of the 23rd. Some for the two days of the BMW Val d'Isère Winter Golf Cup, March 24 and 25 (tournament open on registration).

Golf is always superbly represented with Thomas Bjørn, Raphaël Jacquelin (4 victories on the European Tour, 8th in the British Open 2011) or Maria Verchenova (Olympic selected for Russia in 2016, now ambassador of the Winter Golf Cup). The Water element will also be very much in the spotlight with Stéphane Tourreau, the former vice-champion of the freediving world in 2016, and Loïck Peyron, whose immense sailor's track record is no longer presented.

In an event that has always been sponsored by BMW, motorsport will be embodied by Jérôme Grosset-Janin, rallycross driver… and golfer! Snow side, beautiful performance also with a trio of shock: Jean-Luc Crétier, Olympic downhill champion in 1998 in Nagano, Florence Masnada, triple medalist in alpine skiing at the Olympic Games / World Championships and Mathieu Bozzetto, the exsnowboarder of Val d'Isère, Olympic medalist and double winner of the Snowboard World Cup.

Thomas Bjørn and the famous Ryder Cup Trophy - brought especially to Val d'Isère six months before being exhibited at the Golf National in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines! - will therefore be well surrounded for the historic photo on the Face de Bellevarde, the legendary track of the 1992 Olympic Games in Albertville. A nice nod between the two worlds, golf and skiing, linked, twenty-six years apart, by the same ambition to succeed in a major sporting event in France.

Nathalie Vion for the Winter Golf Cup

Program

Thursday March 22

Free route

  • 8:30 am: Breakfast reception on the Manchet Valley course
  • 9:00 am: Departure of the 9 holes

street-golf

  • 18h00-20h00: Street Golf in the heart of the village and on the snow front

Open to all, free access without registration.

Friday 23 March

WINTER GOLF CUP presented by Ryder Cup & BMW

  • 8:30 am: Breakfast reception on the Manchet Valley course
  • 9:00 am: Start of the shotgun competition
  • 13:00 pm: Lunch at the restaurant “l'Étincelle” - Prize giving

From Friday 23 to Sunday 25 March

BMW Val d'Isère Winter Golf Cup

Friday

  • 18 pm: Welcome of participants at the hotel “l'Aigle des Neiges”
  • 20:00 pm: Dinner at the restaurant “La Taverne d'Alsace”

Saturday

  • 8:30 am: Breakfast reception on the Manchet Valley course
  • 9:00 am: Start of the competition - 1st round
  • 13:00 pm: Lunch at the altitude restaurant “La Folie Douce”
  • 20:00 pm: Dinner at the restaurant “l'Etincelle”

Sunday

  • 8:30 am: Breakfast reception on the Manchet Valley course
  • 9:00 am: Start of the competition - 2nd round
  • 12:30 pm: Lunch at the hotel “Les Barmes de l'Ours” - Prize giving

Prices

Free course - 40 € / player

  • Thursday 22 March 2018
  • Including: breakfast reception, 9 holes. Does not include shoe rental or ski pass.

Winter Golf Cup presented by Ryder Cup & BMW - 150 € / player

  • Friday March 23 2018
  • Including: breakfast reception, 9 holes, lunch with prize-giving.

BMW Val d'Isère Winter Golf Cup - 1600 € / team of 2

  • From Friday 23 to Sunday 25 March 2018
  • Including for 2 pax: 2 times 9 holes, 2 lunches, 2 dinners and gifts.

For more information : https://wintergolfcup.com/fr/val-isere