Amateur Teams from Mexico and United States Prepare for Third Uniting Nations Cup

Rubber match of Ryder Cup style event be decided in Puerto Penasco, Mexico

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Mar 05, 2013, 08:40 ET

PUERTO PENASCO, Mexico, March 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Vidanta Golf, the largest golf course operator in Mexico and a subsidiary of Grupo Vidanta, will be hosting the 3^rd annual Uniting Nations Cup, May 16-19, at the picturesque Mayan Palace golf resort in Puerto Penasco. The Uniting Nations Cup (UNC) is a Ryder Cup style competition with 80 top-notch amateur players from Mexico and the United States.

In the event's first two years, neighboring countries Mexico and the United States have each claimed victory on the Peninsula de Cortez golf course, a Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II co-design. The U.S. and Mexico will have 40-man squads with 20 two-man teams facing off in a match-play format over three days of competition.

"We love being part of this tradition in such a beautiful setting, a Jack Nicklaus championship golf course on the Sea of Cortez," said Jesus Torres, director of Vidanta Golf. "It's a unique competition with a format that allows challenges for every player on every shot. Of course, the most important ingredient of this event is the camaraderie that is built up over the week between the competitors."

The goal of the Uniting Nations Cup (Copa Uniendo Naciones) is to highlight the alliance between the United States and Mexico beyond their commercial and cultural ties, while attempting to one day rival the international acclaim of events such as the Ryder Cup or the Walker Cup, an amateur contest between the U.S. and Great Britain/Ireland. The UNC also aims to promote the expansion of the little-known Mexican port destination of Puerto Penasco.

The world-class Nicklaus Design course at Mayan Palace Puerto Penasco is in "spectacular shape," according to Calvin Nielsen, manager of golf at Peninsula de Cortez. The Peninsula's 7,100-yard, par 72 layout is one of the most challenging and breathtaking in Mexico and is perennially rated among the country's elite courses. In typical Nicklaus fashion, golfers will see the good in seven seaside holes, the bad in sloped greens, uneven fairways and thick rough and the ugly in blind shots, pot bunkers and stiff breezes.

Tournament Director Vito Berlingeri said he sees a bright future for the event, which is slated to be held in Puerto Penasco through 2016. "No one else is doing anything like it," he said. "When it comes to golf, there are no borders and no language barriers between Mexico and the United States."

For the second consecutive year, the UNC is being managed by the Arizona Golf Assn. Rules officials Ed Gowan and Lorraine Thies are also provided by the AGA. Sponsors include Antigua, Bacardi, Corona, Coca Cola, Cemex, Vina Chocalan and Zagas.

About Grupo Vidanta

Grupo Vidanta is an award-winning company known worldwide for its leadership in hotels and luxury resorts, championship quality golf courses, and tourism infrastructure, including Mexico's first privately built international airport at Puerto Penasco. The company was founded in 1974 by Daniel Chavez Moran and now boasts an impressive portfolio of resort brands located among the most coveted coastal beach resorts in Mexico. These include Grand Luxxe, The Grand Bliss, The Bliss, The Grand Mayan, Mayan Palace, Ocean Breeze and Sea Garden, with more under development. In addition, Grupo Vidanta's real estate division, Mayan Island, has built and sold more than 2,000 vacation homes. The company has resort properties operating in Los Cabos, Nuevo Vallarta, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Maya, Puerto Penasco, Riviera Nayarit, and Mazatlan. For more information, please visit www.grupovidanta.com.