Golf's Coolest Tournament set to Begin

Former Ryder Cup player Costantino Rocca and European Tour professional Lee Slattery will be among the participants in the Chivas Snow Golf Championship January 11-12, in St. Moritz.

Dubbed "golf's coolest tournament," the event will have a field of more than 75 competitors from 12 countries.

Competing in the men's professional category against Rocca and Slattery will be Chile's No. 1 golfer Christian Leon, Indian professional Rishi Nahrain and BBC golf presenter Paul Eales. They'll battle it out over nine challenging snow holes to see who is crowned "King of the Mountains" and will lift the prestigious Chivas Regal Trophy.

The tournament is played over holes about 33 percent shorter than normal grass holes. The fairways are made of compacted snow. The "whites" are comprised of frozen snow and the balls used are a fluorescent amber color.

Other international celebrities attending the event include Slovenian model and actress Katarina Cas, Bulgarian sports presenter Kamen Alipiev, Polish celebrity chef Karol Okrasa and Polish fashion designer Maciej Zien.

The above story originally appeared in Divot Mix, an e-publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association (www.gcsaa.org).