‘Major’ Cast For 2011 Abu Dhabi Hsbc Golf Championship

Oosthuizen and McDowell Join Mickelson and Kaymer in Strongest-Ever Abu Dhabi Field

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January’s new-look US$2.7 million Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship 2011 has secured all four reigning Major winners – the first time the prestigious quartet will appear in a single Middle East tournament.

The championship committee has signed South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen, the (British) Open Champion, and Ulster’s US Open winner, Graeme McDowell who will vie with previously confirmed Phil Mickelson, the defending US Masters Champion, and Martin Kaymer, a two-time Abu Dhabi winner and US PGA Champion, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s National Course.

“This great news means that our annual European Tour-backed championship now boasts three of the world’s top four players and five of the top 10,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the championship organiser. “The 2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship isn’t big, it’s Major!”

Alongside the Major quartet, new world number one, Lee Westwood, and world number seven, Paul Casey - another two-time Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship winner - are also confirmed for the January 20-23rd championship, the richest leg of the Desert Swing events. More leading names are expected in coming weeks.

“While our championship has always attracted some of the biggest names in golf, the 2011 event will be the best ever, in terms of strength, quality and entertainment,” added Al Sheikh.

“To have the four reigning Major winners and the world number one and our defending champion together in a single championship is virtually unheard of outside North America. I am certain that competition for the Falcon trophy will be intense and the action electric.”

Oosthuizen tore apart the Open field in July, winning by seven strokes and setting the second lowest four round score (272) in St. Andrews history, to claim his maiden Major. Although the win rubberstamped the South African’s arrival on the big stage, top five finishes in the last two Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championships evidence the consistency which has underlined the 28-year-old’s ascent to the game’s upper ranks.

Now, with a Major title in the trophy cabinet, Oosthuizen is optimistic of securing an Abu Dhabi triumph on his fourth appearance in the emirate.

“Winning my first Major at the Home of Golf in 2010 was a dream come true, but now I want to look forward,” said Oosthuizen. “It is important I start 2011 on the right note, especially having been sidelined for six weeks when I hurt my ankle in September. I am really looking forward to playing a full schedule injury-free and building on the confidence I gained from winning my first Major.

“The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is now a hugely important event on the European Tour and with such a strong field - including my three fellow Major winners - it will be the title we are all trying to win to get our 2011 campaigns off to the best possible start.”

No European Tour player will be more concerned with maintaining his 2010 form in to a new season than McDowell. A front-runner for the Tour’s Player of the Year accolade, the Northern Irishman’s memorable season included winning a first Major title at the US Open, as well as sinking the putt that sealed Europe’s Ryder Cup victory over their trans-Atlantic rivals at Celtic manor in September.

With seven career victories on the European Tour, McDowell is hopeful of putting in a convincing performance this time around as he chases title number eight.

“The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship has a reputation on Tour for its fabulous hospitality, and its friendliness to everyone from players and officials to spectators,” said McDowell. “I can’t wait to get there and kick off the new season in the perfect Abu Dhabi weather and excellent playing conditions that we enjoy on the National Course.

“Winning in Abu Dhabi would be tremendously satisfying for me, but it will be a tough challenge with so many world-class players in the field.”

The inclusion of McDowell and the other three Major winners in the sixth edition of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship has boosted ADTA’s primary objectives of annually improving the event’s depth of field and strengthening the overall tournament experience.

The event’s strongest field to date follows the securing of the championship’s new title sponsor, HSBC, the world’s local bank, and the subsequent increase in the tournament prize fund, which now stands at US$2.7 million – US$500,000 up on 2010.

“Attracting great players is important to us because it’s part of the equation that creates memorable experiences for everyone,” said Giles Morgan, HSBC Group Head of Sponsorship.

“It’s great players in a great tournament on a great golf course that creates great golf and great champions! We’ve succeeded in getting that recipe right at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai and the HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore and hopefully our contribution as sponsor and partner of the ADTA will be to get that world-class recipe for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championships too.”

With designs on attracting the championship’s biggest ever spectator turnout, ADTA has created a substantially improved Championship Village area, with more attractions, restaurants, cafes and competitions. The ‘away from the course’ initiative is part of the ADTA-HSBC co-operative to consolidate the tournament’s reputation and Abu Dhabi’s mounting credentials as a golfing and leisure destination of distinction.

The emirate’s golfing facilities have expanded significantly over the past year with Abu Dhabi now boasting three world-class, championship-ready facilities. The championship takes Abu Dhabi’s name across the world to golfers who are able to book golfing holidays through the increasing number of international and local tour operators who are packaging the sport in the emirate.

Tickets for the championship are AED 125 for a daily pass and AED 400 for a four-day pass. Preferential rates of AED 100 and AED 300, respectively, apply to UGA members. Children under-18 will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult. Car parking is free during the championship.

Tickets are available via the event’s official website, www.abudhabihsbcgolfchampionship.com, as well as online at www.timeouttickets.com and www.itptickets.com. Phone bookings can be made through the ITP toll-free hotline 800 4669, or for international clients, +971 4 210 8943.

A revamped Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Facebook page will feature a host of competitions, as well as details about the tournament and golfers in attendance. More information can also be found on the tournament website www.abudhabihsbcgolfchampionship.com.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is backed by a high-profile sponsorship line-up that also includes Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group, Emirates Palace hotel, Etisalat, TDIC, Airbus, Xerox, CNN, Gulf News and Rolex.
 

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