Golf Update: HSBC Golf Championship- New Bunkers Added at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club
It won’t be easy to win the Falcon Trophy this time at Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, as five new bunkers have been added to make the challenge more difficult.
Architects of National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club have added five more bunkers to put the prowess of players on test. Three bunkers have been added to the 2nd, 5th, and 6th hole of the front nine, whereas, two have been redefined
on 13th and 17th hole. Modifications were incorporated with the collaboration of Troon Golf, the operator of Abu Dhabi Golf Club and MultiGolf, the bunker experts. Same contractors were hired for the unique bunkering done in Saadiyat
Beach Golf Club, Dubai earlier this year. Moreover, special permission was attained from Tourism Development & Investment Company before the incorporation of the change.
Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager for Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) confirmed the news and said that the change would provide great entertainment to the spectators. He further explained, “I think the players will enjoy the challenge of analyzing
the course changes and adapting their games. I am confident The National Course will once again provide a stern test for the field and offer the millions of television viewers tuning in around the world a fitting spectacle for what has become a flagship showpiece
in Abu Dhabi’s ever-evolving sporting calendar.”
The event manager is right, as this is the fifth time that the National Course had the honour of hosting the championship. The event has captured the eyes of international community and millions of worldwide viewers. This is the reason for a star-stellar
field teeing off in the deserts of Dubai. According to press releases, top ten golfers of the world that includes Phil Mickelson, Ian Poulter, Louis Oosthuizen, Paul Casey, Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, and Padraig Harrington
have been confirmed for the final field.
This is why the purse of the desert version of European Tour has been increased. An addition of $0.5 million has been added to the grand purse, which has made the flagship event, as the richest on European Tour. Sponsor name like HSBC, Al Naboodah, Emirates
Palace, Etisalat, Airbus, Xerox, CNN, and Rolex verified the enticement attached with the news.
The field, which will discover the new hazards on January 19th, is quite familiar with the course. Mickelson has been to the National Course on five different occasions, whereas, Casey has twice won on the same venue. Kaymer posted his debut victory
of 2010 on the same venue, whereas, rest of the veterans have had the chance of playing in courses familiar to this in the past. To spice up the adventure and to make the players think out of box, ADTA decided to bring adjustments. However, these alternations
will not be a problem for the local members, as they are accustomed to changes like these.
Course superintendent Andrew Whittaker commented on the change and said, “We didn’t want to make the National a more difficult course for our club golfers because it was already a great test. Our objective was to modernise the look and feel of the course
and the new bunkers will certainly make the players think long and hard about their club selection. We wanted to give the bunkers the impression of depth, so we have flushed the faces up rather than deepening the traps themselves. The result is a more visually
stimulating experience for players and spectators.”
Traps have been deepened and pushed closer to the greens. Faces have been made steeper and the lips have been redefined. The Queen of hazards is ready with her traps and mesmerizing beauty to shake the top 10 players of the world at the fifth Abu Dhabi HSBC
Golf Championship.
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