Rory McIlroy is set to defend his title at the UBS Hong Kong Open
The world number one Rory McIlroy is set to defend his title at the UBS Hong Kong Open, when he tees off next week at the Hong Kong Golf Club.
The Northern Irishman will lead the star-studded field of the event co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour.
The tournament is known for attracting some of the best players from different parts of the world. McIlroy is one of the six major champions who have confirmed their participation in the event this season.
Some of the big names who will be featured next week include Michael Campbell of New Zealand, Ryder Cup hero Paul Lawrie, the 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke, John Daly and many more.
Other than McIlroy and Lawrie, the other members of the 2012 European Ryder Cup team include the winning captain José María Olazábal and one of his assistants, Miguel Angel Jiménez.
Olazábal won the tournament in 2002, the same year when the event joined the European Tour roster. Jiménez, in the meantime, holds a better track record, having won the tournament in 2005 and 2008.
The list of former winners of the event includes Grégory Bourdy, Simon Dyson, Harrington, José Manuel Lara, defending champion McIlroy, Colin Montgomerie, Olazábal, Jiménez and Lin Wen-Tang.
Talking to the European Tour’s official website, McIlroy stated that he was desperately waiting for the tournament to begin. He regards the event as one of his favourites.
“I can’t wait to get back there and try to defend my title. I have said for a long time now that the UBS Hong Kong Open is among my favourite tournaments anywhere in the world,” the reigning PGA Champion said.
He continued, “I absolutely love the city – it is just one of those places that has a great energy around it, and there is so much to do away from the golf course”.
He added, “Then you have the golf course itself, which is another major draw for me. It is one of the courses that I loved from the first time I played in 2008”.
According to the golf commentators, McIlroy certainly has a strong chance of winning the tournament for the second straight year, because of his recent form on the tour.
He has made a total of 12 starts this season and recorded eight top-10 finishes, including a victory at the US PGA Championship.
Kathryn Shih, CEO of UBS Wealth Management in Asia Pacific, said that she was pleased to know that a number of big stars confirmed to participate in the event this season.
She said that the company was proud to sponsor the national Open, and looks forward to another successful staging of the event next week.
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