Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to contend at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
The 14-time major champion Tiger Woods and the world number one Rory McIlroy has been added to the published field of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, slated to start from January 17, 2012.
The tournament will be played at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, featuring a strong line-up vying for a share of the US$2 million prize purse.
Faisal Al-Sheikh, the events manager from Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, confirmed that both the current and the former world number one will highlight the field of the eighth edition of the event.
“Confirming Rory and Tiger, the world’s top two players and a duo with well-documented respect and admiration for each other’s talent, represents a significant coup and demonstrates how far the championship has come in its relatively short history,” said Al-Sheikh.
He added, “Rory and Tiger are true giants of the game and represent only our opening salvo as we are actively working to bring another world-class field to Abu Dhabi”.
The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship was the only European Tour event in 2012 that featured Woods. Otherwise, he completely piled his trade on the US PGA Tour.
His other seven starts on the European Tour included his participation in the major golf championships and the World Golf Championships – the majors and WGCs were also sanctioned by the PGA Tour.
On the other hand, McIlroy participated in eight European Tour events other than the major golf championships and the World Golf Championships.
Last year, McIlroy finished second at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and is hoping to go one better this time.
Woods, in the meantime, also finished strongly in the 2012 edition, as he shared the third spot on the leaderboard.
“These giants of the game will complement up-and-coming young blood with a point to prove as well as tried-and-tested professionals eyeing the Falcon Trophy as a springboard for the season ahead,” Al-Sheikh said.
The reigning British Open champion Ernie Els has also confirmed to participate in the event. It will be his debut appearance in the first event of the three-week Middle East swing.
Els is being regarded as one of the favourites to record a victory in the event, as he holds a strong track record in the region – his first European Tour victory came at the Dubai Desert Classic, the same tournament that he won thrice in his career.
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