The moment Chris Wood sealed victory in Italy #HotelPlannerTour | #ItalianChallengeOpen pic.twitter.com/wSzyzFP48Z

— HotelPlanner Tour (@HPlanner_Tour) May 10, 2026

The 2016 Ryder Cup player signed for a bogey-free final round of 66 to win in his first start of the year on the 2026 Road to Mallorca, finishing on 22 under par for the week.

Wood was pushed all the way by Portugal’s Tomás Gouveia but was eventually able to get his season off to the perfect start, having graduated from the MENA Tour earlier this year.

“It feels brilliant,” Wood said. “What a tough day. Tomas’ back nine, he lit it up all of a sudden out of nowhere. Me and Barclay [Brown] have had 36 holes of really strong golf together, we’ve pushed each other along.

“You’re never given tournaments, you have to go out and earn them and I feel like I did that.

“I was giving myself chances on every hole and I had two or three putts that I thought were in around the turn which was frustrating. The putts weren’t dropping for me until on 15 from around 15 feet which was deserved, and then I managed to sneak one up the last.”

Having started the day in a share of the lead, Wood cruised into a two-stroke advantage through nine holes, carding four birdies to go out in 32 strokes.

But playing partner Gouveia caught fire around the turn, making four birdies in a row from the eighth, before finding four more in his final five holes.

However, Wood played a delicate chip on the 72nd hole to set up the birdie that sealed a one-stroke triumph, and the 38-year-old was visibly emotional after the round.

“I thought Tomas was going to hole his putt, that was the way he was playing, so I was prepared to go back down the 18th. Fortunately for me he didn’t,” he added.

“All the practice I’ve done helped me stay in the moment. The mental side has been a challenge. [Chris] Lloyd [ Wood’s caddy] is a big part of everything I’ve been doing.

“This win is a massive step in the right direction, obviously there’s a long season ahead, but this is just my first event of a long season on this tour, and it’s an amazing way to start.”

What it means #HotelPlannerTour | #ItalianChallengeOpen pic.twitter.com/fnXL1DmjCa

— HotelPlanner Tour (@HPlanner_Tour) May 10, 2026

Gouveia eventually signed for a final round 66 to finish in solo second while the third member of the final group Barclay Brown finished in solo third on 20 under, earning him a spot in next week’s field in Spain.

Englishman Will Enefer, Scotsmen Will Porter and Calum Fyfe, and Pedro Figueiredo from Portugal finished on 18 under in a tie for fourth.

The win gives the three-time DP World Tour winner a cheque for €48,000.00 and moves him up 154 places to fifth in the 2026 Road to Mallorca, with Gouveia moving 151 places up to eighth.

The HotelPlanner Tour now heads to Spain for the Challenge de Catalunya at Fontanals Golf Club in Girona, from May 14-17.

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The post Chris Wood captures biggest professional title in nearly a decade appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Related: Dutch delight as Luiten wins in Muscat

Ryder Cupper Chris Wood and Austrian hero Bernd Wiesberger have also been confirmed for the USD$1.75 million European Tour event at the Greg Norman-designed course, ranked third in the latest Golf Digest Middle East Top 10 courses ratings.

“The Al Mouj Golf course was stunning and a proper challenge for the players,” Luiten said. “It was a wonderful feeling to lift the inaugural trophy of the Oman Open and I am very excited to come back to the beautiful Sultanate of Oman to defend my title.”

While the 2019 event marks only the second running of the Oman Open, Al Mouj Golf is no stranger to hosting professional golf tournaments having previously played host to the stars of the European Challenge Tour between 2013 and 2017.

Wood, runner-up to Luiten last year, concurred.

“The Oman Open was a fantastic event last year. The Al Mouj Golf course was stunning and extremely well prepared; probably one of the best courses we played all year,” Wood said.

“I played well last year, but my good friend Joost Luiten had the better finish on that final day and was a deserved winner of the inaugural Oman Open. I’m looking forward to returning to Muscat this year and maybe I’ll come out on top this time.”

The post Luiten set to defend Oman Open title appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
One shot ahead after three rounds and still clear after 14 holes on the final day, Chris Wood for a long time looked the most likely winner of the KLM Open. But, sadly for the 30-year-old Englishman, those last four holes proved to be four too far. As his nearest challenger, China’s Ashun Wu, made birdie 4s on the 15th and 18th to shoot a closing 67 and reach 16 under on The Dutch course just outside Spijk, Wood could manage only regulation figures. Needing a birdie to tie on the 499-yard par-5 18th, Wood agonisingly three-putted from long range—his first effort actually rolled off the green—to hand Wu the title and the €300,000 first prize.

WIN: Places in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Omega Dubai Ladies Classic Pro-Ams

Wu arrived in the Netherlands 90th on the Race to Dubai and a lowly 344th in the World Ranking. The 33-year-old was nearing the end of a season in which he has struggled mightily to hold onto his tour card, and thus understandably delighted at this dramatic turnaround in his fortunes. Following a T-7 finish in the China Open back in April and T-6 just a week earlier in Switzerland, this was only Wu’s third top-10 finish in an otherwise undistinguished campaign.

“I feel fantastic,” he said after completing his third European Tour victory and moving all the way up to 43rd on the money list. “This is unbelievable. I have so many people to thank, my caddie especially. He told me to focus on every shot and do my best. The last few holes were key. And the shot I hit to 18 was unbelievable, definitely my best shot of the week. My coach and I have been working very hard since the start of the year. And I have been getting better and better since Denmark [where he finished T-49]. I am so happy to have my name on this trophy alongside so many great ones.”

Not surprisingly, even after shooting 69, Wood was less enamored with the eventual outcome. Since winning the 2016 BMW PGA Championship and playing in the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine later that year (he partnered Justin Rose to a foursome victory over Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson before losing to then-U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson on the final green in the singles), things have not gone quite so well for the amiable 6-foot-6 giant. Where his career path to that point had gone steadily upwards, he has since stalled amidst much tinkering with his full-swing technique.

Jan Kruger/Getty Images
Wood stood on the 18th green not believing the title has slipped away.

Indeed, since that famous win at Wentworth in May 2016, Wood has managed only six top-10s in 39 European Tour starts. Still, three of those have come this season, all of them runner-up finishes. So, even amidst this latest disappointment, the signs are once again positive. Still, he will look back with some regret on the wild tee-shots he carved well right of the 12th and 15th fairways on Sunday. The first led to a damaging double bogey (one that followed the two successive birdies that had taken him three shots clear of the field), and the latter to a hard-working par on what was the third-easiest hole on the course.

Slightly lower on the leader board, Belgium’s Thomas Detry, who drove home after Friday mistakenly thinking he had missed the cut, only to return and shoot 63-66 over the weekend, finished T-3 alongside Hideto Tanihara. Three-time major champion Padraig Harrington was alone in fifth place, three shots behind the champion. Mention too must be made of Martin Kaymer. In his first event after splitting with long-time caddie Craig Connelly, the former U.S. Open and PGA champion shot a final round 69 to be T-15. Amazingly, this was the German’s third-highest finish on the European Tour this season. Baby steps.

The post China’s Ashun Wu rallies late to salvage 2018 season and win KLM Open by one over Chris Wood appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Chris Wood’s baggage for the short flight from Muscat to Doha for the final leg of the 2018 Desert Swing had all the normal golf swag, a bit of happy history and a whole lot of fresh regret.

The 30-year-old Englishman couldn’t hide the hurt after being edged by pal Joost Luiten for the inaugural NBO Oman Open title on Sunday:

Gutted to finish 2nd in Oman but a great start back with @PaulMitchGolf pic.twitter.com/yJCH3zDalE

— Chris Wood (@Chris3Wood) February 18, 2018

“You play poorly for six or eight months without ever thinking you’d put yourself in contention in a tournament and then when you do you’re gutted when you don’t win,” he told EuropeanTour.com

Still, it was an encouraging change of fortune after a stellar 2016, when he won the European Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and went on to make his Ryder Cup debut, gave way to a decidedly ordinary 2017 featuring just three top-10s and a seriously worrying start to the New Year with missed cuts in Gauteng, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

“I’m pretty down really but in the grand scheme of things it’s night and day to how I’ve been. After a couple of days I’m sure I’ll reflect and see it’s a big step in the right direction this week,” he continued.

Related: Wang seeks co-operation from putter for title defence

“Joost played great to shoot four under [on Sunday]. He’s a good mate of mine. I’m annoyed that I haven’t won but I’m pleased for him. We spend a lot of time together so it’s great to see a friend win.”

Wood also has fond memories of Doha Golf Club to draw on. The first of his thus far four European Tour titles came at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters in 2013 when he edged George Coetzee and Sergio Garcia by a shot.

“On to Qatar where I’ve won before. Given I’ve turned up at most events with no confidence, I probably feel like I can go to an event next week with a little bit of confidence.”

The post After late misery in Muscat, Wood eyes more Doha delight appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
On the homepage of Joost Luiten’s own website, the Dutchman boldly claims he’s “at my best when I’m under pressure”.  Quite.

The 32-year-old again held his nerve down the stretch on a Sunday to win the inaugural NBO Oman Open by two strokes from Englishman Chris Wood. Luiten started the final round at Al Mouj tied for the lead at -12 and while Frenchman Julien Guerrier faded to solo third with a 71 and Englishman Matthew Southgate dipped to a share of ninth after a 75, a closing 68 saw Luiten claim a sixth European Tour title.

It also saw the world No.90 extend his winning record when leading through 54 holes to an utterly impressive five from seven even if he needed all his closing qualities to get the job done in Muscat.

He’s done it! ? @joostluitenofficial wins the #NBOOManOpen.

A post shared by European Tour (@europeantour) on Feb 18, 2018 at 4:28am PST

Three successive birdies from the second saw Luiten race to a three shot lead but bogeys at 7 and 8 enabled Wood draw level at -13. Robert Rock, a blast from the past who counts the 2012 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship among his two European Tour titles, briefly made it a three-way tie at the top but three closing bogeys ended his challenge.

The stage was left to Luiten and Wood but everytime the latter (playing in the penultimate group) birdied, Luiten responded immediately, decisively so on the par 5 16th. A bogey on the next hole was Wood’s only blemish in a closing 69 and gave Luiten a two shot buffer down the 72nd hole.

From the runner-up to the winner ??

A nice touch from @Chris3Wood… pic.twitter.com/UF2upVxBsf

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 18, 2018

Luiten’s last win came at his home KLM Open in 2016. He was 36th in last season’s Race to Dubai in a consistent season featuring two top-10s, a runner-up finish to host Sergio Garcia at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters the bitter-sweet highlight. Another tilt at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship now beckons with Luiten rocketing up to 10th in the 2018 Race to Dubai standings after starting the week on the bubble in 60th place.

It earns the Dutchman a start in the March 1-4 WGC-Mexico Championship and an outside shot at a Ryder Cup debut in Paris this September. The performance didn’t go unnoticed by European captain Thomas Bjorn who celebrated his 47th birthday with a share of 31st place.

Congratulations to @joostluiten on a great performance in Oman!!!
Top class golf on top class golf course.

— Thomas Bjorn (@thomasbjorngolf) February 18, 2018

“This is why you play golf, to hold trophies,” Luiten told EuropeanTour.com afterwards.

“It’s always tough to win out here, all these guys are so good and they keep putting pressure on you.Down the stretch I hit some nice shots, I made some nice putts and it was a nice battle with my friend Woody. I did drop a couple of silly ones going out. My aim after that was just to create chances and hopefully take a few.

“The putt on 16 really closed the door on the other guys. I wasn’t tempted to go for the green in two. I played that hole smart. As for the Ryder Cup, I need to win a couple more times to have a chance. But if I play more good golf, you never know what might happen.”

Luiten is a confirmed starter for next week’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club where South Korea’s Jeunghun Wang will defend.

The final leaderboard:

?? -16 Luiten
??????? -14 Wood
?? -13 Guerrier
?? -11 Han
?? -11 Campillo
?? -11 Levy
?? -10 Zanotti
??????? -10 Rock

All Scores: https://t.co/ce7cATJvNA pic.twitter.com/na0pFIdCto

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 18, 2018

The post Dutch delight as Joost Luiten wins in Muscat appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Frenchman Julien Guerrier, Joost Luiten of The Netherlands and Englishman Matthew Southgate will start the final round of the $1.75 million event tied for the lead at 12 under par, a shot ahead of Chris Wood. Every one within five strokes of the lead – 13 players in all – will fancy their chances but if Saturday’s topsy-turvy scoring at Al Mouj is any indication, the final round in Muscat is going to a dramatic shootout peppered with red, blue and even black numbers.

If you’re looking for momentum going into Sunday, look no further than the trio of leaders.

Guerrier, Guerrier and Southgate took turns to birdie the testy par-4 18th to cap rounds of 66, 66 and 69 respectively. Southgate’s gain was achieved with the longest putt and was arguably the most impressive, a gritty way to sign of a schizophrenic round which saw him start with three successive birdies to go from two behind starting the third round to three ahead as overnight leader Matthieu Pavon was bitten by the snake early and faded to a 75.

Can he tie the lead?

Yes he can. @SouthgateMatt gets to 12 under par too. pic.twitter.com/LILGeDzCpl

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 17, 2018

But Southgate, suddenly losing his already quick rhythm, then dropped four shots in the space of four holes before a birdie on nine readied the ship and lightened the Englishman’s equilibrium.

“It was quite funny really, we birdied the ninth and I walked off and said to my caddie Gary, ‘that was nine pars Gaz, I don’t know what you’re talking about’,” said Southgate.

“He laughed and I said, ‘I’m serious, we can create any outcome that we want in our mind and we’ve just shot level par for nine holes so let’s just pretend that we’ve made nine solid pars, that we haven’t holed a putt, haven’t made a birdie and let’s just start again on the tenth.

 “That’s exactly what we did and we executed the game plan and I’ve got a 69 on the card, so it was a good day’s work.”

Southgate, who is in the hunt for his first title, resolved to take the same positive mindset into Sunday.

 “I’d love to get a win over the line but ultimately I need to learn everything I can moving forwards,” he said.  “I think that’s really important tomorrow – to be open minded enough that whatever the outcome, we’ve got to take new things on board and realise that this might be a position that we might end up in a few more times, maybe this season or the rest of my career so that’s the goal – hit good shots, make good decisions but learn stuff as well.” 

Guerrier, who won twice on the Challenge Tour last season to secure his European Tour card, bookended his round with birdies and while there was an eagle on the 12th, his 66 was blemished with a pair of front nine bogeys.

MUSCAT, OMAN – FEBRUARY 17: Julien Guerrier of France celebtares his birdie on the opening hole during the third round of the NBO Oman Open at Al Mouj Golf on February 17, 2018 in Muscat, Oman. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

He’ll look to cash in on his Al Mouj knowledge Sunday.

“I’ve played four times here so I know the course quite well and I think it made the difference as on some holes you can go for it, and some you can’t, so I think it helped.

“I’ve played a lot of years on the Challenge Tour – I’ve played a couple of years on the European Tour in the past too and I want to stay here now.”

Of all the leaders, Luiten was the tidiest on moving day and crucially has the pedigree to kick on from successive 66s.

 “It was another perfect day,” said the 32-year-old who is searching for his sixth win on the European Tour and his first since capturing his home KLM Open in 2016.

MUSCAT, OMAN – FEBRUARY 16: Joost Luiten of Netherlands finnishes off his round on the par four 9th green during the second round of the NBO Oman Open at Al Mouj Golf on February 16, 2018 in Muscat, Oman. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

“There was some wind in the afternoon, but it was a light breeze which cooled things down beautifully. I played good golf. I played solid and did not get into any trouble. One bogey and seven birdies…what more do you want?”

Wood seemed to be cruising along until a pair of bogeys on the 17th and 18th proved his snakebite. He was lucky though – a members bounce off the rocks on the 18th could have go the other way into the Gulf of Oman and he is very much in the mix for his first win since the 2016 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth after missing three successive cuts to start 2018.

The luckiest tee shot of 2018.@Chris3Wood ? pic.twitter.com/nmJ4kzXz9d

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) February 17, 2018

Dubai-domiciled Spaniard Adrian Oteagui sits at 10 under after a faultless 66 while Frenchman Alexander Levy, the highest ranked player in the field at No.62, signed for a 67 to get to -9. Levy has added motivation to ride the ladder Sunday –  currently 11^th in the Race to Dubai standings, he needs to squeeze into the top 10 to secure a spot in next month’s WGC-Mexico Championship.

The post Snakes and Ladders has Southgate, Luiten and Guerrier tied heading into Sunday in Muscat appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
His client list is certainly impressive. Currently working with Phil Kenyon on their putting strokes are four major champions — Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose and Louis Oosthuizen — four European Ryder Cup players — Chris Wood, Matt Fitzpatrick, Thomas Bjorn and Stephen Gallacher — and the current leader in the Race to Dubai, Tommy Fleetwood. Clearly, Kenyon, a 43-year old Englishman and protege of legendary putting coach, Harold Swash, is doing something right.

“Phil has really been great for me,” confirms Stenson. “He has played a big part in improving my putting. I’m not sure of the exact numbers, but many times over the last couple of years I have produced a better finish in tournaments because of my work on the greens rather than my ball-striking. Before Phil came along that was hardly ever the case.

“He is so knowledgeable and I have really benefited from his advice. And I know I’m not alone in saying that. Look at all the high-profile players he helps. One of those is Justin. I think he gave Phil a call right after I won the Open last year. Not long after, Justin beat me to the gold medal in the Rio Olympics. I will have to have a chat with Phil about that (laughs).”

So let’s do just that with the quietly spoken graduate of the John Moores University in Liverpool, where Kenyon studied psychology and sports science.

“Coaching putting brings with it different challenges,” he says. “It’s not the same as coaching the full swing. There is a different skill set. There’s more touch and feel and some intangibles in putting. The full swing is more technical and is about generating power and distance. That involves biomechanics and physics. With putting, there is less emphasis on achieving things mechanically.

“There are prerequisites to good putting though. You have to be able to control the club face. That determines the start line. If you have a pull or push bias and don’t have a tight degree of tolerance in your starting line, putting gets a bit difficult. Control of speed is a must, especially on the fast greens we see on tour. Then there is green-reading. All of those factors have to work together if you are to putt well. If you are great in two and poor in one you won’t be too successful.”

Okay, how does a putting lesson begin? What are the first things Kenyon looked for when the likes of McIlroy, Oosthuizen and Rose asked for help? And how does he prevent what is surely one of the biggest drawbacks in putting — overthinking the stroke or the break or both?

“The biggest question I always ask myself when watching a new pupil: can he or she consistently start the ball on the desired line?” says Kenyon. “That isn’t to say they have to aim perfectly. Aiming is very often a function of the stroke. So if you have a tendency to push putts it is likely that your alignment will be to the left of the ultimate target. They compensate for each other. And there a lot of guys on tour doing just that.

“A big key with all players is giving them the right amount of information – and at the right times. Sometimes they want the information but I know the timing is wrong. They want it but they don’t need it. That is especially true of players who are very technically minded and often need to be freer in their approach to putting. Those guys tend to be sound technically but under-appreciative of the other skills. So I spend time getting them comfortable without too much tinkering.

“Then there are guys who read greens well, or have a real feel for distance and pace. But that great touch and feel doesn’t always translate into starting the ball on line. So those guys need more technical advice. Everyone is different in terms of that mix.”

As history has shown us, there are many different ways to putt effectively. The legendary South African Bobby Locke — reputed to be one of the best-ever putters — “hooked” everything, standing closed to the target line. Even at his best Arnold Palmer employed a stroke that would be labeled “wristy” today. Similarly, Billy Casper rested his hand on his thigh and “popped” his putts. Jack Nicklaus hunched over a lot at address. And Tiger Woods was as close to classically orthodox — whatever that is — as it is possible to be.

But they all had at least one thing in common: consistently holing out from all distances went a long way towards making them champions.

“It used to be argued that putting was 45 percent of the game,” says Kenyon. “That number was arrived at by simply adding up the shots taken. But if we assume every round contains, say, ten tap-ins from a foot, there is basically no skill involved in those putts. A five-year old could easily make them all. So they have no real significance.

“Statisticians have thus arrived at the conclusion that putting is 20 percent of the game. But if you look at the average of any PGA Tour winner, putting contributes 35 percent of their performance. If you want to be average, be happy with putting making up 20 percent of your game. But if you want to win, you have to get that number up to 35 percent. Which is still a lot for one club. Only the driver rivals the putter in that respect.”

Then there is the speed of greens. With the advances in agronomy and equipment over the last few decades, green speeds have increased hugely on tour. One look at a Masters from the 1970s reveals players ramming their putts towards the cups, a far cry from today when the merest touch on Augusta National’s glass-like greens is likely to propel the ball as much as 30-feet. But do lightning fast surfaces really provide the most stringent putting test?

“There is evidence to suggest that, as greens get quicker, putting stats get better,” says Kenyon. “But as they get quicker, the surfaces also tend to get better. So is better putting because of green speed? Or the condition of the surfaces?

“On quicker greens you have less margin for error in green reading. You also have less margin for error in terms of speed. If you hit a put two percent harder than you need to, that error will be magnified by the time the ball gets to the hole.

“For me, the ideal is arrived at only after looking at how much slope there is on the greens. Really sloping Bermuda greens that are quick make down-grain putts almost impossible. Especially if it gets windy. In those circumstances, the game can get ridiculous. Over 12 on the Stimpmeter on sloping greens is about the limit. More than that and there is too much luck involved. It stops being putting. Trouble is, if we had greens running at seven or eight on the European Tour the Americans would stop coming altogether.”

Memo for European Ryder Cup captain Bjorn: slowish greens at Le Golf National next September might be a good idea.

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Heading to what could have been his final hole of the week, Wood was at five-over par, currently just outside the projected cut at the Open Championship. No one wants to miss the cut in a major, especially not in your home country. Wood, from Bristol, England, found the fairway on the 473-yard par-4, leaving himself a good look at the green. Getting a birdie opportunity would give him a chance to get to four-over, right on the cut line at the moment. Instead, Wood left no doubt:

What a way to finish! Eagle on 18 for @chris3wood to put himself inside the projected cut. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/l4UDra0wjm

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 21, 2017

The eagle-2 on one of the more difficult holes on the course gets Wood to three-over. There are 71 players at four-over or better at Royal Birkdale right now, and with the weather only getting worse, Wood should make plans to hang around for the weekend.

The post The Open 2017: Watch Chris Wood hole out for eagle on the 18th to potentially make the cut appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The post Italy’s Renato Paratore, 20, earns maiden European Tour win by one stroke in Sweden appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 38-year-old English fashion model and television personality will be joined by cricketers Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting, former Springboks rugby legend Victor Matfield, Boyzlife pop stars Keith Duffy and Brian McFadden and Emirati comedian Ali Al Sayed at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club on February 6.

Nine-time major champion Player will again host the charity Pro-Am which aims to raise funds for the Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care & Special Needs.

Former Open champion and European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke joins Chris Wood, Joost Luiten, Victor Dubuisson, Jason Scrivener, David Howell and South Africans Thomas Aiken and Trevor Immelman as confirmed European Tour starters.

Scotland-based U.S. Ladies European Tour pro Beth Allen, who won last year’s inaugural Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open at Saadiyat Beach GC headlines a strong female lineup including course record holder Georgia Hall, Caroline Martens, Emma Cabrera-Bello and Victoria Lovelady.

The United Arab Emirates’ ‘Year of Giving’ is set to get a significant boost with the announcement of the star-studded line-up.

Darren Clarke in action during the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship – Photographs by Getty Images

Held in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, under the Patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the 2017 Gary Player Invitational joins five other global events in a series that together has helped The Player Foundation raise more than $62 million for charities worldwide. Widely recognised as the world’s leading charity golf series, The Player Foundation is working towards its goal of raising $100 million by 2025.

“Abu Dhabi’s hosting of the second annual Gary Player Invitational highlights not only Abu Dhabi’s strong position as a world-class sporting destination, but also the spirit of generosity that the UAE is known for,” said His Excellency Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

“Bringing professional golfers, sporting legends and celebrities together with golfing legend Gary Player, and members of the business community, the Pro-Am event complements Abu Dhabi’s robust calendar of world-class events, as it also supports our growing sporting culture and importantly, the vital work of the Zayed Higher Organisation for Humanitarian Care & Special Needs.”

Player, the course designer at Saadiyat Beach GC, will host a pre Pro-Am skills clinic from 11am on February 6. The clinic and Pro-Am are open to the public.

“Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is one of the most engaging courses in the world and the ideal location to host the mix of professional golfers, sporting greats and special guests during this year’s event in Abu Dhabi.

“It is especially significant to host this event during the UAE’s Year of Giving and thanks to the support of the Abu Dhabi Sport Council, facility owner, TDIC and the wider UAE community, we are able to build upon the work of the inaugural event in 2016 and move even closer to reaching our goal of raising $100 million for children by 2025. I know that all participants will have great fun in support of an even greater cause.”

A gala dinner at the five-star Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi on February 5 will kick-start the Invitational while players can also look forward to a traditional South African Braai (BBQ) after play.

www.garyplayerinvitational.com

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