Professional golfers, sporting legends and celebrities set to join golfing legend Gary Player on 6th February for Abu Dhabi’s second union of golf and giving
(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates): The United Arab Emirates’ Year of Giving is set to get a significant boost with the announcement of the star-studded line-up for the upcoming Gary Player Invitational at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. More than 20 professional golfers, celebrities and sports stars are set to join golfing icon and tournament host, Gary Player for the UAE’s second annual Gary Player Invitational on 6th February, 2017 in Abu Dhabi.
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 at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club raises funds for the Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care & Special Needs, joining five other global events in a series that together has helped The Player Foundation raise more than $62 million for charities worldwide. Widely recognized as the world’s leading charity golf series, the Gary Player Invitational plays a key role in helping The Player Foundation work towards its goal of raising $100 million by 2025.
Among the male pros confirmed to join Gary Player at the award-winning Saadiyat Golf Beach Club this February are Darren Clarke OBE, Chris Wood, Joost Luiten, Victor Dubuisson, Jason Scrivener, David Howell, as well as fellow South Africans and long-time supporters of the Gary Player Invitational series, Thomas Aiken and Trevor Immelman. Representing the female pros are last year’s winner of the inaugural Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open, Beth Allen; up-and-coming professional and course record holder, Georgia Hall; Caroline Martens; Emma Cabrera-Bello, and Victoria Lovelady.
Celebrities and sporting icons also set to join the golf professionals are cricket greats, Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting, Springbok rugby legend Victor Matfield, model, racing car driver and television personality, Jodie Kidd, popstars of BoyzLife, Keith Duffy and Brian McFadden, and the UAE’s very own funny man, Emirati comedian, Ali Al Sayed.
“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 Organization for Humanitarian Care & Special Needs.”
“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,” said tournament host and course designer, Gary Player. “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.”
As in 2016, the 2017 event will again be held at the the award-winning Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi which like other courses in the series, was designed by the Black Knight. Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is also the site of the Ladies European Tour’s Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open, and was named the Middle East’s Best Course at the 2016 World Golf Awards.
Along with the action on the green, the event will include a gala dinner on 5 February at the five-star Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, as well as a traditional South African Braai for tournament participants after the golf competition. Always a highlight of the event, Gary Player will perform a skills clinic before the competition gets under way, around 11am on 6 February. Members of the public are welcome to visit Saadiyat Beach Golf Club on tournament day to see Gary Player, the professionals and stars in action.
Key supporters of the Gary Player Invitational include the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Etihad Airways, TDIC, the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, SAP and Rolex.
For more information on the Gary Player Invitational series, visit www.garyplayerinvitational.com and follow @GPInvitational on Twitter and Instagram- #GOLFandGIVING.
-Ends-
For more information or to request an interview with Mr Player or any member of the 2017 line-up, please contact:
Dawn Barnable – The B Collective/Wasserman (on behalf of BKI)
GPImedia@teamwass.com
DawnB@thebcollectiveme.com
+971 56 430 7201
David Collins – Wasserman (on behalf of BKI)
dcollins@teamwass.com
+971 55 568 9913
Meagan Fester – Black Knight International
meagan@garyplayer.co.za
+27 21 448 7777
Bo Wood – Black Knight International
b.wood@garyplayer.com
+ 1 864 477 2720
ABOUT ABU DHABI SPORTS COUNCIL
Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) was established in 2006 by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
ADSC is aligned to the emirate’s leadership vision to develop sport and youth activities. The Council promotes an effective, emirate-wide sports calendar that stimulates the desire to participate in quality sports among all Abu Dhabi residents and helps the talented and motivated reach their sporting potential.
The Council also hosts and supports the staging of international world-class sporting events. These include: the annual Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship; the Formula 1TM Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; the ITU World Triathlon Series; both the Abu Dhabi and Gary Player Invitationals; the FIBA 3×3 World Tour Final; the Red Bull Air Race; the Mubadala World Tennis Championship; the 2017 and 2018 FIFA Club World Cups; the 2019 AFC Asian Cup UAE and the UCI WorldTour event, The Abu Dhabi Tour.
We at ADSC firmly believe that sporting events deliver a host of benefits for the emirate and its residents. These span improved health and wellness, the building of community spirit, the discovering of local talent and the delivery of international exposure of the emirate as a world-class sporting events hub.
Whether it is land, sea or air, we have sport covered.
ABOUT BLACK KNIGHT INTERNATIONAL
Established in 1983 by Marc Player, Black Knight International is a global holding company for The Player Group and the constantly expanding family of Gary Player® brands. With a powerful presence in North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Black Knight is a multicultural and multilingual company offering branded services for the leisure and real estate industries. This rapidly growing firm is diverse and infused with the same tenaciousness and drive as Gary Player, world renowned iconic golfer. The holding company divisions include: Gary Player Design, Player Real Estate, Black Knight Enterprises, Black Knight Solutions, Black Knight Capital, Gary Player Academies, and The Player Foundation.
ABOUT THE PLAYER FOUNDATION
The Player Foundation was established in 1983 by Marc Player. What began as an effort to provide education, nutrition, medical care and athletic activities, for a small community of disadvantaged children living on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa has now blossomed into an organization that circles the globe bringing aid to underprivileged children and impoverished communities.
The Foundation is funded primarily by six Gary Player Invitational events presented through Black Knight International. Pairing celebrities and professional golfers from the PGA and Champions Tours with businessmen and international sports figures, the annual tournaments are staged in the United States, China, Europe and South Africa. The proceeds of these tournaments and other special events provide funding for an ever- expanding number of institutions around the world, including the Blair Atholl Schools in South Africa, the Pleasant City Elementary School in Palm Beach, the Masizame in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, and AIDS infected children in Baoshan, a drug-infested city located on the China-Burma border. Since its establishment, The Player Foundation has donated more than $60 million to the support of children’s charities, the betterment of impoverished communities and the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the world.
Gary Player, acknowledged as a world-class humanitarian, believes that the strength of our future depends upon the abilities of our children. “I have found that the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others does not thrust itself upon us,” Player says, “But we do not need to look hard for it either. When you spot the chance to give back to the world, act on it. You will have made life better, for others, and for yourself.”
The Player Foundation is a non-profit 501 C (3) organization managed by Black Knight International in Palm Beach, Florida.
Contact:
