(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates): Almost 100 professional golfers, celebrities, sporting greats and business leaders descended on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Beach Golf Club yesterday, 6 February, to join host and course designer, Gary Player, for the emirate’s second hosting of the Gary Player Invitational.
Held in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, under the Patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Abu Dhabi event opened the 2017 global series of six worldwide events, which together have helped The Player Foundation raise more than 227 million dirhams for charities worldwide. Among Mr Player’s special guests for Abu Dhabi’s second union of Golf and Giving were figures from the sport, music and celebrity worlds including golf pros Darren Clarke and Trevor Immelmann; cricket greats, Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara, as well as Boyzlife singers, Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy.
“I simply love visiting Abu Dhabi and of course, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is special,” said Gary Player. Once again, we had an amazing experience in the emirate and I congratulate the UAE’s leadership on building such a beautiful, safe and welcoming country. It was a pleasure to show so many of my fellow athletes and friends, what a magical place this truly is.”
Winning the tournament was professional Emma Cabrera-Bello’s team, and while the four-ball may have taken home the tournament hardware, the real winners will be children from Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care & Special Needs who will receive significant funds raised during the event.
“As with last year’s event, the generosity of Abu Dhabi – alongside our key supporters, Abu Dhabi Sports Council and facility owner, TDIC – was on full display. It is truly heartwarming to know that the proceeds from the Gary Player Invitational will go towards building a gymnasium for local children at the Zayed Higher Organization,” added Marc Player, CEO of Black Knight International who organized the event.
“The Gary Player Invitational represents both the best of sport, as well as the best of Abu Dhabi,” said His Excellency Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. “Bringing some of the world’s most iconic athletes together here in Abu Dhabi to raise funds for such a worthy cause highlights the emirate’s strong sporting credentials as it also remains true to the spirit of generosity that Abu Dhabi is known for. It is our hope that the fond memories created at The Gary Player Invitational remain with our visitors long after they return home, just as their generosity will remain with the children of the Zayed Higher Organization.”
Joining Darren Clarke, Trevor Immelman and Emma Cabrera-Bello in representing professional golfers at the event were Beth Allen, Chris Wood, Georgia Hall, Joost Luiten, Caroline Martens, Jason Scrivener, David Howell, Victoria Lovelady, Victor Dubuisson and Thomas Aiken. Springbok great Victor Matfield, cricket stars Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara, model, racing car driver and television personality, Jodie Kidd, and the UAE’s own, Emirati comedian, Ali Al Sayed also added some serious star-power to the event.
Along with the pro-am tournament at the award-winning, Gary Player-designed Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, the event also included a traditional post-event South African braai and a gala dinner on 5 February at the five-star Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi. Among the highlights of the Gala Dinner was a touching keynote address by event patron, His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan. The gala dinner also saw a performance of Boyzlife and a set by UAE comedian, Ali Al Sayed.
Key supporters of the Gary Player Invitational include the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Etihad Airways, TDIC, the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, SAP and Rolex. The 2017 event is the second event in what is a five-year agreement to host the event in Abu Dhabi.
For more information on the Gary Player Invitational series, visit www.garyplayerinvitational.com and follow @GPInvitational on Twitter and Instagram- #GOLFandGIVING.
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Meagan Fester – Black Knight International
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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 Gary Player Foundation is a non-profit 501 C (3) organization managed by Black Knight International in Palm Beach, Florida.
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