Union Of Golf And Giving To Return To Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, 29 January 2018
(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates): The Gary Player Invitational, the world’s leading charity golf series has confirmed its return to Abu Dhabi with a “field of champions” set to participate in the upcoming event on 29 January 2018.
Taking place at the award-winning Saadiyat Golf Beach Club, a Gary Player-designed course for the third consecutive year, this year’s union of golf and giving will see more than 72 golf champions, celebrities and business leaders join tournament host, sporting icon and Grand Slam Champion, Gary Player in raising funds for The Player Foundation which has selected local event beneficiary, the Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs as its charity of choice.
Representing the new face of competitive golf, this year’s field will see an overwhelming number of European Tour champions, as well as the next generation of golfing stars compete alongside golfing legend Gary Player.
Among the players confirmed are 2018 European Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn; as well as Ryder Cup stars and current champions, Rafa Cabrera Bello and Matt Fitzpatrick. Additional champions confirmed off the back of a winning 2017 season include British Masters champion Paul Dunne; D+D Real Czech Masters champion, Haydn Porteous; Made in Denmark winner, Julian Suri; 2016 South African Open winner, Brandon Stone; Portugal Masters winner Lucas Bjerregaard and Jordan Smith, winner of the Porsche European Open. Ladies European Tour professionals confirmed include Olivia Cowan, Carly Booth, Emma Cabrera Bello and Henni Goya. Joining the pros will also be the UAE’s – and one of the world’s – top amateur golfers 18-year-old Rayhan Thomas. Additional star-power will come in the form of international singers and keen golf enthusiasts and supporters Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy.
“We are thrilled to be coming back to Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club to kick off 2018 with what will be a field of some of the super new golfing talent in the world,” said Grand Slam champion and tournament host Gary Player. “As illustrated by our field of champions, including the UAE’s very own Rayhan Thomas, the game continues to evolve and strengthen in the UAE which is truly fantastic to see. This, combined with raising money for those in need will make for a fantastic event for all.”
Held in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, under the Patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the 2018 Gary Player Invitational at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is the only Middle Eastern stop in the global series, and the first event of the year. The series has helped The Player Foundation raise more than $64 million for charities worldwide, and the Gary Player Invitational plays a key role in helping The Player Foundation work towards its goal of raising $100 million by 2025.
“Year-on-year Abu Dhabi’s reputation as a world-class sporting destination continues to grow, thanks in large part to events such as the Gary Player Invitational”, said His Excellency Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council. “Bringing together the world’s top sporting talent, celebrities and local businesspeople, and highlighting the very best of sportsmanship and philanthropy, the Gary Player Invitational is ideally placed as one of Abu Dhabi’s first sporting events of the year, especially following last year’s Year of Giving.”
“Now in its third consecutive year and held at one of world’s most appealing courses, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, the event in Abu Dhabi has firmly cemented its position on our global tour of golf and giving,” added Gary Player. “Thanks to the generosity of the Abu Dhabi community and the support of organizations like the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the Gary Player Invitational in Abu Dhabi brings us closer to achieving our goal of raising $100 million for children by 2025. While the event itself is both engaging and entertaining, it is made all the more worthwhile knowing that funds raised will stay in Abu Dhabi and support the Zayed Higher Organization in all the great work that they do for the community.”
Along with the action on the green, the event will include a gala dinner on the five-star Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi. 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.
Along with Abu Dhabi Sports Council, other supporters of the Gary Player Invitational include Etihad Airways, TDIC, the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, SAP and Rolex. Seeing the value in this important event, new sponsors confirmed for 2018 include Abu Dhabi Ports and Al Masaood Automobiles.
For more information on the Gary Player Invitational series, visit www.garyplayerinvitational.com and follow @GPInvitational on Twitter and Instagram- #GOLFandGIVING.
For more information or to request an interview with Gary Player on the Gary Player Invitational, sport, health & fitness, or The Player Foundation and philanthropy, please contact:
Dawn Barnable – The B Collective/Wasserman (on behalf of BKI)
DawnB@thebcollectiveme.com
GPImedia@teamwass.com
+971 56 430 7201
David Collins – Wasserman (on behalf of BKI)
dcollins@teamwass.com
+971 55 568 9913
Bo Wood – Black Knight International
b.wood@garyplayer.com
+ 1 864 477 2720
Jade Lotriet – Black Knight International
jade@garyplayer.co.za
+ 27 (0)76 790 9329
Ciska Du Plessis-Austin
ciska@garyplayer.co.za
+27 79 514 3225
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 Championship presented by EGA; the Formula 1TM Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; the ITU World Triathlon Series; both the Abu Dhabi and Gary Player Invitationals; the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open on the Ladies European Tour, 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 annual Gary Player Invitational events presented through Black Knight International. Pairing celebrities and professional golfers from the PGA Euopean, LPGA, Ladies European and Champions Tours with businessmen and international sports figures, the annual tournaments are staged in the North America, Asia, 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, Wildlands, Wings and Wishes and the Masizame in South Africa; the Pleasant City Elementary School and CESA Soccer in the USA; the Zayed Higher Organization, a special needs facility in Abu Dhabi, and Depaul, an organization assisting homeless youth in London. Since its establishment, The Player Foundation has donated more than $64 million to the support of various 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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