Hat-trick of tournaments to include the South African Open Championship, The Open and the Dubai World Championship

The South African Open Championship is a key tournament in The Race to Dubai with €1 million prize fund

17 December 2008: Leisurecorp, a Dubai World company focusing on investments in the sport and leisure industry and partner to The European Tour, will commence its trilogy of international golf tournaments when the 99th South African Open Championship takes place at its very own Pearl Valley Golf Estates from 18-21 December.

Leisurecorp’s incredible hat-trick of tournaments will span across three continents and includes Africa’s oldest tournament, The South African Open; the world’s oldest tournament, The Open Championship held at the historic and Leisurecorp-owned Turnberry in Scotland ; and the Dubai World Championship, the richest tournament in golf held at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Leisurecorp’s flagship development in Dubai .

The 2009 season is also the first year of The Race to Dubai , a new US$10 million season-long competition which has replaced the longstanding European Order of Merit and is part of Leisurecorp’s partnership with The European Tour.

Abdul Wahid Al Ulama, Vice-Chairman, Leisurecorp, said:

“The inaugural Race to Dubai is arguably one of the most exciting seasons in The European Tour’s history. For Leisurecorp, this will see three of our golf courses rise to the occasion with The South African Open at Pearl Valley Golf Estates, The Open Championship at Turnberry, and the Dubai World Championship – one of the most important sporting events to ever be held in the Middle East . We are certain that each of these tournaments will prove our passion and commitment to the golf world.

“It’s not an understatement to say that The Race to Dubai has taken the golf world by storm. The season-long competition will visit a staggering 52 countries in 27 destinations is keeping Dubai at the forefront of the sporting world throughout the entire year, while taking the game to fresh audiences around the world. I believe it is emblematic and reflective of what Dubai stands for.”

Players in The Race to Dubai are ranked during the season according to their earnings from all events. At the end of the 2009 season, only the top 60 players will qualify to compete in the Dubai World Championship, the thrilling season-ending event at Jumeirah Golf Estates from 19 – 22 November 2009, where they will battle it out for the prestigious trophy and a share of an additional US$10 million prize fund.

The South African Open Championship is a key tournament in this season-long journey with the €1 million prize fund giving players the opportunity to move up the rankings and get one step closer to making the cut for the Dubai World Championship. This year’s tournament boasts the strongest field in South African Open history, with three Major champions, four current Ryder Cup players, and six of South Africa ’s top players set to tee it up at Pearl Valley Golf Estates.

The field is headlined by a trilogy of the greatest South African golfers – Masters champion Trevor Immelman, triple Major champion Ernie Els, and double US Open champion Retief Goosen. A total of 35 countries are represented in an international field which also includes defending champion James Kingston, European Tour Order of Merit winner Justin Rose, Dubai-based Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy.

David Spencer, CEO-Golf, Leisurecorp, the owner of Pearl Valley Golf Estates, said:

“We have assembled one of the greatest fields ever seen at a tournament in the southern hemisphere and intend to make this year’s South African Open the greatest golfing tournament the country has ever hosted. The beautiful setting of Pearl Valley Golf Estates combined with free entry, a bumper crowd, and such an incredible field means that this year’s tournament will be the best the country has ever hosted.”

With Leisurecorp’s recent acquisition of the iconic Turnberry in Scotland , Leisurecorp will cement this hat-trick of prestigious international golf events when it hosts the Open Championship on the Ailsa Course at Turnberry in Scotland in July 2009.

Alan Rogers, Group Chief Executive Officer for Leisurecorp, said:

“When the eyes of the world fall upon Turnberry next summer, we are determined that the venue will stand tall with pride, taking its rightful place as one of the top golf courses in the world. When the first ball is hit at perhaps the most prestigious golf tournament in history everyone at Leisurecorp – and the entire city of Dubai – should feel great pride and perhaps get a few goosebumps at the realisation that the greatest sporting event in the history of golf is being played on not only a piece of historic Scotland, but also a small piece of Dubai!”

About Leisurecorp

Leisurecorp was established by Dubai World in July 2006, to identify, acquire, develop and manage a portfolio of investments in the sports and leisure sectors in Dubai and across the world. Its portfolio includes Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai’s premier residential golf community; Pearl Valley Golf Estates, South Africa’s leading residential golf community, which will host the South African Open for the next two years; a major shareholding in Island Global Yachting, the premier owner, developer and manager of luxury marinas; a stake in Troon Golf, the world’s leading luxury-brand golf management, development and marketing company; a shareholding in GPS Industries, the provider of Wi-Fi enabled global positioning systems (GPS) for golf and residential communities; and a stake in Snowmass Colorado, a 2.8 million square foot re-development of one of North America’s premier ski resorts.

In November 2007, Leisurecorp announced a wide-ranging partnership with The European Tour which will create The Dubai World Championship, the world’s richest golf tournament with a US$10,000,000 prize fund. To be held annually at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the tournament will be open to the players numbered 1- 60 on The Race to Dubai – formerly The European Tour Order of Merit – with players being given the opportunity to compete for an additional US$10,000,000 bonus fund. From 2009, Jumeirah Golf Estates will also become home to The European Tour’s International Headquarters.

In October 2008, Leisurecorp acquired Turnberry in Scotland , the host venue for the 2009 Open Championship, from Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide.

Related posts:

1. Players Praise Leisurecorp As South African Open Hots Up
2. Leisurecorp And Sterne Pass The Test At South African Open
3. Leisurecorp Ambassador Westwood Leads The Way At Pearl Valley
4. What assets Dubai could be forced to sell