Sport | Golf
Poulter sets sights on Abu Dhabi Championship
Ian Poulter, the flamboyant Ryder Cup-winning Englishman, is the latest international golfing star to confirm his participation for next year's European PGA Tour-sanctioned Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
- Staff Report
- Published: 00:26 November 25, 2007
- Image Credit: Ravindranath/Gulf News Archive
- Ian Poulter is the latest international golfing star to confirm his participation for Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
Abu Dhabi: Ian Poulter, the flamboyant Ryder Cup-winning Englishman, is the latest international golfing star to confirm his participation for next year's European PGA Tour-sanctioned Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
With the championship entering its third year, the world's elite will descend on the UAE capital this January, as Poulter joins his compatriot and defending champion Paul Casey, and Swedish number one Henrik Stenson, in an ever expanding Abu Dhabi field chasing a share of the $2 million (Dh7.35 million) prize fund.
The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship 2008 has attracted a high-profile sponsorship line up including Etihad Airways and Aldar as diamond sponsors; etisalat, Standard Chartered Bank and Emirates Palace as platinum sponsors; Nissan, Airbus, Rolls Royce, Omega and Xerox as gold sponsors, Gulf News as official newspaper, Radio 2 as official radio Station, Middle East Golfer as official magazine and Cutter & Buck as official merchandise.
Different trade
Poulter, who recently launched his own clothing company, had finished tied 10th during the event's inaugural fixture in 2006.
"Abu Dhabi has been on the international golf map for a while now and it's a beautiful place which doubles up as an amazing golfing destination," said the 2000 Sir Henry Cotton European PGA Tour Rookie-of-the-Year winner.
"It's the first big event of the year for most of us on the European Tour and I've got a hard winter training schedule. So hopefully I'll be ready to wrestle the title from Paul come January," added Poulter.
"Ian is not just a great golfer, but something of a showman as well and I'm sure his style will be lapped up by the spectators in Abu Dhabi this January," said Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, which organises the championship, and chairman, Abu Dhabi Golf Championship organising committee.
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