Fee earns a ticket to brush shoulders with the best

Abu Dhabi: Stuart Fee, the 34-year-old club professional from Jebel Ali Golf Resort, yesterday qualified for the 2012 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Fee won with a round of 75, two shots clear of Phil Waine and Paul Hubner, the sole qualifier from the field of 29 players at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship UAEPGA Professional Qualifying Event. Londoner Fee will now join what has been described as the strongest field ever assembled for a Middle East Golf tournament, at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, from January 26-29, 2012.

Three reigning Major winners — Charl Schwartzel (US Masters), Rory McIlroy (US Open) and Darren Clarke (British Open) — will be joined by Luke Donald, the current world number one, and three other players that have reached the summit of the sport's rankings: Martin Kaymer, the defending champion and three-time Falcon trophy winner, enigmatic Englishman Lee Westwood, and Abu Dhabi ‘debutant' Tiger Woods — the most famous name in golf.

Woods, who won the Chevron Challenge yesterday, looks to be on the comeback trail and the Abu Dhabi event will be one of his major events in the New Year.

The championship will be the first time Lee has played in a European Tour event and he could hardly believe his success. "I never thought I'd be presented with an opportunity like this — it's something you dream about. It's going to be a really fantastic experience," he said.

"It's a privilege to be able to play on the same golf course as golfing giants like Luke Donald, let alone to play in the same tournament as them.

"I've been playing golf since I was 15 years old, but only get the chance to play a few times a month. This is a fantastic opportunity for me. The golf course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club is in great condition today. It was a bit windy, but that didn't prove too challenging."

Website ticket sales

Tickets for the Abu Dhabi Championship are available via the event's official website, www.abudhabigolfchampionship.com, as well as online at www.timeouttickets.com and www.itptickets.com. Phone bookings can be made through the ITP toll-free hotline 800 4669, or on +971 4 210 8943 for international visitors.