Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA was elevated to a Rolex Series event on Monday when the 2019 European Tour schedule was announced.
Abu Dhabi has long been recognised as one of the standout events on tour and its elevation to the Rolex Series — with an associated prize fund rise from $3 million (Dh11 million) to $7 million — now properly reflects that.
It takes its place alongside the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, the BMW PGA Championship, the Italian Open, the Turkish Airlines Open, the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player and the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, in the line-up for the third year of the Rolex Series, which again combines the leading fields with innovative coverage.
Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said: “We are honoured to become one of the elite Rolex Series events and to see our tournament so publicly recognised as one of the world’s leading golf tournaments. This news highlights our important relationship with the European Tour, one of the world’s leading golf organisations, as well as being an important milestone to celebrate with our valued title sponsors HSBC and our partners Rolex and the EGA. Abu Dhabi is ‘A Global Capital of World Sport’ and the international recognition that becoming a Rolex Series event brings certainly underlines our reputation for hosting the world’s best sporting events.”
