Abu Dhabi: The facelift that the Abu Dhabi Golf Club course has undergone is likely to make it more challenging for the professionals when they tee off for the $2 million Abu Dhabi Golf Championship from January 19 to 22.
IMG and the European Tour had identified and recommended a number of modifications to the Abu Dhabi Golf Club's National Course, originally designed by the eminent Swiss architect Peter Harradine.
Mike Clarke, Golf Superintendent at the Club, said most of the changes to the course have been completed and the main focus was to toughen it.
"We have added five new professional tees and whole new lot of bunkers. The championship course has been lengthened," said Clarke, a New Zealander who has been with Abu Dhabi Golf Club since its inception in 1991.
World No 2 Vijay Singh leads a strong field for this inaugural event and includes Sergio Garcia, Colin Montgomerie and Chris DiMarco, all among the current top ten.
"We have also planted a few trees and the course has been tightened to make it more challenging," he said.
"A lot of the holes that have not been lengthened have in fact been reshaped. It will be interesting to see what the scores are. But one this is certain it is a big start and this global event will help the club to go from strength to strength," said Clarke.
The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship will be held as a 72-hole strokeplay event with 4 rounds being played over four days and a cut being made after 36 holes to the top-65 and ties. A maximum of 120 players will participate in the event, made up of 112 players from the European Tour and eight invites.
Tickets for Abu Dhabi Golf Championship are being sold at Virgin Megastore outlets across the UAE and online at www.boxofficeme.com and www.itptickets.com.
RAVINDRANATH/Gulf News
Course of action
The championship course at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club has been lengthened and a new lot of bunkers have been added to make it a challenging course.
