Turkish Airlines has been confirmed as the title sponsor of The European Tour’s new US$7 million event to be held in Turkey on 7th – 10th November 2013. The tournament will form part of the inaugural Final Series on The Race to Dubai, and will feature World Number One ranked Tiger Woods.
The Turkish Airlines Open will take place at The Montgomerie Maxx Royal course, in Belek, Antalya, the week before the DP World Tour Championship. Woods, the 14-time Major Champion, will be part of the 78-man field, having also played in last year’s Turkish Airlines World Golf Final – a precursor for the new European Tour event.
Woods, who has already had four wins this season on the US PGA Tour, including the recent Players Championship, said: “I had a great time during my first visit to Turkey. Turkish Airlines, the Turkish Golf Federation and the fans who came to watch made it a really special event and I am looking forward to playing there once again.”
Last year’s eight-man event, won by Englishman Justin Rose at the nearby Antalya Golf Club, provided a taste of the world-class golf to be played in Turkey, and the new Turkish Airlines Open now becomes a fully sanctioned European Tour event.
It will form a central part of The Final Series, the new four-tournament series that is part of The Race to Dubai, comprising the US$7 million BMW Masters, the US$8.5 million WGC – HSBC Champions, the US$7 million Turkish Airlines Open and the US$8 million DP World Tour Championship, Dubai – offering a combined prize fund of US$30.5million.
Faruk Cizmecioglu, Chief Marketing Officer at Turkish Airlines, said: “We are proud to support a top-class European Tour event and delighted to see Tiger competing in Turkey for the second year.
Ahmet Ali Ağaoğlu, President of the Turkish Golf Federation, said: “It is an honour to welcome back the World’s Number One golfer to what is, in our opinion, the best golfing destination inEurope. We are thrilled to have the support of Turkish Airlines and are looking forward to once again proving that Turkey is more than capable of hosting world-class sporting occasions.”
Keith Waters, Chief Operating Officer and Director of International Policy for The European Tour, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Turkish Airlines on board as the title sponsor of The Turkish Airlines Open, a partnership that will greatly enhance what is shaping up to be a very exciting tournament in Belek in November.
“Part of the reason for that is the news that Tiger Woods will return once again to compete. We are always delighted to welcome Tiger to the field for a European Tour event and we look forward to seeing him in action once again in Turkey next November.”
The 2013 Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Final will conclude in Antalya at the same time as the Turkish Airlines Open, with the winner of the tournament having the chance to partner with Tiger Woods himself during the Pro-Am of the Turkish Airlines Open.
