DP World officially marked the one-month countdown to the annual DP World Tour Championship, Dubai by inviting the next generation of UAE golfers to take a series of ceremonial tee-shots on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The group of future stars were invited from the Emirates Golf Federation’s National Junior Development Program to highlight the positive impact that DP World’s investment in the sport has had since it first hosted the European Tour’s season-ending tournament in 2009.
The young golfers were joined by DP World Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Mohammed Al Muallem representing Chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) Chairman H.E. Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Yousuf Kazim, CEO of Jumeirah Golf Estates and a group of representatives for the prestigious event’s other key stakeholders as they celebrated the 10th anniversary milestone with members of the Dubai golfing community.
The first tee shot was taken by 10 year old EGF Junior Sultan Essam Al Jassmy, followed by his brother Rashid Essam Al Jassmy, both of whom are products of the DP World supported EGF Arabic Schools Initiative. The initiative has seen almost 4,500 juniors introduced to golf since the end of 2015. The siblings have advanced through the EGF programme and are now in contention for a place on the under 15 UAE National Team which will compete in the Arab Golf Championships in Morocco. H.E. Sheikh Fahim took the next shot followed by representatives of each of the event’s key sponsors. The longest drive of the day (293.4 metres) came from Stuart Pain, Business Development Manager from Official Hotel Atlantis, The Palm while hitting the straightest drive was 15 year old EGF Junior Shahad Saeed Al Suwaidi.
Commenting on the event, DP World Chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem said: “The essence of our business is to help make a better future for everyone. In the context of golf this means opening up the sport to new audiences and helping to support the next generation of players.”
He continued: “Our ten-year partnership with the European Tour has ensured funding goes back into the grassroots of the game locally, so it is amazing to see such a talented group of youngsters - who have all benefited from our involvement in the sport - teeing off today.”
Nick Tarratt, Director of the European Tour’s Dubai office, said: “We are extremely proud to be celebrating ten editions of the DP World Tour Championship. Through our partnership, we have been able to deliver a first-class tournament that has helped put Dubai firmly at the centre of the international sporting world as well as to grow golf locally by attracting new fans and new players to the game.”
He added: “We now look forward to welcoming 60 of the best players on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings to Jumeirah Golf Estates in four weeks’ time for another end of season finale.”
Yousuf Kazim, Chief Executive Officer of Jumeirah Golf Estates, said: “The DP World Tour Championship is the highlight of our annual calendar. Not only does it bring the biggest names in golf to our spectacular course, but it allows us to create an annual experience that brings the wider community in the UAE together. Each year we try to be more innovative in our approach, adding new attractions to the Village, the kids zone and the outlets that ensure the tournament becomes an unforgettable day out for everyone who visits.”
This year’s DP World Tour Championship will see the top 60 players on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings gather on the Earth course from November 15-18. Over 65,000 spectators will attend the free-to-watch tournament at Jumeirah Golf Estates, with a further 500 million people tuning in across the globe to see the action unfold on television.
In addition to DP World, the DP World Tour Championship is supported by Jumeirah Golf Estates, Rolex, Emirates, BMW, Atlantis, The Palm, CNN, Hero, Zurich, Worldwide Golf, Dubai Eye 103.8, Lovin Dubai, Mouton Cadet, ProSports, FootJoy, Titleist, Voss, Xerox, Lindt, Dubai Duty Free, Emirates Golf Federation, Dubai Tourism
