Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) and the European Tour today announced that the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will move to Yas Island for the first time next year when Yas Links Abu Dhabi hosts the opening Rolex Series event of the 2022 season.
Designed by Kyle Phillips and recently ranked 48th in Golf Digest’s global Top 100 courses, Yas Links will herald a new chapter for the prestigious event as it moves to one of the world’s fastest growing leisure and entertainment destinations in Abu Dhabi from 20th to 23th January, 2022.
First staged in 2006, the tournament has been played at the iconic Abu Dhabi Golf Club for 16 consecutive years and, having built a strong legacy in the Middle East, the move to Yas Island highlights Abu Dhabi as an international sports hub with the season ending F1 Championship and Ultimate Fighting Championship also taking residency at the world-class venue.
Aref Al Awani, Secretary-General of ADSC, said, “By moving this award-winning tournament to Yas Links for the first time, we will add more excellence to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and present an exceptional event, especially as it is being held at one of the world’s finest and most magnificent golf courses, and on one of the world’s leading leisure and entertainment destinations, Yas Island. We are looking forward to another fantastic Championship to kick off an exciting year of sport in the UAE.”
Keith Pelley, CEO of the European Tour, added, “As one of our Rolex Series events, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and Yas Links offer our players and fans an experience like no other. Yas Island is synonymous with major sporting events in the United Arab Emirates and we are delighted our first Rolex Series tournament of the year will be highlighted on the global stage.”
Abdulfattah Sharaf, HSBC UAE CEO and Head of International, said, “Opening up a world of opportunity is in HSBC’s DNA – it’s what we’ve been doing here for our customers for 75 years – and by bringing the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to Yas Links for the first time, we mark another milestone on our journey of supporting new visions and new ideas in the UAE.”
Aldar Properties-owned Yas Links is famous for its signature finishing holes on 16, 17 and 18, which are regarded as one of the toughest trios in the UAE.
The 17th edition of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will be the first of back-to-back Rolex Series events in the UAE with tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Dubai part of the traditional ‘Desert Swing’ attracting golf’s leading players.
Source: Emirates News Agency