Gary Player to host January's Saadiyat Beach Classic

Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), the Abu Dhabi-based developer of Saadiyat Island, will stage the Saadiyat Beach Classic, a top-tier international charity golf tournament hosted by golfing legend Gary Player.

The Saadiyat Beach Classic, on January 27-28, 2010, will be the first major tournament played on at Saadiyat Beach Golf Course, the Arabian Gulf's first and only ocean-front course, which is situated on Saadiyat Island.

The amphitheatre-style par 72 Saadiyat Beach Golf Course - Player's first signature golf course in the region - has been designed in a classic ‘figure of eight' configuration with over a third of the course having views of the Saadiyat coastline.

"I am delighted to be hosting this inaugural charity event that we have conceptualised with TDIC, on a golf course that I am particularly proud of and in a country that is really making the world sit up and take notice," said the winner of nine Majors.

Saadiyat Beach Classic's focal point will be an 18-hole tournament involving teams of four, including one major celebrity or top international golfer. To raise money for charity, companies and organisations will have to buy places in a team.

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, which is managed by Troon Golf, the world's largest golf management company, is the latest championship-ready golf destination in Abu Dhabi and will have its soft opening in December. Where next?

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