SINGAPORE: The world’s top male golfer will play in Asia this November, and he could well drop by Singapore.
On Thursday, it was reported that American world No.1 Tiger Woods will play at the HSBC Champions, to be held at Shanghai’s Sheshan Golf Club from November 5 to 8.
This follows last week’s confirmation that he will also tee off at the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath, Melbourne, later that same month.
And with the US$5 million (S$7.5 million) Barclays Singapore Open to be held from October 29 to November 1 at the Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course, talk is rife that Woods may also include Singapore in his itinerary.
Golf fans will also remember that Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong personally invited Woods to play in Singapore when they met in Dubai about a year ago.
However, none of the Singapore Open organisers contacted could confirm whether Woods will grace Sentosa this year.
“The players list is not confirmed at this stage,” said Sentosa Golf Club’s director of golf, Peter Downie, on Thursday.
“Our focus and objective now is to ensure that Sentosa plays an integral role in making the Barclays Singapore Open ‘Asia’s Major’ by delivering a quality event that surpasses players’ expectations.”
Bob Tan, who chaired the steering committee for last year’s tournament, was similarly silent on Woods’ possible appearance in Singapore.
“I can’t confirm anything now as it is too early,” he said. “The steering committee for this year’s tournament hasn’t even been finalised yet.”
IMG, which represents 14-time Major winner Woods, could not be reached for comment at press time on Thursday night.
On Thursday, Woods confirmed his attendance at the US$5 million HSBC Champions, where he finished second in 2005 and 2006. “As far as HSBC, yeah, I will play the week before (Melbourne),” he said ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.
The 33-year-old Woods, the highest-paid athlete in the world with earnings of US$122 million in 2007, recently returned to action at the US$8 million WGC-Accenture Matchplay Championship in Arizona following an eight-month lay-off.
He had reconstructive surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and to treat a double stress fracture in his left leg after winning the US Open last June.
If Woods does play at the Barclays Singapore Open, it would be the tournament’s biggest coup since it was resurrected in 2005, following a three-year hiatus due to a lack of sponsors.
The tournament’s total prize purse last year was US$5 million, up from US$2 million in 2005. It has also attracted some of the sports biggest names, including Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, K.J. Choi and Padraig Harrington.
Attracting star names has always been a priority of the organisers, but Woods’ appearance fee could be a stumbling block.
Organisers of the Australian Masters paid US$3 million to bring Woods to Australia - his first there since The Presidents Cup in 1998 - which drew flak for the Victorian State Government reportedly footing half the bill.
Said Tan: “Attracting the biggest names remains a priority, especially those who haven’t played here yet.
“But we have to first work out our budget and go from there.” -
Channel News Asia
On Thursday, it was reported that American world No.1 Tiger Woods will play at the HSBC Champions, to be held at Shanghai’s Sheshan Golf Club from November 5 to 8.
This follows last week’s confirmation that he will also tee off at the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath, Melbourne, later that same month.
And with the US$5 million (S$7.5 million) Barclays Singapore Open to be held from October 29 to November 1 at the Sentosa Golf Club’s Serapong course, talk is rife that Woods may also include Singapore in his itinerary.
Golf fans will also remember that Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong personally invited Woods to play in Singapore when they met in Dubai about a year ago.
However, none of the Singapore Open organisers contacted could confirm whether Woods will grace Sentosa this year.
“The players list is not confirmed at this stage,” said Sentosa Golf Club’s director of golf, Peter Downie, on Thursday.
“Our focus and objective now is to ensure that Sentosa plays an integral role in making the Barclays Singapore Open ‘Asia’s Major’ by delivering a quality event that surpasses players’ expectations.”
Bob Tan, who chaired the steering committee for last year’s tournament, was similarly silent on Woods’ possible appearance in Singapore.
“I can’t confirm anything now as it is too early,” he said. “The steering committee for this year’s tournament hasn’t even been finalised yet.”
IMG, which represents 14-time Major winner Woods, could not be reached for comment at press time on Thursday night.
On Thursday, Woods confirmed his attendance at the US$5 million HSBC Champions, where he finished second in 2005 and 2006. “As far as HSBC, yeah, I will play the week before (Melbourne),” he said ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida.
The 33-year-old Woods, the highest-paid athlete in the world with earnings of US$122 million in 2007, recently returned to action at the US$8 million WGC-Accenture Matchplay Championship in Arizona following an eight-month lay-off.
He had reconstructive surgery on the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and to treat a double stress fracture in his left leg after winning the US Open last June.
If Woods does play at the Barclays Singapore Open, it would be the tournament’s biggest coup since it was resurrected in 2005, following a three-year hiatus due to a lack of sponsors.
The tournament’s total prize purse last year was US$5 million, up from US$2 million in 2005. It has also attracted some of the sports biggest names, including Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, K.J. Choi and Padraig Harrington.
Attracting star names has always been a priority of the organisers, but Woods’ appearance fee could be a stumbling block.
Organisers of the Australian Masters paid US$3 million to bring Woods to Australia - his first there since The Presidents Cup in 1998 - which drew flak for the Victorian State Government reportedly footing half the bill.
Said Tan: “Attracting the biggest names remains a priority, especially those who haven’t played here yet.
“But we have to first work out our budget and go from there.” -
Channel News Asia
Source: http://www.putraworks.com
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