by Suman Gupta
Mumbai,January 2022: Two beloved characters snuck in a quick round of golf before global stars including Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland tee off today at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Ahead of the tournament, Yas Links was invaded by Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi residents Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, who received an impromptu golfing lesson from some of the world’s best professionals.
Bugs Bunny was a natural, while Daffy Duck was chomping at the bit to out-golf his rival on the iconic Yas Links course – only a stone’s throw from Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi on Yas Island, one of the world’s leading leisure and entertainment hubs.
Bugs and Daffy honed their golf skills on the driving range, receiving personal tuition from World Number Eight Viktor Hovland, and getting plenty of helpful tips from pros Colin Montgomerie, Garrick Higgo and Justin Harding.
The duo were then seen wrestling to get their hands on the prestigious Falcon Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Championship, but after failing to make the grade they will instead watch on as a world class field compete over the four-day tournament, taking place January 20-23.
Kids will have the opportunity to emulate Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck’s golfing adventure with the Future Falcons programme at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The programme gives kids the opportunity to compete around the par three course and take part in fitting sessions.
Two-time Major Winner and recently crowned European Number One Collin Morikawa, four-time Major Champion Rory McIlroy, and defending champion Tyrrell Hatton were among the stars to tee off today on Yas Links, which hosts the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship for the first time.
First staged in 2006, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship has been played at Abu Dhabi Golf Club for 16 consecutive years, having built a strong legacy in the Middle East.
The move to Yas Island highlights Abu Dhabi as an international sports and entertainment hub. As well as being home to Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld and Warner Bros. World™ Abu Dhabi, Yas Island has previously hosted global sporting events, including the FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX and Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Coinciding with the tournament’s move to this world-leading entertainment destination, the Championship Village will host entertainment events, activities, and competitions for all attendees to enjoy.
Get your free general admission tickets for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at http://Ticketmaster.ae,with additional hospitality packages available to purchase.
About the DP World Tourl; The DP World Tour is the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group, with a global schedule featuring a minimum of 47 tournaments in 27 different countries across the 2022 season.
Formerly known as the European Tour, which was established in 1972, the 2022 DP World Tour schedule includes five Rolex Series events, along with four Major Championships, two World Golf Championship events and three tournaments co-sanctioned with the PGA TOUR, as well as tournaments staged around the world with a minimum prize of $2million for all events solely sanctioned by the DP World Tour.
The season concludes with the final Rolex Series event, the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, where the winner of the Tour’s season-long competition, the DP World Tour Rankings, will be crowned.
DP World, the leading provider of global smart end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions, is the title partner of the DP World Tour, which is administered by the European Tour group.
About the European Tour group : The European Tour group is the overarching corporate brand which administers four competition brands: the DP World Tour, the Challenge Tour, the Legends Tour and, along with the PGA of America, is the Managing Partner of golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup.
Established in 1972, the European Tour group is committed to ‘Driving Golf Further’ through our guiding principles of being innovative, inclusive and global.
Innovative: We are driving innovation in golf through the creation of award-winning content, pioneering tournament formats and the use of the latest technology and inventive fan engagement. We are committed to attracting new audiences whilst respecting the tradition of our sport.
Inclusive: We are committed to include all who share a love for the game of golf. We are passionate about a closer collaboration with the women’s game, disability golf and promoting the many physical and mental health benefits of playing golf.
Global: Since 1972, players from 37 different countries have won tournaments on our main Tour, while our live broadcast reaches more than 490 million homes in more than 150 countries every week, generating in excess of 2,200 global broadcast hours for each event. We also enjoy the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with DP World, Rolex, BMW, Callaway, Emirates, Fortinet, Workday and Zoom as Official Partners.
