Emirates Flies High With Barclays Singapore Open
Singapore, 28th October 2009 - Continuing its strong support of key international golfing events, Emirates, one of the world's fastest-growing international airlines, returned to the greens today as the Official Airline of the US$5million Barclays Singapore Open.
The tournament got under way with a star-studded Pro-Am, which gave local golfers the chance to play with golfing greats such as world number two Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, K.J. Choi and Thongchai Jaidee.
They will feature in a strong field - including the Emirates-sponsored Ross Bain - which will assemble at the Serapong Course of the Sentosa Golf Club tomorrow to contest the flagship event of the Asian Tour.
Emirates will bring a new level of excitement to golf enthusiasts,corporate guests and the travel trade with a line-up of activities designed to engage spectators throughout the tournament, which for the for the first time is co-sanctioned by the European Tour.
Emirates' VIP guests had an exclusive opportunity to play with the stars in the Pro-Am and in the Nearest-to-the-Pin competition - which raised funds for the Emirates Airline Foundation, a charity which supports disadvantaged children - players had the chance to win an Emirates' Business Class return ticket to Dubai.
On the third day of the championship, 20 young golfers from the Methodist Girls School and the Anglo Chinese School will be given a master class from a top player at the Emirates Youth Golf Clinic.
The secondary school students, hand-picked by their teachers for their passion for the sport, will then get to see the thrilling golf battle "live" on the course, courtesy of Emirates.
Nick Rees, Emirates' Country Manager for Singapore and Brunei, said: "Golf sponsorships offer Emirates the opportunity to strengthen our brand awareness and receive international exposure. Golf is a lifestyle preference for many of our passengers and our sponsorship of international golfing events allows us to share and support their
interest in the game."
Since 1987, Emirates has established a strong link with sports programmes and is an avid supporter of golf tournaments worldwide. It is the Official Airline at 13 tournaments spanning the six continents it flies non-stop to from its home-base, Dubai.
In addition to the Singapore Open, Emirates' sponsors the Australian Open Championship, the Hero Honda Indian Open, the Thailand Open, Austrian Golf Open, BMW International Open, Dubai Desert Classic, HSBC Champions, Malaysian Open, Volvo China Open, The Hong Kong Open, Australian PGA Championship and the Dubai Ladies' Masters.
The airline also extends its support of golf to passengers by allowing them to check in a set of golf clubs free of charge - in addition to their normal checked baggage allowance - in any class of service on all Emirates flights.