All India, 14th January 2014 : He battled a unrelenting index finger injury throughout a challenging 2013 season, but just days ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Indian ace Jeev Milkha Singh says he is refreshed and can’t wait to take on the world’s best.

A long-time stalwart of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, Singh says he is feeling vibrant and ready to tee-off his 2014 season with a falcon-style swoop on the Championship which has become one of his favourites on the European Tour.

This year will mark the eighth time that India’s record-breaking star will return to the capital for a shot at holding the coveted Falcon trophy, an advantage he is confident will see him in amongst the frontrunners on the final day of this week’s Championship.

Singh said: “I’m looking forward to giving it everything I’ve got in Abu Dhabi, a place where I’ve thoroughly enjoyed opening my season for a number of years now. I know the course well and I’m determined to use that experience to my benefit this week. I feel as good as ever and can’t wait to get the season underway.”

Chandigarh-born Singh, whose Abu Dhabi-career best place is 24th, turned professional in 1993. He has since smashed several home-country records, becoming the first Indian to qualify for the European Tour in 1998 and owning the title of most successful Indian on tour with four wins to his name.

The 42 year-old, who enjoys immense popularity in Abu Dhabi, was the first Indian to break into the Official World Golf Ranking top 100 in October 2006. His most recent victory came in 2012 when he clinched the number one spot at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, one year before Phil Mickelson, who is also playing in Abu Dhabi, won in 2013 and then went on to win the Open Championship at Muirfield.

Jeev’s best result of the 2013 season came in the UAE at last year’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic where he came 10th, and he hopes to recapture some of that magic in Abu Dhabi next week.

“I nailed in my only top 10 result of 2013 in the UAE last year with a particularly strong third round, even despite the rare outburst of rain! It is a region in which I have experienced plenty of highs and after some rest over the New Year I’m feeling refreshed and confident about my chances in Abu Dhabi.”

Singh joins a hotly contested field at next week’s Championship including Race to Dubai and FedEx Cup winner Henrik Stenson, world number five and five-time Major winner Phil Mickelson, world number six Rory McIlroy, former world number one Luke Donald, Abu Dhabi’s record-breaking ambassador Matteo Manassero, crowd favourite and world number 10 Sergio Garcia and reigning Champion, Welshman Jamie Donaldson. Three-time Abu Dhabi champion Martin Kaymer also returns for his fourth shot at the title.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship is organised by Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority.  Tickets and packages are available via the event’s official website www.abudhabigolfchampionship.com  and Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.ae). Tickets are AED50 for a daily pass and AED150 for a four-day pass. Guests staying at any Abu Dhabi hotel over the Championship period enter free, as do Emirates Golf Federation members.

To see the final player line-up for the 2014 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, visit here.

ENDS

Website: www.abudhabigolfchampionship.com
Facebook: Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship
Twitter: @adgolfchamps / #ADunexpected

About Abu Dhabi Tourism & Cultures Authority
Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority conserves and promotes the heritage and culture of Abu Dhabi emirate and leverages them in the development of a world-class, sustainable destination of distinction which enriches the lives of visitors and residents alike. The authority manages the emirate’s tourism sector and markets the destination internationally through a wide range of activities aimed at attracting visitors and investment.

Its policies, plans and programmes relate to the preservation of heritage and culture, including protecting archaeological and historical sites and to developing museums, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum and Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. The authority supports intellectual and artistic activities and cultural events to nurture a rich cultural environment and honour the emirate’s heritage. A key authority role is to create synergy in the destination’s development through close co-ordination with its wide-ranging stakeholder base.

www.tcaabudhabi.ae
www.visitabudhabi.ae

About HSBC
HSBC provides a comprehensive range of financial services to around 89 million customers through four global businesses; Global Retail Banking & Wealth Management, Global Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets and Global Private Banking.

The HSBC Group
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 6,600 offices in 80 countries and territories in Europe, Hong Kong, Rest of Asia-Pacific, North and Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,723bn at 30 September 2013, the HSBC Group is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.

HSBC in the MENA Region
HSBC is the largest and most widely represented international banking organisation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with operations in 14 countries. HSBC has branches and offices in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Algeria and the Palestinian Autonomous Area. In Saudi Arabia, HSBC is a 40% shareholder of Saudi British Bank (SABB), and a 60% shareholder of HSBC Saudi Arabia Limited for wholesale and investment banking in the Kingdom. In Iraq, HSBC holds a majority shareholding in Dar Es Salaam Investment Bank. HSBC also maintains a representative office in Libya.

This presence, the widest coverage of any bank in the region, comprises some 285 branches and offices, and around 12,000 people. In the full year 2010, HSBC made a profit before tax of US$1,492 million in the MENA region.

HSBC Golf Sponsorships
HSBC’s global commitment to golf encompasses all levels of the game, from grassroots to elite.  HSBC is a Patron of The Open Championship and this partnership with The Royal & Ancient creates a centre of gravity to a global golf portfolio that spans HSBC’s key markets.  In Asia HSBC has spearheaded the arrival of world class golf events, with its flagship WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai and HSBC Women’s Champions in Singapore.  The WGC-HSBC Champions is renowned as ‘Asia’s Major’ and was once described by 14 time Major winner and former World Number 1 Tiger Woods as “The crowning jewel of all of Asian golf.”  HSBC has been co-title sponsor of The Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship since 2010 and the event has quickly become one of the biggest events on the European PGA Tour calendar.  As golf returns to the Olympic Games for Rio 2016, HSBC is presenting sponsor of the LPGA Brasil Cup, the nation’s one genuinely global golf event.

However, underpinning those blue-riband events is a longer-term goal to create a legacy from HSBC’s global tournaments through its sponsorship of youth development and grassroots programmes.  As well as committing to the professional game, HSBC has a longer-term goal to create the legacy through sponsorship of youth development and grassroots programmes around the world. In China, HSBC supports the HSBC China Junior Golf Program – a sustainable long-term structure and framework upon which the future of Chinese golf is being built. This includes the HSBC-sponsored China National Junior Team, the HSBC China Junior Open and the HSBC National Junior Golf Championship: a year-long series of tournaments designed to give China’s elite junior golfers the competitive platform they need to develop their game. In the UK HSBC is sponsor of HSBC Golf Roots – The Golf Foundation’s national development programme which promotes the sport in schools, helps youngsters into clubs, and uses golf to promote important life skills such as honesty and respect.

For more details on HSBC’s golf activities, visit www.hsbcgolf.com

About IMG
IMG is the global leader in event management and talent representation across golf, tennis and fashion and has a significant presence in many other sports, cultural and lifestyle categories. IMG’s media division is one of the world’s top independent producers of sports and entertainment television across multiple genres and is an emerging leader in video and interactive content creation for broadband and mobile platforms.

For more information please contact:

Jeev Milkha Singh ready to swoop in Abu Dhabi	Jeev Milkha Singh ready to swoop in Abu Dhabi
Golf – Abu Dhabi