HONG KONG, 1 Sept 2015, (HK Golfer News Wire) - Tournament organisers today announced that there will be no admission charge to gain entry to the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling on Thursday, October 22, giving fans the opportunity to see global stars Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Victor Dubuisson, Miguel Angel Jiménez and Graeme McDowell in action during the first round of the UBS Hong Kong Open for free.
2010 US Open Champion Graeme McDowell, a veteran of four Ryder Cups who is no stranger to performing in front of huge crowds, welcomed the announcement which is aimed at encouraging new fans to experience Hong Kong’s longest running event.
He said: “There’s no doubt that playing in front of a big crowd adds to the buzz of a tournament. The best players tend to raise their performance level when they play in front of big crowds, so to offer fans the chance to see the first round of the UBS Hong Kong Open for free is a great initiative that will hopefully attract a lot of people to Fanling .
"To get to see some of the best players in the world for free is as good a deal as you can get, so hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot of fans lining the fairways this year and between the fans and the players we can create a very special atmosphere.”
In a further bid to share the excitement of the UBS Hong Kong Open with the widest possible cross-section of the public, free shuttle busses will run throughout the tournament week to transport fans to and from the Hong Kong Golf Club.
The buses will leave and return to three destinations around the city, from IFC Mall, Man Cheung Street and the Kowloon Tong and Sheung Shui MTR stations.
Jeffrey Lam, Chairman of the Mega Events Fund Committee, said “With the support of the Mega Events Fund, this prestigious international golf tournament will have an enhanced line-up with the participation of a number of world’s top professional golf players. The ‘Free Thursday’ initiative will help promote the golf’s popularity in our local community and offer a great opportunity for our visitors and locals to enjoy the professional performance of the world-class golf star players participating in this year’s tournament.”
"We believe the ‘Free Thursday’ initiative will be a great success and help achieve our objective of making the UBS Hong Kong Open truly ‘open’ and accessible for people from all walks of life in Hong Kong,” said Chi-Won Yoon, President, Asia Pacific, UBS.
"Free Thursday will help us share the experience of the UBS Hong Kong Open - and introduce the positive values of the sport, to new audiences. We hope to welcome record crowds in 2015, particularly as we will be showcasing several fun new initiatives including an enhanced UBS Hong Kong Open Spectator Village, where fans can enjoy lots of entertaining activities, many of which are family-orientated,” added Kathryn Shih, Head of Wealth Management, Asia Pacific, UBS.
Kenneth Lam, Captain of the Hong Kong Golf Club, said: “We look forward to welcoming all golf fans to the Hong Kong Golf Club during the week of the UBS Hong Kong Open. We are very excited by the prospect of showcasing one of Hong Kong’s great sporting institutions to a new audience with the announcement of ‘Free Thursday’ on October 22.”
Mark Chan, President of the Hong Kong Golf Association, said: “Naturally we want to welcome as many people - young and old, new and established fans - to our National Open Championship. The UBS Hong Kong Open’s ‘Free Thursday’ will give everyone a chance to experience a great day out at Hong Kong’s oldest sporting event, and we hope to welcome record crowds at Fanling this year.”
The UBS Hong Kong Open will take place at the Hong Kong Golf Club from October 22-25, 2015.
The return of UBS as title sponsor for the first time since 2012 has seen the prize purse for the tournament, Hong Kong’s oldest sporting event, increased to US$2 million in 2015 from US$1.3 million last year.
To claim your free tickets (a maximum of two per person), register here http://tickets.europeantour.com/event/ubs-hong-kong-open-thursday-only/hong-kong-gc/905708/
Those wishing to purchase tickets for the remainder of the event weekend (23-25 October) can purchase their tickets from www.cityline.com