UBS today announced that it is returning this year as the title sponsor of Hong Kong’s oldest professional sporting event, the Hong Kong Open.
Sponsor of the tournament between 2005 and 2012, UBS has renewed its backing of the event with a multi-year commitment to support the Hong Kong Open, which will mark its 57th playing at the Hong Kong Golf Club between 22 and 25 October 2015.
Ms Kathryn Shih, Head of UBS Wealth Management APAC, said: “We are delighted to renew our long-standing relationship with the UBS Hong Kong Open. Over five decades the Hong Kong Open has established itself as one of Hong Kong’s premier sporting events and continues to rank as one of Asia’s most popular tournaments.
“Not only does the tournament’s high profile across the region fulfil our business and brand needs across key markets but it is also an effective platform for us to support the communities in which we operate,” said Ms Shih.
Mr Keith Waters, Chief Operating Officer and Director of International Policy for The European Tour, said: “We are thrilled to welcome UBS back to The European Tour and specifically the Hong Kong Open. Having sponsored the tournament between 2005 and 2012, there is a sense of being reunited with an old friend in one of The European Tour’s most exciting destinations.
“We would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the incredible support that we have received from the Hong Kong Golf Club over the past three years. Without its commitment to Hong Kong’s oldest professional golf tournament, we would not have been able to accord the event the prestige which it deserves. We look forward to working with our friends at UBS, Fanling, the Asian Tour and Hong Kong Golf Association to make the 2015 edition of the UBS Hong Kong Open one of the best yet.”
Mr Kyi Hla Han, Chairman of the Asian Tour, said: “We are delighted to welcome UBS back as the title sponsor and look forward to working with them again in further promoting golf in Asia.”
Mr Mark Chan, President of the Hong Kong Golf Association commented on the new sponsorship saying, “The Hong Kong Golf Association would like to thank UBS for returning as title sponsor of the Hong Kong Open. Thanks must also go to the Mega Events Fund the generous support of which will, I am sure, underpin its success.”
“UBS has been a wonderful supporter of the Hong Kong Open and I’m sure the tournament will go from strength to strength,” said Kenneth Lam, Captain of The Hong Kong Golf Club.
UBS’s previous title sponsorship of the Hong Kong Open coincided with a growth in the tournament’s prize purse from USD 700,000 to USD 2.75 million and the appearance of some of the world’s leading players including previous Hong Kong Open champions Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter and Miguel Angel Jiménez.
With UBS’s return as title sponsor, the prize purse for the UBS Hong Kong Open 2015 will be increased to USD 2.0 million in 2015, up from USD 1.3 million in 2014.
The Hong Kong SAR Government’s Mega Events Fund supported the tournament in 2011 and 2012 and has extended its commitment to the 2015 tournament.
Sanctioned by the European Tour, Asian Tour and the Hong Kong Golf Association, the UBS Hong Kong Open, which was first played in 1959, has become one of the most popular destinations on The European Tour.
Past champions include Peter Thomson, Greg Norman, Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer and Tom Watson and, more recently, José Maria Olazábal, Padraig Harrington, McIlroy, Poulter, Jiménez and Colin Montgomerie.
UBS Group AG
UBS draws on its over 150-year heritage to serve private, institutional and corporate clients worldwide, as well as retail clients in Switzerland. Its business strategy is centered on its pre-eminent global wealth management businesses and its leading universal bank in Switzerland, complemented by its Global Asset Management business and its Investment Bank, with a focus on capital efficiency and businesses that offer a superior structural growth and profitability outlook.
UBS is present in all major financial centers worldwide. It has offices in more than 50 countries, with about 35% of its employees working in the Americas, 36% in Switzerland, 17% in the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Africa and 12% in Asia Pacific. UBS Group AG employs about 60,000 people around the world. Its shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
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Kathryn Shih of UBS presents the UBS HKO to 2012 champion Miguel Angel Jimenez
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