Two weeks to go until the 57th UBS Hong Kong Open, one of Asia’s most prestigiousgolftournaments
Hong Kong, 12 October: With support from theHong Kong Government’sMega Events Fund(MEF)and the return of long-time supporter UBS as title sponsor in 2015, the UBS Hong Kong Openis bringing the world’sleading golferstoAsia’s World City to competefor the US$2 millionprize purse.
Global superstars Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose, currently ranked eighth and seventhin the world respectively, are headlining the event and will be joined by Victor Dubuisson, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Graeme McDowell, Patrick Reed, Anirban Lahiri and Thongchai Jaidee in one of the strongest fields in the UBS Hong Kong Open’s 57 year history.
To share the excitement across the city, and make the UBS Hong Kong Open more accessible than ever before for the Hong Kong public, several exciting community focused initiatives have been implemented for this year’s Championship.
The highlight of these community focused initiatives is ‘Free Thursday’, a new scheme offering free admission to the tournament on the event’s opening day.
The ‘Free Thursday’ initiativewillgive visitors, local golf enthusiasts and new fans an opportunityto watch some of the world’s greatest golfers and experience the unique atmosphere of the beautifully traditional Hong Kong Golf Club at no cost on Thursday 22nd October.
To further share the excitement of the UBS Hong Kong Open with the the public,the organizers will host a “Community Open Day” for the first time on Wednesday 21st October.
Targeting local youth and their families from the communities surrounding the Hong Kong Golf Club, the Community Open Day will feature a number of family-oriented programs including arts & crafts, introductory golf programs, rope-skipping and other interactive games.
The Open Day will offer a chance for the local community to visit Fanling and enjoy a fun, educational and healthy day out. Professional players will be on hand to meet the visiting kids and adults. All registered participants attending the Open Day will also receive twocomplimentary season passesfor the tournament.
As part ofits commitment to bring golf to the wider Hong Kong public, the Hong Kong Golf Association will host a golf clinic for 150 local children featuring several of the tournament’s star golfers at the Tuen Mun Golf Center on Tuesday 20th October. This will be a unique opportunity for aspiring young golfers and beginners alike to hear from some of the top players in the world and watch them show-off their golfing skills.
The organizers have also jointly launched a first-of-its-kind charity golf day surrounding the tournament, the UBS Hong Kong Open Charity Cup. With the attraction of playing on the composite Championship course at the Hong Kong Golf Club – only playable for nine days per year – the Charity Cup is targeting at raising over one million Hong Kong dollars for three child and youth based charities in Hong Kong.
Commenting on the raft of community engagement activities planned for this year, Ms Kathryn Shih, Head of UBS Wealth Management APACsaid, “UBS is delighted at the wide range of initiativesimplemented for this year’s UBS Hong Kong Open. These innovative and community-friendly programs will further promote golf’s popularity in our local community and create a strong legacy for the tournament amongst the public.”
Mr. Chi-Won Yoon, President Asia Pacific of UBS AG, echoed Ms. Shih’s excitement, saying, “These new initiatives demonstrate how much our event partners share our commitment to enhancing the accessibility of the Open. Together, we encourage new audiences to experience the sportsmanship, suspense and drama of this terrific event.”
Jeffrey Lam, Chairman of the Mega Events Fund Assessment Committeecommented: “As part of our goal to promote Hong Kong as Asia’s World City, MEF is committed to supporting and promoting major events including sporting events such as the UBS Hong Kong Open. Golf is one of the priority sportssupported by government fundingand throughtheUBS Hong Kong Open, we hope to showcase Hong Kong as a vibrant city with diverse offering to tourists around the world.”
In addition to the community engagement activity, event stakeholders have generated unprecedented awareness for the event through a number of promotional and advertising initiatives both online and offline.
The most significant of these is UBS’s massive outdoor advertising on the exterior of its new office in Kowloon, Hong Kong at One Peking Road, which delivers huge visibility for the tournament across the city.
Tournament information is also featured at the centre of the Observation Wheel, the latest addition to the iconic Hong Kong city skyline. Recognizing the potential tourism contribution to the city from golf fans travelling to Hong Kong for the tournament, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has integrated promotion of the event into its “Discover Hong Kong” mobile app.
With other outdoor advertising around Mid-Levels, at the Airport Express terminals, and across different districts in Hong Kong, exposure for the tournament has never been higher.
For “Free Thursday” tickets (maximum 2 per person), please register via: http://tickets.europeantour.com/event/ubs-hong-kong-open-thursday-only/hong-kong-gc/905708/
Tickets for 23-25, October now for sale: www.cityline.com
Facebook：www.facebook.com/ubshongkongopen
Website：www.ubshkopen.com
