World No. 1 Rory McIlroy has confirmed he will be returning to Hong Kong next month to defend his UBS Hong Kong Open in suburban Fancourt.
Swiss banking giant UBS came to an agreement some weeks ago to continue their role as main sponsor and McIlroy has now responded by finally agreeing to return to the Special China Administrative Region and tee up in the event being staged from 15-18 November, 2012.
Rory McIroy confirms he will defend his UBS Hong Kong Open title. (Photo – Jenny Matthews/ww.golffile.ie)
McIlroy won the event by two strokes last year from Frenchman Gregory Havret to secure his then fifth Tour success around the globe. Since then the 23-year old has added a second Major Championship, the PGA Championship and three PGA Tour titles.
McIlroy revealed his intention to return to Hong Kong straight after losing to American Matt Kuchar on the first day of the Turkish Airlines Wold Golf Final in Belek.
“There had been a little doubt over Hong Kong but now that it’s all sorted out with the sponsor and so on, I am going to defend my title,” he said.
“I haven’t made up my mind yet about the HSBC Champions.”
It means now that McIlroy will return to the European Tour in a fortnight confirmed to play in three of Asia’s biggest tournaments – $US 7m BMW Masters in Shanghai (October 25 to 28), $US 6m Barclays Singapore Open (November 8 – 11), $US 2m UBS Hong Kong Open and thefollowing week’s season-ending $US 8m Dubai World Championship.
If McIlroy does tee-up in the $US 7m WGC – HSBC Champions at Mission Hills it will mean five Race to Dubai events in succession and in four different countries.
And on Monday October 29th, and the day after the Tour stop in Shanghai, McIlroy will go head-to-head in ‘The Duel at Lake Jinsha’ in Beijing
