Tiger Woods To Be Enticed To Compete In Inaugural 2013 $US 7m Turkish Open.

Tiger Woods will be enticed to compete in the first-ever Turkish Open to be staged from 7th to 10th November, 2013 at The Montgomerie Course in Belek.

ISM’s Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler along with Ahmet Agaoglu, President of the Turkish Golf Federation and Keith Waters, Director of International Policy with the European Tour made the annoucement of the inaugural $US 7m today in Belek.

The new 78-player only European Tour event will be staged for three years and will be the penultimate event on the Race to Dubai schedule.

Turkisg Golf Federation President, Ahmet Agaoglu getting Keith Waters, Director of International Policy with the European Tour and ISM’s Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler in a hand lock at today’s 2013 Turkish Open annoucement. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)

“I am honoured to announce that starting from 7th November next year the first European Tour PGA event will take place in Turkey for three years up to and including 2015,” said Agaoglu.

“There has never been a Turkish Open and this will be an exciting start for this new tournament and it is our hope to that the players competing in this week’ Turkish Airlines World Golf Final will compete.

“It is our believe given Antalya and Belek are becoming such important golf destinations that we have a tournament of this stature here in the region.”

Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler, as head of the UK-based International Sports Management (ISM), will be charged with running the tournament that he sees as helping to boost Turkey’s goal of hosting the 2020 Olympic Games.

“It’s a great move for Turkey because about four years ago the PGA Tour drummed it into our heads that we should be developing golf in new nations and get golf in the Olympics,” said Chandler.

“This new Turkish Open will now tick a lot of boxes and with Turkey and Istanbul as a contender for the 2020 Olympic Games this staging of the Turkish Open will help in that regard.

“Also given the reaction to those present here this week it is all about developing golf in Turkey so that Turkey also can field a golf team in the 2016 Olympics when golf returns to the Olympics for a first time in a very long while.

“So this is all part of a strategy building up to 2020 and with the help of the European Tour, the result is a very good three-year deal for a $US 7m Turkish Open, and we all know that there is not many good new tournaments about.”

However the announcement of a 2013 Turkish Open and the staging a week later of the season-ending Dubai World Championship means that the 2013 Hong Kong Open and Singapore Open titles, and to be staged in the weeks after will be become part of the 2014 Race to Dubai schedule.

Keith Waters, Director of International Policy with the European Tour said:  “We wanted to create a stronger finish to the European Tour season and we will have that now with the BMW Masters, the HSBC Champions and now the new Turkish Open as the last events before the Dubai World Championship.

“But as regards to the Hong Kong Open and the Singapore Open they will be staged as usual next year in the later part of November and for European Tour they will now be the opening events on our 2014 Race to Dubai schedule.

“It’s been a changing period trying to get the 2013 Turkish Open into the schedule but we are looking forward to a bright future.

”But we will be shortly announcing full details of the 2013 European Tour schedule and also details of how we can encourage our players to compete in the last few events before Dubai

“However while we are looking to create a stronger finish to the year we are not looking to duplicate the FedEx Cup Series on the PGA Tour.”



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