Tiger Woods and eventual champion Justin Rose competing in last year’s Turkish Airlines
Invitational. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
That’s the message from Ahmet Ali Aoaoolu, President of the Turkish Golf Federation, who will greet Woods this week when he tees up in the inaugural Turkish Airlines Open in Balek.
Woods is returning to Turkey for a second year after competing in last year’s elite-field Turkish Airlines Open.
After the spectacular success of the Invitational this year’s event is an historic first for the European Tour.
And no one could be happier than Ahmet.
“He brings with him much more than golf. He is a superstar in many other ways,” he said.
“We know he costs money but we believe it is well spent because he does all the off-course stuff with the same class.”
It will be the first occasion Woods has competed in a European Tour carrying so much importance in the Race to Dubai given the closeness at present of the leading Race to Dubai front-runners.
Woods will join some of the superstars of Europe competing in the penultimate event of the Race to Dubai schedule including current European No. 1 money earner Henrik Stenson along with reigning US Open champion, Justin Rose and past double European No. 1 Lee Westwood.
And accepting an invitation to contest the event is Colin Montgomerie the designer of this week’s Montgomerie course at the Hotel Maxx Royal.
