Tiger Woods and the world's finest golfers go head-to-head at Turkish Airlines Open 2013

Tiger Woods will be the star attraction at the Turkish Airlines Open

The “Turkish Airlines Open”, the European Tour’s new US$7 million event to be held in Antalya, Turkey from November 7-10, will form part of the inaugural Final Series in The Race to Dubai, and will feature World Number One ranked Tiger Woods. The tournament, which takes place the week before the DP World Championship will begin on coming Thursday at The Montgomerie Maxx Royal course, in Belek, Antalya.

Tiger Woods, the 14-time Major Champion, will be part of the 78-man field, having also played in last year’s Turkish Airlines World Golf Final – is the headline star at the Turkish Airlines Open presented by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and will open proceedings with a stunning display from the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul before moving on to Belek for the first ever European Tour event held in the country.

World Number One Woods will arrive by helicopter for an historic photo shoot in Istanbul when he will become the first golfer to hit balls from East to West on the iconic Bosphorus Bridge connecting the two continents.

Woods, who has already had four wins this season on the US PGA Tour, including the recent Players Championship, said: “I had a great time during my first visit to Turkey. Turkish Airlines, the Turkish Golf Federation and the fans who came to watch made it a really special event and I’m looking forward to playing there once again.”

Last year’s eight-man event, won by Englishman Justin Rose at the nearby Antalya Golf Club, provided a taste of the world-class golf to be played in Turkey, and the new Turkish Airlines Open has now become a fully-sanctioned European Tour event.

Schedule of the Turkish Airlines Open 2013:

Thursday 7th November

07:15 – 16:45 1st Round of Championship08:00 – Gates Open08:45 – 10:45 Starting Times15:45 – Approx. Finish

Friday and Saturday 8th-9th November

07:15 – 16:45 Practice Range Open08:00 – Gates Open08:45 – 10:45 Starting Times15:45 – Approx. Finish

Sunday 10th November

06:45 – 10:15 Practice Range Open08:00 – Gates Open08:15 – 10:15 Starting Times15:15 – Approx. Finish15:30 – Presentation Ceremony (18th Green)

Faruk Cizmecioglu, Chief Marketing Officer at Turkish Airlines, said: “It is going to be a magnificent week for Turkey and its people and will announce to the world our desire and determination to further our high standing among the world’s foremost destinations for golf and tourism. We are proud to have so many distinguished golfers in our country at one time and are equally delighted to host both the first European Tour event here and the amateur Grand Final which represents what a truly global network Turkish Airlines operates.”

It is not only in the professional golfing arena that Turkish Airlines will have an influence in 2013, as the airline is also title sponsoring a new amateur event – The Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Grand Final – which will span 12 cities around the world this year, expanding to 24 in 2014.

In a week when many of the world’s best golfers will tee off in the penultimate event of the season-long Race to Dubai, 48 amateurs from around the world will also be in Antalya taking part in the Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Grand Final.

No fewer than 48 amateurs from New York to Tokyo and Dubai, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Moscow, Milan, Frankfurt, Paris, London and Delhi in between, will take part in a pairs better ball stableford for the inaugural Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Grand Final.