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Paul Casey, a two-time Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship winner, sunk a sensational hole-in-one today [Saturday], to earn a three-day-a-year stay, for life, at the UAE capital’s opulent Emirates Palace hotel.
On his third hole – the twelfth – on day three of the Championship, which concludes tomorrow [Sunday], Casey struck a 186-yard ace to card the sixth hole-in-one in the tournament’s six-year history. The Englishman’s pinpoint effort was the event’s third hole-in-one in as many days, after Søren Kjeldsen and Ricardo González achieved the same outcome at the seventh hole on Thursday and Friday, respectively.
Casey, no stranger to sinking golf’s greatest shot having famously struck his first ever hole-in-one to win a Ryder Cup foursomes match at Dublin’s K Club in 2006, was thrilled with his maiden Abu Dhabi ace.
“I played a 7-iron. It was a beautiful little draw that landed about eight inches just right of the hole, said Casey. “It probably skipped forward and jumped back into the hole – it was great to see it go in.”
Speaking about his prize, he said: “That’s absolutely fantastic. The Emirates Palace is the only 7 star hotel I’ve ever stayed in and you can’t compare it to anything else. It is unique. Every hotel after the Emirates Palace seems a bit sub par.“
Abu Dhabi’s hole-in-one hat-trick comes after The National Course was lengthened for this year’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, with additional hazards added to make it more challenging for the world’s top players. Organisers have said that a third hole-in-one highlights the strength of field assembled.
“A hole-in-one always contains an element of luck, but to have three on the scoreboard before the third round has even finished is quite special – it is a tribute to the breadth of field contesting this year’s event,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, the championship organiser.
Tickets for the final day of the 2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship are priced at AED125 and are available at the gate. A preferential rate of AED100 applies to EGF members. Children under 18 will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult, while HSBC card holders can also get in free by presenting their card on arrival. All car parking is free.
Tickets are available via the event’s official website, www.abudhabihsbcgolfchampionship.com, as well as online at www.timeouttickets.com and www.itptickets.com. Phone bookings can be made through the ITP toll-free hotline 800 4669, or for international visitors, +971 4 210 8943.
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