UAE. The annual Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup makes a welcome return this coming week, with the popular industry competition taking place on 24 and 25 November at the Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai and Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, respectively. The event was cancelled last year due to the pandemic.
Now on its 28th edition, the invitational golf tournament has attracted over 85 executives from the international duty free industry with around 45 overseas players set to play in Dubai after a gap of two years.
The tournament kicks off directly after this year’s Middle East and Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA) conference in Dubai, with the resumption of both events coming as positive indicators for the travel retail industry.
Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman & CEO Colm McLoughlin said: “The response to this year’s tournament has been great and, while we are missing some of our friends due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, we are delighted that so many were able to join us here in Dubai. We are also happy to welcome back Des Smyth as the golf pro of the tournament.”
The stableford competition is open to all male and female amateur players with a valid handicap of 28/36 or less. Winners are selected from the Men’s and Ladies Division and Senior’s category from age 50+, 65+ and 70+.
Past champions of the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup include Steve Flanagan (1993/1996); Raimund Legnar (1994); Brendan O’Shea (1995); Noel Fox (1997- 2000); Jan Baljet (2001); Ulrik Moller (2002); Adel Zarooni (2003-2004); Art Miller (2005); John Kammerman (2006); Nayma Maya (2007); Mark Van Huesden (2008); James Kfouri (2009); Gurbax Singh (2010); Clark Francis (2011); Rabih Sfeila (2012); Dermot Davitt (2013); Denise Kennedy (2014), Bayer Khan (2015), Scott Campbell (2016), Clark Francis (2017), Cees van Dooren (2018) and Richard Lombard-Chibnall (2019).
Following the first day of golf on 24 November, guests will be invited to relax and enjoy Dubai Duty Free’s customary hospitality at The Irish Village in Garhoud, with special entertainment lined up for the evening.
November and December are traditionally busy months for Dubai Duty Free. In recent weeks, the company has been a sponsor at the Dubai Airshow and the DP World Tour Championship – Race to Dubai and will also soon be supporting the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby 7’s and the Dubai Duty Free Sailing League Regatta. Dubai Duty Free will celebrate its 38th anniversary on 20 December.
