FIRST BLOOD TO MCILROY! 26 - January 2012

FIRST BLOOD TO MCILROY!

Abu Dhabi, UAE. Thursday 26th January, 2012: In the battle of the giants at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, it was Rory McIlroy who took first blood yesterday, guiding his Pro Am team to a hard-fought victory!

His group – Abdulfattah Sharaf, Azzan Alghurair and Deepak Taywar – won on a count-back, after tying for first at 18 under.  Swede Peter Hanson led a team of Patrick Gallagher, Zayed Zayani and James Finucane into second place.

The longest drive was won by Jay Varkey, with a mammoth 360-yard whack, while the nearest-the-pin competitions were won by Shomail Ghalib (Mens – 3’ 11”) and Shelley Mcquattie (17’ 1”).

The winners received their trophies from Simon Cooper, Deputy Chairman and CEO, HSBC Middle East, and Greg Sproule, MD of IMG Middle East, at a special Pro Am Dinner at the Emirates Palace last night.  Following the prize-giving, guests mingled with players and took their chances on a range of games, including ‘The Impossible Putt’.