Established in 1961, the Barclays Singapore Open is one of the key events of the Asian Tour, regularly attracting the world’s best players to Malaysia and Emirates is proud to have been the event’s Official Airline since 2009, the same year the Asian Tour event became co-sanctioned with golf’s European Tour.
With a purse of $6 million, the Barclays Singapore Open is one of the richest events on the golfing calendar and Emirates utilises its sponsorship of the event to strengthen brand awareness and international exposure. During the event, Emirates brings a new level of excitement to golf enthusiasts, corporate guests and the travel trade with a line-up of activities designed to engage spectators.
In previous years, Emirates' VIP guests have been given an exclusive opportunity to play with the stars in the Pro-Am and in the Nearest-to-the-Pin competition – raising funds for the Emirates Airline Foundation, a charity which supports disadvantaged children.
2011 saw Spain's Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano win the storm-delayed Barclays Singapore Open in a play-off against Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines. In tempestuous conditions, players were forced off the course and the event shortened to 54 holes due to the inclement weather. The victory was the fifth of the Spaniard’s career and his first on the Asian Tour.
Emirates also sponsors The Ryder Cup, UBS Hong Kong Open, Dubai World Championship, BMW International Open 2012, Japan Open, WGC-HSBC Champions, Emirates Australian Open Championship, Australian PGA Championship, Austrian Golf Open, Avantha Masters, Ballantine’s Championship, Maybank Malaysian Open, Thailand Open and Alstom Open de France.