Troon’s International Division starts the year on an event high

Troon venues have had a bright start to the new year with a number of well-regarded tournaments in their calendar. These events, which featured on the European Tour and Ladies European Tour, took place on some of the best conditioned courses on the circuit.

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, one of Troon’s headline courses, hosted the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA from 16-19 January. The course continually boasts some of the most pristine fairways and greens on the European Tour and Troon proudly plays a role in helping advise on this conditioning and ensure its efficient maintenance.

Abu Dhabi’s greenkeepers worked alongside colleagues from Troon International venues overseas, including The Grove (UK), The Grange Golf Club (Australia) and Brookwater (Australia), in ensuring the course was at the peak of its powers with almost 100 members of staff involved in course maintenance during the week.

Brooks Koepka was full of admiration for the course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on his return to the event for the first time since 2014, commenting that the Abu Dhabi course “reminds me of a major championship”.

Koepka was joined by fellow Major champions Patrick Reid, Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson just a few weeks later at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club for the Saudi International powered by SBIA from 31 January-3 February, the first European Tour event to be held in Saudi Arabia.

Opened for play in April 2018, the Royal Greens course, situated in an idyllic location on the shores of the Red Sea, was highly regarded by the world class field. Dustin Johnson commented that “It’s a beautiful course and I really like it. I really enjoyed my week this week, and I hope to be back next year.”

The stars of the LET were also to be seen on course at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club for the staging of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open from 10-12 January, quickly followed by the ever-popular Gary Player Invitational in its familiar spot on the global golfing calendar.

Away from the European Tour and Ladies European Tour, Troon-managed courses have also played host to the MENA Tour in the early months of the year, with an array of Troon Series events being hosted at Al Zorah, Dubai Hills and The Royal Golf Club, Bahrain.

On its fast start to the year, President of Troon International, Mark Chapleski, commented: “Our agronomy team are the leaders in their respective fields and their collective expertise was evident for all to see at each of the high-profile tournaments hosted at Troon International venues already this year. These globally-significant events allow us to demonstrate the conditioning and maintenance Troon International venues enjoy and prove that even the very best players in the world appreciate our high standards.”