PRESS RELEASE

ABU DHABI CELEBRATES INAUGURAL YEAR AS ROLEX SERIES EVENT

Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, 09 January 2019 – The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA will make its debut as a Rolex Series event when the 2019 edition takes place from 16–19 January. First staged in 2006, it has been elevated to the top tier of events on the European Tour, featuring the best players in the world for four days of high-intensity golf.

The showpiece tournament becomes the second in the UAE to be awarded Rolex Series status, joining the DP World Tour Championship, the finale of the European Tour’s Race to Dubai.

Rolex Testimonee and three-time Major winner Brooks Koepka will be competing at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club, aiming to clinch his first professional win in the Emirates. His presence highlights the tournament’s standing among the leading events played in the Middle East and validates its promotion to the Rolex Series.

The American had a phenomenally successful season in 2018. He won the US PGA Championship, defended his U.S. Open championship – the first player to do so since fellow Rolex Testimonee Curtis Strange won back-to-back titles in 1988 and 1989 – and was named PGA Player of the Year. Koepka, the Florida native who started his professional career on the European Challenge Tour, already has four wins on the European Tour and will be hoping to take his electrifying form into the new season.

Koepka said: “It’s been five years since I last played in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship but I’ve been wanting to return for a long time, so I’m really looking forward to the opportunity to test myself in such beautiful surroundings once again. I loved my experience on the European Tour when I was younger, and it’s always great to be back.”

Joining Koepka in Abu Dhabi will be several members of the Rolex family of Testimonees, including previous Rolex Series winners Thorbjørn Olesen of Denmark and Spaniards Rafa Cabrera Bello and Jon Rahm, who won the 2017 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the 2017 DP World Tour Championship.

ENDS

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NOTES TO EDITORS

ROLEX TESTIMONEES CONTESTING THE 2019 ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY EGA Rafa Cabrera Bello Nicolas Colsaerts Dominic Foos Trevor Immelman Brooks Koepka Anirban Lahiri Haotong Li Thorbjørn Olesen Thomas Pieters Jon Rahm

ROLEX TESTIMONEES WHO HAVE WON THE ABU DHABI CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY EGA Paul Casey (2007, 2009) Martin Kaymer (2008, 2010, 2011) (2016)

ABOUT THE ROLEX SERIES Through an unwavering commitment to the game of golf for more than 50 years, Rolex has developed one of the broadest and most enduring relationships between brand and sport in the world.

Rolex has always contributed to the further development of golf worldwide through its partnerships with guardians of the global game – organizations with the responsibility of advancing the sport, such as the European Tour.

Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of this partnership, in 2017 the Rolex Series was launched as the premium tournament category on the European Tour’s International Schedule. Presently comprising eight tournaments staged in a variety of locations around the world, Rolex Series events offer a minimum prize fund of US$7 million.

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The 2019 roster of Rolex Series tournaments comprises: the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA (January 16-19); the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation (July 4-7); the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open (July 11-14); the BMW PGA Championship (September 19-22); the Italian Open (October 10-13); the Turkish Airlines Open (November 7-10); the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player (November 14-17); and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (November 21-24), where the leading golfer of the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex will be crowned.

ABOUT ROLEX An unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise

Rolex, a Swiss watch manufacture headquartered in Geneva, is recognized the world over for its expertise and the quality of its products. Its Oyster and Cellini watches, all certified as Superlative Chronometers for their precision, performance and reliability, are symbols of excellence, elegance and prestige. Founded by Hans Wilsdorf in 1905, the brand pioneered the development of the wristwatch and is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the Oyster, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the Perpetual rotor self-winding mechanism invented in 1931. Rolex has registered over 500 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated and independent manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Through philanthropic programmes and a broad palette of sponsorship activities, Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports and exploration, and encourages the spirit of enterprise, as well as the conservation of natural environments.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE www.rolex.com

ROLEX GOLF PRESS ROOM https://pressroom.rolex.com/en/sports-and- culture/partnership-activities/rolex-and-golf. html

MEDIA CONTACTS Virginie Chevailler Rolex SA [email protected] +41 22 302 26 19

Merrick Haydon rEvolution [email protected] +44 7748 186 833

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