Nakheel, the UAE’s leading property developer, raised a record-breaking amount for UAE charities at the 2006 Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa Challenge Match.
Nakheel, a key sponsor for the event fourth consecutive year, helped to attract the world's leading players to Dubai who raised an impressive 180,000 Dirhams for the three designated charities Al Noor Training Centre, Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, and Dubai Centre for Special Needs - more than double the amount of last year’s event
During a thrilling day’s golf in which three of the four world’s top four ranked players participated, Ernie Els joined forces with compatriot Retief Goosen to win the now customary pre-Desert Classic greensomes event. The two South Africans were in imperious form during the nine-hole shoot-out over the Resort Course, combining to fire a 5-under 31 to edge out Ryder Cup pair Thomas Bjorn and Darren Clarke by one shot. The other paring of world number 1 Tiger Woods and former Masters and Open champion Mark O’Mera could have tied for second, but Woods missed his eagle putt on the last.
Nakheel, showcasing it’s Jumeirah Golf Estates development at the event, sponsored both the ‘hole-in-one competition’, and the ‘Birdie, Eagle, and Albatross Challenge’. For every Birdie achieved AED10,000 was raised with AED15,000 offered for each Eagle, and AED20,000 for an Albatross. Nakheel also paid a further AED5,000 for each shot under par (36 strokes) by each competing team. US$1 million was also up for grabs in the hole-in-competition, but unfortunately on this occasion none of the players were able to achieve the phenomenal feat.
Ms Dina Al Jaflah, General Manager, Jumeirah Golf Estates, said: "It’s a shame that on this occasion none of the players were able to achieve a hole-in-one, but that would have been an incredible feat and I’m sure you’ll agree 180,000 Dirhams is a fantastic amount of money which will benefit the three charities enormously. It really was a rare treat to see so many of the world’s best players playing together in this format and I must offer my congratulations to the players for providing such an entertaining day of golf.
“For Nakheel, the Challenge Match was an excellent opportunity to showcase our Jumeirah Golf Estates development, which will feature four world-class championship golf courses, designed by superstars such as Vijay Singh and Greg Norman, within a community featuring a variety of housing opportunities, world-class amenities and premier services. We are just about to break ground on the project so there are some exciting times ahead.”
About Nakheel
Nakheel is the uniquely focused property development company behind a variety of new landmark developments in Dubai. Nakheel aims to redefine the concept of property development whether residential, tourist, commercial or retail. It has therefore placed great importance on examining the requirements of the different sectors of the community and developing its visionary projects around these findings.
Nakheel’s portfolio currently includes The Palm, The World, Jumeirah Islands, The Gardens, Ibn Battuta Mall, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Lost City, International City, Discovery Gardens, Jumeirah Village and Dubai Waterfront. Further information can be found at www.nakheel.ae
