Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood Headline Inaugural Turkish Airlines World Golf Final

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--One of this year’s most exciting global golf tournaments attracting top ranked players is coming to Turkey, as today Turkish Airlines and the Turkish Golf Federation formally introduced the Turkish Airlines World Golf Final, to be held at the Antalya Golf Club in Belek, October 9-12, 2012. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood headline the star-studded eight-player field playing for a first prize of $1.5 million from a total purse of $5.2 million.

“Turkey is quickly becoming one of the top golf destinations in Europe and this tournament will enhance the country’s reputation as a major sporting destination. Turkish Airlines has sponsored numerous sports teams and events and we are committed to all sports around the world.”

“As one the world’s fastest growing airlines, we are delighted to sponsor an event that not only will be of great interest to golf fans around the globe, but will also introduce a breathtaking world-class golf course to the world,” said Turkish Airlines President and CEO Temel Kotil, Ph.D. “Turkey is quickly becoming one of the top golf destinations in Europe and this tournament will enhance the country’s reputation as a major sporting destination. Turkish Airlines has sponsored numerous sports teams and events and we are committed to all sports around the world.”

Joining Woods, McIlroy and Westwood in the medal/matchplay format are Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar, Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose and Charl Schwartzel. The field was assembled from the world rankings at the beginning of April.

“It is an honor for us to be able to host a tournament of this stature,” said Ahmet Agaoglu, President of the Turkish Golf Federation. “It further demonstrates our mission to have a key place on golf's regular calendar and attract top talent to Turkey.”

The competition, which will broadcast live in more than 50 countries, will be hosted by the PGA Sultan, one of two courses at the Antalya Golf Club. PGA Sultan is an 18-hole, par 71 course that covers 6,477 meters and is the chosen home of the Turkish PGA. The Antalya Golf Club, designed by David Jones and the European Golf Design in the late 1990s, is one of the top-rated golf complexes in Belek and offers beautiful surroundings for its players, being situated alongside Turkey’s Southwest picturesque Mediterranean coast. “I have been looking forward to the event ever since last April when I qualified to play,” said Westwood. “Golf in Turkey and the sport in general will benefit from this new initiative and I’m sure all my fellow competitors feel the same about the prospects of a fantastic week on the Mediterranean.”

The four-day event, which will take place Tuesday through Friday, will be played in medal match play format involving two groups of four. Each player will play three matches in the group stages and the winners and runners up will advance to the semi-finals, where the winner of Group A will play the runner up of Group B and the winner of Group B will player the winner of Group A.

At stake is a $1.5 million first prize, with $1 million for the runner up, $600,000 each for third and fourth place, $450,000 for fifth and sixth and $300,000 for seventh and eighth.

“It’s an exciting prospect on several counts,” said Kuchar, the 2012 Players Championship winner. “I’m really looking forward to going to Turkey, sampling a different culture and pitting myself against the world’s best.”

The Turkish Airlines World Golf Final Match Schedule is as follows:

* Oct. 8 – Practice
* Oct. 9 – Group matches – 1^st round
* Oct. 10 – Group matches – 2^nd and 3^rd round
* Oct. 11 – Semi-finals
* Oct. 12 – Final and Pro-Am competition

Turkish Airlines also sponsors the World Amateur Golf Championships (for men and women), to be held in Antalya, Sept. 27-Oct. 7, 2012, and has partnerships with world-renown soccer clubs Manchester United and FC Barcelona.

About Turkish Airlines:

Established in 1933 with a fleet of only five airplanes, Star Alliance member, Turkish Airlines is today a four star airline with a fleet of 184 aircraft (passenger and cargo) flying to 199 cities around the world, comprised of 35 domestic and 167 international destinations. One of the fastest growing airline companies, Turkish Airlines has received several “Passengers Choice Awards” from the consumer ranking group, Skytrax. Based on 2011 and 2012 results, Turkish Airlines has been chosen as the winner of “Best Airline Europe”, “Best Premium Economy Seats” for its Comfort Class seats and “Best Airline Southern Europe”. It has also received awards for its catering and holds a coveted 4-star designation, putting the airline in a small group of top quality carriers. Turkish Airlines was also given the Skytrax designation of “World’s Best Economy Class On-board catering” in 2010, and Skyscanner’s “Best On-board Food 2011”. Long haul Business Class passengers also enjoy the Flying Chef service on-board. Turkish Airlines currently has four U.S. gateways, including New York, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, and starting in April 2013, Houston will become the fifth gateway.