TWO RUGBY GREATS ADD TO STELLAR ABU DHABI INVITATIONAL LINEUP

Abu Dhabi, January 22nd, 2017:  Mike Tindall, a 2003 Rugby Union World Cup winner, and David Campese, winner in 1991, have joined Peter Schmeichel’s team of Celebrity All-Stars for the 2017 Abu Dhabi Invitational.

Tindall, 38, had an illustrious rugby career and was a stalwart in the England rugby team for over a decade. Winning 75 caps and starting every game during England’s victorious World Cup campaign in 2003, he is a great of the modern game.

Campese, 54, is widely regarded as one of the greatest wingers the game has ever seen. “Campo” bewitched defences and infuriated opponents the world over during a career that took in 101 international caps and 64 tries for Australia.

Joining them in Abu Dhabi will be Schalk Brits, one of the best players to come out of South Africa in recent years. Having represented South Africa at the 2015 World Cup when they finished third, Brits has also won the English Premiership and European Cup with English club Saracens.

The rugby trio will play alongside a number of legends from the world of sport — including Ruud Gullit, Dwight Yorke, James Anderson and Brian Lara — for Peter Schmeichel’s Celebrity team, against Paul McGinley’s team of professional golfers. With other big-name competitors from the worlds of golf, sport and entertainment including pop legend Ronan Keating, the event looks set to be an incredible occasion.

This year’s event will comprise an Amateur Championship on Saturday 28 January with invited sponsor and stakeholder guests, before the main Invitational on Sunday 29 January. Both days are open to the public. 

The format for the Sunday Invitational will see 20 professionals and 20 celebrities paired with a VIP guest as the teams compete against each other in a Ryder Cup Fourball format. 

His Excellency Aref Hamad Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), said: “We are thrilled to have two rugby greats of all time joining us at Yas Links for the Abu Dhabi Invitational this year.”

“It is wonderful to be able to welcome new names to play at the Abu Dhabi Invitational. This year’s tournament promises to be a wonderful occasion at Yas Links, the best links course in the region and one of the best golf venues in the world.”

The 2017 Abu Dhabi Invitational will also welcome a host of leading media from the world of television, print, digital, social and radio platforms. Interested media are urged to make contact with the event organisers as soon as possible.

Howie Roberts, General Manager of Yas Links, is also eagerly anticipating the array of sporting superstars who’ll play in the event this year. “We are honoured to have Mike Tindall and David Campese here as we host the Abu Dhabi Invitational for a fifth time,” he said. “It is a chance to showcase this fantastic golf course, alongside Yas Island’s global entertainment and hospitality facilities, to an international and influential audience.”

The Abu Dhabi Invitational has established itself as a world-class competition where Tour golfers, the GCC’s leading amateurs, sporting celebrities, leading business executives and entrepreneurs come together to play tournament golf and raise funds for charity. This year the teams will be playing to raise money for the captains’ chosen charities.

Abu Dhabi Invitational Celebrity All-Stars Team
James Anderson, Liam Brady, Schalk Brits, David Campese, Ronald de Boer, Roberto Di Matteo, Ruud Gullit, Jacques Kallis, Ronan Keating, Brian Lara, Pablo Mac Donough, Sir Matthew Pinsent, Hasan Salihamidzic, Peter Schmeichel (capt), Roland Schoeman, Sandrine Testud, Mike Tindall, Ian Walker, Dwight Yorke