A number of Major winners, LIV Golf stars and the cream of the Asian Tour will tee it up in the US $2million Oman tournament, the season opener on the 2024 schedule of The International Series, ready to test themselves on the Greg Norman-designed course which was joint winner for the Asian Tour Players Choice Course of the Year award in 2023.
South African Major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel will line up alongside their Stinger GC teammates Dean Burmester and Branden Grace, while Chilean superstar Joaquin Niemann has also brought his Torque GC team of Mito Pereira, Sebastian Munoz and Carlos Ortiz to the challenging Al Mouj Golf.
Indian sensation Anirban Lahiri of Crushers GC and highly rated Hong Kong youngster Taichi Kho are also in the field alongside a host of Asian Tour stars including last year’s Order of Merit high fliers Miguel Tabuena, Gaganjeet Bhullar, Travis Smyth and Phachara Khongwatmai.
Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series, said: “Our return to Oman emphasises our growing appeal as a brand. The International Series is recognised as an elite-level golf event that brings together world-class talent from across the globe, along with the cream of the Asian Tour to compete for elevated prize purses at incredible golfing destinations.
“Over the past two seasons we have created a truly international schedule, providing a pathway to the LIV Golf League for players from all over the world while also offering a platform for players from the region to experience golf at its highest levels.
“The renowned hospitality of Oman proved extremely popular with the players last year, and it is a real pleasure to return to the Gulf state again in the new season.”
Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO of the Asian Tour said: “The Asian Tour has a strong bond with golf in the Middle East and our efforts in the region are evident through the growing interest in golf across the region, with emerging talent coming from many different countries to play International Series events.”
Mundhir al Barwani, Chairman of the Oman Golf Association, said: “The 2023 event exceeded all our expectations and, through the exceptional field of players assembled, showcased Oman to a global audience. We were delighted to hear that the players themselves enjoyed the experience of visiting the Sultanate, the hospitality of the Kempinski Muscat, and the magnificent course at Al Mouj Golf.
“Events such as these are critical to our endeavours to grow the golf industry and support tourism, investment, and employment in the Sultanate. We also value the opportunity to expose our regional elite amateurs to such a high level of competition, and hope that having Omani players participating will help to inspire the next generation of golfers.
Mubarak Hill, GM of Al Mouj Golf, said: “It is an honour to welcome back The International Series and get the schedule underway again for a second successive year. The tournament brings some of the biggest names in world golf to Oman, and showcases our incredible course, world-class facilities and of course the hospitality that Oman is known for.
“Thanks to the hard work and commitment of our team here at Al Mouj, we can give the world just one golfing example as to why Oman is one of the best destinations to visit in the Middle East, with its wonderful culture, landscape and leisure experiences.”
The International Series was first introduced to the Asian Tour calendar in 2022 as a set of 10 elevated tournaments that support playing opportunities and drive greater engagement, thanks to a landmark US$300m investment with LIV Golf.
World-class destinations on this year’s schedule also include Macau, Morocco, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with further dates and venues still to be announced. In previous seasons, tournaments have been staged in Singapore, Korea, Hong Kong, China, England, Scotland, Egypt and Thailand. For more information on the International Series Oman, click here.
