The 14th annual Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge 2011 ‘Strikes Off’ at the Xerox Emirates new IMPZ offices

The 14^th Annual Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge was officially launched with the events’ sponsors at Xerox Emirates offices at the International Media Production Zone on Tuesday 20^th September 2011. The 2011-2012 golf challenge consists of 10 qualifying rounds in six countries around the GCC, followed by the Grand Finale that will be held in Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates on 26 April 2012. 

The first qualifying round will be held at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club and will host 50 teams and 100 players. The top eight teams of each qualifying round will move onto the Grand Final and have the chance to win a trip to the British Open Championship 2012. 

“The Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge is a highly anticipated event in our calendar and has been named ‘Best Corporate Golf Event in the Middle East’ twice. Golfers in the region are increasing in both numbers and talent and this is clearly evident from the increase in interest received by golfers this year. Together with the sponsors of the challenge, we aim to raise the bar for Golf in the Middle East and we are confident that this year’s challenge will be ‘on par’ with previous tournaments and are looking forward to an exciting golf season.” said Andrew Hurt, General Manager, Xerox Emirates. 

Xerox, the leading enterprise for business process and document management, expects a bigger pool of golfers to participate in the 14^th edition than any other year. Each tournament includes teams from every industry and level, with player’s participating from media, education and business sectors alike. Throughout the years the tournament has grown significantly bigger in scope and coverage. The tournament now includes more qualifying rounds than previous years in addition to branching out within the region, in places such as Oman and Saudi Aramco. Furthermore, Xerox is engaging in new initiatives, expanding into social media forums such as Facebook and LinkedIn; by launching an online competition allowing fans of the Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge Facebook page, to win prizes by answering simple questions. This competition will be launched on Saturday 8^th October 2011. 

“The tournament has grown significantly bigger in scope and coverage, making it an even bigger regional sporting event. We are delighted to welcome golfing enthusiasts from Lebanon and Oman as well as old and new participants from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE,” added Dan Smith, Head of Integrated Marketing for the Middle East and Africa region of Xerox’s Developing Markets Operations.

The tournament this year is sponsored by Avis Rent a Car and ABB, and co-sponsored by Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas, ECCO, Crystal Gallery, Khaleej Times as well as Troon Golf. The addition of new sponsors Park Hyatt and Villas as well as the continuation of previous sponsors highlights the growth and expansion of the tournament as well as Xerox’s commitment to the region.