Casey sinks 3rd Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Ace

Paul Casey, a two-time Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship winner, sunk a sensational hole-in-one today [Saturday], to earn a three-day-a-year stay, for life, at the UAE capital’s opulent Emirates Palace hotel.

On his third hole – the twelfth – on day three of the Championship, which concludes tomorrow [Sunday], Casey struck a 186-yard ace to card the sixth hole-in-one in the tournament’s six-year history. The Englishman’s pinpoint effort was the event’s third hole-in-one in as many days, after Søren Kjeldsen and Ricardo González achieved the same outcome at the seventh hole on Thursday and Friday, respectively.?

Casey, no stranger to sinking golf’s greatest shot having famously struck his first ever hole-in-one to win a Ryder Cup foursomes match at Dublin’s K Club in 2006, was thrilled with his maiden Abu Dhabi ace. ?
“I played a 7-iron. It was a beautiful little draw that landed about eight inches just right of the hole, said Casey.  “It probably skipped forward and jumped back into the hole – it was great to see it go in.”

Speaking about his prize, he said:  “That's absolutely fantastic. The Emirates Palace is the only 7star hotel I've ever stayed in and you can't compare it to anything else.  It is unique.  Every hotel after the Emirates Palace seems a bit subpar.“
?Abu Dhabi’s hole-in-one hat-trick comes after The National Course was lengthened for this year’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, with additional hazards added to make it more challenging for the world’s top players. Organisers have said that a third hole-in-one highlights the strength of field assembled.

“A hole-in-one always contains an element of luck, but to have three on the scoreboard before the third round has even finished is quite special – it is a tribute to the breadth of field contesting this year’s event,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, Events Manager, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, the championship organiser.