Rhys Davies recieves the trophy from His Royal Highness Prince Moulay
Rachid (R) and Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem
A new chapter in the long and prestigious history of the Trophée Hassan II will be written in 2011, when the event is played in the Moroccan city of Agadir from March 31 to April 3.
For the first time in European golf history, this international resort will host both The European Tour and the Ladies European Tour events in the same city in the same week.
The Trophée Hassan II, which retains its original ‘Alliance’ (Pro-Am) format for the first two rounds, will be played over two outstanding venues, the unique Golf du Palais Royal, designed by Robert Trent Jones Snr and considered by many to be one of the finest courses in the world, and the superb new course at Golf de L’Ocean.
Amateurs and professionals will be privileged to play on these stunning facilities, thanks to the patronage of the Moroccan Royal Family, which has been such a generous supporter of golf, since the original event was hosted by HM late King Hassan II in 1971.
The 2011 prize fund has also been increased to €1,500,000, with players and VIP guests being hosted at the superb ocean-facing Sofitel Hotel. A Royal Air Maroc charter has been arranged on Monday March 28 to take players direct from Malaga to Agadir, returning to London Gatwick following the conclusion of the event on the Sunday.
Tournament promoters ATH will deploy every effort to facilitate the transfer of players qualified to compete in the Masters Tournament, which takes place the following week in Augusta, Georgia, USA from April 7-10.
The defending champion is Rhys Davies, whose phenomenal season last year was launched with his victory in the 2010 Trophée Hassan II in Rabat, where he held off the challenge of Louis Oosthuizen, who went to achieve Major Championship success by winning The Open at St Andrews last July.
The Welshman came from two shots behind going into the final round, firing a closing 66 to capture the title with a 25 under par total of 266. His two stroke victory provided the springboard for a superb 2010 season in which he went on to finish 18th in The Race to Dubai with rookie season earnings of €1,218,636.
Davies said: “I will always have fond memories of my victory at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam last year. It was my big breakthrough on The European Tour and it was a day I will never forget, coming from two behind Louis to shoot 66 and win, then to receive my trophy from the Moroccan Royal Family.
“One year earlier I had no official playing rights in Europe before winning on the Challenge Tour, so my victory was very special. It was all a bit of a blur afterwards and it took a while to sink in what I had achieved. The whole week in Rabat was extremely enjoyable, with the first two rounds played in a Pro-Am format, and it was a pleasure to experience the Moroccan culture and hospitality.”
The Ladies European Tour event, the Coupe Lalla Meryem, is ranked tenth in terms of prize money on the LET, and will be played in 2011 at Golf du Soleil in Agadir with Germany’s Anja Monke defending the title she won last March.
The Association Trophée Hassan II, organiser of both the Trophée Hassan II and the Lalla Meryem Cup, is a non-profit sport association established on 2002. Its main purpose is to organise, in addition to the two major events, other competitions integrating international satellite Tours such as the EPD Tour and eGolf Tour.
Chaired by His Royal Highness the Prince Moulay Rachid, the Association contributes to the development of national golf and aims the promotion of the Kingdom of Morocco as a premium golf destination.
