World class international players and exceptional local golfers: the Porsche Singapore Classic will present an exciting field at the Laguna National Golf Resort Club from 21 to 24 March. In addition to top stars like the Porsche Brand Ambassador Paul Casey from England and the Irish Major champion and Ryder Cup winner Shane Lowry, Matthieu Pavon, the season’s No. 3 ranked player on the US PGA Tour, will also travel to the start of the DP World Tour’s Asian swing. After claiming the Farmers Insurance Open on the US PGA Tour in California at the start of the year, the Frenchman will be competing for the first time this season on the DP World Tour. “It is such a good feeling to be returning to the DP World Tour as a winner on the PGA TOUR,” says the current world No. 26. “It’s been amazing few months for me, winning in Madrid, getting my PGA TOUR card and then winning at Torrey Pines. It’s great to have the freedom to play wherever I want and I’m excited to head to Singapore.”
Paul Casey: “My biggest passions come together“
The former world No. 3 Paul Casey has his 16th DP World Tour title in his sights: “I’m really looking forward to the tournament, one that’s very special for me,” says Casey. “Singapore is a fascinating city and I have a fantastic relationship with Porsche since many years. I don’t only love the cars from Zuffenhausen, I also enjoy all the unique events that Porsche creates. It’s where my biggest passions for golf and Porsche cars come together.” Such an atmosphere has already buoyed the three-time Ryder Cup winner as Casey triumphed at the Porsche European Open near Hamburg in 2019. Supported by Porsche since 2015, the long-standing tournament’s roll of honour includes two other names – Tom McKibbin (Northern Ireland) and Jordan Smith (England) – that will be appearing in Singapore.
The 21-year-old Northern Irishman has very good memories of his win last year and is looking forward to the first tournament outside Germany where Porsche is involved as the title-sponsor: „It was a dream come true to win in Hamburg last year and I’m excited to see how Porsche’s influence will elevate the Singapore Classic this year.“
World class level at the 2024 Porsche Singapore Classic
Included amongst the coming week’s illustrious circle of top contenders with title-winning experience are this year’s Tour victors Darius van Driel (the Netherlands), Rikuya Hoshino (Japan), Jordan Gumberg (USA) and Matteo Manassero (Italy) who secured his first title for 11 years in South Africa over the weekend. The four-time Tour champions Rasmus Højgaard (Denmark), Yannik Paul (Germany), Andy Sullivan (England), Bernd Wiesberger (Austria), Eduardo Molinari (Italy), Rafa Cabrera Bello (Spain) will also be taking part, as will Ockie Strydom. The South African goes into the 2024 Porsche Singapore Classic as the defending champion. A strong group of top Asian golfers is also certain to attract a lot of attention. Alongside Hoshino, the No. 2 in the season’s ranking behind Rory McIlroy, the most prominent representatives are the three-time DP World Tour winner Haotong Li (China), Gavin Green (Malaysia), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand), the four-time DP World Tour winner, and Taichi Kho (Hong Kong).
In particular the 27-year-old Japanese Hoshino has high expectations after his maiden DP World Tour win in Qatar in February: “I have loved competing on the DP World Tour recently, experiencing new cultures across the world, but I also love going back to Asia. Singapore is a great place and I always love visiting. I was disappointed with my performance at last year’s Singapore Classic but I feel in a good place this time around and I hope to put on a good show next month.”
The tournament week will be a special experience for Singapore’s Irvyn Tan (amateur), Nicklaus Chiam and Joshua Yap who secured their starting berths for their home tournament at a qualifying event. Entrants from the home of Porsche are the German golfers Yannik Paul, Max Kieffer, Nick Bachem, Hurly Long, Marcel Schneider and Alex Knappe.
The players of the Porsche Singapore Classic can also look forward to a very special hole-in-one prize: a Madeira Gold Metallic version of the recently launched Porsche Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid will be tempting the pros as the spectacular prize for acing the 17th hole during the four days of the tournament. Porsche has extended its international golf commitment this year with the title sponsoring of the Porsche Singapore Classic (21 to 24 March 2024) and the car partnership with the women’s major, the Amundi Evian Championship, in France (11 to 14 July) in order to highlight the brand with exclusive customer experiences and to be able to bring together its golf community at special places all over the world.
Porsche in golf
Porsche has been involved in golf since 1988 through the Porsche Golf Cup. The tournament series is one of the company’s most successful customer events and has developed into an international event in which over 17,000 Porsche customers recently took part in 261 worldwide qualifying tournaments. Through its first involvement in professional golf as the title sponsor of the prestigious DP World Tour’s Porsche European Open in 2015, Porsche was instrumental in establishing a top golf event in Germany. As the new title sponsor of the Porsche Singapore Classic, the sports car manufacturer is internationalising its commitment to professional golf in the important Asian market. Car partnerships at US PGA Tour and DP World Tour tournaments, including the Omega European Masters in Crans Montana as well as in women’s golf, The Amundi Evian Championship, round off its involvement in professional golf. Launched in 2017, the Porsche Golf Circle is also highly successful. The international community for keen golf-playing Porsche customers gives members the opportunity to enjoy exclusive golfing experiences at unique locations and at professional tournaments. Paul Casey has been complementing the Porsche family since 2020 as the first Brand Ambassador from the game of golf.
