Vijay 'Singhs' Dubai's praises during visit to Nakheel developments

Singh, renowned for his dedication to practice, started his trip by flying to The World's show island on Greenland - one of the 300 islands that make up the offshore mega-project. True to form, prior to lunch, he took the opportunity for a spot of practice, hitting balls off the show island's jetty, on to other islands.

Hamza Mustafa, General Manager, The World commented: "It was a pleasure to host such an esteemed sports star on The World. Our show villa on Greenland is one of, if not the most exclusive destinations in Dubai and perfect for hosting such a personality. Vijay clearly enjoyed practicing in such an unusual location and commented on the beauty of the island which demonstrates to our clients the potential of islands on The World."

The Fijian born star then flew to the site of his course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, which lies approximately 22km south west of Dubai city centre to review the initial course routing plan against the existing topography and wind direction, discuss tee and green heights, and review the proposed lake edge details and integration of the real estate components.

Singh said: 'We have an incredible canvas to work with for my course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. I am honoured that Nakheel has given me and my design team the opportunity to showcase my design skills and commitment. I take this responsibility very seriously, and clearly I'm not the kind of person that settles for second-best.'

'My courses are designed by Vijay Singh, not for Vijay Singh," he continued. "The Water course will be a challenging test of golf, but it won't be unfair. This golf course will stand the test of time and will be a worthy addition to the best courses in the world."

Jumeirah Golf Estates will feature four world-class championship golf courses individually themed around the elements of nature. Greg Norman has already agreed to design Fire and Earth, with another exciting announcement on the Wind course expected later in the year.

The development will be built in phases, with the Fire and Earth courses and their surrounding residences being built first, followed by Vijay Singh's Water course and then the Wind course. Fire and Earth are expected to open in late 2007 with the first residents moving in mid 2008. The long term build out strategy will see construction being completed in 2012 in four phases.

Ms. Dina Al Jaflah, General Manager of Jumeirah Golf Estates, said: "Vijay's engaging personality and world-class game has turned him into a golfing icon and he is the perfect partner for Jumeirah Golf Estates in delivering a world-class golf development. We will clearly benefit enormously from his knowledge and experience through all stages of the development and the results are sure to be spectacular.

"With each of our courses designed by a leading name in the world of golf, Jumeirah Golf Estates will provide an outstanding experience for all players in search of the ultimate golfing experience, and further increase Dubai's reputation as one of the world's leading golfing destinations."

Singh's career began in his native Fiji and has since spanned the globe. With three Major Championship victories - 1998 and 2004 US PGA Championships and the Masters Tournament in 2000 - under his belt, Singh had the year to end all years in 2004 winning another eight times on the US PGA Tour and also dethroning Tiger Woods as world number one for a spell.

Singh was voted as The European Tour Golfer of the Year in 2004 and he continued his winning ways in 2005 with three more successes on the US PGA Tour and another 15 top ten finishes.