European Tour officials have spent the weekend investigating reports of a rocket attack in the Turkish southern city of Antalya, host to the forthcoming Turkish Airlines Open.
On Friday, Turkish media reported two rockets were fired into the town from a mountainous area near a highway linking Antalya to another resort town, Kemer. No one was killed or injured in the explosion, which evidently targeted a fuel tanker but hit a storage house for a nearby fishing company.
“As a matter of priority, we are currently investigating [Friday’s] incident in the Antalya region with our security consultants and local authorities,” said a European Tour spokesman on Friday, according to PA Sport. “We will update further as soon as possible.”
Turkey has been target of multiple terror attacks dating back to 2015, blamed on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or the Islamic State group. A failed military coup was quelled in July.
The Turkish Airlines Open is the first event in the European Tour Final Series, set to be played Nov. 3-6 at the Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort. Tiger Woods announced intentions to play this event in September but backed out on Monday when he withdrew from the PGA Tour’s Safeway Open. Rory McIlroy is the top-billed player in the kickoff to the three-event series, with a $7 million purse. Victor Dubuisson of France is the defending champion.
