The inaugural eight-man featuring world number one Rory McIlroy and 14-times major winner Tiger Woods will go ahead as planned this week despite violence in the region, organisers said on Monday.
Turkish forces fired across the frontier into Syria on Sunday after a shell launched from its neighbor landed in the border town of Akcakale, underlining Ankara's warning it will respond with force to any violence spilling into its territory.
It was the fifth consecutive day of Turkish retaliation against incoming bombardment from northern Syria where President Bashar al-Assad's forces have been battling rebels who control swathes of land close to the Turkish frontier.
Organisers of this week's $5.3 million golf tournament told Reuters that Woods, McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Hunter Mahan, Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar, Webb Simpson and Charl Schwartzel had all arrived in time for Tuesday's first round.
The players will be competing for a first prize of $1.5 million at the Antalya Golf Club in Belek from October 9-12.
Organizers say the tournament would be televised live in more than 50 countries.
Belek is on Turkey's southwest coast and is not near the Syrian border.
