The world's top sporting stars will be targeted after the Mega Events Fund (MEF) on Friday approved a total of HK$27.5 million to support three events - the Hong Kong Opens in golf and tennis and the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival. The government announced the MEF assessment committee had earmarked HK$15 million for golf, HK$7 million for tennis and HK$5.5 million for dragon boating. The mega bonanza could possibly see the likes of Rory McIlroy and Maria Sharapova light up the Hong Kong fairways and centre court in October. This is absolutely great news. We can now look at getting some of the top players in the world Hong Kong Golf Association CEO Tom Phillips "This is absolutely great news," said Hong Kong Golf Association chief executive Tom Phillips. "We can now look at getting some of the top players in the world. Obviously, we will need to sit down with all the stakeholders and see how to spend this money to maximise impact." The Hong Kong Open, which will be held for the 57th consecutive year at Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling from October 22-25, is co-sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour. It was last supported by the MEF in 2012 and has struggled to find a commercial title sponsor in the past two years. "We are very grateful to the government. This is a huge boost and will help us stage another successful tournament," said Phillips. All money given by the MEF can only be spent on promoting and marketing and not on prize money. In 2012, it is believed the Hong Kong Open spent most of the HK$15 million it received in MEF backing on signing up McIlroy. The now world number one missed the cut that year. Hong Kong Tennis Association chief executive Chris Lai was also ecstatic and believed the WTA tournament, in its second year, could be taken to another level. It will be held from October 10-18 at Victoria Park. "This support will be not only good for the tournament but also for the development of the sport in Hong Kong," Lai said. "The money will help us bring a top-10 player. We are also looking at getting down another in the top 20." The Hong Kong Tennis Open received HK$4.8 million in support from the government's M Mark scheme last year. That money will no longer be forthcoming due to MEF backing. "We had asked for more [HK$8 million] yet this amount is more than what we got last year and we are very grateful to the MEF," Lai said. The MEF was established in 2009 for a term of three years with an initial outlay of HK$100 million. A further allocation of HK$150 million was made in 2012-13 to extend its operation for five years under a modified two-tier scheme. A government spokesman said: "The MEF assessment committee considers the three mega events will help enhance Hong Kong's international profile and reinforce the city's status as the events capital of Asia. They will add colour and vibrancy to Hong Kong and attract more visitors."