2015 Mena Golf Tour schedule tees off with q school in Morocco

Organisers of the MENA Golf Tour have introduced a Qualifying School for the first time to streamline guidelines for gaining playing privileges on the Tour this season.

Open to professionals and amateurs, the 54-hole qualifier, with a cut trimming the field after 36, will be held at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam’s Red and Blue Courses in the Moroccan capital of Rabat on March 31 and April 1 ahead of the first event on the 2015 MENA Golf Tour schedule that gets under way on April 3.

In what promises to be a test of character and skills for those seeking to earn playing rights on the tour, the Q-School will establish how professional players, not otherwise exempt, will be ranked on tournament entry lists during the season.

Player entry will no longer be based on date and time of entry, but rather by a player’s ranking based on his performance in the Q-School. Amateurs are not required to compete in the Q-School in order to sign up as a MENA Golf Tour, but, if they wish, they can play to earn a professional ranking on the tour.

The rankings will strengthen their chances of joining the starting line-up of a MENA Golf Tour event should they decide to turn professional soon after the Q-School.

Now in its fifth season, the 2015 MENA Golf Tour boasts 10 events on its schedule spread across five countries in the region.

Held under the auspices of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the golfing odyssey gets under way in April with back-to-back events in Morocco — one each at Royal Dar Es Salam Golf Club, Rabat and Royal D’Anfa in Mohammedia – before taking a summer break.

The schedule resumes in mid-September with the eight-week ‘Gulf Swing’ that includes four stops in the UAE and one each in Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia before returning to the UAE for the season-ending Tour championship in November.

With each event boasting a prize fund of $50,000 and the Tour Championship carrying $75,000 in prize money, a total of $525,000 will be up for grabs for members of the tour, which is affiliated to the Arab Golf Federation and the R&A, golf’s governing body based at St Andrews in Scotland.

Added incentives include guaranteed spots in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and on the Asian Tour for the leading professionals and amateurs besides exemptions into the Final Stage of the Asian Tour Q-School. The leading professional also gets a special invitation to compete in the Hassan II Trophy, a European Tour event since 2010.

“We are delighted to introduce Q-School this season to have more transparency in determining the fields for our events. Most of our tournaments last season were oversubscribed and we needed to devise a system to rank the players, who are not exempt, on the basis of their performance,” said Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour.

“The Q-School is a reflection on the growing strength of the tour which continues to evolve. This year’s MENA Golf Tour schedule has retained all the events as more countries in the region are coming forward to indicate their interest in hosting the tour events.

“We enjoy superb relationships with the Arab Golf Federation and all associations that are part of the apex body in the Arab world and feel privileged to have the continued commitment and dedication of all of our tournament promoters and sponsors.

“Our primary aim is to stimulate the growth of golf in the region. The institution of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award that honours the region’s top talent was another step in this direction.”

2015 MENA GOLF TOUR SCHEDULE

March 30-April 1 – MENA Golf Tour Q-School, Royal Golf of Dar Es Salam, Rabat

April 3-6 – Royal Golf Dar Es Salam Open, Royal Golf of Dar Es Salam, Rabat

April 8-11 – Royal Golf D’Anfa Open, Royal Golf D’Anfa Mohammedia, Casablanca,

September 13-16: Dubai Creek Open, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club

September 20-23 – ASCORP Abu Dhabi GOLF CITIZEN Open, Saadiyat Golf Club

September 27-30 – Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open, Al Badia Golf Club

October – The Qatar Classic, Doha Golf Club (TBC)

October – American Express Championship, Dirab Golf and Country Club, Riyadh (TBC)

October 25-28 – Ghala Valley Open, Ghala Valley Golf Club, Muscat

November 1-4 – Ras Al Khaimah Classic, Tower Links Golf Club

November 8-11 – MENA Tour Championship (Venue TBC)