Mena Golf Tour expands to Morocco Oman and Qatar in its third season
The Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation on Saturday announced the 2013 MENA Golf Tour schedule which has expanded to include new events in Morocco and the Gulf states, providing even greater opportunities for players to enhance their careers. The Tour, now in its third year, has grown from four events in the inaugural 2011 season to 11 events in 2013, which are tentatively scheduled in five countries, giving it truly a regional flavour.
Starting in March, the golfing odyssey has been split into two stages utilizing the months when conducive to playing golf.
The first-half will see the tour schedule travel to Morocco for two events – one each at Royal Dar Es Salam Golf Club, Rabat, and Royal Mohammedia Golf in Casablanca — while nine events, spread over UAE and neighbouring Gulf states between September and November, will complete a lucrative road trip when a total of $ 575,000 will be up for grabs for the tour members
“With 10 tournaments already confirmed, including one in Oman and two in Saudi Arabia, we are hopeful of making additional tournament announcements in the near future which will further strengthen the playing schedule for the broad spectrum of our membership,” said Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, told newsmen on the sidelines of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club.
“The expansion of the tour to North Africa will continue to serve as a platform in developing top talent by providing top-class playing opportunities with reasonable entry fees for its members,” he said
It is, indeed, a matter of pride that a large contingent from Morocco has competed in the MENA Golf Tour events, showcasing the rising standards of the game in the Arab world. We value their overwhelming support of the Tour,” said Mr Buamaim.
The Tour, he said, continues to attract global attention with top players on the Orders of Merit for professionals and amateurs winning invitations to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and getting exemptions to the final stage of the Asian Tour. Last month, Muhammad Munir of Pakistan used the experience gained on the MENA Golf Tour to earn the Asian Tour card for 2013.
“We would like to thank our sponsors Omega and Mercedes-Benz and colleagues in golf’s governing bodies around the world — the R&A and the Arab Golf Federation — for their support of the MENA Golf Tour, and we look forward to welcoming them all to the 2013 season.
Shaikh Fahim bin Sultan Qasimi, president of the Arab Golf Federation and head of the MENA Golf Tour’s new board of trustees, presided over the board earlier in the day. The new board includes representatives from Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco and Qatar.
Shaikh Fahim, who is also the chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation, lauded the growing popularity of the tour, saying it has given the emerging players from the region, especially amateurs, a perfect platform to hone their competitive edge.
The Arab Golf Federation, he said, would do its best to encourage countries under its umbrella to host a tour event in the near future. “We have many other countries in the region like Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia and Bahrain who have shown their keen interest in hosting tour events. I am sure the tour will expand further in years to come.”
Sheikh Fahim also praised the Sheikh Maktoum Golf Foundation for awarding a golf scholarship to the leading amateur on the Order of Merit. “Their gesture will encourage other promising Arab players to work hard on their game. It was nice to see an Arab player (Ahmed Marjan of Morocco) win the scholarship in the inaugural edition of the tour,” he said.
“It is a complete tour in its own right and the only one which is open to amateurs as well. We want to develop amateurs who represent their country in the region since they are the ones who will encourage more people to take up golf.
Launched by the Sheikh Maktoum Golf Foundation in 2011, the MENA Golf Tour is affiliated to the R&A and the Arab Golf Federation. Each tournament — a minimum 54-hole stroke-play event — carries World Ranking points and $50,000 in prize money while the season-ending MENA Tour Championship has a prize fund of $75,000
The top three professionals and the leading amateur from their respective orders of merit get invites to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the longest-running European Tour event in the region.
