Omega Dubai Desert Classic News

Top Asian Amateur features in 2011 Dubai Desert Classic

The winner of this year’s Asian Amateur Championship will feature in the 2011 Omega Dubai Desert Classic to be held at the Emirates Golf Club, ‘golf in DUBAi’, the promoters and organisers of the longest-running European Tour event in the region, have announced.

The invitation to the leading Asian amateur comes as part of golf in DUBAi’s long-held tradition of honouring amateur golf and is a fitting tribute to the rising standards of the game in the Asia-Pacific region. The winner will join a slew of the world’s leading golfers who will bolster what is sure to be a stellar cast at the Majlis course when they compete in the $2.5 million event early next year.

The Asian Amateur Championship, organised by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) in conjunction with the Masters Tournament and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, will be played at Kasumigaseki Country Club, Japan, from October 7 to 10, 2010. The winner will receive also an invitation to the Masters and, along with the runner-up, gains entry to the International Final Qualifying for The Open.

The championship, first played in 2009, is also considered a special event by the World Amateur Golf Ranking in that any player that makes the cut is eligible to be ranked. Only the US Amateur, British Amateur, and European Amateur enjoy this distinction.

“We look forward to welcoming the winner of the 2010 Asian Amateur Championship to Dubai and hope the experience of competing against a world-class field will hold him in good stead,” said Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice-chairman and CEO of golf in DUBAi, an event management company which operates under the umbrella of the government-owned Investment Corporation of Dubai.

“We have always taken pride in our tradition of providing the leading amateurs an opportunity to showcase their talent on the global stage. Players like Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy have competed in our tournaments as an amateur, and early this year we had invited Italy’s 16-year-old Matteo Manassero who rubbed shoulders with legends of the game like Tom Watson.

“The standard of golf in Asia has risen to such an extent that I believe it is just a matter of time before a real champion emerges.  As more leading events come to the region, bringing stiffer competition, the knock-on effect has been a rapid improvement in the quality of players,” he said, adding: “We are all delighted and proud to be associated with APGC.”

Colin Philips, Honorary Secretary of the APGC, thanked golf in DUBAi for their gesture in honouring amateur golf. “Over the years, the Omega Dubai Desert Classic has established its credentials as one of the most popular tournaments on the European Tour calendar, thanks to a litany of big names such as Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Seve Ballesteros, Colin Montgomerie who have left their indelible imprints with stunning victories.

“Certainly, it will a big a great experience for winner of the Asian Amateur Championship  to compete in the tournament and it could well provide an ideal ‘warm up’ in the run up to the Masters and Open (qualifying) events,” he said.

The APGC, he said, is the representative body for 33 national golf associations, including the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF). There are approximately 18 million golfers and 4,000 golf courses in the Asia-Pacific region and the APGC assists member organisations in the development of golf in their respective countries.

Adel Zarouni, secretary-general of the EGF, welcomed the golf in DUBAi initiative, saying: “The presence of Asia’s leading amateur in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic will provide a big motivation to our amateur players.

“golf in DUBAi were the first to invite a top UAE national golfer, Khalid Yousuf, to compete at this high level of golf and since his exposure in the event, Khalid has gone on to become a force to reckon with on the regional circuit. I also appreciate the qualifying round they host in the run up to the tournament where one professional and one amateur from the region make it to the main draw.

“Today, if the game of golf is rapidly gaining in popularity in the UAE, the tournaments like the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, which showcase a top-class field every year, have played a vital role.”

With the Masters – and now golf in DUBAi — getting involved in such a worldwide golf initiative, it speaks volumes of the Asian Amateur Championship and the rising strength of golf in Asia.

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