Dubai: Khaled Attieh will be aiming for a good start to the Mena Golf Tour when he features in the season-opening Royal Golf Mohammedia Open by HLO in Morocco, starting on Wednesday.
The young Saudi Arabian prodigy joins a rich assortment of players in the amateur division determined to showcase their burgeoning talent and fast-track the growth of the game in the region.
“I have been down this route before – and know what to expect,” said the 21-year-old, a two-time winner of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award, which is presented to the best amateur from the Mena region after each tour event.
“The experience that you gain from playing alongside an international field is something unique for the region’s players, especially the amateurs. I know I can compete at this level. The confidence is there,” said the Saudi ace, who plans to turn professional when “the time is right.”
The Mena Golf Tour could well serve as a stepping-stone to his gofling dream.
An initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the Mena Golf Tour was created in 2011 with the aim of developing golf in the region. It is affiliated to R&A, the worldwide golf governing body based at the home of golf, St Andrews, and the Arab Golf Federation.
The expanded schedule for the 2016 season, which will have 20 events, will see the Mena Golf Tour travel to new destinations in Kuwait, Egypt, Spain, Thailand and South Africa.
