DUBAI : It's a weekend of pulsating match play golf. Two teams will battle over fourballs, foursomes and singles. It pits the best against the best in a winner takes all battle.
No it's not the Ryder Cup.
This epic will take place right here a week earlier than the action at Celtic Manor.
And for the 32 players it is every bit as important as Samuel Ryder's creation. It is the annual Dubai Golf Trophy.
A team of 16 top amateurs from the 2009-10 Emirates Golf Federation Order of Merit will once again try to get one over their professional counterparts (the top 16 from the UAE PGA Order of Merit), who are not only friends and rivals, but in many cases coaches and mentors too.
This year sees the 11th in the series, dreamt up by Rodney Bogg, then managing director of Dubai Golf (which operates the Emirates and Dubai Creek Clubs), back in 2000.
Only twice so far have the apprentices turned the tables on the sorcerers, the last time in 2007. But Amateurs captain John Mills, a veteran of all 10 previous events, believes his team have as good a chance as any this year to wrest back the crystal golf ball trophy.
The excitement ramped up a notch yesterday as the match-ups for the first series of matches, the morning four-balls, at Dubai Creek on Saturday, September 25, were announced.
"Let's just say we have a good blend of youth and experience," he said with a smile, referring to veterans of the event such as himself, last year's skipper Paul King, Vikram Judge, Ivan Lawson and Alex Charawani, who was victorious captain in 2005.
Exciting youngsters Khalid Yousuf and Joel Neale, part of the winning team in 2007, are back in the side and face arguably the top Professional pairing of Richard Sheridan and Steven Munro in the final match of the morning.
Professionals captain Luke Cantelo, formerly of the Montgomerie but now at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, said: "I knew that Khalid and Joel would be together somewhere, either first out or late as they have been a strong team for the amateurs over the past few years, and with Richard and Steven wanting to team up for months, I thought I'd put them out last as a good anchor match.
"Obviously every match is important, but this is a big game."
The amateur duo are joined by rookie teenager Daniel Hendry, who won the junior Order of Merit last year, sweeping all before him and the Al Musharrekh brothers, Ahmad and Abdullah, members of the UAE national team alongside Yousuf.
Despite the wealth of talent available on the amateur team, the match will be close, maybe too close to call, according to Cantelo.
"It'll go down to the final singles. They are strong but our guys are chomping at the bit. For them it is the most important weekend of the year. Everybody wants to qualify to play in it and nobody wants to be on the losing side.
"I'm very happy with the way the draw has shaped up for us.
"I wanted my experienced team members from Dubai Creek to play early on, as the amateur team has several players from there. I thought they would use some early on also, which they have."
It will be a new experience for Cantelo, who as non-playing captain will sit on the golf cart and direct operations rather than swing a club, and the Australian is not sure that he is quite looking forward to it.
"I'd rather be playing, I'm shaking already just thinking about it.
"It's amazing how nervous it gets. It's what makes it such a great event."
Amateur highs
The Amateurs have won only twice in the previous 10 events.
In 2005 under skipper Alex Charawani they prevailed 17-15 against a pro side led by Andrew Whitelaw.
In 2007 under the captaincy of David Wall, and packed full of teenage talent in the shape of Matthew Turner, Joel Neale, Khalid Yousuf, Sean Thornberry and Eric Hesson, they thumped the Professionals, led by Alan Mackenzie, 21-11.
