Dubai: An inaugural trip to Jordan highlight’s the Mena Tour’s post summer schedule, which was announced on Monday.
The last six events of the current 15-stage season, start with the Dubai Creek Open, September 11-13, and culminate with the 72-hole Mena Tour Championship at the Al Zorah Golf Club in Ajman for the first time from October 23-26.
The Dubai Creek Open will be followed by the Golf Citizen Classic at the Els Club in Dubai, September 18-20, and the Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi at Yas Links, September 25-27, before an inaugural trip to Jordan for the Ayla Golf Championship, October 5-7.
After that, the Sahara Kuwait Golf Championship precedes the Tour Championship at Al Zorah, on October 16-18.
The Tour Championship will see the top 50 professionals and 10 leading amateurs from their respective Orders of Merit, battle it out for honours at the only Jack Nicklaus-designed course in the country.
Featuring nine events (10 if you include qualifying school), the first-half of the Mena Tour season, which had stop-overs in Morocco, UAE, Thailand and South Africa, threw up different winners, all first-timers, and if the trend continues the Orders of Merit could well go to new faces.
Jamie Elson, who played in all nine events, currently leads the Order of Merit for professionals, closely followed by his fellow Englishmen Luke Joy and veteran Andrew Marshall, while Brazil’s Dubai-based prodigy Tiago Lobo tops the amateur division, just two points ahead of England’s Sam Hobday.
“We are delighted to announce our post-summer schedule for the 2017 season which, I believe, will continue to provide an ideal platform for both professionals and amateurs to develop and showcase their skills on a global basis,” said chairman of the Mena Tour, Mohammad Juma Bu Amim.
“With each event producing a new winner, including Netherland’s Pierre Junior Verlaar, who became the second amateur after Rayhan Thomas to win a Mena Tour event, the first-half of the season turned out to be a great success, further amplifying the strength of the tour.
“We are delighted to welcome aboard Jordan’s Ayla Golf Club as a host venue as we continue our efforts to expand the tour’s footprint internationally while putting forth some of the top events to maximise opportunities which can benefit our members.
“We are also excited to be making our first visit to Al Zohra for the season finale which, for the first time, will be a 72-hole affair. Their support is a reflection on the strides being made by the tour in putting the region on the sporting map.
“With Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points on offer, I see big things for the Mena Tour. If it keeps going the way it is, it’s a huge pathway for someone from this region to qualify for the Olympics. It gives young professionals much-needed experience, which is difficult to gain.”