Dubai: The top three professional golfers on the 2012 Mena Golf Tour Order of Merit have been exempted into the final stage of the Asian Tour Qualifying School in recognition of the tour’s role in developing golf across the region.
Presented by the Sports Authority of Thailand, the final stage will be held from January 23-26 at the Springfield Royal Country Club and Imperial Lakeview Golf Club where the top 40 and ties will earn playing rights for the 2013 Asian Tour season.
Wales’ Stephen Dodd, Zane Scotland of England and his countryman William Harrold, the top three on the Mena Golf Tour’s Order of Merit, are eligible for direct entries into the final stage of the Qualifying School which is the only pathway to compete on the Asian Tour and Asian Development Tour.
“The Asian Tour would like to wish the best of luck to the top three players from the Mena Golf Tour at the Qualifying School Final Stage in Thailand,” said Kyi Hla Han, Executive Chairman, Asian Tour.
“We fully support the initiatives by the Mena Golf Tour to promote and develop golf in the Middle East and North Africa region and congratulate the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation for its vision and initiatives in running the Mena Golf Tour which I am confident will impact the landscape of golf immensely in that region,” he added.
Of the three top three Mena Tour professionals, Scotland and Harrold have registered for the Final stage where they will be joined by Mohammad Munir of Pakistan, Canadian Lindsay Renolds and South Africa’s Anton Haig, who all featured in the six-event MENA Golf Tour late last year.
The significant presence of the Mena Golf Tour players at the Asian Tour Qualifying School is a testimony to the common goal that the two tours share in enhancing the careers of their members while maintaining a commitment to the integrity of the game.
The exposure to the competition in the Final Stage will also provide an opportunity for Scotland and William to fine tune their game ahead of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic where the two, along with Dodd, have also been invited to join the starting line-up.
