Dubai: Awards for the top three Arab professional and amateur golfers on the Mena Golf Tour have been introduced in order to encourage regional talent.

The Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Awards will be worth $51,500 (Dh189,108) in total.

Each of the tournaments on the ten-stage development circuit have been allocated a separate prize fund of $3,000 for the top three Arab professionals, with the winner of the division taking $1,500.

Meanwhile, gift vouchers worth $1,000 will be distributed among the top three amateurs.

The prize fund for professionals will be raised to $5,000 for the season-ending Mena Tour Championship. Added incentives include a season-long bonus pool, which will see the top-three Arab professionals on the overall Order of Merit standings share a purse of $8,500 and the leading three amateurs sharing gift certificates worth $1,500.

At the end of the tour, Arab champions will be crowned in both professional and amateur divisions and presented with their trophies.

“Our main goal is to spread the game across the region and create a competitive environment for Arab players to showcase their skills,” said Mohammad Juma Bu Amim, chairman of the Mena Golf Tour.

“The introduction of this special award is another step in that direction.

“This will open up a competition within the main competition leading to healthy rivalries, especially among emerging players who may find it a quixotic challenge to beat an experienced international field. The level-playing field in their category, I believe, will help boost the Arab presence on the tour.”

The fourth edition of the $525,000 tour tees off with back-to-back events in Morocco on March 17 before taking a summer break.

It resumes with the eight-week ‘Gulf Swing’, which includes four stops in the UAE and one each in Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia before returning to the UAE for the season-ending Tour championship in November at Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club.

Each event boasts a prize fund of $50,000 and the Tour Championship carries prize money of $75,000.