Dubai: Craig Hinton is now second in the Mena Golf Tour’s Order of Merit following his wire-to-wire victory at the Ascorp Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open — round 13 of the 16 stage series — at Yas Links last week.
The 27-year-old Englishman earned $9,000 (Dh33,000) for the win, moving him up to $28,173, just short of compatriot Zane Scotland ($31,117) who maintains his lead despite finishing tied for fourth in the capital.
With this being Hinton’s second win on tour this season, he has also climbed to 769th in the world rankings 942 places up from being World No. 1,711 at the start of the season.
And with two more events until the season-ending Tour Championship in three weeks, he will be hoping to break into the world’s top-500 to end the year on a high.
The top three professionals on the Order of Merit along with the leading amateur will be invited to compete in February’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic as well as earning full-time playing privileges on the Sunshine Tour and exemptions into the Final Stage of the Asian Tour Q-School.
Hinton is followed by his fellow Englishmen Andrew Marshall ($26,962) and Luke Joy ($22,414) in the standings as the tour reaches its business end.
India’s Rayhan Thomas, who created history at the Dubai Creek Open, becoming the first amateur to win a Mena event, has already wrapped up the season’s leading amateur title — and a place in the starting line-up of the Desert Classic. With 297 points to his credit, the 16-year-old prodigy, who ranks 131st in the amateur world rankings, is miles ahead of his nearest rivals in the standings.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan trio of Younus Al Hassani ($5,436), Faycal Serghini (US$3,314) and Ahmad Marjan (US$2,592) are locked in a neck and neck battle at the top of the Mena professional division as are Saudi Arabia’s Othman Almulla (81 points) and Khaled Atieh (52) in the Mena amateur race. The next stop on tour is in Kuwait next week from October 17-19.
