Dubai: Darren Clarke said the Mena Golf Tour could provide the perfect platform for Arab players to qualify to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil after being unveiled as the tour’s new patron on Saturday.
The 46-year-old Northern Irishman, who won The Open Championship in 2011 and is in the running for Europe’s Ryder Cup captaincy in 2016, hopes to impart his knowledge of the game to local golfers and introduce his golf school to the region, thanks to the tie-up. And he hopes to see an Arab golfer make it all the way to Rio de Janeiro as a result.
“If the Mena Tour keeps going the way that it is, I think it’s a huge pathway for somebody from the region to qualify for the Olympics,” said Clarke. “That’s a massive thing; we [golf] are back in the Olympics now [for the first time since 1904].
“Without that experience, playing tournament golf, it would be very difficult for anybody to gain enough experience to get into the Olympics. And this is another huge way in which the Mena Tour is going to benefit everybody in the area.”
There’s a catch however. Players need world rankings points to qualify to the Olympics and that’s something that the five-year-old ten-stage Mena Tour can’t yet offer its golfers because it doesn’t have the sanctioning of the International Federation of PGA Golf Tours.
However, chairman of the Mena Golf Tour, Mohammad Juma Bu Amim said Clarke’s patronage might act in the tour’s favour as he lobbies the authorities for the necessary recognition.
“I think Darren’s name can help swing a few votes to us at least,” added Bu Amim, “We are hopeful.
“We needed to give this tour a little bit of a push, and also we needed a little bit of guidance and we needed somebody who is a friend of ours who has been with us for a long time, and we couldn’t find anyone better than Darren.
“He showed interest because he believes in youth and how to get them to play golf in the right way. It’s also important this region gets more golfers, not just professionals, we need more golfers for our courses.
“Darren was kind enough to say that he will help in any capacity and therefore we kindly asked him to be our patron, which he has accepted.”
Clarke’s impending candidature for the Ryder Cup, Bu Amim said could hand the tour more credence. “That’s going to be the ultimate thing for the Mena Tour, to have him as our patron and I hope he’s going to be the Ryder Cup captain, I think it will add a lot to the Mena Tour.”
