Sport - Golf - Race to Georgia
Ralph Maenen, representing Montgomerie Golf Club, won the 2022 Race to Georgia World Final in the US Image Credit: Race to Georgia

The Race to Georgia powered by REZA Hygiene will host the 2022 – 2023 Regional Grand Final at Montgomerie Golf Club, Dubai on Saturday, 25th February, 2023.

A shotgun start at 1.30 pm will witness 82 players compete in this event that was launched in October last year with the first Qualifying Round at Dirab Golf Club, KSA, until last week’s final Qualifying Round at The Els Club, Dubai.

In total there have been 17 Qualifying Rounds held throughout the region: 10 in the UAE, five in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and two in Bahrain.

The Qualifiers from the Qualifying Rounds will compete in three Divisions: two in a designated Handicap Division and the other in the Sponsor’s Division.

The format is Individual Stableford with all eligible players over 21 years old, with a maximum handicap for men of 24 and 36 for ladies with 75% allowance.

All Qualifying Rounds and the Regional Grand Final are supported and sanctioned by the Emirates Golf Federation, Saudi Arabian Golf Association and Bahrain Golf Association.

The three winners of the Regional Grand Final will qualify to play in the Race to Georgia World Final on Thursday 6th April, in an all expenses trip to the US with players competing alongside representatives from the UK and Europe.

In addition the winners will receive invites to attend The Masters Tournament, for both the Wednesday practice day and the Saturday round three as Patrons.

Keith Watson, Tournament Organiser and Division Manager, REZA Hygiene said, ‘This is the sixth edition of the Race to Georgia, having first launched the event in Bahrain in 2019. We have had 17 Qualifying Rounds in the region this season, and over 1,400 players competing. We have received special thanks from the Saudi Golf Federation, as this series is a first of its kind in the country and has encouraged a large amount of existing as well as new golfers to sign-up for golf handicaps.

'We are pleased to be able to spread the message of REZA Hygiene through the platform of golf. This tournament initiative is very much a passion project for the Alireza family who have a strong allegiance to golf, both historically and its vision for the future in the Kingdom as well as the region. The aspirational prize for the Race to Georgia has certainly created a buzz in the regional golfing community and we are looking forward to a fun day on Saturday.’

The sponsors of the 2022 – 2023 Race to Georgia are: REZA Hygiene, Rezaroma, Papa Johns, Delta Fitness, Stake, EMAAR Hospitality, TXGB, Hako, dyson, Rubbermaid, Guard Pro, AWE, ACT, Butterfly Social, Finasi, Wisewell, and Creative Ekcent with additional support from Troon Golf.