Abu Dhabi: Two of the Arab world's brightest golfers are to make their Abu Dhabi Golf Championship debut later this month at the European-Tour-backed 2010 opener.
UAE national Ahmad Al Musharrakh and Saudi Arabia's Othman Al Mulla, both well known in the Gulf for dominating the junior and amateur circuit, have been widely tipped as two bright stars in the Middle East's burgeoning golf scene.
They are to line up with a world-class field in the tournament, which runs at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from January 21 to 24, as part of a Youth Development Programme being promoted by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which presents the annual championship.
Al Mulla, 23, who has two European Tour events under his belt having played in Dubai and Qatar previously, has notched up an impressive list of accolades after winning a number of amateur tournaments across the Gulf.
For 19-year-old Al Musharrakh, the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship 2010 will mark his European Tour event debut. And with a host of the world's top young golf stars in contention for the championship, including Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, the World No 9, Colombian star and World No 24, Camilo Villegas, and World No 25 Anthony Kim, ADTA believes the event will be a critical development platform for young Gulf hopefuls.
"We have made a commitment to put into place mechanisms that help up-and-coming sports stars. The invitation to these two extremely talented golfers is an extension of that promise, and one we hope will have far reaching gains. We aspire that one day we will see an Arab professional, who has risen through the ranks, come here and win," said Faisal Al Shaikh, head of major events division at ADTA.
"Grassroots development is our primary focus, and we continue to identify steps to help achieve this goal. Abu Dhabi has been known to help propel young golfers to the top of their games, Martin Kaymer is just one such example, as he recorded his first professional win here in 2008."
Opportunities
Al Musharrakh is in agreement, and has taken a year off from his studies to stay in the UAE, where, he believes the opportunities are among the best in the world.
"Looking forward, the goals I have are professional in nature, so I want to seize every opportunity I can and make the most out of them. To be part of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship is another important step in my development, and is a chance I am extremely grateful for," said Al Musharrakh, who last month produced a stunning career best round of five-under-par 67 to win the UAE Nationals Monthly Medal.
Al Mulla, who became the youngest golfer to win the Pan Arab Amateur Golf Tournament at age 21, was also keen to identify grassroots development as critical to the future of Middle East golf.
"There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes to make golf accessible to more people and this is being further supported by the increasing opportunities for junior golfers to play at higher levels," said Al Mulla.
