Dubai: After three new champions from its three tournaments so far, the 2014 edition of the Mena Golf Tour is proving to be an unpredictable affair as it heads to Al Badia Golf Club for the Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open this week.

In a sign of the growing strength on the tour, the $50,000 event that begins on Monday will again see no clear favourite as a mix of professional and amateur players from 28 countries line up for honours.

Included in the 126-player field, which includes 26 amateurs, are Joshua White, the Order of Merit leader, Luke Joy, the winner of the Dubai Creek Open last week, and James Allan, who heads the Order of Merit standings for amateurs.

The English trio will be joined by compatriots Jake Shepherd and Zane Scotland and Stephen Dodd of Wales — the Order of Merit champions in the previous three editions of the tour — in a strong field, which is further bolstered by the presence of exciting prospect Matt Fitzpatrick.

With six victories under his belt since the inception of the tour in 2011, Scotland will return to defend his title at Al Badia Golf Club, hoping to continue his run of success.

But the 32-year-old Englishman, who is also a golf in DUBAi ambassador, played down expectations, saying: “Golf is a great leveller. What has happened is history. It’s a new tournament and you have to play as well as you can and hope for the best.


No secret formula

“There’s no secret formula [to success]. The golf course is right in front of you. There’s no hidden secret out here. You’ve just got to go out there and play well.”

England’s Craig Vance, who led in the first two rounds of the Dubai Creek Open before finishing tied for fourth, will be the player to watch in the amateur division. The plus two handicapper, who represents Ras Al Khaimah’s Tower Links Golf Club, has won nearly every major tournament in the UAE since he started playing here in January.

In the Mena Division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award, which recognises the performance of the region’s top three professionals and amateurs in each event, Morocco’s experienced professional Faycal Serghini has to recover lost ground after missing the cut at the Dubai Creek Open.

He will be up against Lebanon’s Peter Badawy, compatriot Younes Al Hassani and the UAE’s Ahmad Al Musharrekh, who all did well last week, finishing inside the top 15.

“A tied 14th place [at the Dubai Creek Open] is just the beginning. More success is right around the corner,” said the UAE’s only professional after his best finish since turning professional in 2012.

James Shippey, golf club manager at Al Badia, said: The course is in fantastic condition, thanks to months of preparations. Credit goes to Patrick Ryan, the course superintendent, and his team for the marvellous job they have done.

“We have moved some of tees back to make the course more challenging. It will be a good test of golf.”