Dubai: Ahmad Al Musharrakh hopes swing changes and mental toughness will make a difference when he tees up at the Mena Tour Qualifying School at the Royal Golf El Jadida golf course in Morocco on March 7.
The UAE and GCC’s only professional golfer has shot many rounds in red figures but needs to put it all together if he aims to turn things around for a breakthrough victory on tour. And he reckons he’s not far off.
“Each time I step onto the tee, I hope to play better than before,” said Al Musharrakh, who turned professional in 2012, after winning individual and team medals in the GCC Championships and Arab Games.
“Like every player in the field, my goal is to win the tournament and my game is definitely good enough to win, but I will take things one step at a time.
“I have undergone some swing changes over the past couple months and so far they are working out for the better, but I still have a few kinks which I hope to iron out soon through training and hard work.
“I’m delighted to be part of the tour which has fuelled an ideal climate for competitive golf in the region. There is so much hype around the events, which shows how quickly it has grown in popularity.
“With world ranking points on offer too, I think more and more players from the Arab world will be encouraged to turn professional and contribute to the overall development of the game,” he added.
Entries to Q-School have risen to 86, including seven amateurs with players from England leading the chart with 38 followed by India (9), Spain (7) and the United States (6).
A minimum of 50 players from the final qualifying round will be eligible for full playing privileges and eligibility to world rankings points during the 2017 season, which will have close to 16 events, covering destinations in Morocco, Kuwait, Thailand, South Africa, Oman and the UAE.
The Mena Tour was founded in 2011 to develop golf in the region. Leading players earn invites to play in select European Tour events, get full privileges on the Sunshine Tour and exemptions into the final stage of Asian Tour Q-School.
