In a buoyant mood after his maiden success on the MENA Tour, rising Spanish star Leo Lilja will be hoping he can make his good form count and claim the Ras Al Khaimah Classic at Tower Links Golf Club this week.

The 24-year- old prodigy relished his moment in the sun when he defeated England’s Luke Joy on the sixth playoff hole in the season-opening Palmeraie Country Club Casablanca Open earlier this year, becoming the third Spaniard after Gabriel Canizares and Carlos Balmaseda to win on the MENA Tour.

“I am really looking forward to a good week. That win in my first event on the MENA Tour in Morocco has done a lot of good for my confidence and I can’t wait to get started. The goal is to get into contention week in and week out,” said the Spanish rookie ahead of the Classic, starting on Monday.

“I really enjoy playing on the MENA Tour as it provides a great opportunity for an emerging player like me to hone competitive edge against a strong field which is great,” said Lilja, who joined the MENA Tour this year after graduating from the Qualifying School in May.

The talented star may be among nailed-on favourites, but the script could change in a hurry as he will be up against a strong field packed with no less than 10 winners on the MENA Tour in addition to a slew of potential champions in what promises to be a compelling competition.

Ratcheting up the level of competition will be the likes of Welsh ace Stephen Dodd and the English trio of Andrew Marshall, Lee Corfield and Craig Hinton who all have strung together impressive streaks on the MENA Tour as defending champion Zane Scotland was forced to pull out at the last minute due to a back injury.

Leading the challenge in the MENA Division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation award will be UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh, who will be making his first appearance on the tour this year after graduating from the Q-School in March.

“The goal is to win the tournament,” said Al Musharrekh, who turned professional in September 2012. “My game is definitely good enough to win, but will take things as they come.”

In the region’s amateur division, which has attracted entries from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Othman Almulla will be hoping to get back into the incisive form that won him the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award last year on the back of his five victories in the division.

“I have this self-belief that I can win and, hopefully, become the first amateur from the region to do so on the MENA Tour. That’s the goal,” said the 31-year- old Almulla, who, at 21, became the youngest Arab amateur golfer to qualify and play in the 2007 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

The Ras Al Khaimah Classic, a regular stop on the MENA Tour since its inception in 2011, will see 94 players, including 17 amateurs, from 24 countries vie for honours.

Order of Merit standing (after the first two events)

1.Leo Lilja (Spain) $ 7,200 (Dh 26,500)

2.Andrew Marshall (England) $7,187

3.Ahmed Marjan (Morocco) $ 6,000

4.Luke Joy (England) $ 4,800

5.Lee Corfield (England) $4,232

6.Younes El Hassani Morocco) $2,821