More exciting news from the MENA Tour with Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club and The Els Club Dubai to make their debut on the 2015 MENA Golf Tour in October according to a revised schedule in a sign of the growing strength and popularity of the tour.
The addition of two new stops has taken the tally of the tour events to a record 11, including nine on the ‘Gulf Swing’ that will see the golfing odyssey travel to Oman and Saudi Arabia in addition to the UAE. Missing out on the journey is the Qatar Classic that has been put on hold until 2016.
The schedule, announced on Tuesday, provides an opportunity for the new hosts to showcase the buoyant growth of multi-sports facilities in the UAE and Oman that conform to the highest international standards.
Managed by Troon Golf, The Els Club Dubai comes to the party following the hugely-successful DUBAi Open, the Asian Tour’s final event in December 2014 which was their first professional tour event that showcased great Ernie Els’ premier signature design golf course in the Middle East to a global audience.
Of particular significance in the field was the presence of 30 leading players from the MENA Golf Tour who made their presence felt with the English duo of Joshua White and Chris Cannon finishing tied 24th on seven-under while Morocco’s
Muscat Hills joins the MENA Tour schedule.
Mehdi Saissi walked away with the leading amateur honours.
They will be hoping that experience will count for plenty when the Golf Citizen Classic, as the event at the Els Club Dubai is called, gets under way from October 11 to 15, followed by the Muscat Hills Golf Citizen Championship.
Set against the picturesque backdrop of Al Hajar Mountains on the south-east coast of the Arabian Peninsula, Muscat Hills may be playing host to their first professional tour tournament from October 18 to 21, but it has already earned rave reviews for presenting the course in top condition during leading amateur events, including the Audi Quattro Cup.
Boasting the first 18-hole grassed golf course to be built in Oman, the Muscat Hills course, designed by Paul Thomas of David Thomas and Associates, is landscaped in and around the natural Wadi terrain, rewarding golfers who think their way around the course.
How the script will unfold, only time will tell, but with the MENA Golf Tour reaching its business end in October, the two back-to-back events are headed for a compelling contest, a finish filled with tension and drama.
Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, said: “We feel proud and privileged to join hands with Muscat Hills and the Els Club Dubai. Their support has further strengthened our resolve to create a competitive environment for the overall development of golf in the region.
“With Oman and UAE boasting courses of international standard, there is a positive synergy between golf and the key tourism sectors. Golf is just one of the many reasons that may people visit the two countries to savour the experience.
“We look forward to working with them and hope our regular exchanges will further stimulate interest in golf and turn the region into a golfing force.”
“With many more countries in the region expressing their interest in hosting a tour event, I am confident that we are headed for truly exciting times ahead. The journey that began four years has picked up the momentum, which is a good
Held under the auspices of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation and affiliated to the Arab Golf Federation and the R&A, the MENA Golf Tour teed off in March earlier this year with back-to-back events in Morocco before taking a break to avoid the searing heat of summer in the region.
Revised 2015 MENA Golf Tour:
Dubai Creek Open at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club – Sept 13-16
Ascorp Golf Ciitizen Abu Dhabi Open at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club – Sept 20-23
Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open at Al Badia Golf Club– Sept 27 to 30
American Express Dirab Golf Championship at Dirab Golf Club – Oct 4-7
The Golf Citizen Classic at the Els Club Dubai – Oct 11-14
Muscat Hills Golf Citizen Championship at Muscat Hills Golf Club – Oct 18-21
Ghala Open at Ghala Golf Club (Oman)– Oct 25-28
Ras Al Khaimah Classic at Tower Links Golf Club – Nov 1-4
MENA Golf Tour Championship at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club –
Completed events:
Royal Golf Dar Es Salam Open at Rabat, — April 3-6
Royal Golf D’Anfa Open at Mohammedia – April 8-11
