Two-time Major Champion Mark O’Meara has thrown his weight behind the forthcoming MENA Golf Tour, saying it could play a significant role in the development of the game in the region better known for its vast reserves of petroleum and natural gas.
“The MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Golf Tour is a welcome initiative which will provide emerging players with an environment in which they can grow, express themselves -- both personally and professionally -- and realise their dream of playing the game at the highest level,” said Meara, one of the most respected figures in the world of golf.
“The region boasts one of the finest golfing facilities and the interest in the game has skyrocketed over the years, thanks to The European Tour events like the Omega Dubai Desert Classic that line up the world’s best players each year.
“All the region’s players, both professionals and amateurs, needed was an opportunity to hone their competitive edge and graduate to the next level. The MENA Golf Tour, hopefully, will just be the training ground for them to break through,” said the winner of 31 titles world-wide in a message to the organizers of the MENA Golf Tour.
“The tour would also help bridge the gap in class that faces promising amateurs and prepare them for a successful golfing career. The very fact that the top three professionals and the leading amateurs from the Order of Merit will be invited to play in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic shows the players are not short on incentives.
“I whole heartedly support this initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation for its vision to see golf at the forefront of sport, and firmly believe it is just a matter of time before a real champion emerges from the region,” said O’Meara who is also a global ambassador for ‘golf in DUBAi – the promoters and organisers of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.
“I am sure the tour would help position the region on the sporting map as an emerging market and drive golf tourism. I wish the organizers of the tour the very best,” said the winner of the 2004 Omega Dubai Desert Classic who is currently playing on the Champions Tour.
The inaugural edition of the MENA Golf Tour will feature four tournaments, all to be played in the UAE. The first of the four-event series will be played from September 25 to 28 while the second and third event will be held from October 2 to 5 and October 9 to 12 respectively before the tour reaches its climax with the ‘Tour Championship’ to be held from October 16 to 19.
Tournament entries open on July 1 and close two weeks before the start of first round of each event.
