Al Ain Open by Arena Archives - Golf Digest Middle East https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/tag/al-ain-open-by-arena/ Golf Instruction, Equipment, Courses, Travel, News Mon, 12 Dec 2022 10:37:54 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/gd-favicon.ico Al Ain Open by Arena Archives - Golf Digest Middle East https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/tag/al-ain-open-by-arena/ 32 32 Faldo, Willett lead tributes as MENA Tour am Josh Hill announces himself to the golfing world https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/faldo-willett-lead-tributes-as-mena-tour-am-josh-hill-announces-himself-to-the-golfing-world/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/faldo-willett-lead-tributes-as-mena-tour-am-josh-hill-announces-himself-to-the-golfing-world/#respond Wed, 23 Oct 2019 14:46:32 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=30118 Former Masters champion Danny Willett has led the tributes after Josh Hill wrote himself into golf’s history books on Wednesday.

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]]> New Al Ain Open champion Josh Hill is presented with his trophies by Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club’s Tom Buchanan. Photo; Joy Chakravarty/MENA Tour. 

By Kent Gray
Six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo and former Masters champion Danny Willett have led the tributes after Josh Hill wrote himself into golf’s history books on Wednesday.

Willett, the DP World Tour Championship’s defending champion and former Omega Dubai Desert Classic champion took to Twitter not long after Hill had eclipsed Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa as the youngest winner of an Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) event at the MENA Tour’s Al Ain Open on Wednesday.

RELATED: Dubai amateur Josh Hill sets world record as youngest winner of OWGR event

After Hill’s earlier win in the Faldo Series Middle East Championship, also at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club, a response from six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo duly followed.

Respected Scotland golf journalist Martin Dempster was also quick to trumpet Hill’s achievement on the very same day as the Royal and Ancient game is debating the place of juniors in the game in the U.K.

The news also spread to the United States where Former Butch Harmon School of Golf Dubai Director of Instruction Justin Parsons hailed Hill’s feat and the contribution his now Claude Harmon III Performance Golf Academy coaches have played in it.

They were even talking about it in Northern Ireland.

There was a classy message later from English professional Harry Ellis who was left to contemplate his second runner-up finish in as many MENA Tour starts. 

 

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]]> https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/faldo-willett-lead-tributes-as-mena-tour-am-josh-hill-announces-himself-to-the-golfing-world/feed/ 0 Like father, like son as Egyptian Issa Abou El Ela gives himself a shot at a debut MENA Tour triumph https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/like-father-like-son-as-egyptian-issa-abou-el-ela-gives-himself-a-shot-at-a-debut-mena-tour-triumph/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/like-father-like-son-as-egyptian-issa-abou-el-ela-gives-himself-a-shot-at-a-debut-mena-tour-triumph/#respond Tue, 22 Oct 2019 18:40:42 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=30080 Dream debuts are clearly in vogue on the MENA Tour by Arena.

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]]> By Kent Gray
Dream debuts are clearly in vogue on the MENA Tour by Arena.

While a second successive 64 saw Englishman Harry Ellis extend his overnight lead from one stroke to two over Swede Jesper Alm, it is the performance of Issa Abou El Ela that has caught much of the attention at the Al Ain Open by Arena.

The 24-year-old Egyptian marked his opening round 66 with a hole-in-one on Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club’s par-3 15th on Monday and went a shot lower on Tuesday to move to -9, just three strokes adrift of Ellis heading into today’s final round.

Abou El Ela found himself amid a four-way tie for the third-place alongside Sweden’s Gustav Kocken (65) and amateurs Josh Hill (66) and Curtis Knipes (64)  and in with a chance of emulating Robin ‘Tiger’ Williams who captured the autumn swing’s opening event, the Journey to Jordan #2 Championship, in his maiden MENA Tour start earlier this month.

His debut on the regional Pro-Am circuit perhaps shouldn’t come as such a great surprise given Abou El Ela’s pedigree mind you.  The Madinaty Golf Club member from Cairo is the son of Amr Abou El Ela, winner of seven Pan Arab Championships and one of the most respected names in Middle East & North African golf.

With his father watching, Abou El Ela played steady golf with six birdies and a solitary bogey.

“I played just one bad hole and I made a bogey there (on the 9th). Otherwise, it was a slightly boring round with lots of fairways and greens. I am really enjoying my first start on the MENA Tour and I am excited I have a chance tomorrow. I just want to stay positive,” he said.

After two 64s, Englishman Harry Ellis has the chance to become the MENA Tour’s 21st wire-to-wire winner on Wednesday. (Photo: Joy Chakravarty/MENA Tour)

Kicking on from his T-2 placing in Abu Dhabi a fortnight ago, Ellis again went bogey-free to move to 12-under par 128 with his two 64s. Unlike the first round where he managed a solitary birdie on the back nine, the Southampton 24-year-old made three on either half of the pa 70 layout on Tuesday.

“It was important for me to get off to a good start and carry on that momentum from yesterday, and I managed to get an early birdie on the 10th, which was playing very long and into the wind,” said Ellis, who received a message from former world No1 Justin Rose on Twitter after the round.

“I just went back yesterday and reflected the way I played the back nine and did a much better job of it today. I still left a few out there, but it was a bogey-free round. I think this may be the first time I have been bogey-free for 36 holes, so very happy with that accomplishment.”

Like Ellis,  Alm is also searching for a maiden title on a recognised tour. The Swede insisted he hadn’t played as well on Tuesday as he had for his matching 65 on Monday but a final-hole eagle lifted his spirits.

“I am hitting my driver great, and I hope to take advantage of that. On the par-5 18th, I just heeled it a bit, but the drive still went 330 yards and I hit a 4-iron to about 20 feet and made the putt,” said the 27-year-old who grew up at the same golf club in Sweden as his idol Henrik Stenson.

“It was a solid round, but yesterday was better. I hit my irons really well but did not make as many putts. I like the golf course, so I am really looking forward to tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, Dubai-based Hill clearly has some buttering up to do at home!

 

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]]> https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/like-father-like-son-as-egyptian-issa-abou-el-ela-gives-himself-a-shot-at-a-debut-mena-tour-triumph/feed/ 0 MENA Tour rejig elicits big-name support https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/mena-tour-rejig-elicits-big-name-support/ https://mot-backup.golfdigestme.com/mena-tour-rejig-elicits-big-name-support/#respond Thu, 17 Oct 2019 22:19:41 +0000 https://golfdigestme.com/?p=29961 If you think the MENA Tour goes largely unnoticed outside the Middle East, think again.

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]]> By Kent Gray
If you think the MENA Tour goes largely unnoticed outside the Middle East, think again.

Four of the European Tour’s biggest names, including 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett, Ryder Cup talisman Ian Poulter and former world No.1 Lee Westwood, took to social media after the release of the regional Pro-Am circuit’s radically rejigged 2020 schedule to trumpet their approval. 

RELATED: Innovative events and new venues highlight ‘condensed’ 2020 MENA Tour schedule

Check out the Tweets:

Perhaps the most poignant post belonged to Scottish lefty Robert ‘Bob’ MacIntyre who won the MENA Tour’s Sahara Kuwait Golf Championship – two years ago to the day – in just his second professional start.

MacIntyre with the spoils of success at the 2017 Sahara Kuwait Golf Championship. It was just his second start as a professional.

MacIntyre has gone on to become one of the European Tour’s hottest young prospects, highlighted by his tie for sixth in his Open Championship debut at Royal Portrush in July.

The 23-year-old is currently seventh in the Race to Dubai and a lock for the season-ending $8 million DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates from Nov. 21-24. He is still to win on the European Tour but is banging on the door loudly; the lad from Oban finished eagle-birdie to place joint runner-up in the 2019 Betfred British Masters and a fortnight later finished second in the Made in Denmark tournament, a stroke behind Bernd Wiesberger who currently tops the Race to Dubai standings.

Earlier this week MacIntyre became the leading Scot on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) – at No. 86 – for the first time after finishing in a tie for fourth at the Italian Open.

He also hits ridiculous shots like this (make sure to turn up the sound for this one):

All of which makes his Tweet after Wednesday’s MENA Tour announcement perhaps the most meaningful of all.

After a week off, the MENA Tour resumes next week with the $75,000 Al Ain Open by Arena. The October 21-23 event at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club Al Ain is the second to last regular-season event before the 2019 Journey to Jordan final (Nov. 26-28) at Ayla Golf Club in Aqaba, Jordan, the circuit’s destination partner.

RELATED: Yas Links triumph massive boost for amateur prodigy turned pro James Allan

South African M.G. Keyser heads the professional J2J Order of Merit heading to Al Ain. Robin ‘Tiger’ Williams tops the amateur standings after becoming just the third amateur to win on tour at Journey to Jordan #2 Championship in September. However, the 18-year-old Englishman won’t play again until the penultimate event of the season, the Ras Al Khaimah Open by Arena (Oct. 28-30), giving countryman Jack Floydd a chance to make up ground in Al Ain this coming week.

For the full Journey to Jordan Order of Merit standings, click here:

 

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