he UAE’s newest golf course will host its oldest corporate golf series when Xerox Emirates brings its popular corporate tournament to Ajman for the two-day grand final at the end of 2016. As the host for the first qualifier (on March 3) as well as the now traditional 36-hole final, Al Zorah Golf Club, managed by Troon Golf, will play a pivotal role in promoting Ajman as a growing tourism destination through its partnership with a tournament that attracted over 1,300 golfers in 2015.

Entering its 18th year, the Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge has become a much-anticipated and highly popular addition to the GCC’s golfing calendar, also receiving great interest and support from its two South African qualifiers; played last year in Johannesburg and Stellenbosch. “We are encouraged with the positive feedback from the series last year, as well as bringing the series to Ajman and Al Zorah Golf Club. Building on the popularity of the Challenge, we look forward to expanding into newer countries across the GCC and MENA regions,” said Andrew Horne, the general manager of Xerox Emirates.

Ajman Tourism Development Department sees the partnership as a strong platform to promote sports tourism. “We are proud to be the Grand Final Host City sponsor of the 2016 Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge. This is a major amateur golf series across the GCC and South Africa, and we are confident that it will attract a large number of golfing enthusiasts to both the series and to the emirate of Ajman,” commented H.E. Faisal Al Nuaimi, general manager of Ajman Tourism Development Department.

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For Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge 2016 qualifier dates, locations and more information, visit www.xeroxcgc.com

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Photo by Farooq Salik

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hat is your assessment of the 2015 Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge?
The event went extremely well. We had 14 qualifying rounds and then a two-day grand final at the Waldorf [Astoria] and the feedback from the players was incredible. We had 1,300 golfers taking part across the year, which speaks to a very successful edition.

How did it go from a fundraising perspective?
We were a little bit behind our target. We wanted to raise enough to sponsor an African eye camp in its entirety, and we’re not quite there yet, so we’ll continue. But we raised some good money with some activities at the tournaments, where the sponsors played a terrific part. Overall, I think we’ve raised close to $14,000 to date.

You’re launching the 2016 series at Al Zorah Golf Club, who will host the final. How did that partnership come about?
We had two great years up in Ras Al Khaimah, and we know that Ajman Tourism is very keen to promote Ajman as a golfing destination. It provided us a great opportunity to partner. We wanted to keep refreshing the series as we go forward and this was a chance to come somewhere new, to an absolutely fabulous course. I had the pleasure of playing it and it’s a very beautiful course. We have our first qualifying round at Al Zorah on March 3 and then there will be a two-day grand final in partnership with Ajman Tourism and the four participating hotels. And for the finalists again, there will be one complimentary night in a partner hotel and two rounds at Al Zorah Golf Club to look forward to.

Last year you held qualifiers all over the region and as far afield as South Africa. What does the schedule look like in 2016?
We had 14 qualifying rounds last year, whereas we have 16 this year. We’re adding Egypt and Kenya, which is terrific. Adding two more rounds should mean that we also add around 150 golfers to the total number of players. And that’s the objective, to give business people the opportunity to network and have some fun.

What’s the thinking behind adding more qualifiers in Africa?
Well, Africa’s a growth market. But the tournament isn’t so much an emirates tournament as it is a Middle East and Africa tournament supported by the Xerox brand. We are a core part of the organisation of the tournaments, but fundamentally any coverage across the MENA region is of interest.

Will the playing format in the qualifiers remain the same?
There will be a few changes, and we’re trying to add a bit of fun. It will enable people to have a bit more of a strategy when they’re playing, because even though a team might not have a round that enables them to win, they could still qualify for the final through doing well on particular holes. That’s all I can really say on that for now!

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For Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge 2016 qualifier dates, locations and more information, visit www.xeroxcgc.com

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