The 36-year-old sensationally eagled the 54th and final hole of regulation at Jordan’s inaugural $50,000 Ayla Golf Championship to sign for a five-under 68 on Saturday and force a playoff with fellow Englishman Luke Joy who had himself birdied the last hole to finish on 212, -7.

Elson then birdied the second hole in sudden-death overtime from four feet to collect his maiden MENA Tour win and a $9000 cheque but the latter will pale into insignificance should he go on to win the overall MENA Tour title.

Starts in the European Tour’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Maybank Championship in Malaysia, Morocco’s Hassan II Trophee and the PGA Tour’s DEAN & DELUCA Invitational at Colonial CC await Elon who has extended his lead atop the order of merit standings to a healthy 10,033 points over Joy with just two events remaining.

A full Sunshine Tour card for 2018 and exemption to the final stage of qualifying for the Asian Tour also await the MENA Tour champion which would give Elson options and he is also through to the second stage of European Tour Q-School.

Elson waited just three professional events for his maiden pro title at the 2003 Volvo Finnish Open on the European Challenge Tour and went on to qualify for the main tour and the 137th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in 2008.

Related: Elson has his eyes on the MENA Tour’s biggest prizes

His most notable main tour round was the 63 he carded on the final day of the 2012 Joburg Open, also capped with an eagle on the final hole of regulation, to finish a shot shy of Branden Grace as the South African captured his first European Tour title.

But Elson injury and form issues meant the former Augusta State University player has bounced around the minor leagues looking for his next big break which could now be on the horizon. He did win his second pro title at the 2015 King Hamad Trophy in Bahrain but that was a small one-off event not aligned to any tour.

“I’m quite surprised to win, to be honest,” Elson said afterwards. “I struggled a bit on the front nine, but made a nice birdie on the 9th to get to level-par for the day. Thereafter, I played solid golf and holed putts when I needed to, to get into the playoff (including an eight iron from 185 yards to two feet for the 54th hole eagle).

“The playoff could have gone either way, but I hit some great shots and made putts to get the job done, finally.”

The elephant in Elson’s trophy cabinet had been a MENA Tour title although he told Golf Digest Middle East earlier this year he simply needed to keep knocking on the door after T2 finishes at the 2016 Royal Golf Mohammedia Open and April’s RAK Classic at Tower Link.

“I’m well aware I haven’t won yet, but my finishes have been extremely consistent and I’m sure if I keep playing solid golf it will happen at some point,” he said during the mid-season break.

Jamie Elson after receiving the winner’s trophy from HE Nasser Sultan Shraideh, Chief Commissioner, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority.

One man’s joy is another Joy’s heartbreak as the man vanished in the playoff came within a whisker of turning around a frustrating 2017 derailed by a bout of malaria contracted during the MENA Tour’s South African swing. Luke Joys final round 72 included an ace on the 12th but he will be left ruing two bogeys and a double in the final round.

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre closed with a nine-under 64 in his pro debut to set the Ayla course record, eclipsing Swede Henric Sturehed’s second round 67, to move into a four-way tie for third on -6.

England’s Joe Heraty, who carded a bogey-free 68, Italy’s Rocco Sanjust  (67) and Sturehed (73) joined MacIntyre in the group, four clear of the English duo Zane Scotland and Lee Corfield and Sweden’s Fredrik From.

MacIntyre, tied for 15th at the start of the day, eagled the final hole after nailing his nine-iron approach from 168 yards to within nine yards.

“I was far off from the field after a disappointing 78 in the opening round and had nothing to lose. Played a bit aggressively and that approach paid off. I can take a lot of confidence out of the last two bogey-free rounds, a lot of positives,” said the 21-year-old, who hails from Oban, a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland.

England’s Todd Clements, the first round joint leader with Joy, closed with a 72 to share amateur honours with Michael Harradine (Swtizerland) after both finished on +1, 220, well ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Othman Almulla and Jordan’s Shergo Al Kurdi who tallied +13 aggregates.

England’s Mark Chamberlain also had something to cheer about as he aced the 179-yard, par-3 16th with an eight-iron for his first hole-in-one since turning professional in 2011 — and the fifth overall — as he finished tied 47th.

The MENA Tour now travels to Kuwait for the Sahara Kuwait Golf Championship from Oct.16-18, before the field whittles down for the 72-hole, $100,000 Tour Championship at Al Zorah Golf Club in Ajman from Oct. 23-26.

The post Elson ends 14-year wait for second tour victory, on cusp of winning multiple European and PGA Tour starts appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It is the dream of many amateurs – the chance to test yourself in a fully fledged professional event. Do you have the mental fortitude, much less the game, to draw it back on the first tee and then make it all the way to the 18th without, you know, embarrassing yourself?

Former Golf Digest Middle East editor Robbie Greenfield got that rare chance in the final round of the MENA Tour’s inaugural Jordan’s Ayla Golf Championship in Aqaba Saturday. Not only did he play as a marker, he did so for former Open champion and Ryder Cupper Darren Clarke.

So how did the seven-handicapper, now one half of Dubai Eye’s Sports Tonight team, fare around Ayla G.C.? We’ll let Clarke take up the story:

One good swing away from taking 100ds off Darren Clarke and this is what happened ?? . #golf #choke #darrenclarke #legend #jordan #aqaba #golfcourse @chrismchardy19 @barrycotter

A post shared by Robbie Greenfield (@robbie_greenfield) on Oct 7, 2017 at 4:42am PDT

Greenfield, ever the good sport, took Clarke’s good natured ribbing on the chin but the #Choke label seems a tad harsh when you sign for an 84, presumably playing off those distant championship tees with little range time to prepare beforehand given all the late nights that go with your day job (reports that Dubai Eye 103.8 Head of Sport Chris McHardy is a whip cracker have yet to be substantiated by Golf Digest Middle East).

It should be noted that Greenfield’s score wasn’t the worse posted in the final round – that unwanted distinction owned by the English professional Joshua Grenville-Wood who had a quintuple bogey nine in his closing 85. It was also an improvement on his 88 the previous day when Greenfield “hit the ball way better” but couldn’t get his putter to cooperate.

He really didn’t have to go to all that trouble @themenatour ? ・・・ HRH Prince Faisal Bin Al Hussein of Jordan watches on as @dubaieyesport @robbie_greenfield makes his debut in a professional golf tournament! @aylaoasis #aylaoasis #aylagolfclub

A post shared by Robbie Greenfield (@robbie_greenfield) on Oct 6, 2017 at 2:14am PDT

We look forward to hearing more from the founding editor who clearly enjoyed the experience. It’s not every day you to play with a major champion after all:

Day two of life “on tour”… and a tee time with an @theopen champion and Ryder Cup legend! . #golf #jordan #darrenclarke #menatour #legend #sport

A post shared by Robbie Greenfield (@robbie_greenfield) on Oct 7, 2017 at 1:22am PDT

As Greenfield said on the eve of arguably the most stressful round of his life, anything under a 100 would do. A collective doff of our cap to you, Robbie. We’re happy for you, but not half as delighted as we are now knowing that you will have to give us a bundle of shots the next time we tee it up. It’s what any self respecting “tour pro” would do.

Nice spot to make my debut in a professional golf tournament tomorrow. Anything under ?is the goal… don’t forget to look over your shoulder @zanescotland ? . #golf #jordan #menatour #golfcourse #aqaba

A post shared by Robbie Greenfield (@robbie_greenfield) on Oct 5, 2017 at 8:08am PDT

The post Dubai Eye radio host tees it up with former Open champion in pro event, inevitable ribbing ensues appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

On a day highlighted by the visit of HRH Prince Faisal Bin Al Hussein, president of the Jordan Olympic Committee, to the venue of the first MENA Tour event in Jordan, the Swede went bogey-free in his second round, bettering the previous record of a 69 jointly set by the English duo Luke Joy and Todd Clements 24 hours ago.

That flawless 67 saw Sturehed reach six-under for the tournament to join Joy atop the leaderboard.

Overnight joint leader Clements slipped to tied 12th after carding a second-round 79, but his fellow Englishman Zane Scotland held his nerve to occupy third on three-under, one clear of his playing partner Jamie Elson, who returned a second round 70.

A four-time winner on the MENA Tour, Lee Corfield was a further stroke adrift as five shots separated the top five, promising a thrilling finish coming down the stretch on Saturday.

MENA Tour patron Darren Clarke returned back-to-back 76s to move into a three-way tie for the 26th on six-over 152 as England’s Jordan Garnish, tied for 41st overnight, made a significant move up the leaderboard to finish the day, tied for 15th on three-over 149 along with Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, who is playing in his very first event as a professional.

The day, however, belonged to Sturehed, who played pretty solid golf in windy conditions, making three birdies in each half, to keep alive his chances of winning his maiden title on the MENA Tour.

“I played very well and didn’t make any major mistake out there. Going bogey-free always makes you feel good. So, very happy with my day’s efforts,” said the Swede, who started the second round in a four-way tie for fifth on level-par.

“We still have one more round to go and will see how things unfold, but it feels nice to see my name up on the leaderboard.”

Englishman Jamie Elson, five behind at the start, sounded pretty happy with his score, but felt there was still a room for improvement. “I hit some very good shots out there, creating some birdie chances, but could have done better had I capitalized on the scoring opportunities.

“You have to be very precise with your game if you aim to score well here. The wind is a big factor here and you need to play smart. I mean controlling the spin and trajectory of the ball is crucial,” said the 36-year-old who currently leads the MENA Tour Order of Merit standings.

Elsewhere, India’s Arkesh Bhatia signed for level-par 73, studded with an eagle on the last, to move to second place in the amateur division along with Turkey’s Leon Acikalin on three over, one behind Clements as Saudi Arabia’s Othman Almulla finished the day on 10 over.

The post Swede Sturehed fires course record, finds Joy atop the Ayla Golf Championship leaderboard appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
The good times continue to roll for English Amateur champion Todd Clements while there was finally some cheer for Luke Joy as the MENA Tour made its much anticipated bow in Jordan on Thursday.

Clements and Joy overcame testing winds and tricky greens to sign for four-under-par 69s and a share of the first round lead at the inaugural Jordan’s Ayla Golf Championship.

Ten-time MENA Tour winner Zane Scotland continued his recent form revival with a 70 that left him alone on third, a shot clear of fellow Englishman Lee Corfield. MENA Tour patron Darren Clarke, meanwhile, let a solid start – two birdies in his first three holes – slip with two bogeys and as many double bogeys in a three-over 76 to be T-15.

Joy has endured a nightmarish second half of 2017 thus far after being felled  by a bout of malaria picked up during the Pro-Am circuit’s South African swing. He wasn’t at his best during the KLM Open, a rare European Tour start earned after he finished second in the MENA Tour’s 2016 order of merit, and was even more frustrated at failing to advance from the first stage of European Tour Q-School in Austria the following week. The barren spell spilled over at last week’s Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open when he failed to make the 36-hole cut after successive 74s.

But the Yas Links-attached pro is still right in this year’s OOM race in fifth place and suddenly on track for a third MENA Tour title after a round highlighted buy a holed gap wedge for an eagle two on the 3rd.

“Yeah, it’s been a tough summer with getting back from the Malaria, the recovery has taken longer than expected but you have to deal with these things the best way you can and stay positive,” Joy told Golf Digest Middle East after mixing six birdies and the eagle with four bogeys. “I holed some nice putts and also left a few [out there], but overall, it was a pretty good round.

“The course is just awesome and the wind makes it even more challenging. The greens are quite tricky and you are going to miss some, but you have to stay patient. You also need a bit of luck if you aim to score well here. I will just enjoy the rest of the week and see what happens at the end.”

After runner-up finishes in two of his last three starts, Clements is knocking ever louder for his maiden MENA Tour title.

The 21-year-old amateur started with three successive birdies – his only blemish was a bogey on the 8th – and is an impressive 29-under in his last 10 MENA Tour rounds.

“I got off to a nice start and managed to keep the momentum going. I am enjoying my golf and very happy with my efforts. We still have two more rounds to go and we will see how things pan out,” said Clements, who won the English Amateur Championship at The Berkshire in August.

Related: Jordanian teen grouped with Darren Clarke for opening 36 holes of his country’s first pro event

Elsewhere, Jordanian 13-year-old Shergo Al Kurdi carded an opening 78 in the company of Clarke, to shared 25th place, a stroke behind Saudi Arabia’s Othman Almulla. The UAE national team due of Ahmed Skaik (80) and Ahmed Al Musharrekh (81) have much work to do to make the 36-hole cut.

The post Clements, Joy lead in Jordan as 13-year-old Shergo Al Kurdi signs for 78 in strong winds at Ayla appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Shergo Kurdi is a huge Adam Scott fan, utterly beguiled by the Australian’s graceful swing. We suspect the Jordanian teen might be just as taken by Darren Clarke by week’s end in Aqaba.

In another grouping masterstroke by the MENA Tour, the 13-year-old will play the first two rounds of Jordan’s inaugural 54-hole Ayla Golf Championship in the inspiring company of the 2011 Open champion on Thursday and Friday.

England-domiciled Kurdi hopes to represent Jordan at the 2020 Tokyo and/or 2024 Paris Olympics and knows a front row seat watching the battled-hardened European Tour and Ryder Cup star ply his trade can only help make that dream reality one day.

“It will be some experience to savour,“ said Kurdi. ”I am sure I will be able to take a lot of positives from the week that will stand me in good stead for the future.”

Kurdi has already served notice of his burgeoning talent, winning the U-15 Pan-Arab Junior Championship and the Surrey county title before making the cut in last week’s Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open following rounds of 75-74-77 at Yas Links (the top 50 players plus ties – professionals and amateurs – make the 36 hole cut at MENA Tour events although there must be a minimum of 10 amateurs).

After first hitting balls at the age of two with his father, Moussa, Kurdi Jnr has reportedly won 113 junior tournaments, mostly in England where he pursues his golfing career.

“These are still early days, but the aim for him is to represent Jordan in the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympics and then, hopefully, the Summer Olympic Games in 2020, or maybe 2024,” said Moussa.

Kurdi is supported by the Jordanian Golf Federation and attached to Ayla Golf Club, a new stop on the Pro-Am developmental circuit. He also has the impetus of the MENA Tour’s “Project 300” behind him. The initiative aims to deliver at least one regional player to the Olympics by 2020. Players hoping to qualify for Tokyo must get within 300 in the world rankings, thus the moniker.

The Jordanian will be joined by some of the best amateur talent in the region on the Greg Norman designed- Ayla G.C., including Khalid Yousuf and Ahmed Skaik (both UAE), Saudi Arabia’s Othman Almulla and Oman’s Azaan Al Rumhy. The Arab players will all be hoping to match up to the standard set by English 21-year-old Todd Clements this season. The reigning English Amateur champion is a runaway leader of the amateur order of merit after runner-up finishes at the Dubai Creek Open and at Yas Links last week.

Whoever gets up to claim amateur honours will have played well, Clarke says.

“The course is just magnificent, one of the best I have played in recent years. It will present a fair test to the players this week,” Clarke said.

Related: Darren Clarke headlines strong field for Jordan as OOM race heats up

The post Jordanian 13-year-old grouped with Darren Clarke for opening 36 holes of his country’s first pro event appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Jordan’s first 18-hole all-grass course was designed by two-time Open champion Greg Norman and will have another holder of the Claret Jug on hand when it hosts its first professional tournament this week.

Darren Clarke, the 2011 Open champion at Royal St. George’s, will tee it up in ‘Jordan’s Ayla Golf Championship’ from Thursday. It will be the 49-year-old Ulsterman’s third start in the last four MENA Tour events and is a boon for the new $50,000, 54-hole event in Aqaba.

“It’s great to see a player of the stature of Darren lend his celebrity status to the event, which I am sure will be a memorable affair. We are really grateful to him for his support,” said Ayla Director of Operations, Chris White, who joined the club from Yas Links in Abu Dhabi.

“We are delighted to be part of the Mena Tour as we feel the championship will be a great catalyst for the overall growth and development of the sport in the country.”

Clarke is counting down to joining the Champions Tour in the U.S. after his 50th birthday next August and is using the MENA Tour to keep his game sharp as well as promoting the Pro-Am circuit’s merits as official patron.

With 13 European and two WGC titles and a 10-7-3 (W-L-H) Ryder Cup record as a player, Clarke won’t be happy with his T-26 finish at last week’s Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open after a level par effort following rounds of 70-73-73. It followed a -2, T-16 performance at the Dubai Creek Open earlier in September after scores of 68-69-74.

As competitive as ever, Clarke is desperate for a MENA Tour victory which would eclipse his best finish on tour thus far, a T-2 on debut at the 2015 Ras Al Khaimah Classic.

Aside from Clarke’s performance, the focus in Jordan will be on the Order-of-Merit race. Jamie Elson is back on top after his third place finish in Abu Dhabi but the Englishman has yet to win a MENA Tour event and is just 4432 points ahead of the Swede Fredrik From.

Luke Joy, fifth overall but reeling after missing the cut at Yas Links, also needs a big week with just Jordan and the Oct.16-18 Sahara Kuwait Golf Championship left before the season-ending Tour Championship at Al Zorah from Oct. 23-26.

Perhaps the biggest star of all this week will be the course itself. Since its soft opening in October 2016, Ayla GC’s commitment to environmentally-friendly design has garnered wide recognition courtesy of solar-powered floodlights and eco-friendly paspalum grass that is fed using water from 19 wells. It certainly looks stunning as these tweets from the MENA Tour and Swedish pro Fredrik Lindblom show:

These fairways @AylaOasis ??? #aylaoasis #aylagolfclub pic.twitter.com/fsUAMumiyl

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) October 3, 2017

Looking forward to play the first ever pro golf event in Jordan?? @theMENATour . Ayla GC is incredible ? pic.twitter.com/NJUqCJd0mB

— Fredrik Lindblom (@f_lindblom) October 2, 2017

With scenic Red Sea views and a meandering wet wadi that comes into play on 11 holes, Ayla is considered one of Norman’s top three most sustainable designs.

“For us to be considered as a venue capable of hosting our first professional golf tournament within our first year of operation is both testament to the quality of the product as well as our collective team’s desire to showcase Ayla, Aqaba and, indeed Jordan, to a global audience,” said Sahl Dudin, Managing Director of Ayla.

“Aqaba seeks to improve its tourism assets, so that we can make the stay of visiting tourists longer. So it is not only the ‘sun and sand’: it is the ‘Golden Triangle’, which is Wadi Rum and Petra, and more attractions in Aqaba, which is diving, and now golf.”

In addition to the 18-hole championship course, Ayla GC offers a teaching academy, a 9-hole par-3 course and driving range.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING…the MENA Tour arrives in Aqaba, Jordan for the first professional golf tournament in the Kingdom! ?? pic.twitter.com/pbCU1Y88MR

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) October 2, 2017

The post Darren Clarke headlines strong field for Jordan’s first professional event appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.