I played a little as a child, occasionally at Emirates Golf Club when my father was in his first stint at the club, and during the summer holidays back in the UK. I actually made a hole in one on my first full 18 holes on a golf course at the age of 10 during one of these summer trips. Sadly, I haven’t had one since.

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I didn’t really play again until I was playing professional football at al Nasr at the age of 19. Only training for two to three hours a day, I had plenty of time on my hands and this was when I truly caught the bug and became a little bit of a range rat, spending most mornings and afternoons on the practice tee up at Jebel Ali.

RELATED: Robbie Williams – Let me entertain you

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After school I took a gap year to pursue my football career and ended up signing for Al Nasr Club in Dubai, playing in the youth and reserve teams. Due to the Arabian Gulf League regulations, only a certain number of foreign players could play for the first team in one particular season and at that time they had a host of foreign players including a World Cup winner in Luca Toni. Unfortunately for me, they were a lot better than I was. I played as a centre midfielder or a number 10 for most of career.

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I attended Jumeirah English Speaking School by Safa Park. Then, at age 11, after spending a year at Dubai College, I moved back to the UK having signed schoolboy forms with Wolverhampton Wanderers. During my final year of school, I was selected to play for the England Independent School representative team and we played against the Australian and Scotland schoolboys teams. Unfortunately, I was released from Wolves at age 15 for being too small.

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Like most people at the age of 22, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do as a career. My only real plan was to try and become a professional footballer. That was why I thought I’d try and do as many things, in as many different industries as possible, to find a career path. It just so happened that I managed to find it in the first industry I tried.

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I happened to be playing golf with Chris Turlik, who was working on the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the time, and told him that I didn’t think my career in football was going to amount to anything; he asked if I’d be interested in working as an intern for 25th anniversary edition in 2014 and I jumped at the chance. It was really a baptism of fire.

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I’m very fortunate that I’ve found my passion at 26. The region has given so much to my family, being our home for over 30 years, providing incredible opportunities for my father, and now me. I feel a great responsibility to support the game in this part of the world.

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We have a very close relationship and as many are aware, my father [Emirates G.C. teaching professional James Williams] has a great affinity for conversation. He’s great to be able to bounce ideas off and has been very supportive of me and my sister in our respective career paths. My sister, Anna-Louise, is a physiotherapist in London.

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He’s been a huge influence but by his very nature, I don’t think he’d like to take any of the credit in this regard. He’s very conscious of not getting too involved with what I’m doing and to letting me find some things out on my own. But it is comforting to know that if I ever do need any advice or assistance, I don’t just have David Spencer [the MENA Tour’s strategic advisor] and [tour founder] Mohamed Juma Buamim to turn to.

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It’s a huge honour to become general manager of the MENA Tour, and I’m very grateful that David and Mohamed have entrusted me with such a responsibility. They have been great mentors and have included me in all aspects and discussions regarding the tour from the very beginning. We’re a young tour made up of young players, in a region that in a golfing sense is still quite young, so it’s quite fitting that we have a young general manager, brought up in the region to take the tour on its next steps.

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Williams is flanked by the MENA Tour’s amateur trailblazer Rayhan Thomas, patron Darren Clark and Dubai Golf boss Chris May.

I wouldn’t say star-stuck, but there are a few moments when you have to pinch yourself doing what I do. Spending a couple of days with [former Open champion] Darren Clarke, our patron… I got to hit balls with him on the range, compete in chipping competitions, play on the course with him. That was a pretty incredible moment. Darren’s been great at imparting his wisdom, not only with me but with players on the MENA Tour and we wish him well as he embarks on his career on the Champions Tour.

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The best part of my game is probably my short game, in particular, bunker play. My father is probably the best bunker player I’ve ever seen and that includes tour pros and Pete Cowen, so it’s something I’ve always enjoyed working on.

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I’m a relatively straight driver of the ball but lack in distance, a fact that annoys me given I play a lot of golf with MENA Tour players and my girlfriend…all of whom hit it longer than I do. My girlfriend is a good golfer, currently playing off one handicap. She works as a cabin crew for Emirates Airline and is looking to head to LPGA Q-School in August.

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We’ve got a lot of work to do with the MENA tour over the next few years and I hope to see this through to the end. Dubai is my home and I see myself staying here for a long time to come. The game is still young in this part of the world and I wish to continue the work of David, Mohamed and my father by contributing to its development as best I can.

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It is a bold ambition to become the finest feeder tour in the world and so should it be. The MENA Tour is headquartered in a city that was built on bold ambitions and lofty goals. We have the opportunity to introduce the game to more people in the region and offer a pathway for those in the region, expat or local, to progress.

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David Spencer is a great ideas man and for him to be so open and approachable is one of the reasons I love what I do. David’s been around the golf industry so long and is really on the pulse of what is happening in the world of golf. He’s a mentor and I can’t wait to work even closer with him in the years to come.

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I’ve known ‘MJB’ [Juma Buamaim] since I was a young child and he was GM at Emirates Golf Club. To work with him over the last few years has been a true insight into Dubai’s story and golf’s story in the region. His passion is evident in everything he’s been involved with and he’s constantly encouraged me to put myself in uncomfortable positions and to understand I have a responsibility to grow the game in this part of the world.

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The tour has so much potential and this is starting to be recognised throughout the region. There is no reason that we can’t be staging 15-18 quality tournaments a year, with prize funds north of US$100,000. We also have ideas of a mini MENA Tour and other grassroots programmes that we’re looking to implement as we progress too.

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I’ve never really been a gamer despite being from that generation. In fact, the only console I owned was the original PlayStation. Strangely though, I have recently taken an interest in eSports as it’s an exciting industry. The ties with the traditional sporting world grow ever closer.

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“It can get quite frustrating for my Mother, with the constant golf talk, however, she has a remarkable amount of patience, and a good knowledge of the game considering she has never had any interest in playing.”

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I was aware of how respected and popular dad was as I encountered others in the industry who know him, but I was still amazed at the amount of praise he received after rejoining Emirates G.C. (earlier this year). He’s a great character and one certainly of the old-school, and I think the genuine care and passion he has from the game is infectious and resonates with people.

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We actually don’t work on the range together that much anymore. He knows my swing so well, having been there when I first started, that we often have a lesson over the phone or a cup of coffee. Whether I put his advice into practice is another story though!

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Like most people working in the golf industry, he doesn’t often get the opportunity to play much. In fact, I don’t think we’ve ever played a full 18 holes together. Since returning to Emirates he’s had a little more time to work on his own game and it’s great to see him hitting balls on the range out of our office window. He’s a hugely talented sportsman and his golf swing is a joy to watch. I hope he can get back to playing competitive golf again. — with Kent Gray

The post Meet the new, 26-year-old GM of the MENA Golf Tour appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“I am deeply honoured and humbled to accept this award and to join past recipients who I have long admired and respected. It’s a privilege to be included in a list of such distinguished honorees,” said Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Tour and Golf Citizen, an online tee time booking engine.

“Getting recognised and noticed for our work is something we all relish. I feel honoured to have been with involved with golf over the last two decades and look forward to working on initiatives that bring a fresh perspective to the game of golf,” Buamaim, the former vice chairman and CEO of Golf in Dubai.

The award citation lauded Buamaim for his contribution in streamlining the affairs of the game in the region. “He single-handedly spearheaded an ambitious campaign to promote and develop the game of golf in the MENA region with the aim of producing a future generation of champions,” it said.

“In 2005, he, along with Mohamed Alabbar, chairman of Emaar, created ‘Golf in Dubai’ to promote the emirate as a leading global golf destination and manage and promote highly-successful Omega Dubai Desert and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters events.

“An irrepressible man not known for resting on his laurels, he took up the biggest challenge of his career when he launched the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Golf Tour in 2011, the year he also started tee-time portal Golf Citizen with the aim of realising huge golf tourism potential by collectively promoting richly-diverse golf courses on its network,” the citation continued.

Buamaim’s contribution in promoting golf in the region was recognized at the highest level in the UAE when he was presented with the Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Award in 2014 for his role in the “enrichment of the sports movement in the UAE.”

He was also honoured for his ‘Outstanding Contribution to Golf’ at the inaugural Middle East Golf Awards (MEGAs) in 2013.

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The new  ‘Jordan’s Ayla Golf Championship’ and the lofty elevation of Ajman’s Al Zorah Golf Club to season-ending Tour Championship status highlight the tour’s six-tournament “post summer” schedule unveiled Monday.

Dubai Creek, The Els Club Dubai, Yas Links (Abu Dhabi) and Sahara Golf & Country Club in Kuwait return, meaning the 7^th MENA Tour season will ultimately offer its pro-am members 16 tournaments (including Q-School) across six countries with a total purse of US$673,000 (AED 2.47 million). But it’s the official world ranking points and European, Asian and PGA Tour exemptions on offer, as much as the money, which is helping the developmental Middle East and North Africa circuit continually spread its wings.

MENA Tour chairman Mohamed Juma Buamaim is “delighted” to welcome Jordan to the fold as the MENA Tour chips away at getting an Arab golfer to the Olympic Games. It will be hosted at the new Greg Norman-designed Ayla Golf Resort, the country’s first all-grass 18-holer, in Aqaba.

“We are also excited to be making our first visit to Al Zohra for the season finale which, for the first time, will be a 72-hole affair,” Buamaim said. “Their [Al Zorah’s] support is a reflection on the strides being made by the tour in putting the region on the sporting map. I am sure our members will have a memorable experience playing on the Nicklaus-design layout.”

Al Zorah replaces Muscat Hills Golf & CC as host of the October 23-26 Tour Championship. Another Oman event, the Ghala Open, and the Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open at the now closed Al Badia GC in Dubai are also missing from last year’s summer schedule.

The Tour Championship will be contested by the top 50 professionals and 10 leading amateurs in what is shaping as a tight order of merit (OOM) points race.

Al Zorah GC in Ajman

Jamie Elson, who has played all nine main tour events thus far, currently leads the pro OOM from fellow Englishmen Luke Joy and veteran Andrew Marshall while Brazil’s Dubai-based Tiago Lobo sits atop the amateur points standings by two points from England’s Sam Hobday.

But with nine first time winners this season, there is much to play for including a start in the PGA Tour’s 2018 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational (for the MENA Tour champion) as well as the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Hassan II Trophy, Maybank Championship Malaysia and KLM Open during the wrap-around 2017-18 European Tour schedule. Playing privileges on South Africa’s Sunshine Tour, and exemptions into the final stage of the Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour Q-Schools are also up for grabs.

“With each event producing a new winner, including Netherland’s Pierre Junior Verlaar, who became the second amateur after Rayhan [2016 Dubai Creek Open champion Rayhan Thomas] to win a MENA Tour event, the first-half of the season turned out to be a great success, further amplifying the strength of the tour.

“With Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points on offer, I see big things for the MENA Tour. If it keeps going the way it is, it’s a huge pathway for someone from this region to qualify for the Olympics. It gives young professionals much-needed experience, which is difficult to gain.”

An initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Tour was created in 2011 with the aim of developing golf in the region. It is affiliated to R&A and the Arab Golf Federation and enjoys the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) status.

2017 MENA Tour – Post summer schedule
Sept 11-13: The Dubai Creek Open
Venue: at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. Purse: US$50,000

Sept 18-20: The Golf Citizen Classic
Venue: Els Club Dubai. Purse: US$30,000

Sept 25-27: The Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open
Venue: Yas Links GC. Purse: US$50,000

Oct 5-7: Jordan’s Ayla Golf Championship
Venue: Ayla Golf Resort (Aqaba). Purse: US$50,000

Oct 16-18: The Sahara Kuwait Golf Championship
Venue: Sahara Golf & County Club. Purse: US$50,000

Oct 23-26: The MENA Tour Championship
Venue: Al Zorah GC (Ajman). Purse: $100,000

Completed events
March 6-9: 2017 Qualifying School, El Jadida Golf Club, Morocco
Winner – Jack Doherty (SCO)

March 14-16: Palmeraie Country Club Casablanca Open
Winner – Leo Lilja (SPN)

March 19-21: Royal Golf Mohammedia Open
Winner – Pierre Junior Verlaar (NED/Amateur)

April 24-26: Ras Al Khaimah Classic
Winner – Peter Stojanovski (AUS)

Thailand Swing
May 2-4: Mahasamutr Masters
Winner – Jazz Janewattananond (THAI)

May 8-10: Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen
Winner – Lionel Weber (FRA)

May 16-19: Pattana Golf Championship*
Winner – Fredrik From (SWE)

South African Swing
June 7-9: South to East Challenge
Winner – Breyten Meyer (RSA)

June 13-15: Jo’burg City Masters
Winner – Jaco Prinsloo (RSA)

June 20-22: The Roar
Winner – Daniel Hammond (RSA)

*72-hole event reduced to 36 holes due to inclement weather

The post Jordan’s Ayla Golf Resort added to MENA Tour schedule as Al Zorah eyes season decider appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 15-year-old American-Thai will become the first female to play a MENA Tour event after accepting a sponsors invite from MahaSamutr Country Club for the 54-hole event at Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin.

“I’m not playing to prove anything, but just loved the idea of playing in a men’s event. Simple as that,” Tip-Aucha said of her historic appearance which is sure to hog headlines as the tour begins its three-tournament Thailand swing.

“This is a new challenge for me and I love challenges because they offer me an opportunity to grow in some way and stretch my creative muscles. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Annika Sorenstam, Michelle Wie and Lexi Thompson have all played in men’s events in recent years following Babe Didrikson Zaharaias’ pioneering feat when she teed it up in a PGA Tour event in 1938.

The developmental Pro-Am MENA Tour isn’t at the same level but will still undoubtedly test the slightly built Tip-Aucha.

Born and raised in the US, the teen does bring top form to Banyan GC. She has already won five times on the Thailand girls golf circuit this year including victory at the International School Junior Golf Tournament and ASB Eagle Cup. In the U.S. she won the 47th Virginia State Golf Association Championship and the Junior All-Star at Chantilly National last year.

“Obviously, my immediate goal is to post a strong finish, but I can’t really control all of it. What I can control is how hard I try and what I can do. What I can do is to have fun out there and just play the best I can,” Tip-Aucha said.

“I hope the experience of playing alongside MENA Tour players will stand me good stead and that will be the biggest takeaway from the tournament.”

Tip-Aucha said she was grateful for the invite and “I truly value their [MahaSamutr Country Club] gesture.” Veeranat Limprasutr, Head of Business Development and Director of Operations at MahaSamutr Country Club, was playing the mutual appreciation game on the eve of the event.

“We are really delighted to have Victoria join our tournament. She is charismatic, she is skillful and her presence will keep the atmosphere buzzing,” said Limprasutr.

“Golf is a game you play against yourself, so it’s going to be a Victoria vs Victoria show in her quest to improve and test her abilities. If you look at her achievements, it’s so impressive. Our invitation is a step in the process of making her a better player.”

Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Tour added: “It’s indeed ground-breaking for the Tour as Victoria is making her first foray into a men’s event. She is a special talent, one who combines feminine grace with power and technique, making her a suitable candidate for a strong ambassador for the future of women’s golf.”

The MahaSamutr Masters will also see Dubai-based Indian amateur Rayhan Thomas make his first MENA Tour appearance of the season following an impressive T13 finish at the Junior Invitational, regarded as the leading junior tournament in the world, at Sage Valley GC near Augusta National earlier this month.
 

The post American teen set for historic MENA Tour start in Thailand appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

This year’s MENA Tour order-of-merit champion will tee it up at the $6.9 million Dean & Deluca Invitational at historic Colonial Country Club in May next year.

The coup comes courtesy of a close relationship between one of the MENA Tour’s tournament sponsors, Thailand’s MahaSamutr Country Club, and fine food specialists Dean & Deluca.

“This partnership, in conjunction with Colonial Country Club, marks another ground-breaking step forward for the MENA Tour as it aims to form new alliances around the world that can benefit its members and grow the game of golf,” the MENA Tour said in a statement.

Two-time major winner and former world No.1 Jordan Spieth is the reigning champion at Colonial in a tournament which drapes its champions, a veritable whose who of the game’s greatest names, in a red tartan jacket.

Jordan Spieth will defend the famed red tartan jacket at Colonial in May. Photo: Getty Images

Ben Hogan won the inaugural tournament in 1946 and went on to capture the title a further four times. Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Ben Crenshaw, Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson and Adam Scott have also won in what is the longest running event at the same venue and the 10th oldest event on the PGA Tour.

The invite adds considerable lure to the MENA Tour which already offers its members starts at the European Tour’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Trophee Hassan II in Morocco in addition to playing privileges on South Africa’s Sunshine Tour and exemptions into the final stage of Asian Tour Q-School.

It also comes after chairman Mohamed Juma Buamaim critically secured Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) status for the developmental Pro-Am tour last year.

The MENA Tour began in 2011 and is affiliated to The R&A and the Arab Golf Federation. Spanish rookie Leo Lilja currently leads the moneylist after winning the season-opening Casablanca Open before missing the cut in the most recent Royal Golf Mohammedia Open, also in Morocco, which was won by Dutch amateur Pierre Junior Verlaar.

“The invitation to play in one of the most prestigious PGA Tour events is a great development for the MENA Tour, one that will resonate on many levels, reinforcing the growing strength of the game in the MENA region,” said Buamaim.

“I would like to thank Dean & Deluca and MahaSamutr Country Club for their gesture and believe it will further motivate tour members to keep pushing forward. All we want is to fuel an ideal climate for competitive golf in the region for young golfers to come through the ranks and make a name for themselves. Every step is a leap forward.”

The invitation follows PACE Development’s on-going commitment of the opening event of the MENA Tour’s three-tournament Thailand swing, the $50,000 MahaSamutr Masters at Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin (May 2-4). It is followed by another 54-holer, the $30,000 Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen (May 8-10), and the $50,000 Pattana Golf Championship, the tour’s first 72-hole event, from May 16-19.

Dean & Deluca was recently acquired by Pace Development Corporation, one of Thailand’s leading real estate firms that owns MahaSamutr Country Club. The latter made a foray into golf sponsorship when it sponsored the 2016 inaugural MahaSamutr Masters at Banyan Golf Club.

Chilean Antonio Costa, the winner of the MENA Tour’s 2016 MahaSamutr Masters, with Kajohnphob Teepaganont of Pace Development Corporation, MENA Tour chairman Mohamed Juma Buamaim, H.E. Pasan Teparak, Stacey Walton of GLS Asia, and Korrakoch Charoenplung of Pace at Banyan GC

“PACE Development Corporation is delighted to be sponsoring [the] MENA Tour for the second consecutive year and opening the tournament [Thailand swing] with MahaSamutr Masters 2017,” said Sorapoj Techakraisri, CEO of Pace Development Corporation Plc.

“We are also excited to offer this year’s tour winner an invitation to the DEAN & DELUCA Invitational in 2018 to support the tour’s long-term commitment to bringing the popularity of this game to Asia and being the first step before taking on the world stage. Good luck to all of this year’s players.”

The post MENA Tour champion to earn prestigious PGA Tour start in 2018 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 24-year-old Spanish rookie, who had only qualified for the tour via Q-School the previous week, pipped Englishman Luke Joy on the sixth hole of extra time at the season-opening Palmeraie Country Club Casablanca Open with a two-putt birdie on the par 5 17th.

Lilja’s victory in the marathon playoff came after the Spaniard fired a bogey-free 68 to set a clubhouse target of eight-under, a number Joy matched with a closing 69 after three birdies on his homeward nine offset an early bogey.

He is the third Spaniard to win on the developmental Pro-Am tour after Gabriel Canizares and Carlos Balmaseda.

“I am really very, very happy. Just can’t believe that I have won my very first event on the tour. It feels so surreal,” said Lilja after receiving the winner’s trophy from Ali Ouaziz, director of operations at Palmeraie Country Club.

“I played really solid during the week and holed many good putts out there which was the key.”

Joy, a two-time winner on the tour, said in his blog that he planned to dull his disappointment with a “heavy night” out. “Coffee and Nutella crepe it is. Got to love Morocco!”

“I can’t say I’m not frustrated not to get the win this week but the game is progressing nicely and I need to keep pushing forward and keep improving,” Joy continued.

Overnight leader Lee Corfield finished solo third after the Englishman shot a closing one-over 72.

Morocco’s Younes El Hassani finished a creditable fourth alongside Scot Jack McDonald after posting a final round 70. On six-under-par 207, El Hassani comfortably won the MENA division by two shots over compatriot Faycal Serghini, who carded a final round 68. Ahmed-Reda Rhazali and Mohamed Belaroussia were a distant third in the Arab division at three over.

Dutchman Pierre Junior Verlaar led from start to finish to win the amateur division on one under, a seven shots ahead of England’s Todd Clements.

The MENA Tour travels to Mohammedia, a port city on the west coast of Morocco between Casablanca and Rabat, for the Royal Golf Mohammedia Open at Royal Golf D’Anfa, another $40,0000 event starting on March 19. The MENA Tour’s first amateur winner, Rayhan Thomas, is included in the field after playing the European Tour’s Hero Indian Open.

Leo Lilja is pictured receiving the trophy from Ali Ouaziz, director of operations at Palmeraie Country Club. Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Tour, Imad Bufarik, the club’s golf manager, and Majid Bennis of HLO, were also present.

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Falcon Golf, the most exciting if worst-kept industry secret since golf first met grass in the emirate nearly three decades ago, was finally unveiled Wednesday with Dawson as its high-profile and globally-networked chairman.

As well as enhancing the emirate’s world-class golf tourism offering, promoting grass roots participation and using the sport as a platform to tell Dubai’s remarkable growth story overseas, Falcon Golf will oversee two of Dubai’s three professional tournaments – the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.

Sergio Garcia teeing off at the 28th Omega Dubai Desert Classic (Photo: Getty Images)

Management of the events will transfer to Falcon Golf from ‘golf in DUBAi’ on April 1. Mohamed Juma Buamaim has accepted the role of Honorary President of the two Emirates Golf Club tournaments while ‘golf in DUBAi’ – under a yet to be announced new moniker – will continue to administer the MENA Golf Tour.

In Dawson, Falcon Golf have headhunted one of the most influential powerbrokers in golf. As well as serving as R&A chief executive for 16 years, the 68-year-old Scotsman is a former Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and was instrumental in securing golf’s reintroduction to the Olympic Games after a 112-year hiatus as President of the International Golf Federation, a position he still holds.

His pulling power is illustrated by this interview with Tiger Woods, shot during last week’s Desert Classic before the former world No.1 withdrew citing back spasms following his opening round of 77.

Dawson said he was “delighted” to have been chosen for this “special role” and motivated to promote Dubai “through the lens of golf,” as well as boost the emirate’s reputation as one of the world’s leading golf destinations.

“Dubai has a fantastic golf offering and, combined with the emirate’s forward-thinking approach, I believe there is a real opportunity to develop it further,” he said.

“Dubai’s investment in its golfing credentials, including its relationship with the European Tour, has proved to be very successful and I look forward to working with all of our stakeholders as we look to the future.

“Mohamed Juma Buamaim and the team at ‘golf in DUBAi’ have done an outstanding job and I look forward to building on the strong foundations they have laid.”

One of Dawson’s first and most stiffest challenges will be the bringing together of a various local stakeholders, not all of whom have been keen to collaborate previously, to maximise international opportunities. Promisingly, Falcon Golf appears to have widespread support.

“Golf has been played in the UAE for more than 40 years. In Dubai, as recently highlighted in a Deloitte report, it has grown into an industry worth $270 million. In Falcon Golf, we now have an entity that is responsible for the growth of the game,” said Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the Emirates Golf Federation.

Buamaim, chairman and CEO of ‘golf in DUBAi’, added: “These are very energising times for Dubai and its golf offering and I am excited to see the industry being convened in this way.

“I am honoured to have been able to contribute to the success of Dubai’s growth through golf over the last two decades and look forward to my continued involvement, guiding the success of the two tournaments that are so close to my heart.”

Dubai Sports Council Secretary General, His Excellency Saeed Hareb, said Dubai had “long recognised the potential of both golf’s contribution to the sport economy and the platform it provides to tell our story to the world”.

“[Falcon Golf] will bring together the emirate’s fantastic golf assets and ensure that these continue to deliver for Dubai. This is great news for the continued development of the game in this part of the world,” Hareb said.

“With world-class facilities and courses, a number of professional golfers calling Dubai home, including Rory McIlroy and Rafael Cabrera Bello, as well as new courses coming to the market, we see a clear opportunity for future growth.”

Falcon Golf Management Ltd, established late last year, is a subsidiary of Falcon and Associates FZ-LLC which is an independent strategic advisory company working on behalf of the Dubai leadership to enhance the emirate’s position as a global hub for finance, business and tourism.

Dawson and his team certainly have a solid platform to build from. Deloitte’s ‘2015 Economic Impact of Sport in Dubai’ report found that golf generates US$270m in gross expenditure each year with $131m coming from overseas (economic impact). The three professional tournaments account for 61% of golf’s direct economic impact in Dubai while the emirate’s nine clubs and 11 courses (Al Badia has since shut its doors but will soon be replaced by Trump International GC Dubai) contribute an additional $120m of the total spend on golf in Dubai.

17th hole of the Trump International Golf Club Dubai (Photo: Kevin Murray)

A key target area for Falcon Golf will be tourism which pumps in excess of $38m into the economy annually. The Deloitte report found 16,000 golfers visit Dubai, annually, each staying an average of five nights, playing 2.5 rounds of golf and spending around $410 a day.

Golf employs around 1800 people in Dubai and is enjoyed by around 6000 resident golfers who collectively play approximately 400,000 rounds a year.

The post Former R&A chief Peter Dawson charged with taking Dubai golf to the world appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Former Open Champion and European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke has also agreed to a further three-year term as the developmental tour’s patron while Englishman Zane Scotland (pictured right), a 10-time winner on tour, was awarded its very first lifetime membership.

As a 72-hole event, the May 15-19 Pattana Golf Championship will carry more Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points than the tour’s usual 54-hole tournaments.

Thai star Prom Meesawat, tied third heading into the final round of the Desert Classic, is a confirmed starter for Pattana Golf Club and Resort for the third of three-tournament “Thailand Swing” on a now global schedule essentially split into four swings – Morocco, Thailand, South Africa and GCC.

Royal Golf El Jadida is the new venue for the March 5-8 Q-School before back-to-back events in Morocco kick-start the season long pro and amateur order of merit battle.

Tower Links GC hosts The Ras Al Khaimah Classic in April ahead of the Thailand Swing and three events in South Africa, all co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Big Easy Tour, which are to be confirmed.

The tour then begins its six-tournament GCC stretch with the Dubai Creek Open in September before culminating at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club at the Tour Championship.

An initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour was created in 2011 with the aim of developing golf in the region. It is affiliated to R&A, the worldwide golf governing body based in the home of golf, St Andrews, and the Arab Golf Federation and enjoys the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) status.

Multiple European Tour starts, including the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Hassan II Trophy and the Maybank Championship Malaysia in addition to full playing privileges on the Sunshine Tour and exemptions into the Final Stage of the Asian Tour Q-School for the leading three professionals are some of the added incentives for the MENA Golf Tour members.

Clarke will continue to play selected events as well as provide mentoring to promising players.

MENA Tour chairman Mohamed Juma Buamaim revealed that a deal had been struck with the Fox network to show all events in Asia. A “Project 300’ initiative was also underway designed to get an Arab player to the 2020 Olympics.

“We see it as our responsibility to maximise opportunities which can benefit our members and showcase years of investments made in building world-class facilities in the region

“Hosting 56 tournaments in seven years gives us a tremendous sense of satisfaction and we thank all the host venues and players for believing in us. Producing more home grown champions like Rayhan [Thomas] may still be a few putts away, but we are happy to happy to move the needle a bit forward.

“If anyone asked me how the MENA Tour is going, I think they should look at who Rayhan is going to play with today, the Masters champion [Danny Willett] in the final day [of the Desert Classic]. That to me is a great success and we hope to build on that.”

Provisional MENA Golf Tour Schedule
March
5-8: Q-School, Royal Golf El Jadida Morocco
11-15: The Casablanca Open Championship, Palm Golf, Casablanca, Morocco
17-21: The Royal Golf Mohammedia Open, Royal Golf D’Anfa, Mohammedia, Casablanca, Morocco

April
23-26: The Ras Al Khaimah Classic – Tower Links GC, RAK
30-May 4: The Mahasamutr Masters at Banyan GC, Hua Hin, Thailand

May
7-11: Mountain Creek Open – Mountain Creek Golf Resort, Korat, Thailand
14-18: Pattana Golf Championship, Pattana Golf Club & Resort, Chonburi, Thailand

June
TBC: South Africa 1*
TBC: South Africa 2*
TBC: South Africa 3*

September
TBC: Dubai Creek Open, DCGYC, Dubai
TBC: The Golf Citizen Classic – The Els Club, Dubai
TBC: Ascorp Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open, Yas Links GC (Sept/Oct TBC)

October – November
TBC: Sahara Championship, Kuwait
TBC: Ghala Open – Ghala GC. Oman
TBC: MENA Tour Championship – AESGC, Al Ain

* – Denotes Co-sanctioned with Sunshine Big Easy Tour

The post MENA Tour adds new 72-hole stop on ‘Thailand Swing’ appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Northern Irishman has withdrawn from next week’s European Tour event at Emirates Golf Club to continue his rehabilitation from the stress fracture discovered after he lost a playoff to Englishman Graeme Storm at the South African Open earlier this month.

“Obviously, we would have loved to see a fully-fit Rory compete in the tournament, but we fully understand the situation and wish him a quick recovery,” said Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of tournament organisers, ‘golf in DUBAi.’

“As we understand, he is progressing very well with his rehabilitation and may soon return to golf which is a great news.”

McIlroy’s scratching focuses even more attention on Tiger Woods eighth Desert Classic appearance, if that was possible. Woods will tee it up on the Majlis with 10 of Europe’s 12 Ryder Cup team members, after making his 2017 bow at the Farmers’ Insurance Open at Torrey Pines from Thursday.

McIlroy enjoys an impressive record in the ‘Major of the Middle East,’ going 96-under-par for his last seven appearances which resulted in first in 2009, sixth in 2010, tenth in 2011, fifth in 2012, ninth in 2014, first in 2015 and sixth in 2016.

He made the cut for the first time in a European Tour event as a 17-year-old amateur in 2007 on the Majlis and also famously secured his first professional win two years later.

“Rory is a much-loved and familiar face to fans in Dubai, having competed in the event for 10 times, the most the most number of times he has played anywhere in the world. We all will miss him and look forward to welcoming him next year,” Buamaim said. 

For ticket information, visit dubaidesertclassic.com

Photograph by Getty Images

The post McIlroy scratches from <br> Desert Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The caddy was attended to by the event’s onsite medical team near the 13^th green on Emirates Golf Club’s Majlis course just after 10am Wednesday (UAE time) before being rushed to hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Attempts were being made to notify the bagman’s family.

Caudal, who was paired with American Blair O’Neal and Scot Carly Booth, was comforted by tournament director Michael Wood (pictured above) as the tragedy played out just four holes into their opening round.

“Everyone at the Ladies European Tour is extremely shocked and saddened today by this sudden death and therefore we have taken the decision to suspend first round play as a mark of respect,” Ladies European Tour CEO Ivan Khodabakhsh said.

“On behalf of our membership, we offer heartfelt condolences to the individual’s family and loved ones.”

Tough start today for our group to experience something so horrendous.Thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Max ?#sadday

— Carly Booth (@CarlyBooth92) December 7, 2016

Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of tournament organizer and promoter ‘golf in DUBAi’ said: “We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of this caddie. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time. May his soul rest in peace.”

Round one was officially suspended at 10.30am and will resume on Thursday morning with the season ending event now to be decided over 54 holes.

The post Dubai Ladies Masters rocked by death of caddy appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.