Interview by Kent Gray
After more than a year in a restructuring hiatus, the MENA Tour has come back better than ever before in 2019. You must be delighted with how the season has panned out?
Absolutely! I’m thrilled with the progress of the tour. Especially this season with all the new young talent. It has been exciting to follow.

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There have been some compelling storylines in 2019 but clearly the wins by amateurs Robin Williams and Josh Hill stand out. It’s been great for the teens and the tour as a whole hasn’t it?
I am very proud of Robin and Josh; they have both had a tremendous season thus far and we are all looking forward to how the final goes in Jordan. It’s an amazing opportunity for amateur players to join the tour for this exact reason.

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What has been the standout moment for you as a sponsor and also from a personal viewpoint?
The standout for us has to be the international media attention that the tour has generated – obviously, this has been fantastic for us from a brand awareness point of view and it was completely unexpected.  The success of Josh Jill and Robin Williams has been fantastic for the tour and the sport in general.

We’re also really pleased that we’ve been able to increase the tour’s sustainability with a new ‘No single-use plastic bottles’ policy, and by providing stainless steel bottles to each of the players. This was a very proud moment for us and we’ve enjoyed seeing the players using them during the tournaments.

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Many fans who enjoy the world-class European Tour action on offer in the Middle East each year mightn’t know Arena’s already close connection with the game here. Tell us more about Arena and it’s connection with the game:
Arena Middle East and Asia has a history of designing and delivering structures for the most exclusive public, corporate, private and sporting occasions in the event calendar, and we have been heavily involved in golf globally.  Over the years we have been proud to deliver structures for a host of major international tournaments including the Presidents Cup, the Ryder Cup, the U.S. Open, The Open Championship, BMW PGA Championship, CJ Cup, Maybank Championship, CIMB Classic, and the Hong Kong Open to name a few.

Our continued promise and delivery of quality over the years has resulted in long-standing relationships and multi-year contracts with some of the most prestigious events in the world. Arena has been an integral part of the growth of golf in the Middle East, having provided infrastructure to almost every big tournament here since their inception. Golf forms a major part of our portfolio regionally including, the HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championships, Omega Dubai Desert Classic, and the Saudi International.

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What makes golf a strong sponsorship proposition and why the MENA Tour in particular?
In addition to golf being a growing sport in the region and Arena being involved in so many iconic tournaments we wanted to give something back to the industry that has been very kind to us. Golf was the obvious choice.

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Tell us about your own golf?
I am a social player with no handicap.

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Who is your favourite player?
Seve Ballesteros. Although he is no longer with us, he was a genius on the course.

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What is your vision for the MENA Tour, in tandem with strategic advisor David Spencer and his team?
I see the Mena Tour becoming the No.1 feeder tour in the world. David and I are also very confident that Arena’s partnership with the Tour will help play a massive role in nurturing a home-grown champion very soon.

The post MENA Tour matters appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
The MENA Tour’s bid to become the “best little mini-tour in the world” has just become a whole lot more realistic.

Arena Middle East & Asia has bolstered its sponsorship of the regional Pro-Am circuit which will now be known as the MENA Tour by Arena. The provider of turnkey structures for the “most prestigious occasions in the global calendar” – think most of the spectator and corporate hospitality infrastructure at the major Middle East golf tournaments, for example – Arena will also have the naming rights to three tournaments in the Autumn Schedule – this week’s Abu Dhabi Open at Yas Links and later in Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah.

While no financial details of the deal were disclosed at the announcement on the eve of the Abu Dhabi Open, MENA Tour strategic advisor David Spencer insists the “umbrella sponsorship” will help the circuit’s expansion plans.

Back this year after a near 17-month restricting hiatus, the 2019 MENA Tour includes 10 events with minimum $75,000 purses and Official World Ranking Points. The number of events is expected to grow next season, enhancing the pathway to golf’s larger pro tours for the tour’s membership and helping players from across the Middle East qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

“The MENA Tour by Arena is committed to becoming the most preferred development tour in the world,” said Spencer.

“The partnership with Arena and their vision for the region makes it all possible. We are truly thankful to (Arena Middle East & Asia CEO) Paul Berger and his team for the faith that they have shown in us. [This year] we have enhanced the prize fund of each tournament, increased the playing opportunities for our members and have streamlined the schedule. There are many more plans in the pipeline but these do need corporate support.”

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Arena are clearly committed to helping the circuit deliver on its player development remit.

“Golf forms a major part of our portfolio and the MENA Tour gives us a great opportunity to visit some of the leading golf courses and countries in the region,” Berger said. “Arena has been an integral part of the growth of golf in the Middle East, having provided infrastructure to almost every big tournament here since their inception. We are also very confident that our partnership with the Tour will help play a massive role in nurturing a home-grown champion very soon.”

This week’s Abu Dhabi Open is the seventh stop of the 2019 MENA Tour season which is split (by the region’s summer heat) into two five-event swings.

Ayla Golf Club in Aqaba and Jordan are official destination partners with the season-long Order of Merit (OOM), much like the European Tour’s ‘Race to Dubai’, now known as the ‘Journey To Jordan’. Ayla G.C. has already hosted a two-leg Qualifying School and two $100,000 events – including last week’s Journey To Jordan-2 Championship won so impressively by Robin ‘Tiger’ Williams. It will also host the season-ending $100,000 Tour Championship in late November.

Playing opportunities on the European, Challenge and Asian Tour’s are major lures for players from around the world. The MENA Tour announced a host of new invites just before the start of the autumn swing including starts in the 2020 Omega Dubai Desert Classic for the top two professionals and leading amateur in the final OOM race, plus to the winner of a separate ‘Final Five’ money list over the five-event autumn swing.

RELATED: MENA Tour unveil European and Challenge Tour invites for autumn swing schedule

There is also a ‘Penultimate Four’ race – the autumn swing events excluding the Tour Championship, which will see the winner teed up to play back-to-back Asian Tour events in New Delhi (Panasonic Open India) and Bangkok (Thailand Open).

The post Arena become ‘umbrella sponsor’ of MENA Tour appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.