The MENA Tour might be on ice for summer but breakout performances by members new and champions past elsewhere around the globe ensures the regional developmental circuit is never far from the headlines

By Kent Gray
Perhaps Robert MacIntyre knew something when he spoke about the merits of the MENA Tour earlier this year.

“There’s a few guys now on the European Tour that have come from the MENA Tour. They go out there to try and improve and it is a great tour to be a stepping stone to go to the European Tour and hopefully even major championships.”

The 22-year-old Scotsman has certainly skipped on from winning the MENA Tour’s Sahara Kuwait Golf Championship in 2017, earning promotion to the European Tour by finishing 12th on the Challenge Tour last season. MacIntyre clearly hasn’t been daunted by the step up either; the left-hander was 15th in the Race to Dubai rankings as we went to press and looking forward to a maiden major championship start courtesy of his steady rookie season, including back-to-back runner-up finishes at the British Masters and Made to Denmark.

MacIntyre qualified for this month’s 148th Open Championship courtesy of being one of the first five players in the top-20 Race to Dubai rankings who hadn’t already qualified for Royal Portrush. He’ll be joined at the year’s final major by another star MENA Tour alumnae, Thai Jazz Janewattananond, and the regional development circuit’s patron, 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke.

Jazz Janewattananond was T-2 heading into the final round of the U.S. PGA Championship before slipping with a Sunday 77 at Bethpage Black (Getty Images)

There could yet be even more MENA Tour members teeing it up at Royal Portrush on July 18: Pavan Sagoo, Nick Marshall, Tom Shadbolt, Rob Harrhy, Jamie Rutherford, Alasdair Plumb, Seve Benson, Conor O’Neil and current amateur order of merit leader Curtis Knipes where all through to final qualifying on July 2.

With a four and a half month break between the end of the MENA Tour’s spring swing and the resumption of the season at the Journey to Jordan 2 championship on September 29, it should be a challenge to maintain the tour’s profile and momentum. But it’s a cinch when current members and past champions continue to perform on the world stage including recent EuroPro Tour wins for Todd Clements and Luke Joy.

Janewattananond, who won the 2017 Mahasamutr Open in his homeland, is a shining light. The 23-year-old Thai was up to a giddy 52nd in the Official World Golf Rankings at press time after securing his third and fourth Asian Tour titles this season at the Singapore and Korean Opens, the former securing his place in The Open.

The Open will be the former teen prodigy’s third major championship start. He missed the cut at last year’s Open at Carnoustie but impressed with his swashbuckling game at the PGA Championship in mid-May, rounds of 70-68-67 earning him a spot in the penultimate final round two-ball at Bethpage Black. Sadly he slid to a share of 14th following a Sunday 77 but showed the undoubted class first evidenced globally in 2010 when he became the youngest player – at 14 years and 71 days – to make a halfway cut in an Asian Tour event at the Asian Tour International.

Frenchman Robin Roussel is the latest player to kick on from an impressive rookie season campaign on the MENA Tour. Winner of the spring swing’s final event, the Troon Series-Royal Golf Bahrain Open in mid-March, Roussel is now on the cusp of following MacIntyre’s path to the European Tour.

Robin Roussel won the Hauts de France – Pas de Calais Golf Open
in June to continue his dream start to the Challenge Tour season. (Getty Images)

After winning the Hauts de France – Pas de Calais Golf Open in June, the 25-year-old was fourth in the Challenge Tour rankings at the time of press; the top-15 at the end of the season earn automatic entry to the main tour in 2020.

“I think the MENA Tour can be very proud of playing a small part in the success these and many more players are seeing in their games,” said MENA Tour Tournament Director Wayne Johnson.

“I think the way the MENA Tour has evolved from its humble beginning in 2011 with stronger and stronger fields competing,  and the way it has been able to help develop and nurture some outstanding players over the years is a real testimony to the tour.

“I am very hopeful it will continue to be a catalyst for the continued development and success of many of our tour members with an increased tournament schedule in 2020 and the continued support from the exceptional golf courses and facilities in the MENA region.

“We need to say a big thank you to all of the venues who have been so supportive and played such a big part in providing superb courses in magnificent condition for our members to play and compete on.”

Roussel, 26 next month, is second in the OOM rankings and hopes to return for a tilt at the Journey to Jordan title in at least some of the MENA Tour season’s five remaining events.

Either way, there is a lot to look forward to even before the resumption of the title race. Courtesy of finishing fourth and fifth on the OOM  in the first half of the season, Daniel Gaunt and Nick Marsh have starts in the Indonesian Masters (July 4-7) and Indonesian Open (Aug. 15-18) while Troon Series- Dubai Open champion Mathiam Keyser has two further Challenge Tour invites, the Slovakia Challenge (July 4-7) and the Made in Denmark Challenge (Aug. 7-10).

Knipes also has a Challenge Tour start on the horizon, the Northern Ireland Challenge Tour Open next month.

The post From MENA Tour winner to DPWTC contender, Robert MacIntyre’s bright future is a product of his Scottish roots appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Jordanian amateur Shergo Al Kurdi has been given the honour of getting the MENA Tour’s Journey to Jordan back on track at his home Ayla Golf Club.

After the circuit’s six-month summer hiatus, Al Kurdi hit the opening shot in the Journey to Jordan 2 event in Aqaba earlier today.

And the second half of the @theMENATour 2019 season is underway!
Quite aptly, the Jordan Open champion @SHERGOKURDI kickstarts the proceedings with this tee shot on the first at @AylaOasis today!#JourneyToJordan pic.twitter.com/8XY3Kjaa8f

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) September 30, 2019

The $100,000 tournament launches the MENA Tour’s five-event Autumn Swing which culminates with the Tour Championship, also at Ayla, from Nov. 24-28. In between time Yas Links, Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club and Tower Links will host the Abu Dhabi Open (Oct. 6-9), Al Ain Open (Oct. 19-23) and Ras Al Khaimah Open (Oct. 26-30) respectively.

With current Journey to Jordan Order-of-Merit (OOM) leader Matthew Baldwin focused on the European Challenge Tour as well as the Englishman’s nearest challenger, Frenchman Robin Roussel, this week’s event presents a big opportunity for MG Keyser.

The Dubai-based South African is third in the OOM, just $3350 adrift of Baldwin, so can assume pole-position with a top-five finish come Thursday’s final round. Fourth-placed Daniel Gaunt (Australia) and fifth-placed Nick Marsh (England) will also be hoping to take advantage of the absence of Baldwin and Roussel. There will also be interest in Luke Joy’s performance after the Yas Links-attached pro’s recent EuroPro Tour win.

 

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First time to @aylagolfclub in Jordan ?? Really looking forward to being back playing on the @themenatour #Golf #MenaTour #ViewGoals ??‍

A post shared by Nick Marsh (@marsh_nick94) on Sep 29, 2019 at 6:31am PDT

Amateur OOM leader Curtis Knipes was due off at 8.20am in his opening round. His nearest challenger, Dubai-based England boys’ rep Josh Hill, was to set out 70 mins later while there will also be interest in the opening round performances of Hill’s pals Toby Bishop and Arjun Gupta.

Hill and Bishop recently celebrated international call-ups.

Massive congratulations to our amateur members Josh Hill and Toby Bishop.

Josh selected for England Boys’ squad for 2019-20.

Toby gets into the Wales High Performance Squad.

And oh! They are both just 15!! pic.twitter.com/elcjlniT57

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) September 25, 2019

The post Keyser looks to take advantage of Journey to Jordan absentees as MENA Tour resumes in Aqaba appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
A breakthrough European Challenge Tour victory on home soil has MENA Tour rookie Robin Roussel eyeing promotion to the European Tour in 2020.

The 25-year-old Frenchman played the final 36 holes of the Hauts de France – Pas de Calais Golf Open bogey-free to continue his dream start to the season in Europe’s second tier; the €30,400 victory at notoriously tricky Aa Saint-Omer Golf Club was his fourth top-10 in six starts.

Roussel is now up to fourth in the Challenge Tour standings and on track to secure one of the 15 places in the Order of Merit standings that guarantee automatic graduation to the European Tour next season.

“It’s a very special feeling, I don’t have the words right now,” Roussel told said afterwards. “I just enjoyed the moment so much and the crowd so much. They’ve been very, very supportive all week long. It’s such a great feeling. No bogeys all weekend, I didn’t think about it, but I feel like I just played perfectly.”

Congratulations to @RobinRoussel, winner of our Troon Series – Royal Golf Club Bahrain Open, who played bogey-free over the weekend at the tough Aa Saint-Omer Golf Club to win his first title on the @Challenge_Tour. Well done Robin and here’s wishing you many more in the future. pic.twitter.com/iklfNOvyAv

— MENA Tour (@theMENATour) June 17, 2019

Roussel is clearly determined not to waste the lessons learned during the MENA Tour’s spring-swing earlier this year, including a breakthrough victory at the Troon Series-Royal Golf Bahrain Open in March which secured an invite to the European Tour’s Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur.

Currently second on the MENA Tour OOM behind Matthew Baldwin, the Paris-born, Cannes-based Frenchman talks to Golf Digest Middle East about how his wary entry to the regional developmental circuit has made way for respect and awe at the opportunities offered by the those tasked with making it the best little mini-tour in the world.

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A friend told me about the MENA Tour last season but it was too late to get in the 2018 season so I just decided to wait until the 2019 tour. I didn’t really know what to expect, to be honest. I was a little nervous because it was the first time I would travel in this part of the world and I did not know the organisation of this tour. But now I know that MENA Tour team is absolutely perfect from A to Z and I’m 100% confident in playing in a MENA Tour event now.

You can’t really compare it with the other mini-tours. It’s totally different. I’ve been playing only for a year on the Alps Tour but what I can say is that the MENA Tour is closer to European Tour / Challenge Tour conditions than any other mini-tours. On the MENA Tour, you’re playing for more money, the courses are better and in a better shape, greens are way faster. The field of players is tougher. The organisation is bigger with official hotels, deals for accommodation, food and travel companies. But most importantly, this tour has big opportunities. You can get many invites on the Challenge and European Tours. That reality has been a fantastic surprise compared to what I thought this journey would be.

Before the win in Bahrain, as a pro, I’ve never been able to close a tournament when I had the opportunity to win it. This win proved me that, yes, I’m able to hold a 3-4-5 shot lead going into the last round. Now I know I’m able to get over the pressure of being at the top with some lads chasing me. It was a great feeling heading into the start of the Challenge Tour season.

I’m so grateful to the MENA Tour for the opportunity to play at the Maybank Championship, my first full European Tour start. It was such a great experience competing in one of the biggest fields on the European Tour schedule but also in the best field of the Asian Tour season. Even if conditions were really hard and I was a little tired from my five past weeks on the MENA Tour, that week in Malaysia was great. I learned a lot from other players, from this tough course, but also about myself. I didn’t play my best golf and I missed the cut by one stroke so next time I’ll be competing on the main tour I can trust myself and start the tournament with the same goals and expectations as I had at MENA Tour events.

It has been a great start to the Challenge Tour season so far but I must stay very careful because this game can be so cruel and crazy. I know that three top-10s to start is a good start [made better by his win this past weekend] but I also know that it is still a long way to reach main tour next year. But this start pushes me to work harder and harder.

It’s clear and obvious that my winter on the MENA Tour put me on this great dynamic. I just had to keep the same routine and attitude at my Challenge Tour events. I just feel like my season has started three months and nine tournaments ago [including the five MENA Tour starts]. The dynamic is so much easier to catch.

Making the top-15 of the Challenge Tour is the final goal, yes, especially after my week in Malaysia. On the European Tour, everything is put together to push you to show the best of you. This is such an amazing feeling, the great atmosphere when you’re on the range or the putting green, working with Ernie Els right next to you. You’re just telling yourself ‘ok this is where you want to be and this is where you have to be in the future’.

I don’t really know how many MENA Tour events I’ll play in the second half of the season. It depends on which tournaments clash with Challenge Tour events. But what is sure is that anytime I’m able to get back on the MENA Tour, I’ll be there. I loved it.  Really.

The post Roussel after Challenge Tour breakthrough: “It’s obvious that my winter on the MENA Tour put me on this great dynamic” appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.