100 players vie for honours in first Qatar Classic

Chris Myers, general manager of Doha Golf Club, Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour. Mohamed Faisal al-Naimi, executive director of Qatar Golf Association and Mike Shoueiry, technical director, during the launch of the Doha leg of the MENA Golf Tour yesterday. The event begins today.

By Satya Rath/Doha

Five Qatari amateurs would be vying for glory in a strong field of 100 golfers when the inaugural Qatar Classic — the eighth stop on the 2013 calendar of the MENA Golf Tour (MGT) – begins at the Doha Golf Club today.

Sanctioned by the Qatar Golf Association and supported by the Qatar Olympic Committee, the three-day event, with a prize purse of $50,000, has attracted golfers from 30 countries. The 100-strong field includes 79 professionals and 21 amateurs.

Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of MGT, feels addition of the Qatar leg will provide a fresh boost to the country’s growing reputation as a major golf destination. “This is our first visit to Qatar which we see as another positive development for golf in the region. I would like to thank the Doha Golf Club for hosting the event which, I am sure, will become a popular and permanent stop on the Tour,” he said.

The first edition of the MGT, in 2011, had four rounds. The 2012 edition had six. The 2013 Tour has 10 legs, including the finale.

“When we started the tour in 2011, our primary aim was to provide emerging players, especially from the region (Middle East and North Africa), a platform to play against a top-class international field. With the Tour covering a vast expanse of the region, they have a new window of opportunity to enhance their careers.

“That the event now has expanded to all corners of the region, from its humble beginning two years back, shows that we are on the right track. We hope to take it to more places in the future. We have to keep the momentum going, ensuring the region’s talent gets meaningful playing opportunities to take their game to the next level,” Juma Buamaim added.

The course, according to Chris Myers, general manager of Doha Golf Club, is in great condition but could play a bit slow. “The summer is just over, so the conditions could be slightly on the slower side. But I am confident the players will relish the challenge,” Myers said.

England’s Zane Scotland currently leads the Order of Merit for professionals with $45,896 in earnings from the first seven events on the Tour while the Moroccan duo of Mustapha El Maouas (139 points) and Ahmed Marjane (119) top the amateur division.

Local hopes would rest on the five Qatari amateurs in the field — Ghanim al-Kuwani, Faisa Mir, Abdulrehman al- Bishi, Saleh al- Kaabi and Somposch Sangorn Sang Orn —  who would have the support of home conditions.

The top three professionals and the leading amateur from their respective orders of merit will get invites to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the longest-running European Tour event in the region.

Mohamed Faisal al-Naimi, executive director of Qatar Golf Association, said Doha Golf Club was delighted to be part of the MGT.

“We are delighted to be part of the Tour as we support all initiatives which target overall development of the game in the region.

The Tour has done a great job in creating a competitive environment for the region’s players to grow and excel on the international stage,” he said.