Golf Citizen to sponsor Arab Champ’ship in Oman
Corfield aims to keep good vibes; Al Rumhi leads challenge in MENA Tour event
MUSCAT, Oct 23: Golf Citizen has teamed up with the Oman Golf Committee to sponsor the Arab Golf Championship to be held at Ghala Golf Club in Muscat on November 9-12, underlining its commitment to bringing golf business to the forefront of digital technology.
Held under the auspices of the Arab Golf Federation, the blueriband event will see the region’s top talent convene in the Omani capital to battle it out for their moment in the spotlight.
Golf Citizen’s new tie-up with the Oman Golf Committee (OGC) will help create a platform for the Sultanate’s golf clubs, Ghala Golf Club included, to join the fast-expanding network and sell times on one of the fastest growing online golf booking portals.
“We feel a sense of obligation to support all initiatives which target overall development of the game in the region,” said Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of ‘golf in DUBAi’ that has created Golf Citizen.
“The Arab Golf Championship is one of the longest-running events in the region and provides a springboard for the leading players to progress to the next level, the MENA Golf Tour for instance which is open to both professionals and amateurs.
OGC were delighted to forge a partnership with Golf Citizen. “We have four top golf courses in Oman and it makes perfect sense to bring major tournaments there if we are to position our country as a golf destination,” said Mundhir Al Barwani, Chairman of OGC.
GOLF
Meanwhile, Lee Corfield will be hoping to pick up plenty of good vibes when he returns to the Ghala Golf Club in Muscat to defend his title this week as the MENA Golf Tour reaches its business end.
Currently placed ninth on the Order of Merit, the 34-year-old Englishman needs another strong finish at the Ghala Open, starting on Monday, in his quest to close the gap on the leaders, but will have to be wary of rivals lining up as potential roadblocks along the way.
The Ghala Open — the 15th and penultimate event on the tour — offers one last chance to competitors to consolidate their positions on the Order of Merit before the ‘cut’ is made for next week’s seasonending Tour Championship, which boasts a prize fund of $100,000.
Craig Hinton currently leads the Order of Merit for professionals, but with the likes his fellow Englishmen Zane Scotland, Andrew Marshall and Luke Joy Dodd snapping on his heels, the prognoses points to an interesting finish.
Going forward many good storylines could unfold during the week as England’s Joe Heraty, who matched the MENA Golf Tour record for the lowest 18-hole score with a 62 en route to his two-shot victory in Kuwait last week, will be hoping to make it two in a row and join an exclusive club of multiple winners on the tour.
In the amateur division, Chile’s Matias Calderon, who also shot a 62 last week, and Brazil’s Tiago Lobo headed for another showdown if they could produce the same kind of form they showed in finishing tied third in Kuwait.
Top-ranked Omani golfer Azaan Al Rumhi, who lives just a sand wedge away from the course, will spearhead the home challenge in the MENA Division that features leading players from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, including Othman Almulla and Khaled Attieh, while Morocco’s Younes El Hassani and Lebanon’s Peter Badawy headline the star cast in the region’s professional division.