Marjan and El Hassan fly Arab flag at Dubai Classic
dubai — Surrounded by both opportunity and positive energy, Ahmed Marjan and Younes El Hassani will be hoping to leave their own imprints when they fly the Arab flag at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club from February 2 to 5.
The Moroccan duo will join a world-class field headlined by Tiger Woods, The Open champion Henrik Stenson and The Masters winner Danny Willett among other elite golfers, mindful that a good performance could well mark a watershed moment in their careers.
Marjan earned his spot in the starting line-up of the European Tour’s longest-running event for being the number one Arab golfer on the Mena Golf Tour while El Hassani has been handed a special invitation as part of strong bilateral ties between ‘golf in DUBAi’ and the Hassan II Trophy, which became a full European Tour event in 2010.
Both the Moroccans have tasted life in the fast lane, having competed in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the Hassan II Trophy a couple of times and know what it takes to compete at the highest level. “We just have to go out there and be positive,” said Marjan, the first professional golfer from the Arab world to win a Mena Tour event, a feat he achieved at the 2014 Ras Al Khaimah Classic.
“I missed the cut at Emirates Golf Club last year by one shot, so obviously the first goal is to try and make it to the weekend. I just need to relax and go out there and not think about everyone else and just play my own game,” said Marjan, who graduated to the professional ranks after winning the MENA Golf Tour’s Amateur Order of Merit title in the inaugural edition of the tour in 2011.