Oman Golf: Azzan Al Rumhy aims to qualify for final round of MENA Golf Tour event in Dubai

Sports Monday 11/September/2017 14:31 PM
By: Times News Service
Oman Golf: Azzan Al Rumhy aims to qualify for final round of MENA Golf Tour event in Dubai

Muscat: Oman National Team player Azzan Al Rumhy tees-off at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on Monday in his first round of the 2017 MENA Golf Tour.
Al Rumhy will be the only Omani participating in the event which is the region’s most prestigious golfing series.
Al Rumhy will play two rounds of 18-holes over the week, aiming to qualify for Wednesday’s final round.
He’ll be competing against 21 other amateur golfers, eight of whom hail from the MENA region.
“My first goal is to qualify for the final round and then to finish on top of the other MENA amateurs,” said Azzan, before his departure for Dubai.
The MENA tour will see a total of 120 golfers come through Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club over the next week, both professional and amateur.
The level of golf is of the highest in the region and the tournament attracts professionals from across the globe, making it a significant achievement for Azzan.
This year’s main attraction is sure to be previous Open winner and Dubai Creek course record holder (63), Darren Clarke.
Al Rumhy, who has set himself a third goal of finishing within the top five of the total 21 amateurs, has been preparing for this tour since the beginning of the year.
Working with National Team Head Coach Steven Troup, Azzan has been developing a more accurate swing and refining his chip shots.
“We’ve been making changes to my swing on a stage-by-stage basis. We’re towards the final stages but I have to get used to the changes and believe in them,” said Azzan, continuing that this MENA Tour will be the first big test for the changes.
The MENA Golf Tour gives regional golfers the opportunity to compete against amateurs and professionals from across the globe, the biggest opportunity of its kind that exists in the MENA region.
Pairings are typically comprised of two professionals and one amateur player, providing the amateurs with invaluable insight into the quality of golf being played at a professional level.
“Being able to compete with the pros and see how they play the game will definitely help us. It gives me a great indication of where I am in comparison to them. That’s what I like about it,” said Azzan.
Al Rumhy will also compete against other regional players who he’ll meet again at the GCC and Arab Golf Championships, where Al Rumhy will represent Oman alongside other national team players later in the season.
The success of the MENA Golf Tour highlights the growing interest in the game of golf across the region, and Al Rumhy’s participation in particular shows a strong commitment from Oman. The Oman Golf Committee, supported by Oman LNG, National Bank of Oman and Omantel, works to raise awareness and participation levels for golf in Oman and to give golfers of all ages the opportunity to play the sport.
The MENA Golf Tour began on March 6, 2017 at El Jadida Golf Club in Morocco and run till October 26, 2017, finishing up at the Al Zorah Golf Club in Ajman.