The 2023-24 UAE Golf Season Teed Up
United Arab Emirates (UAE) – The new United Arab Emirates (UAE) golf season is here, and all golfers are eagerly waiting for the Federation’s announcement about the 2023-2024 Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) Order of Merit schedule. The EGF is happy to announce that the record-setting schedule is now live on the EGF website. In addition, the EGF will be making a handful of structural alterations for the upcoming season.
2022 – 2023 EGF Order of Merit Winners at Al Ain Equestrian Shooting & Golf Club
The UAE golf season kicks off on October 14th and 15th with the Men’s Open at Al Zorah Golf Club and the EGC Junior Open at Emirates Golf Club. The EGF Order of Merit Season will end on April 14th, 2024, with the Tower Links Junior Open. For the 2023-24 UAE golf season, there will be a record-setting number of events for players to compete in. This season will host 24 Men’s events, 20 Ladies’ events, and 9 Junior events, with four ‘Majors’ offering the winners of these events spots in the UAE’s 2024 Challenge Tour Events.
This EGF’s Order of Merit is a collection of events from the UAE golf clubs’ Men’s, Ladies’, and Junior Opens including a new addition of World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) events. These eight-month-long season tournaments will take place around the UAE so each golfer can experience the game on different courses and conditions.
All UAE golf clubs are eligible to host an Order of Merit event and the Emirates Golf Federation will make the guidelines available to all clubs and players. All the citizens or residents are invited to play, the only condition to receive Order of Merit points is to have a valid EGF Handicap/Membership. All tournaments will be played under the Official Rules of Golf set out by the R&A in conjunction with the local rules a club may have. In the guideline published by EGF, there are different conditions, formats, and point allocations. This information will be available at each club.
In previous seasons Men, Ladies, and Juniors competed in a season-long race to enter The Order of Merit Final. This final was an exclusive tournament that bore no weight on the Order of Merit standings. The new structure sees the Final, contribute double points in crowning the Champion for each division, like the Race to Dubai or FedEx Cup. The top 20 to 30 players will receive Order of Merit points, reliant on the field size. The Order of Merit Leaderboard will be updated after each event.
The divisions have been reworked as well boasting multiple categories for Ladies and Juniors. The Ladies and Junior Divisions will have 2 rankings: Net and Gross, while men will compete in Gross format at each tournament within the Order of Merit. All divisions will have an Order of Merit of their own and subsequently, competitors will play from adjusted yardages with respect to their handicap. This is largely due to the wide range of skill levels here in the UAE and the growing interest in competitive golf. EGF has also partnered with an array of organizers which grants players even more opportunities to earn points. This will allow any events that hold WAGR points and are sanctioned by the EGF to be eligible for the Order of Merit.
“In accordance with international standards, we have introduced a new Order of Merit points table. This table is aimed at rewarding players who perform in larger and more difficult tournaments. ‘Majors’ will remain our flagship events and thus still award more points than our standard Order of Merit events on the calendar” added National Coach and EGF Tournament Coordinator, Cameron VanRooyen.
The full EGF Order of Merit schedule is now live on the EGF website.
With almost a new event taking place weekly, golfers can see the latest updates, event news, and results by following the Emirates Golf Federation on social media and Website. Thanks to the increase in the number of players in the country, EGF expects a season full of great golf.