(Hurghada, Red Sea Governorate – Egypt) – On May 20^th – 22^nd 2022 the Egyptian Golf Federation is hosting the Egyptian Ladies Amateur Open or locally known as the Nefertiti Cup 2022. Representing the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) will be Hamda Al Suwaidi and Alia Al Emadi.

(right to left) Ladies National Team Coach April Varney with UAE National Team players Alia Al Emadi & Hamda Al Suwaidi

The Egyptian Ladies Amateur Open – Nefertiti Cup 2022 has been played since 2004 and this year it will be held at El Gouna Golf Club. The event will be a 54-hole stroke play championship with the Top 3 Arab players receiving an invitation into a Ladies European Tour event in late 2022. The tournament is open to all lady amateurs with a maximum handicap of 7.

“It is important for our ladies to keep playing over the summer. This is just one of many events and training activities that our Ladies National Team will be participating in. Also, it is important for the EGF to continue to support these Amateur Championships within the Arab Golf Federation. These types of championships will only strengthen our players and give the ladies more competitive experience. The EGF thanks the Egyptian Golf Federation for hosting this championship and we wish the UAE National Ladies the best of luck this weekend, said Akram Skaik, Director General of the Emirates Golf Federation.

Stay tuned to the Emirates Golf Federation social media pages for regular updates and live scoring once presented.

EGF Website: www.egfgolf.com

EGF Facebook: Emirates Golf Federation

EGF Twitter: @EGFuaegolf

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EGF LinkedIn: Emirates Golf Federation (EGF)

• Partnership will enhance development of golf at all levels in the United Arab Emirates
• Agreement includes minimum of two Challenge Tour events per year in the country
• 30 spots per event will be given to local players to help expand professional golf
• Tour will also support EGF junior development initiatives

The DP World Tour and the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) today announced a long-term partnership aimed at developing golf in the United Arab Emirates for at least the next decade.

The two organisations will collaborate across all levels of the sport in the UAE, from grassroots initiatives right through to the professional game, building on the Tour’s long-term association with the region which dates back to 1989.

Today’s announcement includes a commitment to investing in a minimum of two Challenge Tour events in the country annually from 2023. There will be 30 spots in each of those tournaments allocated to the Emirates Golf Federation to help create playing opportunities and provide a pathway for Emirati golfers.

The partnership also includes an expansion of the Tour’s support of junior golf development in the UAE, working together with the Emirates Golf Foundation to help enhance its grassroots and player performance programmes.

The European Tour group, which incorporates the DP World Tour, Challenge Tour and Legends Tour, first visited the UAE in 1989 for the Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club.

Since then, the European Tour group has enjoyed a strong and enduring relationship with the UAE, which was underlined last November when DP World, the Dubai-headquartered provider of global smart end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions, was named as the title sponsor of the group’s main Tour.

Alongside a record total prize fund for 2022 and minimum purses of US$2million for each solely sanctioned DP World Tour event, that announcement also promised an enhanced commitment to grassroots golf, particularly in the UAE, and significant investment in the Challenge Tour.

Tom Phillips, the European Tour group’s Head of Middle East, said: “Our special partnership with the Emirates Golf Foundation not only demonstrates the DP World Tour’s long-term commitment to developing golf in the United Arab Emirates, but also reflects the strength of the many relationships we enjoy in the country.

“We are delighted to confirm this partnership following our four hugely successful weeks in the UAE at the start of the year, delivering on the pledges we made at the launch of the DP World Tour in November.”

General Abdullah Alhashmi, Vice-Chairman of the Emirate Golf Federation, said: “We have been working with the Tour for more than 30 years and with DP World’s involvement now with the Tour, it became even more important for us to work together for the future of golf in this region.

“This partnership will take us to the next level. Having two Challenge Tour events is an important part of this so we can exchange spots with other federations and take our players abroad. That is part of our vision to develop golf here and develop our players to compete in the professional game.

“Hopefully one day we will have a winner on the DP World Tour, but we need the gradual progress, and taking our players step by step through the Challenge Tour first is important. It will provide tournaments in this region to give players from the Arab world the chance to play at a higher level and compete against other players from different countries.”

Ahmad Skaik, the UAE’s Number One player and a product of the Emirates Golf Federation’s junior golf development programme, said: “This is a very important partnership. It is great that the Tour and EGF are working together to give us more opportunities and to inspire the younger generations.

“It’s very good for the region and I am very excited about the future. For me, I am going to try to take every opportunity possible and play as many events as I can to get better and better.”

Rafa Cabrera Bello, the Ryder Cup player and four-time DP World Tour winner, added: “I’ve been living in Dubai for more than six years now and I’ve been collaborating with the EGF on a number of different things to help to grow the game in the region. My door is always open to help.

“Over the last 15 years since I’ve been coming to the UAE with the Tour, I’ve seen the courses get better and better, the events get bigger and bigger with more and more top names playing in them. So, we are getting it right and it’s just a matter of time before we see a top player come from the UAE. They have all the facilities and infrastructure, and golf is becoming more and more popular with the kids.

“The EGF is trying to support that rise as much as possible and to have this partnership with the DP World Tour can only be a good thing and it will help grow golf in the region.”

This year, the DP World Tour will play five tournaments in the UAE in 2022, including three out of the five Rolex Series events.

Thomas Pieters and Viktor Hovland triumphed in the first two of these, winning the $8million Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic respectively, before two consecutive events at Al Hamra Golf Club in Ras Al Khaimah – the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, won by Nicolai Højgaard, and the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, won by Ryan Fox – marked the Tour’s first visit to that Emirate, building on the Challenge Tour events held there from 2016-2018.

The 2022 season will conclude in Dubai from November 17-20 with the final Rolex Series event of the year, the DP World Tour Championship, which will become the Tour’s first event outside the Majors and WGCs to feature a US$10million prize fund.

(Al Ain, United Arab Emirates) – Starting today Mach 29^th – March 31^st, 2022 the Al Ain Equestrian Shooting & Golf Club (AESGC) is hosting the Faldo Series Middle East Championship 2022. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is excited to have this championship after a few years postponed due to the pandemic. Over 60 players between the age of 12 and 21 will compete in 5 different categories. 14 of these golfers will be from the UAE National Golf Team Program.

Humaid Al Suwaidi on the first tee at Al Ain Equestrian Shooting & Golf Club

The championship will take place over 3 rounds (54-hole stroke play), followed by the awards ceremony Thursday afternoon. This year’s field will have 23 different nationalities.  Representing the UAE will be Reema Al Heloo, Alia Al Emadi, Sara Ali, Faye Alblooshi, Shahad Al Suwaidi, Reem Al Hosani, Rashed Al Emadi, Obaid Al Heloo, Mohammad Skaik, Rashid Al Jassmy, Abdalla Al Suwaidi, Humaid Al Suwaidi, Abdalla Kalbat, and Abdulla Darwish.

Sanctioned by the EGF and sponsored by The R&A, DP World Tour, LET, ASM Scholarships, AESGC the leading gross scores in each of the 5 categories will be invited back to the Faldo Series 2022 Grand Final.  The final will also take place in Al Ain in November 2022.

Mattew Faldo, Director of the Faldo Series had this to say leading up to the event,  “after missing out on the last two and a half in Al Ain it’s great to be back once more, for the start of our 26th year of the Faldo Series European season.  It is also great to have signed an agreement with the Al Ain Equestrian Shooting & Golf Club to continue our partnership for a further 5 years for both the Middle East Qualifier and the Faldo Series Grand Final up until 2026, which will be our 30 ^th anniversary.

Excellent to have another strong field of over 60 players, representing 23 different nationalities, including the highest number of Emiratis we have ever had competing with 15 in total, which is a testament to the hard work of the Emirates Golf Federation.

Keith Wood, Sir Nick’s coach is also returning with me this week, who will be available for any of the players looking for some, one-to-one time over at the academy.

The golf course looks in superb condition and I am sure we will see some great golf and great scores over the next 3 days, we are looking forward to inviting back to Al Ain the 5 categories winners to the Grand Final later in the year, where my father will  be on hand to meet and interact with the players, host clinics and pass on his golfing knowledge”

(Dubai, UAE) – On March 20, 2022, the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) hosted the March United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Monthly Medal sponsored by Mashreq Bank at Arabian Ranches Golf Club. Over 60 UAE national golfers gathered to compete across five different divisions. Saleh Al Ameri continued to play strong and claimed the overall victory for the last Medal of the 2021-2022 UAE golf season.

March 2022 UAE National Monthly Medal Sponsored by Mashreq Bank at Arabian Ranches Golf Club

The March National Monthly Medal was also supported by eGolf Megastore. eGolf provided the players with fantastic prizes.

Saleh Al Ameri

Winning the National Monthly Medal and was Saleh Al Ameri with 35 Stableford points Al Ameri had this to say after his victory. “I enjoy playing in these medals every month and seeing the National golf community play together. Thank you to Mashreq Bank for sponsoring the event and thank you to eGolf for providing the prizes. I wish everyone a Ramadan Karam coming up and I look forward to seeing everyone soon ”

Finishing as the Runner-Up for the event was Yaslami Al Ameri with 32 points.

National Team Member Rashid Al Emadi fired an 80, 8-over-par, winning the Best Gross Prize.

In the Senior Division, for those who are 50 years of age or older, Amir Al Barki collected 40 points to win the division.

Awards were also given based on handicap with an A-Division (0-14 handicap) and B-Division (14-24 handicap) winners. Winning the A-Division Prize was Mohammed Darwish with 29 Stableford Points. Ali See Al Afreet won the Division-B prize with 30 Stableford Points.

For the Ladies Division, Reema Al Heloo won with 36 Stableford points. Finishing in Second Place was Alia Al Emaid with 31 points.

In the Junior Division, the EGF had 12 juniors compete for the top two spots. Coming in First Place was Mohammed Skaik with 34 points. Finishing in Second Place was Humaid Al Suwaidi with 31 points.

During the event, the EGF hosted 9 members of the National Foundation Squad and UAE Determined Golfers Program on the Academy Course at Arabian Ranches Golf Club. The winner of the Par 3 Competition was Zayed Ali. The Runner-up for the Par 3 Competition was Tariq Moosa Khoory and Ali Al Maazmi finished in Third Place.

The event also had two “On Course Challenges” up for grabs. Taking home the Longest Drive Award was Hamda Al Suwaidi. Winning the Nearest to the Pin Award was Reema Al Heloo.

The next EGF event will take place on May 7^th for the UAE Dubai Duty Free National Championship at Emirates Golf Club on the Faldo Course. To follow the EGF and check up on the latest UAE golf news revert to the EGF website at www.egfgolf.com.

(Cairo, Egypt) – Ahmed Al Musharrekh (UAE), the first professional golfer from the UAE, will play three forthcoming tournaments on the Pro Golf Tour in Cairo, Egypt:

Ahmed Al Musharrekh

15^th March – 17^th March 2022, Dreamland Classic.

20^th March – 22^nd March 2022, New Giza Open.

25^th March – 27^th March 2022, Allegria Open.

The 31-year-old had taken a sabbatical from golf, but recently rededicated himself to the game of golf and now plays in this three-event schedule on the Pro Golf Tour in Cairo.

The prize fund for each tournament is €30,000 with Ahmed’s visit fully supported by the Emirates Golf Federation.

The Pro Golf Tour was founded in 1997 and this year it enters its 25^th year.

The Tour involves around 16 countries in six countries and is classified as one of the Development Tours feeding the Challenge Tour, part of the DP World Tour Group.

The Top five players on the Pro Golf Tour at the end of the season will receive Category 13(b) status on the Challenge Tour with players 6 – 10 receiving Category 20 status.

GULF NEWS caught up with Ahmed. ‘I am really looking forward to playing three tournaments in a row over the next two weeks. I was a last-minute invite to play in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links, Abu Dhabi on the DP World Tour as well as receiving an invite to play in the Ras Al Khaimah Championship presented by Phoenix Capital at Al Hamra Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah. I am feeling good and well prepared,’ said Al Musharrekh.

General Abdullah Alhashmi, Vice-Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF), ‘Golfers at whatever level in the game need playing opportunities to improve. We have watched with interest the career of Ahmed Al Musharrekh in both the UAE as an amateur and more recently as a Professional. We are delighted that Ahmed is back into golf and, on behalf of the EGF, we wish Ahmed all the best in these three events and will watch his results with interest.’