The UAE’s only national professional golfer, Ahmed Al Musharrekh, has confirmed he is to line up alongside the rising stars of the European Challenge Tour in the Al-Futtaim Automotive Group Pro-Am, the curtain raiser to the eagerly anticipated Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club.
Al Musharrekh recently fired a career-best 67 in the Ras Al Khaimah Classic and has played as an amateur invite in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship on three occasions as well as the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the 2010 Egyptian Open.
The 24-year-old is relishing the opportunity to test himself against the Challenge Tour’s top 45 players in the Al-Futtaim Automotive Pro-Am which takes place on Tuesday 4 November, the day before the tournament proper gets underway.
“I’m delighted to get the chance to play with the top 45 players on the Challenge Tour,” said Sharjah based Al Musharrekh who is no stranger to Pro-Ams in the region having competed in the DP World Tour Championship Rolex Pro-Am in 2012 where he met current World Number One Rory McIlroy. “The standard of these guys is really high and some of them will undoubtedly achieve success on The European Tour in the future so it will be great to test myself against them.”
The Al-Futtaim Automotive Group Pro-Am is contested by teams consisting of one professional and three amateurs and it offers a unique opportunity for spectators to get up close to the stars of tomorrow in a relaxed and fun environment ahead of the season-ending tournament.
James Shippey, Golf Club Manager, Al Badia Golf Club By InterContinental Dubai Festival City said: “We are delighted to welcome Ahmed to the Al-Futtaim Automotive Group Pro-Am at Al Badia Golf Club. It adds an exciting local element to essentially a Grand Final that is a closed event with a field made up of qualifying professionals from the Challenge Tour Rankings.
“Ahmed has impressed us all over the years as a golfer with great talent and commitment and in my opinion, is probably playing the best golf of his life on this year’s MENA Golf Tour. We hope he enjoys his experience in the Pro-Am amongst the leading players on the Challenge Tour and gains further experience of what is expected from him as a tournament professional golfer. The experience gained is not just about playing another tournament – it is about media activities, hosting amateur golfers in the Pro-Am, tournament preparation, health and fitness and seeing how the players approach the mental side of the game. We are looking forward to a great week and to having Ahmed at the tournament.”
The day after the Pro-Am the Challenge Tour’s elite will contest the season-ending Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club. The top 45 players on the Challenge Tour Rankings following the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic are eligible for the Dubai event where not only is a bumper prize fund of €350,000 up for grabs, the top 15 players on the Rankings following the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final will receive their cards to play on The European Tour next season.
Al Musharrekh is also set to play in next week’s National Bank of Oman Golf Classic on the Challenge Tour having secured one of 30 invites – 20 for professionals and ten for amateurs.
“Having the chance to experience playing on the Challenge Tour in the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic, and then following it up with the Al-Futtaim Automotive Pro-Am at Al Badia is fantastic and will hopefully greatly help my development in the game,” said Al Musharrekh.
