Mena Golf Tour's top three invited to compete in Asian Tour Qualifying School

Dubai: In a ringing endorsement of the Mena Golf Tour, which ended here in October, the top three participants have been invited to compete in the final stages of the Asian Tour Qualifying School.

Presented by the Sports Authority of Thailand, the final stage will be held from January 18 to 21 at the Springfield Royal Country Club and Imperial Lakeview, where the top-40 and ties will earn playing rights for the 2012 Asian Tour season.

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Our tour has the potential to launch the careers of regional and international stars and with time it will contribute to enhancing the overall development of golf in the region. That's the ultimate aim

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MENA Golf Tour chairman Mohammad Juma Bu Amim

Jake Shepherd, Peter Richardson and Sean McNamara, who finished among the top three on the Order of Merit earlier this year, will receive exemptions into the final stage in recognition of their performance on the four-event MENA Golf Tour, which boasted a combined prize fund of $225,000.

Emerging talent

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The three professionals, who have also been handed special invitations to play in the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic in February, are excited at the prospects of competing alongside some of the world's best emerging talent in the final stage.

"It will be an honour to play on the Asian Tour and we are grateful to them for the first-stage exemption," said Shepherd, who topped the MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit with total earnings of $17,749 from three of the four events he played on the tour.

"Playing on the MENA Golf Tour has opened up a wide [range of] opportunities which we never dreamed of. The exposure to the final stage competition will also help us fine-tune our game ahead of the European Tour event in Dubai."

The Qualifying School will also enable upcoming players the opportunity to compete on the Asian Development Tour that has grown to eight tournaments since its inception in 2010.

Excitement

Mohammad Juma Bu Amim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, thanked the Asia Tour for their gesture, saying it would add more excitement to the tour and reflect the bond the two tours share.

"Our tour events are open to both professionals and amateurs and, therefore, have a unique appeal. Money is one thing. They offer an opportunity to play golf at the highest level (the Omega Dubai Desert Classic) and now this first stage exemption on the Asian Tour Q-School is an added bonus," he said.

"The players won't be short on incentives when they tee it up in the second edition of the MENA Golf Tour, which we are planning to launch some time in March or April next year.

"Our tour has the potential to launch the careers of regional and international stars and with time it will contribute to enhancing the overall development of golf in the region. That's the ultimate aim."

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Source: http://gulfnews.com/sport/golf/mena-golf-tour-s-top-three-invited-to-compete-in-asian-tour-qualifying-school-1.957171?localLinksEnabled=false&utm_source=Feeds&utm_medium=RSS&utm_term=Sport_RSS_feed&utm_content=1.957171&utm_campaign=Mena_Golf_Tour's_t

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