MENA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR THRILLING FINISH TO SEASON

By viren.varma

AL AIN, Dubai: With a host of players firmly in the hunt, the battle for the title of MENA Golf Tour Number One promises to go down to the wire when the season-ending Tour Championship gets under way at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club today.
The ‘big bonus' of winning golden tickets to the 2013 Omega Dubai Desert Classic has further ratcheted up the level of excitement in the field that has been whittled down to top 40 professionals and 15 leading amateurs from their respective Orders of Merit.
There is everything is play for in the final event which carries a prize fund of $75,000 (Dh275,500), including the $13,500 purse for the winner, but if the current form in any indication, Stephen Dodd, the winner of last week's Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open, could pose a serious threat to his nearest challengers.
With his short game in great shape, Dodd, at present placed second on the Order of Merit, will make his run, attempting to become the first back-to-back winner on the Tour and end his campaign with a flourish.
"Golf is all about results and I got the one I wanted in Dubai. We must be doing things right if we get the results," said Dodd, a three-time winner on the European Tour, who would require to finish well ahead of England's Zane Scotland if he aims to topple the current Order of Merit leader.
With one win and two runner-up finishes under his belt from the first five events on the tour, Scotland admitted he needs an extra spring in his game if he is to ensure he stays on top. "I need to maintain focus and play sensibly, and see what happens," said Scotland, who beat Dodd to second place to win the Dubai Creek Open, the tour's opening event this season.
Lurking ominously behind the two former European Tour players is the Pakistan duo of Mohammed Munir and Shafiq Masih, who could turn the script upside down with their aggressive style of golf.
"Our goal is to finish among the top three on the Order of Merit and win a place in the 2013 Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Which is why we are here. If that happens it would be great not only for us, but for Pakistan golf as a whole," said Shafiq, who announced his arrival on the tour with a thrilling playoff win in Saudi Arabia.
Munir, the winner of the Ras Al Khaimah Classic, had his chances to seal a back-to-back win last week, but felt let down by his putter. "I didn't putt that well on the final day. But whatever has to happen has happened. I am taking a relaxed attitude into the Tour Championship, hoping things will fall into place," said Munir, who is paired with Dodd and Scotland for the opening two rounds.
The race for the leading amateur is also shaping up as an intense battle with England's Max Williams moving marginally ahead of compatriot Tyler Hogarty and Switzerland's Michael Harradine after the Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open.
"Now I have the lead and know what I have to do in Al Ain. I am pretty good in focusing on the job at hand," said Williams, who is 14 points ahead of Harradine and 19 off Hogarty.
The top three professionals and the leading amateur from their respective Orders of Merit will receive special invitations to compete in the 2013 Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the longest-running European Tour event outside the continent.

A new initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour is affiliated to R&A and the Arab Golf Federation. The six-stop tour, which is backed by Omega and Mercedes-Benz, boasts a combined prize fund of $325,000.