Darren Clarke to play in MENA Tour event
NEWS RELEASE
DUBAI, Oct 27 — The Ras Al Khaimah Classic
takes on special significance with Darren Clarke committing to play in the MENA
Golf Tour event as part of an ambitious drive to fuel the growth of the game
across the Middle East North Africa region.
The 2016 European Ryder Cup captain will be
joined by Welsh ace Stephen Dodd, a three-time European Tour winner, among
others, giving the event at Tower Links Golf Club in the United Arab Emirates from November 2 to 4 the
energy of a ‘Major’ on the tour.
A perennial crowd favorite, Clarke, who was
unveiled as the Patron of the MENA Golf Tour last year, sees his maiden
participation as a great opportunity to meet and play alongside some of the
finest talent from the region.
“It feels great to be part of a tour which is
headed in the right direction as it creates the right kind of competitive
environment for the region’s talent,
especially the amateurs, to advance to the next level,” said the
Ulsterman who has won 22 tournaments worldwide in addition to featuring in
seven Ryder Cups, five as a player and two as a vice-captain.
“I have an opportunity where I can maybe
offer a bit of advice to youngsters, only because there isn’t much I haven’t
seen at this stage of my career, and it's nice to give back,” said Clarke, who
won a place in hearts around the world with his victory in the 2011 Open
Championship at the age of 42.
“I just want to play some good golf and
continue to work hard on my game and just keep going," said Clarke, who
was awarded an OBE five months after his Open
Championship victory.
“With a population of close to 400 million,
golf certainly has the potential to grow even bigger in the region,” said the
47-year-old Northern Irishman, who will lead Europe's bid for a fourth
successive Ryder Cup victory at Hazeltine next year.
Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf
Tour, said: "It is extremely exciting to see the strongest field that
we've ever assembled for a MENA Golf Tour event and we're all looking forward
to it.
“Darren has been a wonderful ambassador for
the region’s golf and a tireless worker for charity, whose Darren Clarke
Foundation not only helps further the development of junior golf in Ireland,
but also raises money for Breast Cancer Awareness
“Darren’s wealth of experience and global
profile will certainly ratchet up the level of excitement a notch and motivate
youngsters to try and find that extra spring in their game to catch his
attention,” he said.
An initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf
Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour was created in 2011 with the aim of developing
golf in the region.
Labels: MENA TOUR
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