The Emirates Golf Club will welcome the world’s best squash players when they host the PSA Dubai World Series Finals in June.
The iconic golf course was announced as the venue by the Professional Squash Association for the end-of-season event from June 5-9.
The agreement means that Emirates Golf Club will become the latest venue in Dubai to showcase the PSA World Series Finals, with the 2016 edition held in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa – while the 2017 instalment saw squash become the first sporting event ever to take place at Dubai Opera.
“During the past three years Dubai has proven to be the perfect destination for the PSA World Series Finals and I am excited to be taking the event back to the Emirate again this June,” said PSA Chairman and A. A. Turki Group of Companies (ATCO) Chairman Ziad Al-Turki.
“Every major sport in the world has a presence in Dubai and I’m delighted that squash continues to be a part of that. We have built a strong association with Dubai and Dubai Sports Council since first bringing the World Series Finals there in 2016 and this year we are excited to be working with Emirates Golf Club to put on another world-class sporting occasion.”
In order to qualify for the PSA World Series Finals, players must finish in the top eight on the World Series Standings, with points on offer at all eight World Series tournaments throughout the 2017/18 season.
Nine players – five men and four women – have already qualified after stellar performances in the first five events.
The top three qualification spots for both men and women are currently taken up by Egyptians.
World No.1 and defending champion Mohamed ElShorbagy tops the standings after a blistering campaign to date, which has seen him win three World Series finals.
Fellow Egyptians Ali Farag, Tarek Momen and Marwan Elshorbagy fill second, third and fifth respectively, with Germany’s Simon Rosner sitting in fourth after winning January’s J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions.
2016 World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad, three-time World Champion Nick Matthew and three-time World Series Finals winner Gregory Gaultier currently take up the rest of the spots inside the top eight.
The women’s line-up is led by World No.1 Nour El Sherbini, with Nour El Tayeb in second and world champion Raneem El Welily in third.
France’s Camille Serme, defending champion Laura Massaro, Egypt’s Nouran Gohar and England’s Sarah-Jane Perry complete the top eight on the women’s standings, while two-time winner Nicol David currently sits 15 points behind and has a real fight on her hands to qualify.
The battle for the final qualification places continues this week at the El Gouna International which concludes on April 27, with the final event, the Allam British Open, held from May 15-20.
Tickets for the season-ending PSA World Series Finals will go on sale soon.
For further information on the World Series Finals please visit www.worldseriesfinals.com while further information on the PSA World Tour can be found at www.psaworldtour.com
🚨 Breaking
The 2017/18 PSA Dubai World Series Finals will be held at the @EmiratesGC between June 5-9!
The world’s best players will go head-to-head for a share of the $160,000 prize fund 💰 – full story ⬇️https://t.co/VX1rdWz38t #SquashInDubai pic.twitter.com/qtycQnopCv
— PSA World Tour (@PSAWorldTour) April 23, 2018
