Sharjah Masters to feature stars of European Senior Tour

Joy Chakravarty 12:56 11/01/2017
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  • (L to R) Malcolm Mackenzie, Ronan Rafferty, Paul Broadhurst, and Des Smyth.

    While the Desert Swing of the European Tour is now known all over the world as a quality stretch of three weeks featuring some of the finest players in contemporary golf, the Sharjah Senior Golf Masters is poised to create its own identity with the fan-friendly stars of the European Seniors Tour, featuring some of the legends of the game.

    The 54-hole tournament offers a prize purse of $425,000. Fans will get a close view of the action with entry being free for what will be the first tournament of the 2017 season.

    Players entries are now open, but Paul Broadhurst, Ronan Rafferty and Des Smyth – three stars who were in Sharjah last year to play the pro-am event that marked the announcement of the championship – are certain to tee off after being suitably charmed by the city of Sharjah and the golf course. Other names will be announced over the next few weeks.

    Broadhurst, winner of the Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex and the 2016 John Jacobs Trophy winner, will begin his defence of the Order of Merit title against stiff competition from the Senior Tour’s finest.

    Nick Tarratt, Director European Tour Middle East, said: “It is exciting to have five European Tour sanctioned events hosted in the UAE in 2017. The Sharjah Senior Golf Masters presented by Shurooq completes the family set of events; European Tour, Challenge Tour and now Senior Tour.”

    “We look forward to collectively, with our partners, delivering a tournament that will have a unique personality and hopefully has a long sustainable future in Sharjah. It will complement the other UAE events and will provide opportunities to interact with the legends of the game. We encourage all golfers, both young and old, to support this Senior’s tournament.”

    As part of its initiatives to give players from the region a chance, there are two opportunities for golfers to rub shoulders with the Senior Tour stars. The first one is for the elite amateurs and professionals in the region who are 50 and over on March 16, 2017. They can participate in the Qualifying Round of the tournament proper on February 12 to feature in the main event. The ‘local’ qualifier is open to UAE nationals, local residents, GCC Nationals or members of the UAE PGA.

    The other way to get involved is through participation in the Pro-Am. The tournament features two 18-hole Pro-Am starts on March 14 and 15, with daily shotguns at 08:00 and 15:00. Supported by the Emirates Golf Federation, the European Senior Tour have involved the UAE local golf clubs with qualifying rounds throughout January with players advancing to the National Final, again to be held on February 12 at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club.The winners will qualify to play in the Pro-Ams.

    Martin Duff, Director of Golf, Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club, added: “We are really excited about the tournament at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club in just a few week’s time. It is great to have so many opportunities for people to play, participate and get involved whether they are juniors, women, seniors, amateurs or professionals.”

    Another way of getting involved with the tournament and get unique access is through the Volunteer Programme. Golf fans can volunteer for marshalling, caddying, scoring and TV support during the tournament by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/r/SharjahSGMVolunteers. Deadline for applying is February 16.

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