Spearheaded by Thriston Lawrence, a strong contingent of leading MENA Golf Tour players will provide a glimpse into the rising standard of the game in the region when they compete in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club from February 4 to 7.
South Africa’s 19-year-old rising star Lawrence, who won the 2015 MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit title, will be joined by Gabriel Canizares (Spain), Paul Doherty (Scotland) and Lee Corfield (England) as the top four professionals, along with the leading amateur, James Allan of England, have been given direct entries into the main draw which will be headlined by defending champion Rory McIlroy.
Morocco’s Faycal Serghini has also made it to the starting line-up by winning the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award for being the best Arab golfer on the tour.
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Of the six, Lawrence, Canizares and Doherty will be making their debut in the longest-running European Tour event in the region, while Corfield and the talented amateur Allan will return for the second time.
For the experienced Serghini, it will be his fourth Desert Classic appearance on the trot.
“Playing alongside such a classy field, it doesn’t get any better. I can’t wait to get started,” said Lawrence, who picked up his win just five months after turning professional at the MENA Golf Tour’s Ras Al Khaimah Classic in November.
The youngest-ever signing by the established management company International Sports Management (ISM), Lawrence showed great character in getting the job done, winning the title four shots ahead of a four-man group headed by 2016 European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke, who is also the patron of the MENA Golf Tour.
“Young Lawrence leads @MENAGolfTour challenge @OmegaDDC” more on this story here https://t.co/b1swIIB7lx pic.twitter.com/VIZhkxyHSK
— Dubai Desert Classic (@OmegaDDC) December 29, 2015
“The Tour is just the platform the emerging players need to put their careers on the wing. Where else, you can get these opportunities to play in world-class events like the Omega Dubai Desert Classic? ” said Lawrence, echoing the sentiments of fellow MENA Golf Tour professionals in the field.
“If I continue to play the way I did on the tour, I think I stand a good chance of posting a good finish. “I’m looking forward to a new and wonderful experience. I’m still young. The more I can learn, the better – I love the game and I want to be the best one day.”
Serghini, who is also a golf in DUBAi ambassador, added: “You can’t put a price on what you learn from the European Tour events; it’s an opportunity money can’t buy.
“I am definitely ready to get going and my immediate goal is to make the cut which I have not been able to do in my previous visits.”
