Dubai’s Al Badia Golf Club will play host to the climax of the European Challenge Tour for the second time in November.
The Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final tees off November 5 until November 8, wrapping up the 27-tournament Challenge Tour season, which has offered a total prize fund of EUR 6,328,000 (US $8,303,596).
The Tour is a breeding ground for upcoming European Tour superstars, with past entrants including Henrik Stenson, Justin Rose and Jamie Donaldson.
The second instalment of the three-year relationship between the Challenge Tour and Al Badia sees a greater emphasis on attracting the UAE community, with the introduction of free golf lessons during the days surrounding the big weekend rounds, as well as free refreshments for spectators.
Club manager James Shippey believes the Gulf nation is evolving as a golfing destination, with more events surrounding landmark tournaments, such as the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, DP World Tour Championship and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.
“Golf in the UAE has a long history and it’s certainly going to have a lot of events coming in future years, which from our perspective are key to attracting overseas golfers and sports enthusiasts," he said.
“A lot of the hotels being built right now are putting their marketing emphasis around sports. For us to gain exposure, we need to be at the forefront of everybody’s mind, so hosting a golfing tournament such as the Challenge Tour grand final is ideal.”
Shippey also believes that travellers are increasingly diverting their attention to the UAE specifically for golfing endeavours.
“If you look at the facilities in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other emirates, it’s a very high profile destination and the golfing community likes to play the courses they see the pros playing on TV,” he explained.
“So I think it’s becoming a destination where people will increasingly come to play golf because of these professional tournaments that are in the region.”
Daily highlights from the tournament will be aired each evening during the event, which saw India’s Shiv Kapur swing to a four-stroke victory at the Dubai course last year.
While organisers are coy about Dubai shaping up as a potential Ryder Cup venue, the regional European Tour office in Dubai has confirmed that more tournaments are on the cards in the coming years.
“More tournaments and more high profile tournaments are certainly on our agenda,” director Nick Tarratt said today.