Ras Al Khaimah: After his first victory on the Mena Tour, rising Spanish star Leo Lilja is hoping to continue good form in the Ras Al Khaimah Classic at Tower Links Golf Club this week from Monday to Wednesday.
The 24-year-old rookie, who only joined the tour this year after graduating from qualifying school in March, beat England’s Luke Joy in a play-off to win the season-opening Palmeraie Country Club Open in Casablanca, Morocco, later that month, becoming only the third Spaniard to win on tour after Gabriel Canizares and Carlos Balmaseda.
“I’m really looking forward to a good week,” he said. “That win in my first event on the Mena Tour in Morocco has done a lot of good for my confidence and I can’t wait to get started. The goal is to get into contention week in, week out.
“The Mena Tour provides a great opportunity for an emerging player like me to hone my competitive edge against a strong field.”
Lilja may be a favourite but he faces a field of 10 previous winners on tour.
Welsh-ace Stepen Dodd and English trio Andrew Marshall, Lee Corfield and Craig Hinton all pose significant threats, while record 10-time winner on tour Zane Scotland has pulled out due to a back injury.
Ahmad Al Musharrakh will lead the challenge in the Mena Division, making his first appearance on tour after graduating from Q-School, while in the amateur division Saudi Arabia’s Othman Al Mullah will be looking to continue his form of last year where he got five wins in the division.
The Ras Al Khaimah Classic has been a regular stop on the Mena Tour since its inception in 2011 and will see 94 players, including 17 amateurs, from 24 countries vie for honours. It is the third stage in the current season after the Mohammedia Open in Morocco, which was won by Holland’s Pierre Junior Verlaar in March.
The Mena Tour was started in 2011 to offer a professional pathway for developing players. It offers world ranking points and slots in PGA and European Tour events for the overall season winner in addition to playing privileges on the Sunshine Tour and exemptions to the final stage of Sunshine Tour and Asian Tour Q-Schools.
