Ras Al Khaimah: The Ras Al Khaimah Classic, round four of the 19-stage Mena Golf Tour season, which takes place at Tower Links Golf Club from Monday to Wednesday, will be the first event in the series’ history to offer world rankings points.
England’s record 10-time event winner Zane Scotland leads the professional standings on US$15,759 (Dh58,000) with a first, 11th and second place finish, from the first three events of the season.
“It really has put the tour on the map in global golf,” said Scotland of the introduction of world ranking points. “The world ranking status has given me a real drive to grab the points and improve my standings.
“In 2013 I had a great season on the Mena Golf Tour, winning five tournaments and the Professional Order of Merit but my performance didn’t match up to my world ranking which was around 1,200. With the ranking points now in place, it’s just fantastic.”
Andrew Marshall, also of England, is second on $15,217 with a third, first and eighth place finish so far, ahead of Scotland’s David Law is third on $9,000 with a lone round three win in Sotogrande.
“Certainly, it’s a big thing for the tour,” said Marshall. “If you play well on a consistent basis, you will be rewarded for your efforts, which is great.
“If you can rack up a couple of good wins along with some top-10 finishes, there is always a chance of breaking into the world’s top 200, which will open the door to more playing opportunities on some major tours.
“With the tour already offering plenty of incentives, including multiple European Tour starts and playing privileges on the Sunshine Tour, it’s an added bonus. It would be great if other tour events in the region could also come forward and offer spots to leading Mena Golf Tour players.”
Morocco’s Yassine Touhami leads the amateur division of the tour on 52 points with a 51st, 37th and 32nd place finish, ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Khaled Attieh on 36 points, with a 45th, and two 52nd place finishes, while Morocco’s Jamal Allali is third on 35 points with a 53rd, 32nd and 55th record so far.
