MENA Tour is growing at a rapid pace

Picture courtesy of SunshineTour.com

Although this topic does not pertain to the European Tour, it is something I have wanted to write about. The Middle East North Africa (MENA) Tour was created in 2011 and has grown from four events in its inaugural year to 11 last season to 20 this season. Before this season, all the events were staged in the Middle East and North Africa. This season, showing the rapid growth of the Tour, events will also be staged in Spain and South Africa. The Tour staged Qualifying School earlier this week which gives them the opportunity to become eligible for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points. Former European Tour players Andrew Marshall, Jamie Elson, and Peter Gustafsson, along with Challenge Tour player Duncan Stewart, were among those to get playing rights for this season.

The Tour will boast more than $1 million in prize funds over the course of the season. In an agreement signed with the Sunshine Tour, the top-five finishers on the MENA Tour Order of Merit will have full playing privileges on the Southern Africa-based Tour in the following season. Players ranked 6-15 on the MENA Tour Order of Merit will be exempt into the stage of Sunshine Tour Qualifying School. The partnership is a welcomed move forward for MENA Tour players. In past seasons, they were granted exemptions into Asian Tour Q-School. Spots in the European Tour's Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Trophee Hassan II have been available to top finishers on the MENA Tour money list in the past few seasons. This season, the Maybank Championship Malaysia gave 2015 Order of Merit winner Thriston Lawrence a spot in the event. Lawrence won $27,679 over the course of the season. At 19 years old, the South African is a definitely a player to watch. He made the cut in this week's European Tour event in Malaysia and he will also get a start in the Trophee Hassan II event in Morocco in May.

Darren Clarke, the 2016 European Ryder Cup team captain, is a patron of the MENA Tour and he has high hopes for the Tour in the future. "A lot of fresh talent coming up through the ranks over the last few years, but the opportunities to play are limited," the 2011 Open champion said during a press conference in Dubai two weeks ago. "This exchange program with the South African tour will provide another platform for young professionals to develop and showcase their skills on a global basis. This MENA Golf Tour is the fastest growing professional golf tour in the world. With the help of the Sunshine Tour and, indeed, all the events that we have had already, I think this is going to go in one direction."

Although the Tour is made up of primarily Europeans, there are a growing number of Middle Eastern players who will be making significant progress in the coming years. The future is bright for this rapidly expanding Tour. The first event on the MENA Tour will be later next month in Morocco.

Follow the MENA Tour at https://menagolftour.com/home.