RIYADH: Amateur golfers in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain will have an opportunity to play in the Race to Georgia World Final in Georgia, US, and visit as patrons at Augusta for The Masters 2023.
The new GCC golf initiative, Race to Georgia, has been launched, and will be a season-long tournament involving golf clubs and golfers from the GCC. It will consist of an exciting series of amateur qualifying events held across the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain.
The series will culminate with category winners playing in the regional final, which will be held at the Montgomerie Golf Club in Dubai on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. The two winners from the regional final will each win a one-week all-inclusive trip to Georgia in the US to play in the Race to Georgia World Final — competing against amateur golfers from the US and Europe, as well as securing the opportunity to attend the 2023 Masters as patrons.
The Masters is one of the most exciting tournaments in golf, held at the stunning and iconic Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, US, where patrons watch the world’s best golfers battle to win the coveted Green Jacket. Getting the opportunity to attend The Masters and having the chance to visit the hallowed beauty of Augusta National Golf Club is every golfer’s dream.
Each club qualifying event will be an 18-hole individual Stableford. The top two players from the club qualifying events will go through to the regional final at the Montgomerie Golf Club on Feb. 25.
Keith Watson, tournament organizer and division manager, REZA Hygiene, said during the launch: ‘We are excited to be able to announce the Race to Georgia, culminating in a world final during The Masters week. We started this initiative in Bahrain in 2019, and in March of this year held a highly successful limited club event in Dubai. It seems the natural next step is to enlarge the tournament to include clubs in Saudi Arabia, the UAE as well as Bahrain.”
Haydar Alireza, Reza group managing director, said: “We launched this series first and foremost because we love golf, but most importantly of all because we truly believe in the huge potential that amateur sports tournaments carry in the region.”
He added that by allowing amateur golfers to showcase their talent in a fun and engaging way they hope to encourage others to engage in a healthy and active lifestyle as well.
Majed Al-Sorour, deputy chairman and CEO of Golf Saudi and the Saudi Golf Federation, said: “We are delighted that Saudi Arabia is now involved in this fantastic initiative and that not only our own clubs’ members can compete and take part but also those from other Saudi clubs. With the added incentive and possibility to go the distance and attend, The Masters in Georgia will be a strong incentive for Saudi golfers to partake in this year’s competition. I am sure Saudi golfers will sign-up in strong numbers and who knows, go all the way!”
