NEWS - Qatar Olympic Committee

o o o o o o o o o
WORLD CLASS
GOLF
SWING STATE
QATAR GOLF ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT, HASSAN AL
NAIMI, EXPLAINS THE FEDERATION’S EVENT AND
SPORTS DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AS IT PROMOTES
THE GAME IN QATAR
Golf is on the move in the Gulf
region and Qatar’s fl agship tournament,
the Commercialbank Qatar Masters,
Presented by Dolphin Energy, is at the
forefront of the sport’s continuing
eastward momentum.
� e Qatar Masters was the richest
European PGA Tour’s golf event to be
staged in the Middle East in 2008 - and
this year’s tournament should maintain
its number one prize money status
among the trio of events that make up
the so-called ‘Desert Swing’.
From modest beginnings in 1998,
the rise of the Qatar Masters has been
nothing short of meteoric, says
Commercialbank Group CEO Andrew
Stevens. “With the support of the Qatar
Golf Association (QGA) and the Qatar
Olympic Committee, we have seen the
tournament grow to become one of the
leading tournaments on the Tour’s
international calendar,” he explains.
“A wonderful venue, world-class
infrastructure and an all-star cast of
players have helped propel the event to
a height few could have imagined just a
few years ago.”
� e event has also benefi ted from
16 QATARSPORT Q5.09
Alvaro Quirós, winner of
the 2009 Qatar Masters
the keen personal interest of His
Highnesses � e Emir Sheikh Hamad
Bin Khalifah Al-� ani and � e Heir
Apparent Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad
Bin Khalifah Al-� ani, President of the
Qatar Olympic Committee.
� eir ‘endless support of Qatari
sport in general and, in particular, of
golf,’ says QGA President Hassan Al
Nuami, has been a major factor in the
tournament’s success, which, in turn,
has become key to the development of
both golf tourism in Qatar and the
promotion of the game among young
Qataris. But the fi nal ingredient in the
Qatar Masters success story is the
quality of Doha Golf Club itself.
“I think all the players agree that
Doha provides a real test of golf with a
biting desert wind capable of ruining
even the best golfer’s score-card,” says
Doha Golf Course General Manager
Chris Myers.
“In addition, the course was designed
by Peter Harradine and is renowned for
lush green fairways, challenging greens
and water hazards, which dominate an
area that used to be a desert wasteland
but is now a world-class tour venue.”