Dubai delight for match play finalists
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After battling through several rounds of qualifying and beating off thousands of other competitors, forty amateur golfers are celebrating after booking their place in the Grand Final of the UK’s biggest amateur golf event, The Matchplay Championship.
They will be flown out to Dubai to experience the trip of a lifetime after emerging from the tournament’s Regional Qualifiers at European Tour venue, The Marriott Forest of Arden near Birmingham.
They follow in the footsteps of Thomas Bjorn, Robert Allenby, ex-Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie and Open Champion Darren Clarke as winners at the impressive championship venue and head to Dubai next month hoping to return as national champions.
“It’s been a fantastic event and one that we’re delighted to be associated with. Rob Rowson, our Golf Course & Estates Manager, has got the course in great condition for this week and the greens are running at just over 11 on the stimpmeter, which is fantastic for this time of year,” noted Iain Burns, Director of Golf Marriott Forest of Arden.
“It’s been a resounding success and we’re delighted to be hosting this event over the next couple of years, as it gives us the ideal opportunity to showcase the course to a national TV audience.”
Competitors will compete over three rounds at the world-renowned Els Club in next month’s Grand Final, as they enjoy a weeklong trip that also includes flights to the Emirate and accommodation at the stunning Marriott Courtyard Dubai Hotel.
“We’ve got a great bunch of qualifiers from all sorts of backgrounds and handicaps, so we’re excited to see how the rest of the tournament pans out. The Grand Final in Dubai awaits and players will be treated like tour pros for the week,” commented John Woosey, Tournament Director.
“For just a £25 entry fee, it offers a phenomenal prize and we’re delighted that the event continues to grow year after year.”
The Matchplay Championship, which is now in its 9th year, will take more golfers out to the Grand Final than ever before after the tournament introduced a Men’s Singles event for the first time.
The new event runs alongside the more established Men’s Pairs and Mixed Pairs competitions, which provide the forty golfers that will tee it up in Dubai next month for the right to be named national champions.
*To enter next year’s event or for more information, please visit www.matchplaychampionship.co.uk
