Doha to host Ladies European Tour event in November

The Ladies European Tour is set to break new ground this winter when it stages an event in Qatar for the first time, reported Gulf Times.

The Qatar Ladies Open will be held from November 23 to 26 at the Doha Golf Club, according to a release posted on the Tour’s website (ladieseuropeantour.com).

It will be the third such event to be held in the Middle East, after the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and the recently-announced Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi.

Doha Golf Club already hosts a tournament on the men’s European Tour, the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, which is held in January.

“It’s important for us to help foster, promote and develop golf in the Middle East,” said Ladies European Tour CEO Ivan Khodabakhsh.

“We want to show what a fresh and inspiring game golf is and encourage women in the region to consider it as part of a healthy, active and enjoyable lifestyle.”

“Golf is becoming a sport that’s well known in the region and we’ve seen lots of juniors on the fairways. We also want to increase the number of women and girls who play and the new Qatar Ladies Open will be very important in terms of driving interest.

Fahad Nasser Al Naimi, General Secretary of the Qatar Golf Association, hailed the tournament as a huge boost for women’s sports in the country.

“The Qatar Golf Association is very proud to host the Ladies European Tour. This will be one of the most important international women’s golf tournaments, watched by more than 300 million viewers worldwide in 127 countries,” he was quoted as saying.

Doha Golf Club expects to see a surge in interest from women, according to the DGC’s General Manager Gary McGlinchey.

“Doha Golf Club is extremely excited to welcome the Ladies European Tour to Doha. We believe this event will inspire more female participation and provide inspiration to the juniors to pursue this game as a career,” McGlinchey said.

Courtesy: gulf-times.com