Challenge Tour's return to UAE set to provide 'great opportunities' for local players

The Challenge Tour’s return to the UAE later this month will provide local players with a vital opportunity to test themselves against the next generation of golf talent, organisers have said.

The developmental circuit, which offers a pathway to the DP World Tour, stages back-to-back events in Abu Dhabi from April 27 – the first time it has visited the UAE since 2018.

The inaugural Abu Dhabi Challenge, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from April 27-30, kicks off successive weeks of competition in the capital, with the UAE Challenge following at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club from May 4-7.

The two events, part of the Challenge Tour’s season-long Road to Mallorca, form part of a 10-year partnership signed last year between the European Tour group and the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF), which aims to develop golf in the UAE.

Thirty spots in each of the two Challenge Tour tournaments will be allocated to the EGF to create playing opportunities for Emirati golfers, while those places can also be traded with other federations across the world for UAE-based players to compete overseas.

“Having the Challenge Tour come into the UAE for two weeks with the Abu Dhabi Challenge and the UAE Challenge is a great opportunity for the UAE national players,” said Freddie Schmeisser, Head of Championships, DP World Tour Middle East. “Playing twice in a row on the Challenge Tour, playing golf courses they know where they potentially have a slight advantage, and having the chance to compete on the professional level, gaining a lot of experience, is fantastic.

“In addition, this tournament is not only about the experience here in the UAE for the UAE national players: the Emirates Golf Federation have very wisely traded invitations with other associations that