His game moving in the right direction, Khaled Attieh will be aiming for a cracking start to the MENA Golf Tour when he features in the season-opening Royal Golf Mohammedia Open by HLO in Morocco, starting Wednesday. The young Saudi Arabian prodigy joins a rich assortment of players in the amateur division, determined to showcase his burgeoning talent and fast-track the growth of the game in the region. "I have been down this route before – and know what to expect," said the 21-year-old, a two-time winner of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award which is presented to the best amateur from the MENA region after each tour event. "The experience that you gain from playing alongside an international field is something unique for the region's players, especially the amateurs. I know I can compete at this level. The confidence is there," said the Saudi ace, who plans to turn professional when "the time is right." The MENA Golf Tour could well serve as a stepping-stone to his golfing dream. "If I stay focused and not get too carried away, I might be able to get to professional level one day. I think every player dreams of playing at the highest level and the MENA Tour provides the perfect route for those dreams to become a reality," said Attieh, who earlier this year competed in the Australian Master at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. "Joining the professional ranks has been an ambition of mine and I'm going to give it everything I can to fulfill that ambition. It will also give a big boost to the game back home and, hopefully, inspire young kids to take to the sport," he added. "With the MENA Golf Tour expanding its schedule every year, the region's talent can't complain of playing opportunities. It is the best thing that has happened for the overall development of the game in the Arab world," said Attieh, a former student of Dubai American Academy and then attended La Jolla Country Day in Southern California and played most of his golf there. "The goal is to eventually get into contention week in and week out and then eventually start winning golf tournaments," said Attieh, who also played in the 2011 Omega Dubai Desert Classic after winning a qualifier. He may have missed the cut after shooting rounds of 75 and 73, but retuned home richer in experience. "Khaled is a very good player, one who works extremely hard at his game. There is a strong package there," said Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour. "He represents a new breed of fearless golfers from the region who just go out and express themselves. They have the desire to succeed and I don't think anything can stop them from becoming a winner," he added. An initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour was created in 2011 with the aim of developing golf in the region. It is affiliated to R&A, the worldwide golf governing body based in the home of golf, St Andrews, and the Arab Golf Federation. The expanded schedule of the 2016 season, which will have 20 events, will see the MENA Golf Tour travel to new destinations in Kuwait, Egypt, Spain, Thailand and South Africa in a sign of its growing strength on the global stage. — SG
