JEDDAH, 4 October — The local part of the BMW Golf Cup International is being staged at Durrat Al Arous Golf Course today.
This is the second year in a row that Mohamed Naghi Motors Group (MYNMG), the sole importer for BMW in Saudi Arabia, has announced the BMW Golf Cup International, described as the largest amateur golf tournament series in the world. There will be 120 participants in this tournament and winners from Saudi Arabia will be invited to join the finalists from 36 other countries in the world finals, which are scheduled to take place at Eldorado Golf Club in Los Cabos, Mexico, from Nov. 4-9.
Tim Rushforth, group marketing manager, MYNMG, said: “The caliber of golf in the Kingdom is developing quickly and we hope to see some Saudi talent making it to the world finals.” Internationally the tournament attracts more than 100,000 participants from around the world. Categories for entry are standard for all tournaments, with two classes for men based on their handicaps (0-12 to 13-28), and ladies category with handicaps 0-28.
The tournament began in Germany as a national tournament series in 1985. Encouraged by the positive experience of the German dealer organization and the known involvement of many BMW subsidiaries and importers in the game, the series went international in 1988, according to a press release.
One part of the success of the BMW Golf Cup International is the rules, which are equal all over the world. In each qualifying tournament the first net winner of each handicap category – Women (Hcp. Up to 28), Men A (Hcp. Up to 12), Men B (Hcp. 13-28) – is entitled to participate in the national final, and the three first net winners of the national finals qualify for the world final. In all qualifying tournaments and national finals the mode is stroke play with full handicap according to Stableford over 18 holes.
In the world final three golfers represent each country. The final will be played over three rounds, a total of 54 holes, in the same three categories. In addition to the net prizes for the three winners of each handicap category, prizes are also awarded to the three best participating countries.
One of the objectives of BMW was to establish an amateur golf series at a high international level, which certainly has been achieved. But the BMW Golf Cup International is also an excellent opportunity to meet fellow sportspeople from all over the world. A perfect combination with the international level of play explains the tremendous success of this magnificent and exciting tournament.
