Barely a week after Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) Vice-Chairman Adel Zarouni promised that more national amateurs will take part in the MENA Golf Tour in the future, it was confirmed four leading players will tee up in the Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open at Al Badia Golf Club on Monday.

Four Emirati amateurs — Rashid Hamood, Hassan Al Musharrekh, Saif Thabet and Ahmed Skaik — will join Rayhan Thomas, the 2015 EGF Order of Merit champion who won last week’s Dubai Creek Open to become the first amateur winner of the MENA Golf Tour, and 11-time champion Zane Scotland among others.

On the eve of last week’s tournament, MENA Tour chairman Mohamed Juma Buamaim had voiced his frustration, in the presence of Zarouni, about the lack of participation in the Tour events by the national team members.

And in what is a reflection of the EGF’s support to the MENA Tour, the event will see four local amateurs showcase their talent along with the country’s only professional, Ahmed Al Musharrekh, and top stars from Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

The 16-year-old Thomas, teeming with self-belief following his win last week, will be hoping to garner more glory. The youngster showed great composure when he defeated England’s Luke Joy in a playoff.

In the process, the Thomas also became the youngest winner on the tour at 16 years, nine months and 24 days, eclipsing the record of Thriston Lawrence of South Africa who was 18 years, 11 months and one day old when he won the Ras Al Khaimah Classic in 2015.

Thomas is supported by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, and it was fitting that his feat coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Foundation that strives to identify and nurture talented MENA nationals and expatriates with the aim of producing the next generation of champions.

With Thomas as an excellent example, the event will offer the UAE amateurs another opportunity to test their mettle against professionals and also iron out some of the kinks in their game in the run-up to the Eisenhower Trophy, which is to be played in Mexico from September 21-24.

Meanwhile, Joshua White, the winner of the Tour’s Order of Merit title in 2014, returns to action this week to further strengthen the professional field.

White, who finished in a tie for 10th at the European Tour’s Trophee Hassan II in May earlier this year, will be joined by his fellow Englishmen Scotland, Lee Corfield, Jake Shepherd and Joy, who between them combine for 19 victories on the Tour.

Spearheading the challenge in the MENA Division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation award will be Morocco’s Faycal Serhgini, who currently leads the region’s Order of Merit ahead of compatriot Younes El Hassani.

With 28 countries represented in the field, the English players top the chart with 39 entries, followed by Sweden (11), South Africa (eight) and Spain (eight).