Dirab Golf Club to host the second qualifying round of the 2009 Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge in Dubai

"We have witness a huge interest for the game in the Kingdom with 50 teams already registered for the second round. This growing interest is one of the reasons we decided to hold the second qualifying round at Dirab Golf Club which is Saudi Arabia's first ever 18 hole championship grass course. Renowned for its year round playing conditions, carved rolling fairways and challenging course, this is going to be an exciting event."

said Ayman Mattar, Business Development Manager, Xerox Middle East & Africa. "This year's event is going to be very competitive", said Klaas Boon, Operations Manager for Troon Golf Middle East, "This is mainly because only one team will be qualifying for the Grand Final.

Some of the top teams signed up are: The Ericsson Team with Peter Trpak and Stig Lindstrom, the Arabian Homes team with Jim Kennedy and Shaun Boyd, the Almarai team with Finlay Graham and Casey Blatch and the BAE systems team with Fred Baxendale and Paul Stanton.

Below is the information on all the qualifying rounds:
• Round 3: Thursday, June 4th at Sharjah Golf Club
• Round 4: Saturday, June 6th at Riffa Golf Club, Bahrain
• Round 5: Thursday, September 3rd at Arabian Ranches Golf Club, Dubai
• Round 6: Thursday, October 8th at The Montgomerie, Dubai
• Round 7: Thursday, October 22nd at The Els Club, Dubai
• Round 8: Saturday, November 28th at Doha Golf Club, Qatar
• Grand Final: Thursday, December 10th at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai

With 46 teams and 92 players in the first round, the event has witnessed a great response from leading golfers with a total record number of 230 teams of 460 players already signed up for this year's event.

The 2009 Championship is proudly sponsored by Dell, HSBC, Crystal Gallery, Renaissance Hotel, ECCO, Troon Golf, Khaleej Times and Middle East Golfer. This year's event will be similar to the previous one with each qualifying round being played as a 2-person best ball medal with a total capacity to accommodate 50 teams of 100 players per qualifying round.