[SatNews] Golf tournaments will now be part of this satellite broadcaster's portfolio of programming...

Organizers of the MENA Golf Tour have awarded the television production and broadcasting rights to Ten Sports, a premier Sports Channelthat reaches more than 55 million homes across the Sub-Continent, Middle East, Europe and Asia. Ten Sports is a satellite sports channel that is owned by the Dubai-based Taj Television Limited is well known for its global coverage of football, cricket and motor sport, and their foray into golf is part of their drive to expand their portfolio of channels which includes Ten Sports, Ten Cricket, Ten Action+ and the soon-to-be-launched Ten Golf.

Promoted and organized by ‘golf in DUBAi,’ the MENA Golf Tour is a new initiative by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, featuring four back-to-back tournaments in its inaugural edition. As part of the agreement, Ten Sports will produce a 30-minute highlights package of each of the four events in addition to running a news capsule on the final day of each event of the MENA Golf Tour. There will also be an additional highlights show of one-hour duration which will incorporate all the four events.

The MENA Golf Tour, boasting a combined prize fund of $225,000, is open to both professionals and amateurs from any part of the world. The first event will be held at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club from September 25 to 28 while the second and third event will be played from October 2 to 5 and October 9 to 12 at the Tower Links Golf in Ras Al Khaimah and Dubai’s Al Badia Golf Club, respectively, before the tour reaches its climax with the ‘Tour Championship’ to be held at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf from October 16 to 19. The top three professionals and the leading amateur from the Order of Merit will receive special invitations to compete in the 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and, possibly, other European Tour events in the region.