National hopes at this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship may rest solely on the shoulders of Ahmed Al Musharrekh, the UAE’s top-ranked Emirati golfer, but the emirate is already looking for bigger things in the future.

With thousands of youngsters getting behind Abu Dhabi Golf Club ropes during this week’s US$2.7million PGA European Tour event, newcomers to the sport - like Khalifa Al Marzooqi (pictured), 6 - are being targeted post-tournament to ensure a lasting legacy for the sport domestically.

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, in conjunction with Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the Championship organiser, is eager to enroll more Emirati members in its Future Falcons programme – an initiative designed to develop junior golf in local schools and encourage more grassroots participation in the game.

Musharrekh, who was invited by ADTA to contest his second Abu Dhabi tournament, declared earlier this week that: “Playing in this Championship is not just about me, it’s about the UAE as well and for nationals who play golf.”

Now, with the strongest field ever assembled for a Middle East tournament vying for Abu Dhabi’s iconic ‘Falcon’ Trophy, it is hoped that the 21-year-old’s National Course performances will serve as a shining example to promising upstarts who would like, one day, to lift the trophy for themselves.

For young Khalifa, that day cannot come soon enough.

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