This weekend, the Malta Golf Association (MGA) is organising its first national golf competition sponsored by Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline.

The two-day tournament, being played at the Royal Malta Golf Club, has attracted a good number of golf players. Twenty-seven ladies and 93 men have enlisted in an effort to be the first winner of the MGA Shield.

The competition format is based on a Stableford round for the first day of play (Thursday for the Ladies and Saturday for the men) and a medal round on the second day of play (Sunday) with a cut for the best 90 scores from the first day of play.

The Malta Golf Association will be utilising the funds raised from this competition to become a member of the European Golf Association (EGA). This Association already incorporates 37 other European golf associations or federations affiliated to it. The EGA regulates a uniform handicapping system and helps national associations or federations to rate their national golf courses according to their playing conditions. By its affiliation to the EGA, the MGA also makes it possible for its qualified members to participate in European golf championships.

Emirates, the Official Airline of the Dubai Desert Classic, has an impressive portfolio of sports sponsorship and is the Official Airline of 10 other major golf tournaments; including the Malaysian Open, the Dubai Ladies Masters, the Hong Kong Open, the New Zealand Open, the Singapore Masters, the BMW Asian Open, the BMW International Open in Munich, Hero Honda Open and the Austrian Golf Open.