From the UAE national team’s medal haul at The Royal Golf Club in Bahrain to Al Hamra in Ras Al Khaimah and plenty of places in between, it has been a busy time across the Middle East club scene.
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The 16-year-old nine-handicapper won the individual title to spearhead the UAE to teams glory by a whopping 19 strokes from Kuwait. Qatar collected the teams bronze medal in the 54-hole event.
After opening with rounds of 92 and 89, a closing 82 around the soggy Colin Montgomerie-designed Royal GC layout in Riffa saw Al Marzooqi (263 aggregate) top the individual standings by an equally impressive nine shots.
Defending individual champion Reema Al Heloo, the 14-year-old 12-handicapper named UAE national team player of the year at December’s MEGAs, captured the bronze medal with a 271 total (95-86-93). Hamda Al Suwaidi finished on 284 after rounds of 95-99-90.
Al Marzooqi’s final round, eight shots better than her nearest rival, illustrated her dominance.
“Representing the UAE and winning these gold medals are a great honour,” she said.
“All of the hard work with my coaches is starting to pay off. I think that I stayed focused this week and didn’t let the bad shots affect my game. I stuck to my pre-shot routines and drove the ball well off the tees.
“The UAE and Emirates Golf Federation offer so many great opportunities that hopefully others will take advantage of. With more participation we can become competitive in tournaments outside the GCC.”
After a back injury sidelined him for four months, the 19-year-old scratch-handicapper has knuckled down on the range in the past six months and it translated to rounds of 76-74-72-75 on a Royal Golf Club layout playing tough after flooding earlier in the week.
Skaik’s carded a nine over par championship total of 297 in an impressive wire-to-wire effort to spreadhead the UAE to the bronze medal in the teams championship behind Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
He gave a hint of things to come by finishing third at the 2017 UAE Presidents Cup at Yas Links on the eve of the GCC Championships and is currently trending upwards in fifth place on the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) Order of Merit leaderboard.
“It feels great to have my first individual victory and to have it at the GCC Golf Championship makes it even more special,” said Skaik.
“The course played very tough this week but I feel like I didn’t rush things and played to my game. I was solid off the tees as I didn’t miss many fairways but the key was my short game and making a lot of up and downs. Winning the GCC was a big goal for me and I’d also like to congratulate my teammates on winning the team bronze medal for our country. Moving forward I will continue to play the EGF Order of Merit and discuss with my coaches my schedule for the next few months.”
Rashid Hamood found his grove after the first round in Bahrain with scores of 83-77-77-78 to be next best of the UAE quartet, his 315 total good enough for seventh place individually. UAE national team veteran Khalid Yousuf had an off championship with a 327 aggregate (88-83-77-79) while senior team debutant Mohammed Adel Al Hajeri finished on 348 (87-87-86-88).
“I am so proud of our squads’ performance this week,” UAE coach Greg Holmes said afterwards.
“This is proof that hard work pays off. It’s great to see the ladies defend their title and the men to receive the bronze. Ahmed and Tara have been working hard and for them to win the gold in their respective divisions will boost our program.
“With the dedication from the Emirates Golf Federation, the UAE will see much more youngsters involved in the National Junior Development Program where we can look forward to seeing more talent emerging in the future.”
After completing her PGA training in hometown of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the United Kingdom, specialising in junior and ladies coaching, Hunter started work at The Address Montgomerie in Dubai where she successfully managed the Ladies Development Programme as well as helping individual clients.
Hunter is also a TPI level one instructor and continues to develop her coaching techniques through research, drills and coaching aids.
“I’m delighted to be here in Bahrain and look forward to working with Juan and Zander, our two PGA Teaching Professionals, on growing the game of golf here,” Hunter said.
“There hasn’t been a female teaching pro at the Club for a number of years I believe and I look forward particularly to encouraging greater numbers of women to giving this wonderful sport a try.”
For information the Royal Golf Academy, call +973 17 750777 ext. 302.
In category B, Rick Lloyd fired a net 72 to beat James Hickman by four shots.
William Royce secured the prize for best gross score with a three-over 75.
In the members competition, Dori Gantt won with 37 points from Lise Slane (34 pts) and Mark Thompson (32 pts on a countback).
Matteo Roncaglia’s 35 points scooped the guests title from Tania Gelasini (31 pts) and Ezio Patrizi (29 pts).
The Els Club is the official distributor of Raimondi golf shoes for the UAE.
Muirhead carded nines of 35 and 36 including four birdies to go one better than her runner-up finish in 2016 at Al Hamra.
Natali Gupta had just one major blip on her card, a double bogey on the long par 3 15th, to finish second on 75 and had the consolation of winning the net prize.
He finished four clear of Cavan Bickell who carded 83 to continue his fine form after winning January’s medal.
Pierre Lefebvre topped the net category with a two-under 70. His round included three net birdies and a net eagle on the 3rd finish six clear of the runner-up Tony Cashman.
Chiang carded a four-under 68 to win the EGF order of merit event by five shots from Emirates Golf Club member Deborah Chang.
“What a lovely feeling to have won today,” Chiang said afterwards. “I must say a huge thank you to my playing partner Alison – it was a lot of fun out there – also to Dubai Creek and PING for putting on a superb tournament.”
In the silver division (0-15 handicaps), Glory Xavier parred all three of the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s challenging final holes on her way to a net 66 for a four shot victory over Sakura Kawakami.
Shiba Wahid claimed the Bronze Division (16-36 handicaps) with an astonishing net 60, seven clear of former Dubai Creek Ladies Captain Vanessa North.
McGinley defended his men’s title with rounds of 71-75 for a 146 aggregate but needed a playoff to pip scratch-team teammate Bayhaan Lakdawala who had bogeyed the final three holes of regulation. A stunning mid-iron to three feet from the waste area to the right of the 18th fairway set up a title-clinching birdie in overtime for McGinley.
Lakdawala’s consolation was winning the Championship Vase net prize by one from John Fellingham.
Xavier carded rounds of 85-87 for a 172 total to beat Ladies Club Captain Kristi Sealey (92-86) by six shots. Shiba Wahid beat Maureen Platt by four shots to capture the net title.
. Pictured above are (from left) Stephen Hubner (Dubai Creek Director of Golf Operations), Brigitta Dagostin (J. Lindeberg), ladies champion Glory Xavier, Shiba Wahid (ladies net winner), men’s champion Michael McGinley, Bayhaan Lakdawala (men’s net winner), Men’s Club Captain Mansour Khodjasteh and Ladies Club Captain Kristi Sealey.
. Aarnav Nath fired the best gross with a one over par round of 36. The boys’ net winner was Shreyas Bawker (34) with Zandro Wulff runner-up on 36.5.
. Hannah Alan won the girls’ net with a score of 33.5. Obaid Al Heloo, a promising UAE national junior prospect, won the non-member prize after a level par round of 36.
. Naima Maya claimed the Division A title after a round of 73 while Vijaya Brahmachary was awarded the Division B prize after a 70.
. The nearest the pin prizes were won by Lilian Yee, Glory Xavier and Maureen Platt on the 8th, 11th and 14th holes respectfully while Maya who also took home the longest drive on the 4th hole.
. Pictured (L to R) are Rashid Hamood (Dubai Creek Golf Services Manager), Glory Xavier, Sofitel representative, Mego Han, Naima Maya, Vijaya Brahmachary, Lilian Yee and Maureen Platt.
Sue Hopwood, with net 72, finished runner-up to Ludvigson in the silver ‘B’ division.
Ingrid Lind edged Lady Captain, Maura Duggan, in the silver ‘A’ division on back nine countback after both carded net 72s.
Veronique Rossett produced the best gross score with an 80 on a difficult day for scoring.
Mohammadi’s excellent score saw him also top the B Division ahead of Byron Kraemer (net 73) with Vice Captain Ivan Fornazaric (74) third on a difficult day for scoring on the Majlis course.
Dalip Tripathi claimed victory in division A after a net 71. Anil Shivanna and Joe Smith filled the podium after carding net 72 and net 73 respectively. The C division was won by Benny Alex who shot a net 79. Tom Luig’s 78 won him the gross prize.
As a new feature, alongside the monthly medal events, Amit Radia won the stableford prize with 35 points. Amber Waite claimed top junior honours, with a score of net 77.
“I’m really looking forward to starting my new job in Bahrain and to meeting the Club’s members and guests,” said Foster who turned professional in 2012 and graduated in 2015.
“When purchasing golf hardware or even footwear or clothing, it’s always beneficial to have the advice of a golf professional and I look forward to helping our customers make the right choices for their needs. I will also help with custom-fitting golf clubs to suit an individual’s height, build and golf game.”
Foster’s career includes five years as the Retail Manager at Warwickshire Golf and Country Club in England and more recently as Senior Assistant Professional at the nearby Kenilworth Golf Club.
In the morning the duo of Bernie Benavidez and Le Jan Leyble joined forces to produce an incredible betterball medal score of 29. The afternoon’s players found this format somewhat more difficult, with a score of 35 from K.S Kim and Dinesh Prajapati topping the scoring.
In the Texas scramble back nine format, Tristan Webster and Adam Smith collaborated well to record a score of 31, whilst in the afternoon Peter Mottie and Arun Tuli demonstrated carded a 34.
The combined winners in the afternoon were Nigel Sale and Martin Hunt on a score of 68. In the morning’s play the scoring was more competitive with three groups finishing on a score of 65. Taking the title on a scorecard playoff and the overall title were Frederick Andersen and Martin Geskes who produced eight net birdies and a net eagle on the 15th en-route to victory.
A field of mid to high handicappers battled for the best gross score which came from Faizen Bhyat with a 50 who pipped David Murphy final six hole countback.
After the first days Texas scramble and greensomes round (nine holes of each) and a second round of betterball, Moiz Khan and Butt set the clubhouse led at -3.
Standing on the 18th hole Haneef Rabbani (DACGC) & Saeem Rehman (RGC) found themselves at -3 while Roy Holmes (SGSC) & Roger Ledeboer (SGSC) were in the lead at -4 and needed a par up the 18th to win.
Haneef & Saeem made a net five dropping them one shot below the clubhouse leaders and out of contention. Holmes and Ledeboer, meanwhile, found the infamous water hazard on 18 twice resulting in a net double bogey.
It saw Moiz Khan and Butt take the title from and Rabbani and Rehman with Holmes and Ledeboer slipping to third.
Mark Dupree captained Team Europe to a successful title defence in the 5th NMT Battle of the Continents Grand Final.
As the morning’s play developed all four Continents had at least the share of the lead at some point. America’s & Australasia were keen to build on their runner-up finish in 2015-but only Gurbax Singh and Ramesh Wijeratne were able to obtain the full four points. With only five points coming from their ‘Gross’ contingent of players, it was a noble wooden spoon effort for America’s & Australasia.
The African and Middle East bid for this year’s title started well as captain Dirk Bruwer and aco Van Heerden led the way, putting early points on the board. In the closing scores their Gross lineup of Namir Al Naimi and Roy Holmes finished well, capturing seven out of a possible eight points in the final two matches and saw the team finish just 1.5 points out of second place.
Following last year’s disappointing third place, Asian captain SS Son did all he could to rally his team by taking the maximum four points from his opening captains. For the majority of the afternoon’s play the points total swung both ways between Asia and Europe.
The Asian team was fortunate to have the experience of past captain and proud NMT sponsor Vivian Verma, he was able to secure all four points from his match as he scored 39 stableford points during his round.
In contrast the European Team had youth on their side in the form of JDP developing stars Max Hibbert and Omar Karim who were able to obtain seven out of the eight points.
As the matches drew to their conclusion it became apparent the result was going to come down to the Gross competitors. With Sunny Ramadas for Asia leading by a single stableford point over Craig Vance from Europe on the 18th Tee, the hole was to be pivotal in the end result.
Ramadas unfortunately made an uncharacteristic double bogey on the hole. Seizing the opening, Vance birdied the 18th, increasing his score to 29 stablefords and enabling him to narrowly beat America’s & Australasia representative Jon Huntley by a point and claim all four match points for his team.
In the penultimate match George Liu from Asia and Chris Cornwall from Europe shared the points for second and third place in a closely fought battle. In the final match Dave Lawlor finished comfortably in first place for his fourball, taking the maximum four match points.
In a cruel twist of fate, Lawlor’s card was enhanced by a hole in one on the 12th hole on the second loop. He’d have driven away in a new BMW had it been first time round. It was, nevertheless, a key moment as Lawlor beat Asian rival Sinar Suraj by two match points to confirm Europe’s successful title defence.
Final standings:
1. Europe – 26.5 points
2. Asia – 23 points
3. Africa and Middle East – 21.5 points
4. Americas and Australasia – 19 points
Qualifiers for the 6th Battle of the Continents event commence in October.
Hibbert and Namir Al Naimi fired a remarkable 37 points apiece despite winds gusting to 90 kmh and poor visibility on the Peter Harradine-designed nine-holer.
A back-nine countback was required to separate the pair with Hibbert triumphing with 20 stableford points to Al Naimi’s 17.
Al Naimi’s consolation was the division one best score prize. Taking home the division two prize was Le Jan Leyble with 35 Stableford points.
The Unitechnik gross prize was secured by Ramli Sulaiman with 24 gross stableford points to further illustrate the testing conditions.
Mulvaney, who finished with a net eagle on the 18th, secured a start in the March 15 Pro-Am ahead of the Sharjah Golf Masters presented by Shurooq, a unique opportunity to play alongside some of the biggest names on the European Senior Tour.
YD Kim’s net 70 in the afternoon saw him finish second to Mulvaney overall and collect the best afternoon score. Runner-up in the afternoon was Raj Ranavaya (71). The morning prizes went to Mulvaney ahead of Max Hibbert and Nathan Fisher.
The order of merit runs until May 5 with the three leading net players and top gross qualifier set to represent Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club and the UAE in the World Amateur Inter Team Golf Championship (WAITGC) 2017.
Engelbrecht produced 23 homeward points to capture the title which had the added benefit of a start in the Sharjah Senior Golf Masters Pro-Am on March 15.
Emirates GC member Sultan Mahmood scored 37 points with five net birdies and two net eagles in a rollercoaster round to finish second, pipping SGSC member Satwinder Sembi.
Graham Birnie (Abu Dhabi City GC) won the gross prize with 34 gross stableford points. Rita Engelbrecht (Al Hamra Golf Club) won best lady with 35 points and Shaheen Butt (SGSC) captured the Super Senior (60 years +) prize.
Cowley’s win was reward for a lot of hard work in a winter training camp at Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club with resident PGA Professional Chris Dennis.
Muirhead scrapped her way to a 75 in the tough conditions with The Els Club’s Kate Bibby a further shot back in third. Sahana Pravantavida (JGE) was fourth on 77.
In the net competitions, Sakura Kawakami (AAESGC) topped division A with a 72, three clear of runner-up Sara Engsig (EGF). The division B prizes went to Hannah Mannion who carded the lowest net of the day with a 69 , and fellow Emirates Golf Federation player Satnam Kaur on 71.
Lanceley leads with 69 points and pushes January’s round one winner Sam Hobday into second place on 64 points. Youngster Ali Al Hakam narrowly clinched the runners up spot in the February qualifier on count back with 34 points.
The series is held over six rounds at the Royal Golf Club with the winner earning the opportunity to go forward and compete in December’s Audi Quattro Cup world final at the Quivira Golf Club in Cabo San Luca, Mexico.
With over 100.000 players competing in 750 tournaments in 54 countries annually, the Audi Quattro Cup has developed into the biggest worldwide amateur golf tournament series.
The next qualifier is scheduled for Friday March 17.
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