By Kent Gray
Denmark’s Joachim B. Hansen earned the overnight lead, Dubai’s Ahmad Skaik the lasting admiration of a proud nation.

A nine-under 63 has “JB” Hansen two strokes clear of Englishman Andy Sullivan and Paul Waring, South African Dean Burmester and defending champion Antoine Rozner of France. Ryder Cupper Tommy Fleetwood is a further shot back on six under par but the main AVIV Dubai Championship headline, at least in the UAE, belonged to Skaik whose 68 was the lowest round on the European Tour by an Emirati golfer.

The lefty’s four-under circuit of Fire at Jumeirah Golf Estates easily eclipsed the one-under-par 71 carded by Emirati trailblazer Ahmed Al Musharrekh at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Championship.

“It’s hard to put it into words how it feels,” said Skaik who is battling almost head-to-toe niggles but is clearly better for his strong showing at last week’s Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

“I really could trust my game out there today which feels amazing, I think I hit 16 greens, so I felt in control of the ball.

“To see my Dad’s smile at the end there means everything. My goal coming into this week was to make the cut and that remains the same, I’ve made a good start, but I need to now keep my head down and do more of the same tomorrow.”

Hansen took full advantage of the favourable scoring conditions on Fire to post five birdies in six holes before the turn before adding four more on the way in.

The 31-year-old is out to add a second European Tour victory to his breakthrough Joburg Open win last year. He’ll need to win, or finish no worse than second, to advance from his current position of 85th in the Race to Dubai standings into next week’s season-ending top-50 DP World Tour Championship.

Getty Images JB Hansen.

“I loved it, no wind, perfect conditions and lovely to play in,’ said Hansen who has been in a solid run of form with four consecutive top 25 finishes.,

“I kept the ball in play, hit a lot of fairways in the first 14 holes but I holed the putts I needed, missed a few ones but you can’t hole them all.

“The greens are quite soft and they stop pretty quick when it’s not down grain so you’ve got a lot of opportunities when you’re hitting from fairway.”

All of the main first-round performers were rolled into the virtual media centre including Rozner who talked of cashing in on the “good vibes” of last year when he won with a -25 total.

But none of the interviewees was as illuminating as Waring who got to the crux of modern-day matters after explaining how he had his “ball under a lot of control.”

“… I’ll be honest with you, I struggled a lot mentally over the Covid period,” Waring offered.

“I think that’s been one of the major factors for me. With everything opening up a little more and having more freedom in our daily lives, I’ve definitely felt better for it. I started playing better around Wentworth [at the BMW PGA Championship in September] and I feel like I’ve been knocking on the door. Not fantastic results, but getting better.”

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The UAE No.1 added an even par 71 to his opening 69 to move to -2 for the championship, six strokes adrift of Bo Jin’s halfway lead at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

RELATED: Dubai prodigy Rayhan Thomas has helped a Chinese teen with family history to the halfway lead at the Asia Pacific

Skaik joined Ahmed Al Musharrekh – who made the cut at the 2011 ACC won by Hideki Matsuyama at Singapore Island Country Club – as the only Emiratis to advance to the weekend at the region’s premier amateur event.

Bogeys on the 16th and 18th courtesy of a pair of three-putts from the fringe saw Skaik tumble 10 places down the leaderboard to a shared of 22nd. But he was just happy to get into the clubhouse and regroup to go again after an injury plagued build-up.

“I’m very happy. Coming into this, I didn’t think I’m going to make the cut because I’m not playing well. I had a lesson with my coach two days before the tournament and I felt much better, and in control of my game, so happy to be here.”

Anything in particular that you worked on?

“Just the swing. I was trying to work on tempo and take away and that’s very crucial to my game and it worked out pretty well.”

Still, Thursday’s second round was a grind.

“It was a struggle out there. I didn’t hit it well. I struggled off the tee and with my irons, but my putting was on and my wedges, that helped me,” said Skaik.

“I didn’t really pay attention to the leaderboard. I was just trying to focus on my own game. Just stay patient and wait for it. The front nine I didn’t hit it well, and I finished level par and then managed to make two birdies on 10 and 14. But I’m happy. Level par is fine.”

Skaik, who has bogeyed the 7th and 18th in both of the first two rounds, is looking forward to the weekend.

“I mean, now I can play relaxed because I’ve made the cut, which was my goal but now let’s hope tomorrow I can strike it well and just get the putter rolling as well.”

With pro ambitions, Skaik also knows playing in the field with the likes of world amateur No.1 Keita Nakajima and two-time champion Yuxin Lee is an invaluable learning experience.

“They are the best of the best in the amateur game, so obviously we look up to them, especially Yuxin because he’s a lefty like me. It’s pretty good to play with them and hopefully in the future we get to play in the same group.”

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The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship might boast some of the biggest names in golf but the loudest first day cheers were reserved for local hero Tom Buchanan who produced a colourful 74 in his European Tour debut.

It left the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club head pro in a 13-way share of 102nd place alongside the ilk of former Open champion Paul Lawrie, former world No.1 Lee Westwood, Ryder Cupper Chris Wood and former Abu Dhabi champion Robert Rock.

At +2 there’s work to be done to prolong this wild daydream all the way into the weekend at Abu Dhabi G.C. but the 38-year-old reckons he’s a shot at making the cut now he has those inevitable first round jitters out of his system.

“I’m in there, I’m in there pretty well aye,” the Scotsman said after a rousing reception on 18.

“It gives me a chance if I come out tomorrow, a bit more relaxed obviously about what’s happening. I’ve played okay today for 74, anything better tomorrow gets me under par and in with a shot of still being here at the weekend. That was the big thing about today, being here for the weekend.”

Buchanan wouldn’t be the only one to savour that prospect.

“Obviously the following and having people with me has been wonderful. I’ve tried to block it out a bit and I was doing all right until they started screaming at the first tee this morning. I have to say that really got to me and I hit a big massive pull off the first [laughs] but, you know, it’s been great.

“[Friday’s] going to be worse, there’s more coming tomorrow. I know that, there’s more coming tomorrow [laughs]. Aye, so that’ll be good, it’s great for me and my family, its great for the club in Al Ain, to be representing the club is fantastic, and it’s the big stage isn’t it, it’s the stage where we all want to be, and I’ve enjoyed it.”

Buchanan did well to hold his nerve on the biggest stage of his life especially with the vocal locals in tow. “I was starting to get a wee bit down at the 9th and then made up and down out the bunker for a bogey. Then I birdied 10 then all of a sudden we were back on.

“I managed to hit one out the middle at 12 into the back bunker, I hadn’t calculated for it come out of the middle [more laughs] so I made bogey there then a good birdie at 16. Then I hit probably one of the worst shots I’ve hit in the last year at 17 to miss the green by about 30 yards right, behind a tree and I made five.

“But all in all a wonderful experience and I think if somebody had offered me 74 this morning I would definitely have taken it.”

English amateur Dan Kirkwood, who also qualified for Abu Dhabi via last month’s UAE PGA qualifying tournament at Saadiyat Beach G.C., matched Buchanan’s 74 but UAE pro Ahmed Al Musharrekh struggled to a 14 over 86.

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Buamaim’s long-term dream for the tour is, of course, to unearth young, Olympic Games-quality Arab stars, but he couldn’t grumble at the quality of Barker’s golf Monday, a sizzling 66 helping the 19-year-old South African open up a two shot lead at the Golf Citizen Abu Dhabi Open.

MJB will also be heartened by the hot streak Todd Clements is currently riding after the English amateur eased into second place with a 68. Eight players share third after 69s, the tour’s most decorated player in Zane Scotland and the producer of Monday’s shot of the day, South African Wayne Stroebel, among them. Stroebel holed a wedge on the 141-yard par 3 13th for his first career ace.

But the day belonged to Barker who opened his round with three successive birdies, was five under through seven and added further gains on the 13th and 16th to cancel out a lone bogey on the 10th.

“Everything flowed quite smoothly out there. I struck the ball beautifully, putted nicely and my approaches were relatively close, creating plenty of birdie opportunities,” said Barker, a professional barely a year who is playing Yas Links on a special MENA Tour invitation.

“I had a lot of fun playing on this course, which is in great condition and look forward to having some more good times in the next two rounds.”

Jamie Elson, meanwhile, made the early move in the all-important pro order of merit race. The Englishman signed for a two under 70, three shots better than Swede Fredrik From, the only man above him in the points standings save for South African MG Keyser who has abandoned his OOM hopes to chase a Asian Tour card in Malaysia.

Yas Links-attached Luke Joy has ground to make up after an opening 74 while English compatriot Andrew Marshall remains in the OOM conversation after a 71.

Playing in his second MENA Tour event in three weeks this season, former Open champion Darren Clarke carded a solid 70.

After finishing tied second with Rayhan Thomas at The Dubai Creek Open and 17th at last week’s Golf Citizen Classic at The Els, Clements needs another strong week to zero in on the top 50 of the World Amateur Golf Rankings. The 21-year-old Essex lad, currently ranked 64th, has started his mission strongly by mixing five birdies with a solitary bogey on the 15th.

“I started off well, making four birdies in the first seven holes and that set pretty much the tone for the round,” Clements said. “I played good, solid golf and made no major mistakes which was the key.”

Clements leads the amateur battle by two shots from Kenyan Agil Is-hag (70). Englishman Taylor Carter (71) is third while and Saudi Arabia’s Othman Almulla, England’s Robert Horridge and the UAE’s Khalid Yousuf shared fourth after even par 72s.

Ahmed Skaik was the next best of the UAE national team players with a 75 but the remainder of local contingent now have a very clear line in the sand with regards the level required to compete on the MENA Tour.

Ahmed Al Musharrekh, playing in the company of former Ryder Cup captain Clarke, left himself a mountain to climb after dropping six shots in his last five holes en-route to a six-over 78 while Abdalla Al Musharrekh carded an 84 (+12) and Sohail Al Marzooqi a 19-over 91.

For full scoreboard, click here

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By Kent Gray
Fredrik From would dearly love to be the player to snap the MENA Tour’s streak of first-time winners when he tees it up in the Golf Citizen Classic at The Els Club, Dubai on Monday.

The 27-year-old Swede took full advantage of the absence of Jamie Elson and Luke Joy from last week’s Dubai Creek Open, leapfrogging the Englishmen all the way to the summit of the developmental circuit’s order-of-merit standings courtesy of a T-4 finish.

South African MG Keyser captured his maiden MENA Tour title following a tense battle with Junior Presidents Cup-bound teen Rayhan Thomas to become the 10th new winner in as many events this season.

From, who won the weather-shortened Pattana Golf Championship in May thanks to a closing 63, will be aware there is no better time to change that at The Els, especially with Joy against absent as he contests the multi-tournament first stage of European Tour Q-School in Austria.

Related: No KLM Open Joe as Luke eyes European Tour Q-School

Elson, however, is back and certainly wouldn’t mind keeping the first-timers streak rolling.  The 36-year-old Englishmen brings form with him to Dubai having advanced to the second stage of European Q-school courtesy of rounds of 70-72-68-72 at Roxburghe Hotel and Golf Course in Kelso, Scotland last week to finish T-11 at -6 (the top 22 advanced).

Related: Elson eyes the MENA Tour’s big prize

From can also anticipate a tough fight from Keyser who established the Creek course record of 61 last Monday (a -10 score emulated by Thomas the very next day). The South African is clearly comfortable going low, having recently looped The Els in 62 strokes in a friendly game.

MG Keyser arrives at The Els fresh from victory at last week’s Dubai Creek Open.

“I love this Els course and know what it takes to string together a low round. Hopefully, local knowledge will come in handy,” said Keyser, who considers the Els his “home club” and is playing the MENA Tour on a special Tour invitation.

“The confidence is there as I have been playing some good, solid golf for the last six months or so. I am really enjoying playing on the MENA Tour [but] there are a plenty of quality players who all can win on their day.”

Zane Scotland, handed the tour’s first and thus far only lifetime exemption during last season’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic, will play after withdrawing from the Creek last week with a reoccurrence of a back injury. The Englishman, who holds a record 10 MENA Tour titles, last won at the 2016 Royal Golf Mohammed Open in Morocco.

Also confirmed are 2016 OOM champion Craig Hinton and fellow Englishmen Andrew Marshall, Jake Shepherd and Lee Corfield, who all have all won a minimum of two MENA Tour titles previously.

England’s Todd Clements, T-2 with Thomas last week, will be the amateur to watch this week with Thomas headed for New Jersey for the Sept 25-26 Junior Presidents Cup. Saudi Arabia’s Othman Almulla, who emerged as the best amateur from the MENA region last week, and the UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh will be the Arab players under the microscope in a event that attracted 130 entries (including 30 amateurs) from 26 countries.

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Had it not been for American 15-year-old Victoria Tip-Aucha’s historic appearance in Hau Hin, Thomas’ return to the MENA Tour would have undoubtedly generated the main interest ahead of the $50,000 MahaSamutr Masters at Banyan GC.

Regardless of how Tip-Aucha fares as the developmental tour’s female pioneer, Thomas’ performance will garner much attention after his growing reputation enabled the Dubai-based Indian amateur No.1 to bypass the first three events of the season for better things – the very purpose of the MENA Tour.

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American teen set for historic MENA Tour start in Thailand

Thomas created headlines when he made the cut at February’s Dubai Desert Classic and played alongside 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett in the final round. It followed a practice round tee time with Rickie Fowler in Abu Dhabi and earned the teen a late invite to the Hero Indian Open, his fourth European Tour start (after playing the Qatar Masters in 2016).

Since then Thomas has focused on the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley GC near Augusta National where a closing 68 saw him finish a credible T13 in what is widely regarded as the world’s leading junior tournament.

The invaluable U.S. experience, coupled with his emergence in Thailand last season when he finished second at the Mountain Creek Open and third at the MahaSamutr Masters, has Thomas raring for this week’s 54-holer.

“It feels good to return to golf courses where you have enjoyed some good finishes,” said Thomas who kicked on from Thailand to become the MENA Tour’s first amateur winner at his home Dubai Creek Open last September.

“I have been working very hard with my coach Justin Parsons and the good thing is that I am feeling confident about my game.”

Thomas won’t have it all his own way in Thailand, of course. Englishman Zane Scotland, a 10-time winner, is back after a back injury saw him skip last week’s Ras Al Khaimah Classic. Bahrain-based Daniel Owen will look to rebound from a disastrous final round 82 at Tower Links after leading through 36-holes with a pair of 66s.

Other notable contenders include Lee Corfield, Craig Hinton and Andrew Marshall, all multiple winners on the tour, and cricketer-turned-golfer Craig Kieswetter, who graduated from the tour’s qualifying school earlier this year.

They’ll all be mindful of Wolmer Murillo, the 36-year-old Venezuelan star who won the Mountain Creek Open by Golf Citizen by three shots and followed it up with a second-place finish in the MahaSamutr Masters a week later when the tour travelled to Thailand for the first time in 2016.

Murillo, who is attached to Banyan Golf Club, will be keen to pick up where he left off last year, but will have to contend with a 139-player field including 13 MENA Tour winners. The tournament will have a distinct Thai flavour with a strong home contingent of 25 golfers.

UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh will spearhead the challenge in the MENA Division, confident of racking up some good results.

“I am working on certain aspects of my game and hope to get things dialed in sooner than later. It’s always a work in progress,”Al Musharrekh said.

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The Bahrain-based 27-year-old touring professional will take a five stroke lead into the final round of the Ras Al Khaimah Classic on Wednesday over a group of five players including three-time MENA Tour winner and European tour veteran Stephen Dodd.

Dodd (70-67) was joined by joint overnight leader Max Williams (66-71), fellow Englishmen Jordan Garnish (68-69) and Jamie Elson (71-66) and Australia’s Peter Stojanovski (68-69) at -7.

After mixing two eagles and five birdies against three bogeys in Monday’s opening round, Royal Golf Club-aligned Owen had his driver going to rattle off six birdies in a flawless six-under circuit to be -12 for the tournament.

“I have been coming here since 2011 and know the course pretty well. It suits my eye. I did miss a couple of greens, but never really got into much trouble. I gave myself good opportunities and made a few putts,” Owen said of his sizzling second round on a steamy RAK day.

Owen will be looking to kick on after racking up a string of top five finishes on the tour.

“Obviously, it’s hard to ignore where I am, but at the same time the game plan doesn’t change. I will try and make some early birdies to kind of settle the nerves and, hopefully, get the job done this time around.”

As a three-time European Tour winner Dodd, who mixed six birdies with a lone bogey on the tough 3rd hole in his second-round 67, stands as a significant threat to Owen.

The Welshman made his European Senior Tour debut at the Senior Open Championship last July and went on to win the 2016 Senior Italian Open, a feat which showed his hunger remains as keen as ever.

Elsewhere, Spain’s Francisco Perez and England’s Paul Dwyer, who were among a four-way tie for the lead overnight, left themselves with work to do after carding respective rounds of 73 and 72 to be at -6.

England’s Lee Corfield, a four-time winner on the MENA Tour, moved into a tie for 10^th on -5 after a second round 71, one ahead of Craig Hinton, the winner of the 2016 MENA Tour Order of Merit title, as experienced Andrew Marshall settled for a tied 17^th after a shooting a two-under 70.

England’s Todd Clements carded a 69 to top the amateur division on -3, four shots ahead of Switzerland’s Dubai-based Michael Harradine, who backed his opening 71 with a 74.

UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh returned a second-round 75 for 36-hole total of seven-over-par 151, missing the cut, which was made at two over, by five shots. A total of 54 professionals and nine amateurs have made it to the final round.

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The Scotsman (pictured second from left) won the tour’s Q-School by three strokes last week but will miss the US$40,000, 54-hole Casablanca Open which concludes at Palmeraie Country Club Thursday to attend his brother Paul’s stag-do in the United Kingdom.

Jack is expected to make his debut proper alongside Paul, a former MENA Tour winner, in next week’s Royal Golf Mohammedia Open, also in Casablanca, before teeing it up in the April 24-26 Ras Al Khaimah Classic at Tower Links, the third event of the season before a three-tournament Thailand swing.

Jack Doherty started the final round of Q-School at Royal Golf El Jadida two shots off the pace and recovered from two early bogeys to fire a three under-par 69 to finish on 216, even par.

He led a Scotland one-two with 2015 Walker Cup rep Grant Forrest carding a final round 73 to finish runner-up on +3, a shot ahead of a Spaniards Gabriel Canizares and Leonardo Axel Lilja Moyano and Englishman Paul Dwyer.

India’s Feroz Singh Garewal, who shared the 36-hole lead with Moyano, slipped into a tie of 10th on +7 after signing for a 78 while England’s Danny Poulter, the brother of Ryder Cupper Ian, finished in a three-way tie for 7^th on six-over 222, a stroke behind England’s Nicholas McCarthy.

Former England cricketer Craig Kieswetter, who has set himself the target of being a regular on the European Tour, birdied two of his last four holes for a closing 75 that left him in a share of 31st at 18 over.

Elsewhere, UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh finished in a tie for 53rd on 23 over after posting a final round 78 as the top 55 and ties from the final stage were awarded the MENA Tour cards for the 2017 season.

An initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour was created in 2011 with the aim of developing golf in the region. It is affiliated to R&A and the Arab Golf Federation and enjoys Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) status.

Multiple European Tour starts, including the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Hassan II Trophy and the Maybank Championship Malaysia in addition to full playing privileges on the Sunshine Tour and exemptions into the final stage of the Asian Tour Q-School for the leading three professionals are among the incentives for the MENA Tour members.

Pictured above (L to R) are the MENA Tour’s Robbie Williams, Q-School champion Jack Doherty, chief referee Abdelatif Elbachari and Royal Golf El Jadida manager Redouane Diab.

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The 26-year-old Sharjah native is one of 86 players set to contest the MENA Golf Tour’s 54-hole qualifying school in Morocco from Tuesday. A minimum of 50 players will earn cards at the Royal Golf El Jadida course ahead of a 15-event season which culminates in November’s Tour Championship at Al Ain Equestrian, Golf & Shooting Club.

Al Musharrekh turned professional in late 2012 after capturing that season’s GCC Amateur Championship title as well as individual and team gold medals in the 2011 Arab Games. He remains the UAE’s first and only pro but his journey in the paid ranks has been challenging and intermittent after he missed 2015 completing mandatory national service in the UAE Navy.

He’s hoping some recent swing changes and a hardened attitude will hold him in good stead for the three-day Q-school in the picturesque port city of El Jadida on the Atlantic coast of Morocco.

“My lessons with Dong Lee [his Dubai Golf Academy coach] have shown positive progress in my game ranging from my course management and swing to ball striking and overall fitness. I’m more focused, more disciplined,” said Al Musharrekh, who plans to play all the MENA Tour events this season.

“I still have a few kinks which I hope to iron out soon through training and hard work. Each time I step onto the tee, I hope to play better than before.

“Like every player in the field, my goal is to win the tournament. My game is definitely good enough to win, but will take things as they come. One step at a time is good walking.”

Al Musharrekh carries the weigh of a nation on his shoulders and admitted last year that the step-up from amateur golf had been steep, “a huge change”.

“It’s more physically and mentally challenging, on and off the course,” he told Sport 360 at the time.

“It’s not like having a hobby where you’re just a boy and having fun playing, carefree and happy, with nothing on your shoulders. All of a sudden, you turn pro and you’ve got all this expectation, from yourself, but also externally.

“That’s been a huge shift, having to play with that and dealing with stuff off the course, like social media, sponsorships, and having to grow up. It’s something I’ve had to deal with. But we see great examples of this on tour, you see all these young guys thriving and dealing with things in a fantastic way, so it just gives me a push to keep going and see where I get to.”

Al Musharrekh hopes to become the second Arab golfer after Morocco’s Ahmed Marjan to win a MENA Tour event but knows the competition is getting stiffer as the tour grows. This year it includes stops in Morocco, Kuwait, Thailand, South Africa, Oman and the UAE, including the first 72 hole tournament, the US$50,000 Pattana Golf Championship.

The field will play for just $6000 this week (the winner earns $2500) but the opportunity is priceless – for many a pro dream lifeline and others an amateur finishing school.

“The level of competition is becoming more intense, but I am confident I can embrace the challenges and opportunities with a positive attitude.” Al Musharrekh said.

“With world ranking points on offer, I think more and more players from the Arab world will be encouraged to turn professional and contribute to the overall development of the game. Even in the UAE we have some very good golfers with a competitive passion for the game and I do hope they will think about making a career out of doing something they love,” said Ahmed,

Seven amateurs are among the 86 entries signed up for Morocco with England leading the chart with 38 followed by India (nine), Spain (seven) and the United States (six).

The Q-School offers members the opportunity to earn full playing privileges on the tour in addition to becoming eligible for Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points.

Multiple European Tour starts, including the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, the Hassan II Trophy and the Maybank Championship Malaysia in addition to full playing privileges on the Sunshine Tour and exemptions into the final stage of the Asian Tour Q-School for the leading three professionals are some of the added incentives for the MENA Golf Tour members.

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