The trio produced perfect 3-0-0 records and were joined by Arjun Gupta (2 wins/1 half/0 losses), Bradley Mogire (2-1-0), Lawry Cook (2-1-0) and Josh Hill (1-2-0) with unbeaten records as the EGF amateurs eased to an 19-13 victory in the 19th edition of the Ryder Cup style matches against the UAE PGA’s top teaching professionals.

The victory follows 19½-12½ and 17-15 victories in 2016 and 2017 respectively, last year’s repeat captained by Lakdawala.

After dominating Saturday’s foursomes and fourball matches 10-6 at Emirates G.C, the amateur Class of 2018 – captained by Max Burrow –  needed just six points to retain the trophy and seven points to win outright. They did it with relative ease in difficult, dusty conditions at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, winning Sunday’s singles 9-7

Lakdawala led a series of divisive singles victories, finishing one under as he overcame Malcolm Young (Arabian Ranches) 8&7. He’d earlier teamed with Thomas to win both of his pairs matches before Thomas, the world No.17, finished with three birdies in a five-hole stretch to beat Jack Woods (Dubai Creek) 5&4.

Mezei, meanwhile, compounded the frustration for UAE PGA captain Ryan Smith with a 7& 6 triumph. It was no slight on Smith, the new UAE PGA Matchplay champion, with Mezei three under par in the gusty winds when the pair shook hands on the 12th hole.

Dubai Creek teaching professionals Joe Way and Mike Major were the standouts for the UAE PGA team, winning all three matches including 2&1 singles victories over Craig Vance and Nathan Fisher respectively.

But this was, ultimately, another milestone day for the amateurs with teens Gupta and Mogire beating David Laing 5&4 and Jordan Gallagher 6&5 respectively.

The headline match between 14-year-old Josh Hill and Al Ain pro Shane Peacock ended in a half, a bogey good enough for Hill to win the par-4 closing hole and maintain his unbeaten record in a see-sawing match.

Mike Bolt (Trump Dubai) and UAE national team amateur Ahmad Skaik halved a high quality match in the wind, both finishing with one over 72s, Bolt’s card including a brilliant birdie on the 18th to snare a ultimately inconsequential, but nonetheless personally satisfying, half point.

The UAE PGA still lead the overall series 14-5 but this fifth loss will take some living down at work on Monday. Perhaps the excuse will be that they’re doing their day jobs too well in fostering arguably the most exciting generation of young amateurs in UAE golf history, though that may be a hard sell over a peer-led morning tea debrief.

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By Kent Gray
The Emirates Golf Federation amateurs are seven points away from an historic Dubai Trophy hat-trick after dominating the opening day of the annual Ryder Cup-style matches against the UAE PGA’s finest.

Max Burrow’s EGF team lead Ryan Smith’s pros 10-6 heading into Sunday’s singles matches after capturing Saturday’s morning foursomes and the afternoon fourballs on the Faldo course at Emirates G.C. by identical 5-3 margins.

It means the amateurs need to win just six of today’s 16 singles matches at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club to guarantee a halved match and retention of the trophy as defending champions. But they’ll want to do it in style with seven or more points and Smith’s team are up against it in more ways than one; not only do they need to win the singles 11-5 or better, they will have to overcome a confident team and a suffocating sandstorm that has swept across Dubai.

World amateur No.17 Rayhan Thomas and experienced Bayhaan Lakdawala combined for two wins for the amateurs on Saturday, easing past Jack Woods and Jordan Gallagher 4&3 in the foursomes and David Gray and Mikael Gartner 3&1 in the foursomes.

Newly minted EGF OOM Championship winner Nathan Fisher and Mike Mezei, the latter a captain’s pick like Lakdawala, are also unbeaten after 3&2 and 2up victories over Malcolm Young and Jonathan Craddock in the foursome and fourball matches respectively.

Tough conditions for Day 2 of the Dubai Golf trophy @DubaiCreekGolf | For live scoring: https://t.co/GUeQhE6cxT or download the Golf Genius Software Application and log in using the code DUBAIGOLFTROPHY pic.twitter.com/rEel5NUVFu

— Dubai Creek Golf (@DubaiCreekGolf) May 13, 2018

Teens Josh Hill and Arjun Gupta are also unbeaten (as were Lawry Cook and Bradley Mogire), coasting past Trump Dubai’s Luke Plumb and Mike Bolt 3&2 in the foursomes before an epic halved fourball match against the same opposition.

“We were rubbish in the morning but in the afternoon we were seven under better ball to halve,” said Plumb. “We played out of our skin to halve with them,” the UAE PGA chief executive continued before admitting he was pleased to avoid Hill in today’s singles. “Arjun was good too to be fair.”

Shane Peacock has drawn the short Hill straw for the singles which began at 11.30am. The Al Ain pro will fancy his chances; he was unbeaten alongside club mate Tom Buchanan on Saturday.

Also recording a pair of wins for the pros were Joe Way and Mike Major who will enjoy home course advantage on Sunday.

For those wanting to follow the scores you can download Golfgenius app and can log in with the GGID code DUBAIGOLFTROPHY

— UAE PGA (@uaepga) May 12, 2018

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