By Kent Gray
Hisham Shammas and Paul Abouchacra got lucky, then they got serious.

At the end of it all, the duo had lived up to their “Team Under Par” billing to capture the 19th edition of the Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge and avenge their near miss 12 months earlier in Middle East golf’s most prestigious business networking golf series.

Shammas and Abouchacra ran their “Race to Earth” at Shammas’ home club qualifier at Jumeirah Golf Estates in April, sneaking through via a minor placing.

They returned to JGE in December for the 36-hole grand final spurred by their runner-up finish at Al Zorah in the 2016 decider and got off to a flyer, with a little assistance from lady luck, in the opening round of the 36 hole betterball net final on the Fire course.

Shammas and Abouchacra collect their booty, including a spot in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

“The first round was amazing, fantastic,” said Shammas. “We are super lucky that day, putting from everywhere and anywhere.

“This guy [Abouchacra], he get one putt for birdie, maybe a 40 yard putt, that hit the cup, bounced around 50cm high and then go in (laughs). If it wasn’t in it could be in the bunker, anywhere.”

After their impressive net 57 on Fire, the decisive second round on Earth was a far more intense affair as Shammas and Abouchacra set out to protect a two-stroke overnight lead from Frans Smit and Jaques Du Toit (Team Du Toit).

“It was more stress as we have the photographer following us and you know, we are under pressure, it was tough day and we are playing with the second team. So there is two shots difference and it was really critical.”

The leading groups started on the 6th and by the 18th, Smit and Du Toit had turned their two-stroke deficit into a four shot lead. But the round, and the title, turned on Earth’s par 5 closing hole (their 12th hole) courtesy of some more fortunate bounces, this time from Shammas.

“The 18th, there is this creek in the middle, I want to be conservative, I hit the rescue club, no driver, the rescue club went on the right side, and then bounced on a rock and goes on the left, just 2cm away from the water. So I went there, its safe, on the grass, so I took 8 iron also to be conservative, aim it really right [towards] the trees but it went right with a draw, bounced on the fairway and keeps rolling to the water on the left, stopped before the water maybe one metre, just so I can stand.

“I took 60 degree, it was maybe 100 yards or something, and then I hit the 60 degree, almost in the pin! (laughs) For eagle! It was just 2cm away from the cup and I did a birdie for [net] eagle, I had a shot on this one, and this is where everything changed. They did six, we did four, so now they are two up, the game start again and after that we get really nice three, four holes. Par, birdie, par, birdie, something like this, so we finish I think four up. “

Shammas and Abouchacra actually won by five strokes after rounds of 57-62 for a 119 aggregate as Smit and Du Toit (Team Du Toit/pictured above) finished on 124 (59-65).  Subhojit Biswas and Siddarth Dutta (Team S&S/pictured below) were third on 128 (64-64).

Moh’d Al Sayed and Fahad Al Hakam (Team Moi) captured the inaugural City Tower Real Estate Cup as gross division champions with a 139 total (69-70). The gross division was a widely applauded new initiative in 2017 to entice lower handicap players to the event.

The organisers have hinted at more innovation for the XCGC’s 20th Anniversary edition this year so stayed tuned to Golf Digest Middle East and xeroxcgc.com for all the details.

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If they weren’t putting out of a bunker on the 8^th (and no, that’s not a misprint) for a net birdie, they were making five gross ones and scrambling for some unbelievable net gains and par saves on a day when the wind whipped off The Creek and kept the scoring honest.

After kicking on from back-to-back birdies to start their round, it eventually all added up to a net 63, eight under par, and a two-stroke victory over Graeme Doy and Steve Ramsden (Toon Army). The reward was the first of four places in December’s 36-hole XCGC grand final on Earth at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai.

Three-handicapper Sindhu contributed four birdies on his home course while Shewakramani, visiting from Emirates GC with his handy 21-handicap, dovetailed expertly, like when he holed that sandy putt on the 8^th after both “Golf Tigers” had found the right-hand bunker off the tee.

“We had a lot of fun and we were very lucky. I think the golfing gods where with us today,” said Sindhu who was playing with Shewakramani for the first time in the 19^th XCGC despite regularly partnering the EGC 21-handicpper in other events.

“I think the new format this year [betterball stroke play off full course handicap] definitely demands a combination of a higher and low handicapper but we were very lucky to play this well.

“We never thought we could go so low but we’ll take that. The 36-hole final on Earth, that’s a special course, one of our favourite courses in the UAE, well presented, so we’re really looking forward to it.”

Shewakramani and Sindhu played so well – a gross 70 – that they almost qualified via the XCGC’s new City Tower Real Estate Cup division which rewards the days lowest gross pair with a place in the grand final.

That honour went to Creek members Michael Nielsen and Edoardo Galeppini who signed for a two-under 69.

Gross winners Michael Nielsen (second from left) and Edoardo Galeppini with Xerox Emirates boss Chris Govier

Scratch-handicapper Galeppini and Nielsen, who plays off 7.6, will play in their fourth Xerox grand final and happily so eyeing gross glory.

“We have played quite well in finals without getting anywhere close to be honest…so this is a good initiative,” said Nielsen before Galeppini continued.

“There are not many tournaments in Dubai where you actually go to the final with a gross prize so its very nice,” Galeppini said. “We are really looking forward to it because every year we have qualified we’ve had a lot of problems for the net.”

The Greg Norman-designed Almouj Golf course in Muscat, Oman hosts the fourth round of the XCGC on May 13 before the series, celebrating its 19^th season this year, returns to the UAE on May 25 at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

For more info and entry options, visit www.xeroxcgc.com

The multi-award winning Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge, which again returns to South Africa in 2017, is set to announce several new venues this year. Golf Digest Middle East is proud to be the series’ official media partner. Key sponsors are IG and City Tower.

19^th Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge – Round 3
Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, May 4, 2017

Net qualifiers
63 – Suresh Shewakramani and Ashok Sindhu (Golf Tigers)
65 – Graeme Doy and Steve Ramsden (Toon Army)
68- Chris Darnley and Andrew Smolak (Divot Mix)
69 – Bayer Khan and Qais Qureshi (Mashreq)

City Tower Real Estate Cup
Gross qualifiers
69 – Michael Nielsen and Edoardo Galeppini (Rickmers/Cigisped)

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