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Noon and McInerney cook up JGE
Steve Noon and Ian McInerney came out as winners of the Thursday Curry Club event on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates this week. A net 30 over the nine holes in a pairs scramble format was enough for victory over Aaron Yasities and Lewis Brown. Andy Drees and Kevin Duffield finished third.

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Goodall and Dodson come up Trumps
To mark Women’s Golf Day, Trump International Golf Club Dubai held a ladies pairs scramble, with Julie Goodall and Janine Dodson triumphing with 68.6, ahead of Anne Denham and Sheila Alban.

Joe Heraty’s card. Supplied

Heraty hits new heights
Joe Heraty just missed out on a famous 59 at Dubai Hills earlier this month but a bogey on 17 meant to was a case of so near yet so far. The consolation for Heraty is that his 61 is a course record!

The post The Gulf Club — The latest golf news from around the UAE as Heraty hits 61 at Dubai Hills appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Heading into Sunday’s singles with a message of support from six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo to go with their two-point overnight lead following Saturday’s foursomes and fourballs at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, the Tom Buchanan-lead pros were in pole position.

Just Sir @NickFaldo006 causally offering his support to the @uaepga pros heading into Sunday’s Dubai Golf Trophy singles at @EmiratesGC against the four-peat seeking @EGFuaegolf amateurs. No pressure “Captain @tompro66” and team! pic.twitter.com/GWNi6me8kf

— Golf Digest ME (@GolfDigestME) April 28, 2019

But a disastrous start which saw the pros lose 7½ of the first eight available points, including the first five matches sent out, saw the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) amateurs waltz the singles 11-5 for an 18-14 victory overall. It followed 19½-12½, 17-15 and 19-13 victories for the amateurs in 2016, 2017 and 2019 respectively and closed the overall Dubai Golf Trophy tally to 14-6 in favour of the UAE PGA Pros.

“Outfought and outplayed,” was captain Buchanan’s succinct summary afterwards as the UAE PGA Pros contemplate losing the last four editions by a combined 73½-54½.  “We’re bitterly disappointed as we were in a good position after the first day and failed to finish it off. The amateurs boys are just sharper than us.”

Buchanan was the only UAE PGA player to produce three wins but even his 6&4 thumping of Drew Foxcroft in the singles was scant consolation.

“Yeah, three points but sadly means nothing as we lost,” said Buchanan who was a sizzling seven under par when he shook hands with Foxcroft on the Majlis’ 14th green.

“Every year we say that it will be next year but it’s getting harder and harder to beat them as they have so much strength in depth. I set the team out to win and sadly from early in the day it was a struggle. Losing the first five matches was a huge blow for us. But for sure, we will be back in 2020 and see what happens.”

Sujjan Singh and David Laing also won their matches for the UAE PGA pros while Jordan Gallagher and David Gray eeked out halves with Zi Ang Xu and David Guinee respectively.

But Sunday belonged to captain Craig Vance and his EGF amateurs who are, ironically, benefitting from the coaching of their vanquished opponents.

Vance beat Dubai Creek’s Michael Major 2&1 to win three from a possible three points. Bayhan Lakdawala and Max Burrow also recorded perfect records for the amateurs following 5&4 and 4&3 victories over Martin Robinson (The Address Montgomerie Dubai) and UAE PGA CEO Luke Plumb respectively.

 

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20th Dubai Golf Trophy – Final results:

UAE PGA PROS 14-18 EGF AMATEURS

Singles
Adam Burwood lost to Mike Mezei 1up
Shane Peacock lost to Khalid Yousuf 4&3
Michael Major lost to Craig Vance 2&1
Martin Robinson lost to Bayhaan Lakdawala 5&4
Luke Plumb lost to Max Burrow 4&3
Jordan Gallagher halved with Zi Ang XU All Square
Michael Bolt lost to Stephen Loftus 2up
Ross McArthur lost to Steven Kelbrick 3&2
Sujjan Singh beat Bilbo Perrot 4&3
David Laing beat Bradley Mogire 4&2
Tom Buchanan beat Drew Foxcroft 6&4
Louis Gaughan lost to Toby Bishop 3&1
Ryan Smith lost to Ahmad Skaik 5&3
Jack Woods lost to Nathan Fisher 1up
David Gray halved with David Guinee All Square
Joe Way beat Barry Pavic 1up
UAE PGA Pros 5-11 EGF Amateurs (14-18 overall)

Saturday
Foursomes
Ryan Smith/David Gray Lost to Bayhaan Lakdawala/Max Burrow 2 & 1
Shane Peacock/Ross McArthur Lost to Craig Vance/Steven Kelbrick 1down
Michael Major/Joe Way beat Mike Mezei/Bradley Mogire 4&3
Adam Burwood/Jack Woods Halved with Bilbo Perrot/Stephen Loftus
Tom Buchanan/Luke Plumb Beat Ahmad Skaik/Khalid Yousuf 2 & 1
Jordan Gallagher/Louis Gaughan Beat Toby Bishop/David Guinee 3 & 2
Martin Robinson/David Laing Beat Drew Foxcroft/Barry Pavic 5 & 4
Sujjan Singh/Michael Bolt Halved with Zi Ang XU/Nathan Fisher
UAE PGA Pros 5-3 EGF Amateurs (9-7 overall)

Fourballs (Betterball)
Ryan Smith/David Gray Halved with Bayhaan Lakdawala/Max Burrow
Shane Peacock/Ross McArthur Lost to Craig Vance/Steven Kelbrick 3&2
Michael Major/Joe Way Halved with Mike Mezei/Bradley Mogire
Adam Burwood/Jack Woods Beat Bilbo Perrot/Stephen Loftus 2down
Tom Buchanan/Luke Plumb Beat Ahmad Skaik/Khalid Yousuf 3&1
Jordan Gallagher/Louis Gaughan Lost to Toby Bishop/David Guinee 1down
Martin Robinson/David Laing Lost to Drew Foxcroft/Barry Pavic 3&2
Sujjan Singh/Michael Bolt beat Zi Ang XU/Nathan Fisher 4&3
UAE PGA Pros 4-4 EGF Amateurs

The post UAE PGA pros “outfought and outplayed” in singles as EGF amateurs waltz to fourth straight Dubai Golf Trophy appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
With the UAE PGA professionals well “up for it” and the Emirates Golf Federation amateurs weakened, perhaps the Dubai Golf Trophy isn’t the foregone conclusion some considered it might be.

The teams for the 20th edition of the Ryder Cup-style matches have been released but it’s the big names missing that will have amateur captain Craig Vance sweating and his pro counterpart Tom Buchanan quietly optimistic.

Gone from the EGF team that made it an amateur three-peat last year are the injured MENA Tour history maker Rayhan Thomas and the regional mini-tour’s ‘Three Musketeers’ – Josh Hill, Toby Bishop and Arjun Gupta who are all understood to be busy on European campaigns.

Vance has given his four captain’s picks for the April 27-28 matches at Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club to Bayhaan Lakdawala, Mike Mezei, Bilbo Perrot and Stephen Loftu while Buchanan’s has handed his two picks to Al Ain club-mate Shane Peacock and Trump Dubai’s Ross McArthur.

Here’s the full line-ups:

UAE PGA Professionals
Tom Buchanan (Captain)
Luke Plumb (Vice-captain)
Shane Peacock
Michael Bolt
Sujjan Singh
David Gray
Adam Burwood
Jack Woods
Joe Way
Michael Major
Jordan Gallagher
Louis Gaughan
David Laing
Martin Robinson
Ryan Smith
Ross McArthur

EGF Amateurs
Craig Vance (Captain)
Steven Kelbrick (Vice-captain)
Bayhaan Lakdawala (Captain’s pick)
Max Burrow
Ahmad Skaik
Barry Pavic
Khalid Yousuf
Bradley Mogire
Mike Mezei (Captain’s pick)
Bilbo Perrot (Captain’s pick)
Drew Foxcroft
Toby Bishop
Nathan Fisher
Zi Ang XU (Willy)
David Guinee
Stephen Loftus (Captain’s pick)

“It should be a lot tighter this year with a few of my keys players out and I know Tom’s lost a couple of his players as well,” said Vance, downplaying talk of a fourth successive victory for the amateurs.

Buchanan has a team of professionals in form, including Dubai Creek’s Adam Burwood who recently won the UAE PGA Championship to clinch the UAE PGA Order of Merit title. But the Scotsman, fresh from winning the UAE PGA Matchplay title himself, isn’t getting ahead of himself.

“It’s going to be a tight affair as it always is. The amateurs are very strong. They have used their picks very well. However, our guys are up for it. We are on a losing streak and hopefully we can turn it around this year”.

Vance isn’t waving the white flag either, pointing to the quality of the coaching available across the UAE and higher intensity during amateur tournaments as a huge plus for the amateurs.

RELATED: Steven Kelbrick eyes fabled Winged Foot and Senior Open after clinching EGF titles

“We play in events across the region and you now have to score under-par, or significantly under-par to even have a chance of winning,” Vance said. “This shows how much the amateur game in the region has developed in recent years and it had certainly been a contributing factor to our recent successes in the Dubai Golf Trophy.”

There’s some juicy match-ups for Saturday morning’s foursomes on the Majlis at Emirates G.C.:

DUBAI GOLF TROPHY 2019 -SATURDAY MORNING FOURSOMES (Pros named first)
7.20am: Ryan Smith/ David Gray v Bayhaan Lakdawala/Max Burrow
7.30am: Shane Peacock/Ross McArthur v Craig Vance/Steven Kelbrick
7.40am: Mike Major/ Joe Way v Mike Mezei/Bradley Mogire
7.50am: Adam Burwood/Jack Woods v Bilbo Perrot/Stephen Loftus
8.00am: Tom Buchanan/Luke Plumb v Ahmad Skaik/Khalid Yousuf
8.10am: Jordan Gallagher/Louis Gaughan v Toby Bishop/David Guinee
8.20am: Martin Robinson/David Laing v Drew Foxcroft/Barry Pavic
8.30am: Sujjan Singh/Mike Bolt v Zi Ang Xu/Nathan Fisher

The EGF amateurs won last year’s Dubai Trophy 19-13 but the UAE PGA team are still comfortably ahead in the overall stakes having won 14 of the previous 19 matches dating back to the year 2000.

The post Dubai Golf Trophy teams announced; EGF amateurs missing big names appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.