By Kent Gray
Kevin Riley, Hisham Shammas and Stephanie Kemper will tee it up in the 11th Golf Digest Middle East Classic at Emirates Golf Club on October 16 after starring in the series’ final qualifying tournament.

Riley won division A (0-10 handicaps) of the Els Club, Dubai leg of the 2018 Golf Digest Middle East Amateur Golf Series presented by King’s College Hospital London and AutoRoute with 39 Stableford points.

His reward, as well as a place in the blue-riband GDME Classic on the Majlis next Tuesday, is a pair of Saturday hospitality passes to the 30th Omega Dubai Desert Classic in January.

ENTER: The 11th Golf Digest Middle East Golf Classic on the Majlis next Tuesday

Riley edged Stuart Cameron, pictured below, by four points.

Division B (11-24 handicaps) was convincingly won by Shammas with 39 points, seven clear of New Zealander Rick McIntyre. Shammas, who is clearly in top form after recently winning the opening event of the 20th Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge, will also enjoy the Desert Classic from the plush confines of the Motivate corporate chalet at Emirates G.C., as will Kemper (pictured below) who got the job done in the ladies competition with 27 points.

The longest drive at The Els went to Hannah Mannion (pictured below, right) while Ray Lucas nailed the nearest the pin prize.

Stephanie Kemper, Caroline Rosenstock and Hannah Mannion.

Ray Lucas is presented with his prize by Golf Digest Middle East publisher David Burke (right).

Both on-course winners waltzed away with a pair of season passes to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Riley, Shammas and Kemper join Daood Jaffal, Shawn Welgemoed and Ping Li in automatically qualifying for the GDME Classic after winning their divisions at the recent Saadiyat Beach Golf Club qualifier.

RELATED: Welgemoed closes in on ‘bucket list” European Tour Pro-Am spot after winning first GDME Amateur Golf Series qualifier

There are still limited places available at the Golf Digest Middle East Classic.

ENTER: The 11th Golf Digest Middle East Classic HERE!

It’s a steal at AED 555 per player (including gala dinner) and the prizes on the line are at a once in a lifetime level.

At the final on the fabled Majlis, the winners will walk away with Pro-Am spots to the Omega Desert Classic (division A), Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (division B) and the Omega Dubai Moonlight (formerly Ladies) Classic.

RELATED: Check out our photo gallery from The Els Club, Dubai qualifier

The post Riley roars into the 11th Golf Digest Middle East Classic (and it’s not too late to join him) appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Hisham Shammas and Paul Abouchacra won last season’s Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge and clearly have every intention of defending their title in the 20th anniversary edition of the iconic Middle East amateur series.

The dynamic duo won the first of the XCGC’s four 2018 qualifying events at Jumeirah Golf Estates, combining for a betterball net score of 62 around JGE’s Fire course on Thursday.

Shammas and Abouchacra’s 10-under total edged Jai Dawda and Vivek Sharma by a stroke while Alan and Souyama Salem were third in the Lincoln Al Tayer-sponsored competition after carding a seven-under 65.

Neil Phillips and Paul Donovan recorded a five-over 77 to win the gross title and also qualify for December’s 20th XCGC Grand Final back at JGE.

The top 4 net place-getters and the gross-winners go through to the one-day Grand Final where the following prizes are up for grabs:

Champions: A memorable ‘International Experience’ at one of Europe’s leading golf clubs.
Runners-Up: Pro-Am spot as well as corporate hospitality at the 2019 HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.
Third: Corporate hospitality at the 2019 HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

Meanwhile, the traditional Lincoln Al Tayer-sponsored nearest the pin competition at last week’s Fire qualifier came with a twist with the those who hit within the ‘Lincoln Circle’ entered into a draw to win a Lincoln of their choice for a weekend. The lucky winners were Ornella Parigi, Wayne Munro and  Shammas.

Xclusive Yacht’s nearest the pin on the 14th was won by Martin Lambert.

The second qualifier in the XCGC’s ‘Celebrating 20 Years Premium Series’, is scheduled for October 18 at Trump International Golf Club, Dubai. Register online at xeroxcgc.com

The post Shammas and Abouchacra pick up where they left off as 20th XCGC begins on Fire appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Champions Hisham Shammas and Paul Abouchacra relive their tense battle with Frans Smit and Jacques du Toit on Fire and Earth in our video review of the 36-hole decider at JGE here:

You can also read all about the Grand Final where Shammas remembers his pal’s “crazy” and pivotal putting and his own decisive near eagle on Earth’s notorious 18th.

Related: XCGC Grand Final – Great mirth on Fire and Earth

Abouchacra and Shammas collect their booty, including a spot in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship sponsors day courtesy of Golf Digest Middle East.

Make sure to tag friends and share the best pictures from December’s fiercely fun battle from our photo gallery as well.

Related: Photo gallery from the XCGC Grand Final

Finally, stay tuned to GolfDigestME.com and xeroxcgc.com as details of the 20th anniversary edition of the region’s biggest corporate networking golf series are revealed.

The post VIDEO: 19th Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge Grand Final appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The post PHOTO GALLERY: 19th Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge Grand Final appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

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.

The post XCGC Grand Final: Great mirth on Fire and Earth appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.