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

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