By Kent Gray
Trump Dubai member David Baldwin starred in combination with home-club player Leighton Johnson to capture the Emirates Golf Federation Summer Pairs Open title at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club.

The duo combined for an impressive 46 points in the betterball stableford format used for the first round of the 36 hole event. Baldwin then contributed 41 points and Johnson 31 in the second round, combined individual stableford for a combined total of 120 points.

Baldwin and Johnson eventually won by nine points from UAE national team member Saif Thabet and Sara Engsig. Thabet produced one of the highlights of the tournament, navigating AESGC in one over 71 in the second round for 36 points. Engsig was nearly as impressive, signing for 34 points.

David Kerr and Baz Pickles finished third on 109 points ahead of Paul Spinks and Craig Hanson (107 points) and Theuns Webb and Chris Bentley (103 points).

A total of 58 players – 29 teams – contested the two-day event sponsored by Golf Superstore.

The post Trump Dubai’s Baldwin partners Johnson to EGF Summer Pairs title at AESGC appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
What does a golfer desire for his 14th birthday? For Josh Hill, it’s clearly a fast start to the defence of his Faldo Series Middle East Championship title.

The Dubai-based Englishman gifted himself exactly that with a one-under 69 as the 22nd season of Sir Nick Faldo’s global junior series opened at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club on Tuesday. Hill shares the overall lead with Mikkel Mathieson (Denmark) and is a shot ahead of Dubai-based Indian Arjun Gupta and Toby Bishop (Wales) in the U-16 division heading into the second round of the 54-hole event on Wednesday.

Mathieson enjoys a five stroke advantage over England’s Jay Mullane and Kenyan Bradley Mogire in the U-18s category while Emirati Abdullah Al Qubaisi shares the lead in the U-21s race with India’s Arkesh Bhatia after a four-over 74. Gupta and Bishop were the only other players in the 54-strong field to equal or better AEGSC’s par of 70 on a tough day for scoring.

Hill entered the week in impressive form. The +3 handicapper fired an historic 65 at Trump International Golf Club Dubai en-route to a third straight Emirates Golf Federation open men’s title in late Feb. and then finished runner-up in the U-16 division at the 12th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final in Vietnam earlier this month.

Related: Josh Hill, just 13, fires Trump course record en-route to third successive EGF title

He qualified for the Asian finale at the Faldo-designed Laguna Lang Co. courtesy of winning the U-16 Middle East and then European Grand Final Faldo titles, both also at AESGC, last year.

Kellie Gachaga (Kenya) and England’s Billie-Jo Smith, meanwhile, lead the U-21 girls event at Al Ain after 74s while Sukura Kawakami’s 72 gives the Japanese player a one shot advantage over South Korean Hyeonji Kang heading into the second round of the U-16 girls division.

Faldo created the series (open to players aged 12 to 21) in 1996 to pay back to a sport that has given him so much by nurturing the next generation of champions. It has grown to 40 tournaments in 30-plus countries. Past winners include Major champions Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng, plus tour winners Nick Dougherty, Oliver Fisher, Marc Warren, John Parry, Rashid Khan, Melissa Reid, Florentyna Parker and Carly Booth.

Faldo recently confirmed the series’ European Grand Final will be hosted by AESGC until 2021.

The Middle East is the epicenter of the @EuropeanTour and now junior golf with @NickFaldo006 confirming @aesgc as the host venue of the @FaldoSeries European Grand Final till 2021. Congrats to @GChappellPGA @tompro66 and all the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club team. ? https://t.co/72eDrulQLO

— Golf Digest ME (@GolfDigestME) March 20, 2018

Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club (AESGC) @aesgc will host the Faldo Series Europe Grand Final for the next four years, Sir Nick Faldo has announced. https://t.co/vXKHrOU1Q8 @NickFaldo006

— Faldo Series (@FaldoSeries) March 20, 2018

The post Hill celebrates 14th birthday in style at Faldo Series opener in Al Ain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 21-year-old Al Zorah pro looped the testing The Track, Meydan Golf in two-under 70 on Sunday to back up his win in the season-opening Yas Links Pro-Am.

Related: Wears-Taylor wins Yas Links Pro-Am to pick up where he left off last season

Wears-Taylor finished four strokes clear of host-club pro Alex Nicholson and the in-form duo of Ryan Smith (The Address Montgomerie, Dubai) and Michael Bolt (Trump International G.C., Dubai).

The win sees Wear-Taylor atop the OOM standings with 661.60 points, 155.8 points clear of Bolt who secured his second UAE PGA title at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club a fortnight ago after beating Smith in a playoff after both had posted 68s.

Great to be out on the @alzorahgolfclub fairways again! @taylormadegolf #golfislife #taylormade #whywelovethisgame @beautifulgolfcourses

A post shared by Stefan Wears-Taylor (@stefwt1) on Sep 10, 2017 at 8:06pm PDT

The OOM top 5 after the Track is: Wears-Taylor (661.60 pts), Bolt (505.80 pts), Smith (413.10 pts), newly appointed UAE PGA CEO Luke Plumb (Trump Dubai/377.50 pts) and Mikael Gartner (CV Sports Group/343 pts).

After a short break with the industry focused on the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the UAE PGA Tour resumes at Arabian Ranches on Nov. 27. There are also events scheduled for Trump Dubai (Dec. 4) and Saadiyat Beach (Dec. 12).

The post Wears-Taylor waltzes away with second UAE PGA Tour title of the season at The Track appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The UAE club announced it had won the right to host the 21st Faldo Series Grand Final from November 27-29 on Twitter via club professional Tom Buchanan.

Fantastic news for all here @aesgc we can’t wait to host the grand final. @EGFuaegolf @WorldwideGolf @GolfDigestME https://t.co/A1ige7HHuX

— Tom Buchanan (@tompro66) August 17, 2017

It followed a similar tweet from the Faldo Series PR team:

The 21st Faldo Series Grand Final will take place at @aesgc in UAE on November 27-29 https://t.co/oidD0YcSkf … @NickFaldo006

— Faldo Series (@FaldoSeries) August 17, 2017

More than 70 juniors from Europe, the Middle East and South America, plus five winners from the 2017 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, will contest the three day tournament at AEGSC, 90 minutes east of the UAE capital Abu Dhabi.

The event will carry World Amateur Golf Ranking status and Faldo will invite the champion in each age-category (three boys and two girls) to compete in the 2018 Asia Grand Final at his Faldo Design course in Vietnam, Laguna Lang Co, in March. The six-time major champion will also arrange for the overall male and female champion to play in a professional tour event.

‘I’m absolutely delighted the Faldo Series Grand Final will be hosted at Al Ain.,” Faldo said in a statement.

“Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club have proved to be terrific hosts of the Faldo Series Middle East Championship in the past five years with the players enjoying both the hospitality and golf immensely. The Series continues to kick on after 21 years and we expect the Grand Final to be the highest quality yet.

“The region is vital to growing golf globally and I’m certain the Grand Final will be a huge success.”

Faldo created the Faldo Series (open to players aged 12 to 21) in 1996 to pay back to a sport that has given him so much and  help identify and nurture the next generation of champions. The series has grown to 40 tournaments in 30-plus countries.

Past winners include Major champions Rory McIlroy and Yani Tseng, plus tour winners Nick Dougherty, Oliver Fisher, Marc Warren, John Parry, Rashid Khan, Melissa Reid, Florentyna Parker and Carly Booth.

AESGC Chairman and Executive Council Member, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is understandably thrilled by Faldo’s decision to bring the final to Al Ain.

“As the Chairman of the club it is my great pride that Faldo Series Grand Final will form part of AESGC’s milestone. May this competition develop friendship among participants as each strives towards excellence as a golfer and may your passion for golf kindle our younger generation’s desire to engage in sports,” he said.

Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club has undertaken major redevelopment with the redesign of its front nine.

AESGC has undergone a major reconstruction in the past year with the front nine redesigned and modernised.

In a statement, AESGC said it had “placed junior golf at the heart of its vision with spectacular practice facilities and Academy course for all standards”.

It has hosted the Middle East leg of the Faldo Series for five years.

Josh Hill played some terrific golf to win the Faldo Series Middle East Championship by 4 shots @aesgc https://t.co/rntA3PDeln @NickFaldo006

— Faldo Series (@FaldoSeries) March 31, 2017

Shots from the final rd of the 2017 @FaldoSeries Middle East Championship supported by EGF at @aesgc Congrats to the winners! @GChappellPGA pic.twitter.com/ersnvw0fv0

— Emirates Golf Fed. (@EGFuaegolf) March 31, 2017

The post Sir Nick Faldo to host global final of his junior series in Al Ain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.