UAE Ladies Team Strike Gold in Bahrain; Juniors Finish 4th
(Riffa, Kingdom of Bahrain) – On February 2-4, 2016 the Royal Golf Club in Riffa, Bahrain hosted the 2016 Ladies & Junior GCC Golf Championship. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ladies National Team comprised of Dr. Rabab Al Haj, Reema Al Heloo, and Tara Al Marzooqi won the Gold in the Team Division. The UAE Junior (15 & Under) National Team finished in 4th Place.
The Royal Golf Club is an 18-hole championship course that is designed by course architect and golf legend Colin Montgomerie. With low temperatures and high winds throughout the week the teams were challenged on this tough course.
Having a strong championship for the UAE, the Ladies National Team won the Gold in the Team Category. This is the first Gold ever won by the UAE Ladies. After taking the best two scores from the team each of the three rounds, the ladies had a team score of 559. The ladies also ran the podium in the Individual Category placing first, second, and third.
Commanding the way and winning the Gold in the Ladies Individual Category was Reema Al Heloo. Reema has had an impressive golf season this year with wins on the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) Order of Merit and in National Monthly Medals. Reema fired rounds of 93-100 and an impressive final round of 87 for a championship total of 280.
“My short game and especially my buckers shots were working well for me this week. On the last hole [a par 5] of the final round, I had a bunker shot that I played perfectly which left me with a tap-in-birdie. This is my biggest victory, and it feels special to win a GCC event. It’s great knowing that my coaches, family, and country are proud of me,” said Reema after receiving two Gold medals.
Winning the Silver Prize in the Ladies Individual Category was Dr. Rabab Al Haj. Dr. Rabab had rounds of 93-96-92 for a total of 281. Rounding out the Ladies Team and finishing in 3rd Place in the Individual Category was Tara Al Marzooqi. Tara shot rounds of 99-98-94 for a total of 291.
National Team Coach Greg Holmes had this to say about the Ladies Team performance. “I am honored to be apart of this historic victory. The Ladies have worked extremely hard and thoroughly deserve the Gold, as well as the clean sweep in the Individual Category. I hope that this is a reflection and a catalyst for the growth in talent for the ladies’ game. We are looking forward to many more successful outings.”
The UAE Junior (15 & Under) National Team finished in 4th Place for the championship with a team total of 444. Winning the Gold in the Team Category for the Juniors (15 & Under) was Bahrain with a Team score of 506. Qatar finished in 2nd and Saudi Arabia finished 3rd.
Leading the way and finishing in 7th Place in Individual Category for the UAE was Rashed Al Emadi. Rashed had rounds of 91-96-98 for a championship total of 285.
Coming in 9th Place in the Individual Category for the Junior Team was Obaid Al Heloo. Obaid had rounds of 98-96-112 for a total of 306. Finishing off the Junior Team was Khalid Al Mutawa. Khalid finished in 11th Place in the Individual Category with rounds of 118-108-112 for a total of 328.
The Ladies and Junior National Teams will be back in action next weekend at the UAE Presidents Cup at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. These players will also keep their games in shape by playing the EGF Order of Merit, UAE Club Events, and National Monthly Medals over the next few months.
The 2016 Senior & 18 Under GCC Golf Championship will take place in Qatar during the last week of February into the first week of March. A full report on these teams and event information will be released soon.
Follow the EGF on social media and on the EGF website to receive daily updates and news on UAE golf.