UAE National Senior Team Claims Bronze at GCC Golf Championship; Youth Team Finishes in 5th

(Doha, Qatar) – On March 2-5, 2016 the United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Senior and Youth (18 & Under) Golf Teams competed in the 2016 GCC Golf Championship hosted at the Doha Golf Club in Qatar. Representing the UAE and the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) in top fashion the Senior Team captured the Bronze Medal. Khalid Yousuf was the Bronze Medalist in the Individual Category.

 Doha Golf Club is an 18-hole Championship Course designed by Peter Harradine and is the home of the Qatar Masters. Tipping out at 7,374 yards the golf course was a great challenge for both divisions.

The Senior National Golf Team finished in 3^rd Place in the Team Category claiming the Bronze Medal for the UAE. After taking the best three scores from a team of four players, over a total of four rounds, the team finished with a team score of 917. Having a strong practice schedule and playing a lot of local events leading up to the championship provided the edge the team needed to place in the Top Three.

Winning the Gold in the Team Category was Qatar with a team total of 889. Finishing in 2^nd Place was Bahrain with a team total 910.

Finishing strong and winning the Bronze Medal in the Individual Category was Khalid Yousuf. After a slow start to the championship, posting a first round score of 78, Khalid started finding his form. His next two rounds would be 75-76, but by closing the door with a final round of 72, Khalid found himself in the mix of leaders. Winning by a count back [final round score, 72] with a championship total of 301, Khalid Yousuf proudly collected the Bronze Medal.

“I am proud of myself but most importantly of my team. We were able to focus under pressure in order to hold our rounds together and finish with good scores. The part of my game that was working well this weekend was my scoring skills. Looking back at my cards, I was 14 over on the front side and 1 under on the back for the weekend. I was able to pull myself together and the difference in my scores definitely proves that. My final round was just an overall good round of golf. It felt good to finish strong for the team. Looking forward we need to start preparing for the Eisenhower Trophy. It would be great accomplishment for the UAE and the EGF to have a strong showing at that event”, said Khalid Yousuf after the championship.

Finishing in 7^th place in the Individual Category and only 3 shots back from Yousuf was Ahmed Skaik. Skaik lead the team all weekend with his first three rounds scoring a 76, 75, and 76. With a disappointing final round score of 77, Skaik had a championship total of 304. Proving to be a strong factor for the Senior Team and finishing in 12^th place in the Individual Category was Rashid Hamood. Hamood shot rounds of 82-74-76-80 for a championship total of 312. Rounding out the team was Saeed Malik. Malik shot rounds of 83-82-85-86 for a total of 336.

 

National Team Coach Greg Holmes had this to say about the Senior Teams performance. “Overall I am exceptionally proud of how the team played in Doha. The scoring was much more competitive and there were some great individual performances under pressure. The event was a great measure of how hard the players have been working and will be a great confidence boost for the team in preparation for the Eisenhower Trophy in September.”

 

 

UAE National Youth Golf Team finishes in 5^th Place at GCC Golf Championship

The UAE National Youth (18 & Under) Golf Team finished in 5^th Place at the GCC Golf Championship in Qatar. The team finished with championship total of 517. The top two scores from teams of three players decided this Division. This championship was played over three rounds on March 2-4, 2016. Winning the Gold in the Team Category was Qatar with a Team score of 484. Kuwait finished in 2^nd Place and Bahrain finished in 3^rd Place.

Leading the way for the UAE Youth Team was Mahmood Skaik. Mahmood fired rounds of 82-90-86 for a total of 258. Just one shot behind, Mohamed Al Hajeri had rounds of 91-86-82 for a total of 259. Rounding out the Youth Team was Rashid Al Emadi. Rashid shot rounds of 104-96-100 for a championship total of 300.

The UAE National Golf Teams will continue to work hard on their game for the last two months of the golf season. With a number or EGF Order of Merit events and local club championships still on the calendar, the teams will have plenty of competitions to keep their games in shape.

To see photos from the 2016 GCC Golf Championships revert to the EGF Social Media pages. For all UAE National Team News, UAE Golf News, and UAE Golf Events visit the EGF website at www.egfgolf.com.