(Ras Al Khaimah, UAE) – On January 23rd–26th 2025, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will make history as for the first time five golfers will be flying the UAE flag in a DP World Tour event. This historical moment will take place in the Ras Al Khaimah Championship at Al Haram Golf Club for the seventh event on the DP World Tour.

Leading the the way for the UAE will be professional Adrian Otaegui, who is currently ranked 175th and the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR). Otaegui has five tour wins and after just making the cut last week at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Adrain will be looking for a strong performance this week in Ras Al Khaimah as he has already placed T3 in this event back in 2022.

Also played under the UAE flag will be professional Joshua Grenville-Wood who is currently ranked 596th on the OWGR. Joshua has played in six DP World Tour events with two top-10 finishes.

In addition to the two professionals, the UAE will have three amateurs competing this weekend. Sam Mullane is UAE’s highest World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) player in the field for the UAE currently sitting at 1,506th. This will be Sam’s first appearance on the DP World Tour.

Coming off a big victory at the 2^nd Professional Arab Golf Championship in Morrocco, Jonathan Selvaraj who is ranked 1,656th on the WAGRs will be excited to make his second start at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship while looking to continue his good form.

And finally rounding out the pack for the UAE will be Ahmad Skaik. Skaik is making his third start at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship and is currently ranked 3,262nd on the WAGRs.

Click Here to view the first-round tee times.

This weekend’s championship has a prize fund of 2.5 million USD and 1,000 Ryder Cup points are up for grabs. Stay tuned to the Emirates Golf Federation’s social media to see the latest updates.

Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates: The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) retained the Bonallack Trophy and reclaimed the Patsy Hankins Trophy on a red-letter day for golf in the region.

On a remarkable day of high-quality golf and high drama at Al Hamra Golf Club, captain Rishi Narain’s Bonallack Trophy side emerged triumphant by the narrowest of margins.

With Asia-Pacific claiming 6.5 points from the 12 singles, the match ended 16.5-15.5 in their favour.

It was more clearcut in the Patsy Hankins Trophy where captain Joanne McKee’s girls turned on the style, winning eight and halving one of the singles encounters to score an emphatic 20-12 success overall.

“What an incredible effort from everyone involved. Congratulations to the players, the captains and their support teams. They should be proud of their achievements,” said Tamiur Hassan Amin, Chairman of the APGC.

It was a day of multiple magical moments, including holes-in-one for Japan’s Mamika Shinchi and Dane Marie Madsen and a majestic five-wood approach into the par-18th green by Eila Galitsky, who set the tone for the day by claiming the prized scalp of England’s World Amateur Golf Ranking number one Lottie Woad in the opening singles encounter.

Leading 11½-8½ overnight, the Asia-Pacific girls came out all guns blazing, never giving their opponents a chance of staging a comeback. Astonishingly, the Asia-Pacific won the first seven matches out – Galitsky, Zhou Shiyuan, Mirabel Ting, Ren Jiyia, Vivian Lu, Jeong Min-seo and Suvichaya Vinichaitham.

“It was just phenomenal,” said McKee, who lived upto her promise of jumping into the Arabian Gulf if her team triumphed. She was followed into the water skirting the 18th hole at Al Hamra by her assistant captains and all 12 of her players.

Narain and his team were not shy in replicating the celebration when their victory was confirmed some 90 minutes after the girls had clinched their win.

As had been the case at La Manga in 2023, the Bonallack Trophy went down to the wire.

Locked at 10-10 heading into the singles, fortunes fluctuated throughout the day with punches and counter-punches being thrown.

First blood went to the Europeans with WAGR number five Jose Luis Ballester swatting aside Singapore’s Hiroshi Tai 5&4 in the top match. In so doing he completed a 100 per cent record this week, winning all five of his matches.

Pablo Ereno Perez, his partner in crime in the foursomes and fourballs on Wednesday and Thursday, was held to a half-point by Japan’s Taishi Moto.

In match number three, China’s Zhou Ziqin brushed aside Swede Algot Kleen 6&4, the largest winning margin of the day.

But it was Europe who regained the initiative when Benjamin Reuter and Arni Sveinsson overcame Thai Thanawin Lee and Indian Kartik Singh respectively and Czech Republic’s Filip Jakucik halved with New Zealand’s Joshua Bai.

The pendulum swung again in favour of the Asia-Pacific when New Zealand’s Zack Swanwick, Enrique Dimayuga of the Philippines and Japan’s Rintaro Nakano all won handsomely.

With just two matches still on the course, the outcome was still up in the air.

While Vietnam’s Nguyen Anh Minh and Estonian Richard Teder were making their way down the 18th all square, Thai Phichaksin Maichon was one-up on England’s Charlie Forster after 16.

As Anh Min and Teder were conceding short par putts on the home hole and settling for a half, news filtered back that Phichaksin had triumphed on the 17th green. His 2&1 win confirmed Asia-Pacific’s retention of the Bonallack Trophy and sparked wild scenes of celebration among the Asia-Pacific contingent.

 

Muscat, Oman – From December 22-24, 2024, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ladies and Junior National Golf Teams will embark on a journey to Muscat, Oman, to participate in the highly anticipated GCC Golf Championship. This distinguished event will feature representation from 5 GCC countries, with over 45 players showcasing their skills on the renowned grounds of the Al Mouj Golf Club.

Hosted by the Oman Golf Association, the UAE Ladies and Junior National Golf Teams look to defend their titles after capturing three team Gold Medals and four Individual Medals at the 2023 GCC Golf Championships. As last year, five countries will field both team and individual players in the Ladies’ and Boys’ divisions, with age categories of 16 and under and 13 and under.

Representing the UAE on the Ladies’ team will be Intissar Rich, Faye Al Blooshi, and Lara El Chaib. Intissar will also be looking to defend her Gold Medal in the Individual Category for Team UAE.

In the Junior Divisions playing on the UAE Girls U16 Team will be Anca Mateiu and Sara Abubaker.

Mohammed Thabet, Tariq Khoory, and Abdulla Darwish will be playing on the UAE Boys U16 Team.

Rounding out the UAE players will be Zayed Ali Abubaker who will be competing in the Boys U13 Individual Category. Zayed will be competing in his first international event and is a product of the UAE National Junior Development Program – Future Falcons.

The Team Category will be determined by the top two gross scores, out of three players each round, while the Individual Category will be scored based on the best individual gross score from each division.

Traveling with the teams are EGF Vice President General Abdullah Alhashmi and EGF Secretary General Khaled Al Shamsi, along with National Team Coach Faycal Serghini.

General Abdullah Al Hashmi shared his enthusiasm, stating, “We are eager to see our ladies’ team defend their title while also witnessing the emergence of new young talent. For many of these players, this championship marks either the beginning or a significant step in their golfing journey. We extend our sincere gratitude to Oman for graciously hosting this prestigious event for the second consecutive year, providing a vital platform for our athletes to compete and grow. We look forward to strengthening our collaboration to further develop golf across the GCC nations.”

Team UAE will commence the tournament with the first round on December 22nd, and conclude with the final round on December 24th. For real-time updates and to follow the action of Team UAE, please stay connected with the Emirates Golf Federation on social media.

Ajman, UAE: The UAE National Men’s team claimed the Silver Medal at the 43rd Men’s Pan Arab Golf Championship while the Senior Team claimed the Bronze Medal at the 2nd Senior Pan Arab Golf Championship hosted at the Al Zorah Golf & Yacht Club.

UAE National Teams – (Right to Left) Salem Dasmal, Jamal bin Marghoob,  Sam Mullane, Jonathan Selvaraj, Ahmed Skaik, Mohammed Darwish, and Saeed Malik

The tournament, held from 20-22 November at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Al Zorah Golf & Yacht Club, brought together over 80 players from 13 nations.

Ahmad Skaik led the way for the UAE players along with Jonathan Selvaraj, and Sam Mullane, Rayan Ahmed who combined for a stellar 10-under-par finish to take second place in the Men’s Division.

Their achievement followed the UAE Seniors Team’s bronze medal the day before, marking a historic week for Emirati golf. Salem Dasmal, Saeed Malik, and Jamal bin Marghoob represented the UAE Senior Team, which was a thrilling finish coming down to the third player’s score to break a tie against Team Oman.

“The UAE National Men’s Team’s silver medal finish is a historic moment for our country,” said EGF Vice President General Abdallah Alhashmi.

“To see Ahmad, Rayan, Sam, and Jonathan deliver such an outstanding performance is a testament to their dedication, skill, and hard work. This achievement will inspire the next generation of Emirati golfers to reach even greater heights.

“This result in both the men’s and seniors’ game reflects the commitment of everyone involved with the Emirates Golf Federation to elevate the game in the UAE. We are excited about what the future holds for golf in our country.”

Away from the UAE’s success, Morocco’s Adam Bresnu delivered a breakout performance, finishing seven strokes ahead of second place to claim individual gold. The 20-year-old also helped Morocco secure the Men’s Team gold with an impressive 36-under-par total.

 

Reflecting on his week, Bresnu said: “It’s been amazing. I have a great Moroccan national team. We have a great staff, too. I played well. I also won my tournament two weeks ago, where I shot 13 under par. It’s been my A game lately, and I’m proud of it.”

Morocco held the stage strong as Soulieman Berrada claimed the individual gold medal in the senior division and triumphed with the team gold medal for both the men’s division and senior division.

Stay tuned to the latest updates and news with the Emirates Golf Federation as we have much more exciting events and activities planned for the rest of the 2024 – 2025 season.

 

 

 

 

Full results

Men’s Division

1. Adam Bresnu -16 (Mor)
2. El Mehdi Fakori -9 (Mor)
3. Hugo Mazen Trommetter -9 (Mor)

Men’s Teams Division

1. Morocco -36
2. UAE -10
3. Qatar -5

Seniors’ Division

1. Solieman Berrada +7 (Mor)
2. Shims El Zein +14 (Leb)
3. Jamal Ait Manna +15 (Mor)

Seniors’ Teams Division

1. Morocco +22
2. Lebanon +29
3. UAE +37