(Riviera Maya, Mexico) – On September 21 – 24, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Golf Team will compete in the 2016 World Amateur Team Championship (WATC) – Eisenhower Trophy. The 30th WATC will take place in Riviera Maya, Mexico at the Iberostar Playa Paraiso Golf Club.

The WATC – Eisenhower Trophy is the most prestigious Amateur Golf Event in the world. The format of the WATC – Eisenhower Trophy is as follows – Each team has two or three players play four rounds, of 18 holes, of stroke play. In each round, the total of two lowest scores from each team constitutes the team score for that round. The four-day (72-hole) total is the team’s final score for the championship.

With over 60 different countries being represented, the UAE Team will have some stiff competition as Teams such as the United States of America (USA), Sweden, and England are favored to win. Representing the UAE National Golf Team will be Ahmed Skaik, Rashid Hamood, and Saif Thabet. These three players have spent the past three months training at the European Tour Performance Institute (ETPI) at Jumeirah Golf Estates, playing in Team Qualifiers, and as of last week competing on the MENA Golf Tour.

Leading the way for the UAE Team will be Ahmed Skaik. At the age of 19, Ahemd is playing in his first WATC – Eisenhower Trophy. After having a strong season leading the UAE Team at the 2015 Nomura Cup in Abu Dhabi as well as top finishes at the GCC Golf Championships and Arab Golf Championships, Ahmed is looking to finish the 2015 – 2016 season on a positive note.

Rashid Hamood is the Assistant Golf Experience Manager at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. After a summer of hard work and a victory at the 2016 UAE Presidents Cup Rashid is coming into the championship with confidence. This will be Rashid’s second time playing in the WATC – Eisenhower Trophy.

Saif Thabet who is also playing in his first WATC – Eisenhower Trophy, works at the Abu Dhabi Sports Council as part of the Technical Affairs and Support Team.

After finishing tied for 57^th place in the 2014 WATC – Eisenhower Trophy in Karuizawa, Japan the UAE Team is looking to have a stronger appearance this year. Defending their back-to-back title wins will be Team USA.

The UAE Team will be accompanied by Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, Emirates Golf Federation Secretary General and UAE National Team Manager and Greg Holmes, UAE National Team Coach.

Be sure to follow the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) on Social Media for daily updates of the UAE National Golf Team’s progress during the WATC.

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EGF Facebook: Emirates Golf Federation

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DUBAI, Sept 11 — Supremely-talented Rayhan Thomas will be hoping to garner more glory when he tees it up at the Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open on Monday, teeming with self-belief following his epoch-making victory at last week’s Dubai Creek Open.

The young prodigy showed he had the smarts to handle pressure in golf when he defeated England’s Luke Joy in a playoff to become the first amateur to win on the MENA Golf Tour.

In the process, the leading UAE amateur also became the youngest winner on the tour at 16 years, nine months and 24 days, eclipsing the record of Thriston Lawrence of South Africa, who was 18 years, 11 months and one day old when he won the Ras Al Khaimah Classic in 2015.

It was only appropriate that Thomas, who is supported by the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, achieved feat coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the foundation that strives to identify and nurture the talented MENA nationals and expatriates with the aim of producing a future generation of champions.

With Thomas’ trending in the correct direction, there’s plenty to suggest that more records could be on his way in his burgeoning career when he joins a strong 121-player field that includes 27 amateurs.

In fulsome reflection of the Emirates Golf Federation’s support to the MENA Golf Tour, the event will see four leading Emirati amateurs — Hassan Al Musharrekh, Saif Thabet, Ahmed Skaik and Rashid Hamood — showcase their talent along with the country’s only professional, Ahmed Al Musharrekh, and top stars from Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

The event will offer the UAE amateurs another opportunity to iron out some of the kinks in their game in the run-up to the Eisenhower Trophy in Mexico from September 21-24.

The return of Joshua White, the winner of the tour’s Order of Merit title in 2014, will further enliven the competition.

White, who finished in a tie for 10th at the European Tour’s Trophee Hassan II in May earlier this year, will be joined by his fellow Englishmen Zane Scotland, Lee Corfield, Jake Shepherd and Luke Joy, who between them combine for 19 victories on the MENA Golf Tour.

Other notables in the field include defending champion Per Barth of Sweden, Andrew Marshall, a mainstay on the European Tour for many years since turning professional in 1995, Carlos Balmaseda of Spain, Chile’s Antonio Costa and England’s Danny Poulter, who all will be hoping to breathe new life into his season with a strong performance this week.

Spearheading the challenge in the MENA Division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation award will be Morocco’s Faycal Serhgini, who currently leads the region’s Order of Merit ahead of his compatriot Younes El Hassani.

With 28 countries represented in the field, the English players top the chart with 39 entries, followed by Sweden (11), South Africa (eight) and Spain (eight) as the tour stages its six consecutive event at Al Badia Golf Club.

Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, thanked players for their overwhelming response to the tournament. “It’s great seeing UAE national team members, in particular, sign up for the event. We need all the support that we can get from the region’s federations for the overall development of the game.

“The experience that the region’s amateurs will gain from competing alongside professionals will hold them in good stead for their future regional and international engagements,” he added.

“We are fortunate to have the backing of major golf clubs like Al Badia that play a crucial role in the success of an event. Again, they have done a great job in presenting the course in fantastic condition and we look forward some exciting golf.”

MENA Tour Order of merit standings after the Dubai Creek Open:

Professionals:

1.Zane Scotland (Scotland) $27,671 (Dh 101,629)

2. Craig Hinton (England) $17,407
3. Luke Joy (England) $16,888
4. Andrew Marshall (England) $16,172
5. Antonio Costa Chile) $15,296

Amateurs:

1.Rayhan Thomas (India) 205 points

2. Benjamin David (England) 76
3. Ben Alexander (Scotland) 55
4. Edward Holland (England) 52
5. T-4. Yassine Touhami (Morocco) 52

*Press release and photo by MENA Tour

(Taoyuan City, Taiwan) – On August 23 – 25, 2016 four United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Junior golfers competed in the 2016 Asian Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC) Junior Championship at Sunrise Golf & Country Club in Taiwan. Two teams of one girl and one boy competed in a 72-hole mixed gender team competition. Representing the UAE was Reema Al Heloo and Mohammed Al Hajeri for team one and Tara Al Marzooqi and Mohammed Abdulla Saeed for team two.

Over the 3-day (72-holes) team competition, the UAE Teams gained a great deal of experience while playing aside top teams from Japan, Guam, Papua New Guinea, and Bangladesh.

“The UAE is thankful to have received an invite to participate in this championship. With the course playing off the tips on most holes, the distance was a true test for the UAE players. The results from this event are not important. The most important part is the experience gained. We need our young players to start experiencing championships like this. The more our boys and girls play with the best players in Asia, the more exposure the kids receive from top-level golf,” said Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, EGF Secretary General & UAE National Team Manager

The first UAE team made up of Reema Al Heloo and Mohammed Al Hajeri finished in 32^nd place. The second UAE team made up of Tara Al Marzooqi and Mohammed Abdulla Saeed finshed in 35^th place.

Winning the event after a playoff was team South Korea. Finishing in Second Place was Thailand and rounding out the top-three was Chinese Taipei after winning a playoff over the second Thailand team.

To see the full result and photos from this event please visit the event webpage at www.garoc.org.

(Ajman, UAE) – On July 16, 2016 the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) hosted the EGF Summer Swing at Al Zorah Golf Club. With the temperatures reaching 44 degrees Celsius, 66 EGF Members battled the heat to produce some amazing scores. Sponsored by Fairmount Ajman and GolfLan, the event showcased valuable prizes for the golfers to compete for. Coming out on top where male and female duo Keith Nann and Madeleen Grosskopf with an impressive 45 Stableford Points.

Located along the coast of Ajman, the newly opened Al Zorah Golf Club is an 18-hole championship course designed by Nicklaus Design. The course is arranged with flowing dunes and spectacular mangroves to give the golfers a unique experience. With many EGF Members making this event their first round at Al Zorah, the course was in perfect condition. Fast greens and lush fairways left the golfers with an experience that will make them come back for more.

Putting together a fantastic round under the Paris Better Ball Stableford format, Keith Nann and playing partner Madeleen Grosskopf claimed the first place prize. The two players combined for an impressive 45 points, two points better then the second place team.

After a back nine count back, John Geddes and Oliver Fawcett finished in Second Place. Their 21 points on the back nine, combined with a 22 on the front nine gave the pair a total of 43 Stableford Points.

Finishing in Third Place with 43 points was Bob Comb and Anthony Johnson.

There were also “On Course Competitions” that were up for grabs during the event. Madeleen Grosskopf won the Ladies’ Longest Drive Competition on Hole 14. Mark Tupling won the Men’s Longest Drive Competition on Hole 17. Stephen Barker won the Nearest to the Pin Competition on Hole 6.

The EGF would like to send a special thank you to the Sponsors of the EGF Summer Swing, Fairmont Ajman and GolfLan. Also, The EGF would like to thank Al Zorah Golf Club for running this event at a top level.

The EGF will be back in action on September 9^th at Jumierah Golf Estates for the third and final EGF Summer Swing event of 2016.

To see all of the pictures from this event visit the EGF Facebook page.

(Abu Dhabi, UAE) – 60 Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) members from across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) took to the course on June 18, 2016 at Yas Links Abu Dhabi to take part in EGF Summer Swing, sponsored by Rotana Hotels – Centro & Yas Island and GolfLan. Webb Theuns and Patrick McCarthy came out on top after shooting 46 Stableford points.

The Yas Links Abu Dhabi Championship Course is designed by the world-renowned architect Kyle Phillips. Playing at 7,414 yards, Yas Links Abu Dhabi was the ideal venue for the first EGF Summer Swing event of the 2016 summer. Being the number one rated golf course in the Middle East, EGF Members got to experience the value that Yas Links Abu Dhabi brings to the region.

After putting together a fantastic round under the Paris Better Ball Stableford format, Webb Theuns and playing partner Patrick McCarthy claimed the first place prize. The two players combined for an impressive 46 points, three points better then any other pair.

Coming Second Place for the event was Ian Haywood and Damien Ward. The pair finished with 43 points.

The Top 5 positions for the event received prizes. Third, Fourth and Fifth Place pairs all finished with 42 points, which then resulted in a three-way, count back. With the best back nine score and coming in Third Place were Ramesh Nagaraju and Ben Mulvaney. Finishing in Fourth Place was Jacob Hall and Oliver Seldon. The last prizes went to Peter Lane and Jeremiah Kaplan finishing in Fifth Place.

There were also “On Course Competitions” that were up for grabs during the event. With prizes from Rotana Hotels on the line for the Longest Drive Competition, Manny Ostojic and Andrew Smolak crushed their drives and found themselves as the lucky winners. Winning the final prize, was Sami Al Zarooni on the Nearest to the Pin competition.

The EGF would like to send a special thank you to the Sponsors of the EGF Summer Swing, Rotana Hotels – Centro & Yas Island and GolfLan. Also, a big thank you to Yas Links Abu Dhabi and the fine staff that ran this event at a first-class level.

The EGF will be back in action on July 16^th at Al Zorah Golf Club for the second EGF Summer Swing of 2016.

To see all of the pictures from this event visit the EGF Facebook page.