Achal Ghai and Gurinder Jit Singh Qualify For International Pairs World Final
The Daman Investments UAE International Pairs reached a fitting climax at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on Friday
With the team of Achal Ghai and Gurinder Jit Singh from Emirates Golf Club winning the fabulous all-expenses-paid trip to the Hotel Denia Marriott La Sella Golf Resort & Spa on Spain’s Costa Blanca from 27th-30th October, where they will represent their club and the UAE in the World Final.
But it could all have been so different if the pairing of Kwangjae Lee & Jun Seok Oh from Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club hadn’t lifted a marker before completing the hole on the par-5 13th, finishing with a 6 instead of a possible 5, and just missing out on the same score as Achal and Gurinder.
In the end their 38 points and a better back nine gave them runners-up spot ahead of Al Badia Golf Club’s Bill Taylor and Lise Slane on a countback, and it may have been some consolation for Kwangjae that he won the BMW- sponsored nearest the pin prize.
The other two special events went to Dewald Lubbe from Al Hamra Golf Club who won the nearest-the-pin-in-3 sponsored by OnCourse Golf, and rising star Madeleen Grosskopf whose fantastic drive on the 18th gave her the Taylormade prize.
Taking place alongside the UAE Final was a friendly Sponsor’s Tournament. Friendly it may have been, but the competition was equally fierce, with the pairing of Madeleen Grosskopf and last year’s world finalist Neil Heywood representing tournament promoters OnCourse Golf, pipping the team of Andrew Devine and Ryan Neel from long-term sponsor Mediclinic, with Movenpick’s Marcus Dudley and Gary Smith in third place.
The Virgin Atlantic hole-in-one prize went unclaimed yet again – the 30th time this season, counting all the various Pairs and World Corporate Golf Challenge qualifiers organised throughout the season by OnCourse Golf at which the prize has been up for grabs.
Presenting the prizes at the gala dinner, Mr Sumit Mehta, Head of Corporate Finance & Advisory for Daman Investments, gave a short address describing the company’s services and announced that Daman Investments will remain as Title Sponosor of the UAE International Pairs for the 2015-16 season – an announcement that was gratefully acknowledged by all present.
Also announcing their continued sponsorship were AGMC whose BMW X-1 and Mini Cooper S adorned the entrance to the Club. In thanking the remaining sponsors Movenpick, Taylormade, Sport 360, Standard Chartered, and UAE Golf Online, OnCourse Golf’s Steve Rutter made special mention of Mediclinic, the only sponsor to have supported every one of the five UAE International Pairs tournaments to date.
But it was Achal Ghai and Gurinder Jit Singh who went home the happiest, in the knowledge that they will be representing UAE in the World Final of the International pairs in Spain in October.
