American Mou wins the Amex Dirab Championship on the Mena Golf Tour
American Tommy Mou displayed a granite resolve to complement his huge talent when he closed with a solid 69 to capture the MENA Golf Tour’s American Express Championship on Wednesday.
One shot off pace going into the final round, the rookie professional played rock-steady golf, barely making a mistake on the way to an 11-under total of 205 as he beat overnight leader Duncan Stewart of Scotland by one shot to become the first American to win a MENA Golf Tour event.
England’s in-form Zane Scotland matched Mou’s 69 to finish solo third on a seven-under 209, one shot ahead of Fredrik Quicker (Sweden) and Ian Keenan (England).
Switzerland’s Dubai-based amateur Michael Harradine again showed a glimpse of his precocious talent, finishing sixth overall on three-under 213 and emerge the best player in his division, three strokes of ahead of Morocco’s Mustapha El Maouas.
Young El Maouas, along with his compatriot Younes El Hassani, gave the region plenty to cheer about when they duo finished 16th against a deeply-talented field. “I am very pleased with my overall performance,” said El Maouas. “A double-bogey on the par-3 seventh was a bit disappointing, but no regrets – it’s all part of the game,” he said.
It was Mou who took centre-stage with an inspired performance. A university of Florida graduate, Mou reeled off three birdies on the front nine to draw level with Stewart before making the turn at three-under 33.
Mou, who left his native Taiwan for the United States at age 11 to attend the IMG Academy, hit the front with a birdie on par-3 16th – and that proved decisive in the end as Stewart settled for pars on the remaining three holes.
“I’m delighted with my performance at the end. Duncan kept up the pressure all the way through and I had to dig deep to pull it through,” said Mou after receiving the winner’s trophy and a cheque for $9,000.
The presentation party was headed by Khalid Ibrahim Abu Nayyan of AmEx, Abdul Aziz Al Aqeel of Al Marai and Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour.
“It’s a great feeling to know that I am the first American to win a MENA Tour event,” Mou added. “The win is special since there are a number of quality players playing on the tour.”
Stewart had his chances, but was left ruing the shots that got away. “I needed to pick up at least one more birdie coming down the stretch. That didn’t happen. Tommy really played well and deserved to win,” said Stewart, who finished fourth at the Tour’s Royal D’Anfa Open earlier this year.
Leading scores after the third and final round (par-72)
Professionals:
205 – Tommy Mou (US) 69 67 69
206 – Duncan Stewart (Scotland) 66 69 71
209 – Zane Scotland (England) 68 72 69
210 – Fredrik Quicker (Sweden) 70 68 72; Ian Keenan (England) 72 72 66
214 – Trevor Marshall (New Zealand) 73 71 70
215 – Matthew Swales (England) 78 67 70
216 – William Harrold (England) 70 71 75; Greg Nicolson (Scotland), 68 74 74; Shafiq Masih (Pakistan) 68 76 72
Amateurs:
Michael Harradine (Switzerland)
219 – Mustapha El Maouas (Morocco) 71 74 74
221 – Jean-Michel Hall (England) 74 76 71; Amine El Malki (Morocco) 73 75 73
225 – Karim El Hali (Morocco) 75 74 76
227 – Hamad Mubarak (Bahrain) 79 72 76
Pic caption:
Tommy Mou receiving the winner’s cheque for $9,000 from Khalid Ibrahim Abu Nayyan of AmEx, Abdul Aziz Al Aqeel of Al Marai and Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour
