International Pairs UAE Swings through the 2 Sharjah Golf Clubs
A busy 24 hours in Sharjah witnessed the qualification of another two teams for the National Final of the 2011-12 Tech Access International Pairs UAE Presented by Cadillac.
Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club and Sharjah Wanderers Golf Club are two of the friendliest clubs in the UAE while also boasting a stern test on their respective courses
Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club
On Thursday evening, International Pairs UAE was played on a Peter Harradine design for the second consecutive event when members at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club took to the course under lights where a tough battle for the top prize ensued.
Ultimately there were four pairs tied on 38 stableford points in the better-ball format and an intensive scorecard countback was required. Westley Burke and Michael Conneely were pushed into 4th spot after an inward nine where they couldn’t maintain the form they displayed the first time round the 9-hole course.
Perhaps receiving even more in the way of bad luck, the fancied pairing of Ricky Dominguez & Nathan Fisher reached their final hole only requiring one point to seal a place in the June final but the two scratch handicappers both made double bogey to see their chance slip away. Their playing partners, John Gould & Mike O’Neill duly stepped in to claim second place although they also failed to score a point on their last hole. That left only one team standing and it is Jin Man Lee & Young Park who will go to Yas Links in June to try and win a luxury trip to Scotland. The husband and wife pairing fired an impressive seven net birdies including four in a row from the 13th. While their outward half was steady, it was the inward nine where they secured victory, particularly once the scorecard countback was required.
Abdul Moiz Khan and Mike O’Neill won the Nearest-the-Pin prizes on holes 3 and 8 respectively.
Sharjah Wanderers Golf Club
An early start at Sharjah Wanderers Golf Club the following day saw 14 pairs competing on the sandy links.
After finishing with 46 points, Keith Smithard and Maddie Fourie were on their way to the National Final but a clerical error on their card saw a 2-point reduction. A brilliant round that featured two net eagles and seven net birdies should have won the day but Keith and Maddie had to settle for second place. Dave Summerson and Paul Napper duly stepped in to claim the honours with 45 points.
A combination of ten net birdies and eight net pars was good enough to see this strong pairing through to Yas Links in June. In the 2010-11 National Final, Bob Driver and Claire Warburton from Sharjah Wanderers arrived with the highest score in qualification but were unable to transfer their form to grass; Summerson and Napper will be hoping they can make the transition more successfully. Third place was taken by Dave Gould and Irene Moody who will perhaps rue two net bogeys on the front-9 in amongst an otherwise good card of 43 points.
The Sharjah International Pairs UAE Qualifiers were the 13th and 14th in the 2011-12 series. Jin Man Lee, Young Park, Dave Summerson and Paul Napper join representatives from Arabian Ranches Golf Club, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Els Club, Yas Links, Emirates Golf Club, Al Hamra Golf Club, Tower Links Golf Club, The Montgomerie Dubai, Al Ghazal Golf Club, Al Badia Golf Club, Jumeirah Golf Estates and the Emirates Golf Federation who have already secured berths in the National Final.
Tech Access International Pairs UAE Presented by Cadillac is also supported by Diamond Developers, Acuma Wealth Management, Cansco, Rivoli Group, Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi, City & Welcare Hospitals, Royal Caribbean International, Nike Golf, 7Days, Worldwide Golf and UAE Golf Online.
Main Image Top Right: International Pairs UAE Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club Qualifier winners, Jin Man Lee and Young Park, pictured with Director of Golf, Martin Duff.
Photo 2: International Pairs UAE Sharjah Wanderers Golf Club Qualifier winners, Dave Summerson and Paul Napper, pictured with Captain, Steve Burton and Lady Captain, Alison Stedman.
