The UAE team produced a late charge to finish a creditable third in the 31st Arab Golf Championship
The UAE team produced a late charge to finish a creditable third in the 31st Arab Golf Championship at the par-73 Royal Golf Dar Es Salam Resort in Rabat, Morocco.
Starting the final day’s proceedings in fourth place, the UAE team carded a combined gross score of 238 for a 72-hole total of 948 to make it to the podium. Ahmed Al Musharrekh, Khalid Yousuf and Faris Al Mazroui formed the four-member UAE team.
Hosts Morocco held on their overnight lead to win the championship with a score of 896 ahead of runners-up Bahrain (930) while Lebanon were placed fourth on a gross 952. Top three scores from a team of four were counted each day in the championship which attracted 12 teams.
It was Hassan Al Musharrekh who lit up the day for the UAE when he won the gold medal in the junior individual category. Showing flashes of brilliance the young prodigy shot gross rounds of 67, 72 and 75 to finish the 54-hole championship on a gross 214, a good five shots ahead of his nearest challenger Ayoub Lguirati of Morocco.
Hassan’s elder brother Ahmed, who played a key role guiding the UAE to the third place in the team champion, also made his presence felt, finishing fifth in the senior individual division with a 72-hole total of 307, just six shots behind leader Mohamed Belaroussia of Morocco.
Hosts Morocco completed a grand treble when they added the junior and the ladies team championships to their victory in the main the division. Morocco posted a score of 439 to finish top in the junior section, well ahead of Qatar (457) and Egypt (478). They were too good in the ladies division, winning the title with an impressive score of 494, beating Tunisia (504) to second place.
The UAE were pleased with their overall performance in the championship. “We targeted a win, that was our goal and we fell a little bit short of that so there was disappointment. But we can take a few positives out of it and we can learn a lot from it and try and progress going forward,” said Saeed Albudoor, general manager of the Emirates Golf Federation.
“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Hassan, who really played well. Winning a gold medal means he is the number one junior golfer in the Arab world – and that’s a great honour.
“Also, Ahmed fared brilliantly in the senior division, contributing to the team’s score each day. His top-five finish in the senior division will go a long way boosting his confidence. Overall, I think we did very well. Many thanks to all members of the team, including Dr Rabab Al Haj who featured in the ladies division and posted gross rounds of 103, 109 and 101,” he added.
Final scores:
Senior team championship: 1. Morocco 896, 2. Bahrain 930, 3. UAE 949, 4. Lebanon 952.
Individual (seniors): 1. Mohamed Belaroussia (Morocco) gross 301, 2. Saissi Mehdi (Morocco) gross 303, 3. Hamad Mubarak (Bahrain) gross 304, 4. Ahmed Marjane (Morocco) 304, 5. Ahmed Al Musharrekh (UAE) 307.
Junior team championship: 1. Morocco 439, 2. Qatar 457, 3.Egypt 478
Individual (juniors): 1. Hassan Al Musherrekh (UAE) (67, 72, 75, total 214), 2. Ayoob Lagerati (Morocco) 219, 3. Ameen Al Maliki (Morocco) 220
Ladies championship: 1. Morocco 494, 2. Tunisia 504
Individual (ladies): 1. Houria El Abbadi (Morocco) 248 playoff, 2. Nadia El Tabaa (Morocco) 248, 3. Feriel Chahed (Tunisia) 249.
