UAE Golf Team awarded with prestigious Shaikh Khalifa Award for Sporting Excellence

Members of the UAE team that won laurels for the country during the 2010-2011 season were presented with the prestigious Shaikh Khalifa Award for Sporting Excellence at a glittering ceremony held in Abu Dhabi recently.

On hand to acclaim and laud the feats of the UAE team were a galaxy of dignitaries which included HH Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs of the United Arab Emirates and HE Shaikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation.

The UAE team, spearheaded by Ahmed Al Musharrekh, created history in December 2011, winning both the team and individual gold medals for the first time at the Arab Games held at Doha.

Placed fourth overnight two shots off the pace, the UAE team carded a combined team score of 223 to take their four-round tally to 914 which was good enough to land them the team championship, which attracted leading players from 10 countries.

Al Musharrekh further added to the glory, winning the gold medal in the individual championship as well when he defeated Hamad Mubarak in a sudden-death playoff.

In October last year, Al Musharrekh also produced the best-ever result by a UAE national player on the international circuit when he finished a creditable tied 24th on one-over-par 289 in the Asian Amateur Championship at the Singapore Island Country Club.

Other major achievement for the UAE team during the 2010-2011 season included a creditable third-place finish in the 31st Arab Golf Championship where young Hassan Al Musharrekh did the country proud, winning the gold medal in the junior individual category.

Saeed Albudoor, general manager of the Emirates Golf Federation, lauded the government gesture, saying such incentives will encourage and motivate the players to do even better.

“The award recognizes all the hard work done by the players and the support staff in transforming the UAE team into a winning unit.

“I, on behalf of the Emirates Golf Federation, would like to congratulate all members of the UAE team for a job well done. I hope they will continue to work hard and raise the bar in years to come. We have many talented players who are capable of making their mark on the international circuit.”