UAE Golf Team feeling confident ahead of the GCC Golf Championship in Dubai

Ahmed Al Musharrekh will spearhead the UAE team’s challenge when it competes in the GCC Championship that gets under way at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club from March 5 to 7.

The Championship is organised by Emirates Golf Federation under the patronage of General Authority of Youth & Sports

The Arab Games gold medal-winner will be joined by experienced Khalid Yousuf, Sohail Al Marzouqi and Saeed Malik in the four-member team, who will be aiming go the full distance this time around after finishing runners-up to Bahrain last year’s championship held at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain.

Team members Saeed Malik, Sohail Al Marzouqi & Khalid Yousuf with Saeed Albudoor (left) and Chris Vallender (right)

Al Marzouqi and Malik are making a comeback into the national team after they put on a solid performance in a qualifying round which held in the run up to the final selection of the team.

Al Musharrekh is high on confidence after shooting a level-par 72 in the second round of the recent Omega Dubai Desert Classic. He may have missed the cut, but hopes the experience of playing alongside world-class players in the European Tour event will hold him in good stead in this prestigious regional competition.

“We have competed in the GCC Championship many times and hence know what to expect,” said Al Musharrekh. “In a team event like this one, we all need to be pretty consistent.

“Over the years, the standard of the game in the GCC countries has improved dramatically and any team on their good days can spring a surprise. The key will be to stay focused on the job,” he said.

“All members of the team are pretty much familiar with the course at the Creek. Local knowledge could come in handy, but at the end of the day it will all depend how we exploit the home advantage,” said Al Musharrekh who defeated Bahrain’s Hamad Mubarak to win the individual gold medal at the Arab Games held in Doha.

“What happened at the Arab Games where we also won the team gold medal is history. This is a new tournament and we are looking forward to making a fresh start,” he added.

Chris Vallendar, coach of the UAE national team, was equally upbeat about the team’s chances in the championship. “The boys have worked hard on their game and the good thing is they are approaching the event with a positive frame of mind.

“Both Ahmed and Khalid are well experienced, but we need at least three good scores every day if we need to win the championship. For that to happen, the boys need to focused hard on the job at hand,” he said.

“It’s nice to see Sohail and Saeed make a comeback into the team which shows how determined they are to do well on the national scene.”

Adel Zarouni, secretary-general of the Emirates Golf Federation, wished the team the very best and thanked Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club for sponsoring the event. “I am sure we will see a great contest before the champions are crowned,” he said.