UAE golf round-up: Dubal rolls out a Classic initiative

Joy Chakravarty 14:39 29/01/2014
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  • Generous proposals: Thomas Bjorn tees off at the 2013 Dubai Desert Classic.

    One of the best things about golf is the way it associates with various charities and the ease with which it can raise money for various worthy causes.

    Last week, the PGA Tour announced they had crossed the $2 billion (Dh7.34bn) mark in money raised for various causes, and while that is the combined effort of the whole Tour and its various stakeholders, the Dubai Desert Classic is also trying to do their bit in Dubai through major sponsors Dubai Aluminium (Dubal).

    The Dubai Centre for Special Needs (DCSN) stands to benefit immensely from a charitable donation initiative launched by Dubal during the 25th edition of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic this week.

    Dubal, who have been an official sponsor of the European Tour event since 1992, will contribute Dh50 for every birdie and Dh100 for every eagle scored during the tournament, which tees off at the Emirates Golf Club on Thursday.

    The initiative will be promoted through various channels during the tournament. The total amount will be calculated at the close of play on Sunday, February 2, and a Dubal representative will hand over the cheque to DCSN during the presentation ceremony.

    In addition, Dubal will invite a group of children from DCSN to attend the tournament, which once again features a ‘family theme’. The children will have the opportunity to meet some of the top players.

    The 2013 edition of the tournament produced 1,521 birdies and 33 eagles while in 2012, a total of 1,547 birdies and 35 eagles were recorded.

    The statistics could reach a new high this year, thanks to the participation of world No1 Tiger Woods, European No1 Henrik Stenson and Northern Ireland’s former world No1 Rory McIlory and other past champions.

    Mohammed Yahya, Manager, Corporate Relations & International Affairs, Dubal, said: “2014 holds special significance for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Dubal, as we are both celebrating landmarks in our journey towards a common goal of promoting worldclass events that showcase the city of Dubai across the world.

    “This initiative is part of our commitment to our corporate responsibilities, which include support initiatives and projects that promote the socio-economic growth of Dubai, thus benefiting the cosmopolitan population of the Emirate.”

    IN BRIEF

    Engelbrecht win Challenge Cup Team

    Engelbrecht dominated the singles and captured the second annual Ryder Cup-style Champions Challenge Cup, which took place recently at Al Hamra Golf Club between two teams of members.

    Current club champions Rita Engelbrecht and Jake Maki-Petaja were once again given the honour of selecting the two teams of 12. Rita went for the traditional European team colour of blue whilst Jake selected the American colour of red.

    Along with the obvious prize, the tournament also offered a Ferrari 458 for 24 hours for anyone making a hole-in-one on the fourth hole on Day 1.

    The opening day saw six pairs from each team battle it out in a Fourball Betterball Matchplay format. With some exciting pairings on the cards the points were split equally.

    The second day was the all-important singles matches. Either team required just 6.5 points out of 12 at stake in the singles to win the Cup.

    Team Engelbrecht got off to an absolute flier by winning five of the first six matches in quick succession. Ma Li Min picked up the sixth point after beating Dan Blomstrand, while Dave Hoggins collected the winning point with his 1-up victory over John McFadyen.

    Team Maki-Petaja somewhat struggled on Day 2, only managing to pick up 3.5 points and eventually losing 11.5 points to 6.5.

    Sana fires 68 to win Jumeirah Open by eight shots

    Sana Tufail shot a magnificent 68 in the BMW Jumeirah Ladies Amateur Open at the Jumeirah Golf Estates to win the tournament by a massive eight shots.

    Sana did well to fight back from being two-over after four holes at which point she was trailing Michelle Walsh-Hall, the recently crowned Jumeirah Ladies Club Champion, by one shot.

    But birdies on holes 7 and 9 had Sana back at level par on the turn. On the back nine, Sana made three consecutive birdies, and a remarkable stretch of five birdies over her last eight holes, including a near albatross on the 18th, helped her finish with the Ladies Amateur record of four-under par.

    Walsh-Hall and talented youngster Kim Chiang of Arabian Ranches shared second place on 76 gross.

    For the 17-year-old golf prodigy from BSAK Abu Dhabi, it was her third consecutive ladies open title at Jumeirah.

    Lakhiani’s card stacks up well for Mashreq honour

    It needed a countback to identify the inaugural grand winner of the Mashreq Medal Championship in association with BMW and Harvey Nichols.

    At Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, two players – Anand Lakhiani and Glory Xavier – tied on a net score of 1-under par 70. After the countback over the last nine holes, it was Lakhiani who was crowned champion.

    Finishing in third place was Tony Azoulay, who scored 71.

    Qatar Masters contract extended by three years

    There was some great news for golf fans in Qatar when the Qatar Golf Association and The European Tour announced a three-year extension of the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.

    The Doha Golf Club will remain the host venue.

    Hassan Al Naimi, President QGA, said: “Our tournament has gone from strength to strength over the past years and much of that is down to the incredible support of our title sponsor, Commercial Bank of Qatar, and the technical guidance of The European Tour.”

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