Team Rawsim, comprising Gary Rawlings and Nick Simpson, beat almost a full field that signed up for the fourth qualifying round of the 16th edition of Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge (XCGC) 2014, the oldest corporate golf tournament in the region.
In the tournament recently held at Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, Rawlings and Simpson emerged as winners from among 35 teams, with a total score of 66.
In second and third place were team Palmers – Thomas Wiberg and Rune Rasmussen – and team YSoft, comprising Alan Kilminster and Paul Schwarz.
Both teams tied one shot behind Rawsin at 67 points, before a card countback was applied and Palmers came out tops on the basis of their better back nine score.
As if the day wasn’t already special for Rawlings, he also won the Sport360-sponsored Nearest to the Pin prize on the fourth hole, while Guy Williams was the closest on the eighth hole.
There was another Nearest to the Pin prize, on Hole 13 and sponsored by Crystal Gallery, which was taken by Debbie Betts.
The Longest Drive prize on the 12th hole, sponsored by Ecco, was won by John Fahy. RAK Tourism’s Hole in One prize – a seven-night stay at Waldorf Astoria with golf at Al Hamra and Tower Links Golf Courses – remains unclaimed.
Rawlings and Simpson now have the honour of joining the winners of the qualifiers in the two-day, 36-hole grand final, which will be played at Tower Links and Al Hamra, with stays at Waldorf Astoria, RAK, at the end of the year.
Muscat round on Saturday
The fifth qualifying round of the tournament will be held on Saturday, May 31 at the Almouj course, The Wave, in Muscat.
The Wave is a unique publicprivate venture between the Government of the Sultanate of Oman and the UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim Properties.
Spread over 7,000 yards of Muscat’s coastline, Almouj course is designed by Greg Norman. The 18-hole PGA Golf Course includes a Par 3 island green in addition to a challenging Par 5 that stretches over 600 yards.
“We’re excited to bring the Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge to Oman, following very successful rounds in both the UAE and Qatar,” said Dan Smith Director, Integrated Marketing, Xerox Middle East & Africa.
“We look forward to building the list of finalists for the grand final.”
The Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge continues to receive support from main sponsors Prestige Wealth Solutions, Skandia International, and long-time partner Ecco. It is also supported by Crystal Gallery, ProGolf International, Dubai Golf, and OnSide Sports.
IN BRIEF
Hosking is EGC Ladies Champion of Champions
Mimi Hosking was crowned the Champion of Champions after beating all the winners of this season at Emirates Golf Club.
Mimi carded an excellent sevenunder par net 65 (gross 73) which included 13 pars and birdies at 10 and 11, giving her a second win in two weeks.
Mimi’s score was also matched by Sabine Choudry, but she lost the crown on the basis of Mimi’s better back nine. Best gross score went to Cecilie Krefting with a steady 77.
In the silver division, Lorraine Logan came out on top with 35 stableford points, while Kiyono Taniuchi won the bronze division with 37 points.
Sharon and Darren Hall reign supreme at Yas Links
The Members ECCO Challenge was recently held at Yas Links and it was the mother and son duo of Sharon and Darren Hall who emerged on top on a day of tight scores.
The Halls finished the two-man modified greensome contest with a fantastic 40 points, one better than Andrew Campbell and Ian Haywood’s effort of 39 points.
Damien Ward and Walter Hall took the third place after finishing on 38 points. The next ECCO Challenge Pairs Betterball is on Friday, June 13.
In-form Kavanagh wins Sharjah Captain’s Day
Jean Pierre Simon and Susie Cottam hosted the second Captain’s Day event at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club, with 60 members vying for the coveted Stewart Trophy – named after the club’s long-serving captains Mel and Jacqui Stewart.
In-form Peter Kavanagh showed once again he is enjoying a purple patch, lifting the trophy with an unbeatable four-under 40 stableford points.
He recently won the inaugural Captain/Pro Top Dogs Trophy with partner Tony Beaumont at the club. With two players one point behind on 39, second place was decided after a countback with popular junior Malaysian member Zubair Firdaus beating Korean long-term member Golden Kim.
