Having already secured the Emirates Golf Federation’s men’s Order of Merit crown this season, the Junior Open at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht club was never going to pose any problem for Rayhaan Thomas.
And the 15-year-old, who is making waves with his wonderful performances in the last couple of years, made sure there was no upset while playing at his home club as he won the tournament for the second year in a row. Thomas was the only player to shoot a sub-par round with a one-under par 70. But Tiago Lobo of Abu Dhabi Golf Club gave the champion a close fight with a levelpar 71 round.
Another Dubai Creek junior, Rishi Nair, also produced a fine performance on the day and was the Boys Net winner with a fantastic six-under par 65, one ahead of the runner-up John Burki who finished with a solid 66.
The Junior Open title was a formality for Thomas, who has already won two of the oldest club championships – the Dubai Creek Men’s Club Championship and the 26th Omega Emirates Amateur Open. After receiving his trophy, Thomas said: “I’m really pleased to make a successful defence of my title again this year and it really is an honour to win. I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone at Dubai Creek for all of their efforts in hosting what has been another excellent event this year.”
The event was a great success once again, with over 60 players battling for the title. The Dubai Creek Ladies Club champion Sahana Paravantavida was back to winning ways as her round of 74 saw her claim the Girls division title. Dakyeong Chang blew the division away with a superb net 59 to win the Girls Net title, whilst Katherina Nielsen was the runner-up in the division after a 4-under par round of 67.
Kim Chiang and Eshna Bhargava were the girls nearest to the pin winners on the fifth and 14th holes, with Mikhail Pinto and Aarkesh Bhatia claimed the same in the boy’s category on the eighth and 16th holes. Stephen Hubner, Dubai Creek’s Director of Golf, commented: “Congratulations to our champion Rayhaan on this victory along with a host of others this season. “It is great to see such a large number of junior competitors. It is a very positive sign in terms of the growth of junior golf in the region.”
