After dominating women’s golf in the UAE, 17-year-old Sana Tufail of Yas Links Abu Dhabi has taken her form and immense talent to the United States, and has already achieved two podium finishes in her last two starts in the Future Champions Golf (FCG) series.
At the FCG Cobra Puma World Junior Championship, which was played last week at the internationally acclaimed PGA West Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course in La Quinta, Sana finished third.
That was after she took the runners-up place the week before at the FCG San Diego Junior Golf International Championship, which was held at the challenging 6,100 yard Oak Glen Mountain Course at the famous Sycuan Golf Resort.
Sana adjusted well to the Californian heat and despite starting with a mediocre round of 77, she did well to fight back with rounds of 73 and 76 on the demanding PGA West, the Stadium Course of which has hosted several PGA Tour events.
The Nicklaus course has hosted several PGA Tour Qualifying School events. The event was dominated by the strong Thai contingent, with Kanyalak Preedasutthijit emerging runaway winner and Saranlak Tumfong finishing second, three shots better than Sana.
Sana, who is joining the University of Tulsa this year, said: “It was tremendous to be in the final group on the last day, Kanyalak played exceptionally well and really putted well on the final day to deserve the title.
"It was also wonderful for the parents and supporters to come on the course and support us in such extreme weather.”
Despite the hot summer conditions, the event attracted many college coaches seeking to recruit the best talent for their NCAA Division I teams.
Sana need not worry about that after securing her place with the Tulsa team, where she will be coached by LPGA player Emilee Klein, the former Solheim Cup and British Ladies Open winner.
Earlier, playing her first event of the season in the United States at San Diego, Sana made a fine start finishing second at the FCG San Diego Junior Golf International Championship (formerly known as the San Diego Junior Masters), an event that attracted a strong worldclass field of more than 300 juniors in various categories.
In another three-round tournament, Sana followed her day 1 score of 73 with a level-par 72 on day 2 and a fighting two-under par 70 on the final day helped her reduce a six-shot lead of Pauline Del Rosario, the 2013 Callaway Junior World champion, to eventual difference of three shots.
Sana actually took the lead on the final day by the sixth hole after hitting three birdies, while Pauline started nervously and made five bogeys in her first five holes.
However, she steadied herself on the back nine with a succession of birdies on the closing holes to deny Sana a winning start. Sana is the Emirates Golf Federation’s ladies Order of Merit champion for past three years.
