Scotland scoops another MENA title in Al Ain

Sport360 staff 08:02 30/10/2014
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  • Eight’s great: Zane Scotland won his eighth tournament on the MENA Tour.

    Zane Scotland held his nerve to beat Joshua White in a play-off, win the Golf Citizen Masters Al Ain and complete back-to-back victories on the MENA Golf Tour yesterday.

    Starting the day four shots off the pace, the Englishman staged a stun­ning charge and sealed the victory by sinking a six-foot birdie putt at the first extra hole, the par-5 18th, where his compatriot and good friend missed his birdie attempt from 20 feet and had to settle for par.

    Riding on an eagle on the par-5 third, Scotland closed with a five-under 66, the day’s best score, to fin­ish at 14-under par in regulation and that meant White needed a birdie on the final hole to force the play-off. He made that with a nice chip to four feet and extended the day’s play.

    Scotland, who won last week’s Ghala Valley Open in Muscat by three shots, was off to a great start despite windy conditions and made the turn at three-under. The 32-year-old dropped shots on the 11th and 13th, but responded well, reeling off three birdies in his last five holes to finish with a flourish.

    “It wasn’t easy out there because of the wind, but I had a good start when I eagled the third and bird­ied the fourth. That kind of put me in the mix,” said Scotland after receiving the winner’s trophy from Mohamed Rashid Al Nasseri, gen­eral manager of Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club. Chris Tur­lik, the tournament director, was also present.

    “When I birdied the 16th, I knew I had a chance to win if I stayed focused. In the end I am happy to get the job done today,” said Scotland, who has now won eight titles on the MENA Golf Tour since its inception.

    Overnight leader White had no regret losing to a better player on the day.

    “I did not lose the tournament, Zane has won it. The course condi­tions were quite tricky, but the way Zane played just showed his class and experience,” said White, who had opened with a course record 62.

    Spain’s Jose Bondia Gil returned a final-round 70 to finish in solo third at 13-under, two ahead of England’s Daniel Owen and three off Scotland’s Tom Buchanan, who is also the head pro at Al Ain Eques­trian, Shooting and Golf Club.

    Peter Badawy of Lebanon main­tained his dominance in the MENA Division for the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award, finishing on top at nine-under par.

    The MENA Golf Tour will be back in Al Ain next week for the season-ending Tour championship.

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