A full house of 280 guests were part of a glamorous evening for the region’s golf industry as Sport360° honoured the players and those behind the scenes at the second edition of the Middle East Golf Awards (MEGAs).
The most well-known name of the evening, the legendary British golfer Laura Davies, was awarded the Ultimate Recognition award for her remarkable career, which has also seen her made a Dame by Buckingham Palace earlier this year and earned her a place in the World Golf Hall of Fame where she will be inducted next year.
Davies, winner of 80 tournaments across the globe and a seven-time Order of Merit champion on the Ladies Eauropean Tour, was joined for the evening by her 18-year-old compatriot Charley Hull. Most experts tip Hull as a potential superstar of the game and she is on the verge of becoming the European No1 this year.
The focus of this year’s MEGAs had been changed slightly with five awards for individual players, but the golf industry and those who make sure that Middle East continues to remain one of the sought-after destinations in world golf, continued to be at the heart of the MEGAs.
A total of 136 entries were registered for the 2014 edition of the MEGAs with the inclusion of 44 players nominated by the national associations. The public voting was also higher than last year, with 11,907 votes recorded despite there being four less categories.
The individual player awards categories saw each of the national associations submitting nominations, which were later opened for public voting. Among the winners were UAE’s Hamood Al Harthy (Best Young Arab Talent); Eric Hartzuiker of Arabian Ranches (Best Young Expatriate Player); Sana Tufail (Best Female Amateur Player); Michael Harradine (Best Male Amateur Player) and Morocco’s Ahmad Marjane (Best Arab Amateur Player).
Earlier in the evening, Davies and Hull took part in a question and answer session on stage with Sport360° editor, Steve McKenlay.
Davies, who was in the city to take part in the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, said: “Each award that you get is very special as it is a recognition of all the hard work that you have put into your chosen field of work. I am thankful to Sport360° for this honour. It only adds to my motivation to keep working on my game and taking on the challenge of all these youngsters like Charley.”
Michael Chalhoub, CEO of Sport360° , said: “We’d like to congratulate Laura on what is deserving recognition of almost 30 years of excellence in the professional golf. When she turned pro in 1985, there was not a single green golf course in the whole of the Middle East and now, I would not be wrong in saying we have some of the best facilities in the world.
“The vision and ambitions of the leaders in the region is very important, but there is no denying the massive role played by thousands of people in the golf industry who have worked tirelessly for the Middle East to achieve the status it has now. To all those people, and to the individual players who are constantly working hard to achieve excellence, the MEGAs are Sport360’s heartfelt tribute to their passion and commitment.”
Among the industry awards, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club walked away with the Food & Beverage Team of the Year, while Dubai Golf were adjudged the Best Golf Marketing Team. The Golf Maintenance Team of the Year award was among the most difficult to judge, but in the end, it was Abu Dhabi Golf Club who scored over others.
Chris White of Yas Links was named the General Manager of the Year, while Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club’s Martin Duff walked away with the Golf Director of the Year award. Justin Parsons of Butch Harmon School of Golf was judged to be the Best Teaching Professional of the Year.
The final two awards of the night were Best Professional Golf Event (Fan Experience – based on voting), and the European Tour’s season-ending championship DP World Tour Championship scored. And thanks to its stunning Kyle Phillip-designed golf course and friendly staff, Yas Links Abu Dhabi was the players’ choice of Best Overall Club Experience.
The MEGAs have also become a platform for other organisations in the region to reward excellence.
During the function the MENA Golf Tour, the UAE PGA and the organisers of the R&A Rules School handed over the trophies and recognition to the winners and deserving participants.
