Amateurs confident they can beat Professionals in Dubai Golf Trophy

Joy Chakravarty 21:34 17/05/2016
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  • Chris Alderman (L), and Matthew Naylor (R) along with Dubai Golf CEO Christopher May.

    The annual event pits 16 leading UAE-based PGA professionals against leading 16 Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) amateur golfers in a Ryder Cup style showdown.

    This year’s tournament will once again be played on the two Dubai Golf courses – the Saturday foursomes and fourballs at the Faldo course, followed by Sunday’s singles at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

    This is the 17th edition of the tournament that was first played in the year 2000 at Dubai Creek, and the Amateurs have won the trophy only twice – in 2005 and 2007.

    Last year, the Professionals dominated and secured an impressive victory with a final score of 18.5 to 13.5, which means that they have now taken home the last eight consecutive trophies.

    But with several exciting young stars in his team, captain Chris Alderman, sounded very optimistic about their chances this weekend.

    The Amateur team is a great mix of experience and youth, showcasing the finest talent in the region.

    Four of the players are under 18 years of age, with 16-year-old rising star Rayhan Thomas playing in his fourth Dubai Golf Trophy and in great form. He recently finished second overall in a MENA Tour event in Thailand.

    Chris Rahm, Tiago Lobo and Matthew Baxter make up this exciting young quartet, supported by veterans like Craig Vance, Miki Mirza, Bayhaan Lakdawala and Mike Robson.

    With the experience of playing in three previous tournaments, Alderman said: “This year, the team is filled with youth and some newly added veterans. The change I see in the team this year is that we have some of our young guns returning, who now have gained valuable experience over the last few years playing DGT and other regional match play within their host clubs and the fantastic UAE regional scratch league competitions.

    “The Professionals are still the team to beat, but watch out for these fearless youngsters. This year, a few of our matured qualifiers won’t be able to play due to prior commitments; however we still have quite a few veterans in top form.

    “I’m expecting some strong play from the young guns, supported with leadership of the old fellas.” Professionals’ captain Matthew Naylor, who is moving back to the UK this month, was wary of the growing strength of the opposition.

    “This is an event we all look forward to every year. Particularly this year, as it will be my seventh and final tournament, and to be captaining such a great team is such an honour,” said Naylor.

    “This is probably our strongest team, but the opposition have improved every year and we will need to play to our best to keep our run going. This will be such a great end to my nine years in Dubai.”

    Christopher May, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Golf has been closely involved with the event since it started and commented: “The Dubai Golf Trophy is a superb event to be a part of, there is always a very competitive spirit between the two teams which leads to some interesting competition and results.

    “The Professionals really have dominated in recent years, it will be interesting to see if they can maintain their winning streak. Qualifying for this end-of-season tournament is a great achievement for the players involved and it is fantastic to see a few junior golfers representing the Amateur team.”

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