Amateurs secure Dubai Golf Trophy for first time in nine years

Joy Chakravarty 22:42 22/05/2016
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  • The victorious UAE amateurs.

    Leading 10-6 after turning the match on its head with a phenomenal showing in Saturday’s fourballs, the Chris Alderman-led Amateurs faced some early resistance in the singles, but eventually romped home with a 19.5-12.5 win.

    It was only the third win for the Amateurs in the 17-year history of the tournament, first played in 2000.

    Needing to win 6.5 points to replicate their success of 2005 and 2007, the Amateurs halved three early matches after losing the opener before turning the screw.

    Craig Vance secured the most comfortable win of the day against Rory Young 5&4, while Bilbo Perrot beat Stephen Hubner, who was substituting for Professionals captain Matthew Naylor, 3&2, and Gary Swan beat Anthony Buchanan 1-up. Bayhaan Lakdawala was also rarely troubled in his match against Ryan Smith, which he won 4&2.

    Martin Fernandez had a great chance to hit the winning shot for the Amateurs, but fell prey to the tough 18th at Dubai Creek and lost the last hole to square his match with Joe Marshall. At that point, the Amateurs had 16 points, and were leading in four of the remaining matches.

    The winning putt was instead drained by 17-year-old Matthew Baxter of Emirates Golf Club. All square in his match against the experienced David Gray after 14 holes, Baxter won the 15th and 18th holes to seal the win for his side.

    “I did not give that much thought to it,” said Baxter when asked to comment on his winning putt. “I am just happy that we have won it as a team for the first time in nine years. But obviously, to win the match for my team and to hole the winning putt is a great feeling.”

    One of the standout matches, albeit insignificant in the grand scheme of things, played out between multiple UAE PGA Order of Merit champion Callum Nicoll and young Thiago Lobo of Abu Dhabi Golf Club. Nicoll had gone 5-up after just six holes before Lobo pulled it back to 1-up by winning four of the next 10. However, a bogey on the par-4 17th handed a hard-fought 2&1 win to Nicoll.

    Rayhan Thomas, who was given the anchor role by captain Alderman, added a 5&4 win over Malcolm Young in the singles to his other two victories, making it three wins out of three for the youngster. This is the fourth Dubai Golf Trophy for the 16-year-old and he has lost only one foursomes match in that time.

    Thomas, who landed from Thailand on Friday after finishing in the top-three in his last two MENA Tour events, was elated.

    “It is my fourth year of playing the tournament and I am just over the moon,” he said.

    “This really was the strongest team that we have fielded in many years. We knew we could win. And after the fourballs, we were really pumped. We didn’t want to lose.”

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