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UK Youth Take Abu Dhabi’s Challenge Match As UAE Hopefuls Put Up Spirited Performance |
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The cream of UK junior golf held off a spirited display from a crack squad of aspiring UAE players to clinch the one-day Challenge Match - a prelude to the 2010 Abu Dhabi Junior Golf Championship (ADJGC), in association with The Daily Telegraph, which runs until Tuesday at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. A closely contested affair, both sets of juniors produced some gripping action at the ocean-front Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, as the two sides fought hard in beautiful course conditions. Even though the British Isles took the challenge crown with 7.5 points, the current crop of UAE players produced an outstanding display to take 3.5 points, with Emirati juniors Khalid Yousuf and Ahmed Al Musharrekh winning their respective rounds. “This tournament really gives us an excellent opportunity to play against the best young golfers in Britain and Ireland. I feel like I have flown the flag for the UAE today and am very satisfied,” said Yousuf, who has participated in a number of European Tour events. Equally impressive was Emirati rising star, Al Musharrekh. In a keenly fought contest that developed into an epic over the closing three holes, Al Musharrekh and his partner Ronan Hall prevailed with a sensational victory, beating UK duo of Luke Johnson and Fraser Mcleod on the final hole. “Today was very special,” he said afterwards. “It was a privilege to represent my country, and a special feeling to win. This is a great victory for me and shows how young golfers in the UAE have improved over recent years.” The efforts of the UAE players drew particular praise from championship title sponsor, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), which is supporting the event to help foster enhanced grass-root player development in the emirate. “This shows how far UAE golf has come over the last few years as well as how much further we have to go. By giving talented local youngsters the chance to line-up against their international peers is critical for them to benchmark their own skills and learn new ones. It is very encouraging to see our young juniors holding their own in the highest level of competitive junior golf,” said Faisal Al Sheikh, ADTA’s Event Manager. The ADJGC runs until November 30th and features the best under-18 golfers from the British Isles – 11 boys and nine girls. In addition, representing the Middle East will be exciting UAE talent, Daniel Hendry, who he will be hoping to become the first non-UK and Ireland resident to take the trophy. Organised since the 1960s by The Daily Telegraph – Britain’s biggest-selling broadsheet newspaper - this year marks the second in succession that ADTA has been the tournament’s headline sponsor. The partnership is another key step in establishing Abu Dhabi’s impressive credentials as a world-class event and golfing destination of distinction. ADTA recently made history with the headline signing of HSBC, the world’s local bank, as title sponsor for its new-look European Tour-backed golf championship, running from January 20 to 23, 2011. The deal is the biggest international headline sponsorship for any Abu Dhabi-initiated sporting event and sees the prize purse for the 2011 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship rise by US$500,000 to US$2.7 million. |
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