CAIRO, 29 November 2005 — Powerhouse Bahrain remain firm favorites to win but Saudi Arabia will be looking to break the domination of their Gulf neighbor in the 26th Pan Arab Golf Championship.
Two days before the first round of the competition, Othman Al-Moualla, a talented US-based 19-year-old with a ‘Tigeresque’ swing, yesterday fired a warning shot for Saudi Arabia when he shot a two-under par 70 during practice round at the Dreamland golf course located 30 kilometers from the city center.
Al-Moualla, who routinely dishes booming drives of more than 300 yards, may yet be the ace up the Saudi sleeve. He has been practicing for the last five days since arriving from Phoenix, Arizona, on Wednesday along with the rest of the team namely captain Ali Belhareth, Ali Al-Sahli and Sattam Al-Gosaibi.
The early arrival of the Saudis enabled them to do their homework ahead of everyone else in the fold, as they looked ready to mount their serious challenge yet in the annual event hosted by the Egypt Golf Federation.
The veteran Belhareth, who described the par-72 layout that forms part of the Hilton Pyramids Gold Resort as “lovely,” is expected to use his long experience to provide maturity and leadership in the Saudi team, with Al-Sahli and Al-Gosaibi completing the pieces of one of the best assembled lineups in years.
“There should not be much of a problem. The course is not difficult nor it is easy,” said Saudi delegation head Yousef Al-Mahfouz.
“We’ll try our best although Bahrain and Morocco remain the big challenge. And of course there is also Egypt,” added Mahfouz who accompanied the team to Cairo from Riyadh last Wednesday along with Saudi Golf Committee Secretary-General Ali Al-Soheim.
The Saudis had better give it their best shot considering the giant shadow cast by Bahrain in the tournament.
Defending team and individual champions Bahrain have won seven of the last eight stagings of the event in a prodigious run interrupted only in 2003 when Morocco took the crown. Captained by Ali Al-Naemi, Bahrain are bannered by two of the region’s best golfers, 2004 titlist Nasser Yaqoob and Ahmed Mubarak. Overall, Bahrain have 10 championships under their belt in a tie with Egypt as the most winningest teams.
Meantime, the arrival yesterday from Riyadh of SGC President and Dirab golf course owner Sheikh Khaled Abunayyan further boosted team morale ahead of the opening ceremonies at 3:30 p.m. today.
Except Syria, who begged off at the last minute, all the delegations have arrived, according to organizing committee staff Ismail Naguib yesterday.
Morocco, Tunis and Libya hit town yesterday along with Jordan, Oman and Qatar. Palestine and Lebanon are expected tomorrow, while Bahrain and Kuwait landed Saturday and UAE Sunday. Naguib said close to 100 players and officials are expected for the tournament that ends on Saturday.
