CAIRO, 4 December 2005 — Abul Ela and Nasser Yacoub engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball duel in a gripping final day drama yesterday as Egypt won the team title and shared the individual crown with Bahrain in the 26th Pan Arab Golf Championship here.

Neither Ela nor Yacoub blinked in the playoff to decide the best Arab golfer in gathering darkness.

When there was still no result after the second playoff hole, the committee stopped play, after both Ela and Yacoub hit their approach shots in the third attempt to break the tie, and decided to declare both men co-champions on account of darkness.

For Ela, the committee decision would have hardly mattered after his heroics gave host Egypt the victory and their 11th crown overall making the team the most winningest and breaking the stranglehold of Bahrain, who have won seven of the last eight championships and were tied with Egypt in the number of titles won at 10 in the tournament.

With the title on the line, Ela stroked the winning putt for about four feet on the left side and when it dropped in his teammates and supporters stormed the 18th green and mobbed and hugged him in frenzied celebration. Ela’s par putt,which he set up with a beautiful chip from the fringe at the top of the hole, came after Hamad Mubarak missed a six-footer in the second playoff hole between the two teams.

It was the first time in the history of the Arab Championship that both team and individual titles had to be decided by playoffs.

Bahrain had a chance to retain both the team and individual titles in regulation 72-holes but the veteran Yacoub flubbed makeable putts in the last three holes including the 18th where he misjudged a four-footer.

In the playoff for individual honors, Yacoub stayed alive when he made a tough five-footer after Ela rolled his long putt within inches of the hole. That put both players back again on the 18th tee for the second try to break the tie. Both parred the hole.

With a six-stroke lead when the final round started, Yacoub tumbled to a 78, six over on the par-72 Dreamland golf course, for a four-day total of 293 in a tie with Ela, who fired his consecutive one-under 71.

Counting Mubarak’s 72 and Abdulla Sultan’s 75 Bahrain were on 225 for the day and 899 in 72 holes in a tie with Egypt, who also drew 77 from Teymor Abul Kheir and 78 from Memdouh El Sheikh for a fourth round 226.

Tunis underlined their strong golf program when their young team took third place in the team event to become the revelation of the tournament.

Starring Saber Barhoumi, Ayman Fergani and Maher Al-Fergan, who shot 72, 75 and 78 in that order, Tunis made 225 yesterday and totaled 899.

Lebanon finished fourth on 906, followed by Egypt Junior Team on 923 and UAE on 933.

Saudi Arabia, collecting 76 from Othman Al-Mulla, 78 from captain Ali Belhareth and 83 from Ali Al Sahli, tallied 237 to claim seventh position on 946.

Saudi Golf Committee President Khaled Abunayyan said the team’s performance was still okay, because when you “Take out the Egypt Junior equation, which was introduced only this year allowing host country to field two teams, we still duplicated our 6th place finish of last year.” Barhoumi and Fergani placed 1-2 in the individual net category with Libya winning the team crown on 873.

Oman’s Hamad Al Romhi was third with a four-day total of 283, behind Barhoumi’s 279 and Fergani’s 282.

Morocco, who won the 2003 tournament at home, were on 947for eighth place in the team event followed by Libya 960, Oman 966, Qatar 1,005, Palestine 1,021, Kuwait 1,050 and Jordan 1,167. A gala dinner followed the awards ceremony in the highly successful four-man team three to count tournament that brought together the best amateur golfers in the Arab world.