RIYADH, 28 December 2007 — Saudi sports has produced brother acts. There’s bowling (Badr and Hassan Al-Sheikh), karate (Thamer and Emad Al-Malki) and snooker (twins Ahmed and Nezar Aseeri).

In golf, the Al-Gosaibi duo of Sattam and Abdulmohsen, from the Eastern Province, are known as the “swinging siblings.” But now here’s the latest brother act in golf that is seen to fuel further interest in the fast-growing sport in the Kingdom. Drum roll, please…welcome the Al-Mansour brothers Fahad, Abdullah, Mansour and Abdulrahman.

Except for Abdullah, 22, who is in New Zealand for higher studies, the Al-Mansour siblings are all proud members of the Saudi national team.

A national team mainstay, Fahad, the eldest in the brood at 30, has earned a spot on the four-man Kingdom team that will try to stop the Bahrain juggernaut when the country hosts the 28th Pan Arab Golf Championship next month. Mansour, 18, and Abdulrahman, 16, are with the junior squad and the second Saudi team entered in the Jan. 18-24 event. Under the rules of the Arab Golf Federation a host country has the option to field two teams in the annual tournament.

“It’s the most wonderful feeling. You’re challenging yourself every time because it’s between you and the course,” said Fahad of his passion for golf during an interview in the sidelines of the Alsalam Aircraft Golf Championship at Dirab Golf Club recently.

A driving range rat, Fahad who at one time managed to bring down his handicap to zero spends hours on end working on his swing.

On weekdays after office hours, Fahad hurtles down the Makkah highway to Dirab, where he hits buckets of balls in the driving range till late evening.

“The secret to my golf is really a lot of time in the driving range and hard work,” says Fahad, a Management Information Systems manager with National Commercial Bank in Riyadh.

First Set of Clubs

In 2001, while in Los Angeles in the United States for studies, Fahad began his journey into the wonderful world of golf. Shen, a Thai roommate, leaves toting a big bag of clubs in the early morning and returns in the evening. Out of curiosity, Fahad came along one day with Shen to the golf course. Using Shen’s clubs Fahad hit balls on the driving range. On the way back, Fahad picked up his first set of golf clubs. “I got hooked. Just like that,” he said.

After five lessons with a golf pro Fahad was basically on his own. He was a fast learner. “On my last month in the US I was beating Shen,” laughed Fahad who returned to the Kingdom in 2002.

He stopped playing for three years and in 2005 took out a membership with Dirab Golf Club. “I don’t know anybody at Dirab and I felt like there were many good players out there and I would be out of place for I was shooting 100 in the beginning,” said Fahad.

Overcoming self-doubt, Fahad steadily built his golf game. And Fahad’s rapid rise in the sport speaks volumes of his natural talent and a determination to excel. In two years his handicap was down to a single digit.

From winning monthly tournaments to winning a place on the national team Fahad had quickly established his credentials. In time he was sharing the joys of golf with his younger brothers.

“My main objective in introducing them to golf is I want them to be in a place where I am 100 percent sure they will be away from trouble. You know golf builds character. You learn a lot out of it,” he said.

Bonding

Golf also gives the Al-Mansours the bonding between brothers. “I very often go with them to play and coach them a lot. And it’s a wonderful thing they’re picking up very past,” says Fahad.

By default football remains hot among the Saudi youths with dreams of breaking the big time someday, but Abdulrahman thinks “Golf is better. It’s the game. It’s cool.”

Of his three younger siblings Fahad singles out Abdulrahman as the one who owns a “very natural wonderful swing.” Like his brother-guru Abdulrahman enjoys the driving range. When it’s time to leave Abdulrahman would always appeal “just one more ball!”

A promising junior golfer, Abdulrahman “needs to gain more experience and learn how to score under pressure in tournaments,” according to Fahad. “In practice Abdulrahman shoots in the 80s but he needs the mental toughness in tournaments to get over a bad shot and move on to the next,” Fahad said.

Mansour and Abdulrahman have alternated winning junior titles in tournaments, and at one time turned a monthly event into a family affair when all three golf-playing siblings won a prize.

Mansour and Abdulrahman along with Ryan Daham, Abdullah Al-Hussaini and Khaled Eddiweesh had trained for two weeks in the UK last summer as part of the Saudi-British Sports Cooperation Program signed in 1987.

Dubbed the “Golf Star of Riyadh” by Dirab Golf Club Manager Bouchaib El Jadiani, Fahad has represented Saudi Arabia four times in international tournaments abroad.

National Team

In October 2006, Fahad, who plays off a 3 handicap, was part of the Saudi national team, along with Kingdom No. 1 Othman Almulla and Sattam Al-Gosaibi, that competed in the World Amateur Team Championship in Stellenbosch, South Africa. He also helped in the 27th Pan-Arab Championship campaign in November of the same year in Tangiers, Morocco. Fahad saw action twice in the AGF’s prestigious individual event, the Red Sea and Pan Arab Amateur Golf Championship at Soma Bay in Egypt, in 2006 and 2007.

“From my side, I salute the management of Dirab and owner Sheikh Khaled (Abunayyan) for giving us a lot of support considering we are Saudis. I must say they really care to push the development of golf in Saudi Arabia,” Fahad said.

“Looking back, golf used to be exclusive to the rich. Now, so many have gain access to golf especially among the junior players,” he added.

“Yes, it will grow definitely. The entire world is developing golf. For sure the country will follow,” said Fahad of the future of the Saudi game.