RIYADH, 20 January 2008 — The weather cooperated and the freezing cold that swept the city the past few days gave way to a pleasant cool breeze at yesterday’s opening ceremony of the 28th Pan-Arab Golf Championship at Dirab Golf Club.
The fireworks on the fairways will be on display starting with the first of four rounds today. Saudi Arabia drew Tunisia and Libya for the first two rounds. Last year’s team and individual champions Bahrain and Egypt are grouped together with Lebanon. The Saudi Junior Team were paired with UAE and Jordan, while Qatar drew Oman and Kuwait play opposite Palestine. Saudi Arabia is hosting this annual competition featuring the Arab world’s best golfers for the first time.
And in a highwater mark for Saudi golf chief guest Saud Ali Al Abdul Aziz, who came on behalf of General Presidency of Youth Welfare President Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, broke the good news during the opening ceremony that Saudi Golf Committee is now to become a federation.
The announcement by Abdul Aziz, assistant to Prince Sultan ibn Fahad, drew a round of applause from the audience gathered around the makeshift stage.
Arab Golf Federation President Khaled Abou Talib of Egypt said he was pleased to have for the first time the Pan Arab golf tournament in Saudi Arabia.
“This was like a dream and unexpected to happen from 10 years ago. I am impressed,” he said.
“This is well organized. The hosts are doing a very good job as far as I can see. “It’s very easy to have the golf infrastructure but it’s something else to have champions,” Abou Talib said in reference to Kingdom No. 1 Othman Almulla, who won the Red Sea and Pan Arab Open in Soma Bay, Egypt in July and the Qatar Open two weeks ago.
For his part, Saudi Golf Federation President Khaled Abunayyan thanked the participating countries and Saudi Youth Welfare for “giving us the opportunity to host this event for the first time in Saudi Arabia and with a great reward with the upgrade of the golf committee into a federation.” Bahrain, the team everyone loves to beat after having dominated this event in recent years, are competing in full strength with a veteran lineup of defending individual champion Abdullah Sultan, Nasser Yacoub, Hamad Mubarak and Sultan Abdullah.
But Saudi team captain Ali Balhareth and Almulla chorused the team are ready to stamp their mark as one of the top contenders in the event. “I’m very excited and playing the best golf of my life,” said Almulla adding, “This being a historic day of Saudi golf, the federation thing was a huge step for it shows how much work the committee has done to speed the development of golf.” Balhareth underscored the difficulty in playing the Dirab course with a new setup and tabbed Bahrain, Tunisia, Lebanon and Egypt as the teams to beat.
R&A, the golf governing body that runs the British Open, is lending its financial and technical support to the tournament with Attieh Steel and Almarai Company as sponsors.
Twelve member countries of the AGF are entered in the tournament where the team and individual gross and net events will be contested. Also up for grabs is the Prince Faisal Trophy for the Best Under 21 Player.
