RIYADH, 24 January 2008 — Lebanon completed a wire-to-wire victory in the 28th Pan Arab Golf Championship, holding off a desperate final day charge from powerhouse Bahrain yesterday at Dirab Golf Club here.
In winning their first championship in the history of the annual event featuring the best amateur golfers in the region, Lebanon never surrendered the lead in all four rounds.
“We are happy that we win in Saudi Arabia, which has always been kind to us especially King Abdullah and we are grateful for all the help that we are getting.
Also, I would like to thank Saudi Golf Federation President Khaled Abunayyan for his generosity and the Saudi Golf Committee,” said Lebanese Golf Federation President Khaled Salam.
The good thing about the Lebanese performance is that there is good chemistry among the team members. And when somebody fails another delivers.
In this crucial fourth round Adnan Hammoud came through when the rest of his teammates struggled in windy conditions on a balmy day, shooting a solid 77.
Another veteran on the Lebanese team, Rashid Aqoul, who carded even par rounds the past two days, settled for a 78 and Ali Hammoud added 81 as Lebanon totaled 236 for a winning four-day total of 920. Aqoul also won third place in the gross individual contest.
“What can I say? It feels great to be champions,” said non-playing team captain Marwan El Koussa of Lebanon, whose best finish until yesterday was second place on two occasions in 2004 and 1999 when Bahrain and Tunisia were the hosts.
Multititled veteran Nasser Yacoub was a letdown for Bahrain who were looking to overcome a six-stroke deficit at the start of the day and become the team to win the most titles at 12.
Instead, Bahrain failed to defend their title and finished three shots adrift of Lebanon in second place as Yacoub tallied 81 to go with a pair of 76s from the father-and-son tandem of Abdullah Sultan and Sultan Abdullah, a stocky young man who started playing golf since he was five.
Bahrain had 233 for the day and 923 total. Another big name in Arab golf, Amr Abul Ela, clinched the individual title he shared with Yacoub during the 2005 event back home in Egypt. His final day score of 2-over 74 helped Egypt to a fourth round total of 227 and third place finish at 924. Mamdouh El Sheikh added 76 and Taymour Scarello, winner of the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Trophy for the Best Under-21 player, contributed 77 in a balanced scoring that nearly toppled Bahrain at the second position in the gross team event of the four-member team three to count competition. Othman Almulla, nicknamed Saudi Aramco Tiger, finally played his A-game to shoot the best round of the day, an even par 72 that gave him second place in the individual race. His 72 counted toward the Kingdom’s fourth round total of 233 that also included 80 from Ali Belhareth and 81 from Fahad Al-Mansour.
The 21-year old Almulla, who traveled to Doha last night to catch the first round today of the $2.5 million Qatar Masters where he qualified to play after winning the Qatar Open, blew birdie chances on three holes — 12th, 14th , and 17th — and missed what could have been another big victory.
Saudi Arabia finished fifth on 942, one behind Tunisia who had 234 for the day and 941 aggregate.
In the net team category, Tunisia claimed first place with a total of 920, while Oman finished second on 926 and Libya third on 928. Lofti Hoydi was the net individual winner with a 72-hole total of 295, with Oman’s Hamed Al-Romhy in second place at 299 and Tunisian Hatem Nasser in third position at 302.
By any measure, the tournament was a big success and Saudi Arabia passed the test in its bid to become a hub of golfing activities in the region.
At the closing ceremony, SGF chief Abunayyan thanked the sponsors, promoters of the event, volunteers, staff at Dirab Golf Club for helping make the event a success.
R & A, the golf governing body that runs the British Open, offered technical and financial assistance. Attieh Steel and Almarai Company were the tournament sponsors.
