CAIRO, 1 December 2005 - With only Othman Al-Moualla breaking 80, Saudi Arabia were left with a lot of work to do after the first round yesterday in the 26th Pan Arab Golf Championship at the Dreamland golf course here.
Defending team and individual champions Bahrain were on track to extend their domination in the annual competition among the best amateur golfers in. the region when they seized a two-stroke lead over host Egypt and Lebanon in the team event and a tie for first place with Lebanon in the individual race.
The US-based 19-year old Al-Moualla, on whose exceptional ability- the Kingdom are pinning their hopes of a top four finish at the very least, was not up to his A-1 game and finished with a gross score of 77 on nines of 41-36.
AI-Moualla’s round included a couple of birdies on the eighth and par-5 15’ hole. A triple bogey seven on the 9’ obviously did not help arrest his indifferent outward nine. He steadied somehow to return an even par card on the way home.
Team captain Ali Belhareth shot an 80 and the third score to count which was an 81 came from Sattam Al-Gosaibi as Saudi Arabia totaled 238 in a tie of sixth with 2003 champions Morocco. The fourth, player on the Saudi team, Ali Sahli, shot an 82 but he vowed to recover in today’s round. He said his game unraveled on the sixth where he took a double bogey and in the end admitted it was not simply his day.
Belhareth remained confident his boys will bounce back. “You watch out tomorrow. I know my players are capable,” he said. Led by gross titleholder Nasser Yaqoob, Bahrain totaled 223 with Egypt and Lebanon both two strokes back at 225. The young UAE team were alone on 227 as Faris A1 Mazui fired 74 to go with the 75 by Abullah A1 Thani and 78 by newly crowned Arab Under-18 champion Khaled Youyssef Tunis are in fourth place at 229 followed by the Egypt junior team at 237.
Libya are on 242 for seventh position followed by Oman and Qatar on 243 and 260. Kuwait and Palestine are tied on 262 with Jordan on 283.
“Yaqoob and Lebanon’s Ali Hammoud shot identical even-par 72 in benign conditions at the tree-lined layout to share the lead in the individual contest. Two strokes back on 74 were another Lebanese Adnan Hammoud and A1 Mazui.
As Yaqoob was steady on the first day the other top player in the region, fellow Bahraini Hamad Mubarak, was a disappointment checking in with a 76 although his score did count along with Abdulla Sultan’s 75.
Egypt, looking to overtake Bahrain in the total number of championships won as they each have 10, had impressive numbers. Egypt’s No. 1 Amr Abu Ela signed for a three-over 75 a did teammates Teymour Abul Kheir and Memdouh A1 Sheikh, In the net competition, Lebanon and UAE were tied in the team category on 215 while Emirati A1 Thani held a one-stroke lead over the pair of Hammoud and Kuwaiti Youssef El Katami.
A1 Thani, with a six handicap, had net 69 to the identical 70 compiled by Lebanese Hammoud and El Katami, the youngest in the tournament at 15.
