On Friday, Sorour, who played for the Riyadh-based club from 1987-1994, etched his name on the sport he now loves as this Saudi footballer-turned-golfer won the qualifying tournament of the 2011 Volvo World Golf Challenge along with Bahraini No. 1 Nasser Yacoub at the Riyadh Golf Club.
Now 39 and with two children by his American wife, Sorour has got a game good enough to win a big one after taking up golf in 2000 in Seattle, Washington, where he finished his bachelor’s degrees in economics, finance and computer information systems. He is now working on his doctorate degree in economics while employed as the Business Development manager at insurance company MedGulf.
Sorour, with a 16 handicap, won the category for middle and high handicap (7-28) with Yacoub taking the division for low handicap (0-6) as both clinched berths to the World Final in an all-expenses paid trip to Fancourt, South Africa where they will join qualifiers from 25 countries in the tournament set for Jan. 17-22 at Fancourt Golf State.
Sorour finished the two-day 36-hole Stableford format competition on 80 points to win by two over Pakistani Parvez Tariq (78 (35-43) with Briton Finlay Graham in third place on 77 (34-42).
Sorour built a five-point cushion after the turn on the final day and the turning point in his round came when he birdied the par-5 No. 2.
Sorour had to deal with windy conditions and difficult pin positions on the way to taking the first day lead.
“After building that 5-point cushion I just played conservative golf to protect my lead,” said Sorour who became the first Saudi who is not a member of the national team to win a major tournament.
Yacoub beat compatriot Hamad Mubarak Al Afnan yet again in a playoff for his second victory on Saudi soil in less than two months. On Oct. 18 Yacoub beat Mubarak on the first hole of sudden death to win the 2011 Saudi Oger Amateur Golf Championship at the Dirab Golf & Country Club on the outskirts of Riyadh.
Yacoub rolled in an 8-foot downhiller for the victory on the second extra hole of sudden death after Mubarak missed his birdie attempt from 15 feet.
Both players were tied on 72 after 36 holes with Yacoub catching first day leader Mubarak with a second round 34 to go with an opening 38. Mubarak fell to 33 after a first round 39 when he bogeyed No. 18 where he drove into a flower bed around the green, took a free drop and chipped short as his ball hit the branch of a palm tree. He again chipped from the fringe and two-putted.
During the sudden death both players returned to the tee box on 18, where they had matching pars. They again made their way back to the 18th tee. Mubarak was left of the green after a huge drive but his poor chip left him 15 feet below the hole. Yacoub dumped a pitching wedge on the high side of the green the ball spinning back one foot toward the cup. After Mubarak had the ball skimming left of the hole Yacoub stroked his birdie putt and pumped his fist after it disappeared into the cup to the cheers of a small gallery.
Sager Al Naimi on 71 points completed a sweep of the first three places for Bahrainis.
The awards for longest drive went to Korean M. S. Kim (Day One) and Shane Kennelly (Day Two) and nearest to the pin to Keath Leigh Bartlett (Day One) and Nabeel Sabt (Day Two).
Capping the event was the well-attended awards dinner Friday. Among those present during the occasion was Riyadh Golf Courses owner Prince Faisal bin Mohamed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Yusuf Eddiweesh, general director of Riyadh Development and Contracting Co., Marc Graus, RGC general manager; Saudi Golf Federation Secretary-general Abdulaziz Al Dablan and David Forster, general manger of First Motor Company, distributor of Volvo cars in the Kingdom.
To the credit of Graus, RGC Director of Golf VTM Rafi, PGA club professional Gary McGlinchey and their team the event was a big success.
