RIYADH: Six years after it hosted the Pan Arab Golf Championship that put the Kingdom in the regional sporting map, Dirab Golf & Country Club was again the venue of the 18th GCC Men’s Championship that ended in big success on Saturday and with Saudi Arabia achieving its best finish of second place in the history of the tournament.

Though powerhouse Bahrain lived up to its reputation by winning the team and individual titles in the regular men’s division the Kingdom national team created some ripple by finishing runner-up to many times champion Bahrain and second in the men’s net category courtesy of Abdulrahman Almansour.

Bahrain had a three-day gross total of 674 in the four-team three to count event, well in front of the hosts who tallied 692 with a final day score of 228 built on rounds of 74 by the comebacking US-based Othman Almulla and a pair of 77s from Faisal Salhab and Saudi-American Ali Hassan. Almansour’s 80 did not count.

The third place at 694 total went to Qatar, which produced the tournament’s best score of 66 posted by Saleh Ali Al-Kaabi on the first day. Three strokes back in fourth place was the UAE team bannered by Khalid Yousef, Rashid Hamood, Sohail Marzouqui and Hassan Al Musharrekh, while Oman was a distant fifth at 727 and Kuwait sixth and last at 779.

Hamad Mubarak Al-Afnan got his redemption by beating fellow Bahraini, the legendary Nasser Yacoub Saleh, on the first hole of sudden death playoff for the individual crown.

Beaten by Nasser on the same 18th hole in a playoff for the 2011 Saudi Oger Amateur Golf Championship, Mubarak ensured victory this time when he landed his 7-iron approach shot to four feet and two putted for par while Nasser made bogey when his first putt from 15 feet went three feet past the hole and he missed the comebacker.

Mubarak and Yacoub were tied on 221 after the regulation 54 holes. UAE’s Yousef missed the playoff on 222 with Oman’s Azzan Mohamed Al-Ramahi on 223.

Ramahi, however, went on to bag the seniors individual net category on 217 with Almansour second on 219 and Mubarak and Yacoub tied third on 221.

UAE retained the crown in the 8th Junior GCC Championship held simultaneously at the flat but challenging layout on the outskirts of Riyadh.

This three team two to count event had the eventual champion scoring a winning gross total of 473, seven strokes ahead of second place Qatar on 480 with Bahrain a farther 14 strokes back in third place.

The tournament that gathered the best amateur golfers in the Gulf ended with an awarding ceremony later Saturday.

Abunayyan Group Chair Sheikh Mohamed Abunayyan received a plaque of appreciation from UAE team manager Khalid Mubarak Achamsi.

Achamsi was proud of Dirab golf course condition and the organization of the event. He thanked Saudi Golf Federation and Dirab management for their efforts in making the 18th Senior and 8th Junior GCC Championships a big success.

Bahrain team manager Abdullah Sultan Al-Hakam said he used to come to Dirab Golf Club for the last 16 years and every year Dirab is getting better and better with conditions on PGA standard including greens, fairways and rough. The speed of the green was 11.3 on Stimpmeter, said DGCC Golf Manager Bouchaib El Jadiani.

Yousef Eddewish, president of Saudi Golf Federation, thanked all the teams and and Saudi national team players for taking second place. Also, he thanked the organizers including Saudi Golf Federation members and Dirab management .

The federation separately presented a plaque of appreciation to golf course owners Sheikh Mohamed Abunayyan and Khaled Abunayyan for their support of the two-in-one tournament.

Khaled Abunayyan, president of Dirab Golf & Country Club, thanked Moin Sarhan, general manager of Marriott Riyadh Hotel, for the hotel’s catering services during the four days of the competition.

Meantime, Dirab will organize the 7th ZAHID Tractor Golf Tournament on March 15, Pakistan National Day Golf Tournament on March 22 and ABGR Championship on March 27 and 28, according to Dirab Golf Committee Chair Tariq Javed.