Morocco Triumphs at the 2015 Junior & Ladies Arab Golf Championship; A. Skaik Turns Heads for UAE
(Al Ain, UAE) – On December 10th – 12th, 2015 the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) hosted the 2015 Junior & Ladies Arab Golf Championship at Al Ain Equestrian Shooting & Golf Club (AESGC). Morocco took two First Place finishes in the Team category as United Arab Emirates standout, Ahmed Skaik, competes with the best players at the Championship.
The 16th edition of Junior Arab Golf Championship and the 7th edition for Ladies Arab Golf Championship, under the Arab Golf Federation, had 10 countries with 73 players. The Championship hosted Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Morocco’s 18 & Under Team
Adel Zarouni Vice Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation had this to say after the Championship, “The Emirates Golf Federation is proud to host Arab Youth, Junior, and Ladies Championship in Al Ain. This event shows the direction and strategy of the Federation in developing golf across all sectors. This tournament discovered a few unpolished jewels whom we will be developing for future champions”.
Morocco was the top winner as both, the 18 & Under and Ladies Team Categories were won by their teams. In the 18 & Under Division, Morocco was the clear winner with a team score of 435, winning by 10 shots. Tunisia took the Silver with a score of 445 and Egypt won the Bronze with a score of 452.
Saudi Arabia’s Saud Al-Sharf won the Individual category with rounds of 70-72-68 for an event total of 210, 2-under.
Ahmed Skaik
The UAE 18 & Under Team was made up of Ahmed Skaik, Mahmood Skaik , and Saeed Al Balooshi placed fifth in the Team category with a score of 472. Ahmad Skaik led the way with rounds of 80-71-72 for a total of 223. Ahmed placed sixth in the Individual category out of 25 players.
In the 15 & Under Division, Tunisia came out on top with a Team Score of 437. Just 4 shots back, Egypt won the Silver with a team score of 441. Coming in third place and winning the Bronze was Morocco with a score of 459.
Mehdi Ben Halima from Tunisia was the Individual winner in the 15 & Under Division after shooting rounds of 72-68-74 for a total of 214, 1-over.
The UAE 15 & Under Team was made up of Mohammed Al Hajeri, Obaid Al Heloo, and Khalil Kashwani. The team placed seventh with a score of 514. Top player and coming in ninth in the Individual category was Mohamed Al Hajeri, with rounds of 81-77-77 for a total of 237.
Morocco’s Gold Winning Ladies Team
Showing their strength, Morocco won the Gold in the Ladies Team Division by one point, with a score of 459. With a score of 460, Tunisia won the Silver. Rounding out the Top Three with a score of 496 was Egypt.
Winning the Individual category in the Ladies Division was Kanzah Al Athari from Tunisia. Al Athari shot three rounds of 74 for an event total 222.
The UAE Ladies Team was made up of Dr. Rabab Al Haj, Tara Al Marzooqi, and Reema Al Heloo. Leading the way in the Individual category was Tara Al Marzooqi with rounds of 97-86-86 for an event total of 269.
Greg Holmes, UAE National Team Head Coach said, “It was great to see that the UAE Teams are performing better as there were noticeable improvements on the back of the National Junior Development Program which is now in place. We saw some great individual performances from Ahmed Skaik, Mohammed Al Hajeri, and Tara Al Marzooqi. I know that these performances will inspire the entire program to work harder moving forward. The EGF is extremely proud of all the team and the hard work put into this event”.
