Dubai : UAE will need to go up a level if they aim to challenge the frontrunners after a mixed performance left them trailing at seventh place on the opening day of the Arab Golf Championship. The tournament got under way at Citrus Golf Course in Hammamet in Tunisia on Friday.
Khalid Yousuf (74) and Ahmad Al Musharrakh (76) shot steady rounds, but the UAE team needed an equally solid round from a third member of the team to seize the early initiative as the top three scores count towards a team's score.
Stumble
It was not the case as Hassan Musharrakh, who replaced Saeed Malek in the senior team after the latter was forced to pull out at the last minute, stuttered and stumbled a bit before carding a indifferent 87, which left the UAE team 11 shots behind the pace-setter and defending champions Bahrain.
Abdullah Al Musharrakh, the fourth member of the team, shot an 89. Egypt and Tunisia were second and third respectively on a day when players struggled to tame the course.
The UAE were placed fourth in the junior division behind Morocco, Qatar and hosts Tunisia. Sohail Al Marzouqi (92) and Faisal Al Marzouqi (86) contributed the top two scores to the team's total.
Women's team
Making their first appearance in an international competition, the UAE women's team did well to finish the day in third.
