Dubai : The January edition of the Dubai Creek BMW-Rivoli monthly medal is a special occasion every year because it marks the new club captain's "drive-in" to mark the beginning of his captaincy. Before the shotgun tees off, it is customary for the players taking part to make their way to the first tee to support (or pressurise) the new Captain as he hits his opening drive.
The 2012 Captain, Ara Nakhnikian, decided that this year he would add another dimension to his opening drive. Prior to the event he announced there would be a wager of sorts in order to raise money for the staff fund. The idea was that everyone who came to watch him tee off had to be prepared to donate Dh100 to the fund if he managed to hit the fairway.
On the other hand, Nakhnikian promised if he missed the fairway, he would himself donate Dh50 for everyone who watched. In addition, the club also ran an event whereby all competitors could choose a distance in yards that the opening tee shot would travel.
Forty players from the field made their way to the first tee to support the new captain, who seemed in a jovial mood. Everyone knew, though, that there would be serious pressure on this shot.
Into the sand
The crowd fell silent as Nakhnikian took his swing. He struck the ball right out of the middle and the crowd exploded into cheers and applause.
Everyone watched as the ball soared down the left side of the fairway but unfortunately for Ara it bounded on and on and into the bunker. When it stopped it was a whopping 261 yards from the tee.
Missing the fairway meant that Nakhnikian — happily — donated Dh2,000 to the staff fund which was started at the beginning of 2011 by last year's Captain Joseph Andrade.
Winning the "guess the distance" event was Ashok Ahuja, who predicted Nakhnikian would hit exactly 261 yards. It turned out to be a great day for Ahuja who also won the BMW-Rivoli Medal.
