Pepsi Junior-Am: Ranch rout
DUBAI An astonishing birdie blitz led by talented teenage duo Khalid Yousuf and Sean Thornberry saw the Pepsi 1 team pulverise both the opposition and the Arabian Ranches course to win the Pepsi Junior-Am.
Along with valuable contributions from Chris Turlik, Hayley Vallender and Nigel Benstead, they shot a remarkable nett 50.1 in the five-player Texas Scramble team event – nett 21.9 under par for the 18 holes.
They finished more than three strokes clear of the runners-up, Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, after recording a gross eagle and five consecutive birdies to end their round.
The eagle came at the par-five 13th, where Yousuf holed from the sand and the run concluded on the 18th when Turlik holed from 15 feet after Yousuf's assured approach shot from the fringe of the fairway.
It was Vallender's second Pepsi Junior-Am in a row, having been part of the 2007 winners, the Pepsi 3 team, along with PGA pro Nick Oakley, Sara Ensig, Tania Gelasini and Brian Mair.
The Pepsi Junior-Am is the annual season-ending Junior Development Programme tournament of the UAE Golf Association and enables the leading juniors to captain teams alongside PGA Professionals and leading amateurs. DH
Results
1. Pepsi 1: Sean Thornberry, Khalid Yousuf, Nigel Benstead, Hayley Vallender, Chris Turlik 50.1
2. DCGYC: Y.V. Kim, Alan Mackenzie,
Jean Francois Luquer, Abdulaziz Al Hakim,
John Fellingham 53.6
3. Al Hamra: Sana Tufail, Ross McArthur,
Tania Gelasini, Giordano Gelasini,
Sebastien Heisele. 54.4
4. Sharjah Wanderers: Jason Brown,
Ariel Ignacio, Bob Driver, Stuart Megson,
Paul McBeth 54.7
Golf radar: On a course near you
Speed's timely win
After three years of living in Dubai, one of the world's best known sports chiefs, outgoing International Cricket Council CEO Malcolm Speed, has finally won a medal at his local golf club – at the final attempt! Speed, who retires at the end of this month, recorded a nett 69 to win the B Division of The Montgomerie Dubai's May Ecco Medal and modestly told XPRESS: "I played very steadily. But I'll take it. Every win counts at my age!" Speed, whose farewell "present" was a handicap reduction to 13, added: "I've enjoyed playing Dubai's golf courses. I'm going to Europe for a holiday, then it's back to Australia." We wish him well.
Summer bargains
Most clubs in the UAE are operating summer green fees from now until the end of Ramadan, which will this year fall around September 30. So if you can stand the heat it's a great time to enjoy some fabulous golf courses at reasonable prices. For example, you can play at Arabian Ranches from just Dh225* or take a trip north to Tower Links in RAK and play from just Dh180*. If you prefer capital pursuits then try a round at Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club from Dh260* or brave the heat and the sand at Al Ghazal for just Dh75* for 18 holes. For a full list of all summer green fees in the UAE, visit the UAE Golf Association website at www.ugagolf.com/promotions
*UGA members rate
