Dubai: Faisal Al Marzouqi will join Ahmad Skaik and Abdullah Al Qubaisi, both products of the National Junior Programme (NJP), in leading the UAE challenge in the junior division of the GCC Golf Championship, which gets underway at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club tomorrow.
The UAE are the defending champions in the junior division and the new-look team will be aiming to win back-to-back titles when they compete in the three-day annual championship, which has attracted teams from all the GCC states.
For both Skaik and Al Qubaisi, it will be their first exposure to this level of competition, but the talented duo are confident of rising to the challenge.
Pressure of the big league
"Of course, the pressure of defending the title will always be there, but we have faith in our ability and, hopefully, we will be able get the job done," Skaik said.
"Our preparations in the run-up to the championship have gone well and we can't wait to get started."
The UAE junior team tallied a gross score of 320, beating their nearest rivals Qatar by four shots, in last year's championship at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain.
"It's nice to see players from our National Junior Programme make it to the UAE team," Saeed Al Budoor, general manager of the Emirates Golf Federation, said.
"Their elevation to the national team will be a source of inspiration for other youngsters enrolled with the NJP to work hard and follow in the footsteps of Skaik and Al Qubaisi.
"The junior team's performance in the GCC Championship will be a good advertisement for the programme, which we started in 2010 with the aim of increasing the popularity of the game among young Emiratis."
The programme is supported by Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Al Badia Golf Club, Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club, Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Abu Dhabi City Golf Club.
"We thank all the clubs for their support in promoting the game among national juniors. I believe through their association we will be able to find more players for our junior teams in the near future," Al Budoor added.
