Dubai: Hassan Al Musharrekh won gold in the junior individual category of the 31st Pan Arab Golf Championship at the par-73 Royal Golf Dar Es Salam Resort in Rabat, Morocco from September 14-17 - while the UAE's senior men's side could only manage third in the main event.
The younger brother of senior team members Ahmed and Abdullah, stole the show shooting gross rounds of 67, 72 and 75 to finish the 54-hole championship on a gross 214, a good five shots ahead of his nearest challenger Ayoub Lguirati of Morocco.
Meanwhile the UAE's senior men, starting the last day's proceedings in fourth position, carded a combined gross score of 238 for a 72-hole total of 948 to make it to the podium with a late charge. Ahmed and Abdullah Al Musharrekh, Khalid Yousuf and Faris Al Mazroui formed the four-member UAE men's side.
Hosts Morocco held on to their overnight lead to win the championship with a score of 896 ahead of runners-up Bahrain (930) while Lebanon were placed fourth on a gross 952. Top three scores from a team of four were counted each day in the championship which attracted 12 teams.
Hassan's elder brother Ahmed, who played a key role guiding the UAE to third, also made his presence felt, finishing fifth in the senior individual division with a 72-hole total of 307, just six shots behind leader Mohamed Belaroussia of Morocco.
But Morocco completed a grand treble when they added the junior and ladies team championships to their victory in the main division.
Morocco posted a score of 439 to finish top in the junior section, well ahead of Qatar (457) and Egypt (478). They were too good in the ladies division, winning the title with an impressive score of 494, beating Tunisia (504) to second place.
The UAE were pleased with their overall performance in the championship: "We targeted a win, that was our goal and we fell a little bit short of that so there was disappointment. But we can take a few positives out of it and we can learn a lot from it and try and progress going forward," said Saeed Albudoor, general manager of the Emirates Golf Federation.
"I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Hassan, who really played well. Winning a gold medal means he is the number one junior golfer in the Arab world - and that's a great honour."
"Also, Ahmed fared brilliantly in the senior division, contributing to the team's score each day. His top-five finish in the senior division will go a long way boosting his confidence. Overall, I think we did very well. Many thanks to all members of the team, including Dr Rabab Al Haj who featured in the ladies division and posted gross rounds of 103, 109 and 101," he added.
Final scores
Senior team championship: 1. Morocco 896, 2. Bahrain 930, 3. UAE 949, 4. Lebanon 952.
Individual (seniors): 1. Mohamed Belaroussia (Morocco) gross 301, 2.
Saissi Mehdi (Morocco) gross 303, 3. Hamad Mubarak (Bahrain) gross 304, 4. Ahmed Marjane (Morocco) 304, 5. Ahmed Al Musharrekh (UAE) 307.
Junior team championship: 1. Morocco 439, 2. Qatar 457, 3.Egypt 478 Individual (juniors): 1. Hassan Al Musherrekh (UAE) (67, 72, 75, total 214), 2. Ayoob Lagerati (Morocco) 219, 3. Ameen Al Maliki (Morocco) 220
Ladies championship: 1. Morocco 494, 2. Tunisia 504 Individual (ladies): 1. Houria El Abbadi (Morocco) 248 playoff, 2. Nadia El Tabaa (Morocco) 248, 3. Feriel Chahed (Tunisia) 249.
