Dubai: The UAE senior team finished third in the GCC Golf Championships in Qatar last weekend.
The best three scores from the four-man team, consisting of Khalid Yousuf, Ahmad Skaik, Rashid Hamoud and Saeed Malik, saw the UAE total 917, while hosts Qatar finished first with 889 and Bahrain came second with 910.
Yousuf also finished third in the individual category with a four round score of 301 from rounds of 78, 75, 76 and 72.
“I am proud of myself but most importantly of my team,” he said. “We were able to focus under pressure in order to hold our rounds together and finish with good scores.
“The part of my game that was working well this weekend was my scoring skills. Looking back at my cards, I was 14 over on the front side and one under on the back for the weekend.
“I was able to pull myself together and the difference in my scores definitely proves that. My final round was just an overall good round of golf.
“It felt good to finish strong for the team. Looking forward we need to start preparing for the Eisenhower Trophy. It would be a great accomplishment for the UAE and the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) to have a strong showing at that event.”
UAE national team coach Greg Holmes said: “Overall I am exceptionally proud of how the team played in Doha. The scoring was much more competitive and there were some great individual performances under pressure. The event was a great measure of how hard the players have been working and will be a great confidence boost for the team in preparation for the Eisenhower Trophy in September.”
Elsewhere, the UAE junior team finished fifth. The best two scores from the three-man team, consisting of Mahmoud Skaik, Mohammad Al Hajeri and Rashid Al Emadi saw the UAE total 517. Hosts Qatar finished first with 484, Kuwait second and Bahrain finished third.
