Dubai: The UAE golf team, comprising of Khalid Yousuf, Ahmad Skaik and Saif Thabet, will travel to Malaysia this weekend to compete in the Nomura Cup at Sungai Long Golf and Country Club in Selangor from November 9-12.
The event was last hosted in 2015 at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Links Golf Club and is the Asia Pacific Amateur Golf Team Championship organised by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC).
Yousuf will captain the side, and comes with years of experience as well of a summer of practice and three appearances on the Mena Tour.
Also competing will be Skaik, who won individual gold in the recent GCC Golf Championship, finished top-10 in the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) Order of Merit, and competed in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in New Zealand just two weeks ago. Rounding off the trio will be Thabet, who played in last year’s Eisenhower Trophy in Mexico where he led the team in individual scoring.
“The team has been working hard and pushing each other towards the Nomura Cup,” said EGF secretary general and UAE team manager Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi.
“Since the beginning of the summer, the team has utilised the European Tour Performance Institute (ETPI) at Jumeirah Golf Estates (JGE) in order to sharpen their skills. With the elite training and newest golf technology at the ETPI, we have seen major improvements in our team’s fundamentals and scoring abilities.”
Asked how well they would fare in Malaysia, he said: “I think it will come down to our players’ short game and how well they can manage the course. If our men manage these areas well we should have a respectable showing this year,”
The Nomura Cup will have individual and team divisions. To follow the event, visit the Malaysian Golf Association website at www.mgaonline.com.my or the EGF across its social media channels.
