Barwood and Novack win Challenge title

Abu Dhabi: With Abu Dhabi all set to host the Daily Telegraph Junior Golf Championship in association with The Royal Bank of Scotland and Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), this weekend, youngsters Hannah Barwood and Jack Novack have claimed victory in the three-day event's ceremonial Challenge warm-up match.

The Challenge format saw 21 UK juniors pair up with their UAE counterparts for a traditional "Better Ball Stableford" game.

And after 18 holes at Abu Dhabi Golf Club's National Course, the home of the annual European PGA Tour sanctioned Abu Dhabi Golf Championship UK qualifier Barwood (handicap +2) and UAE resident Jack Novack (handicap 24) reached the clubhouse on 42 points to clinch the trophy.

Stableford is a form of stroke-play where players score points per hole based on their number of strokes in relation to a holes fixed score. Some 44,000 British youngsters contested 1,000 UK qualifiers to decide the final 21-strong field for this weekend's Junior Golf Championship - the world's largest junior tournament. Twelve boys and nine girls will now play three rounds in three days on the National Course to decide the overall winner in each category.

After signing a three-year deal to bring the event to the UAE capital, ADTA and Abu Dhabi Golf Club are co-hosting the Junior Golf Championship as part of a long-term golf development strategy to position the emirate as a leading player on the international golfing map.

"The Challenge match was just the start," said Nik Robinson, Director of sales and marketing, Abu Dhabi Golf Club.