Birdie finish highlights Khalid's Emirates Junior Open triumph

Dubai: Talented Khalid Yousuf picked up his third Junior Open title of the season when he upstaged a strong field at the Emirates Golf Club on Friday.

The 17-year-old star golfer put together solid rounds of 72 and 72 for a winning two-over-par total of 146.

Khalid, who plays of a -2 handicap, showed that course management and sensible play often prevail over power-play.

"I didn't quite play close to my best, but I'm still very happy to have won this tournament," he told Gulf News.

"The plan was to try and keep ahead and not to lose too many easy shots. There were a lot of good players in the field, including players from other countries. So it was nice to beat those guys to see how I compare to them."

Third place

Runner-up was another talented player, Matthew Turner (EGC) whose Day 1 meltdown on his back 9 cost him dearly. A second round of one under par 71, put him on 149, three shots behind Yousef.

Pushing Turner was birthday boy Sean Thornberry (EGC) who had one of his best performances to date with a seven over par total of 151, to claim third.

Khalid's day two round was a picture of consistency although he had two bogeys on the front 9 and another after the turn.

But he finished his round in heroic fashion with a scintillating birdie 4 on the closing 18th hole.

Khalid becomes the first UAE national to win this prestigious title.

He had earlier won the Junior Open titles at the Arabian Ranches and the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. "It's nice to keep winning because it means I'm getting better," said Khalid. "My goal is to be the best golfer in the region and I think I'm progressing in the right direction."

Having recently joined the Emirates Golf Club to become part of the ever increasing crop of talented young players, Khalid has wasted no time to stamp his authority on the junior section.

The girls championship was won by Cecile Krefting (DOA) with scores of 80 and 78 to win by nine shots from recently crowned Emirates Golf Club Junior Club Girl Champion, Nanna Nielsen (EGC).

The event attracted the largest field to date with 72 players, with the ever-present travelling team of the Doha Oilmen's Academy who had a fine performance.