James Nash (Wales) shot a final round two under par 70 for a 54 hole total of nine under par 207 to win the 2023 Montgomerie Golf Club Dubai Men’s Open today (Sunday).
Nash started his final round five shots clear of the field.
He went birdie – birdie – bogey to be out in one under par 35 to maintain his lead from playing partner Sam Mullane (JGE).
Two under par
Further birdies on holes 10 and 14 and six pars and a bogey six on the 18th hole saw Nash home in 35 for a two under par round, with Mullane home in 39.
Nash won by nine shots from Mullane in a dominant show of golf, in a wire-to-wire victory, having tied the lead after round one with a 70.
23 year-old Nash said on completing his round, “I played solidly throughout the three rounds, drove it really nicely, hit a lot of greens and everything just came together with my golf game. My next confirmed tournament will be the Qatar Amateur Open at the start of March. My schedule for the rest of this month is still be decided. Being in the UAE for four months is excellent preparation for me to play in Europe as a full-time amateur golfer all summer.”
He added, “Events in the UAE and elsewhere where I play, that carry World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points are important for me, as it helps my entry into the better golf events as well as more opportunities to compete at the highest level of elite amateur golf. The golf course at the Montgomerie Golf Club was in tournament condition and the greens were pure. The tournament set-up of the golf course was excellent. Thanks to all involved in organising the event.”
Second place
Nash is a former Montgomerie Golf Club Junior Academy Member before moving to England in 2016 and on this visit he also won the Dubai Creek Amateur Open.
In second place was 19 year-old Mullane (JGE), winner of the recent Men’s Emirates Amateur Open with rounds of 72. 70. 74 for the week. In the Net Division Rakesh Shah (EGC) took the top prize, receiving eight handicap shots with net rounds of 70, 67 and 71.
This 54 hole individual strokeplay tournament is the ninth qualifying event on the Emirates Golf Federation’s (EGF) 2022 – 2023 Men’s Order of Merit as well as an approved World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) event supported by the R&A.
Final Results (Par 72 Black Tees).
Best Gross:
J. Nash (Wales) 70. 67. 70. 207.
S. Mullane (JGE) 72. 70. 74. 216.
R. Samawi (Switzerland) 74. 71. 72. 217.
L. Klein (Czech Republic) 74. 71. 72. 217.
Best Net
1 – R. Shah (Emirates Golf Club) 208.
2 – E. Galeppini (Dubai Creek) 210.
3 – G. Martin (Montgomerie GC) 210.
Day 1:
Best Gross: D. Byrne (The Els Club) 70.
Best Net: R. Gulati (Dubai Creek) 68.
Day 2:
Best Gross: J. Selvaraj (Trump International GC) 70.
Best Net: A. Naim (The Els Club) 68.
Day 3:
Best Gross: A. Hess (Exeter University, England) 71.
Best Net: J. Chinchankar (Emirates Golf Club) 70.
