Dubai: The UAE Pro Team beat the UAE Amateur Team to win the 2022 Dubai Golf Trophy after Day Two at Emirates Golf Club.
After the Sunday Foursome and Fourball matches at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, the Pros led the Amateurs by 8 and a half - 7 and a half points.
The 16 Singles matches today were always close and the Trophy went to the last match on the final green on the Majlis Course between professional Purna Sharma (PSI) and amateur Barry Pavic (The Els Club).
Pavic needed to win his match to tie the Two Day Trophy, but in the end, it was a solid par five from Sharma that was good enough for a halved hole and a halved match for the pros to win the overall Trophy, watched by an appreciative crowd of both teams.
Special mention must be made of the three pointer players, winning all their matches from both Teams: from the Pros Team: Graham Forbes (ProSports International), Nathan Kernaghan (The Els Club) and Ryan Smith (Arabian Ranches Golf Club) and from the Amateur Team: Hugo Garcia (Emirates Golf Club) and Yash Majmudar (Jumeirah Golf Estates).
Extra special
Winning non-playing Captain of the Pro’s Team, Mike Major (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club), said at the end of play on completion of all the single matches, "It has been a privilege to not only be a Captain but a winning Captain, that has a nice ring to it. It is the first time in seven years since pros have won the Trophy. It could not have been any closer. It sums up the camaraderie of the Dubai Golf Trophy in the giving of the putt on the last green of the last live match for the half between Purna Sharma (PSI) and Barry Pavic (The Els Club), to see us Pros home, that is the spirit of the Dubai Golf Trophy."
Major added, "This year has been extra special as we welcome professional Olivia Jackson (Emirates Golf Club) as our first lady in this annual match as one of our 16 first team members and well done to Jackson Bell (Jumeirah Golf Estates) who has been out of action for 15 months with a knee injury. Finally, a big thank you to Dubai Golf for their sponsorship along with the Emirates Golf Federation and ProSports International as well as to my Vice-Captain of the pros Jack Woods, who has been so supportive in my role this year. We wish Jack all the best for the 2023 Captaincy."
Amateur Team Captain Khalid Yousuf (EGF) congratulated the pros on their win and applauded the decision to make the event inclusive, in the spirit of the modern game.
In the Ladies Challenge Match – Singles, the professionals won 2-0: with Lea Pouillard (DCGYC) defeating amateur Jamie Rosalyn Camero (The Els Club) by 4&3 and Ginger Delacretaz (UAE PGA) beating amateur Liang Wei Lui (EGC) by 3&2.
