EGF hails UAE Girls and Ladies for 'outstanding performance' at Pan Arab Golf Championships

The Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) has hailed the UAE girls' teams for their dominant performance at the 54-hole Pan Arab Ladies’ and Youth Golf Championships in Tunisia, where they claimed a stunning seven medals.

Leading the charge was the UAE Under-16 Girls’ team, consisting of Anca Mateiu, Aasiya Saleem, and Sara Abubaker, who swept the podium in the Individual event and also clinched Team Gold.

Anca’s strong rounds of 66, 66, and 70 earned her a commanding seven-shot victory and the gold medal, with teammate Aasiya taking second place after posting rounds of 66, 73, and 70. Sara rounded off the podium with impressive three rounds of 72, 69, and 70.

“We are all thrilled with the outstanding performances of our UAE girls and UAE Ladies – both in the Individual and in the Team Divisions,” General Abdullah Alhashmi, Vice-Chairman of the EGF, told Khaleej Times on Thursday.

“To claim Gold and Silver Team Medals is beyond our expectations – and to win five out of six Individual Medals shows our strength and depth in these divisions. It also indicates that we are on the right track with our UAE Golf Development Programme.

“To compete and perform so well against 10 other Arab nations in this Middle East region – is a testament to all the hard work of the players and the support team we have created,” Alhashmi added.

The EGF's commitment to growing the game among women is evident, and this success is a major step forward for female golfers in the UAE.

“The standard of golf in the Middle East is increasing at a fast pace, especially from females – and we are so proud our UAE girls have excelled in Tunisia – well-played girls!” said Al Alhashmi.

Reflecting on her gold medal-winning performance, Anca Mateiu shared her joy and said: “It is exciting to win the Individual Gold this week in the division. Sara and Aasiya won the Team Gold last year, so it’s nice to win this again for the UAE with these two girls.

“We have all had a fun week despite the variable weather that we are not used to in Dubai.”

Anca went on to acknowledge the support behind the team’s success.

“I want to thank the EGF and all the UAE support team for their encouragement,” she said. “It’s impressive to win five out of six Individual Medals across the two divisions, alongside a Gold and Silver in the team event.”

Reflecting on the overall experience of playing in the Pan Arab Ladies’ and Youth Golf Championships, Anca added, “We’ve all had a fun week despite the variable weather, which we’re not used to in Dubai.”

Earlier, Morocco’s Sofia Essakali won the Ladies’ Division, with UAE’s Intissar Rich finishing second and Jamie Camero (UAE) securing third place on a countback. In the Ladies Team Division, Team Morocco claimed victory with a score of 421, while the UAE Team finished seven shots behind to take the silver medal. Faye Alblooshi was the third member of the UAE Ladies’ Team.

The Boys Under-18 and Boys Under-16 Divisions, both 54-hole events, are World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) tournaments supported by The R&A. They will take place from Friday to Sunday, September 29, 2024.

Alhashmi said: “In a couple of days we will see our UAE Boys in action in the Under-18’s and Under-16’s Pan Arab Youth Golf Championship, again in Tunisia.

“We wish them well and look forward to witnessing more positive performances against the best golfers in the Arab world at their age.”

Players from Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, and the UAE will be in action.

The UAE Boys’ Teams include Mohammed Skaik, Neyl Cherrat, and Rayan Ahmed in the Under-18 division, while Mohammad Thabet, Abdullah Darwish, and Abdulla Salmeen will represent the Under-16 division.

The format for all the Team events was the best two scores from the team three each day.

Results

Ladies Division

Essakali (Morocco) 67. 72. 66. 205.

Rich (UAE) 70. 75. 69. 214.

Camero (UAE) 69. 71. 74. 214.

Girls’ Under 16’s

Mateui (UAE) 66. 66. 70. 202.