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PREPARATIONS are pressing ahead to stage two of the kingdom’s most prestigious annual golfing extravaganzas at Awali Golf Club, the desert home of the oldest course in the Middle East.
Players from across the region, alongside some making the trek from much further afield, will be putting their talents to the test and hoping for good fortune when it comes to coping with the infamous ‘Awali bounce’.
The 27th Ladies Open will commence proceedings on March 6-7 and the following weekend the 52nd Bahrain Open Golf Championship will be staged. Part of the funds raised by the events will be donated to help the blind and partially-sighted living in the kingdom, the chosen good cause being championed by Abdul Elah Fakhroo, 53, the first Bahraini Captain of Awali Golf Club.
He said: “We’re very excited and once again looking forward to welcoming players to Bahrain for this major sporting event and we are sure to attract many spectators too.
“Historically, the club has been of great importance to Bahrain and I was very proud to be elected as its first Bahraini Captain. I said at the time of taking up the post that I would like to help promote the game to a wider audience and these two events in particular make that possible.”
The competitions are always hotly-contested between visiting and local golf professionals and Bahrain’s best local amateurs. This strong local contingent will be augmented by players from as far afield as the US, UK and Australia.
Golfers with a handicap of 12 are eligible to enter the Bahrain Open and ladies with a handicap of 36 can enter the Ladies Open, although many of the field will hold considerably lower handicaps.
The Championship field is restricted to 110 competitors only and the 2015 Bahrain Open(s) Committee reserve the right to limit the number of entrants.
The Ladies open was won last year by Jan McAlpine, who will not be here to defend her title this year. She narrowly defeated Sarah Hobday by one shot in an exciting finish to claim the prize in her 18th attempt having played in her first Ladies Open 20 years ago.
National Team player Hamad Mubarak Afnan (gross 139) edged out Briton Daniel Owen (140) by a stroke to clinch the 51st Bahrain Golf Championship.
It turned into a battle between the two players, with Owen and Afnan joint leaders (69 one under) at the end of the first day before the latter went on to win his fifth Open title over 36 holes, of which the first was back in 1991.
Both players, it appears, have got the challenging course well sussed. According to one sporting website the course itself, like regular grass courses, takes advantage of the natural terrain, thus presenting a different set of challenges to golfers.
The par 70, 6,309 yard 18-hole course is littered with areas of uneven and often unkind bounce and therefore requires a ‘horses for courses’ approach to the game.
Entry forms are available on the club website: www.awaligolfclub.com
Spectators are welcome for both events and entry is free. Refreshments are available at the club renowned for its hospitality.
* Listen to Captain Abdul Elah Fakhroo’s full interview with Editor Stan Szecowka, by visiting www.gulfweekly.com
