Whatmore, Ahmed win at Assarain Golf Oman Jr Series

Sports Saturday 23/December/2017 17:12 PM
By: Times News Service
Whatmore, Ahmed win at Assarain Golf Oman Jr Series

Muscat: Danny Whatmore of Ghala Golf Club and Rayyan Ahmed of Ras Al Hamra Golf Club took the top honours in the under-15 and under-12 categories respectively as the inaugural Assarain Golf Oman Junior Series concluded at Almouj Golf Club on Saturday.
Speaking at the awards ceremony on Saturday, Whatmore thanked everyone responsible for putting together the Junior Series.
“It was a fantastic series for all of our golfers and it’s a great honour to be the champion golfer of 2017,” he said.
The Assarain Golf Oman Junior Series provides junior golfers in Oman with an opportunity to participate in regular competitive golfing events, while experiencing different courses, and strive towards earning a place in local and regional junior tournaments. The 2017 series was supported by Alizz Islamic Bank, Engie Stomo and IDG Oman, under the umbrella of the Assarain Group who have consistently supported junior golf development across the Sultanate.
“It’s a brilliant initiative for kids across Oman,” said Ibrahim Al Wahaibi, Managing Director of the Assarain Group.
“Through this Junior Series, we’ve seen children become more confident and competent and put themselves out there more. It’s also shown us how much golfing talent there is in Oman so we’re very happy to be supporting such a great programme. We’re looking forward to an even bigger Series next year.”
Four golfers from the 2017 Junior Series - Mohammed Al Naamani, Ayman Al Busaidi, Danny Whatmore and Matthew O’Donoghue - have been given the opportunity to participate in next year’s Faldo Series Middle East Championships in Al Ain in March, the first time such an opportunity has been extended to junior golfers in Oman.
Top Omani player
Also taking home trophies were Mohammed Al Naamani and Ayman Al Busaidi.
Mohammed Al Naamani, a member of the Oman under-15 team, claimed the top Omani player title. Al Naamani has seen a particularly successful golfing year, representing Oman at the Arab Championships in Jordan and now beating out other strong Omani golfers for the title.
Ayman Al Busaidi, also a member of the Oman under-15 team – won the under-15 title as Ras Al Hamra champion.
Meanwhile, Simon Piel and Darsh Pawani took home the titles for Almouj and Ghala Golf Club respectively.
“I was thrilled to be the Ras Al Hamra Champion,” said Al Busaidi, thanking the Oman Golf Committee and their sponsors. “From this event, I was honoured to be selected for the national team in Tunisia and now for the Faldo Series in Al Ain next year. I really enjoyed playing the three Muscat courses during the Junior Series.”
The second Assarain Golf Oman Junior Series will be held in 2018 with an even larger pool of junior golfers lined-up to participate.
Speaking at the ceremony, Lee O’Donoghue, Director of Golf at Oman Golf Committee, said the goal is to “create an environment which allows the children to compete, build friendships and share their passion for the sport.”
Golf Oman and its junior development programme continues to be supported by Golf Oman partners - Omantel, National Bank of Oman and Oman LNG.