Sunday 24 / November / 2024
Saleh Alkaabi from Qatar produced the low round of the week on the final day to claim the second Oman Amateur Series event held at Ghala Golf Club in Muscat, Oman.
Played over three consecutive days the event had the added attraction of World Amateur Golf Ranking points with four ranked players in the field including Ruwan Jayasinghe, the winner of the first Oman Amateur Series event, and Azaan Al Rumhy, Oman’s leading amateur golfer.
Having recently returned from Australia, where he was competing in the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, Alkaabi opened with a steady 73 to share the first round lead with local Junior National Team Player Adam Al Barwani. In the second round Ruwan Jayasinghe found the form which secured him a win in the first Oman Amateur Series event earlier in the year with a fine 73 to close the gap on Alkaabi to just one stroke heading into the final round. However, as the adage goes, a tournament is often won over the closing 9 holes, and in this case no-one could match Alkaabi’s blistering closing 9 of five under par 31 which included 3 birdies and an eagle to post a final round score of 69 and a winning total of 217.
In runner up spot was Bahrain National Team regular Mohammed Diab Alnoaimi, with Ruwan Jayasinghe coming in third, and Azaan Al Rumhy in fourth.
In the net division Ghala Golf Club member George Alfonso took the top spot finishing an impressive -10 net for the 54 holes.
The Oman Amateur Series has been created by the Oman Golf Association to provide playing opportunities for elite amateur golfers based in the Sultanate. The events will be accredited with World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points, the WAGR listing is managed by the R&A and the USGA and is used as a global measure of the elite amateur competitive game. Currently Oman has one player, Azzan Al Rumhy, listed with WAGR status, through these events the Oman Golf Association endeavours to see this number increase.
As the series develops it will attract more elite players from wider afield which will strengthen the event and the WAGR points available, it will also allow players based in the Sultanate to measure themselves against the best in the region.
The Oman Amateur Series has been made possible by the support of Ghala Golf Club, the R&A, Asian Tour, and the Oman Golf Associations partners Sohar Aluminium and Moore Stephens. The Oman Golf Association also thanks the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth for their ongoing support and guidance.
