Golf: OHI Oman Amateur Open attracts record entries

Muscat: The 8th edition of the OHI Oman Amateur Open golf has attracted more than 200 entries with international players from Oman, GCC and beyond showing interest to take part in the prestigious tournament.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the organisers said ‘to cater for the unprecedented demand for entries, the starting line-up will be culled to the 120 golfers who have registered with the lowest handicaps’.
The 2017 Oman Open will be staged at Ghala Golf Club on January 27 and 28.
Following the recent announcement of OHI as title sponsors of Oman’s premier golf Open, Golf Oman have also introduced a fourth category to cater to the talented young golfers. Joining the OHI Oman Amateur Open, OHI Ladies Open and the OHI Juniors Open is the launch of the OHI Oman Under-15 Open.
Commenting on the new category for players aged under 15 years, Mundhir Al Barwani, Chairman of the Oman Golf Committee, noted: “The game of golf is becoming increasingly popular with youth in Oman and we felt it was the right time to add this new category to our calendar. We have so many talented youth attending training programmes across all four clubs in Oman and with our golf in schools initiative we want to create a competitive opportunity for them. We look forward to crowning the first ‘Oman U15 Champion golfer of the year.”
Eihab Al Saleh, CEO of OHI, said: “Golf in Oman is at a very exciting stage and OHI had no hesitations when approached to become title sponsors. The introduction of the Under-15 event is fantastic and shows why golf is such a unique and accessible sport, with golfers aged from seven to over 70 coming together across the two days of game play.”
The Oman Golf Committee’s mission, with the support of the Ministry of Sporting Affairs and their corporate partners Oman LNG, National Bank of Oman and Omantel, is to raise awareness and participation levels for golf in Oman and to give golfers of all ages the opportunity to play the sport.
The committee aims to create an environment that allows beginners to learn and serious golfers to strive to the top. OGC is working to raise the standard of golf in Oman and produce a national team capable of competing in international events like the Olympic Games and the World Cup of Golf.