Friday 26 / April / 2024
Muscat: The OGC’s (Oman Golf Committee) junior team coach Milo Breitenwischer is happy with the newly-included faces in the national U-15 squad.
The OGC recently included four golfers, Naseh Al Barwani, Mohammed Al Balushi, Qussiah Al Barwani and Ayman Al Busaidi, in the junior national side. They had taken part in the recently concluded U-15 GCC Golf Championship held in Bahrain.
The talented trio of Naseh, Aymanand Qussiah underwent training over the past one year under PGA Pro coach Breitenwischeron the lush green course of Ghala Golf Club.
Mohammed was included in the OGC Development Squad a few months back. After several rounds of screenings, these kids eventually made the cut, entering the U-15 squad.
OGC Chairman Mundhir Al Barwani said,“We have a very good reputation about our U-15 team. We have always got a podium finish, whether the competition is held in Oman or abroad. This year was challenging for our newly-included players. But I hope we can keep our standards high.”
The OGC chief is happy that these three kids were chosen through some ‘tough’ rounds of selection process. “The PGA Pro coach Milo has done the job with great precision. We were not certain whoto choose from this group of trainees. They were busy playing competitions. But Milo worked hard to choose them from the Development Squad,” said Al Barwani.
Breitenwischer’s assessment of the kids are also very positive. After 7-year-old Ayman spent a few months in the Development Squad, Breitenwischerwas well aware of his talent. He marked him out as “potential member of junior national team” and “he was close to getting a handicap as well.”
Breitenwischersays, “Ayman is very talented and a diligent boy with lots of dedication. For his age, he plays exceptionally good. He is very passionate aboutgolf and shows a lot commitment to the game. That makes him one of the best players in the Development Squad, although he is still very young.His parents are also very supportive. He is regular in practice and shows a lot of interest in continuing the game. He is here to stay.”
Breitenwischeris equally enthusiastic about Qussiah, saying, “The whole family is very reliable in terms of him participating in all training sessions. Qussiah is not yet a very exceptional player, but more practice and seriousness can really make him a better golfer. He has to be more serious in training. I am hopeful about him.”
Another young gun Mohammed joined the Development Squad a few months back and has already amazed his coach. “He has showed his talent hitting golf shots on the driving range. He hits the ball very far. That was the reason why we had selected him to participate in Under-15 GCC Championship. But I am working on his technique to hit more consistent shots.”
Ahmed Al Jhdhamy,the Vice Chairman of the OGC, said, “We have a very good record in the U-15 category. So we will have to maintain that. Hope these new kids will fly the Omaniflag high in the GCC level.”
Oman had a fabulous record in the U-15 category since 2014.
The inaugural edition of the GCC U-15 tournament was held in Muscat back in 2014 where the Oman juniors comprising Fahad Al Kitani, Rashad Al Harthy and Fahad Al Mahrouqi bagged the team crown in the gross category at the Ghala Golf Club. Al Kitani also finished runner-up in the individual category.
The previous year saw a more solid performance from the Oman team, which won both the team gross and individual titles in Dubai. Fahad Al Kitani snatched the individual gross crown, beating some tough competitors from Qatar and Bahrain.
The Oman team retained the crown of team championship, comprising Fahad Al Kitani, Rashad Al Harthy and Haitham Zubair.
