The competitions of the 37th edition of the Qatar World Open Golf Championship, which will be held at the Doha Club Stadium, continue for three consecutive days with the participation of 126 players. Yesterday’s competitions witnessed 57 players qualifying for the final, including five Qataris: Ali Al-Shahrani, Saleh Al-Kaabi, Abdul Rahman Al-Shahrani, Jaham Al-Kuwari and Abdulaziz Al-Mohannadi. Where the results of our players yesterday were much better than the competitions of the first day, as Abdul Rahman Al-Shahrani achieved 156 strikes, or 12 strikes above average, and Jaham Al-Kuwari achieved 163 strikes, or 19 strikes above average, compared to 24 strikes above average for our player Abdulaziz Al-Muhannadi. Abdulaziz Al-Buainain and Salman Al-Khanji achieved 175 strikes, and Muhammad Saeed Al-Kuwari scored 177 strikes.
On the other hand, England’s Sam Epstein managed yesterday to reach the top by achieving 146 strikes, two strikes above average, equal to his compatriot Reese Goodyear, who took the lead on the first day. Welshman James Nash came in third place, achieving 147 strikes, or 3 strikes above average. Our player, Ali Al-Shahrani, came in third place with 4 hits above average, with a total of 148 hits, equal to Welshman Joe Jones, followed by our player Saleh Al-Kaabi, who achieved a total of 149 hits, or five hits above average, equally with Calum Fitzgerald. Arab Presence The competitions witnessed an Arab presence, the most prominent of which was the Bahraini Sultan Abdullah Al-Hakam, who achieved a total of 151 strokes, equal to the Pakistani Omar Khaled Hussain, with seven strokes above average. Bahraini players Nasser Yaqoub, Muhammad Hamid Al-Atham, Khaled Salem Al-Atham, Hussein Ahmed Salem, Rashid Faris Al-Qatami, Hamed Salem Al-Atham, and veteran Lebanese Rashid Akl, along with Omar Mamlouk, were also present. Mohammed Al-Mohannadi: The tournament is witnessing a large participation Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Mohannadi, Assistant Secretary of the Qatar Golf Association, expressed his happiness with the distinguished atmosphere in the tournament, indicating that the competitions are going well in terms of organization and technical, according to what has been planned, and he added, saying: The tournament is witnessing a great participation Among the amateur golfers, as the number of participants in it exceeds 120 players from 40 countries, and this is a good number, which confirms the distinguished global reputation of the ancient tournament. Al-Mohannadi pointed out that the championship is in continuous development from year to year and is considered one of the best amateur championships in the world, and annually witnesses a large participation of those aspiring to reach a distinguished level. He said: The Qatar Football Association, in cooperation with Doha Club, is always working to provide all means for the success of the tournament in terms of equipment that precedes each competition held at the stadium, which is considered to be the best stadium in the region in terms of its conformity with international specifications.
Ali Al-Shahrani: I look forward to competing for the championship title after he finished fourth in the overall standings in yesterday’s competitions. Ali Al-Shahrani, our national golf team player, confirmed his satisfaction with the results he achieved during the tournament. Al-Shahrani said: Yesterday’s results were better than the first day, as the weather was good, which reflected positively on the level of competition. And about his ambitions on the final day of the tournament, he said: I hope that I will be successful in today’s competitions, as I look forward to competing for the championship title and reaching the podium. Of course, the competition will not be easy in light of the strong struggle between many players looking for the championship title. Waleed Al-Sayed: The tournament has great resonances globally Waleed Al-Sayed, Executive Secretary of the Qatar World Open Golf Championship, confirmed that the tournament has great resonances in the world, given that it is one of the oldest tournaments that have been organized in Qatar for more than 30 years and always witnesses great participation. He added, “The Qatar Golf Association was keen to develop the tournament continuously, which contributed to increasing the popularity of the tournament outside the State of Qatar, where the tournament was held at the Doha Golf Club for the first time in its thirteenth edition in 1999. He continued: The continuous success of the tournament has earned it a year After a year of more good reputation among international golf amateurs, its reputation spread to the countries of Asia, Europe and America, after many players who were keen to attend participated in it, and the tournament became international. The Executive Secretary of the tournament said: The winner of the tournament was given the opportunity to participate and play in the Qatar Masters International for Professionals, then the Qatar Golf Association’s major step in 2009 was to include the Qatar World Open Golf Championship in the world rankings of golf tournaments, during the World Golf Conference, which was held in Scotland. In May 2009 AD, which gave it utmost importance to amateurs, opening the door to professionalism for them by collecting points, so the Qatar Open Championship became a bridge for amateurs to cross through to internationalism and professionalism. Saleh Al-Kaabi: Expectations are difficult on the closing day Saleh Al-Kaabi, player of our national golf team, confirmed that the closing day of the Qatar World Golf Championship will be beyond expectations, as it is difficult to predict the results of the closing day in light of the strong competition. Al-Kaabi added: Expectations are very difficult in the presence of many players Those who have the ability to win the title, which increases the difficulty of expectations. He said: I performed well in yesterday’s competition compared to the first day, where the atmosphere was good, and I look forward to doing the best on the closing day. He explained: Of course winning the championship title is a goal that I strive to achieve, but it will not be easy in the presence of players at a good level, but I will do my best to reach the podium and compete for the championship title.
