Saudi golfers ready to defend Pan-Arab title

Chito P. Manuel
Saudi national golf team to the 37th Pan Arab Golf Championship during the MENA Tour event at Dubai Creek Golf Club. From left, Saud Al-Sharif, Othman Almulla, coach Ali Balharith, Abdurahman Almansour and Ali Alsakha. (AN photo)

JEDDAH: The Saudi national golf team are preparing to defend their Pan-Arab Golf Championship title in Jordan by playing in a number of overseas tournaments.
The young quartet of Othman Almulla, Khaled Attieh, Saud Al-Sharif and Ali Al-Sakha stormed to victory in the 36th staging of the event at Gala Golf Club in Muscat last year, winning the team event by a remarkable 16 strokes. Attieh then completed a Saudi double by winning the individual crown, although his studies may prevent him from defending his title.
Attieh and Al-Sharif will warm up for Arab golf鈥檚 blue-riband event by playing in the Asian Amateur Championship at the Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand. Kingdom No. 1 Almulla, who will lead the national team in the prestigious four-team three-to-count annual event, has just completed his eight-leg stint on the MENA Tour where he finished eighth overall in the amateur division.
Al-Sharif, 17, will be in Tunis to represent 抖阴短视频 in the Pan Arab Junior (Under-18) Champion-ships Oct. 31 to Nov. 4. Al-Sharif then joins teammates Almulla, Attieh, Ali Alsakha and Abdurahman Almansour in Malaysia for the Nomura Cup Nov. 9 to 12.
Meanwhile, Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan, CEO of the Public Investment Fund, has been appointed as the new President of Saudi Golf Federation (SGF), Yousuf Eddiweesh is the vice president in a major reshuffle announced by the General Sports Authority that has seen 13 new federation heads appointed and eight sport federations created.
鈥淭he best thing that ever happened to golf,鈥� national golf team coach Ali Balharith told Arab News of the appointment of Al-Rumayyan. 鈥淲e are excited. Al-Rumayyan could do a lot in the promotion of golf in the country. He is passionate about golf being a golfer himself.鈥� Balharith, 64, is widely considered the grand old man of Saudi golf. He was there as a player when 抖阴短视频 first competed at Pan Arab in 1979 as well as when the national team pulled of the historic double last year in Oman, ending a 37-year wait for victory, this time as a coach.