The Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup is always one of the most highly anticipated events in the international travel retail golfing calendar and this year’s 27th edition was no exception. The two day event saw close to 100 players compete in a bid to be crowned the 27th anniversary champion, round 1 was played for the first time at Dubai Hills Golf Club on 27th November and culminated at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on 28th November.
This two-day stableford event organised by Dubai Duty Free allows their industry guests to enjoy two stunning golf courses in a fantastic atmosphere surrounded by friends, guests and colleagues with an incredible selection of prizes up for grabs throughout the respective Men’s, Ladies’ and Senior’s Divisions.
Commenting on the success of the tournament, Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO of Dubai Duty Free said: “The 27th running of the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup represents another milestone for Dubai Duty Free and I thank our team at Dubai Duty Free as well as to Dubai Hills and Dubai Creek Golf Club for another successful event. The players thoroughly enjoyed the competitive and friendly atmosphere and the social interaction made it a good meeting place for those involved in the duty free industry.”
Taking home the coveted trophy of the 27th Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup with two incredible rounds of 42 and 43 points totaling 85 for the tournament and winning by 2 points over his nearest competitor, was Richard Lombard-Chibnall. In his acceptance speech, Richard regaled the heartwarming tale of his battle through serious injury and subsequent process of recovery, with this victory being a significant landmark in his journey back to health. Our sincerest congratulations go to Richard for his win and we wish him the very best wishes with his recovery.
Both playing some superb golf, our Overall Local Winners in the Men’s and Ladies Divisions were Muhammad Shafiq (46 and 37 points) and Amarjeet Radia (36 points in Round 1). Our Visitors were also able to piece together some brilliant rounds of golf with Art Miller taking the overall visitors prize in the Men’s division with rounds of 38 and 39 points and Linda Boland in the Ladies division with rounds of 34 and 29. These winners had golfers hot on their heels over both days with Shibu Thomas (78 total) and Michael McGinley (76 total) securing the runner-up and 2nd runner-up positions in the Overall Men’s division respectively and Jessica Howells (63 total) and Nancy Miller (59 total) claiming the runner-up and 2nd runner-up positions in the Overall Ladies’ division respectively.
As always, we had multiple Senior Golfer categories to celebrate those who are able to continue playing late on into their lives. Our Overall Senior Winner (50+) was Achal Ghai with rounds of 34 and 40, our Overall Super Senior Winner (65+) was Jai Raj Roddam with rounds of 35 and 38 and our Overall Super Super Senior Winner (70+) with rounds of 36 and 31, was Gunther Becker. Finishing runner-up to Achal in the Senior Division was James Kfouri (73, BB18). We continue to be impressed by the standard of golf produced by our Senior categories and this year was no exception, so congratulations to all our winners.
For many, it was their first encounter with Dubai Hills Golf Club and the feedback was excellent, with the challenging greens and generous fairways being the most common comments. Taking the Gross prizes on Day 1 were Joan Legnar in the Ladies Category and Martyn Westbury in the Men’s Category. Winning Day 1’s stableford were Barbara Foley and Roek van Wieringen, with Catherine Boneli and Dermott Davitt taking the runner-up spots.
Day 2 saw the golfers return to firm fan favourite, Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club where scoring was less generous as many a golf ball found a watery grave. Taking the Best Gross prizes on Day 2 were Vicki Smith and James Finnegan and the stableford was won by Naema Maya and Peter Dige with Sunny Raymond and Damien Fox finishing in runner-up.
Accuracy and power off the tee were tested with the nearest the pin and longest drive competitions over both days. At Dubai Hills, Nancy Miller, Barbara Foley, John Sutcliffe and Peter Downie all collected prizes for finishing nearest the pin, while Nancy Miller, Heike Messner, Antoine Breen and Conor Bartley displayed brilliant length of the tee, picking up prizes for the Longest Drive. At Dubai Creek, Naema Maya, Heike Messner, Andrew Webster and John Sutcliffe took home nearest the pin prizes whilst Naema Maya and Michael McGinley hit the longest drives.
