Luke Joy, second from right, was playing in his first tournament in the Middle East , and will aim for more titles after tasting success. Courtesy Mena Golf Tour
Luke Joy, second from right, was playing in his first tournament in the Middle East , and will aim for more titles after tasting success. Courtesy Mena Golf Tour
Luke Joy, second from right, was playing in his first tournament in the Middle East , and will aim for more titles after tasting success. Courtesy Mena Golf Tour
Luke Joy, second from right, was playing in his first tournament in the Middle East , and will aim for more titles after tasting success. Courtesy Mena Golf Tour

Golf

Mena Tour debut delight for Joy as Englishman wins Dubai Creek Open

Holding his nerve to play out the play-off is enough as rival Marshall hits a water hazard while Emirati Ahmed Al Musharrekh turns in his best performance.

Agency

September 17, 2014

  • English
  • Arabic

DUBAI // Luke Joy parred the second play-off hole to defeat Trevor Marshall and win the Mena Golf Tour’s Dubai Creek Open yesterday.

Playing in his first Mena Golf Tour event, the Englishman finished regulation play tied with New Zealand’s Marshall on a five-under 209 after both closed with 68s to extend play.

The duo settled for par on the first extra hole, the 18th, but, on the second, Marshall, a regular on the Tour, found water with his approach after missing the fairway and ended up with a double bogey.

Joy, who hit the green in two, holed his par putt to make his debut tournament a memorable affair. “It feels just fantastic to win your first tournament in your first appearance in the Middle East.

“I hope it’s just the start and more success will follow soon,” said Joy after receiving the winner’s trophy from Mohamed Juma Buamaim, chairman of the Mena Golf Tour.

“It’s not that easy to score on this course, but it’s a tribute to the competitive spirit of the field that we had some very good performances,” said the 26-year-old Englishman, who also received a winner’s cheque for US$9,000. Overnight leader Craig Vance of England and second-placed Shafiq Masih of Pakistan, along with Scotland’s Tom Buchanan, had their chances to make the play-off, all three landed in water on the 18th to fade out of contention.

Lebanon’s Peter Badawy won the Mena division for the Sheikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award, which recognises the performance of the region’s professionals and amateurs at each event.

Badawy, who opened with a 69, finished on a two-over 214, one stroke ahead of Morocco’s Younes El Hassani and UAE’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh.

It was Al Musharrekh’s best performance since turning professional in 2012. “I’m able to take a lot of confidence out of this finish, a lot of positives really,” he said.

“I am excited and, hopefully, I will do even better,” said the UAE’s only professional. The Tour travels to Al Badia Golf Club next week where England’s Zane Scotland will be defending his tile.

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