TECH ACCESS INTERNATIONAL PAIRS RECORD DAY AT THE ADDRESS MONTGOMERIE DUBAI THE fifth qualifier of the Tech Access International Pairs UAE Presented by Cadillac 2012-13 season took place at The Address Montgomerie last month and there were some notable ‘firsts’ in the only series of its type in the region. This was the 39th tournament since International Pairs arrived in the UAE in 2010 and the field of 96 golfers ensured it was the biggest to date. It was only fitting that a stunning score of 48 points in the betterball Stableford format won the day, with so many pairs competing for a coveted spot in the 2013 National Final at Yas links in June. That was the standard set by Michael Thompson and James Haupt
Winners at The Address Montgomerie Dubai Michael Thompson and James Haupt, pictured with Club Captain John Brash and Lady Captain Kerry Fitzpatrick. as they both found their best form at the right time and produced the highest winning score since Bob Driver and Claire Warburton won at Sharjah Wanderers with 49 points in the 2010-11 series. Haupt, who was playing in his first ever members event at The Address
Montgomerie Dubai proved the perfect foil for Thompson and if they can hit the same kind of form in the National Final, they will certainly be difficult to beat. Four teams finished with 43 points and a countback was required to determine the runners-up spot.
Thanks to 16 points in their last six holes, Paul Pitman and Keith Stacey emerged from the pack just edging Charlie Simpson and Kevin Thorley into third. Unlucky to miss out on the overall prizes were Eun Joon and Ji Hun Song and Samantha and Richard Barron.
RAS AL KHAIMAH INTERNATIONAL PAIRS UAE QUALIFIER Al Hamra Golf Club in Ras al Khaimah hosted the sixth and seventh qualifiers of the 2012-13 season last month when they invited the members of Tower Links Golf Club to play their event at Al Hamra. The ‘shared’ tournament day was a first for International Pairs UAE and was well received by members of both clubs. With perfect weather conditions and a course to match, there was no shortage of contenders in each of the two tournaments. In the ‘home’ event, Anthony Cashman and Ma Li Min emerged on the right side of a scorecard countback to claim victory. After a mediocre opening nine, the winning duo’s card burst into life as they notched up a staggering 24 points on the inward half to beat Dewald Lubbe and Jake Maki-Petaja to the top spot. Third place was taken by Shawqi Sajwani and Robert Craquelin who 70
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raced out of the blocks and finished with 37 Stableford points to earn their place in the Grand Final. Meanwhile, the Tower Links members apparently adapted well to the course at Al Hamra and some excellent scores were returned. Coming out on top was the veteran duo Jeff Glasgow and Alistair Purves as they compiled 40 points to win by one. Taking second place on a countback were Roger Floyd and Yuki Pellerine with third place going to Greg Maddox and Mark Regan. With two holes left and sitting seven points behind clubhouse leaders Maddox and Regan, Glasgow and Purves pulled off the impossible as first Glasgow birdied the 17th for four points and then Purves made a net eagle on the last to snatch victory by a solitary point. With nerves like this under pressure, this pairing might be one to watch in June’s finale.
International Pairs UAE Al Hamra Golf Club winners Anthony Cashman and Ma Li Min are pictured with Al Hamra Golf Club PGA Professional, Karl Rowe.
Tower Links Golf Club winners Alistaor Purves and Jeff Glasgow are pictured with Karl Rowe.