A COOL-headed Joel Neale produced a great round in sapping conditions to win the Dubai Creek Summer Open, sponsored by Ping.
Neale, playing off one handicap, birdied his closing hole, the first, fo
Winner Joel Neale with Jason Ashley, Assistant Brand Manager for Ping Middle East, Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, DCGYC Vice-Captain, and David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at Dubai Creek.
One of the most talented junior players on the domestic circuit, Neale strung his round quite effectively, picking up a shot each on the first and the 10th to offset bogeys on the second and fourth.
Starting on hole second, the 15-year-old Dubai Creek prodigy made the turn at one over and completed the back nine without a dropping a shot, a superb performance on a day when humid conditions made life
Runner-up Shezad had his moments, but a disappointing double-bogey on his last hole left him shaking his head in disbelief. Shezad, at present honing his golfing skills at the famed David Leadbetter Academy in the United States, however provided enough glimpse of his precocious talent in navigating his path around the challenging Creek layout.
Aditya Judge .. winner of Division A
In third place Rakesh Shah managed to fend off Andy Andrews with a gross 74 and a better inward nine of 37 to make it a Dubai Creek one, two three in the main prizes.
Aditya Judge, another exciting prospect, called the shots in Division A, winning the title with a neat net 69, four shots ahead of Abdullah Al Mosharrekh (UGA). Aditya's card was studded with eight gross par, four in a row from the par-four fifth.
Division B witnessed a whitewash with Ian Lynagh (DCGYC) winning by a clear 10 shots with a wonderful net 66 and Abdul Al Hashmy (UGA) alone in 2nd place with a his distant but well deserved net 76. Other prize-winners for the day included Dubai Creek's Saeed Malik and Miki Mirza who won nearest the pin prizes on the 8th & 14th holes.
In all 104 players braved the humid conditions to compete for honours in this popular event. The Creek management thanked all players for sponsors Ping for making the day a great success.
Results:
Overall gross:
1. Joel Neale 71
2. Shezad Lakdawala 73
3. Rakesh Shah 74 (countback)
Division A (0-14):
1. Aditya Judge net 69
2. Abdullah Al Mosharrekh net 73
Division B (15-28)
1. Ian Lynagh net 66
2. Abdul Al Hashmy net 76
Nearest to the pin:
Saeed Malik (8th)
Miki Mirza (14th)
