England’s Jake Shepherd showed his flair for the dramatic as, by his own reckoning, he came from nowhere to win the MENA Golf Tour’s Dubai Creek Open in a tense three-way play-off on Wednesday.
Three shots off the pace going into the final round, Shepherd closed with a four-under 67 to reach nine under in regulation along with his playing partner Rayhan Thomas of India before Austria’s Florian Praegant, playing in the final group, three putted the last from 15 yards, to force the extra holes.
All three parred the first two extra holes, but Shepherd rolled in the decisive birdie from six yards at the next to clinch a hard-fought victory, his second on the tour since winning the 2011 MENA Tour Championship in 2011.
“I am just so happy to win after a long time,” said the 25-year-old Englishman after receiving the winner’s trophy and a cheque for US$9,000 from Saeed Hareb, secretary-general of the Dubai Sports Council.
Jake Shepherd of England is flanked by Mustapha Al Hashimi, CEO of Wasl
Hospitality & Leisure, Saeed Hareb, secretary-general of the Dubai Sports
Council, Mohamed Juma Bumaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, Adel
Zarouni, vice chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation, and Lady Captain Harini
White at the presentation ceremony
Mohamed Juma Bumaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, Adel Zarouni, vice chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation, Mustapha Al Hashimi, CEO of Wasl Hospitality & Leisure, and Harini White, lady captain at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, were also present.
Things took a dramatic turn when it looked as if Praegant was in with a shout of lifting the title, but failed to save his par on the last despite hitting the green in
“For some reason I was too aggressive with my second putt. Anyway, whatever has to happen, happened. I really enjoyed playing my first tournament on the Tour.
“The standard of golf is pretty good. I reckon there are about 10 to 20 golfers who can win on any given day,” said the 31-year-old Austrian, who turned professional about 10 years ago.
A couple of missed putts here and there denied young Thomas a special place in the MENA Golf Tour history. But judging by the way the 15-year-old Dubai-based prodigy played overall, it might just be history deferred.
“It was one of my best weeks in competitive golf and a great learning curve for me too. Really, very pleased with my efforts,” said Thomas, who, however, had the consolation winning the amateur division by a staggering 14 shots.
It was Shepherd who provided the major twist to the script.
“I felt I was in contention by the turn, but when I bogeyed the 10th, it kind of relaxed me as I felt no pressure thereafter.
“Suddenly, things started falling in place as I made three birdies in a row from the 12th which, in the end, was good enough to get into play-off,” said the Englishman, who won the tour’s Order of Merit title in 2011.
In the MENA Division, Morocco’s Mustapha El Maouas carded a two-under 69 despite taking a watery triple bogey on the closing hole to finish at two-over, which was good enough to win the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award, one shot ahead of compatriot Amine Joudar and four clear of Faycal Serghini.
Ayoub Lguirati comfortably kept up his dominance in the MENA division for amateurs, taking the honour on five over with Karim El Hali settling for second.
FINAL SCORE – DUBAI CREEK OPEN
1.Jake Shepherd (England) 204 (67 70 67)
2. Florian Praegant (Austria) 204 (68 67 69)
3.Joshua White (England) 206 (68 66 72)
1. Rayhan Thomas (India) 204 (66 71 67), 2. Ayoub Lguirati (Morocco) 218 (75
70 73), 3. James Allan (England) 219 (69, 75, 75)
Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation Award (all Moroccans):
Professionals: 1. Mustapha El Maouas, 2. Amine Joudar, 3. Faycal Serghini
Amateurs: 1. Ayoub Lguirati, 2. Karim El Hali, 3. Amine El Malki
