On November 9th – 12th, 2017 the United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Golf Team will travel to Malaysia to compete in the 2017 Nomura Cup at the Sungai Long Golf & Country Club. Representing the UAE will be Khalid Yousuf, Ahmed Skaik and Saif Thabet.
The Nomura Cup, which was hosted last in 2015 at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Links Golf Club, is the Asia Pacific Amateur Golf Team Championship organized by the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation (APGC). The 2017 event will be hosted at the Sungai Long Golf & Country Club that is a Jack Nicklaus designed course, the first Nicklaus Signature golf course in Malaysia. The course stretches across 160 acres tipping out at 7,019 meters.
Leading the way for the UAE team will be Team Captain, Khalid Yousuf. Yousuf has years of experience when it comes to international events and after having a full summer of practice and three appearances on the MENA Tour, Khalid should be in top condition for the 2017 Nomura Cup.
Also, competing for UAE will be Ahmed Skaik. Skaik has been busy this year with an Individual Gold Medal for the UAE at the most recent GCC Golf Championship, placing in the Top-10 on the Emirates Golf Federation 2016 – 2017 Order of Merit, and competing in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in New Zealand just two weeks ago. Skaik will use this event to build on an already impressive 2017 golf year.
Rounding out the UAE National Team will be Safi Thabet. Thabet represented the UAE at last year’s Eisenhower Trophy in Mexico where he lead the team in individual scoring. Thabet has been working hard in the gym and on the range in preparation for this event and will look to have another strong showing for the UAE team.
“The entire Senior National Golf Squad has been working hard and pushing each other towards the 2017 Nomura Cup. Since the beginning of summer, the team has utilized the European Tour Performance Institute (ETPI) at Jumeirah Golf Estates (JGE) in order to sharpen their skills. With the elite training and newest golf technology at ETPI, we have seen major improvements in our team’s fundamentals and scoring abilities. I think it will come down to our players’ short game and how well they can manage the course. If our men manage these areas well we should have a respectable showing this year,” said Emirates Golf Federation Secretary General and UAE National Team Manager Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi.
The 2017 Nomura Cup will have two respected divisions with an individual champion and a team champion. To follow the event tune into the Malaysian Golf Association website at www.mgaonline.com.my. You can also follow the Emirates Golf Federation on social media for daily updates.
