RGC2 (50.4 Nett) stormed to victory in the Championship Flight (average team handicap: six or under) on the third and final day of the 24th American Mission Hospital (AMH) Annual Island Classic charity golf tournament, held under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad at his private golf course in Saffriya.
MD Jalal (52 Nett) had led the field on day two but RGC2’s final day showing easily eclipsed their effort and For Golf’s 54.7 Nett score, also on the second day, helped them to a third-place finish.
Saffriya (53.2 Nett), who had carded the lowest overall score on the first day of the tournament, won the Premier Flight (average team handicap: 6.1 or over) finishing ahead of Xerox 1 (54.7 Nett) – who had finished in second place because of this score on Thursday and retained their position in the overall final standings – and CrediMax 2, whose final day score of 55.6 Nett, was enough to push them into overall third place.
“We would like to thank our kind patron His Majesty King Hamad without whose support and generosity this event could not be held,” AMH CEO and chief medical officer Dr George Cheriyan said.
“We also thank the Royal Court for their timely guidance and support, always. And we extend our deepest appreciation to our sponsors whose kind support ensures that, year after year, this tournament continues to be a resounding success.”
AMH COO Julia Tovey said that she was grateful to everyone who played a role in making the event a success.
“I would like to thank everyone who played a role in the enormous success of this tournament,” she said.
“We extend our deepest appreciation to the sponsors whose loyal support ensures that we run the tournament year after year, the golfers who delight us with their skills and His Majesty’s golf course staff for their invaluable co-operation and assistance.
“Also, special thanks are due to our precious volunteers who give freely of their time to come and support the event.”
Apart from the two flights, the tournament also featured several side contests.
Saffriya’s Mahdi Toudaoui (Hole 2) won the Closest to the Pin contest while Ahmed Sultan (Hole 8), of CrediMax 2, aced the Most Accurate Drive competition.
And Salah Al Rowaiei (Hole 4), of UGB1, emerged victorious in the battle to see who could make the Longest Putt.
Forty teams, of four players each, competed in the tournament.
The competition follows the Florida format with all the players in a foursome getting an equal opportunity to contribute to the overall score of their team.