The 34th edition of the Jordan Open Golf Championship, organized by the Jordan Golf Federation in cooperation with Ayla Oasis Golf Club, and under the auspices of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority Commission, concluded today amid a festive sports atmosphere hosted by the city of Aqaba, in the official presence of His Highness Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, President of the Jordanian Olympic Committee, along with a number of sports and supporting figures.
The closing ceremony, which was held at Ayla Golf Club, was the culmination of the great success achieved by the championship over three days of enthusiastic competitions, where the ceremony opened with the Jordanian royal anthem, followed by the crowning of the winners of the first places in various categories, which were handed over by His Highness Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein.
In a speech during the ceremony, Eng. Sahl Dudin, CEO of Ayla Oasis Company, expressed his pride in the success of the tournament, which brought together fans of the game in a high-end competitive atmosphere amid natural beauty, stressing his pride in the partnership with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, represented by His Excellency Commissioner Thabet Al-Nabulsi, and its continuous support for sports tourism.
“We appreciate the efforts of the organizing committee, sponsors, supporters, and all those who contributed to the success of this event, including volunteers, technicians and media. We also extend a special greeting to all the players from inside and outside Jordan who presented high levels of competitiveness that reflected the true spirit of the tournament.”
He concluded by stressing Ayala’s commitment to continue investing in the sport of golf, supporting youth, and contributing to consolidating Jordan’s position on the map of international sports and tourism.
For his part, Nasser Al-Shomali, Vice President of the Jordan Golf Federation, praised the organizational and technical success achieved by the tournament in its 34th edition, stressing that this event has become a major milestone on the calendar of Arab and international golf championships, and expressing his pride in the distinguished competitive level presented by players from various countries.
He also thanked the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority for its continuous support, Ayla Oasis Company for its distinguished hosting, and the Arab Golf Federation for its supervision and keenness to develop the game in the region.
“We highly appreciate the efforts of all sponsors and partners who contributed to the success of this event, and we realize that this type of tournament cannot achieve this level of excellence without the concerted efforts of all concerned parties,” he added.
During the ceremony, honorary shields were presented to the partners and supporters who contributed to the success of the tournament, including: Ayla Oasis Company, Hyatt Regency Hotel Aqaba, Bank Al Etihad, TORO, and ABS, in addition to a special tribute to the tournament manager, Alaa Barakat, in recognition of his organizational efforts. The federation also appreciated the efforts of referees Moaz Al-Qatasheh, Riad Al-Majali, Noura Al-Majali, and Qais Ali.
This year’s tournament saw the participation of 103 male and female players from 24 countries representing the Arab world, Europe, Asia and North America, including: Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Palestine, Serbia, Lebanon, Jordan, in addition to participants from the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Ireland, and Botswana.
The final results according to the categories were as follows:
* Junior category: The national team player Mohamed Al-Rawashda won the title after a distinguished performance in which he beat the Serbian Aleksji and the Tunisian Mehdi Ben Youssef.
* Men’s category: Qatar’s Daniel Sokolov won first place, followed by Emirati Sam Mulan, and his compatriot Ahmed Skaik in third place.
* Women’s category: Palestinian Yasmine Zahir won first place, Lebanese Lara Bakhour came second, and Jordanian Lilian Mujahid third.
* Adult category: Lebanese Sheikh Moussa Al-Zein came first, Jordan’s Joe Fadli second, and Lebanese Tony Bou Sarhal third.
* Stableford class: Britain’s Dominic Pujol took first place, followed by Jordan’s Michel Al-Sharaya, then Al-PulpNani Abdulrahman Al-Hout.
The Jordan Open Golf Championship is one of the oldest and most important tournaments in the Middle East, due to its direct impact on the amateur world rankings, in addition to its role in promoting Jordan, especially the city of Aqaba, as an integrated sports and tourism destination. The tournament represents a bridge for sporting and cultural communication between Arab countries, and an advanced step towards consolidating the position of Arab golf on the global map.