The first day of the 34th edition of the Jordan Open Golf Championship, which is held at the Ayla Club in Aqaba, witnessed an exciting atmosphere amid the participation of more than 100 players representing 24 countries, and with a remarkable public and media presence.
Sam Mulan from the United Arab Emirates topped the men’s category with a strong score of 70 strokes, a performance that reflects the excellence of the UAE school in the sport of golf at the amateur level, a high ability to adjust the mental rhythm, and distribute the effort across the 18 holes.
The first place on the first day of the championship was won by Sheikh Moussa Al-Zein from Lebanon in the adult category with 81 strokes and in the junior male category by the Jordanian player Mohammed Al-Rawashdeh with 73 strokes.
While the competition intensified in the men’s category, the women’s category witnessed a balanced performance that is no less exciting, and the results of the women’s first round showed technical balance and mental challenges, and various technical features emerged among the players, as some of them showed a high ability to control the rhythm, while others faced the challenges of adapting to the terrain of the court, and Yasmeen Zahir from Palestine topped the women’s scene with 71 strokes.
The leading players showed prowess in short strokes, especially in medium-distance pits, where the rates of reaching the hole from the second or third stroke were high, on the other hand, a disparity was observed in long strokes, especially in pits that require overcoming water or sand obstacles, which revealed a disparity in physical and technical strength between the participants.
The leading players in all categories showed the ability to deal with psychological pressure, especially in the back-holes that witnessed changes in the direction of the wind, and maintaining concentration under these conditions is an indication of craftsmanship and high training, which was lacking in some participants whose performance declined in the last pits.
The organizers confirmed that this year’s tournament is witnessing unprecedented competition, with distinguished results recorded by Arab and Jordanian players in particular, reflecting the increasing development of the sport of golf in the region.
It is noteworthy that the stadium, with its design intertwined between water, sand and high grass, was a real test of the players’ abilities to adapt and succeed in reading the environment accurately, which maintained stable results, while others had difficulty adjusting the course, especially in pits with sharp angles.
The results showed a convergence between the first places, where the differences between the leaders did not exceed more than three strokes, this convergence reflects a balanced level between the players, and makes the second round a decisive station in determining the features of the final ranking, and the following are the results of the first day:
Ladies WAGR
• First place: Yasmeen Zaher (Palestine) – 71 strokes
• Second place: Lara Bakhour (Lebanon) – 74 strokes
• Third place: Lilian Mujahid (Jordan) – 75 strokes
Men’s Category (Jordan Open)
• First place: Sam Mulan (UAE) – 70 strokes
• Second place: Bahaa Polakmen (Tunisia) – 72 strokes
• Third place: Sayed Rayan Ahmed (UAE) – 72 strokes
Junior Category (Boys WAGR)
• First place: Mohammed Al-Rawashda (Jordan) – 73 strokes
• Second place: Mehdi Ben Youssef (Tunisia) – 76 strokes
• Third place: Aleksey Djukanovic (Serbia) – 77 strokes
Seniors
• First place: Sheikh Moussa Al-Zein (Lebanon) – 81 strokes
• Second place: Tony Bou Sarhal (Lebanon) – 83 strokes
• Third place: Joe Fadel (Jordan) – 86 strokes