The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority Media Team, skippered by England’s Steven Brown, produced a masterful display to seal a comprehensive six-shot victory in this week’s Ras Al Khaimah 2017 Golf Challenge Pro-Am.
Marshalled superbly round the Al Hamra Golf Club course by Brown – who sits a lofty eighth in the European Challenge Tour’s Race to Oman rankings – the RAKTDA Media quartet finished a collective 28-under par, six shots clear of nearest challengers the AGMC BMW 1 Team skippered by Finland’s Tapio Pulkkanen, the runaway Race to Oman leader.
With the RAKTDA Media Team comprising Andy Mossack, a BBC journalist, Colin Baxter, Managing Director of Hydroturf, and Barry King, of Action Global Communications, Brown believes Pro-Am victory in the penultimate round of this year’s European Challenge Tour leaves him well-placed to build on five top-10 finishes in 21 Challenge Tour outings this year.
“The guys were very steady all the way round – they were a pleasure to play with,” said the Englishman, who heads into the Ras Al Khaimah tournament on the back of consecutive top-20 finishes in China.
“The relaxed atmosphere took all the pressure off and it was really good to get a competitive outing on the Al Hamra course ahead of the tournament; hopefully the Pro-Am experience converts into a winning formula for tournament week,” added Brown, ranked 293 in the word.
With 25 four-person teams contesting the Pro-Am, Haitham Mattar, CEO of RAKTDA, the organiser of this week’s Ras Al Khaimah 2017 Golf Challenge, hailed the warm-up tournament a “magnificent success”.
“The Pro-Am was a great way to start tournament week and a magnificent success all round,” said Mattar. “The attention now rightly moves to the Challenge Tour stars vying for glory in the second annual Ras Al Khaimah Golf Challenge and I’m sure the drama will only intensify as we progress into the final two days over the weekend. We are very excited to see which emerging star shines brightest come the close of play on Saturday afternoon.”
This year’s Ras Al Khaimah Golf Challenge will be a true family affair. Alongside the golfing action, the tournament’s Fan Village will feature children’s activities, music, food trucks and a drinks garden, open from 4pm to 10pm from Thursday 26 to Saturday 28, October.
UAE residents making the trip to catch the stars in action can benefit from a special offer at the stunning Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah. Located right next to Al Hamra Golf Club, the Waldorf Astoria is offering special rates throughout the tournament week.
The Ras Al Khaimah 2017 Golf Challenge has attracted a marquee line-up of sponsors for its second edition including Emirates Airline, the Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, Al Hamra Group, Al Hamra Golf Club, RAKEZ, AGMC and Hunt & Harris. For more information on the Ras Al Khaimah 2017 Golf Challenge and The Road to Oman 2017 visit www.europeantour.com/challengetour.
For more information on hotel offers and the fan village visit: www.rasalkhaimah.ae
