Birdie-birdie finish propels Samawi to victory in Jumeirah Golf Estates Amateur Open
He shot a final round of 70, sealing his victory with a total score of 212, four under par. The event was played over two rounds on the Fire course, with the final round on the Earth course.
Samawi earlier shot rounds of 72 and 70 for his 54-hole total of 212, four under par, to claim the win.
Samawi was well-positioned heading into the final round, sitting at two under par with the leaders at four under. He played a solid front nine with a score of 37. On the back nine, he stumbled with a bogey on hole 12 but bounced back to even par for the round with a birdie on hole 14.
A brilliant birdie-birdie finish on holes 17 and 18 allowed him to cross the finish line by the narrowest of margins, one shot ahead of Viktor Kofod-Olsen (Emirates Golf Club) and leading female Anca Matieu (Emirates Golf Club). The top DP World Tour professionals would have been proud of his finish in front of an appreciative crowd of fellow players.
Defending champion Thomas Stephenson (Jumeirah Golf Estates) shot level par for the tournament, finishing tied for seventh. Other players in the mix, also on level par, included Jay Mullane (Jumeirah Golf Estates) and Oscar Craig (TFA, Jumeirah Golf Estates).
On one over par were Mo Craig (TFA, Jumeirah Golf Estates) and Ahmad Skaik (UAE).
In the Net Division, Deniz Sapnaz from Turkey, with a handicap of 3, claimed victory with rounds of 70, 71, and 69, finishing six under par. He beat the improving and impressive UAE National player, Faye AlBlooshi, who had three steady rounds of 70, securing the silver podium position.
Cameron McWhinnie, Assistant Golf Services Manager at Jumeirah Golf Estates, commented, 'We have witnessed some excellent golf at our Jumeirah Golf Estates Amateur Open, our flagship tournament on our domestic club calendar. What a finish we have seen with 11 players all within five shots of the champion – it was really anyone's to win over those last few holes. Well done to all the winners and all those who
played – it was a special few days for us all.'
The Golf Genius password for all results is JGEAO25.
Results (Par 70) - Gross:
R. Samawi (The Els Club, Dubai): 72, 70, 70, 212
V. Kofod-Olsen (Emirates Golf Club): 69, 73, 71, 213
A. Matieu (Emirates Golf Club): 72, 69, 72, 213
S. Mullane (UAE): 71, 68, 74, 213
J. Selvaraj (EGF): 72, 70, 73, 215
A. Hess (The Els Club, Dubai): 68, 73, 74, 215
Net Division:
D. Sapnaz (3, Turkey): 70, 71, 69, 210
F. AlBlooshi (5, UAE): 70, 70, 70, 210
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