MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015 SPORTS

Late Sheikh Ali Sabah Al-Salem Shooting tourney concludes

By Abdellatif Sharaa of the status of the person it is named after. Hubaida and Marzouq Al-Waalan. He said the tournament included Olympic In double trap men: Saad Lafi Al-Mutairi, KUWAIT: The late Sheikh Ali Sabah Al-Salem skeet, trap, double trap, and air pistol and rifle Fuhaid Al-Daihani and Jarrah Al-Shuwaier. Al-Sabah Shooting Tournament concluded at and continued for three days with a large par- In trap women: Asmaa Al-Qatami, Sarah Al- Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting ticipation of male and female shooters. Hawal and Fatimah Abdelmalek. Complex on Saturday in the presence of Al-Otaibi said this tournament comes fol- In skeet women: Afrah Adel, Iman Al- Sheikh Thamer Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, lowing successful participation of Kuwait Shamma and Munira Al-Subaie. the head of the National Security shooting in the 13th Asian Shooting In air pistol men: Saad Al-Ajmi, Hamad Al- Department, Eng Duaij Al-Otaibi, President of Tournament, which was held in Kuwait last Namshan and Hassan Al-Mulla. Arab and Kuwait Shooting Federations, Obaid month. In air rifle men: Abdallah Al-Harby, Al-Osaimi Secretary General of Arab and Mohammad Abdelrahman and Khalid Kuwait Shooting Federation and Eng Hussam RESULTS OF THE TOURNAMENT ARE AS Abdelsalam. Al-Roumi, KSSF board member. FOLLOWS: In air pistol women: Sheikha Al-Obaidli, Eng Duaij Al-Otaibi welcomed Sheikh In the skeet men: Abdallah Al-Rashidi, Athari Gharban. Thamer, adding that Kuwait Shooting is hon- Saud Habib and Mansour Al-Rashidi. In air rifle women: Heba Irzouqi, Mariam ored by organizing this tournament because In trap men: Tami Al-Rashidi, Saad Al- Izrouqi and Fatima Abdelmalek. Garcia wins after four-way playoff

HO TRAM: Sergio Garcia captured his tion holes tied at 14-under par after a first title in almost two years yesterday dramatic ending at The Bluffs links when he triumphed in a four-way playoff course designed by Greg Norman. at the inaugural Ho Tram Open in Garcia, the highest-ranked player in Vietnam. the tournament at 12 in the world, The Spaniard regained his composure appeared to have the title in the bag after blowing a two-shot lead with a when he led by two shots with two holes double bogey on the 17th hole to defeat to play but he stumbled with a double- India’s Himmat Rai, Thailand’s Thaworn bogey six at the penultimate hole, open- Wiratchant and Lin Wen-tang of Taiwan ing the door for rivals. in a two-hole playoff. Rai leapfrogged Garcia to snatch a Thaworn and Lin were eliminated one-stroke lead when he eagled the 16th after the first extra hole when they could by holing his pitching wedge from 122 only make par after Garcia drained a 35- yards only to surrender the lead with a foot putt for birdie and Rai matched him bogey at the 18th but was pleased to with a tap-in from five feet. have secured his Tour card for next sea- Garcia then beat Rai with a par on the son. second hole, after the Indian drove his “I enjoyed it because I played really tee shot into the bushes, to clinch his good. On the second play-off hole, I just first title since the Qatar Masters in rushed it,” he said. January 2014. “I wasn’t feeling comfortable with my “Winning is never easy. I was fortunate grip and I should have backed off. I was a and you have to be lucky to win,” Garcia little bit disappointed.” said. Lin also dropped a shot at the 17th “I was fortunate to get a second that would have given him the win while chance after I pretty much gave it away. Thaworn could only par the last three I’m very happy as I haven’t won in a holes. while. Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn missed out “After you’ve been up there and you on the playoff by a single shot and fin- don’t win, a lot of things go through your ished outright fifth at 13-under when he GOLD COAST: Australia’s Nathan Holman holds aloft the Kirkwood Cup following his victory at the Australian PGA championship golf tournament mind and this win will help give me a lit- tarnished his otherwise flawless day with at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast yesterday. — AFP tle bit more confidence.” a bogey at the last hole after making All four players finished the 72 regula- eight birdies in a round of 64.— Reuters Holman wins Australian PGA

GOLD COAST: Australian Nathan Holman won the European Tour co-sanctioned Australian PGA Championship in a three-way Former Liverpool’s icon playoff at Royal Pines yesterday. Holman won on the first play-off hole with Gerrard to play in Kuwait a par from American Harold Varner III and South Africa’s . KUWAIT: The committee organizing the today, Monday, while at the same time the Holman worked his way into contention opening ceremony of Jaber stadium on committee made a major Arab surprise by for the play-off with a final round one-over 73 Dec 18 succeeded in attracting a major announcing the presence of Egypt’s in tough playing conditions. It was the sec- soccer legend and Liverpool’s icon Steven Mohammed Aboutrika, who asked his fans ond consecutive year the Gold Coast tourna- Gerrard to be among world stars who will to wait for him Dec 18th. Meanwhile, vot- ment had been decided beyond the regula- play Kuwaiti players. ing on the names of Kuwaiti players will be tion 72 holes. But unlike last year’s marathon Gerrard is the 15th player to join, as this closed today at midnight, and the names seven-hole playoff between Australians Greg will be his first visit to Kuwait. The commit- will be announced tomorrow. Chalmers, and Wade Ormsby, tee will announce the rest of the names only one hole was needed. Holman, 24, held his nerve to make par on the 18th hole-one of the toughest in the new-look back nine at Royal Pines-while Varner and Frittelli both made bogeys. For his victory Holman will receive a full European Tour card for the next two years fol- lowing a new co-sanctioning agreement with the Australian PGA. “It’s huge. I didn’t realise what was on the line, really,” said Holman, who began the day two strokes off the pace. “I did think I’d get to those events in the future, but to do it off the back of a victory is probably going to be better. “I’ve deserved it. It’s stuff you dream of, playing golf as a kid.” The last international player to win the event was New Zealand’s Greg Turner in 1989. Holman, Varner and Frittelli all finished on even-par 288 for the tournament, a reflection of the windy conditions and the uncompro- mising nature of the remodelled back nine. Varner only narrowly missed a nine-foot putt at the last, which would have seen him claim outright victory. Holman looked poised to win much earlier until nerves set in and he gave up back-to-back bogeys on the final two holes-the only blemishes on his card aside from a double-bogey on the first. Zander Lombard, the 20-year-old former South African amateur who was tied for the overnight lead with Varner and Frittelli, fin- ished fourth after a four-over-par 76. Only six players managed to complete their final rounds below par, with the best score coming from Adam Stephens and Steven Gerrard Mohammed Aboutrika South African Colin Nel, who both fired two- HO TRAM: Sergio Garcia of Spain poses with the championship trophy after the final under-par 70s. —AFP round of the Ho Tram Open in Ho Tram, Vietnam. — AFP