Muscat – Ahmed al Wahaibi, Ayman al Busaidi, and Al Munther al Hinai put up a strong performance as Oman won silver in the Under-18 category of the Pan Arab Junior Golf Championships at Golf Citrus, Hammamet, Tunisia, on Saturday.

Al Wahaibi was especially impressive with his strong finish that won him a bronze medal. Hosts Tunisia claimed gold in the category while Egypt took bronze.

The competition, returning after a three-year break, featured the strongest teams from the Pan Arab region. It was played over three days with five divisions.

Oman also fielded teams in U15, and U13 categories in the championships.

In the U13 level, Yusuf Al Rumhy (9) and Mohib Al Kathiri (12) represented the country, For both players, it was their first experience of national team golf and they carried themselves very well finishing a creditable 15th and 11th in the individual standings.

Oman’s U15 team comprising Adam al Barwani, Faris al Busaidi, and Mahir Sampat carried plenty of promise. And they did not fail to deliver even though the trio will be a bit disappointed to have missed out on a bronze medal. They finished fourth with Adam also securing fourth place. Tunisia took the gold, Egypt won the silver and the UAE settled for the bronze.

“This year’s Pan Arab Championships provided an ideal opportunity to give some of our younger players their first taste of National Team golf,” said Peter Bailey, National Team Manager for the Oman Golf Association.

“While representing your country for the first time at any age is undoubtedly daunting, events such as the GOjuniors Tour and the work that we have been doing in preparation for this event are key in preparing our young golfers so that they are not overwhelmed and can both enjoy and benefit from the experience of events like this.

“Mahir, Mohib, and Yusuf have deservedly earned their place on the team and I am sure that this will be the first of many events that they play in,” he added.

Mundhir Al Barwani, Chairman of the Oman Golf Association said: “We are very proud of all of our players for their performance in this year’s Pan Arab Championships, especially those playing in their first National Team event.

“We must thank our hosts the Tunisian Golf Federation and the Arab Golf Federation for organising a great tournament. Junior development is one of our key areas of focus and it is rewarding to see that players who have come through this process are now representing their country and performing at a high level. On behalf of the players, I extend my thanks to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Youth and to our partners and sponsors, Oman LNG, Sohar Aluminium, Shell, and Moore Stephens for their support.

“Lastly, I would like to congratulate Ahmed Al Wahaibi for his individual bronze medal and the Under 18 team of Ahmed al Wahaibi, Ayman al Busaidi, and Al Munther al Hinai for their deserved silver medal.”