Challenge Tour players hit shots off Jebel Jais
Van der Vaart, Sjoholm and Piaget take in beauty of RAK mountain
Three contenders from this week’s inaugural Ras Al Khaimah Golf Challenge — the penultimate round of the 27 stage European Challenge Tour series — hit some practice drives off Jebel Jais, the UAE’s highest mountain yesterday.
“That was probably the only time I’ve ever stood on a tee box and been completely content knowing my drive is destined for the rocks,” said Dutchman Jurrian Van der Vaart, 31. “Seriously though, it is very beautiful up here. The mountain environment is stunning and it’s completely at odds with the typical beach or desert landscapes the UAE is known for.”
Sweden’s Joel Sjoholm, 31, was equally impressed. “I didn’t even know there were mountains in the UAE, especially mountains as vast as these,” he said. “You can’t quite see Oman from here [where the season wraps up next week] but it’s fascinating to know this stretch of mountains link the final two tournaments of the season; standing up here today has really brought it home that we’re chasing end of season honours now.”
Monaco’s Sandro Piaget, 29, was happy with the extra distance he generated off the elevated tee box.
“I normally hit it over 300 yards off the tee but these drives were going 400 yards easy; well, I think they were, they travelled and fell so far there was no way to tell where they ended up,” he said. “You have to be so controlled in tournaments, so it was nice to have a ‘grip it and rip it’ day up here.”
The promotional stunt took place ahead of today’s opening round of the four-day tournament at Al Hamra Golf Club. The event supported by Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) aims to tap the sports tourism market.
With a $350,000 (Dh1.3 million) prize pool and $56,000 of that going to the winner, the RAK Challenge includes a wealth of emerging international talents, seasoned European Tour professionals, Mena Tour event winners and host of the UAE’s best amateurs and professionals.
For more information on the tournament and The Road to Oman visit www.europeantour. com/challengetour.