The heat is on as Sam chases another title
West End Club member Sam Shibil is hot on the trail of a second national club golfers’ title in the United Arab Emirates. Three and a half years after winning a pairs event with Harrogate’s Tim Fox in Abu Dhabi, the Halifax town centre mortgage broker is going it alone.
Shibil heads to Dubai for a week from Saturday, May 9 for the Grand Final of the The Golf Care Championship.
Players will have a week’s hospitality at the luxurious Courtyard by Marriott complex and compete at the world famous Els Club.
Event organisers bill reach- ing the final as “the greatest prize in amateur golf.”
Shibil has had to work hard to book his ticket to Dubai, winning through five rounds last year.
That earned him a place in the northern final at Mottram Hall two weeks ago and he finished second in a field of 55 with 40 stableford points.
Four from the northern final and four from the southern final, which was held at the Cheshire venue two days later, will battle it out in Dubai.
Shibil, who won a blue version of a famous Masters winner’s green jacket when successful in Abu Dhabi, said: “I’m just hoping to play my best and do as well as I can.”
Shibil said he had scored 40 points in a warm-up round at Mottram Hall, scoring 16 points on the difficult back nine and 24 on the easier front nine.
He repeated that exactly in the competition proper, except that he had been asked to play the back nine first at 10 minutes notice.
Shibil has been getting in warm weather training on a week’s trip to Spain with 20 of his clubmates at West End.
He had a win and a second place to leave him in good heart for his bid to gain more glory.