Alkass Digital
Doha: Following consecutive victories in the last two editions, Qatar golfer Saleh Al Kaabi will look to keep the momentum going and will aim for his third title on the trot in the 26th GCC Golf Championship 2024 at the Doha Golf Club.
Seasoned campaigner Al Kaabi is eager to continue the winning run in the championship, which will be played from Thursday till March 3. However, he feels this time the completion will be tougher.
“The level of competition is rising every year and I am expecting a tough competition from my opponents this time,” Al Kaabi said during the championship opening on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old golfer won the title in 2023 in Abu Dhabi and in 2022 in Bahrain.
“The conditions are challenging here, but we are used to playing in strong winds so I am hopeful of getting good results in this championship,” the Aspire Academy graduate said, while talking about the conditions.
The two-time defending champion is also part of the four-member Qatar team which is also looking for the third title in the row. The other members of the team are -- Ali Al Shahrani, Abdul Rahman Abdullah Al Shahrani and Abdulaziz Almuhanedi.
“Completing a hat-trick of team and individual titles in this edition would be great and will give me confidence for the future tournaments,” he said.
This is the 26th edition of the senior championship and the 15th edition of the 18 and under championship. The senior championship will be played over four rounds with the top three scores from the team contributing per round. The 18 and under competition will be played over three rounds with the top two scores per round, contributing to the teams’ overall results.
A simple but impressive ceremony marked the opening of the regional tournament with the Qatar Golf Association (QGA) President Hassan Nasser Al Naimi welcoming the participatingdelegations during his speech.
The QGA is hosting the championship for the third time. QGA hosted the inaugural edition in 1992 and last staged the championship in 2016. Apart from Qatar, the other participating nations are – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE