Overview
Golf is a sport of European origin, born in Scotland in the fifteenth century, with its organised competition launched from the historic St. Andrews course. It first appeared at the Olympics at Paris 1900 and again at St. Louis 1904, before vanishing for more than a century and returning to the Olympic programme at Rio 2016.
Olympic golf is played over an 18-hole course across four consecutive days. The objective is to complete each hole in the fewest possible strokes, with victory determined by the lowest total stroke count over the four rounds. Athletes compete in two events: the men's individual and the women's individual, each featuring 60 players selected based on world ranking, with limits on the number of qualifiers per country.
The sport is governed internationally by two classical bodies: the R&A in Britain and the United States Golf Association (USGA). Since its Olympic return, golf has attracted elite professionals from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, who view Olympic gold as a crowning achievement alongside the four majors — the Masters, the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and The Open — that define professional golf.
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Arab Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships Continue in Doha
DOHA - Competition continued at the 45th Arab Men’s Golf Championship and the 17th Arab Women’s Golf Championship, hosted by Qatar for the first time at Doha Golf Club, with 72 male and female golfers representing 14 countries. The championships have witnessed intense and closely contested battles for the individual and team titles as the competitions enter their decisive stages.In the second round of the men’s individual competition, Morocco’s Reda El Hali maintained his position at the top of the leaderboard with a total of 139 strokes, seven under par. The UAE’s Jonathan Selfrage followed in second place at five under par, also with a total of 139 strokes, while compatriot Sam Mullaney finished third with 144 strokes, at par.Morocco’s Hugo Trommeter took fourth place at one over par with 145 strokes, while Qatar’s Saleh Al Kaabi moved up to fifth, sharing the position with Bahrain’s Khalifa Al Marisi and the UAE’s Mohammed Shaik. All three recorded two over par, with 146 strokes each. Qatar’s rising talent Daniel Sokolov finished seventh at three over par with 147 strokes.Among the other Qatari golfers, Ali Al Shahrani finished 17th at 11 over par, while Fahad Mir placed 28th at 17 over par.In the women’s individual competition, Morocco’s Reem Emni claimed the lead after recording four under par, with a total of 142 strokes. The UAE’s Intisar Rish finished second with 146 strokes, while Morocco’s Maria Harroush and the UAE’s Lara Al Shuaibi shared third place at two over par, each recording 148 strokes. Morocco’s Malak Bouraida finished fifth at three over par.Among the Qatari participants, Nada Mir finished 13th at 20 over par, while Mouza Al Thani placed 17th at 45 over par.In the men’s team competition, the UAE topped the standings with 429 strokes, three under par, holding a one-stroke advantage over Morocco, which finished second with 430 strokes. Qatar took third place with 448 strokes, 16 over par, followed by Bahrain in fourth at 23 over par and Saudi Arabia in fifth at 34 over par.In the women’s team competition, Morocco topped the standings with 289 strokes, three under par, followed by the UAE in second place with 294 strokes, two over par. Tunisia finished third at 33 over par, followed by Egypt at 43 over par, while Qatar placed fifth with 357 strokes, 65 over par.
Morocco’s El Hali storms into lead at Arab Golf Championships
Doha: Morocco’s Reda El Hali produced an impressive five-under-par round on Saturday to take a commanding lead in the men's individual competition as Qatar made its hosting debut at the 45th Arab Men's and 17th Arab Women's Golf Championships at Doha Golf Club (DGC).El Hali leads the standings at five under par, two strokes ahead of the UAE's Jonathan Selvaraj, who occupies second place at three under. Morocco’s Hugo Mazen Trommetter and Mohamed Bouhamou share third position with Bahrain's Khalifa al-Marisi, with all three golfers sitting at one under par.Qatar’s Ali al-Shahrani and Saleh al-Kaabi are jointly placed seventh at one over par, while Daniel Sokolov is 10th at two over. Fahad Mir occupies 24th place at six over par.The women's individual competition is equally closely contested, with the UAE’s Intissar Rich and Lara al-Shuaib sharing the lead with Morocco’s Rim Imni. All three carded rounds of three under par to sit at the top of the leaderboard.
Arab Golf Championship tees off at Doha Golf Club
Doha: The 45th Arab Golf Championship for men and women got under way at Doha Golf Club on Friday, with 72 players from 14 countries set to compete for individual and team honours. Hosted by the Qatar Golf Association, the competitions begin on Saturday and continue until Tuesday.The opening ceremony featured a parade of the participating teams and was attended by Adel al-Fayyad, Vice President of the Arab Golf Federation, Hamad Abdullah al-Mana, President of the Qatar Golf Association, and Fahad al-Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Qatar Golf Association, along with officials and heads of the participating delegations.The tournament is being held in Qatar for the first time, marking another important occasion for the country’s growing golf programme. Al-Nuaimi welcomed the participating teams and said Qatar was proud to host the prestigious championship.
Qatar Hosts Arab Golf Championship with 14 Nations Taking Part
Doha (QNA) – The 45th Arab Golf Championship for Men and Women will officially open on Friday at Doha Golf Club, bringing together 73 golfers from 14 countries. Organised by the Qatar Golf Association, the competition will begin on Saturday and run until Tuesday.The men’s competition will feature 52 players from 14 countries, while 21 players representing nine nations will contest the women’s events. Both will compete for individual and team titles.The opening ceremony will include a parade of the participating teams, the raising of the championship flag and speeches by representatives of the Arab Golf Federation and the Qatar Golf Association. Qatar is hosting the championship for the first time, highlighting the federations’ commitment to strengthening ties, developing golf and expanding participation across the region.Mike Shweiry, Technical Director of the Qatar Golf Association, said the championship had attracted strong participation, with most Arab federations keen to take part and compete.He added that hosting the championship provides a valuable opportunity for Arab golfers to come together, exchange experience and gain competitive exposure, helping raise playing standards and strengthen the sport’s presence across the Arab world.