UAE turned in an inspired performance to win the GCC Golf Championship for the first time in the history of the regional event at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club on Wednesday. The UAE team closed with a team score of a gross 229 for a total of 676 to beat their nearest challengers Qatar by 17 shots. Bahrain, who had won every edition of the championship since its inception 16 years ago, had to settle for third place with a team score of 694. The UAE held sway in the championship right from the start and never felt threatened by any team. Ahmed Al Musharrekh, who contributed to the team’s score in each of the three rounds, provided the icing on the cake when he won the individual championship as well with a 54-hole gross total of 218, well ahead of Bahrain’s Nasser Yacoub Saleh (224) and fellow team-mate Khalid Yousuf (225). The UAE had won the team and individual gold medals in the recent Arab Games held in Doha, and this resounding win in the GCC Championship only confirmed their credentials as the No.1 team in the Arab world. Starting the final day 17 strokes ahead of Bahrain, UAE needed some good scores from Al Musharrekh, who shot a 77 - which happens to be his worst round of the tournament, Yousuf (77) and Sohail Marzouqi, who returned the day’s best card for the champions with a 75, to seal a memorable victory. Qatar produced the day’s best team score (225), but it was not good enough to threaten the UAE, though it helped them edge out Bahrain to the third place. Shaikh Fahim bin Sultan Qasimi, chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation, congratulated the team on what he called “a fantastic victory”. “The boys have been working hard for a long time and the victory clearly reflects on the rising standards of the game in the UAE. I am really proud of their achievements. Every member of the team played a role, especially Ahmed who did really well to add the individual GCC championship to his Arab Games gold medal.” TEAM 676 UAE (226-221-229) 693 Qatar (240-228-225) 694 Bahrain (226-238-230) 752 Saudi Arabia (253-253-246) 763 Oman (262-259-242) 833 Kuwait (282-274-277) INDIVIDUAL 1. Ahmed Al Musharrekh (UAE) 70-71-77-218 2. Nasser Yacoub Saleh (BAH) 70-80-74-224 3. Khalid Yousuf (UAE) 76-72-77-225