TOP SCOTS PLAY UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ON DECEMBER 3

Ian Rae, Scotland National Coach, centre left,  Chris Vallender, UAE National Coach, centre right, and the Scotland National Squad at Yas Links Golf Club. Images ©WSM/Paul McLeod

MEDIA RELEASE ISSUED BY THE SCOTTISH GOLF UNION
Scotland’s leading male amateurs, currently in Abu Dhabi for a warm weather winter training camp, are to face the UAE national team early next month.
The eagerly-anticipated International Test Match, organised by the Emirates Golf Federation, is part of the four-week intensive training programme 10 members of the National Men’s and Boys’ Squad are presently undertaking in the Middle East. The contest has been scheduled for Saturday 3 December at Yas Links Golf Club.
The SGU squad and coaching team are based at the stunning Yas Links complex in Abu Dhabi and the Centro Yas Island Hotel, who together with long-standing supporter of the SGU, Aberdeen Asset Management, are sponsoring the winter camp.
The Test Match, announced shortly after 2011 Scottish Boys Order of Merit winner Greig Marchbank finished third in the Sheikh Rashid Trophy at the weekend, will provide the chance for the SGU players to compete against the UAE’s top talents and again illustrates the growing golfing bond between the Scottish Golf Union and the Emirates Golf Federation.
The Test Match will feature the top six amateur players from each country in a one day 36-hole competition, played at the most Scottish of all golf courses in the region, Yas Links Golf Club.
This is the second year the Scottish national team have used the UAE as a winter training base, with the support of the Emirates Golf Federation. The Scottish national squad are training at Yas Links Golf Club, the Host Venue for ‘The Home of Golf in the UAE’, from 19 November - 15 December.
Steve Paulding, Performance Manager of the Scottish Golf Union, said: “We are thrilled that the Emirates Golf Federation continue to welcome us to the UAE and to some of the best facilities in the world.
“The Test Match gives the Scottish team a real incentive to train hard over the coming weeks and I know the squad are looking forward to the challenge, especially on the fantastic course at Yas Links.”
Adel Zarouni, Secretary General of Emirates Golf Federation, added: “We may not have the history of Scottish golf, but we are delighted to celebrate the progress we’ve made in a short period.
“I’m delighted about the partnership we are building with the Scottish Golf Union and their commitment to support golf in this country.”
“The Test Match is a fantastic opportunity for the national team to compete against some of the best amateurs in the world,” said Chris Vallender, UAE National Team Coach.
“It will be a great challenge and I’m sure it’s one they will relish.”
Yas Links is the first links course in the Middle East region, designed by Kyle Phillips, one of the world’s leading golf course designers. The championship course – opened in March 2010 - includes world-class, floodlit practice ranges and an academy of golf.