The scorching 41°C heat last Saturday, 18 April 2015 did nothing to dampen the spirits of the almost 40 prospective winner of the inaugural ASEAN MuscatGolf Challenge held at the picturesque Ghala Golf Resort, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman. The tournament initiated by H.E. Umardin Hj Abdul Mutalib, Ambassador of Malaysia to Oman, managed to attract 38 golfers from all the six ASEAN countries represented in the Sultanate which included the Ambassador of Malaysia and H.E. Sukanto, Ambassador of Indonesia to Oman. The Muscat Golf Challenge Trophy for the tournament was donated by the Ambassador of Malaysia.
H.E. Umardin Hj Abdul Mutalib, as patron of the organizing committee, praised the committee members for their dedicated efforts in making the tournament a great success within the short time frame. In his speech during the prize giving ceremony, H.E. Ambassador urged the ASEAN communities in Oman to foster the spirit of togetherness and to uphold the good name of ASEAN as well as one’s own country in Oman. Being the current Chairman of ASEAN, it is timely and fitting that Malaysia took the lead in spearheading the historic event.
Ambassador Umardin is also optimistic to make the ASEAN Golf Challenge a permanent fixture in Oman’s golfing calendar for many years to come as a platform to uplift the portfolio of ASEAN in the Sultanate. Also in attendance during the prize giving ceremony were H.E. Datuk Hj Dr. Awang Besar, Ambassador of Brunei to Oman as well as Mr. Richard Grosse, Consul General of Singapore to Oman and representatives from various sponsors; namely Gloria Jean’s Coffee, Muscat Grand Mall (MGM), Technofit Trading LLC and Rukun Al Yaqeen International Oil & Gas (RAY International).
The Ambassador’s Challenge Trophy for 2015 was won by Mr. Nasaruddin Mohamad, a Malaysian working in the oil and gas industry in Oman. Having won several local and international golf tournaments in the Sultanate, his win at the tournament was highly expected by all. However, everyone turned out to be the winner, courtesy of MGM, with OMR10 vouchers given to all golfers whom took part in the half-day tournament.
Malawakil Muscat
20 April 2015