A mountain of experience

The Emirati golfer Ahmed al Musharrekh hopes the experience of playing in the Uniqa Finance Life Open in Austria over the weekend will help his development as a golfer. He made the cut at the Golf Club Gut Murstatten at Lebring, but a disappointing six-over-par 78 on the third and final round of the 54-hole tournament ended his chances. "I am pleased with my performance. I could have done much better, but that poor front nine on the final day wasn't too pleasing," he said.

"Now I know what it takes to compete at this high level of golf. I will try and use the experience to my advantage in the forthcoming tournaments." The 18-year-old Musharrekh had scored 70 and 71 in the first two rounds. That was in contrast to Khalid Yousuf who missed out on the cut. The UAE's top-ranked golfer opened with 71 but faltered with an 81 in the second round. Saeed Albudoor, general manager of the Emirates Golf Federation, said sending UAE golfers to events such as this was key to their development.

"I am sure the exposure and the experience gained from playing an Alps Tour event will stand in good stead for the boys. We are happy the way Ahmed applied himself and played some solid golf in the company of seasoned players," he said. The field consisted of 132 players, of which 52 spots were reserved for national or invitational players, including amateurs. The top 40 professionals and amateurs made the cut after the second round.