The opening round of the 45th Pan Arab Men’s Golf Championship and 17th Pan Arab Ladies’ Championship brought an early contest for individual and team honours to Doha Golf Club on Saturday, 7 November. Morocco and the United Arab Emirates made the strongest opening statements, with both nations leading one of the team competitions and featuring prominently in the individual standings.
The championships, previewed in Golf Alarab’s Doha event guide, bring national teams from across the region together to compete for four titles: men’s and ladies’ individual and team honours.
Reda El Hali sets the pace in the men’s field
Morocco’s Reda El Hali delivered the round of the day, carding a five-under-par 67 to take the outright lead in the men’s individual competition. His card featured six birdies and one bogey, giving him a two-shot advantage over the United Arab Emirates’ Jonathan Selvaraj, who opened with a three-under-par 69.
Three players share third place at one under par: Morocco’s Hugo Trommetter and Mohamed Baouhamou, alongside Bahrain’s Khalifa Mohamed AlMerisi. The UAE’s Mohammad Skaik is next at even par, while Sam Mullane and Saudi Arabia’s Ali Abdulla Al Shahrani are tied at one over par.
Morocco leads the men’s team standings
Morocco also topped the men’s team table after the first round, combining for 209 strokes to reach seven under par. The UAE is second on 214 strokes at two under, five shots behind. Host nation Qatar opened in third place at four over par with 220, followed by Bahrain (+8, 224), Saudi Arabia (+10, 226), Tunisia (+11, 227), Iraq (+19, 235) and Jordan (+20, 236).
Morocco’s position at the head of both men’s leaderboards gives the team an encouraging start, although the five-shot gap to the UAE leaves plenty of room for the standings to change over the remaining rounds.
Three players share the women’s individual lead
The women’s individual competition opened with a three-way tie at the top. Intissar Rich and Lara El Chaib of the UAE share the lead with Morocco’s Rim Imni, all three having returned rounds of three under par.
Morocco’s Malak Bouraeda is fourth at one over par, with compatriot Maria Harrouch one shot further back at two over. With the leading trio separated by no margin, the individual race remains finely balanced heading into the next round.
UAE opens with the women’s team lead
The UAE completed a strong opening day by leading the women’s team competition on 140 strokes, six under par. Morocco is second on 144 at two under, four shots behind. Tunisia sits third at ten over par (156), followed by Egypt at sixteen over (162), Qatar at thirty over (176), Lebanon at thirty-five over (181) and Saudi Arabia at forty-four over (190).
The UAE’s position at the top of the team standings, together with two of its players sharing the individual lead, makes it an especially positive start for the Emirati squad. Morocco, meanwhile, remains firmly in contention in both women’s competitions.
Four titles still to be decided in Doha
The first day has established an early narrative: Morocco leads the men’s individual and team standings, while the UAE heads the women’s team competition and has two players sharing the individual lead. The margins are still modest, and the remaining rounds at Doha Golf Club will provide the next test of consistency across both fields.
With four championship titles at stake, the competition is only beginning. The opening scores have set the pace; the task now is to sustain it.
