If ever there were a shining example of sport widening the horizons for a young aspiring golfer, look no further than 16 year old Hamood Salim Abdullah Al Harthy, who will line up alongside the stars of the European Challenge Tour in this week’s National Bank of Oman Golf Classic at Al Mouj Golf, The Wave.
Since working on his game to bring his handicap down to four, the likeable, focused Omani has barely stopped to take a breath in his globe-trotting exploits to gather experience and enjoy the thrill of playing international tournament golf.
Earlier this year Hamood travelled with his brother, Rashad, an eight-handicapper, and four other members of the Oman junior national squad, to a three-week summer golf camp in Sweden, at Volkswagen Golfarena, Hamstad, organised by the Oman Golf Committee and supported by Volkswagen Oman.
After putting into practice all he had learned in Sweden on his return to Muscat, he worked on his game under national team coach Marcus Casey before flying off in September to the 17th Asian Games at Incheon in Korea to represent Oman, along with team captain Azaan Al Rumhy, Ali Hameed Al Saleh and Ahmed Abdullah Mohamed Bulushi.
Hamood finished in 70th place in the individual event, which helped the Omani Team to take 16th place in the team event. It was a daunting experience for any 16 year old but Azaan Al Rumhy, who shot an opening round of three under par 69 and a second round 71, was greatly impressed with his young team-mate.
Al Ruhmy said: “Hamood is a committed golfer who is determined to succeed in the game. We were up against some very good players from the Far East but Hamood showed a lot of maturity. He certainly wasn’t the least bit overawed.
“He put in a very good performance. It’s a great boost for the youngsters in general in Oman to see that Hamood has become such a good player in such a short period of time to earn his place in the team. It’s a big incentive for up and coming young Omanis to follow in Hamood’s footsteps."
Hamood has an old head on young shoulders and he is quick to praise his national team colleagues, saying: “It was a wonderful experience and a privilege to be representing Oman in the Asian Games. I really enjoy playing under that sort of pressure. It was a great help for me to be playing with Azaan and Ali Hameed. They have given me a lot of confidence, support and tips, which is helping me to steadily improve my game.
“I can’t thank them enough for all they, and national team coach Marcus Casey, have done for me. It’s great that all three team members will be playing in the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic together. It was an honour to receive a sponsor’s invite to play in the European Challenge Tour event and I’m very grateful to National Bank of Oman. I’ve played Almouj a number of times, occasionally with Azaan, and it’s a wonderful golf course. With Azaan, Ali Hameed and Marcus behind me I’m hoping to repay everyone’s faith in me and put in a good performance.”
Casey is also delighted with Hamood’s progress, saying: “Hamood has put in a lot of hard work over the past 12 months. It was very pleasing to see how well he played in Korea. I always knew he was capable of playing that well but it was still rewarding to see. He’s been gradually working on his game and his performance in the Asian Games was very good indeed.”
Having practised in Sweden, represented Oman in Korea, Hamood is currently playing for the Oman national team with Azaan Al Rumhy in the Asia Pacific Golf Championship in Melbourne, Australia, returning at the beginning of the tournament week for the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic at Almouj Golf The Wave, Muscat, on Thursday, October 30-Sunday, November 2.
Hamood is the future of golf in the Sultanate and it will be interesting to how he handles the challenge of playing in a professional tournament with the stars of the future for The European Tour.
