Worldwide Golf

ABDULLAH Al Naboodah led his team to victory with a superb performance at the 2009 Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola at The Links at Fancourt in South Africa.

Teaming up with British radio celebrity DJ Spoony, Vincent Tshabalala and Thomas Aiken, Al Naboodah (left on the picture) propelled the team to a nail-biting victory in the fourball alliance competition of this premier charity tournament.

The competition was eventually decided on a countback on 22-under. This denied Irish property magnate Sinead Kenny the chance to become the first businesswoman to lead a team to victory in the team competition. Kenny combined well with playing partners John Bland, Tjaart van der Walt and South African cricket legend Barry Richards, but on the day Spoony and Al Naboodah’s fourball posted the lower score to seal the win.

“When I lost so narrowly last year, I vowed to come back and it would be game on,” said Spoony. “We cut it pretty fine today, but combined superbly over the closing holes. I’m delighted and I’ll definitely be back to defend.”

Naboodah, who made the biggest contribution at the charity auction, was the team’s star performer and also confirmed that he will soon be booking his ticket back to next year’s tournament.

“It would be fantastic to return and I will do my best to be here,” he said. “This was one of the best tournaments I’ve ever played in. My family and I are very passionate about charities around the world. When I met Gary a year ago, we spoke about giving back through golf. I have a lot of respect for what he does. We just enjoyed ourselves out there and it’s a bonus to walk away with a win.”