Riyadh Golf Club’s Kevin Duffield 'masters' the wind to win Race to Georgia World Final

Played alongside the Masters the event was the culmination of a season-long qualification series that brought together a record 2,500 golfers

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Kevin Duffield after winning the 2023 – 24 Race to Georgia held alongside The Masters with Keith Watson, tournament organizer (R) - Supplied photo

By Nick Tarratt, Khaleej Times Guest Golf Writer atr the Masters

Published: Tue 16 Apr 2024, 12:00 PM

Last updated: Tue 16 Apr 2024, 11:05 PM

Kevin Duffield (Riyadh GC) shot 34 points to win the GCC Division of the World Final of the 2023 – 24 Race to Georgia held alongside The Masters, at The Reserve Club, Woodside, Georgia, US.

The other GCC finalists making the trip from the region were Yves Bouchard (The Els Club, Dubai) and Quentin Morel (Montgomerie Golf Club, Dubai).

Duffield earned his slot through his club qualifier as well as a GCC Regional Final, again at his home club in Saudi Arabia, where he scored 38 points to win Division 1, to go through to the World Final.

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The all-expenses trip for the qualified players involved a visit to the Practice Round at Augusta on Tuesday plus the Race to Georgia World Final. They attended a tournament day on Saturday before returning home.

It was a tough course set-up for the World Final which was played in glorious sunshine but against strong winds that mirrored the conditions at The Masters just down the road.

Keith Watson, tournament organizer on behalf of REZA Hygiene who accompanied the players to the World Final, said: “Our GCC qualifiers have had a great week that was a ‘Bucket List’ experience for them all. Congratulations to Kevin on his win.

“The whole season and the World Final have once again exceeded all our expectations and we look forward to hopefully starting to plan for next year immediately on our return to make the Race to Georgia even bigger and better next season.

“We have had over 2,500 golfers participate in this season’s qualifiers, which is a record for our event. We thank all our participating clubs and sponsors for their continued support.”

An international field of 37 golfers competed in the Race to Georgia World Final with country representation from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the USA.

Golf clubs from the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia participated in club qualifiers with the winners going through to the Regional Finals held in the UAE and Saudi.

The 2023 – 24 Race to Georgia was title sponsored by REZA Hygiene and sponsored by: Zahid Group, PAPA JOHNS, EMAAR Hospitality, dyson, Rezaroma and GOLFTEC as well as sanctioned by the Emirates Golf Federation, Qatar Golf Association, Bahrain Golf Association and Golf Saudi.

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Nick Tarratt, Khaleej Times Guest Golf Writer atr the Masters

Published: Tue 16 Apr 2024, 12:00 PM

Last updated: Tue 16 Apr 2024, 11:05 PM

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