Galeppini, Chiang take Golf Citizen Open title

Edoardo Galeppini and Kim Chiang held their nerves when it mattered most to pull off exciting wins in their respective divisions in the first Golf Citizen Open at the Arabian Ranches Golf Club on Saturday.

Galeppini, who grew up playing with Italy’s famed Molinari brothers – Edoardo and Francesco – carded a consistent 35 points to take the honours in the men’s section while the 12-year-old Chiang, showing maturity beyond her tender age of 12, upstaged a strong field in the ladies division, scoring 34 points.

The individual stableford tournament was part of golf in Dubai’s ambitious drive to promote Golf Citizen, a new golf reservation website (golfcitizen.com) that facilitates its members to book rounds at courses of their choice.

Many major courses in the UAE are part of the fast-expanding network of Golf Citizen and more are being added to its portfolio from Thailand and Vietnam, making it one of the most comprehensive worldwide golf reservation websites.

Golf enthusiasts from any part of the world can sign up to become a ‘Golf Citizen’ for free and can book rounds at courses of their choice. They can easily browse the site and all available options are easily found with a click or two.

As an added incentive, members of Golf Citizen can avail of a special 15 per cent discount on ticket and hospitality packages for the forthcoming Omega Dubai Desert Classic to be held at the Emirates Golf Club from January 31 to February 3.

With a spot in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic Pro Am at stake for the winner of each division, the first Golf Citizen Open at the Arabian Ranches produced a close affair.
 
Galeppini, who plays off a four handicap, couldn’t have asked for a better result ahead of next week’s Volvo Tournament of Champions Pro-Am in South Africa where he has been invited to join the line-up.

It was, however, young Chiang, who stole the thunder with a commanding performance. Fresh from shooting her best score, a gross 77, in the Rivoli Monthly medal the previous day, Chiang wasted no time in confirming her credentials as the top lady golfer at ARGC with another inspired performance in the Golf Citizen Open.

She first showed signs of her precocious talent when she walked away with the Arabian Ranches Dougherty Trophy in September 2011. Since then Chiang, who now plays off a decent 10, has spent countless hours honing her skills at the club’s driving range.

Adrian Flaherty, general manager of golf in Dubai, presented the prizes.

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