(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) Oman golfers finished a disappointing 69th out of 72 countries on its debut at the 2012 World Amateur Team Championship, which concluded in Antalya, Turkey, on Sunday.The three-member team comprising Azaan al Rumhy, Ali Hameed al Saleh and Sayyid al Arqam al Busaidy garnered a total of 528 over three days with scores of 178, 176 and 174 in the three rounds.Oman was forced to make a last-minute change in the squad after Mohammed 'Eddy' al Mawali's arrival in Turkey was delayed due to work-related issues. Busaidy, the non-playing captain and secretary of the Oman Golf Committee (OGC), came to the team's rescue to avoid disqualification as three players are mandatory to be registered to play in the event.Meanwhile, golfers from the US shot a record-setting score of 24-under-par 404 to win the 28th Eisenhower Trophy for the 14th time. The Americans edged Mexico by five strokes in the rain-affected event at the par-71 Antalya Golf Club. There was a three-way tie for bronze at15-under-par 413 among defending champion France, Germany and South Korea.In each round, the total of the two lowest individual scores from each team constituted the team score for that round. The 54-hole total was the team score for the championship. Among the four GCC countries that took part, Qatar fared the best with a 58th place finish with a score of 481.The UAE (490) finished 61st while Bahrain (514) finished two places above Oman, on 67th. Kyrgyzstan (642) finished last.Though individual rankings weren't officially considered in the team event, Azaan was the second best golfer from the region. The Omani scored a total of 245 (83, 83 and 79) to finish 168th in a field of 215 golfers.Qatar's Ali al Bishi was the top-ranked individual with a total of 231 to finish 131st. Mexico's Sebastian Vazquez was the best individual performer with a score of 15-under 199.Ali Hameed had rounds of 95, 93 and 95 to score 283 and finish at No 203 while Busaidy shot 320 (104, 114, 102) to settle for No 208.For Azaan, it was a satisfactory outing as he had aimed for scores of around 80 and came up with his best on the final day with a round of 79.The world amateur meet is a biennial competition that began in 1958. It is conducted by the International Golf Federation (IGF), which comprises national governing bodies of golf from 126 countries and international professional tours.The 2014 championship will be played in Karuizawa, Japan, while Cancun, Mexico, will host the 2016 edition.
