Flying the flag: Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Salhab and Saud AlSharif ready for next step in their careers

By Matt Smith
Over the past 18 months, you could say Saudi Arabia has been making something of a name for itself in global golfing circles.

With concerted promotional efforts and considerable backing from Golf Saudi and the Government’s Public Investment Fund, the game has expanded greatly in the Kingdom in recent times, from global events such as the LIV Golf Invitational Series, and the flagship Saudi International on the Asian Tour, to a growth in golf tourism as well as an upturn in Saudis of all ages and abilities — both male and female — taking up the game for the first time.

There are two young men who are enjoying the ride first-hand — amateur golfers Faisal Salhab and Saud AlSharif.

The pair have risen to prominence in the Middle East thanks to some outstanding performances, and their dedication to the cause is reaping dividends.

Salhab, at 24, is the slightly more experienced of the two, and his recent achievements include victory in the 2021 Saudi Open, another title at the 40th Pan Arab Championships in Cairo, second spot at the GCC Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi and a third consecutive invite to the stellar Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City.

“The game is coming together nicely,” Faisal told Golf Digest Middle East after competing at the Tillman Trophy in England in late July, where he scored a first-round 65 to top the leaderboard before settling for 15th in a talented field. “It’s still not completely there but things are going in the right direction.”

While still only 22, AlSharif is also showing similar promise, as he builds on his triumph at the Jordan Open late last year.

He has been honing his game in England alongside Salhab this past month — all under the watchful eye of Golf Saudi Senior Professional Grant Smith, who is helping mentor the duo, who are based at the Claude Harmon III Academy at Els Club in Dubai. Smith offers first-hand coaching on the boys’ travels, with three more Asian Tour events on the horizon very soon ahead of the Eisenhower Trophy — the World Men’s Amateur Team Championships — in Paris.

Thanks to their progress and Golf Saudi’s backing, Salhab and AlSharif are getting more and more opportunities to shine, with multiple events on the Asian Tour‚ including the new International Series which took them to Slaley Hall, Newcastle, for the Tour’s first-ever event in England.

Faisal Salhab has been gaining vital experience at the Saudi International and Asian Tour tournaments in Europe

“With the Asian Tour events we have been given the opportunity to play in, those have really sharpened up our game,” said AlSharif, embracing the journey the pair are on together. “Speaking of myself, they have been a very important reason behind my being comfortable out there in any tournament I have been in, or any situation I have faced, because I am now in these bigger fields with more to play for and playing alongside all these professionals.

“It is a massive plus for my game and I am so grateful for that. It is really showing in how we both perform and also how we feel more confident and comfortable in some of the other amateur events — it is such a positive thing. We certainly don’t take it for granted and are very grateful to Golf Saudi and the Asian Tour for these opportunities.”

Salhab is happy to concur.

“What is happening with the Asian tour is great,” he added. “Especially with the International Series as it’s giving an opportunity to both me and Saud to test ourselves with some of the top players. The field was so strong in Newcastle and there was the added incentive of a spot at the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series up for grabs, which made the competition even more intense.”

Intense is also a word you could use to describe the elements in the UK for these two, who are much more used to the sunshine and warmth of the Middle East.

“The weather was certainly different,” laughed Salhab, who found the course layouts more of a challenge than the wind and rain.

“It was much colder than we were used to but very enjoyable. It is nice to escape the heat sometimes. The biggest difference were the types of courses over here, whether it would be links or heathland or parkland, it’s very different to the courses back home.”

With Golf Saudi’s links to Greg Norman’s innovative LIV Golf adventure, the series has inevitably caught the attention of the Saudi pair, who would love to play alongside the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Paul Casey, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed and Henrik Stenson at the ground-breaking, 54-hole tournaments in the future.

“I am very hopeful — whenever it happens — to tee it up with those guys,” said AlSharif. “They are some of the best players in the world, and LIV Golf is a very cool format, if you ask me. It would be very cool to be part of that environment.”

Salhab also thinks it is a welcome addition to the golfing calendar. “To be able to be competing in the Asian tour and in the International Series is already a bonus,” he said. “Of course, if I get the opportunity with LIV Golf, it would be incredible, and I would be interested in competing there.”

Saud AlSharif is based at CH3 Academy in Dubai, where he works with Jamie McConnell

NEXT STEPS
Back to the immediate future, and CH3 coach Jamie McConnell has been helping out from afar as Faisal and Saud continue their travels.

“We have done some online lessons with Jamie when being in the UK with the supervision of Golf Saudi’s Grant, and implemented what needs to be worked on,” explained Salhab. “Also with the support of the national team we were able to do a training camp at Centurion in Hertfordshire, England, and keep playing events to not get too rusty.”

Soon the pair will be back in Dubai after their summer trip to the UK, but that doesn’t mean the work stops, even if the heat is unrelenting, as there are the Asian Tour’s remaining 2022 events coming up thick and fast.

“My plans over the next few weeks when I get back to the UAE are training with Jamie at Claude Harmon III Academy at the Els Club in Dubai for the upcoming Asian Tour schedule,” said AlSharif. “We obviously haven’t seen Jamie in a while as we have been on the road, so we are heading back his way now for some prepping in Dubai. It might be in the heat, but we are used to that these days!

“We are looking forward to the fully packed schedule for the rest of the year on the Asian Tour and beyond. I feel like it is going to be a good year for all of us and, hopefully, we get a lot of chances. But we will go out there, enjoy it and give it our best and see what happens.”

Despite the travel and hard work, Salhab is also eager to keep going.

“I’m keen to play all the International Series events on the Asian tour, also I have never competed in the Eisenhower Trophy which I’m very excited about,” he said. “There are also a few Asian Development Tour events and I am hoping to play in the Saudi international again next year. I want to use all the knowledge from the upcoming season to try to compete at that event. It would mean so much to me to do well at an event on home soil.

“I believe I have the game it takes to be competing out there. It still has not come together on the Asian Tour but I see the light at the end of the tunnel and just have to keep at it and something good will happen.”

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Flying the flag: Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Salhab and Saud AlSharif ready for next step in their careers

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