AR
It wouldn’t be a Dubai summer scramble without a fight to the finish, and the 2026 edition at Jumeirah Golf Estates delivered exactly that. With 112 golfers out on the Fire course under conditions that had as much bite as the scoreboard, the Summer Scramble produced the kind of day that makes a members’ event worthwhile – 10 teams finishing 17 under par or better, and a title decided only after countback on the back nine.
The winners were the team of Zak Taher, Bradley Valentine, Oliver Wood and Richard Bernans, who posted 19 under par (net 53) and sealed the deal in the most dramatic way possible – a net eagle on 17 followed by a gross eagle on 18. When golf decides to cooperate in those final moments, it tends to stay in the memory.
Cameron McWhinnie, Golf Services Manager at Jumeirah Golf Estates, said at the prize presentation: “It is amazing to have had a full field today, despite the summer heat providing us with some challenging playing conditions. The support of the Membership here at Jumeirah Golf Estates is unwavering and makes hosting events a pleasure.” For a summer event in Dubai to draw 112 golfers is no small thing, and the club’s membership turns out regardless.
Full Results: 2026 Summer Scramble at Jumeirah Golf Estates
Format: Fourball Texas Scramble • Course: Fire • Date: 20 June 2026 • Field: 112 golfers
Net Competition
Position: Team • Score
Winners: Zak Taher, Bradley Valentine, Oliver Wood, Richard Bernans • -19 (net 53) — won on back nine countback
Runner-Up: Martin Stewart, Callum Smithson, Alfie Waters, Gurpreet Shatra • -19 (net 53) — countback
Third Place: Dhruvin Patel, Shiv Taank, Manuel Baierlacher, Monika Baierlacher • -18 (net 54)
Gross Competition
Position: Team • Score
Gross Winners: Tom Neale, JJ O’Toole, Simon Bird, Louis Thorne • -17 (gross 55)
Special Events
Competition: Hole • Winner
Nearest the Pin: Hole 8 • David Bainbridge
Beat the Pro vs Lea Pouillard: Hole 14 • Tom Neale
The Winning Round
The Taher-Valentine-Wood-Bernans side did what good scramble teams do – stayed in it long enough for the course to offer an opportunity, then took it. Nineteen under around the Fire course in June, with the heat and the firmness of the summer turf, is a score that earns respect. The back nine countback over Stewart’s team, who matched them shot-for-shot at 19 under, tells you how competitive this field was throughout.
Third place went to the fourball of Dhruvin Patel, Shiv Taank, Manuel Baierlacher and Monika Baierlacher with 18 under par – a performance that would have won plenty of member events, but here it was only enough for the final podium spot.
The Gross Story
Separating the gross from the net winner is often where these events get interesting. Tom Neale, JJ O’Toole, Simon Bird and Louis Thorne returned 17 under par on the card – a gross 55 – and they didn’t get there quietly. Eagles on the 12th, 13th and 18th holes tell you this side was making the most of their length and sharpness on a day when conditions demanded it.
Neale, for his part, had an excellent afternoon beyond the team result. He won the Beat the Pro challenge on the 14th hole against Lea Pouillard – the Tommy Fleetwood Teaching Professional attached to Jumeirah Golf Estates – which is never a straightforward thing to add to a scramble scorecard. David Bainbridge claimed Nearest the Pin honours on the 8th, the kind of precise moment that sticks in the mind long after the round.
About the Event
The Summer Scramble is one of the regular competitive touchstones on the Jumeirah Golf Estates members’ calendar. The Texas Scramble format – every player tees off, the best ball is selected and played from that spot, with each team member required to have at least three tee shots chosen across the round – gives golfers of varying handicaps a genuine stake in the outcome.
Follow Golf Digest Middle East on social media
Main Image: Left to right: Zak Taher, Richard Bernans, Michelle Walsh-Hall (2026 Lady Captain), Bradley Valentine, Oliver Wood,Carl Downham (2026 Men’s Captain)
