Haider Cup 2017 Recap
By Riyaz Jessa
Year: 2017
Host City: Minnesota (Hilton head)
Winner: Team USA
In the end, it came down to one match. Each one who lost their match on any one of those 3 days went through the agony of “if only…” (including yours truly, heck I lost 2 of them). But as they say; “a miss is as good as a mile”, 1 point or 5 points, Team USA took home the trophy and the bragging rights of hosting an awesome event at an incredible venue. WOW! That pretty much sums it up.
There were far too many stories of great shots, up and downs, chip ins, miracle putts and amazing come from behind victories. The one which stands out (I witnessed first hand) was the match between Shafiq Ebrahim and Monty Daudaly. Monty 2 up with 3 holes to play, a slight drizzle as the group reaches the 16th hole, tee shots, approach shots, chips and it boiled down to a putt on the 16th, Shafiq makes, Monty misses. The lead is down to 1 with 2 to play. Par 3 17th, Shafiq makes an unbelievable double breaker putt for par, in the rain Monty misses his. All tied, onto the Harbor Town signature hole 18, Shafiq makes another clutch putt and steals a win under immense pressure and tension.
Both teams needed wins, the count was too close to confirm a winner yet. Each captain, waiting for results, heck each half point mattered now. But in the end this one went in favour of team USA. Congratulations.
This year, the battle was close each day. No team was running away with this one.
At the end of day 1, the scores reflected how close the games were; Canada 6.5 – USA 5.5. Day 2 was a repeat of the first day; Canada 6.5 – USA 5.5. Going into Day 3, Canada had a slim 2 point margin, which in these games although nice to have was minuscule and not good enough to hold up. Team USA, chipped away and clawed there way back by taking key matches and despite some late heroics and great play by the Canadians, it wasn’t enough to stop the US team to snatch away the cup and win HC 2017.
So much for the results and great play, what needs to be mentioned on the same level is the fabulous venue and the effort into organizing this years cup. Hilton head was a fabulous destination and fantastic golf venue. A city within a city. Terrific resort, great golf courses, hard fought battles, wins, losses, missed putts, great shots, determination and nervous tension and a whole slew of mixed feelings, it was one fun time.
Lastly, congratulations to each and every Haider Cup player who helped in adding to a fabulous total of $25,000 raised for the Tamani Foundation. Remember, Haider Cup is not merely about golf, the competition, and comradeship, but to leverage our positions in helping others less fortunate and ensuring they are given a fighting chance to make their dreams come true, too!
See you in Toronto 2018.
