The 2009 Rolex Israel Amateur Open Golf Championships (the Israel Open in short) teed off last Wednesday at the new and improved Caesarea Golf Club. In all, 128 golfers from seven countries are participating in this year's events, which run until Thursday.
Competition got underway with the Junior Championships, as 15-year-old Assaf Cohen won the boys bracket on 223 strokes and 7 over par after three days of play. Laetitia Beck took the female bracket, hitting a 209, 7 under par.
The men's tournament begins today with 35 golfers competing, but even in the adult bracket, Israel's youth dominate. Cohen is the reigning national champion, and will seek to hold on to his title again this year, while 14-year-old Hadas Libman is last year's women's champ.
The four-day men's tournament will be spread over 72 holes, the three-day women's competition over 54 holes.
Additional categories include men's and women's masters (three-day affairs for golfers age 50 and up) and men's "super seniors" for golfers age 70 and up (Mike Ossip won in super seniors, hitting a 168). A "sister club" tournament will also be held, featuring pairs from various countries belonging to golf clubs affiliated with Caesarea.
Caesarea Golf Club, which dates to 1961, was extensively upgraded and redesigned this year by Pete Dye, the U.S. designer widely regarded as one of the most influential course architects in the world. Caesarea is Israel's only 18-hole golf course.
