Egyptian golfer Taymour Scarello, 17, took the overall title in the men's competition in the 2008 Red Sea Open Amateur Golf Championship held in Soma Bay. Scarello's (Gold category, scratch to 9 handicap) gross score came in at 227 over 54 holes. The international competition brought together 166 amateur golfers from 26 countries around the world to play the award-winning Cascades golf course, a desert and oceanfront course designed by Gary Player. Bensouda Moorri Kamal of Morocco placed second and Taymour Aboul Kheir of Egypt was third in the men's competition. Abdulla Sultan of Bahrain was the gross winner in the seniors men competition (Gold category - open handicap), while El Bahloul R. El Shaksouky of Libya took the net prize. The Ladies Gold competition (scratch to 14 handicap) had just two players. The winner was Maha Haddioui of Morocco with a gross score of 157. Donia Scarello of Egypt, older sister of the men's winner Taymour, narrowly missed out, taking second place with a score of 172. The other Ladies categories catering for higher handicap golfers were considerably better represented, with the 2007 ladies silver winner Dina Abou El Ela hanging onto her title (net score). Each winner was presented with either a personal replica cup or a commemorative plate at a closing ceremony, which continued into the night with a sumptuous buffet and barbecue dinner and live entertainment held in a beachside setting at La Résidence des Cascades hotel. The tournament's was sponsored by Vodafone, Coca Cola and Heineken.
