Firozeh turning heads at SGCC

16/10/2002

IF A smile could sink an ace, Iran's Firozeh Mohamed Zamani will be the
golfer to watch when the Espirito Santo Trophy tees off at the Saujana
Golf and Country Club today.
But Firozeh and her team-mates - Mina Varzy and Zohreh Kasrai - could
find the going tough, and the most they can hope for will be the
experience gained in playing in a top-notch tournament.
For Iran, competing in the Espirito Santo Trophy for the first time is a
feat in itself as the trio's every stroke and putt will be keenly watched
by the people back home, and by their elderly chaperons who double up as
team manager and coach.
"We are the ambassadors of our country and hope to give a good image of
ourselves, on and off the course," said Firozeh, who covered her T-shirt
with a long overall while practicing putting at the Saujana GCC yesterday.
Firozeh, 30, was being honest when she said that the Iran trio will not
pose much of a problem to the rest of the golfers because the Cobra course
is too challenging.
"The first day we practiced at the Palm Course and found it difficult to
master. But after today (yesterday) when we tried out the championship
course (Cobra) we now understand what the word difficult really means.
"The greens are very fast and hard to master," said Firozeh, after
missing a six-foot putt for a sixth time.
The caddies at Saujana took it upon themselves to give the Iranian trio
some pointers on how to putt, but they (the trio) were not making any
headway.
There is only one golf course in Iran (only 13 holes left from the
original 18) and about 30 active women golfers.
So making their presence felt in the tournament does not seem possible,
but the Iranian trio's presence will be noticed.
(END)