Students at Doha College were thrilled when they recently welcomed Yasmian Alsharshani, the country’s first female Qatari golfer and the first female in the Qatar National Golf Team, for a golf clinic attended by students of Doha College secondary school.
Aside from being an accomplished golfer, Yasmian is also the founder of Qatar Golf Ladies – the first women’s centre for golf in the Middle East established in 2013, the same year when Yasmian was presented the 2013 Businesswoman of the Year award at the Qatar International Business Forum.
Yasmian was the first Qatari citizen to gain a Master’s Degree in the organisation and management of Olympic events from the International Olympic Academy, supported by her thesis on Women and Sports in Qatar.
Doha College’s Golf Tradition
Yasmian visited Doha College as part of the school’s early celebration of International Women’s Day. She was joined by Dutch Ambassador Dr Bahia Tahzib-Lie, who delivered an inspiring message about women’s path to success.
To add an element of fun, Yasmian did a spot quiz with golf-related questions, and she was pleasantly surprised by how much the students knew about golf, and by how many students actually played and practiced the sport.
Indeed, Doha College has a strong golfing tradition with alumni that recorded great successes here and abroad. DC student Jakub Hrinda was only 14 years old and in Year 10 when he made history by becoming the youngest player to appear in a European Tour event, the Qatar Masters 2015. In 2016, Jakub came second in Qatar Junior Open, while his sister Laila took the ladies’ top place. More recently, Jakub won the 2018 Turkish Open. Laila Hrindova, also a Doha College alumna, won a scholarship at Baylor University in Texas, where she now plays for one of the top US college teams.
Another Doha College student Mikkel Per Mathiesen (Year 13) joined Yasmian on stage. Mikkel is a semi-pro golfing champion who won the Qatar Junior Open a few years ago and is playing in the Qatar Masters this weekend. He joined Doha Golf Club in 2009 at the age of 9 and now plays off a +2 handicap; he carded a three-round total of 1-under-par 215 to win the only available qualifying spot at the Qatar Open by seven strokes. In September, Mikkel will have the opportunity to take his golfing career further by starting a scholarship at Wright State University in Dublin, Ohio.
Yasmian was delighted to be able to fire up students’ interest in golf.
I’m so happy to be here at Doha College with the fantastic students and teachers. I’m glad to have the support of the Dutch Ambassador Dr Bahia Tahzib-Lie – as a successful female role model and as a mother of two beautiful daughters; she assisted in delivering this golf clinic and spreading the culture of golf through this event.
Yasmian said she was very pleased that the students had a good time and enjoyed learning about the game and invited everyone to watch the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters tournament this weekend.
For updates on events and activities at Doha College, visit their website at dohacollege.com.
