Othman Almulla continues to blaze a trail for Saudi golfers

NEWCASTLE: In his own small way, Saudi Arabia’s Othman Almulla is like Edmund Hillary and Neil Armstrong, who were the first to conquer Mount Everest and walk on the moon, respectively.

The 37-year-old from Dhahran has gone where no Saudi has been before. He is the first professional golfer from his country, and perhaps feels the same excitement and trepidations that Hillary and Armstrong must have felt decades ago as they stepped into unchartered territory.

Unlike the two legends, whose adrenaline would have peaked at the completion of their conquest, Almulla says he has been on a never-ending journey ever since that balmy afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 30, 2019, when he stepped onto the first tee of the Royal Green Golf & Country Club in the company of South African legend Ernie Els and England’s Andy Sullivan.

At exactly 12:45, he somehow controlled the millions of butterflies fluttering in his stomach, tipped his cap to the hundreds of fans and family in the crowd and sent the golf ball soaring toward the atmosphere.

Life has never been the same again. His responsibilities have only been accentuated by the ambitions of Saudi Arabia in the world of golf, and the fact that there are youngsters who are now following in his footsteps. Almulla has been an exceptional brand ambassador for Saudi Golf, and a mentor to Saud Al-Sharief and Faisal Salhab, who joined the professional ranks earlier this year.

All three are part of this week’s Asian Tour’s International Series England, just one of the many incredible opportunities given to the threesome by Saudi Golf.

Almulla, Salhab and Al-Sharief are like a band of brothers on the Tour, and the senior player in the trio takes great pride in the role he is playing in the