Dubbed Turkey's "Ryder Cup," the fourth edition of the Fikret Öztürk Inter-club Golf Championship was held in Antalya on Dec. 14-17.
Kemer Golf and Country Club overcame Taurus Golf Club in the play-off to win the tournament, which follows a Ryder Cup format.
Some 84 golfers from 11 golf clubs from Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) participated in this year's event, held at the Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort and the National Golf Course.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, former Sports Minister Fikret Ünlü, Regnum Carya Honorary President Fikret Öztürk, ESAS Holding Board of Directors member Erhan Kamışlı and Hasan Akçakayalıoğlu, the CEO of Aktif Bank, were among the participants. Players not tied to any clubs took part in the Winter Challenge Tournament.
The tournament is the brainchild of businessman Fikret Öztürk, who has made some significant contribution to Turkey's golf scene.
Talking about Fikret Öztürk's love for golf, his wife Nurten Öztürk said: "One day he told me he was going to pick up golf, and I said, sure why not. His love for the sport grew gradually, and I started to see less and less of him."
After playing golf for many years, Öztürk started to support the sport and led the Bodrum Golf Club out of its difficult first years. He has also invested heavily in golf courses, facilities, and hotels in Antalya, including the Carya Golf Course, the Regnum and the National Golf Club. He has also patronized numerous workshops and tournaments for children, youths and adults.
Highlights of the tournament:l 11 golf clubs from Turkey and the KKTC attended the tournament,
The tournament took place at Regnum Carya, which hosted the European Tour Final Series Turkish Airlines Open in 2016 and 2017, and at one of Turkey's first golf courses, the National Golf Course,
Kemer Golf and Country Club won the tournament in the play-off,
In the play-off, Yiğit Ilgaz and Mehmet Kazan from Kemer Golf and Country Club faced off with Recep Turan and Fahir Telli of Taurus Golf Club,
Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu attended the tournament for the Bodrum Golf Club,
Some club captains attended prelim before the tournament to be able to choose players to play in the tournament,
The tournament brought hundreds of guests to the Regnum Carya hotel.
