The UAE PGA Professional team wrested back the Dubai Golf Trophy from the amateurs by the narrowest of margins on a tense final day of singles matches liberally sprinkled with great golf over Wadi by Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club.

With the teams locked 8-8 overnight, the Professionals needed 8.5 points from the 16 singles matches to win back the Trophy – and in the end they just edged over the finish line by that exact margin with the final score ending 16.5-15.5

With the wind blowing hard for the early starters, captain Steve Kelly got the Amateurs off to the perfect start in the opening match when he beat reigning PGA Order of Merit Champion Simon Payne on the final green.

Further victories from the experienced Vikram Judge and UGA Order of Merit winner Joel Neale were countered by Pro victories from Stephen Hubner and Luke Cantelo.

With David Gray, Nick Oakley, Malcolm Young and Stuart Fee all recording comfortable victories for the Pros, and Matthew Turner and Khalid Yousuf doing the same for the Amateurs, it became clear that the match would hinge on the four matches out on the course that were standing all square over the closing holes.

Jamie Wood halved with Sean Thornberry and Alan Mackenzie, the 2007 Professional captain, squeezed home against Jamal Saab leaving the score 15.5-13.5 and the Pros needing one point for victory.

The next match down 18 was Ariel Ignacio against Greg Holmes. Earlier Ignacio had stunned his pro opponent Holmes by recording at hole-in-one at the 200-yard second hole with a seven-iron on his way to being three up.

But the experienced Holmes clawed his way back and the player stood all square as they pegged it up on 18.

Holmes found a terrible lie in grass on the edge of a wadi with his drive while Ignacio was safely in the fairway.

Holmes, with 155 yards to the pin, did well to advance his ball to the front fringe with a hard hit nine-iron.

Holmes was unable to get up and down which meant that Ignacio’s par was good enough to secure the precious point for the amateurs to bring the score back to 15.5-14.5.

With two matches left on the course, all eyes turned towards the battle between Richard Sheridan and Eric Hesson, who likewise stood all square on the 18th tee.

Hesson found the left fringe of the green with his approach while Sheridan, hampered by a palm tree, fired a courageous 150-yard approach to 10 feet from a pin placed precariously close to the lake on the right of the green.

Hesson hit a superb chip from a tricky position, but when he narrowly missed his par putt it meant the Pros had secured the final point they needed to win the coveted Trophy, much to the delight of captain Elliott Gray and vice-captain Justin Parsons.