The Malta Golf Association hosted the 19th edition of the MGA Shield last weekend at the Royal Malta Golf Club in Marsa, where players enjoyed ideal weather conditions throughout the tournament.

Sponsored by Crosscraft for the fourth consecutive year, the event drew 120 participants — 99 men and 21 women — who competed in the two-day Stableford format. Day one saw 38 golfers match their handicap, with 12 surpassing the 40-point mark. On day two, 21 players equalled or bettered their handicap, though only four managed 40 points or more.

In the women’s category, Guan Mingqi led the opening round with 42 points, followed closely by Daniela Scodamore on 41, Maria Woodward on 40, and both Susan Wibrew and Catherine Milet on 39. While Milet held steady, the leaderboard shifted dramatically on day two. Woodward surged ahead to secure her fourth MGA Shield title, with Wibrew claiming second place and Scodamore finishing third.

In the men’s competition, William Beck topped the day-one standings with 43 points, followed by a group of five players — Nicholas Urpani, John Fletcher, Nicholas Laferla, Fredrik Johansson, and Alexandr Vagimov — all on 41. Several frontrunners faltered on day two, though Johansson maintained solid form to take second place. Aldric Gaudinot Nannan made a notable climb up the leaderboard, but the overall winner was Rayan Husni Bey, whose impressive 42-point final round earned him a two-point victory.

One of the weekend’s standout performances came from Andrew Borg, who carded a remarkable gross 64 on the first day, including pars on 13 holes and birdies on holes 2, 4, 5, 8 and 14.

Trophies were presented to the winners by Malta Golf Association President William Beck and Royal Malta Golf Club Captain Irwin Gratil.