JERUSALEM (VINnews) — For 27 years, Asher Isso, an Ethiopian immigrant who arrived in Israel in 1991, has tended faithfully to the golf course greens in Caesarea in order to ensure that the wealthy members of the exclusive golf club can enjoy a fun, enjoyable game together. When he first started gardening at the course, he did not know anything about golf, but after a few years, Isso, dubbed ‘Tiger Woods’ by members of the club because of his external resemblance to the American golf champion, was given the opportunity by members to take a shot at the game himself.
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This week, 20 years after he first held a golf club, he participated for the first time in the Israeli national golf championship and took first prize in the Masters category after beating out opposition over a 3-day game.
The gardener-cum-golfer said that “I am happy, excited and surprised at winning. For 27 years I have come to the club in the early hours of the morning to maintain all the elements of the golf course. Unfortunately, I don’t always have the free time to play a full game of 18 holes and I never participated in any meaningful competition, and therefore my win is even sweeter and more surprising.”
Asher Isso at the golf course
Lior Pariti, the director of tourism development and director of the Caesarea golf club, congratulated the winner and said that “the staff and members of the club are very excited at Asher’s amazing win, after he demonstrated impressive mental and technical golfing talents. We wish him many more successes in the future.”
120 golfers participated in the 2020 Israeli golf championships at Caesarea. The competition was held under special ‘purple label’ rules in accordance with health regulations, with competitors competing in a number of different categories over the three-day contest.
In the meantime Isso, who lives in Or Akiva adjacent to Caesarea, continues his gardening job at the golf club.
It is wonderful that Israel can produce such fine athletes.