Golf Digest India - April 2018

VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 12

APRIL 2018 `150

THINK YOUNG | PLAY HARD

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R&A SESSION 4: SUMMARY OF SEMINAR AND Q&A

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how to play. what to play. where to play.

l l

Contents 4/18

ArgentinA l AustrAliA l Chile l ChinA l CzeCh republiC l FinlAnd l FrAnCe l hong Kong l IndIa l indonesiA l irelAnd KoreA l MAlAysiA l MexiCo l Middle eAst l portugAl l russiA l south AFriCA l spAin l sweden l tAiwAn l thAilAnd l usA

17 MASTERS 2018 AUGUSTA NATIONAL APRIL 5-8

34

IGU Announces Junior Boys & Girls, Senior Calendars

36

Club Round-Up Updates from courses across India

38

Grow The Game

40

Business Of Golf Industry updates

42

India Golf Expo

44

Tête-à-Tête Exclusive interview with Michael Jopp, VP - Mercedes-Benz India

by Rohit bhaRdwaj

Corporate Digest

Masters Preview 75

Viewpoint Masters Cartooning and the Last Laugh

India Digest Hero Indian Open 2018 17

by jeRRy taRde 76

What Pros Really Say About Tiger’s Chances How will the four-time winner fare in his Masters return? by john huggan and dave shedloski

87

88

The Masters: Steeped in History

The Digest Six things you didn’t know about Augusta National

MercedesTrophy

50

Madhavrao Scindia Golf Tournament

54

World Corporate Golf Challenge

56

Lifestyle

23 24

Kshitij Naveed Kaul Comes Of Age At Indian Open Indian Open: Greatest Moments

by Rohit bhaRdwaj

Sharma Scripts Memorable Top-10 At WGC-Mexico

27

TAKE Solutions felicitates top Indian pros

32

IGU sends 4 juniors for South African tournaments

58

Woods, Els Named Presidents Cup Captains

62

PGA Tour goes global as developmental seasons begin

12 golf digest india | april 2018

New Beginnings by josh buRack

Features 89

Moves to Lower Scores Here’s a better cardio routine for golf by kaitlyn pimentel

92

cover story Tommy Fleetwood: Deadeye Accuracy Through-the-bag advice to hit any target with Ron kaspRiske

98

Planet Golf Nicklaus and Norman tie for most courses among living architects on our World 100 Greatest list

How many have you played in these 23 countries?

106 Is a Toe-Hang Mallet

For You?

by mike stachuRa 110 Timeless Driver Keys

64

Tommy Fleetwood: From The Golfing Doldrums To World Top-10

65

10 Things You May Not Know About Shubhankar

Junior Golf

by R kikuo johnson

72

102 New Ranking

Newsmakers 26

Asian Tour Stars Partner Habitat For Humanity

by Ron whitten

by Rohit bhaRdwaj

116 Masters Souvenirs

A tradition unlike any other

Magnificent Matt Reigns Supreme Englishman Matt Wallace beats compatriot Andrew Johnston in playoff for title

46

71

My basics on setting up for power and accuracy by butch haRmon

112 No More Chunks

and Skulls

by david leadbetteR

Cover photograph: Levon Biss

IS THE OVERWHELMING CHOICE AT AUGUSTA. T H E P R O V 1® A N D P R O V 1 x ®. T H E # 1 B A L L A T T H E M A S T E R S ®.

©2018 Acushnet Company. Source: Darrell Survey. MASTERS® is a registered trademark owned by Augusta National, Inc. and is being used with permission.

Editor’s Letter Dear Readers,

M

arch saw the 54th annual US$ 1.75 million Hero Indian Open being staged successfully. In my editorial last month, I mentioned that 2018 was the first time in 20 years where the Indian Golf Union (IGU) was going to put together the event independently of a professional sports marketing organisation and that this was a big test for the national federation. Well, we are happy to observe that the IGU came through with flying colours. They were able to earn the confidence of the magnanimous title sponsor Hero MotoCorp and DLF Golf & Country Club, who took on the entire event management as the host venue and the European and Asian Tours.

Write to me at rishi@teamgolfdigest.com or on Twitter @RishiNarain_ All these bodies supported the IGU and together they were able to organise a successful tournament. Since this looks like a long-term solution, the next step will be to use the event to really draw attention to and promote the game.

The Indian Open should be the culmination of a year round promotion of the game across India – it’s the single biggest showcase of the sport and needs to be leveraged to the maximum on many fronts – but most of all to showcase golf’s global media appeal to new potential corporate sponsors, attract more players to the game and to inspire budding champions. This will be the next step in the evolution of the event maturing as a true National Open.

The 7th annual India Golf Expo coming up in April is another significant showcase of all the resources required to plan, build, maintain and operate golf facilities. As the event moves to Bengaluru on April 19-20, the world’s rules governing body of the game, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, has chosen to use this annual gathering to conduct a one day seminar on sustainability. There will be a lot of learning and ideas exchanged at this conference and for anyone with a passing interest in the business of golf, this is a must visit event in the region. Read more about it in our pages.

Summer is usually a great time for junior golf with exams out of the way and school holidays on, tournaments and camps at clubs around the country kick off in earnest. We will give you full coverage of this subject in the coming issues.

Happy Golfing!

Rishi Narain

TEAM GOLF DIGEST INDIA Editor & Publisher Rishi Narain Managing Editor Rohit Bhardwaj rohit@rnsportsmarketing.com

Contributing Editor Karthik Swaminathan karthik@rnsportsmarketing.com

Assistant Art Director Guneet Singh Oberoi

Marketing & Advertising Nikhil Narain nikhil@rnsportsmarketing.com +91-9999990364

Subscriptions Monika Chhabra, Gautam Chhabra subscribe@teamgolfdigest.com Phone: +91-9999868051

Krishna Kant Dubey kk@rnsportsmarketing.com

Published and Printed by Rishi Narain on behalf of Rishi Narain Golf Management Private Limited and Printed at Thomson Press India Limited, 18-35 Mile Stone, Delhi-Mathura Road, Faridabad-121 007, Haryana and published from 501, Sushant Tower, Sector - 56, Gurgaon - 122101, Haryana. Phone Number - 0124-2841370, 1371, 1372. Editor: Rishi Narain. Contains material reprinted by permission from Golf Digest® and Golf World®. Golf Digest India is a monthly publication of Rishi Narain Golf Management Private Limited.

14 golf digest india | april 2018

GOLF DIGEST INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS AND EDITORS-IN-CHIEF GD ArGentinA Hernán SimÓ, Jorge R. Arias AustrAliAn GD Brad Clifton GD Chile Rodrigo Soto GD ChinA Echo Ma GD CzeCh republiC Robin Drahonovsky GD FinlAnD Sami Markkanen GD FrAnCe Henry Trouillet GD honG KonG Echo Ma GD inDonesiA Irwan Hermawan GD inDiA Rishi Narain GD irelAnD Linton Walsh GD KoreA Eun Jeong “EJ” Sohn GD MAlAysiA Patrick Ho GD MexiCo Rafa Quiroz GD MiDDle eAst Robbie Greenfield GD portuGAl João Morais Leitão GD russiA Fedor Gogolev GD south AFriCA Stuart McLean GD spAin Óscar Maqueda GD sweDen Oskar Åsgård GD tAiwAn Jennifer Wei GD thAilAnD Chumphol Na Takuathung GD usA Jerry Tarde

GOLF DIGEST USA EDITORIAL

ChAirMAn & eDitor-in-ChieF Jerry Tarde exeCutive eDitor Mike O’Malley CreAtive DireCtor Ken DeLago MAnAGinG eDitor Alan P. Pittman Deputy eDitor Max Adler ARTICLES eDitoriAl DevelopMent DireCtor Craig Bestrom senior eDitor Ron Kaspriske senior writers Bureau Jaime Diaz, Dave Kindred, Tim Rosaforte, Ron Sirak, Guy Yocom AssoCiAte eDitor Stephen Hennessey AssistAnt eDitor Brittany Romano eDitor-At-lArGe Nick Seitz writer-At-lArGe Dan Jenkins ContributinG eDitors Dave Anderson, Peter Andrews, Tom Callahan, Bob Carney, Marcia Chambers, David Fay, John Feinstein, Peter Finch, Thomas L. Friedman, Lisa Furlong, Matthew M. Ginella, John Huggan, Dean Knuth, David Owen, Steve Rushin, Dave Shedloski, Roger Schiffman, Geoff Shackelford INSTRUCTION senior eDitor Peter Morrice senior writer Matthew Rudy plAyinG eDitors / pGA tour Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Rickie Fowler, Justin Leonard, Phil Mickelson, Nick Price, Jordan Spieth, David Toms plAyinG eDitors / lpGA tour Paula Creamer teAChinG proFessionAls Rob Akins, Todd Anderson, Chuck Cook, Sean Foley, Hank Haney, Butch Harmon, Hank Johnson, David Leadbetter, Jack Lumpkin, Jim McLean, Tom Ness, Renee Powell, Dean Reinmuth, Randy Smith, Rick Smith, Dave Stockton, Josh Zander proFessionAl ADvisors Amy Alcott, Dr. Bill Mallon, Gary McCord, Randy Myers, Judy Rankin, Lucius Riccio, Ph.D., Dr. Bob Rotella, Ben Shear, Ralph Simpson, Frank Thomas, Stan Utley EQUIPMENT senior eDitor Mike Stachura equipMent eDitor E. Michael Johnson AssistAnt eDitor Keely Levins teChniCAl pAnel John Axe, Ph.D.; Martin Brouillette, Ph.D.; Thomas E. Lacy Jr., Ph.D.; David Lee, Ph.D.; John McPhee, Ph.D.; Dick Rugge; George Springer, Ph.D. GOLF COURSES senior eDitor / ArChiteCture Ron Whitten ContributinG eDitor Topsy Siderowf GOLF DIGEST INTERNATIONAL GROUP senior DireCtor, internAtionAl Develop Ment & strAteGy Angela Byun ContributinG eDitor, internAtionAl Ju Kuang Tan

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Our Contributors JACK NICKLAUS Regarded as the greatest player of all time Winner of a record 18 GRAND SLAMS

TOM WATSON World’s #1 ranked professional golfer from 1978 to 1982 8-TIME Grand Slam Champion

BUTCH HARMON Considered as the #1 rated golf instructor in the world Best known as TIGER WOODS’s coach (1993-2004)

DAVID LEADBETTER The most celebrated golf instructor in history Changed golf instruction for all future generations from guesswork to science

Golf Digest India is the exclusive official media partner to:

The World's Richest Tour 16 golf digest india | april 2018

Covers 27 countries, with approximately US$210 million in prize money

The region's pre-eminent Tour covering 21 countries, with around US$115 million in prize money

HERO INDIAN OPEN

“i’m ecstatic. i just played some amazing golf... there are some great champions. ssp (chawrasia) held it for a couple of years there and i am so happy to get my name on the trophy.”

—matt wallace, 2018 champion

Hero Indian Open KNOW WALLACE Born – April 12, 1990 Residence – London, England Turned Pro – 2012 World Ranking – 94 European Tour wins – 2 2018 Hero Indian Open, 2017 Open de Portugal • Matt Wallace missed only 10 fairways in the entire tournament and averaged 1.54 putts per hole • His best finish this season was tied-19th at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, which was his last European Tour appearance • Wallace moved to 94th in the Official World Golf Ranking from 152nd spot following his Hero Indian Open victory • Wallace won the Alps Tour Order of Merit in 2016. That year, he won six times including 5 consecutive victories • This is his second European Tour win in his 32nd appearance, following his maiden victory at the 2017 Open de Portugal at Morgado Golf Resort

GOLF STATS (2018) Stroke Average Driving Accuracy (%) Avg. Distance Greens In Regulation Avg. Putts Per Round Sand Saves (%)

70.23 59.76 307.19 71.11 29.17 72.41

18 golf digest india | april 2018

England’s Matt Wallace hit a brave approach on the 18th hole during the playoff that rolled to within 10 feet of the cup for a comfortable two-putt and 2018 Hero Indian Open title

Hero Indian Open

magnificent matt reigns supreme

England’s Matt Wallace Beats Compatriot Andrew Johnston To Grab Hero Indian Open At The Demanding DLF Golf & Country Club In Gurgaon; Local Hope Sharma Settles For Joint 7th Place Text: Rohit Bhardwaj/European Tour Photos: European Tour/Getty Images

M “i played great. ever since being three-over through eight at the start of the week i’ve played some of the best golf of my life and to do it in that style at the end there capped it off… beef (andrew johnston) really had a great round today because i was playing fantastic and thought i might have been a few more clear.”

att Wallace won his second European Tour title with a dramatic play-off victory over Andrew Johnston at the Hero Indian Open.

The Englishman entered the day at DLF Golf & Country Club with a share of the lead and a closing 68 got him to 11-under, a total matched by compatriot Johnston after a 66.

Wallace hit a huge drive down the 18th on the first extra hole and with Johnston laying up and seeing his birdie putt agonisingly lip out, the 27-year-old had two putts for the title after hitting a brilliant second onto the putting surface.

He rolled his first up to the side of the hole and tapped home to seal a second victory in 32 appearances after last season’s triumph at the Open de Portugal at Morgado Golf Resort.

American Sihwan Kim finished at 8-under, a shot clear of Spaniard Pablo Larrazábal and Austrian Matthias Schwab.

Argentinian Emiliano Grillo was then 5-under, with home hero and Race to Dubai leader Shubhankar Sharma and Scot Stephen Gallacher a shot further back.

Wallace was playing on the Alps Tour in 2016 but six wins that season - including five in a row - got him onto the Challenge Tour and he continues his meteoric rise following the victory in Portugal in just his fourth European Tour event.

Johnston made a gain on the second from six feet to get within one of the lead but he was not there for long as Wallace birdied the same hole from 25 feet to get to eight under.

Both players birdied the fourth and when Wallace holed a 30-footer to get into double figures on the seventh, he was three ahead.

Johnston got up and down from the front of the eighth to birdie the par five but Wallace holed a ten-footer on the same hole to stay three ahead.

The gap was two at the turn after Johnston attacked the driveable ninth and got up and down for a birdie but Wallace always had a response and chipped in at the tenth to keep his cushion.

Johnston hit an approach to 12 feet on the 13th to cut the gap to two and when he hit another stunner into the 17th, he was just one behind.

MATT WALLACE: WHAT’S IN THE BAG? Driver: 3 wood: Hybrid: Irons (3-5): Irons (6-9): Wedges: Putter: Ball:

Ping G400 LST 8.5° Ping G400 14.5° Ping G400 18° Ping i200 Ping iBlade Ping Glide 2.0 Stealth 46°, 52°.

Ping Glide 2.0 58° Ping Sigma G Darby Titleist Pro V1x

april 2018 | golf digest india

19

Hero Indian Open

Andrew Johnston of England played some excellent golf to tie with leader Matt Wallace at -11 in regulation 4 rounds

Wallace hit a wonderful long putt up the ridge on the 15th but saw the ball agonisingly lip out and his lead was gone on the par three next.

He left his tee-shot short in the rough and flew his second over the green into a bunker, doing well to get up and down and drop a single shot.

Kim looked to be in contention right up to the end as he made birdies on the second, fourth, seventh, ninth and 11th but a bogey on the last ended his hopes.

Larrazábal was another man who saw his

chances disappear with a disappointing finish, bogeying the 14th, 16th and 17th having made gains on the first, fourth, sixth, eighth, 11th and 13th.

Schwab had four birdies and two bogeys as the Qualifying School graduate secured his best European Tour finish.

Grillo signed for a level par 72, while Sharma had three double-bogeys in a 75 and Gallacher closed with a 74.

Dutchman Joost Luiten, England’s Aaron Rai and South Korean Jinho Choi rounded out the top ten at two under.

“if shubhankar had played well and had the local support, it would be really tough. for him to achieve all the things he has done, is phenomenal. i’ve done something similar, but on a lower level. i won many times on the alps tour within a short time. we had a chat on the golf course and i think he’s going to do really well for himself.”

— matt wallace

Julian Suri takes his team to Pro-Am win Bhatia; Abhijit Chakravertty; Rajiv Vasa Second runner-up: Scott lamieson (Pro), Inderjit Singh; S Kipgen; Anuj Bhardwaj

Julian Suri (2R) with his winning Pro-Am team

Julian Suri gave himself a good start into the Hero Indian Open week by carrying his team to a fine win in the Wednesday Hero Pro-Am. His teammates were Shaurya Dhir, Pranav Bhaskar and Rohan Malhotra.

Anirban Lahiri's team and Scott Jamieson’s team came second and third respectively.

Closest to Pin on 12th Hole, Combined Winner: HGS Dhaliwal - 16’7" Closest to Pin on 3rd Hole, Combined Winner: RS Rawal - 18 feet Yatra Lambi Race Ka Ghoda 15th Hole – Lady Winner: Hitashee Bakshi - 215 Yds

20 golf digest india | april 2018

Men Winner: Sunhit Bishnoi - 270 Yds Straight Driver on 1st Hole: Combined Winner: KMS Shergill Team Winners: Julian Suri (Pro); Shaurya Dhir; Pranav Bhaskar and Rohan Malhotra Runner-up: Anirban Lahiri (Pro); Mukhmeet

MONDAY PRO-AM: Team: Winners: Karandeep Kochar (Pro); Arvind Saxena; Anil Dev and Vikram Sharma Runner-up: Ashok Kumar (Pro); Angad Luthra; Raman Dua; Krishan B Singh 2nd runner-up: M Dharma (Pro); Jai Dahl, Pushpendra Rathore; Ravi Grover Closest to the Pin (3rd hole): Diksha Dagar (10’ 10”)

Closest to the Pin (12th hole), Combined winner: lndusekhar Singh (1 foot) Yatra Lambi Race Ka Ghoda 15th Hole Winner: Angad Luthra (275 feet) Runner-up: Kapil Dev Straight Drive (1st hole): Combined Drive: Lt. Gen Kanwal Kumar TUESDAY PRO-AM: Team: Winners: Prayad Marksaeng (Pro); Rishi Wadhera; Nilesh Kumar; Ravi Chopra Runner-up: Gregory Havret (Pro); Dinesha Alla, Dayakar Reddy; Ashwinder Behl;

2nd runner-up: Liang Wen Chong (Pro); Prashant Singh; Neil Howie; Teenku Loond Closest to Pin on 12th Hole, Combined Winner: Mukta Malhotra (1'9") Closest to Pin on 3rd Hole, Combined Winner: Ashwinder Dahl (5'3”) Yatra Lambi Race Ka Ghoda 15th Hole Lady Winner: Aastha Mittal - 210 Yds Men Winner: Dhruv Pal Singh - 276 Yds Straight Drive on 1st Hole, Combined Winner: Gaurav Dogra (5")

Hero Indian Open INDIAN PERFORMANCE IN LAST 5 YEARS

Year In Top 10 Made Cut Venue 2018 1 7 DLF GCC 2017 2 15 DLF GCC 2016 5 21 Delhi GC 2015 2 15 Delhi GC 2014 No event — — 2013 4 22 Delhi GC Indian golfers were unable to replicate their 2017 performance at this year’s Hero Indian Open. Only 7 pros made the cut this year as opposed to 15 in 2017. Just 1 Indian finished in the top-10 this year in comparison to 2 in 2017.

When compared with Indian performances in Panasonic Open India at Delhi Golf Club, the results are far from impressive.

49 Indians made the cut in the 2017 edition, while 40 qualified for weekend rounds in 2016 Panasonic Open India. This signifies the Delhi Golf Club is an easier venue than DLF GCC and even the field competing in the event is not at par with the one participating in the Hero Indian Open.

Shubhankar Sharma of India is presented with an award for the most promising Indian golfer by European Tour Director David Williams (L) and Hero MotoCorp CMD Pawan Munjal (2L)

SHUBHANKAR SHATTERS COURSE RECORD

Marc Warren of Scotland also got himself in the mix with some brilliant shotmaking

Local favourite Shubhankar Sharma displayed an aggressive brand of golf to break the course record and move into contention after Round 2 of the Hero Indian Open.

Sharma grabbed second place behind overnight leader Emiliano Grillo of Argentina (68) with an 8-under 64. With the score, Sharma went past Malaysian Gavin Green’s tally of 7-under 65 posted in the last edition of the tournament.

Sharma, the Race to Dubai and Habitat for Humanity Standings leader, was the biggest mover on the leaderboard after finishing the opening round in tied 53rd place with a score of 1-over 73. He carded 12-under par in the last 27 holes after 5-over par in the opening 9 holes.

Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal briefly got into contention before fading out in the final round

STRONGEST-EVER FIELD This year the Hero Indian Open had the strongestever field with 6 players in the top-100 — Shubhankar Sharma (66), Joost Luiten (67); Julian Suri (70), Emiliano Grillo (76), Anirban Lahiri (80) and Chris Wood (90). Also present were current EurAsia Cup and Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjørn and former British Open champion Darren Clarke.

In 2017, only 3 participants were in the top-100 in the field — Rafa Cabrera Bello (25), Scott Hend (73) and Anirban Lahiri (77).

Stephen Gallacer of Scotland lines up a putt during Day 4 of the Hero Indian Open

LEADING SCORES:

DID YOU KNOW? • Andrew Johnston’s maiden victory was at the 2016 Real Club Valderrama Open de Espana hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation • His best previous finish this season was tied-ninth at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship • Shubhankar Sharma was the best putter in the tournament. Over four days, he averaged 1.51 putts per hole

Matthias Schwab of Austria surprised everyone with a 4-under 68 in the third round

277 - Matt Wallace (ENG) 69-70-70-68, Andrew Johnston (ENG) 72-66-73-66.

280 - Sihwan Kim (USA) 70-70-72-68.

281 - Pablo Larrazabal (ESP) 67-71-74-69, Matthias Schwab (AUT) 71-72-68-70.

283 - Emiliano Grillo (ARG) 65-68-78-72.

284 - Stephen Gallacher (SCO) 72-71-67-74, Shubhankar Sharma (IND) 73-64-72-75. april 2018 | golf digest india

21

Hero Indian Open

unforgiving dlf penalises pros

The wooden planks on the wall bunker underneath 17th hole took it’s toll on Shubhankar Sharma during Round 3

TOUGH COURSE DLF GCC with a slope rating# of 154 and course rating of 78.9 is one of the toughest courses to play across Asia and Europe, let alone India. In contrast, Delhi GC, the traditional home of the Indian Open, has a slope rating of 130 and course rating of 73.5.

Le Golf National (155/77.7) in France is currently the most difficult course staging a European Tour event.

Hole 14 (par-4, 461 yards) was the toughest during this year’s Indian Open with an average of 4.44. The hole witnessed 0 eagles, 32 birdies, 210 pars, 128 bogeys and 37 double bogeys for the week.

It was the toughest hole across all European Tour events in 2017. The next difficult hole this year was No. 16 with an average of 3.43. The hole saw 0 eagles, 20 birdies, 233 pars, 120 bogeys and 34 double bogeys for the 4 rounds.

Pablo Larrazabal of Spain looks for his lost ball on the 16th hole after his tee shot landed in the rocky ravine

A dejected SSP Chawrasia, the two-time defending champion, after missing the cut

Matteo Manassero of Italy takes a penalty drop on the 8th hole on Day 1 of the Hero Indian Open

Longest Holes Hole 15 – 631 yards Hole 18 – 624 yards DLF GCC had two par-5s in excess of 600 yards, meaning one would require to take out his/her driver twice to reach the green

Course Changes

Emiliano Grillo of Argentina blasts out of a bunker on Hole 4 during Round 3

22 golf digest india | april 2018

Anirban Lahiri assesses his second shot from the rough on the 4th hole during Round 1

Three holes the tees were pushed back significantly to make it more challenging. While Hole 10 was moved back by almost 50 yards to an elevated platform, tee on Hole 11 was pushed by 60-70 yards to come within touching distance of the driving range. The biggest change was made on Hole 15 which played in excess of 600 yards as the tees were moved in between the trees. # A golf course of standard playing difficulty has a slope rating of 113, and slope ratings range from a minimum of 55 (very easy) to a maximum of 155 (extremely difficult).

Hero Indian Open

call for corporates

Pawan Munjal urges corporates to extend support to golf, recognises the need for better infrastructure to grow the game in India

Kshitij Naveed Kaul finished as the best amateur in the tournament with overall score of 6-over 294

Kaul Comes Of Age At Indian Open

Teenage amateur Kshitij Naveed Kaul impressed everyone with a power-packed performance which belied men twice his age during the European Tour co-sanctioned Hero Indian Open at the ultrademanding DLF Golf & Country Club in Gurgaon.

The 17-year-old signed off with a brilliant 70 in the final round, especially when only 10 players could produce sub-par scores, to stand taller than other Indians competing in the US$ 1.75 million event.

To put in context, Kaul was a stroke ahead of PGA Tour regular Anirban Lahiri, who carded a 6-over 294 for the week, to share 32nd place with three-time Indian Open champion Jyoti Randhawa.

“It was a very exciting week for me to play at the picturesque and tough DLF Golf and Country Club at the Hero Indian Open 2018. It was great to share the range with the best golf players from Asia and Europe,” said Kaul, who was adjudged the Best Amateur of the tournament. Kaul played his first tournament at the age of 6. It was an IGU south zone event at EME Hyderabad. The golfer is coached by Hyderabad-based Commander Gangadhar, who is the only authorised golfing machine instructor in the country.

“Gangadhar sir has helped me to simplify my swing to present form. I go to see him whenever I get a week or 10 days off tournaments,” Kaul, who had 4 wins on the IGU circuit in 2017, told Golf Digest India. The talented teenager is looking forward to representing the country in the Youth Olympic Games and Asian Games later this year.

Initiating a strong dialogue, Hero MotorCorp CMD Pawan Munjal, called on the Private sector to partner the Government agencies in channelling resources to nurture and grow the game of golf in India.

Speaking on the side-lines of the 54th edition of Hero Indian Open, Munjal – former Chairman of the Asian PGA Tour Board of Directors – highlighted the need for better golf infrastructure and facilities in the country. He felt that more support from corporates would help in nurturing young talent and taking India’s international profile in the sport to the next level.

Avantha Group, EmaarMGF, Panasonic and TAKE Solutions, besides Hero MotoCorp themselves and PSUs such as ONGC and IndianOil, have often backed golf in India. Some of them still continue to sponsor tournaments at different levels. That said, the number of men’s professional events backed by such corporates has dwindled

“Out of the 250plus golf courses in India, only a handful is open to the public.

The golfing infrastructure has to be made accessible and affordable...”

from 6 (in 2013) to 3.

Echoing similar sentiments, he said, “For starters, there is a dire need to have more public golf courses, which can be accessed by budding golfers. Currently out of the 250-plus golf courses in India, only a handful is open to the public or walk-ins. The golfing infrastructure has to be made accessible and affordable to greater numbers. That will kindle interest and love for the game in the general public and parents, who will then be motivated to let their kids take up the sport.”

While Munjal agreed that development of golf courses in India is on a rise, he felt that most are real estate led and tourism-oriented. He added, “No doubt, these aspects are important, but we need both - championship courses for the game at the higher levels and basic facilities such as driving ranges, public courses and academies to promote the game at the beginner’s level.”

Munjal also proposed to introduce the sport to kids at an early stage to create interest and passion for the game. “An initiative that can really push golf to the next level would be to include it in the physical education curriculum in schools and even colleges like it happens in the United States,” he said. Acknowledging current efforts, he signed off, “A small section of committed enthusiasts has nurtured golf and now we need to do much more to encourage young talent to take up the sport in India.”

Kshitij Naveed Kaul with the trophy for being the ‘Best Amateur’ in the event

april 2018 | golf digest india

23

Hero Indian Open

indian open: greatest moments

BY ROHIT BHARDWAJ

Birth of Indian Open

1964

In the years when he travelled from his home in Australia to British Open and Europe, Melbournian Peter Thomson had time and again stopped over in India and he came to love the country and its people.

Over the years Thomson, who helped set up the Asian Circuit, convinced the Indian golf officials to start their own National Open. It became a reality in 1964.

Thomson, who won National Opens of 10 countries, and was nicknamed the ‘Melbourne Tiger’ opened with first two rounds of 73 and 72 and then shot an 80 in the third round. But on the final day, Thomson rallied from tied fourth to shoot a five-under 67, which stayed as a course record. It helped him add the Indian Open to his kitty in its year of birth.

1970 In 1970 the Indian Open became part of the Asia Golf Circuit and as a result the field increased in strength with notable winners such as three time major champion Payne Stewart.

1991

24 golf digest india | april 2018

1965 An amateur beats the pros at their game

The ‘Open’ as the Indians wanted to call their National Open came to Royal Calcutta Golf Club which the Calcuttans loved calling simply as the ‘Royal’. Dotted with 23 tanks, which is what the water hazards are called at the RCGC, it played to a tough par-73. Defending champion, Peter Thomson was back, but leading the Indian challenge once again were amateur Billoo Sethi, who the previous year had finished 11 shots behind the winner. Beginning the tournament on his wedding anniversary, February 12, Sethi shot 5-under 68 to lead by one. He added to that with a 68 that put him at 10-under par. Despite a modest third round of 74, Sethi was still four clear of the field. In the final round, Sethi eschewing all risks played steady, while others trying to close in made mistakes. He carded a one-under 72 and beat the best of pros by a huge margin of seven shots to become the first Indian winner of the Indian Open.

Ali Sher scripts history

The Indian Open by now was an established event. The leading players on the Asian circuit ensured that it formed a part of their annual schedule. When the Indian Open came to Delhi Golf Club in 1991, a full 25 years had elapsed since Billoo Sethi had topped the tournament. Sure, Sethi had won, but he was only an amateur. No Indian pro had still laid his hands on the trophy.

There were no great hopes, but when the dust settled after four days, a new legend in Indian golf had been born. Ali Sher became the first Indian professional to win the Indian Open. A caddie since his early teens, Ali was a star overnight.

When play started on the final day, Todd Hamilton, who would go on to become one of the biggest surprise winners at a Major in 2004 British Open, shared the lead with Wang Ter-chang of Chinese Taipei at 5-under 211, a stroke ahead of Ali. On the 18th, Ali Sher (at 4-under) bravely took out his driver and smashed one down the centre of the fairway. His approach landed three feet from the edge of the green. After a brief look at the lie, Ali Sher took out his putter and went for the cup.

His ball stopped two feet short for a tap-in birdie, which sent the crowd in raptures.

Hero Indian Open

2007 Randhawa achieves a treble

Jyoti Randhawa became an automatic favourite the moment he entered a tournament in India, international or domestic. The then 35-year-old, whose previous wins at the Indian Open, in 2000 and 2006, came through a playoff looked set for another tight finish but he wasn’t really threatened and the margin at the end was a huge three shots. Randhawa virtually sealed his third Indian Open title with a sensational shot on the 16th before becoming only the second man since Peter Thomson (1976) to win the Indian Open thrice.

Atwal, Chawrasia make it a double delight for India

1999

Arjun Atwal and Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia were so different and yet so alike in their biggest moment. Together Atwal, who shed his ‘nearly man’ tag to become only the third Indian pro to win the Indian Open, and Chawrasia, who learnt how to dream only the night before, gave Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC) lots to cheer.

Both had taken the first steps in the sport at the RCGC. But one is from the posh Alipore area and the other virtually grew up inside the RCGC compound.

Atwal began the third day at 209 while Chawrasia was at 211. On the final day, Atwal closed with a 70 for a total of 12-under 276 and a comfortable four shots victory.

Arjun Atwal and SSP Chawrasia took their biggest pay packets - US$ 50,010 and US$ 22,200 respectively with the first win and second place.

2016-17

Chawrasia scripts back-to-back wins

Kolkata golfer SSP Chawrasia was long hailed the most suited for Indian conditions. However, he was unable to win the National Open in 17 attempts. The son of Royal Calcutta Golf Club, deemed the oldest golf course outside the British Isles (estd. 1827), had emerged runner-up on 4 previous occasions (1999, 2006, 2013, 2015) but had not been able to convert. Fondly named Chip-puttsia, for his incredible short game, the golfer’s moment came at his ‘favourite’ Delhi Golf Club, where he avenged his defeat at the hands of compatriot Anirban Lahiri in 2015 (had lost in a playoff) with a two-stroke victory. The 39-year-old didn’t stop there and when the Hero Indian open moved to the treacherous Gary Player layout at the DLF Golf & Country Club in Gurgaon, he floored the home fans with a stupendous display, beating the famed European Tour field (which included World No. 32 Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain) by 7 strokes.

2009

When dreams turn into reality

More than two decades ago, when Chinnaswamy Muniyappa first stepped onto the turf at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) course in Bengaluru, the IT Capital of India, it was not to play golf, but to merely find a way to survive. That mindset helped as he walked to the first play-off hole. "I had come to try and get my card.

The pressure had eased considerably when we went into the playoff, for I knew my tour card was safe,” Muniyappa said after sinking a 10-footer for a birdie in the play-off that changed his life and earned him US$ 198, 125. His earnings from 10 previous starts on the Asian Tour were $17,391. april 2018 | golf digest india

25

Newsmakers

PLAYERS IN THE NEWS Debutant Shubhankar Sharma led the second and third rounds of the WGC-Mexico Championship on the PGA Tour

Sharma Scripts Memorable Top-10 At WGC-Mexico

T

alented Indian prospect Shubhankar Sharma held his head high after finishing tied ninth in his debut at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship last month.

After surprising the star-studded field when he led by two shots after Day Two and Three at Club de Golf Chapultepec, the 21-year-old, who was the youngest competitor in the field, signed off with a 3-over 74, finishing six shots behind winner Phil Mickelson, who triumphed over reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas in a playoff.

Veteran star Mickelson, who picked up his third World Golf Championships victory and 43rd PGA TOUR title, had mistaken Sharma as a journalist when the young Indian approached him at the practice putting green prior to Round 3. After playing together in the final round in front of a large gallery, the five-time Major champion took time to pay credit to Sharma.

26 golf digest india | april 2018

“I saw how well he struck the golf ball. He hit a beautiful tee shot on 1, you can tell he can really play. I saw some of the putts, some of the highlights with the putter. I know he’s a very talented player and I believe he’s leading the Order of Merit on the European Tour, so I know what a great player Sharma is. I probably shouldn’t say that, he’s 26 years younger than me!,” said Mickelson, who closed with a 66 and pipped Thomas with a par on the first extra hole at the par three 17th hole. Sharma’s solid showing in Mexico pushed him further up on the latest Official World Golf Ranking as he jumped from 75th to 66th position. He was ranked 521st just last November.

“I SAW HOW WELL HE STRUCK THE GOLF BALL. HE HIT A BEAUTIFUL TEE SHOT ON 1, YOU CAN TELL HE CAN REALLY PLAY. I KNOW HE’S A VERY TALENTED PLAYER...” — PHIL MICKELSON

INDIAN TEAM TO TAKE PART IN QATAR SENIORS A five-man Indian contingent comprising Deepak Gupta, Ankur Prakash, Gangesh Khaitan, Rishi Narain and former India cricketer Kapil Dev will participate in the Qatar Senior Open 2018.

Scheduled for March 23 and 24, the event – open to individuals 45 years and older – will be staged at the scenic Doha Golf Club (DGC) which is home to an 18-hole Championship Course. Nasser Yacoob of Bahrain is the defending champion.

The Championship Course is challenging from the back tees and offers many strategic and heroic holes for the scratch golfer to test his/her skills. The course has been designed with two starting and finishing holes which maximise playing flexibility and the number of daily rounds.

Doha Golf Club is also home to the Qatar Masters - a European Tour event with a prize purse of US$ 1.75 million.

Newsmakers

TAKE Solutions felicitates top Indian pros

L-R: Panelists for ‘TAKEing Indian Golf to the World’ Ishwar Achanta, Rishi L-R: Pro golfers Chiragh Kumar, SSP Chawrasia, Shubhankar Sharma, Chikkarangappa S. and Narain, Shubhankar Sharma, Shaili Chopra, SSP Chawrasia and Uttam Mundy Khalin Joshi with TAKE Solutions MD HR Srinivasan (3R) at a felicitation function

TAKE Solutions, a globally recognised domain expert offering end-to-end Life Sciences solutions, recently felicitated top Indian pros SSP Chawrasia, Shubhankar Sharma, Khalin Joshi, Chikkarangappa S. and Chiragh Kumar in Chennai.

The firm has been supporting Indian golf for over 15 years through sponsored tournaments on the domestic and Asian Development Tour (ADT) circuits as well as sponsorship of deserving players. They host the US$ 300,000 TAKE Solutions Masters on the Asian Tour, Rs 50 lakh TAKE Classic and Rs 1 crore TAKE Open Golf Championship on the PGTI. With an intention to encourage and inspire the young golfers, a first-of-itskind ‘Golf Clinic’ with TAKE’s global golf ambassadors was organised at TNGF Cosmopolitan to inspire and train the Junior Golf Academy (7 to 12 year olds) budding golfers through a ‘Learn & Play Programme’. At the golf clinic, around 25

youngsters were taught technical nuances and skills required for improving the game.

Speaking about the programme, HR Srinivasan, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, TAKE Solutions said, “TAKE Solutions has always been in the forefront to support sports, whether cricket or golf.

We have been associated with golf for over 15 years and we strongly believe in the need for corporate support to promote golf as a sport. We are excited to witness the interest of these kids to learn golf, their enthusiasm to pick up golf nuances from pro golfers and their determination in taking the legacy forward.”

“WE HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH GOLF FOR OVER 15 YEARS AND WE STRONGLY BELIEVE IN THE NEED FOR CORPORATE SUPPORT TO PROMOTE GOLF AS A SPORT...”

— HR SRINIVASAN, MD - TAKE SOLUTIONS

He also added, “Through our award ceremony, we are delighted to felicitate our golf ambassadors on their recent achievements in international tournaments - 6 European Tour titles, 3 Asian Tour titles, 2 Asian Development Tour titles and over 30 PGTI titles” Padma Bhushan R Thyagarajan (Founder - Shriram Group) and N Srinivasan (MD - India Cements) were the guests of honour at the ceremony.

The evening event also included a panel discussion on ‘TAKEing Indian Golf to the World’ with golf stars Shubhankar Sharma and SSP Chawrasia along with PGTI Director Uttam Mundy, Asia Pacific Golf Confederation Board Member Ishwar Achanta and RNSM MD Rishi Narain.

The discussion was moderated by Shaili Chopra, an award winning journalist, and founder of SheThePeople and GolfingIndian.com.

Kids participate in a golf clinic conducted by TAKE Solutions at TNGF Cosmopolitan in Chennai

april 2018 | golf digest india

27

Newsmakers

Garcia wins Laureus Breakthrough of the Year Award Golfer Sergio Garcia won his second Laureus Award, 18 years after winning the Laureus Newcomer accolade at the 2000 Awards.

The Spaniard received the Breakthrough of the Year Award for winning the 2017 Masters, his first ever Major Championship win on his 74th attempt.

Further, the 38-year-old became a father last month, thanks to his wife Angela Akins.

The couple, which got married in July, welcomed daughter Azalea Adele Garcia on March 14 at 1.54am. The Garcias chose Azalea, also the name of the 13th hole at Augusta National, where Sergio made a miraculous par en route to victory 11 months ago.

2017 MASTERS CHAMPION SERGIO GARCIA BECAME A FATHER LAST MONTH WHEN HIS WIFE ANGELA AKINS GAVE BIRTH TO THEIR DAUGHTER AZALEA ADELE GARCIA (SEE PIC)

SPREADING CHEER AT THE CAPE

VIJAY SINGH GETS 1ST INDIVIDUAL WIN ON PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS

L-R: LET pros Camille Chevalier, Valdis Johnsdottir, Lejean Lewthwaite and Carly Booth pose atop Table Mountain

Vijay Singh got up-and-down for birdie with a putter from off the green on the final hole for a one-shot victory in the Toshiba Classic today.

The 55-year-old Hall of Famer edged Tommy Tolles, Tom Pernice Jr. and Scott McCarron to win for the first time as an individual on the PGA Tour Champions. The Indian-origin Fijian teamed with Carlos Franco to win last year’s Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf. Singh has played a limited schedule on the 50-and-over tour while continuing to compete on the PGA Tour, where he has 34 career victories.

28 golf digest india | april 2018

Former South African cricketer, Jacques Kallis high-fives Anne-Lise Caudal after making a birdie on the first hole during the SA Women’s Open Pro-Am

Newsmakers

OLYMPIC QUALIFYING PROCESS TO REMAIN THE SAME

Potential Olympic golfers for the 2020 Games in Tokyo were informed last month that the qualification process for both the men’s and women’s competitions will remain unchanged. According to a memo sent to PGA Tour players, the qualification process begins on July 1, 2018, and will end on June 22, 2020, for the men, with the top 59 players from the Olympic Golf Rankings, which is drawn from the Official World Golf Ranking, earning a spot in Tokyo (the host country is assured a spot in the 60-player field). The women’s qualification process begins on July 8, 2018, and ends on June 29, 2020. The format, 72-holes of individual stroke play, for the 2020 Games will also remain unchanged. The 2020 Olympics will be held July 24 through August 9, and the men’s competition will be played the week before the women’s event at Kasumigaseki Country Club.

Professional Golf Tour of India

MANE WINS FOUR-WAY PLAYOFF

Ahmedabad-based Udayan Mane is making a habit of finishing off tournaments with clinical precision.

Mane, who had won a couple of close encounters with solid final round performances last year, repeated the feat at the Golconda Masters presented by Telangana Tourism, a Rs. 30 lakh event, played at the Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA) course.

The 27-year-old Udayan (68) emerged triumphant in a four-way playoff at the fourth edition of the Golconda Masters to take home his sixth professional trophy.

Mane outclassed Delhi’s Shamim Khan (67), Chandigarh’s Abhijit Singh Chadha (67) and Sri Lankan N Thangaraja (68) in the playoff after the quartet had ended the regulation 72 holes with identical totals of 14-under 270.

Udayan said, “At the start of the round I said three words to myself – focus, patience and determination. I did have some frustrating moments today but I handled them well. The exceptional approach on the 10th really got my round going and the terrific drive on the 17th helped me get back into the joint lead.

These were some key moments.”

TOP-10 ON THE PGTI ORDER OF MERIT POS

Golfer

Play

Win

Cut

Top-10

Total Prize (`)

1.

Udayan Mane

3

1

3

1

7,30,560

2.

Syed Saqib Ahmed

5

1

3

1

6,73,560

3.

Mithun Perera

5

1

3

1

5,98,063

4.

Shamim Khan

5

0

4

3

5,56,690

5.

Honey Baisoya

4

0

3

2

5,30,035

6.

M Dharma

5

0

4

3

4,79,360

7.

Jyoti Randhawa

1

0

1

0

4,64,800

8.

Abhijit Singh Chadha

3

0

2

2

1,85,000

9.

Anirban Lahiri

1

0

1

0

4,15,333

10.

Karandeep Kochhar

3

0

3

1

4,09,210

Sri Lankan Perera ends winless streak

Sri Lankan Mithun Perera ended a four-year winless streak with his hard-earned one-shot victory in the Rs. 30 lakh Chennai Open at the Madras Gymkhana Club Golf Annexe in Guindy.

Perera, the overnight leader by three shots, came up with a tenacious even-par 70 in the final round to sign off with a winning total of 14-under 266. Gurgaon-based Digvijay Singh posted the day’s best score, a scorching eight-under 62, to finish joint runner-up at 13-under 267 along with Mukesh Kumar (66) of Mhow, the winner of the last edition. Mithun Perera (68-63-65-70) had an unexpectedly quiet final day as he managed only

two birdies and two bogeys. But the 31-year-old came through after his closest rival, good friend and compatriot N Thangaraja’s (61-70-68-69) challenge faded away on the back-nine.

Perera, who bagged his sixth title on the PGTI, said, “I was really hungry to win and break my victory drought. This means a lot to me. My family has supported me throughout my lean phase and so have my sponsors. I thank them all for backing me through all these years.”

Abhijit Singh Chadha (73). Gurgaon-based Ankur Chadha closed the week in fifth place at 4-under-284. april 2018 | golf digest india

29

Newsmakers Women’s Golf Aditi Ashok

ADITI FINISHES CREDITABLE 26TH IN FOUNDERS CUP

Indian golfer Aditi Ashok seemed to have regained her form on the final day as she carded six birdies enroute to a week’s best card of four-under 68 to finish T-26 at the Bank of Hope Founders Cup on the LPGA in Phoenix.The 19-year-old, playing her second season on the LPGA, was making her first start since missing one in Australia at the beginning of the year. She had three birdies against one bogey on either side of the turn and took her total from four-under 212 and tied 50th place to 8-under 280 and tied 26th place, which gave her a decent start and a cheque of US$ 12,697 (approx. Rs 8.27 lakh).

WOMEN’S GOLF DAY TO BE HELD ON JUNE 5

Women’s Golf Day (WGD), the popular global celebration of women and girls in golf, is returning for 2018 and is set to be the most successful event ever with bespoke support and marketing opportunities for participating clubs.

The one-day event that has reached 46 countries worldwide introduces women and girls to the game of golf and encourages existing golfers to tee it up in the fun and highly inclusive environment using a combination of golf and socialising.

The 2018 event, to be held on June 5, was launched by Annika Sörenstam and is set to engage more women in the game than ever before. Since the inaugural WGD in 2016, the event has grown exponentially from 485 locations in 28 countries to 711 locations in 46 countries last year. In 2017, WGD’s primary hashtag #WomensGolfDay received more than 15 million global impressions to nearly 10 million users across Twitter and Instagram.

30 golf digest india | april 2018

TOP-10 ON WGAI ORDER OF MERIT AFTER LEG 5 POS

Golfer

Play

Win

Total Prize (`)

1.

Gursimar Badwal

5

2

4,69,300

2.

Tvesa Malik

5

1

4,30,800

3.

Neha Tripathi

5

-

4,21,400

4.

Saaniya Sharma

5

-

3,14,200

5.

Smriti Mehra

5

-

2,48,600

6.

Afshan Fatima

5

-

2,12,400

7.

Suchitra Ramesh

4

-

1,87,300

8.

Siddhi Kapoor

4

-

1,65,500

9.

Sharmila Nicollet

1

1

1,44,000

10.

Ayesha Kapur

5

-

1,40,900

GURSIMAR LEADS HERO ORDER OF MERIT

Gursimar Badwal bounced back from her indifferent second round to log a second sub-par card of 70 during the week to claim the fifth leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour 2018 at Jaypee Greens. The 24-yearold Kapurthala golfer, who earlier won the third leg at Poona Club Golf Course, became the first multiple winner of the season and also moved to the top of the Hero Order of Merit.

Gursimar, who started the final day in fifth place and three shots behind Neha Tripathi (74), totaled even par 216 for 54 holes and won by one shot despite a closing bogey on 18th.

Amateur Tanirika Singh’s consistent show came as a pleasant surprise. Her final round 74 earned her a sole third spot ahead of many established players.

Gursimar Badwal

Junior Golf

Exposure Trip

IGU sends 4 juniors for South African tournaments

T

he Indian Golf Union (IGU) sent 4 players — Yashas Chandra, Dhruv Sheron, Varun Parikh and Kartik Sharma — to compete in 4 of the best amateur tournaments in South Africa in February-March.

This is the third year this tour is happening.

The golfers played four courses — Pecanwood Golf Club for the South African Strokeplay Championship, Glendower Golf Club for the African Amateur Strokeplay Championship, George Golf Club for the Cape Province Open and Durban Country Club for the SA Amateur Championship — and gained good exposure for international tournaments.

“It was great to be playing with all the top amateurs from Ireland, England, Switzerland, France, Sweden and Mauritius among other international teams. All these European teams come over every year to beat their winters and usually play these four events. The competition is so much that each shot could move you, up or down by around 10 spots,” Chandra, who finished tied 19th with a score of 13-under 275 in South African Strokeplay Championship, told Golf Digest India.

L-R: Varun Parikh, Kartik Sharma, Dhruv Sheron and Yashas Chandra in South Africa

TOURNAMENT

BEST INDIAN

FINAL SCORE

South African Strokeplay Championship

Yashas Chandra (T-19)

13-under 275

African Amateur Strokeplay Championship

Kartik Sharma (T-14)

1-over 289

Cape Province Open

Kartik Sharma (11)

6-under 282

SA Amateur Championship

All 4 defeated in Round 1

--

Yashas Chandra, Dhruv Sheron, Varun Parikh and Kartik Sharma played 4 courses — Pecanwood Golf Club, Glendower Golf Club, George Golf Club and Durban Country Club — to gain good exposure for international tournaments.

Pranavi finishes T-2 at Faldo Series Asia Grand Final

Suzuka Yamaguchi of Japan created history by becoming the first female overall winner of Faldo Series Asia Final

32 golf digest india | april 2018

Bengaluru girl Pranavi Urs carded even par 213 (71-7270) to finish tied second in the Under-16 category of the 12th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Laguna Lang & Co. in Vietnam. In the Under-21 girls section, Sifat Alag finished eighth with a score of 17-over 230. Further, Suzuka Yamaguchi enhanced her reputation as one of Asia’s most exciting golfing prospects with an imperious 5-stroke victory.

In so doing, the talented 17-year-old Japanese wrote her name into golf’s history books as the first female winner of the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final’s overall title.

The Indian boys failed to impress. Surya Kumar K (82-7181) finished last in the Under-21 category, while Rahul Ajay (7276-74) came fifth in Under-18 class and Raghav Chugh (7374-72) settled for sixth place in the Under-16 section.

Pranavi Urs came second in the Under-16 girls category

Junior Golf

Thomas lone Indian in Bonallack Trophy

D

ubai-based amateur Rayhan Thomas was the lone Indian representation in the Michael Bonallack Trophy held at Doha Golf Club from March 8 to 10. Thomas was part of the winning Asia-Pacific team led by captain Matt Cutler of Australia. Asia-Pacific won the trophy 16.5-15.5 against Europe.

The tournament, now in it’s 10th edition and instituted in the name of European golf administrator and World Golf Hall of Famer Sir Michael Bonallack, is a biennial Ryder Cup-style event between Asia-Pacific and Europe. Europe leads the series 6 wins to 3. The trophy is played between two teams of 12 male amateur golfers. There are 3 days of play. The first two days comprise five foursomes matches each morning and 5 four-ball matches each afternoon. On the final day, all twelve team players compete in singles match play. A win counts as one point, a half yields half a point and a lost match returns zero. In the event of a tie, the trophy shall be retained by the holders.

The tournament was staged in India in 2014 at Karnataka Golf Association in Bengaluru where Europe won 17.5-14.5. Karan Taunk played for the Asia-Pacific team that year.

In the 2012 edition, Chikkarangappa S. and Khalin Joshi represented India in Portugal. India had been conferred the hosting rights for the tournament in 2010 too but the event was cancelled due to volcanic eruptions in Iceland that affected entire Europe.

Rayhan Thomas was part of the winning Asia-Pacific team in the Bonallack Trophy

Yadav wins 2018 NCR Cup

Vinay Kumar Yadav carded one-over 73 in the final round to lift the 2018 NCR Cup at the Delhi Golf Club last month. Yadav submitted cards of 76, 72 and 70 in the first three rounds respectively to beat Anant Singh Ahlawat (72-71-77-74) of Haryana by three strokes. Another Haryana boy Kartik Sharma (74-73-76-72) finished third.

Clockwise from top: Vinay Kumar Yadav is sprayed with champagne after his three stroke victory in the Delhi NCR Cup at Delhi Golf Club Runner-up Anant Singh Ahlawat lines up his putt during the final round Vinay Kumar Yadav with the Delhi NCR Cup trophy

april 2018 | golf digest india

33

Junior Golf

IGU Announces Junior Boys & Girls, Senior Calendars JUNIOR BOYS TOUR CALENDAR 2018 NAME OF THE EVENT

VENUE

DATES

IGU CGCC Junior Open

Classic Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon

02-06 April 2018

IGU Western India Junior Boys Golf Championship

Kalhaar Blues & Greens, Ahmedabad

09 - 13 April, 2018

IGU Maharashtra Junior Boys Golf Championship

Oxford Golf Resort, Pune

16 - 20 April, 2018

IGU Karnataka Junior Boys Golf Championship

Clover Greens Golf Club, Bengaluru

14 - 18 May, 2018

IGU Southern India Junior Boys Golf Championship

Eagleton Golf Club, Bengaluru

21 - 25 May, 2018

IGU Tamil Nadu Junior Boys Golf Championship

Coimbatore Golf Club

28 May - 01 June, 2018

IGU Rajasthan Junior Boys Golf Championship

Rambagh Golf Club, Jaipur

18 - 22 June, 2018

IGU Northern India Junior Boys Golf Championship

Royal Spings Golf Club, Srinagar

25 - 29 June, 2018

IGU NCR Junior Boys & Girls Golf Championship

Delhi / NCR (TBD)

August 2018

IGU Haryana Junior Boys Golf Championship

Panchkula Golf Club

01 - 05 October, 2018

IGU Uttar Pradesh Junior Boys Golf Championship

Noida Golf Course

08 - 12 October, 2018

IGU West Bengal Junior Boys Golf Championship

Tollygunge Golf Club, Kolkata

22 - 26 October, 2018

IGU Eastern India Junior Boys Golf Championship

Kaziranga Golf Resort

29 Oct - 02 Nov, 2018

IGU Telangana Junior Boys Golf Championship

Hyderabad Golf Association

03 - 07 December, 2018

IGU All India Junior Boys & Girls Golf Championship

Bengaluru (TBC)

10 - 14 December, 2018

LADIES & JUNIOR GIRLS TOUR CALENDAR 2018 IGU Karnataka Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship

Eagleton Golf Resort, Bengaluru

09 - 13 April, 2018

IGU Southern India Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship

Clover Greens Golf Club, Bengaluru

16 - 19 April, 2018

Selection Trials for Asian Games

Delhi / NCR (TBD)

23-30 April, 2018

IGU Maharashtra Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship

Oxford Golf Resort, Pune

22 - 25 May, 2018

IGU Western India Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship

Kensville Golf Club, Ahmedabad

28 - 31 May, 2018

IGU NCR Junior Boys & Girls Cup

Delhi / NCR (TBD)

August 2018

IGU Gujarat Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship

Kalhaar Blues & Greens, Ahmedabad

01 - 04 October, 2018

IGU Northern India Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship

Panchkula Golf Club

16 - 19 October, 2018

IGU Chandigarh Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship

Chandigarh Golf Club

22 - 25 October, 2018

IGU Army Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship

AEPTA, New Delhi

29 Oct - 01 Nov, 2018

IGU Eastern India Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship

Golmuri Golf Club, Jamshedpur

20 - 23 November, 2018

IGU West Bengal Ladies & Junior Girls Golf Championship

Tollygunge Golf Club, Kolkata

26- 29 November, 2018

IGU All India Ladies Amateur Golf Championship

RCGC, Kolkata

03 - 09 December, 2018

GENTLEMEN TOUR CALENDAR 2018 IGU National Qualifier - 1

Chandimandir Golf Club, Chandigarh

05 - 09 February, 2018

IGU Northern India Amateur Golf Championship

Noida Golf Course

12 - 16 February, 2018

IGU Haryana Amateur Golf Championship

ITC Classic Golf Resort, Gurgaon

19 - 23 February, 2018

IGU Delhi State & NCR Cup Golf Championship

Delhi Golf Club

12-16 March, 2018

IGU Samarvir Sahi Amateur Championship

Chandigarh Golf Club

19 - 23 March, 2018

IGU Southern India Amateur Golf Championship

Prestige Golfshire, Bengaluru

02 - 06 April, 2018

IGU Karnataka State Golf Championship

Eagleton Golf Club, Bengaluru

09 - 13 April, 2018

Selection Trials for Asian Games

Delhi / NCR (TBD)

23 - 30 April, 2018

IGU Tamil Nadu Amateur Golf Championship

Coimbatore Golf Club

01 - 05, May, 2018

IGU Telangana Amateur Golf Championship

Hyderabad Golf Association

07 - 11 May, 2018

IGU National Qualifier - 2

Eagleton Golf Club, Bengaluru

28 May - 01 June, 2018

IGU Jharkhand Amateur Golf Championship

Golmuri Golf Club, Jamshedpur

15 - 19 October, 2018

IGU Eastern India Amateur Golf Championship

RCGC, Kolkata

22 - 28 October, 2018

IGU Gujarat Amateur Golf Championship

Kalhaar Blues & Greens, Ahmedabad

12 - 16 November, 2018

IGU Maharashtra Amateur Golf Championship

Poona Club Golf Course

19 - 23 November, 2018

IGU Western India Amateur Golf Championship

Oxford Golf Resort, Pune

10 - 14 December, 2018

IGU 118th Amateur Golf Championship of India

BPGC, Mumbai

17 - 23 December, 2018

IGU All India Seniors & Mid Amateur Golf Championship

Jaypee Greens Golf Club, Noida

09 - 13 July, 2018

34 golf digest india | april 2018

INDIAN AMATEURS EXPLORE AUSTRALIAN COURSES The country’s top amateurs played two tournaments in Australia and explored the best courses in the country and came back strong.

The duo of Kartik Sharma and Harshjeet Sethie played the Junior Victorian Open over three different courses – The 13th Beach Links (Beach and Creek layout) and Barwon Heads Golf Club. While Sharma finished an impressive second with scores of 67, 72, 74, 69, Sethie ended tied sixth with an overall tally of even par 286.

Sharma was joined by compatriots Aadil Bedi, Kshitij Naveed Kaul, Varun Parikh and Harimohan Singh for the Australian Amateur Championship that was played on two courses — Lake Karrinyup Country Club and Wanneroo Golf Club.

All 5 missed the cut with the tournament having 2 strokeplay and an identical matchplay rounds. However, the experience is something that will keep them in good stead when they turn professional.

ONGC A win PSPB inter-unit title

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. (ONGC A), with a gross score of 414, emerged the winner of the 38th PSPB Inter-Unit Golf Tournament which concluded at Eagleton Resort, Bengaluru, on March 1. Oil India Ltd. (OIL), with a gross score of 423, finished second.

Pukhraj Singh of ONGC-A was named Best Golfer overall while his teammate Harshjeet Sethie took home the Best Gross over 18 holes with a score of 139.

Amazing Phetchaburi Weekend Golf 2018 1 April - 31 July 2018 www.golfdigg.com

Over 250 international standard golf courses with incredible backgrounds, Thailand is a dream destination for golfers.

Tourism Authority of Thailand New Delhi: (91 11) 4674 1111, tatdel@tat.or.th | Mumbai: (91 22) 22020264 /65, tatmumbai@tat.or.th Websites: www.tourismthailand.org | www.tourismthailand.in

Across The Country

CLUB ROUND-UP

To share news on your club or updates from across the country, please email karthik@rnsportsmarketing.com

L-R: Ambassador of Turkey Şakir Özkan Torunlar, Delhi leg winner Siddharth Jain, Turkish Airlines GM (North and East India) Ozer Guler and Brandon de Souza (Tiger Sports)

Turkish Airlines GM (West & South India) Ibrahim Hakki Guntay with Mumbai leg winner Anuj Thapar, a qualifier for Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup 2018

Mumbai-Delhi

Willingdon, Classic GCC Host Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup Qualifiers Willingdon Sports Club, Mumbai, and Classic Golf and Country Club, Gurgaon, respectively hosted the fifth (March 9) and sixth (March 10) legs of the fast-growing Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup (TAWGC).

The Mumbai event was well supported by the local business community. Atul Laul (President, Reliance) and S Rengarajan (MD & CEO, IL&FS Securities) were among the competitors. Kolkata Knight Riders MD & CEO Venky Mysore along with co-owner Jai

Mehta, former India cricketer Ajit Agarkar and musician Raghav Sachar participated too. The New Delhi leg was also well attended and saw participation from over 90 corporates including Brig. HS Kaura (Senior VP, National Administration, KPMG), Anmol Puri (Director, Deloitte) and Anurag Gupta (VP, American Express) among others.

Winners of the qualifiers progress to the Grand Finals in Antalya in November, where they will have the chance to secure a place in

Delhi

Noida GC Hosts Ladies Inter-Club Meet

Commemorating Women’s Day 2018 (March 8), the ladies of Noida Golf Club (NGC) hosted their annual inter-club golf tournament.

Clubs from across the National Capital Region – Delhi Golf Club, Army Golf Club, Qutab Golf Course and Air Force Golf Club to name a few – took part and the total number of participants was around 80. The format was stableford. The day witnessed some exciting and high-quality golf, and the hosts were delighted by the superb display of their own teams. As it also turned out, the winning team – comprising Dimple Kochhar, Gia Lamba, Simran Bajaj and Rana Alam – was from Noida Golf Club. With 40 points, Saroj Thapliyal was declared overall best Stableford winner. The one-day event was organized by NGC’s Lady Captain Kiran Chowdhury and her Ladies Committee team.

L-R: Renu J P Singh, Nalini Sharma, Dimple Kochhar, Simran Bajaj, Gia Lamba, Kiran Chowdhury & Rana Alam

36 golf digest india | april 2018

the Turkish Airlines Open Pro-Am. Mumbai winner Anuj Thapar (47 points) and Delhi winner Siddharth Jain (43 points) will be amongst the participants at the Grand Finals. Congratulating them, Ibrahim Hakki Guntay (GM West & South India, Turkish Airlines) said, “We would like to thank all of our guests who made the TAWGC a huge success...

It was a fantastic tournament in the TAWGC series and congratulations to our winners. We wish them the best of luck in Antalya.”

Mumbai

CGWF conducts Medical Camp for Caddies

Chembur Golf Welfare Foundation (CGWF) conducted a Medical Camp for caddies and playing caddies on February 19 at Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC). The camp offered detailed blood tests, besides eye check-up, dental check-up and a general medical checkup. A Healthcare session, which was addressed by leading doctors, was also conducted and participants were made aware of follow-up consultations in future that would entail guidance and advise to caddies. Breakfast was arranged for everyone in attendance.

Across The Country

Pune

Chirag Shah wins at Oxford

Chirag Shah scored 74.8 nett points under Double Peoria format to triumph in the men’s handicap (0-12) category in the Pune leg of the BMW Golf Cup International at Oxford Golf Resort, Pune. In so doing, he qualified for the National Final to be played in Thailand in December.

Finishing runner-up was Rohan Seolekar with 76 nett points while Manish Jaitha came third. Mahesh Kumar Bhadangkar won the handicap (13-28) category with 71.4 nett points. Meanwhile, Manisha Jaitha secured 75.6 nett points to win the women’s category.

Hyderabad

Myneni sinks 2 hole-in-ones in a day

Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club member Sri Myneni achieved the implausible odds of 67 million to one on March 20 after acing the 3rd & 8th holes of the Par-72 championship layout in Hyderabad during a casual round with friends. Clearly elated, he said: “I’m still in a bit of shock about it. Unbelievable feeling… Never had a hole-in-one before in my life. Was buzzing after the first one but the second one was just truly incredible. Hopefully this will be a start of many more in future!”

Gurgaon

ITC Classic hosts IIM Masters 2018

The 13th edition of IIM Masters was held at ITC Classic Golf & Country Club on February 24, 2018.

A hundred Indian Institute of Management (IIM) alumni showed up to play and this year’s tournament also witnessed participation from IIM Indore, besides Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Lucknow.

IIM Ahmedabad lifted the trophy and following a round of 74, Gaurav Seth – from IIM Ahmedabad – was declared Gross Winner. IIM Bengaluru’s Ranjit Yadav won the “Manoj Dutt Player of the Year” Award for the best nett score.

IIM Masters, a pan IIM event, traces its roots to when it was a 40-player event called IIM Ahmedabad Golf. The field has since burgeoned with 100 or more alumni taking part, an ideal get-together that takes them back to campus days.

L-R: Ajit Sen, Subodh Paul, Calcutta Ladies Golf Club captain Divya Lal, Swapan Dutta and CLGC secretary Dhritipriya Das Gupta

Kolkata

CLGC hosts Gold Cup

Open to men and women of all age groups, the 2018 edition of the Gold Cup tournament was held on March 3 and 4. Teams of 3 teed off on the golf courses of Calcutta Ladies Golf Club (CLGC) and Royal Calcutta Turf Club (RCTC) and players enjoyed the hospitality on offer. In the end, the trio of Ajit Sen, Subodh Paul and Swapan Dutta lifted the trophy.

The award ceremony was organised later at the 127-year-old club house.

Over five decades ago, MP David – who was a regular at Calcutta Race Course – won the Gold Cup in a horse race which he generously donated to CLGC. Ever since, the club has conducted an annual golf tournament to commemorate the act. april 2018 | golf digest india

37

Promoting Golf

Jaipur

Royal Jaipur welcomes new golfers Over the past few months, Royal Jaipur Golf Club has been doing its best to promote the sport in the region. Not only has the club conducted golf clinics for corporates, it has also welcomed students.

The academy’s Golf in School programs last December and earlier this year, in January, saw almost 170 students participate.

The Corporate Golf Clinic, c o n d u c t e d f o r e x e c u t ive s from large companies such as Infosys (nearly 70 participants), Crompton Greaves (50), Bosch (40) and Larsen & Toubro (50) to name a few, has seen healthy turnout too. The last four months have seen nearly 450 new registrations, thanks to such initiatives.

Located just off the DelhiJaipur Expressway, Royal Jaipur Golf Club is home to a driving range and a 9-hole course designed by Pacific Coast Design.

It is operated and maintained by Sachin Chauhan.

Kolkata

WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATIONS AT ECO PARK Eco Park Golf Arena (EPGA) organised a golf-centred campaign to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8. A golf clinic was organised for ladies on a freeof-cost basis, followed by a Long Drive competition later in the evening. As many as 52 women registered and participated. Interestingly, the youngest entrant was a 4-month-old baby (who played off her mother’s lap) and the oldest was a septuagenarian! Brunch and refreshments were served at Golfers Café (located within the EPGA premises), followed by fun contests. In all, this was a special initiative undertaken by EPGA (in association with HIDCO, NKDA and Newtown Business Club) in order to popularise the game of golf and make it accessible for ladies in and around Kolkata. The encouraging feedback has now prompted EPGA to calendarise “The Women’s Day Golf” and conduct it regularly.

38 golf digest india | april 2018

Royal Jaipur Golf Club has been regularly conducting golf clinics for corporates and students since its launch

G AM TIVE • GRO W T NITA HE

ad over urse is spre The golf co wling hin the spra it w es cr a 5 mpus the school ca 52 acres of

IA I

After launching the Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Academy in its campus last year, SelaQui International School (Dehradun) has now collaborated with international golfer Amandeep Johl to start a golf academy from April 2018. This will be the first golf academy inside school premises in the country.

The golf course is spread over 5 acres within the sprawling 52 acres of the school campus. It comprises 5 Greens, including one large Island Green of approximately 5,950 sq. ft. surrounded by 3,600 Water Hazard with fountains and water lilies, 6 challenging Bunkers and a Driving Range of 260 yards conforming to PGA guidelines. The course is played to PAR 58 / 2,730 Yards / SLOPE 92 / USGA RATING 53.32 / BOGEY RATING 69.82. The overall motive, according to Headmaster Rashid Sharfuddin, is to make Golf affordable for students of Dehradun and to make it a popular sport among teenagers.

The academy will be open to students of other schools as well.

“I am trying to take golf to the masses and collaborating with schools helps the game become more popular. I will be visiting the academy every month myself to check on the progress of students,” said Johl. “Apart from coaching, we will also provide fitness training to students. The aim is not to let the game be elitist anymore and have as many people as possible pick it up. Cricket was also an elite game 60 years ago but it is being played in every street.”

Former India tennis player and multiple Grand Slam winner Mahesh Bhupathi was also part of the inauguration.

FD E • G O L I G E ST I ND

SELAQUI SCHOOL OPENS GOLF ACADEMY

• ITATIVE GROW THE N I IA

GAM

Dehradun

E • GO L F DI GE S T I ND

Promoting Golf

L-R: Delhi Public School Ghaziabad (DPSG) vice-chairman Anshul Pathak, golf instructor and former pro Amandeep Johl, DPSG chairman Om Pathak, multiple Grand Slam winner Mahesh Bhupathi

Kids try their hand at golf at SelaQui Golf Academy in Dehradun under the guidance of Amandeep Johl (above)

To share news about initiatives to promote golf across the country, please email karthik@rnsportsmarketing.com

april 2018 | golf digest india

39

Business of Golf

TaylorMade Launches M3, M4 Drivers In Delhi An amateur golfer participates in the M Iron Challenge during the launch of M3, M4 drivers at AEPTA in Delhi

Longest Drive winner Rohan Kathuria (R) receives his prize from Trinity Golf CEO Ateet Gaur (C)

T

aylorMade, the world’s leading golf equipment manufacturer, in association with Trinity Golf, launched their new M3 and M4 Twist Face drivers and Ribcore Irons at Army Environmental Park and Training Area (AEPTA) near Dhaula Kuan in New Delhi.

Current and former World No. 1s like Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day and Tiger Woods use M3 and M4 drivers.

T h e l a u n c h wa s w i t n e s s e d b y TaylorMade’s team that included Urupong Sinthusard (GM-SEA, Taylormade-Adidas Golf ), Nisarat Chaimongkolchai and Worarak Wangtal from Thailand, and Sim Cheng Lock of Singapore. The event comprised 30 participants, who tried out the clubs as part of 2 competitions — M Iron Challenge and Longest Drive.

In the M Iron Challenge, each participant was given 2 chances to hit with a 7-iron

of their choice, M3 or M4. The score computation was done through Trackman.

Out of the 60 shots hit by participants, 28 were straight on the line — the biggest achievement of the Ribcore Technology used in these irons. Ribcore Technology gives distance along with accuracy and makes it the perfect iron for golfers to improve and excel in their game. The winner of the M Iron Challenge was Maj. Varoon Parmar, who hit a distance of 187.7 yards straight on the line

Major Varoon Parmar, who hit a distance of 187.7 yards straight on the line (zero dispersion), won the M Iron Challenge...

The Longest Drive competition, meanwhile, was won by Rohan Kathuria who hit 268.4 yards straight on the line

(zero dispersion), and won the all-new M4 #3 Fairway Wood for his effort.

In the Longest Drive competition, the top 15 scorers from M Iron Challenge participated. Here too, each participant was given 2 chances to hit with their favourite M3 or M4 driver. The contestants loved the sound made when the driver came in contact with the ball. Even miscued shots landed in the fairway, proving the Twist Face technology that applied to the drivers.

The winner of the Longest Drive competition was Rohan Kathuria with a distance of 268.4 yards straight on the line. Kathuria won an all-new M4 driver of his choice. Wg. Cdr. Jinender Singh, who hit 267 yards, was adjudged the runner-up.

Rising woman golfer Diksha Dagar was given special recognition for hitting 234 yards dot on line, beating the field by a fair margin.

Faldo Design to construct 27-hole Layout in Vietnam Faldo Design, the golf course design firm headed by 6-time Major champion Sir Nick Faldo, has entered into an agreement with Royal Group to design a new 27-hole golf course located in Long An, 60 kilometres from Vietnam’s capital Ho Chi Minh City.

Sir Nick Faldo said: “This site presents us with a very interesting opportunity to design a high-quality golf course by creating our own features that will include lots of water and landscape.”

Mr Phan Dinh Tan, General Director of Hoan Cau Group, said: “Hoan Cau is committed to a high-quality development in Long An and expect this will become the best golf course in the greater Ho Chi Minh area.”

This is the latest in the list of numerous courses being designed in Vietnam. With a 3,260km coastline, Vietnam is seen by top real estate firms as the best country to develop golf resort community layouts.

40 golf digest india | april 2018

Phan Dinh Tan of Hoan Cau Group shakes hands with Sir Nick Faldo

Golf Digest View Vietnam is becoming a hot new golf tourism destination in South Asia, and India – given her abundant landscape and 7,517km coastline – shouldn’t miss the bus

Business of Golf

Titleist Introduces Next Gen Putters & Golf Balls

The next generation of Scotty Cameron Select putters – introducing new four-way sole balancing technology – continues the evolution of a line engineered for performance, milled to precision and designed with elegance.

Available in golf shops worldwide beginning March 30, the 2018 Select line advances Titleist Master Putter Maker Scotty Cameron’s proven multi-material construction methodology of combining face inlays of either 303 stainless steel or 6061 aircraft-grade aluminium with stainless steel bodies for superior balance, weight distribution, sound and feel.

The new Select line features seven tour-validated modern blade and mid-mallet models. The new Select Laguna joins Scotty’s classic Select Newport, Newport 2 and Newport 2.5 blade styles, while the popular Fastback and Squareback names return in updated mid-mallet offerings. Rounding out the line is the heel-shafted midmallet Select Newport 3.

The new Titleist Velocity golf balls are designed with proprietary high-speed technology to deliver even more distance on every shot in the bag. With the introduction of new high-visibility color options – Velocity Orange and Velocity Pink – the power of Velocity is also packed with personality. The 2018 Velocity been re-engineered with a softer high-speed core and Titleist’s fastest cover blend to deliver extremely low spin and fast ball speed off the tee for increased distance. Velocity’s advanced aerodynamics produce a high flight on all shots to enhance distance and help golfers stop the ball closer to the hole.

The 2018 Scotty Cameron Select putters

Newly-launched Titleist Velocity golf balls

The 2018 Select line advances Master Putter Maker Scotty Cameron’s proven multi-material construction methodology while the 2018 Velocity balls have been re-engineered for even better performance

Rawal appointed captain of Wentworth Club

GOLF TOURISM DISCUSSED AT INDIA TRAVEL CONGRESS

On January 1, Kunal Rawal became the first person of Indian origin to become captain of t h e wo r l d - re n ow n e d Wentworth Club in the UK. At 35, he is also the youngest-ever captain of the club.

Rawal sp ent his childhood in Nairobi, Kenya, where his passion for golf was fostered and he won the National Junior Amateur Championship at the age of 14. He then attended the prestigious Harrow School in England, which counts world leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Winston Churchill as alumni, and then attended Stern School of Business, New York University,

Tourism provides employment and generates incomes across layers. When done responsibly, it nurtures the environment and helps rejuvenate a country’s heritage.

Organised at Pullman Aerocity on February 23 and 24, the 2018 BITB India Travel Congress emphasised on tourism and on creating a dialogue that is both Indian and international.

One of the talking points in this edition of the event was golf tourism. Talking on the subject, Golf Digest India Editor-in-Chief & Publisher Rishi Narain highlighted the current ‘hospitality culture’, specifically the lack thereof, in clubs across the country. By being geared up for visitors, and by adopting tourist-friendly policies, golf clubs could contribute in a great way to the rise in golf tourism. Narain also stressed on developing golf courses in clusters as opposed to building them in isolation.

The 2-day event witnessed participation of over 50 eminent speakers, including the likes of Vijay Goel (Former Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports), Amitabh Kant (CEO, NITI Aayog), Peter Fulton (Group President, Hyatt EMEA & SW Asia), Sanjeev Kapoor (renowned chef) and Anurag Thakur (Member of L-R: Ajeet Bajaj (Owner, Snow Leopard Adventures), Navin Berry (Director, BITB), Rishi Narain and Mandeep Lamba Parliament).

to study Finance and play college golf where he graduated with a +4 handicap (currently scratch). He then moved back to London to pursue his family’s property interests.

(MD-India Hotels & Hospitality, JLL)

april 2018 | golf digest india

41

Business of Golf

Bengaluru Set For 7th India Golf Expo

Golf Industry Association (GIA) Board Members unveil the Ken Research Report on Indian Golf

T

he 7th Annual India Golf Expo (IGE) will be staged in Bengaluru on April 19-20 this month for the first time in last 4 years. The Expo is organised by the Indian Golf Industry Association (GIA) and supported by the Indian Golf Union (IGU). It is a perfect platform to meet the top brass across industries, such as active Indian golfers, corporate HNIs, India’s prominent golf club owners, captains and secretaries, Indian armed forces golf clubs, golf coaches, real estate developers, state development bodies, renowned international industry experts and others from Indian golfing fraternity. This unique show will provide ample networking opportunities over lavish buffet lunches, industry dinners and entertainment, making IGE an exciting mix of golf and business.

In its 7th year, the Expo will see participation of Army and BSF golf courses along with private courses pan India. There will also be an all-India Real Estate developers golf tournament (Builders’ Cup) with over 50 leading developers, who are into construction of golf courses, malls, hotels, residential apartments, participating.

The two-day event will have a full delegation coming from the R&A (the ruling authority of golf in the world) for the first time to present conference sessions on sustainability, course design and maintenance, strategic planning and generating better revenues in the business of golf and more.

42 golf digest india | april 2018

Carmen Magro, VP - Stevens Water Monitoring Systems

Mike Round, LET Director of Development

EMINENT SPEAKERS

Dr. Micah Woods, Chief Scientist, Asian Turf Grass Centre

Dominic Wall, Director Asia-Pacific, R&A

Mohan Subramanian, Marketing manager of the Golf Division, RainBird

Jonathan Smith, CEO, Golf Environmental Organisation

Paul Jansen, Owner, Jansen Golf Course Design & Construction

Guy Chapple, Club Management Expert from Australia

Business of Golf

INDIA GOLF EXPO April 19-20 The Lalit, Bengaluru

TOP EXHIBITORS

GolfLan, Ernie Els Design, Pacific Coast Design, Golf Design India, Toro, Greenman, John Deere, Greenman, Jacobsen, Redexim, Ho-Ko, Lawncare, Rainbird, Irrigation Product International, Peak Traders, Silverglades (SGDC), AG Horizon (PMC), Agricare Corp., Yamaha, Club Car, Maini Buggy, Rex Polyextursion, Hortus, Dev Musco, Vooty Golf County, Jungle Lodges

EQUIPMENT BRANDS PRESENT

Titleist, Taylormade, Nike, Srixon, PXG, Mizuno have already confirmed their participation and will be offering up to 70% discount on their products

FUN ACTIVITIES

Simulator contest, putting contest, snag golf contest for walk-in visitors

WHY YOU SHOULD BE THERE? • Meet Over 500 golf industry delegates • 2,500 walk-in visitors over 2 days • Over 50 National and International Exhibitors • Conferences by eminent speakers • Networking Lunches • Gala Dinner and Awards • Evening cocktails

april 2018 | golf digest india

43

Tête-à-Tête with Michael Jopp

‘Hope To See An Indian Winning The Global MercedesTrophy’ Exclusive

P

rior to assuming the role of Vice President (Sales & Marketing), Mercedes-Benz India, Michael Jopp played a key role in accounting for sales performance and profitability for the carmaker in Berlin. Possessing close to two decades of experience in the automobile industry, Michael intends to continue delivering a strong growth momentum in what is a highly competitive and dynamic market. He certainly is doing just that, given Mercedes-B enz India sell roughly two cars in every leg of their event (MercedesTrophy)!

In an exclusive chat with Rohit Bhardwaj, Michael talks about his love for golf, his plans to expand MercedesTrophy and play with the likes of German golf legend Bernhard Langer in future. Excerpts:

GDI: What is your home club?

MJ: Oxford Golf Resort, Pune GDI: When did you start playing golf?

MJ: I started playing golf three times – first 20 years ago, then 10 years ago and one-and-halfyears ago (laughs). Now, I try to play every week.

GDI: What do you love about the game?

MJ: I love spending couple of hours in the sun and fresh air.

Everyday golf throws a new challenge – your previous round and the next one will always be different. It also keeps you concentrated and dedicated which is a great quality to have at your workplace and life in general.

44 golf digest india | april 2018

Tête-à-Tête with Michael Jopp

When we started 19 years back MercedesTrophy was a one city tournament, and now it has grown to 12 cities with 27 days of events... We have a long waitlist of individuals in each leg who want to play our event including celebrities...”

GDI: How about your dream fourball?

MJ: My dream fourball is bound to have legendary golfer Bernhard Langer, Marcel Siem, me and my wife.

GDI: Favourite golf course in India and abroad MJ: Oxford Golf Resort in India and abroad it has to be the Eicheheim Club in Austria as it is nestled in the Alps.

GDI: How often do you get to play?

MJ: Once every 10 days GDI: Your thoughts on doing business on the golf course?

MJ: Playing golf offers great opportunities for doing business. But I see it more as a chance to develop friendships.

Even during MercedesTrophy my prime focus is to keep our stakeholders and participants happy. Our aim is to engage with customers and give them the best experience.

Every tournament day, a couple of cars are being sold but the aim is to offer our participants the perfect golfing experience. We also sell good amount of accessories and merchandise, which augurs well for us. Further, we have got Laureus Sport For Good Foundation on board and I have witnessed that

Michael Jopp, Mercedes-Benz India VP (Sales & Marketing)

many people like to donate for underprivileged kids.

GDI: Favourite male and female golfers MJ: German pros Bernhard Langer and Caroline Masson GDI: Describe your most memorable golfing experience MJ: I count every birdie I make as a memorable one, as they don’t happen too often (laughs).

GDI: Your favourite holiday destination MJ: I recently went to Mauritius and I loved it. They have some nice courses, beaches and turquoise blue waters for a perfect holiday.

GDI: Favourite dish on your home course MJ: Veg Manchurian and deep fried chicken.

GDI: Mid-round power snack MJ: Banana GDI: Favourite 19th hole drink MJ: Beer GDI: MercedesTrophy is one of the oldest running corporate tournaments staged in India. What makes it so unique?

MJ: We make it a unique event

Do you use any golf apps on your phone?

Garmin Watch

Your current handicap?

On an average how long do you drive the ball?

22 220 Yards

for customers in terms of the ambience we create and the attention we put on minutest of detail. We try to make it a special day for our customers, the kind of reception, support we give them does make them happy. Let them take pride in driving in with their Mercedes cars. When we started 19 years back it was a one city tournament, and now it has grown to 12 cities with 27 days of events, which makes it the biggest in India. We constantly endeavor to improve with the feedback we get.

We have a long waitlist of individuals in each leg who want to play our event including celebrities which speaks volumes about the tournament.

Till date there hasn’t been an Indian winner of the World Finals, eventually I hope to see someone from the sub-continent claiming the Mercedes global trophy in Germany that will be a great achievement.

GDI: Has Mercedes got any plans to invest in talent keeping in mind India’s growing crop of top pros?

MJ: Globally we are associated with some of the top pros both men and women, as it is a company policy. In India, however, we are focused on customers.

With limited budgets at our disposal, we can either host an extra leg of MercedesTrophy or support a local golfer. In the current scenario, we would like to expand the MercedesTrophy as we can reach more customers.

GDI: Any plans of partnering with pro golf events?

MJ: Again we have to evaluate a proposal and decide but we are more concerned on what is the kind of return or the revenue we will get by sponsoring pro events. Right now it seems impossible as the MercedesTrophy itself is a pretty significant investment for us.

april 2018 | golf digest india

45

Corporate Digest

MercedesTrophy

Eyes On The Prize As National Final Beckons JAIPUR

Comrades on and off the course

All smiles before tee off at the Rambagh Golf Course

BY DANNON MARTIS

M

ercedesTrophy, India’s largest amateur tournament, moved to Chandigarh following the completion of the Chennai leg.

Held at Panchkula Golf Club from February 21 to 23, 2018, the city witnessed an additional day of golf this year owing to the overwhelming response that had been received. With nett scores of 71.4 and 73.2 respectively, Day 1 saw Bhav Karan Singh (Cat. A) and Joginder Randhawa (Cat. B) qualify for the National Final.

Maninder Pal Singh (Cat. A) and Gurcharan Cheema (Cat. B) respectively carded a net score of 73 and 73.6 to emerge victorious on Day 2. The final two spots on Day 3 were sealed by Sunil Sharma (Cat. A) and Dinesh Gogna (Cat. B) with nett scores of 71.8 and 72.4 respectively.

Classic Golf & Country Club in Gurgaon played host to the 360 golfers who teed off at the next leg from February 27 to March 1. Amit Luthra (Cat. A) and Shekhar Agarwal (Cat. B), with respective nett scores of 70 and 70.2, outplayed the competition to seal their National Final spots. Joining them on Day 2 were Hritik Gandhi (Cat. A) and Jagdeep Rangar (Cat. B) who respectively carded 70.6 and 73.

Thick friends Aman Sawhney (Cat. A) and Manav Sardana (Cat.

Still from the golf clinic for individuals keen to learn the game

Jaipur Winners Cat. A (Handicap 0-18): Mahipal Shekhawat Winners Cat. B (Handicap 19-24): Hari Rajawat Category B winner Hari Rajawat

46 golf digest india | april 2018

Category A winner Mahipal Shekhawat

MercedesTrophy

Corporate Digest

GREATER NOIDA

Kids participate in a golf clinic at Jaypee Greens

Ladies pose for a group picture

Deepak Girotra, Roland Folger MD & CEO - Mercedes-Benz India, Suzanne Folger and Neetu Agarwal

Sushant Khanna

Category A winner Kapil Dev

Greater Noida Winners Cat. A (Handicap 0-18): Rishab Mann, Ronald Das, Kapil Dev Winners Cat. B (Handicap 19-24): Sushil Gupta, Rajesh Sawhney, DP Singh

Category B winner DP Singh (L) with Mercedes-Benz India MD & CEO Roland Folger

B) capped off a memorable Day 3 by posting winning scores of 70.6 and 72 respectively.

Action then moved to Jaypee Greens Golf Resort in Greater Noida where 6 qualification spots were up for grabs between March 7 and 9. Day 1 belonged to Rishab Mann (Cat. A) and Sushil Gupta (Cat. B) who respectively carded nett scores of 71.8 and 72.6. Ronald Das (Cat. A) and Rajesh Sawhney (Cat. B) won on Day 2, with nett scores of 70 and 72 respectively.

Cricket legend Kapil Dev stole the show on Day 3, triumphing Cat. A with a nett score of 70.6. Joining him from Cat. B was DP Singh with a nett score of 71.8.

The MercedesTrophy qualification rounds culminated in Jaipur with Mahipal Shekhawat (Cat. A) and Hari Rajawat (Cat. B) qualifying with nett scores of 71 and 70.4 respectively.

Golfers practice ahead of the start of the MercedesTrophy Greater Noida leg

Category A winner Rishab Mann

Category B winner Sushil Gupta

april 2018 | golf digest india

47

Corporate Digest

MercedesTrophy

GURGAON

Category A winner Amit Luthra in action on Day 2 of Gurgaon leg

Category B winner on Day 2 of Gurgaon leg Shekhar Agarwal tees off

Vishal Bakshi is elated after sinking his putt

Participants loved the new Mercedes-Benz Collection on display

45 winners from qualification rounds that were held in 12 cities, along with the Best Maintained Car lucky draw winner from each city and another Grand Lucky Draw winner, will compete in the National Final at Oxford Golf Resort, Pune, from April 4 to 6. Joining them will be the winner of the Laureus Lucky Draw (from among those who contributed) who will get an opportunity to experience the National Final.

This year, the initiative taken by Mercedes-Benz India – and the world-famous Laureus Sport for Good Foundation – to give back to the society through golf witnessed overwhelming response. Close to INR 29 lakhs was raised, thanks to the generous contribution of the golfing community. This amount will be matched by Mercedes-Benz India and the proceeds will go towards the education and empowerment of underprivileged kids.

Laureus Lucky Draw winner Rattan Kapur (right)

48 golf digest india | april 2018

Masayushi Ikeda blasts out of a bunker

Gurgaon Cat. A winners (Handicap 0-18): Amit Luthra, Hritik Gandhi, Aman Sawhney Cat. B winners (Handicap 19-24): Shekhar Agarwal, Jagdeep Rangar, Manav Sardana

Sonya Gupta

Category A winner Aman Sawhney (R) and Category B winner Manav Sardana with their trophies

MercedesTrophy

Corporate Digest

CHANDIGARH

Category A winner Maninder Pal Singh (L) with Category B winner Gurcharan Cheema

Chandigarh Cat. A winners (Handicap 0-18): BhavKaran Singh, Maninder Pal Singh, Sunil Sharma

Karam Naresh Singh, MD - Punjab Motors

Cat. B winners (Handicap 19-24): Joginder Randhawa, Gurcharan Cheema, Dinesh Gogna

Renowned golf coach Jesse Grewal conducts a clinic in Panchkula

MercedesTrophy India 2018 Schedule

Amit Thete, GM (Marketing Communications and CRM) Mercedes-Benz India

DATE 2018

CITY

VENUE

Jan 4 & 5

Pune

Oxford Golf Resort

Jan 6

Ahmedabad

Kalhaar Blues & Greens

Jan 10 - 12

Mumbai

Bombay Presidency Golf Club

Jan 17 - 19

Bengaluru

Prestige Golfshire

Jan 24 & 25

Hyderabad

Hyderabad Golf Association

Jan 27

Coimbatore

Coimbatore Golf Club

Jan 31, Feb 1

Kolkata

Royal Calcutta Golf Club

Feb 15

Chennai

TNGF Cosmo

Feb 21, 22 & 23

Chandigarh

Panchkula Golf Course

Feb 27 & 28, March 1

Gurgaon

ITC Classic Golf Resort

March 7, 8, 9

Greater Noida

Jaypee Greens Golf Resort

March 11

Jaipur

Rambagh Golf Club

Pune

Oxford Golf Resort

National Final Aditya Thapar won the Ballantine’s Long Drive Challenge on Day 2 of Chandigarh leg

April 4 - 6 Completed legs

april 2018 | golf digest india

49

Corporate Digest

Madhavrao Scindia Golf Tournament

Royal Golf For A Noble Cause

T

he stage was set for the prestigious annual golf charity tournament in India, The Madhavrao Scindia Golf Tournament 2018. The event is organised by the Madhavrao Scindia Foundation and was hosted at DLF Golf & Country Club, one of the most spectacular golf courses in the country, on February 24. The weather conditions were just right for a round of golf.

The tournament was graced by many eminent personalities like Farooq Abdullah (Ex-Chief Minister of J&K), former India cricketers Madan Lal, Ajit Agarkar, Nikhil Chopra and Murali Kartik besides top names from the corporate world. Apart from providing education and healthcare for the needy, the foundation helps young talented golfers with financially.

In 2011, Rashid Khan was awarded and went on to win the PGTI Order of Merit in 2013 and 2016.

In 2013, the foundation supported Bangalore’s Chikkarangappa S. who grabbed the 2015 PGTI Order of Merit. Last year 14-year-old Delhi girl Diksha Dagar was supported by the foundation and went on to win the All India title. This time Arjun Prasad was presented with a cheque of Rs. 4 Lakhs by Chitrangdha Raje, daughter of Late Madhavrao Scindia. Prasad was the best amateur in 2016 Hero Indian Open and he also won the Nick Faldo Asia Grand Finals.

The prize distribution

L-R: Chitrangdha Raje, Madhavi Raje Scindia, Ananya Raje Scindia

started with a vote of thanks by Jyotiraditya Scindia (Member of Parliament), who thanked all the sponsors for supporting the cause. Sanjeev Laroia was the gross winner with a score of 80. Jatin Sindhu was Best Nett winner and Harinder Sikka emerged the Best Nett runner-up. Both Sindhu and Sikka gained entry to the Duke of Edinburgh Cup, held at Windsor Castle every year.

Pro golfer Arjun Prasad received Rs. 4 lakh from the foundation

50 golf digest india | april 2018

Jyotiradtiya Scindia

Madhavrao Scindia Golf Tournament

Corporate Digest

Amitabh Bose, MD - Sentinels Security

L-R: Sasi, Pratap Mamik, HGS Dhaliwal, Ravinder Zutshi

Hero Closest To Pin Winner: Pranav Puri (C) receiving award from Abhishek Munjal (L) and Pankaj Munjal

Nett Runner-up: Harinder Sikka with Madhavi Raje Scindia. Sikka also qualified for DOE Cup

DLF Straightest Driver Winner: Arun Kishore Khanna receiving award from Kavita Singh

Rinika Grover, Head - Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Apollo Tyres

Pankaj Munjal, CMD - Hero Cycles

Max Closest To Pin Winner: Sanjiv Laroia receiving award from Mohit Talwar, MD - Max Financial Services

april 2018 | golf digest india

51

Corporate Digest

Madhavrao Scindia Golf Tournament

YES BANK is proud to partner Madhavrao Scindia Golf Tournament for its 13th Annual Edition... The last few years have seen a surge in development of golf infrastructure, trained caddies and support staff, professional coaches and facilities, in India. Although there has been substantial corporate support and media build up in recent years, golf in India still offers extensive untapped opportunities.�

Nikhil Chopra, former India cricketer

Farooq Abdullah, former Chief Minister - J&K

Rana Kapoor, MD & CEO - YES BANK Ajit Agarkar, former India cricketer

Madan Lal, former India cricketer

Dhruv Shringi, Co-Founder & CEO - Yatra.com

L-R: Ateet Gaur, Ravi Swaroop, Vishal Bakshi, Nikhil Mehra

52 golf digest india | april 2018

L-R: Rupinder Singh Brar, Sangramsinh Gaekwad, Gurcharan Singh Brar, Raman Singh

Madhavrao Scindia Golf Tournament Aakash Ohri, Executive Director - DLF Home Developers

Corporate Digest

Robert Vadra

Kartik Bharatram, MD - SRF Ltd.

Rinki Dhingra, Senior President & Country Head YES BANK

Closest To Pin Winner: Bharat Patel (R) with Tushar Kumar, Dealer Principal & CEO - Silver Arrows

Rupinder Singh Brar (L) with Vishesh Khanna, Vice President - Vistara

Murali Kartik, former India cricketer

Charu Narain with Neelam Pratap Rudy

Best Nett Winner: Jatin Sindhu qualified for the Duke of Edinburgh Cup

Raja Randhir Singh

Mohit Talwar, MD - Max Financial Services and Rishi Narain, MD - RN Sports Marketing

Priyaraje Scindia

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53

Corporate Digest

World Corporate Golf Challenge

Next Stop: Cascais, Portugal NATIONAL FINAL

T

he 19th Edition of Tata Hitachi World Corporate Golf Challenge 2018 moved to Bengaluru for it’s last leg, which took place on February 24 at Prestige Golfshire. The event saw participation from over 100 golfers from the city. Overcoming challenging conditions and lightning fast greens, Arjun Malik, Thomas Vellapally, Latha Bopanna and Nagesh Alegowda sealed their spots for the National Final. While Arjun Malik and Latha Bopanna were winners in the 0-19 and 20-24 categories respectively, they both carded nett points of 32. Thomas Vellapally and Nagesh Alegowda were the runners-up in the 0-19 and 20-24 categories. There were several on course prizes on offer, such as the Cisco Closest to Pin on Hole 15, NetApp Closest to Pin on Hole 2 and the Indian Terrain Straightest Drive contest on Hole 4.

It was a quick turnaround for the golfers who qualified in the Bengaluru leg as the next day they joined the winners from Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai legs for the National Final.

Prestige Golfshire hosted the National Final as well and 16 golfers battled it out for the 2 World Final spots to represent corporate India in Cascais, Portugal, later this year.

Mumbai-based Gautam Balakrishnan outplayed the competition and emerged v i c to r i o u s i n t h e Na t i o n a l F i n a l with Rahul Divan finishing runnerup. The National Final also saw a hole-in-one by Shin Nakajima, Director of

54 golf digest india | april 2018

Harish Shetty, Captain - Karnataka Golf Association

Jaydeep Chitlangia, MD - Madhya Bharat Papers Limited

Tata Hitachi, on Hole 6.

Overjoyed with his win, Balakrishnan said, “It was a great privilege to play Tata Hitachi World Corporate Golf Challenge.

I am delighted to win the grand finale and extremely excited to represent my country at the World Final in Portugal. The event is superbly organised and brings together the best corporate golfers from around the world.

I hope to do well in there and hopefully chalk up another win for team India.”

Divan, who was a finalist earlier, said, “I have played the World Final earlier in Spain in 2009 and it was a great experience. I am looking forward to doing well in Portugal too.”

National Final winners Winner: Gautam Balakrishnan Runner-up: Rahul Divan

World Corporate Golf Challenge

Joydeep Nayar, Director - JJ Tradelinks Pvt. Ltd.

Winners of National Final Rahul Divan (L) and Gautam Balakrishnan (R) with Saugato Banerjee from Victorinox

Corporate Digest

Shin Nakajima achieved a Hole-in-one

BENGALURU

Winners of the Bengaluru leg posing together

Lata Shivanna, Executive Director - EXD

Bengaluru Cat. A (0-19) Winner: Arjun Malik Runner-Up: Thomas Vellapally Cat. B (20-24) Winner: Latha Bopanna Runner-up: Nagesh Alegowda

Arjun Nohwar (L), Head APAC - Uber for Business, with Sanjay Pathi, Partner - Pathi Prints

Kanwaljit Singh, Managing Partner - Fireside Ventures

Toshiyuki Kasai (L), President & CEO - Epson India, won Cisco Closest to pin with Awanish Kumar, Marketing Manager - Cisco Systems

Vinod Chinnappa, Superintendent - Central Excise

april 2018 | golf digest india

55

Hi-Life Lifestyle

To share news on your products or updates on new launches, please email karthik@rnsportsmarketing.com

GADGET

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES THE MUCH-AWAITED S9 AND S9+ Samsung Electronics launched its flagship smartphones, Galaxy S9 and S9+, in India on March 6.

Equipped with 64-bit octa-core processors, both devices are powerhouses and have improved upon the hugely popular Galaxy S8 and S8+. Looking at the design, for instance, it is clear Samsung have not tried to fix something that wasn’t broken.

However, the bezels are slimmer still and – more importantly – the fingerprint sensor is now more conveniently located on the back of the phone, below the camera lens as opposed to being beside it (as was the case in the previous iteration of the flagship). The headphone jack is available too.

The Infinity Display brings an immersive viewing experience (18.5:9 aspect ratio) and curved edges on both sides. The Quad HD+ resolution atop SuperAMOLED technology means everything is as crisp as one likes. The screen is ‘always on’ and so useful information can continue to be displayed without consuming much battery. Edge panels, which bring shortcuts when one swipes from the side, are present. As is Bixby, the company’s virtual assistant.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ run Android Oreo out of the box, come with IP68 certification and are armed with an array of ‘Make in India’ features that will delight Indian consumers. Both support fast charging (wired and wireless) and have AKG-tuned stereo speakers. Listening experience can be further enhanced by Dolby Atmos®. And if that’s not

enough, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be able to stream mobile data 2.5 times faster than other handsets thanks to Carrier Aggregation.

In line with everyone’s expectations, stakes have been majorly raised in smartphone camera wars. Samsung’s flagship pair flaunt a highly impressive camera featuring a Dual Aperture lens, that holds its own under dimly lit conditions, and Super Slow-mo capability (at 960fps). The S9+ has an additional telephoto lens. Photographs are captured with amazing detail and dynamic range, and the stills possess good depth of field and clarity.

Samsung have beefed up device security too. The phones are protected by the company’s latest defense-grade security platform Knox (and any user-based attempt at bypassing Knox voids the warranty) and offer three biometric authentication options, viz. facial, fingerprint and iris recognition. Furthermore, with ‘Intelligent Scan’, the devices are unlocked by a snappy combination of facial and iris recognition.

Speaking at the launch, HC Hong, President and CEO - Samsung Southwest Asia, said, “India has one of the highest number of social media users, is one of the biggest 4G data markets and one of the fastest growing cashless economy in the world. With Galaxy S9 and S9+, we have reimagined the smartphone for today’s and tomorrow’s India, so that you can ‘Do what you can’t’.”

Price: Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ 64GB: INR 57,900 and INR 64,900 respectively Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ 256GB: INR 65,900 and INR 72,900 respectively Colours: Midnight Black, Coral Blue and Lilac Purple

A #nofilter panoramic view of the new clubhouse at DLF Golf & Country Club, shot on Samsung Galaxy S9+ during Hero Indian Open 2018

image: KarthiK Swaminathan

56 golf digest india | april 2018

Lifestyle

AUTOMOBILE

REGAL SOJOURN

Rolls-Royce re-launched their flagship model, Phantom, on March 6. The engineering masterpiece comes with a new space frame, exclusive to Rolls-Royce and one which will underpin all future RollsRoyce models. It is lighter, yet 30% more rigid than its predecessors.

A next-generation 4-corner air suspension system, state-of-the-art chassis control systems, 130kg of sound insulation, double-laminated glass and dual-skin alloys across the bulkhead ensure New Phantom as the pinnacle of comfort and quietness. An all-new, 6.75 litre twinturbocharged V12 engine delivers an effortless 563hp and 900Nm of torque from just 1,700rpm, spiriting New Phantom from 0-100km/h in a mere 5.3 seconds with the help of its seamless 8 speed, SatelliteAided transmission.

Pricing in India for Phantom (Standard Wheelbase) has been officially announced from Rs 9.5 crores, with Phantom Extended Wheelbase from Rs 11.35 crores, inclusive of a 4-year service package and regional warranty, and 24-hour roadside support.

GADGET

GOLF’S FIRST A.I. POWERED WEARABLE IS HERE

Golfication X, Golf’s first Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered superwearable, combines a GPS Rangefinder, Shot Tracker and Swing Analyser. It provides holistic insights into one’s game and makes ultimate sense of statistics.

The device, which launched on Indiegogo late last month, uses Golfication’s patent-pending Swing & Shot Sensing Technology, to combine swing and game analytics seamlessly.

The wearable combines an inbuilt GPS, 9-axis Motion Sensor, Bluetooth pairing and a powerful Texas Instruments microcontroller. It is designed to function without taps, manual input or even a smartphone while

playing. The gadget can be paired with Golfication app and allows for a hassle-free experience on course.

The highest civilian-grade GPS, a 0.96” OLED Display and a

rechargeable battery that runs for 8-hours straight makes Golfication X feature-packed. The superwearable fits perfectly on the golf glove and the R&D team ensures no

weight on the arms while swinging.

It marks the first time that such a product has been engineered in India, aptly under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

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57

On the PGA Tour

Woods, Els Named Captains Two of golf’s biggest icons set to rekindle magic of 2003 tie in South Africa

South African Ernie Els (L) and Tiger Woods of the United States are named captains for the 2019 Presidents Cup

T

here they were, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, arguably the best players in the world, sparring back and forth as the South African sun began to dim.

It could be the iconic moment in the storied history of the Presidents Cup, the two titans of golf refusing to acquiesce as they traded pars into the night. The unlikeliest of ties ending with the unlikeliest of results— Captains Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus declaring neither side a loser, and thus the only draw in the history of the competition.

Now begins Round Two. Woods and Els have been named captains of the 2019

Presidents Cup, and a chance to follow up on that incredible moment in 2003. The latest edition of the Presidents Cup is set for December 9-15, 2019, at the Melbourne Golf Club in Australia.

For Woods, the selection represents a goal to strive for— potential qualification as a player in his return to the game.

For Els, it’s an opportunity to get the International Team back on the winning side of this competition.

For both, a chance at a rematch of that fateful Sunday evening 15 years ago.

“I thought I had him beat for once,” recalled Els, who has finished runner-up to Woods in

58 golf digest india | april 2018

Tiger Woods vs Ernie Els (At the Presidents Cup)

1998 Day 1 Foursomes: Tiger Woods-Fred Couples def. Ernie Els-Vijay Singh, 5 and 4 Day 2 Four-balls: Ernie Els-Vijay Singh def. Tiger Woods-John Huston, 1 up 2000 Day 1 Foursomes: Tiger Woods-Notah Begay def. Ernie Els-Vijay Singh, 1 up Day 2 Foursomes: Tiger Woods-Notah Begay def. Ernie Els-Vijay Singh, 6 and 5 2003 Day 2 Four-balls: Ernie Els-Tim Clark def. Tiger Woods-Charles Howell III, 5 and 3

Day 4 Singles: Tiger Woods def. Ernie Els, 4 and 3 Playoff: Woods and Els were selected for a playoff after the U.S. and International teams tied in regulation.

They halved the first three playoff holes before play ended due to darkness and the Cup was shared.

2007 Day 3 Foursomes: Tiger Woods-Jim Furyk def. Ernie Els-Adam Scott, 4 and 3 2013 Day 3 Foursomes: Ernie Els-Brendon de Jonge def. Tiger Woods-Matt Kuchar, 1 up.

On the PGA Tour

TALE OF THE TAPE TIGER WOODS

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan (C) at the press announcement of captains for the 2019 Presidents Cup to be held in Melbourne, Australia

“WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THAT THEN AND THERE THAT NIGHT FOR A VERY LONG PERIOD OF TIME WITH CERTAIN LIBATIONS AND WE COULDN’T BELIEVE THE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE WE FELT AND WE BOTH HAD WON MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, BUT NOTHING FELT LIKE THAT” — TIGER WOODS ON THE 2003 PRESIDENTS CUP PLAYOFF seven tournaments, including two majors, the most of any player. “He had a left-to-right putt, four foot of break seemed like and in darkness. I had a pretty straight one going up the hill. But I really thought maybe this time he was going to miss one. But he poured it in. And so I think it could have gone on for a couple of hours more.”

Fifteen years later, Woods can still recall the playoff in vivid detail.

“We were talking about that then and there that night for a very long period of time with certain libations and we couldn’t believe the amount of pressure

“AS AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM IT’S A HOME FIELD GAME FOR US, SO WE WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE THE MAJORITY OF THE SUPPORT... BUT IT’S A GLOBAL SPORT, KIDS HEROES ARE THEIR HEROES. THEY’RE GOING TO SUPPORT THE HERO.” — ERNIE ELS

we felt and we both had won Major Championships, but nothing felt like that,” he said. “ … As I was lining up my putt I had to see this entire hillside of red and this entire team right in my line. And so I know if I miss, we lose. It became a reality.”

The announcement of Woods as captain came on the heels of his T2-place finish at the Valspar Championship, his best finish since 2013. The performance helped lift him to 43rd in the FedExCup Standings and 149th in the Official World Golf Ranking.

H i s s te a dy re t u r n to prominence following spinal fusion surgery began with a 12th-place finish at The Honda Classic in mid-February and a 23rd-place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open. He remains in search of that elusive 80th career PGA TOUR victory, but his odds appear to be as good as ever.

Woods will be 43 years old, nearing 44, when the 2019 Presidents Cup gets underway, making him the youngest captain in the history of the event, regardless of team. David Graham set the mark in 1994 at 48 years old for the International Team, while U.S. Captain Hale Irwin was just behind him the same year at 49 years of age.

ERNIE ELS

42

Age

48

Cypress, California

Birthplace

Johannesburg, South Africa

Big Cat

Big nickname

Big Easy

79

PGA TOUR wins

19

106

Worldwide wins

71

2

FedExCup titles

0

683

Weeks at world No. 1

9

Masters (4) 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005

Majors won

U.S. Open (2) 1994, 1997 British Open (2) 2002, 2012

U.S. Open (3) 2000, 2002, 2008 British Open (3) 2000, 2005, 2006 PGA Championship (4) 1999, 2000, 2006, 2007 Wins in 2001, 2013 17 career starts

Best result in THE PLAYERS

T6 in 2008 24 career starts

18

World Golf Championships wins

2

8 as player (1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013)

Presidents Cup appearances

8 as player (1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013)

1 as assistant captain (2017)

1 as assistant captain (2017)

PGA TOUR SHOWDOWNS

Woods and Els have played in the same PGA TOUR event a total of 213 times. Woods won 52 times; Els won 10 times. On eight occasions, they both finished either as the winner or runner-up. A quick look at those eight events: 2000 U.S. Open: Woods won by 15 strokes at Pebble Beach, with Els finishing T2 (Miguel Angel Jimenez)

1999 Nissan Open: Els won by two strokes at Riviera, with Woods finishing T2 (Ted Tryba and Davis Love III)

2000 Open Championship: Woods won by 7 strokes at St. Andrews, with Els finishing T2 (Thomas Bjorn)

1999 National Car Rental Golf Classic at Disney: Woods won by one stroke at Magnolia Golf Club, with Els finishing solo second 2000 Mercedes Championships: Woods beat Els in a sudden-death playoff at Kapalua 2000 Memorial Tournament: Woods won by 5 strokes at Muirfield Village, with Els finishing T2 (Justin Leonard)

2002 Genuity Championship: Els won by 2 strokes at Doral, with Woods finishing solo second 2009 The Barclays: Els and Woods finished T2 (with Padraig Harrington and Steve Stricker) at Liberty National behind winner Heath Slocum

april 2018 | golf digest india

59

On the PGA Tour

TOUR SNIPPETS PGA TOUR PLAYERS PARTICIPATE IN SPECIAL PRO-AM EVENT IN PUERTO RICO The Puerto Rico Open will return as an official PGA TOUR event in 2019 and 2020 PGA TOUR players joined LPGA stars and Puerto Rican athletes and celebrities for a special, unofficial PGA TOUR event in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rico Open Charity Pro-Am, last month.

The Puerto Rico Open, which celebrated 10 years of PGA TOUR golf in the territory in 2017, will return as a four-day, official PGA TOUR event in 2019 and 2020.

“The Island is open for Tourism and to be able to host this event is indicative of that,” said Puerto Rico Tourism Company’s Acting Executive Director, Carla Campos.

“We are very pleased to have formalized an agreement with the PGA TOUR for the 2019 and 2020 Puerto Rico Open...”

The special pro-am raised more than $500,000 for Puerto Rico non-profits across the Island. Included in that was a $50,000 donation from 10-time PGA TOUR winner Bubba Watson. Several other PGA TOUR tournaments also contributed.

The event featured past Puerto Rico Open champions D.A. Points (2017), George McNeill (2012) and Derek Lamely (2010).

Puerto Rico’s own Rafael Campos, who plays on the Web.com Tour, also lent his support, alongside Maria Torres, who be-

Rafa Campos plays his tee shot on the first hole during the first day of the Puerto Rico Open Charity Pro-Am

Actor and comedian Raymond Arrieta

came the first Puerto Rican player to earn an LPGA TOUR card.

The event kicked off with a celebrity proam featuring an all-star line-up of former Major League Baseball players including Hall of Famer Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez,

Carlos Beltran, Carlos Baerga, Carlos Delgado, Jose Guzman, Placido Polanco and Benji Gil. Puerto Rican actor Raymond Arrieta and former professional boxer Miguel Cotto also participated in the celebrity portion.

EVENT AT COLONIAL COUNTRY CLUB RENAMED FORT WORTH INVITATIONAL The historic PGA TOUR event held annually at Colonial Country Club since 1946 has been renamed the Fort Worth Invitational for 2018. The 72-year-old tournament will be held May 21-27, in Fort Worth, Texas.

“We are thrilled, and think it very appropriate, that this year’s tournament will be named the Fort Worth Invitational,” said Rob Doby, president of Colonial Country Club. “The City of Fort Worth, the business community and our fans have played a huge role over many decades in making this event what it is today. It is as much their tournament as it is the members of Colonial Country Club.”

Last year, the tournament generated a tournament-record $13 million to charitable organisations in the area.

Four local companies that have signed on to support the event in 2018 are American Airlines, AT&T, XTO Energy Inc. – a subsidiary of Exxon, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe. “We are so grateful to the Fort Worth community for stepping in with their support of the Fort Worth Invitational,” said Tournament Chairman Rob Hood. “It speaks to the special nature of Fort Worth and its people. … As we look to 2019 and beyond, we will continue to work with the PGA TOUR in securing a title sponsor to ensure the event will be a part of the PGA TOUR schedule for many years to come.”

60 golf digest india | april 2018

Jordan Spieth sinks a birdie putt on the 18th green during the 2017 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational in Fort Worth

On the PGA Tour Bubba Watson contemplates his putt on the 18th green during the final round of the 2018 Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club

FROM HARDWOOD TO HERO: WATSON WINS GENESIS OPEN Bubba caps eventful week with PGA TOUR win, NBA All-Star Celebrity Game appearance Suffice it to say, Bubba Watson’s recent weekend on the course went just a little bit better than his weekend on the hardwood.

Less than 24 hours after scoring just two points in the NBA’s All-Star Celebrity Game — and going viral with his dubious blocked shot at the hands of Tracy McGrady — Watson flipped the script the next day, where his 2-under 69 gave him a two-stroke win at the Genesis Open. The victory netted him his 10th win all-time on TOUR and third at Riviera.

“This day and age, to get 10 wins on the PGA TOUR, the greatest tour in the world, people from all over the world are trying to get on this tour, double digit wins?” he said. “I don’t know about you guys, but

I am thrilled. I never thought I could get there.”

Watson’s win gave him a significant bump in FedEx Cup points—from 166 to 18 at the time of his win—and temporarily moved him from No. 117 in the world to No. 31. He also joined Ben Hogan and Lloyd Mangrum as the only three-time winners at Riviera.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “To do it twice was amazing, and then have a chance on the back nine on Sunday to do it again and then pull it off, very special.

I’m not sure how many people have won three times here, but I’ll take it.”

Watson followed up his win at Genesis with a top-10 finish at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship in early March. Not bad for a basketball player!

COLOGUARD BECOMES FIRST OFFICIAL COLON CANCER SCREENING SPONSOR The PGA TOUR has announced that Cologuard, a noninvasive at-home colon cancer screening test manufactured by Exact Sciences, has signed a three-year marketing agreement to become the Official Colon Cancer Screening Sponsor of the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions.

The partnership, which includes global rights through 2020, was announced during a press conference at the Cologuard Classic

at Omni Tucson National Resort.

“We are excited to announce Cologuard as a new marketing partner of both the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions,” said PGA TOUR Champions president Greg McLaughlin. “Colon cancer awareness is an important societal discussion, and one our players will look to further with this relationship. Today’s announcement allows the TOUR to create a more concrete

foundation from which to develop those efforts.”

Exact Sciences is a Madison, Wisconsinbased company committed to playing a role in the eradication of colon cancer.

“The PGA TOUR is a tremendous supporter of our efforts to help raise awareness about the most preventable yet least prevented cancer,” said Kevin Conroy, chairman and CEO of Exact Sciences.

april 2018 | golf digest india

61

On the PGA Tour

Julian Etulain of Argentina celebrates the birdie on the 18th hole during the final round of the 2014 Lexus Perú Open in Lima

PGA TOUR goes global as developmental seasons begin Players from across the world set to compete for coveted spots on Web.com Tour

T

he last time the three PGA Tour international developmental tours were all in action at the same time was September 1-4 in 2016.

The Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada was holding the Cape Breton Open, the Yulongwan Yunnan Open was taking place in China and PGA Tour Latinoamerica’s Flor de Cana Open was making its debut in Nicaragua.

With PGA Tour Series-China not playing in 2017, this is the year all three Tours are back playing, storylines abounding for all three as alums from each Tour continue to use the path provided to get to the Web.com Tour and, eventually, the PGA Tour.

By the time this season draws to a close at these Tours’ final events, the Web.com Tour will welcome 15 new players—likely more than that if you consider those who will qualify via the Tour’s Qualifying Tournament—to its 2019 membership rolls. A bunch of guys already have experienced that feeling.

Tony Finau is one of them. The former Mackenzie Tour player, who played in Canada in 2013, has not been outside the top-50 in the OWGR since the TOUR Championship last September.

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PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan tells the media why Mexico was chosen to host the World Golf Championships

“I THINK OUR GOAL IS TO DEVELOP WORLD-CLASS TALENT IN MARKETS AROUND THE WORLD. THAT’S WHY WE MADE THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE HAVE MADE IN MACKENZIE TOUR – PGA TOUR CANADA, PGA TOUR LATINOAMERICA AND PGA TOUR CHINA.” — JAY MONAHAN, PGA TOUR COMMISSIONER

Xinjun Zhang and Zecheng Dou are two of them. Mackenzie Hughes is also one of them. The Canadian was the first Order of Merit winner on the Mackenzie Tour, in 2013 (how’s that for a marketing strategy?), and he’s won at every level since—on the Web.com Tour and the PGA Tour—at the 2017 RSM Classic.

“I think our goal is to develop world-class talent in markets around the world. That’s why we made the investments that we have made in Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada, PGA Tour Latinoamerica and PGA Tour China,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. “And for us looking at the success that graduates have had as they have moved forward is something we’re proud of. It benefits the game at the highest level when you have players from major markets around the world who are approaching stardom; it gives us an opportunity to raise a profile of our great game in their home countries.”

This season, the Mackenzie Tour will, as it always does, conduct its tournaments between June and lateAugust. There are 13 events on this year’s schedule.

Images: PGA Tour/Getty Images

FOLLOW THE RACE FOR THE FEDEXCUP ALL SEASON LONG

COVERAGE AVAILABLE ON

© 2017 PGA TOUR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Player appearance subject to change.

On the European Tour

TOMMY FLEETWOOD

From The Golfing Doldrums To World Top-10

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ollowing another impressive display at the WGC-Mexico Championship, where he finished in the top-15, reigning Race to Dubai champion Tommy Fleetwood has broken into the top-10 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time, but it’s not always been an easy journey into world golf’s top tier for the Englishman.

The Southport native rose to No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and played in the 2009 Walker Cup, before turning professional in 2010. Fleetwood’s smooth ascent to the European Tour continued when he became the youngest player to win the Challenge Tour Rankings in 2011, aged 20 years and 290 days.

Tommy then had to wait 2 years for his first professional win — at the 2013 Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles.

Additional victories, however, didn’t come, and the 12 months that followed July 2015 — when Fleetwood missed the cut at the Open Championship — led him down a path to which he admits he came close to never recovering from.

“I always felt like I would constantly progress, but it turned out that wasn’t the case,” he said.

“Struggling with your game and seeing

64 golf digest india | april 2018

people play really good golf that you can’t do, was something I hadn’t experienced before.

It’s so easy to start trickling off in the wrong direction in this game, and I can actually pinpoint when this started happening for me.

“I shot three under in the first round of The Open in 2015, I love St. Andrews, and I thought this is a great chance to really do well in a Major. The second day I turned up and I couldn’t hit it, I was horrendous. And from that day I began the downward slope for a year.”

After missing the cut at St. Andrews, Fleetwood then missed 4 of his next 5 on the European Tour, and decided enough was enough.

“I text my dad and said ‘Dad, this is really bad, what do you reckon?’ And he just said the only person that knows your swing as well as I do is Thommo (Alan Thompson), who was my old coach. I text him and said can I send you some of the videos of my swing.

“Then I went to work with him on the range where he works... At that point we looked at each other and he said ‘yeah, that’s pretty bad’.

“We had a month or two working together where things weren’t really improving, and he has told me since that he did actually question whether I’d gone too far down the wrong path where I might never come back from.”

Thankfully for golf fans around the world, and for Tommy himself, he did come back from those low moments, and how!

Reaching the world’s top ten is just the latest stage of Fleetwood’s meteoric rise – and with the Masters Tournament starting one month today, the 4-time European Tour winner will have plenty of chances to rise even higher now he is a mainstay in the biggest events around the world.

The Tommy Fleetwood story has been a fascinating one so far, but there are still many more chapters for Tommy to write.

“IT’S SO EASY TO START TRICKLING OFF IN THE WRONG DIRECTION IN THIS GAME, AND I CAN ACTUALLY PINPOINT WHEN IT STARTED HAPPENING FOR ME.” — TOMMY FLEETWOOD, REIGNING RACE TO DUBAI CHAMPION

On the European Tour

10 Things You May Not Know About Shubhankar

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hree months ago, only the most avid golf fan knew his name. The 21-year-old Indian finished 69th out of 147 players at the final stage of 2017 European Tour Qualifying School, but that didn’t stop him in 2018. His season started with a top-10 in Hong Kong and was quickly followed by two wins at the Joburg Open and the Maybank Championship, leading to his World Golf Championship (WGC) debut in Mexico. The Panchkula-resident then finished tied seventh at this season’s Hero Indian Open.

Here’s more about Shubhankar Sharma.

1

He is from the same town as Jeev Milkha Singh

Shubhankar Sharma grew up in Chandigarh, the same town as Jeev Milkha Singh — a 4-time European Tour winner — who provided him inspiration and support.

"I grew up watching so many successful Indian golfers complete on the world stage," Sharma said. "Jeev has always been very helpful in sharing his experience on everything and was one of the first to congratulate me when I won in Joburg."

2

He has eight professional wins

Sharma has 8 professional titles to his name over the last 4 years. His first came on the Professional Golf Tour of India in 2014 when he took home the PGTI Cochin Masters. 5 more PGTI wins followed before he triumphed at the Joburg Open late last year. A final round 62 at Saujana Country

Club in February gave him a two-shot victory for his eighth win and put him atop the Race to Dubai rankings.

Wang and Jon Rahm as the only players in the last twenty years to win twice on the European Tour in their first 20 starts.

3

7

He’s India’s No. 1 golfer

Following his win in Malaysia, Sharma jumped ahead of fellow countryman Anirban Lahiri in the Official Golf World Rankings to become India's highest ranked male golfer. The next goal for the 21-yearold will be surpassing Jeev Milkha Singh's highest ranking of 28th and becoming the highest ranked male Indian golfer ever.

4

He was formerly No. 1 ranked junior

Before making headlines on the European Tour, Sharma had a stellar junior career in his home country. Prior to turning professional in 2013, Sharma won the All India Amateur Championship at the age of just 16.

5

His first club was a two-iron

For most golfers, the first club they receive is a putter or a wedge. Not Shubhankar Sharma. His father Col. Mohan Sharma, formerly of the Indian army, took him along when he went out on the course. "My dad bought a set and I would tag along with him on the course." Sharma said. "After a month or two, he got me a cut-down two-iron. That was my first club."

6

He’s part of an elite club

Following his two wins earlier in the season, Sharma joined Luke Donald, Jeunghun

He’s part of a young brigade

Having won twice before his 22nd birthday, Sharma joined Matteo Manassero, Jeunghun Wang and Matt Fitzpatrick as the only European Tour members to achieve that feat since 2000.

8

He’s had a record year already

Despite being only three months into the year, Sharma is the only player currently ranked in the top 75 in the world who started the year ranked outside the top 200.

9

He uses meditation to help his game

Being from a traditional Indian home with a strong religious presence, Sharma has a strong spiritual side. "I was brought up in a religious household and the presence of God in our home was always strong. It's from that I began meditating which I do from time to time... This allows me to recalibrate and allows me to stay very grounded."

10

He is a Manchester United fan

Being from India, Sharma loves his cricket but is also an avid football fan, particularly when it comes to Manchester United.

He says he tries to watch as much as he can when he is on the road and his hope is that he will be able to attend a game when the European Tour visits England later this year. april 2018 | golf digest india

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On the European Tour

SSP Chawrasia: From Caddie To King

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e may not have succeeded in his quest for a three-peat at this year ’s Hero Indian Open, but for more than a decade, SSP Chawrasia has dominated India’s golfing landscape.

With 16 of his 17 professional victories coming in India, it is safe to say that the diminutive Indian is one of his country’s most prolific winners.

Growing up as the son of a green keeper at Royal Calcutta Golf Club, it would have been beyond Chawrasia’s wildest dreams that he would go on to thrive in both the domestic, and global, game.

Chawrasia started caddying at 14 and, after forming a close relationship with a member in Calcutta, he was gifted his first set of clubs when he turned 15.

“It was a great help because golf sets are very expensive,” Chawrasia told the Telegraph India. “But to go out and participate in various tournaments was still a far-fetched dream. It needed a lot of money.

“Second problem was money

because we had a big family so it wasn’t possible to get much help from my family.

“But they tried their best to give me as much support as they could. I also worked hard...”

Chawrasia decided to join the paid ranks after he turned 17 – a decision which he, and his family, initially believed was the wrong one.

“The biggest turning point in my life was becoming a professional golfer in 1997,” he said.

“My performance in the first few tournaments was dismal, but I began improving by practising hard. However, participating also meant dipping into my family’s finances. Finally, my mother told me that a couple of tournaments in Punjab would be my last chance to prove myself…

Though I missed the cut by a sin-

gle shot in the first tournament in Chandigarh, I had a great spell in the next two.”

On the back of those promising performances, Chawrasia slowly began to adapt to the professional game and came close to triumphing at his home course in the 1999 Hero Indian Open – where he finished runner-up to Arjun Atwal. A first professional victory, and revenge over Atwal, came two years later at Delhi Golf Club in the 2001 Singhania Open – starting a spell of consistency.

Success did not come without incident though, and while he was regularly winning on the Indian Golf Tour he was also met with adversity.

“My maiden win came in 2001 in Delhi,” he said. “Thereafter, I began winning 2 or 3 tournaments a year.

“I LED BY 5 SHOTS HALFWAY THROUGH THE MERCURIES MASTERS IN TAIWAN AND WAS SO THRILLED THAT I FORGOT TO SIGN MY SCORECARD AND WAS DISQUALIFIED.”

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“However, a bike accident in 2004, when I was preparing for the Asian Tour, left me with a broken right hand and shattered confidence. But eight months later, I bounced back by winning another tournament in Noida.

“I joined the Asian Tour in 2006 and played well in my first season. I was leading by 5 shots halfway through the Mercuries Masters tournament in Taiwan and was thrilled. So thrilled that I forgot to sign my scorecard and was disqualified.

“My confidence nose-dived again. I took refuge in the game, and it paid off when I came second at the Hero Honda Indian Open that year.”

Chawrasia’s biggest breakthrough came in 2008 when he earned a European Tour card for the first time by winning the Emaar-MGF Indian Masters – the first-ever European Tour event to be held in India.

Since then, his record in European Tour events held in India is phenomenal. Played 8, won 4, with 1 runner-up finish.

On the European Tour

Johnston Getting Back To His Best

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ndrew Johnston was happy to see his game trending in the right direction after losing a play-off to Matt Wallace at the Hero Indian Open.

The Englishman is becoming something of a specialist on the European Tour’s toughest layouts, with his only win so far coming at one over par at the Real Club Valderrama Open de España, hosted by the Sergio Garcia Foundation in 2016.

His declaration that he would celebrate that win by getting “hammered” only increased his profile and army of fans but, after finishing 116th on last season’s Race to Dubai Rankings, he admitted he needed to refocus his efforts on the course.

That work has quickly produced results and the man popularly known as Beef was happy with his week at DLF Golf & Country Club.

“LAST YEAR WAS TOUGH. THIS YEAR’S START HAS BEEN GOOD, SO I’VE JUST GOT TO KEEP PUSHING ON AND KEEP WORKING HARD.” — ANDREW JOHNSTON “I’m very happy with the way I played this year,” he said. “Last year was tough. This year’s start has been good, so I’ve just got to keep pushing on and keep working hard.”

A bogey-free round of 66 on the final day got Johnston into the play-off and while he laid up on the second trip up the last, Wallace hit a huge drive and stunning four iron to get on the par five’s putting surface in two.

Johnston had a birdie putt that would have put major pressure on his compatriot, but it agonisingly lipped out and Wallace was left with two putts for victory.

“I feel good as I played very well today, like I did on Friday,” said Johnston. “I was happy to be able to put up a good score today and force a play-off.

“I didn’t like the yardage at the 18th. It felt like it was just setting me down the left towards

the traps a lot of the time. I said, ‘this is a percentage golf course and stick to it’. I’ve been hitting the wedges well, putting well and sticking to my game plan and that was what I worked for.

“I’m slightly frustrated as I attempted a similar putt on the 18th during regulation play. I didn’t think it broke that much and I hit a good putt, but it didn’t go in.

“It’s alright. I had a very good week.”

april 2018 | golf digest india

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On the European Tour

Three things we’ve learned in 2018 so far Tiger Woods

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ith 15 events in the Race to Dubai already in the books, we are more than a quarter of the way through the 2018 season and there hasn’t been a shortage of talking points so far. With that in mind, here are three key talking points.

Li Haotong

INDIA AND CHINA HAVE NEW STARS

While Europe may have overcome the wintry conditions of the ‘Beast from the East’ recently, the European Tour are embracing two men who might want to adopt the same monikers if their promising starts continue.

Shubhankar Sharma has enjoyed a whirlwind start to the season, winning twice – at the Joburg Open and Maybank Championship - and earning an invitation to the Masters, belying his 21 years to play some genuinely outstanding golf. The reward for his victories was a place inside the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking and a place in the WGCMexico Championship, a tournament he led after 54 holes. Playing with his idol Phil Mickelson in the final group will have given Sharma a taste of what the future may hold.

Already the highest ranked Indian in the world, the world is very much at his feet.

It’s been a similar story for Li Haotong.

The Chinese won the Volvo China Open to announce his arrival on tour in 2016 and has hardly stopped to look back. The highlight of an impressive 2017 was an outright third place at The Open Championship, when a final round 63 put him in contention for the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale. His stock soared to an all-time high earlier this season at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, though, edging

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out Rory McIlroy to become the first man from China to break into the Top 50 in the world. You’ve been warned – the Beasts from the East are coming.

ALL ABOUT GOING LOW

If you’re going to win, do it in style. That’s the mantra many of this year’s winners seem to have taken to heart. Out of 13 stroke play events this season, 8 have been won by a score of 18 under par or lower, with 4 players breaking 20 under par, including Shubhankar Sharma twice.

It’ll take some effort to surpass the record lowest 72-hole score to par on tour, though; Ernie Els’ staggering total of 29 under at the

2003 Johnnie Walker Classic remains the benchmark.

BIG CAT IS BACK

Gene Sarazen may have played “the shot heard around the world”, but after securing his highest worldwide finish in 1,659 days on Sunday, Tiger Woods’ comeback is proving just as hard to ignore. Finishing just one shot back, the 14-time Major Champion claimed a share of second at the Valspar Championship.

Not only is the 42-year-old teeing it up regularly again in front of fans reared on the vintage days of the noughties, he appears able and ready to actually compete with the new, younger generation of players.

On the European Tour

FITNESS

SHOULDER PRESS TO BE THE BEST There are many exercises that can help to develop strength and control around the shoulder and shoulder girdle. This month we are looking at one in particular called the ‘single arm shoulder press’.

How it benefits your body

The shoulder is a hugely important, unique and complex joint in the human body. It is designed for maximum movement through a range of planes. It requires a high level of muscular control and support to make up for the relative lack of structural support that other less mobile joints have. Exercises like the single arm shoulder press are important for helping to develop strength and control of important muscles of the shoulder girdle and how they work effectively together.

How it benefits your golf game

The golf swing involves a surprising amount of time with the hand above the head and some people actually classify it as an overhead sport.

A lot of the forces and stresses of the golf swing go through the shoulder girdle particularly in the overhead position. The shoulder is also an area of the body which sees a relatively high proportion of injuries in golfers. It would therefore seem appropriate that part of a golfer’s training should involve overhead training. The single arm shoulder press is a great exercise to develop both strength and control of key muscles such as the deltoids, trapezius and supraspinatus. Being stronger in the overhead position will help to reduce your injury potential and improve your shoulder control during the golf swing.

These exercises can be done as part of your general fitness training as well as in your warm up. These are the same type of exercises that the European Tour professionals do on Tour.

Text: Nigel Tilley & Rob Hillman European Tour Performance Institute & Physio Unit

HOW TO DO A SINGLE ARM SHOULDER PRESS l There are many variations of the shoulder press. Here we are showing the beginner option with a dumbbell in a half kneeling position, designed to stop over extending the lower back. As you practice and get more competent you can look at progressing to double arm, sitting and standing options and also include a barbell (double arm obviously).

l You can either start with the elbow pointing forward, palm inwards and lifting straight up (as in the photos below) or with the elbow out to the side, palm facing forward and lifting up. Try both positions. Remember to start with a weight you feel comfortable with and build up slowly as you feel comfortable while keeping a good technique. Look to try and do 6-8 reps and 3 sets on each arm with a weight you just feel able to do 8 repetitions with. april 2018 | golf digest india

69

On the Asian Tour

Super Sharma Extends Merit Lead Shubhankar Sharma created a new course record (8-under 64) at DLF G&CC during Round 2 of the Hero Indian Open

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ndian hotshot Shubhankar Sharma extended his advantage at the top of the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings after capping a commendable tiedseventh place finish at the US$1.75 million Hero Indian Open.

The 21-year-old Sharma, who propelled into stardom with two victories over the last three months, had set a new course record at the DLF Golf & Country Club with a second round eight-under-par 64 before going on to cap his best result ever in his National Open.

He closed with a three-over-par 75 and a four-under-par 284 total to finish seven shots shy of making the play-off which saw Matt Wallace of England defeating countryman Andrew Johnston on the first extra hole to emerge victorious.

The young Indian talent had returned home in glory at the start of the week, having notched a tied-ninth place finish in his World Golf Championships debut at the

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WGC-Mexico Championship the week before, where he led by two shots in the second and third round.

Sharma continued to hog the headlines when he received a coveted invite to The Masters last month, thanks to his recent exploits. He had earlier earned a berth at The Open in July following his breakthrough win at the 2017 Joburg Open, which was part of The Open Qualifying Series.

“I am happy about the way I have been playing and that I am able to get myself into contention every week. I put in a lot of hard work...

Disappointments are part of the game. It will just make me stronger.

The next time I’m in this situation, I’ll do better,” said Sharma, who had held a share of the overnight one-shot lead heading into the final round.

Sharma moved up two rungs to a career-high 64th place on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) following his solid result at the Hero

Habitat for Humanity Standings After Hero Indian Open POS

PLAYER

EARNINGS (US$)

1.

SHUBHANKAR SHARMA (IND)

548,125

2.

KIRADECH APHIBARNRAT (THA)

251,173

3.

PAUL PETERSON (USA)

215,758

4.

DANIEL NISBET (AUS)

150,863

5.

BERRY HENSON (USA)

131,983

6.

SIHWAN KIM (USA)

124,137

7.

HIDETO TANIHARA (JPN)

123,306

8.

SHAUN NORRIS (RSA)

112,200

9.

KHALIN JOSHI (IND)

103,730

10.

TERRY PILKADARIS (AUS)

93,435

11.

PROM MEESAWAT (THA)

85,999

12.

JARIN TODD (USA)

83,945

13.

DANTHAI BOONMA (THA)

82,712

14.

JAZZ JANEWATTANANOND (THA)

75,359

15.

PANUPHOL PITTAYARAT (THA)

67,131

16.

GAVIN GREEN (MAS)

60,025

17.

GAGANJEET BHULLAR (IND)

48,391

18.

KURT KITAYAMA (USA)

47,842

19.

POOM SAKSANSIN (THA)

46,161

20.

SHIV KAPUR (IND)

44,650

“I AM HAPPY ABOUT THE WAY I HAVE BEEN PLAYING AND THAT I AM ABLE TO GET MYSELF INTO CONTENTION EVERY WEEK. I PUT IN A LOT OF HARD WORK...

DISAPPOINTMENTS ARE PART OF THE GAME. IT WILL JUST MAKE ME STRONGER.” — SHUBHANKAR SHARMA Indian Open, maintaining his status as the leading Indian player in the world.

Sharma also sits atop the Asian Tour Habitat for Humanity Standings with a current haul of US$548,125 while Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who claimed his third Asian Development Tour title in Brunei last week, occupies

second place with US$ 251,173.

Paul Peterson, Daniel Nisbet and Berry Henson remained in third, fourth and fifth positions respectively on the Merit rankings following the conclusion of the Hero Indian Open, which is co-sanctioned by both the Asian Tour and the European Tour.

On the Asian Tour

ASIAN TOUR STARS PARTNER HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

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sian Tour champions Shiv Kapur, Chiragh Kumar along with their wives partnered with Habitat for Humanity India to assist Munna Devi build a home for her family in Begumpur, New Delhi. They were joined by 2015 Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit winner and Habitat for Humanity advocate Casey O’Toole of the United States.

“We are very honoured to be able to support Habitat for Humanity India. Maya and I have always admired the great work they do around the world and we wanted to contribute by helping build homes in a place that is very close to our hearts and make a difference in our own little way”, said Kapur.

The 34-year-old Kumar lauded the initiative by Habitat of Humanity India and hopes the Asian Tour stars will continue to support and promote their mission to provide decent housing to those in need.

Kumar said, “I strongly believe, as a citizen of the country, it is our responsibility to work together for the betterment of our society. I am happy to be part of this association

“I STRONGLY BELIEVE, AS A CITIZEN OF THE COUNTRY, IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO WORK TOGETHER FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR SOCIETY. I AM HAPPY TO BE PART OF THIS ASSOCIATION WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INDIA...”

— CHIRAGH KUMAR with Habitat for Humanity India...”

O’Toole shared his thoughts on being an avid supporter. “I am excited about being an advocate for Habitat for Humanity. I have been able to see first-hand the impact it is making on people’s lives, and it is something I am very humbled to represent and be a part of,” he said.

“We were touched by the support of our New Delhi and international visitors who helped build our home. We are eager to

complete our new home and cannot wait to move in,” said Munna Devi with a smile on her face. Munna Devi is a mother of two daughters and one son. Widowed six years ago, Munna Devi is determined to give her children a better future.

Speaking about the partnership Rajan Samuel, Managing Director, Habitat for Humanity India said, “… We thank Shiv Kapur, Chiragh Kumar, Casey O’Toole and the Asian Tour team for advocating the cause of affordable housing. This partnership will help more families in need of decent shelter to build the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to improve their lives.”

By aligning with the Asian Tour, Habitat for Humanity will leverage the Asian Tour’s global presence to promote its vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live. The partnership serves to highlight the work of Habitat for Humanity and in turn, create awareness among a key demographic group to raise funds, attract volunteers and highlight the plight of those in need of decent shelter in India and around the world. april 2018 | golf digest india

71

On the Asian Tour

NEW BEGINNINGS

BY JOSH BURACK Asian Tour CEO

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e are thrilled to announce the launch of our revamped Asian Tour website! The updated site features a layout that is more engaging and aesthetically pleasing. We have also tweaked the way the content is presented so that you can access information that matters to you optimally. Our team had plenty of ideas when we started conceptualising the website back in August last year, but eventually, we’ve decided to re-create the site from the ground up; one that is designed with key stakeholders of the Asian Tour - our members, fans and the media – in mind.

The website is still in its infancy so inevitably we will face some glitches as the development team is still migrating data from the previous site. We are aiming to have the site running at full speed by the end of April. The mobile applications for both Android and iOS will also be ready by then as they are in the final stages of development.

Speaking of the website, we are pleased to welcome FootJoy as a new Web Partner.

As part of their partnership to the Asian Tour, FootJoy is providing our staff with all-weather apparel that combines form and function.

On the tournament front, we made our most significant announcement in many years! I’m thrilled to announce the Asian tour will return as a sanctioning partner of the Volvo China Open for the first time since 2008. The tournament will be contested from April 26 to 29 at Beijing Topwin Golf and Country Club. The negotiations were lengthy and multi-faceted which resulted in our return to this important iconic tournament. At least 30 players from the Asian Tour will get the chance to compete in the lucrative CNY 20 million (US$3.15 million) event, alongside golfers from the European Tour and the China Golf Association.

I would like to give my heartfelt congratulations to Kiradech Aphibarnrat for winning the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth. The 2013 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner flew into Perth on Wednesday evening, went straight into the tournament without playing a practice round and emerged victorious at the end of Sunday. He was on the verge of being eliminated after the stroke play rounds, but rallied when it mattered. The proceedings at this year’s tournament in Australia has proven just how exciting this innovative sixes format can be.

72 golf digest india | april 2018

Enjoying the Kiwi hospitality. (From left) Asian Tour golfer Danny Masrin, Asian Tour Chairman Jimmy Masrin, ISPS HANDA New Zealand Chairman John Hart and Asian Tour CEO Josh Burack

Shubhankar posted a top-10 in a WGC event in Mexico and has already received an invite to the Masters

I was in Queenstown, New Zealand where our Chairman Jimmy Masrin competed with his son and our Asian Tour member Danny Masrin in another unique format tournament. There were 31 players in the field here and those members who made the long trip enjoyed the beautiful scenery and incredible two courses that hosted the tournament.

The Asian Tour was in New Delhi for the Hero Indian Open, where Shubhankar Sharma set a new course record at the Gary

Player layout of the DLF Golf and Country Club before securing another top-10 finish in his professional career. After India, the Tour will swing to East Asia for the Panasonic Open Japan, Volvo China Open and the GS Caltex Maekyung Open in Korea. The upcoming months are going to be another exciting period for our members and staff.

Once again, thank you for your support to the Asian Tour. #whereitsAT

MASTERS 2018 AUGUSTA NATIONAL APRIL 5-8

month 2017 | golfdigest.com

79 74

Masters Preview

Viewpoint

Alternative #9 to the green jacket.

by jerry tarde Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, Golf Digest USA ack when I joined Golf Digest in the late 1970s, our headquarters was in Fairfield County, Connecticut, then the comic-strip capital of the world, which explains why so many cartoonists could be found chipping around our hallways. They’d gather at a local watering hole called Mario’s, across the street from the Westport railroad station, waiting for a courier to pick up their weekly newspaper strips and board the train to King Features in New York. High jinks ensued, and golf often broke out.

Dik Browne once drew his lookalike character, Hägar the Horrible, using a viking horn as a medieval mobile phone in Golf Digest’s “Guide to Slow Play” (March 1988). Stan Drake, who illustrated Blondie, Dagwood and Mr. Dithers in “The Unwritten Rules of Golf Etiquette” (June 1993), also produced the art for many of our instruction articles at the time. I even collaborated in 1995 with the USGA and Charles Schulz on a Peanuts campaign to promote walking on the course.

One memorable day, my

B

predecessor, Jack McDermott, invited 18 cartoonists for an outing at Winged Foot Golf Club to draw their characters playing each hole for the 1984 U.S. Open program. Mort Walker of Beetle Bailey fame, who died earlier this year at 94, was overheard to say: “Whenever I hit a bad shot, I ask myself, Can Jack Nicklaus draw?” Hi and Lois, Prince Valiant, Bringing Up Father, Boner’s Ark, Superman, Joe Palooka, The Wizard of Id, B.C., the Muppets and Popeye spilled across the fairways.

The most famous cartoon strips Golf Digest ever published were the “Lesson Tee” and “Playing Lessons” series by Jack Nicklaus with Jim McQueen’s colorful illustrations in the 1970s and ’80s. In 2004, we tapped Andrew Finlayson to draw Tiger Woods’ tips in manga, which mixes the distinctive style of Japanese comic books and Western cartoons. Such artists added a humanistic perspective to our content that brought humor to the serious act of ball-striking.

These friendships inspired a long tradition at Golf Digest to invite illustrators and

cartoonists as house guests during the Masters each April and record their first impressions in the following year’s tournament preview.

We’ve been graced by the company of Rowland B. Wilson, Bruce McCall, Mark Ulriksen, Jeffrey Smith, John Cuneo, Tatsuro Kiuchi, Nathan Fox, Istvan Banyai and, last year for this issue, R Kikuo Johnson (above and pages 98-102).

Kikuo says his lasting image of the Masters was “the beauty of the course,” bringing to mind the allure of golf in Hawaii, where he grew up.

What surprised him was “how cheap the food was. I wouldn’t say a pimento-cheese sandwich is worth more than $1.50, but the modest picnic aesthetic was charming in contrast to the grandiose vibe.”

I should add that we also had one Masters mystery: Pat Oliphant, the premier political cartoonist of his generation, joined us 20 years ago this April. After three convivial days of red wine and peach cobbler on the clubhouse porch,

Oliphant stealthily disappeared from Augusta. Inexplicably, he left behind only one rough sketch, published here for the first time—it’s an older version of me that has proved to be sort of a reverse Picture of Dorian Gray. I’ve now aged into this harrowing portrait!

my top-5 cartoonists who drew for golf digest 1. David Harbaugh, whose tortured Fat Guy cartoons became the inappropriate image of the American golfer after decades inhabiting our back page. My favorite: Fat Guy with red face wildly swinging at tee ball while three playing companions sit on a bench behind him—seeing, hearing and speaking no evil.

2. Stan Drake (Blondie, The Heart of Juliet Jones), who illustrated my first cover story, “How to Practice Like a Pro” (March 1978).

3. Gahan Wilson, whose monster characters illustrated the Dan Jenkins column in the early 1990s.

4. Bruce McCall, the legendary New Yorker illustrator and essayist who depicted Augusta National embracing commercial intrusion (April 2003).

5. Mark Ulriksen, another New Yorker cover artist, whose sporty sophistication previewed the Masters (April 2009) and the Open Championship at St. Andrews (July 2015).

Illustrations by R Kikuo Johnson

Tarde: PaT OliPhanT • POPe: rOb WilsOn

Masters Cartooning and the Last Laugh

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HOW WILL THE FOUR-TIME WINNER FARE IN HIS

MASTERS RETURN?

WE ASKED THE EXPERTS ABOUT HIM (AND OTHERS).

THEY DON’T AGREE—AT ALL

BY JOHN HUGGAN & DAVE SHEDLOSKI

confidential

april 2018 | golf digest india

77

e’s returning to augusta national to play his first Masters in three years. Yes, the golf world is more than intrigued by the prospect of Tiger Woods going for his fifth green jacket after missing 12 of the most recent 27 major championships because of injury. ▶ So many questions. Can he win? Has his brittle body been restored to some semblance of the dominant force who won 14 professional majors by age 32? Now at 42, what’s his mental outlook 13 years after his last Masters victory and almost a decade since his last major win, with subsequent chipping yips and wayward driving still seared into the synapses? Who are the other contenders (or pretenders) for the year’s first major? Who among the favorites are battling the putting yips? (You might be surprised by one of them.) ▶ To get the answers, Golf Digest interviewed dozens of players—including 11 major champions and five Ryder Cup captains—along with tour caddies, teachers and broadcasters in a candid Tiger Confidential.

As you’ll see, the insiders have a lot of questions as well. The definitive answers come starting April 5 on a field of green in Georgia.

WHY TIGER CAN WIN A FIFTH MASTERS (AND WHY HE CAN’T) major champion He still has a bit of an aura. If he gets into contention, the roars will be different. Everyone will know who it is. That will resonate with the others. broadcaster Yes, he’s lost his invincibility. The younger lads are not frightened of him—or so the theory goes. But if he puts his name on the leader board on Sunday, we’ll see how unconcerned they are. multiple winner on tour

He played with Justin Thomas in the Bahamas, and the player of 2017 took a step back. That was interesting. teacher There will be at least a few of the top guys driving well at the Masters. A few of them will putt well, too. So for Tiger to beat all of them, they’re all going to have to have a lot of mishaps elsewhere on the course. It’s possible that they all have a bad week. Not likely, though. teacher Now he can win.

He couldn’t possibly before.

He had a choice to make, and he chose to clean himself up.

That was the one thing that he’d never done, which is face up to the traumas in his life.

I think his people have looked at the physical pain that he’s had to deal with, but I also think there’s been a lot in his heart, too. That DUI was a turning point, because anything could have happened. They found him asleep at the wheel with popped tires. In that area there, you could just go off a cliff. You’ve got those opioids in your system. Is that all just taking care of back pain? Is it physical issues? Well, sure. But it’s about pain elsewhere, right?

He used the word grateful down in Albany [the Bahamas]. Gratitude is an expression of humility. Before, he probably didn’t even know what that means, to be grateful. But we become grateful for things in our lives when we’ve been through a lot of pain. He was close to the edge, and now he’s feeling grateful to have gotten through all that shit. I think he really did have a near-death experience.

I mean, look at the mug shot that was splashed all over the place. Did you ever think that the guy you covered in 2000 who was at the top of the world

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would ever have a picture like that? He was a deity. The stuff he went through—and regardless if he’s the one responsible for putting himself through that—he dealt with a lot of stuff that few people go through. He was hanging on to a lot of shit, and he looks like he might have had a deep inner moment and let it all go. teacher Everyone is asking, can Tiger win at Augusta? First, he has to play there. He has to be physically OK, which is not a given. If he plays a lot, and decently, leading up to the Masters, I can see him teeing off in one of the last two or three groups on Sunday, but it’s hard to see him winning. Every week on tour, a guy takes every risk imaginable and pulls it off to win. You can play strategically sound golf and finish second to that guy. To win on tour, you almost have to be willing to miss the cut in terms of aggressiveness and style of play. That’s what Tiger will be facing on a course where stupid risks are just that. And at least one of the top guys will be playing with his A-game. Can he beat that guy?

Probably not. broadcaster He wants to win

PReviouS PaGeS: illuStRation: R KiKuo JohnSon • 1996: DaviD Cannon/allSPoRt/Getty imaGeS

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Below: RoBeRt Sullivan/aFP/Getty imaGeS

Masters Preview one so badly, he could get in his own way. Wanting so much to stick it up Brandel Chamblee’s bum, he can’t get past that. teacher Tiger’s chances are helped if the winning score is higher than normal. But how can you bet against Jordan Spieth on that course? Justin Thomas, the same. Then there’s Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka [battling a wrist injury] and all the rest. They’re all better than Tiger on that course.

But I don’t know if they’re better than him, period. I didn’t come away from the Hero [World Challenge in the Bahamas in December] thinking all those guys are way better than Tiger. Not many of them can hit the shots Tiger can still hit.

Tiger isn’t Seve at the end of his career, but they are similar in that he still has shots no one else has, just like Seve did. multiple winner on tour

This guy has come back from

the dead. At the Presidents Cup, he could barely walk.

His career was over. He’d been arrested under the influence of prescription drugs, which he was taking for the pain in his back. Yet here we are, with a ball speed of 181. What happened there? What did we miss?

But we’ll never know. The Tiger team never tells the full story. broadcaster A friend of mine works on people’s backs, and he said, “Fused spine? Forget it. If you haven’t got the range of motion you need, you can’t hit the ball that far.” But Tiger came out with 180-plus-mileper-hour ball speed—that’s more than Justin Rose. multiple winner on tour

Tiger can win in different ways.

He can shoot 65 early in the final round and sit back and watch. Jack did it that way in ’86. Or Tiger can come up on the rails, as Danny Willett did [with a final-round 67]. Or

someone could make a mistake over the closing holes. Tiger doesn’t have to take out one of the big guns head-to-head. major champion Ernie Els is the only player who has won a major before Tiger, during Tiger and after Tiger. The only one.

Which tells you how Tiger beat up on that generation. There are more players now on Ernie’s and Phil’s level. teacher It’s not as if the likes of Ernie and Phil were scared of him—they just couldn’t compete with him. Now the competition is deeper and stronger.

Tiger is in the pack, one step below the best, assuming he plays as well as he can. I think he’ll actually welcome that knowledge. It’ll be a challenge for him. He’ll see it as What do I need to do to beat those guys?

I think he will, on some level, enjoy that more. broadcaster The difference now is that the others know

“

THE YOUNGER GUYS HAVE NEVER HAD A DOSE OF THE OLD TIGER STARING THEM DOWN WITH THAT COLD LOOK. . . .

TIGER COULD PLAY DEFENSE WITH THAT GLARE.

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TIGER’S STATS ON EACH HOLE AT AUGUSTA

In 78 Masters rounds, Woods is under par on half the holes and over par on the remaining nine, for a career scoring average of 70.86: Par 5s: 150 under par hole No. 2 No. 8 No. 13 No. 15

yards 575 570 510 530

avg.

4.62 4.64 4.38 4.44

Par 3s: 28 over par No. 4 No. 6 No. 12 No. 16

240 180 155 170

3.22 3.04 3.12 2.99

Par 4s: 33 over par No. 1 No. 3 No. 5 No. 7 No. 9 No. 10 No. 11 No. 14 No. 17 No. 18

445 350 455 450 460 495 505 440 440 465

4.19 3.86 4.10 3.94 3.97 4.13 4.15 4.06 4.05 3.96

Tiger makes mistakes. Back in the day, he didn’t. Which made the others make mistakes.

Woods: RobeRt sullivan/aFP/Getty imaGes sPieth (2015): ezRa shaW/Getty imaGes

multiple winner on tour

I hit balls next to him [at Torrey Pines]. The thing I like about Tiger—we’re the same age, so I’ve known him forever—is that he seems very relaxed.

I played in front of him, and it was incredible, the crowd. My point being, he seems like he’s spending more time with the fans, signing autographs, and at 42 years old and arguably the best player to ever play, he’s just enjoying it. And if he’s happier, he’ll probably play better. multiple winner on tour

Tiger is more ruthless than any

ASSESSING THE FAVORITES teacher I like the top players at Augusta, but it depends on the weather to an extent.

Last year the weather let Rose and Garcia into contention. I don’t like Rory, though. His putting is terrible. He’s got the yips. And his wedge play is awful, too. Jason Day had been awful for a while [before winning a playoff at Torrey Pines for his first tour victory since 2016]. Stenson’s not going to win. Hideki can’t win because he can’t putt. I don’t see a guy who can’t putt winning two years in a row. It could happen, but only if the weather is tough.

None of those guys can win an 18-under-par Masters. Sergio [who won a playoff after finishing at nine under last year] certainly couldn’t. So we’re down to Jordan Spieth (above), Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson.

Koepka [coming off a wrist injury] isn’t good enough, although he is opportunistic. He’s a basher—the 21st-century pro who plays great three times a year. Then again, he’s oblivious— like Dustin—and that works out well for him.

That’s cruel, but true. I like Rickie Fowler, but his problems are mental. He could be like Sergio and just eventually win one when no one expects him to. teacher Tiger has inspired a generation of guys who have all become savages.

Look at Jon Rahm. He has a backswing and downswing like Trevino. He has a great short game. He expects to make every putt. He’s like a long Trevino—good luck. You’ve got Dustin, who can win playing bad because he’s still better than most guys when they’re good. multiple winner on tour Everyone points at Rory’s wedge play and the ball he uses, but it’s the same one Dustin uses, and his wedge play is great. former tour pro My heart says Rory if he tidies up his putting and wedge play. He has technical issues in both. He’s so “trapped” with his short irons. He leans on the shaft so much, and the ball comes out on a different flight and spin every time, so it flies a different distance every time and reacts differently when it lands. broadcaster We’ve seen the caddie change [by McIlroy last year]. I’m still hoping he drags Billy Foster onto his bag. They would be great together. Billy would be strong enough to say

“no” to Rory when required. Also, Billy is funny, and that would keep Rory light. tour caddie Patience is huge. If you start to make mistakes, you start to chase—like Rory did in 2011—and end up making more and more mistakes. I don’t think he would make that same mistake now. He has the ideal game for that course. teacher Spieth does stand out on that course. His short putting is a problem, though.

No one says it, but those are yips, and they’re back. There’s a reason Jordan looks at the hole. He missed three putts inside 2½ feet at the Hero. They were all blocks to the right.

That’s the big question in his game, but only short-term. Jordan’s like Langer, who has had yips his whole career but is still a great putter.

Jordan’s resourceful and not scared to try things. He’s got an issue, but he’ll find a way to putt well. Rory’s pretending there’s nothing wrong. He’s not even close to figuring it out. teacher If Jordan’s capability on a given day is 68-72, he shoots 69, not 71 or 72. He make more 15-to-25-foot putts than anyone, and you get a lot of those at Augusta. teacher DJ can’t turn it over well enough.

He can hit it left to right all day, but the doglegs going the other way will find him out. major champion If Bubba finds some form in the first half of the year, he’s one of the clear favorites. He loves the course. Hideki carries such a weight of expectation in every major. Dustin won’t notice any of that, of course. The big question mark over all of those guys—except Jordan—is, can they putt well enough to win? He’s the only one who beats you with his putter. Justin Rose isn’t going to. Nor is Sergio. Adam Scott, no.

Jason Day might. teacher I question the size of Fowler’s heart.

Right now, his swing has to be completely on for it to work. He relies so much on rhythm and timing—the things that go under pressure. tour caddie Rickie plays well there and always seems to have a chance. I want to see what Dustin can do [after missing the 2017 Masters with an injury]. teacher I like lefties—Mickelson. They have a big advantage on that course. former tour pro Few are better tee to green than Tommy Fleetwood. So all he has to do is putt well. The same with Justin Thomas. tour caddie Everyone points at how important the chipping is, but Westy [Lee Westwood] has done well there, albeit without pulling on a jacket. You can play ’round it, if you hit the ball well enough. The most important thing on the greens is speed. Westy has that, which is why his record is surprisingly good. He doesn’t make a lot of putts, but he doesn’t three-putt often, either. former tour pro If I look at all of the top players, they all have parts of Tiger in his prime, but none of them have it all. They all have an obvious weakness. april 2018 | golf digest india

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TIGER’S MASTERS FINISHES

Tiger Woods has four wins and 11 top-five finishes in 20 Masters appearances (asterisks denote rounds as an amateur): ye a r

finish

ro u n ds / total

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

T-41* Cut* 1 (by 12) T-8 T-18 5 1 (by 2) 1 (by 3) T-15 T-22 1 (playoff) T-3 T-2 2 T-6 T-4 T-4 T-40 T-4 Did not play T-17 Did not play Did not play

72-72-77-72—293 75-75—150 70-66-65-69—270 71-72-72-70—285 72-72-70-75—289 75-72-68-69—284 70-66-68-68—272 70-69-66-71—276 76-73-66-75—290 75-69-75-71—290 74-66-65-71—276 72-71-71-70—284 73-74-72-72—291 72-71-68-72—283 70-72-70-68—280 68-70-70-69—277 71-66-74-67—278 72-75-72-74—293 70-73-70-70—283 73-69-68-73—283

Masters scoring average of 70.86 (43 of Woods’ 78 rounds have been under par, 16 have been even par and 19 have been over par). Career earnings at Augusta: $7,361,806.

of the younger lads. I hope he comes back as the son of a bitch he was before all his problems, which would be a great contrast to the “man romance” we see in so many top players now. former tour pro Stenson won the Open [at Troon] at 40, O’Meara won two majors [the Masters and the Open] at 41 in 1998, Ernie won the Open, Darren [Clarke] won the Open—so did Phil—all in their 40s. So precedent is on Tiger’s side. teacher If Fred Couples can be right there in contention at 53, 54, 55 years old . . . Bernhard Langer . . . well, of course Tiger Woods can win. tour caddie Augusta is the perfect venue for him because he doesn’t have to be perfect.

If you know where to miss—and he knows every inch of that course—you can figure it out.

Look at the guys who contend in their 50s who simply know what to do. It’s the best chance for him to win a major, by far. multiple major champion

If Tiger gets to the top, there will be 12 guys behind who go, Well, I’ve never played against Tiger; isn’t this exciting? multiple winner on tour

A tournament where Tiger is in contention would be a big distraction for me, but I want to be there for the aura and the vibe that he would bring. former tour pro If Tiger does get into contention, he’s going to be almost like the guy who’s going to get one chance to win

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a major. It wasn’t quite like that for Jordan—yes, it hurt when he threw it away in 2016, but he knew there were more chances coming. I’m not sure Tiger will feel like that now. It might mean too much. multiple winner on tour

It is the Masters, so guys will get tight. Augusta rules out more guys than any other. teacher I don’t have a lot of confidence in Tiger at Augusta.

Here’s the sequence: His driving isn’t going to be accurate enough, so he isn’t going to get his approach shots close that often, so he’s going to be putting from distance too much, so he’s going to threeputt sooner or later. former tour pro Tiger still hits crazy-good shots now and then, but what wins Top 10 Plays on ESPN is not necessarily what wins tournaments.

It’s more about delivering the simple stuff on a consistent basis. That’s what Spieth does.

I don’t go wow very often watching Jordan, but he gets up and down nearly every time— or at least every time he’s supposed to. major champion There are 20 guys who, at their best, play like Tiger did in 2000. At least physically. tour caddie He doesn’t have to be 2000 Tiger—he can be 2013 Tiger and be awfully good. broadcaster When Tiger came back from the scandal, he hadn’t played for five months when he turned up at Augusta [in 2010]. Not many thought he could compete. But he did—he tied for fourth. multiple winner on tour

I always refer back to that [the 2010 finish]. If that doesn’t get people’s attention, I don’t know what does. multiple winner on tour

Look at 2015. His game was a mess. He was yipping chips; he hadn’t been able to play [but finished T-17 in the Masters]. This time he’s starting from a much better place. multiple major champion

He won one major in ’08, he won two majors in ’06. Now 12 years from the dominance, I can’t see it.

teacher His inherent competitiveness will see him through if he gets a sniff at Augusta. He’s hitting the ball far enough. teacher When a pitcher in his 20s throws a 98-mile-per-hour fastball, he can throw it by hitters. But as he ages, he has to evolve from a thrower into a pitcher. Tiger needs to do the same thing. If he doesn’t, he’ll be competing with the young guys on their turf, which used to be his turf. major champion Let’s face it, he hasn’t been in contention in a big event in five years. major champion Why could he win the Masters? Because he’s Tiger Woods. Do I think it’s likely? No. former tour pro He just isn’t good enough anymore. teacher I have no doubt he’s going to win tournaments, but not the Masters—or any major this year. major champion I’m not going to the betting window with Tiger’s name on my ticket. He’s dogged it a few times over the past few years. He’s walked off multiple times simply because he was playing poorly. If you do that once, you’ll do it again. multiple winner on tour

Yes, he can play Augusta National blind, but some of the young guys like Jordan have it figured out, too. Rory should win one. Jason Day probably is going to win one. Where does Tiger fit into that scenario?

Can he steal one somewhere?

That has to be the way Tiger’s going to do it. former tour pro I’ve actually picked him to win the U.S. Open this year. I think he needs some time to play a bit more. Maybe the Masters will come too soon for him. major champion I’d love to see Tiger have a chance to win—as long as he doesn’t beat me.

TIGER’S CONFIDENCE (OR THE LACK OF IT) major champion He needs

to re-assess what kind of golfer he can be and still compete.

He should look to be Zach Johnson—a better version of Zach. Can you imagine how

Masters Preview good a version of Zach that Tiger could be? He’d be long off the tee, he’d be in the middle of every green, he’d get up and down from everywhere, and he wouldn’t be scared of anybody. If he could just say to himself, I’m never going to hit it over 300 yards; my only goal is to hit every fairway and the middle of every green, he’d put on a clinic. And he would never hurt himself. But can he do that? I don’t really think so.

I’m not sure he has that Plan B. major champion I don’t ever see him dialing anything back.

He’s never been that player.

I can’t see him evolving into a longer version of Zach Johnson. He would hate to play like that, even if it makes a lot of sense. broadcaster Tiger was talking about how he has to re-learn how to play the game.

He was looking at people like Furyk and Stricker and their ability to compete when they can’t fly the ball 300 yards.

They were supposedly his inspiration. And he was enjoying that challenge. Then he came out, supposedly painfree, and he’s hitting it 300 yards. Incredible. I still can’t quite understand how that’s possible with a fused back. teacher Tiger is never going to be able to “pat” the ball ’round the course. His ego won’t allow him to do that.

He needs to be out there with the longer guys on tour, which is fine. That allows him to attack the course in the way that he knows how to play. teacher The ability to hit long drives sets up the opportunity to use the short game and putting to his advantage, so that’s why Tiger’s going after his drives so much. It’s all about the short game only if you have the ability and strength to dominate the course. Rightly or wrongly, that’s where the game is at. teacher He’s chipping around with Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler, and he’s playing with Dustin Johnson. He used to avoid almost all other players. He never wanted to share too much

with anybody. He was still all cloak-and-dagger. He couldn’t go on that way. That’s a lonely life. How does that help him?

Who wants to live like that? It’s great for the other players to be with Tiger—what a treasure chest of wisdom. So maybe he has changed in a lot of ways. major champion He’d been wearing sunglasses a lot over the years because he was afraid to look people in the eye. That didn’t happen in the Bahamas.

He has that certain look again.

He’s basically said, Hey, I had a problem, I’ve faced it, and I feel like people are rooting for me again. So I can be myself.

He always was somewhat of a polarizing figure. Older people didn’t like him because he was dropping f-bombs on television. But generally, Tiger is loved. Then he fell. Now people are embracing him again.

And it’s great that guys like Rickie and Justin Thomas are embracing him, too. But the younger guys have never had a dose of the old Tiger staring them down with that cold look.

There’s no defense for any player in golf, but if there was, that’d be it. Tiger could play defense with that glare. And it didn’t hurt that he had more offense than anyone else. former tour pro Once he was invincible; now he must think dark thoughts: Oh, God, I might lay the sod over this— a normal man’s thoughts. former tour pro He has so much scar tissue from hitting some of the worst shots you’ve ever seen. They linger. tour caddie He’s fractured.

All that stuff off the golf course, that’s a big part of it.

We’re all cracked eggs, so to speak. I think he realizes that he is, too. former tour pro It’s always amazed me that a man with such mental strength and courage always needed a coach to fall back on. Maybe Tiger isn’t as sure of himself as we all think. teacher Now he’s on his own.

So, to me, he’s been in control all along. That stubbornness made him great, but it’s also the thing that will ruin him.

major champion Short-term memory and confidence have to be pretty shaky for Tiger.

You talk to a psychologist, the short-term memory is the stuff in the front of your head, the hardest memories to replace.

You hit bad shots and lose your confidence, and then you have to stand on a tee and hit a shot, and your short-term memory is that you hit a bad shot before. It’s fascinating.

It’s about what comes first, success or confidence? major champion If he does arrive in Augusta playing well, the expectation level is going to be otherworldly. If that happens, I almost feel sorry for him. It’s almost not fair that someone would have to go through that level of scrutiny.

But if anyone has “earned” it, it’s Tiger. broadcaster I’ve been watching Tiger since he was 18, and I would like to think he’ll go to Augusta without too much hoo-ha, which is probably impossible, and which surely won’t help him. major champion Between the first tee and the 18th green, I think he’ll be fine. It’s between the 18th green and the first tee that he’ll face the biggest challenge.

Nicklaus was the same. They made the best of every round.

And that ability to adapt is so essential at Augusta. The course throws you curveballs every five minutes.

WILL HIS BODY HOLD UP? teacher He looked like an old 41-year-old a year ago. Now he looks like a young 42-year-old.

Much more athletic. multiple winner on tour

Every doctor I’ve talked to about the operation Tiger has gone through has said the same thing: Fusing the joints in his lower back, he will—over time—put massive pressure on the joints higher up his back. It’s a matter of time before those joints break down. Then what does he do?

Now he’s fine for everyday life, but practicing and playing every day is impossible after a while. Basically, his lower back doesn’t move. It’s like having Botox down there. Is that going to last?

multiple major champion

So much of what he had from a mental standpoint over everybody else is gone. That puts you under pressure from the start when you feel like you can’t afford an errant drive or a three-putt. That’s how they happen. major champion One of the things I like seeing is how he gets ticked over some bad shots. He expects to play well.

That tells me something about where he thinks his game is headed. tour winner When he was 10, he was the best player in his group. When he was in high school, in college, as a professional, he was the best. That’s not the case now. How does that affect him if he gets into contention? former tour pro When Tiger was great, he played with what he had on each given day;

“

I’D LOVE TO SEE TIGER HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN— AS LONG AS HE DOESN’T BEAT ME.

OPEN HERE >>> april 2018 | golf digest india

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TIGER SINCE HIS LAST MAJOR WIN Woods’ runner-up finish in the 2009 PGA Championship is his best major finish since winning the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines: year

masters

u.s. open

open ch.

pga ch.

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

2 T-6 T-4 T-4 T-40 T-4 DNP T-17 DNP DNP

1 T-6 T-4 DNP T-21 T-32 DNP CUT DNP DNP

DNP CUT T-23 DNP T-3 T-6 69 CUT DNP DNP

DNP 2 T-28 CUT T-11 T-40 CUT CUT DNP DNP

get himself out of the bunkers.

The message from Tiger’s camp was, “He’s 100 percent fit.” Then the next day we hear that he can’t get out of bed.

You can only laugh and shake your head. former tour pro I certainly don’t believe his leg was broken when he won the ’08 U.S. Open. That’s rubbish. You can’t swing—never mind win a major—on a broken leg. former tour pro I’m not saying he made a massive misjudgment with his training.

I just think he wanted to be a big dude, which is addictive. multiple winner on tour

tour pro/tv analyst Fusion means limited mobility because you have put those two discs together. You can’t go at it as hard as you’d like—a lot of stress down there. Now, after having watched him play, I was so impressed and so surprised to see the speed he had, the flexibility, the torque—everything. Looked like there was a little more of a stand-up at impact. Maybe a little bit of an accommodation to that area [his lower back]. major champion His back is a big key in his ability to hit controlled draws off the tee.

If he’s hurting, that ain’t going to happen. teacher If his back holds up, Tiger holds up. If it doesn’t, he’s done. teacher One of his mistakes has been his head going down and back as he came into the ball. Now he has more of a Jimmy Ballard-type finish going. He’s more upright. That takes pressure off his back and is the opposite of what his mistake tended to be. One of the things he’s worked on is more of an Annika Sorenstamlike follow-through, letting his eyes follow the ball. That’s

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HE LOOKED LIKE AN OLD 41-YEAR-OLD A YEAR AGO. NOW HE LOOKS LIKE A YOUNG 42-YEAR-OLD. good for protecting your back.

His swing is going to be OK. broadcaster Don’t forget, he hadn’t played 72 holes in a full-field tournament since 2015 [before a T-23 at Torrey Pines]. Over two years since he’d made a cut that mattered. teacher What we don’t need to see is him getting into a car claiming some real or imagined injury. It’s always hard to know with him. former tour pro Only he knows why he’s walked off so many times in the last few years. Whatever, it’s a bad habit. former tour pro In Dubai last year, he was struggling to

I definitely wouldn’t have an issue with his body if it was on me. teacher A lot of how well Tiger chips will also depend on his back. To chip well, you need a bit of leg action. When his back was sore, his posture was poor and he didn’t use his legs well. That caused him to overuse his hands. multiple winner on tour

When’s the last time he had a chance of winning? Been a few years, right? Well, he’s had all these surgeries, his back is different, his body is different, he’s older . . . he has to get the feel for how his body is going to react under pressure. teacher His swing looks good, even if he’s protecting his back a bit toward the finish. If he can create that speed, there can’t be that much wrong with his back, or his knee. I’m not surprised. He’s had a year of rehab, and with his resources, I would expect him to have worked it out. teacher The one thing that makes everyone look ordinary is age. And you can’t beat that. broadcaster A successful 2018 has nothing to do with wins. It would be a great year for him if he just entered his 16 to 18 events and could finish all of them, whether that’s playing two rounds or four.

If he can just play and not have to withdraw from a tournament, then everything after that is a bonus. If that includes a win somewhere, then that would be amazing.

HITTING THE DRIVER AND FULL SHOTS teacher Augusta asks hard questions from the tee. I look at Tiger’s driver, and that’s a big issue for him. multiple winner on tour

The fairways aren’t that wide at Augusta. It’s very important to be hitting from the fairway there. tour pro/tv analyst

He’s one of the most erraticdriving great players ever. former tour pro He’s long enough in everyone’s mind except maybe his own. The phobia about crushing drives really hurts him. He still tries to hit the ball too hard—all his problems revolve around that. teacher All in all, I see a lack of subtlety in Tiger going forward. It’s going to be crashbang-wallop. The only time he’s shown any subtlety was when he won at Hoylake. tour caddie Going at the ball way too hard, he’s going to hurt himself again. teacher Golf today is not about shaping shots. The ball doesn’t let the players do that.

A fade now moves maybe four yards in the air. Trevino used to fade it 30 yards sometimes.

That was a fade. Now it’s a drift. So that helps Tiger. multiple winner on tour

At Augusta, you have to work the ball both ways, but Tiger was fading everything in the Bahamas. There was no turning the ball over, which makes his ball speed even more incredible. teacher In the Masters, it’s more about how far you can go off the tee rather than where.

Getting short clubs in your hands mitigates any lack of angle into the flags. If you’re short, you have to be in the right place off the tee so that you can hit a long iron to the hole and not just the middle of the green. So Tiger is right to go for distance more than accuracy with his driver.

The top guys all play that way. major champion His ballstriking is going to be better than people think.

Masters Preview multiple winner on tour

He’s clearly been hitting balls and working hard—more than he was admitting to. former tour pro Tiger looks like he’s hitting hold-off fades.

But he did that when he was winning, too. And Jack won the Masters six times hitting fades. broadcaster Turning it over from right to left is dangerous for him. If he’s trying to turn one around the corner on 13, I can see him in the trees on the right a lot. Which is better than hooking it in the creek. So holes where he has to move it strongly right to left could be a problem. Which is not to say that I think you have hit draws to win at Augusta. That’s nonsense, as Jack and Fred have proved. broadcaster Sometimes you’re aiming at a dustbin lid in terms of where you can land the approach. Tiger has the ability to do that, but will his game be sharp enough by the Masters to give him that level of accuracy?

Debatable. major champion His iron play has never been in question.

Even when he’s struggled, it’s been great. tour caddie You can argue he’s the greatest iron player of all time. former tour pro No one has ever hit it so close, so often.

CHIPPING/SHORT GAME former tour pro The pitching

and chipping used to be as good as Phil. Now, clearly not. teacher You can chip and pitch using the leading edge, or you can use the bounce.

Tiger has always used the leading edge, but that’s riskier when you get a bit older. He’d be better switching because his vision changed—everyone’s does. His depth perception changed. He can’t find the bottom of his arc consistently using the leading edge. That’s why he chunks some and hits others thin. former tour pro The shaft can get too perpendicular on his chips. That’s the first thing you do when you get scared— it’s the equivalent of curling up in a ball and hoping the scary man goes away.

teacher There’s a big difference between chipping to eight feet and five feet at Augusta.

From eight feet, pros make 50 percent of their putts. From five feet, they make 75 percent.

So every four times you chip to eight feet instead of five feet, you give up a shot. That happens more at Augusta than at most courses on tour. teacher He had eight twochips in the Bahamas, and he had a lot he didn’t chip close at all. He did have some really bad lies, but eight times? That’s a lot for a scratch player, never mind a top pro. former tour pro People were making excuses about the quality of the lies at the Bahamas, but 12 years ago nothing was too tough for Tiger. teacher Shitty chipping can eat away at your game. Guys with great short games can be aggressive with their approach shots. But if they get edgy on the chips, they inevitably play more to the middle of the greens. So they get more 40-foot birdie putts and more four-footers for par. Over time, that guy is going to get yippy on those short ones. If that scenario plays out for Tiger, it will be a disaster at Augusta. There are places on those greens where— to certain pins—you might as well be in a bunker. You can’t get within six feet. former tour pro The knees are more active. The tempo is more abrupt, as is the change in direction from back to through.

He’s not as smooth on the little 20-yard chips. former tour pro In all of his four wins there, he chipped like a genius. multiple winner on tour

He has the imagination to chip well at Augusta. So many shots are on the ground. Very rarely do you see a flop shot. You need to chip and run. So imagination and feel are so important. teacher Augusta will be difficult for him because of the way they cut the grass. Virtually every chip within five yards of the green is going to be into the grain. That requires a very precise strike to land the ball in a precise spot, which is how you

control the roll-out. There is no more difficult place to chip than Augusta. major champion His left shoulder is a little high. Look at old film, and that shoulder was lower, and he would drive through the shot, and he would do that better than anyone. broadcaster He went into his previous Masters duffing chips all over the place, yet he was fine when he got there, so you can never tell with him. major champion If I were him, I’d be asking Butch Harmon for help.

PUTTING teacher Back in the day, Tiger’s approach play was so spectacular, he gave himself more makable putts. Not all 20-footers are created equal, especially at Augusta. His ability to keep his ball below the hole was huge, which is why he holed a lot of putts. teacher Look closer at the Hero World Challenge. A lot of people felt he putted really well there. But he had four three-putts, and some of the good putts he did make were second putts. You don’t win tournaments with four threeputts. Not against the best in the world. And certainly not at Augusta. Plus, four three-putts on that course in the Bahamas translates to maybe twice as many at the Masters. Look at, say, the top 15 in the world. At least one of those guys is going to play 72 holes at Augusta and have zero three-putts, or one.

If that guy keeps it out of the water, he’s going to be tough to beat. It’s that simple. former tour pro If Tiger misses one early, that sets the tone for the whole day. major champion Tiger putts like everyone else now. He was superhuman for a while. Not anymore. major champion Most golfers have parts of the game that they “get” a little easier than other parts. Gary Player in bunkers, Seve around the greens, Fred Funk with the driver. Tiger’s putting is like that.

He just gets putting. Whether

HE JUST ISN’T GOOD ENOUGH ANYMORE.

that carries over into making big putts down the stretch is the question. That’s a different skill from just putting. That’s a mental skill. teacher Back in the day, Tiger putted better than anyone ever has under pressure. That guy is gone. Which is not to say he’s not a great putter, and is not to say he can’t win on tour. broadcaster No one gets better on the greens in their 40s. But he is Tiger Woods.

You never say never with him.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND TIGER-PROOFING major champion The changes to the course hurt him a lot. Augusta has changed from being a second-shot course to a teeshot course. You can’t play from out of the trees, and they’re getting bigger as the driving areas have gotten smaller, which hurts Tiger. Driving accurately has never been his strength.

Not since 2000, anyway. former tour pro I’m not sure the Tiger-proofing made much difference. We’d already seen the best of him by that point. teacher The biggest reason he hasn’t won the Masters in 13

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Masters Preview

IF HE WERE TO CONTEND AT AUGUSTA, THAT’D BE ALL-TIME IN TERMS OF WHAT IT COULD DO FOR GOLF. AND FOR HIM.

years is too many three-putts.

It’s that simple. To win the Masters, you can’t three-putt more than a couple of times. major champion Somewhere along the line, he stopped being able to hit a big draw with his driver. major champion I’ve played with Langer and Couples and Mickelson at Augusta.

You learn from them every time. Tiger is the same. They all have historical knowledge, which is way more important than recent knowledge.

They’ve seen every pin. Fred plays so smart there. He hits it wide on all the holes you need to hit it wide. He misses under the hole. It looks like he’s playing crap, and it adds up to 69. teacher How you play the course hasn’t changed. Guys figure that out pretty quickly.

When the pins are in certain places, there are obvious ways to play those holes, and how not to play them. History says that it’s tough to win there the first time, but it doesn’t take 10 years to figure it all out, either. tour caddie I went to Augusta

for the first time and had to do a lot of homework, but the second and third times, I had it figured out. It’s not that complicated. If you have a brain at all, you figure it out pretty quickly.

Local knowledge there is overrated. The truth is, it’s not that good a course. former tour pro In Tiger’s case, I think that playing there as often as he has can be a disadvantage—he knows exactly where all the bad spots are. multiple winner on tour

If you went to the old tee on 15 now, I guarantee you Rory, Dustin, Brooks, Berger and Rickie would all be hitting wedge to the green. That wasn’t the case in 1997. Tiger was the only one then. tour caddie You couldn’t build a course he couldn’t compete on before all the nonsense in his life. major champion The Tigerproofing worked with the second cut. Before they did that, Tiger could hit it anywhere almost and keep it on the green.

He still played great, but the one or two or three shots he lost—that he didn’t lose when everything was fairway—kept him from winning. multiple winner on tour

Is there a smarter golfer—other than Jack—than Tiger? I can’t see Rory or Dustin or anyone playing a rock-hard course and using driver only once over 72 holes as Tiger did at Hoylake.

No modern player has the patience to do that. Tiger had it, though. multiple winner on tour

Local knowledge is great if you have control of your shots, or at least enough control to minimize the bad shots. But what has local knowledge done for him [at Augusta] the past 10 years? I’m not seeing any wins in there. teacher All they really did was set the course up even more for the longer hitters. It’s not a great course. It’s a pretty good course. But it is a great venue.

KEY HOLES major champion Look at him off the first tee at Augusta—

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how often has he hit it onto the ninth fairway? teacher He’s the only guy I know who has found the eighth fairway from the first tee. major champion Where is he going to put the ball off the tee to start the round? It’s not a 3-wood, sand wedge anymore.

Nobody wants any part of being in that fairway bunker.

Left [in the trees] is jail. If he can somehow scrape together four pars to start each round, that’s a huge boost. Then there’s No. 11, which hits everyone in the shorts. teacher The tee shot on No. 2 is especially hard for him, and he’s always played No. 13 with a 3-wood off the tee. The best you can hope for if you do that is a hanging lie and a 4-iron second shot. Other guys are driving it around the corner and hitting 9-iron to the green. Take those two holes and he’s giving up half a shot—maybe three-quarters of a shot—per round. Add that up, and you have a threeshot deficit over four rounds.

And, by the way, that 3-wood off the 13th tee isn’t going to be in the fairway four times.

At least one time he’s going to be up there in the pine straw. former tour pro I don’t like Tiger hitting cuts. I think that’s the feel he likes, but it leads to a lot of blocks, especially when he’s worried about going left.

Tiger trying to whip the ball over the corner at 13 concerns me; I think he’ll live in the right trees. He’ll worry about losing his ball left. So he has a twoway miss. On 13, where the best will be four under par for the week, he could potentially be over par. teacher I can see him laying back a bit more on the third hole, if only to avoid the delicate little pitch from below the green. He might have to play around his short game. teacher I see the 11th as a problem for him because he has to stand there and hit a dead-straight drive. former tour pro The 12th is such an exciting hole, but it’s also a bit unfair. It’s hard because the wind blows around so much. There is zero skill

involved in judging that; it’s all luck. He doesn’t have the consistent distance control he used to have, or the ball flight, or the spin rate, so where he used to be able to rein back on an 8-iron and control all of the above, now all he’ll have is the hard 9-iron. And when you hit that shot, where it ends up is in the lap of the gods.

PARTING WORDS multiple major champion

He’s peeled so many layers of the onion. All sorts of things, good, bad, indifferent. Can he peel back enough onion layers to get back to the real Tiger Woods? major champion If he were to contend at Augusta, that’d be all-time in terms of what it could do for golf. And for him.

That would change a lot of the story of what’s been going on in his life these past few years. former tour pro I would love to see him win. But then I want him to go, even if that isn’t the best for the game as a whole.

I don’t want to see him mediocre, or listen to excuses for bad play. I think I beat him once in my entire career, and it felt like a win, even if he had a really bad week. broadcaster I would hate for him to come back, claim to be back to full fitness, then play rubbish. I don’t want him to limp away from the game with people lamenting the sadness of it all. I don’t want him to be like Frank Sinatra at the end.

He was still starring at concerts, even when he couldn’t sing anymore. We’ll find out quite quickly which direction Tiger is heading. teacher It would be a hell of a story. My head says no, but my heart would love to see it. tour caddie Imagine what that would be like, him going down the stretch against the young guys. You’d have Tiger against Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm . . . that would be fun to watch.

Additional reporting by john strege.

Masters Preview

The legendary Jack Nicklaus pays tribute to Rolex Testimonee Arnold Palmer ahead of the 2017 Masters at Augusta National

The Masters Steeped In History

S

taged at the majestic Augusta National Golf Club, the ideal arena for golfing excellence, the Masters was created in 1934 according to a tradition started by cofounders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts that has since produced some of the most memorable moments in the history of the game.

History reveals that Masters champions embody qualities of precision, dedication and excellence. None more so than the legendary Jack Nicklaus, widely regarded as the greatest golfer ever. With six Green Jackets to his name, he holds the record for the most Masters victories, including a famous win in 1986 when he claimed his 18th Major title, making him the oldest ever Major winner, aged 46. To this day, Nicklaus continues to display the same precision and excellence that defined his career. At Augusta in 2015, aged 75, he made a hole-in-one during the traditional pre-Tournament Par-3 Contest. This accomplishment was achieved in the company of his greatest golfing rivals, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, who together with Nicklaus, were the greatest golfers of their era, earning themselves the title of ‘The Big Three’.

In 1967, Rolex made a pivotal decision to partner Palmer, beginning the brand’s unique relationship with golf. The charismatic American golfer holds a special place in golf legend thanks as much to his natural talent and successful playing career as to his pioneering role in the sport. Palmer, along with Nicklaus – record holder for most Major wins (18) – and Player, ranked third overall for the number of professional wins – contributed to modernizing golf and giving it a worldwide dimension. Since 1967, the relationship between Rolex and golf has continuously grown and prospered thanks to the brand’s trendsetting initiative in the field of sports sponsorship.

As an international partner of The Masters, Rolex has supported Augusta National Golf Club and its endeavours to produce a tournament of unparalleled aura since the late 1990s.

Former champion Fred Couples during the 2017 Masters

Tiger Woods exults after winning the 1997 Masters in emphatic fashion The fans rise in unison as Phil Mickelson celebrates his 2004 Masters win

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”

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HUMOROUS AT THE MASTERS. HERE, SMALL DOGS DO NOT BARK AND BABIES DO NOT CRY.

“

gary player

quiz

think you know the masters?

1. For the first Masters,

A. Bermuda B. Mexico C. North Carolina

in 1934, Bobby Jones reversed the two nines so the current front nine played as the back and vice versa. Why? A. He believed the present front nine was a more difficult downthe-stretch test.

B. The ninth hole offered a better chance for a closing birdie.

C. The ninth green was considered an ideal location for the award ceremony.

3. Each of Augusta National’s four par 5s have yielded a doubleeagle 2, the latest coming from Louis Oosthuizen in 2012.

Which of the following players did not make an albatross?

A. Bruce Devlin B. Raymond Floyd C. Jeff Maggert D. Gene Sarazen

2. The gleaming sand

4. When heavy rains in

in Augusta National’s bunkers is from:

October 1990 turned Rae’s Creek into a

88 golf digest india | april 2018

torrent and nearly obliterated the 11th hole, how long did it take to rebuild the green and open the hole for play?

A. Six weeks B. Three months C. Six days D. 48 hours 5. True or false: Rae’s

Creek runs in front of the par-5 13th green and along the left side of the fairway.

6. To help the club

prepare for reopening near the end of World War II, it employed:

A. Inmates from the

Georgia penal system.

B. Volunteers among the Augusta National membership.

C. German prisoners of war.

D. A team of Texas oil-field workers. answers: 1. (a) Turns out the

front-nine stroke average for all Masters tournaments is 36.94, and the back is 37.15.

2. (c) It’s actually quartz and has been used in the bunkers since 1975.

3. (b) Floyd did ace the par-3 16th hole in 1996.

4. (a) Using maps charted to the square inch, the club had the green ready for play by Thanksgiving.

5. False. The small stream is a tributary.

The actual Rae’s Creek is visible as the pond fronting the 12th green, 13th tee and the stream running behind the 11th green.

6. (c) The POWs repaired damage done by 250 cattle roaming the course during the war. —guy yocom

6 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT AUGUSTA NATIONAL in the club’s early days, there was a bunker shaped like the state of texas to the right of the 18th green. the 14th hole, now the only one without a bunker, once had a huge fairway bunker so short off the tee that it never came into play. the pond on 15 was just a wide creek in the earliest days, including in 1935, when gene sarazen cleared it and holed out for double eagle. in the late 1940s, the course had ankle-deep rough. writers used to interview players on the clubhouse balcony. there was a bar below, and writers would call down their drink orders, which would be delivered by rope and bucket. as recently as the late 1990s, there was a barbershop on the magnolia lane side of the clubhouse. a former shop keeper had a nice perk: when business was slow, he played augusta national three or four times a week.

Pl ayer: augusta NatioNal/getty images • Haircut: PHil sHeldoN/PoPPerfoto • PaiNtiNg: tHe PriNt collector/getty images • rigHt Page: augusta sigN: daNita delimoNt/getty images

The Golf Life The Digest

Play Ditch the Treadmill Here’s a better cardio routine for golf by kaitlyn pimentel

Apologies if you’re reading this after buying a $2,000 reality is, your money could have been better spent. in ways that can help your golf performance, I’ve derequires little more than a pair of sneakers—and your even use it as a proper warm-up before a round. Start here. March in place, raising the left arm with the right forward, knees and arms high and feet straight. This and improves coordination—both essential to maksets of skips for 30 seconds, resting for 30 between dio exercises I demonstrate on the following pages. tion based on your fitness level, but be prepared Photographs by Shadi Perez

piece of cardio equipment. The If you’re serious about exercising signed a simple cardio routine that commitment. Best part, you can by doing forward skips like I am knee and vice versa. Push yourself move primes the lower body ing a good swing. Do three them. Then do the other carYou can vary sets and durato sweat. —with ron kaspriske april 2018 | golf digest india

89

Play Your Best The Core

LATERAL SKIPS Golfers need to train in all three planes of motion, but often lateral movement is neglected. This exercise improves side-to-side coordination and function in the lower body. Start marching in place with the opposite arm over the opposite leg. Feel like you’re hopping a little. As you push off a foot, drive the body laterally in the opposite direction. Keep the knees high and the arms moving from your pockets to your chin.

Do three sets, each for 30 seconds with 30 seconds of rest between. Remember, you can vary the duration of exercise and rest based on your fitness level.

LUNGES WITH ROTATION Golfers need to keep their lower body stable as the upper body rotates. This exercise trains that part of the swing while raising your heart rate. From a standing position, lunge forward with your left leg, lowering your body until the right knee is hovering just above the ground. Squeeze the glute (butt) muscles on the right side of your body while feeling your body weight firmly planted in the left heel. Place your right hand on the left knee and rotate to the left, reaching out with your left arm behind you. Return to a standing position. Do two sets of eight reps, rest for 15 seconds; then do two sets of eight reps with the opposite leg and body rotation.

Cardio routines don’t have to seem routine. Mix it up and have fun.

LEG CRADLES If there’s one muscle group that really matters for golf, it’s the glutes.

They can provide power and stability in a swing if functioning properly.

They also work in harmony with the muscles of the hips and the inner and outer thighs to provide lower-body rotation. Train them by starting in a standing position, and lift one leg until the knee is at abdomen height.

Holding the knee up with one hand, pull your shin inward until it’s at a 45-degree angle in relation to the supporting leg. Hold for a second and return to standing. Do two sets of eight reps with each leg.

KNEE HUGS Hip flexion plays a big role in making solid contact with a golf ball. This exercise trains the flexors of the pelvis and strengthens the quadriceps and hamstrings by relying on one leg to support body weight. From a standing position, lift one leg until you can clasp your hands around its knee. Then pull the knee up to your chest and come off the heel of the supporting foot. Hold for a second and return it to the ground.

Do two sets of 10 reps with each leg.

follow along with kaitlyn Like this workout? We also asked golf-fitness professional Kaitlyn Pimentel, a former college golfer at Methodist University, to create total-body exercise programs within time frames to meet the needs of those on the go. In the video series, “Follow-Along Golf: Total Body Workouts,” Pimentel takes you through 15-, 30- and 45-minute sessions that boost flexibility, strength, power and cardiovascular health, and are designed to improve your swing. The series is only $9.99. Go to golfdigest.com/totalbody. april 2018 | golf digest india

91

MISSION: CONTROL Through-the-bag advice to hit any target b y t o m m y f l e e t wo o d ▶ Golf is always a balancing act. You know your strengths, so to get better you have to work on all the other things.

The problem with that is, if you start ignoring what you do best, then that stuff starts to suffer. You really have to pay attention to your whole game—that’s what helped me improve in 2017. I won twice on the European Tour and took the Race to Dubai, which is a season-long competition similar to the FedEx Cup. I’ve already won this year, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and I was ranked 12th in the world in February.

What got things going for me is better accuracy in all facets of the game. And it started with alignment. Hard to believe, but I was playing the game thinking my targets were farther right than they really were. If only I had looked up. No joke, a simple

adjustment in alignment led to better ball control. From there, everything started to click— I was putting it in the fairway off the tee (or close enough), I was hitting a lot of greens, my pitches were getting closer to the hole, even my putts started going in.

That brings me to my first piece of advice to becoming more accurate with all your clubs. Do everything you can at setup to make that happen.

Don’t take ball position, bodyand-club alignment, putting line, any of that for granted.

Get that right, and you’ll immediately start controlling the ball better. That’s your mission: ball control. Let me take you through the bag on how I do it.

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—with ron kaspriske

Who is Tommy Fleetwood? ▶ If you don’t know him by name, Tommy’s face—or specifically, his hair—probably look familiar. His oft-unshaven whiskers and long, scruffy hairstyle—“It’s not a mullet,” he says—make him stand out against golf’s conservative majority. But don’t mistake that for a lack of drive.

“My goal is to keep the momentum going, make the Ryder Cup, and the ultimate goal is to win majors and be world No. 1,” says the 27-year-old Englishman.

Before he became the top player on the European Tour, Fleetwood wasn’t as grandiose with his golf goals. But then his control of the ball really improved. He got longer and straighter off the tee (299-yard average, 70.4 fairways-hit percentage in 2017), hit more greens in regulation (76.8 percent, first on tour), and

his putting improved (69.72 scoring average, third on tour).

He credits some of the leap to swing coach Alan Thompson.

The two have worked on and off since Fleetwood was a junior golfer.

His successes have come despite big events off the course, too. Fleetwood became a dad for the first time last September, to son Franklin, and got married in November to Clare Craig.

Fleetwood says he’ll now play more events on the PGA Tour, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and the Masters in April.

“I’m traveling a lot with my wife and baby,” Fleetwood says. “Franklin has more frequent-flier miles than any six-month-old in the world.”

Photographs by Levon Biss

OFF THE TEE ▶ I have one idiosyncrasy that helps my driving accuracy.

I grip down on the club. This makes it easier to control the clubface. I also play a driver that’s 45 inches, a little shorter than standard. Again, shorter equals straighter. However, those two things also hurt distance. I can still get it out there long enough, but you

might want to keep that in mind before gripping down or going to a shorter shaft.

Another way you can find the fairway more often is to shallow your approach into the ball. If you watch my swing on video, the clubface is square with my target about a foot before and after impact— like it’s tracing the ground.

I see a lot of amateurs coming into the ball way too steep.

They can’t square the clubface consistently, and they put too

much spin on the ball. Spin will accentuate any curve on the shot. Slices slice more.

Something that will help shallow your approach and take spin off the ball is to focus on your left shoulder. It starts by moving toward the target in the downswing, but there’s a point where it shouldn’t go any farther forward, or you’ll get out in front of the ball and chop down on it. Instead, you want your left shoulder to move up and away from the

target about halfway down.

You can check this by putting a club or alignment stick on the ground perpendicular to your stance and off the heel of your front foot. It represents ball position. When you swing down, don’t let your left shoulder pass that line.

Instead, move it up and away from the target. That will shallow your swing, so you can keep the club square through the hitting area and hit up on the ball more.

“You can’t control the clubface if your body drifts ahead of the ball’s position on the tee. Stay back.”

“Don’t try to hit the ball with your hands. Just turn and let the club take it off the turf.”

INTO THE GREEN ▶ There are a lot of guys out here who swing down and through impact using forearm rotation to close the clubface and trap the ball. Not me. I swing down from the inside just like them, but I square the club at impact by keeping

my body turning. There’s very little forearm rotation or flip, where the right hand rolls under the left. I see amateurs do that, and it’s very hard to control ball flight if you’re too active with your hands.

Instead, keep your hands and arms passive, letting the club follow your body through impact. That means you gotta keep turning. I want my body

rotation to stay ahead of my hands and club, as if they are being dragged. Do that, and you can swing down from the inside and square the clubface without forearm rotation.

Even after I hit it, my forearms haven’t turned much. This type of swing relies a lot less on timing. Even if you’re off, your misses won’t be as bad.

A drill to get a feel for this is

to take a 7-iron and hit shots that go only 100 yards. Do this simply by propelling the club with body rotation. Your arms stay long throughout the swing—like a windmill—but act like they’re dead weight.

This will help you feel how to square the club without trying to do it with your hands. Bigmuscle swings are a lot easier to control.

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“If you’re shut going back, you’ll struggle with distance and direction. Keep the face square.”

AROUND THE GREEN ▶ I’ve been spending a lot of time lately on those 30-to50-yard shots—distances too far out to chip it. You might have this part of your game buttoned up, but if you don’t, I’m going to guess that it’s because your clubface is shut

through impact. Sometimes that happens to me. I take it back inside with the face shut, then swing out to the right.

Wedges aren’t designed to be used this way—not if you want to control the ball. You can hit it solid with a shut clubface, but cheers if you can hit it routinely where you want.

Like controlling a full-iron shot, make a swing where your

96 golf digest india | april 2018

hands really aren’t all that involved. They’re holding onto the club, but resist the urge to flick at the ball. Here’s a drill to get the clubface set in the backswing, so all you have to do is rotate your body toward the target to hit a good shot.

Swing the club about halfway back and then stop. Now take a look at the clubface. If the club feels out in front of

your body and the toe is up, you’re in good shape. If it’s a little behind you and the toe is pointing away from you, you’re in trouble.

Remember, the club is designed to glide through the grass, not dig into it—at least not if you’re trying to control where (and how far) the ball goes. So keep the face either square or a hair open.

ON SHORT GRASS ▶ Good putting starts with understanding the difference between a stroke and a hit.

You want to make a stroke and let the energy of that backand-through motion carry the ball to the hole. If the stroke is short or rushed, the impulse

becomes to put extra effort into the strike—a hit—and that rarely produces a putt that rolls on a good line or with the right speed. You can’t control the ball as well.

To avoid the hit impulse, pay attention to your backstroke. I want that part of the swing to feel long and unhurried. A great drill—one you can use when you play—is

to pause at the end of your backswing before moving the putterhead toward the ball.

This prompts you to accelerate smoothly. There’s no panicked thought to force it to the cup with extra energy—that’s the point here.

You can roll the ball a long way with a stroke that has the force of a five-yard chip. Good rhythm and less effort are how

you control the putterface and, in turn, the ball.

Best part of slowing down? This stroke helps your confidence. The ball starts going in, because you don’t let the importance of any given putt force you into doing something differently. That should be your mission with any club if accuracy is your goal: Stay smooth.

“Never rush through the stroke. Nervous or not, take your time, and the result is almost always better.”

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PLANET golf

t h e 1 6 t h h o l e at c a b o t cliffs, no. 9 on the world 100, i s 1 7 6 ya r d s o f b e a u t y.

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WORLDI I

I00

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GOLFDIGEST’S

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r o ya l c o u n t y d o w n (championship) r e p e at s a s t h e top-ranked course on the world 100. the fourth hole stretches from

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2 0 2 t o 2 2 9 ya r d s .

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NICKLAUS & NORMAN TIE FOR MOST COURSES AMONG LIVING ARCHITECTS by ron whit ten

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olf digest ’s third biennial ranking of the World 100 Greatest Golf Courses is truly global, showcasing brilliant layouts everywhere from Abu Dhabi to Vietnam, but not the United States. This is not a slight against courses born in the USA; Golf Digest will continue to produce biennial rankings of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses in odd-numbered years. A big part of the reason is that our two rankings are determined differently. America’s 100 Greatest is always based on evaluations by North American panelists judging courses in seven criteria.

The World 100 Greatest uses a single criterion of overall greatness scored not just by Americans but also by international panelists organized by our affiliate magazines around the world.

Still, if you’re in a debating mood, allow us to pose another topic. Even a cursory look at our World 100 Greatest, topped again by Royal County Down in Northern Ireland, reveals that a group of big-name golf-course architects are responsible for many of the courses on our list. Here’s the question: Does it take a prominent name to generate a world-class course, or does a great course turn an architect into a big name?

Among living architects, the two with the most designs on this year’s ranking are Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman, both champion golfers long before they transitioned into golf design. Each has five original designs among the World 100. Nicklaus is responsible for No. 28 Jack Nicklaus Golf Club in South Korea, No. 63 Punta Espada in the Dominican Republic and in Mexico, No. 70 Cabo del Sol (Ocean), No 91 Four Seasons Punta Mita (Pacifico) and No. 93 Quivira.

Norman is credited with the ultra-exclusive Ellerston (No. 31) and No. 98 The National (Moonah) in his native Australia, No. 35 The Bluffs Ho Tram Strip and No. 94 BRG Da Nang in Vietnam and No. 82 Jumeirah (Earth) in Dubai, where the European Tour’s Race to Dubai has finished every year since 2009. Norman has also been involved

Photograph by First Lastname

in a bit of renovation at No. 18 New South Wales in Australia.

Close behind those two titans is perhaps the most influential golf architect on the planet, Tom Doak, who designed No. 6 Tara Iti, the highest ranked American-designed course on our list, and No. 17 Cape Kidnappers, both in New Zealand, plus No. 11 Barnbougle Dunes and No. 86 St. Andrews Beach, both in Australia. (The latter two were codesigns with Australian tour pro-turnedarchitect Mike Clayton.) Doak is so respected as a design historian that he also has been engaged in restoring No. 3 Royal Melbourne (West) and No. 19 Royal Melbourne (East), No. 85 Royal Adelaide, all in Australia, as well as No. 80 Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin) in England, No. 54 Mid Ocean Club in Bermuda and, with the assistance of Canadian architect Ian Andrew, No. 20 St. George’s in Ontario.

Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have three highly placed courses: No. 8 Shanqin Bay in China, No. 9 Cabot Cliffs in Nova Scotia and No. 26 Barnbougle Lost Farm in Australia, but because Crenshaw prefers not to travel much internationally, he was involved only in the design of Cabot Cliffs.

Gil Hanse has one course on the list, No. 53 Castle Stuart in Scotland, co-designed with its developer, Mark Parsinen. Hanse’s acclaimed Rio Olympic Golf Course in Brazil lacked a sufficient number of panelist votes for consideration (25 were needed to make our World 100). If the course survives the Rio economy, we suspect it will be a contender for our 2020 ranking.

Likewise, Pete Dye has one course on the list, No. 27 Casa de Campo (Teeth of the Dog) in the Dominican Republic. Same for Tom Weiskopf: No. 74 Loch Lomond in Scotland, done with the late Jay Morrish. Tom Fazio has two: No. 36 National in Canada, done in the 1970s with his uncle George Fazio, and No. 97 Querencia in Mexico, although Fazio has also remodeled No. 55 Waterville in Ireland and, with his son Logan, No. 90 Kasumigaseki (East) in preparation for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. april 2018 | golf digest india

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1 Royal County Down G.C. (Championship), Newcastle, Northern Ireland 2 Royal Dornoch G.C. (Championship), Scotland 3 Royal Melbourne G.C. (West), Black Rock, Australia 4 Muirfield, Gullane, Scotland 5 St. Andrews Links (Old), Fife, Scotland 6 Tara Iti G.C., Mangawhai, New Zealand 7 Royal Portrush G.C. (Dunluce), Northern Ireland 8 Shanqin Bay G.C., Hainan Island, China 9 Cabot Cliffs, Inverness, Canada 10 Trump Turnberry (Ailsa), Scotland 11 Barnbougle Dunes, Bridport, Australia 12 Sunningdale G.C. (Old), England 13 Kingston Heath G.C., Cheltenham, Australia

14 Golf de Morfontaine G.C., Mortefontaine, France 15 Royal Birkdale G.C., Southport, England 16 Ballybunion G.C. (Old), Ireland 17 Cape Kidnappers, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand 18 New South Wales G.C., La Perouse, Australia 19 Royal Melbourne G.C. (East), Black Rock, Australia 20 St. George’s G. and C.C., Etobicoke, Canada 21 Carnoustie G. Links (Championship), Scotland 22 Royal St. George’s G.C., Sandwich, England 23 The Club at Nine Bridges, Jeju Island, South Korea 24 Cape Wickham Links, King Island, Australia 25 North Berwick G.C., Scotland

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26 Barnbougle Lost Farm, Bridport, Australia 27 Casa de Campo (Teeth of the Dog), La Romana, Dominican Republic 28 Jack Nicklaus G.C. Korea, Incheon, South Korea 29 Haesley Nine Bridges, Yeoju, South Korea 30 Kingsbarns G. Links, St. Andrews, Scotland 31 Ellerston G. Cse., Hunter Valley, Australia 32 St. George’s Hill G.C., Weybridge, England 33 Sunningdale G.C. (New), England 34 Lahinch G.C. (Old), Ireland 35 The Bluffs Ho Tram Strip, Ho Tram, Vietnam 36 National G.C. of Canada, Woodbridge 37 Kauri Cliffs, Matauri Bay, New Zealand

38 Fancourt (Links), George, South Africa 39 Swinley Forest G.C., Ascot, England 40 Royal Troon G.C. (Old), Scotland 41 Royal Porthcawl G.C., Wales 42 Valderrama G.C., Sotogrande, Spain 43 Cabot Links, Inverness, Canada 44 Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates 45 Victoria G.C., Cheltenham, Australia 46 Royal Lytham & St. Annes G.C., England 47 Diamante (Dunes), Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 48 Mission Hills Haikou (Blackstone), Hainan, China 49 South Cape Owners Club, Namhae Island, South Korea

previous pAges: Courtesy of evAn sChiller/CAbot Cliffs, AiDen brADley/royAl County Down

GOLF DIGEST’S WORLD 100 GREATEST GOLF COURSES

Above: JoAnn Dost • next pAges: Courtesy of trump turnberry

ta k e i n t h e v i e w s a n d t h e n ta k e a w h a c k at t h e p a r - 3 1 7 t h h o l e at ta r a i t i i n n e w z e a l a n d , n o . 6 o n o u r l i s t.

50 Hirono G.C., Hyogo, Japan 51 Capilano G. and C.C., West Vancouver, Canada 52 Emirates G.C. (Majlis), Dubai, United Arab Emirates 53 Castle Stuart G. Links, Inverness, Scotland 54 Mid Ocean Club, Tucker’s Town, Bermuda 55 Waterville G. Links, Ireland 56 Cruden Bay G.C., Scotland 57 Metropolitan G.C., South Oakleigh, Australia 58 Portmarnock G.C. (Championship), Ireland 59 Black Mountain G.C. (East/North), Hua Hin, Thailand 60 Hamilton G. & C.C. (West/South), Ancaster, Canada 61 Machrihanish G.C., Scotland 62 Sheshan International G.C., Shanghai, China

63 Punta Espada G.C., Cap Cana, Dominican Republic 64 Trump International G. Links, Balmedie, Scotland 65 Leopard Creek C.C., Malelane, South Africa 66 Walton Heath G.C. (Old), Walton-on-the-Hill, England 67 Rye G.C. (Old), England T-68 Ganton G.C., England T-68 Olgiata G.C. (West), Rome, Italy 70 Cabo del Sol (Ocean), Los Cabos, Mexico 71 Royal Aberdeen G.C. (Balgownie), Scotland 72 Royal Liverpool G.C., Hoylake, England 73 Siam C.C. (Old), Pattaya, Thailand 74 Loch Lomond G.C., Luss, Scotland 75 Kawana Hotel G. Cse. (Fuji), Shizuoka, Japan

76 Jack’s Point G. Cse., Queenstown, New Zealand 77 Paraparaumu Beach G.C., New Zealand 78 TPC Kuala Lumpur (West), Malaysia 79 Sentosa G.C. (Serapong), Singapore 80 Woodhall Spa G.C. (Hotchkin), England 81 Anyang C.C., Gunpo City, South Korea 82 Jumeirah G. Estates (Earth), Dubai, United Arab Emirates 83 Old Head G. Links, Kinsale, Ireland 84 Naruo G.C., Kawanishi, Japan 85 Royal Adelaide G.C., Seaton, Australia 86 St. Andrews Beach G. Cse., Fingal, Australia 87 Highlands Links, Ingonish Beach, Canada 88 Spring City Golf and Lake Resort (Lake), Kunming, China

89 Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge G.C., Canada 90 Kasumigaseki C.C. (East), Saitama, Japan 91 Four Seasons Punta Mita (Pacifico), Punt Mita, Mexico 92 The European Club, Brittas Bay, Ireland 93 Quivira G.C., Cabo San Lucas, Mexico 94 BRG Da Nang G.C., Vietnam 95 Prestwick G.C., Scotland 96 Durban C.C., South Africa 97 Querencia C.C., Los Cabos, Mexico 98 The National G.C. (Moonah), Cape Schanck, Australia 99 Banff Springs G. Cse. (Thompson), Canada 100 Western Gailes G.C., Irvine, Scotland

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the new 11th hole at t r u m p t u r n b e r r y (ailsa), no. 10 on o u r l i s t, p l ay s f r o m

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1 1 5 t o 2 1 5 ya r d s .

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hawtree’s impact

S

ome architects deserve more attention but haven’t achieved it, at least by American standards. Consider Martin Hawtree, a third-generation golf architect, now 70, who designed one of Scotland’s most stunning new courses, No. 64 Trump International, and has remodeled several courses for recent Open Championships, including No. 4 Muirfield, No. 5 St. Andrews (Old), No. 15 Royal Birkdale, No. 21 Carnoustie (Championship) and No. 72 Royal Liverpool. Hawtree has also done extensive revisions to No. 32 St. George’s Hill and No. 33 Sunningdale (New) in England, No. 71 Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie) in Scotland and No. 16 Ballybunion (Old), No. 34 Lahinch (Old) and No. 58 Portmarnock (Championship) in Ireland. His involvement in 12 courses among our World 100 is the most by any architect.

Hawtree was also one of the eight finalists for the Rio job. Yet his name often is confused with another British architect, Martin Ebert, who with Tom Mackenzie has done several high-profile remodeling jobs, in particular No. 7 Royal Portrush (Dunluce), site of the 2019 Open Championship; No. 22 Royal St. George’s, the 2020 Open site; No. 40 Royal Troon, which hosted the Open in 2016; plus No. 10 Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) and No. 46 Royal Lytham & St. Annes, which hope to remain on the rota. Mackenzie and Ebert have also renovated No. 41 Royal Porthcawl in Wales, No. 56 Cruden Bay in Scotland, T-68 Ganton in England and No. 60 Hamilton (West/South) in Ontario.

If you believe great courses establish an architect’s bona fides, then Kyle Phillips deserves mention. Phillips served as an associate for Robert Trent Jones Jr. for more than 15 years before establishing his firm in 1997.

Since then, he has quietly produced some of the globe’s finest designs. His breakthrough course was No. 30 Kingsbarns near St. Andrews, Scotland, done with Mark Parsinen (who later developed Castle Stuart). Phillips also created No. 44 Yas Links in Abu Dhabi, long considered the best course in the United Arab Emirates, and No. 49 South Cape on rocky cliffs of South Korea’s Namhae Island. Some consider it “the Pebble Beach” of Korea.

Like many great architects, Phillips is also a student of the past, and his appreciation of the late, artistic Tom Simpson resulted in his sympathetic remodeling of No. 14 Morfontaine in France. And Phillips’ appreciation of Robert Trent Jones, an icon in golf architecture and father of Kyle’s old boss, is reflected in Kyle’s renovations at No. 42 Valderrama in Spain. ▶ For more on the World 100 and for the country-by-country rankings, please go to golfdigest.com/go/100greatest.

Photograph by First Lastname

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Play Your Best Equipment by Mike Stachura

Hang Time Could a toe-hang mallet solve your putting woes? allets, known for being stable and forgiving, have long been the putter of choice for golfers in need of help, while sleek blade putters have defined the best players. Then Jason Day won the 2015 PGA Championship and rose to No. 1 using a TaylorMade Spider Tour prototype. Suddenly, mallets were cool. Players using mallets have won four of the past nine men’s majors. Besides forgiveness, many now have blade-like heel weighting (known as toehang, far right). The buzz got us wondering: Is the toe-hang mallet the putter we’ve all been waiting for? Turn the page for an analysis. ▶ ▶ ▶

M

106 golf digest india | april 2018

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Four of the past nine men’s majors have been won by players using mallet putters.

how’s it hangin’? Many mallet putters today, like TaylorMade’s popular Spider Tour, come in face-balanced (left) and toe-hang versions. How can you tell the difference?

One easy way is to balance the putter on the shaft. Face-balanced putters point to the sky; those with toe hang droop to varying degrees.

Photographs by Jeffery Westbrook

Play Your Best Equipment

Alternative #25 to the green jacket.

toe-ing the line MALLETS THAT FEEL LIKE BLADES

odyssey to ulo n desig n atl anta

odyss e y o - w ork s re d m a rx m a n s

p i ng s igm a g t y ne h

▶ Thanks to multiple hosel choices, this mid-mallet comes in face-balanced and toe-hang versions. The head is made from milled stainless steel with an aluminum soleplate.

▶ Once only face-balanced, the familiar Marxman shape now gets a slant-neck hosel to give it toe hang. It’s still got the classic mallet aiming line and perimeter weighting for extra forgiveness.

▶ The parallel arms frame the ball at address and offer stability.

The offset, Anser-style hosel fits a slightly arcing stroke, and the milled face pattern provides consistent speed on mis-hits.

pric e $400

price $200

price $200

108 golf digest india | april 2018

t r e nd s THE HOTTEST CLUB ON TOUR In some ways, PGA Tour players are like everyday golfers.

That’s particularly true when paying attention to a club that has enjoyed success. Over the past two years, few clubs captured the imagination as much as toe-hang mallets.

Unlike face-balanced mallets, toe-hang mallets are a good match for those with an arc in their stroke.

Although Jason Day’s use of a mallet might have started the conversation, Dustin Johnson followed, going from a blade to a TaylorMade Spider Tour toe-hang mallet, and becoming No. 1 in the world. Jon Rahm also uses a toe-hang mallet, as

Thomas: mike ehrmann/GeTTy imaGes • kinG: rob wilson

More than half of the top-50 players in the world use mallets, many of which feature heelshafted, toe-hang weighting.

Toe-hang mallets encourage an arcing stroke, the kind of motion that usually matches only with blade putters.

“One of my theories is that putters have been getting heavier and heavier, and people have lost the feel,” said Austie Rollinson, chief designer at Odyssey, the top-selling putter brand in the world. More than 70 percent of Odyssey’s sales are mallets.

“A heel shaft gets you to feel where that face is a little more.”

What makes the current atmosphere different is that more of these mallets that swing like blades also offer the off-centerhit forgiveness usually reserved for oversize, face-balanced shapes designed for a pendulum stroke (far right). Of course, with mallets and blades seemingly interchangeable these days—particularly some of the new wide-sole blade models—what’s the average golfer to do? Well, don’t just buy the first putter in the golf shop after you make a few 10-footers, or worse, the one you just saw on TV. “It’s a fact that certain putter shapes and toe-hang models marry with certain strokes to roll the ball the best,” says Nick Sherburne, master fitter for national clubfitting chain Club Champion, a Golf Digest 100 Best Clubfitter. “Toe-hang mallets filled a gap that wasn’t available for that kind of stroke type before. But it’s not necessarily the best of both worlds.”

Getting fit for a putter is no less important than being fit for a driver, especially with putting launch monitors more widely available. And in terms of saving strokes, a putter-fitting might just be twice as valuable.

Toe-hang mallets can help “because most golfers rotate along their path, and mallets are more forgiving on mis-hits,” says Ken Johns of 100 Best Clubfitter Miles of Golf. “If you aren’t making any putts, you’re in the wrong putter.” —mike stachura

A heel shaft helps you to feel where that face is during the stroke.

tay lormade tp collection ardmore 2 l

seemore mini giant fgp

▶ There are five of these “Ardmore” mid-size mallets to match different stroke types, including varying degrees of toe hang. All include a grooved face insert for quicker roll.

▶ The center of gravity is designed to keep the putterface square to your path. The widesole blade uses four copper heel and toe weights for forgiveness.

price $220

pric e $400

does Justin Thomas (left), making it the choice of three of the top four players in the world.

Scotty Cameron of Titleist says about 50 percent of his putters in play on tour are mallets. The reasons are multiple: success by others, availability of product, and the ability to see the benefits via technology. “When Justin won those

tournaments, it increased interest,” Cameron says. “And having the option of face-balanced along with toe hang led to an increase in usage on tour. But for tour players, seeing is believing. They get in the studio and see the numbers via the high-speed cameras.

They convince themselves at that point.” Cameron reminds people that

toe-hang mallets are not new—he created one with the Red-X line 13 years ago. The benefits, however, remain the same: more forgiveness via larger, more stable heads and better alignment features.

So, is this a fad or a trend? Cameron believes it’s the latter: “It’s showing no signs of slowing down.”

—e. michael johnson

pat h fi nd e r HOW A TOE-HANG MALLET MATCHES YOUR STROKE The long-held theory about facebalanced mallets is that they are designed for a straight-back, straight-through putting stroke (bottom). But those who advocate toe-hang mallets suggest that a pendulum-style stroke really isn’t possible without forcing the hands to manipulate the putter on a straight line. Because the shaft is at an angle (not straight up and down like a croquet mallet), a toe-hang mallet’s

weighting and offset hosel can make it easier to feel the putter work in that plane (top). “There’s no magic as to why mallets are face-balanced in the first place,” says Paul Wood, Ping’s vice president of engineering. “Our research has shown that not all mallets should be face-balanced.

If you have some arc in your stroke—and most people do—you tend to putt better with a putter with some toe hang.”

april 2018 | golf digest india

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Play Your Best Tee to Green by Butch Harmon

“The trick is to play the ball up but keep the shoulders square.”

Driver Keys A few basics you can’t mess with ndividuality in golf is great. My dad, Claude Harmon, who won the Masters 70 years ago, always said he wanted to help players without taking away what they did naturally. The caveat was, if any of those things hurt a player’s performance, it had to go.

With the driver, let’s look at a few things you need to get right.

Ball position literally sets up everything. Play the ball so it’s just inside the front heel (right).

That allows you to turn behind the ball, then drive forward and still catch it on the upswing.

I also look at shoulder alignment. Players often reach for the

I

ball when it’s played forward and unwittingly shift their shoulders open. The trick is playing the ball up, but keeping your shoulders parallel to the target line.

After a good windup, start the downswing from the ground up.

Shift your knees and hips toward the target. Notice (left) my hips are already turned open, but my chest is facing the ball. Amateurs often spin out the whole body and cut across the ball. Think: Chest to the ball at impact.

Another key is keeping the back shoulder down and in on the downswing. Don’t let that shoulder pop out toward the ball because you’re trying to muscle it. Let the club stay inside, then straighten your arms out to the ball. That’s a power key that you lose if you go hard from the top.

It’s OK to have your own style with the driver. Just make sure what you’re doing is setting up a powerful upswing hit. These keys are a good place to start.

—with peter morrice butch harmon is a Golf Digest Teaching Professional.

110 golf digest india | april 2018

Photographs by Dom Furore

Play Your Best Step by Step by David Leadbetter

“Changing the way you hold the club can work wonders.”

No More Chunks and Blades An easy fix for your chips here are many reasons golfers struggle when chipping, but it’s often the result of a breakdown of the wrist positions through impact.

As the clubhead approaches the ball, the wrist of the trail arm flips and the wrist of the lead arm cups—often an instinctive move to try to lift the ball off the ground with some quick hand action. But when the wrists break down like this, the club gouges the ground before hitting the ball—a chunk—or the leading edge contacts the top half of the ball—a blade.

So how do you prevent either from happening? Copy successful putters such as Jordan Spieth and hold the club cross-handed.

That means the lead hand grips the club lower than the trail hand. Sounds radical, but it really isn’t. In fact, Vijay Singh, among others on the pro tours, used this technique to try to improve his chipping.

It works because it helps prevent that wristy motion that kills so many short-game shots. Try holding the club like this when you hit practice chips, and get a feel for how the hands should move through impact—no flip! You can then switch back to a standard grip and re-create the exaggerated feel you just learned, or use this lead-hand low technique when you play. The choice is yours, but this grip could rescue your short game.

—with ron kaspriske david leadbetter, a Golf Digest Teaching Professional, runs 32 academies worldwide.

112 golf digest india | april 2018

Photographed by J.D. Cuban at the Concession Golf Club

Ted Baker shirT, panTs • royal alBarTross shoes

T

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