Golf Digest India - February 2017

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 10

RNI NO. HARENG/2016/66983 FEBRUARY 2017 `150

THINK YOUNG | PLAY HARD

PUBLISHED BY

MONEY ISSUE

DAVID LEADBETTER WORLD CLASS GOLF ACADEMY COMES TO INDIA

what people working in golf make tv’s $1.1bn question top 50 earning pros in golf

HOT DATES 2017

INTERVIEW

KAPIL DEV HOW GOLF WORKS IN INDIA Exclusive Official Media Partner

YEARBOOK

2016

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Anas Shamsi Rambagh Golf Club

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Ranabir Sen Tollygunge Club

18 Sep 16

Billu Barman Tollygunge Club

27 Jul 16

Indrajit Roy Tollygunge Club

23 Jul 16

Dr. Jagdish Sharma Rambagh Golf Club 10 Jul 16 Vinay Kumar Godha Rambagh Golf Club 10 Jul 16 Sagar Badlani Rambagh Golf Club

24 May 16

Anil Fatehpuria Rambagh Golf Club

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Vijan Pal Singh Rambagh Golf Club

12 Apr 16

Capt. Neeraj Sogani Rambagh Golf Club 11 Apr 16 Pankaj Jain Rambagh Golf Club

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A K Pande Rambagh Golf Club

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Dr. Saraswati Mittal Rambagh Golf Club 14 Mar 16 Dr. Rahul K. Sharma Rambagh Golf Club 11 Mar 16 Subhash Arya Rambagh Golf Club

7 Mar 16

Gopal Sharma Rambagh Golf Club

24 Feb 16

Shriesh Sacheti Rambagh Golf Club

15 Feb 16

Vinesh K. Bhargava Rambagh Golf Club 2 Feb 16 Kodandaram Ramaiah Bangalore Golf Club 7 Jan 16

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

l

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

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Contents 02/17

|

2016 Review 18

A Fabulous 2017 Beckons Indian Golf by rohit bhardwaj

22

36

18

28

How Golf Works In India GDI gives you a primer on Indian golf and how the sport is governed and promoted in the country

62

First-Time Winners Reign In 2016

64

Players To Watch In 2017

66

Tiger Confirmed For The Omega Dubai Desert Classic

70

HNA Group New Title Sponsor Of French Open

by Chuah Choo Chiang

Money Issue 72

The Rules Are Changing From the Golf Digest 50 to television deals and beyond, money is flowing in new ways. by ron sirak

77

TV’s $1.1 Billion Problem Making sense of Fox and the USGA. by ron sirak

81

Lending Money to Fellow Players Can Be Awkward

DJ’s Tunes Rule In Olympic Year by shaghil bilali

44

32

HOT DATES 2017 Comprehensive Schedule Of Top Professional Golf Tournaments

India Digest 34

Newsmakers Update on Indian Golfers around the world

36

David Leadbetter Opens Academy In India In A Freewheeling Chat With GDI, Leadbetter Says Golf Needs To Promote Shorter Formats Like T20

64 40

84

48 12 golf digest india | february 2017

Club Round Up Updates from courses across India

42

India’s Most Golf Friendly Cities

44

Tete-A-Tete With Kapil Dev by vineet mann

with max adler 82

What People in Golf Make Our biennial report on salaries from around the game. by alan p. pittman

Features 84

Think Young, Play Hard Will Brooke Henderson become the best Canadian golfer of all time? with ron kaspriske

86

Bust It Every Time Make this your best year ever—with my tips for power and precision from tee to green. by dustin johnson

96

Tom Watson You can master the long greenside bunker shot

Business Of Golf Industry updates

98

Jack Nicklaus Beat the prevailing wind

Corporate Digest MercedesTrophy

100 Swing Sequence:

52 54

India Golf Expo

102 New Looks

58

Junior Golf

48

Health & Fitness Paula Hurtado

50

Shane Lowry

Eight new drivers

Editor’s Letter Dear Readers,

A

oUR conTRiBUToRs

s the 2017 golf season kicks off across India and on major tours around the world, the first annual edition of our “Yearbook 2016” concept is presented in this issue. We attempt to compile useful information and analysis about various facets of competitive Indian golf which we hope our readers will find interesting.

Jack Nicklaus

High quality professional golf instruction is one of the biggest catalysts to induct and retain new golfers into the game. The role of quality instructors cannot be overstated. In this context the opening of the world renowned Leadbetter Golf Academy in Pune could be a huge milestone in Indian golf history. Hence we feature David on the cover. Such an academy and brand can Write to me at rishi@teamgolfdigest.com or help not only top class amateurs and pros raise on Twitter @RishiNarain_ their games further but it can guide thousands of beginners to take to the game and enjoy it. Also the Leadbetter academy has programmes to train Indian coaches which can raise standards across the board. We need a minimum of another 100 high quality coaches to start achieving goals of large scale grassroots programs.

Our handful of top coaches are mostly in the top 3-4 metros. The rest of the country is in dire need and clubs need to work closely with IGU and perhaps Oxford resort where the Leadbetter academy is based to sponsor their coaches for training.

Also clubs need guidelines on the number of coaches allowed to teach at their range based on the number of practice bays available and size of membership. Currently many clubs have between 15 to 20 coaches actively working. This situation is counter-productive as coaches struggle to make a living and eventually lose interest or quit the profession. No club should have more than 5-6 active coaches. Then coaches will invest in improving their skills and getting in training aids and technology. The National Golf Academy of India (NGAI) and IGU can take the lead in remedying the prevailing chaotic situation.

No one will deny that Kapil Dev has played a huge role in raising awareness and popularising the game in India. He shares a few thoughts in a frank and spontaneous interview.

We received overwhelmingly positive feedback on our January issue and look forward to more comments for this attempt. We hope to serve the Indian golf community better as the year goes on.

Happy Golfing !

Rishi Narain

Team Golf DiGesT inDia Editor & Publisher Rishi Narain Managing Editor Rohit Bhardwaj

Contributing Editor Bharath Arvind

Editorial Assistant Vineet Mann

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

Assistant Art Director Guneet Singh Oberoi

Srijan Yadav Subscriptions Chitwanmeet Cour/ Monika Chhabra srijan@teamgolfdigest.com , +91-9416252880 subscribe@teamgolfdigest.com Phone: +91-9999868051 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-122 011, Haryana. 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 | february 2017

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 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

Popularly known as The ‘Golden Bear’, Nicklaus is widely regarded as the greatest golfer of all time. He won a record 18 Majors during his playing career and is regarded as the ultimate thinker and strategist on the golf course. He lies third on the all-time winner list on the PGA Tour behind Sam Snead and Tiger Woods with 73 titles.

Tom Watson

Watson is an eighttime Major champion, with five British Open titles to his credit, who defied age by becoming the oldest professional golfer at 60 years to lead the second and third rounds of the 2009 British Open. He topped the World Rankings from 1978 to 1982.

Butch Harmon

Harmon is best known for having been Tiger Woods’ golf coach during the prime of his career from 1993 to 2004. He has also worked with other Major champions such as Ernie Els, Stewart Cink, Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Fred Couples and Justin Leonard. Has topped many lists as the No. 1 rated golf instructor in the world.

David Leadbetter

Leadbetter, is without doubt the most celebrated golf instructor in history. His books, videos and DVD’s have sold in the millions worldwide. He came to wide notice in the 1980s when he rebuilt the swing of Nick Faldo, who then went on to win six Major championships. Apart from Faldo his students included Greg Norman (1997) and Ernie Els (1990–2008). Leadbetter changed golf instruction for all future generations from guesswork to science.

Letters to the Editor

From the

VolumE 1 Issu

E9 RNI No. HARENG/2 016/6 JANuARy 2017 6983 `150

Readers It was really nice to receive the ‘Corporate Special’. Never knew so many corporates are passionate about the sport. The listing of top corporate golfers came across as an eye opener, with handicaps as low as 2 and 3 they could very well give professionals a run for their money. Hero MotoCorp chairman Pawan Munjal’s interview was very insightful. Mr Munjal’s vision to expand the motorcycle brand’s presence to 50 countries and his continued support for golf in the country is commendable.

Articles “Understanding Golf On TV” and “Golf On The Go” educated my family about the game. Looking forward to more informative articles in the coming months.

— Purushottam Sharma, Mumbai While Aditi Ashok’s twin victories on the Ladies European Tour brought the limelight towards women’s golf, the write-up on Iceland’s Olafia Kristinsdottir came as a pleasant surprise. Olafia, who trains indoors for most part of the year due to ice cover, is the first golfer from her country to ever play on the LPGA. That’s a huge achievement and a lesson for girls in our country to take up the sport and make a name for themselves. The fitness article with Spanish sensation Belen Mozo was a great read. Thank you Golf Digest for such useful content for women folks too.

—Snehwala Bhardwaj, Patna

Messages I read the entire Jan issue from cover to cover and do so every month. Find it really interesting DP Singh – Chairman, Sara Group ( Delhi)

Think Young | PlaY hard

Beginner’s guide Best Corporate golfers golf on the go

Pawan Munjal Putting india on the global

golf MaP

CorPorate SPeCial

Exclusive officia l media Partner INDIA Cover Jan Final.ind

d 1

12/22/2016 3:47:11 PM

Me and my 8 year old son look forward to receiving Golf Digest every month and go through it with great interest. My kid is getting hooked to the game and to Golf Digest. Its full of so much useful information for us.

Chetan Guglani, Accenture ( Pune)

The magazine looks fantastic and I am impressed with how much original local content there is. Much more than in other countries. You guys have done a great job” Ben Riches – Global MD, Leadbetter Academies

The winner of new subscriber lucky draw contest will be announced on the Golf Digest India facebook page on the 30th of every month One new subscriber every month will win a Featherlite chair worth ` 20,000 through a lucky draw MONTHLY LUCKY DRAW!!!

Connect with us @IndiaGolfDigest

16 golf digest india | february 2017

www.golfdigestindia.com

@GolfDigestIndia

BEAUTY IS POWER

OWN YOUR BEAUTY WITH BIG BOY TOYZ

In Golf Digest India’s yearbook section we capture highlights of Indian and world golf for 2016 while recording past performances of Indians. We tell you how Indian amateurs and pros have been doing especially in international events as well as decode how Indian golf is run and administered. Read on...

A fAbulous 2017 beckons

IndIan golf

by Rohit bhARdwAj rohit@teamgolfdigest.com

2016 could be remembered in Indian golfing history as a ‘Fairytale Season’. Four Indians, including an 18-year-old girl in her rookie season, pocketed seven international titles in rapid succession to amass US $916,460 (approx. Rs 6.25 crores) in the space of a few weeks in prize money earnings. With this Fairytale as backdrop, 2017 holds great promise for fans. Golf Digest India takes a look at 5 players who will shine for the country in 2017.

aditi ashok Aditi Ashok broke one record after another to end 2017 with two wins included in seven top-10s from 14 starts. While securing second place on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit, she incidentally also won the Rookie of the Year award.

Aditi, later earned conditional playing rights on the 2017 LPGA Tour becoming only the second Indian after Smriti Mehra to compete in America.

With limited starts on the LPGA and a full membership of the LET, Aditi will have to shuttle between USA and Europe and should even get to play in a couple of Majors.

With her stupendous showing, Aditi has inspired many young Indian girls to take up golf and she will definitely be closely followed by her hordes of fans wherever she is competing on the planet in the new season.

Aditi, which translates to ‘limitless’, finished the year on a high, clinching conditional LPGA playing rights to become the second Indian after Smriti Mehra to compete in USA

18 golf digest india | february 2017

Aditi Ashok

earnings in her rookie season on the LET with 2 wins and 5 top-10s

206,664 €

|

|

2016 was easily the comeback year for 27 year old Gaganjeet Bhullar. A previously out of form Gaganjeet ended a three-year trophy drought, winning two Asian Tour titles – Shinhan Donghae Open and Bank BRI-JCB Indonesia Open – within a space of seven weeks in the 2nd half of the year.

Gaganjeet’s previous international win had come at the Indonesia Open in 2013 before a wrist injury put him into this long slump and we are happy to see him emerge in style.

Gaganjeet, like his mentor Jeev Milkha Singh has won many international titles but is yet to win the Indian Open. All eyes will be on him as the Hero Indian Open returns to DLF Golf & Country Club this March. The course should favour his game more than the bush lined fairways of Delhi Golf Club. Having taken up residence in California, Gaganjeet has his eyes firmly placed on the PGA Tour, and would dearly like to add a European Tour title to his cabinet before moving on to America.

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gaganjeet bhullar

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Gaganjeet and two-time Asia No. 1 Jeev Milkha Singh are yet to win the Indian Open

Top IndIan earners on european Tour (2012-2016) Year

Rank

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

Player

Earnings (€)

89

Anirban Lahiri

353,942

91

SSP Chowrasia

348,664

160

Jeev Milkha Singh

96,723

161

Shiv Kapur

95,303

20

Anirban Lahiri

1,558,111

113

SSP Chowrasia

240,803

126

Shiv Kapur

180,490

133

Jeev Milkha Singh

158,313

87

Shiv Kapur

302,647

139

Gaganjeet Bhullar

140,008

148

SSP Chowrasia

120,890

102

Gaganjeet Bhullar

259,804

133

Jeev Milkha Singh

156,643

145

SSP Chowrasia

117,447

32

Jeev Milkha Singh

926,062

97

SSP Chowrasia

250,530

126

Shiv Kapur

170,042

148

Gaganjeet Bhullar

109,114

For the second time since 2012,

2 Indians featured in the top-100 of European Tour Order of Merit in 2016

4 After 2012, four Indians finished in top-150 of Order of Merit only in 2015

2015

was the best year for Indians as the top-4 amassed

2.13mn € In 2012 top-4 Indian pros pocketed 1.46 million Euros 2013 was the leanest year at 533,894 Euros

february 2017 | golf digest india

19

2016 Review Top IndIan earners on asIan Tour (2012-2016) Year

Rank

Player

Earnings (US$)

2016

6

SSP Chowrasia

517,467

9

Gaganjeet Bhullar

368,737

17

Rahil Gangjee

187,275

26

Rashid Khan

156,008

27

Chikkarangappa

144,945

34

Shiv Kapur

124,479

1

Anirban Lahiri

1,139,084

4

SSP Chowrasia

343,272

14

Chiragh Kumar

187,275

31

Himmat Rai

139,473

33

Rashid Khan

135,107

39

Jyoti Randhawa

118,010

2

Anirban Lahiri

602,833

10

Rashid Khan

243,249

11

SSP Chowrasia

235,085

17

Jyoti Randhawa

187,589

19

Rahil Gangjee

179,440

25

Arjun Atwal

124,682

26

Shiv Kapur

117,453

3

Anirban Lahiri

517,030

5

Gaganjeet Bhullar

479,978

10

Shiv Kapur

289,871

16

SSP Chowrasia

208,581

17

Jyoti Randhawa

196,868

2015

2014

2013

2012

29

Rahil Gangjee

112,220

5

Gaganjeet Bhullar

451,245

8

Shiv Kapur

358,725

10

Anirban Lahiri

289,731

27

SSP Chowrasia

152,488

30

Jyoti Randhawa

137,128

19.2cr Total earnings of Anirban Lahiri (US $ 2,819,643) on Asian Tour 2012-2016

Prize money barrier Anirban Lahiri breached in 2015 on the Asian Tour, becoming the second Indian to do so after Jeev Milkha Singh ($1,452,701) in 2008

US $1 mn

anirban lahiri Anirban Lahiri, though unable to replicate his 2015 heroics , creditably retained his playing rights in America and came tantalizingly close to claiming his first USPGA title at the CIMB Class in Malaysia. In 2015 he had not only won the Hero Indian Open, and Maybank Malaysia Open but also finished No. 1 on the Asian Tour Order of Merit besides finishing fifth at the year’s final Major – the PGA Championship.

Nevertheless in 2016 he came close to defending his Hero Indian Open crown at the Delhi Golf Club and lost a playoff at the Venetian Macau Open to finish second on both occasions. The World No. 82 gave glimpses of his brilliant form at the $7 million CIMB and but for one hole would have been a runaway winner. Having relocated to Florida so that he could focus on the American Tour, Anirban would dearly like to earn a spot at the Augusta Masters in April as well as retain his place on the International team for September’s Presidents Cup being played outside New York City.

Having relocated to Florida so that he could focus on the American Tour, Anirban would dearly like to earn a spot at the Augusta Masters in April as well as retain his place on the International team for September’s Presidents Cup being played outside New York City.

In 2013 and 2014, five Indians finished in the top-20 of Asian Tour Order of Merit vis-à-vis three Indians in 2015 & 2016.

IndIans aT The avanTha MasTers (2010-2013) Year

Prize Money

In Top 10

Made Cut

Highest Rank

Venue

2013

$2.3 million

2

14

Gaganjeet Bhullar (2nd; Earning - $258,700)

Jaypee Greens, Greater Noida

2012

$2.4 million

0

12

Shamim Khan (22nd; Earning - $26,418)

DLF G&CC

2011

$2.3 million

3

14

SSP Chowrasia (1st; Earning - $405,180)

DLF G&CC

2010

$2.1 million

0

5

Rahil Gangjee (14th; Earning - $30,031)

DLF G&CC

20 golf digest india | february 2017

y e a r book Highest Rank Mukesh Kumar (1st; Earning - $72,000)

2015

6

29

Chiragh Kumar (1st; Earning - $72,000)

2014

4

35

SSP Chowrasia (1st; Earning - $54,000)

2013

6

32

Shiv Kapur (4th; Earning - $15,000)

2012

7

22

Digvijay Singh (1st; Earning - $47,550)

2011

5

28

Anirban Lahiri (1st; Earning - $47,550)

|

|

Made Cut 40

9

# 19 golfers in the top-60 of Asian Tour Order of Merit played in 2016

5

Total no. of Indians who made the cut in the Panasonic Open - an all-time record on the Asian Tour

40

Five Indians have won the Panasonic Open in six years at the Delhi Golf Club

Comparing this with the last five year results in the Avantha Masters suggests that more Indians are comfortable playing the Delhi Golf Club rather than the DLF Golf & Country Club (Gurgaon) or Jaypee Greens (in Greater Noida) courses.

n

In Top 10 9

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Year 2016

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IndIans aT The panasonIc open (2011-2016)

201

Number of Indians who finished in the top-10 of 2016 Panasonic Open India

ssp chowrasia Kolkata’s ever smiling short game genius SSP Chowrasia finally claimed the $1.66 million 2016 Hero Indian Open crown overcoming the familiar strong challenge by Anirban Lahiri.

Towards the end of the year the 38-year-old clinched another winhis first one overseas and fifth international title in a three-way playoff at the $1 million Resorts World Manila Masters title, showing fans he has the game to win anywhere.

Chowrasia already made his intentions clear that European Tour is the place where his heart lies and he plans to compete in just 10 events on the Asian Tour. With renewed energy and a passion to excel in Europe, 2017 could be the year Chowrasia breaks through in the colder climes, where his putter has failed to get hot so far.

IndIans aT The hero IndIan open (2007-2016) Year

Prize Money

In Top 10 Made Cut

Highest Rank

2016

$1.66 million

5

21

SSP Chowrasia (1st; Earning - $276,660)

2015

$1.5 million

2

15

Anirban Lahiri (1st; Earning - $250,000)

2014

No event

—

—

—

2013

$1.25 million

4

22

Anirban Lahiri (2nd; Earning - $106,429)

2012

$1.25 million

3

26

Shiv Kapur (4th; Earning - $61,625)

2011

$1.25 million

3

20

Chiragh Kumar (2nd; Earning - $135,625)

2010

$1.25 million

5

24

Shiv Kapur (3rd; Earning - $68,937)

2009

$1.25 million

5

22

Chinnaswamy Muniyappa (1st; Earning - $198,125)

2008

$1 million

4

24

Jeev Milkha Singh (4th; Earning - $49,300)

2007

$500,000

5

25

Jyoti Randhawa (1st; Earning - $79,250)

Stats compiled by: Rohit Bhardwaj

chikkarangappa s With four top-10s on the 2016 Asian Tour and the same number on the 2015 Asian Development Tour, Chikka looks set to win his first international crown in 2017. With a solid temperament and a mentor in citymate Anirban Lahiri, Chikkarangappa might be the surprise package for 2017.

Sharing Anirban’s coach Vijay Divecha, Chikka has the ability to alter his game even under severe pressure, to suit course conditions. february 2017 | golf digest india

21

2016 Review

How Golf Works In India A frequently asked question among club golfers around India is “How is Indian Golf governed?”

“What all does the IGU do?” and similar. In response Golf Digest India decodes how Indian Golf is run and administered in the country

Indian Golf Union

IGU Governing Body president Wg Cdr Satish Aparajit

The Indian Golf Union (IGU) is the apex body of golf in the country and is responsible for the promotion and development of golf in India. Starting with only six golf clubs at the beginning, it boasts of having 194 golf clubs affiliated currently. Broadly IGU oversees amateur and junior golf in the country,

Key responsibilities include: l Organising 75 Amateur tournaments including sub-junior, junior, men’s/women’s events

l Providing equipment for training at grassroots level.

l Organising the Indian Open since 1964

l Selection, funding and training national squads for international tournaments like Asia Pacific and World Amateur Team events for both men and women Selecting & facilitating teams for Asian Games & Olympics.

l Organising Referee Certification Courses throughout the year. l Organising Greenkeeper and Course Superintendent training programs l Conducting certification programmes for teaching professionals at the National Golf Academy of India (NGAI)

l Providing golfers with the online National Handicap Service at www.igunhs.com

l Junior Golf Programmes in Tier-2 cities like Trivandrum, Shillong, Vizag and Kochi.

l Supporting the India Golf Expo and Women’s Indian Open

l Publishing the Golfingly Yours Newsletter

Funding: Through individual life associate membership program, Affiliated club fees, Government annual training grant Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme, National Handicap Service (NHS), Hero Indian Open Website: www.indiangolfunion.org

22 golf digest india | february 2017

Vice president & hon. secretary Lt Gen AKS Chandele Council Members East Zone - Farzan Heerjee, Dr. Satbinder Singh, Ranjit Chaudhri; west Zone - Devang Shah, S K Bhatia, Sameer Sinha; north Zone - CSR Reddy, Sanjeev Rattan, Col H S Baidwan; south Zone - Dilip Thomas, C S Subramanian, Ishwar Achanta; army Zone Lt Gen AKS Chandele (Retd), Lt Gen Mukesh Sabharwal (Retd), Lt Gen Sanjiv Talwar, Lt Gen Abhay Krishna, Maj Gen Rajesh Sahai Founder Club Members Gaurav Ghosh (Royal Calcutta Golf Club) Maj Gen KMS Shergill (Delhi Golf Club) Akshay Kilachand (Willingdon Sports Club) Avnish Kumar (Bombay Presidency Golf Club) Joydeep Datta Gupta (Tollygunge Club) G. Suresh Kumar (Madras Gymkhana Club) iGU Ladies Committee Chairperson - Pauline JM Singh Vice Chairperson - Nandita Rao.

y e a r book Men Team

position

year

women Team

position

2016

Aalaap IL

Tied 31

2016

Tvesa Malik

31

2014

2012

Arjun Prasad

Gaurika Bishnoi

Kshitij Naveed Kaul

Diksha Dagar

Udayan Mane

Tied 29

2014

Aditi Ashok

Feroz Garewal

Gurbani Singh

Manu Gandas

Astha Madan

Chikkarangappa S.

Tied 24

|

Conducted under the aegis of the Asia-Pacific Golf Confedertion (APGC) amongst its 40 national associations since 2009 with the support of The Masters organising committee and R&A (Scotland). The winner gets a direct entry into the year’s first Major at Augusta National.

EspiriTo sanTo Trophy

year

2012

Aditi Ashok

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EisEnhowEr Trophy

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ASIA-PACIFIC AMATEUR

WATC is a biennial tournament organized by International Golf Federation (IGF). The tournament comprises of two trophies – Eisenhower Trophy for men and Espirito Santo Trophy for women.

From India, IGU sends a three member team of both men and women to compete against teams from 70 countries.

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WORLD AMATEUR TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS (WATC)

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indians aT ThE asia-paCiFiC aMaTEUr

Tied 17

34

Year

Made Cut

Best Finish

2016

5

Viraj Madappa (T-26th)

2015

2

Samarth Dwivedi (42nd)

2014

4

Rigel Fernandes (T-15th)

2013

4

Trishul Chinnappa (T-34th)

2012

6

Chikkarangappa (12th)

2011

6

Honey Baisoya, Chikkarangappa (T-46th)

Khalin Joshi

Gurbani Singh

2010

4

Khalin Joshi (T-9th)

Angad Cheema

Gursimar Badwal

2009

3

Rashid Khan (T-18th)

ASIAN GAMES

The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a Pancontinental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. Golf was introduced at the Asian Games for the first time in 1982, hosted by India in New Delhi. Every four years, IGU sends four men and three women amateur golfers to participate in the event. Indian Team Performance at previous two Asian Games MEn

woMEn

year

Team

position

year

Team

position

2014

Udayan Mane

6

2014

Aditi Ashok

8

Feroz Garewal

Gurbani Singh

Samarth Dwivedi

Astha Madan

The year Delhi golfer Shiv Kapur won an individual Gold medal at the Busan Asian Games in Korea

Manu Gandas 2010

Rahul Bajaj

2002

2

2010

Shreya Ghei

Abhijit Chadha

Vani Kapoor

Rashid Khan

Gurbani Singh

9

IN

1982

Abhinav Lohan

3 2014 Asian Games Mens Team L-R: Samarth Dwivedi, Manu Gandas, Feroz Garewal and Udayan Mane

Number of international amateur wins recorded by Aditi Ashok in 2015.

She won the St Rule Trophy, Ladies’ British Amateur & Thailand Amateur Championship

India won Gold in golf.

Winning team: Laxman Singh, Amit Luthra, Rajiv Mohta and Rishi Narain

In 2010, Rashid Khan broke into Top-15 of World Amateur Golf Rankingshighest ever by an Indian

The position in which Udayan Mane recorded the best individual finish ever by an Indian at the 2014 Eisenhower Trophy

Top-15

13th

L-R: Jasjeet Singh, 2014 Asian Games Women’s Team - Aditi Ashok, Gurbani Singh and Astha Madan alongside Raian Irani

february 2017 | golf digest india

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2016 Review NOMURA CUP

The Nomura Cup, also known as Asia-Pacific Amateur Golf Team Championship, is organised by Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation and in 2015, the 27th edition of the biennial tournament was played. India first participated in the event in 1969 and India’s only victory came in 1973 in Indonesia where the team of R K Pitamber, P G Sethi, Vikramjit Singh and Laksman Singh emerged on top. Every two years, IGU sends a team of four amateur golfers to compete against 16-18 countries.

QUEEN SIRIKIT CUP

Inaugurated in 1979, Queen Sirikit Cup is also known as Amateur Ladies Asia-Pacific Invitational Golf Team Championship. Year 2016 marked the 38th edition of the annual event. The Queen Sirikit Cup ranks amongst the top amateur team tournaments in the world, having produced several World Ranked #1 LPGA stars over the years. Since its inception, IGU has been sending a three-member team to compete for the title amongst 14 countries.

Nomura Cup

QueeN SirikiT Cup

Year

Team

position

Year

Team

position

2015

Aman Raj

9

2016

Diksha Dagar

10

Samarth Dwivedi

Gaurika Bishnoi

Rahul Ravi

Tvesa Malik

Harimohan Singh 2013

Viraj Madappa

2015 10

12

Gaurika Bishnoi

Saqib Ahmed

Nishtha Madan

Trishul Chinnappa

2014

5th

Vikram Rana Nomura Cup 2017 will be played in Malaysia from November 8-11.

Ridhima Dilawari

In 2015, Aman Raj shot rounds of 70-71-67-70 for a total 278 to finish on credible 5th place in the individual leaderboard.

Ridhima Dilawari

9

Aditi Ashok Gaurika Bishnoi

3rd In 2016, Delhi’s Diksha Dagar finished in 17th place with a total of 221

In 2011 Queen Sirikit Cup, Gauri Monga registered the best individual finish ever by an Indian at 3rd place, while the Indian team finished a creditable fourth

INDIAN GOLF UNION – ORDER OF MERIT TOPPERS FOR 2016 raNk

Name

poiNTS

CiTY

Junior Boys a Category (16-18 years)

raNk

Name

poiNTS

CiTY

Junior Girls B Category (14-16 years)

1

Karandeep Kochhar

373

Chandigarh

1

Pranavi Urs

365*

Mysore

2

Kartik Sharma

330

New Delhi

2

Anika Varma

365

Noida

3

Manav Bais

320

Gurgaon

3

Vasundhara Thiara

284

Chandigarh

4

Aadil Bedi

291

Chandigarh

4

Neeharika Thangamma

211

Mysore

5

Jay Pandya

265

Rajkot

5

Rakshita Singh

200

New Delhi

Junior Boys B Category (14-16 years)

Gentlemen merit List

1

Shubham Jaglan

390

New Delhi

1

Yuvraj Sandhu

294

Chandigarh

2

Harshjeet Singh Sethie

378

New Delhi

2

Yashas Chandra

292

Mysore

3

Raghav Chugh

349

New Delhi

3

Tapendra Ghai

289

Gurgaon

4

Saurav Rathi

346

Gurgaon

4

Aalap IL

278

Mysore

5

Pratyush Sharma

287

Gurgaon

5

Sunhit Chowrasia

254

Kolkata

Junior Girls a Category (16-18 years)

Ladies merit List

1

Diksha Dagar

336

New Delhi

1

Diksha Dagar

353

New Delhi

2

Sifat Sagoo

302

New Delhi

2

Tvesa Malik

293

New Delhi

3

Pranavi Urs

283

Mysore

3

Sifat Sagoo

266

New Delhi

4

Anika Varma

256

Noida

4

Pranavi Urs

220

Mysore

5

Amrita Anand

224

Noida

5

Anika Varma

213

Noida

While the traditional powerhouses of Delhi-NCR and Chandigarh dominated the Junior Golf Rankings as expected, Mysore was a surprise package, featuring 6 players this time. It’s also a wake up call for cities like Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai, who need to step up efforts in Junior Golf.

24 golf digest india | february 2017

Stats compiled by: Vineet Mann

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pGTi order of meriT (oom) wiNNerS Year

OOM Winner

Prize Money (Rs)

2016

Rashid Khan

44,79,880

2015

Chikkarangappa

48,87,440

2014

Shankar Das

54,32,067

2013

Rashid Khan

46,38,284

2012

Shamim Khan

57,47,713

2 Number of times Delhi golfer Rashid Khan has claimed the Order of Merit in last five years

The amount Shamim Khan pocketed in 2012 is the highest in last five years

Rs 57 lakh

n

been inducted as a member of the prestigious ‘International Federation of PGA Tours’ and is recognised worldwide as the official sanctioning body of professional golf in India. Every year the PGTI organises between 15 and 25 four round tournaments across the country. However international tour events on Indian soil have decreased. 2016 saw only the Hero Indian Open and Panasonic Open India in contrast to five events in 2013 – Gujarat Kensville Challenge (Challenge Tour), SAIL-SBI Open (Asian Tour), Avantha Masters (European Tour), Hero Indian Open and Panasonic Open India (both Asian Tour event).

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The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) completed 10 years in September last year. Avantha Group Chairman & CEO, Gautam Thapar, is the president of PGTI. With over 300 members today, PGTI has a governing board comprising leading Indian golf professionals and corporates as patrons.

PGTI’s objective is to promote professional golf in the country, and create more competitive playing opportunities for its members.

Under Thapar’s strategic leadership, PGTI gained recognition from the European Tour and the Asian Tour and its prize money grew by over 250% in its first three years! It has also

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201

PGTI Governing Body President Gautam Thapar Director Uttam Singh Mundy Board Members HR Srinivasan, Jyoti Randhawa, Digvijay Singh, Amardip Malik, Manav Jaini, Gurki Shergill, Angad Cheema and Rudresh Sharma.

Website: www.pgtofindia.com

domeSTiC prize moNeY iN LaST 10 YearS Year

Prize Money

New Events Added

2016

9.85 cr

1. Kolkata Classic 2. BTI Open 3. Pune Open 4. TAKE Solutions Classic 5. Express Exclusive presents Chennai Open Golf Championship 6. TAKE Open

2015

8.22 cr

1. The Hemisphere PGTI Masters 2. Golconda Masters 3. Western India Oxford Masters

2014

9.1 cr

1. PGTI Cochin Masters presented by CIAL Golf & Country Club 2. J & K Bank PGTI Pahalgam Masters presented by KEO 3. PGTI Kashmir Masters presented by KEO 4. Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Open Golf

2013

7.8 cr

1. Sri Lanka Ports Authority Open 2. Jaypee Greens Open 3. Dialog Enterprise International

2012

9.07 cr

1. Standard Chartered Open

2011

8.25 cr

1. Surya Nepal Masters

2010

9.85 cr

N.A.

2009

7.6 cr

N.A.

2008

6.55 cr

N.A.

2007

4.6 cr

N.A.

(Excludes co-sanctioned events on the European Tour, Challenge Tour, Asian Tour & Asian Development Tour)

Trends l 2016 saw an unprecedented six new events added to the PGTI calendar offering Rs 9.85 crore in prize money, matching the amount offered in 2010. l 2016 Order of Merit winner Rashid Khan (Rs 44 lakh) accumulated lesser amount than Shamim Khan (Rs 57 lakh in 2012) which shows more players are sharing the pie than ever before.

9.85 cr

Cumulative domestic prize money for 2016 propelled by six new events on the calendar

february 2017 | golf digest india

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2016 Review

Mapping Pro Golfers Indians in Top-60 on PGTI (City wise breakup) Bengaluru

10

Gurgaon

10

Delhi

9

Chandigarh

8

Kolkata

4

Noida

4

Lucknow

2

Mhow

2

Meerut

2

Patna

1

Mumbai

1

Jamshedpur

1

Jaipur

1

Karnal

1

Foreigners

4

34

of the Top-60 golfers on the 2016 PGTI Order of Merit belong to North India

Chandigarh Karnal Meerut

Gurgaon

Delhi

Noida Jaipur

Lucknow Patna

Mhow

Jamshedpur

Kolkata

Mumbai

18 Number of states which have no representation in the Top-60 of 2016 PGTI Order of Merit

Bengaluru

Bengaluru with 10 pros in Top-60 of PGTI money list is the golfing hub of South India

10 Golf Course Superintendents and Managers Assn Of India GCS & MAI is the premier body espousing the cause of greenkeepers and managers of golf courses in India. The association aims to assist all golf course developers, organizations running golf courses to provide them useful and professional advise to overcome challenges in improving the standard of golf courses in the country.

The organization endeavours to improve the technical knowledge and know how of golf course superintendents & managers by conducting meetings and seminars.

26 golf digest india | february 2017

GCS & MAI Board President: G.S. Mani Vice President: Mohan Subramaniam Secretary General: Col. Pravin Uberoi (Retd.)

Treasurer: Vijit Nandrajog

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indians at the Women’s indian open (2007-2016)

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purse of US$ 100,000.

Since then the WGAI has received tremendous support from Hero MotoCorp, which lent the much needed impetus to the tour as was rechristened as the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour (HWPGT). The tour has over 25 members which includes India’s top lady professionals. The HWPGT conducts 12-18 tournaments a year across India with the largest being the US$ 400,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open, an event co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET) since 2015.

2016 was a breakthrough season when five WGAI members earned playing rights on the LET.

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The Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI) was established in 2004 as a nationwide non-profit organization. The WGAI enables women to compete in an organized professional tour i.e. Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour and serves as launching pad for greater honours worldwide once Indian amateurs reach the age of 18.

In October 2006, WGAI launched a 5 leg tour with a prize purse of Rs 6 lacs with 5 players. In 2007, the first Women’s International Professional Golf Championship i.e. the DLF Women’s Indian Open was hosted as a co-sanctioned event along with the Ladies Asian Golf Tour (LAGT) for a prize

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Women’s Golf Association of India

201

Governing body Patron in Chief Pawan Munjal Patron Anjani Desai President Kavita Singh Vice President (Exec.

Committee Member) Devin Narang Vice President (Invitee) Nonita Lall Qureshi Secretary General & Exec.

Committee Member Champika Sayal Treasurer Latika Khaneja

Year

Prize Money

In Top 10

Made Cut

Highest Rank

2016

$400,000

1

4

Aditi Ashok (1st; Earning - $60,000)

2015

$400,000

0

4

Aditi Ashok (Tied 13th; Earning - Played as an amateur)

2014

$300,000

2

10

Vaishavi Sinha (5th; Earning - $14,400)

2013

$300,000

1

10

Gauri Monga (T-5th; Earning - Played as an amateur)

2012

$300,000

1

6

Aditi Ashok (T-8th; Earning - Played as an amateur)

2011

$300,000

0

5

Sharmila Nicollet (T-22nd; Earning - $3,420)

2010

$300,000

0

3

Sharmila Nicollet (T-23rd; Earning - $3,465)

2009

$120,000

0

12

Nalini Singh Siwach (T-11th; Earning - $2,161)

2008

$120,000

1

17

Smriti Mehra (T-6th; Earning - $4,080)

2007

$100,000

2

4

Irina Brar (T-4th; Earning - $5,100)

1st Aditi Ashok became the 1st Indian to win a Ladies European Tour event at the $400,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open in 2016

Chairperson Players Division Saaniya Sharma Members Madhushree Birla, Dilip Thomas, Rudratej Singh, Monica Jajoo, Satish Aparajit (President, IGU), IGU representatives Lt Gen AKS Chandele(Retd) and Wg. Cdr. A K Singh, Anil Malhotra, Ritika Modi.

Website: www.wgai.co.in

* Became part of the Ladies European Tour (LET) in 2015 *Venue: It has always been staged at the DLF Golf & Country Club # Part of the Ladies Asian Golf Tour till 2014

Golf Industry Association (GIA) GIA is a non-profit Industry Association formed by golf industry groups to carry out three core activities: l Promote Golf in India through researched information dissemination to all levels of government and the general public. The GIA is developing a golf related research document to present to all levels of government and to promote this information through media outlets. l Educate and inform its members by the offering of an annual conference, targeted training opportunities and professional Industry interaction. l Assist to build and promote the Indian Golf industry through the running of an annual Golf Expo. The 2017 show is scheduled to be held on 20th & 21st April in Gurgaon.

With inputs from Rohit Bhardwaj, Bharath Arvind & Vineet Mann

GIA Board

Patrons: Anil Seolekar (Oxford Golf Resort), Aakash Ohri (DLF Golf & Country Club) President: Devang Shah (Navratna Golf Infrastructure) Directors: Brandon de Souza (Tiger Sports Marketing), Rakesh Sharma (Alert Golf Mgmt. Services), Ravi Garyali (Irrigation Products International), Phil Ryan (Pacific Coast Design), Mohan Subramanian (Rain Bird Products & Service), Karan Bindra (K&A Golf), Anit Mehrotra (Silverglades Golf Development Company), Deepali Shah Gandhi (Zaverchand Sports), Vijit Nandrajog (Golf Design India), Vinit Mathur (Surge Systems), Arun. K. Singh (D.G., Indian Golf Union) Special Invitees: Rishi Narain (RN Sports Marketing), Pravin Uberoi (GCS & MAI) Director General: P. K. Bhattacharyya Website: www.igia.co.in february 2017 | golf digest india

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2016 Review

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tunes rule in Olympic year By shaghil Bilali

Like any year 2016 also had its high and low points in golf, yet the year ended with many positives for sports enthusiasts.

Whether it was Dustin Johnson’s emergence as a major champion, the Olympics or USA’s Ryder Cup victory, fans had many reasons to follow the sport live or on television. Similarly, there were moments that left fans shaking their heads... It might have been the United States Golf Association’s (USGA) rule controversies during the men’s and women’s US Opens, Jordan Spieth’s tragic meltdown at the Masters, or the passing of one of golf’s greatest ambassadors — Arnold Palmer; fans found such realities hard to digest. To sum up golf’s highs and lows Golf Digest India picks five defining golf moments of the year gone by. february 2017 | golf digest india

29

2016 Review

dj survives rule controversy to win the US Open If someone said 2016 was the year of Dustin Joshnson, they wouldn’t be mistaken.

Though the 32-year-old had won at least one PGA Tour event every year since he joined the tour in 2008, the ultimate glory of winning a Major always eluded him.

His moment finally came at the 2016 US Open where he overcame a USGA rule controversy in an exhibition of extraordinarily

powerful driving. Later, he was voted PGA Tour Player of the Year and went on to win the tour’s Arnold Palmer Award for leading the money list.

In the end, after he had been penalized one stroke at the end of the round, it was only the margin of his victory reduced from four to three strokes. While, with a one-under 69 final round, Johnson was the

winner, losers were rules officials, who faced the fans’ wrath of handling the penalty issue poorly.

The US Open victory in June spurred Johnson on to achieve other goals as in the next month he took the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational title to rise to his career-best World No. 2 position.

The three Olympic medallists — Henrik Stenson (from left), Justin Rose and Matt Kuchar show off their prized possession with their wives

golf’s return to olympics It is surprising that golf took 112 years to return to the sporting extravaganza . However, some of the finest artists of the craft -- Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day included gave it a miss saying it would leave them ‘over-golfed’. But Major champions Justin Rose, Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer turned up for the event.

The competition went down to the wire as former US Open champion Justin rose to the occasion to beat Swede Henrik Stenson by two strokes. Stenson, who had won the British Open two weeks earlier to become the first Major winner from his country, finished one stroke in front of two-time Major champion Kaymer of Germany.

In women’s competition, it was a relatively easier win for seven-time South Korean Major champion Inbee Park, who got the better of New Zealand’s world no. 1 Lydia Ko by five strokes. China’s Shanshan Feng settled for a bronze to finish one stroke behind Ko.

30 golf digest india | february 2017

For Rory McIlroy Majors mattered more than Olympics

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usa winning the ryder cup Since 2000, USA’s only victory in the Ryder Cup was in 2008. The rise of European golfers in the last two decades ensured that the trophy stayed on their continent. However, this time they fielded six rookies, and hosts USA cashed in on the opportunity by routing their rivals 17-11.

The victory was a perfect tribute to the seven-time Major winner Palmer who died a few days before the start of the tournament.

Patrick Reed of USA

youngsters dominate on lpga While the 19-year-old New Zealander Ko ruled the roost with World No. 1 spot, an array of young golfers, Minjee Lee (Australia, 20 years), Rolex Player of the Year Ariya Jutanugarn (Thailand, 21), Brooke Henderson (Canada, 19) and Charlie Hull (England, 20) underlined their status by outperforming more experienced rivals. All of them won more than one LPGA title in 2016.

A total of 25 of 33 events on the LPGA in 2016-17 season were won by players 25 years and younger.

The oldest winner on the tour was American Brittany Langwho clinched the US Open title at age 30.

Haru Nomura (Japan, 24), Ha Na Jan (South Korea (24), Shanshan Feng (China, 27) and Carlota Ciganda (Spain, 26) were otheryoungsters who won more than one LPGA title. Ko, the youngest to become World No. 1 and win a Major, added the distinction of a 2nd major by clinching the ANA Inspiration crown. However, while Ko maintained No. 1 position, it was Jutanugarn who garnered attention with five titles in only her second year on the LPGA. With the Women’s British Open title, she also became the first Thai player (man or woman) to win a Major.

New Zealand’s Lydia Ko

(The writer has decade-long experience in golf reporting and has worked with Mail Today newspaper and News18.com. He currently works at MSN.com)

tiger sightings were rare World ranking notwithstanding, Woods makes headlines more than many top performing young golfers. Ever since his last putt at the 2015 Wyndham Championship speculation was rife about his comeback. He made his first and only appearance at virtually the last event of the year – the Hero World Challenge in December.

With 24 birdies and a 2nd round 65, he didn’t disappoint. His performance only whetted the appetite of Tiger watchers as he showed glimpses of his past greatness. However frailty of the body was evident as he faltered in the final round so no one can be sure what 2017 has in store for his fans. february 2017 | golf digest india

31

2016 Review

Hot Hot Dates Dates 2017 2017 MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DATE

TOURNAMENT

VENUE

PURSE

APR 6 - 9

Masters Tournament

Augusta National GC, Georgia

$10,000,000

JUN 15 - 18

US Open

Erin Hills, Erin, WI

$10,000,000

JUL 20 - 23

British Open

Royal Birkdale GC, Southport, ENG

$8,450,000

AUG 10 - 13

PGA Championship

Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, NC

$10,500,000

Live on DATE

TOURNAMENT

VENUE

PURSE

AUG 24 - 27

The Northern Trust Open

Glen Oaks Club, Old Westbury, NY

$8,750,000

SEP 1 - 4

Dell Technologies Championship

TPC Boston, Norton, MA

$8,750,000

SEP 14 - 17

BMW Championship

Conway Farms GC, Lake Forest, IL

$8,750,000

SEP 21 - 24

TOUR Championship

East Lake GC, Atlanta, GA

$8,750,000

WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS

Live on

DATE

TOURNAMENT

VENUE

PURSE

MAR 2 - 5

WGC-Mexico Championship

Club de Golf Chapultepec, Mexico City

$9,750,000

MAR 22 - 26

WGC-Dell Match Play

Austin Country Club, Texas

$9,750,000

AUG 3 - 6

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Firestone CC (South), Akron, OH

$9,750,000

OCT 26 - 29

WGC - HSBC Champions

Sheshan International GC, Shanghai

$9,750,00

32 golf digest india | february 2017

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| THE PR ESIDEN TS CUP SEP 28 - O CT 1 Liber ty Nationa l GC, Jersey C ity, NJ

Live on DATE

TOURNAMENT

VENUE

PURSE

MAY 25 - 28

BMW PGA Championship

Wentworth Club, Virginia Water, Surrey

$7,000,000

JUN 29 - JUL 2

HNA Open de France

Le Golf National, Paris, France

$7,000,000

JUL 6 - 9

Dubai Duty Free Irish Open

Portstewart GC, Northern Ireland

$7,000,000

JUL 13 - 16

Scottish Open

Dundonald Links, Ayrshire, Scotland

$7,000,000

OCT 12 - 15

Italian Open

TBC

$7,000,000

NOV 2 - 5

Turkish Airlines Open

Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort, Antalya

$7,000,000

NOV 9 - 12

Nedbank Golf Challenge

Gary Player CC, Sun City, South Africa

$7,500,000

NOV 16 - 19

DP World Tour Championship

Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai

$8,000,000

Live on DATE

TOURNAMENT

VENUE

PURSE

JAN 19 - 22

SMBC Singapore Open

Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore

$1,000,000

JAN 26 - 29

Leopalace21 Myanmar Open

Pun Hlaing Golf Club, Yangon

$750,000

FEB 9 - 12

Maybank Championship

Saujana GCC, Kuala Lumpur

$3 million

APR 20 - 23

Panasonic Open Japan

Chiba Country Club, Umesato Course

$1.27 million

(Provisional calendar — full calendar to be released in due course)

february 2017 | golf digest india

33

Newsmakers

Amandeep, Vani and Neha earn playing rights in Europe

A

midst the rising momentum for Indian golf on world stage, Amandeep Drall, Vani Kapoor and Neha Tripathi have qualified for the Ladies European Tour 2017 season with a full card status. Braving five days of intense golf in Morocco, Chandigarh’s Amandeep was the best Indian performer at Tied 7th place with scores of 66 -68 -71 -72 - 70. Vani Kapoor and Neha Tripathi secured T18 and T25 places respectively.

Saaniya Sharma (T42) and Sharmila Nicollet (T47) earned conditional cards for 2017 season.

“It feels great to play great golf for all five days. I wasn’t really expecting to play such good golf but two good rounds at the beginning of the week really set me off in a good direction, so I continued it through the last few rounds. I think Indian golf is going great and we’re moving in the right direction. I think the Indian players have great talent, so we just need to get out there and hone our skills and show it to the world. I think it’s great that a lot of Indian girls are coming out on tour.” said an elated Drall.

34 golf digest india | february 2017

(Top) L-R: Neha Tripathi, Vani Kapoor and Amandeep Drall after earning their right to play on the Ladies European Tour (LET) through the Q-School in Morocco Neha Tripathi (left) and Vani Kapoor share a light moment

How LET Qualifying School works

and final qualifying l Held over two stages: Pre-qualifying held across Europe, Asia and l Four Pre-Qualifying rounds are in each holes South America – 4 rounds of 18 (5X18holes) l Final qualifying consists of 90 holes qualifying, top 60 & ties play l At the conclusion of 72 holes in final the final round l Top 30 & ties earn full card l 31 – 60 & ties earn conditional card

Newsmakers

Amateur Arjun and Sujjan earn 2017 Asian Tour playing rights Delhi’s Arjun Prasad maintained a top 15 position over four days while veteran Sujjan Singh caught up on the last three days to seal full playing cards for Asian Tour 2017 season

Arjun Prasad

A

total of 16 golfers from India made it to the final stage of the Asian Tour qualifying school but only two came through with successful results.

Asian Tour playing rights were offered to players within the top-35 rankings in the qualifier at the end of four days of competitive golf at the Suvarnabhumi Golf and Country Club in Thailand.

On the opening day of Q-school, it seemed like there would have been a fair influx of Indian players plying their trade on the Asian soil in 2017 with five Indian golfers – Arjun Prasad, Khalin Joshi, Abhijit Chadha, M Dharma and Manu Gandas finishing round one in the top 20.

Though it was a different story after the second round when only Arjun Prasad and Abhijit Chadha remained in contention, joined by Sujjan Singh on account of a brilliant six-under 66 while others slipped further down the leaderboard.

A faulty one-over 73 that included four bogeys on the back-nine on the third day, saw Chadha’s chances of qualifying for Asian Tour diminished leaving Arjun and Sujjan as the only Indian flag bearers in the top 35 going into the final round.

While Sujjan posted a final round six-under 66 for the four-day tally of 18-under 270, Prasad carded 68 in the final round for the identical total score - both finished Tied 13th to earn full playing rights in the continent’s premier golf tour.

For Sujjan, it was a welcome return to the Asian Tour after he lost his card in 2013 owing to a wrist injury, which forced him to transform his game.

“It took a few years for me to build up to this. I had a wrist injury in 2012 and my game just wasn’t there and I lost my card. I took a year off to work hard on my game and I felt I was ready for Q-School this time around.”

KNOW ARJUN PRASAD Age: 17 Home Club: Army Environmental Park and Training Area (AEPTA), Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi School/College: Class 11 student of Kendriya Vidyalaya F.R.I. Dehradun Highlights: In 2016, he became the third Indian to win the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final after Rashid Khan and Abhijit Chadha.

KNOW SUJJAN SINGH Turned Pro: 2005 Highlights: l Winner at 2010 Aircel-PGTI Players Championship l Winner at 2011 PGTI Players Championship l Winner at 2012 Taman Dayu Championship (Asian Development Tour)

“It’s a brand new game that I brought wIth me thIs week.

I suffered an Injury In 2012 and I trIed to come back and play a lIttle too early. that Injury kept recurrIng and that obvIously affected my form. but all that Is behInd me and I’m lookIng forward to 2017.”

– Sujjan Singh february 2017 | golf digest india

35

Across The Country

Golf Needs To Promote Shorter Formats Like T20: Leadbetter

Legendary instructor David Leadbetter made a historic visit to Pune in early January to inaugurate the first-ever Leadbetter Golf Academy at the Oxford Golf Resort and to kick off the inaugural round of the Mercedes Trophy being played there. In a freewheeling chat with Golf Digest India, the veteran coach shared his unique authoritative perspective with us.

“look aT WhaT T20 has done for crickeT. golf has To adapT To modern requiremenTs and promoTe shorTer formaTs of The game. hoWever The decision makers in golf are greaT TradiTionalisTs�

36 golf digest india | february 2017

Across The Country

Golf enthusiasts enjoy the tips from legendary swing instructor David Leadbetter at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune

By DaviD LeaDBetter

I

ndians seem to have a natural talent for ball sports because of all the cricket and hockey that is played here – I see more coordination in the kids and other golfers here than in other countries especially say mainland Europe.

So Indians should take naturally to golf. With so many young cricketers who have played competitively but not really succeeded at the national level you could tap into that pool of young cricketers to take up golf considering how much money they see in the sport.

Pro golfers often come from other sports – like Jack Nicklaus – the greatest player in history, actually went to Ohio State University on a basketball scholarship. Other sports teach hand-eye coordination, balance and rhythm which can then be translated to golf. That’s why so many great cricketers are also great hitters of the golf ball – your own Kapil Dev is a great example of this.

I love spicy Indian food and cricket so you can expect me back in India again!

We have an excellent “Train the teachers” program at Leadbetter Golf Academy which we will be happy to bring to Indian golf instructors.

My new “A Swing” book is meant to simplify learning golf. Any teacher or new student who follows the “A Swing” will find it a quicker way to get hitting a golf ball fairly well without all the technical complications usually thrust on beginners. We need to simplify the golf swing for the average golfer and not make it more technical and complicated.

Aditi Ashok had a fabulous rookie season on LET

My advice for Aditi Ashok is that perhaps getting only into limited events on the LPGA Tour in USA during 2017 may not be a bad thing. She will be more ready for the tour when she qualifies – which should happen in 2018. She certainly has shown that she has confidence in her ability which is the most important thing.

Jeev Milkha Singh has shown that you can have success even with an unorthodox action. However as the body ages, good technique usually stands up better. That’s why youngsters learning sound fundamentals is a big plus.

Look at what T20 has done for cricket. Golf has to adapt to modern requirements and promote shorter

“Tiger Woods Will noT find his old form, he needs To find a neW form. he cerTainly cannoT sWing The Way he used To in his prime. so We don’T knoW WhaT ThaT form Will be”

february 2017 | golf digest india

37

Across The Country

Selfie-time: Golf fans share a frame with their idol

formats of the game. However the decision makers in golf are great traditionalists. Changes in golf will be slow but they will happen over a period of time.

Tiger Woods will not find his old form, He needs to find a new form. He certainly cannot swing the way he used to in his prime. So we don’t know what that form will be. For him to win one Major will be remarkable, if he can do it but I am certain that he will not break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 Majors. Ten years ago he looked certain to go past Nicklaus from his count of 14 Majors , but now that’s not going to happen.

He has to not only contend with a body riddled with injuries but also with confident young players that are no longer intimidated by him. Rory, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson are now playing a very high level and can hit shots that Tiger cannot. When Tiger was in his prime, he had the shots that no other player could hit but the tables have turned now. He’s not as long as he used to be and not as strong. So we will have to just wait and see. Hope he does well because he is good for the game and all golfers want him to come back strong.

In Korea there are around 2000 to 3000 teenage girls with scratch handicap. Hence it’s a game of numbers. When Se Ri Pak won the US Open 25 years ago, she was the only Korean in the field. In 2016 there were 43 Korean women at the US Open.

Driving ranges throughout Korea are filled with young players working on their games. Since such a small percentage of players eventually make it through to the LPGA, imagine the damage it does to the psyche of the players who don’t make it.

Do they, their families and society view them as failures? We hope not.

It’s too much when parents put too much

38 golf digest india | february 2017

World renowned golf coach David Leadbetter (R) was in conversation with Golf Digest India Editor Rishi Narain

pressure on the kids to make it to tour because the odds are so heavily stacked against that happening.

I have had more than one kid contemplate suicide because they weren’t being able to get to tour level of game. It’s tragic. I am not sure this is a healthy trend for parents to invest so much into developing their kids. Hopefully they are not doing this with an eye on making a lot of money. So many kids get burned out by the time they are 18 or 20 years old.

Michelle Wie, who I’ve been working with for a while, is a good example. At age 14 she played golf like no other girl at that age before her in history.

There was too much pushed onto her. She was put into men’s events, all the time on television and she went through a very bad phase. There are many examples of that – Anthony Kim is another example of a youngster with huge talent who burned out too fast.

(As told to Rishi Narain)

“In Korea there are around 2000 to 3000 teenage gIrls wIth scratch handIcap. hence It’s a game of numbers. when se rI paK won the us open 25 years ago, she was the only Korean In the fIeld. In 2016 there were 43 Korean women at the us open.”

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Across The Country

CLUB ROUND UP To share news on your club or updates from across the country, please email vineet@teamgolfdigest.com

Promoting Golf Tourism

New eco-tourism Park around Naldehra golf course Established in 1905 by then Viceroy of India – Lord Curzon, the historical Naldehra golf course near Shimla is all set for a makeover.

Following the state government’s initiative to develop an eco-tourism park and upgrade the existing properties to drive tourism, Rs. 10 Crore has been sanctioned to improve the famed golf tourism destination with international standards.

“There will be separate paths for mules and pedestrians so that visitors can walk free and enjoy the natural splendor of Naldehra.

Effective steps would also be taken to check soil erosion, protection of forest area, besides renovating the existing club house, cottages and providing facilities of rain shelters, public toilets, restaurant etc.,”said CM Virbhadra Singh in an announcement.

The project would be executed jointly by the State Tourism Department and Tourism Development Corporation with financial assistance from Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Spurring Interest

Golf camp inaugurated at Bahadurgarh Greens in Patiala Bahadurgarh Greens Golf Club and Yadavindra Public School in Patiala jointly organized an inaugural winter golf camp to introduce kids from the region to golf.

Inaugurated by PS Grewal (IG, Punjab Police) and SSP Bhupinder Singh Khattra,

40 golf digest india | february 2017

the 25-day camp included 15 golf lessons from instructors of Harmeet Kahlon’s Castle Sports Golf Academy. The sessions focused on golf etiquettes, rules and regulations, short and long game etc. giving all a feel for the sport and a chance to try their hands on

this eluding game.

For a reasonable fee of Rs. 2800, all training aids and size-specific golf equipment were provided to the participants in a bid to widen the pool of golfing youngsters in the region.

Across The Country Expat Golf

Golden Greens hosts 13th Indo Nippon Golf

Golden Greens Golf Resort in Gurgaon recently hosted the 13th Indo Nippon Golf Cup. The event is organized annually with a focus on developing social and economic relationships between Japan and India.

The event was supported by the Embassy of Japan, Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry in India (JCCII), Ministry of External Affairs and Associated Chamber of Commerce in India (ASSOCHAM).

Competing in Stableford format, over 100 golfers teed off with the field evenly shared between Indian and Japanese golfers. Some of the prominent participants included Kenko Sone (Minister, Economic & Development, Embassy of Japan), Ichiro Tsuzuku (President, JCCII) and Kazuharu Kono (Sec Gen JCCII).

L-R: Vincent Pala (MP Meghalaya), Kazuharu Kono (Secretary General, JCCII), DS Rawat (Secretary General, ASSOCHAM), Masahiro Narikiyo (VP, JCCII), Vijay Jolly (BJP Foreign Affairs), HE Kenji Hiramatsu (Ambassador of Japan), Sunil Kanoria (President, ASSOCHAM), Kenko Sone (Minister, Economic and Development, Embassy of Japan), Rahul Sharma (Founder & President, Indo Nippon Golf Cup) and Rajesh Parihar (IFS, Under Secretary, MEA)

Growing The Game

BPGC’s New Driving Range to Woo Youngsters The famous Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC), is revamping the driving range located adjacent to the first hole with an aim of encouraging more youngsters to learn the game and produce champions from Western India.

The initiative is part of a broader vision “to produce golf champions from Mumbai by 2020” undertaken by the club to promote value driven golf culture. The hitting area of the range on the 1st fairways is being increased by filling up the water body situated across the 1st and 18th holes. The new

range which will be floodlit, will have 25 bays along with a putting & chipping green and will cater to the increasing number of people taking to the sport which is also likely to grow in the immediate future.

To facilitate this, the club plans to keep the 1st fairway closed from 5 pm onwards on a daily basis.

With the construction in full swing, club captain Ashish Chemburkar and Golf Manager RP Singh are overlooking the entire project. The new range will be operational after monsoon and a golf academy is also in the offing.

WITH THE CONSTRUCTION IN FULL SWING, CLUB CAPTAIN ASHISH CHEMBURKAR AND GOLF MANAGER RP SINGH ARE OVERLOOKING THE ENTIRE PROJECT. THE NEW RANGE WILL BE OPERATIONAL AFTER MONSOON. Golf Digest View Driving ranges and golf academies play a key role in introducing more people to the sport. This is a very admirable initiative from the BPGC committee to help grow the game in western India.

february 2017 | golf digest india

41

Across The Country

Delhi NCR – The GolfiNG CapiTal of The CouNTRy a CoMpaRisoN of Golf faCiliTies aCRoss MajoR GolfiNG CiTies iN iNDia

DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon

W

hen it comes to golf infrastructure, Delhi NCR is clearly a cut above the rest in terms of the sheer number of courses and facilities it offers. With 21 active golf courses and four driving ranges, New Delhi- Gurgaon- Noida-Faridabad,

together take the crown of best equipped region for golf. Delhi also boasts of the first public course of the country- Qutab Golf Course in Lado Sarai. Initially launched with a 9-hole layout in 2000, the course was extended to 18 holes two years later. Qutab

india’s most golf friendly cities: 25

42 golf digest india | february 2017

5

5 Mumbai

7 Chandigarh Region

pune

8

Kolkata

12

Bengaluru

ahmedabad Region

Delhi NCR

Number of facilities

12

4

GC has played a significant role in promoting the sport to masses with many people having their first tryst with golf here. Following its popularity, many new courses have donned the landscape of the Capital over the years, leapfrogging other cities by a huge margin.

Number of 27-hole courses present in Delhi NCR, the only region in India to have such golf facilities

City

27-hole Golf Courses

18-hole Golf Courses

9-hole Golf Courses

Driving Ranges

Delhi NCR

4

9

8

4

Ahmedabad Region#

0

5

6

1

Bengaluru

0

9

2

1

Pune

0

4

4

0

Chandigarh Region##

0

3

2

2

Kolkata

0

3

2

0

Mumbai

0

4

1

0

# includes Gandhinagar ## includes Panchkula and Mohali

Across The Country

here is a closer look at Delhi NCR courses and facilities: 27-hole courses

18-hole courses

DLF Golf and Country Club, Gurgaon Address: DLF City, Phase V, Gurgaon 122002 011-6532 7239 www.dlfgolfresort.com

Air Force Sports Complex Golf Course, Gurgaon Yardage 5310 | Par 68 Address: Near Maruti gate, Gurgaon, Haryana.

0124-2305521

Delhi Golf Club (DGC), New Delhi Address: Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, Near Oberoi Hotel, New Delhi-110001 011-24307100 www.delhigolfclub.org

ITC Classic Golf Course, Gurgaon Address: Naurangpur to Tauru Road, Off the Delhi- Jaipur Highway (NH8), Manesar, Gurgaon 012-6728 5500 www.itchotels.in Jaypee Greens Golf Resort, Greater Noida Address: G Block, Greater Noida 201306 1800-11-9900 www.jaypeegreensgolf.com

9-hole courses

Air Force Golf Course, New Delhi Yardage 2936 | Par 35 Address: Air Force Station, Race Course Road, Delhi 110003 011- 23015571, 77 CRPF Academy Golf Course, Kadarpur Yardage 3023 | Par 35 Address: SPHURTI – CRPF Sports Institute, CRPF Academy, Kadarpur, Gurgoan, Haryana, Pin -122101 0124-2269602

Driving Ranges

DDA Siri Fort Driving Range, New Delhi Address: Siri Fort Sports Complex August Kranti Marg, (Near Siri Fort Auditorium) New Delhi – 110 049.

011- 26497482, 6657

Air Force Golf Course, Hindon, Ghaziabad Yardage 6741 | Par 72 Address: Air Force Golf Course, Hindon 0120-2657436

Aravali Golf Club, Faridabad Yardage 6129 | Par 72 Address: Near Narsingh Cricket Stadium, Metrohole, Faridabad. 0129-2414810 www.haryanatourism.gov.in Army BSF Golf Course, New Delhi Address: BSF campus, Chhawla, Roshan pura, New Delhi 110071. 011-25317694 Army Environmental Park and Training Area, New Delhi Yardage 6499 | Par 72 Address: Near DSOI (Defense Services Officers Institute), Cariappa Marg, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi -110010 011-25691972

HSIIDC Manesar Golf Club, Manesar Address: Manesar Golf Club, Sector 5, IMT Manesar, Gurgaon, Haryana – 122001 9599488362 www.manesargolfclub.com Karma Lakelands Golf Club, Manesar Yardage 2780 | Par 33 Address: NH8, 12 kms fm Gurgaon, Sohna roundabout, Manesar 011-40644400 www.karmalakelands.com

Hamoni Golf Camp, Gurgaon Address: Hamoni Golf Camp, CK Farm, Carterpuri, Sector 23A, Gurgaon (Close to Palam Vihar, opposite Maruti Udyog factory) 0124-6526777 hamonigolf.com

Golden Greens Golf Resort Yardage 7051 | Par 72 Address: Village Sakatpur, Gurgaon, Haryana 0124 406 9866 www.gggrl.com Jaypee Greens Wishtown, Noida Yardage 5800 | Par 72 Address: Sector 128, Noida Expressway, Noida -201305 7533006689 www.jaypeewishtownnoida.in Noida Golf Course, Noida Yardage 6989 | Par 72 Address: Capt. Shashikant Sharma Marg Sector 38, Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201303 0120-4222111, 942 www.noidagolfcourse.com Qutab Golf Course, New Delhi Yardage 6189 | Par 70 Address: Press Enclave, Lado Sarai, New Delhi-110030 011-2696 9086

Northern Railways Golf Course (NORECO), New Delhi Yardage 1367 | Par 28 Address: San Martin Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi -110021 9210964893, 9711780374

TERI Golf Course, Gurgaon Yardage 2114 | Par 33 Address: Teri Gram village, Gwalphari – Gurgaon Faridabad Road, Haryana 011-7369 8463

Tarudhan Valley Resort, Gurgaon Yardage 2470 | Par 34 Address: Village Dadu, Tehsil Tauru Gurgaon Haryana 122105 0126-7285285 www.tarudhanvalley.com

Unitech Golf and Country Club, Noida Yardage 3137 | Par 35 Address: Unitech golf & country club, Sector 96, Expressway, Noida -201 305 0120-6477281 www.unitechgroup.com

Paramount Golf Range, Gurgaon Address: Paramount Golf Range, PGR Management, Village Bhondsi, Gurgaon – Sohna Road, Gurgaon, Haryana – India 9004909008

SPT Sports Golf Academy, Noida Address: SPT Sports Golf Academy, Noida Stadium, Sector – 21, Noida – 201 301 9911686619 www.sptindia.com

february 2017 | golf digest india

43

Tête-à-Tête with Kapil Dev

‘A victory at a Major will be a big push in taking game to masses’

Tête-à-tête with

Kapil Dev

By Vineet Mann vineet@teamgolfdigest.com

P

robably everyone in the country knows that Kapil Dev is the 1983 World Cup winning captain and a cricketer of legendary status.

However, for a lesser population of golfers, Kapil Dev is single handicap amateur golfer who has represented the country at the Asia-Pacific Senior Amateur Championship in 2014 and countless other accolades in his golfing adventure. Golf Digest India caught up with Kapil at Delhi Golf Club after he finished a round. Excerpts from the interview:

44 golf digest india | february 2017

Tête-à-Tête with Kapil Dev

Kapil Dev in conversation with Rajmata Madhavi Raje Scindia at Madhavrao Scinidia Golf Tournament at DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon

Anshu Jain and Kapil Dev after their round at Delhi Golf Club

GDI: What is your current handicap?

KD: I haven’t played a lot of golf recently as I was occupied with the India -England test series but I believe it should be in the 3 to 5 region. I currently put down a 3 handicap but if I can play better, I feel happy.

Kapil Dev, owner of a city team in Louis Philippe Cup

GDI: How involved are you with cricket?

KD: I am not at all involved with Cricket these days in terms of administration. I still commentate in a few series and enjoy doing that whenever I get an opportunity.

in themselves and come out on top against the rest of the world.

Indian Golf needs more ‘heroes’. Legends like Jeev, Jyoti and Arjun have flown our flag high for a long time and now Anirban, SSP and Aditi have to do it. It goes without saying that they are doing a great job.

Secondly, Administration has to be more active on how we can look after sportspersons in the country. What we can learn from Cricket administration is that they brought money into the game. Support of the sponsors and ample money into the sport is very important.

Once the money is there, we’ll see even more parents pushing their kids to go on and play golf. They will start looking at golf as a career option for their kids.

GDI: What can Indian golf learn from cricket in the way cricket has grown so much since 1983?

KD: I think self-belief is first. Our golfers plying their trade on the top level have to believe

GDI: Do you think if an Indian wins a Major, this will make a difference?

KD: It will certainly help. In the last 10-15 years, top performances by Indians across the world have already made a difference. Especially

GDI: How often to do you play now?

KD: I play twice every weekend and also when a group of friends get together and plan to tee off.

Kapil Dev was one of the best things that happened to Indian golf.

Kapil got media attention and much needed limelight to the sport.

Despite having started much later, he turned out to be a very good golfer.

He demonstrated that athleticism is the key to excel in the sport and today he is the most famous amateur golfer in India.’ —arun Singh, DG, iGU february 2017 | golf digest india

45

Tête-à-Tête with Kapil Dev

When he started playing golf, some 22 years ago, it definitely made a massive difference. For an even smaller population of golfers in the country at the time, the greatest Indian cricketer taking up golf and excelling in it, made all the difference in the world. Since we play together when we travel for our commentating duties, I can tell you that he is such a natural at the game. He is an amazing teacher as well who loves to keep things simple. He usually won’t even take a practice swing, Kapil Dev does things at will!

Murali Kartik, cricket personality and an avid golfer after Aditi’s heroics in the Olympics, she has become a house hold name in the country.

These are all very essential to grow the game.

There are so many new golf courses coming up. Golf Courses like Jaypee Greens, DLF GCC and ITC Classic have all come up during this time period. In New Delhi and NCR region alone, there are about 10-12 championship courses now as opposed to just two when I started playing. So there is definitely an interest and a victory at a Major championship will be a big push in taking the game to the masses.

GDI: What are your ideas on how golf can grow in this country?

KD: The key is to bring the game to Tier II cities and maybe introduce a different format. The current professional set up can remain as it is while smaller two-day leagues should be introduced country-wise with light purses. This will entice more and more people to take up the sport and earn a living through it. If Cricket can be reduced from a 5 day format to one-day and t20 format, so can golf.

GDI: Your most memorable golf event?

KD: I played in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship quite a few years ago, that was a very interesting experience. Overall I think playing golf anywhere around the world is enjoyable.

GDI: Some of the famous celebs you’ve played with around the world?

KD: I have played with Vijay Singh, Ernie Els and Justin Rose. I have also played with most of the top Indian professionals - Jeev Milkha Singh, Arjun Atwal, Shiv Kapur and Gaganjeet Bhullar to name a few.

46 golf digest india | february 2017

Kapil’s favourites

DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon

Golf Course in India Every Golf course has its own character.

The new Gary Player nine at DLF raised a lot of eyebrows and I understand that it has become really tough. But I say it’s enjoyable if you look at it as a challenge.

ITC Classic is a very good course.

Similarly, I like Kalhaar Blues and Greens in Ahmedabad very much and I think it’s an amazing golf course.

courses around the world, it’s hard to select one.

Golf Course around the world Very difficult to say. I played in Pebble beach- what a fantastic course. St. Andrews is a very easy course but this can change very quickly if the wind is not with you. There so many wonderful

19th Hole Drink A cup of tea/coffee is good enough for me.

Golf Course on your wish list For me personally, Golf course is secondary while the company of the person that I am with is of prime importance. If a good friend is around, every golf course is enjoyable and I want to play all of them.

Mid round power snack Again, I am not very picky. Every club has their own specialty and I enjoy trying everything.

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Health & Fitness

Try out these

Colombian Moves

Paula Hurtado uses the heavy physio ball to strengthen and engage larger muscles used in both her back swing and follow through

Squash’s loss, golf’s gain The golf courses in Colombia are like a big club house with lot of sports – so you have tennis, squash, football etc. I used to be a very good squash player. After a while I was the only girl in squash so I said I am not going to compete with the boys. So I quit and started playing golf. Nobody in my family ever played golf.

48 golf digest india | february 2017

Images: K. JaIraJ ChaudhrI, Instagram: @thepaul ahurtado; loCatIon Courtesy: dlF golF & Country Club

Colombia is more known for football, coffee and chic fashion but Paula Hurtado is trying to break that mould by toiling on the greens. The 5’10” lass from Medellin shows what gives her the confidence to compete against the best on the Ladies European Tour (LET)

Health & Fitness

Average drive Fitness routine 15 minutes of warm-up – Walk for five minutes, jog for 5 minutes and run fast for 5 minutes to get activated.

Then I just do a combination of core and a little bit of quads to get a straight body posture. I do a lot of stretching and movements so that I get activated.

Before every round I do some 14 different types of stretching movements. In the off season I lift a lot of weights.

“265-270 yards. I like to play the driver more than a 3-wood.

Hitting has always been solid but I need to work on my putting.”

Ambition I have been playing on the LET for four years now and want to get my LPGA card. Of course I want to be one of the best ones on the LPGA not just playing there. You have to work hard for it and I want to see myself there in the coming two years.

Favourite holiday destination

Interests

Cycling, Gym, Playing Volleyball, Running, Meditation

Favourite Indian food Ras Malai (dessert), Chicken tikka Bali

Paula does 14 different stretching moves prior to tee off. Here she demonstrates calf and hamstring stretch

Text: Rohit Bhardwaj

february 2017 | golf digest india

49

Business of Golf

Tiger woods Signs Multi-year Deal with Bridgestone Golf

B

ridgestone Golf has signed Tiger Woods to a multi-year agreement to exclusively play and promote its high-performance golf balls. Woods, whose decorated career includes a record run of 683 weeks as the top-ranked golfer in the world, selected the Bridgestone Tour B330-S ball after thoroughly testing it against competing models from all major brands. Through his personal research, Woods determined the Bridgestone ball provided superior distance and accuracy off the tee for him, as well as optimal spin on shots into and around the green.

FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker, Olympic bronze medalist Matt Kuchar, Masters winner Fred Couples, three-time major champion Nick Price, and rising star Bryson DeChambeau, are Bridgestone Golf ambassadors, while scores of fellow professionals – including 2016 winners on the PGA and LPGA Tours – choose to use Bridgestone balls without compensation.

Jason Day officially signs with Nike Golf for 2017 The No. 1 golfer in the world (as of Jan 4) will be wearing Nike apparel and shoes in a multi-year deal thought to be worth up to $10 million a year. Day will continue to play TaylorMade clubs as Nike moved out of the equipment business. On the apparel side, Nike now boasts the top two players in the world (Day and Rory McIlroy) as well as four of the top 16 (Brooks Koepka and Paul Casey). Throw in Kevin Chappell, Jamie Lovemark, Tony Finau, Patrick Rodgers, Nick Watney and Tiger Woods, and it appears Nike has positioned itself nicely for a post-equipment marketplace.

50 golf digest india | february 2017

PGTI to organise two tournaments in Bangladesh this year The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) along with the Bangladesh Professional Golfers’ Association (BPGA) will hold two tournaments in Bangladesh in 2017. The first event- the BTI Open will be held at Kurmitola Golf Club, Dhaka from February 27-March 2, while the scenic Bhatiary Golf & Country Club in Chittagong will play host to the Chittagong Open from March 28-31.

In March 2016 the PGTI held the BTI Open which was won by home favourite Mohammad Siddikur Rahman as the country also hoste d the USD 300,000 Asian Tour event, Bashundhara Bangladesh Open in June. The BPGA is planning to conduct 14 Bangladesh Tour events by the end of the season in June and with the support of the PGTI is looking to bolster the game in the country.

Carly Booth joins Cobra Puma Golf

Two-time European Tour winner Carly Booth has signed with Cobra Puma Golf to wear its shoes, apparel and golf clubs on the Ladies European Tour.

At 14 and no stranger to the limelight, she appeared in her first professional event, the Ladies Scottish Open, and finished 13th in the field. Following that, she was rated the No. 1 junior in Europe after winning the European Junior Masters in 2007, the same year she lifted the Scottish Under-18 and Under-21 titles.

In 2008, she became the youngest player to represent Great Britain & Ireland in the 76-year history of the Curtis Cup, facing the Americans in the 35th staging of that match at St Andrews. Carly now joins other Cobra Puma ambassadors Lexi Thompson, Blair O’Neil, Rickie Fowler, Jonas Blixt and Bryson Dechambeau.

Business of Golf

LET APPOINTS NEw PLAYER PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN The Ladies European Tour has appointed Helen Alfredsson as Player President and Mark Lichtenhein as Chairman of the Board of Directors effective December 11, 2016. In the newly created role of Player President, Helen Alfredsson will be an ambassador for the Ladies European Tour and will work closely with the CEO, Chairman and the Players’ Council to promote the organisation, acting as a bridge between the Board and Members.

A Life Member of the LET, Helen joined the Tour in 1989 and competed for 25 seasons before stepping away from competitive play at the LET’s 2013 Helsingborg Open in her native Sweden. During her time as a player, she accumulated 21 worldwide tournament victories, including one Major: the 1993 Nabisco Dinah Shore, as well as her first win at the 1990 Women’s British Open and three Evian Masters titles.Helen participated in eight Solheim Cups, including the inaugural competition in 1990 and made her last appearance in 2009, after she captained the 2007 European team at Halmstad.

Titleist introduces Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls

T

he new Titleist Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls are the most advanced, best performing golf balls ever stamped with the Titleist script. Precisely engineered using the most sophisticated golf ball technology, new Pro V1 and Pro V1x provide total performance for every player and deliver unmatched quality and consistency.

The overwhelming choice of players at every level of competitive golf and bestselling models around the world, Pro V1 and Pro V1x continually set the standard for golf ball performance through relentless research and development innovation and an industry-leading manufacturing process. 2017 advancements include: l The longest Pro V1 ever, 2017 Pro V1 has been

reengineered with a Next Generation 2.0 ZG Process Core that delivers longer distance on all shots through lower long game spin and faster ball speed, while maintaining the very soft feel and superior short-game performance that Pro V1 players demand. A new spherically tiled 352 tetrahedral dimple design produces a penetrating trajectory with even more consistent flight. l The extraordinary distance of the 2017 Pro V1x, featuring a ZG Process Dual Core, is enhanced by a new spherically tiled 328 tetrahedral dimple design. l The soft Urethane Elastomer cover system used on both models is precisely formulated to deliver Drop -and-Stop greenside control with soft feel, providing golfers with the confidence to hit it closer to the hole.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY: The new 2017 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls will be available in golf shops beginning Feb 1, 2017 at Rs 4,740 MRP.

New Launch

Samsung unveils Gear S3 with golf apps

Samsung India launched Gear S3, an innovative smartwatch, which is inspired by traditional timepieces and the art of Swiss watchmaking. The Gear S3 combines timeless watch design with the absolute cutting edge in mobile wearable technology, including IP68 water resistance, up to 4 days of battery backup, dedicated app store and built-in speaker and GPS, making it the ideal addition to any watch collection.

Samsung Gear S3 is available in two bold designs to suit different users’ lifestyles: frontier and classic. The Gear S3 is compatible with 22mm watch bands and offers ‘hyper-connectedness’ with the Remote Connectivity feature that allows the Gear S3 to receive phone notifications way beyond the limits of BT or WiFi. Consumers can access a diverse range of apps, including fitness, music, news, sports and travel apps – all optimized for the Gear S3. A golfer can use apps like Smart Caddie, Golf Navi (courses mapped out) and Slam Dunq Golf (swing tracking) whenever he is out playing on a course.

PRICE: Rs 28,500 onwards

Lydia Ko to PXG & Bubba Watson to Volvik

World No. 1 Lydia Ko was officially introduced as the newest member of the Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG) team. Ko will use PXG entirely right from the PXG 0811X Prototype driver all the way down to a 33.25-inch PXG Gunboat putter. Along with Ko, PXG has announced the signing of Brittany Lang (reigning United States Women’s Open champion), Christina Kim and Ryann O’Toole to endorsement deals for 2017 .

The former Masters champion- Bubba Watson loves pink. His PING driver head and shaft are pink and the colour has become a staple of his wardrobe and charitable efforts. Volvik is an industry leader in the coloured golf ball category and until now did not have a top men’s player playing its product. It now will with Watson, who will use a prototype tour version of Volvik’s S4 ball.

To contribute updates on events, conferences or other happenings email bharath@teamgolfdigest.com

Corporate Digest

17th MercedesTrophy India Concludes Six Rounds

Mumbai winner Vikram Chopra poses with Mercedes-Maybach

T

he 2017 MercedesTrophy Indian edition got underway in three cities in the first half of January completing six rounds of golf. India’s longest running corporate event has already witnessed a massive participation of over 650 MercedesB enz owners and prospective customers.

Oxford Golf Resort in Pune hosted the inaugural leg with two days of golf while Kalhaar Blues & Greens hosted the Ahmedabad leg. Mumbai event was played over three days at Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC).

The opening event at Oxford Golf Resort also featured a special clinic by legendary golf instructor David Leadbetter who was in the city to inaugurate the David Leadbetter Golf Academy at the course.

Nine winners from the opening rounds have qualified for the National Final where they will compete with other regional round winners for three coveted spots at the MercedesTrophy World Final in Stuttgart, Germany in September this year.

The National Final is scheduled to

52 golf digest india | february 2017

be played at Oxford Golf Resort from March 15-17 with entry limited to Mercedes-Benz owners only. One lucky winner from ‘Best Maintained Car’ contest on each day of qualifiers will get a direct wild card entry to the National Final in Pune. Adding to the excitement, in another unique contest – Drive to Major – one winner will travel to watch prestigious British Open Championship in July as a guest of Mercedes-Benz India.

Globally, MercedesTrophy engages over 60,000 golfers from 60 countries each year to provide them a unique brand experience and strengthening perception of Mercedes-Benz as a global partner in golf. MercedesBenz also boasts of prominent presence in professional golf through its association with Major Championships - British Open Championship, Augusta Masters and PGA Championship.

Former cricketer Ajit Agarkar teed off in Mumbai

Corporate Digest Pune Winners

Balrajsinh Parmar received his prize from legendary instructor David Leadbetter

Ahmedabad Winner

Gaurav Sahghal with Roland Folger (MD and CEO, MBIL)

Karn Patel celebrates his victory

Mumbai Winners

Jayen Shah with Roland Folger

S. Kothari

Mahesh is receiving the award from Michael Jopp (VP, Sales & Marketing, MBIL)

Khushaal Thackersey poses with the three pointed star

Sandeep Batra

MercedesTrophy India 2017 Schedule WINNERS Oxford Golf Resort, Pune Gaurav Sahghal Balrajsinh Parmar Kalhaar Blues & Greens, Ahmedabad Karn Patel Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC), Mumbai Khushaal Thackersey Mahesh Khanolkar S. Kothari Sandeep Batra Jayen Shah Vikram Chopra

S.nO

DAte

Venue

1.

5-6 January

Oxford Golf Resort, Pune

2.

6 January

Kalhaar Blues & Greens, Ahmedabad

3.

11-13 January

Bombay Presidency Golf Club, Mumbai

4.

18-20 January

Prestige Golfshire, Bengaluru

5.

27 January

Hyderabad Golf Association, Hyderabad

6.

27 January

Coimbatore Golf Club, Coimbatore

7.

3 February

TNGF Cosmopolitan, Chennai

8.

8-9 February

Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Kolkata

9.

16-17 February

Chandigarh Golf Club, Chandigarh

10.

21-23 February

DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon

11.

26 February

Rambagh Golf Club, Jaipur

12.

1-3 March

Jaypee Greens Golf Resort, Greater Noida

nAtiOnAl FinAl 15-17 March

Completed legs

Oxford Golf Resort, Pune

february 2017 | golf digest india

53

Corporate Digest

Charting India’s roadmap for Golf 6th India Golf Expo 2017- April 20-21, Gurgaon, India

by bharath arvInD

S

outh Asia’s largest Golf industry gathering – the 6th India Golf Expo will be held in Gurgaon (in the National Capital Region of Delhi) on April 20-21, 2017. The annual event is organized by the Golf Industry Association of India (GIA) and supported by the Golf Course Superintendents & Managers Association of India (GCS&MAI), Indian Golf Union (IGU), Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and Ministry of Tourism – Government of India.

Iain Roberts, former Executive Director, Mission Hills Golf Club addressing a packed house at IGE 2016

What to expect at IGe 2017

L-R: Aakash Ohri- Patron, Indian Golf Industry Association, Sh. Rajiv YadavSecretary (Sports), Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and Anil SeolekarPresident, Indian Golf Union at the inauguration of IGE 2016

The event witnesses the participation of over 500 industry delegates from India and around the world, over 2000 walk in visitors, industry conferences, networking lunches & dinners and industry award ceremonies over two days.

vIsItors Walk In free

Golf simulators, putting contests, lucky draws & SNAG golf are some of the fun activities to look forward to for the general public.

Visitors can walk in for Free to try their hand at the latest equipment or get a chance to win exciting prizes from the Daily Lucky Draws.

Gregg Patterson from Los Angeles adds to the buzz at IGE

Golf’s bIGGest branDs shoWacase proDucts

The show features over 40 of golf’s leading global brands such as Toro, Rainbird, Ransomes Jacobsen and John Deere showcasing their products across more than 16,000 sq.ft. of exhibition area. Leading golf course architects confirmed thus far include Ernie Els Design and Pacific Coast Design. Over 50 golf clubs and other industry decision makers will also be in attendance

54 golf digest india | february 2017

Corporate Digest exclusIve Deals on equIpment & merchanDIse

A giant pro shop featuring global equipment giants such as TaylorMade, Titleist, Callaway, Cleveland, Srixon, Ping, Footjoy, PXG, Honma & XXIO offer exclusive deals in the consumer section to keep visitors thronging the venue.

Leading equipment brands on display at IGE

conferences & netWorkInG DInners

India’s top coaches Jesse Grewal & Vijay Divecha in attendance at IGE

Dr. Farooq Abdullah - Former Chief Minister, Jammu & Kashmir - felicitated all participating clubs in 2016. Venkat Subramanium, President, KGA (seen here)

One of the highlights each year are the highly informational GIA knowledge symposium, GCS & MAI turf grass seminar and NGAI teaching summit which attract the global golf industry’s best speakers and stalwarts sharing their wealth of knowledge. Past speakers include Gregg Patterson (former GM- Beach Club, LA), James Prusa (Sky72 Golf, Korea), Michael Hebron (PGA Hall of Fame), Iain Roberts (PGAMaster Professional), Donato DiPonziano (PGA of Europe), Christian Marquardt (InventorSam Putt Lab), Arthur Yeo (China Golf Association)and Harish Bijoor (Marketing Guru) to name a few.

InDustry aWarDs

Every year, the GIA confers awards upon individuals, organizations & golf courses across categories.

The GIA Awards are judged by a jury of industry stalwarts & involves an online poll open to the entire golfing community in India. Past award recipients have been Pawan Munjal & K P Singh (Lifetime Contribution Award), Jeev Milkha Singh & Rohtas Singh (Lifetime Achievement Award) and golf courses such as DLF GCC, Karma Lakelands, Belvedere GCC, Hamoni Golf Camp & Mohali Driving Range to name a few.

The TORO-IPI team celebrate at the awards dinner

Sh. Suman Billa, Jt. Secretary, Ministry of Tourism at IGE 2016

To attend the conferences, register on www.indiagolfexpo.com/content/delegate-registration-online Free admission for Walk- In visitors. For more information visit www.indiagolfexpo.com february 2017 | golf digest india

55

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Dr Farooq Abdullah felicitating Golf Courses

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6TH INDIA GOLF EXPO

Junior Golf

Taking Golf to Schools I

10,000 kids at a time

n its endeavour to grow the game of golf in India, the apex body of the sport- The Indian Golf Union (IGU)- is taking golf to schools targeting millennials. The IGU’s West Zone team along with the State Golf Associations has successfully conducted its first pilot of the ‘Golf in Schools Program’ at the Apple Global School, Ahmedabad.

The pilot saw over 300 kids aged 6-14 get introduced to the game by Arjun SinghHead Pro, Kensville Golf Academy - assisted by his team. The kids had the opportunity to learn the basics of the game and hit balls into the practice net & putting mats on their school premises. The excitement continued as the kids got a chance to put their newly acquired skills to the test at the golf course.

Numerous prizes and fun competitions were held to keep the spirits and interest levels high. As a result of the first pilot, over 25 kids have already signed up for additional coaching at Kensville Golf Academy and Kalhaar Blues & Greens Golf Course in Ahmedabad.

This forward thinking initiative has already gathered interest from several schools in Gujarat and Maharashtra with over 7 schools to follow suit. The IGU hopes to reach 10,000 kids by the end of 2017 through this program. We wish the teams the very best in this much needed endeavour to produce champions of the future.

By BHARATH ARVIND

The IGU introduces its ‘Golf in Schools’ program in Western India. Kids are introduced to the basics of the game and given a chance to try their newly acquired skills on a golf course.

How the Golf in Schools Program Works

curriculum l Schools add golf as part of their ).

6-14 s (age s week 8 of d for a perio a club with ions sess hour 1 , l Once a week pro held on the school premises taken to l At the end of 8 weeks, children are d roun a for the golf course further lesl Children & parents may enrol for the spor t on take to club by near the at sons

58 golf digest india | february 2017

Junior Golf

Tournament Updates

Bishops School- Pune rules the roost

One of the leading junior golf events on the Western India golf calendar, the Western India Inter Schools Championship, now in its 4th year, was hosted recently at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC). Sanctioned by the Indian Golf Union and supported by Titleist, the event attracted entries from over 80 junior golfers from 28 schools across Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Ahmedabad and Baroda. Tanmay Negi of Bishops School, Pune emerged as the overall winner of the Boys category while Kaurvika Avnish won the girls overall category for the Hiranandani Foundation School, Mumbai. The annual event is organized by Evolution Golf- promoted by avid golfers Shivas Nath & Amit Nigam. With its goal to boost junior golf in Western India, the tour is sanctioned by the IGU as an official junior & sub junior feeder tour and organizes several tournaments in the region each year.

WESTERN INDIA INTER SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP 2016

Category

PrIZe

SCHooL

NaMe

overaLL teaM

WINNER

THE BISHOPS SCHOOL

RuNNER uP

AdITYA BIRLA WORLd ACAdEMY

TANMAY NEGI & KANISHKA LuNKAd AHAAN NATH & JAY VOHRA

BoyS overaLL

WINNER RuNNER uP

THE BISHOPS SCHOOL AdITYA BIRLA WORLd ACAdEMY

gIrLS overaLL

WINNER

Category B (BoyS)

WINNER RuNNER uP

THE BISHOPS SCHOOL JBCN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

TANMAY NEGI JAASH PAREKH

Category C (BoyS)

WINNER RuNNER uP

LILAVATIBAI POdAR SCHOOL POdAR INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

KRISH PATEL AdITYA TYAGI

HFS INTERNATIONAL

TANMAY NEGI AHAAN NATH KAuRVIKA AVNISH

Category C (gIrLS) WINNER

SARDAR DASTUR HORMAZDIAR CO ED. HIGH SCHOOL VAISHNAVI NAIK

Category D (BoyS)

SYMBIOSIS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL THE BISHOPS SCHOOL

ISHAAN KuLKARNI VIdESH KARdBHAJNE

Category D (gIrLS) WINNER

ST. GREGORIOS HIGH SCHOOL

NISHNA PATEL

Category e

MANECKJI COOPER Edu. TRuST HIRANANdANI FOuNdATION SCHOOL

ARMAAN GAWdE ANuRAdHA CHAudHARI

WINNER RuNNER uP

WINNER RuNNER uP

L-R: Ashish Chemburkar (Captain- BPGC) with the winning team of Kanishka Lunkad & Tanmay Negi of Bishops School, Pune and Deepali Shah Gandhi (Zaverchand Sports)

The charge of the Junior brigade Over 27 junior golfers from across the country represented India at the prestigious Kids Golf World Championship, Malaysia and the Pondok Indah International Junior Golf Championship, Indonesia at the end of 2016. The two events also counted towards World Amateur Ranking points making it all the more competitive.

The Tanjong Puteri Golf Resort in Johor Bahru, Malaysia played host to over 300 junior golfers from more than 21 countries at the U.S.Kids Golf affiliated tournament.

Arjun Bhati from Greater Noida won the tournament in the boys 12-years category while Rishika M from the Eagleton Golf Academy, Bangalore (a student of Vijay Divecha- Anirban Lahiri’s coach) won the girls 10-years category. Rahul Ajay was the third Indian junior to win in Malaysia as he came out on top in the boys 15-18 years category In Indonesia, the Pondok Indah Golf Resort, Jakarta witnessed 11-year old Ayaan Gupta of Chandigarh winning his category while Bengaluru’s Aniruddh Kedlaya finished runners up in the Boys 18-21 age category and Ankita Kedlaya won the Girl’s special division. A total of 7 juniors from India participated in the event.

OTHER TOP fINISHES by INDIAN JuNIORS IN MALAySIA

Category BoyS 8 yearS BoyS 9 yearS

BoyS 10 yearS BoyS 13-14 yearS gIrLS 10 yearS

PoSItIoN 10 3 8 8 9 8

NaMe RANVEER MITROO AARAV d SHAH PARTH RAMAN SOOd SuKHMAN SINGH AMAL JHA SAuMYA NEHRA

Arjun Bhati (L) won the 12-years age category and Rishika M took the honours in girls under 10 at the Kids Golf World Championship in Malaysia

Other Indian Junior participants in Indonesia dhanur Pratap singh Rana (Boys 15-18 age group) from Gurgaon. Yuvraj Singh Hara, Gursahib Singh Sandhu and JanishJeev Singh (Boys 13-14 ) from Chandigarh.

Ayaan Gupta (with trophy) from Chandigarh won the 11-years age category at the Pondok Indah International Junior Golf Championship in Indonesia

february 2017 | golf digest india

59

Junior Golf

US College Golf-Student’s Speak Hear what Indian students enrolled in golf programs in the U.S. have to say

By BHArAtH Arvind bharath@teamgolfdigest.com

E

very month Golf Digest India in partnership with the International Junior Golf Association (IJGA) and Albatross Junior Golf Tour India brings you tips and advice perfected over decades to help groom the future champions of golf.

For over two decades, IJGA has been committed to developing champions both on and off the course. Over the coming months, the IJGA will exclusively share these insights with the readers of Golf Digest India to help improve your game, maximize your potential and set you on the path to success as a champion golfer!

Here’s a conversation we had with Nikita Arjun who recently attended the IJGA Golf Academy in South Carolina. We will keeping bringing you more insights from other Indian students in subsequent issues.

What university are you attending?

Armstrong State University, Georgia What made you want to go to the US for golf training?

The fact that there are unlimited opportunities to play in different tournaments, learn from some of the best coaches in the country and be recognized by college coaches.

How did attending the IJGA Academy help you accomplish your goals?

I did the post grad program at the IJGA. This made me grow as a golfer and person. I was recruited by college coaches and I was able to play in many elite tournaments. IJGA is home away from home without mom and dad. You learn to be responsible and grow as an individual.

What is the biggest difference between junior golf in India and the US? I would say competition and the courses.

Yes, junior & amateur golf in India is very competitive but competing in the US opens up more opportunities for college golf as coaches across the country come to scout.

Junior golf in the US exposes you to different cultures too. You get to play with juniors from different countries, which helps with competition and broadens your cultural horizon.

How has the adjustment been transitioning from high school in India to college in the U.S? I graduated from high school in Bangalore and spent my gap year at the IJGA before going to college. But the transition to college wasn’t very hard, except for the fact that we

60 golf digest india | february 2017

The one thing I love most about college golf is the competition, apart from the fact that we get new uniforms and golf bags every year. have to qualify for tournaments, be at the gym at 6:15am everyday for team workouts, attend classes, golf, food and other essential activities on our own.

As far as academics goes, being a student athlete comes with extra responsibility because we not only have to do well on the course, we need to do well in the classroom as well if we want to stay eligible and keep our scholarships. It isn’t hard if you know exactly what you want to do. Professors are often lenient when it comes to student athletes, as long as we do our work.

What advice would you give Indian juniors looking to pursue college golf in the US? Stay in touch with every college golf coach in the country regardless of your scoring average. There will be a coach out there looking for someone like you! Be patient and determined.

What do you love most about college golf?

The one thing I love most about college golf is the competition, apart from the fact that we get new uniforms and golf bags every year. We get to play some very beautiful

Nikita Arjun

Hometown: Bangalore, India Age: 22 Height: 5’ 5” University: Armstrong State University, Georgia (Junior year) Scoring Average: 77 Lowest tournament score: 70 Major field of Study: Liberal Studies with Major in Communications GPA: 3.0 courses and being a college golfer in the US means a lot.

What does a typical day look like for you?

6:15am workouts, classes for the first half of the day, practice and qualifying for the second half till the sun goes down, homework and then off to bed.

How is the travel schedule in college?

We travel in a van, which can get pretty cramped with 5-6 players, 2 coaches, golf bags and suitcases. Travel on the day of the practice round and back after the final round. We eat at really nice restaurants, stay at good hotels and have a team meeting every night to go over game plans. Upper classmen get their own bed at the hotel and under classmen share beds. It’s great as you travel to various cities almost every week.

How do you spend time off the course?

I sleep a lot on the weekends, because those are the only days where I do not have to be up early except on tournament days. For fun, I sometimes go to downtown Savannah with my team for dinner or just binge on Netflix.

AC TIO N

.

AT TITU D E

TE NACIT Y .

TR I U M P H

#whereitsAT

asiantour.com

Tour partners

Official sponsor

Web partner

On the Asian Tour

First-time winners reign in 2016

By Chuah Choo Chiang

G

azing into g olf ’s crystal ball, the future looks truly exciting with clear visions of Asia’s young and rising stars propelling themselves to the fore on the Asian Tour and beyond through their fearless attitude and golfing talents that defy normal conventions.

After the dust s ettled following another climatic 2016 season and the dollars and cents tabulated, there were an impressive five players in their 20s who featured in the top-10 of the final Asian Tour Order of Merit.

At 21, Korea’s Jeunghun Wang emerged as the highest ranked in third place amongst the young guns, thanks to a masterful win at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, a tri-sanctioned event with Europe and South Africa.

He also won in Morocco a week prior, and became the youngest ever to win back-toback on the European Tour to eclipse the previous record held by the late and legendary Seve Ballesteros of Spain.

Pencil-thin but with the kind of ball-striking ability that has players like Anirban Lahiri and Jeev Milkha Singh purring in admiration, many expect Wang to truly blossom into a world-class player and perhaps emulate countryman Y.E. Yang’s Major heroics.

Soomin Lee of Korea and Pavit Tangkamolprasert of

Anirban Lahiri is the only Indian who has finished first, second and third on the Asian Tour Order of Merit

Thailand were also victorious for the first time last season with the former winning on the European Tour in China while the power-packed Thai broke through at the Venetian Macao Open, defeating 2015 Asian Tour No. 1 Anirban Lahiri in a play-off following a titanic final day duel.

Pavit’s rise to prominence on the region’s premier tour is also testament to the success of the Asian Development Tour where he had cut his professional teeth and won the

Order of Merit title in 2014 with three tournament wins.

While the 22-year-old Filipino Miguel Tabuena did not add to his lone Asian Tour victory in 2016, he still finished in a career high fifth place on the final Merit list, thanks to two runner-up finishes and three other top-10s.

He also enjoyed a maiden major appearance at the U.S. Open to ensure his blossoming career continued to grow on an upward trend.

A b e t t i n g m a n wo u l d

certainly put a wager down on the magnificent five to sparkle in our 2017 season, whether at home or abroad as the Asian Tour continues to expand its playing horizons following several exciting announcements of new trisanctioned tournaments with the PGA Tour of Australasia and European Tour.

In addition, such is the Tour’s growing depth in strength that a slew of other young and promising talents are simply waiting on the wings for their career breakthroughs.

M a l ay s i a’s ve r y ow n Nicholas Fung and Gavin Green, Thai teenager Phachara Khongwatmai are just a few names to watch out for in 2017, which promises to be another year to remember.

The slightly-built Fung finished a career high 12th on the Order of Merit with a wonderfully consistent season which was highlighted by four top-10s, an achievement equaled by 17-year-old Phachara, who finished in 14th place on the money ranking.

Long-hitting Green, who came in second on the ADT Order of Merit last season to earn his Asian Tour card for 2017, is another exciting prospect who can make the the world sit up to take notice of the emerging generation of young stars coming out from Asia.

The Asian Tour. This is #whereitsAT.

(The writer is Director, Communications, Asian Tour)

2016 Asian Tour Roll of Honour

Asian Tour Board member Kyi Hla Han (L) and Asian Tour CEO Josh Burack (R) hand over the Order of Merit trophy to Scott Hend of Australia

62 golf digest india | february 2017

Order of Merit champion: Players’ Player of the Year: Lowest Stroke Average: Rookie of the Year: Best Golf Course: Best Spectator Engagement: Driving Accuracy: Driving Distance: Green in Regulations: Sand Saves: Lowest Putting Average: Birdie Leader:

Scott Hend (Aus) Scott Hend (Aus) Scott Hend (Aus) 69.29 Scott Vincent (Zim) Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore Shinhan Donghae Open, Korea Mithun Perera (Slk): 82.85% Nicolas Paez (USA): 312.5 yards Malcolm Kokocinski (Swe) 76.71% Juvic Pagunsan (Phi): 83.33% Marcus Fraser (Aus) 1.697 Panuphol Pittayarat (Tha) 236

On the Asian Tour

Top-60 Indians In Asia Year

In Top 60

2016

11

Highest rank SSP Chowrasia (6th; Earning - $517,467)

2015

9

anirban Lahiri (1st; Earning - $1,139,084)

2014

7

anirban Lahiri (2nd; Earning - $602,833)

2013

9

anirban Lahiri (3rd; Earning - $517,030)

2012

7

gaganjeet Bhullar (5th; Earning - $451,245)

2011

8

SSP Chowrasia (3rd; Earning - $444,528)

2010

8

Shiv Kapur (16th; Earning - $166,182)

2009

8

Jyoti Randhawa (5th; Earning - $344,350)

2008

6

Jeev Milkha Singh (1st; Earning - $1,452,701)

2007

4

gaurav ghei (10th; Earning - $261,057)

2006

7

Jeev Milkha Singh (1st; Earning - $591,884)

2005

5

Jyoti Randhawa (3rd; Earning - $329,835)

2004

6

Jyoti Randhawa (2nd; Earning - $351,709)

11 Number of Indians in the top-60 on 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit, an all-time record.

Nine Indians were inside top-60 in 2015 season

2

Since 2004 only two Indians – Jeev Milkha Singh (twice) and Anirban Lahiri (once) – have won the Asian Tour Order of Merit crown

3 Number of times Jyoti Randhawa was the highest ranked Indian in Asia

february 2017 | golf digest india

63

On the Asian Tour

Keep Your Eyes On...

Scott Hend

There are so many ways to describe Scott Hend. Long-hitting, powerful, astute, gung-ho and straight-talking are just a few.

From this year onwards, add Asian Tour No. 1 to his praise. Since joining the Asian Tour in 2007, the 43-year-old has emerged as the most successful international golfer in the region following nine career victories. Since 2012, Hend has been the hottest golfer where he has won eight times, more than the likes of Thongchai Jaidee, Anirban Lahiri or Thaworn Wiratchant.

Hend was superb in 2016, winning the True Thailand Classic and Queen’s Cup which helped him become the first Aussie to win the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit crown. With US$ 1 million in earnings, he also became only the fourth golfer to surpass US$1 million in earnings in a single season on the Asian Tour.

What was equally eye-catching was his performances in Europe. He contended in several big events in Wentworth and Crans Montana but failed to get across the finish line. While he would have kicked himself at throwing away those winning opportunities, it is those sort of experiences which would help him win more titles in 2017.

Despite approaching his mid-40s, Hend is certainly capable of holding his own against the young guns. The Florida-based golfer is proving to be like fine wine where he gets better with age.

Following a serious hand injury in 2006 which cut short his career in America, Hend has largely been injury free despite the amount of golf that he plays every year. With the 2017 season upon us, it will be very certain that Hend will go on to bag his 10th Asian Tour title this year, and who knows, perhaps an 11th and 12th too in the next 12 months.

Jeunghun Wang

Only 21 years of age, the sky is the limit for Korea’s rising star Jeunghun Wang.

Looking into golf’s crystal ball for the new 2017 season which kicks off at the SMBC Singapore Open next week, it would be very clear that Wang’s career will continue to soar. He has spent four seasons on the Asian Tour where he has become better with each passing year. The slender Korean finished a career high third on the Order of Merit last season thanks to a maiden

64 golf digest india | february 2017

2016 Stats

Stroke Average: 69.29 Birdie Average: 4.53 Driving Distance: 303.65 Putting Average: 1.72 Order of Merit: 1st Earnings: US$1.004 million Asian Tour Career Wins: 9

2016 Stats

Stroke Average: 69.70 Average Birdies per round: 4.07 Driving Accuracy: 60.31% Driving Distance: 288y Putting Average: 1.73 Order of Merit: 3rd Earnings: US$546,193

victory at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open, which is a tri-sanctioned event with the Sunshine and European Tours.

Additionally, Wang finished top-10 on five other occasions to amass US$546,193 throughout the year on the Asian Tour to finish only behind Australian duo Scott Hend and Marcus Fraser. His 2016 campaign was memorable as he also won a first European Tour title in Morocco a week before his Mauritius success. The

back-to-back triumphs enabled him to become the youngest player to do so in Europe, eclipsing the previous record held by the late Seve Ballesteros.

Wang’s year in 2016 started with an appearance at the EurAsia Cup presented

by DRB-HICOM for Team Asia where he was a captain’s pick. Skipper Jeev Milkha Singh had heard so much about the Korean’s ball-striking abilities that he roped Wang into his squad as a wild card.

On the Asian Tour

Kiradech Aphibarnrat

If his form guide over the last six seasons is somewhat of a trend, then watch out for big-hitting Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat in 2017.

The 27-year-old Thai has made it a habit of winning titles in alternate years, his first on the Asian Tour in 2011, followed by a second triumph in 2013, and three more victories around the world in 2015.

Siddikur Rahman

He is regarded a national hero back home. After all, no ordinary folk can lay claim to the honour of inking all the many ‘firsts’ in his country’s golf record books.

He was the first player from Bangladesh to win an Asian Tour title in Brunei in 2010.

He was also the first Bangladeshi to represent his country at the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf in Australia in 2013.

He became the first sportsman from his country to qualify for the

While 2016 would prove disappointing in many ways for the burly Thai, much is expected of him when he returns to action on the Asian Tour and also European Tour this season where he holds a playing card.

Kiradech was probably a victim of playing in too many tournaments in 2016, amassing 30 events throughout the year which yielded five top-10s.

And from a high of 38th place on the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of the 2015 season, he has now slipped down to 80th place.

His main highlight last season, apart from getting married, was a tied fifth place finish at the Rio Olympics. He was also top-five at the BMW International Open and equal sixth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bayhill, a venue which suits his big-hitting game.

2016 Stats

Stroke Average: 71.90 Driving Accuracy: 58.43% Driving Distance: 292.14 yards Greens in Regulation: 66.56% Putts per GIR: 1.78 World Ranking: 80th Asian Tour Wins: 2

Olympics on merit and was accorded the honour of becoming Bangladesh’s flagbearer during the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro last August.

Siddikur Rahman is a name that needs no further introduction in Bangladesh and it would not be long before his name is mentioned in the same breath as other sporting greats internationally.

It has been four years since his last victory on the Asian Tour and the wait for that third one could come again in 2017 if he plays to his true potential.

2016 Stats

Stroke Average: 71.62 Average against Par: -+0.32 Total against Par: +19 Driving Accuracy: 69.88 Driving Distance: 260.20 Greens in Regulation: 55.74 Sand Saves: 59.55 Putting Avg Per GIR: 1.78 Scrambling: 68.09%

Asian Tour Organisational Structure ExEcutivE ManagEMEnt chief Executive Officer: Josh Burack chief Operating Officer: Cho Minn Thant Director, Finance and Human Resources: Ng Chwe Huey Director, Legal & corporate affairs: Pok Cheng Sim Director, communications: Chuah Choo Chiang Director, tour administration: Kala Ramanathan Director, tour Operations: Jittisak Tamprasert Eurasia cup Director: Charlie Tingey nOn-PLayER BOaRD MEMBERs Jimmy Masrin (Chairman) Kyi Hla Han Jaturon Zane Himathongkom Emmet Hsu Dominque Boulet Young Nam PLayER MEMBERs Unho Park Chiragh Kumar Jeev Milkha Singh Zhang Lian-wei tOuRnaMEnt PLayERs cOMMittEE (tPc) Unho Park (Chairman) Chiragh Kumar Berry Henson Lu Wei-chih Hung Chien-yao Adam Groom Rahil Gangjee Angelo Que Pariya Junhasavasdikul

february 2017 | golf digest india

65

On the European Tour

Tiger confirmed for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic

T

iger Woods has confirmed he will compete in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, where he will be making his eighth appearance when the longestrunning European Tour event in the region takes place at the Emirates Golf Club from February 2 to 5, 2017.

Woods will join World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, The Open Champion Henrik Stenson and Masters Tournament Champion Danny Willett among other leading players in a stellar line-up.

The former World No. 1, who had been sidelined by back problems for 15 months, enjoys fond memories of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, having won it twice and is an amazing 92-under par for the 28 rounds he has played at the Majlis course since making his debut in 2001.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing in Dubai and it’s fantastic to see how the city has grown phenomenally from when I first started playing there,” said Woods, whose return to competitive golf at the Hero World Challenge saw him make the most birdies for the week at 24.

“It was great winning in Dubai in 2006 and 2008. When you win in Dubai, you know you’ve beaten an outstanding field. The support from the fans is also just wonderful.

“I still remember making that long putt on the 18th. That was nice. Also, I remember I shot three straight 64s, but only two of them were counted because one was in the Pro-Am. That was the year (2001) when I finished runner-up to Thomas (Bjørn),” he added.

66 golf digest india | february 2017

“Having one of tHe world’s greatest golfers play in your event is sometHing many tournament organisers dream of; to welcome Him to tHe majlis course for tHe eigHtH time is a major boost for golf in middle east, especially dubai.”

— MohaMed JuMa BuaMaiM, Ceo of golf in duBai “It was Mark (O’Meara), who first told me about this tournament in 2000. ‘You would really enjoy it’ he said. I went to Dubai the following year and had a great time,” said Woods, who needs one more win to equal great Ernie Els’ long-standing record of three victories at Emirates Golf Club.

Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of golf in DUBAi, commented: “We are naturally delighted and proud that Tiger Woods is joining us for the 2017 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and, like every one, I also look forward to seeing his trademark fist-pumps.

“Having one of the world’s greatest golfers play in your event is something many tournament organisers dream of; so for us to be able to welcome him to the Majlis Course for the eighth time is a major boost for golf in the Middle East, especially Dubai.”

RORy TO heaDline 2017 BMW PGa ChaMPiOnshiP

Rory McIlroy has confirmed his participation in the 2017 BMW PGA Championship - the first tournament in the European Tour’s new Rolex Series - with the Northern Irishman set to headline the field at a revamped Wentworth Club from May 25-28.

The four-time Major Champion, who won the prestigious title in 2014, will take on the new-look West Course, which has been undergoing extensive changes since last year’s Championship.

McIlroy said he is looking forward to being part of a world class field for the launch event of the Rolex Series, a series of eight tournaments across the European Tour season, all with a minimum prize fund of $7million McIlroy said: “The BMW PGA Championship is the first Rolex Series event and I’m really excited for that. I think it’s a huge thing for the European Tour and I want to be a part of it. You know I am a very proud member of the European Tour and I think it’s only right that I am there. BMW have been a huge supporter of golf for a number of years now and I’m happy to come back to Wentworth.”

The other events in the Rolex Series are: the HNA Open de France (June 29July 2) the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation (July 6-9), the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open (July 13-16), the Italian Open (October 12-15), the Turkish Airlines Open (November 2-5), the Nedbank Golf Challenge (November 9-12) and the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (November 16-19).

On the European Tour

What’s in the bag for Rory in 2017?

“It was pretty amazing. I was on the range in Dubai and I had just about every type of golf club and ball in the world laid out in front of me.”

It’s the kind of thing most golfers dream about but for World No.2 Rory McIlroy, it was part of his off-season.

With McIlroy’s 2016 club provider Nike announcing they would no longer be making golf clubs in August last year, the door was open for the 27-year-old to make some new club and ball choices ahead of 2017.

He started by adding new TaylorMade woods to his bag at the WGC-HSBC Champions in October. McIlroy finished the event in the top five, averaging over 300 yards whilst finding more than 60 per cent of the fairways.

In the weeks following, he would go on to win the PGA Tour FedEx Cup with victories at the BMW Championship and Tour Championship, win three of his five matches at the Ryder Cup and finish in the top ten at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

Then came the off-season.

“I spent a week in Dubai before Christmas testing a lot of equipment and hitting a lot of balls and training,” he said.

Living life as a “free-agent” in the equipment market, McIlroy hit thousands of balls in the Middle East, using TrackMan data and advice from his coach and team, to assess the best equipment for him to start his 2017 campaign.

“I used TrackMan a lot. As much as I can sense the ball flight and shape of the shots, seeing the spin and distance numbers is so important and getting that immediate feedback helps so much.”

Fast-forward four weeks and McIlroy and his golf bag arrived at Glendower Golf Club for the BMW SA Open hosted by City of Ekurhuleni with fans and media awaiting the reveal of his set make-up.

“They are the clubs for this week but that could change week to week. This is my first event with this set-up so we will see how it goes this week. You never really know until you have a card in your hand and at the end of the day the person swinging the club is more important than the club itself.”

Many fans will remember the last time McIlroy made an equipment switch of this scale. Having signed with Nike in 2013, on the back of a year with nine top five finishes and a win on the European Tour, the Northern Irishman struggled throughout the season with just one top five.

RORY’S NEW EQUIPMENT

Driver: Callaway Epic Sub Zero Fairway Woods: TaylorMade M2 Irons: Custom Callaway Apex MB Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM6 Putter: Odyssey Ball: 2017 Titleist Pro V1x

“tHey are tHe clubs for tHis week but tHat could cHange week to week. tHis is my first event witH tHis — RoRY MCilRoY, WoRld no. 2 golfeR set-up so we will see How it goes tHis week.” february 2017 | golf digest india

67

On the European Tour

European Tour player averages in 2016 Speak to many golf fans and they will tell you that all professional golfers hit the ball 300 yards, hit almost every green in regulation and get up and down from every greenside bunker. However, all professional golfers have their strengths and weaknesses so we’ve taken a look at how the average European Tour pro stacks up across the various stats departments. Below are the average metrics of all European Tour golfers across the 2016 season.

When it comes to professional golf, your score is essentially the only statistic that matters. A good Stroke Average is a sign that your overall game is working well. In 2016, the average score among European Tour players was 71.85. Race to Dubai winner Henrik Stenson led the way with an average of 69.14, joining Francesco Molinari, Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton as the only players to average less than 70 in the 2016 seasons. In total, 128 players averaged less than 72.

Driving Distance is probably the most talked about statistic in professional golf. All golfers are looking to add more distance off the tee and Tour players are no different. However, the average European Tour player hits the ball just under 290 yards on average. In fact, only 14 players averaged over 300 yards in 2016, compared to 27 in 2015. South Africa’s Dean Burmester led the way in Driving Distance in 2016 with an average knock of 315.6 yards. The shortest was Siddikur Rahman, who averages just 260.1 yards. Despite that, the Bangladeshi managed to finish runner-up at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open in May.

The average cost of missing a fairway on a hole on Tour is around 0.3 to 0.4 shots.

Add that up over 72 holes and you get a sense of the importance of finding the short grass. That being said, the average Tour player hits less than 60 per cent of fairways. In 2016, only Henrik Stenson and Francesco Molinari hit more than 3 out of 4 fairways on average. Both finished first and second in Scoring Average.

One of the areas that amateurs struggle with the most compared to pros is in greenside bunkers. Amazingly in 2016, European Tour players saved par from greenside bunkers at a higher rate than they did from a general missed green.

Spain’s Alejandro Cañizares led the way with an incredible 82.9 per cent, getting up and down 58 times from 70 opportunities.

As the saying goes “drive for show, putt for dough” and that is certainly true in professional golf. Rarely does a player win an event when ranking outside the top ten in Putts per Green in Regulation or Putts per Round. The averages for those metrics on Tour in 2016 were 1.789 and 29.7 respectively.

Italy’s Francesco Molinari led the birdie conversation category as the only player with a Putts per GIR rate lower than 1.7 (1.686).

Once in the fairway the goal is to hit the green and European Tour players did that at a rate of 66.94 per cent in 2016. That equates to 12 of 18 greens in any given round. For the second time in three years, South Africa’s Thomas Aiken led the Tour in greens, finding the putting surface 79.2 per cent of the time - ie averaging more than 14 Greens in Regulation per round. Only seven players (Aiken, Stenson, McIlroy, Garcia, Cabrera Bello, Wiesberger and Hebert) finished the year hitting more than 75 per cent of greens on average.

Whilst Tour players certainly hit more greens than not, being able to save par when they do miss is crucial.

Scrambling is defined as the rate at which a player makes par or better on holes where they missed the green in regulation. In 2016, players saved par a little more than half of the time. Short-hitting Siddikur Rahman led the way in the season-long standings, saving par 117 times from 165 missed greens for a scrambling percentage of 70.9. Only 22 players average better than 60 per cent.

So there you have, the average European Tour player’s statistics. Tune into to our Twitter and Instagram feeds each Monday following an event to seeing a player’s Winning Formula, giving a breakdown of these exact metrics during the tournament in which they won.

68 golf digest india | february 2017

On the European Tour

MaSTErS InvITE: ThE bEST lETTEr In golf

‘Midnight golf’ at newly-announced European Tour Properties Senior Classic

L

inna Golf, Finland, will play host to the inaugural European Tour Properties Senior Classic in 2017, the second new event added to the European Senior Tour Schedule ahead of the new season.

Joining the Sharjah Golf Masters as a new addition to the 2017 Senior Tour schedule, the European Tour Properties Senior Classic will be played from June 21-23, finishing on a Friday, and will rotate annually through various Member Venues of the European Tour Properties portfolio, starting in Finland.

Designed by Tim Lobb in association with European Golf Design, and opened in 2005, Linna Golf has previously hosted the European Challenge Tour in 2009 at the SK Golf Challenge, won by Nicolas Colsaerts, the European Amateur Championship and European Amateur Team Championship.

The scenic forest course borders a 7km long lake within the historic Vanajanlinna Manor grounds and offers a great variety of beautiful landscapes and topography. Since opening, it has received praise for both its design and immaculate presentation, with many reviews placing it as the best course in Finland and one of the most luxurious resorts in northern Europe.

David MacLaren, Head of the European Senior Tour and Head of European Tour Properties, said: “The creation of this event heralds a new chapter in the commitment of the European Tour to the expansion of our international schedule.

“We are confident that the first European

Tour Properties Senior Classic will be a huge success and welcomed by our players and fans alike.”

The tournament will be played in the popular Alliance format, giving amateur golfers the opportunity to tee it up alongside the Senior Tour’s finest during the first two tournament rounds.

MacLaren added: “The European Senior Tour offers the chance for interaction with players whose names are familiar to all of us, and who take great pride in showcasing their skills and personalities to a wide audience.

“The creation of a brand new tournament to represent and promote our network of world class venues is a momentous point in the development of European Tour Properties.

“Its growth into a global family of high quality venues now allows us to take an important step and the creation of this bespoke tournament will help showcase everything that we believe makes our member venues the pre-eminent choice for travelling golfers, club members and all who aspire to spend time in world class golfing environments.

“The European Tour Properties Senior Classic will be staged annually at a different member venue and we have selected Linna Golf for the inaugural event due to its magnificent golf course and wonderful facilities.

“Holding an event in the Land of the Midnight Sun gives us the potential to stage one of our rounds in the evening, which would certainly be a unique opportunity for our members and also their pro-am partners.”

It is that exciting time of the year again, when golfers across the world await the most sought-after letter in golf: an invitation to compete in the Masters Tournament in April.

A simple letter asks the lucky players to R.S.V.P. – and the 32 European Tour members invited to the year’s first Major Championship so far will make sure they do exactly that.

Bernd Wiesberger is one of ten European Tour members who earned his invitation through finishing in the top 50 of the final Official World Golf Ranking of 2016, and the Austrian, who will be making his third appearance, was kind enough to share his invitation letter on social media: Danny Willett, who will be defending the title from April 6 –9, leads the 22 European Tour members already invited through other exemptions.

While the Masters Champion will be proudly heading for the Champions Locker Room, Tyrrell Hatton, Alex Noren, and Thomas Pieters will all make that famous drive down Magnolia Lane for the first time when they make their debuts at Augusta National.

It might be the first week of 2017, but those competing in the opening Major of the year are already getting excited about being invited, and with more players qualifying through other means over the coming months expect to see more letters like Wiesberger’s and ByeongHun An’s on social media soon.

february 2017 | golf digest india

69

On the European Tour

PlAy witH tHe stArs At tHe sHArjAH seNiOr GOlF MAsters

HNA Group named title sponsor of Open de France

A

fter celebrating its centenary last July, the Open de France will begin a new chapter in its illustrious history when HNA Group, a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services, takes over as title sponsor of continental Europe’s oldest national Open in a five-year commitment starting in 2017.

The HNA Open de France, which will form part of the recently-announced Rolex Series and carry a prize fund of US$ 7 million, will take place from June 29-July 2 at Le Golf National in Paris, a member of the European Tour Properties network and the host venue for The Ryder Cup next year.

The tournament will be followed by the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation and the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, forming an impressive threeweek stretch of Rolex Series events in the build-up to The Open Championship.

HNA Group’s five-year commitment to the Open de France represents its first title sponsorship of a European Tour event, and is also the first time a global organisation headquartered in China has sponsored a European Tour event outside the country. HNA Group also hosted the HNA Invitational in Ireland last year, which featured a number of leading European Tour players including Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood and Danny Willett.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “We are delighted to announce this exciting relationship with HNA Group which represents a

70 golf digest india | february 2017

significant new era in the proud history of the Open de France. I would like to take this opportunity to thank HNA Group for their vision and commitment, not only to the Open de France but to the European Tour as a whole.

“We are also grateful to everyone at the French Golf Federation for their continued commitment to the tournament, which celebrated its 100th edition last year. With France preparing to host the Ryder Cup in 2018, today’s announcement that the HNA Open de France will be part of the Rolex Series is another important milestone for French golf.”

Chen Wenli, Vice Chairman of HNA Group, said: “The commitment we are making to the European Tour represents a new and exciting era for this historic national Open, and provides us with an opportunity to promote HNA Group as a global leader in travel and tourism across a wide consumer audience in connection with a prestigious event.”

First played in 1906, the Open de France became just the seventh national Open worldwide to be played 100 times last July, when Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee held off Francesco Molinari and Rory McIlroy to claim his eighth European Tour title.

Jean Lou Charon, President of the French Golf Federation, said: “As the oldest tournament in continental Europe, having been staged for the 100th time in 2016, the Open de France is one of the most legendary events in French sport and in golf globally. We remain as determined as ever to preserve its status as a shining beacon of our sport in France, and ensure that it continues to promote golf across the country.”

T

he inaugural Sharjah Senior Golf Masters takes place at Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club from March 16-18, and local players are being offered the chance to tee it up alongside the European Senior Tour stars.

There are eight different ways in which local golfers can qualify to rub shoulders with the big names during the Pro-Am events.

Clubs across the UAE will be hosting qualifiers with the winner and the runner-up, along with the club captain from each, qualifying to the National Final held at the Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club on February 12.

The National Final’s top three will qualify to play in the first of two Sharjah Senior Golf Masters Pro-Ams which is set to take place on March 14.

Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club are hosting three qualifying events of their own. The club’s monthly medal (for members only), the Senior Open and the Ladies Open will give players another shot at bagging a spot in the second Pro-Am on March 15, with the winners of each event securing a spot.

Local golfers are also being given the chance to win a spot in the main Sharjah Senior Golf Masters, to be held from March 16-18, with two places being awarded at a gross qualifier which, again, takes place at Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club on February 12.

“It Is great to have so many opportunItIes for people to play and partIcIpate and to get Involved whether they are junIors, women, senIors, amateurs or professIonals. In theory everyone has a chance to qualIfy.” — Martin Duff, Director of Golf at Sharjah Golf & ShootinG club

On the European Tour

stars in the Making in 2017

Thomas Detry of Belgium

Tommy Fleetwood of England

Renato Paratore of Italy

Tyrrell Hatton of England

#1 Thomas Detry

Thomas Detry was ranked 1,802nd in the Official World Golf Rankings just over six months ago. The 23-year-old ended the year at a career high 195th after enjoying a mesmeric rise through the game, which saw the 23-year-old turn professional, win a European Challenge Tour event, graduate to the European Tour and post a top three finish in his first European Tour start - all in the space of just six months.

From winning national championships, to competing in the Junior Ryder Cup, the former World Amateur No. 8 has been hotlytipped as a future star in his home nation, and beyond, for some time.

#2 Tyrrell Hatton

Ranked 375th in the Official World Golf Rankings at the start of the 2014 season, the rise of Tyrrell Hatton to World N0. 24, where he currently sits in the OWGR, has been nothing short of extraordinary.

After coming close to a maiden European Tour win on numerous occasions, Hatton won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Nacho Elvira of Spain

in style at St. Andrews in October for what many believe was the first of many titles for the High Wycombe native. He came very close to adding to that victory at the showpiece season-ending DP World Tour Championship, finishing just one shot behind winner Matt Fitzpatrick.

The Englishman has not finished outside of the top 40 in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex in his three full seasons on the European Tour.

#4 Tommy Fleetwood

#3 Nacho Elvira

#5 Renato Paratore

Always regarded as a solid ball-striker, Elvira enjoyed a standout season during the 2016 Race to Dubai, which saw him named as the Graduate of the Year by the European Tour after a breakthrough 2016 season saw him finish 44th in the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex, six places ahead of nearest rival Brandon Stone.

Elvira finished in a tie for third at the Italian Open and posted back-to-back top 10s at the Portugal Masters and the Turkish Airlines Open, to be recognised as the bestgraduate from the Challenge Tour.

Few players finished the 2016 campaign as impressively as Tommy Fleetwood, who found some seriously consistent form in the second half of the season. From the D+D REAL Czech Masters in August to the season finale in Dubai, the Englishman made 11 consecutive cuts, finished in the top 50 in every one of those events on the way to posting seven top 15 finishes, and was a cumulative 101-under par for that period.

It’s clear to see the progression in the career of Renato Paratore. After juggling golf with his studies and battling to keep his card last year having finished 109th in the Race to Dubai, the 19-year-old made sure he didn’t have to go through the same nerve-wracking experience this time round, finishing at 57th in the 2016 season-long standings and making his Final Series debut.

Three top 10s and a host of other consistent performances shows why the Italian, who won a gold medal at the Youth Olympics in 2014 in Nanjing, is so highly thought of. february 2017 | golf digest india

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72 golf digest india | february 2017

From the golf digest 5o to television deals and beyond, m%ney is flowing in new ways

mOn3y +g%lf

by ro n s ir a k

th3 rule$ are chang รทing Illustration by Eddie Guy

s

hortly after the turn of the century,

when the golf economy was running hot, Nike chairman and co-founder Phil Knight was asked at the annual stockholders’ meeting if the company could have found a better way to spend $100 million than by extending Tiger Woods’ contract for five years at $20 million a year. “No, it couldn’t,” Knight replied emphatically and, in terms of words, economically. ▶ When Knight said that in September 2000 at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Ore., it had a ring of truth. Woods had just won three consecutive major championships—the U.S. Open by 15 strokes, the Open Championship by eight and the PGA Championship in a thrilling playoff. Seven months later, he would complete the Tiger Slam at the 2001 Masters, becoming the first to hold all four men’s major championships simultaneously.

For relatively new Nike Golf, and for golf in general, the ceiling for growth seemed to be quite high. The Woods deal unleashed a flurry of high-priced contracts as golfers followed their form of free agency—not changing teams like baseball, football and basketball players, but by changing equipment companies.

Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els, David Duval and Davis Love III were among those who cashed in big-time, either by changing companies or by using the possibility of leaving to enhance deals. And equipment companies, lacking the deep pockets of Nike lined with sneaker cash, began cutting deals with players to keep them, allowing them to sell their most valuable logo space—the hat—to other companies. And thus financial services, pharmaceuticals and other concerns got into the endorsement game.

Sixteen years after Woods’ groundbreaking deal, the number of equipment companies has shrunk. Nike has stopped making clubs and balls. TaylorMade is for sale, and most say the new owners will be more cost-conscious. All that leaves some wondering if the hundreds of millions of dollars spent annually on player endorsements might be contributing to the consolidation of the equipment industry, which still showers players in money to play their mON3Y clubs and balls. +G%LF That largesse can be seen in the 14th annual Golf Digest 50 allencompassing money list. Though the names have changed—slightly—the stars are still pulling in eight figures a year off the course to supplement tour prize money, which continues to grow. Not only is Nike gone from the hardgoods scene, but Woods no longer has his hold on the top spot in the GD50.

For the first 12 years of the ranking, Woods was No. 1, usually by a wide margin. But reduced play because of injuries and the loss of more than half a dozen A-list endorsement partners after the 2009 scandal caught up to him in 2016, when he fell to No. 3 behind Jordan Spieth and Mickelson. This year, Woods is No. 4 behind Rory

74 golf digest india | february 2017

G%LFD1G3ST5O on-course income for 2016 includes all money earned on the PGA Tour and the five international tours (Japan PGA, PGA European, Australasian, Southern Africa, Asian) and the PGA Tour Champions, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and the Japan LPGA through Dec. 4, 2016. It includes unofficial money won in nontour events. off-course income includes estimates of all money earned from endorsements, bonuses, appearance fees, corporate outings, speaking engagements, licensing fees (video games, trading cards, etc.), course architecture, books, instructional videos and businesses that capitalize on a person’s status as a player, such as product lines including clothing, wine and turfgrass. Investment income is not included. name

previous rank

on course

off course

total

1. Rory McIlroy

4

$17,514,505

$32,000,000

$49,514,505

2. Arnold Palmer

5

—

$40,000,000

$40,000,000

3. Phil Mickelson

2

$4,267,628

$33,500,000

$37,767,628

4. Tiger Woods

3

$107,000

$34,607,000

$34,607,000

5. Jordan Spieth

1

$6,403,470

$24,000,000

$30,403,470

6. Jack Nicklaus

6

$42,000

$20,000,000

$20,042,000

13

$12,664,185

$7,100,000

$19,764,185

7

$8,845,112

$10,750,000

$19,595,112

9. Adam Scott

18

$8,160,920

$6,900,000

$15,060,920

10. Gary Player

10

—

$15,000,000

$15,000,000

11. Henrik Stenson

12

$6,941,923

$7,250,000

$14,191,923

12. Hideki Matsuyama

22

$5,576,454

$8,000,000

$13,576,454

13. Rickie Fowler

8

$3,328,563

$9,100,000

$12,428,563

14. Sergio Garcia

16

$3,845,425

$8,500,000

$12,345,425

15. Matt Kuchar

20

$4,597,178

$6,750,000

$11,347,178

16. Bubba Watson

11

$4,852,842

$6,300,000

$11,152,842

17. Patrick Reed

36

$8,348,461

$2,750,000

$11,098,461

18. Bernhard Langer

19

$4,152,459

$6,250,000

$10,402,459

19. Greg Norman

14

—

$10,000,000

$10,000,000

20. Colin Montgomerie

21

$2,242,045

$7,500,000

$9,742,045

9

$2,314,365

$7,200,000

$9,514,365

22. Jimmy Walker

26

$4,657,546

$4,200,000

$8,857,546

23. Graeme McDowell

39

$3,011,088

$5,800,000

$8,811,088

24. Brandt Snedeker

28

$4,735,142

$4,000,000

$8,735,142

25. Ernie Els

23

$652,143

$8,000,000

$8,652,143

26. Lee Westwood

30

$1,950,964

$6,550,000

$8,500,964

27. Branden Grace

NR

$4,642,376

$3,700,000

$8,342,376

28. Nick Faldo

25

$43,500

$8,250,000

$8,293,500

29. Jim Furyk

17

$1,613,204

$6,650,000

$8,263,204

30. Russell Knox

NR

$6,097,590

$2,075,000

$8,172,590

31. Tom Watson

24

$147,888

$8,000,000

$8,147,888

32. Miguel Angel Jimenez

33

$1,950,147

$6,000,000

$7,950,147

33. Zach Johnson

15

$2,124,953

$5,750,000

$7,874,953

34. Danny Willett

NR

$5,287,365

$2,550,000

$7,837,365

35. Martin Kaymer

31

$1,781,000

$6,000,000

$7,781,000

36. Fred Couples

29

$225,229

$7,500,000

$7,725,229

37. Paul Casey

43

$5,033,060

$2,000,000

$7,033,060

38. Davis Love III

27

$417,319

$6,250,000

$6,667,319

39. Luke Donald

38

$1,829,812

$4,800,000

$6,629,812

40. Justin Thomas

NR

$4,416,366

$2,050,000

$6,466,366

41. Brooks Koepka

NR

$4,073,393

$2,000,000

$6,073,393

42. William McGirt

NR

$3,819,972

$2,200,000

$6,019,972

43. Jason Dufner

NR

$3,553,634

$2,400,000

$5,953,634

44. Lydia Ko

47

$2,691,642

$3,250,000

$5,941,642

45. Kevin Kisner

NR

$3,709,354

$2,200,000

$5,909,354

46. J.B. Holmes

35

$3,462,108

$2,400,000

$5,862,108

47. Kevin Chappell

NR

$5,101,050

$700,000

$5,801,050

48. Bill Haas

45

$2,766,699

$2,600,000

$5,366,699

49. Kevin Na

NR

$3,626,291

$1,650,000

$5,276,291

50. Padraig Harrington

49

$1,269,786

$4,000,000

$5,269,786

7. Dustin Johnson 8. Jason Day

21. Justin Rose

nr Not ranked among the Golf Digest 50 in February 2016. sources Figures for the list were compiled through Golf Digest interviews with agents, players, executives of companies involved with endorsements, industry analysts and through the official money lists of the professional tours.

McIlroy, Arnold Palmer and Mickelson.

Last year’s No. 1, Spieth, fell to No. 5 mostly because he earned $16 million less on the golf course, including only $550,000 in FedEx Cup bonus money compared to the $10 million top prize in 2015. That bonus went to McIlroy, helping him make more than $17.5 million on the golf course. Remarkably, the top earner off the golf course on the 2017 list is Palmer, who died last fall at 87. Nearly 45 years after his last PGA Tour win, the King made $40 million in licensing, endorsement and design money.

Lydia Ko at No. 44 was the only woman to make the list this year, in part because perennial off-course money leaders Stacy Lewis, Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie had sub-par years in oncourse earnings.

t

PAY FOR PLAY Number of players who had compensation arrangements in 2016 with each of the 10 major equipment companies. titleist

799

cleveland/srixon

174

Ping

131

taylormade

126

callaway

80

cobra Puma

15

nike

15

PXg golf

13

Wilson

13

Bridgestone

9

source Equipment company websites. TaylorMade says it has “more than 125” players under contract.

changes at nike and taylormade

he withdrawal of Nike from the ball and club market—it will still market clothing and footwear—and the fact that TaylorMade will soon have a new owner have changed the endorsement landscape, not so much for the best players but for everyone else.

According to Casey Alexander, a research analyst specializing in golf stocks at Compass Point Research & Trading, Callaway, Ping, TaylorMade and Titleist have 80 percent of the ball and club market. “Everyone else doesn’t have enough revenue left to compete on the marketing side,” Alexander says. “You can have the best club in the world, but if you can’t do marketing on multiple platforms [print, Internet, player endorsements, demo days, etc.], you can’t compete. Every two or three years, someone gets tossed out of the ring. It wouldn’t surprise me if in five years that 80 percent [of market share] for those four companies was 90 percent.”

Alexander says the four big companies have profit margins in high single digits. In the heyday of golf, those margins were probably mid-teens, he says. Exactly how much money do equipment companies spend yearly on player endorsements? “No one shares that information,” Alexander says. “No one wants to.”

One source familiar with endorsement deals, speaking with Golf Digest under the condition of anonymity, estimates that TaylorMade, which says it has “more than 125 players” under contract, spends “$20 million to $25 million combined on its big four [Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose] and then doesn’t spend that much on the rest of its players,” putting its total endorsements at $40 million to $50 million annually.

“Different companies have different philosophies,” the source says. “Titleist wants numbers [of players, to win things like the tour ball count]; other companies want names. The common thread is authenticity and believability of the marketing message.” TaylorMade declined to comment for this story, as did Titleist.

“Player endorsements have been a long-term strategy at Ping as we started our tour program in the early

1970s,” says Chance Cozby, vice president/sports development at Ping. “Product validation and brand awareness by the world’s best players provide a great foundation for a premium product like Ping to succeed in the marketplace.”

Will the departure of Nike and the impending sale of TaylorMade change the marketplace?

“Given industry consolidation, keen attention will be paid when determining whether to retain an athlete as a spokesperson,” says David M. Carter of the marketing consulting firm The Sports Business Group and executive director of the Marshall Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California. “Athletes who separate themselves from the pack and who can truly deliver a quantifiable return on marketing investment will remain in a strong position to secure endorsement deals. Athletes who are only marginally differentiated from their peers may struggle to secure meaningful endorsement dollars.”

That has agents casting a wary eye.

“Clearly, this has been a unique year with golf equipment companies/professional tour-staff endorsements, primarily due to TaylorMade being in a holding pattern of sorts for most of the year and Nike abruptly exiting the equipment industry,” says Jay Burton, an agent with International Management Group. “Needless to say, the other major equipment companies are using this as an opportunity to adjust their game plans. In the past two months, there has been a flurry of activity from TaylorMade/Nike tour players to test other equipment/balls.”

Burton agrees that the pain will be felt by second-tier players but not the top stars. “Equipment companies need the endorsements of professional tour players if they expect to be major players in the game,” he says.

“There definitely has been consolidation,” says Mark Steinberg, an agent with Excel Sports Management, which represents GD50 players, including Woods, Rose and Matt Kuchar as well as young stars Daniel Berger and Justin Thomas. “But it hasn’t really affected the pricing as much as I thought at this point.” His clients are, for the most part, the guys at the top of the pyramid getting the big bucks.

Woods still has multiple years left on his Nike contract and will

TIGER’S EARNINGS $1.4 BILLION AND COUNTING year

on course

off course

total

1996

$894,060

$12,250,000

$13,144,060

1997

$2,380,831

$19,500,000

$21,880,831

1998

$2,927,946

$27,000,000

$29,927,946

1999

$7,681,625

$27,000,000

$34,681,625

2000

$11,034,530

$38,000,000

$49,034,530

2001

$7,771,562

$56,000,000

$63,771,562

2002

$8,292,188

$67,000,000

$75,292,188

2003

$6,700,288

$77,000,000

$83,700,288

2004

$6,370,407

$83,000,000

$89,370,407

2005

$11,992,739

$75,000,000

$86,992,739

2006

$11,941,827

$87,000,000

$98,941,827

2007

$22,902,706

$99,800,000

$122,702,706

2008

$7,737,626

$109,600,000

$117,337,626

2009

$21,015,196

$100,900,000

$121,915,196

2010

$2,294,116

$72,000,000

$74,294,116

2011

$2,067,059

$62,000,000

$64,067,059

2012

$9,124,386

$77,000,000

$86,124,386

2013

$12,091,508

$71,000,000

$83,091,508

2014

$610,775

$54,500,000

$55,110,775

2015

$551,098

$48,000,000

$48,551,098

2016

$107,000

$34,500,000

$34,607,000

total

$156,489,473

$1,298,050,000

$1,454,539,473

february 2017 | golfdigest.com

xx

“Time will tell,” Ping’s Cozby says about the impact of consolidation in the industry. “In the short term, there has been very little change. In the long term, equipment brands will have to consider potential changes in requirements as players move to soft goods as a primary sponsor.”

Are the companies paying too much?

“Because the world has changed, should we have known what the world was going to look like five years ago?” Alexander asks. “Are they over-paying? In hindsight, it’s easy to say that. But they operated in the old framework. That framework has changed.”

What kind of endorsement structure that new framework constructs is the real question. The result could be a trend set in motion by Tiger all those years ago: more money flowing to players from nongolf companies. Golfers remain the most valuable endorsement partners in all of sports.

gutter credit tk

continue to wear its clothing and shoes. But he is free to make money from other equipment companies.

Alexander says the big four companies have consolidated their power by keeping prices high.

“The guys running those four companies are smart enough to know you don’t want to become a black widow and eat your mate,” Alexander says. “They do better if they don’t worry about gaining a market-share point or two. They wised up and are not discounting the price of the clubs, so that keeps the gross margins high enough so that they have enough money to do marketing. The big four don’t worry about the bottom feeders. When the bottom feeders discount, they go into a death spiral.”

Like most agents and analysts, Alexander doesn’t expect the consolidation of the industry to affect the top players. “We’re still in a marketplace of demand and supply, and the demand for quality players just went down by one company that was spending millions,” he says. “Stars will still get paid. It will take time for the Nike impact to flow into the marketplace.”

Illustration by Oliver Munday

MAK1NG S3NSE of f%x + thE U$GA MoN3y +G%lf

M%ney losses and overall ratings declines leave a $1.1 billion question by ron sirak

When the 12-year deal between the United States Golf Association and Fox Sports was announced in 2013, it rocked the golf world because Fox had never televised the sport and because of the price tag, reported by Golf Digest at $1.1 billion—$93 million a year.

But after two years of losses that sources say are in the tens of millions for Fox and some bumpy coverage situations, the unavoidable question arises: Is this what Fox and the USGA had in mind when they signed the landmark contract?

According to sources familiar with the situation, tensions between the USGA and Fox increased after the network’s aggressive handling of rules controversies at the 2016 U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open. There was also significant dissatisfaction within the USGA, sources say, over the fact that Fox and its cable arm Fox Sports 1 (FS1) did not take advantage of a West Coast venue for the Women’s Open to push the broadcast deep into East Coast prime time, bringing the women’s game much-needed exposure. february 2017 | golf digest india

77

Sports Business Journal says the slide coincides with an overall trend that, in 2016 at least, can be blamed in part by the ratings boost news outlets like MSNBC, CNN and The USGA and Fox are saying the right Fox News got from a presidential campaign things publicly, but they both acknowledge that resembled a reality show. “Sunday Night rules infraction by Anna Nordqvist in her there have been conversations after 2016’s Football” is off 10 percent, “Monday Night playoff with Brittany Lang before USGA ofmajor championships to settle differences.

Football” is down 19 percent and “Thursday ficials had a chance to examine the video, And both sides shot down whispers that Night Football” slid 15 percent, according which, sources tell Golf Digest, angered they wouldn’t mind an early end to the deal, to SBJ. Viewership for “Sunday Night Base- some USGA insiders. which has 10 more years to run. This comes “Both organizations realize we could’ve ball,” NASCAR and UFC also dropped after a rough start for Fox at the 2015 in 2016. In fact, the NBC portion provided more complete information in a U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, alof the PGA Tour schedule, more timely manner and explained our though pretty much everyone which comes mostly early processes better,” Mike Davis, executive agrees the 2016 broadcast in the year, was a bright director and CEO of the USGA, told Golf from Oakmont was sigspot, up 9 percent, join- Digest. “In both cases, the USGA put a prenificantly better from ing the most-watched mium on gathering all the facts to make a technical and talent fox has events NBA Finals in 18 an informed decision for the competition standpoint. in other sports years as success sto- first, and then relaying that information From the beginthat draw better ries. And the Sunday accurately to those who were watching. ning, the USGA said than most golf. ratings for the British We have since enhanced those processes the Fox deal was not Open were the highest and will continue to improve them, so that just about the monsince 2009, but that can everyone reporting, including Fox, can ey—150 percent more be attributed to its return maintain journalistic integrity with the than the $37 million annuto broadcast TV instead of best expertise and knowledge we can offer.” ally NBC and ESPN combined At the time of the deal with the USGA, cable. ABC scored a 3.8 rating in paid under the previous TV con2009, and NBC hit 3.3 in 2016. In the the financial gamble for Fox made sense. tract—but also about bringing golf to a six years ESPN had the tournament (2010-’15), The network needed content for FS1, wider audience of general sports fans. The it never exceeded 3.1. And in the Olympics, which launched on Aug. 17, 2013, 11 days game would reach the nongolf fan, the thinkwith NBC and Golf Channel both providing after the deal was announced. Though ing went, and help grow the game’s spectator coverage, the final round of the men’s event the U.S. Open generates nearly all of the base. For Fox, there was the attraction of the drew 8.8 million viewers, second only to the USGA’s annual revenue, Fox was also get13 USGA championships, providing content ting rights to 12 other USGA competitions, Masters in 2016. for its fledgling FS1 as it took on ESPN and Of course, TV ratings no longer tell the giving it a lot of content. The hope was that NBCSN in the all-sports market. entire story, because viewers use other plat- the contract, expected to lose money iniBut viewing habits are changing, and forms to tune in. On Fox Sports Go, 1.1 million tially, would prove worth the price over 12 television is becoming less of the go-to meyears by driving viewers to FS1, generattotal live streams were started during the dia for the cord-cutting generation that is ing subscriber fees.

U.S. Open, up 99 percent from 2015. abandoning cable and traditional TV for According to the USGA’s In addition, 30 million minutes mobile devices. The three lowest-rated U.S. annual report, in the fiscal were streamed across cable Open broadcasts since the cable TV era beyear ending Nov. 30, 2014, and broadcast simulcasts gan in 1981 have been the last three (see acthe governing body deand bonus feeds, an 86-percompanying chart). In 2014, the final round clared $122 million in revcent increase over the previof the Martin Kaymer runaway at Pinehurst enue from “championships ous year. The simulcast of No. 2 in NBC’s lame-duck broadcast scored mOn3y and team matches, includthe final round had 350,000 a 3.0 rating. The Fox debut at Chambers +g%lf ing broadcast rights,” and stream starts, up 188 percent Bay in 2015 pulled only a 4.2, despite a West for 2015 that number infrom 2015.

Coast venue that spilled the broadcast into creased to $162 million. What Still, beyond the past three, East Coast prime time. And the 2016 Sunday changed to account for the $40-milno other U.S. Open since 1981 has had broadcast of the win by Dustin Johnson at a Sunday rating worse than 4.5. The high- lion revenue increase? The Fox TV deal Oakmont managed only a 3.4. est-rated U.S. Open in the cable era was 8.9 kicked in (backloaded to reach the $93-milThese ratings, however, need to be takin 1981, when there was still relatively little lion average per year). en within the context of a dip in overall TV But one of the other reasons then-USGA competition from cable, and in 2002, when viewership for golf, and for other sports.

Tiger Woods won at Bethpage. Ten times president Glen Nager and his negotiating The 1.8 rating for the 2016 final round of The since 1981, the final round of the U.S. Open team sided with Fox over NBC/Golf ChanBarclays, a FedEx Cup playoff event, was the has scored a rating of 7.0 or higher, more than nel in 2013 was because of the expectation lowest since 2008, when the tournament double the number Fox achieved at Oakmont the new platform would reach new fans. took place during the Olympics, says Sports “First, we get the opportunity to expand in 2016.

Media Watch, which tracks ratings for all Further complicating things between our exposure and tell our story to a broader sports. According to Sports Media Watch, the USGA and Fox were the rules contro- audience,” Sarah Hirshland, the USGA seafter June, 10 out of 12 final rounds of PGA versies. At Oakmont, Fox announcers were nior managing director, business affairs, Tour events posted declines in ratings and extremely critical of how the USGA handled told Golf Digest in 2013. “The other is the viewership. what was eventually an after-the-fact penalty called against Johnson. And in the Women’s Open at CordeValle, Fox aired a

78 golf digest india | february 2017

opportunity to create some distinctiveness about the role we play in the game through ancillary programming—wrap-ups, documentaries, use of archival stuff. There is a commitment to a lot of ancillary programming leading up to the Opens.”

Despite what the numbers say, it feels like that hasn’t happened. On Thursday at the Women’s Open, FS1 left the broadcast to cover a truck race, although the glamour group of Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson and Lexi Thompson still had six holes to play.

Then both weekend rounds were played in threesomes off two tees, which did not please most players but allowed for an early finish that let Fox broadcast baseball on Saturday and pick up its regularly scheduled prime-time programming on Sunday.

One of the miscalculations by the USGA was in not realizing that pretty much all of its events other than the U.S. Open have far more value to Golf Channel than to any other broadcast entity. Live golf is what drives Golf Channel’s ratings—moving the NCAA championships to midweek has provided compelling content and increased exposure for the NCAA. Fox, quite simply, has events in other sports that draw better than most in golf. At the Women’s Open, FS1 left the coverage at 5 p.m. PT Thursday and Friday, and Fox concluded coverage at 4 p.m. PT Saturday and was scheduled to end at 4:30 p.m. Sunday but ran until 5:20 p.m. because of a three-hole playoff. But not only was Fox contractually obligated to other events, the ratings show that those events performed far better than golf. It’s difficult to blame Fox for a smart programming decision that might not have been anticipated by the USGA when it negotiated the contract.

On Thursday, when the Women’s Open pulled an average of about 175,000 viewers on FS1, according to Fox, it left for a set-up show for a truck race that drew 242,000 viewers from 8-8:30 p.m. ET, and the truck race from 8:30-11 p.m. attracted 596,000 viewers.

Saturday’s third-round Open coverage on Fox drew 732,000 viewers, up 21 percent over 2015, Fox says. Sunday’s final round had 1,307,000 viewers, up 35 percent over 2015.

The Major League Baseball game Fox was contractually obligated to cover on Saturday drew 2.1 million viewers. On Sunday, the early finish to the Women’s Open let Fox go to its regular prime-time schedule, anchored by “The Simpsons,” which drew 1 million viewers when it began at 8:20 p.m. ET.

T

More hours of prograMMing

he USGA and Fox say that although the ratings were unimpressive, the number of eyes that experienced the product increased because of more hours on the air and because of the other devices viewers use to see the product.

“The number of hours of USGA programming has dramatically increased; the total consumption has gone up 20 percent since 2014,” says Bill Wanger, executive vice president of programming, research and content strategy at Fox Sports. “We look at a lot of different things. In 2016, we aired over 223 hours of USGA programming—play, previews, taped product, etc. In 2014, it was 150 hours.”

According to Wanger, the 12-year deal gives Fox time to build financial momentum for its golf coverage. He says golf attracts a more upscale viewer, and with those new viewers come new advertisers. “Anytime you take over a new property, from an advertising standpoint, it takes a little while to ramp up,” Wanger says. “I do see the sales component becoming much easier.”

As for suggestions there was tension between Fox and the USGA over the rules coverage, Wanger said: “At the end of the day, the relationship is not strained at all. We needed to report what’s happening, like a news organization.” Adds Wanger about rumors of divorce talks between the USGA and Fox: “There is absolutely no truth to that whatsoever.” As for the notion that Fox shorted the Women’s Open, Wanger said: “You have to remember that we have other contractual obligations. We had to go to a baseball window on Saturday, and we had other commitments on Sunday. Anyone who says we are not committed to the U.S. Women’s Open, I take issue with that.”

In part what Fox learned is what the USGA has known for years: The U.S. Open is the only

lowe st s u nday r at i ngs for m e n’ s m a jors s i nce ca b l e e r a b eg a n i n 1 9 8 1

hig he st s u nday r at i ngs for m e n’ s m a jors s i nce cabl e e r a b eg a n i n 1 9 8 1 masters 14.1 1997 Tiger Woods wins by 12 strokes 13.3 2001 Tiger Slam completed 10.7 2010 Phil Mickelson wins his third green jacket; Tiger returns from scandal 10.6 1981 Tom Watson beats Nicklaus, Miller 10.5 1990 Nick Faldo beats Raymond Floyd

6.8 6.9 7.3 7.5 7.7 7.8

1993 2014 2004 1986 2016 1985

Bernhard Langer wins by four Bubba Watson wins by three Phil Mickelson wins first green jacket Jack Nicklaus wins at 46 Danny Willett beats Jordan Spieth Bernhard Langer wins by two

3.0

2014, Martin Kaymer wins by eight strokes at Pinehurst 2016 Dustin Johnson wins at Oakmont 2015 Jordan Spieth wins over Dustin Johnson at Chambers Bay 1988 Curtis Strange wins at Brookline 2011 Rory McIlroy wins by eight strokes at Congressional

u.s. open 8.9 8.9 8.1 7.6 7.5 7.5 7.5

1981 David Graham wins at Merion 2002 Tiger Woods wins at Bethpage 2000 Woods wins at Pebble Beach 1987 Scott Simpson wins at Olympic 1982 Tom Watson wins over Jack Nicklaus at Pebble Beach 1983 Larry Nelson wins at Oakmont 2008 Woods wins at Torrey Pines

3.4 4.2 4.5 4.5

open championship 6.4 6.0 5.8 5.0 4.9 4.9

2000 Tiger Woods wins career Grand Slam at the Old Course at St. Andrews 1982 Tom Watson wins at Troon 1983 Watson wins at Birkdale 1998 Mark O’Meara wins at Birkdale 1995 John Daly wins at St. Andrews 1981 Bill Rogers wins at St. George’s

2.1

2.9

2010 Louis Oosthuizen wins by seven strokes at the Old Course at St. Andrews 2014 Rory McIlroy wins at Liverpool 2011 Darren Clarke wins at St. George’s 2015 Zach Johnson beats Oosthuizen and Marc Leishman at St. Andrews 1991 Ian Baker-Finch wins at Birkdale

2.8 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.7

2008 2012 2016 1986 1996

2.3 2.3 2.4

pga championship 8.8 7.5 7.0 6.9 6.8

2000 2002 2006 1999 1985

Tiger Woods wins at Valhalla Rich Beem beats Tiger at Hazeltine Woods wins at Medinah Woods wins at Medinah Hubert Green wins at Cherry Hills

P. Harrington wins at Oakland Hills Rory McIlroy wins at Kiawah Jimmy Walker wins at Baltusrol Bob Tway wins at Inverness Mark Brooks wins at Valhalla

month 2016 | golfdigest.com

79

“We are,” Hirshland said when asked if she is comfortable the 12-year deal will achieve its original goals. And so says Fox. “I think we’ve got the right broadcast team, I think we have the right stars,” Evans says.

“The sky is the limit.”

Fox and the USGA have 10 more years to try to reach that ceiling.

gutter credit tk

one of its events that makes money. And what the USGA learned is that its TV partner has to put profits first when planning programming.

“In terms of carrying it into prime time, when you have conflicts with other contracts, ultimately it is a business,” says Mark Evans, vice president of national ad sales for Fox Sports Media Group. “The economics where it is today don’t make sense. What the women’s game needs is a breakout star.”

While admitting disappointment, Fox looks to the future of its golf coverage with optimism. “Were we hoping for bigger rat-

ings? Of course,” Evans says. “Were we hoping for Tiger Woods to re-emerge? Of course.

But we do have a dynamic, young group coming up. The U.S. Open brings the cream of the crop. Between year one and year two we added 21 new advertisers, which generated $13 million more.”

According to Hirshland, the Fox-USGA partnership delivered more than seven million live streams on digital channels. “[We] feel very good about the overall reach of USGA content in both linear and digital feeds,” she says. In terms of added exposure, Hirshland cited the five million viewers who watched “Spieth’s Northwest Conquest” in 2015 immediately after the Fox nationally televised NFL game on Thanksgiving Day. She also noted that Fox had a 20-hour USGA documentary marathon on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

80 golf golfdigest.com digest india| |month february 2016 2017

Photograph by First Lastname

mon3y +g%lf

und3r cover t%ur pro

Lending m%ney to fellow players can be awkward

gutter credit tk

I

don’t think it’s fair to name names, so all I’ll say is, there’s a player, a guy who had a great rookie season this year, who might not have ever made it to the PGA Tour if not for financial assistance from another player. He was on the mini-tours and out of money when a veteran gave him 15 grand to keep going. Enough to keep entering tournaments and eat something other than fast-food. ▶ Whether it was because the veteran believed in his talent, or because they’re from the same home state, who knows? All I know is, the first time they were paired together, playing for real money on TV, the handful of us who were aware of the story recognized how unique it was. ▶ Most players don’t spread wealth down the system. Generally, the view out here is, everyone is on his own journey. If you’ve got game, it will work out. And if you do help another golfer, you should consider it a loan that will never be paid back. Which is hard, because it’s your buddy, and you want to believe him when he says, “Yeah, bro, hittin’ it great; just need to see a few more putts drop.” But deep down you can’t. And because you probably haven’t set a payoff date or any real terms, neither one of you has any idea how to behave, how to fulfill your obligation as lender or debtor. Despite the friendliest intentions, all it takes is one of you feeling awkward before you end up avoiding each other. monthIllustration 2016 | golfdigest.com

by Christian Northeast 81

Our biennial rep%rt on salaries from around the game

What p3ople in g%lf make Ever wonder what your head pro makes? The superintendent?

Maybe even the kid who collects the range balls? It’s impolite to ask, of course, so we’ve done the research for you. Golf in the United States is nearly a $70-billion industry. There are roughly 24 million golfers and 15,000 courses. The game

$$$$$ ▶ $ Tim Finchem Outgoing commissioner, PGA Tour $5,655,352 • Wally Uihlein President and CEO, Acushnet (owner of Titleist and FootJoy) $4,978,638 (includes base salary of $995,200, plus bonus and other incentive pay) • Oliver (Chip) Brewer III President and CEO, Callaway Golf $4,305,268 (includes base salary of $750,000, plus stock awards and other incentive pay) • Jay Monahan Incoming commissioner, PGA Tour $2,116,875 • Pete Bevacqua CEO, PGA of America $1,444,331 • Ty Votaw Chief marketing officer, PGA Tour $1,252,536 • Michael Whan Commissioner, LPGA Tour $966,742 • Mike Davis Executive director, USGA $854,803 • Kerry Haigh Chief championships officer, PGA of America $744,260 • Joe L. Barrow Jr. CEO, The First Tee $618,853 • Sarah Hirshland Senior managing director, USGA $606,057

Greg McLaughlin President, PGA Tour Champions $595,474 • Bill Calfee President, Web.com Tour $587,148 • Stephen Hamblin Executive director, American Junior Golf Association $538,420 • Course design (U.S.) Design-fee estimate for a leading architect $500,000 • Stephen Mona President & CEO, World Golf Foundation $481,317 • Joe Beditz President & CEO, National Golf Foundation $467,645 • Steve Timms President & CEO, Houston Golf Association $435,461 • J. Rhett Evans CEO, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America $397,915 • Reg Jones USGA senior director, U.S. Open Championships $338,142 • Jeff Hall Managing director, Rules & Competitions, USGA $316,196 • John Spitzer Managing director, Equipment Standards, USGA $310,187 • General manager Prominent private club near Washington, D.C. $308,483

82 golf digest india | february 2017

employs about two million people and pays out $55.6 billion in annual wage income. From the richly compensated executives at golf’s leading associations to the minimum-wage workers who keep America’s courses in playing shape, we offer a peek into mon3y the paychecks of people in golf. —alan p. pittman +g%lf

General manager A storied 100 Greatest Golf Course in the West $291,542 • Jay Seawell Men’s head golf coach, University of Alabama $287,735 • Superintendent Tom Fazio-designed 100 Greatest Golf Course in the West $220,314 • Bruce Heppler Men’s head golf coach, Georgia Tech $220,144 • Tournament director Mid-level PGA Tour event $200,000 • PGA Tour caddie What you might expect to make if your player finished 40th on the money list $161,332 • Carrie Forsyth Women’s head golf coach, UCLA $155,250 • Head golf professional Private club in St. Louis $150,097 • Executive chef Highly regarded private club in Georgia $142,854 • Head golf professional Donald Ross-designed course in the South $129,210 • Kimberly Lewellen Women’s head golf coach, University of Virginia $125,800 • Executive chef 100 Greatest Golf Course in the Midwest $124,926 • Head golf professional Highly regarded private club in Michigan $122,143

Superintendent Prestigious private club in Midwest $121,259 • General manager National average, private course $110,407 • Superintendent National average, private course $103,359 • Director of golf National average, private course $100,318 • Course remodel (U.S.) Design-fee estimate for a leading architect $100,000 • Director of golf National average, public course $96,334 • General manager National average, public course $92,544 • Director of instruction National average, private course $82,841 • Sales rep for a golf manufacturer National average $82,418 • Head golf professional National average, private course $73,488 • Director of instruction National average, public course $72,799 • Superintendent National average, public course $69,448 • Teaching professional National average $53,717

LPGA Tour caddie What you might expect to make if your player finished 40th on the money list $53,000 • Golf shop merchandise manager National average $52,003 • Head golf professional National average, public course $48,103 • Derek Radley Women’s associate head golf coach, University of Arizona $46,000 • Golf retail store manager National average $48,177 • Assistant golf professional National average $44,994 • Chris Nallen Men’s assistant golf coach, University of Arizona $42,500 • Assistant superintendent National average $41,372 • Angelo Sands Men’s head golf coach, Florida Atlantic University $33,500 • Locker-room attendant Estimate for private club $30,000, plus tips • Course ranger Estimate for private club $25,000, plus playing privileges • Course shaper Estimate for a person who uses a bulldozer to shape and build a course $300-$400 an hour • Beverage-cart worker Estimate for private club Minimum wage, plus $200 to $300 in tips a day

Golf-club cleaner Private club Minimum wage, plus tips • Bartender/waiter Midwest private club Minimum wage, plus tips • Range-ball picker Northeast driving range Minimum wage • Mower Midwest public course $18,000 (works four days a week and may play golf for free weekdays after 1 p.m.)

• “Larry the Looper” Caddie at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., since 1976 $80 a bag today (versus $8 a bag in 1976) • Groundskeeper National average $10.41 per hour • Demo-day rep Estimate $200 per event • Tournament volunteer PGA Tour $0 (Typically free admission, food and sometimes a free round after the tournament.)

Compensation figures are a mix of 2014 and 2015 and in some cases include bonuses and benefits. Compiled using the latest organizational tax returns available, salary surveys conducted by the PGA of America and Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and interviews.

Additional reporting

by Brittany Romano, Matthew Rudy, Dave Shedloski, Ron Sirak and Ron Whitten.

Photograph by Hugh Kretschmer

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Photograph by First Lastname

month 2017 | golfdigest.com

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edited by peter finch

Brooke Henderson Could she be Canada’s best golfer ever?

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‘I’m a feel player. I do a lot of things you don’t normally see.’ he hasn’t had her driver’s license for long, but Brooke Henderson, 19, already has logged time on a greens roller and a vehicle that smooths bunker sand. She testdrove both at her winter practice site, The Golf Lodge at the Quarry in Naples, Fla., courtesy of superintendent Rodney Whisman. What’s next to drive?

Maybe a hockey Zamboni?

That would make sense: Before becoming one of the world’s top-10 women’s golfers, Brooke played goalie on the Canadian national girls’ junior hockey team at age 14. Her father, Dave, played at the University of Toronto and once appeared in a 7Up commercial with Wayne Gretzky. Dad also was a decent golfer and passed on his knowledge of the game to Brooke and her older sister, Brittany.

Brittany played on the minitours before taking over as Brooke’s full-time caddie this season. As for Brooke, in between operating those maintenance vehicles, we caught up with her about the amazing start to her professional career.

S

you’re just a teenager, but you’ve already won three times on the lpga tour, including a major, represented canada in the olympics and are closing in on $2 million in earnings. did you see this coming? I won my first pro-

fessional tournament when I was 14 and made the cut in six of eight LPGA tournaments before I even turned pro, so I felt like I could do this. I had big goals going into this year, including being top 10 in the world. I don’t feel like I exceeded them. I met my goals.

• you have a very long backswing, like canadian long-drive champion jamie sadlowski. I played with

Jamie in the CVS Health Charity Classic for two days last year and really watched what

he does. His swing is unconventional, but he’s so strong.

It reminded me to swing the club the way I want to. I’d say I swing, pretty much, as hard as I can. Jamie was a hockey player like me, too.

• what’s it like to be a goalie? They say you have to

be a little bit crazy. You’re either the hero or no one wants to talk to you after a game.

It was a great way to learn to deal with pressure.

• ever score a goal? No. [Sighs.]

• your father says you rarely work on mechanics. what’s the secret? I’m a feel

player. I do a lot of things you don’t normally see. I hover the club at address. I grip down a lot. My backswing is long. But it works for me. I think standing in goal all that time made my legs stronger, too, and that helps me hit the ball farther.

you played in 31 tournaments last year. are you a golf junkie? Yes. It’s not

all golf, but it’s close.

•

worried about burnout?

Well, I once had back-to-back hockey games where the first one went eight periods and the second one went nine. Now that’s exhausting.

• why are you so driven?

I credit my sister for that.

She’s six years older than me and is a great golfer. I watched what she did and was always chasing after her. She paved a path for me.

• worst canadian stereotypes? One person I met

seriously thought we had sled dogs, and that some people live in igloos. Best stereotype?

Canadians are very nice.

—Ron KaspRisKe

Photographs by Dylan Coulter

power

+prec

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cision make your tee shots count by d u stin johnson

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made two adjustments to my game last year, and it turned out to be the best season I’ve had as a pro. Three wins; my first major; I led the tour in scoring and finished in the top 10 in 15 of 22 PGA Tour events. What did I change? It started with my driver. I now almost always play a fade.

I’m still driving it plenty far.

I averaged 313 yards off the tee last year—but I’m hitting more fairways, and my misses are way better. I don’t snap-hook them by accident anymore.

That’s the first part of my new game plan. The second is that I don’t waste those great tee shots. I spent a ton of time dialing in my short-iron distances and now go into every tournament with three stock yardages for each club from 9-iron to lob wedge. The result is that I’m hitting my approaches a lot closer, and I led the tour in birdies. I’ll tell you about my technique on the following pages, and hopefully you can take my advice and use it to have your best year ever. with ron kaspriske

off the T

he best thing about playing a fade is that it’s reliable. The second-best thing is you really don’t have to make major adjustments to hit the shot. Keep in mind, I don’t want the ball to curve a whole lot unless the hole calls for it.

More important, the way I hit a fade is not with a glancing blow across the ball. It feels really solid coming off the clubface.

1. i set up slightly open with my feet, meaning they’re aligned a little left of my target (big photo, right). This puts my body in a position where I can swing on a path that’s along my toe line. In other words, out to in in relation to my target. My ball position stays the same, just off my left heel, and my grip pressure is about a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being really tight.

2. i get a lot of attention because I keep my left wrist bowed as I swing to the top, but this puts the clubface in great position for me to hit that power fade, provided I swing on that out-to-in path on the way down (next page, photo No. 1). The face is closed in relation to my target, but it’s slightly open to the path, and that’s what makes it start left but curve back where I want it.

3. because of my bowed wrist, I don’t have to do anything but turn my body and let my arms swing through the ball (No. 2 and No. 3). The clubface and path do the rest.

4. if i keep turning into a full finish (No. 4), the ball sails.

If you stop the swing short, you’ll probably hit a weak fade, or maybe even a slice. Keep rotating.

tee

‘ the big thing with hitting a power fade? keep turning. ’ + adidas shirt, pants, belt, shoes ; Taylormade glove; new era hat

1

2

3

4

avg. driving distances (yds)

313.6 2016 pga tour rank: 2

Photographs by Dom Furore

chippin gutter credit tk

(old school)

Photographs

by J.D. Cuban 90 golfdigest.com | month 2017

Photograph by First Lastname

ngit

the ball carries and rolls using a stroke of the same length and speed. You can experiment with other clubs, too, but I’ve found sticking to these three brings about the most consistency.

setup + stroke

this lost art will save you strokes by a .j. avoli ▶ Over time, a simple method for getting the ball from off the green to the flagstick fell out of favor. I rarely see anyone chip like the late Hall of Fame golfer Paul Runyan. That’s a shame because this technique will make you more accurate around the greens with a lot less practice. Once you master the setup and learn to make a rhythmic stroke—like putting—you’ll start getting up and down more often. Let me show you how to chip old school.

—with ron kaspriske

scenario + selection

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▶ Although you can use this shot in a lot of spots, it’s not all-purpose. Use this technique when you are no more than five yards from the green in the fringe or rough. Because this shot requires a stroke of consistent length and speed, the only thing you need to judge is which club to use to get the ball pin high. Visualize a small spot on the green where you think the ball should land to roll out to the hole. Then read the rest of the distance like a putt.

So which club to use? Take a little time on a practice green with your pitching wedge, 9-iron and 8-iron to see how far

▶ Start by aiming the clubface at the small target where you want the ball to land. Remember, you have to read the green like a putt. That means if there is a slope, you might be playing the shot away from the cup. Now hold the club with medium grip pressure with its heel just off the ground (small photo, above).

That’s really important to ensuring the club glides along the turf instead of digging into it.

You’ll notice the shaft is nearly vertical, with the handle leaning slightly toward the target and your weight favoring the left foot. Your arms should be relaxed, slightly bent and aligned parallel to the target.

Ball position normally is just right of center in your stance, although you can alter it slightly as you experiment with how that changes the amount of carry and roll.

The stroke is as simple as it gets. It’s like a putting motion—the shoulders and arms do most of the work, and there’s no wristy movements. Focus on swinging the club with the same rhythm and force. The handle of the club should be swung no farther than the distance between your thighs. It’s a short swing equal in length on the backswing and follow-through.

The stroke should be aggressive or slightly accelerated, and always hold your finish to ensure a steady pace. If you’re struggling with that, say any two-word phrase with the first word coming on the backswing and the second word on the follow-through. A suggestion?

Tick-Tock. Even better? GreatChip or Hole-Out. I think you get the idea.

a .j. avoli is one of Golf Digest’s Best Young Teachers. He is director of instruction at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

Photograph by First Lastname

february 2017 | golf digest india

91

Play Your Best Step by Step by David Leadbetter

Finding the Fairway Use your 3-wood for accuracy hether it’s a tight treelined fairway or a short par 4, there are times when using your driver off the tee is unnecessary—or just plain foolish. Instead, consider using your 3-wood for better accuracy. You might lose some distance, but hitting your second shot from the fairway is going to greatly reduce your chance of making a bad score.

Follow these steps to find the short grass with this club.

W

1. Tee iT Low

2. Grip Down

3. pLAy iT BAck

4. Squeeze iT

▶ Most 3-woods have a fairly shallow face, so you don’t need to tee the ball very high. A good height for the tee is about a quarter of an inch above the turf. This gives you the perfect lie to hit it solid.

▶ The shaft lengths on 3-woods are longer now for more distance.

However, the longer the club, the harder it becomes to hit it straight.

Because you don’t need extra yardage, focus on accuracy by gripping down on the handle about an inch.

▶ To help ensure you make solid contact, address the ball about an inch back of where you set up to a ball with a driver. This adjustment also gives you a better chance to accomplish step four.

▶ The best fairway-wood players strike the ground in front of the ball. That’s the feeling you want. Don’t try to pick it off the tee. Hit down on the ball and squeeze it off the turf. you’ll square the clubface at impact and find the fairway.

David Leadbetter operates 34 golf academies worldwide.

92 golf digest india | february 2017

Photograph taken at Concession Golf Club, Bradenton, Fla., by J.D. Cuban

illustrations: todd detwiler • jos. a . bank: shirt royal albartross: shoes • house of fleming: belt

“Pinch it off the tee, and the ball will really take off.”

edited by ron kaspriske

Play

Hard Yards How to go deep when you need to by jhonattan vegas

verybody wants to swing faster and hit the ball longer. But I make fewer than 20 driver swings a year where I use more than 75-percent effort. Why? The longest bombs happen when you get the right combination of launch and spin, and that comes from swinging under control and in good sequence—not from swinging harder. When you really need a long drive, you want to hit the center of the face and get that great launch. I’ll show you a couple of tips to make it happen.

—with matthew Rudy

E

Photographs by J.D. Cuban

february 2017 | golf digest india

93

Play Your Best The Long Ball

94 golf digest india | february 2017

Y

Y

N

N

“Keep your feet anchored to the ground longer in the downswing.”

LeveL ouT your Turn I bet you’ve heard “you need to turn more” plenty of times. I won’t disappoint. you do need to turn. But the driver works the best if swung on a shallow plane. you lose that plane if you make a very steep turn, and your left shoulder dips very low on the backswing and then comes around very high. That makes the bottom of the swing steep and narrow, not flat and wide like it should be. To feel a good turn, hold a club across your chest and turn back and through with the shaft remaining roughly level with the ground. recreate that feel when you play.

LeT The arms Lead When my driving is off, it’s usually because my lower body has unwound much faster than my upper body.

When that happens, I have to use my hands to try to save the shot, which costs distance and accuracy. how you start down is crucial. While keeping your feet anchored to the ground, let your arms and club start to drop before unwinding.

This helps sling the club faster through the impact zone. you’ll start hitting it farther without any extra effort. remember, you’re not trying to attack the ball. you’re trying to launch it.

Jhonattan vegas, winner of the RBC Canadian Open, averaged 304.4 yards off the tee in 2016.

+ Nike shirt, $100, pants, $82, shoes, $125, hat, $32, glove, $23

Play Your Best For Better Players by Tom Watson

“Let the hands roll to get the ball to the hole.”

ou might get this shot only once or twice a round, but knowing how to get up and down from a bunker on the other side of the green can really help you score.

When I won the Masters in 1981, I faced a long greenside bunker shot—about 80 or 90 feet—on the 17th hole on Sunday. The flag was all the way on the back

Y

of the green, and I was in a front bunker resting on the upslope.

Fortunately, I caught it just right, hit it pin high about five feet from the cup and saved par to win my second green jacket.

How did I play the shot?

I changed my technique from a normal greenside bunker scenario starting with aligning my shoulders more with the slope (left shoulder higher, right shoulder lower) and kicking in my right knee toward the ball at address to keep from swaying.

When I swung, I let my hands release, or turn over, through impact. The reason for this different shoulder alignment is

96 golf digest india | february 2017

to keep from sticking the club into the bunker at impact, so you can cut a shallow swath of sand out from under the ball as you would do from a level lie.

Instead of holding the clubface open and skimming through the sand, I let my hands turn over as the club passes through impact. Rotating them counterclockwise closes the clubface and helps project the ball out with some force. The key here is don’t dig too deep into the sand. Make a nice, shallow divot that starts behind the ball’s position. The ball will vault out of the bunker and then roll toward the hole.

ELEMENTARY WATSON To make this shot easier, use a lower-lofted club instead of your sand wedge or lob wedge.

Clubs like a gap wedge, pitching wedge or even a 9-iron give you more distance without having to swing harder. Remember that they tend to dig more than skim, so be careful you don’t swing too deep.

Tom Watson is a Golf Digest Playing Editor.

Photograph by J.D. Cuban

Polo Golf: Shirt • ralPh l auren: PantS, belt Call away: hat • G/fore: Glove

Turn it Over Master the long greenside bunker shot

TOTALGOLFHUB Every Game, In Your Hand.

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Play Your Best Strategy by Jack Nicklaus

“Sometimes a bunker is your friend.”

Play Up Raising your game when the time is right

6-15 HANDICAP Not all middle-handicappers have the same skill set, but generally this is where most should aim. It’s the widest section of fairway, plus favoring the rightcenter limits exposure to the water. Better for a loose drive to find the sand than get wet. Sure, shifting your target here sets up a longer approach, but there’s a nice bailout area right of the green if you’re coming in with a hybrid or long iron.

hen I design a hole, my goal is to give golfers of all abilities a way to play it. Often I try to present three distinct options for the tee shot, escalating in difficulty. If I can do that, I figure I have nearly everybody covered.

Paramount is recognizing the path down a hole that best suits your game. The perceptive player learns to identify all the choices.

That way, when there’s a change in weather or circumstances, you’re ready to pounce on the opportunity to play more aggressively—or be more conservative, if that’s what the situation calls for.

Let’s take the par-4 18th at The Loxahatchee Club (illustrated) in Jupiter, Fla. It’s a course I designed in 1984, and our team renovated in 2016. The prevailing wind is against.

This sets up three basic positions attainable with a solid drive, depending on your power. However, if the wind switches to helping, as it frequently does here in the winter months, consider moving up a position. It’s your chance to play the hole like a stronger player.

—with max adler

W

16+ HANDICAP Look at the scorecard. This happens to be rated as the sixth-toughest hole on the course. If I’m a higherhandicapper, that tells me I’m not supposed to make par. Time to figure out how to come away with no worse than 5, maybe see a putt for 4.

Aiming well right makes the hole so long it likely resigns you to reaching the green in three shots, but it should keep your ball dry. And don’t be scared of the bunkers; they’re here to save a slice from scooting out-ofbounds on the right. Even if you find the sand, reaching the green in three is still quite manageable.

patience at pebble

This is where a lot of low-handicappers are looking. Driving down the left side means flirting with the water. But the hole bends to the left, so this leaves the shortest approach to the green. Also, this fairway runs a touch faster down this side, rewarding moxie even more. If you’re confident with your driver and feel like you need a birdie, have at it. Downwind, be cognizant of the fact a big drive can run through the fairway and get wet.

98 golf digest india | february 2017

This hole reminds me of the 18th at Pebble Beach, even though that’s a par 5. Both are doglegs that wrap around a nonrecoverable hazard. I rarely challenged the ocean much with my drive or second shot at Pebble.

Usually I went 1-iron, 1-iron, and then wedged on. That strategy worked for me. I won the U.S. Amateur there in 1961 and the U.S. Open in 1972.

Illustration by Chris O’Riley

USGA ArchiveS

0-5 HANDICAP

New Ball Game

Happy Days!

Golf’s rules-makers announce a welcome change f you needed yet another reason to get excited about the 2017 season, golf’s governing bodies have supplied it.

With their blessing, courses and tournament committees can enact a Local Rule that says if you, your caddie, your partner or your equipment (or that of your opponent) accidentally move a ball or ball marker on the putting green, there’s no penalty, and the ball should be replaced. ▶ You read that right. Rules-makers did something really good for the game, and the reaction from professional tournament organizers has been extremely positive: All the major pro tours and the Masters Tournament said they will use the rule in 2017. ▶ This Local Rule was announced by the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and took effect Jan. 1.

I

“We’re golfers, too, and when we saw players penalized for minor movement of a ball on the putting green, it didn’t sit well with us,” says Thomas Pagel, senior director of the Rules of Golf and amateur status for the USGA. “I hope people are excited about the change and it’s well received.”

Pagel said he could envision this Local Rule becoming permanent when the next revisions of the Rules of Golf go into effect in 2020, but “I’m not going to guarantee anything,” he says.

The new Local Rule was a reaction in large part to the messy situation that affected Dustin Johnson at the 2016 U.S.

Open. Johnson was deemed to have accidentally moved his ball on the fifth green during the final round and later received a one-stroke penalty, although video evidence seemed inconclusive, and Johnson said he didn’t cause his ball to move. The way Decision 18-2/0.5 is worded, if the weight of the evidence indicates that it’s more likely than not that a player caused the ball to move, the penalty must be assessed. In Johnson’s case, the USGA said there was no other reason more likely than Johnson.

Another key reason for the change is agronomy. As green speeds have become faster, keeping a ball at rest has been a challenge. Something as innocent as stepping in to address a putt could cause the ball to move.

So what happens if the Local Rule is not in effect? The one-stroke penalty for violating Rules 18-2 (ball at rest moved by player, partner, caddie or equipment), 18-3 (ball at rest moved by opponent, caddie or equipment in match play) or 20-1 (lifting and marking) would still apply. Those rules specify a penalty for moving a ball or ball marker in many situations, including accidents such as kicking the ball or moving it when you make a practice stroke.

Keep in mind that the new Local Rule applies only if a ball is on the green—by definition, when any part of the ball is touching the putting surface.

Furthermore, if the ball should move on the green as a result of wind, water or some other natural cause, such as gravity, the ball must be played from its new position. A ball marker that moves as a result of strong winds, for example, should be replaced.

But put all of that aside for now, and just take a moment to salute the USGA and R&A for doing something positive for golf. — ro n k a s p r i s k e Illustration by Lou Beach

Play Your Best swing sequence any Irish golf fans can easily recall the gutsy performance of their 22-year-old countryman, Shane Lowry, at the 2009 Irish Open. Although an amateur, the young lad outplayed the best pros in Europe and won after a three-hole playoff with Robert Rock.

He turned pro not long after, but more success came slowly. His first PGA Tour vic-

M

shane Lowry A classic swing that produces modern distance

100 golf digest india | february 2017

tory was at the 2015 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, and he contended at the U.S. Open last June, holding a four-shot lead on Sunday before losing by three to Dustin Johnson. Lowry navigated the tight Oakmont fairways that week by often driving it 250 yards with his trusty 2-iron. Here you can see how he handles that club, with analysis from teaching pro Neil Manchip, whose full-

time job is the National Coach of the Golfing Union of Ireland.

Lowry’s swing is fluid and relaxed, but he has a competitive fire “bred into him by his father and uncles, who competed on the Offaly Gaelic football team,” Manchip says.

“In 1982, they defeated defending four-time champion Kerry.” In other words, the Lowrys are tough. —roger schiffman

setting tHe taBLe

Moving in HarMonY

prepared to fire

When you’re hitting a long iron, even from a tee box, ball position is very important to hit it solid, says Shane Lowry’s coach, Neil Manchip.

“Shane plays it just left of center in his stance, where the club bottoms out,” he says. “I like his neutral grip, relaxed arms and overall body balance.”

Starting back, Lowry is relaxed, letting himself turn with the clubhead. “There’s nothing rigid, which is like Sam Snead’s swing,” Manchip says.

Halfway back, his right arm is slightly higher than his left, and he cocks his wrists early.

“His arms and body are relaxed.They’re responding to the clubhead’s weight.”

At the top, the club is set nearly perfect, Manchip says. The face is slightly open, which is reminiscent of how he swings his wedges around the greens.

“And what a fantastic, big shoulder turn,” Manchip adds. “His back is facing the target.” Lowry says his swing thought is to pause at this moment.

▶ driving distance

298.7 Yds

shane Lowry (32nd)

▶ strokes gained off tee

290 Yds

314.5 Yds

.489

.034

1.230

tour average

J.B. Holmes (1st)

shane Lowry (22nd)

tour median

rory Mcllroy (1st) s o u rc e : s h ot l i n k ( 2 0 1 6 )

in-to-oUt action

a soLid pUncH

cLearing oUt

pro-fiLe

That slight pause allows him to start down with with the lower body first, which keeps everything in sync, Manchip says.

Also note Lowry’s head and right arm. “His eyes are looking well behind the ball, and his right elbow is below his left, showing he’s swinging from the inside with tremendous lag,” Manchip says.

Lowry’s impact position resembles a great player from the past—Jack Nicklaus, Manchip says. His head has not drifted or rotated toward the target. The left arm is straight, and the right wrist is bent.

“It’s like he’s punching somebody,” Manchip says. “The shaft angle shows how he is putting pressure on the ball.”

“Past impact, the weight of the club is moving the arms,” Manchip says. “Now his left arm is bent and his right arm is straight, showing a free release.”

The finish is created by momentum, Manchip adds. “His hips have really turned open, his weight is on the outside of his left foot, and he’s balanced, just the way he started.”

shane lowry 29 / 6-1 / 225 pounds clara, ireland 2-iron srixon ZU 45 18 degrees ball srixon Z-star Xv

Photographs by J.D. Cuban

Play Your Best Equipment by Mike Stachura

to u r e d ge e x- 1 0 ▶ A new, lightweight titanium alloy allows for a larger face so toe and heel hits lose less distance. It also makes room for a hefty weight deep in the sole for extra stability on offcenter hits. p r i c e $350

wilson t ri ton

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▶ The club made famous by the “Driver vs. Driver” TV show has two adjustable sole plates that allow you to control the club’s weight, launch and spin. Movable weights in the heel and toe let you tweak direction, too.

▶ Two titanium posts inside the head and just behind the face run from the crown to the sole. They stiffen the body, allowing the face to be thinner and more flexible. pric e $500

p r i ce $450

Weight Watchers How new drivers are getting lighter in all the right places 102 golf digest india | february 2017

xxio prim e ▶ The Prime is designed for average swings in need of speed. The club is 20-percent lighter than most drivers on the market and has a shaft that weighs a little more than an ounce. price $850

t’s not that today’s drivers are getting lighter. It’s just that designers have gotten smarter about how they distribute weight. Yes, they’re making use of lighter titanium alloys and carbon-composite materials, but it’s how they’re using them that’s making drivers more effective than ever. The greatest innovation in drivers today is the ability to save weight in one area and use it strategically elsewhere. Redistributing weight can take many different forms: It can free up space so that the driver can feature more adjustability.

It can make the heaviest part of any driver (the face) lighter so the driver can be larger and more flexible. Or it might make it possible for drivers to come equipped with the kind of on-board diagnostics that would make even a NASCAR crew chief jealous. Here are eight new models that throw their weight around so you can, too.

I

b r i d g eston e to u r b x d ▶ Sole weights can be adjusted to tweak spin, and each head produces a different ball flight: higher and favoring a draw on the XD-5; lower with a fade bias on the XD-7; and neutral on the XD-3. p r i c e $700 taylor m a d e m1 (2017)

ho nma t w737

▶ This update of golf’s most adjustable driver adds a lighter titanium alloy and a carboncomposite panel in the sole to lower spin and boost forgiveness.

▶ The four drivers in this line aren’t adjustable, but they come in four sizes to match four player types: the 445 (low spin), the 450 (deep face), the 455 (forgiveness) and the 460 (extra carry).

price $500

pric e $500

cob r a k ing f7 ▶ The carbon-composite crown saves weight to allow for three weight ports in the sole. But the cool bonus is the sensor in the grip that tracks your driving stats via a smartphone app. price $350

Photograph by Justin Fantl

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18 holes with Anshu Jain

‘Golf Courses Offer Splendid Natural Vistas’

Few weekend golfers can boast of playing rounds with Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Sir Garfield Sobers, Desmond Haynes and the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Ernie Els in one lifetime!

Meet Anshu Jain, former co-chief of Deutsche Bank from 2012-15 and one of the most noted British-Indian business leaders, Golf Digest India caught up with him at Delhi Golf Club recently.

By BhArAth ArvInD & vIneet MAnn

1

What is your home club?

My handicap is kept at The Wisley Golf Club, London.

When did you start

2 playing golf?

Cricket was and remains my first love but I played the odd round of golf every now & then. Over the past few years golf has been my main sport.

What do you love about 3 the game?

It’s an incredible sport. You have so many different elements – I love nature. Golf courses will often offer splendid natural vistas and you get to see incredible bird and animal life. You spend quality time with friends and family. I like the fact that you’re competing with yourself. In every other sport there are a lot of different elements at play, but in golf it’s you, a stationary white ball & a tee.

experience. I enjoy DLF as well. It is landscaped and maintained at very high standards.

Worldwide- Cypress Point, California; Apes Hill, Barbados & Turnberry, Scotland.

How often do you

7 get to play?

In my previous years, not as often as I would have liked. I have been playing more often lately.

Your thoughts on business 8 on the golf course?

In my experience, you rarely actually discuss business on the golf course. What you do get to do

though, is to build relationships.

My relationships over the years, business or personal, have often been strengthened through golf.

Golf & Business is a bit of a ‘nono’, it would be frowned upon in most places, to move onto an intense, detailed discussion on the greens.

Name your favourite male

9 & female golfers.

Jordan Spieth and Michelle Wie

Describe your most

10 memorable golfing

experience.

I played a round of golf with Sachin

Your current handicap?

USGA index 11.5, UK handicap 13.8

13

Nikesh Arora and Ashwani Mathur are probably the people I have played the most amount of golf with over the last 3 – 4 years.

Your lowest handicap?

This is the lowest I have been

On an average, how long do

14 you drive the ball?

Not very far. About 250 yards

How about your dream

Your favourite holiday

5 Fourball?

15 destination?

Amongst cricketers, I realised my dream four ball - it was Brian Lara and I vs Sir Garfield Sobers & Desmond Haynes.

This was at the Sandy Lane Golf Course in Barbados. Among the professional golfers I have played with I would have to say Rory, Tiger & Ernie Els.

India- The Delhi Golf Club is truly special. The ancient monuments, bird and animal life and quality of service all make for a memorable

improve your game?

12

Who have you played the

Favourite Golf Course –

Do you use any golf apps on

11 your phone? Any gadgets to

I’m pretty old school. I like walking, I like pacing my distance based on yardages at the course and the caddies are always of great help. No GPS, but I do use a rangefinder back in London.

4 most golf with?

6 In India & Abroad

Tendulkar 7-8 years ago. We played at my home course, Wisley, while India were on Tour of England towards the end of the 2007-08 season. He had never played serious golf, yet he was out on the course, chatting with the caddie.

Watching him figure out grip, stance and all the other factors was amazing. Initially, over the first 2 or 3 holes, he was experimenting but by the 4th or 5th hole, he was hitting it 280 yards with a draw. The Wisley caddies still remember it fondly and talk about it.

Namibia in Africa & Ranthambore National Park in India.

What’s your favourite dish

16 at your home course?

I’m vegetarian so I struggle on my home course. In India of course, there’s a variety of options. I love having an idli.

“I played a round of golf wIth SachIn 7-8 yearS ago. we played at wISley, whIle IndIa were on tour of england.”

110 golf digest india | february 2017

Any mid-round power

17 snack?

I often carry a protein bar.

18

Favourite 19th hole drink?

Fresh Lime Soda

Total Number of pages (including cover pages) is 112 Monthly Magazine, RNI N0. HARENG/2016/66983

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