Golf Digest India - July 2017 by Golf Digest India

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

VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 3

THINK YOUNG | PLAY HARD

PUBLISHED BY

WORLD NO. 2 JASON DAY WITH SON DASH

THE FAMILY SPECIAL

JASON DAY: THE BASICS Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M TEACHING MY SON | KEEPING UP WITH THE MICKELSONS Exclusive Official Media Partner

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THE OLDEST MAJOR. THE FIRST CHOICE.

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Contents 07/17

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

British Open Preview

FAMILY SPECIAL

48 Jason Day: The Basics I’m Teaching My Son

The New Sergio At 37, there are changes in his life and his golf.

Henrik Stenson presented with the Seve Ballesteros Award

Fitness Tips Building strong and stable shoulders

The Referee’s View Interpreting the drop rule for vulnerable bunkers

Thai Warriors Set For Green Domination

by jaime diaz 94

Back to Birkdale! What you need to know about this year’s venue

Wise Guy: Pete Cowen 10 secrets to better golf by Europe’s top coach.

51 Keeping Up With The Mickelsons 56 Just For Fun 58 Love Struck

with guy yocom

62 $igns of the time$

India Digest 20

Newsmakers Update on Indian golfers around the world Inside The Ropes Cricket legend’s great grandson Julian Suri sizzles on the fairways by Rohit bhaRdwaj

Junior Golf

Club Round-Up Updates from courses across India

PGA of America endorses India Learn Golf Week

34 36

Business Of Golf Industry updates Bharat Patel’s customfitting session at TaylorMade’s Kingdom by Rohit bhaRdwaj

Lifestyle Flaunt Updates on new launches of luxury products & travel

117 18 Holes with Tata Hitachi

MD Sandeep Singh

by chuah choo chiang 85

A Bright Future Ahead! by josh buRack

Features 98

Blackout Putting How I seem to make everything. by joRdan spieth

102 Swing Sequence:

Brooks Koepka Hit the power fade

104 Butch Harmon

One small change for better chip shots

105 David Leadbetter

Make more curling putts

106 Jack Nicklaus

Strategy for tough openers

107 Decisions

What kind of golf tantrum should you throw?

108 The Core

The LPGA’s Belen Mozo on a proper warm-up. by Ron kaspRiske

109 Undercover Tour Pro

117 14 golf digest india | july 2017

Vibrant New York to witness golf spectacle

Brilliant Brooks captures maiden Major at US Open

Web.com Tour Adds Two New Events in 2018

Cheaters are hard to catch, but we know who they are. with max adleR

Cover photograph by Walter Iooss Jr.

Editor’s Letter

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Dear Readers,

ne of the many wonderful aspects of golf is that it is a great family activity. Yet not enough families in India have embraced it fully. Golf teaches kids values like integrity, patience, respect for others and emotional control. Invaluable lessons they will carry for life. Parents and grandparents can enjoy a game with youngsters. Husbands and wives can travel playing golf all over the world. Golf is truly a unique family bonding experience. Hence this month, we bring you the Family Special. Our stories on World No. 2 Jason Day with his son Dash and of the Phil Mickelson family are truly revealing and inspiring. Please do set aside time to read them in entirety.

Jack Nicklaus

Write to me at rishi@teamgolfdigest.com or on Twitter @RishiNarain_

India Learn Golf Week planned in late September simultaneously at clubs across India could be a great opportunity for you to introduce your family, friends, business associates or work colleagues to the game. Read about it here and how the PGA of America is lending expertise to this new initiative of the Golf Industry Association supported by the Indian Golf Union and other institutions governing the game in India. More top quality instruction by our champions and legendary panel of writers awaits you. Keep the feedback coming and enjoy the game despite the rainy weather. Happy Reading!

TEAM GOLF DIGEST INDIA Editor & Publisher Rishi Narain Assistant Art Director Guneet Singh Oberoi Subscriptions Sakshi Naharia/ Monika Chhabra subscribe@teamgolfdigest.com Phone: +91-9999868051

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

Rishi Narain

Managing Editor Rohit Bhardwaj

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.

Marketing & Advertising Nikhil Narain nikhil@teamgolfdigest.com +91-9999990364 Bharath Arvind bharath@teamgolfdigest.com Srijan Yadav srijan@teamgolfdigest.com +91-9416252880

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.

16 golf digest india | july 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

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.

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THINK YOUNG | PLAY HARD

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Newsmakers

PLAYERS IN THE NEWS Lahiri scripts best-ever PGA Tour finish I ndia’s Anirban Lahiri posted his best result on the US PGA Tour when he finished tied second along with Rickie Fowler in The Memorial tournament. Lahiri ended at 10-under par for the week at Muirfield Village, more than four hours before Jason Dufner clinched the title. With this result Lahiri jumped 25 spots to be placed 65th in the Official World Golf Ranking, five spots outside the top 60 for exemptions into the US Open. Not in the field for the FedEx St. Jude Classic, Lahiri will make his next start at the Travelers Championship, after the year’s second Major. “There’s so many things you can push for,” he said. “You can push for the U.S. Open. I haven’t played a Major or a WGC yet this year. Like I said, I beat myself up a little bit because I played 10 consecutive Majors and now I’m not in any major yet. I should get into (PGA), hopefully. But that kind of plays on your mind. You feel like you’re going backwards. “So just have to gather yourself and go back to what you’ve been doing. … So I’m just doing that. Just going to focus on my golf, be good to myself, and let the results take care of themselves.” Lahiri did make it clear that he is intent on making it back to this year’s Presidents Cup. He jumped from 22nd to the 15th spot in the Presidents Cup rankings to boost his chances of inclusion in captain Nick Price’s team. He represented India as part of the International team for the first time in 2015, but his week came to a sour end when he missed a 4-foot putt on the 18th hole to lose his singles match to Chris Kirk. Had that putt gone down and all else stayed the same, the US and the Internationals would have tied, 15-15.

Prize Money won

$765,600 (` 4.9 crore)

BEST INDIAN FINISHES ON PGA TOUR W - Arjun Atwal, 2010 Wyndham Championship T-2 - Anirban Lahiri, 2017 Memorial T-2 - Atwal, 2005 BellSouth Classic T-3 - Lahiri, 2016 CIMB Classic T-3 - Atwal, 2010 McGladrey Classic T-4 - Atwal, 2006 Buick Invitational 4 - Jeev Milkha Singh, 2009 WGC-CA Championship T-5 - Lahiri, 2015 PGA Championship (Major) T-6 - Lahiri, 2016 DEAN & DELUCA Invitational T-9 - Jeev, 2008 PGA Championship (Major) T-9 - Jeev (2010 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship)

20 golf digest india | july 2017

“Obviously, I want to be on the Presidents Cup team,” he said. “There’s no way I wouldn’t want to be on [captain Nick Price’s] team. I have unfinished business. I’ve said that before. I would like nothing better than to go out there and get points.” — Anirban Lahiri

â&#x20AC;&#x153;What a Fun! Teeing Off in Thailand Amazing Thailand, Golf Paradiseâ&#x20AC;? Vani Kapoor No.1 Indian Lady Professional Golfer

Discover Amazing Stories in Amazing Thailand: Rock Climbing, Krabi

Tourism Authority of Thailand New Delhi: Tel: 91 11 46741111 | Email: tatdel@tat.or.th | Mumbai: Tel: 91 22 22020264 | Email: tatmumbai@tat.or.th Website: www.tourismthailand.org

Newsmakers

Chopra, Rai earn US Open berths after topping Qualifier

our veteran Daniel Chopra of Sweden is set to make his third appearance in the year’s second Major after he claimed a three-shot victory at the US Open Sectional Qualifying held at the Canoe Brook Country Club in New Jersey. After carding a four-under 66 at the par-70 South course in the morning, Chopra fired eight birdies against a bogey to sign for a seven-under 65 at the par-72 North course, topping the leaderboard with a winning total of 11-under 131. Chopra, a former two-time PGA Tour winner and a one-time winner on the Asian Tour, will lead four other players, who all finished inside top-five at the Canoe Brook Country Club, to the 117th US Open which will be held at the Erin Hills from June 15 to 18. “I felt really good about my game coming in here, and I felt like it would be a good opportunity if I played well and kept my head on my shoulders. If I played solid golf, I would have a great

chance,” said Chopra, who is born to a Swedish mother and Indian father. Meanwhile, Englishman of Indian descent Aaron Rai carried his magnificent recent form to Walton Heath Golf Club to earn medalist honors in US Open sectional qualifying and secure his Major championship debut at Erin Hills next month. The Wolverhampton native, who has won two events on the European Challenge Tour this season, made an incredible late run, with five birdies and an eagle in his final nine holes of the 36-hole qualifier to card a second-round, 8-under 64 and come in at 14-under 130. Li Haotong of China, meanwhile, will also make his US Open debut at Erin Hills after he matched Rai’s 64 in Round 2 to place second with a 13-under total. Meanwhile, Shiv Kapur and Jeev Milkha Singh failed to qualify for the prestigious tournament. Shiv carded 70 at Walton Heath’s Old Course while Jeev posted 75 at the New Course to rule themselves out of qualifying.

Aaron, Daniel miss cut at Erin Hills India’s hopes Daniel Chopra and Aaron Rai succumbed before the alien conditions at Erin Hills Golf Club to miss the cut at the 117th US Open. Chopra, Swede of Indian descent, carded 5-over 77 in the first round and 8-over 80 in Round 2 to rule himself out of the prize money stage of the season’s second Major. Rai, Englishman born to an Indian mother, began well shooting one-over 73 in the first round but could not carry the momentum in the next round to post 8-over 80 and bow out of the $12 million tournament.

Rashid ends T-6 at Queen's Cup

Delhi golfer Rashid Khan showed glimpses of resurgence of form with a tied 6th finish in the $500,000 Queens Cup at the par-71 Santiburi Samui Country Club, Koh Samui. Rashid began strongly, carding 6-under 65 in the opening round followed by consecutive 70s in the next three rounds to end with an overall tally of 9-under 275. The 26-year-old picked up a cool $14,383 (approx. Rs 9.27 lakh) for his effort.

Other Indian results:

T-15 - Rahil Gangjee (69-71-70-70), SSP Chawrasia (67-68-72-73); T-31 - Chiragh Kumar (72-72-69-70); T-42 - Sujjan Singh (71-72-69-74); T-48 - Jeev Milkha Singh (70-72-80-66), Shiv Kapur (70-72-72-74).

22 golf digest india | july 2017

Sharmila fails to capitalise on LPGA opportunity Former national champion Sharmila Nicollet failed to capitalise on a brilliant opportunity to shine in an LPGA (Ladies Professional Golfers Association of America) tournament after earning a direct entry via a Twitter fan poll. Sharmila had defeated the likes of Scotland’s Carly Booth, Golf Channel TV presenter Blaire O’Neal and Susana Benevides of Bolivia to get a spot in the into the $1.5 million ShopRite LPGA Classic. Sharmila carded 5-over 76 on Day 1 and a 7-over 78 on Day 2 to rule herself out of the prize money round. Two-time Ladies European Tour winner Aditi Ashok too failed to make the cut with a 36-hole total of 7-over 149.

Women’s Tour to resume after 3-month break

Indian women golfers will be raring to go when the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour resumes after a three-month break at the Eagleton Golf Resort, Bengaluru, from July 4 to 7. The 7th leg of the WGAI Tour is likely to witness some interesting battles between the top 4 on the Order of Merit – Amandeep Drall, Gaurika Bishnoi, Vani Kapoor and Saaniya Sharma among others. Neha Tripathi and veteran Smriti Mehra would also be hoping to give some stiff competition to their rivals.

Inside The Ropes with Julian Suri

Exclusive

Cricket legendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great grandson sizzles on the fairways 24 golf digest india | july 2017

Inside The Ropes with Julian Suri Julian Suri is the great grandson of Indian cricket legend Buchi Babu Nayudu, who is considered the father of Tamil Nadu cricket

Julian (background) along with mother Lorena (l-r), brother Devin and father Jagan Suri during a holiday

ROHIT BHARDWAJ rohit@teamgolfdigest.com

ulian Suri, a US citizen born to a Mexican mother Lorena and Indian father Jagan Suri, is making waves at the world stage with consistent performances on the European Challenge Tour. Julian recently clinched his maiden professional title at the D+D Real Czech Challenge preceded by a second place finish in Open de Portugal. At the time of going into print, Julian was leading the Road to Oman rankings followed by a tied third result in the Swiss Challenge. Interestingly, the passion for sport runs in his blood. Julian is the great grandson of cricket legend Modavarapu Venkatamahipati Buchi Babu Nayudu (1868-1908), who is considered as the father of Tamil Nadu cricket. Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) conducts one of the longest running inter-state invitational tournaments in his name. Buchi Babu’s t hree sons — Venkataramanujulu, Baliah and C Ramaswami — carried on the cricket legacy. The subsequent generations followed suit and now Julian Suri, great grandson of Baliah, is beginning to make a mark on putting surfaces in Europe. The 26-year-old feels his prowess in golf has a lot to do with the family’s sporting lineage. “When I was young, I would hear tales from my father on the exploits and impact my great grandfathers and uncles have made for sports in India. It is quite surreal to be belonging to a family that’s so respected,” Julian told Golf Digest India from Europe. Julian and his brother Devin both train under Daniel Carraher, who is credited for fuelling a turnaround in their respective games. Devin is currently the second highest ranked amateur in the state of Florida. Julian, a Tiger Woods and Michael Jorda n fa n, is cu r rent ly ra n ked 2 43rd in t he Off icia l World Golf

Rankings. Julian spoke about his plans to break into world’s top-100 by end of 2017 and his ultimate aim to win Majors in an exclusive chat. Excerpts from an interview:

GDI: Cricket and tennis runs in your blood but what inspired you to take up golf? JS: My dad and grandfather were pretty instrumental in starting me in golf and tennis when I was young, and growing up in the US, cricket was a bit of a tough sell! The biggest thing that steered my dad and I towards golf, and later my brother as well, was Tiger Woods exploding onto the professional golf scene and having such a significant impact on kids like me, who were interested in other sports, but soon gravitated toward golf. He made it so exciting to watch, and try to emulate the things he did on the golf course. GDI: At what age did you pick up a club? How difficult/easy was the decision to turn pro? JS: First picked up a club at the age of five, and started playing local tournaments in New York when I was six years old. The decision itself wasn’t that hard for me to make, because I knew for a long time that’s what I wanted to do. I would say around the time I was 15 or 16 years old was when I really knew that this is what I wanted to do with my career. I think that’s when I really started to try to become the best version of myself. GDI: What is it that you most like about golf? JS: While I really enjoy watching team sports, I would say I was always drawn so much more to individual sports like golf because there is no way to hide from a situation on the course, whether its positive or negative the heat is all on me. This motivates to work as hard as I do, and the clearest way to assess the quality of your efforts is by competing, and not relying on anybody else when you’re in your arena, on the course. GDI: Being an American citizen what prompted you to explore the golfing circuit in Europe? Any particular reason behind it? JS: I have always thought highly of the idea of travelling around the world doing what I love, and this decision has really provided me with the ability to do that. In addition I had a couple of friends who I had played golf with for a long time that had some success in Europe. They always talked about how much they enjoyed it, and it seemed like a great opportunity to learn how to do things on my own. Also, I saw the qualifying process as an easier route to climb up the world rankings. july 2017 | golf digest india

Inside The Ropes with Julian Suri GDI: You have already scripted a breakthrough win on the European Challenge Tour and come close to winning a couple of times on the higher rung European Tour. What is your ultimate target in golf? JS: My ultimate target is to be at the top of the world golf rankings and win Majors. I feel the ceiling for my game is at that level, and so everyday I try to push myself to get a little bit better. Even after I win, I try to remind myself of how much further there is to go to reach my goals.

Julian with the d+d real czech challenge trophy, his first ever professional title

GDI: Have you visited India or your grandfather’s place in Chennai ever? JS: I have visited India twice, once when I was 12, and once in 2013 to play the Hero Indian Open after I first turned pro. However the only places I have been are New Delhi and Bengaluru, so I haven’t been to Chennai but definitely something I hope to do in the near future! GDI: Does being part of a family with a huge sporting legacy add any extra pressure upon you to perform? What do you do to keep yourself calm and composed during tournaments? JS: No it doesn’t add any pressure, because I don’t play golf to fulfill some external legacy. I do it because I enjoy competing in the sport that I love. Of course some of the reason why I appreciate sports and competition would come from my upbringing and family background, but I wouldn’t say it adds anything to when I play in tournaments. I pretty much have my blinders on, almost like a tunnel vision when I play, so not much else is going on to me. To keep myself calm, I keep telling myself that pressure is a privilege, and that pressure can either make diamonds or burst pipes. I’ve always felt that if I channel those competitive vibes into executing, I focus much better on the task at hand, and it pushes me to actually play better. I enjoy those situations, and the reason I practice and train as hard as I do, is to be able to excel and trust myself in high stakes situations. GDI: What are your goals for the season and which tournaments are you going to play in the next couple of months? JS: I guess longer term goals would be to finish No. 1 in the Challenge Tour Road to Oman rankings, but honestly in the short term, its to win every time I play in a tournament. Because I know when I go in events with this mindset, it continues to push me to strive to become the best I can be, not just beat other players. I’m planning to play out the rest of the Challenge Tour schedule this year, and play in any European Tour events I get into, with the year long goal of getting into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings. But none of that happens without executing on weekly, daily, and even hole by hole or shot by shot basis.

26 golf digest india | july 2017

CLUBS IN THE GOLF BAG Irons – Nike Vapor 4-PW Driver –Taylor made M1 460 9.5 Putter –Scotty Cameron Newport prototype Wedge –Titlest Vokey wedges , 52, 58, 62 Woods –Taylor Made M2 16.5

Julian’s favourites Golf course in India Only played one that I can remember! Which is Delhi Golf Club, so I’ll go with that Golf course around the world Cypress Point

Essentials in your travel bag Foam roller for stretching, headphones, cell phone, passport, sneakers Mid-round power snack Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Movie The Lion King

Mentors/Idols Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, my parents

Actor Vince Vaughn

Sport apart from golf basketball

Actress Eva Mendes

Holiday destination Cannes

Music Hip Hop; especially Drake, L’il Wayne and Kendrick Lamar

Secret desire To learn new languages

Drink Gatorade Food Chipotle burrito Images: European Tour/Getty Images, Instagram - @juliansuri

Junior Golf

Indian Kids Excel At Tournament Of Champions In Orlando

n another example of a stellar performance by Indian J u n i o r s i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y, 15-year-old Saurav Rathi of Ludhiana finished a credible 2nd in the International Junior Golf Association’s (IJGA) Tournament of Champions in Orlando, one of the largest junior golf tournaments in the USA. Accompanying Saurav were 16-year-old Shagun Narain from Delhi and 14-year-old Digraj Singh Gill from Ludhiana, who finished 14th and 16th respectively to round up India’s brilliant performance at the Tournament of Champions in May at the Bishop Gates Golf Academy in Florida. Saurav, Digraj and Shagun qualified by winning their categories at the Albatross Junior Tour ’s DLF-IJGA National Qualifier held at DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurgaon. For Boys, the winner’s in Category A and B qualified and for the girls, the winner of Category A was headed to Orlando, Florida. Following their success, the kids travelled to the International Junior Golf Academy at Hilton Head, South Carolina where they had the opportunity to train with the IJGA Director of Instruction Jonathan Yarwood. In addition to being a British PGA Master Professional, he has trained a US Open Winner, 2 US Amateur Winners, 2 US Girls’ winners, 3 AJGA Players of the Year. He was also voted by Golf Digest as one of the “Top 20 Teachers under 40”.

IJGA Director of Instruction, Jonathan Yarwood shares tips with the kids

Saurabh Rathi with his runner-up medal

Kids train at the the International Junior Golf Academy in Hilton Head, South Carolina

L-R: Shagun Narain, Saurav Rathi and Digraj Singh Gill

Digraj Singh Gill

Saurav Rathi

Shagun Narain

Age – 15 years Hometown – Ludhiana Class 11th, Ryan International School Achievements – Winner of Category A in IJGA qualifier at DLF for Tournament of Champions

Age - 14 Hometown - Gurgaon Class 11th. Yadhuvanshi Shiksha Niketan Achievement – Winner of 30 junior events

Age -16 Hometwon – Delhi Class 12, Army Public School, Shankar Vihar Achievements – Winner of multiple junior events and playing on the IGU amateur circuit

july 2017 | golf digest india

Junior Golf

Delhi Golf Club hosts Jr Training Programme The iconic Delhi Golf Club organised the Junior Training Programme from May 15 to June 24 comprising of four camps conducted by ‘A’ & ‘B’ category coaches. In all 200 kids participated in the four camps conducted separately by Arjuna awardee Nonita Lall Qureshi, Vikram Sethi, Anjali Chopra and Jasjit Singh. In it’s 31st year, the Junior Training Programme is something every child looks forward to during their summer vacation. Vikram Sethi, an ‘A’ category teaching professional from the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America (PGTAA), conducted the first camp from May 15 to June 24. Vikram was the national coach of the Indian team that won a silver medal at the Doha Asian Games in 2006. The second camp was conducted by experienced coach Nonita Lall Qureshi, which concluded on June 3. Being a six-time national champion, Nonita also shared her experiences with the kids throughout the programme. The third camp was conducted by Anjali Chopra from June 4 to 13. Anjali, a ‘B’ category coach, has been teaching at the Delhi GC since the last 10 years. Many competitions were conducted i.e. putting, chipping, pitching, and bunker play with the winners & runner-ups being presented trophies.

Coach Vikram Sethi observes a kid trying to make a putt

Well-known coach Nonita Lall Qureshi offers tips to the kids

Anjali Chopra, a ‘B’ category coach, teaches a kid the basics of putting

Kids celebrate with their trophies and certificates after completion of the Junior Training Programme

28 golf digest india | july 2017

Junior Golf The Tarun Sardesai Golf Academy (TSGA) is India’s first fully residential golf training facility with education to boot. The players can come in for various residential programs, including one, which encompasses education as well from Class 8 to 12 in association with Excel Shop – world renowned hybrid system of e-learning and teacher support. The academy is located in Zion Hills Golf County in Kolar, a villa community with world-class golf facilities. The facility includes a 12000 square foot bent grass putting green, a beautiful short game area and a 9-hole golf course as well. Apar t from access to technologies like the SAM Putt Lab, Flightscope, Focusband, and SAM Balance lab, every player will have a team of experts in golf coaching, club fitting, sports psychology, yoga, physical fitness, orthotics, performance analytics and life skills. Tarun’s system of training has churned out top players in the past like Aditi Ashok, Trishul Chinappa, Sharmila Nicollet and Viraj Madappa. For more details on how to get enrolled please visit www.tsgolf.in

TSGA offers fully residential golf training facility for Class 8 kids

Children practice at the Tarun Sardesai Golf Academy at Zion Hills in Bengaluru

Yuvraj, Lakhmehar shine at Milkha Junior Golf

15-year-olds Yuvraj Singh and Lakhmehar Pardesi shone bright in their respective categories in the Milkha Junior Golf Championship, the final leg of the Ultimate Golf Junior Tour supported by Milkha Charitable Trust, organized at the Chandigarh Golf Club recently. Named after the legendary Indian athlete ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh, the tournament was played over two days in 19 different categories – 10 for boys and 9 for girls. The winners of the various age categories also earned a berth in the US Kids World & Teen World Championship at Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA. Two-time Asia No. 1 Jeev Milkha interacted with the kids and shared his views upon growing the game in the country. Jeev also offered to sponsor return air-tickets to USA for 4 winners of the event. The final day of the event concluded with the prize distribution and a magic show by PGTI professional Siddharth Semwal.

Final Results: GIRLS

BOYS 6 years

Onkar Singh

7 years

Mahika Garg

7 years

Kartik Singh

8 years

Prarthana Khanna

8 years

Arman Gawde

9 years

Vibhi Chadha

9 years

Nimit Walia

10 years

Sinjini Mukherjee

10 years

Ribhav Verma

11 years

Hazel Chauhan

11 years

Saurav Das

12 years

Fizza Ali

12 years

Jai Bahl

13 years

Kaayna Mahajan

13 years

Aditya Sood

14 years

Heena Kang

14 years

Jaanish Jeev Singh

15-18 years

Lakhmehar Pardesi

15-18 years

Yuvraj Singh

july 2017 | golf digest india

Across The Country

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

Women’s Golf Day in Bengaluru Prestige Golfshire earned the unique distinction to be one of only two courses in India to proudly host the Women’s Golf Day on Tuesday, 6th June. This golf carnival of sorts saw participation from ladies not only from Bengaluru but also Mysore, THE TOURNAMENT WAS Hyderabad and Chennai. Post golf, the ladies were treated HOSTED AT AROUND to some of the country’s finest 70 0 LO C AT I O N S wines and some signature dishes. Sponsors included Grover Wines, IN 46 COUNTRIES Shangri La Hotel Bengaluru, AROUND THE WORLD Maui Jim Sunglasses, Sly Granny and Mizuno. Karishma Grover TO CELEBRATE AND (MD Grover Wines) and Andy PROMOTE WOMEN Stockinger (GM Golfshire) gave GOLFERS MAKING THIS away the luck draw prizes in a fun filled and entertaining afternoon. A TRULY GLOBAL EVENT.

Qualifiers for India-SA Return Test

Prestige Golfshire to host All India Senior & Mid-Am Golf Championship Participants at the 6th JK Golf Association tournament at the RSGC in Srinagar in May

From the Valley

RSGC stages 6th JK Golf Association meet The Royal Springs Golf Course (RSGC) in Srinagar hosted the 6th edition of the JK Golf Association tournament in May. The event saw participation from around 130 golfers from Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir. The event was played between the Pine Team and Chinar Team. Pine Team led by DP Singh was declared the winner with 34 points and Chinar Team led by Pranav Kohli finished runner- up with 28 points. In the individual category, Abrar Khawaja and Idrees

Gundroo were declared winner by highest margin while the nearest to pin winner was Inder Bhattacharya. Longest Drive winner was Arshad Guroo while the winner of Straight Drive award was Azhar Majeed. Minister for PWD, Govt of J&K Naeem Akthar was chief guest on the occasion. Akhtar pledged full support to JK Golf Association for the development of golf in the state. The 7th JKGA Golf Tournament will be played at Pahalgam.

Bengaluru’s top course Prestige Golfshire is scheduled to host the All India Senior & Mid-Amateur Golf Championship from June 26 to 30. Conducted by the Indian Golf Union (IGU), the tournament will serve as the qualifier for the IndiaSouth Africa return Test at Leopard Creek in September. After a long time the Asian Games gold medal winning quartet of ‘Bunny’ Lakshman Singh, Rajiv Mohta, Amit Luthra and Rishi Narain will be seen competing together in the event. They will also be joined by India’s 1983 Cricket World Cup winning captain and legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev. A total of 8 golfers will be selected from the tournament – 4 each from Senior (Age – 50 & above) and Mid-Amateur (30 to 49 years) categories. The tournament will also serve as the first stage qualification for Asia-Pacific Senior Championship to be held from October 18 to 20 at Royal Adelaide Golf Club in Australia. Top-15 finishers of 55-plus age group will be called for another round of selection in September to pick the golfers for Australia.

Daredevils get a rub of the greens at ITC Classic

L-R: Piramal Group’s Director (Strategic Business) Harinder Sikka, Ashok Kumar, cricket legend Kapil Dev, Shreyas Iyer, Ben Hilfenhaus, Carlos Brathwaite and Karun Nair

30 golf digest india | july 2017

Across The Country Welcome Initiative

Kalhaar Blues & Greens gives boost to caddies

Kalhaar Blues & Greens in Ahmedabad gave huge boost to caddies by hosting the Caddie Golf League supported by Brijesh Patel and Siddharth Naik last month. A total of 78 caddies took part in the event with 30 qualifying for the finals. The finalists were selected from qualifying rounds held earlier at the Kensville Golf & Country Club, Gulmohar Golf & Country Club and Kalhaar courses. After a close competition, Ghanshyam Patel of Kalhaar Blues & Greens emerged as the winner and bagged the cash prize of Rs 50,000. Patel plans to fulfil his dream of owning a house with the prize money he won.

Golf Digest View

The first runner-up of the event was Satish K. Rathva of Gulmohar Golf & Country Club and the second runner-up was Mukesh Hadvani of Kalhaar Blues & Greens.

Caddies are the backbone of any golfer. They not only guide them about the course conditions but also help pros to keep themselves calm during pressure situations. Initiatives like these should be encouraged by every club across India to boost the confidence of caddies and to enrich the lives of these humble souls

Other prizes Straightest Drive - Ajit P. Patel (Kensville) Closest to the Pin - Prahlad Patel (Kalhaar) Best Chipping shot - Rashik Patel (Kalhaar)

Participants for the 6th Caddie Golf League line up before the start of the tournament at the Kalhaar Blues & Greens in Ahmedabad

Spreading Camaraderie

Biradar wins second leg of Prestige Masters Series

A cold and chilly morning greeted golfers as they arrived to participate in the second leg of the Prestige Masters Series played at Golfshire in Bengaluru. The event saw participation of golfers not only from Bengaluru but also Pune, Mumbai, Mysore, Hyderabad and New Delhi. The wind picked up mid round and the going suddenly became tough. It was Sangamesh Biradar who had a dream round of golf to emerge as the winner with 37 points. He won a trip for two to Cape Town, South Africa. He was followed by Dinesh Chennakeshava and Deepak CS in second and third place. Dinesh came in second with a better back nine score. Hitendra from The Bold Look Of Kohler and Kulin from Group Aryan gave away the prizes to the winners in a glittering award ceremony. The next leg is scheduled for Saturday July 8. Send in your entries at www.golfshire.com.

Sangamesh Biradar (C) won the second leg of the Prestige Masters Series in Bengaluru

july 2017 | golf digest india

Growing The Game

PGA of America endorses India Learn Golf Week

he Professional Golfers Association (PGA) of America has endorsed the (Indian) G olf Industr y Association’s first-of-its-kind initiative to introduce over 20,000 new golfers to the game in one week. “India Learn Golf Week” is scheduled from September 25 to October 1 2017 across the country. The PGA of America is the USA’s apex coaching body with a membership of 28,000 club professionals working to promote the game in the country. India Learn Golf Week was launched during the 6th Annual India Golf Expo in Gurgaon with golf ’s governing bodies – the Indian Golf Union (IGU), Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI), Golf Industry Association (GIA), Golf Course Superintendents & Managers Association of India (GCS&MAI) and National Golf Academy of India (NGAI) – identifying the need to grow the sport at the grassrooots level in order to grow the number of players and boost the entire golf eco system.

The first step in this direction will begin with approximately 40 clubs across the country dedicating a week to this initiative in pursuit of producing the next 100,000 golfers. Keeping in mind that just one introductory lesson is not enough to sustain a newcomer’s interest, the PGA of America has shared its 5-lesson ‘Get Golf Ready’ programme which can be offered to everyone who participates in India Learn Golf Week if they choose to pursue the game further. Get Golf Ready is designed to teach the basics needed to play golf in just five lessons. PGA and LPGA professionals have pooled their learnings over decades to create “Get Golf Ready” and demonstrate that there are lots of ways to play by combining fun, friends and fitness. Each of the five sessions will focus on the various golf skills used while playing. In addition to learning the basics, students will be guided onto the golf course to put their skills into action in a casual, friendly setting.

A club member can enrol his family or friends for this programme and at public courses one can register directly 32 golf digest india | july 2017

supported by

Growing The Game

1 2 3 4 5

PGA OF AMERICA’s GET GOLF READY – 5 LESSONS l Warm up, stretching and wellness tips l The best ways to hold the club and get ready before you take a swing l Getting the ball close to the hole — chipping, pitching and other shots from short distances l Caring for the course

Lesson

l Getting comfortable with the full swing l Using your irons to get the ball in the air and onto the green l Learning the ‘lingo’, like fairway & rough, tee box & green, divot & bunker, and more l Having more fun using ‘It’s Okay’ as the way to play

Lesson

l Swinging your driver and other ‘big’ clubs to hit the long shots l Starting your play from the correct tee markers — use TEE IT FORWARD to have more fun l Helpful shortcuts to save time while you play

Lesson

l Linking all that you’ve learned to play a few holes l Tips for playing in groups, on teams and other fun ways to play

Lesson

l Getting you more comfortable on the course and where to drive the cart l Review of the rules and keeping score l More opportunities for you to come back and play golf

Lesson

With India Learn Golf Week scheduled for 25th September to 1st October, golfers and aspiring players across the country will soon start receiving registration information to encourage family members, friends and business associates or work colleagues to register and get their first taste of golf. Although it is expected that every student who participates may not enroll for further classes, they will all understand and appreciate the game better. Each participant will then share their understanding of the game with many friends and associates and appreciation for the game will spread. Read more about it on indialearngolfweek.com. july 2017 | golf digest india

Business of Golf

Indian golf tour operators attend Vietnam convention Four top golf tour operators from India made their presence felt at the 6th Asia Golf Tourism Convention (AGTC) held at the Danang Golf Coast in Vietnam from May 7 to 13. My Golf Tours, winner of the Best Golf Tour Operator Award at the recently concluded India Golf Expo, represented by Arun Iyer and Shyam Vador along with Chitaranjan Bakshi of PASH India, Rohit Walter of FCM Incoming India and Gajendra Singh Panwar & Kunal Singh of Tee Traveller attended the convention, which saw participation from over 600 delegates. A record 220 golf tour operators from 36 countries attended the meeting. Established in 2012, by IAGTO The Global Golf Tourism Oranisation, AGTC is a threeday members-only event designed to give golf tour operators around the world the opportunity to meet with golf courses, resorts, receptive operators, airlines, tourist boards from golf destinations across entire Asia Pacific region. The Indian supplier team had over 150 meetings with various tour operators. They were delighted by the keen interest shown by tour operators from China, Europe, Korea, Japan & Australia in promoting golf vacations in India. AGTC 2018 will take place in the Philippine capital of Manila from April 22 to 25. It will showcase Filipino golf destinations including Manila, Tagaytay, Clark & Boracay Island.

Tour operators from various parts of Asia were delighted with the response at AGTC in Vietnam

Golf & eyewear combine at this unique store Envee Optics and Trinity Golf, the owners of the TaylorMade franchise in India, have launched a unique store in Gurgaon that combines golf equipment and accessories with high-end eyewear. The store, which is located at first floor of Ambience Mall in Gurgaon, will be providing amateur as well as professional golfers with TaylorMade & Adidas Golf’s latest set of clubs besides accessories like balls, gloves, shoes, apparel, caps, duffel bags, divot repair tools, arm sleeves, umbrellas and ball markers etc. In addition to that a golfer will have the option to choose sunglasses from a plethora of premium sporting brands like Oakley, Gucci, Cazal, Prada, Versace, Burberry, Ray Ban and Mui Mui as part of eyewear shop Envee under the same roof. Ateet Gaur, Managing Director, Trinity Golf India, told Golf Digest India that the company plans to open more such stores in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chandigarh. Speaking about the association, Vishal Bakshi, Director (Envee Optics), stated: “The new store of Envee Optics and TaylorMade in Gurgaon is a one-of-its-kind in India where luxury eyewear and golf is retailed together. With the most luxurious environment, the customer will not only be able to buy golfing products and accessories but also the most sporty, trendy and latest eyewear”.

34 golf digest india | july 2017

Business of Golf

Wentworth’s West Course Shines After Ernie Els Design Renovation

Ernie Els has expressed pride and pleasure in the new-look West Course at Wentworth, an Ernie Els Designled renovation that staged the BMW PGA Championship last month. For Els there is a real sense of professional and personal fulfilment in bringing to a close the renovation of an historic course that has long held a special place in his heart. After negotiating the design with some impressive golf, Els said: “It looks incredible. This is basically our original design vision come to fruition and it’s a moment of great satisfaction for me and for the rest of the team. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me feel to see the course looking the way it does here this week and to hear the positive feedback from the players and also from the club’s members. That really means a lot to us. “Obviously a key focus of the renovation was improving the putting surfaces and the recent significant investment by the club’s owners, Reignwood Group, has allowed us to create arguably the purest, most consistent putting surfaces in the country. “In addition, we undertook a further review of the bunkers on

“In addition, we undertook a further review of the bunkers on the golf course. As a result, all bunkers have been redesigned and reconstructed, with 29 bunkers removed from play. We believe this helps more closely realign the course with Harry Colt’s original vision and, in fact, many of the bunkers are very much in the Colt style now.” — Ernie Els the golf course. As a result, all bunkers have been redesigned and reconstructed, with 29 bunkers removed from play. We believe this helps more closely

realign the course with Harry Colt’s original vision and, in fact, many of the bunkers are very much in the Colt style now.” Stephen Gib s on, Chief

Executive of Wentworth Club, was full of praise. He said: “This is my 10th year at Wentworth and I have never seen the course looking so magnificent.” Els had visited India in 2008 for European Tour’s EmaarMGF Indian Masters which was played at the historic Delhi Golf Club. Els had finished tied 6th with a four day tally of 3-under 285 to pocket US $66,200 as prize money.

Greg Norman firm to bring revolutionary technology into golf Greg Norman Design and Verizon Ventures have announced a strategic partnership to invest in PlaySight to aid in the company’s global expansion and introduce the technology into golf and new sports verticals. Earlier this year, Norman and Verizon pledged to join forces to bring innovative and disruptive technology to the golf industry and their joint investment into PlaySight speaks to the evolution of that broader plan. Selected in 2017 by Fast Company as one of the ’10 Most Innovative Companies in Sport’, PlaySight leverages both multi-angle video and proprietary analytics to improve on-field performance and connect the next generation of athletes. Through a system of cameras, the company’s lauded SmartCourt platform tracks every shot through graphics and video providing professional, collegiate and amateur

athletes and their coaches with personalised, detailed statistics that have never before been available. The company has already achieved a dominant position in the tennis marketplace with its technology powering the leading federations, academies, 40 NCAA Division 1 schools, and clubs, including the USTA’s new National Campus and high performance facility in Lake Nona, Florida. In addition to tennis, PlaySight is working with top teams across several other sports, including 2015 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. “We are pleased to have completed the first initiative in our partnership with Greg Norman,” said David Famolari, Director at Verizon Ventures. “PlaySight brings advanced spor ts technology, previously only available at the pro

To share news related to golf business, please email rohit@teamgolfdigest.com

level, to recreational athletes… As we see the sports industry leverage technology to improve the participation experience, PlaySight’s SmartCourt platform is a testament to this as it enables athletes to train smarter for a reasonable cost. We look forward to working with Greg Norman to continue to bring innovative and disruptive technology to the sports industry.” july 2017 | golf digest india

Business of Golf

Custom Club Fitting At It’s Best

Mumbai golfer Bharat Patel at TaylorMade’s ‘Kingdom’ in California

Former Procter & Gamble chairman Bharat Patel was amazed by the custom-fitting experience in Carlsbad

BY ROHIT BHARDWAJ | rohit@teamgolfdigest.com

he Kingdom, TaylorMade’s Once-ina-lifetime top-of-the-line clubfitting center at Carlsbad in California was visited by former Procter & Gamble chairman Bharat Patel, an avid golfer having won a lot of corporate tournaments. Needless to say, it blew him away. “Custom fitting has dramatically changed. Too much of technology has been added in the past decade. A friend of mine from Mumbai helped me get connected with TaylorMade guys in Carlsbad and that’s how this happened. This was my third fitting session ever,” Patel told Golf Digest India from Mumbai. Until 2005, the Kingdom was reserved for only select Tour professionals. But now any amateur, working with a TaylorMade teaching pro, can get access to the facility by paying US $250 for a

36 golf digest india | july 2017

two-hour session instead of the $5,500 walk in fee! One can also buy a set of customized irons and get the fee for the fitting session waived off. “With the latest M4 set of clubs I can now hit 5 to 10 yards longer. The Taylormade professionals helped me reduce the spin on the ball from 4500 to 2500. I used to hit it very high, and they corrected that as well. They also corrected my putter and killed my slice. The facility was like ‘Kingdom of Dreams’ for me,” the 73-year-old added. The session begins with a warm-up where you get to hit a few balls. Then you are brought inside a technology room where they put probes on your prominent joints – shoulder, elbow, knees, foot and ankle. You are asked to hit balls using different clubs and they accordingly assess your swing, spin on the ball, attack angle, loft, muscle flex etc on huge monitors.

Any amateur, working with a TaylorMade teaching pro, can get access to the facility by paying US $250 for a two-hour session.

Business of Golf

A teaching pro applying probes to Bharat Patel for assessment

“They helped me reduce the spin on the ball from 4500 to 2500. I used to hit very high, they corrected that as well. They also corrected my putter and killed my slice. With the latest M4 set of clubs I can now hit 5 to 10 yards longer. The facility was like ‘Kingdom of Dreams’ for me,” Patel told Golf Digest India from Mumbai.

Bharat hit balls with different clubs and shafts to get his slice and spin corrected

Ateet Gaur, Country Head, TaylorMade India feels every amateur golfer should visit the premium custom-fitting facility for an experience of a lifetime. “The Kingdom at Taylormade is a golfer ’s paradise and a lifetime experience for one who visits. It just gives you the right touch to improve your game to excellence. It is a facility equipped with world class technology to give the complete fitting to a golfer and suffice all his needs,” says Gaur.

The electronic monitor demonstrates Bharat’s biomechanics

The different shafts and iron heads help a golfer get the right equipment as per his weight and swing movement

july 2017 | golf digest india

Advertorial

Simply Amazing! One of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading tourism destinations, Thailand is a land of secrets & surprises for everyone to discover & enjoy

Advertorial

Top 10 reasons why Visitors who love challenging, adventurous outdoor activities will find much to satisfy their desires here, and if golf is high on your list, then it is definitely for you, because the kingdom is renowned as Asia’s most popular golfing destination. Golf has been played in Thailand for almost a century with games recorded at the Royal Bangkok Sports Club as early as 1905. Over the years, Thailand has greeted millions of tourists to experience the beautiful scenery as well as welcomed golfers around the world to tee-off and swing on the superb course nationwide.

Thailand is a great place to visit and play golf

Value for mon ey: Thailand provides

tremendous value in all areas that really matter to visiting golfers. From wide range of hotel accommodation and golf, to shopping in local market or high-class departmental stores. This sort of value, this saving, can often enable the upgrade from a short trip to a weeklong adventure.

The Weather: In the cool season, from November to February, the Thai climate is without any peers. Light breeze, constant sunshine, great conditions to play golf. Even in the summer months the ‘green’ season, when it gets a bit warmer, the golfing conditions are perfectly acceptable.

The Courses: The golf itself is the main reason

golf enthusiast travel to a premier golf destination, and with layouts designed by Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones II, Nick Faldo, Pete Dye, & Greg Norman, you will not be disappointed in Thailand.

The Locations: Even a golf course architect will

tell you that ultimately it’s the landscape that makes a golf course attractive, challenging & memorable. Thailand is a beautiful country that offers an amazing spectrum of physical environments.

5 6 7

The Infrastructure: Many 1st time visitors

are surprised to find that Thailand has created for itself & its guest a thoroughly modern, 1st world travel infrastructure.

The Caddies: A unique & truly memorable part of playing golf in Thailand. Predominantly female Thai caddie provide a level service that will stun many 1st .

The Accommodation: No matter where you are staying in Thailand, you can find accommodation to meet your budget. From stunning 5-star hotels to modest Thai-bungalows, Thailand is truly set up to cater to the broadest possible tourist market.

The People & Attractions: The Thai

people are known to be some of the friendliest in the world. Always with a smile on their faces (it’s not called the “Land of Smiles’’ for nothing). From visiting amazing temple and shrines to poking around local night market & street stalls selling everything imaginable. The list is endless, and people make it all warm & welcoming.

9 10

The Food: Because the tourist infrastructure is so well established, a wide selection of international restaurant are available for those who prefer a bit of something to remind them of home Visitors enjoy a round of golf at the Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin

The Culture & Customs: Thailand has developed a unique, wholly organic identity that is truly distinct from any other country in Asia. It’s been estimated that 900,000 Thais play the game, it’s another reason there are so many good golf courses here. Thais really love their golf. They have their own golfing societies, their own golfing heroes, their own après golf habits, their own on-course fashions & off-course cuisine. july 2017 | golf digest india

Advertorial

Top Golf Courses in

Thailand

Black Mountain Golf Club, Hua Hin: The Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin is an

18 hole golf course designed by Phil Ryan and opened in 2007. The course boasts not only a natural layout with many creeks on the course, however there have been many new trees planted especially around the holes. The Black Mountain Golf Club course provides many challenging shots for both the amateur and professional alike. There are bunkers very strategically located on the course and is to date the only golf course in Thailand to have seashore paspalum grass on the fairways.

Banyan Resort, Hua Hin: The Banyan course was featured in the Top 1000 in the World by Rolex. Opened in 2008, Banyan Golf Club, Hua Hin, Thailand offers golfers a world-class golf experience and dining facilities to be enjoyed by every player and visitor. The unique contemporary Thai style designed clubhouse features luxurious changing rooms, exclusive club suite accommodation, Mulligan’s Pub and Terrace Restaurant all is perfectly complimented by 5-star service a memorable experience for everyone to enjoy. Alpine Golf & Sports Club: One of the

most technically difficult and visually stunning courses in Thailand, the Alpine Golf and Sports Club will be forever remembered as the site of Tiger Woods’ Johnnie Walker PGA Tour victory in 2000. The course is impeccably maintained with rolling fairways and a series of water and sand hazards to avoid. The name Alpine is a reference to the hilly landscape, and while ‘alpine’ is a little exaggerated, the changes in altitude are unique to the typically flat landscape in the Bangkok area.

Ayodhya Links, Ayutthaya: Ayodhya

is not an actual links. There’s no sand underneath and no sea next door. What it does have, however is an inspired design and a remarkable set of greens. Conceived and routed by Aussie legend Peter Thomson and his partner Ross Perrett, the design was completed by co-founder and Chairman Pitak Intrawityanunt in 2007.

Red Mountain, Phuket: Generally considered the most challenging and visually spectacular course in Phuket, Red Mountain is a mustplay for any golfer worth their salt. Set within a former tin mine, the natural landscape with varying elevations and landforms is a true joy to play on, and the course architecture is generally very impressive. Navatanee Golf Club, Bangkok:

About an hour northwest of the capital, Navatanee is located near Siam Park City and is one of Bangkok’s best courses. It’s got a rich history, built in 1973 in order to host the 23rd World Cup of Golf in 1975. While it’s not far from the city, the idyllic surroundings are the perfect escape and give off a country club vibe. It’s a relatively exclusive club, proud of its heritage and mature design.

40 golf digest india | july 2017

Advertorial

Chiangmai Highlands Golf & Spa Resort, Chiang Mai: Set amongst the highlands with incredibly

clear air and gorgeous scenery, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that you’re still in Thailand at the Chiang Mai Highlands. This is an 18 hole championship golf course that’s routinely lauded as one of the best to play in Thailand. Set amongst the highlands with incredibly clear air and gorgeous scenery, you’d be forgiven for forgetting that you’re still in Thailand at the Chiang Mai Highlands.

Santiburi Country Club, Chiang Rai: Staying

up North, we head to Chiang Rai and to Santiburi, home to another 18 hole championship golf course. The layout here is enjoyably challenging; the first nine holes set over relatively flat terrain with plenty of water hazards, and the final nine very hilly with aquatic features only on the final two. Santiburi is known for being one of the best conditioned courses in the country, and also benefits from the glorious natural scenery of nearby Chiang Rai.

Amata Spring Country Club, Chonburi:

Amata Spring is another exclusive private club that plays host to very high profile golfing events, and was voted as the best course on the Asia Tour for four consecutive years. It can be found around halfway between Bangkok and Pattaya.It’s a fast course with generous fairways and lots of aquatic hazards — including two large lakes. Bunkers feature at every hole too while the famous island green at the 17th hole is inspired. Just generally, the layout is truly excellent and it can be very challenging — especially when there’s a breeze on the air.

Siam Country Club, Chonburi: Very nearby the

popular city of Pattaya, Siam Country Club was the first privately owned golf course in Thailand, built in 1970, before being renovated by Schmidt Curley in 2007. There are now two 18-hole layouts at the club — the Old Course and the Plantation — both of which are well regarded, although the older course is the favourite. The Old Course has wide and contoured greens with a multitude of landforms to wrestle with, including over 100 sand traps and plenty of trees. It’s has been home of the LPGA in Thailand since 2007.

Golfing Schedule in Thailand EVENT NAME Lady Golf Challenge 2017 Thailand LPGA Masters 2017

2017 Golfasian Golf Ryder Cup: Europe vs. Rest of the World

DATE

LOCATION

17 August 2017

Alpine Golf Club

21-23 September 2017

Panya Indra Golf Club, Bangkok

1 & 3 November 2017

Pattaya, Thailand

Flaunt Lifestyle

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

FASHION

DJOKOVIC IS NEW LACOSTE AMBASSADOR

French apparel brand Lacoste have appointed multiple Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic as their style ambassador. Lacoste has developed for Novak Djokovic an eponymous clothing line to be worn on the court. The Novak Djokovic collection is a line of performance products that fuse functionality with style. This wardrobe is available in exclusive Lacoste boutiques and shopping malls, May 2017 onwards.

42 golf digest india | july 2017

Lifestyle

ELECTRONICS

SAMSUNG REDEFINES VIEWING WITH THE LAUNCH OF QLED TV

Keeping in mind that there has been a discernable shift in consumer preference from 32 inches and below to 40 inches and above screen size, Samsung Electronics unveiled its premium line-up of QLED TVs in Chennai. Samsung also showcased its innovative TV, The Frame, redefining the future of home entertainment. With this, India’s No. 1 TV brand will further consolidate its leadership in the market. Currently, Samsung claims to have a 48% market share in the premium segment and expects it to grow to 60% by the end of this year. QLED TVs come with four global first innovations. They achieve 100% Colour Volume, the HDR 2000 functionality brings out hidden details, an Invisible Connection keeps your living room clutter free and One Remote Control offers an intuitive experience. Along with these, the No Gap Wallmount and the optional easel-like Studio Stand light up the aesthetics of your home.

QLED TVs will be launched in three series, Q9, Q8 and Q7, in 55 inches (138 cm), 65 inches (163 cm), 75 inches (189 cm) and 88 inches (223 cm), starting May 2017. QLED TVs will be priced at Rs 3,14,900 onwards.

QLED TV, POWERED BY SAMSUNG’S QUANTUM DOT TECHNOLOGY, PROVIDES TRUE-TO-LIFE IMAGES THAT NO OTHER TV CAN MATCH. IT EMPOWERS YOU TO THINK ABOUT THE TELEVISION IN A NEW WAY, BRINGING ART AND ENTERTAINMENT INTO NEW PARTS OF YOUR HOME. THE QLED TV IS AS BEAUTIFUL WHEN TURNED OFF AS IT IS WHEN IT’S ON AND WILL HELP US GROW THE DEMAND FOR PREMIUM TVs AS WELL AS OUR MARKET SHARE IN INDIA EVEN FURTHER” Rajeev Bhutani, Vice-President, Consumer Electronics Business, Samsung India

AUTOMOBILE

LIVE FEARLESSS WITH ISUZU MU-X

Isuzu Motors India launched the much-awaited ISUZU ‘mu-X’ premium full-size 7-seater SUV in India recently. The mu-X is powered by a 3.0 litre ISUZU engine and provides a maximum power output of 130 kW (177 PS). It provides a maximum torque of 380 Nm that is designed with a significant flat torque curve. The All Muscle – All Heart SUV’s high tensile steel body with tailor-welded blanks and crumple zones with anti-intrusion bars make it a protective cocoon, keeping the occupants safe from the dangers on the road.

Price (ex-showroom Delhi): mu-X 4x2 variant: Rs, 23,99,999 mu-X 4x4 variant: Rs. 25,99,000

july 2017 | golf digest india

Lifestyle

VICTORINOX LAUNCHES NEW COLLECTION ALOX POCKET KNIFE

Victorinox is releasing limited runs of its most reliable and popular pocket knife models for the third time – the scales of the Classic, Cadet and Pioneer come in an exclusive Alox olive green for the Alox Limited Edition 2017. Each new edition will only be available for one year – with the relevant year engraved on the back of the pocket knife. Price - Rs 3,560

I.N.O.X PROFESSIONAL DIVER WATCH

Each step on the I.N.O.X. path offers fresh proof that endurance is the ticket to achievement. Adding a metal bracelet to the I.N.O.X. Professional Diver presents the latest waterproof evidence. Ingenious construction and carefully considered aesthetics join forces to enable distinctive quality and functionality. Price - Rs 41,900

AVOLVE 3.0 LUGGAGE BAG

Avolve 3.0 is a new range of state of the art travel gear showcasing impeccable functionality and quality. Designed to take travelers further, these fully-framed cases are available in six sizes in both black and blue. The new Avolve 3.0 from Victorinox combines hard side polycarbonate with soft nylon to create a lightweight and ultrastrong luggage. The premium 55mm Hinomoto wheels provide a 360-degree maneuverability to ensure a smooth roll. Price - Rs 19,960 onwards

‘ANANDA IN THE HIMALAYAS’ INTRODUCES PHYSIOTHERAPY SESSIONS The increase in more people suffering from dull to excruciating pain due to extensive work at a computer or hovering over a mobile device is on the rise. And the issue is that this is turning into chronic pain: pain that persists. Most people are increasingly sedentary, spending at least 10 – 15 hours a day at work, school, and home in a position of bad posture. Consequently, the destination spa has launched a range of physiotherapy solutions for chronic issues such as Arthritis, Fibromyalgia and muscle spasms, posture and alignment problems, sports injuries, back, neck and joint pain, as well as injuries of the shoulder, knee and ankle. Price: On request

44 golf digest india | july 2017

Lifestyle

TRAVEL

IN NATURE’S LAP: KHYBER HIMALAYAN RESORT & SPA, GULMARG

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july 2017 | golf digest india

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46 golf digest india | july 2017

FAMILY SPECIAL elcome to the Family Issue. This is my son, Dash Day, who is 3½. He loves to hit balls. We’re not at the big course just yet, but I’m looking forward to all the rounds we’ll play together. Golf Digest asked me to share what we’ve been working on. Mainly, I just try to keep it fun, but there are certain things I do that might help you teach your rug rat. No matter what ages you have at home, you’ll find useful information on equipment and trips, plus stories from the tour and more in the coming pages. Although rounds with friends are special, there’s nothing quite like golf when it’s blood on blood. — with max adler

INSIDE

48 JASON DAY: THE BASICS I’M TEACHING MY SON 51 KEEPING UP WITH THE MICKELSONS 56 JUST FOR FUN 58 LOVE STRUCK 62 $IGNS OF THE TIME$

HOW TO GET YOUR LITTLE ONE STARTED IN GOLF BY JASON DAY july 2017 | golf digest india

Family Special

DESIRE

my only swing thought: hit down on the ball to make it pop up.

I WAS KIND OF PUSHED INTO GOLF . . . MY RULE IS, DASH HAS TO ASK ME TO GO TO THE RANGE. attaboy, dash. you’re really swinging well!

eh, the face feels a hair shut at the top. can you take a look from behind?

48 golf digest india | july 2017

ash was a year old when he learned to walk, and that’s right about the time he got his first plastic golf club. He’d storm around swinging it one-handed. Six months later he began gripping the club with two hands, but apart, like he was holding a hockey stick. I figured it was correct enough that his right hand was on the bottom and just let him have at it. Before he turned 2, my friends at TaylorMade sent a cut-down JetSpeed driver. In these photographs Dash has his new M1 driver. Amazing. I was kind of pushed into golf as a kid, so I vowed never to do that with my son. My rule is, Dash has to ask me to go to the range. Our family travels to most tournaments in our RV, and our “home” is almost always parked on or near a golf course. So the game is very present in his world. Dash will grab his driver and say, “Hit balls, hit balls.” He really likes it, and watching his face light up when he connects with one brings me great joy. My coach and caddie, Colin Swatton, took me from a 12-year-old to where I am today. If Dash ever decides to pursue golf seriously, I’ll put Col in charge. I’d be too technical a teacher for a junior. For now, I just do my best to make it fun. If that ever stops being enough and Dash wants to play golf to win, that desire will have to come from within. Not from me.

Family Special

PATIENCE if dash ever wants to play to win, that desire will have to come from within.

o matter how much patience you have, when you become a parent, you find more. It’s a good thing to have a lot of—in life and in golf. When Dash and I go to the range, I think we both build this quality in ourselves. To even tee a ball is a delicate motor skill at his age, and so to steady his hand he must really focus and not get unnerved by failure. Me, I’ll be kneeling there, feeding balls and encouragement—not gushing positive feedback, but enough to let him know he’s doing a good job—all while watching that split grip. Once his hands began to migrate closer together, it took more than a month for them to finally touch. A couple times I did try physically moving his hands and explaining why, but what really worked was Dash watching me hit balls. He understood it on his time. That’s golf.

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july 2017 | golf digest india

Family Special

FUNDAMENTALS

ash has a nice, natural swing. His tendency is to hood the clubface at address, then kind of chop down on it. He has learned that striking down on a ball makes it pop up. To him, airborne means success, so that’s what he does. The technique helps him crush his iron—he has only one— and even with the driver he sometimes nips it off the deck. When we tee the ball, occasionally I’ll square his clubface and ask him to swing up at it more. But my main goal is to keep the time interesting. We don’t just see how far Dash can hit the ball. I point out targets he can aim for, like a net or a pole. Not only does this energize him, swinging with a purpose is a good mind-set to establish.

KID DRILLS

olf’s in Dash’s blood, I figure, so I mostly try not to get in the way. I just want to see his instincts come out. One drill we do is, I’ll tee up four or five balls for him to hit in rapid-fire succession. Dash won’t pause on either side of his swing—he goes promptly from one follow-through into another backswing—which is actually a great drill for anyone to build rhythm. The other drill: I slowly roll balls to him from the side. He’ll hit them before they stop moving, not always so cleanly, but I think this develops good hand-eye coordination.

what kind of beverage cart doesn’t carry goldfish?

TANTRUMS

he threshold for frustration and boredom is pretty low in children. Dash still takes naps, so if we get caught at the range in a wrong part of that cycle, or without snacks and water, the situation can turn to a full meltdown real quick. If he’s dragging, I never ask if he wants to leave. I always ask if he’d rather go work on another part of his game instead. So if we’re on the range, we go to the putting green, or vice versa. If he doesn’t want to do any of it, we load in the car right then and it’s wheels up, even if that means returning a full bucket to the shop. The range near our house also has a miniature-golf course. I’ve found a game of putt-putt is the best move to start our day together.

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Family Special

m y s h ot ● t i n a m i c k e l s o n -to pac i o ● 4 6 ● s a n d i eg o ● t i m m i c k e l s o n ● 3 8 ● s c ot ts da l e

Keeping Up With The Mickelsons OH, BROTHER: IF YOU THINK YOU’VE HEARD THE BEST TALES ABOUT PHIL MICKELSON, LISTEN TO HIS BROTHER AND SISTER REMINISCE WITH GUY YOCOM tina: When Phil and I were little and Tim was just starting to walk, Mom

would head out at night to her monthly PTA meeting. While she was gone, Dad would build an obstacle course around the house. You know those tall, flexible poles with flags on them people put on the backs of their bicycles? Dad put them up all over the place. He’d lay them across the arms of couches and chairs for us to jump over, dive under and go around. There was a chin-up bar. Dad would time us, and I had the edge because I was in gymnastics and was more agile than Phil. He’d get so frustrated. Just when he figured out a way to get under the pole quicker and get close to beating me, I’d have Dad change the rules. “Have us do more pull-ups, Dad,” I’d say, and Phil would fall behind. We all learned to look for an edge, and there was never any handicapping to accommodate our ages. Nothing was low net. We were a low-gross family. july 2017 | golf digest india

Family Special

tina mickelson: “department-store photo, 1974. phil is 3, i’m 5, and the smiles earned us a trip to disneyland.”

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Family Special memory of Phil is of being on a houseboat our family rented on Shasta Lake for a week each summer. We had a Jet Ski, and our dad would set up an obstacle course. He used empty oil cans, weighted down, as buoys. He’d time us. I was 6, Tina and Phil were in their teens, and needless to say, I didn’t win much. Everything was a competition.

●●●

tim: Phil is seven years older

than me, so when we played football indoors, he’d level the playing field—a little. He had to play on his knees, and I got to run. He had to tackle me, and I just had to two-hand touch him. He’d hike the ball to himself, and just when I’d go

tina: You know that memory game on the computer, where you try to uncover two identical symbols? My son, Lucas, is 4, and he’s good at it. Last night, Phil challenged Lucas to a game, and, concentrating furiously, barely wins. They play again, and Phil barely wins again. Phil is punching the air like he does when he makes a big putt. He’s going, “Yeah!” Lucas says, “Come on, Uncle Phil, one more game.” And Phil says, “Lucas, I think you need to go practice on some easier competition for a while because you’re just not ready for me.” He was joking. A little. ●●●

tim: It was just an unwritten

rule that Phil was never going to let me win at anything. As

so up in my head after he said that, I limped in with a 66. You might wonder why he’d do that to me. You might say it was an awful thing to do. I’m cool with it. It was brotherly love in a way only brothers can understand. ●●●

tim: During a recent family

ski trip, these kids are coming up to Phil during the day and saying, “You’re Phil, right? You’re going down tonight!” And Phil is answering them with, “Yeah? Bring it.” Turns out that the night before, Phil had snuck down to this area of the resort where these kids are playing dodgeball. And he gets into the game with them. I couldn’t get over the picture of this 45-year-old man mixing it up with a bunch of 10-year-

to touch him, he’d toss the ball in the air and claim the touch didn’t count because the ball was airborne. He did a lot of stuff like that. He always won. But back to the houseboat. One afternoon it was so hot outside we stayed in the boat. Phil had taught me how to play poker— for money—and all I had was a small bucket full of pennies. I left to use the bathroom, and when I came back, Phil dealt me a straight flush, king-high. I ran to my room, got the bucket and dumped the whole thing into the pot. Phil calls the bet and reveals he’s got a royal flush. Imagine that. He took every penny. Much later, he admitted he’d stacked the deck when I left the room. He bought me a lot of dinners to make up for it. But he never did give me my pennies back.

I got older, the tide turned in my favor. When we play tennis, I receive no greater joy than dropping a shot just over the net so Phil has to charge in to get it, then watching him run back to the baseline to retrieve the lob that follows. The strategy, of course, is to tire him out and take advantage of the age difference. It works, and it’s very satisfying. Phil has an edge on me in golf and throwing a football—he’s got a great arm. That’s about it. ●●●

tim: I was playing with Phil

one day at what is now Grand Del Mar here in San Diego. Through 12 holes, I was nine under par and threatening the course record of 64—which was held by Phil [the record is now 62]. I had an easy par 4 and a reachable par 5 ahead of me, so it’s looking good. Phil says to me, “You do know you’re nine under, right? You do realize this is the round of your life?” I was

●●●

tim: He’s 80 years old, and he’s

telling me I need to keep the nose of the ball down better. Like I had an NFL career ahead of me. Our dad, who used to be a flight instructor, never stops coaching. He’s always looking for a more optimal way to do things. A lot of that rubbed off on Phil, I think.

●●●

tim: It’s no secret that Phil loves

Ping-Pong. It became a passion for him somewhere around the early 2000s, when it became a big deal in the Ryder Cup team room. Phil quietly wanted to become very good. So for Christmas one year I hired a former U.S. Table Tennis Junior

tina mickelson:

Champion, Dr. Michael Lardon, to give Phil lessons. I also got Phil an excellent paddle, one sticky enough to help him control spin. Phil practiced like crazy, and he improved, especially at masking his serve. But it’s not quite to where he can beat me. We’ll play best of seven, and Phil will win the first two games. Then I catch on to his serve and win the next four. It’s tough on Phil.

“1. tim’s first christmas, 1977. phil and i both wanted to hold him. 2. phil lets tim “drive” at cottonwood golf club in el cajon, 1980. 3. optimist junior world, mission bay golf course in san diego, about 1982.

olds, bombing them with the ball and getting bombed in return. But that’s Phil. ●●●

ing the ball correctly. He’s giving him a lesson.”

tina: Three days ago, we’re on the beach during a family staycation. Phil and Tim are throwing a Nerf football. Dad is close by, watching, and the rest of us are sitting a good distance away. Suddenly we watch our dad interrupt the game. He takes the ball from Tim. I ask our mom, “What’s Dad doing?” And she says, “Can’t you see? He doesn’t think Tim is throw-

●●●

tina: My dad put golf clubs in our hands the moment we could walk. I got my first club when I was 18 months old, before Phil was born. Phil got his first club when he was 16 months old. He played lefthanded from the get-go, and I remember my parents expressing concern that it was going to be very hard to find quality left-handed clubs as Phil got older. So my dad made a right-handed club for Phil to sort of tempt him, but Phil

july 2017 | golf digest india

photographs courtesy of Mickelson faMily

tim: My most vivid early

Family Special quickly turned it over and swung left-handed with it. They gave up on the idea of changing him over. Good call. ●●●

tim: The amount of practice Phil

put in as a kid was unreal. It was just constant. Dad built this little practice green in our back yard, and Phil would go to the front yard and hit over the house and aim for the green. He had me shout out where the ball landed. “Ten feet to the left of the hole,” I’d yell, and then, “Five feet to the right, and short.” What’s incredible—and only I saw this— was what Phil could do when he got dialed in. After he adjusted, he started actually holing shots. I thought he was magic.

●●●

tim: Another thing I’ve seen

the other guys Phil loves to play for money in practice rounds, here’s a tip: If you’re ahead on the bets, don’t let Phil know it. If he asks where the match stands, just shrug like you don’t know, or tell him he’s ahead. Chances are, he’s not following that closely. But if you let him know you’re winning, especially with a couple of holes left, you’ve got a problem because he’ll pour it on at the end and beat you. ●●●

tina: One Thanksgiving we were having people over. Our mom told Phil to stay close, that he was going to be needed to help out. Well, Phil disappeared. He paid the next-doorneighbor kid to drive him to the course so he could play. Mom

up to this gorgeous Mexican girl and told her, “Usted tiene un hermoso culo.” She slapped me across the face. When I told Phil what had happened, he started laughing, tears down his face. When he was finally able to talk he said, “Usted tiene un hermoso culo means, ‘You have a beautiful butt.’ ” ●●●

tina: When I was in college at San Diego, I was a little sister for a fraternity. I became good friends with one of the guys in the frat and referred to him as “my big brother.” He was a great guy. One day I was with Phil and referred to “Gaston, my big brother.” Phil said, very seriously, “He is not your brother. I’m your brother.” I gulped and said, “OK. Got it.” Phil is very

ence intimidated them, which bummed everyone out because everybody roots for each other. I didn’t pass, either, though I did later. One guy said, “I can’t believe you’d do that to us.” Fast-forward 15 years later. I was reaching out to a client to get a deal for a company I was representing. I recognized his name as someone I’d played in a PAT with but didn’t realize it was that PAT. At the end of my pitch, he said, “Oh, yeah, I was in your group that day in Palm Springs.” We didn’t get the deal. ●●●

tim: I think everyone in our

family would choose the 2004 Masters as Phil’s coolest victory. It was his first major, and it got the monkey off his back. But what made it more terrific was that it happened four months after our grandfather, Alfred Santos, passed away. All of us, Phil included, believe that Nunu [his family nickname] had a hand in that.

●●●

Phil do is make two balls collide in mid-air. We were on the practice range at Stardust [now Riverwalk] in San Diego while Phil was in college. He faded one ball, quickly hooked another while the first one was still in the air, and they collided. It took him 15 minutes to do it, but I saw it. I defy anyone else to do that. I know that for 30 years I’ve tried to do it, and I haven’t really come close. ●●●

tina: Phil thrives on pressure. He experiences it differently than most people. He’s told me that when the pressure is on, things fall into focus. He sees the lines better. Things slow down, and there are only great outcomes. Only great athletes are like that. ●●●

tim: To Keegan Bradley, Rickie

Fowler, Dustin Johnson and

and Dad went looking for him, found him, and on the way home gave him the business. There was going to be a punishment for this. When our parents put a foot down, that usually was the end of the discussion. But this time, Phil rebelled a little. He told my mom, “Every day I don’t practice is a day the other guys are getting better. If I’m going to be great, I need to practice.” Phil got that from Ben Hogan, I think. ●●●

tim: When I was in eighth grade,

I had a huge crush on a ninthgrade girl who had moved here from Tijuana. She was bilingual, and I figured if I could say something nice to her in Spanish, it would impress her. Phil knew some Spanish, and I didn’t, so I asked him for a nice phrase to say to her. “Tell her, ‘Usted tiene un hermoso culo,’ ” he said. “It means, ‘You are very beautiful.’ ” I spent a weekend perfecting the phrase and then walked

54 golf digest india | july 2017

tina mickelson: 4. Tim, Tina and Phil at Phil’s wedding rehearsal dinner 5. tim and phil at mccormick ranch in scottsdale, 1989.”

territorial about his family. ●●●

tina: Because we’re family, it’s easy to overlook Phil’s power to influence. When I was going through the PGA program in 1993, I had to pass the 36hole Playing Ability Test—the dreaded PAT. It was at Palm Springs in July, and I asked Phil and Tim to stop by and give me some support. They played Bighorn in the morning, and late in the second round, here they come, barreling onto the course in a cart. Three guys in my group were trying to pass the PAT, too, and they promptly fell apart and failed. Phil’s pres-

tina: Two weeks before the 2004 Masters, I had a dream. My grandfather and I are at the Masters. We’re standing by the 18th green, and Phil has a putt to win. It’s crazy that no one else is around, but you know how crazy dreams are. I tell Nunu, “I want him to make this putt so bad. Oh, I hope he makes it.” And my grandfather says, “He’ll make it even if I have to go down and kick that ball into the hole.” Phil makes the putt, and there’s this huge eruption of crowd noise, even though there are no people there. I jump and turn to my grandfather, but he’s vanished, and the dream ends. It was so powerful I began telling people about it. One friend in particular was going to Las Vegas on business. I told her to put a bet down on Phil. On Sunday of that Masters, as Phil came to the 18th hole, our family was ushered down in front to watch. The hole was on the front-left part of the green, and we were standing back-right—exactly where Nunu and I were standing in the dream. Phil’s approach stopped in exactly the same place behind the hole, as in the dream. As Phil got set to putt, I leaned over to Amy and said, “He’s making this.” A few seconds later, it was a dream come true. tim: Until that Masters, my

Family Special favorite was when Phil won the 1991 Tucson Open as an amateur. I was in eighth grade, and when I went to school on Monday, a bunch of my friends told me they saw me on TV. I was like, “Yep, that was me.” I felt like a star. ●●●

tina: When Phil came home from his first British Open, in 1991, he gave me ball markers from each of the courses in the rotation. I’m sure he’s forgotten he did that, but it remains the piece of Phil memorabilia that has the most meaning to me. I use those ball markers for every round, including tournaments, scrambles and rounds by myself. I like to think of my family, and those ball markers make me think of Phil.

tina: In a career as long and successful as Phil’s, there also are going to be disappointments. I think the one at Winged Foot [2006 U.S. Open] was the hardest for him. He isn’t one to dwell on setbacks, but that one stayed with him awhile. Wanting to help put it to rest, I thought of throwing a party. I was going to have a piñata made of the Winged Foot logo, and I was thinking we could all bash the piñata, and with it, that memory. But

tim: Some more brotherly love,

Phil style. When I was starting to become a decent player, I’d be standing over an iron, and from the cart Phil would say, “I know where you’re going to miss this shot. I’m going to write it down. Let’s see if I’m right.” Which immediately makes me think, What does Phil see that I don’t? Am I too afraid of that bunker on the right? He doesn’t think I’m going to hit it in the deep rough left of the green, does he? I’d hit the

●●●

tim: Phil gets on these kicks.

Black holes. The stock market. Magic. Dinosaurs. The Kennedy assassination. He sucks every possible bit of information he can from them. Then, as quickly as it started, the kick leaves. The magic kick was the most intense. Phil’s card tricks and sleight of hand dominated many a family get-together. The downside is that card tricks get a little tedious after 30 minutes or so. The upside was that it always gave us something to get him for Christmas.

●●●

tim: Late in 2014, I decided to

give Phil a try as my assistant coach at Arizona State. He loves ASU and is very loyal. I thought it was a great idea on a number of counts, not the least of which was his power to help me recruit. I thought a phone call to a recruit from Phil Mickelson would be pretty convincing. So it was not a publicity stunt. Well, during his stint, he called three recruits, kids I really wanted. None of the three chose Arizona State. In January 2015, Phil resigned, joking that I’d fired him. I didn’t fire him, but the truth is, if he hadn’t resigned I would have had to fire him. He wasn’t getting the job done.

●●●

tim: For all the funny stories I tell about Phil, I want the world to know I love him and that if you’re ever near him, you’ll end up loving him, too. He’s generous, loyal, good to his family and cool beyond belief. I read sometimes that Phil couldn’t possibly be that nice in real life, that what he does is a put-on, that nobody can be that wonderful. But to those of us who know him, he’s as genuine as they come.

●●●

tina: Phil is known for being generous with locker-room attendants and service people in general. Less well-known is his knack for sensing when a person can use a little help. A while back, our mom heard through a friend of a friend that a waitress at a local restaurant was in trouble with her rent. Phil, not knowing anything about it, showed up at that restaurant. He left a tip that day that made a huge difference to that woman. He left without knowing the impact he had made, and he still doesn’t know it today. He does gestures like that on pretty much a daily basis. Not wild philanthropy, but displays of thoughtfulness that make me proud to have him as a brother.

shot, and when I missed, Phil would uncover the prediction. Amazingly, he was right 100 percent of the time. Then one day I caught him writing down LEFT on the scorecard and RIGHT on the plate under the scorecard. Wherever I missed, that’s the part he’d uncover.

●●●

the maker of the piñatas didn’t get the concept, and the idea fell apart. Which is just as well. It was better to let the Winged Foot episode slowly fade away. ●●●

tina: My brother has a remarkable capacity to put negative experiences behind him. Not just in golf, but personal things. Many people, when there’s a dispute, they’ll forgive, but not everyone forgets. Phil, he honestly forgets. If you have a disagreement with Phil, there’s a 100-percent chance that after it subsides, the next time he sees you it will literally be like nothing ever happened.

father’s day, 1993. tough team to beat!

tina: At the beginning of our family get-together this past weekend, Phil was bothered that my kids, Lucas and Gabriella, didn’t pounce on him immediately. They’re just little, 4 and 3 years old, and were a little shy at the outset because they don’t see him every day. Phil’s insecurity about that was beautiful to watch. He poured everything he had into making them love him. His beloved San Diego Chargers were on TV, but there was Phil, playing the memory game with them and making himself irresistible. Granted, the Chargers were getting smoked, but at the end of the day, all Phil really cares about is loving and being loved by the people close to him. july 2017 | golf digest india

Family Special

56 golf digest india | july 2017

Just For Fun

Family Special

NICK PRICE AND SON GREG GO LOW-KEY IN FATHER/SON CHALLENGE BY GUY YOCOM

At home on break at the end of 1994, Nick Price handed a cut-down driver to his 3-year-old son, Greg, dropped a few balls on the ground and waited for the magic to happen. Magic happened, all right: a disappearing act from Greg. “He dropped the club, picked up his cup of Goldfish snacks and ran straight to the range picker,” says Nick, a three-time major champion and captain of the past two International Presidents Cup teams. “He loved to be driven around in that thing. Even then, golf was a little slow for Greg. He liked action.” So it went with Greg, a committed surfer, wakeboarder, kite-boarder and water-skier who at 24 only recently emerged as a typical millennial golfer. A senior at Florida Atlantic University with an unofficial handicap in the low-double-digit range, Photograph by Walter Iooss Jr.

he plays fast and not always seriously. He likes golf primarily as a way to spend time with friends. One of his pals: Greg Norman Jr., whom Greg Price met when they were kids at the day care provided by the PGA Tour. Even with a membership at the superb McArthur Golf Club near the family home in Hobe Sound, Fla., it doesn’t take much for Greg to shrug off golf in favor of the ocean. “Until two years ago, I hardly played at all,” he says. “I chipped tennis balls around our back yard so the dog could chase them, but that’s it. But one day we were down at Blowing Rocks [Preserve], and there were no waves. No waves means no surfing. So we went and played golf. Fun game, but I’ll never be anywhere near as good as my dad. He’s got some serious prowess.” At the PNC Father/Son Challenge (Dec. 10-13 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando), many sons display games reminiscent of their fathers’. Steve Irwin, son of Hale, has played in a U.S. Open. Dru Love, a junior at Alabama, pounds it past Davis. Daniel Trevino, Tucker Wadkins, Tom Strange and

many others are high-level amateurs. Greg Price, meanwhile, is keeping it real, with golf more on the periphery of his life than at the center. It’s an approach his father understands and accepts. “Golf is such an individual game, and there are a lot of ways to enjoy it,” says Nick, 58. “You don’t want to push golf on young people in a restrictive way. When Greg told me he’d been playing with friends, I didn’t know whether to help him or just let him do his own thing.” The Prices were working to improve on their last-place finishes in the Father/Son the past two years. They share dinners with friends—Nick and Greg share a love of thick steaks— and, like every other father-son team, try to narrow the generation gap. “The world is so different than when I was growing up,” Nick says. “What’s interesting is, my hair was longer when I was Greg’s age than his is. He’s pushing for Team Price— one of our caddies and the two of us—to show up this year wearing beards. I hate to break the news to Greg, but that isn’t going to happen.”

july 2017 | golf digest india

Family Special

struck

▶ main squeeze antwon lovett and jenni berg were among the readers who found love t h r o u g h g o l f.

THE GOLF COURSE IS A WONDERFUL ARENA FOR LOVE TO SPARK ALL YOU NEED ARE YOUR CLUBS AND AN OPEN ♥ BY JOHN BARTON

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♥

P.G. Wodehouse’s short story “The Clicking of Cuthbert,” the protagonist meets Adeline Smethurst of the Wood Hills Literary and Debating Society—a rival organization to the local golf club—and is instantly smitten. This has a salutary effect on Cuthbert’s golf: “Twenty minutes after he had met Adeline, he did the short eleventh in one.” ♥ But love has two edges. There is no rose without thorns. In another Wodehouse story, the “Oldest Member” warns that love is something that golfers should always treat with great suspicion. “I am not saying that love is a bad thing,” he advises, “only that it is an unknown quantity. I have known cases where marriage improved a man’s game, and other cases where it seemed to put him right off his stroke. There seems to be no fixed rule. But what I do say is that a golfer should be cautious.” Being cautious in love is like laying up when you know you can make the carry. And sometimes it’s not a matter of choice. If you’re the ball, love can be the clubface, launching you from your resting place in a perfect arc down a fairway you never knew existed. We heard that story many times when we solicited tales of love on the links from our readers last year: ♥ Playing golf with her son one day, Jo Meyer of Morro Bay, Calif., hit a low hook that bounced off a cartpath and into the back of the leg of a very tall man. She unintentionally hit into his group three more times. “After the round,” she says, “I took my son inside for a milkshake. The giant was in the grillroom. My cheeks flushed, and I tried to slide in and order without him noticing me.” But notice he did. He picked up the tab. Four years later, they were married.

in a cart and told him to hop in. He drove him out to the snack bar at the turn and told him to get whatever he wanted. Driving back to the clubhouse, the caddiemaster wanted to know what Baechle thought of “the new snack-bar girl.” Baechle suggested that she seemed “nice.” Baechle recalls: “He turned and looked at me, and with his finger pointing, he said, ‘She’s damn nice, Baech. That’s the kind of girl you want to marry someday.’ ” Jim and Sue have been married for 28 years. “People fall in love when they’re ready,” says love anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher, whose TED Talks on the subject have been viewed by millions. “You also tend to fall in love with someone of the same socioeconomic background, same levels of intelligence and education, same basic values and social goals, and same general level of good looks. And on the golf course, you’re going to find that. You’re going to find someone who shares your interest in golf, and who prob-

‘YOU CAN FALL IN LOVE IN A MINUTE. . . . YOUR BALL LANDS NEXT TO HER GOLF BALL, YOU LAUGH ABOUT IT AND—BOOM!—YOU’RE OFF TO THE RACES.’ ♥ Jim Crounse of Oro Valley, Ariz., hoped to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing the Old Course at St. Andrews. A miscommunication, however, meant that he and his buddy missed their 7 a.m. tee time. His travel agent instructed him to go to the clubhouse and ask for Patsy, the manager. “Out came this lovely blonde Scottish woman,” Crounse says, “with an adorable accent. She said that she was terribly sorry, that they’d get us out to play . . . and could she buy us breakfast to make up for the error.” Jim and Patsy have been married for 11 years. ♥ Jim Baechle of Nashville was a teenage caddie in a Detroit suburb. One day he won a Chick Evans caddie scholarship to Michigan State, and the caddiemaster approached him

ably has a similar lifestyle and background as you.” Golf thus acts as a filter as effective as any matching algorithm on a dating site. (Fisher is chief scientific advisor to Match.com.) But according to Fisher, Cupid’s arrow flies so straight and true in golf for a more fundamental reason than our culture: our biology. Fisher has identified four broad personality styles of thinking and behaving, loosely based on inherited patterns of neurotransmitter expression in the brain:

july 2017 | golf digest india

Family Special

▶ f o r e p l ay berg used golf to test her c o m p at i b i l i t y w i t h l o v e t t, a n d t h e t w o

♥ explorers (predominantly dopamineexpressive): risk-taking, novelty-seeking, spontaneous, impatient, curious, creative, mentally flexible, high-energy and actionoriented people. ♥ builders (serotonin): conventional, traditional, cautious, measured, orderly, meticulous, they follow the rules, like schedules, respect authority, are calm people, with a high degree of self-control and are skilled in building social networks. ♥ directors (testosterone): direct, decisive, analytical, logical, strategic, toughminded, bold and competitive. ♥ negotiators (estrogen): Imaginative, intuitive, nurturing, agreeable, emotional, idealistic and altruistic. “We’re not just one of these systems; we express all four of them, but to differing degrees,” Fisher says. (You can join the 14 million people who have taken the test online and see where you stand on each of the four scales at TheAnatomyofLove.com.) Says Fisher: “My hypothesis is that the kind of people who are attracted to golf are very expressive of the serotonin system— the Builders. These people tend to like the slow, measured pace of golf, the rules, the traditions and the social aspects. But also testosterone—I’d expect golfers generally to score highly on the Directors scale. It’s a very competitive game.” (Fisher is not a golfer: “I’m more of an Explorer type,” she says, “and Explorers tend to prefer tennis.”) Fisher’s human taxonomy sheds light on the age-old question of whether opposites attract. Although that tends to be true for Directors and Negotiators—they date each other—Builders stick together. Their calm, stoic, conservative nature means they like people who are like them, which is why a foursome of regular golfers can endure for decades, often outliving the participants’ marriages. Says Fisher: “I studied 80,000 people, and the high-serotonin type of human being, the Builder, tends to be consistently drawn to people like themselves.” One problem with golf as an avenue to love, however, is that it is crowded with

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men—76 percent of American golfers are male. That’s great news for women seeking men, but not so great for men seeking women. (Estimates vary, but roughly 90 to 95 percent of Americans are heterosexual.) Fisher remains positive: “Those female golfers are Builders, too, and will tend to have strong social networks of conservative Builder girlfriends to introduce to the golfers that they meet on the links. Female golfers will tend to be highly attracted to male golfers—and bring with them a pool of other women who are also likely to be attracted to traditional golfers.” But what of the warning in the “Oldest Member”? Love—especially love at first sight—can go disastrously wrong. “The heart was made to be broken,” according to Oscar Wilde. “Romantic love is a drive,” Fisher says. “It happens way down in the basal ganglia, right next to brain regions that orchestrate thirst and hunger. It lies like a sleeping cat, and it can be awakened any time, at any age. You can be scared in a minute, or angry or sad. And you can fall in love in a minute. It’s an animal attraction. You can trigger that brain circuitry in an instant. Your golf ball lands next to her golf ball, you laugh about it and— boom!—you’re off to the races.” Beyond external attributes, humans are inordinately attuned to another person’s internal landscapes, their psychology, and how it might mesh with their own. We all have attachment tendencies, learned in childhood that influence who we are drawn to, patterns that reoccur, for better or for worse—Freud called this “repetition compulsion.” A controlling narcissist, for instance, might be drawn to a compliant peoplepleaser—and vice versa—resulting in a rela-

c l i c k e d i n s ta n t ly.

tionship that can continue for years until the latter comes to realize that the codependent dynamic is unhealthy, which might explain some divorces on tour. “We all make mistakes,” Fisher says. “There’s a part of the brain, in the ventrolmedial prefrontal cortex, whose job is to be skeptical—in charge of what scientists call ‘negativity bias.’ This is the part that always says, Oh, no, this isn’t going to work. And when you begin to fall in love, activity in that brain region actually goes down.” Neuroscientific proof that love is indeed blind. If it weren’t, our species would have died out eons ago. Someone looking for a partner to “complete” them, or take away their loneliness or struggle, comes with a metaphorical redflashing warning light. We’ve all got baggage—are you looking for love, or a caddie? By contrast, when someone is just being some version of their healthy self—apologizing to the group ahead for hitting into them, say, or greeting the new person behind the counter in the snack shack without wanting anything from them but a 7Up—the stoplights all turn green. Writes James Hollis in “The Eden Project”: “If I am expecting the other to be the good parent and take care of me, then I have not grown up. If I am expecting the other to spare me the rigor and terror of living my own journey, then I have abdicated from the chief task and most worthy reason for my incarnation on this earth.” The only game you can play is your own. Still, most people don’t want to make the journey alone. Whether you’re looking for a playing partner for an afternoon or a lifetime, on the golf course there is always some kind of love in the air. “Golf is a wonderful arena for love to spark,” Fisher says. “If you want to fall in love, get out there and play.” ▶▶▶

Family Special

TA L ES OF L♥V E READERS SHARE THEIR STORIES co urting my future father-in-l aw

n 1970, I went to meet the parents of my new girlfriend. I drove up in a 1964 VW camper bus wearing a black-seal fur coat and hair down to my shoulders. Her father met me at the door and wasn’t impressed. A few days later, he forbid his daughter to see me and even threw her out of the house when she refused. A few weeks later, when he realized she was going to continue seeing me, he let her move back home. After a strained year, I decided to try to get in his good graces. He was a golfer, so I took six lessons at the local driving range and started playing golf, and he invited me to join his Tuesday night golf league. He eventually saw past his prejudice and accepted me and loved me. He passed away a few years ago, but I married his daughter in 1975. Today we have three children, two grandchildren and still play in that same golf league. craig wl odyka Hampton, N.H.

love springs from tragedy

y best friend died at age 37. He was involved in a car accident when he was 31 (one month after we took a golf trip together to Doral) and never recovered. He was a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. In his memory, I started a golf tournament to benefit the

organization. After contacting my local Philadelphia chapter, I met with a beautiful young woman who ran the fundraiser outings. We eventually went on a date. I knew after two weeks that I wanted to marry her. We ran that tournament for 10 years, have been married for 16 and have two sons. Golf allowed me to transform something horrible into something good and positive. g r e g o ry m . m c p e a k Oreland, Pa.

golf as my “boyfriend test”

ou can learn the answers to many questions about a person on the golf course. How will he deal with frustration of his game or mine? Will he cheat? Is he lazy? Will he gloat too much? Will his ego be OK if I hit a better shot? Is he encouraging? Will he try to “teach me” too much? Can we stand each other for 18 holes? Will we have fun? Seven years ago I met Antwon. I was playing golf on a simulator at a local pub on a cold night in February. Once the snow melted we were able to play

a real round. Not only did he pass the “boyfriend test,” I fell in love pretty quickly. Of course, it isn’t perfect; we once went three holes without speaking, but the lessons we learn on the course strengthen our relationship. Golf brought us together, and it keeps us together. jenni berg Pocatello, Idaho

we met at the ball machine

n Labor Day 2003, I was meeting two of my girlfriends for golf. I went early to hit a bucket of balls. I apparently didn’t get the bucket lined up correctly under the ball dispenser, so as the balls started coming out, some missed the bucket and bounced away. I heard a voice from behind me say: “It works better when you center the bucket under the spout.” I turned around and saw a man dressed in black golf clothes smiling at me. He helped retrieve the errant balls. I thanked him, and I thought that was that. I saw him again at the first tee. He was playing with the group in front of us. On the 15th, I almost hit him with an errant second shot as he was standing near the 16th tee. When I went to retrieve my ball, he proposed meeting at the 19th hole for a drink. We did, and 14 years later we remain committed partners, on and off the course. m a ry d e yo u n g Seattle

making o ut on the fo urth hole

y wife, Janie, and I have been married 48 years. I met her in 1966 in a little town in the Napa Valley called Calistoga. I was working at a little nine-hole course at the Fair Grounds called Mount Saint Helena Golf Course. I got $1.50 an hour and all the golf I could play. We went out on our first date, and she found out what an avid golfer I was. She had played a little with her dad, and he taught her well. She asked if she could play with me sometime. Of course I said yes. This was not

the golf I was used to playing. We would walk and talk and hit the ball. The fourth hole ran along the Napa River, and we would park our carts and walk down to the bank and take our golf shoes off, put our feet in the water and make out. Then we would go back up and finish the round. We did this a lot, right up to the time when I proposed one year later. She had reeled me in, and I am very lucky she did. b a r ry pa r k e r San Diego

a marriage of golf and ro ck ’n’ roll

t started with a bribe. “If you can keep up with me on the course, I’ll take you to Hawaii for Christmas,” said my boyfriend of two years, legendary record executive Al Coury. “You’re on,” I said, but not sure I could meet the challenge. Al adored the game and looked for any opportunity to play. I had eight months to learn. I took lessons, hit what seemed like thousands of balls on the range and even played with strangers to improve my speed. Al was delighted and took me to Hawaii. That began 30 years of romance on the golf course. In 1987, David Geffen hired Al to help run his record company. Al agreed on one condition: In his contract it stated that Al got Fridays off to play golf. To my amazement, I grew to love the game and the social life that accompanied it. At our club we were known for the only bet we ever made with each other: We played for sex. So when one of us lost, we both always won. In 2009, Al began showing signs of Alzheimer’s. That ended our playing, and he passed away in 2013. I always will be grateful to my dear husband of 25 years, Al Coury, the man who bribed his willing girlfriend to learn the game but ended up giving his wife a gift for life. t i n a n i c h o l s c o u ry Oxnard, Calif.

july 2017 | golf digest india

Family Special

$IGNS OF T

62 golf digest india | july 2017

Family Special

THE TIME$ ▶

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KIDS GETTING AUTOGRAPHS AND PROFESSIONAL CHASERS DOING THE SAME THING? BILLIONS OF BUCKS

by c u r t s a m p s o n

july 2017 | golf digest india

ON Family Special

silent in the cool blue morning, as patient and motionless as birds waiting for worms. On the other side of the fence, two dozen of the world’s greatest golfers chipped, pitched and putted. “What do you think of those guys with the bags?” I asked various of the world’s greatest. “What do you think of what Jordan said?” A month before, at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Spieth had gone to the ropes to meet the people, especially the kids, as he usually does after a practice round. It didn’t go well. He was still a little steamed during his post-round presser. Q “I know you sign a lot of autographs, but coming off 18 today some guys ragged on you pretty hard for not signing . . . and it got a little testy?” A “Yeah . . . these guys that just have bags of stuff to benefit from other people’s success when they didn’t do anything themselves. Go get a job instead of trying to make money off of the stuff that we have been able to do. . . . They frustrate us. And so I turned around and they, one of them, dropped an f-bomb in front of three kids, so I felt the need to turn around and tell them that wasn’t right. And a couple of them were saying, ‘You’re not Tiger Woods; don’t act like you’re Tiger.’ . . . Normally I let Michael [Greller, his caddie] get into it with them. . . . Scums. . . . It just bothered me.” (Added Spieth later in the week: “I shouldn’t have used that word, but I was a bit frustrated.”) “Some of the players are really proud of Jordan for standing up like that,” said Keegan Bradley. “I couldn’t agree with him more,” said Cody Gribble. “They can be intimidating,” said Geoff Ogilvy. “They tend to be pushy. It’s pretty full-on. You see a man’s arm coming at you from between kids. Although I didn’t mind signing about a thousand Golf World covers after I won the U.S. Open.”

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DEPENDING ON WHO’S TALKING, THE ANNUAL WORLDWIDE COLLECTIBLES MARKET COULD BE APPROACHING $400 BILLION.

Henrik Stenson evinced the minority, laissez-faire attitude about the autograph pros: “I’m providing for them, too. So I keep on signing.” We found only one other player who agreed with Henrik, and that was the infinitely patient and recently deceased Palmer. “Someone would hand him 10 of something, and he’d sign all 10,” says Alastair Johnston, Palmer’s longtime agent, with a sigh and a laugh. “I’d ask him why. He’d say, ‘Well, these guys have to make a living, too.’” a r n o l d pa l m e r s i g n e d a n e s t i m at e d t h r e e m i l l i o n autographs in his career.

The autograph scene on tour presents a dilemma with many confusing aspects: The players are quite aware that willingness to put one’s name on things over and over again is the very definition of good-guy-ness. Arnie would, until the cows came home: great guy. (Ditto Phil, Rickie and, yes, Jordan.) During their competitive years, Hogan and Woods most often couldn’t be bothered. But Ben and Tiger didn’t have to autograph your program; no one has to. The tour does not compel players to sign, nor are tour events required to provide a place for them to do so. A golf star can just walk on by, or sign for kids only. When Brooks Koepka did exactly that, and an adult collector kvetched, “Why not mine?” Koepka replied, “Because I’m not making your money today.” But the kids-only policy isn’t that simple, for some teens and tweens are also in it for the money and offer their signed flags online as

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a big screen inside a big tent at Bay Hill, at the first Arnold Palmer Invitational since the great man’s death, MasterCard debuted its new commercial. One topical vignette in the ad portrayed Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell wading into a crowd of excited kids holding up pens. poulter We’re gonna sign everything. mcdowell Arnie would. poulter Arnie definitely would. mcdowell Yes, he would. ▶ Damn right he would. Palmer’s forbearance and endurance with autograph seekers was among the many qualities that made him golf’s de facto patriarch and PR MVP. This same day they unveiled another tribute in the plaza near the first tee, a 13-foot statue of The King apparently hitting a pull-hook. A metal Arnold signing programs with perfect penmanship wouldn’t have been as dramatic a pose, but it would have been just as true to his legend. ▶ Sixty steps from the sculpture of the patron saint of autographs, a cadre of professional signature seekers huddled by the white picket fence bordering the putting green. There were eight of them, each clutching a clear plastic shopping bag stuffed with . . . stuff. How they dress is their other tell—more L.L. Bean than J.Lindeberg—but this group of mostly middle-age men effected at least a muny-course look: golf shirts with the tails out, khaki-colored cargo shorts and sensibly priced athletic shoes. They stood still and

Family Special

fast—probably faster—than any adult. And though there are occasional unseemly battles, such as the war by the shore at Pebble, every ardent collector agrees that golfers are the best of all athletes: the most affable, the most willing and the easiest to get to, especially when compared to baseball players. “Manny Ramirez,” one Orlando bagman said. We looked to Annika Sorenstam for some clarity. She sat at a table beneath the bronze Arnie and affixed her name to this and that. Her policy, she says, is to sign anything— even a competing brand of golf ball, even before a tournament round. But only one per customer, please: After the autograph pros got theirs, she quietly told an assistant to make sure they didn’t get back in the queue for another.

transcendental graPhics/getty images

inside the scrum

man and his two daughters stood nearby, sneaking peeps at Annika. On vacation from Portsmouth, N.H., visiting his dad, said Travis Nadeau. This year at Bay Hill, and regularly at the Dell Technologies Championship outside Boston, the adorable and golf-smitten Nadeau kids collect autographs for their girl caves back home; a ball signed by Danny Lee is a prized possession. “He wrote, ‘To my best friend’ on it, said Teagan, 8. What about the grown men competing for Danny Lee’s attention—any problems with them? “They follow us,” said Delaney, 10. “Then they move in front of us.” Travis shook his head sadly. Ignoring the rules of personal space and taking turns. Shoving. Using outdoor voices in golf’s churchy setting. Inducing children to get signatures for them, making it impossible not to be reminded of Fagin and Oliver Twist; and now, profanely insulting one of the most popular sportsmen in the world. But decorum ruled when AP went to the ropes, and “Please” and “Thank you” filled the air, in part because The King signed everything for anyone. An estimated three million autographs in his lifetime. Legibly: big A, big P, and the 10 attached little letters were even and distinct; it’s no surprise or coincidence that Sam Saunders, Arnie’s grandson, has the clearest signature on tour. At home in Latrobe, Pa., Palmer dutifully autographed items by the truckload, and returned to senders on his own dime. It cost him a fortune. Palmer was dogmatic on the subject. As Peter Jacobsen recalled, Arnie would put down his glass of Ketel One on the rocks, twist of lemon, and instruct his young

ben hogan relaxes before t h e s ta r t o f t h e 1954 masters.

the days before there were autographs by dan jenkins

hen did so many urchins, scamps and rascals start turning up in the galleries of golf tournaments? That’s one question. Another is, when did they start clawing and begging for an autograph from any person who bore the slightest resemblance to a touring pro? I distinctly remember a time when I was the only urchin, scamp or rascal in the galleries. It began when I was 11 years old and was taken by golf-nut relatives to Colonial Country Club and let loose on the 1941 U.S. Open, where I got mad that Craig Wood won instead of Ben Hogan or Byron Nelson, the hometowners. But I didn’t consider myself an urchin, scamp or rascal. I’d been playing golf since I was 8 and had learned that the game was a civilized, dignified sport. If anybody had hollered “You da man!” or “Get in the hole!” he’d have been arrested for disturbing the peace. My education continued as follows: As a 14-year-old, I was taken to Lakewood Country Club in Dallas to watch Byron Nelson win the Texas Victory Open.

As a 15-year-old, I took myself to Dallas Country Club in 1945 to watch Sam Snead win the Dallas Open. Again in ’45, I went the entire 72 holes in Fort Worth, watching Byron win the Glen Garden Open, his 18th victory in that fanciful year. Then in 1946, as a grownup 16-year-old with a car, I watched Hogan win twice. First at the inaugural Colonial National Invitation in May, and again in September at the Dallas Invitational at Brook Hollow Golf Club. I roll those credits for a couple of reasons. It’s to say that in all of my exposure to tournament golf I never once saw an urchin, scamp, rascal or teenager on the course, including me, plead for a golf ball from a pro. And second, I never once saw an adult ask a competitor for an autograph. It just wasn’t done back then. At least not in my neck of the woods. Applause from the crowds was reserved for a very good golf shot. Most of the fans were recreational golfers and obviously more knowledgeable about the game than many in today’s throngs. Also, there were no

standing ovations for players you’ve never heard of simply because they walked up on a green. “Come on Brendan, you can do it!” Who? What changed this peaceful world? The usual suspects, is my guess. Hogan, to begin with. The game had needed a larger-than-life figure since Bobby Jones retired. Then TV. Followed by Arnold Palmer. The combination of TV and Arnold Palmer. Jack Nicklaus. The dynasty of Jack Nicklaus. More media attention to the majors. Especially the Masters. Growth of new courses—a country club for every income level. Advances in equipment. Corporate sponsors and the incredible explosion of prize money. And, yes, a guy named Tiger Woods. Full disclosure: In my teens, after watching all that tournament golf, I did have fleeting thoughts of trying to become a touring pro, but I quickly realized it required more practice than it did funfilled gambling with friends and thieves, plus my game didn’t travel well. So I changed my major.

july 2017 | golf digest india

Family Special

‘IT’LL BE THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK, AND I’LL THINK, WHY AREN’T THESE KIDS IN SCHOOL?’ friend to always be nice. Don’t scribble your name, for God’s sake. Sign a golf ball if they want (which is a pain; try it). Don’t come off the 18th green mad; people don’t care if you just shot 60 or 80. And don’t disrespect the guy who is obviously going to sell your autograph.

big business, as in billions

hat has changed, we suppose, is that they made only one Arnold Palmer, and there is an increasing demand for things signed by golfers, and such items appreciate. Depending on who’s talking, the annual worldwide collectibles market could be approaching $400 billion, and the subset of autographed sports things, from football helmets to baseball bats to golf balls, is between $1 billion and $2 billion.“Now is the time to invest in Jordan Spieth memorabilia, the youngest player ever to dawn [sic] the Green Jacket,” asserts Sports Memorabilia (sportsmemorabilia.com), although Tiger actually had an earlier dawn. SM lists a 2015 Masters flag, signed by the champion in a cramped scrawl, at $1,463.99; the same item with “Jordan” written above “Spieth,” in a spacious hand: $4,363.99. Legibility is crucial to value. The time had come to stand among the foot soldiers. Autograph chasers, as they are known in the biz, lack a collective noun: a desperation, perhaps? A scribble? For interminable minutes we observed Danny Willett’s wristy chipping style. When finally he made to leave the scene, one of us called out. “Danny, will you sign?” He would. Two handfuls of amateur collectors had joined the group. During an orderly, wordless interaction, the high-strung

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Englishman hurriedly scratched black ink on 10 yellow nylon rectangles and on two tournament programs. His John Hancock consists of a giant D above a vertical chop that resembles a pictograph of a picket fence. Though prices fluctuate, we found a Masters flag signed by the 2016 champion for as little as $100 on eBay. From the actual sale price, deduct the cost of the cloth—about $25— eBay’s 10-percent commission, shipping, the price of a ticket, clear plastic bags and cargo shorts, and no one was getting rich on Danny. I introduced myself and my mission to the group. “Is that how this is done—eBay?” Silence. They regarded me balefully, with weapons-grade stink eye. “Is there enough money in this for you to travel from one tour stop to another?” Silence. The desperation looked like eight untipped waitresses. Then, from the tall one, “No comment.” “No comment? Really? Is it because you fear a negative story? Well, the negative story is already out there. Maybe you can help me tell a positive . . . ” “No comment.” Then they all turned their backs, a full Amish shun, impressively synchronized. A little later, they moved en masse to the other side of the green, and they didn’t appear to enjoy my company there, either. They seemed like a team—and they probably were. Tampa-based dealer Charles Poulos, a still-occasional chaser, explained the usual MO: groups of two to five or larger will travel in the same van and stay in the same inexpensive hotel room. They pool expenses but not income. Their bags are filled with consigned flags, hats, trading cards and photographs waiting for the Midas touch of a golfer’s pen.

‘THE BEST STUFF E.G. FRED COUPLES SIGNED MASTERS PIN FLAG— IS OFFERED TO THE BIG HITTER IN THE BUSINESS, GREEN JACKET AUCTIONS.’

“I’ll get on a collectors’ website and ask, for example, ‘Who’s going to [the PGA Tour Champions event in] Branson?’” says Poulos, whose full-time job is in IT. “Someone will say, ‘I am. What do you need? What will you pay?’ And if I trust him, I’ll send a guy—usually, two guys—20 or 30 items. I expect to get half or a third of what I want. It’s an incredibly tough life for those who do it full-time. They don’t make a lot. It’s discouraging when I see some guys bring their kids out [to secure autographs]. It’ll be the middle of the week, and I’ll think, Why aren’t these kids in school?” Poulos, who is essentially a middleman, sells to five other dealers, one of whom is in the United Kingdom. The best stuff—for example, not just a run-of-themill Fred Couples-signed Masters pin flag, but one on which Freddie was induced to write “’92,” the year he won—is offered to the big hitter in the business, Green Jacket Auctions. Green Jacket co-founder Bab Zafian, whose expertise is autograph authentication, wishes first of all to emphasize that chasers are the salt of the earth, hard-working Americans who rise at 5 and go to work. “Would Jordan Spieth go up to a janitor and insult him?” Zafian says. “Don’t look down on anyone. It’s a job, like anything else.” But it’s not a job like anything else, and Zafian acknowledges that society sometimes breaks down by the yellow rope. He has been out there himself, many times. “When they’re pushing kids out of the way, I’ll say so everyone can hear, ‘Come on, let the kid in there!’ I’m not being fake. Once Jack Nicklaus saw my courtesy and made a point of signing for me.” Compared to Poulos, Zafian offers a relatively rosy opinion regarding chaser income: “You’ll see a guy who looks homeless, someone you want to hand a dollar to; that guy could be making $100,000 a year. Even if they get only $10 per autograph, if they get 50 or 75 a day . . . ” The group I watched for three days weren’t getting anything close to that. Writers are chasers, too, of course, of stories—so here’s a defense of my brothers the Orlando Eight weren’t willing to provide. They fill a need. When they’re not rude, they’re polite. They’re determined. They are, as advertised, early risers. And they are organized; Vaughn Taylor has won three times on tour, but he’s no household name, so he was surprised when a collector recently asked for signatures on four Vaughn Taylor photographs beautifully printed on heavy stock. If Vaughn wins the U.S. Open, or something, they’ll be worth something.

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` 600

33.33%

3 Years

` 5400

` 3000

` 2400

44.44%

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On the PGA Tour

VIBRANT NEW YORK TO WITNESS GOLF SPECTACLE

Kevin Chappell thits to the 13th green during the final round of 2013 The Barclays at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey

t is as if avenues from all corners of the globe run through New York City when August warmth gives way to September comfort, and when you are there in the middle of it all, the esteemed author Tom Wolfe’s words resonate: “One belongs to New York instantly. One belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.” The city in late summer is a kaleidoscope of human activity. Different looks, different spirits, different sounds, and from Hong Kong Dragon Boat Races to the India Day parade to the Filipino Expo to the Feast of San Gennaro, the city is vibrant.

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Want to celebrate heritages? The Irish, the Brazilians, the Germans, the Latinos and so many more will dance in a city that never sleeps, accompanied by music, be it blues, classical, pop or jazz. It’s a big city, “no place epitomizes the American experience,” said former mayor Michael Bloomberg, “and the American spirit more than New York City.” Which is why this cultural and entertainment mecca can always find additional table settings for guests, even during a wildly busy August and September. Case in point: Not one, but two PGA Tour spectacles will

NEW YORK IN LATE SUMMER IS A KALEIDOSCOPE OF HUMAN ACTIVITY. DIFFERENT LOOKS, DIFFERENT SPIRITS AND FROM HONG KONG DRAGON BOAT RACES TO THE INDIA DAY PARADE TO THE FILIPINO EXPO TO THE FEAST OF SAN GENNARO, THE CITY IS VIBRANT.

On the PGA Tour

THE NORTHERN TRUST WILL KICK OFF THE FEDEXCUP PLAYOFFS AUG. 24-27 AT THE GLEN OAKS CLUB ON LONG ISLAND. THEN FROM SEPT. 28 TO OCT. 1, THE BIENNIAL PRESIDENTS CUP WILL BE STAGED AT THE LIBERTY NATIONAL GOLF CLUB, NEW JERSEY

use New York City as a brilliant backdrop at this vibrant time of year. The Northern Trust will kick off the FedExCup playoffs Aug. 24-27 at the Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury on Long Island. Then from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J., the 12th staging of the biennial Presidents Cup will command the world’s golf spotlight. Yes, the same Liberty National that Padraig Harrington once called “phenomenal” and Jordan Spieth hailed as “incredible.” You can seemingly reach out and touch the Statue of Liberty from

the 18th green, but on a wider screen, the overall trip for these two tournaments will be a seamless fit – the PGA Tour and its massively rich international traveling show taking the stage in a cultural showcase city. “Really what we’re trying to do is celebrate everything that is New York City,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. The FedExCup Playoffs have started in the New York City area every year since its 2007 debut, though this will be the first time at Glen Oaks, a pristine layout that will be a new adventure for the huge majority of PGA Tour members. There will, however, be something familiar at Glen Oaks – the likely makeup of the leaderboard being a confluence of international flags that is the rule week in and week out on the PGA Tour. Against a backdrop of flavorful New York ethnicity, the PGA Tour and The Northern Trust will fit right in. Last year, at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, an American (Patrick Reed) won, finishing just ahead of an Argentine (Emiliano Grillo), two Aussies (Jason Day and Adam Scott) and a Northern Irishman (Rory McIlroy). Great flavor, per usual, but as an added boost to the PGA Tour, the Presidents Cup will set up shop a few weeks after The Northern Trust, right there in the shadows of Manhattan and one of our nation’s most endearing landmarks. “Liberty National is such a special venue. I think we’ve all seen that with The Barclays, now The Northern Trust,” said Monahan, referencing playoff tournaments there in 2009 and 2013. “It will be exciting to be that close to the Statue of Liberty and to Liberty Park. We’re going to have events at Ellis Island. Our players will be taking a boat eight minutes from their hotel across to the venue itself. We’re really trying to drive an international crowd to support the International Team and to celebrate what’s so unique about the Presidents Cup.” With 85 international members from 22 countries, the PGA Tour is a veritable traveling United Nations. So how cool will it be to set up one week in a town (Old Westbury) that was very near to the first United Nations quarters Then move five weeks later to Liberty National, which is less than

five miles from where the UN has been for decades? Certainly, in a city that will be staging summer parties to celebrate nearly every ethnic group, the Presidents Cup will feel comfortable. Aussies and South Africans were abundant for the International team in 2015, and likely will be again in 2017. But the recent winner of The PLAYERS Championship is a young man from South Korea (Si Woo Kim), and his countryman, Byeong Hun An, has been a steady force high on the Official World Golf Ranking. One of the leading players in the world is from Japan (Hideki Matsuyama), and few possess the aggressive flair of a flashy Argentine (Grillo). Meanwhile, and young Canadians (Adam Hadwin and MacKenzie Hughes) have emerged as two of the PGA Tour’s rising talents. In other words, captain Nick Price has reason to be excited about the trip to Liberty National, his confidence buoyed by the riveting effort two years ago when the Internationals lost by just one point. “We’ve got some really strong young players,” said Price, who will serve as International captain for a third time, “so, it will be interesting.” When it’s New York City in the summer, interesting is one word bandied about. But exciting and bustling are two others that will accompany The Northern Trust and The Presidents Cup. Given that PGA Tour members are huge sports fans, they’ll have options galore during their visits to New York. A rejuvenated Yankees team figures to be in baseball pennant pursuit, and ditto the Mets. In fact, the Yankees will be home the weekend of The Northern Trust and the entire week of the Presidents Cup. What may generate even more interest is another sports franchise making a rebound – the great Roger Federer. With many PGA TOUR stars avid tennis fans (Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar, Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy come to mind), they’ll have an easy commute from Glen Oaks to Arthur Ashe Stadium, where tennis’ US Open will get under way Aug. 28, the day after the final round of The Northern Trust. Federer at age 35 won the Australian Open earlier in 2017, his 18th major championship win,and he is already pointing toward return to the winner’s circle at the U.S. Open. The chance to be witness to part of that is something PGA Tour players would enjoy. Fortunately, New York can accommodate. Like nowhere else. july 2017 | golf digest india

On the PGA Tour

Brilliant Brooks captures maiden Major

rin, Wisconsin: For three days, it was a US Open that was hardly recognisable. Birdies were everywhere. The world’s top-three players were nowhere. Fairways were wider than farmland. Greens were softer than Wisconsin cheese. Players smiled and shot low. Then they smiled some more and went even lower. It was as if this ballyhooed “ultimate test in golf” had morphed into a feel-good pro-am, complete with scoring records everywhere. Of course, even when Sunday’s final round at Erin Hills arrived with brisk wind we didn’t get the sort of complexion we expect of a US Open. That was of little concern to Brooks Koepka. The powerfully built and long-hitting American didn’t just put his hands around the 117th US Open trophy; he put a crushing headlock on it with a performance that left his chasers choking on his dust. At a vintage “smash-ball” golf tournament mandated by Erin Hills’ silly wide fairways and launching-pad tee boxes, one of the game’s purest “smash-ball” experts won with a finalround, 5-under 67 to win by four over Brian Harman and Hideki Matsuyama, who posed the day’s best round, 66. Koepka’s 272 total translated into 16-under, which tied a US Open record for lowest score to par. (Rory McIlroy did it first, in 2011.) “It’s definitely a special moment,” said Koepka, who arrived at his fifth US Open ranked 22nd in the world and left as the No. 10 player. “To do it here (at Erin Hills) where I played the US Amateur (in 2011) is special.” Anti-climactic, this 117th edition of the US Open? Maybe, but to the 27-year-old from West Palm Beach, Florida, his second PGA Tour win and first in a Major championship was delivered with an emphatic exclamation point – and it came in sync with the largest prize, US $2.16 million, in golf. Hardly should Koepka’s win be a surprise, not given his impressive skill set that starts with a ferocious power on par with his good friend, Dustin Johnson. But given that 12 players were within five of Harman’s lead at the start of the fourth round, it’s at least mildly stunning that it failed to produce a combative finish or that Koepka ran away. Then again, it’s easy to understand how it RECENT FIRST-TIME MAJOR WINNERS 2015 PGA Championship – Jason Day (AUS) 2016 The Masters – Danny Willet (ENG) 2016 US Open – Dustin Johnson (USA) 2016 British Open – Henrik Stenson (SWE) 2016 PGA Championship – Jimmy Walker (USA) 2017 The Masters – Sergio Garcia (ESP) 2017 US Open – Brooks Koepka (USA)

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Brooks Koepka won the US Open by 4 strokes

“I WAS WAY MORE CONFIDENT THIS WEEK THAN I’VE EVER BEEN... IT’S FOR ALL THE HOURS THAT YOU PUT IN AND THINGS LIKE THAT. YOU LOOK BACK A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO TO BE ON THE CHALLENGE TOUR, FOUR GUYS DRIVING AROUND IN A LITTLE MINI CAR, FOUR GOLF BAGS PACKED IN THERE, TO BE THE US OPEN CHAMP IS PRETTY COOL. — BROOKS KOEPKA, 2017 US OPEN CHAAMPION all fell into Koepka’s hands so easily. Numbers don’t lie. Of the top-six names on the leaderboard through 54 holes, only Koepka broke par. While Matsuyama, the dynamic 25-yearold from Japan, was the only competitor to put a chase into Koepka down the stretch, it was too little, too late. Starting a whopping six behind Harman (and five behind Koepka), Matsuyama seemed an afterthought until he blitzed the back nine in 32 to seize the clubhouse-lead at 12-under. Dazzling stuff from Matsuyama, one of only three international names in the top 15 in the most American of US Opens. (England’s Tommy Fleetwood closed with 72, good for 11-under and a fourth-place finish, while South Korea’s Si Woo Kim, who just a few weeks ago won THE PLAYERS Championship, shot a Sunday 75 and shared 13th). But Matsuyama’s dramatics proved fruitless, thanks to Koepka’s own finishing touch. “I couldn’t help but see the scoreboards. There’s one on every hole,” said the champion.

WITH THE WIN l Becomes the seventh straight first-time Major winner (a run stretching back to Jason Day at the 2015 US PGA Championship) l Wins his first Major in his 15th career Major appearance l Becomes the 58th American winner of the US Open in 117 editions of the event l At 16-under par, ties Rory McIlroy (2011) as the lowest 72hole winning score in the history of the US Open l His four-shot winning margin is the biggest in the US Open since Martin Kaymer’s eightshot victory at Pinehurst in 2014 l His 67 on Sunday was the lowest final round by a US Open winner since Tiger Woods in 2000 at Pebble Beach l Moved to 10th place in the Official World Golf Ranking l Wins in his fifth appearance at the US Open, beating a previous best finish of tied fourth in 2014 at Pinehurst PRIZE MONEY WON US$ 2.16 million (Rs 13.9 crore)

On the PGA Tour

TOUR SNIPPETS

A MAJOR WITHOUT WOODS, MICKELSON With Phil Mickelson’s withdrawal from the US Open and Tiger Woods’ continued battle with injuries, which left him on the sideline, the tournament held at Erin Hills in Wisconsin became the first Major championship since the 1994 Masters Tournament that didn’t feature either Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods. Woods has missed several Majors since 2008, as he’s dealt with physical issues with his knee and back. Woods missed the Masters in 2014 and again this year. He didn’t play in the 2011 and 2014 US Opens, while also missing The Open Championship in those same years. He didn’t play in The Open Championship and PGA Championship in 2008, either. wMickelson has played in 98 Major championships in his career, and between the 1994 US Open and this year’s Masters, Mickelson had played in 91 of 92 Majors,

ALFA ROMEO BECOMES PRESIDENTS CUP GLOBAL PARTNER The PGA Tour recently announced that Italian automotive brand Alfa Romeo has become the third global partner of the Presidents Cup, joining Citi and Rolex. Alfa Romeo will be prominently represented when the biennial competition resumes the week of September 26-October 1 at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey. The partnership will showcase Alfa Romeo’s series of new-model launches, including the all-new Alfa Romeo Stelvio, which will mark its arrival in the US this year, and the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia. Also featured as part of the Alfa Romeo line-up will be the Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe and 4C Spider. “We are very excited to welcome such an iconic global brand as a new global partner of the Presidents Cup,” said Charlie Zink, chairman of the Presidents Cup. “Alfa Romeo’s reputation for excellence, innovation and its distinguished history in auto racing make it an ideal fit for a premier international team event featuring the best golfers in the world. Alfa Romeo is seeing increasing presence on a global stage and we couldn’t be more thrilled that they have selected the Presidents Cup as a premier partner in the positioning and evolution of their momentous brand.”

only missing the 2009 Open Championship during that period. Woods is second all time, with 15 Major championships won, including three US Open victories (2000, 2005 and 2006). Mickelson has won five Majors in his career — a US Open title, the one Major that has eluded him.

GOLF EXTENDED THROUGH 2024 OLYMPIC GAMES

Golf, which made its return to the Summer Olympics in 2016 with a successful competition won by England’s Justin Rose and South Korea’s Inbee Park, was guaranteed at least two opportunities to hold a competition. Now, a third is assured. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board on June 9 approved that all 28 sports from the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will return in 2024. In 2016, golf once again became an official Olympic sport, the first time since 1904. Golf was already on the 2020 program of sports for the Tokyo Games in Japan, but questions remained about the viability of the sport beyond 2020 — especially considering the numerous withdrawal from the competition of top players on the men’s side.

In September, the IOC Executive Board will select cities to host the 2024 and 2028 Summer Games. In a statement from the International Golf Federation, the IGF stated it “is gratified to learn of the IOC Executive Board’s decision recommending all 28 sports on the programme for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will remain on the programme in 2024. We look forward to learning the outcome of the final vote at the IOC Session in September. We were always confident that golf would deliver exciting men’s and women’s competitions in Rio de Janeiro and even at that, it exceeded our expectations. Now, we are excited to build upon the success from last year as we prepare for the 2020 Games in Tokyo and, hopefully, beyond.” july 2017 | golf digest india

On the PGA Tour

Web.com Tour Adds Two New Events in 2018 North Mississippi Classic & Savannah Golf Championship To Be Played In New Season

Country Club of Oxford

he North Mississippi Classic, which will be played at the Country Club of Oxford, will be held the week of April 16-22, while the Savannah Golf Championship in Savannah, Ga., will be played three weeks earlier. Both tournaments will feature 156-player fields and $550,000 purses. The Savannah event is guaranteed for five years, while the Mississippi deal is for three years. Web.com Tour President Dan Glod spoke about the addition of the tournaments, knowing the Web.com Tour has a rich history in both Mississippi and Georgia. “We are excited to bring the North Mississippi Classic to Oxford as we continue to grow the Web.com Tour with new events in strong markets,” said Glod. “This community has demonstrated a passion for golf. We are confident this partnership will allow us to engage fans, volunteers and local businesses as we look to cement our roots in North Mississippi and increase our charitable impact.” Speaking about the new event in Savannah, Glod added, “We believe in this market. This is a vibrant city that has a strong passion and history with the game of golf, and we look forward to working with the community and local businesses to grow this tournament on and off the course.” The North Mississippi Classic will be the third PGA Tour-sanctioned event to be held in Mississippi after Sanderson Farms Championship and the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic on PGA Tour Champions. Georgia already hosts two PGA Tour tournaments—the Masters (Augusta) and the Tour Championship (Atlanta) and the PGA Tour Champions’ Mitsubishi Electric Classic

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Savannah Golf Club in Georgia (Duluth). Mississippi and Georgia are among the five states to host an annual tournament on all three Tours, with California, Florida and North Carolina the others. The event will be managed by Century Club Charities, an organization that manages the Sanderson Farms Championship. Since 1994, the group has donated more than $14 million to charity, thanks to the PGA Tour tournament. “Century Club Charities looks forward to

“WE BELIEVE IN THIS MARKET. IT HAS A STRONG PASSION AND HISTORY WITH THE GAME OF GOLF, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY AND LOCAL BUSINESSES TO GROW THIS TOURNAMENT...” — WEB.COM TOUR PRESIDENT DAN GLOD

hosting another great professional tournament, which will allow us to again showcase Mississippi hospitality to some of the best golfers in the world – all while raising much needed money for a variety of deserving charities,” said Hubbard. The Web.com Tour returns to Mississippi after a successful 10-year run with the Gulf Coast Mississippi Classic from 1990 through 2000 (tournament was not played in 1998). The event, which was contested in Gulfport, Miss., produced an impressive list of winners, including Major champions Tom Lehman (1991) and Jim Furyk (1993). The Country Club of Oxford is a 2006 Jim Fazio design that sits just minutes south of the city on some of the most undulating terrain in the region. The 7,000-yard course is one of the home courses of the University of Mississippi golf teams, which annually produce some of the top players in the Southeastern Conference, including recent NCAA Individual champion Braden Thornberry. The Landings Club, located just 20 minutes from historic downtown Savannah, is a 4,500-acre private community with over 8,500 residents and six golf courses, with all six courses designated as Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries by Audubon International. Deer Creek was originally built by Tom Fazio in 1991, with the famed architect returning in 2009 to modernize the course via an expansive restoration. With 50 available PGA Tour cards for the following season (since 2013), the Web.com Tour is The Path to the PGA Tour. Twentyfive Tour cards are reserved for the leading money winners at the end of the 22-event Regular Season.

FOR PRIDE. FOR TEAM. FOR THE CUP. TICKETS AT PRESIDENTSCUP.COM LIMITED AVAILABILITY. SEPT 26 - OCT 1 | JERSEY CITY, NJ

On the European Tour

TOUR SNIPPETS

Spain’s Allvaro Quiros with the Rocco Forte Open trophy

Quiros back in winners’ circle in Sicily

Alvaro Quiros defeated Zander Lombard in a play-off to cap a stunning return to form and win his seventh European Tour title at The Rocco Forte Open - Verdura, Sicily. The Spaniard’s last win came in 2011 and he had dropped to 703rd in the Official World Golf Ranking and lost his playing privileges since, deciding to focus on the Challenge Tour in 2017. A brilliant week in Italy, however, means he is now back on the European Tour and will move into the top 250 in the world after a par on the second trip back up the last handed him victory.

STUNNING FINISH GIVES NOREN WENTWORTH GLORY

Hideki Matsuyama of Japan

Matsuyama announced for Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Hideki Matsuyama will make his first appearance at a regular European Tour tournament when the Japanese superstar tees it up at the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation from July 6-9. The 25-year-old has become one of the hottest properties in the game thanks to his scintillating form since May of last year which has yielded three victories on the US PGA Tour, including at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, and two runner-up finishes. The Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, the third Rolex Series event of the 2017 Race to Dubai, will feature a record $7 million prize fund when it takes places at Portstewart Golf Club for the first time this year. Matsuyama’s maiden appearance at the island of Ireland’s national championship - alongside a plethora of the game’s biggest names such as McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton, Danny Willett and many more - provides another significant boost to what is already expected to be the biggest in the tournament’s long history.

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MATSUYAMA HAS BECOME ONE OF THE HOTTEST PROPERTIES IN THE GAME THANKS TO HIS SCINTILLATING FORM SINCE MAY OF LAST YEAR WHICH HAS YIELDED THREE VICTORIES ON THE US PGA TOUR, INCLUDING AT THE WGC-HSBC CHAMPIONS

Alex Noren won the first ever Rolex Series event as a stunning closing 62 handed him a 2-shot victory at the BMW PGA Championship. The Swede entered Sunday seven shots off the lead but eight birdies in his first 16 holes had him in a tie for top spot before he produced one of the great moments on Wentworth Club’s famous 18th. He put his second shot to 6 feet to send the bumper crowd into raptures and the resulting eagle putt handed him a 2-shot lead and piled the pressure on the chasing pack. After three days of glorious sunshine on the revamped West Course, heavy rain began to fall as the final groups made the turn and nobody could stop Noren claiming an ultimately convincing ninth European Tour victory. Italy’s Francesco Molinari had a birdie-birdie finish to emerge as the closest challenger, with Open champion Henrik Stenson, Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and Japanese Hideto Tanihara finishing at 8-under.

Sweden’s Alex Noren celebrates his BMW PGA Championship victory

On the European Tour Sergio Garcia celebrates his US Masters win

PARATORE HOLDS NERVE TO WIN MAIDEN TITLE IN SWEDEN

Garcia named Hilton European Tour Golfer of the Month for April

Sergio Garcia has been named as the Hilton European Tour Golfer of the Month for his Masters Tournament heroics, having overcome Justin Rose in a play-off at Augusta National to claim his maiden Major title. The Spanish sensation was a hugely popular winner as he earned the coveted Green Jacket, becoming just the third player from his home country to do so – following Seve Ballesteros (1980 and 1984) and José María Olazábal (1994 and 1999). Fittingly, Garcia’s triumph came on the day that his idol Ballesteros would have turned 60, adding another dimension of sentiment to an already emotion-tinged day as the 37-year-old banished the demons of previous missed opportunities at golf’s big four. Garcia will receive 50,000 Hilton Honours points after winning the Hilton European Tour Golfer of the Month award for February and with it, and an upgrade to Hilton Honours Diamond Elite status.

“I AM HONOURED TO BE NAMED AS THE HILTON EUROPEAN TOUR GOLFER OF THE MONTH. IT HAS BEEN SUCH A MEMORABLE TIME OF MY LIFE SINCE THE MASTERS VICTORY AND HOPEFULLY I CAN REPEAT IT MANY TIMES OVER.” — SERGIO GARCIA

Renato Paratore won his first European Tour title as he held off the challenge of Chris Wood and Matthew Fitzpatrick to claim the Nordea Masters at Barsebäck Golf and Country Club. The Italian entered the final day a shot behind Wood and showed real guts to save par on the last three holes and sign for a 70 and an 11-under par total, leaving the Englishman needing a par up the last to set up a play-off. With the 20-year-old looking on from the clubhouse, Wood hit a ragged tee-shot into the trees and recorded a bogey as Paratore became the youngest winner on Tour since countryman and GolfSixes partner Matteo Manassero won the BMW PGA Championship in 2013. Paratore was part of a triumphant European Team that lifted the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy in 2014 at the Karnataka Golf Association course in Bengaluru.

CHINA TOUR ANNOUNCES NEW STRUCTURE The new 2017 China Tour season, the burgeoning tour’s fourth campaign, teed off last month at St Andrews Henan Open. A total of 133 players from over 16 different countries were vying for the prize purse of RMB1.35million (approximately US$200,000). The official press conference of the St Andrews Henan Open took place at the host venue on Wednesday morning, with officials announcing the tournament schedule for the year as well as other Tour-related matters. That included what the organization had set out to accomplish at the beginning, the China Tour will continue to provide a professional, fair and impartial platform for all budding golfers in the region. Officials present at the press conference included Wang Liwei, Vice-President of the China Golf Association, Pang Zheng, Director of the European Tour’s China office Simon Leach, Fan Zhiqiang, as well as the Order of Merit champion Zhang Huilin and three-time

champion Josh Geary of New Zealand. “We hope this developed platform will provide a base for the players to grow their game and propel into the world stage. The China Tour enjoyed a face lift in 2017 and this shows how determined our government wants to reform the Sports industry in China,” said Wang. European Tour Director for China Simon

Leach thanked the CGA for inviting him to the press conference. “The European Tour has always maintained a good partnership with the CGA and I hope the partnership will continue to grow in the long term,” said Leach. “I believe China will be the core of professional golf in the future.”

july 2017 | golf digest india

On the European Tour

Henrik Stenson presented with the Seve Ballesteros Award

enrik Stenson was officially presented with the recently renamed Seve Ballesteros Award during the Championship Reception at this year’s first Rolex Series event on the European Tour – the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club. Javier Ballesteros, Seve’s eldest child, along with European Tour Chief Executive Keith Pelley presented the Swede with the award, which is voted for by every European Tour Member at the end of a season and now carries the name of the legendary Spaniard. Stenson was the overwhelming winner of the 2016 vote by his fellow professionals at the end of a season which saw him claim his first Major title in The Open Championship at Royal Troon, as well as winning the Race to Dubai for the second time in four seasons. “It’s very special to receive an award that is voted from your peers and your colleagues, and to have it named The Seve Ballesteros Award from here on, I think that is something very special because he was an inspiration to anyone who played the game of golf, especially us Europeans,” said Stenson. “I’ve met Javier before and I think the

Henrik Stenson (C) receives his prize from European Tour CEO Keith Pelley (R)

THE PLATE ALSO HAS NAMES OF ALL PREVIOUS WINNERS OF THE PLAYERS’ PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD INSCRIBED ON IT, THOSE BEING: PADRAIG HARRINGTON (2008), LEE WESTWOOD (2009), MARTIN KAYMER (2010), RORY MCILROY (2011, 2014 AND 2015), LUKE DONALD (2012), AND STENSON IN 2013.

Ballesteros family knows how much everyone here at the European Tour appreciated what Seve did for European golf.” The Seve Ballesteros Award – a glittering silver and gold circular plate 46cm in diameter – has the names of all the European Tour members who have won Major Championships, starting with Seve’s own Open triumph at Royal Lytham & St Annes in 1979, inscribed around the central image which is of his famous fist-pumping celebrations on the 18th green of the Old Course at St Andrews after his Open win there in 1984.

Sam Torrance awarded Honorary Life Membership of the European Tour

am Torrance has been recognised for his record-breaking European Tour career and Ryder Cup heroics by becoming the latest addition to the exclusive group of Honorary Life Members of the European Tour. Torrance’s significant contribution to all aspects of the Tour and Ryder Cup was recognised during the Championship Re c e p t i o n f o r t h e B M W Championship when he was presented with the accolade by European Tour Chairman David Williams. Torrance said: “It’s fantastic. It’s been my whole life. I should really be honouring the European Tour for giving me such an arena to play golf. What a life. It has been so rewarding – the people I’ve met, the places, I’ve been. What a journey. “The Ryder Cup captaincy was definitely the highlight of my career but I’ve many memo-

ries. I won the Australian PGA in 1980, which to this day is still my biggest win. I played with Seve the last two rounds. Seve finished second, Greg Norman finished third. I beat the pair of them and when I came off the last green, Seve said, “hey Sam, you’re very tough to beat”. “For someone as legendary as that to say that to me, it gave me so much confidence. Up to that point I’d only won twice and hadn’t played in The Ryder Cup yet. I went on to win a few and play in a few Ryder Cups and a lot was down to that great man.” David Williams said: “Sam has had the most extraordinary golf career and the most extraordinary life. In 29 years, the European Tour has only awarded the Honorary Life Membership to 52 players such is the prestige of it. It is truly a roll call of golfing honour and such a privilege to present this award to him.” Having turned professional

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IT IS TORRANCE’S RYDER CUP CAREER FOR WHICH HE IS MOST REVERED, PLAYING IN 8 SUCCESSIVE CONTESTS BETWEEN 1981 & 1995 AND BEING ON THE WINNING SIDE ON 3 OCCASIONS in 1970, Torrance made his official European Tour debut in the Tour’s first event two years later, the Spanish Open at Pals in Girona in April 1972. In total the

63-year-old Scot went on to play 706 events which, to this day, remains a European Tour record. In total he won 21 times on Tour between 1976 and 1998.

On the European Tour

FITNESS

BUILDING STRONG AND STABLE SHOULDERS

The shoulders are often an overlooked area of the body in golfer’s training. However they play a major part in the golf swing and are a very commonly injured area of the body in golfers. There are a huge number of exercises that can help to develop strength and stability of the shoulders and reduce your risk of many types of injuries. This week we will look at one particular exercise called the ‘alternate arm plank push up’. How it benefits your body

The shoulder girdle is an extremely complex area of the body, that includes the shoulder joint, scapula, collar bone and all of the attachments of these areas to each other and the thorax at the front and back of the body. It is extremely mobile enabling a large range of movement that aids us in performing activities such as the golf swing. However it gains this mobility at the sacrifice of stability. The stability of the shoulder girdle is aided hugely by a large number of muscles and the way that these muscles work together during movements of the arm/shoulder. Getting strong and stable in the shoulders will help you in performing many different sports and

general day to day life whilst helping to prevent many common injuries.

How it benefits your golf game

Each shoulder has to work in very different ways during the golf swing but both require huge amounts of mobility & needs stability and strength in order to do these completed movements quickly and safely. This exercise helps to develop these qualities whilst at the same time works the trunk/core and the shoulder girdle also has to work hard to resist and control rotational forces during the single arm push up and drop down.

Position 1

Position 3

Position 2

Position 4

HOW TO DO AN ‘ALTERNATE ARM PLANK PUSH UP’ 1 2 3

For beginners the start position can be a kneeling plank, resting on the knees and the forearms. Once you have mastered the exercise from the kneeling plank (or are already at a level to try it straight away) move into the full plank position on forearms and toes (as shown in the photo).

To make it easier try starting with your feet further apart. Make sure you keep a neutral strong spine and hip position throughout this exercise (avoid sagging of the hips towards the floor).

To begin the exercise start by placing one palm on the floor and push up through that arm until straight and then place the other palm on the floor and straighten the second arm. Then with the first arm drop back down onto the forearm and then do the same with the second arm.

Repeat between 5-10 times for each set for 4 sets. Remember to swap which side goes first each time on each set to alternate the effort on each side.

Text: Nigel Tilley, Rob Hillman European Tour Performance Institute & Physio Unit july 2017 | golf digest india

On the European Tour

Interpreting the drop rule for vulnerable bunkers

he West Course at Wentworth Club, the venue for the recent BMW PGA Championship had recently undergone a complete revamp with several changes including the removal of several bunkers and the rebuilding of almost all others. As with many things these days, evolution of new bunker lining materials were used to maximise drainage whilst preventing stones rising through the sand. With some perfect weather conditions leading up to the Championship, the firm fast conditions which were wanted by many came to pass, but perhaps a slight side effect was the propensity for balls entering some of these redeveloped bunkers to stay exactly where they landed in the sand and giving the players the chance for showing their skills of extricating their golf balls from an embedded lie. During the first round and whilst challenging the top of the leaderboard, Branden Grace from South Africa found himself in just one of those lies in the lip of the bunker on the 13th hole. Only the top third of the ball lay above the surface of the sand and with the challenge of having to carry another bunker before reaching the putting surface, the commentators were suggesting that he was in great danger of double-bogeying the hole and coming off the leaderboard.

THE REFEREE’S VIEW John Paramor

THE REFEREE CORRECTLY INFORMED BRANDEN THAT HE WAS STANDING ON AN IMMOVABLE OBSTRUCTION AND HE COULD DROP HIS BALL WITHIN ONE CLUB-LENGTH OF THE NEAREST POINT OF RELIEF.

Jumeirah to host yearend event until 2020

umeirah Golf Estates has extended its position as host venue of the prestigious season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, further strengthening its long standing relationship with the European Tour until 2020. News of the extension coincides with DP World’s commitment as title sponsor to the tournament, also until 2020, with the top 60 European Tour players set to tee it up at Jumeriah Golf Estates for the ninth time this year from November 16-19. The Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, a member of the European Tour Properties network and branded as a European Tour Destination, has been the permanent home of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai for the last eight years and is a fitting finale for the concluding Rolex Series event of the season with a prize purse of US$8million. Past champions include Lee Westwood (2009), Robert Karlsson (2010), Alvaro Quiros (2011), Rory McIlroy (2012 & 2015), Henrik Stenson (2013 & 2014) and defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick. Speaking about the association Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “Jumeirah Golf Estates is a world class golfing facility and this new commitment will help us further develop a tournament fitting not only for the final Rolex Series event of the season, but also the climax of the Race to Dubai.”

80 golf digest india | july 2017

It was clear he would need a sure and firm stance in order to give the shot the necessary force to get it to the hole and he set about doing just that. The right foot was stable and he then started to wriggle his left foot into position. It was during this process that he lifted his foot, looked closely at what he had uncovered and requested the presence of a Rules Official. He had exposed the rubberised lining compound and as this was where his left foot was going to be placed, claiming that he may have interference with something that would allow him to move his ball. The Referee correctly informed him that he was standing on an immovable obstruction and he could drop his ball within one club-length of the nearest point of relief. The player then asked if he could take his previous foot prints in the sand. The Referee said yes but agreed later that the raking of those footprints could well have been on his line of play and, on reflection, should not have allowed the raking. The commentators thought that Branden had been very lucky, but in those circumstances, he was given the correct drop.

European Tour Live coverage on MATCH

INDIA DATE

IST

Open de France-Open de France Day 1

29.06.17