Worldwide Golf April 2015

The Middle East's No.1 Golf Magazine

Worldwide

EST.1999

APR 2015 ISBN 978-9948-15-427-3

97 8994 81 5427 3

Rickie

Clubs

TESTED

FOWLER Friend &Foe

Mizuno JPX850 / Callaway XR TaylorMade RSi / Cobra Fly-Z

TEES IT UP WITH RORY AT THE DUBAI DUTY FREE IRISH OPEN

Arabian

REVIEW FOOTJOY HYPERFLEX NOW STEPPING OUT ON TOUR

GOLF The Latest News From The Leading Clubs In The Region Official Media Partner to the European Tour and the Challenge Tour in the Middle East

PING GLIDE WEDGES THEIR BEST YET ... BUT WHY?

PUMA GOLF

GOING MORE CONSERVATIVE?

Official magazine of the EGF & the Arab Golf Federation

Watch the La MIDDLE ORDER MUSCLE

IMPROVE YOUR BALL STRIKING WITH THE TEE DRILL

PING GLIDE WEDGES

HIT IT BETTER WITH THE TOWEL DRILL

atest Videos LEARN TO MIDDLE IT

TWO DRILLS TO CATCH IT FLUSH

MEET JGE’S NEW PRO

BALANCE AND POSTURE

GARY PLAYER – EXECUTIVE EDITOR SINCE 1999

Rory McIlroy and his father Gerry are pictured with Gary Player ahead of the 2009 NedBank Golf Challenge.

McIlroy giving back to golf.

W Gary Player – The 9-time Major Champion and 9-time Senior Major Champion who has witnessed and been a part of some of the most historic and memorable golfing occasions, reflects on the game today.

ITH The Masters only a few days away, my previous prediction that Rory McIlroy will emerge victorious to claim a career Grand Slam hasn’t changed. He’ll have Henrik Stenson, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day hot on his heels but I think this is Rory’s time.

He’s matured so much over the past couple of years and he’s now got the experience, composure and a clear mind to focus only on the job in hand. I was 29 when I completed my career Grand Slam of all four Majors, Jack Nicklaus was 26 and Tiger Woods was 24.

For Rory to do it at the age of 25 it would be an outstanding achievement and a great boost for the game worldwide.

It’s good to see that Rory is one of many players who is giving back to golf, with his Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by the Rory Foundation. The tournament is being held on the links of Royal County Down Golf Club where I competed in the 2001 Senior Open Championship along with

Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, the Big Three. Australian Ian Stanley won the tournament, which I won at another of Northern Ireland’s great links courses, Royal Portrush in 1997 and twice at Turnberry in 1988 and 1990.

The Irish players will turn out in force at Royal County Down to support the tournament and Rory’s charity and among them will be Padraig Harrington. I was so pleased to see Padraig win his first event on either The European Tour or the US PGA Tour since the 2008 US PGA Championship at Oakland Hills, with his long-awaited victory at the Honda Classic at PGA National.

There is no player in the game who is more committed to succeed and there is nobody with a tougher work ethic than Padraig. He’s one of the most popular players in world golf and he’ll receive one of the biggest cheers at Augusta when he tees off in The Masters.

With the announcement of The

Worldwide GOLF 2

Ryder Cup Captains, Irishman, Darren Clarke and Davis Love III, two very popular gentlemen, Hazeltine Golf Club is sure to witness an exciting three days - guaranteed. If you believe in the law of averages, if there is such a thing, then the USA should win.

Although, recent Ryder Cup encounters prove otherwise.

It would certainly be good for the game and good for the Ryder Cup if the United States were to reverse the fortunes and win for the first time since 2008 at Valhalla. With so much talent in the United States and in Europe we’re not going to go back to the days when one side, the Americans, used to dominate The Ryder Cup. It was so one-sided back then, that I never even bothered to watch it.

It’s now one of the biggest sporting occasions on the world calendar and with the two teams much more evenly matched I’m sure it will be a well contested event. We need The Ryder Cup to have Europe and the United States winning equally. Q

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CLICK THUMBNAILS TO VIEW RICKIE FOWLER

GEAR COMPETITIONS

Win a set of Honma TW717P irons worth

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Fowler Rickie

Starting to make up for lost time A

LMOST three years removed from his only win on the US PGA Tour to date, Rickie Fowler is determined to mix it with the very best, get some big wins on his resumé and push his pal Rory McIroy to the limit – and he’ll push himself to the ends of the earth to do it.

“I’m really excited and looking forward to making the trip to Ireland next month to play the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted

by The Rory Foundation,” says Fowler. “It’s great that Rory has involved his Foundation in the tournament, which will add another dimension to the event.

“It’s also great that it’s being played at Royal County Down, one of my favourite golf course in the world. It’s where I first met Rory, playing in the Walker Cup, and where our friendship began, despite our United States team beating Great Britain and Ireland by just one point.

“With the tournament being hosted by The Rory Foundation and with Rory wanting me to come over and play, it had a big influence on me and it was an easy decision to make to put it straight onto my schedule, and maybe we can relive some of those memories from the 2007 Walker Cup. County Down really is a special place for me and I can’t wait to get back there.

“Playing golf worldwide is what I want to do and I’m excited about competing in different parts of the world and becoming a more global player,” smiled Fowler when he made his Middle East debut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in January. “Not only that, I’m also looking to make myself more of a prominent player and to become one of the world’s best I’ve got to be consistent and win more tournaments.”

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RICKIE FOWLER

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PUMA GOLF Rudolph Dassler, the brother of Adidas founde

Dassler, established Puma in 1948. The brand covered a wide range of sports with its produc over the years and is perhaps most famous fo soccer boots. Worn by superstars around the including Pele, Johan Cryuff and Kenny Daglis

Jonas Blixt

In 2010 PUMA North America acquired Cobra thus creating a new and exciting branch of the PUMA Golf. The line’s introduction into the wor golf has come at a time when the apparel of p is becoming more of a fashion statement and talked about element of the game. Puma have loyal and successful group of brand ambassa Tour including Ricky Fowler, Jonas Blixt, Lexi T and Anna Nordqvist.

Driver

Ping G30. 9.9 Degrees.

Shaft: Aldila Rogue 65X

Puma Golf

Roadmap Stripe Polo

Fairway Wood

Ping G30. 14 Degrees.

Shaft: Aldila Rogue 75X

Hybrid

Ping i25. 19 Degrees Shaft: Aldila Blue 85X

Irons

Ping S55. 3-PW Shaft: NS Pro Modus 120X

Wedges

Ping Glide. 54 & 60 Degrees Shaft: NS Pro Modus 120X

Putters

Ping Cadence TR Face: Heavy model insert

Puma Golf

Titan Tour shoes

PUMA STYLE

ANDY SULLIVAN

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BACK

HEN Padraig Harrington was producing his best golf you could see it in his eyes. The slightly wild stare and awkward-looking stride as the likeable Dubliner bounded up to the green were among the most common sights in world golf as he collected three Majors in the space of 13 months from 2007-2008 (including back-to-back Open Championships at Carnoustie in 2007 and Royal Birkdale in 2008).

Having fallen off the radar trying to Harrington_Sullivan_Features.indd 27 improve on a Major-winning swing, Harrington, one of the most popular players in the sport, is back in the big-time with a three-year exemption on the US PGA Tour, thanks to his second win at the Honda Classic at PGA National last month – his first victory in Europe or the US since his historic US PGA Championship triumph at Oakland Hills in 2008.

Now he’s got his sights set on winning a second Dubai Duty Free Irish Open title and perhaps repeating his outstanding feat of 2007 with another memorable Open double. “It’s great to see Rory, his Foundation and Dubai Duty Free involved and supporting the tournament,” says Harrington. “It’s shaping up to be a great week with one of the strongest fields the tournament has ever had – I’m looking forward to being part of it.

“My Irish Open win in 2007 at Adare Manor certainly gave me some momentum going into the Open Championship that year at Carnoustie. Although, winning at any time is special, winning your national open in front of your home fans is an amazing feeling.” 4

Driver:

TaylorMade AeroBurner TP (9.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage Silver 60TX

2 Wood:

TaylorMade SLDR S Mini Driver (12 degrees) Shaft: True Temper Project X Black 6.5

3 Wood: 27/03/2015

11:06

TaylorMade SLDR (14.5 degrees) Shaft: True Temper Project X 7A3

Hybrid:

Wilson D100 (19 degrees) Shaft: Accra Tour Z Hybrid M5

Irons:

Wilson FG Tour V4 Utility (4), Wilson FG Tour V2 (5-PW) Shafts:Accra Tour Z Hybrid M5 (4), KBS Tour-V 125X

Wedges:

Wilson FG Tour (52-06), Ping Eye2 Gorge (58) Shafts: KBS Tour-V 120S

Putter:

Wilson Infinite South Side

Ball:

Titleist Pro V1X

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CLICK HERE TO BROWSE VIDEOS

Worldwide GOLF 27

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Padraig Harrington

WWG: How do you like your Footjoy ICON MyJoys and how do you feel they help your game?

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INSTRUCTION

Callaway XR

Cobra Fly-Z

TaylorMade RSi1

Cup 360 For the first time ever, Callaway have put cup-faced technology into a cavity back iron.

The Cup 360 provides outrageous ball speed all across the face.

Cobra has coupled the concept of a large, fast, unsupported face and matched it with an innovative idea called Speed Channel.

Speed Channel The Speed Channel is an engineered trench that runs across the sole of the club and around the perimeter of the back cavity. It minimizes face thickness for a more pronounced flex and recovery on impact.

This enhanced trampoline effect increases ball speeds across the face to deliver greater distance without sacrificing feel. Fly-Z Irons feature their deepest undercut yet to create the largest unsupported face Cobra has ever offered, meaning you get extreme distance on centre hits and consistent distance on off-centre hits. Speed Channel takes that responsive face to the next level.

Middle Order

Mizuno JPX850 The breakthrough in distance and ball speed of the JPX-850 is achieved through Mizuno’s Power Frame design, which greatly increases the rebound area of the clubface. In addition, the Power Frame positions weight in the extreme corners of the clubhead to increase stability on off-centre shots, maximising forgiveness and consistent distance.

New Face Slot Technology in the 3-8 irons provides uniform flexion across the face, protecting ball speed and generating more consistent distance on off-centre hits.

Low CG, High MOI The Internal Standing Wave is the ultimate team player. It’s refined the way that Callaway lower CG, increased MOI and it gives the face cup the freedom to provide more ball speed.

Improved Speed Pocket with ThruSlot Technology in the 3-7 irons provides ball speed protection on shots below the centre of the face and increases launch angle and ball speed on all shots.

New Construction and Shape

Advanced Face Design – TaylorMade’s thinnest face, deep undercut and Inverted Cone Technology combined, promote maximum face speed and consistency.

An iron built for speed needs a different level of refinement and attention, in this case a 2-piece construction that includes a dual heat treatment.

It’s precise, meticulous craftsmanship that XR deserves.

The innovative Power Frame design ensures ball speeds are consistently high across the entire clubface and that the high COR is not created at the expense of feel or control.

Power Frame Distance: Increases rebound area for maximum distance.

Power Frame Forgiveness: Weight is strategically placed in the four corners of the cavity to maximize forgiveness.

Dual Relief Zone Sole: Ideal turf interaction for solid ball striking in all course conditions.

It also gives improved sound and feel through advanced construction and multiple dampening systems.

The new Reax 90 steel shaft from True Temper helps to optimise ball flight for ultimate distance and performance.

MUSCLE

STRIKE THE BALL WITH BALANCE & POSTURE - 54 BUMP & TURN TO HIT IT BETTER - 56 TWO DRILLS TO IMPORVE YOUR STIRKE - 59

PRE-SHOT ROUTINE with David Howell Before I hit each shot I stand behind the ball, close one eye, and I use the side of the shaft as a straight line to point it directly at my target.

I try and pick something on the ground about 3-6 feet away from the ball to aim my clubface at.

For example if there’s a broken tee in front of me.

The first thing I’ll do is I’ll come in, and try my best to aim my club face directly at that point on the ground. I won’t take my stance until I have the clubface square towards that point on the ground.

Once I’m happy I’ve done that, then i’ll take my stance.

“Distance is nothing without control”

- Gary Player

BY ALEX GALLEMORE

T

he latest wave of technology in irons is all about …yes, you guessed it, distance and forgiveness. That ancient formula will never grow old – it sells clubs and gives the amateur golfer a new lease of life. In this day and age anything to make the game easier and more enjoyable gets our seal of approval. In this test with the guys from ProGolf they take a look at the latest line of mid-

to-high handicap irons, where off-centre strikes are just as important as the lucky ones that find the middle.

The clubs that have been selected are the Mizuno JPZ850, the Callaway XR, Cobra FlyZ and TaylorMade’s RSi1. All four are engineered to deliver more bang for your buck when it comes to distance – but accuracy is equally important. Distance is nothing without control, now where have I heard that before? In

an ideal world we’d put these on an Iron Byron machine where the strike was consistent time after time. But these are designed for the golfer who hits the ball all over the clubface. Likewise, it’s hard for mid to high handicap players to hit four different clubs at close to the same speed with a consistent launch angle.

This is why ProGolf elected for their General Manager, Scott Sullivan, who recently won the Arabian Ranches Club

XR range has been hitting the headlines for yardage gains.

Having tested the TaylorMade RSi2 last month it would be interesting to see how Scott handles its more forgiving brother as I found the RSi2 to be very fast off the face and with a tight dispersion.

The unknown iron in the mix is the Cobra FlyZ. A great looking club with a much smaller offset compared to the rest would easily look at home in the bag

Championship to take the test.

Scott’s swing speed is higher than most amateurs but I’ve seen many amateurs who can rip it with the best. You know the ones.

Instead of hitting an easy 6 iron they prefer to muscle an 8. I lean more towards that category so I appreciate that these clubs need to be very forgiving.

It’s Interesting that the Mizuno JPZ850 are claiming to be the longest clubs on the market at the moment and Callaway’s

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of a low handicapper. To make the test as fair as possible we checked the lengths and lofts with Jason Ashley, Golf House’s Club Fit Specialist, and fired up the TrackMan. We took the five most consistent shots with each club, eradicating any jumpers or uncharacteristic readings.

The outcome was close and very interesting, as what you see in the air doesn’t translate to how the ball is actually travelling through the air.

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DAVID HOWELL’S PRE-SHOT ROUTINE Worldwide GOLF 53

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INSTRUCTION

TOWELDRILL SERIES WEDGES

Game changing PERFORMANCE

W

hat we see with many amateur golfers is that they have the tendency to try and scoop the ball in the air in order to get flight on the ball.

So I’m going to show you a small drill that will really improve your ball-striking especially when it comes to wedge play.

• Place the ball about a foot in front of the towel • Hold your weight in the forward foot • Swing back and keep the club up above the towel • As you come down, let the lower body release

47° 50° 52° 54° 56° 58° 60°

SOLE / BOUNCE STD

ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

ATV

ATV ATV ATV ATV

Red indicates right hand only

* Op%ons marked in RED are new and available only in RH

GROOVE BREAKTHOUGH

EF

Stands for Electro Forming technology, generating Extra Friction. It’s not just marketing hype.

TaylorMade claim this technolgy provides measurably higher spin than their current grooves, with greater durability. Between the grooves there is also a ‘micro-texture’ to generate more control and spin on soft shots.

If you do the drill correctly, you’ll get a nice shallow divot.

Work this drill and you’ll get more control, spin the ball more, and hit more consistent shots on the golf course.

ATV and Tour grind remain the same option as their current wedge range.

WATCH WAYNE’S TIPS AT WWGOLF.NET

LOFT

TaylorMade have just launched their latest line of wedges, the R-Series EF Spin Grind, and they’re already in the bag of Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson. This is a good sign for any product because it’s rare that a the top pro decide to switch wedges so suddenly. Spin control, feel and touch are essential, so for TaylorMade’s big name players to put them in play so soon tells us these clubs must have that extra zip and control over their previous wedges. So what’s the key?

Lay down a rolled up towel about a foot behind the ball.

What we want to work on is trying to get you to make really positive contact with the ball and the turf. Your goal is to not touch the towel with your club at any point.

WAYNE JOHNSON, DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION AT THE EUROPEAN TOUR PERFORMANCE INSTITUTE, SHOWS US TWO SIMPLE DRILLS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR BALL-STRIKING

Full Range of Lofts & Bounces LOFTS & BOUNCES

GREAT FEEL FROM A HARD FACE

More accurate groove sections mean closer tolerances, tighter corners and more spin.

The tough Nickel Cobalt groove plate is very thin. In fact, it can be bent with your fingers when outside the head. The groove plate rests atop a thin layer of bonding resin all nested tightly in the soft 1025 carbon steel head. The thinness of the plate along with the dampening qualities of the resin and the carbon steel give a great soft impact sensation.

12 in Worldwide GOLF 60

Worldwide GOLF 61 Carbon steel body

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TAYLORMADE ‘R’ SERIES WEDGES

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GEAR

THE DYLA GRIP - A HANDS DOWN APPROACH TO WEDGE DESIGN

SOLE GRINDS

The Glide wedges come in three different sole grinds that are considerably different, but there are a few common aspects. Compared to the Tour Gorge wedges, the new models have more bounce and more rounded leading edges to help them ‘glide’ through the turf. For improved versatility, they also have more heel relief and a steeper trailing edge.

TESTED

Thin Sole (TS) wedges work best for golfers who have moderate-to-shallow angles of attack and/or those who play golf courses with firm conditions.

Wide Sole (WS) wedges are better for golfers who have moderate-to-steep angles of attack, and/or those who play golf courses with soft conditions.

Standard Sole (SS) wedges take the middle ground, and work for the widest range of golfers and course conditions.

CLICK HERE TO BROWSE VIDEOS

SHAFT

The engine room of any club is the shaft and it’s interesting to see that Ping have opted to fit their new CFS wedge shaft in a single flex 118g weight, which is designed to deliver a low and stable feel.

BY ALEX GALLEMORE

PING GLIDE WEDGES

P

ING, apart from legendary putters, is a name you would naturally associate with the Eye series – if you are old enough to remember – or for the younger generation the i-series. To this day many top tour players still carry a sneaky Ping Eye2 lob wedge to get them out of trouble but despite their efforts in making some pretty decent wedges, Ping has not yet found a true successor to the iconic Eye2… or has it? Their new Glide wedge is creating something of a stir and with Bubba Watson carrying three of them in the bag leading up to The Masters we just had to find out what all the fuss is about.

John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO said: “Our Glide wedges have several innovations to make it our most versatile and consistent wedge line ever. For all golfers, being able to flight your ball with the ideal spin and trajectory will produce consistent, predictable results on any type of shot for hitting the ball close to the pin. The name says it all: these wedges glide through the turf better than anything we’ve ever seen.”

Ping has changed nearly every aspect of its new Glide wedge line by improving the

WORLDWIDE GOLF VERDICT

Playing in the UAE we will always need to ‘nip’ the ball off a dry surface and even have the grain to consider. So it’s vital to feel confident with a wedge in our hand regardless of the distance. At address, I like the way the leading edge just flows straight down the line of the shaft and I knew exactly where the impact would be. The soles interact well with the ground and it’s easy to find the right one for your game. On the dry ground conditions we normally play on, the standard sole would still be ideal for the player who normally takes a hefty divot. But for me this club is perfect for the type of player who likes to play a variety of wedge shots. The shaft is very stable from full to knock-down shots but, out of curiosity, it would be interesting to hit some with a KBS 120g stiff wedge shaft and see how the two compare.

The face gave great feedback despite not being a forged club and the spin control was very consistent. Will this be the club to take the Eye2 wedge mantel? Technically it is certainly the best wedge Ping have made and once non-staff players put them in the bag we will know the answer to the Eye2 question.

wedges without chrome finishes, which means that they move more water away from the wedge face at impact. That improves consistency, and is why the Glide wedges have satin, chrome-plated finishes. According to Ping, the finish is 220 percent more consistent in wet grass and 35 percent more consistent in dry grass than the “dark blast” finish Ping used on its previous wedge line, the Tour Gorge.

Sam Taylor

Prosports Dubai

grooves, sole grinds and ‘Hydrophobicity!’

But what on earth does the ability to repel water have to do with a wedge?

Hydrophobic – literally means “waterfearing,” and it describes the segregation and apparent repulsion between water and “nonpolar substances.”

Ping studies found that chrome-plated wedges are more hydrophobic than

GROOVES

The Glide wedges also have new grooves that are different in lower lofts than they are in higher lofts.

Sam Taylor, Prosports Dubai, explains: “The lower-lofted wedges (47, 50, 52 and 54 degrees) have deeper grooves with 16-degree sidewalls that offer more consistency on full shots. The higher lofted wedges (56, 58 and 60) have shallower, wider grooves with 24-degree sidewalls. That gives them sharper edges to help golfers create more spin on open-face shots.”

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“The DYLA grip is a completely new feature to the Glide wedge and is all about dialling in your wedge play,” added Sam Taylor. “The grip is three quarters of an inch longer than standard length grips and encourages people to get their hands further down the club. This will give them more control and feel around the greens with their spin and trajectory.

“The grip also has three different alignments grooves, spaced 1.375 inches apart, to help you get your hands in the right place to hit shots to specific yardages with the same club. It’s a simple and very effective way of taking out the guesswork of how far to hit your wedge and with the corresponding trajectory. The grips also have a larger outside diameter on the bottom half, which creates a more consistent feel, regardless of where you position your hands on the grip.”

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Is Augusta now a bomber’s track?

CHANGE

T

In 2002 Augusta National officials lengthened nine holes to increase the overall distance from 6,985 yards to 7,270 yards, and they extended more tees in 2006 to bring the modern total to 7,435 yards.

he first Major beckons and all the talk is on whether Tiger will show and will Rory bag the Grand Slam.

Personally, I think it will be a while before we see Tiger and I don’t see Rory winning at Augusta. We pointed out last month that Rory has one arm in the Green Jacket but will the colossal expectation put too much pressure on him?

He’s showing flashes of brilliance but things aren’t quite gelling for the World No.1. I’ve no doubt he’ll be in the mix on Sunday at The Masters but is he able to fill Tiger’s shoes and pull away from the rest of the field at the weekend? Maybe, but I’m not sure he’s quite there yet.

Rory has got to be looking over his shoulder at the likes of Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson and, if he’s fit, Brooks Koepka. These guys are bombers who have the fire-power to take Augusta head on and all three of them have nothing to prove, compared to Rory.

I’d like to see Brooks fighting fit, as out of the three of them he will be Rory’s main threat for the years to come. He earned his stripes the hard way grafting on the European

Challenge Tour and he’s more than just a powerhouse – he’s got the short game to match. It would be great to see a young breed of golfers battling against each other for the next decade as golf desperately needs another Nicklaus, Palmer and Player era.

For our cover feature we catch up with one of the young guns and US PGA Tour pin ups, Rickie Fowler. He’s working hard to ditch his skater-boy image and let his golf do the talking. Unlike many US PGA Tour players he’s prepared to put in the international air miles to become a global superstar and his entry into this year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the possibility of playiing the Scottish Open as he did last year shows he’s confident to take on the challenge of links golf.

For my money Fowler’s best chance of winning a Major this year will be The Open and don’t be surprised if more big name American’s start to follow in his footsteps and play more European Tour events building up to St. Andrews.

Another player we caught up with is a man with plenty of know-how on the links courses of Ireland (or any other links for that matter)

Alex Gallemore, Editor Worldwide GOLF 14

Padraig Harrington. Having spoken to his coach and Worldwide Golf columnist Pete Cowen over the past two years it’s obvious the two-time Open Champion has been hitting the ball great but struggling to believe he can win.

Those demons were laid to rest with his win at the The Honda Classic. It was great to see him believing in himself again. All these guys on Tour are capable of winning, but confidence and belief is everything.

We’ve also been busy with the TrackMan on the ranges in Dubai. The team from ProGolf put the latest middle-order irons through their paces and it was interesting to see how the brands differ. No matter whether you are looking for a little more distance, accuracy or just getting the ball launching earlier, it was easy to see how each iron has been developed to cater for the challenges of the amateur game. We are huge supporters of any products that make the game easier and more enjoyable.

We were also working on the range with the Titleist team at Emirates Golf Club trying to showcase the effects of off-centre strikes and how driver fitting is far more technical than just matching the flex and loft. n

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The

COURSE Royal County Down Northern Ireland’s links jewel

T

HE Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted

by The Rory Foundation is back on the famous links of the stunning Royal County Down for the first time since 1939. In the time since it last hosted the prestigious European Tour event it has staged the Senior Open Championship, the Amateur Championship, the Curtis Cup and the Walker Cup. The Championship Links is situated in one of the world’s most naturally beautiful settings in the Murlough Nature Reserve against the stunning backdrop of the Mountains of Mourne.

The holes stretch along the Dundrum Bay, but meander back and forth, providing different views on almost every hole.

It hosted three Senior Opens in a row from 2000-2003, won by Christy O’Connor Jr, Ian Stanley and Noboru Sugai respectively, while the Amateur Champions over the fine links were Michael Bonallack in 1970 and Graeme Storm in 1999. But it was at the Walker Cup in 2007 where many of today’s stars first came to prominence, including this month’s cover star, Rickie Fowler, and fellow US PGA Tour winners Dustin Johnson, FedExCup winner Billy Horschel, 2012 US Open winner Webb Simpson, Chris Kirk and Kyle Stanley, while a certain Rory McIlroy was on the GB&Ireland side along with future European Tour winners Rhys Davis, David Horsey and Danny Willett.

First designed by Old Tom Morris and opened in 1889 it was modified by Harry Vardon and again by Harry Colt in 1926. Some of Colt’s changes included addressing the ‘gathering’ nature of the original greens and reducing the number of blind drives. It is continually regarded as one of the finest golf courses outside the United States.

A quality international field worthy of gracing such a course will assemble next month with many of the finest players in the game competing. Past Irish Open winners Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington will be there along with Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, Lee Westwood, Ernie Els, Rickie Fowler and tournament host Rory McIlroy.

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STARTER

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THE MONTH IN NUMBERS...

STARTER

50

RORY TO JOIN ILLUSTRIOUS CLUB?

Lee Westwood became the first player to reach a half century of World Golf Championships appearances at the Cadillac Championship

9

Grand Slam winners are a special breed. Only five men have so far clinched the modern-day Slam and only three of them completed it at their first time of asking – Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods. Rory McIlroy would be joining some elite company should he triumph at Augusta this month. Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus both won their missing Major at the third attempt. Phil Mickelson will be on his second attempt at the Slam later this year at the US Open.

The number of years Brandt Snedeker has been using his Odyssey White Hot XG Rossie on Tour

9,281

The total number of birdies made in the six European Tour events in South Africa this season

45 The number of consecutive cuts Adam Scott made on the US PGA Tour before he missed out on the weekend's action at the Valspar Championship

All six of the LPGA Tour events so far this season have been won by South Koreans ladies.

6

WHAT THEY SAID...

Q “I’m looking forward to being on that first tee, even if I fan it,” – Arnold Palmer on the ceremonial opening tee shot ahead of The Masters.

Q “It’s an art, it takes years of experience and training,” – Henrik Stenson pokes fun at Rory McIlroy’s clubtoss into the lake at Doral.

Q “I just can’t stand the golf course, it’s way too tough for me,” – Bubba Watson on the Blue Monster at Trump Doral.

Behind the win: Johnson clinches a second WGC Dustin Johnson topped the field in Driving Distance (328.3 yards) and Greens in Regulation (72.2%) on his way to a one-stroke victory over J.B. Holmes at the WGCCadillac Championship at Trump Doral in Miami. This marks only the 13th time since 1983 that a player has led in both these categories en route to victory on the US PGA Tour. Johnson made an ace in the third round and has now won at least once on the US PGA Tour in the last eight seasons.

GRAND SLAM MOVING TO TRUMP LOS ANGELES THE annual PGA Grand Slam of golf will move from its current spot in Bermuda to the Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles this year. The event hasn’t been played on the mainland United States since 1993, with stints in Hawaii and then Bermuda, and Donald Trump is delighted with the announcement. “We are thrilled to welcome the PGA to Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles - the perfect location for the PGA Grand Slam of Golf,” he said. “The combination of the course itself and stunning location will no doubt be a major draw for spectators and television viewers alike.”

British Masters back on The European Tour after six year absence THE British Masters returns to The European Tour International Schedule later this year for the first time in seven years, with four of Britain’s leading players taking turns to act as tournament host over the next four years.

This year it is Ian Poulter’s honour and he is hosting the event at his home club of Woburn from October 8-11. The other players hosting the event in the forthcoming years will be Justin Rose, Lee Westwood and Luke Donald.

Worldwide GOLF 18

Park wins the Women’s Champions THE LPGA Tour continues to write some of the most exciting storylines in the game with the latest installment witnessing World No.2 Inbee Park clinching the HSBC Women’s Champions after a titanic tussle with World No.1 Lydia Ko and World No.3 Stacy Lewis.

RICKIE FOWLER

ALL ROADS LEAD TO AUGUSTA: Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy have fun with their caddies in the desert during the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship as they prepare for the first Major of the season, the Masters at Augusta and (facing page) shake hands after completing the first round in Abu Dhabi.

R

ICKIE FOWLER, aged 26, admits he’s made a slow start to his professional career compared to some of his peers and yet a confident run of top-five finishes in all four Majors last year, including runner-up to Martin Kaymer and McIlroy at the US Open and The Open Championship respectively, reaffirmed that Fowler is on the right track.

“Rory is deservedly the best player in the world and he proved that in 2014,” says Fowler.

“There are a lot of good young players right now with Reed, Spieth and several others but it’s not just 2015 we can look forward to, it’s the rest

“IT WAS A SPECIAL WEEK IN 2007 AND HAVING RORY WANT ME TO COME OVER AND PLAY AND HAVING HIS FOUNDATION INVOLVED MADE IT AN EASY DECISION TO ADD IT TO MY SCHEDULE THIS YEAR.”

of our careers. We have a lot of time ahead of us where we’re going to be able to play against each other regularly – this is just the start of it.”

Fowler finally registered his breakthrough victory at Quail Hollow in 2012 when he defeated McIlroy and American D.A. Points in a playoff, conceding that he didn’t have the swing consistency to continually win at the highest level.

Not wanting to be remembered merely as a fancy-dressing, nice-guy-nearly-man, Fowler sought the advice of renowned coach Butch Harmon after missing the cut at The Open at Muirfield in 2013.

“Rickie told me, ‘I want to be known for more than just my clothes and my hat. I want to be known for my game – can you help me?’” said Harmon, who has coached Tiger Woods and some of the biggest names in golf, and currently works with the likes of Phil Mickelson, and Jimmy Walker.

“Rickie used to drag the club back to the outside, and then near the top, drop the shaft under. It caused him to get the club trapped behind him and made him inconsistent. Now he’s setting the club early on the left-arm plane with some forearm rotation. It’s gotten a lot better so that now it’s just a trust issue, committing to everything under pressure.

“For a young guy, Rickie’s been able to balance the on-course with the off-course exceptionally well. He’s shown me that he has the ability to manage and budget his time well. Rickie reminds me of Greg Norman, who had so many

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business projects going on when I coached him but he always worked very hard. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that Rickie truly wants to be a great player.”

Fowler was pleased with the results of Harmon’s early stewardship and is hopeful he can kick on in 2015. “I wanted more consistency,

“WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE FOUR MAJORS, ADD ON THE FOUR WGCs, THERE ARE ONLY A FEW MORE EVENTS TO PLAY BEFORE BECOMING FULLY ELIGIBLE FOR THE EUROPEAN TOUR AND BE A PART OF THE RACE TO DUBAI, IF YOU PLAY WELL. IT’S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WORTH LOOKING INTO FOR THE FUTURE.” and an efficient golf swing,” he said. “Something that would take some stress off my back, but also take me forward to be able to contend in the Majors. I felt that I had reached the point where I was getting the most out of where I was, and I wanted to get more out of it and see what I could really do.”

Under the watchful eye of Harmon, Fowler made a shaky start to 2014 with three missed cuts in a row on the West Coast, but a third place finish at the World Golf ChampionshipsAccenture Match Play Championship gave him hope and encouragement.

However, he had poor showings at Doral and Bay Hill before a sixth place in Houston saw him take some momentum into The Masters. At Augusta he produced some solid golf and played his way into contention with a superb third

round 67 to sit two off the lead. A final round charge failed to materialise but a share of fifth place equalled his career-best finish in a Major.

The Butch touch was working.

“Earlier in the year, he was missing cuts and people were saying, ‘Gosh, his swing looks better, but he’s not playing any good,’” said Harmon. “But Rickie wasn’t discouraged by that.

He knew he was working on the right things. He knew he was playing better and that he just had to feel comfortable in a tournament situation.

“Now he’s done that. He’s not only a wonderful young man, he works his tail off, too. It’s just a matter of time before he starts winning numerous big tournaments.”

IMPRESSIVE FORM

“RICKIE TOLD ME, ‘I WANT TO BE KNOWN FOR MORE THAN JUST MY CLOTHES AND MY HAT. I WANT TO BE KNOWN FOR MY GAME. CAN YOU HELP ME?’” – Butch Harmon

While results at New Orleans, Colonial and Muirfield Village were not good, when it came to Pinehurst at the US Open, Rickie was firing on all cylinders. The only problem was he came up against a putting machine in runaway winner Martin Kaymer and went home the bridesmaid.

Disappointed but determined, Rickie headed to Royal Liverpool where he had to settle for second place at The Open, two shots behind another inspired opponent – this time his great friend McIlroy.

The good results continued to flow with top tens at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone, the US PGA Championship, The Barclays and the BMW Championship, before an eighth place finish at The Tour Championship saw him break into the top ten on the World Ranking for the first time in his career.

Yet Fowler wasn’t satisfied with his increasing success. He still hadn’t won, despite his impressive run of form. A disappointing Ryder Cup followed then he again came close at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai with a third

Worldwide GOLF 23

place finish behind Bubba Watson. With so many ‘close-but-no-cigar’ finishes Fowler’s aim is to start putting that right – and soon. But he knows he’s got time on his side.

“Belief and confidence weighs heavily in how you play and how you handle yourself on the golf course,” he says. “With the top young players I don’t think there’s any lack of belief or confidence between the guys who are winning tournaments and those who aren’t winning.

“It’s something that Rory definitely doesn’t lack. That doesn’t mean he’s cocky, by any means. He handles himself great on and off the golf course. But he definitely knows the game that he has and he believes in it, as he should.

As any of the top players in the world should. If you don’t have that, then you’re not going to be able to compete at the elite level.

“I’m not planning on European Tour membership this year, but moving forward that could be a possibility. With the number of tournaments I could play in the future on The European Tour schedule and with the Middle East being a part of that, means anything is possible.

“Last year I played the Scottish Open and this year I’m playing the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open.

I’m planning to go back and play the Scottish Open at Gullane before The Open at St Andrews.

“So when you think about the four Majors, add on the four WGCs, there are only a few more events to play before becoming fully eligible for The European Tour and be a part of The Race to Dubai, if you play well. It’s definitely something worth looking into for the future.”

Fowler’s work with Harmon started to bear fruit last year and as the Major season begins, it’s time all the hard work paid off, and Fowler takes his rightful place as one of the most talented and prominent players of our time.

RICKIE FOWLER

RICKIE FOWLER TIMELINE California High School Boys Championship.

2007 - Plays in the Walker Cup at Royal County Down alongside Billy Horschel, Dustin Johnson and Webb Simpson – partnering with Horschel against Rory McIlroy and Jonathan Caldwell he wins. United States defeats Great Britain and Ireland by 1 point.

2008 - plays the US Open at Torrey Pines as an

amateur and makes the cut.

2009 - Makes the Walker Cup team again and later turns pro.

2010 - As a rookie on the US PGA Tour he posts

two seconds and is rewarded with a Captain’s pick from Corey Pavin at Celtic Manor where the United States lose to Europe by 1 point.

2012 - Wins his first US PGA Tour title at Quail

Hollow.

2013 - Seeks the help of coach Butch Harmon (pictured below) after missing the cut at Muirfield in The Open.

2014 - Top five

finishes in each of the year’s four Majors – only Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus had done that before.

Fowler played in nine European Tour events last season – four Majors, four WGCs and the Scottish Open. With prize money of €2,860,032 he would have comfortably finished in the top ten on The Race to Dubai – if he were a Tour Member and played a few more events.

US PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem commented: “You look at Rickie, and if he were self-centred or whatever, you’d say, ‘well, anyone at his age and ability level would go through that phase.’ But he’s got none of that, and it’s why his connection to people is automatic.”

1988

Born in Murrieta, California.

1991

Starts playing golf at the age of 3.

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The European Tour

US PGA Tour

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

IN THE BAG

2004 - Shoots a 64 to win the Southern

Driver: Cobra Fly Z+ (10°, Orange) Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana White Board D-Series 73X 3 Wood: Cobra Fly Z+ (14°, Orange) Shaft: Aldila Tour Blue 73X 5 Wood: Cobra Bio Cell+ (18.5°, Orange) Shaft: Aldila Tour Blue 70x Irons: Cobra AMP Cell Pro MB (4-9) Shafts: KBS C-Taper 125S+ Wedges: Cobra Tour Trusty (47°-08, 51°, 55°-12, 59°-06) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 Putter: Scotty Cameron Prototype Golf Ball: Titleist Pro V1X

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Worldwide GOLF 25

RISING STAR

E

NGLISHMAN Andy Sullivan had been biding his time on The European Tour for the past few years, coming close to a breakthrough but falling just short on a number of occasions. However, 2015 has been a different story. Two outstanding wins in South Africa in the space of two months have got him off to a flyig start but with the Tour moving away from Africa and back through Asia and Europe – how will he cope? Worldwide Golf catches up with the man from Nuneaton to find out what makes him tick and how he plans to build on his success for the season ahead.

SULLIVAN’S SUCCESS STORY ANDY SULLIVAN talks to Mike Gallemore

WORLDWIDE GOLF: With your first two wins on The European Tour coming within successive months in Johannesburg there must be something there that suits you – what do you put it down to?

ANDY SULLIVAN: I just love playing in South Africa and I seem to play really well there.

The people are so friendly, the food is great, the courses are great and my coach is South African, so perhaps there’s an extra incentive to play well. I’ve made many friends there over the years, mainly through my caddie Sean McDonagh, who used to play on the Sunshine Tour - so I have plenty of local support.

the 11th. Did you feel that put the pressure on you?

It was just one of those things. I played great for ten holes and then hit the water but it didn’t derail me at all. It was nothing to fret over. I knew that if I just carried on in the manner in which I started then I’d be OK. I got myself back in there and birdied 15 and ended up winning it with a birdie at the last hole. Coming from behind seems to be a bit of a thing for me but I’ll take it every time.

WWG: What do you think of your start to the 2015 season?

It’s unbelievable. I never imagined that I would win the South African Open and that I would win again so quickly at the Joburg Open.

AS:

AS:

WWG: You had a successful amateur career what was the highlight?

The Walker Cup was pretty special, getting to play as part of a team rather than an individual was great. Winning in 2011 at Royal Aberdeen was the icing on the cake!

AS:

WWG: Your first win came in January at the South African Open in a playoff against South African Charl Schwartzel, who had started the final round seven strokes ahead of you – was that a daunting experience?

Not really. I’m always simply trying to finish as high as I can in every tournament I play. Winning didn’t really come into my mind, so perhaps it helped me as I was just trying to play well on Sunday and see where that left me. As it turned out, it left me in a tie and play-off time.

AS:

WWG: At the Joburg Open you shot five birdies in your first nine holes in the final round and then found the water and bogeyed

AS:

WWG: Victory in the Joburg Open earned you a place in The Open. How does it feel to be heading for the Home of Golf?

I can’t wait! Both my caddie Sean McDonagh and my manager Shaun Webster have played in an Open Championship so I’m just pleased that I don’t have to listen to them bragging about it anymore!

WWG: You seem to have had a smile on your face permanently since the start of the year.

I think I’m a happy person, generally. We all have our days when we don’t want to smile, especially when things aren’t going your way. But I play golf for a living, what’s not to like about that – I should be smiling! If you can’t enjoy yourself coming down the stretch with a lead then you’re struggling. I’m on the crest of a wave at the moment and I don’t want it to end. I just want to keep it going.

AS:

WWG: What have you set your sights on for the rest of the season?

I like to keep my goals private but of course I’d like to be playing more Majors, WGC events and generally experiencing the US is something that excites me as I’ve never played in America as yet.

AS:

WWG: How does your Ping G30 driver suit your game?

Ping have always built great clubs that work for me and the G30 is no

AS:

Worldwide GOLF 26

exception. When it came out I simply put it straight in the bag. It goes longer and straighter than my previous driver.

WWG: You carry a strong G30 fairway wood.

What are the benefits of the club, especially at 14 degrees?

Every professional will tell you that finding a 3-wood that works in all situations is difficult but I have found it with my strong G30. I can hit it high and soft as well as low and penetrating.

AS:

WWG: How long have you had the Glide wedges in the bag?

My Glide wedges are the best PING have made to date. The way the sole is designed means I can play a variety of shots with total confidence. I love opening the face on my 58 degree wedge and it just pops up in the air and stops so quickly.

AS:

WWG: How is the new Ping Cadence TR putter suiting your game, you are certainly getting the results on the greens?

I’ve used a variety of PING putters over the last few years and I always like to try something new every now and then but my Cadence TR is my favourite at the moment.

As I like a very short putter the heavier head gives me a little more feel and a better overall balance.

AS:

WWG: Ball: It’s no surprise to see you playing the Titleist ProV1X? Are you using the 2015 model? How important is the ball to your game and how does it suit your style of play?

I’ve always used Titleist balls and when the 2015 Prov1x model came out I put it straight into play. It performs similarly to the old model but the feel is slightly softer, which is great for those short shots around the greens. n

AS:

Driver

Ping G30. 9.9 Degrees.

Shaft: Aldila Rogue 65X

Fairway Wood

Ping G30. 14 Degrees.

Shaft: Aldila Rogue 75X

Hybrid

Ping i25. 19 Degrees Shaft: Aldila Blue 85X

Irons

Ping S55. 3-PW Shaft: NS Pro Modus 120X

Wedges

Ping Glide. 54 & 60 Degrees Shaft: NS Pro Modus 120X

Putters

Ping Cadence TR Face: Heavy model insert

WWG: How do you like your Footjoy ICON MyJoys and how do you feel they help your game?

AS: FJ in my opinion have always made great looking performance golf shoes and the ICON is no exception.

For comfort, stability and style, they tick all the boxes.

Worldwide GOLF 27

Royal County Down Northern Ireland 28-31 May 2015 Northern Ireland is a land made for golf.

County Down is a county that is home to one of the world’s greatest courses. A county that is home to Rory McIlroy, the world’s number one golfer.

See them and golfing’s elite come together at the Unmissable Irish Open 2015.

Say you were there

Plan your golfing holiday at:

Tour News

'We are delighted to become title sponsors of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open' – Colm McLoughlin THE European Tour welcomed Dubai Duty Free as the title sponsor of the 2015 Irish Open hosted by The Rory Foundation, which takes place at Royal County Down from May 28-31.

World No.1 Rory McIlroy, tournament host for his charitable foundation, will be joined by many of the game’s biggest names including Rickie Fowler, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood and Irish stars Graeme McDowell, Padraig Harrington and Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clarke.

McIlroy said: “It’s great news that Dubai Duty Free has come on board as title sponsor. Dubai Duty Free is a strong global brand with great experience in sports sponsorship through golf, tennis and horse racing. The European Tour and I both have strong links to Dubai, and I'm sure Dubai Duty Free will bring a lot to the event and add to its great prestige.”

One of the world’s leading airport retailers with a turnover of US$1.9 billion in 2014, Dubai Duty Free is already associated with The European Tour as sponsors of the DP World Tour Championship and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, which was won this year at Emirates Golf Club by McIlroy.

Dubai Duty Free’s golf portfolio also includes the Dubai Ladies Masters, plus a series of high-profile events, including the annual Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup, Dubai Duty Free UAE Nationals Cup, Dubai Duty Free Golf Cup and Dubai Irish Golf Society tournament.

Away from the fairways, Dubai Duty Free owns and stages the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, which reaches a global audience of over 400 million TV viewers and generates media exposure

of US$718 million. A keen supporter of horseracing, Dubai Duty Free is best known in Ireland for its sponsorship of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, held at the Curragh Racecourse in June. This year marks the 150 th running of this historic race. Dubai Duty Free also sponsors the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot, the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials and the Dubai Duty Free International Raceday at Newbury. Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty

"The European Tour and I both have strong links to Dubai, and I'm sure Dubai Duty Free will bring a lot to the event and add to its great prestige" – Rory McIlroy Free commented: “Sports sponsorship plays a huge role in our overall marketing strategy. It fosters goodwill and allows our brand to travel all around the globe.

We are delighted to become title sponsor of the Irish Open hosted by The Rory Foundation.

"The tournament has a tremendous history and is the flagship golf event in Ireland, providing thrilling golfing action for spectators, golf fans and television viewers around the world.

"This year’s tournament has a fantastic line-up and we are very much looking forward to working with Rory and his Foundation, The European Tour, Tourism Northern Ireland and the members and management of Royal County Down on this prestigious sporting event.”

Northern Ireland’s Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister, Arlene Foster,

Worldwide GOLF 29

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free, shakes hands with European Tour Chief Executive George O'Grady at Royal County Down GC.

added: “Welcome to Dubai Duty Free as title sponsor of the Irish Open, which will further raise the profile of the event in Northern Ireland in May, and again in 2017. It will help increase our reputation as a fantastic golfing destination.”

George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, said: “We are delighted to welcome Dubai Duty Free as a title sponsor on The European Tour and look forward to expanding our partnership with another powerful global brand which has vast experience in the sports sponsorship market.

“By becoming title sponsor of the Irish Open, Dubai Duty Free is making its mark on golf’s world stage and further showcasing the close collaboration that exists between so many of Dubai’s leading companies and The European Tour.

"With many of the game’s biggest names competing on the iconic links of Royal County Down, we believe the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open hosted by The Rory Foundation will deliver superb value to Dubai Duty Free and all of our event partners.”

BACK W

HEN Padraig Harrington was producing his best golf you could see it in his eyes. The slightly wild stare and awkward-looking stride as the likeable Dubliner bounded up to the green were among the most common sights in world golf as he collected three Majors in the space of 13 months from 2007-2008 (including back-to-back Open Championships at Carnoustie in 2007 and Royal Birkdale in 2008).

Having fallen off the radar trying to improve on a Major-winning swing, Harrington, one of the most popular players in the sport, is back in the big-time with a three-year exemption on the US PGA Tour, thanks to his second win at the Honda Classic at PGA National last month – his first victory in Europe or the US since his historic US PGA Championship triumph at Oakland Hills in 2008.

Now he’s got his sights set on winning a second Dubai Duty Free Irish Open title and perhaps repeating his outstanding feat of 2007 with another memorable Open double. “It’s great to see Rory, his Foundation and Dubai Duty Free involved and supporting the tournament,” says Harrington. “It’s shaping up to be a great week with one of the strongest fields the tournament has ever had – I’m looking forward to being part of it.

“My Irish Open win in 2007 at Adare Manor certainly gave me some momentum going into the Open Championship that year at Carnoustie. Although, winning at any time is special, winning your national open in front of your home fans is an amazing feeling.” 4

Worldwide GOLF 32

Padraig Harrington

Driver:

TaylorMade AeroBurner TP (9.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Kuro Kage Silver 60TX

2 Wood:

TaylorMade SLDR S Mini Driver (12 degrees) Shaft: True Temper Project X Black 6.5

3 Wood:

TaylorMade SLDR (14.5 degrees) Shaft: True Temper Project X 7A3

Hybrid:

Wilson D100 (19 degrees) Shaft: Accra Tour Z Hybrid M5

Irons:

Wilson FG Tour V4 Utility (4), Wilson FG Tour V2 (5-PW) Shafts:Accra Tour Z Hybrid M5 (4), KBS Tour-V 125X

Wedges:

Wilson FG Tour (52-06), Ping Eye2 Gorge (58) Shafts: KBS Tour-V 120S

Putter:

Wilson Infinite South Side

Ball:

Titleist Pro V1X

Worldwide GOLF 33

HARRINGTON

regimes in golf. Do you believe that it Q: It’s been approaching seven years was your dedication that was the main since you last won on Tour, at the reason in winning the Honda Classic?

2008 US PGA Championship, so how PH: Maybe, although the problem I’ve does it feel to win the Honda Classic had is that I’ve been putting so much to be back in the big time and are you pressure on myself to live up to my relishing the prospect of playing in mental focus of, say, 2008, but I found the Masters and the other big events that I couldn’t. Yet on the Saturday night including the Dubai Duty Free Irish of the Honda Classic I found something.

Open?

I’d been out on the course early, I was PADRAIG HARRINGTON: I’ve always tired and I’d had a bad day. Some regarded the Irish Open as the of the players said they were Fifth Major and it’s always finished for the day and one of the first events “I got on to thinking that if were heading home. I on my schedule. It’s wanted to leave too, a special week for I had a 10-foot putt to win but I thought I’d go me. I’ve played down to the range Royal County Down the tournament I wouldn’t as usual – and I hit before but I’ve never want anyone else to putt on something. It was competed there as nothing to do with a professional so I’m it – and that gave me the my technique, it was looking forward to confidence I needed.” all to do with my focus. playing and seeing how I practised my putting the course is set up. The – Harrington until around 7pm in the last time the Irish Open was dark and got something going. played in Northern Ireland, at I got on to thinking that if I had a 10 foot Royal Portrush in 2012, it was a huge putt to win the tournament I wouldn’t success and I was glad to be in the want anyone else to putt it and that mix on the final day. The crowds were gave me the confidence I needed. As it like a Major. They generated a great happened, I had to hole a 15-footer on atmosphere and I expect it will be the the 72nd hole to make the playoff – so I same at another great links course chose the right man. like Royal County Down. I’m sure the venue with another great field will help Q: Do you put your win at the Honda put the event back on the world stage.

Classic down to your more consistent Since winning at the Honda Classic putting and the improvement in your last month I’ve had so many wonderful confidence? messages from Irish fans I’d like to pay PH: On the Sunday morning my wife, them back in person by playing well at Caroline, said: ‘Remember what you Royal County Down. said, ‘if you had a putt to win you wouldn’t want anybody else to hit it for Q: You have the reputation of having you.’ As I stood over every putt I said to one of the most punishing practice

Worldwide GOLF 34

Above left: Padraig Harrington celebrates after making his birdie putt on the 18th green in the final round of The Honda Classic at PGA National. Right: Harrington in action during the 2012 Irish Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club. Below Right: Harrington holds the trophy aloft after winning the Irish Open in 2007 at Adare Manor before going on to win the first of his three Majors, at The Open at Carnoustie.

myself, ‘Look, just give it your best go.’

I did exactly that and I had a good day.

The putts were dropping and knocking in putts gives you a big boost. It was just like being back in my matchplay days.

Q: How did it feel when you made that courageous tee shot at the second play-off hole to land your ball four foot from the pin, having put it in the water and double-bogeyed the same 17th hole in regulation?

PH: After messing up the shot during regulation play I was clear in my head that I had to commit to the shot in the playoff. There had been a lapse in my mental game and my routine got a bit out of skew earlier but, thankfully, I knew I had to take the shot on. I was first up on the tee and had a chance to take control. I had to hit it right. I couldn’t afford to bail out and leave the door open. It was classic matchplay.

I just had to hit the shot and put the

Caption

after seven holes on the Sunday. Things were not going well for me and when we came back out on the Monday, I took the view that I was the challenger and that for the guys who were leading, it was a tough course to lead on.

pressure on my opponent. My attitude out there had been ‘let’s go and win this’ and although I ended up aiming at the same spot behind the pin, I was totally committed to the shot, made it and that proved to be good enough for the win after Daniel found the water.

Q: Did the bad weather delay help or hinder you – or did it just give you more practice time?

PH: It was certainly a big advantage for me when we were called off the course

side of my game over the last few years and I’ve certainly had my low points. I got very intolerant of my mental game and my focus. It was never swing related, it was all focus-related. I got frustrated with my game and found it hard to separate the bad shots. It was very disappointing and you don’t know what to do. I tried to grind my way through it but it’s been really tough. In 2012 I had my best ball-striking year ever, in terms of the stats, but I had the yips with my putting. I’m fascinated with the game of golf and in that sense I’m quite an optimist.

When I’m working on the practice range after suffering another disappointment I’m back on the horse and I feel okay about it. But from being in the penthouse back in 2007 and 2008, from 2009 I was not far from being in the doghouse.

“I’ve always regarded the Irish Open as the Fifth Major and it’s always one of the first events on my schedule.”

– Harrington

Q: It’s been a long hard battle to get back to the winner’s enclosure.

Did you ever think of giving it up altogether?

PH: One thing you learn when you’re struggling is that you don’t win as often as you think you will, so when you do win you have to make sure you enjoy it. I’ve really struggled with the mental

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HARRINGTON

Irish eyes were certainly smiling at Celtic Manor in 2010 as Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy celebrated Europe’s historic one-point win over the USA.

Padriag Harrington

Q: When you got off to a tough start in the final round in the Honda Classic did you feel you could still win it?

PH: I was four shots behind with nine holes to go but my caddie, Ronan, reminded me that I would have taken that on Thursday. I admitted that all I wanted was to be in contention with nine holes to play, because anything can happen coming down the home stretch – and it certainly did.

From the start

Q: You missed the Masters last year so it will be a welcome return to Augusta – are you relishing the challenge with a new spring in your step from being a winner again?

PH: I played the Honda Classic on an invite and winning the tournament changes everything. I’m back at the Masters, I’m in The Players Championship and the WGC-Bridgestone and I’ve picked up valuable World Ranking points, but I never really considered that situation when I was out on the course.

Q: Will you change your practice routine at all or will it be a case of business as usual on the range?

PH: I’ve been working with coach Pete Cowen and he was with me on the range at the Honda Classic. He was happy with my practice drill and says my swing does everything it should be doing, so I don’t think I’ll be changing my routine.

Q: You’ve won tournaments the hard way over the years but none came any harder than your second Honda Classic win – does this make it even more of an achievement?

PH: One of my best traits is that when I’m in a tough situation I can block out the dangers and take the shot on. When I get the opportunity to attack, I’ll take it. I had to dig deep at PGA National and I knew that if I was going to win the tournament, I’d have no option but to go for it and hit some great shots. n

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1991 –

makes the Walker Cup Team and plays again in 1993 and 1995.

1995 –

turns professional at the age of 24.

1996 –

wins his first of 14 European titles at the Spanish Open.

1997 –

wins the World Cup with close friend Paul McGinley.

2002 – finishes second on the Order of Merit for the second consecutive year.

2005 – wins his first of six US PGA Tour titles at the Honda Classic.

2006 – tops The European Tour Order of Merit with 1 win and 7 top tens.

2007 –

wins the Irish Open at Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort then makes his Major breakthrough, defeating Sergio Garcia in The Open at Carnoustie.

2008 – Successfully defends his Open title at Royal Birkdale and then pips Garcia to win the US PGA Championship at Oakland Hills just one month later.

2010 –

makes his sixth Ryder Cup appearance at Celtic Manor.

2014 –

wins the Indonesian Open in December.

2015 –

returns to the winner’s enclosure at the Honda Classic in Florida, having previously won the tournament in 2005.

A Good Fit For Your Game.

The new Rhapsody driver, fairway woods and hybrid/iron set are engineered to help women hit the ball higher, farther and straighter. Three highly forgiving putter options will improve your results on the greens, too. Technology meets style to help you play better and enjoy the time you spend golfing with family and friends.

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RHAPSODY TECHNOLOGY: CUSTOM-ENGINEERED FOR WOMEN’S SWING DYNAMICS. Worldwide GOLF 37 ©2015 PING

GEAR

TAYLORMADE R-SERIES WEDGESMIDDLE ORDER MUSCLE IRONS TESTED PING GLIDE WEDGES EXPLAINED FOOTJOY HYPERFLEX GET FITTED FOR CENTRE STRIKES AND MORE DISTANCE -

Worldwide GOLF 39

40 42 46 48 50

SERIES WEDGES

Game changing PERFORMANCE TaylorMade have just launched their latest line of wedges, the R-Series EF Spin Grind, and they’re already in the bag of Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson. This is a good sign for any product because it’s rare that a the top pro decide to switch wedges so suddenly. Spin control, feel and touch are essential, so for TaylorMade’s big name players to put them in play so soon tells us these clubs must have that extra zip and control over their previous wedges. So what’s the key?

GROOVE BREAKTHOUGH

EF

Stands for Electro Forming technology, generating Extra Friction. It’s not just marketing hype.

TaylorMade claim this technolgy provides measurably higher spin than their current grooves, with greater durability. Between the grooves there is also a ‘micro-texture’ to generate more control and spin on soft shots.

ATV and Tour grind remain the same option as their current wedge range.

More accurate groove sections mean closer tolerances, tighter corners and more spin.

Full Range of Lofts & Bounces LOFTS & BOUNCES LOFT

47° 50° 52° 54° 56° 58° 60°

SOLE / BOUNCE STD

ü ü ü ü ü ü ü

ATV

ATV ATV ATV ATV

Red indicates right hand only

* Op%ons marked in RED are new and available only in RH

GREAT FEEL FROM A HARD FACE The tough Nickel Cobalt groove plate is very thin. In fact, it can be bent with your fingers when outside the head. The groove plate rests atop a thin layer of bonding resin all nested tightly in the soft 1025 carbon steel head. The thinness of the plate along with the dampening qualities of the resin and the carbon steel give a great soft impact sensation.

Carbon steel body

GEAR

Callaway XR

Cobra Fly-Z

Cup 360 For the first time ever, Callaway have put cup-faced technology into a cavity back iron.

The Cup 360 provides outrageous ball speed all across the face.

Cobra has coupled the concept of a large, fast, unsupported face and matched it with an innovative idea called Speed Channel.

Speed Channel The Speed Channel is an engineered trench that runs across the sole of the club and around the perimeter of the back cavity. It minimizes face thickness for a more pronounced flex and recovery on impact.

This enhanced trampoline effect increases ball speeds across the face to deliver greater distance without sacrificing feel. Fly-Z Irons feature their deepest undercut yet to create the largest unsupported face Cobra has ever offered, meaning you get extreme distance on centre hits and consistent distance on off-centre hits. Speed Channel takes that responsive face to the next level.

Low CG, High MOI The Internal Standing Wave is the ultimate team player. It’s refined the way that Callaway lower CG, increased MOI and it gives the face cup the freedom to provide more ball speed.

New Construction and Shape

Middle Order

An iron built for speed needs a different level of refinement and attention, in this case a 2-piece construction that includes a dual heat treatment.

It’s precise, meticulous craftsmanship that XR deserves.

MUSCLE T

he latest wave of technology in irons is all about …yes, you guessed it, distance and forgiveness. That ancient formula will never grow old – it sells clubs and gives the amateur golfer a new lease of life. In this day and age anything to make the game easier and more enjoyable gets our seal of approval. In this test with the guys from ProGolf they take a look at the latest line of mid-

BY ALEX GALLEMORE

to-high handicap irons, where off-centre strikes are just as important as the lucky ones that find the middle.

The clubs that have been selected are the Mizuno JPZ850, the Callaway XR, Cobra FlyZ and TaylorMade’s RSi1. All four are engineered to deliver more bang for your buck when it comes to distance – but accuracy is equally important. Distance is nothing without control, now where have I heard that before? In

Worldwide GOLF 42

an ideal world we’d put these on an Iron Byron machine where the strike was consistent time after time. But these are designed for the golfer who hits the ball all over the clubface. Likewise, it’s hard for mid to high handicap players to hit four different clubs at close to the same speed with a consistent launch angle.

This is why ProGolf elected for their General Manager, Scott Sullivan, who recently won the Arabian Ranches Club

TaylorMade RSi1

Mizuno JPX850 The breakthrough in distance and ball speed of the JPX-850 is achieved through Mizuno’s Power Frame design, which greatly increases the rebound area of the clubface. In addition, the Power Frame positions weight in the extreme corners of the clubhead to increase stability on off-centre shots, maximising forgiveness and consistent distance.

New Face Slot Technology in the 3-8 irons provides uniform flexion across the face, protecting ball speed and generating more consistent distance on off-centre hits.

Improved Speed Pocket with ThruSlot Technology in the 3-7 irons provides ball speed protection on shots below the centre of the face and increases launch angle and ball speed on all shots.

The innovative Power Frame design ensures ball speeds are consistently high across the entire clubface and that the high COR is not created at the expense of feel or control.

Advanced Face Design – TaylorMade’s thinnest face, deep undercut and Inverted Cone Technology combined, promote maximum face speed and consistency.

Power Frame Distance: Increases rebound area for maximum distance.

Power Frame Forgiveness: Weight is strategically placed in the four corners of the cavity to maximize forgiveness.

Dual Relief Zone Sole: Ideal turf interaction for solid ball striking in all course conditions.

It also gives improved sound and feel through advanced construction and multiple dampening systems.

The new Reax 90 steel shaft from True Temper helps to optimise ball flight for ultimate distance and performance.

“Distance is nothing without control”

- Gary Player

Championship to take the test.

Scott’s swing speed is higher than most amateurs but I’ve seen many amateurs who can rip it with the best. You know the ones.

Instead of hitting an easy 6 iron they prefer to muscle an 8. I lean more towards that category so I appreciate that these clubs need to be very forgiving.

It’s Interesting that the Mizuno JPZ850 are claiming to be the longest clubs on the market at the moment and Callaway’s

XR range has been hitting the headlines for yardage gains.

Having tested the TaylorMade RSi2 last month it would be interesting to see how Scott handles its more forgiving brother as I found the RSi2 to be very fast off the face and with a tight dispersion.

The unknown iron in the mix is the Cobra FlyZ. A great looking club with a much smaller offset compared to the rest would easily look at home in the bag

Worldwide GOLF 43

of a low handicapper. To make the test as fair as possible we checked the lengths and lofts with Jason Ashley, Golf House’s Club Fit Specialist, and fired up the TrackMan. We took the five most consistent shots with each club, eradicating any jumpers or uncharacteristic readings.

The outcome was close and very interesting, as what you see in the air doesn’t translate to how the ball is actually travelling through the air.

The perfect combination of feel and roll.

The new Fusion RX Insert combines our Major-winning White Hot insert with an ultra-thin mesh and patented Metal-X roll pattern. The result is less skid and quicker roll, with exceptional feel. The dual-fang design and high contrast 2-Ball alignment make the 2-Ball Fang our most accurate 2-Ball ever. You’ve never felt roll like this.

#odysseyworks

©2015 Callaway Golf Company. Odyssey, #1 Putter in Golf and the Odyssey Swirl Device. #1 Putter in Golf claim based on combined wins and usage from 2004 – present on the PGA, EPGA, JGTO, Web.com, Champions and LPGA Tours, as reported by the Darrell Survey Co. and Sports Marketing Surveys, Inc. Roll Claim based on robot testing and the Qunitic Roll Measurement System on putts with the new Fusion Rx insert vs. the original White Hot insert. Accuracy claim based on robot testing on various hit locations measuring dispersion, roll out and overall distance to the hole vs previous 2-Ball models (White Hot 2-Ball, 2-Ball SRT, 2-Ball F7.)

GEAR

Jason Ashley Trajectory

Custom Fit Specialist Golf House

02

Scott Sullivan | Mar 16, 2015

40 30

Scott Sullivan

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7i 7i 7i 7i

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General Manager ProGolf

The ProGolf 7 Iron Test

XR JPX 850 FLY­Z RSI 1

© 2015 TrackMan | MyTrackMan.com

Jason Ashley: We hit five or six balls with each 7 iron and we were on the lookout for a few different things. Purely from a numbers game, we were really looking at accuracy, distance control, ball flight and ball speed.

Multi Group Report

Dispersion

01

Scott Sullivan | Mar 16, 2015

180

COBRA FLY-Z JA: As you can see from the dispersion chart this was the most accurate club on test.

SS: This club felt great. Just standing over the Fly-Z I felt I could put it in the bag.

It didn’t feel like a lot of offset. The topline was thick although it didn’t feel too big, but I really like the look of the Fly-Z out of all the golf clubs.

170

7i 7i 7i 7i

160

XR JPX 850 FLY­Z RSI 1

Carry yds

© 2015 TrackMan | MyTrackMan.com

Multi Group Report

CLUB SPEED MPH

CLUB SPEED MPH

CLUB SPEED MPH

CLUB SPEED MPH

BALL SPEED MPH

BALL SPEED MPH

BALL SPEED MPH

BALL SPEED MPH

91.1

91.7

90.6

90.6

126.0

128.2

126.0

126.0

LAUNCH ANGLE Deg

LAUNCH ANGLE Deg

LAUNCH ANGLE Deg

LAUNCH ANGLE Deg

SPIN RATE RPM

SPIN RATE RPM

SPIN RATE RPM

SPIN RATE RPM

14.4

14.5

15.8

14.2

6156

6908

6773

6113

CARRY Yards

TOTAL Yards

TOTAL Yards

TOTAL Yards

167.8

173.8

168.2

170.9

TOTAL YARDS

TOTAL YARDS

TOTAL YARDS

TOTAL YARDS

172.3

177.8

TAYLORMADE RSI1 Jason Ashley: It went the highest out of all of the clubs and considering all the lofts were matched it was interesting to see how this club is designed to get the ball airbourne quicker than the others.

Scott Sullivan: The ball was really fast off the face and looked like it was going to be the longest.

170.8

176.0

MIZUNO JPX 850 JA:The 850 was also impressive in terms of the noise we heard off it. It was a different noise than the others and it sounded softer to me. It had a strong ball flight which was the lowest out of the lot.

SS: These had a great feel off the face and a much stronger ball flight, which was deceptively long.

CALLAWAY XR JA: I would say this was the most interesting find for me – the ball speed off the Callaway XR was the highest on test. But the spin rate was the also the highest at 6,900rpm. Nearly 800 rpm more than the Mizuno JPX850.

SS: It felt spinny off the face and as a result it hung longer in the air and looked shorter than the others but I was surprised to see where the ball landed.

CONCLUSION: Jason Ashley: If we look at overall distance and numbers, the four clubs were not far apart. However, it was the Callaway XR that led in terms of ball-speed and distance control. The stock shafts would have affected the spin rates. Scott’s swing speed was up on the XR by 1.1mph compared to the Mizuno but the spin rate in both the XR and TaylorMade RSi were far too high. A stiffer shaft would have given Scott a stronger ball flight and even more yardage in both clubs.

When it came to accuracy we definitely saw that the Fly-Z was the tightest, followed by the Mizuno JPX 850.

All in all, I was very impressed by the consistency Scott was able to achieve with all the clubs in terms of dispersion.

Scott Sullivan: For me the most impressive thing was how tight the distance control was on all of the clubs. These clubs are designed to go long but sometimes at the expense of dispersion and this was definitely not the case here. If you want something that goes long with tight dispersion I would pick Callaway XR. For looks and trajectory I would look at the cobra Fly Z. For sound, flight and feel the Mizuno JPX850 and if you struggle to get the ball up in the air the Taylormade RSI. All in all a great product test with fantastic results

Worldwide GOLF 45

GEAR

SOLE GRINDS

The Glide wedges come in three different sole grinds that are considerably different, but there are a few common aspects. Compared to the Tour Gorge wedges, the new models have more bounce and more rounded leading edges to help them ‘glide’ through the turf. For improved versatility, they also have more heel relief and a steeper trailing edge.

TESTED

Thin Sole (TS) wedges work best for golfers who have moderate-to-shallow angles of attack and/or those who play golf courses with firm conditions.

Standard Sole (SS) wedges take the middle ground, and work for the widest range of golfers and course conditions.

BY ALEX GALLEMORE

PING GLIDE WEDGES

P

ING, apart from legendary putters, is a name you would naturally associate with the Eye series – if you are old enough to remember – or for the younger generation the i-series. To this day many top tour players still carry a sneaky Ping Eye2 lob wedge to get them out of trouble but despite their efforts in making some pretty decent wedges, Ping has not yet found a true successor to the iconic Eye2… or has it? Their new Glide wedge is creating something of a stir and with Bubba Watson carrying three of them in the bag leading up to The Masters we just had to find out what all the fuss is about.

John A. Solheim, PING Chairman & CEO said: “Our Glide wedges have several innovations to make it our most versatile and consistent wedge line ever. For all golfers, being able to flight your ball with the ideal spin and trajectory will produce consistent, predictable results on any type of shot for hitting the ball close to the pin. The name says it all: these wedges glide through the turf better than anything we’ve ever seen.”

Ping has changed nearly every aspect of its new Glide wedge line by improving the

wedges without chrome finishes, which means that they move more water away from the wedge face at impact. That improves consistency, and is why the Glide wedges have satin, chrome-plated finishes. According to Ping, the finish is 220 percent more consistent in wet grass and 35 percent more consistent in dry grass than the “dark blast” finish Ping used on its previous wedge line, the Tour Gorge.

Sam Taylor

Prosports Dubai

grooves, sole grinds and ‘Hydrophobicity!’

But what on earth does the ability to repel water have to do with a wedge?

Hydrophobic – literally means “waterfearing,” and it describes the segregation and apparent repulsion between water and “nonpolar substances.”

Ping studies found that chrome-plated wedges are more hydrophobic than

Worldwide GOLF 46

GROOVES

The Glide wedges also have new grooves that are different in lower lofts than they are in higher lofts.

Sam Taylor, Prosports Dubai, explains: “The lower-lofted wedges (47, 50, 52 and 54 degrees) have deeper grooves with 16-degree sidewalls that offer more consistency on full shots. The higher lofted wedges (56, 58 and 60) have shallower, wider grooves with 24-degree sidewalls. That gives them sharper edges to help golfers create more spin on open-face shots.”

THE DYLA GRIP - A HANDS DOWN APPROACH TO WEDGE DESIGN

Wide Sole (WS) wedges are better for golfers who have moderate-to-steep angles of attack, and/or those who play golf courses with soft conditions.

“The DYLA grip is a completely new feature to the Glide wedge and is all about dialling in your wedge play,” added Sam Taylor. “The grip is three quarters of an inch longer than standard length grips and encourages people to get their hands further down the club. This will give them more control and feel around the greens with their spin and trajectory.

“The grip also has three different alignments grooves, spaced 1.375 inches apart, to help you get your hands in the right place to hit shots to specific yardages with the same club. It’s a simple and very effective way of taking out the guesswork of how far to hit your wedge and with the corresponding trajectory. The grips also have a larger outside diameter on the bottom half, which creates a more consistent feel, regardless of where you position your hands on the grip.”

SHAFT

The engine room of any club is the shaft and it’s interesting to see that Ping have opted to fit their new CFS wedge shaft in a single flex 118g weight, which is designed to deliver a low and stable feel.

WORLDWIDE GOLF VERDICT

Playing in the UAE we will always need to ‘nip’ the ball off a dry surface and even have the grain to consider. So it’s vital to feel confident with a wedge in our hand regardless of the distance. At address, I like the way the leading edge just flows straight down the line of the shaft and I knew exactly where the impact would be. The soles interact well with the ground and it’s easy to find the right one for your game. On the dry ground conditions we normally play on, the standard sole would still be ideal for the player who normally takes a hefty divot. But for me this club is perfect for the type of player who likes to play a variety of wedge shots. The shaft is very stable from full to knock-down shots but, out of curiosity, it would be interesting to hit some with a KBS 120g stiff wedge shaft and see how the two compare.

The face gave great feedback despite not being a forged club and the spin control was very consistent. Will this be the club to take the Eye2 wedge mantel? Technically it is certainly the best wedge Ping have made and once non-staff players put them in the bag we will know the answer to the Eye2 question.

Worldwide GOLF 47

GEAR STABILIZER

The O.P.S.™ Optimized Performance Stabilizer provides rear-foot support and motion control. Keeping you stable in the swing and especially during the transition into the downswing.

SPIKES

The SoftSpike Tornado cleats provide excellent grip and are ideal for the firmer fairways in the Middle East and you quickly forget you are wearing spikes. That’s until you are reminded how much traction you have. The Tornado spikes use the Fast Twist locking system and with their angled feet are a little more flexible then previous versions and that also contributes to the comfort on firm surfaces.

CUSHIONING

FineTuned Foam™ 2.0 gives a softer and lighter cushioning which is flexible-yet-durable underfoot.

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FOOTJOY

HYPERFLEX TECHNOLOGY WITH A BRIGHT FUTURE

BY ALEX GALLEMORE

F

OOTJOY has been the No.1 golf shoe in golf since I was a kid – and that was a long time ago. Over the years the brand has been something of a revolutionary with their advanced use of technology in their shoes but somewhat conservative with the styling.

In recent years we’ve started to see a shift in the styling with their D.N.A range and the SuperLite CTs really focusing on the younger generation. Now they’ve gone one step further with HYPERFLEX. This is a radical looking shoe, regardless of who has manufactured it. So it’s hats off to FootJoy. This provides them with a well rounded range for everyone to choose from.

It may look futuristic, but what is it like to wear, you might wonder? Well, I’m a big fan of the ‘practical’ spikeless approach to shoes these days but that’s just me being lazy. In my opinion you can’t beat spikes when it comes to stability on the course and that’s why they are preferred by nearly all the pros on Tour around the world.

The most striking feature of the new HYPERFLEX golf shoe is the uppers. Most athletic shoes are made with soft, mesh upper materials that are ideal for running and similar activities that don’t require a great deal of lateral movement. However, for FJ’s Research & Development team, the key was to keep the comfort but also deliver the support, stability and waterproof characteristics required for golf. To achieve this they created the FlexGrid.

The FlexGrid upper was inspired by the cabling of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge in Boston, Massachusetts, that created a grid providing tremendous strength and support, while maintaining a sleek, lightweight and technical appearance – similar to FlexGrid.

The FlexGrid exoskeleton is strong enough to keep the foot from rolling laterally during the golf swing but also conforms to the foot and allows it to flex. The base layer that supports the exoskeleton consists of a tight-knit, lightweight, soft, flexible, waterproof mesh, which provides maximum comfort, breathability, flexibility and airflow. The combined layers produce a golf shoe that wraps the foot in the comfort you expect from an athletic shoe with the additional support of a high-performance golf shoe.

What the players think HYPERFLEX has quickly earned the praise of FJ Ambassadors performing at the very highest level of the game. “I’ve been a big fan of the HYPERFLEX ever since I put them on before The Ryder Cup,” said US PGA Tour winner Hunter Mahan. “The comfort I get when I’m on the golf course all day, combined with the stability as I swing the club, is fantastic. I really enjoy wearing this shoe and I also really like the progressive, edgy styling of it.”

Worldwide Golf review We believe the perfect golf shoe combines the following: stability; comfort; grip and styling. The HYPERFLEX ticks all those boxes. The shoe might appear narrower but the FLEXGRID does its job and gives you the support around your toes without it feeling tight. More importantly after a few rounds, when my previous shoes would start to go a little loose, these continue to hold their shape. As you would imagine from looking at them, the deep Fine Tune Foam sole makes these one of the most comfortable spiked shoes I’ve worn and they are surprisingly light at 396.9g each. That’s 16.8g lighter than the DNA model. Style-wise, we like the lime and navy combination and how the colour shifts in the light. We’re delighted to see that FootJoy have also given the range a few classic colour combinations.

Worldwide GOLF 49

GEAR

Need more distance?

Learn to

Middle it!

BY ALEX GALLEMORE

I

’ve been asked many times about which is the right shaft for better distance and accuracy. It’s a magical blend many of us amateurs strive for but can never get right. The pros can throw a new driver in the bag and quickly find a shaft to fit but there is a huge difference between us!

It’s not all down to swing speed and the figures TrackMan throw at you. Put plain and simply, the pros hit the centre of the club 99% of the time whereas we amateurs tend to strike the ball all over the clubface, depending on how our timing is on the day. To illustrate this, Titleist here in Dubai kindly went through their fitting procedure with me. It threw up some nasty surprises in my swing but they managed to remove more than 1,000rpm of unwanted spin, through the shaft, loft and good oldfashioned experience.

Before you start with any clubfit, it’s always good to give the custom-fit experts a rough idea of where you think your bad shot is and what you are looking to achieve. My problem has always been that nasty snap hook - you know, the ‘reloader’, and for the past six months I’ve been working hard on the range to eradicate that from my swing.

It’s certainly a card wrecker when I’m under pressure. The problem is that I’ve lost valuable distance, even though my ball speed is 160mph. The questions over loft, shaft flex and the usual swing thoughts keep clouding my mind, which is why the only way

to find out what’s going on is to take the guesswork out of the equation.

To help get to the bottom of things I called on, Stuart Taylor, PGA Professional and Brand Manager for Titleist in Dubai.

He’s got great experience fitting at the highest levels and has plenty of handson experience with the big name players when the European Tour events come to the MIddle East, so he really knows his stuff. What’s equally as important is that he has fitted many amateurs in the region over the years and has seen every type of swing imaginable, even mine! So he’s perfectly placed to see what going on with my driver from a technical and visual point of view.

Stuart explains the first step in discovering what’s going on: “Alex likes to hit the ball hard but I could tell instantly that he was losing

distance from the strike. To see what was going on, even before I got the launch monitor out, I needed to know his strike pattern on the clubface . The impact tape showed that Alex was consistently hitting the ball low on the face and towards the heel. This has to be the worst area to strike, as presenting the heel at impact results in a loss of clubhead speed of up to 5% compared to a centre strike. So for Alex, that’s a loss of around 8mph in ball speed, which is staggering.”

The next step was to ask Stuart to see how the strike was effecting the spin and launch angle. “As I expected, Alex’s spin rate was through the roof but he was generating good ball speed. We needed to find a shaft that gave him the right amount of torque to lower the spin but

LOST DISTANCE

The 915 head is very forgiving on off centre strikes but you can see from the image below that even slight mishits can result in a ball speed loss of around 2%. For a player that normally gets that figure to around 150mph, missing the centre would see that figure drop to 147mph. A player like myself that strikes even closer to the heel might see a loss of 8mph which could easily be a difference of 20+ yards.

BAll SPEED LOSS OF 5% OR MORE BAll SPEED LOSS Of 1.5 / 2%

Stuart Taylor give him a shaft light enough not to lose speed or feel, considering his fast tempo.”

It was evident that the old trick of adding a heavy shaft and dropping the loft wasn’t the way to go. Shaft technology has evolved dramatically and with more than 3,000 driver shafts on the market, fitting the right one is no longer guesswork.

Stuart added: “When you see what the players on Tour are using, the diversity in loft and shafts are all unique, from lengths, to weights, to flexes. But with Alex we were getting a solid base of what lofts and shafts were working to reduce the spin and increase speed. By using the Titleist 915 head and a 65g low torque shaft we were beginning to get there. But Alex was still striking the ball towards the heel. By changing the “surefit” to A3 head setting and length of shaft (1/4 Inch shorter than std) dramatically improved Alex’s centre strike grouping.”

We had managed to get my spin rate down to below 3,000 rpm from what

was closer to 4,000rpm through pairing the right loft and weighted shaft. Many players on Tour use slightly longer shafts to get valuable extra yards, as even a quarter of an inch in shaft length can see an increase in ball speed of up to 2 mph. Seeing my strike pattern, a longer shaft would have resulted in even more pronounced heel strikes. Going the other way and losing 1/4 of an inch off the shaft picked up valueable ball speed.

STUART’S FINAL THOUGHTS “The speed off the face was consistent but the spin was still a little high. I’d managed to get it to around 2,800rpm but with the data we got and having seen Alex hit the ball I’m confident that we could get that figure down and pick up some more yards and improved accuracy.

The slightly shorter shaft was key and now we have a good base point to work with in selecting the ideal shaft.”

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Brand Manager Titleist, Dubai

CONCLUSION I must have hit more than 50 drives with the Titleist 915 with a wide range of shafts but the stand-out feature was how tight the dispersion was. Even when the shaft was completely miss-matched the ball didn’t deviate dramatically. If I could get that spin rate down a further 400rpm and combine it with a 160+mph ball speed and even greater accuracy, that would be mind blowing.

Best setting on the day Head: Titleist 915 D2 Loft: 8.5 degrees Head Setting: A3 (added Loft) Shaft length: 44.75” Shaft: 60g Oban White Flex: Stiff

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INSTRUCTION

STRIKE THE BALL WITH BALANCE & POSTURE - 54 BUMP & TURN TO HIT IT BETTER - 56 TWO DRILLS TO IMPORVE YOUR STIRKE - 59

PRE-SHOT ROUTINE with David Howell Before I hit each shot I stand behind the ball, close one eye, and I use the side of the shaft as a straight line to point it directly at my target.

I try and pick something on the ground about 3-6 feet away from the ball to aim my clubface at.

For example if there’s a broken tee in front of me.

The first thing I’ll do is I’ll come in, and try my best to aim my club face directly at that point on the ground. I won’t take my stance until I have the clubface square towards that point on the ground.

Once I’m happy I’ve done that, then i’ll take my stance.

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INSTRUCTION

STRIKE THE BALL BETTER THROUGH BALANCE AND POSTURE

A

lthough we see a wide variety of swing techniques among the world’s best golfers on TV each week, a common thread to their awesome play is the quality and consistency of their ball striking. This is not a coincidence but rather the result of great balance and posture created at address and maintained throughout their swing motion.

Bryan Smyth PGA Golf Professional Emirates Golf Club

To achieve similar posture and balance, start by locating your hipbones with your thumbs before bending forward from there (see above). Note that your tailbone should remain in position above your heels and your chin remains away from your chest. The spine moving forward should position your body weight at the front of your feet and provide the sensation your heels are coming off the ground. Flex your knees to move your body weight onto the balls of your feet, engaging your thigh and calf muscles in rediness to hold and use the ground.

Finally, let your arms hang freely beneath your shoulders and in front of your body to complete a solid and balanced starting position to make a successful swing.

Eat, Drink and Play After Dark on the Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club

Now that you have set a solid foundation with your body weight positioned on the balls of your feet, let’s identify two key areas in your address position to maintain throughout your swing: • Top of the spine • Tailbone Looking from down-the-line, good static posture leads to good dynamic balance making it easier to maintain the position of the top of your spine and tailbone. Equally, looking from face-on, good posture and dynamic balance will help to maintain the inline relationship between the top of your spine and tailbone (see above).

When the relationship between these two points changes, your dynamic balance will be compromised and your hands and arms will be called into compensate, leading to inconsistency.

“A good swing is built on solid foundations” Pete Cowen.

WATCH BRYAN TELL YOU ALL ABOUT BALANCE AND POSTURE AT WWGOLF.NET

Maintaining the position and relationship between these two points will help promote a spiral, 3D swing motion and allow you to apply more pressure to your golf ball.

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INSTRUCTION

BUMP AND TURN TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR SHOT! A Gavin Sutherland

PGA Professional, Al Badia Golf Club

common mistake that we see in many of our students here at The School of Golf is a poor impact position. This, predictably, leads to very inconsistent shots. At the point of impact, we more often than not see the handle of the club leaning backwards and the golfer’s body weight remaining on the trail side.

This can lead to fat and thin shots as the club can easily strike the turf prior to the golf ball or actually strike the ball on the upswing resulting in the leading edge of the club to strike the equator of the ball.

The reason why this occurs so often is that many amateur golfers believe that they need to assist the ball into the air in order to achieve that high ball flight that we all strive for.

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This ‘lifting’ idea is just not true.

When analyzing the swings of the world’s best players, we can clearly see that all of them have shifted their weight forward and strike the ball with the handle leaning forward so that the club head can descend into the ball.

To give ourselves the best chance of achieving a correct impact position, we need to look back to an earlier phase of the golf swing: the transition move from backswing to downswing.

There is a set order of movement required to start the downswing in order to achieve a powerful impact, and it all starts from the ground up.

School of

golf AL BADIA GOLF CLUB BY INTERCONTINENTAL DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF DRILLS THAT YOU CAN USE ON THE COURSE, AT HOME OR IN THE GYM TO HELP YOU MAKE THE CORRECT MOVEMENT DOWN TO THE BALL.

1) BUMP THE WALL

2) SQUEEZE THE BALL

• Use any vertical wall or piece of foam as shown.

• Take your normal set up so that your lead foot is about 5 cm away from the wall, your hips will then be about 10-15cm from the wall.

• Make your normal backswing and stop at the top. Your hips will now be a little further away from the wall and your weight will have shifted slightly to the trail side. Be careful not to sway the hips too far away from the wall.

• To start the downswing we need to bump the hips towards the wall. To shift them correctly, you will feel a push off the ground from the trail side. The trail knee will move close to the lead knee and the trail foot will roll across the ground before the heel lifts off the ground. You will notice that the lead hip is now higher than the trail hip.

• Once the majority of your weight has shifted to the lead side, the lead leg can push off the ground as the hips begin to rotate.

• The upper torso, arms and club will all follow the movement of the pelvis and you will be able to achieve an impact position where the body weight is largely on the lead side. The hips are rotated open towards the target and the handle of the club is ahead of the club head itself.

• Using a stability ball against a wall or golf cart, place the ball against the lead hip and the surface. Take your normal set up position and apply a small amount of pressure against the ball.

• Making your backswing, keep the ball against the wall. You should feel less pressure against the ball at the top of the backswing.

• Push the ball against the wall with the hips to feel the resistance of the ball. Just like the previous drill, you will feel the push off the ground as the hips bump and turn.

• In order to get the most out of these drills make sure you firstly practice them slowly in order to achieve the correct sequence of movement. The key is to let the lower body start the downswing firstly by shifting your weight and pressure towards the target.

WATCH GAVIN’S DRILLS AT WWGOLF.NET

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AVA I L A B L E I N G O L F S H O P S A C R O S S T H E G C C

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INSTRUCTION

TEE DRILL WAYNE JOHNSON

Director of Instruction, Jumeirah Golf Estates

A

nother drill you can use to really improve your medium-iron play and, more importantly, how you can improve your ball-striking.

I’ve got a seven iron in my hand, and this applies to all the clubs in your bag, from the medium irons through to the longer irons.

We’re going to show you how you can get more consistency in your trajectory and your ballstriking.

I’ve placed a tee in front of the ball to encourage me to make contact with the ball first. We hit the ball as the clubface goes through, continuing through the tee.

One thing that you see all great players do at impact is their hands are slightly ahead of the ball. Their lower body is rotating and they’re going to build greater consistency and trajectory – and when you control trajectory, you control distance.

WATCH WAYNE’S TIPS AT WWGOLF.NET

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INSTRUCTION

TOWELDRILL W

hat we see with many amateur golfers is that they have the tendency to try and scoop the ball in the air in order to get flight on the ball.

So I’m going to show you a small drill that will really improve your ball-striking especially when it comes to wedge play.

Lay down a rolled up towel about a foot behind the ball.

What we want to work on is trying to get you to make really positive contact with the ball and the turf. Your goal is to not touch the towel with your club at any point.

WAYNE JOHNSON, DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION AT THE EUROPEAN TOUR PERFORMANCE INSTITUTE, SHOWS US TWO SIMPLE DRILLS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF YOUR BALL-STRIKING

• Place the ball about a foot in front of the towel • Hold your weight in the forward foot • Swing back and keep the club up above the towel • As you come down, let the lower body release If you do the drill correctly, you’ll get a nice shallow divot.

Work this drill and you’ll get more control, spin the ball more, and hit more consistent shots on the golf course.

WATCH WAYNE’S TIPS AT WWGOLF.NET

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Worldwide GOLF Columnist

Players line-up for a photocall ahead of the 2015 Els for Autism Pro-Am in Florida last month.

Greg Norman Giving Back is the Way Forward

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recently did an interview with the Wall Street Journal in the United States and made a comment about some of today’s US PGA Tour pros which received a lot of media attention. To quote myself directly, “Certain players are happy just going through the motions. They don’t want to be the leader, they would rather be a sheep. They enjoy grazing the field and getting fat and sassy.”

While those players do exist, there are also a few guys who really impress me both on and off the course. There are a number of players who are determined to not only get to the top, but who take it another step further and really give back once they make it there.

One of the privileges of being on the world stage as a player on the US PGA Tour and The European Tour is that you have the opportunity to contribute to and raise awareness for a variety of charities. This is something that I have done through my tournaments, specifically the Franklin Templeton Shootout and our charity, CureSearch National Childhood Cancer Foundation.

Over the past 26 years, the tournament has donated more than $12 million to CureSearch to help fund targeted and innovative children’s cancer research. Both the Valero Texas Open and OHL Classic at Mayakoba are also

committed to supporting local, national and international charities and continue to raise funds and awareness for a myriad of programmes year after year.

My good friend Ernie Els started the Els for Autism foundation in 2009 after his son Ben became profoundly impacted by the disorder. He launched a capital campaign to raise $30 million to finance The Els Centre for Excellence, the first of its kind in the world, of which the Els family have committed $6 million of their own money. His stellar record on the golf course is matched by his dedication and passion to philanthropy off the course.

Give back in so many ways

Bubba Watson is someone else who really stands out to me. He has truly utilised his success to give back in so many ways, and it is something that really seems to drive him.

The scope of his charitable contributions is quite overwhelming when you look at his work with the ‘Bubba Watson Foundation,’ ‘Bubba & Friends Drive to a Million,’ and ‘Bubba’s Bash’ to name but a few.

He also supports existing organisations, like ‘Birdies for the Brave,’ which he recently backed by auctioning off his 1939 Cadillac LaSalle C-Hawk Custom

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Roadster for $410,000. Another key player on today’s stage who I have been very vocal about my admiration for is Rory McIlroy.

His determination and candour are very impressive, as is his desire to use his celebrity for good causes. The Rory Foundation is something he takes very seriously, with a heavy emphasis on giving back to his home country. The Rory Foundation is hosting the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open this year, serving as the official charity. Last October he opened the Cancer Fund for Children’s Therapeutic Short Break Centre in Newcastle, Northern Ireland. At such a young age, Rory is sure to make a big difference not only to the game of golf but to all of the lives he will touch as a goodwill ambassador.

You can’t mention the words ‘philanthropy’ and ‘golf’ without the names Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player coming to mind. All three have made it their life’s work to give back and they have made a significant impact on the world through their various causes.

I’m aware that a great many Tour players make a significant contribution to a wide variety of charities but I implore the young players on Tour today to do the same, and make their brand synonymous with what they give back. n

Worldwide GOLF Columnist

Gary Player Proud to be part of the history of golf

I

T was a great experience to cut the blue ribbon for the opening of the Gary Player Grand Slam Success Exhibition at The World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum, located at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Florida.

The exhibition commemorates the 50th anniversary of my victory at the US Open at Bellerive Country Club in St Louis, where I completed the Grand Slam of all four Majors, joining the elite club of Gene Sarazen (1935) and Ben Hogan (1953). Jack Nicklaus became a member in 1966 and Tiger Woods followed in 2000. I fully expect the club membership to reach six later this month when Rory McIlroy wins The Masters.

The stage is all set for Rory. He’s got the experience and the maturity to achieve the Grand Slam and I know he’ll be a great asset to the club.

I used to believe that Ben Hogan and Sam Snead had the sweetest swings in golf until I recently saw a movie on Bobby Jones.

Now, I’m not so sure. I’ve got to say that I couldn’t separate Hogan and Snead from Jones. I don’t think it will be long before I also include Rory, with his beautiful swing, in the same bracket as those three greats.

It’s remarkable what Bobby Jones achieved considering his hickory shafted clubs and a ball that didn’t go very far.

It was wonderful to have my family and so many friends with me at The World Golf Hall of Fame. There was so much memorabilia from throughout my career, including my Masters Green Jacket, all four Major championship trophies, and numerous items gathered from my 165 career tournament victories in 21 countries on six continents over more than five decades.

When I looked around the exhibition I had to say to myself, ‘Did I do all this!’ It was hard to take it all in.

Although I’m proud to be a member of the Grand Slam elite I’m also proud to be the only player to have achieved the Grand Slam in Seniors Golf. Nine Majors on the regular Tour and nine Majors as a Senior is no mean feat.

I was so happy to be surrounded by so

much rich history from Bobby Jones to Tiger Woods. The team at The World Golf Hall of Fame have done a remarkable job of making this history of our great game come to life.

It was a wonderful climax to a magical day for me to hear Jack Peter, CEO of The World Golf Hall of Fame, say: “Gary has played such an integral role in globalizing the game of golf and the values he represents are what makes the Hall of Fame so proud to be able to call him our Global Ambassador through his commitment to education, family, charity and fitness.”

Presidents Cup

I’m pleased to see The Presidents Cup taking place at Incheon Golf Club in South Korea. I went to play the golf club when I was there and it’s a great golf course. It’s a wonderful initiative to take the event to that part of the world. It will be good for golf in South Korea in particular and Asia in general.

They are fanatical about both men’s and women’s golf in South Korea. They are dreamers and doers with a dedicated worth ethic and determination to get to the top.

They are passionate about golf and they are prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to succeed. n

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Worldwide GOLF Columnist

Lee Westwood hits his approach shot to the 18th hole en route to victory at the 2007 British Masters at The Belfry.

David Howell New Lease of Life for The Tour

T

HERE has been some really positive news of late on The European Tour.

New tournaments have come onto the calendar and existing events have found a new lease of life, courtesy of some leverage from the players, including the world’s current number one golfer - but frankly we are happy for a leg up anywhere we can find it.

After too many years without it, the British Masters is making a comeback - and about time, too. Once one of the Tour’s finest events, sadly it had fallen by the wayside, a victim of the financial crisis. However, The Tour has recently confirmed the date of October 8-11 for this fine event at the magnificent Woburn Golf Club.

That’s just the start of the good news.

Presented by Sky Sports, it’s the first time our strongest TV partner has actually backed an individual event with its own name. Anyone who knows anything about SKY will tell you, they don’t like to do things by halves, so we can expect a fantastic experience both for fans and players alike.

Most interesting of all, however, is the concept of England’s finest players, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood hosting the event in turn. Starting things off will be Ian Poulter, hosting the British Masters at the wonderful venue of Woburn, his home club. If you have never been to Woburn, I have to tell you it’s certainly worth a visit. It’s a truly beautiful village that sits aside a gorgeous wildlife park and one of England’s finest treelined golf complexes.

It sounds like a really strong combination and, hopefully, it will propel the British Masters right back where it belongs, as a world-class tournament of stature that brings many of the world’s finest players to the UK once again.

The past winners’ list reads like a ‘Who’s Who’

of international golf: Jacklin, Norman, Langer, Woosnam, Lyle, Faldo, Ballesteros…

Personally, I have fond memories of the British Masters at Woburn. Not only did I once lose in a four-way play-off on the renowned Marquess course that once again will host the tournament this year, but I also remember attending as a 10 year old back in 1985, my first ever visit to a professional golf event.

If my memory serves me correct, it was the mercurial ‘Merry-Mex’ Lee Trevino who won, back in 1985. But there were two other things I can remember as clear as day: American Lanny Wadkins smashing his sand wedge into the dirt in a fit of pique, and Bernhard Langer making my mother blush with a well-timed smile. There is much golf to play between now and October but I for one can’t wait to get back to good old Woburn Sands.

Influx of interest

The Irish Open has also had an influx of interest since Rory McIlroy announced he would host this event with a charitable component aiding The Rory Foundation. Once again, this is a great idea and a well deserved honour, too. Rory has taken the cause to heart and has wielded his influence on his pals to come and play. As a result this year’s field is looking stronger than ever before, with the likes of Rickie Fowler, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood all confirming their participation, as well as the ever popular Irish contingent of Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and recent winner of the Honda Classic, Padraig Harrington.

Wouldn’t you know it, with such a superb line-up, Dubai Duty Free have come on board, too, as the title sponsor. Dubai Duty Free’s Executive Vice Chairman, Colm Mcloughlin, a personality we all know so well and respect,

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through his sponsorship of world-class golf and tennis tournaments in Dubai, knows a good thing when he sees it. It’s great for golf and The Tour that such a world renowned brand has come on board in support of one of Europe’s premier events.

Two-week stretch

Hosted at Royal County Down Golf Club, one of Northern Ireland’s finest links courses, the event will almost certainly be another sell- out, and will form a great twoweek stretch in the UK, coming as it does on the back of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club, the flagship event of The European Tour.

Paul Lawrie is another player to put his name and support to a European Tour event this year with the Saltire Energy Paul Lawrie Matchplay at Murcar Links from July 30-August 2 in his hometown of Aberdeen.

Like many European Tour players, Paul puts a lot of time and effort into his charitable Paul Lawrie Foundation.

So things are looking really strong once again on The Tour. Rory is playing the Omega European Masters in Switzerland the week after The Open Championship at St Andrews, guaranteeing a stellar field there; and the European Open has also returned to the schedule at Bad Griesbach in September, hosted in Germany, who have confirmed their bid to host the 2022 Ryder Cup. I haven’t yet heard of Martin Kaymer hosting this event but as they say, watch this space?

So, all in all, 2015 looks like it’s going to be a cracking year for The European Tour and with the world’s number one and number two, Rory McIlroy and Henrik Stenson being fully fledged members of The Tour the future is looking brighter than ever. n

Worldwide GOLF Columnist

Pete Cowen

Stenson will bounce back from Bay Hill

W

e were all so pleased with Padraig Harrington’s long-awaited win last month at the Honda Classic. I’ve been working with Padraig for the past three or four years and we’ve both known for quite some time that it’s not his golf game that has been the problem, it’s his mental approach.

It’s been so frustrating for Padraig. On the practice range he’s got total control of his ball and he’s been hitting it well but it just wasn’t happening for him on the course. The errors he’s been making on the golf course have been mental errors and not technical errors.

We were on the range on the Tuesday, practicing before the Honda Classic at PGA National , along with his caddie, Ronan, when Padraig said, ‘I found something in practicing last week on the Sunday at Riviera during the Northern Trust Open and I now understand why, mentally, I’ve not been able to do what I want to do on the golf course. So I think I’m going to have a really good week this week in the Honda.’

Padraig did have a good finish at Riviera, but our eyebrows raised considerably as Ronan and I looked at each other as Padraig added, ‘I’ll go further than that – I believe I might even win this week.’ Ronan and I burst out laughing and I said, ‘Look, Padraig, we’d be happy to settle for a decent week, let alone winning it.”

I wasn’t working with Padraig when he won his three Majors in 2007 and 2008 - I started working with him in 2012, and he reckoned he his ball striking was the best it had ever been and he proved his point by almost winning The Masters and the US Open that year. So his golfing ability never really left him.

It’s been great for Padraig to receive such a deluge of congratulations from everywhere. That should do his confidence no end of good going

into The Masters and the main part of the season.

I’m pleased also for Henrik Stenson. When Henrik puts his mind to it and gets his focus right he’s difficult to beat in any tournament. Over the years he’s been learning how to be patient and that has brought him great success. He knows that he’ll need to be patient if he’s going to win The Masters. You can’t afford to make costly mistakes at Augusta, you’ve got to think your way round. It suits players like Bernhard Langer who can get out of trouble with his short game and it could just suit Henrik.

Putted poorly

Although he putted poorly in the final day at Bay Hill last month, where he finished one shot behind defending champion Matt Every, his putting so far this season has been excellent.

He admits that had he putted as well as had the previous three days when he shot 68-66-66, he’d have won by three or four strokes.

One of my other players, Graeme McDowell, is struggling at the moment to make a score. We’re working on getting the fade back into his game – and I’ve no doubt we’ll get there.

I was delighted to see Dubai Duty Free take up the title sponsorship of the Irish Open, through DDF’s Irish connection of Executive Vice Chairman Colm McLoughlin and President George Horan. Dubai and the Middle East is massive for The European Tour and this is another excellent example of Dubai supporting The Tour through sponsorship. The Middle East is probably the most important region for The Tour right now, along with China.

It’s a great place to practice and this is why most of players prefer to play the first few tournaments of their season in the Middle East, instead of playing on the West Coast of America.

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You couldn’t wish for a better place to practice, with the weather and the facilities the UAE can provide. Just look at the number of Tour players who have visited The European Tour Performance Institute at Jumeirah Golf Estates. It’s a fantastic place for golf. The players can call in on their way back from Asia - it’s a hub and it’s ideal for them.

I’m pleased at the way The European Tour players are giving back to The Tour and to golf this season. The players don’t just play for money.

They play golf because they love the game - and they want to put a bit back.

It makes a lot of sense for The European Tour players to host golf events because they can pull their mates into playing the tournament.

When Nicklaus, Player and Palmer host events, everyone wants to play. They can bring the players in because of their name and reputation.

Look at Rory McIlroy getting the likes of Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els to play the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, along with the strong Irish contingent; look at Ian Poulter and the players he will bring to the resurrected British Masters at his home club, Woburn; Paul Lawrie in his hometown of Aberdeen is doing something similar with his match play event. It’s all good for The Tour and it’s all good for the players.

People are still asking the question – will Tiger play The Masters? He hasn’t played in quite a while so what’s the point in Tiger going to Augusta. If he can’t win he won’t go. There’s no reason why Tiger would play any event if he doesn’t think he can win. He has to be tournament fit to have a chance at the Masters and with just one event before Augusta it’s just not going to happen.

I wouldn’t write Tiger off altogether but I think it’s going to be a long haul if he wants to make it back into the game at the top level. n

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ArabianGOLF NEWS FROM THE LEADING CLUBS IN THE REGION

UAE Successfully Defend Their Team Net Title At The GCC Under-15 Golf Championship

by MOHAMED SULEMAN

T

HE UAE retained their Team Net title at the second GCC Under-15 Golf Championship as the trio of Mahmood Skaik, Mohamed Al Hajeri and Khalil Kashwani carded a team score of 430 to take top spot in the division.

Teams from all six Gulf Cooperation Council states – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE – competed in the 3-day event at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club which saw more than 20 youngsters battle it out in testing conditions.

In the end it was Qatar’s Ahmed al Muttawah who won the Individual Net crown with a score of 208 while Oman’s Fahad al Kitani shot a 234 to clinch the Gross title after finishing runner-up at last year’s inaugural event in Muscat.

Al Kitani also joined hands with his fellow countrymen Rashad Al Harthy and Haitham Al Zubair to ensure that Oman would comfortably retain the

Team Gross title. For the UAE it was a case of a solid team ethos paying off as National Team Coach Greg Holmes led his side to an impressive win in the Team Net competition.

“We’re not results-focussed so we don’t tell the boys they must win whenever they go out there,” said Holmes. “We try to teach them all about the basics of golf and not put pressure on them by having them fixed on a result. Our motto is to help the players achieve their fullest potential within a successful team environment.”

Holmes, who began his role as the UAE National Team Coach late last year, said he was impressed with how his young side have improved ‘leaps and bounds’ and said that competitions like this one were a good barometer to gauge how much the team has progressed.

The event was organised by the Emirates Golf Federation under the patronage of H.E.

The Oman tean celebrate winning the gross prize at the GCC Under-15 Golf Championship.

Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi.

Khalid Mubarak Al Shamshi, Secretary-General of the EGF and Team Manager, said junior events like the GCC Under-15 Golf Championship are crucial for the development of golf in the region and for forging stronger ties between fellow golfers in the GCC. “These tournaments play an important role in cementing sporting links between Arab countries and there is always

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a good camaraderie as players compete in a healthy environment,” said Sheikh Fahim.

“We firmly believe the way forward is to invest at grassroots level. We can only build a strong foundation of golf if our youngsters are exposed to competitive environments at an early age.

This under-15 tournament is the right platform for emerging talent to get to their full potential.”

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T OW ER LINKS GOL F C LUB FLOYD ON FIRE TLGC ROGER Floyd rolled back the

DAVID GRAY TOP OF 24 PGA PROS AT ABU DHABI OPEN

years in the weekly social Stableford recently with a flawless score of 20 Stableford points and clinched the overall title ahead of Andy Cormack and J.I. Park, who had to be separated by a countback.

Coming out on top in that battle was Park due to his stronger finish over the last three holes.

Miller Green finished last with a highly forgetable eitht points to take home the wooden spoon. .

SBGC DAVID Gray of Dubai Golf recently

LLEWELLYN LIGHTS IT UP TLGC GEORGE Llewellyn compiled a

superb tally of 21 points to win the recent Social nine-hole Stableford by one point ahead of Gerry Gibson, Andy Prescott and J.I.Park. After a countback Gibson was confirmed the eventual runner-up with Prescott taking third and Park missing out on a place on the podium.

THE BUXMANNS ARE BACK

TRINH AND ADRIAN ON ROUTE 66 SBGC CHLOE Trinh clinched the recent medal with a superb

net 66, two shots clear of Nadia van Houcke with Mary Mercado taking third with a 71. Adrian Rowe won the Men’s prize with a 66 with Ray Rice taking second place outright after he defeated Leon Pretorious on a countback.

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TLGC DESPITE a two-year sabbatical from the game, Johan and Manilyn Buxmann came back with a bang recently and totally dominated the field in the weekly 2-player social scramble.

The dynamic duo posted a superb gross 34 for a net 31.87 and a 0.82 margin of victory over Derek Fisher and Simon Payne. Miller Green and Justin Clarke took third place with a score of 32.77.

clinched the Abu Dhabi Open in the field of 24 UAE PGA Professionals with a level par-72. The Scot, a regular in the region’s MENA Tour events, managed to keep his nerve the whole way round and sank a number of crucial 20 footers on en route to the clubhouse.

“It’s great to play on the finest playing surfaces, experience incredible guest service, enjoy unmatched amenities and take pleasure in exquisite dining every time you come to Saadiyat,” said Gray. “It was a great Troon Golf experience and I’d like to give my special thanks to Scott McCaw and his team for a great day out for the UAE PGA.” Steven Munro took second place while Callum Nicoll, Ryan Smith and Purna Sharma finished in a share of third.

THE RACE IS ON AT THE ALLEGRIA For the second year running, The Race to The Monty has

AGC been launched by the Troon-managed The Allegria Golf

ROBBIE CUNNINGHAM WINS HIS FIRST TITLE AS A MEMBER Robbie Cunningham clinched his

TLGC first ever victory as a member

with a healthy tally of +9 in the Classic Stableford event recently. Ahmad Mustapha

and Jihad Azzam took second and third place respectively after a countback while Graham Farrington finished bottom of the field with a score of -10.

Club in Cairo, Egypt. The year long challenge was first launched in 2014 and has since turned into The Allegria’s flagship event.

Last year’s tournament saw over 393 competitors battle it out over 11 competitions. In the end, it was Taymour Scarello and Sherif Fahmy who won the all-expenses-paid trip to The Address Montgomerie Dubai.

“It was a great experience and The Address Montgomerie hotel was luxurious,” said Scarello. “When they knew we were from The Troon Golf-managed Thr Allegria Course, Cairo, they gave us a right royal welcome and the service and treatment was first class.

This year’s race will see a series of 10 events run from February to November at The Allegria with a FedEx-Cup style points system to determine the two lucky winners. The overall winner in the gross and net divisions will receive a three-night stay for two at The Address Montgomerie Dubai plus three rounds of golf per person at the accompanying championship course and return flights for them and their partner.

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THE A D D R E S S M O N T G O M E R I E D U B A I

BRITS SIMPSON AND JONES CLAIM THE NATIONS CUP THE British team of Charlie Simpson and

TMGC Steve Jones took the spoils in the annual

Nations Cup with a narrow countback victory over the Korean team of Yong Jin Choi and Seng Gee Baek.

Both teams finished on 39 points but it was the Brits’ better finish that saw them emerge victorious. Finishing in third place overall was

another British team of Nigel White and Bruce Vallance with 38 points. In Division ‘B’ the Jordanian pair of Alan and Sam Salem scored 39 points to win by three points from two teams.

Taking second place after winning on a countback was the Scottish team of Derek and Anne Allen who finished stronger than the USA team of Paul Bayer and Lori Reynolds.

YAQUB GOES LOW IN HIGH WINDS TO WIN AIR FRANCE EVENT FARHAN Yaqub shot a gross 80 to win

TMGC the Air France Golf World Tour event

THOMAS REIGNS SUPREME AT AESGC JUNIOR OPEN 2015 AESGC Rayhan Thomas emerged victorious at the

2015 Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club Junior Open after he fired a gross round of four-under par 67.

For the girls it was Kate Bibby who won the net division with a barely believable score of net 52.

Runner-up was AESGC’s Sakura Kawakami for her net 64, while Nishtha Madan finished third.

In the boys division it was Dhruv Nair who prevailed over Matthew Laven in a playoff after both golfers carded rounds of net 69. Mark Baxter came in third place for his tidy round of 71.

MALCOLM GRAY TOPS ECCO MEDAL TMGC MALCOLM Gray secured the gross honours in

the recent ECCO Medal with a 79, two shots clear of John Hughes, while Masoud Sobati clinched the top spot in Division ‘A’ with a net 70, two shots clear of Billy Mitchell.

Ralph Maenen topped Division ‘B’ with a net 67, five clear of Peter Samuel while the Ladies Net Division was won by Valerie Bujsaim with a 73, four shots clear of Jane Gray. The Ladies gross prize went to Ok Young Cho with a superb 78.

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A R ABIAN RANC HES GOL F C LUB

recently while Ok Young Cho shot an 89 to win the Ladies title in tough scoring conditions.

Strong winds swept across the course and coming out on top in the men’s Division ‘A’ was Mike Roberts with a net 76 while an excellent net 68 saw John Norton top the pile in Division ‘B’. The honours in Division ‘C’ went to Guillaume Delabarre with a 68 while Jane Gray won the Ladies net title with a 75.

MARSHALL’S 5-UNDER SEALS MEDAL WIN ADGC TREVOR Marshall came

FENWICK AND O’CONNELL SECURE COUNTBACK WIN ARGC GLEB Fenwick and Kevin

O’Connell recently combined to score 46 Stableford points and win the Grosvenor Pools Golf Day on a countback. The format was Betterball Stableford with each player using their handicap index as the allowance to be taken at the appropriate stroke index holes and then the best net score between the two players recorded at each hole.

The winners’ card consisted of two halves of 23 to make up their total, but they had a nervy wait to find out if it was good enough to win as Ailsa Campbell and Anne Hainey also tallied the same score. However, after a countback victory went to Fenwick and O’Connell. Roland Roth and Siba Shakib took third place with 45 points and fourth place went to Paul Hardy and Paul Wright.

out on top ahead of 26 other PGA Professionals in the recent Abu Dhabi PGA Medal with a superb round of 5-under-par 67.

Marshall, who plays out of Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club completed a three-stroke win over Anthony Buchanan from Yas Links with Josh Taylor and Callum Nicoll – both of The Els Club – sharing third place with a 1-under-par 71.

Nicoll is currently leading the Order of Merit heading into the final few events of the winter session and he showed his class with 17 pars and one solo birdie on the opening hole.

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E MIRATES GOLF C LUB

INDIA’S GOKUL, SUNIL, AMAN AND SURESH WIN KOHLMAN NATIONS CUP BACK-TO-BACK WITH a combined score of 84 points, the quartet of

EGC Gokul Mani, Sunil Aggarwal, Aman Chopra and Suresh Shewakramani, representing India, triumphed in the Kohlman Nations Cup for the second year running.

Ashis Nanda, Shravan Khanna, Pankaj Verma and Bipin Bhatia, also representing India, secured the runner-up spot with 80 points, while third place went to the USA team represented by Aaron Banks, Rajinder Razdan, William Ayres and Ashish Dave.

RAYHAN FOLLOWS RORY WITH OMEGA AMATEUR VICTORY Representing the Dubai

EGC Creek Golf and Yacht

Club, young Rayhan Thomas followed in the footsteps of World number one Rory Mcilroy over the Majlis course to triumph in the 26th Omega Emirates Amateur Open. Following his opening round of 75 on the Faldo course, Thomas headed into the final round six shots adrift of the overnight leader, Jack Davis, and signed for a dazzling 68 to miraculously end the day the winner by six shots.

Bayhaan Lakdawala and Petr Dedek both finished on five-over par for the championship but Lakdawala’s 73 in the final round was enough for him to secure the runners-up place for the second consecutive year.

GLORY FOR GUPTA IN LADIES CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP EGC JAYSHREE GUPTA was

crowned the 2015 Ladies Club Champion after posting rounds of 79 and 80 on her way to a comprehensive seven stroke victory.

Gupta scored 79 on day one over the Faldo course, which put her at the top of the leaderboard, and then followed it up with an 80 on day two over the Majlis course to post a winning 36 hole total of 159. Carolyn Thompson took the runner-up spot with a score of 166, while Cathrine Clark finished in third place.

The best gross score of the day was achieved by Rosemary Turlik, who signed for an 82.

Division B winner Rajesh Verma and Director of Golf Barney Coleman.

VERMA WINS DIV B MASHREQ MEDAL David Waite took the overall spoils in the

EGC Mashreq Medal for March in association with BMW and Ruth’s Chris Dubai, after coming out on top in what was a closely contested affair with four players tied on the overall winning score of 70.

Waite took the overall spoils along with the Division A (hcp 0-10) honours as he fisnished ahead of runner-up Qamar Rasheed and Imran Qayyum who finished in third place.

Division B (hcp 11-20) was won by Rajesh Verma for his net score of two under par 70 with the runner-up spot going to Ishu Rupani, who scored a net 71. In third place wasTej Chhabra with a 74.

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D U BAI CREEK GOL F & YA C HT CL UB DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB

THE third edition of the 2015 Mashreq Medal

DCGYC Championship saw Sami Eldin claim his first win in the series which took him up the order of merit with some all valuable points. Eldin produced a superb score of net 68 to finish just one shot ahead of Michael Nielsen, who was the division’s runner-up with a net 72.

In the Men’s B Division it was Praveen Kalia who fired a level par net 71 to defeat Ashok Kumar by a shot. Navneet Chopra came out on top in the Senior Division with a solid score of 81 while Swati Singh was victorious in the Ladies Division for her level par net 71. Bayhaan Lakdawala carded a 75 to claim the best gross prize.

Stephen Hubner (Director Of Golf, Dubai Creek), Zakir Hussain (Sales Exec, Turkish Airlines), Abdel Qadir Al Kahloot (Regional Manager, Mashreq), Sami Eldin (Champion), Harini White (Lady Captain, Dubai Creek), Joseph Ghossoub (Club Captain, Dubai Creek), Rashid Hamood (Golf Experience Manager, Dubai Creek).

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D U BAI CREEK GOL F & YA C HT CL UB BAKAL WINS PING DUBAI CREEK LADIES AMATEUR OPEN 2015 THE 2015 PING

DCGYC Dubai Creek Ladies

Stephen Hubner (Director Of Golf, Dubai Creek), Marius Nelson (Accounts Exec, Mona Trading, J Lindberg), Rayhaan Thomas (Champion), Joseph Ghossoub (Club Captain, Dubai Creek), Luke Tidmarsh (Golf Operations Intern, Dubai Creek).

RAYHAN THOMAS CROWNED 2015 DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB CHAMPION WITH 3-SHOT WIN OVER MIKI MIRZA THE red-hot Rayhan Thomas claimed his maiden Dubai Creek Club Championship

DCGYC title as he came from behind to win the Creek’s prestigious two-rounds 36-hole

strokeplay event. Thomas ended the opening round three shots behind former winner Miki Mirza but a final round of 75 was enough for him to finish three shots in front of Mirza and be crowned the 2015 Dubai Creek Men’s Club Champion with a two-day total of 146.

A total of 149 saw Mirza finish runner-up for the second year running while last year’s champion Bayhaan Lakdawala took third place after rounds of 76 and 75 for a total of 151.

In the net category it was Stephen Barker who took top honours with rounds of 73 and 75 for a 6-over par total of 144 while Alok Pant finished runner-up in the division, just two shots behind Barker.

SAHANA Paravantavida DCGYC clinched the Ladies Club Championship with a superb tworound tally of 164 for a four-stroke win over Naema Maya.

It was the first time the event had been played over a weekend of 36 holes of strokeplay and a very strong field assembled to compete for the honour.

Paravantavida opened up with a

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SAHANA CLINCHES THE LADIES CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP

Amateur Open saw The Els Club member Anastacia Bakal (right) produce a fantastic round of two-over par 73 to claim her second Ping Dubai Creek Ladies Open title in three years.

Arabian Ranches member Kim Chiang secured the runner-up for a second year running after a round of 80.

Dubai Creek’s Aashka Desai took the Silver Division title with a superb round of one-over par net 72 while another Els Club junior member, Alkyonie Aharidis, finished runner-up, just two shots back.

In the Bronze Division Dubai Creek junior member Eshna Bhargava, came out on top with a solid one-over par net 72, as Beatrice Galeppini marked her return to the game with a net 75.

solid 78 to lead by five and held on in the second round for her excellent 164 total.

Maya shot an opening 88 and bounced back with an 80 to climb the leaderboard and seal second place but nobody managed to make a challenge to topple the winner.

Kristi Sealey took the net title with a superb total of 135, nine strokes clear of Vijaya Brahmachary.

EMMANUEL BAUTISTA SEALS LUFTHANSA MEDAL EMMANUEL Bautista

AHGC clinched the recent Lufthansa

Stephen Hubner (Director Of Golf, Dubai Creek), with Sahana Paravantavida (Champion) and Harini White (Lady Captain, Dubai Creek)

Monthly Medal at the Palms GC, Intercontinental Riyadh with an excellent 1-under-par 55 while Roy Evans clinched the top spot in Division ‘A’ with a countback win over Danny Naval.

In Division ‘B’ Banjamine Santuyo shot a 56 to win ahead of Bob Bruford by four shots, while Javier Chamorro sealed the honours in Division ‘C’ with a 58, one clear of Phaldie Peterson. Kin Jin Soon clinched the Ladies Division ahead of Petra Hahn.

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A L BADIA GOLF C LUB VIJAY DEVNANI AND ASHOK GALGOTIA CALL THE SHOTS AT IGS EVENT ABGC Vijay Devnani and Ashok Galgotia produced

JAMES DOYLE TEAM TAKES 2015 AL BADIA TROPHY

some excellent golf to win their respective divisions at the Al Badia Golf Challenge organised by the Indian Golfers Society.

Devnani led the way as his 41 points were enough to take the honours in Division A, ahead of Anish Bhatia’s 39 points and Sat Sembi’s 35 points.

Meanwhile, Galgotia was equally impressive in Division B, taking the title with 40 points to finish three points ahead of runner-up Nishith Patel.

THE Al Badia Trophy was the

ABGC first ‘Major’ of the Al Badia

Golf Club 2015 season with a coveted spot on the honours board on offer for the winning team.

In the end it was the team of James Doyle, Laura Newman and Tim Sephton who emerged victorious with a net score of 58.3.

Defending champions Henric Carlsson, Charles Kinniburgh, Stewart Adams and Jenny Kim took the runners-up position with a net score of 58.7 while Ian Wilson, Roman Puklenko, Ali Kabir and Mohamed Aliyu took third place.

KELSHAW CROWNED 2015 CLUB CHAMPION Steve Kelshaw was

ABGC crowned the Al Badia

Vijay Devnani and Ashok Galgotia with Neil Wilford and George Duncan of Bentley at Al Badia Golf Club.

Golf Club Champion for 2015 as he posted exceptional scores of 76 and 77 to win Al Badia’s most prestigious event of the season. The win was Kelshaw’s third Club Championship triumph as he overcame runner-up Henris Carlsson and defending champion Keith Nann, who took third place.

The net division was won by John Sillifant who recorded

net scores of 70 and 74 on his way to narrowly beating Graham Ellis by one shot while James Doyle took third place.

In the ladies section it was Jenny Kim who became the first player to retain the Ladies Club Championship, while the ladies net championship was comfortably won by 13-year-old Jully Kang for her fantastic net rounds of 68 and 66.

GARY WHITE WINS ‘DIGS’ DUBAI DUTY FREE MARK FAHY MEMORIAL GOLF TOURNAMENT AL BADIA Golf Club played host to the Dubai Irish Golf Society

ABGC (DIGS) for the annual Mark Fahy Memorial Golf Tournament

Colm McLoughlin, Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman, presents the ‘DIGS’ DDF Mark Fahy Memorial trophy to overall champion Gary White, with DDF President George Horan and DDF Vice President – Marketing, Sinead El Sibai.

sponsored by Dubai Duty Free. Over 70 DIGS members turned out to support the event, which is run in memory of Mark Fahy, a prominent figure in the Irish community in Dubai who passed away through cancer. The overall champion of the day was Gary White who scored a excellent 40 Stableford points. The winner in the men’s division was Paul Murnaghan, who finished a single point ahead of runner-up Anthony Stroud and three points clear of the third-placed Paul Byrne.

The ladies division was dominated by Maura Duggan, who won the longest drive competition, in addition to being crowned the overall ladies winner with 32 points. Aisling Byrne took the ladies runner-up position for her 23 points.

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D I RAB GOLF & C O UNTRY CL UB HANLON AND IRFAN DOVETAIL NICELY TO WIN DGCC KEVIN Hanlon and Farhan

TEAMS GO LOW IN THE CCOR OPEN A SUPERB gross 62 gave the

DGCC team of Bouchaib El Jadiani, Majed Sorour, Taymour Alireza and Ambassador Thomas McDonald of the Embassy of Canada a net 56 and the top prize in the third annual CCOR Open last month. Scoring was excellent throughout with five teams posting a net 57, meaning several

card countbacks were required to settle the final placings. Taking second place outright was the team of Gary McGlinchey, Darryl Mogridge, Brian Rychlicki and Irene Rychlicki, thanks to their inward 31, with third place going to Alan Commins, Downal Hutchinson, Kelly Chiasson and Jean Marc Coupet.

Irfan clinched the AlNakhla Open last month with a 2-ball Texas Scramble score of 65. The pair’s stronger back nine of 36 gave them a

narrow countback win over Il Joong Kim and Mira Jung, while taking third place, one stroke further back, were the duo of Rees Gordon and Ruhan De Kock.

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JU M E I R A H G O LF E S TAT E S

MAKI-PETAJA AND DUNN DOMINATE MONTHLY MEDAL AHGC JAKE Maki-Petaja and

Mike Dunn won their respective divisions as the duo dominated proceedings at the Monthly Medal.

Maki-Petaja won the gross division by two shots after carding a round of 79 to win by three strokes over Brian Stewart.

Dunn, meanwhile, fired four net birdies and an eagle on his way to a one-under round of net 71 to win by one from runner-up Pierre Lefebvre.

KIM CHIANG TRIUMPHS AT RAK LADIES OPEN

GREAT SCORES IN MEMBER & GUEST A FIELD of 100 players took to the Earth

JGE Course for the second Members & Guest

KIM CHIANG claimed a four shot victory

event sponsored by Reiss clothing company and coming out on top with an excellent score of 82 points were David Hadley, Stefan Sickel, James Patla and Werner Rooseboom. The team of Mark Gillings, David Millar, Ben Graham and Steve Pyle set the clubhouse target with a superb score of 80 but they were overtaken and had to settle for second place while the team of Peter Bauer, Anne Bauer and Jurry De Vries and Jacqueline De Vries scored 79 to take third place.

AHGC in the 9th Toni&Guy RAK Ladies Open at Al Hamra Golf Club as she produced a round of 76 to finish four shots clear of runner-up Anastacia Bakal, while 2010 champion Nasha Sarkari took third place.

In the net division Kate Bibby fired a stunning round of 57 to finish 13 shots clear of her nearest rival Eshna Bhargava. Third place went to Aashaka Desai for her round of 73.

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A L MOUJ GOLF MUS C AT OMA N

TIM MADDERN TAKES MUSCAT MEDAL

JEFF CAMPBELL WINS THE MUSCAT OPEN IN A PLAY-OFF

TIM Maddern swooped

AHGC to victory in last month’s Chedi Muscat Monthly Medal after a net 68 gave him a three stroke win over Emma Merritt.

Maddern, who plays off 28, shot a gross 96 for his net total while Merritt, who also plays of 28, carded a gross 99.

Taking third place was John Prescott (15) with a 72. Things didn’t start off well for Prescott as he opened his round with a 7, but he came home in 40 for a gross 87.

Former Ladies European Tour player Lynn Casey (who is the wife of Almouj Golf Professional Marcus) clinched the gross title with an 82 – but had to do it the hard way after eventually winning a countback over Club Captain Aaron O’Hara. The Ladies net title went to Emma Merritt.

RAHGC THE Muscat Open Golf

Championship returned to the Troon Golf-managed Ras Al Hamra Golf Club as an impressive field competed in the 42nd edition of Oman’s longest running Open golf championship.

In what was one of the most tightly contested Muscat Open Championships in years, Jeff Campbell from Ghala Golf Club defeated former winner Ed Edwards from Doha Golf Club in a suddendeath play-off on the first extra hole. Both players had finished level on 154 strokes after the twoday 36 hole competition but in the end it was Campbell who emerged victorious. Reigning Muscat Open champion and five-time winner Azaan Al Rumhy finished in third position four shots behind Campbell and Edwards. In the net

Champion Jeff Campbell (left) receives the trophy from Raoul Restucci, Managing Director, Petroleum Development Oman.

category it was Hussain Dad from Ras Al Hamra Golf Club who took top honours with a score of 147 after producing an impressive round of 69 net on the first day.

Nasaruddin Mohamad claimed second spot with a score of 150, two shots ahead of former Ras Al Hamra Golf Club Committee member in third place. Hamood Al Harthy won the Junior Best Gross with a total score of 175, while his younger brother Rashad Al Harthy won the Junior Best Net with a score of 156.

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JUMEIRAH GOL F ESTATES

BACK TO BASICS WITH NEW JGE PRO TIM BACKHOUSE

T

he European Tour Performance Institute (ETPI) at Jumeirah Golf Estates has welcomed on board a top class new Teaching Professional. After spending four years as the Head Teaching Pro at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain, Englishman Tim Backhouse is looking forward to bringing his expertise to one of the best golf faculties in the world.

Worldwide Golf’s Mohamed Suleman sat down with Tim at the ETPI to talk about coaching philosophy, how to tackle the Earth course, and the strangest thing he’s seen on a golf course.

WORLDWIDE GOLF: How did you get into golf?

TIM BACKHOUSE: I started when I was seven years old and it was really my aunt and uncle who got me into it. They used to play and still do!

They would take me up to the local golf club where I’d learn from the professionals and I carried on playing from there.

WWG: What do you hope to bring to the ETPI from a coaching perspective?

TB: I always try and keep it as simple as I can depending on the level of the golfer. We have a lot of good golfers coming up here who I would get more technical with but definitely for the amateur golfer I’d try and keep it as simple as possible. I’d also try and get them to play the course a bit more often as well.

I think a lot of people end up practicing too much.

WWG: How would you rate Dubai as a golfing destination?

TB: It’s one of the best places I’ve been to in terms of the level of golf courses. It’s as good as anywhere really. You have such high standards here in terms of practice faculties as well. Two or three of the courses in the UAE are just amazing.

WWG: What advice would you give to someone playing the Earth course for the first time?

TB: Stay out of the sand! It’s quite a long course but you don’t necessarily need to hit driver off the tee every time. You can plot your way around every golf course but you have to select the right shot at the right time, especially with there being so much sand around the course.

WWG: What would be some tips you would give to higher handicap golfers?

TB: I’d tell them to focus on the basics. Things like grip, stance and posture and if you can get those few essentials right then the swing can take care of itself to a certain extent. Basics are always the way forward.

WWG: What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen on a golf course?

TB: A car ending up in a bunker right next to a river! It was back when I was at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain and someone decided to play a 60 yard pitch but the club they needed was in their car and one thing led to another!

Worldwide GOLF 79

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S HARJ AH GOLF & S HOOTING CL UB

CONARES GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE QUARTER-FINALS SHAPING UP TO BE A GREAT CONTEST SNTTA TRAVEL AND WORLDWIDE GOLF LEAGUE SGSC THE front runners stayed on

LAST CHANCE FOR CONARES AND BMW LEAGUES WITH the Conares and BMW

SGSC Leagues done and dusted

for another year, four golf societies grabbed their chance to reach the quarter-finals. The first to grab that spot in the Conares League was SAGS who recorded a comprehensive four wins on the final day. The DIGS and Birdie Boys played out an epic battle in their four singles matches but in the end it was the Irish who stole the victory by one win to qualify on

last day scores. The BMW League had four possible outcomes but at the end of play, it was the Goats and Emirates who played some stellar golf to secure their place in the quarter-finals. The Goats, led by Captain Charlie Wilcox, steamrollered through to the next round with maximum points in the final fixture. Emirates battled their way to second place in the league by winning three out of their four matches in the final round.

top in the SNTTA League with the one shift in the table coming in the form of Sports2Business leapfrogging over long time leaders Team Massin. Both teams ended up on the same points but in the end it was Sports2Business who pipped Massin on last day scores.

Meanwhile, the Worldwide Golf league saw the end of the road for MEGA Award winning Golf Societies of the Year, Woestyn Boere Hackers.

The South African group had level

points with second-placed SGB leading into round five but could only manage seven points out of a possible twelve. The door was left wide open for Gulf Rock and group winners SGB who claimed all 12 points in the final fixture to romp into the quarter-finals.

The much-awaited quarter-finals are shaping up to become some of the best matchups in recent years.

It remains to be seen who will be crowned the Conares Golf Society League Champions 2014/15.

KERR TAKES SANTA FE INTERNATIONAL TROPHY SGSC THE second Santa Fe International Open

CAN YOU MAKE THE CUT IN THE SHARJAH CUP?

Golf Championship had a first-time winner in Grant Kerr, who took the top prize with 38 Stableford points.

Kerr finished two points ahead of runner-up Sunny Ramadas and three in front of the thirdplaced Dakyeong Chang.

The gross division saw three of Sharjah’s finest players battle it out for top spot and in the end it was Mukhzar Mehmood who led the way with 30 gross points. Sinar Suraj took second place while Hanief Sallie secured third spot.

SGSC THE extremely popular Sharjah Cup,

organised by the Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club, is back for its fifth edition as the event is to be played on Friday, April 3 and Saturday April 4.

The Sharjah Cup Open Championship is a unique event in as much as it has a cut at the end of the first round with only the top 52 golfers above the cut line proceeding into the all-important final round.

Entries for visitors will start from AED 520 with the closing date for entries being on Sunday, March 30.

Contact Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club if you are interested in playing in the Sharjah Cup.

FANTASTIC FIRDAUS TAKES MONTHLY STABLEFORD SGSC MOHAMMAD Firdaus claimed his first

major title of 2015 with a blistering front nine in which he bagged five straight net birdies to finish on a total of 40 points to win the Unitechnik Monthly Stableford. The tally was just enough to secure a narrow one point win over runner-up Ryan Taylor.

The gross prize on the day went to Mukti Rai who shot a solid round of 83.

Toro Seminar sees ‘amazing’ new water innovation AT Hydroturf International’s recent Toro Golf Irrigation two-day Seminar at Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, a number of golf club general managers, golf course superintendents and irrigation contractors from throughout the region were given an insight into the innovative workings of the ‘TORO LYNX Central Control System.’

Studies have shown that with proper use of the Flowtronex pumps software, TORO Lynx and Turf Guard products, a golf course can save up to 40% of their water requirement through use of these products, the newlyreleased Infinity sprinkler heads and better database management, while at the same time improve the playing surface of the turf.

Mike Clarke, Golf Course Superintendent at Yas Links, explained: “We are extremely fortunate to have the new Lynx Central Control software installed here at Yas Links and are already benefitting from the dynamics of the system, not only in terms of water saving but in creating more efficient watering windows and general performance of the pump station. It is truly a remarkable step up in innovation.”

Toro’s Marco Cappelli, EMEA and LA Golf Irrigation Marketing Manager, added: “Some people will be amazed by this new Toro technology. Obviously, water is the biggest cost, but these savings go beyond just water – electricity and fertiliser costs also add up. Often, if you use less

water you can provide a better playing surface. So you can have the best of two worlds – save money and save water.”

For Hydroturf International, the leading golf course supply company in the Middle East and distributors of the world’s largest irrigation and turfcare brand TORO, their annual seminar was another big success, following last year’s highly informative and popular event at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

PO Box 27643, Jebel Ali Free Zone South, Dubai, UAE / Tel: +(971) 4 886 1515 / Fax +(971) 4 886 2420 Email: office@hydroturfinternational.com / Web: www.hydroturfinternational.com

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ARABIAN GOLF EMIR ATES G O LF FE D E R AT I O N

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YAS LINKS GOLF CLUB

KHALID YOUSUF MAKES IT TWO OUT OF THREE YEARS EGF KHALID Yousuf clinched his second Presidents Cup title in

ABU DHA B I C I T Y G O LF C LU B

YLGC day gross score of 145 to be

YLGC RICK Lloyd was the stand-out

performer in the recent ECCO Challenge with a solid 82 points for a six-point win over Club Captain Jim Duggan with Ahmed Al Menhali finishing third with a haul of 74 points.

D O H A G O LF C LU B

GLOVER GRABS PRETECT MONTHLY MUG

crowned the 2015 Yas Links Men’s Open champion. Mirza won by three shots over runner-up Bill Spooner and the third placed James Cook, both of who registered scores of 148.

In the net category it was Bilal Belaid who defeated Andy Odell in a card countback after both players signed for combined two-day scores of net 145. Dan Kirkwood took third spot for his effort of net 148.

RICK LLOYD IMPRESSES IN ECCO CHALLENGE

Khalid Yousuf With H.H. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan and EGF Chairman H.E. Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi and Vice Chairman Adel Zarouni.

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MIKI Murza recorded a two-

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MURZA MASTERCLASS SEALS MEN’S OPEN

three years with a two-round total of 2-under-par 142 at Saadiyat Beach. Yousuf followed an opening 74 with a superb 68 to win by a massive 17 strokes from Rashid Hamood.

Third place went to Saleh Al Ameri with a 164 tally while the overall net winner was Nabil Alalawi with a 75-70 for a 145 total.

The Ladies champion was Lora Al Marzooqi with a gross 192 total while Al Haj Rabab topped the Ladies net division with a 1-over-par 145. Mahmood Skaik stole the show in the Junior division with a 171, well clear of second-placed Mohammed Al Hajeri with Khalil Kashwani finishing third.

Along with the two-day event, there was a Par 3 Challenge for juniors in the National Junior Development Programme (NJDP).

This took place on the front nine of the golf course during the second round of play and taking the top spot was Reema Al Heloo, ahead of Obaid Al Heloo and Rashid Al Emadi.

DGC DOHA Golf Club member Jeff Glover won Flight A in

SCHOOL VISIT TO BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

the recent Pretect Monthly Mug with a score of 36 Stableford points to finish two points ahead of runner-up Ian Rippey.

In Flight B it was Soud Al Mohannadi who took the spoils with his tally of 41 points while Garry Looker took the runner-up spot with 40 points.

Abdulla Waheed Al Abdulla won Flight C on a countback from Yanis Cherif after both players finished with 39 points. Meanwhile, the Ladies Division was won by junior golfer Nada Mir for her total of 34 points.

ADCGC

AS an initiative towards growing the game of golf within the community, the Abu Dhabi City Golf Club has organised a number of school visits. The first of which was from the Abu Dhabi British International School and they were treated to free golf lessons in a fun all-day event.

GRAHAM Hurdon shot a gross 78 to win the recent

ADCGC Rent A Car Medal while Martha Cain won the

Ladies Division with a net 68. In Division ‘A’ Jeremy Dotson topped the pile with a net 64 while a net 69 helped Louay Jeroudy to the Division ‘B’ title. In Division ‘C’ Pallav Chavan came out on top with a 71.

R O YA L G O LF C LU B B A H RA I N

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GRAHAM HURDON IN CONTROL

MONTY VISITS THE ROYAL GOLF CLUB DGC MEMBERS at The Royal Golf Club, Bahrain, were

treated to a masterclass clinc by course designer and former Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie last month. The Scot was at his affable best as he demonstrated the finer points of the game and posed for photographs.

Meanwhile, Barry Hobday triumphed in the latest edition of the Euro Motors BMW Qualifier and Nasser Yacoob clinched the recent DHL Order of Merit event.

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GOLF STYLE

FAIRWAY FASHION DRIVING RANGE TRAVEL TEE TIMES

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86 88 90 95

Jonas Blixt

Puma Golf

Roadmap Stripe Polo

Puma Golf

Titan Tour shoes

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FAIRWAY FASHION

PUMA GOLF

Rudolph Dassler, the brother of Adidas founder Adolf Dassler, established Puma in 1948. The brand has covered a wide range of sports with its product ranges over the years and is perhaps most famous for its soccer boots. Worn by superstars around the world including Pele, Johan Cryuff and Kenny Daglish.

In 2010 PUMA North America acquired Cobra Golf thus creating a new and exciting branch of the brand, PUMA Golf. The line’s introduction into the world of golf has come at a time when the apparel of players is becoming more of a fashion statement and a much talked about element of the game. Puma have found a loyal and successful group of brand ambassadors on Tour including Ricky Fowler, Jonas Blixt, Lexi Thompson and Anna Nordqvist.

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A COUPE FOR EVERY OCCASION 2015 BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT WHETHER you’re looking for style, comfort or performance, the new 2015 Bentley Continental GT has it all. It’s no surprise that since it was introduced in 2002, the Continental GT has become a lofty symbol for high-end super luxury coupes.

EXTERIOR Impeccably sleek as ever, the 2015 GT has a sizeable collection of subtle enhancements on the exterior to make it look that much sleeker. One of those changes on the GT Speed model is the option of a luscious new Candy Red paint colour.

INTERIOR Stepping inside the 2015 Bentley Continental GT is akin to walking into a luxury suite in a five-star hotel. This coupe features a hand-crafted cabin that includes only the highest

FUEL CONSUMPTION

21 mpg

grade materials. Whether it’s the soft-touch leather hides, extensive range of wood veneers, slick metals or velvety carpets, the GT oozes luxury.

PERFORMANCE The twin-turbocharged V8-powered engine of the Continental strikes the balance of remaining fuel efficient while still retaining a good portion of its monstrous 12-cylinder power. Only once you take this beauty for a spin down Sheikh Zayed Road will you understand the true meaning of power.

VERDICT The stunning 2015 Bentley Continental GT ticked all our boxes for a luxury coupe. In fact, if we had more boxes we have no doubt they too would be emphatically ticked. From style to comfort and everything in between, this car has it all.

PERFORMANCE

4.6s 0-60

POWER

500 bhp

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D R I V I N G RA N G E

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Travel

SUNNINGDALE GOLF CLUB Quintessentially English

T

he Old Course at Sunningdale, on the outskirts of London, is as enchanting and welcoming as few other inland course in the United Kingdom.

Carved out of wellnourished heathland and gorse and twisting through age-old pine and oak trees, Sunningdale is truly one of England’s inland ‘bucket list’ golf courses.

It has hosted some of the finest tournaments in the game including the Walker Cup, the British Masters, the European Open and the Women’s British Open and this year it will play host to the likes of Bernhard Langer and Freddie Couples as The Senior Open Championship takes place here for the second time in the Club’s history from July 23-26. American ‘Boss of the Moss’ Loren Roberts picked up the trophy when The Senior Open was first held at Sunningdale in 2009, holding off the likes of Langer, Fred Funk, Sam Torrance and Greg Norman. The Australian

former World No.1 rates the course as one of his favourites in Europe, saying: “I love playing Sunningdale, it’s one of the world’s great golf courses. Prior to the 2009 Senior Open a lot of the American guys were asking me about it and I merely said ‘Guys, just go and see for yourselves’.”

The legends of the game, including defending champion Langer, will be out in force again in July.

The10th is surely one of the most beautiful holes in golf. The elevated tee gives a majestic view of the fairway below, which gradually runs to the green and then the friendly sanctitude of the half-way house.

While the Old Course might be regarded as one of the finest in the world, the aptly-named New Course is not far behind.

With a slightly more rugged feel, the New Course is just as much of a test for all levels of golfer but doesn’t quite have the same classic air of mystique of the Old has. Right on London’s doorstep, you’d be mad not to tick Sunningdale off your bucket list should the opportunity ever arise.

Bobby Jones once shot a 66 – 33 full strokes and 33 putts – over the Old Course to qualify for the 1926 Open Championship.

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T RAV E L

COURSE RECORDs on the Old course sir nick faldo holds the record with a 62 while graeme storm holds it on the New course also with a 62

In 2015, many of the World’s leading champions players will gather at Sunningdale Golf Club from July 23 - 26 to compete for the Senior Open Championship, the only Senior Major to be played outside the United States. The event was last staged at Sunningdale in 2009 when Lauren Roberts (pictured above) won in a three way playoff against Fred Funk and Mark McNulty.

FROM THE TEE From the Championship Tees the Old course measures 6,627 yards and the New course 6,729 yards

In 2000, Sunningdale Golf Club became the venue of the inaugural Seve Trophy when the legendary Seve Ballasteros (pictured above) led his Continental Europe team to a 13½-12½ victory over Colin Montgomerie’s Great Bitain and Ireland side .

karen Stupples When Karen Stupples won the 2004 Women’s British Open at Sunningdale she opened her final round with an eagle and an albatross.

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Tour de France Parisian Bistro

Embark on a cullinary journey with St. Tropez Bistro’s exclusive ‘Tour de France’ menu.

Savour French specialities and regional haute cuisine from hearty Parisian bistro classics to fine, French fare from Boulogne sur Mer with an exclusive new menu each month.

April - Bistro Parisien May - Boulogne Sur Mer ‘Tour de France Cullinaire’ Set Menu.

550 per couple, inclusive of a bottle of French red. 275 per person, inclusive of a glass of French red.

Available on Thursday and Friday evenings at St Tropez Bistro, Mall of the Emirates.

St Tropez Bistro, Mall of the Emirates (West End) 04-3413415 www.sttropez.ae Complimentary valet parking via the hotel.

Division of CHI Hospitality L.L.C.

T RAV E L

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill

HILTON LONDON SYON PARK

HILTON LONDON SYON PARK MIDDLESEX, LONDON, TW8 8JF, UNITED KINGDOM

Hilton London Syon Park Seyon Park

Heathrow

Sunningdale GC

Syon Park to: Heathrow Airport: 7 miles Sunningdale Golf Club: 18 miles Central London 7 miles

I

CAPITAL IN THE COUNTRY

the facilities and amenities you could ever wish for, in a rural situation just 20 minutes’ drive from Heathrow airport within seven miles of central London. Syon Lane overground station, with a direct line to Waterloo and several underground lines, is just a short walk from the hotel.

To relax and enjoy the excellent Hilton London Syon Park Hotel seemed almost unreal, surrounded by meadowland and set within the walled grounds alongside the historic, listed 200-acre Syon Park Estate, owned by the Duke of Northumberland.

The long drive took us to the impressive, glass fronted hotel, which was modelled on the old stable block. My wife, two teenage daughters, nine year old son and I found that there were plenty of things to do during our stay. As a businessman, the business centre had all the services required and the hotel is ideal for meetings with all the latest technology available.

As a family man there are all sorts of activities available within the grounds of the Syon Estate or nearby, from archery, croquet and cycling, to trout fishing or laser clay pigeon shooting. There’s also the Syon House Great Conservatory, dating back to the 1830s, and the beautiful gardens.

At Hilton London Syon Park you can also take afternoon tea on the terrace or enjoy the casual ambience of the stylish Bar. It has all the attributes of the ideal venue for all manner of events.

The hotel’s Kallima Club & Spa boasts a 15-metre indoor pool, whirlpool spa, sauna, eucalyptus steam room and fully equipped TechnogymTM Fitness Suite.

There’s also an exclusive variety of innovative beauty and relaxation treatments on hand.

One of the highlights of our stay was the meal we enjoyed at the Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Bar & Grill. The fillet steaks my wife and I had were excellent and the wine list was outstanding. There are also private dining rooms available.

With Kew Gardens, Twickenham, Richmond Park and Wembley Stadium in close proximity and the River Thames winding through the bottom of the estate, the Hilton London Syon Park is certainly in the most unexpected location of any London Hotel you could find in such a magnificent countryside setting.

ALEX GALLEMORE

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GEAR COMPETITIONS

Win a set of Honma TW717P irons worth

WIN

$2,000

Honma Tour World 717P Spec

• Honma’s easier-to-hit cavity-back iron • Available in up to 5 Star spec • Enlarged Moment Of Inertia for maximum Tour World forgiveness • Lower, deeper Centre Of Gravity • 2-piece structure • Confidence-inspiring thicker top edge.

• Forged cavity creates largest Tour World sweet spot • Gorgeous chrome-plated, half-mirror finish • Clubhead: Forged Mild Steel • Face: Maraging Stainless Steel (3-10 iron only) • Available in 3-11 irons and SW • Standard set: 5-10 irons • Custom-fitted with your preferred shaft

How to enter

To win a set of Honma TW717P irons go to wwgolf.net/competition

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TEE TIMES

JAERMANN & STÜBI CELEBRATES th 10 BIRTHDAY AT BASELWORLD

L

UXURY golf watch brand Jaermann & Stübi celebrated its 10th birthday with an impressive exhibition at Baselworld, the world’s biggest watch fair.

The Swiss brand is currently engaged in helping to grow the game of golf here in the Middle East by supporting the Ahmed Al Musharrekh Foundation with a specially designed ‘AF1’ – Limited Edition watch.

Jaermann & Stübi is also developing the flagship Stroke Play Collection which has proved to be a big hit with golfers in the region.

QUEEN OF GOLF

A COLLABORATION FOR A UNIVERSAL CAUSE

JAERMANN & STÜBI WILL DONATE A SUBSTANTIAL PERCENTAGE FROM EACH QUEEN OF GOLF WATCH SOLD TO THE UNION FOR INTERNATIONAL CANCER CONTROL (UICC).

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the company is taking an active role in the fight against cancer on an international level with the formation of a partnership particularly close to its heart –the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).

To demonstrate its commitment to this project, Jaermann & Stübi has developed an exclusive ‘Queen of Golf’ model and will donate a substantial percentage from each watch sold to the organisation.

“We would like to thank Jaermann & Stübi for supporting the global fight against cancer,” said Dr. Cary Adams, CEO of UICC. “These watches will provide a timely reminder that we can all contribute to helping those with the disease globally.”

UICC aims to unite the cancer community, promote greater equity, and to integrate cancer control into the world health and development agenda.

Oliver Zuegel, Managing Partner of Franck & Prime, Jaermann & Stübi’s exclusive agent in the UAE added: “By creating this Special Edition ‘Queen

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of Golf’, Jaermann & Stübi is actively supporting the UICC in its fight against cancer.”

Based on the original and hugely popular Queen of Golf Collection, the new exclusive special edition will come with a limited run of 99 pieces.

Like all the Jaermann & Stübi watches, it carries a unique golffocused functionality in being able to count your score, track which hole you’re on, and even compare your score against your handicap.

The watches also include a patented shock absorber to protect the internal mechanisms from the impact of the golf swing, making it the only luxury watch in the world suitable for wear during a round.

All in all, Jaermann & Stübi’s Mother of Pearl bezel set with diamonds and sapphires alongside the UICC logo and the Queen of Golf presents a tantalizing and worthy prospect for female watch collectors and golf lovers alike.

Franck & Prime is the exclusive agent and distributor of Jaermann & Stübi’ in the UAE. Tel: + 971 52 992 3322

TEE TIMES

Jaermann & Stübi Time to Play With 71 diamonds and one glittering ruby, Jaermann & Stübi’s redesigned Time to Play is a watch with a difference. This stunning time machine contains a stainless steel case and comes with a built-in shock absorber that allows you to wear it while playing golf.

Like with every Jaermann & Stübi timepiece, Time to Play is part of a family of the only mechanical golf watches that display the number of strokes per hole, the hole currently in play and a function to compare your total score with your handicap.

Find out more on facebook.com/jaermann.stuebi.uae Tel: + 971 52 992 3322 Watch out for the new Jaermann & Stübi shop at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club opening soon!

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Two-Tone The epic Royal Oak is back with a bang as Audemars Piguet have gone above and beyond to come up with the stunning new Royal Oak Two Tone. This timepiece was originally created in 1972 by Gerald Genta and has since been an Audemars Piguet icon. True to its name, the new Royal Oak Two-Tone includes a two-tone case and bracelet as well as a bright new dial. www.audemarspiguet.com

Swiss Military Hurricane World Timer The Hurricane World Timer is the Swiss Military watch for pilots.

Everything about this classy timepiece is perfectly tailored for the professional aircraft flier. The circular slide-rule allows for all types of aviation- relevant calculations while a world time bezel with multiple time-zones allows you to keep your eyes on the clock as you whizz through time zones. The Hurricane World Timer is also water resistant up to 200 meters and is equipped with a water resistant genuine leather strap in carbon fibre.

www.swiss-military.com

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Swing Into Action All Summer Unlimited golf, special food and beverage discounts, special tuition fees at The Academy, preferential tee time booking and a host of rewards from Troon Golf, will be yours all summer when you sign up for our exclusive ‘Summer Membership’ at Arabian Ranches Golf Club.

Subscription Fees: Single: AED 3,995 | Family (Couple): AED 5,995 | Junior: AED 2,195 Sign up by 15th May 2015 and receive two additional weeks to your membership term.

Membership is valid until 30th September 2015.

For more information, please call +971 4 366 4700 or email membership@arabianranchesgolf.ae Book your tee time online for best available green fee rates. Visit arabianranches.ezlinks.com

arabianranchesgolfclub

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@arabianranches1

TO BREAK THE RULES, YOU MUST FIRST MASTER THEM. THE VALLﾃ右 DE JOUX. FOR MILLENNIA A HARSH, UNYIELDING ENVIRONMENT; AND SINCE 1875 THE HOME OF AUDEMARS PIGUET, IN THE VILLAGE OF LE BRAS SU S. T H E E ARLY WAT C H M AK E RS WE R E SHAPED HERE, IN AWE OF THE FORCE OF NATURE YET DRIVEN TO MASTER ITS MYSTERIES THROUGH THE COMPLEX MECHANICS OF THEIR CRAFT. STILL TODAY THIS PIONEERING SPIRIT INSPIRES US TO CONSTANTLY CHALLENGE THE CONVENTIONS OF FINE WATCHMAKING.

ROYAL OAK OFFSHORE IN STAINLESS STEEL. CHRONOGRAPH.