Worldwide Golf December 2012 by Worldwide Golf

Greg Norman

Gary Player

Pete Cowen

How to improve your game

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Official Publication of The Emirates Golf Federation & The Arab Golf Federation

ISSUE 142, December 2012

Official Media Partner Middle East

Middle Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s No.1 Golf magazine

Rory does the dubai double in style the biggest name on tour shows why the big name sponsors are set to pay big bucks for him

IN THIS ISSUE INES SASTRE Talks golf NICOLAS COLSAERTS EXCLUSIVE News & Tips from the leading clubs Improve your scoring

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Gary Player

Worldwide Golf Executive Editor Since 1999

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

orldwide Golf readers will know what a big fan I am of Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose. Well, they put on a world-class show in Dubai last month in producing one of the most exciting and dramatic finishes to the Grand Finale of The European Tour season you could ever imagine. When Luke Donald won The Race to Dubai by finishing third in the DP World Tour Championship last December to clinch the money list on both the US PGA Tour and The European Tour most of us thought that the feat was not likely to be achieved again. Rory not only repeated the Donald double he went one better. He won the PGA Tour money list after winning two of the four FedExCup events, having already won the Honda Classic and the US PGA Championship by a record eight strokes, and took The Race to Dubai courtesy of finishing

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third in the Barclays Singapore Open. A week or so later he headed for Dubai and delivered a master class to win the season-ending DP World Tour Championship to complete an amazing treble. The win also made him the first player since Lee Westwood in the inaugural Race to Dubai season of 2009 to win both The Race to Dubai and the season-ending climax to The European Tour. You couldn’t have written the script of the final day. First Justin Rose, who started the last round six shots behind the joint leaders, Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald, conjured up a magical round of 62, breaking the course record by two shots. Sergio Garcia, who had a roller coaster four days, matched the course record, shooting 64 having made the same score in the second round to split two rounds of 73. Justin is now showing all the skill he’s always promised to deliver and he looked unstoppable

with eight birdies and an eagle in his 62 to take the clubhouse lead on 21-under par. Rory was still on the course with five holes to play alongside his playing partner Luke Donald and the 23-yearold showed what an outstanding talent he is to produce five birdies in a row over the final five holes to take the title and sign off a wonderful season in fitting style. As a Member of the Laureus World Sports Academy I’m pleased that Rory has been nominated as a contender for the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award, although he faces stiff opposition from the likes of Lionel Messi, Sebastian Vettel, Mo Fara, LeBron James, Bradley Wiggins and many more. Rory’s achievements this year have been outstanding and the moment he holed his final putt to win the DP World Tour Championship was one of golf’s highlights of the season. The South African boys played their part in the show in Dubai too. Three of the top six finishers were South Africans. It was good to see Charl Schwartzel back on form after a disappointing season, shooting 68-67-67-68 to share third place with Luke at 18-under, five strokes back from Rory. Louis Oosthuizen was also in the mix, finishing one stroke further back in fifth place, while Branden Grace, who has had a phenomenal season, winning five titles worldwide, finished sixth on 16-under. George Coetzee, who I’m sure will win his first Tour title before long, was also going really well before a final round 73 saw him slip down the leaderboard. This was without Ernie Els and Retief Goosen (who had an eye problem). If those two had played, South Africans could have been up at the top of the leaderboard in even greater numbers. This is certainly a glorious period for South African golf. Never before has there been such strength in depth and I’m looking forward to seeing what my fellow countrymen can achieve in 2013 after such a wonderful 2012 season. n

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RORY DID THE DOUBLE BUT EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME

HEY said it may never be done again but Rory did it with relative ease. Before Luke Donald did the double of US PGA Tour Money List and Race to Dubai last year the feat had never been done before and it was always thought to be too much of a stretch for a player to spread himself over both Tours wide enough to come out top of the pile on each. But McIlory made it look, dare I say, easy this year – and I think it’ll be done again, most probably by him. The fact of the matter is that there is so much money on offer at the World Golf Championships events and the Majors, which all count on both Tours, that the game’s biggest players can go a long way towards securing top spot on both sides of the Atlantic with a consistent run in these tournaments. McIlory had sealed The Race to Dubai even before he ended the season in such style with a five-birdie blitz to win DP World Tour Championship. But he’d only won one ‘European Tour’ title. It just happened to be the US PGA Championship which carried prize money of €1,190,937. He played 15 European Tour events but he was runner-up at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship (€644,036), third at the WGC-Cadillac Championship (€386,314) and tied fifth at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (€223,398). Throw in some strong results in decent money tournaments like Abu Dhabi (2nd – €231,349), the Desert Classic (T5th – €62,665), the BMW Masters (2nd – €593,338) and the Barclays Singapore Open (3rd – €289,296) and it’s easy to see how he won The Race so easily. The €1,041,429 he won in Dubai, along with the €781,091 he received for topping the Bonus Pool, meant that despite playing so few events he ended up €1,751,000 ahead of second-placed Justin Rose with an eyewatering total of €5,519,118 – a new record for single season earnings on The European Tour. The Ulsterman’s Major victory and WGC results went a long way towards securing top spot on the US money list, too. OK, so there was the small matter of him winning two events in the FedExCup series and the Honda Classic as well as losing out in a play-off at the Wells Fargo Championship. But he won the US money title by nearly US$2 million and the loot he pocketed in the dual-sanctioned events gave him such a strong platform to build from. Those tournaments have really created a third ‘elite’ Mini Tour and whoever comes out on top in that has a great chance of taking top honours on both The European Tour and US PGA Tour. One thing’s for certain – with the US$8,047,952 he bagged in the US along with his European Tour earnings and the big bucks on the way from Nike (even though Pete Cowen reveals in this month’s column that the figures being quoted in the press are hugely inflated) Rory certainly won’t be short of spondoolies when it comes to filling Caroline Wozniacki’s Christmas stocking.

IN THIS features

9 DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP 22 NICOLAS COLSAERTS EXCLUSIVE 34 OMEGA DUBAI LADIES MASTERS PREVIEW

local scene 18 CHRIStopher MAY – DUBAI GOLF CEO 45 host cities 59 IN THE BAG – YASIN ALI 62 ARABIAN GOLF 65 JOEL NEALE COLUMN 66 RACHEL JENNINGS 71 MENA TOUR AND JAMEGA TOUR 74 JOSH NORTH, THE ALLEGRIA, EGYPT

INSTRUCTION 42 SWING SEQUENCE: MARTIN KAYMER 50 DUBAI GOLF TUTORIAL 53 Troon Tutorial: the track meydan 61 QUICK TIPS AL BADIA – BUNKER PLAY

Regulars 3 GARY PLAYER INTRODUCTION 14 THE RACE TO DUBAI TABLE 29 QUICK 9 WITH BUBBA WATSON 30 WORLD ROUND UPS 32 DIVOTS – GLOBAL GOLF NEWS 36 GREg NORMAN COLUMN 38 GARY PLAYER COLUMN 41 PETE COWEN COLUMN 48 WWG TRAVELLER – GOLFSHIRE, INDIA 103 WWG STYLE

ISSUE No. 143, december, 2012 Published by: Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd +44 1663 719926

Alex Gallemore Editor 6

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Published in Dubai by: Prografix, PO Box 24677, Dubai, UAE (Tel) +9714 340 3785

Printed by: Raidy, Dubai Worldwide Golf specifies that post-press changes may occur to any information given in this publication and takes no responsibility for goods or services advertised.

EDITION

CONTENTS

Over 100 destinations worldwide

RORY McILROY MOVES UP A GEAR TO SIGN OFF THE SEASON IN STYLE IN DUBAI.

22 Editor-in-Chief: Mike Gallemore Executive Editor: Gary Player Editor: Alex Gallemore Publisher: Mike Gallemore Senior Editor: Richard Bevan

103 Editors: Todd Staszko, James Reeves, Tabitha Florence Playing Editor: Joel Neale Design Manager: Joanna Eardley Technical Manager: Mark Collinge

Advertising & Marketing Director: Rasha Siriani rasha@wspdubai.com General Manager â&#x20AC;&#x201C; MENA Chris Turlik

June 2009 SSN 1- 46805671 Approval UAE National Media Council: Ref.816 30/5/2007 Trade Licence No. 1/104375/15280

Editorial Panel: Gary Player, Mike Gallemore, Alex Gallemore, Richard Bevan, Todd Staszko www.wwgolf.biz

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McILroy CAPS GLORIOUS season IN DUBAI

ANY fears that the DP World Tour Championship may turn into a damp squib were put to rest with one of the most captivating finishes in the season-ending eventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history.

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ory McIlroy arrived at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai having already wrapped up both The Race to Dubai and the US PGA Tour Money List but he showed just how much this tournament means to him in the style of a true champion. He responded to Justin Rose’s scintillating course-record closing round of 62 by pulling five consecutive birdies out of the bag over the last five holes to sign off a spectacular season with a two-stroke victory. “I just wanted to finish the season the way I thought it deserved to be finished,” said the World No.1 who closed with a 66 for a 23-under-par total of 265 and his fifth worldwide title of a sensational 2012 season that also saw him claim his second Major with a record eightstroke victory at the US PGA 10

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Championship. “You know, I’ve played so well throughout the year, and I didn’t want to just let it tail off sort of timidly. I wanted to come here and finish in style. I was able to do it.” And what a finish it was with three of the top seven players in the world battling it out over the final round to decide who would be crowned DP World Tour Champion? Make no mistake, the Dubai showpiece is a tournament all the big boys want on their CV. World No. 2 Luke Donald shared the overnight lead with McIlroy having increased his amazing run around the Earth course to 100 holes without a bogey. But having shot 65-68-66 over the first three days he couldn’t quite get on a roll over the final round, dropping his first shot in 103 holes on the third and

“You know, I’ve played so well throughout the year, and I didn’t want to just let it tail off sort of timidly. I wanted to come here and finish in style. I was able to do it.”

Rory McIlroy

adding another bogey on 12 as he signed for a 71 which left him in third place tied with Charl Schwartzel on 18-under. “I guess it was going to happen at some point,” said Donald, who finished seventh on The Race to Dubai with €2,373,540 in prize money after picking up a cheque for €359,302 before revealing that he’s due to have surgery to cure a persistent problem with blocked sinuses. “All good runs must come to an end,” said Donald. “But I struggled to get any momentum going today. I felt a little bit flat. Obviously Justin put on quite a show in front of us, and nudged Rory enough to get him going.” Rose was in imperious form. The Englishman has enjoyed a fantastic season and is now looking every inch the player we all thought he’d become after

“I knew it (the putt on 18) was hero or zero there. I was one roll away from looking like an idiot but I knew that was the kind of putt it was. I was just trying to putt to a point on the hill and let gravity take its course. As it got to the top of the hill it was clear it was going to topple over. I knew it was perfect, and I actually got goosebumps. I thought it was going to go in for a second.” – justin rose on that amazing putt on the last hole announcing himself to the world in such style with a fourth place finish at The Open at Birkdale in 1998. He claimed the biggest win of his career at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in March and was one of the standout performers in Europe’s astonishing Ryder Cup victory in September. He went on to beat Lee Westwood in the final of the big money Turkish Airlines World Golf Final to finish top of the pile of a field of eight of the world’s top players in October. So it was no surprise to see him in the mix in Dubai but the manner in which he finished the tournament was bordering on the outrageous. Starting his round six shots off the lead in a share of seventh place, putt after putt found its destination with unwavering accuracy. He sunk a 10-foot putt for

eagle on the 14th after a wonderful approach and looked like he was going to make another one on the par-five closing hole. Perhaps feeding off the memory of that magnificent 35-footer he buried on the 17th in his singles match against Phil Mickelson in The Ryder Cup, he knocked one in from a good 100 feet which just made it over the ridge on the green and trickled down to the cup only to stop on the lip for a tap-in birdie. That knocked two shots off the course record with a 62 – the best round of his career. “That was a lot of fun,” said Rose, who was in the clubhouse at 21-under par after four rounds in the 60s. “ The front nine was just as good as the back nine, and on the back nine the putts started going in, which is a nice feeling. I just started to get

“All good runs must come to an end. But I struggled to get any momentum going today. I felt a little bit flat. Obviously Justin put on quite a show in front of us, and nudged Rory enough to get him going.”

LUKE reflecting on the 4th round

re-focussed but obviously I knew I was playing my way into the tournament more than into the lead. I knew it (the putt on 18) was hero or zero there. I was one roll away from looking like an idiot but I knew that was the kind of put it was. I was just trying to putt to a point on the hill and let gravity take its course. “As it got to the top of the hill it was clear it was going to topple over. I knew it was perfect, and I actually got goosebumps, I thought it was going to go in for a second,” continued the 32-yearold whose second place finish earned him €694,312 and saw him finish second on The Race to Dubai and move up to fourth in the World Ranking. “It was a really nice way to finish, and I was quite happy just to have a two inch tap-in.” With the noise that greeted every birdie Rose made down www.wwgolf.biz

the back nine ringing in his ears McIlroy knew that he had to step up the pace. Dressed in Tiger red, the Ulsterman responded by producing the kind of ‘rabbit out of the hat’ performance over the closing holes which was previously the copyright of 14-time Major champion Woods. As Pete Cowen points out in this month’s column, McIlroy now has another gear that he can move into when it matters most to close out tournament wins, almost at will. He started his round badly, with a bogey on the opening hole and was 1-under for the day through 13 holes after a further two bogeys and four birdies. But just like Woods used to do, he delivered when he needed to, chipping it close for a birdie on 14 before a wonderful approach shot to three feet set up another birdie on 15. 20-Foot Birdie Putt Then came a 20-footer for birdie on the 16th to move level with Rose before a fabulous tee-shot on the par-3 17th left him another short putt to go one clear. In a mark of McIlroy’s growing maturity he course-managed the par5 18th beautifully – knowing that par would be good enough, choosing to lay up rather than going for the Hollywood finish. As it happened, he needed only one of the two putts he had for victory on the final green as another snaking putt dropped for a fifth consecutive birdie to cap an outstanding performance and confirm a worthy champion. “Obviously, going out today together, myself and Luke were tied for the lead, and we both didn’t get off to the greatest of starts,” said McIlroy who won a combined €1,822,520 for winning the tournament and topping The Race to Dubai to give him a single season earnings record total of €5,519,118. “Then Justin had that incredible back nine, shot 62, and I knew midway through the back nine I needed to do something special. “Somehow I summoned up the energy from somewhere to make five birdies in the last five holes. It was just a great way to end this tournament and a great way to end the season.” The prospect of what McIlroy can achieve next season if he picks up in 2013 where he left off in 2012 is 12

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DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL LEADERBOARD

Rory pictured with his parents Gerry and Rosie along with his Dubai trophy haul. sure to strike fear into his rivals but no sooner had the dust settled on his DP World Tour Championship victory than he was already plotting ahead for 2013. “I made all the targets that I set myself for this year and I’m already looking forward to the New Year,” said McIlroy who will switch to Nike clubs next year. “Today I went out with a target of 22-under-par, which I thought would be enough to win, so making it to 23 (under-par) gave me a bit of a cushion. ‘Incredible Year’ “I could not have wished for any better than that. To back up 2011 with another Major and to be part of an unbelievable story at The Ryder Cup has made it an incredible year for me all round. “But hopefully I can emulate that or maybe do even better next year!” There is little doubt that golf’s new king is settling comfortably into his throne and it was fitting that the star of 2012 should be crowned DP World Tour Champion. Still with his best years ahead of him, the rest of golf might have to get used to seeing him walk off with the game’s biggest trophies for a good few years yet. n

“Justin had that incredible back nine, shot 62, and I knew midway through the back nine I needed to do something special. Somehow I summoned up the energy from somewhere to make five birdies in the last five holes. It was just a great way to end this tournament and a great way to end the season.”

Rory Mcilroy

1 Rory McIlroy -23 2 Justin Rose -21 T3 Luke Donald -18 T3 Charl Schwartzel -18 5 Louis Oosthuizen -17 6 Branden Grace -16 T7 Thongchai Jaidee -15 T7 Henrik Stenson -15 9 Fredrik Andersson Hed -14 9 Jamie Donaldson -14 9 Gonzalo Fdez-Castano -14 9 Sergio Garcia -14 9 Padraig Harrington -14 14 Scott Jamieson -13 14 Peter Lawrie -13 16 Stephen Gallacher -12 16 Peter Hanson -12 16 Raphaël Jacquelin -12 16 Miguel Angel Jimenez -12 16 Joost Luiten -12 21 Anders Hansen -11 21 Thorbjørn Olesen -11 21 Robert Rock -11 21 Jeev Milkha Singh -11 21 Romain Wattel -11 26 George Coetzee -10 26 Martin Kaymer -10 26 Søren Kjeldsen -10 26 Ian Poulter -10 26 Richie Ramsay -10 26 Marc Warren -10 26 Danny Willett -10 26 Chris Wood -10 34 Nicolas Colsaerts -9 34 Francesco Molinari -9 36 Alejandro Canizares -8 36 Victor Dubuisson -8 36 Pablo Larrazabal -8 39 Alexander Noren -7 40 Rafa Cabrera-Bello -6 40 Marcus Fraser -6 42 Thomas Aiken -5 42 Simon Dyson -5 42 Jbe Kruger -5 42 Matteo Manassero -5 42 Marcel Siem -5 42 Bernd Wiesberger -5 48 David Dysdale -4 48 Paul Lawrie -4 48 Lee Westwood -4 51 Richard Sterne -2 52 Michael Hoey -1 52 Graeme McDowell -1 54 David Lynn +1 54 Lee Slattery +1 56 Richard Finch +7

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OfFicial 2012 Race to dubai The final 2012 Race to dubai ranking – As at november 26, 2012 Pos Name Nationality No. of events Prizemoney

Pos Name Nationality No. of events

1 McILROY Rory NIR 2 ROSE Justin ENG 3 OOSTHUIZEN Louis RSA 4 HANSON Peter SWE 5 POULTER Ian ENG 6 GRACE Branden RSA 7 DONALD Luke ENG 8 MOLINARI Francesco ITA 9 McDOWELL Graeme NIR 10 LAWRIE Paul SCO 11 COLSAERTS Nicolas BEL 12 WESTWOOD Lee ENG 13 MANASSERO Matteo ITA 14 SIEM Marcel GER 15 OLESEN Thorbjørn DEN 16 SCHWARTZEL Charl RSA 17 CABRERA-BELLO Rafa ESP 18 LYNN David ENG 19 DONALDSON Jamie WAL 20 FDEZ-CASTAÑO Gonzalo ESP 21 COETZEE George RSA 22 WIESBERGER Bernd AUT 23 WILLETT Danny ENG 24 NOREN Alexander SWE 25 FRASER Marcus AUS 26 RAMSAY Richie SCO 27 JAIDEE Thongchai THA 28 JIMÉNEZ Miguel Angel ESP 29 LOWRY Shane IRL 30 KAYMER Martin GER 31 BJÖRN Thomas DEN 32 SINGH Jeev Milkha IND 33 ROCK Robert ENG 34 HARRINGTON Padraig IRL 35 GALLACHER Stephen SCO 36 ANDERSSON HED Fredrik SWE 37 LARRAZÁBAL Pablo ESP 38 FISHER Ross ENG 39 HANSEN Anders DEN 40 STENSON Henrik SWE 41 JACQUELIN Raphaël FRA 42 KJELDSEN Søren DEN 43 GARCIA Sergio ESP 44 LUITEN Joost NED 45 GOOSEN Retief RSA 46 WOOD Chris ENG 47 KRUGER Jbe RSA 48 LAWRIE Peter IRL 49 STERNE Richard RSA 50 DYSON Simon ENG

51 WATTEL Romain FRA 52 DUBUISSON Victor FRA 53 JAMIESON Scott SCO 54 AIKEN Thomas RSA 55 WARREN Marc SCO 56 HOEY Michael NIR 57 CAÑIZARES Alejandro ESP 58 DRYSDALE David SCO 59 SLATTERY Lee ENG 60 FINCH Richard ENG 61 RUMFORD Brett AUS 62 HOWELL David ENG 63 QUESNE Julien FRA 64 VAN ZYL Jaco RSA 65 WALL Anthony ENG 66 SJÖHOLM Joel SWE 67 LAIRD Martin SCO 68 KARLSSON Robert SWE 69 ZANOTTI Fabrizio PAR 70 FOSTER Mark ENG 71 MULROY Garth RSA 72 BALDWIN Matthew ENG 73 QUIROS Alvaro ESP 74 CASEY Paul ENG 75 BOURDY Grégory FRA 76 McGRANE Damien IRL 77 CAMPBELL Michael NZL 78 GREEN Richard AUS 79 AGUILAR Felipe CHI 80 MORRISON James ENG 81 CAMPILLO Jorge ESP 82 GONZALEZ Ricardo ARG 83 McGINLEY Paul IRL 84 FICHARDT Darren RSA 85 DALY John USA 86 MOLINARI Edoardo ITA 87 STORM Graeme ENG 88 OLAZÁBAL José María ESP 89 OTTO Hennie RSA 90 SANTOS Ricardo POR 91 ILONEN Mikko FIN 92 HORNE Keith RSA 93 CARLSSON Magnus A SWE 94 GRILLO Emiliano ARG 95 FISHER Oliver ENG 96 LEVET Thomas FRA 97 CHOWRASIA S.S.P IND 98 MEESAWAT Prom THA 99 WEBSTER Steve ENG 100 HAVRET Grégory FRA

15 13 16 21 15 26 13 25 16 25 25 16 27 27 29 18 27 24 22 24 25 29 25 24 26 25 24 27 28 24 22 25 24 14 25 26 30 21 24 15 25 26 13 26 14 29 30 26 24 26

€5,519,118 €3,768,345 €3,187,364 €3,022,916 €2,581,257 €2,502,501 €2,373,540 €2,215,229 €1,945,056 €1,910,381 €1,745,744 €1,671,456 €1,595,093 €1,368,845 €1,309,271 €1,224,345 €1,210,858 €1,208,633 €1,150,624 €1,102,696 €1,071,268 €1,059,691 €1,055,616 €1,045,189 €1,016,337 €1,009,417 €1,009,320 €997,737 €996,540 €996,382 €992,086 €926,062 €867,227 €850,603 €844,843 €808,131 €796,864 €793,528 €786,489 €773,620 €766,859 €716,555 €699,234 €687,197 €685,815 €674,128 €617,174 €614,629 €598,730 €596,333

25 20 31 23 27 26 29 27 25 27 24 28 25 24 22 30 10 13 24 25 15 26 21 17 24 24 22 23 26 25 26 20 16 24 12 17 26 22 23 28 23 24 11 21 24 23 22 8 25 26

Prizemoney €586,465 €573,249 €564,587 €563,621 €552,905 €544,001 €508,686 €496,672 €494,398 €461,863 €431,687 €426,781 €420,722 €420,037 €417,294 €412,376 €405,423 €379,002 €375,394 €373,491 €373,352 €372,786 €371,186 €368,560 €355,331 €352,205 €333,798 €329,965 €324,195 €322,915 €319,348 €312,032 €300,924 €295,708 €285,676 €280,976 €278,448 €270,421 €264,522 €264,174 €259,176 €258,074 €255,233 €255,138 €253,418 €253,041 €250,530 €240,110 €234,411 €233,618

e x p l a n at i o n o f T H E eu r o p e a n t o u r RAC E TO D U BA I 2 0 1 2 The Race to Dubai is a season-long competition spanning a minimum of 46 tournaments in 25 countries and all five continents on The 2012 European Tour International Schedule. The Number 1 to 60 players in The Race to Dubai (ranked according to their earnings from all events on The European Tour International Schedule) following the conclusion of the tournament held the previous week will qualified for the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates. The fourth edition of The Race to Dubai conclude with the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai and carried a prize fund of $8,00,000 while The Race to Dubai Bonus Pool of $3,750,000 was divided between the leading 10 players at the conclusion. The Race to Dubai Bonus Pool breakdown 1. $1,000,000 6. $275,000 2. $650,000 7. $225,000 3. $500,000 8. $175,000 4. $375,000 9. $125,000 5. $325,000 10. $100,000

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2012 DP WORLD Tour Championship in numbers

â&#x201A;Ź5,519,117

Rory McIlroy set a new record for single-season earnings with his haul this year

115

There were two aces in Dubai and both came in the final round. Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stephen Gallacher (who had started with 3 straight birdies) holed out from 245 yards on the par-3 fourth and Dutchman Joost Luiten also hit the perfect shot to ace the 186 yard sixth.

The number of birdies the 14th yielded during the week. Statistically the easiest hole on the course, the 626-yard par-5 averaged 4.41 overall.

The new course record set by Justin Rose on his phenomenal final round charge. He beats the previous record by two.

91.1%

The most accurate driver of the tournament was Italian superstarin-waiting Matteo Manassero. He was also third in Greens in Regulation. The only problem was he forgot to take his putter out of the fridge. He made only 11 birdies all week.

35 10 The total number of eagles during the 2012 DP World Tour Championship.

The number of players with a 100% record in successfully getting up-and-down for par from a greenside bunker. www.wwgolf.biz

Fairway

Fuzz

MOVEMBER on tour

November is the month of ‘Movember’ as gentlemen from all across the globe raise awareness of prostate cancer by growing a moustache and, in turn, raising vital funds for associated charities. The Movember Foundation has raised $174million worldwide since its introduction in 2004 and many of the world’s top athletes got into the swing of things this year, with plenty on display at the DP World Tour Championship.

“Mrs Harrington certainly took some convincing. Originally, when the handlebar came out it took half an hour before she agreed to let me out of the door. That was in Singapore. It was only meant to stay on until the end of that week but she was convinced by someone who has prostate cancer that it would be good if I kept it and she thought, ‘well, why not’. It is quite awkward and for simplicity I will be going back to being clean shaven soon!”

Louis Oosthuizen looks relaxed as he partners his moustache with a little soul patch. Classy touch.

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Oosthuizen’s pal Charl Schwartzel didn’t quite have the bottle to shave and leave a ‘tache lurking but his goatee is pretty cool.

Despite missing out on a place in the field, Sweden’s Joel Sjoholm shows his Movember support as he takes in the action from outside the ropes at Jumeirah Golf Estates. He was more than happy to cultivate some hair on his top lip, saying: “I would love to see some more of the European Tour players rocking a moustache!”

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Future of golf is looking good Mike Gallemore talks to Dubai Golf’s Chief Executive Officer CHRISTOPHER MAY about the progress of golf in the region and the future of the game in the Middle East in the coming years. WWG: When did you first come to Dubai and what brought you here? CM: I came to Dubai in 1999 just before the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club hosted the Dubai Desert Classic. I started as Assistant Manager to Rod Bogg who was GM at the Creek. I knew very little about Dubai apart from what I’d been told and through watching the Dubai Desert Classic on television and seeing the iconic Dubai Creek clubhouse. WWG: Where were you before coming to Dubai and what is your golfing background? CM: I worked in the golf industry in England prior to coming to Dubai, running Woodbury Park, for former F1 motor racing World Champion, Nigel Mansell, who was a scratch golfer, and before that at the London Golf Club just outside London. Peter Mitchell, a good friend of mine who played on The European Tour and now plays on the European Senior Tour, advised me that Dubai would probably be a very good place for me to go and that he thought it was really going places. He said I couldn’t go wrong by joining Dubai Creek, his prediction certainly came good. I was interested in working overseas so I took his advice and came out in February 1999. In my first week I witnessed the Dubai Desert Classic won by David Howell, which was a great experience. It was the first time the event had been played at Dubai Creek

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Golf & Yacht Club after being held at Emirates Golf Club since the inaugural event in1989. I found Dubai to be a very busy and dynamic place and I could see the potential for golf in Dubai, it was also good to be in warm sunshine in February. WWG: What do you think were the significant milestones in the development of Dubai? CM: When I arrived, the awareness of Dubai, although it was growing, was still in its infancy. The primary drive behind everything that was happening was the vision of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The opening of the Burj Al Arab was a really significant factor – my wife worked at the Burj for the first three years after it opened. It really helped to put Dubai on the world map. The emergence of Emirates Airline was a critical, fundamental part of the growth of Dubai. It brought about an increase in tourism, commerce and business in general and it was the catalyst to the success of Dubai. Emirates brought people from all over the world to the city and helped make it what it is today, with its shopping malls, world-class hotels and buildings including the Burj Khalifa. Several sports events including the Dubai Desert Classic, the Rugby 7s, the tennis championships and the Dubai World Cup put Dubai on the world sporting map. All these factors have combined to raise the profile of the city and put the world’s focus on Dubai. The developments

CHRIS MAY

EXCLUSIVE are never-ending. Dubai and the United Arab Emirates are now the focus of world golf during the months of November, December, January and February. WWG: Emirates and the Creek have made so many improvements and have increased their facilities to such an extent, is there any more that needs to be done? CM: We’re constantly looking at ways to improve our facilities. It’s something we’ve done since the early days. In this part of the world if you don’t continually improve you’re not even standing stand still, you’re going backwards. There are so many things happening, so many new innovations. There will always be new projects going forward for us and we are always trying to diversify. Our villas have been very successful – the properties at Emirates Golf Club have now been completed and the 92 villas at Dubai Creek and the 71 villas at Emirates Golf Club are all currently fully occupied. The villas contribute to the atmpsphere of both clubs, particulasrly during the evenings in our restaurants and bars. WWG: With Dubai Golf now managing Almouj Golf The Wave, Muscat, is this an aspect of Dubai Golf you want to expand? CM: This is one of our key objectives over the next few years – and we are focussed on expanding this element of our business. We have a huge amount of expertise in golf, restaurants, operating marinas and organising events within the region and utilising that knowledge and experience should mean that we will be managing more clubs over the coming years.

WWG: They say that you can get things done in Dubai that wouldn’t be possible in other countries – is that the case in your experience? CM: When I look back at some the events I’ve been involved in, it really is unbelievable. It’s difficult to explain to other golf clubs around the world that we organised and did the catering for a Robbie Williams concert for 25,000 people and an Elton John concert for 15,000, plus corporate events for in excess of 5,000 people. In the restaurants within Dubai Golf we serve around 500,000 covers a year. Recently I ate at Boardwalk Restaurant at Dubai Creek and learned that we have served a quarter of a million portions of the outlet’s signature fish and chips. With the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and all the Corporate, Members and Guests events we stage at the clubs there is always something going on. Dubai is an exciting place to be and this is an exciting job to do. Things happen in Dubai more quickly than anywhere else in the world and it certainly keeps me motivated. WWG: Emirates GC and the Creek are the UAE’s most established courses – do they still command No.1 status among UAE golfers and visitors? CM:We’re very fortunate to be in the position we’re in. This achievement is down to the hard work of a great many people over a number of years. Many of our members have been with us from the very beginning and we’ve had great support from them. We’ve always looked after our members, who regard the clubs as a second home. This has been been one of the keys to our success. We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary of the Creek and our 25th 4

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Special UAE Residents Rates for Floodlit Golf on the Faldo As a UAE resident, book a four ball for 18 holes of Night Golf on the floodlit Faldo from Thursday to Sunday and only pay for three players*. Offer is valid from 1st October to 31st December 2012, please quote â&#x20AC;&#x153;NiGhTâ&#x20AC;? when making your booking. *Terms and conditions apply To book your round call +971 4 380 1234 or email golfbooking@dubaigolf.com. www.dubaigolf.com

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UpClose Chris May

CM: We’re constantly looking at ways to improve our facilities. It’s something we’ve done since the early days. In this part of the world if you don’t continually improve you’re not even standing still, you’re going backwards. Pictured right: The sixth tee at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

see one of our junior members at Dubai Creek, Ahmed Al Musharrekh, become the first National professional golfer from the UAE. He’ll be a great ambassador for golf in the emirates and I hope we can produce many more Ahmeds in the years to come. WWG: With the high cost of maintenance of desert golf courses can a golf club be financially successful just as a golf course or does it have to rely on real estate, hotels and restaurants? CM: It would be difficult. We were very lucky to be the first grass 18-hole golf courses in the region. We have a mix of a solid membership base, restaurants, villas, marina, corporate golfers and visitors which is a very strong business model. However, the operational costs are very high and as a stand-alone golf course it’s very difficult to be successful in this part of the world. Even in other parts of the world it is proving difficult and I think we’ll see fewer and fewer stand-alone golf courses in the world. The figures just don’t add up. anniversary of Emirates Golf Club in 2013. We’ve improved our facilities over the years and we have benefitted from our members recommending the club to other people. The competition from the new golf courses within the region has been very positive for us and has helped us to develop our clubs even further.

for golf within the region. We are very fortunate to see such positive trends and are working hard to ensure that these continue. We are also seeing growth in different markets. The UK and Europe still provide the highest number of visitors, however, we are now seeing an increase in tourists from China.

WWG: With so many golf clubs now in the UAE does this make it more and more difficult for the clubs to attract enough members to make it viable? CM: Over the last three years we have seen an increase in the number of overseas golfers. Last month was our single most busy month in our history at both clubs. At certain times of the year there is an over-supply of golf courses. However, in the months of November to March when the Tour events are on it is difficult to get a tee time. In the summer months when the temperatures go up, obviously, it’s a different situation, however, since introducing floodlights to the Faldo course we have seen an increase in the demand for golf during the cooler evening in the summer months. For the first time in 2012, the UAE welcomed over 50,000 rounds to our courses in a single month and we are continuing to see very positive sigens

WWG: With the recent deserved IAGTO award does this mean that the number of golf tourists is increasing? CM: It’s very pleasing to receive the award. It’s the third time Dubai has received the award and Abu Dhabi won it last year. It’s not just the golf clubs, it’s Emirates Airline, it’s the shopping malls, it’s Ski Dubai, the water parks – the whole package. It’s a big thing to be recognised by IAGTO. WWG: Do you think that there is anything more that can be done to increase the number of golfers in the UAE? CM: Over the last two years we’ve seen an increase in memberships, tourism and corporate days which is good but we need to focus on junior development and encouraging more involvement by National youngsters, with the help of wasl, our parent company. It was great to

Golfing hero?

CM: SEVE BALLESTEROS Seve was the reason why I first got interested in golf. He had everything. I loved the way he played. He had the ability to get himself out of trouble from the most impossible locations and he was so exciting to watch. I was lucky enough to spend some time with him when we opened the London Golf Club. Seve, Jack Nicklaus and Tony Jacklin opened the course in 1993 when Seve was at the top of his game. When Seve walked into a room you could feel a great presence. Everyone was in awe of him. We’re in a very exciting time for golf with Rory McIlroy and so many great youngsters, we’ve got a lot to look forward to.

WWG: What’s your greatest golfing moment as a player or spectator? CM: As a golfer the standard of my golf means I don’t have a personal greatest moment, however, I enjoy playing whenever I can, particularly with my father and my brother. As a golf spectator, I love watching The Ryder Cup. It’s possibly the greatest sports event on TV and we were all very fortunate to watch the greatest Ryder Cup of all at Medinah in September. It was absolutely incredible. I also thoroughly enjoy watching Majors and seeing the best players in the world competing against each other. We’re so lucky in this part of the world to see golf’s greatest players in action in the Desert Swing with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, the Commercial bank Qatar Masters and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. The DP World Tour Championship has also become a great event. To see these players close up over here is something special. The 2012 event produced a phenomenal finish. I watched Justin Rose hit that putt on the 18th on the Earth course – it was probably the best golf shot I’ve ever seen on his way to his course record 62. Rory McIlroy’s finish with birdies on each of the last five holes was a fantastic achievement. It was great for golf, great for Dubai – and great television. n www.wwgolf.biz

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I knew that one day I would fulfil my dream of being a successful golf pro, I knew I had it in me, but I also knew I was going to be a bit of a clown before I got there.â&#x20AC;? 22

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Nicolas Colsaerts EXCLUSIVE

COLSAERTS puts the rough years behind him Words: Richard Bevan

FORMER DJ Nicolas Colsaerts would be the first to admit that he used to spend more time partying than practicing. The house music nut is blessed with bags of natural talent and a gargantuan swing that allows him to comfortably outdrive every player in world golf with a whopping average of 318.63 yards. But a lack of focus in his early career saw that talent wasted and he was freefalling down the World Rankings towards obscurity, at one point slipping outside the top 1,000 at the end of 2008. The easy-going, fun-loving Belgian had a word with himself and decided it was time to start getting serious about his day job. www.wwgolf.biz

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UpClose

Colsaerts Known to spin the wheels of steel, Nicolas was told he looked like superstar DJ David Guetta on more than one occasion back in his longer haired days…

nc FACTFILE

Name: Nicolas Colsaerts Born: Brussels, Belgium D.O.B: 14.11.82 Residence: Brussels

QUICK FIRE

breakthrough victory on the Challenge Tour in 2009 saw Colsaerts regain his place on The European Tour and last year he scored his first win at the Volvo China Open. He then spent the winter break on an intensive training camp in Mauritius where he got into the best shape of his life and he’s been rewarded with the best season of his career, winning his second European Tour title at the prestigious Volvo World Match Play Championship, among a string of top results, and making his Ryder Cup debut on Olazabal’s odds-defying victorious European Team at Medinah. “I knew that one day I would fulfil my dream of being a successful golf pro,” says Colsaerts. “I knew I had it in me, but I also knew I was going to be a bit of a clown before I got there. I had my mid-life crisis at 25, which was a good thing. I got it out of the way. People took me aside to have a word, to tell me to knuckle down a million times, but that decision has to come from

you. Everyone is busy doing their own things – no one has time to babysit out here.” Colsaerts’ turnaround in fortunes over the past 18 months has been quite remarkable. An impressive four-stroke victory for his first European Tour title at last year’s Volvo China Open, along with a further four top 10s, saw him finish a then career-high 20th on the 2011 Race to Dubai. He hit the ground running this season with a fourth place finish in the Volvo Golf Champions in South Africa before a strong showing on the Middle East Swing yielded top 10s in both Qatar and Dubai. A third place in the Sicilian Open and runner-up in the Volvo China Open followed in April before he beat 2010 US Open Champion Graeme McDowell on the final hole to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin in Spain for his second European Tour title. “It’s a tournament I watched on television when I was a kid – I remember seeing it on

BBC TV,” says Colsaerts who went on to add a further three top 10s including a tie for seventh place at The Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes. “But it’s different when you see your name next to players who have ruled this game, legends of golf. It’s hard to describe. “It means everything. I turned pro 12 years ago. I’ve been through so many different phases in my career, and to play well in events like that is such an achievement. So much work has been done in the last year and a half.” Colsaerts credits the realisation of his long-known potential to his decision to start focussing 100 per cent on golf and he believes a 12-day intensive pre-season training camp gave him an extra edge this season, which allowed him to be in contention more often than not. Working with Richard Vanmeerbeek, son of his swing coach Michael, Nicolas was put through his paces with rigorous daily sessions of CrossFit – a modern training

WWG: You come from a sporting background – tell us about your great grandfather. Did his achievements inspire you to try for a career in sport? NC: My great grandfather represented Belgium in basketball and water polo at the 1920 Olympic Games. He was competing in the ‘20s and ‘30s so too long before my time to inspire me. But my father has also always been a fantastic sportsman. Sport is really in the family! WWG: You were very sporty as a child– which other sports did you play? NC: I played every day one or two of these sports: tennis, field hockey, golf, squash. But it was in golf that I had my best results. WWG: What made you decide to focus on golf and when did you make that decision? NC: At the age of 12 I decided to become a pro golfer and at the age of 14, I decided to stop the other sports and concentrate only on golf. WWG: You’re known to love house music – what’s on your iPod at the moment? NC: For the moment I’m listening to some loud German house. Robag Whrume and Kollektiv Turmstrasse, but I don’t mind the good old heavy metal or rap-rock! 4 www.wwgolf.biz

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Colsaerts

Other sportsmen that Nicolas admires include Roger Federer, Zinedine Zidane, Valentino Rossi, John McEnroe, Michael Jordan, Severiano Ballesteros, Fred Couples, Bobby George, Eric Cantona and Goran Ivanisevic.

method using high-intensity short workouts, combining exercises such as skipping, rope climbing, sprinting, rowing and weightlifting. “We went to a place called Anahita where I’m attached to now in Mauritius, which is just next door to South Africa where I was playing my first tournament, the Volvo Golf Champions at Fancourt,” he says. “So it was kind of easy to set up a training camp right before we went and played the first tournament as it’s only a three-hour flight. I did a lot of fitness work. I did a combination of two sessions of CrossFit and two sessions of golf training a day for 12 days and I arrived on Tour stronger than ever. “It’s good because it’s very varied and you can train lots of different muscles with different exercises. It’s CrossFit but it was specially tuned for me and for professional golf. That’s one of the talents of Rich, being able to tailor a specific programme for a specific person.” As well as concentrating on his physical preparations Nicolas worked on the mental side by employing the services of renowned sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella. “We started working with Doc Rotella in the first weeks of 2012. His task is to give me

the confident feeling of being as good as my opponents. “I’m 100 per cent professional now – in tournament periods every minute has been devoted to my career. No parties, no drinks, no holidays. On my weeks off I do media stuff, company days and workouts.” His efforts this season led to an occasion that marked the pinnacle of his career so far when José Maria Olazábal selected him as one of his two Captain’s picks for The Ryder Cup. After sitting out the opening foursomes session Colsaerts made one of the most spectacular Ryder Cup debuts in history in the Friday afternoon Fourballs where he shot a 63 with his own ball, making eight birdies, one eagle and a solitary bogey to beat Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker while his partner, former World No.1 and Ryder Cup stalwart Lee Westwood was relegated to the role of an awestruck passenger. It was to be his only point of the tournament but what a vital point it turned out to be – and what a way to make an entrance. “I am still in the clouds – there is not half an hour that passes when I don’t think about it,” says Colsaerts, whose stunning

“ I’m 100 per cent professional now – in tournament periods every minute has been devoted to my career. No parties, no drinks, no holidays. On my weeks off I do media stuff, company days and workouts.”

Friday afternoon performance prevented a US whitewash in the session. “It’s just constant, I can’t help it. I suppose the main thoughts that come to mind immediately are winning the point with Lee on the Friday but then it all rushes back – the whole experience was just unbelievable.” Like many of his teammates Colsaerts has had to re-adjust to the bread and butter business of playing regular tournament golf to close out the season in the aftermath of Europe’s astonishing comeback victory in Medinah. “It has been funny playing events with smaller crowds,” he says. “It feels like you have come from playing in a World Cup final football stadium to a division three game but that has helped me a lot because I am just freewheeling at the moment and the confidence it has given me is pretty cool. If you can do it on a stage like that, with the whole world watching, and pull out some of the stuff that I did there it creates a part of you that feels you can achieve anything.” If the Belgian Bomber, who will also play on the US PGA Tour next year, continues on the upward trajectory that carried him to such heights this season, the prospect of what he could achieve in 2013 is truly mouthwatering. n

COLSAERTS IN THE SWING WWG: You’ve always been a big hitter since you joined The Tour but this year your driving distance average has made the biggest jump yet – up to 317.6 yards. Is this just down to the extra work you’ve done on your fitness? NC: No, it’s is a mix of technical issues on the swing (physics), coordination and fast muscular fibres! WWG: Were you a big hitter as a child? NC: I was a big hitter already in field hockey and also in golf, it’s in my genes!

WWG: What’s the secret of hitting the ball so far? NC: If I tell you it’s not a secret any more! It’s a technical issue, very much about physics: inertia, lag, speed, trajectory, spin. But the real secret is that I have a great coach. Michel Vanmeerbeek is the engineer of my swing and he’s awesome! He knows how everything is functioning and I do it just as he tells me. I can’t teach and I can’t tell you, I just do it, dude!

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Mid-week membership now available. for just 10,000Dhs Jumeirah Golf Estates’ new Mid-week Membership is just what you’ve been waiting for. Engineered specifically for those who prefer to play relaxed rounds or network with clients – taking in the surrounds whilst playing championship courses. With no annual joining fees, our Mid-week Membership includes unlimited access to Greg Norman’s Fire and Earth courses, use of the practice facilities and Titleist range balls, 10 day advance tee time bookings, shared golf cart, preferential mid-week green fees for your guests, discounts in the Pro Shop and Clubhouse and a complimentary lesson. Limited memberships now available. email membership@jumeirahgolfestates.com or call +971 4 375 9999 today. www.jumeirahgolfestates.com Valid from 1 January until 31 December 2013, Sunday to Thursday inclusive. Terms and conditions apply.

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G E T T I NG T O K NOW t h e 2 012 m a s te r s C h a m p ion

“The same time I won The Masters we adopted a son and being a dad has been the best part of this year. I would give up the green jacket any day of the week for my son.”

WWG: What’s your favourite course in the US? BW: Pebble Beach WWG: How old were you and where did you break par for 18 holes the first time? BW: I was 10 years old and it was at Tanglewood in Milton, Florida WWG: Best shot of your career? BW: I had a shot at Bay Hill last year at (No.) 16 where I could only hit it 10 feet high because of trees. Had 204 and hit 6-iron over water to 20 feet for eagle WWG: Favourite TV show? BW: “The A-Team” WWG: Favourite musician or group? BW: Justin Bieber WWG: What’s the oldest club in your bag? BW: My Ping driver. I got it last November WWG: Do you have any golf superstitions? BW: I carry three tees in my left pocket WWG: Who would make up your dream foursome of non-golfers? BW: Tim Tebow, Justin Bieber and my wife, Angie WWG: What’s the one mulligan you’d like to have in your career? BW: The second shot at 18 in the play-off at the 2010 PGA Championship, I should have laid-up

BUBBA WATSON www.wwgolf.biz

Date: Oct 25-28 Event: BMW Masters Venue: Lake Malaren Golf Club, Shanghai, China Winner’s Cheque: €888,561

Date: Oct 25-28 Event: CIMB Classic Venue: The MINES Resort & Golf Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Winner’s Cheque: $1,300,000

WATNEY TURNS ON THE STYLE IN MALAYSIA

HANSON MAKES HIS MOVE THE Race to Dubai heated up as Sweden’s Peter Hanson held off Rory McIlroy to win the BMW Masters in Shanghai for the biggest title of his career. The Swede, who led by one heading into the final round, looked to be cruising when he opened up a four-stroke advantage by the fourth hole which was still intact after the 14th. But the World No.1 eagled 15 and birdied 16 to pull within two before a nervy finish by Hanson eventually saw him close out the win with a bogey at the last.

“It was a little bit tense. Rory made a tremendous effort with his eagle on 15 and birdie on 16, so it put quite a bit of pressure on me. I was trying to play it a little bit safe but against the World No.1 you still have to hit the shots.” Pos. Name

Country To Par R1 R2 R3 R4 Total

1 Peter Hanson SWE 2 Rory McIlroy NIR 3 Luke Donald ENG

-21 -20 -17

66 64 70 67 267 67 65 69 67 268 70 67 68 66 271

Date: Nov 01-05 Event: WGC-HSBC Champions Venue: Mission Hills Golf Club, Shenzen, China Winner’s Cheque: €921,376

NICK Watney put together a stunning course record 10-under 61 to beat defending champion Bo Van Pelt and Robert Garrigus by a stroke in the CIMB Classic in Malaysia. Tiger Woods had looked to be heading for victory after a lightening quick start that saw him complete the front nine in 30. But as Woods slowed slightly down the back nine Watney compiled 11 birdies in 17 holes and had a chance for a 59 – just like Tommy Gainey the previous week – with a birdie at the last. But he bogeyed the hole which was enough for victory on 22-under. Woods finished tied fourth on 19-under.

“I’m thrilled to have come away with the win. I really wanted to finish strong ... but winning the tournament was more important than a 59 for me.” Pos. Name

Country To Par R1 R2 R3 R4 Total

1 Nick Watney 2 Robert Garrigus 2 Bo Van Pelt

USA USA USA

-22 -21 -21

71 65 65 61 262 64 64 69 66 263 70 65 62 66 263

Date: Nov 08-11 Event: Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic Venue: Magnolia GC, Lake Buena Vista, Florida Winner’s Cheque: $846,000

POULTS TAKES CENTRE STAGE AGAIN IAN Poulter kept the momentum going from his starring role at The Ryder Cup by storming to victory at the WGC-HSBC Champions after two consecutive rounds of 65 on the Saturday and Sunday. It looked like joint overnight leader Lee Westwood might be heading for the title after a lightening quick start saw him go three clear but a double bogey at the fifth dented his challenge and three more bogeys on the back nine saw him slip back as Poulter’s putter caught fire, the Englishman making eight birdies and dropping only one shot to win by two from Jason Dufner, Scott Piercy, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els.

“I feel confident with the putter right now. It’s so nice to get my hands on another trophy and get back in the winner’s circle.” Pos. Name

Country To Par R1 R2 R3 R4 Total

1 Ian Poulter ENG 2 Jason Dufner USA 2 Ernie Els RSA 2 Phil Mickelson USA 2 Scott Piercy USA 30

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-21 -19 -19 -19 -19

69 68 65 65 68 66 71 64 70 63 69 67 66 69 66 68 68 68 68 65

267 269 269 269 269

Beljan revels in disney delight CHARLIE Beljan went through a rollercoaster of emotions as he picked up his maiden US PGA Tour title at the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic. The man from Arizona suffered a panic attack after his second round 64 and after virtually no sleep after spending the night in hospital he went out and shot a third round 71 before a final round 69 sealed a two-shot victory over Robert Garrigus and Matt Every.

“Every day I drove underneath that Disney sign coming in here that said, ‘Where dreams come true,’ and that’s just what happened this week. And I’m so grateful and so honoured.” Pos. Name 1 Charlie Beljan T2 Matt Every T2 Robert Garrigus

Country To Par R1 R2 R3 R4 Total USA USA USA

-16 -14 -14

68 64 71 69 272 67 69 70 68 274 68 68 70 68 274

Tour NEws Date: Nov 08-11 Event: Barclays Singapore Open Venue: Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore Winner’s Cheque: €770,226

Magical Manassero soars high in singapore ITALIAN prodigy Matteo Manassero sank an eagle putt on the third play-off hole to deny Louis Oosthuizen a third victory of the season while by finishing third Ulsterman Rory McIlroy clinched The Race to Dubai title for the first time in his career. Manassero collected his third European Tour title after downing Oosthuizen on their third trip down the 18th after both signed for 13-underpar totals and halved the first two play-off holes. McIlroy carded a final round 65 to move up the leaderboard and seal The Race to Dubai honours.

“This year has been a tough year for me going through a few swing changes, but it has been amazing this week. I’m glad this came in such a great tournament.”

Pos. Name

Country To Par R1 R2 R3 R4 Total

1 Matteo Manassero ITA 2 Louis Oosthuizen SAF 3 Rory McIlroy NIR

Date: Nov 15-18 Event: UBS Hong Kong Open Venue:Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling, Hong Kong Winner’s Cheque: €260,638

Age no issue for evergreen jimenÉz MIGUEL Angel Jiménez became the oldest player ever to win on The European Tour, at the age of 48 years and 318 days, when he took the UBS Hong Kong Open for the third time in his career. The fun-loving Spaniard shot a final round of 5-under 65 for a 15-under total of 265 to defeat Sweden’s Fredrik Andersson Hed by one stroke.

“It’s very nice – I hope it’s not the last one! I really love this place. I love the golf course – it’s a great golf course where you have to control the ball very well, it’s not a matter of distance.” Pos. Name

Country To Par R1 R2 R3 R4 Total

1 Miguel Angel Jimenez SPA 2 Fredrik Andersson Hed SWE 3 Marcus Fraser AUS

-15 -14 -12

65 67 68 65 265 66 66 70 64 266 67 69 68 64 268

-13 70 68 64 69 271 -13 70 69 65 67 271 -10 70 70 69 65 274

Date: Nov 15-18 Event: SA Open Championship Venue: Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate, Ekurhuleni, South Africa Winner’s Cheque: €158,500

Henrik seals a return to top form HENRIK Stenson won his first European Tour title since the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in 2007 and his first strokeplay victory since the 2009 Players Championship in Florida when he clinched the SA Open by three shots from George Coetzee. The Swede held on with a solid final round 71 to win and deny Coetzee a maiden title on The European Tour.

“When it takes that long between wins you wonder if there will be another. You’ve just got to fight hard and put the work in. In this game you need to put a lot of effort in to get something back. I’m very relieved to have won this one.” Pos. Name

Country To Par R1 R2 R3 R4 Total

1 Henrik Stenson 2 George Coetzee T3 Thomas Aiken T3 Martin Kaymer

SWE SAF SAF GER

-17 -14 -13 -13

66 65 69 71 70 70 63 71 73 66 69 67 70 70 68 67 www.wwgolf.biz

271 274 275 275 31

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Dubai collects prestigious IAGTO award

Craig Forrest receives the Shaikh Rashid Trophy from Salah Saleh and David Thomson of Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa.

Forrest pips Campbell to Shaikh Rashid Trophy CRAIG Forrest won an epic four-hole play-off with Louis Campbell to win the 12th edition of the Shaikh Rashid Trophy last month at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa. Forrest found himself with a two-shot lead at the turn but Campbell came back strongly to force a play-off. The pair couldn’t be separated after two trips down the last and one down the 17th but Forrest finally prevailed on the 18th after getting up and down from a bunker for birdie. The opening two rounds were played at The Els Club and Al Badia Golf Club and after 36 holes the field was cut from 78 to 30 for the final shootout. Emirates Golf Federation’s Ryan Riley, who made a great start

to the tournament in round one before faltering slightly in round two, regained his form to card a 75 and finish in third place. Sidney De Souza, also of the EGF, fell back at Jebel Ali after two solid opening rounds and had to settle for a fourth-place finish while Emirates Golf Club’s Nicola Angelastri finished fifth in her Shaikh Rashid Trophy debut. “We would like to thank all the players for supporting and participating in this flagship event in the region,” said Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, Secretary General of Emirates Golf Federation. “The clubs involved provided fantastic venues and their assistance is greatly appreciated. I would like to thank especially James Williams

DUBAI has collected a prestigious award from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators’ (IAGTO) at the International Golf Travel Market in Portugal. Dubai received the accolade of Golf Destination Of The Year – Africa, Indian Ocean & Gulf States. Over the past quarter of a century golf has expanded dramatically in Dubai, to the extent where there are currently 11 golf courses and nine golf clubs in the Emirate. To date, three courses – Emirates Golf Club, Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club and Jumeirah Golf Estates have all staged European Tour events. Hamad Bin Mejren, Executive Director - Business Tourism at the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said: “The DTCM is proud to receive the award for Dubai, which has clinched the best golf destination award for the third time in a decade. This highlights the genuinely successful golf industry in Dubai. In a very short period of time the city, technically a novice in golfing terms, is on a par with cities with a much older reputation as golfing destinations.”

Darren CLARKE AWARDED OBE THE 2011 Open Champion, Darren Clarke, received an OBE recently and admitted afterwards that competing in the heat of Majors and Ryder Cups was a far easier experience. The Ulsterman was presented with his medal at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in recognition of his achievements in the sport. Asked how it compared to winning The Open at Royal St George’s, he smiled: “It is right up there but The Open and Ryder Cup were much easier than this.” Clarke, 44, has played in five Ryder Cups – winning four – and was a Vice Captain for Europe’s victories in 2010 and 2012. He has won 14 times on The European Tour and has also set up the Darren Clarke Foundation in memory of his first wife, Heather, who died in 2006. “Heather would have been proud of me but more proud of the kids than me, sitting in there and seeing the Queen,” he said. “It was a great honour to meet the Queen. She asked me about the golf and the charity things as well.”

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Powers that be plan on limiting long putters THE R&A and the USGA have proposed a limit to the use of long handled putters which will ban the anchoring of such clubs into the body from 2016. Three of the last five Major winners used a belly putter anchored in their midriff while Adam Scott almost won The Open with a broom-handled putter anchored under his chin, and now the ruling bodies want changes. “If you anchor one end of the putter to your body it is taking away the frailties of nerves and it threatens to supplant the traditional putting stroke,” said Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of the R&A. “The majority of golfers will understand why we have done this. “There will be some players whose careers have become dependent on the anchored putting stroke. They do have three years to find another method if the rule change is confirmed.”

Paul Azinger, one of the first to anchor a mid-length putter into his midriff in the late 1990s, has come out in defence of the longer flatstick. “Everybody is looking to improve their game,” Azinger said. “That technique is good for some, and it didn’t work for others.” He joked that the Great Big Bertha, which was huge when it first hit the shops and had a big sweet spot, now looks like a 4-wood compared to today’s drivers and that advancements in equipment in the last 20 year confuse him. “It’s OK for manufacturers to figure out game improvement,” he said, “but if a player figures it out, we’re going to ban it. The belly putter doesn’t guarantee you’ll putt better, but today’s drivers will guarantee you’ll hit the ball farther.”

DIVOTS Left to right: Mohammed Al Ardhi (National Bank of Oman Deputy Chairman), Salaam Al Shaksy (National Bank of Oman CEO) and Nick Tarratt (European Tour International Director, Dubai Office) at the official launch of the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic in Muscat.

ALMOUJ GOLF TO MAKE CHALLENGE TOUR DEBUT OMAN is to host a Challenge Tour event for the first time when the recently opened Greg Norman designed Almouj Golf, The Wave stages the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic from October 24-27, 2013. The event, sponsored by National Bank of Oman, will mark a first for both Oman and the GCC and is another example of the Challenge Tour bringing the game to emerging golf nations, with the Tour already having ventured to such far flung destinations as Columbia, Egypt, India, Kazakhstan, Kenya, and Russia. The National Bank of Oman Golf Classic will be the penultimate event on the 2013 calendar and will feature a field of 84 professionals with a further 30 invites, which will include 10 low handicap amateurs. “We are absolutely delighted to be bringing the

Germany to host 2015 Solheim Cup GERMANY is to host the women’s version of The Ryder Cup for the first time in 2015. The Solheim Cup will be held at the St Leon-Rot Golf Club, which has previously hosted the Deutsche Bank SAP Open on The European Tour. “It will be a fantastic experience for our golf in Germany,” said Germany’s Sandra Gal, a member of the victorious 2011 European team. “I am sure my home country will be a great host.”

Challenge Tour to Oman and these are exciting times for us as it is the first time we have ever visited this part of the world,” said Alain de Soultrait, Director of the European Challenge Tour. “As the penultimate event of the 2013 Challenge Tour season, the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic will be a crucial tournament for our players and even more so thanks to the large prize fund. “We must thank National Bank of Oman and its Deputy Chairman Mohammed Mahfoodh Al Ardhi for offering the Challenge Tour this unique opportunity. We also hope Oman’s national players will take full benefit of the possibility of competing against the Challenge Tour players.” Salaam Al Shaksy, NBO’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “As title sponsor for the next three years, National Bank

of Oman looks forward to welcoming the players and officials for the first ever Challenge Tour event in Oman. “At National Bank of Oman, we are proud of the steps this country has taken with the launch of Almouj Golf, The Wave – the first Professional Golf Association (PGA) championship course in the country. With the support of the Oman Golf Committee led by Sayyid Arqam Al Busaidi, Oman will become the 45th country to be visited by the Challenge Tour. “The Government, under the guidance of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, continues to strive to strengthen the country’s position as an international tourism destination and at National Bank of Oman we believe in playing our part in that vision.”

‘Final Series’ added to 2013 European Tour schedule THE European Tour have announced a new climax to their international schedule with four events – including the seasonending DP World Tour Championship – making up ‘The Final Series’. The series consists of the BMW Masters, the WGC-HSBC Champions and the new Turkish Open before the Dubai finale on November 14. For players to qualify for a Dubai berth they must play in at least two of the opening three events. If they play in all three before Dubai then their Race to Dubai points tally will earn a 20% bonus. “We felt there had to be an additional level of commitment from the membership to these important tournaments, hence the new regulation,” said European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady.

TIANLANG TO BREAK MASTERS AGE RECORD CHINA’S Guan Tianlang is set to become the youngest player ever to compete at the Masters after the 14-year-old won a place in the field after victory at the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Thailand’s Amata Spring Country Club. Matteo Mannassero previously held the record – he was 16 when he played at Augusta in 2010 – while Tianlang’s appearance at the prestigious Major will mark the second straight year a 14-year-old has teed it up in a Grand Slam event after Andy Zhang qualified for the US Open last year.

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Lexi Thompson plays her approach shot to the 18th hole on her way to victory in last year’s Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.

Ladies aiming to Master the Majlis

The cream of the Ladies game will once again descend upon Dubai this month with the prestigious Omega Dubai Ladies Masters title up for grabs at Emirates Golf Club.

eenage sensation Lexi Thompson etched her name into the history books with her stunning four-stroke win in Dubai last year and the 17-year-old is looking forward to defending her title when the event gets underway on December 5th. “I can’t wait to return to Dubai and defend my title at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters,” said Thompson. “Emirates Golf Club is one of my favourite courses and Dubai is somewhere I really enjoy visiting. To be only 17 years old and making my third trip to the UAE is pretty special. The golf course fits my eye and my game very well, as was proven last year with my win. It’ll be tough to defend but it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.” 34 34

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Another American to tee it up in Dubai is Solheim Cup star Michelle Wie. Wie will be making her fourth appearance in succession at the season-ending Ladies European Tour event where her best finish is second to fellow In-Kyung Kim of South Korea on her debut in 2009. The following season she finished in a share of fifth after a final round 67 and last year she finished 12th. The LPGA star is hopeful that this is the year she breaks her Dubai duck. “Obviously, the goal is to win the tournament. For that to happen, I need to be on top of my game since the organisers assemble a very strong field each year,” she said. “I’m practicing really hard, but I can’t really control all of it. What I can do is to have fun out there and just play the

“To be only 17 years old and making my third trip to the UAE is pretty special. The golf course fits my eye and my game very well, as proven last year with my win. It’ll be tough to defend but it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.”

– Lexi Thompson

best I can. It’s so much fun to be in Dubai. There is always something new to look for, always something new to try. It’s such an interesting place; it’s so mesmerizing, so I’m really happy to be playing in the tournament along side highlycompetitive Ladies European Tour players.” The field will be littered with talent with Chinese Major winner Shanshan Feng making her debut this year, hoping to cap an incredible season. Feng won the LPGA Championship in June by two strokes and hopes that it will be a catalyst of things to come from Chinese golfers. “There are good players from China, young players, right now. I became the first one, but I’m sure there will be a second, third, more people winning in the United States and winning

5-8 December, 2012 Emirates Golf Club, Dubai

majors,” said Feng who started playing golf at the age of 10. “A win in Dubai will certainly ice the cake this year, but for that to happen I will have to bring in my A-game since the field is studded with a host of potential winners from both sides of the Atlantic. “The LPGA Championship win has given me a lot of confidence. I really believe in myself that I can win more events. It will be my first visit to Dubai, but I have heard many good things about the city and look forward to enjoying every moment there. The Majlis course, I am told is in great shape. I am rubbing my hands in anticipation and can’t wait to get started.” Another name to look out for is Flavia Namakula as she represents the first Ugandan to tee it up at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters. The 24-year-old amateur, who plays off 1, will showcase the rising standards in Eastern African golf and she admits plenty of hard work has gone in to her progress. “I am not just a lucky golfer. I have put in a lot of time to hone my skills and it has started paying off. I am keen to take my game to the next level and for that to happen I need to play in big events,” she said. “I am grateful to golf in DUBAi for providing with this opportunity which is nothing less than a

Above: Chinese LPGA Tour Major winner Shanshan Feng is making her Dubai debut this year. Above right: American star Michelle Wie will be teeing it up for the fourth consecutive year this year. dream come true. I am looking forward to the challenge ahead and will try and give my best shot. I know a good performance in Dubai would be a great advertisement for golf in Uganda.” Namakula, Thompson and Wie will be up against Scotland’s Carly Booth who burst into the limelight this season with her first two victories on the Ladies European Tour. Solheim Cup stars Caroline Hedwall and Catriona Matthew both won their respective fifth titles on the Tour at the UNIQA Ladies Golf Open and the Ladies Irish Open while Australian Stacey Keating proved she is a force to be reckoned with after back-toback wins in Spain and France in October. Add to the mix the likes of Melissa Reid and another twotime winner this year, Holland’s Christel Boeljon, and this year’s Omega Dubai Ladies Masters has all the ingredients to be another classic encounter. n

DUBAL extends its support

FACTS AND FIGURES:

Youngest winner: Alexis Thompson, 16 years, 10 months and seven days (2011) Oldest winner: Annika Sorenstam, 37 years, 68 days (2007 - above) Best amateur: Carlota Ciganda (Spain), 2007 (T18)

ROLL OF HONOUR 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Annika Sorenstam (Swe) 65 68 68 69 (under-18) Annika Sorenstam (Swe) 70 70 68 70 (under 10-under) Anja Monke (Ger) 68 71 68 68 (under-13) In Kyung Kim (SK) 70 65 67 68 (under-18) Iben Tinning (Den) 70 69 69 69 (under-11) Lexi Thompson (USA) 70 66 70 67 (under-15)

DUBAI Aluminium (DUBAL) has again extended its support to the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters to be held under the patronage of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Ranked as the world’s largest single-site primary aluminium smelter using pre-bake anode technology, DUBAL has been associated with the seasonending Ladies European Tour event since its inception in 2006. DUBAL’s involvement reflects the company’s corporate commitment to back community initiatives and the broader goals of the Dubai Government. “DUBAL is delighted to continue its association with ‘golf in DUBAi’ as we consider corporate investment in the growth and development of Dubai to be both a duty and a privilege,” said Mohammed A Yahya, Manager: Corporate Relations & International Affairs.

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Norman Greg

Challenge Tour event great news for Almouj Golf

AST month’s fourth running of The European Tour’s end of season climax, the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, was played on the Earth course that I designed at Jumeirah Golf Estates. This is one of the biggest events on the Tour’s schedule and almost always makes for an exciting finish to The Race to Dubai. This year, Rory was able to wrap up both The Race to Dubai on The European Tour and the Money List on the US PGA Tour before the DP World Tour Championship even started but the remaining nine places in the bonus pool still had to be decided. I’ve heard on several occasions that the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, which I also designed, is being considered as the

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venue for the Championship in the coming years. I’d really like to see how that course would play for the professionals.

Rewarding

Speaking of professional tournaments, I was excited to learn that Almouj Golf, The Wave Muscat which I recently opened, will host a European Challenge Tour event, the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic, from October 24th until October 27th, 2013. The National Bank of Oman has entered into a three year agreement to sponsor the event which will be the first Challenge Tour event not only in the Sultanate of Oman but also in the GCC and will offer total prize-money of US$300,000. When designing a golf course, we

always strive to create a layout that is both challenging yet playable for all levels of golfers. This is a difficult task and it’s especially rewarding when the course is selected to host a championship event. The tournament will attract a field of 84 professionals with 30 additional invites available to the title sponsors, including 10 for low handicap amateurs. I’m excited to see how the course plays for the professional golfers on the Challenge Tour. From the professional invites to the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic, five places will be allocated to other Challenge Tour events in return for amateur invites on a reciprocal basis, allowing Arab Nationals, subject to handicap requirements, to compete in other Challenge Tour

The National Bank of Oman Golf Classic on The European Challenge Tour will take place at Almouj Golf from October 24th until October 27th, 2013. The National Bank of Oman has entered into a three year agreement to sponsor the event which will be the first Challenge Tour event not only in the Sultanate of Oman but also in the GCC and will offer total prize-money of US$300,000.

My design team has also begun shaping at the Ho Tram Golf Course project in south-eastern Vietnam. The golf course is part of the Ho Tram Strip Asian Coast Development (Canada) Ltd. project in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province which will comprise five resorts over a mile-and-a-half of pristine beach-front property. The site for this golf course features spectacular rolling sand dunes and dramatic ocean views that will come into play on virtually every hole. It’s not every day that we get a site as good as this to design a course on. It’s got everything we could wish for – seaside location, sand dunes – and, of course, the wind. Once completed it will provide a true links golf experience in south-eastern Vietnam. The course is scheduled to open later next year and it will be challenging but playable for the resort golfer. We spent a lot of time trying to work out the best routing for this beautiful piece of property. It’s an incredible natural golf site where we plan on using a ‘least disturbance’ design approach to deliver a timeless and memorable golf experience. The design process at Ho Tram will be more reminiscent of how golf courses used to be built a hundred years ago.

events during the season. This will provide great opportunities for golfers throughout the Arab world to get international experience on the Challenge Tour and it’s another great way to grow the game of golf in the region.

Achievement

For Almouj Golf, The Wave Muscat to host a professional Tour event only a year after opening is quite an achievement. I must admit, I was surprised but pleased at how quickly the course had matured when I walked the course before the Opening Ceremony. After seeing how the golf course played and how it looked as well as all of the

positive feedback from the members who played on the opening day, I can reaffirm my original assessment that this is one of the best courses I have ever designed. When designing The Wave, we were able to create vast natural habitat areas, turning the property into a natural haven for birdlife and other flora and fauna. Combine this newly created habitat with the incredible views of the Hajar Mountain range and the Gulf of Oman in the backdrop, and you end up with a visually stunning golf course. To watch this project evolve from start to finish was a very gratifying experience.

In early December, the 24th Franklin Templeton Shootout returns for the 12th year to the Tiburon Golf Club at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Florida. I’m pleased that Ryder Cup Captain, Davis Love III is in the 24-man field that will contest the event in 12 two-man teams. Following the Shootout I’m off to Coolum in Queensland to catch up with friends and family and play in the Australian PGA Championship by CocaCola. It’s an event that’s close to my heart, having won the Championship in 1984 and 1985, and I’m sure with such a world-class field this will be another great year for the event.

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Player Gary

WORLDWIDE GOLF COLUMNIST

“it was great that Rory could sign off a magnificent season in such style by winning the DP World Tour Championship with five birdies over the last five holes.”

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“On the golf design front I visited the course we’re creating in the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina in October which is due to open towards the end of next year. I also recently went to Beijing in China to sign up a fantastic new course we are doing there.”

still enjoying myself

AVING reached the age of 77 on the first day of last month I’m still enjoying myself, travelling around the world, meeting old friends and making new friends, playing a little golf and designing golf courses. I’m told that I am the most travelled golfer in the game, flying more than 25 million kms in my career, but it’s all in a good cause. During last month I did a global whirlwind tour, visiting a dozen cities in four continents. I flew from our farm in Colesberg, South Africa, to Johannesburg, Philadelphia in the United States, Toronto in Canada, back to New York, down to our headquarters at Travelers Rest in South Carolina, Miami, Mexico City, Buenos Aires in Argentina, back to the United States to San Diego, Palm Beach, then Shanghai and Beijing in China, Tokyo in Japan, Singapore, New Delhi in India and then back home to the farm in Colesberg. I’m very grateful that golf has given me a wonderful opportunity to enable me to give back and make a difference in the world. Since we started The Player Foundation in 1983 to support under privileged and disadvantaged children it has raised more than $50 million worldwide. The major source of funding comes from our Gary Player Invitational series which we hold four times a year, in the USA, the UK, China and South Africa. At our sixth Gary Player Invitational played in Shanghai at the end of October our Foundation and presenting sponsor Coca-Cola managed to raise RMB50 million to provide support for more than 9,000 AIDS-impacted children in Yunnan province. In Miami I was able to lend my support to the ‘Coach Across America’ campaign, a collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Laureus (Gary is a founding member of the Laureus Academy) that is establishing after-school sports programmes for inner-city children in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans. In Miami the programme is already benefitting 3,000 youngsters in 15 different communities. We have the most wonderful sponsors with longstanding relationships with SAP, Rolex, Verizon and Callaway, and I love spending time with their clients and meeting people at our corporate outings. I’ve enjoyed my recent visits to South America. The potential growth of golf there is astounding. I’m hoping to do all I can to grow the game in these regions. On the golf design front I visited the course we’re creating in the Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina in October which is due to open towards the end of next year. I also recently went to Beijing in China to sign up the a fantastic new course we are doing there and also to New Delhi in India for the DLF course that is currently under construction. It may seem a little exhausting at times but I’m doing what I most enjoy doing and, hopefully, I’m making a difference in giving back along the way.

MY congratulations go to Ian Poulter on his amazing victory in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions tournament at Mission Hills, China, last month. Coming off the back of Ian’s inspirational performance at Medinah in The Ryder Cup where the European Team followed his lead and pulled off an almost impossible victory to retain the Cup, it was rewarding for him to go on to win the biggest strokeplay event of his career. Having won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona in 2010 and the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain last year plus his magnificent record in four Ryder Cups Ian’s strength in the match play format of the game is undoubted. We all thought that if he could convert the focus and passion he always seems to produce in head-to-head competition into strokeplay events he would be among the best in the world. Well, he certainly proved beyond doubt that he has what it takes to win the big strokeplay events. Ian is one of the most popular players in golf. He speaks his mind and he likes to make his mark on the fashion front. He’s good for the game. He’s a great favourite of the galleries wherever he plays and we need personalities like him. A great champion ANOTHER of the Europe’s Ryder Cup heroes, World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, has also continued on his upward trajectory by matching Luke Donald’s feat from last year of winning the money lists on both The European Tour and the US PGA Tour. Most people believed that Luke’s feat in finishing third in last year’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, to clinch 2011 Race to Dubai wouldn’t be achieved again but Rory did it again just 12 months later with relative ease. Rory was Luke Donald’s only serious challenger for The Race to Dubai in last year’s Grand Finale but could only finish in 11th place, well behind Luke, on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. He also had a chance in 2009 when Lee Westwood won the inaugural DP World Tour Championship and first Race to Dubai crown so I congratulate him on being first past the post this year and it was great that he could sign off a magnificent season in such style by winning the DP World Tour Championship with five birdies over the last five holes. All of the great champions throughout the history of the game have had the ability to close out wins in that manner and Rory has certainly proved what a great champion he is. It was a wonderful boost to The European Tour’s climax to their 2012 season that all 12 of the victorious Ryder Cup Team were among the top 60 players on the money list competing for the DP World Tour Championship title and the tournament provided an appropriately captivating end to a great season. n www.wwgolf.biz

Introducing The New

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Cowen Pete

Inside the ropes with PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL

IT wasn’t much of a surprise to see Rory McIlroy win the DP World Tour Championship after wrapping up The Race to Dubai and the money list at a canter this season. The lad’s a different animal now – he’s almost got another gear to all the other players. When he wants to play, he does, and when he doesn’t want to play, he just switches off. It’s as if he can win whenever he wants to. Look at what happened in Hong Kong the week before Dubai – he had already won The Race to Dubai so it was like he just switched off. But he wanted to end the season in style so he turned it back on again at Jumeirah Golf Estates. He’s still only a young lad but he’s now won two Majors and both the European and US money lists and he can achieve anything he wants to. There’s been a lot made in the press about his upcoming switch from Titleist to Nike but the figure that’s being touted is wrong. People are saying it’s a US$250,000 deal for 10 years but it’s only a five-year deal and the amount is nowhere near US$250,000. I don’t think that money has ever bothered Rory anyway to be fair – I really don’t think it’s his motivating factor.

Different equipment Tony Jacklin was one of those players for whom money was the motivating factor and I think there are quite a few players in golf who just want to become very, very wealthy. When they achieve that goal they switch off, but Rory was already very wealthy before he turned pro because of all the deals he had coming through so for him I think it’s always been a case of, ‘how good can I be?’ He had to test the water first to see how good he was relative to everybody else and when he suddenly realised that he was as good if not better than everyone else it was just a matter of time before he pressed the pedal and off he went. His switch to a different equipment manufacturer could have an effect on his performances but it’s difficult to say how much. There are some players who do take a bit of time to adjust to playing with new gear – Ian Woosnam was a classic example when he moved from Dunlop to Maruman and it all went a bit pear shaped. It’s more difficult for some than it is for others but Rory’s the sort of lad who I think will cope with it better than most. It’s another new challenge for him and he’ll be thinking, ‘Can I do it? Yes I think I can so let’s do it.’ He’s the sort of player who always wants to challenge himself and he’s so good that you could put anything in his hands and he would still win. He’s that good – definitely a bit special.

Rory can win whenever he wants We’re very lucky that we’ve had two such players in quick succession. We had Tiger, and now we’ve got Rory. Tiger’s approaching 40 and unfortunately if there’s one thing that makes everybody look ordinary – whether it’s Mohamed Ali, Mike Tyson, or Tiger – it is age. There’s nothing we can do about it and there are always younger people ready to take their place. That’s what the world is about – progress and how people cope with it and move on from it. Jack Nicklaus looks ordinary now when he swings a golf club, Arnold Palmer looks terrible – it’s just age and it’s normal. Rory has to amass as many Majors as he can while he’s young because the nerve factor kicks in later in life. Alright, Nicklaus won one when he was 46 but if you look back usually players win most when they’re younger. Seve was 31 when he won his last Major and he had bags of nerve. Then of course you get people like Mark O’Meara who win two in a year when they’re 41, but they’re the exceptions. That’s why I’m so against the belly putter – it takes the nerve factor away and I hope they ban it. They wanted to ban it way back when Orville Moody started winning with it but they never got the wording right and it’s now taken hold in the

game. To me, top sport is all about nerve – can you serve to win Wimbledon or return to save a crucial Championship point? You’ve got to have nerve to win at the highest level but if you’ve got a three-footer for victory and all you’ve got to do is swing the putter and let it go, it’s got nothing to do with nerve. The belly putter is anchored so you can just swing it, whereas if it’s not anchored and you’re hands are trembling you can’t just swing it can you? Is the game about nerve or isn’t it? Because if it isn’t you might as well just say, ‘well we might as well not bother putting, let’s just see who the best player is tee to green.’ I was pleased to see that the R&A have come out and said that while players can use long-handled putters if they like, from 2016 the act of anchoring them will be banned at all levels. You’ve got players talking about suing them but you can’t do that. It was the same when they banned square grooves a couple of years back and Padraig Harrington’s game suffered. You can’t do anything about it, they’re the rules. It’s like Formula 1 racing, they change the rules every year and competitors have to live with it – if you don’t like it, get out of the sport. z www.wwgolf.biz 41

SWING M A r t i n k aym e r .......

It’s clear from the first three images Martin clearly picks the club up, so he gets it’s up and out of plane. It’s Martin’s own way of getting the club up but the right arm is starting to fold and load correctly. He holds the body position really well on the backswing, works against his right side and loads his right arm pretty well. That idiosyncrocy of picking the club up is his way of getting the club out in front of him so he can get it back out in front again on the down swing in order to play his prefered cut shot. The pick up for me, means he doesn’t load quite as well as he could. If it stayed down a fraction longer he’d load the body better.

The initiation on the change of direction here is good. The legs are squat and the arms are moving out in front correctly.

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In this shot you can see the hips are spinning instead of being used as a lever. The result is he doesn’t use his left side as well. I’d like to see his hips at this point more angled than being level.

By Pete Cowen

PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL The Academy at Emirates GOLF CLUB in Association with PETE COWEN F R A M E B Y F R A M E A N A L Y S I S O F S O M E O F T H E B E S T S WI N G S I N P RO F E S S IO N A L G OL F

You don’t win a Major or become World No.1 if you don’t have the tools for the trade. Martin showed in the Ryder Cup he’s got the nerve and he’s been working hard to get his form back. In this swing sequence you can see he’s nearly there but I’d like to see his hips rotate in a more effective manner.

If you don’t load the hips correctly there is always a chance of them spinning rather than squatting down and holding then coming out as levers. Martin’s hips are just rotating but for a player that likes to play a fade it’s usual for the hips to be trying to move left a little bit earlier.

Martin gets his arms into a great position, they’re moving down correctly and he’s definitely not getting trapped, that’s for sure, as he gives himself plenty of room between the hip and the right arm. His forearms are almost parallel at impact which is what you see in all great players.

Even though his body isn’t as synchronised as he’d like his arms are able to control things.

Anyone you see with the left foot spinning means the hips are not pressing down into the ground which will result in a loss of power and control .

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Danny Jordaan, Vice President of the South African Football Association, is pictured with FIFA President Sepp Blatter prior to the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

FIFA World Cup bid winners South Africa and Russia confirmed for Dubai sports summit

OSTING the football World Cup will be at the top of the agenda when sports leaders from around the world gather in Dubai for a landmark sporting summit. It was recently confirmed that South Africa 2010 and Russia 2018 will be represented at the Host Cities summit – being held at Meydan on December 4 and 5. Danny Jordaan, Vice President of the South African Football Association, will talk about taking the tournament to Africa for the first time and what it takes to make a successful World Cup. He will be joined by Alexey Sorokin, CEO of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Local Organising Committee in Russia, who will offer an insight into how his country won the bidding race. Host Cities is presented by Emirates Airline and will take place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council for Dubai Government and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council. “The World Cup is

arguably the biggest sporting occasion on earth,” said Danny Jordaan. “At Host Cities the stories of how three different countries won the bidding race will be heard and it should be fascinating for everyone attending. “It was historic for South Africa and I will try and explain not only what went into the winning bid but also the legacy of the World Cup for my country.” Alexey Sorokin commented: “We at Russia 2018 are proud of the way we conducted ourselves throughout a long and highly competitive campaign. “We are already looking forward to welcoming the global football community in 2018.” Host Cities will also welcome leading sports administrators from golf’s European Tour, the International Cricket Council, the US Tennis Association and Emirates Airline – whose sport sponsorship portfolio includes the FIFA World Cup, The European Tour golf tournaments and international cricket. Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, said: “As a major

“We look forward to some very interesting insights being shared at Host Cities, which will no doubt be of great benefit to future sports events around the world.”

– Boutros Boutros

Emirates Airline Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications

sponsor of international sports events around the world including the FIFA World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup and the Dubai World Cup, Emirates realises the power of sports to unite and drive economic development. “We look forward to some very interesting insights being shared at Host Cities, which will no doubt be of great benefit to future sports events around the world.” Host Cities will involve a conference featuring high-profile speakers, with panelists-led case study explanations, practical workshops and informal networking and learning opportunities for prospective hosts. The event will also feature social networking opportunities, including a golf day at the Emirates Golf Club on December 3 hosted by Golf in Dubai, and a banquet hosted by Definitely Dubai on December 5. The event is being organised by Streamline Marketing Group, specialists in launching landmark live events such as the recent Global Aerospace Summit in Abu Dhabi. n www.wwgolf.biz

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Traveller WORLDWIDE GOLF

The jewel in the crown of India’s Silicon Valley

Prestige Golfshire Club The Golfshire Club, owned by the Prestige Group and managed by Troon Golf is the latest jewel in the crown of India’s Silicon Valley – Bangalore.

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ocated far from the hustle and bustle of the City and set against the picturesque backdrop of the Nandi Hills, the Golfshire Club transports you closer to nature to give you a sense of peace and tranquility. Featuring the beautifully designed 18-hole Championship Golf Course, the Golfshire Club is the perfect place to relax after a challenging day, offering you a causal-yet-chic atmosphere to catch up with friends and family alike. The Club also features added attractions such as a wellness zone, swimming pool, squash courts and the renowned Falcon Greens Restaurant & Bar serving cuisine from all over the world. With a perfect combination of self-indulgent features, contemporary design and impeccable service, the Golfshire Club provides a sanctuary where you can feel truly pampered.

GOLF COURSE Imagine a secret place with 250 acres of golfing terrain, bordered by an expansive lake at the foothills of an ancient hill fortress, hidden from the outside world. The Golfshire Club enjoys such a setting. Set below the Nandi Hills on the edge of Lake Karehalli, the Golfshire Club uses the very latest in sustainable design techniques to provide one of the finest golf environments in the Indian subcontinent. Designed by the famous British architect, Bob Hunt his creation features amazing rippling fairways reminiscent of links courses of old. There’s plenty more to the Golfshire Club to get the pulse pumping. The mature landscape of the old farmlands has been retained as far as possible to provide a serene setting for the back nine while the front nine is more exposed to the elements. It’s been built on a heroic scale with vast undulating greens, several of which are two tiered and with deep, shapely bunkers. Vast lakes and crashing streams run through the course providing challenging hazards as well as irrigation storage year round to ensure this golf course is one of the most luxurious and greenest in the country. The course measures over 7,000 yards from the Championship tees and using the wild shaping of its distinctive bunker style this course offers a rugged beauty as well a tough but fair challenge. The Golfshire Club Academy provides world-class instruction. Whether you’re a beginner or an accomplished golfer, certified Professionals are on hand to assist you in improving your game.

RESORT STYLE LIVING The 275 acre award-winning development also houses a Marriott Hotel and 225 luxury golf mansions and is a mere 10 minute drive from Bangalore International Airport. Prestige Golfshire is designed as a unique residential enclave that sets a new standard for resort-style living, with the luxurious Marriott Resort and the undulating greens of the golf course as a backdrop. Its verdant setting gives it an intimate relationship with nature that is fully exploited in the design of the mansions. Views towards the rolling greens and private pools amidst luxuriant landscapes further enhance the resort ambience. Spaces are designed to be generous, flowing and light-filled. Rustic use of materials and luxurious finishes in understated tones contribute to the concept of serenity and relaxation. Public and private realms are clearly articulated and separated to cater to different lifestyles of the occupants, yet always ensuring that the connection to the outdoors is maintained. Overall, it is an embodiment of privacy, exclusivity and prestige. The 157,000 square foot clubhouse is an ultra modern design over two floors, consisting of a large restaurant and bars with outside and inside space, spa facilities, billiards and squash. All services and state-of-the-art kitchens are situated on the lower floor to ensure that the flow of guests and players on the upper floor is a seamless presentation of luxury. The Clubhouse restaurant has a rich, contemporary feel, with exquisite interiors that reflect an ultra luxurious lifestyle. It has indoor and outdoor bars, a well-equipped, state-of-the-art kitchen and both indoor and outdoor seating that integrates the interior with the exterior. Seated at the outdoor part of the restaurant, guests can enjoy the breathtaking views of the golf course and the surrounding Nandi Hills.

Prestige Golfshire | Nandi Hills, Bangalore, India E: anand@golfshire.com | T: +91 886 100 3650 | www.golfshire.com www.wwgolf.biz

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INSTRUCTION

TEAM TACTICS This month’s team lead by The Track Meydan’s PGA Proffesional Martin Gallagher take on the club’s par 4 third hole.

Meet the team Chloe Dillon Handicap 14

Meet the team

Andy Stevenson

Meet the team Yahya Ali

Handicap 24

Handicap 7

Meet the team

Martin Gallagher PGA Professional

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INSTRUCTION The hole

FROM THE TEE Andy hit driver in a difficult left to right wind and was rewarded for his risk. He split the fairway avoiding the bunker on the left leaving him with a good chance to attack the flag with his second shot.

The third at The Track Meydan Golf is a good length Par 4 but a testing hole. The difficultly lying in the tee shot. It has a distance of 80 yards from forward to back tees representing a challenge for all abilities. The Long hitters can take an aggressive line with the tee shot leaving a short iron to the hole. The more conservative golfers can play is a three wood off the tee, which takes the bunker on the left out of play but leads to a more challenging second shot over water.

Perception v Reality

TOP TEE TIP The key to good consistent driving is balance. This is the point where speed and control meet; just watch the professionals and this is evident throughout their swings. If you can only focus on one swing thought it would be to hold your finish. This directly forces you to keep your balance and produce more consistent shots. If you struggle with balance you are losing power! The amateur golfer relates power to effort and yet with pros all we see is effortless power through balance. Learning is more a question of attitude than aptitude Juniors learn quicker simply because of their attitude to learning. They rise to the challenge. They have no fear of failure. When teaching juniors I noticed after a bad shot he says “ Don’t worry about that one, watch me hit this 300 yards! “ The adult unfortunately after the same result will say “you see, I just can’t do it, I knew I couldn’t “. The junior prepares for success and the adult is prepared for failure conditioned by life’s experience. What separates the Champions from the rest is attitude and conviction. If you think you can’t ,you can’t. If you think you can , perhaps you can!

52 www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

The most common misunderstanding with regard to golf is keep your head down.. When we watch on TV slow motion recordings of top players , it appears that they try to keep their head down. However if you look at the swing at normal speed this does not appear to be the case. There is a famous proverb “ The hand is quicker than the eye “ and this is especially true with regard to the golf swing. The reality is that the hands have extended well past the point of impact before the head begins to rotate giving the perception that one is keeping their head down. Trying to keep your head down is one of the major reasons for topping the ball. It creates an early release of the club causing the club to bottom out too early and a strike to the top of the ball resulting in the classic topped shot.

FROM THE TEE Our lady golfer Chloe went with driver and hit a nice fade to the center of the fairway. This left her with a choice of laying up or going for the green with a wood. It will be interesting to see what she chooses.

FROM THE TEE Our young golfer Yayha Ali decides on the driver which is only to be expected, no fear. A distinct advantage juniors have with regard to adults is they don’t posess the biggest reason for failure...doubt. His decisiveness is rewarded with a perfect tee shot splitting the fairway.

BY: Mario van Zyl– Professional, Butch Harmon Schoolmeydan of Golf | Dubai Sports City By:Teaching Martin gallacher –PGA Professional, The track

FROM THE fairway Due to the length of the hole Yahya Ali plays a safe second shot to the left avoiding the water. This leaves him with a 90 yard approach shot with an excellent possibility to make par.

FROM THE fairway

After a great tee shot Chloe decided to go for the green with her hybrid taking on the water. Her risk was rewarded with a beautiful shot to the center of the green. She now has an excellent opportunity for birdie or an easy 2 putt for par.

After a super tee shot, Andy is left with a short iron to the green which he executes perfectly setting up a birdie opportunity.

TOP iron TIP When selecting a club for your second shot, the most common mistake by amateurs is not selecting enough club. The professional if in doubt will always go with one more club, the amateur one less. This results in tension and anxiety and the result a bad swing due to pressure of not getting there. As its a game of distance control with 14 clubs choose the club that matches the distance and not your ego. It’s a scorecard, not a postcard!

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INSTRUCTION By: Martin gallacher â&#x20AC;&#x201C;PGA Professional, The track meydan

TOP Putting TIP Always get into a routine for putting. There are only two factors in putting, speed and direction. The Pros always align the logo to the hole and then their putter to the logo, that way you only have to concentrate on pace. This takes the doubt out of putting as most puts our missed due to lack of conviction with regard to direction.

On the green After a nice approach Yahya Ali was left with a 15 footer for Par which just slid by the hole but still a great result with a 5. A good result on this tough hole

Conclusion

On the green

Andy hit an aggressive shot at the flag and was rewarded leaving him an uphill putt for birdie which slides narrowly by. Par is always a great result

Chloe after a courageous shot over water she was left with a long range putt which she truly holed for birdie! A tremendous result to what can be a difficult hole.

Three players, three strategies but similar results. Golf is an emotional roller coaster so know when to risk and when to play conservative golf. You only have a result after 18 holes so try to be patient. Golf is a game of errors; he who makes the least mistakes wins!

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INSTRUCTION

By: Bryan Smyth, Golf Professional at Emirates Golf Club

STRIKE YOUR PUTTS PURE

Golfers sometimes underestimate how important the quality of the strike is in putting. Aside from the crucial factors of pace and line, the fact is, good putters strike the ball so much better than poor putters. They get the ball rolling quickly and hugging the green. Poor putters tend to trap the ball between the putter face and the surface of the green. A small fraction of the ball sinks into the green (to a greater degree on slow greens) and so to lift it out of that small indentation, it must be struck centrally on the upstroke with the putter. This is why you should work on hitting putts with a little loft and slightly on the up – as all great putters do.

DRILL 1

Rock the handle down then up

Work on the simple drill shown above. Get the handle of the putter working down and then up for a slightly ascending through-stroke. With your left thumb pressed on the top of the grip as shown, sense a little downward momentum as you swing the putter back. On the way through, feel the handle of the putter working back up. Try this with a few balls and you should begin to see a smoother roll almost immediately.

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BY- Bryan Smyth, Golf Professional at Emirates Golf Club

DRILL 2

DRILL 3

Improve your strike With your left hand positioned behind your back, it is amazing how quickly using only your right hand improves the quality of your strike. In simple terms, it stops the right driving at the ball and allows you to release the putter head down the target line. When Tiger Woods was putting at his very best, he would often practice using this drill and talk about releasing the putter head. You should ensure the putter is being released down the line with shaft going up not backwards. Everything is released in one piece which is why the putter head appears closed to the target line. Practice this one handed drill from both short and medium distance and gain a feel for a smooth acceleration on the upstroke. Your putting will improve out of sight!

Grip Pressure

Use your shoulders correctly In a solid pendulum stroke, the left shoulder works down then up â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just like the handle of the putter. If you practice the simple drill as shown above with your arms folded across your chest, you will develop an improved technique and get the ball rolling towards the hole.

For more information or to book a tee time, please call +971 4 380 1386 or email golfoffice@dubaigolf.com www.dubaigolf.com

Many great putters talk about maintaining a light grip pressure. While the grip pressure is important so also is ensuring it remains constant throughout the stroke. Try to avoid going from light to tight or vice versa. You will tweak the putt. Keep a consistently light grip pressure throughout for improved distance control and hole those cruical putts.

QUICK TIPS INSTRUCTION

ed.chapman@ichdfc.ae

Tel: +971 56 147 2686

By Ed Chapman

PGA Professional –Al Badia Golf Club, Dubai Festival City

Escaping the Desert Setup

IMPACT

DO 

Don’t

Don’t 

We need to have the weight setup on the side nearest to the flag, with approximately 70% of our weight balanced on our leading leg. Ball position needs to be towards the front, similar to a driver, with the clubface laid open to add loft to the club.

Too many people setup in a bunker with the weight evenly balanced or worst still on their back foot. This then tends to lead to the ball position being in the back of the stance with a square or closed clubface.

I see lots of golfers struggling with bunkers out on the course and usually it’s the same thing….. they are trying to lift the ball out of the bunker on a hope and a prayer rather than using the golf club as it was designed to be.

Through impact we need to maintain our weight being balanced on our leading leg and keep the flex in the front knee. Through impact we need to maintain the loft on the club that we preset at setup to get the required height on the shot.

The setup mentioned above almost always then leads to a shift in the weight away from the target to compensate for the faults in setup and an attempt to lift the ball out of the bunker will lead to either a shot the flies over the other side of the green after hitting the middle of the ball or one that just trickles up the face of the bunker and back into your footprint!

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Dubai’s biggest golf course enhancement project has started! Dear Elliott Thank you for your recent emails and pictures of Arabian Ranches and for your concern regarding the overgrown Rough and desert plants/areas. What I would recommend is a total clean out of all the overgrown desert areas to restore the course to my original design and intent. This will make the course so much more enjoyable for all levels of play and would also enhance the look and playability of our course. I wish you, Russell and your team all the best in your endeavors, I hope to visit and see these great enhancements you are going to make very soon. Regards Ian Baker-Finch, IBF Design The objective in the waste land areas by completion of the enhancement project is as follows; • A player who hits his ball into the desert areas should have an opportunity to find it, it should not be an automatic lost ball. • The desert areas should not have plants which permit players playing from the teeing ground from seeing the fairway of the hole they are playing. • The desert areas should be sparse enough to allow machinery to groom them which through time will compact the areas to prevent a ball landing being plugged in soft sand and foot prints being made. • The desert areas must still have plants and must not be completely cleared as this will remove the element of “Risk and Reward” which could possibly damage or change the character of the course.

One of the friendliest clubs is soon to be the friendliest golf course too! Arabian Ranches Golf Club | P.O. Box 36700, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 3663000 | Fax: +971 4 3663355 arabianranchesgolf.ae | www.arabianranchesgolfdubai.com

info@

IN THE BAG Yasin Ali with

PROFESSIONAl

What were your first set of clubs? YA: I started with a set of Maxfli irons, I had a 3-wood, 5-iron, 7-iron, 9-iron and a putter. They were amazing as the options were so limited that I spent less time pondering club selection and more time just getting on with the shot. Who is your golfing hero and why? YA: Can I pick two – Seve Ballesteros and Nick Faldo. Of course I agree that Tiger Woods has changed the face of our game forever (huge endorsements and prize funds). Seve and Nick were the two I watched when I was growing up. Nick was clinical round a course, precise in everything he did while Seve was anything but. However, they were both great champions who showed me that there are many ways to get round a course.

Driver: Callaway Razr Fit (Project X -7A3 shaft 76g. Flex X 7.0) Fairway: Callaway Razr fit 3 wood (Project X. X flex. 80g shaft) Hybrid: Mizuno MP Fli Hi 18deg (dynamic Gold sensicor x100) Irons: Mizuno MP69 3-PW (dynamic Gold sensicor x100) Wedges: Mizuno MP R12 50,54,58 (dynamic Gold sensicor S400) Putter: Odyssey metalX 7

What’s your favourite golfing moment? YA: It would probably be Captaining the England Boys team in the Home internationals at Portmarnock Golf Club in Ireland in 2000. It’s always a huge honour representing your country but leading the best players in the land, that’s something else. What would you do to promote and expand golf in the UAE? YA: I would love to see the game taken to the schools on a bigger scale. I always think of all that talent that is not discovered and sometimes never discovered because kids don’t have access to the game. If we look back as to how we were introduced to the game it’s generally because one of our parents were playing and we tagged along and got into it that way. If golf was taken into schools, maybe like they do in the States and have interschool games and matches I’m sure we would discover a lot of exciting players in the UAE. What change to the Rules of Golf would you make and why? YA: I would allow players to move their ball out of a divot in the fairway. I find it unbelievable that you can hit the middle of a fairway and in some cases get a lie that only a JCB digger would be able to move. It’s definitely the one I would change straight away, after that we could look into Mulligans. What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen on course? YA: It would have to be watching a Pro-Am partner hit a driver where the ball went not straight down the fairway but right between his legs, at speed. I’m still not sure what was funnier the shot or the look on my Pro-Am partner’s face when he discovered that he now had that shot to worry about every time he teed it up. It was a shot that has to this day left me bewildered and I have never seen a shot like it since. What’s your favourite golf course and why? YA: I have been fortunate enough to play some unbelievably fantastic courses in my life but one that I enjoyed the most was Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Karsten Creek is home to the Oklahoma State Men’s and Women’s golf team. The course is set in amongst woodland and thick bush and the reason why I love it is because you stand on any fairway and you just don’t know where you are. The soothing sounds of birds chirping and the streams flowing might make it the most peaceful place I have played golf. It also helps that the course is always in immaculate shape.

Who would be your dream fourball and why? YA: Having answered this question numerous times before I find that the names always change bar one – Muhammad Ali. I have been a massive fan and have read all the quotes and stories of this Great Champion. He is a very compassionate man and one who never tires of supporting good causes even to this day. The next one would be my Dad, mainly because he is a bigger golf fan than I am so he would probably kill me if I left him out of this game. As for the final spot it would have to be Seve. He could spend the round wowing us with his short game wizardry and also teaching us all how to putt! www.wwgolf.biz

ARABIAN

December’s local contents

CHET Riley takes home the al badia Match Play title in champion style CHET Riley won the 2012 Al Badia Match Play Championship after overcoming Ian Wilson 3&2 in a hard-fought final. The tournament began back in February with a total of 40 players entering, all vying to add their names to the hall of fame. Throughout the 10-month competition Riley had to overcome six opponents to be crowned champion. Riley faced a tough task going into the final as playing off a handicap of five he had to give his opponent, Ian Wilson, 18 stokes. Wilson made his advantage count taking the lead on the second hole with a steady par. However, Riley caught up and was one hole ahead when they walked off the 10th. The next three holes proved decisive as Riley further increased his lead to four up after 13 with a birdie and two pars to continue his great form. This left Wilson with a lot of work to do to get back into the match and although he won the 14th hole, the match came to a conclusion on the 16th with Riley three up and two to play. Chet Riley is pictured above with Al Badia pro, Ed Chapman.

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65 Joel Neale column 66 Q&A with rachel jennings 68 rachel jennings’ swing analysed 71 the mena tour 73 sport 360 golf society 74 The Allegria – josh north Q&A 76 ‘pic ‘ golf society league sharjah 77 Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club 78 Jumeirah golf estates 79 Al hamra golf club 81 International pairs uae 82 abu dhabi city golf club 85 The Track, Meydan 86 emirates golf club 88 dubai creek golf & yacht club

89 the address montgomerie dubai 91 arabian ranches golf club 92 abu dhabi golf club 93 saadiyat beach golf club 94 yas links 94 the royal golf club bahrain 95 al ghazal golf club 95 al ain equestrian and shooting and golf club 97 Tower Links Golf Club 97 banyan golf club 99 almouj golf the wave, muscat, oman 99 muscat hills golf and country club 100 dirab golf club 100 riyadh golf courses 101 doha golf club

PRESENTATION TIME: Joint Tournament Sponsors RUS Aviation’s Bareh and Bentley Emirates Director, George Duncan present the Creek Challenge prize to winner Keith Nethercott, with Creek Club Captain Ara Nakhnikian, whose efforts have raised more than AED 100,000 for the junior staff.

JUNIOR STAFF FUND breaks AED 100,000 AT DUBAI CREEK THE Creek Challenge took place last month at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club with Keith Nethercott taking the spoils with a superb Stableford score of 40 points. The annual club event, organised by Club Captain Ara Nakhnikian and 2011 Captain Joseph Andrade to raise money for the junior staff fund, was again a huge success with more than 100 players helping take this year’s total through the AED 100,000 mark. A fun and relaxed atmosphere created an entertaining afternoon’s play and Nethercott scored three gross pars over the final three holes to be crowned overall winner. In Men’s Division A, Dubai Creek member Dominic Irwin scored 36 points, earning him first place by two points over fellow member Steven Vanson. Division B was won by Pranav Vora with 35 points, three clear of runner-up Farad Lakdawala. Vanessa North picked up another victory in the Ladies Division with a total of 37 points while Joy Lirio made a very respectable 34 points to finish runner-up. The Junior Division was won by Jai Bhalla who totalled 39 points. Regular junior performer Dhruv Nair settled for runner-up, just two points behind. The highlight of the day was a hole-in-one by Yves Aboukhaled on the fifth and his name will now be

placed on the hole-in-one board along with the other players who have achieved the same feat. Dubai Creek Head Professional Stephen Hubner, was on hand to present the prizes and conduct the raffle that included a host of fabulous prizes, courtesy of Emirates Airline and Bentley Emirates, who were represented by Director George Duncan. Hubner commented: “The Creek Challenge has been a fantastic success thanks to the support of Club Captain Ara Nakhnikian and former Captain Joseph Andrade, along with our members. “A great deal of money has been raised for the junior staff who look after the members so well throughout the year. Everyone has had a great time and a huge thank you must go to the tournament sponsors Bentley Emirates and RUS Aviation and to support sponsors Dubai Duty Free, and Emirates Airline for their contributions.” The staff fund was started last year by 2011 Club Captain Joseph Andrade and his efforts throughout the year raised more than AED 55,000. This was split between the junior staff as a cash bonus at the end of the year. This year’s fund total under the driving force of 2012 Club Captain Ara Nakhnikian already looks like it could be close to double that amount.

GOLF

LOCAL NEWS

The Allegria, Cairo Worldwide Golf’s Richard Bevan talks to Josh North, General Manager at The Greg Norman-designed Allegria in Cairo, about his thoughts on this Egyptian paradise on Page 74.

UAE Juniors return from successful Bahrain Golf Camp

EGF Juniors in Bahrain with Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the EGF and UAE National Junior Coach Jason Froggatt (far right).

THE UAE U18’s National Golf Team returned home from Bahrain’s Royal Golf Club recently after attending a special camp to fine tune their skills ahead of forthcoming engagements on the domestic and international circuits. The weekend was part of the Emirates Golf Federation’s intensive training programme to prepare the team for the forthcoming Pan-Arab Championship, held at The Royal Golf Club in Bahrain. Accompanied by Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the Emirates Golf Federation, seven selected junior members went through their paces under the watchful eyes of the UAE National Junior Coach Jason Froggatt. The golf camp was part of the Team’s preparation for the season ahead and their bid to earn one of the four spots available for the Pan Arab Championships. Their focus was on course mapping, visualisation, landing zones and run-offs. “Different forms of play on the Montgomerie course provided the team players with the chance to implement what they had learnt and to forge a sense of camaraderie,” said Al Shamsi. “Playing on a European Tour venue course was a great experience for the juniors. It was a beneficial weekend thanks to the enthusiastic response from the players who now look forward to the challenges ahead. “We are committed to providing the players with the best playing opportunities and the Pan-Arab Championship is very much part of our initiative to try and keep the momentum going. “The experience gained at this year’s GCC Championship will go a long way in preparing the Team for the future international tournaments like the forthcoming Pan-Arab Championship. The Royal Golf Club will be a true test for the Team and the younger players can learn from the senior players who have past experience of tournaments in Bahrain.” www.wwgolf.biz

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local scene

with Worldwide Golf Playing Editor, Joel Neale

Brought to you by

set-ups like The track are the way to increase play in uae MY good friend Ahmed Al Musharrekh, the first Emirati golfer to turn professional, has hailed the accessibility and quality of the UAE’s newest golf course – The Track at Meydan Golf. He believes the UAE needs to create more accessible golf facilities such as The Track – the only ‘pay and play’ facility in the country – if it is to produce a string of local golf stars and I wholeheartedly agree with him. “Golf is a popular global game, but it is still finding its feet in this part of the world,” he said recently. “In order to grow the game and develop more professional Emirati and Arab golfers for the future, we must have more facilities like The Track. “There are no membership fees and green fees are great value so it has

all the hallmarks of a good breeding ground for the future of golf here at all levels.” Despite the growing number of high-profile international golf tournaments taking place in the UAE, there are few facilities that cater for people who are completely new to the sport. The Track also recently launched a schools initiative with the Rashid School for Boys in Dubai, introducing golf to their curriculum for the first time. More than 20 boys from the school train for an hour a week at the course, under the guidance of UAE National Golf coach Jason Froggatt and The Track golf professional William Bruce. The Track recently launched its golf

academy, Academy by Troon, a brand new school of golf with junior classes and starter packages at the heart of the offering. “In other parts of the world facilities like this and school initiatives are common,” added Al Musharrekh. “But that is not the case yet in the UAE. If we are to catch up and start to regularly produce Arab golfers we need more courses like this.” The 9-hole Peter Harradine-designed course will switch on its lights this month and will offer some of the most competitive rates in the region. Set just outside the heart of Dubai, Meydan is ideal for those busy but keen golfers who work in the city looking to improve or maintain their golfing level in the evening, even on the days you get stuck in the office!

Mike Harradine gets selected for Swiss National Team MIKE Harradine, the No.1UAE-based amateur, has been selected to play for the Swiss national team (No.1 of eight players) for the 2013 season, which has come as no surprise due to his last two super consistent seasons of topping the UAE’s Order of Merit (OOM) and taking second place on the MENA Tour’s amateurs OOM this year. Mike, a Swiss national expat, and son of world renowned golf course designer Peter

Harradine, grew up living here in Dubai. He’s a former Dubai College student and says he has plans to give the Asian Tour School a go in January and is slowly phasing out his office job into gearing up for a full- time professional golfing career. Mike is a very well-liked amateur across the UAE’s golfing scene and we wish him all the best in obtaining his playing rights on the Asian Tour for the 2013 season. www.wwgolf.biz

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have no superstitions, I believe that through hard work determination and big dreams you can achieve anything!â&#x20AC;?

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LOCAL SCENE with Worldwide Golf Playing Editor, Joel NeALE

Brought to you by

Rachel Jennings

Hailing from Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England, Rachel Jennings has been making waves on the Ladies European Tour since her rookie season in 2011 when she finished 30th on the Order of Merit. She posted two top tens – a third place finish at the Allianz Ladies Slovak Open and eighth at the Portugal Ladies Open – to end the campaign with earnings of €71,167. She’s been in the UAE since the beginning of last month and has been practising hard ahead of this year’s omega Dubai Ladies Masters.

JN: What age were you when you first took up the game and who inspired you? RJ: I was only eight. Both my parents played golf so I went along with them. The Club PGA Pro was a former Ladies European Tour (LET) player called Julie Brown so she inspired me to practice and work hard at my golf game. JN: When did you turn pro and when did you start to play on the LET? RJ: I turned professional in August 2010 and I’ve been playing on the Tour for the past two years. JN: How do you manage with all the travelling for tournaments? RJ: It’s sometimes long, boring and tiring but its part and parcel of the job so you accept the good along with the bad. It’s also pretty cool to travel around the world for a job that I love doing. The expense of travelling has gone up so it’s not cheap and without any sponsorship, it makes it pretty hard to get by from tournament to tournament. But it’s all good fun and a real laugh with your friends. JN: What is the event you look forward to most each year and why? RJ: I love the RICOH British Open because it’s a Major and it’s so special and big. On the full LET circuit my best event is the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters. This event is like home from home for me as I have family who live out here who I stay with. I spend a lot of the winter months in Dubai as the weather and the courses are fantastic. So for me it’s a bit like coming

home. I find the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club suits my game and I have a lot of friends who come and support me out here. JN: Do you have a set routine which you like to follow at each tournament? RJ: Yes I do. I always try to arrive on the Tuesday morning, play a practice round on Tuesday, play the Pro-Am on Wednesday then on the tournament days I do some yoga when I wake up then practice my putting, chipping, bunker play and pitching in the morning and then half an hour before I play I will warm up on the range. JN: Where do you see yourself in the next five years? RJ: Hopefully with full status on the LPGA Tour and multiple wins on the LET Tour.

JN: What would you say your strengths are? RJ: My strength is my ball striking and my distance off the tee.

JN: Thor, Batman, Superman or Spiderman...or maybe Chuck Norris? RJ: I don’t watch any of those. I’m not a massive film or TV person. If it doesn’t make me laugh while I’m watching it then I’ll be asleep in five minutes.

JN: What’s your favourite golf course? RJ: Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Australia. JN: What’s your lowest round, where and when? RJ: I’ve shot a 5-under 67 three times at the Solvak ladies Open, the Finnish Ladies Open and the Swiss Ladies open all in 2011. It would be nice to see the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters on that list this year! JN: What age where you when you first broke par? RJ: I was 15 years old and I shot 3-under

JN: What’s the funniest thing that has happened to you on course? RJ: Being asked to sign autographs while trying to play shots.

JN: Who’s your favourite James Bond – Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig? RJ: I’m afraid, neither of them. Daniel Craig makes a good 007, but Matt Damon in Invictus is my major crush!

JN: Pepsi or Coke? RJ: I don’t drink Pepsi or Coke – I’m more of a champagane and cocktails type. JN: If you were a brick in a wall, which brick would you be? RJ: I would be the one on the corner holding everything together, supporting everything, trying to support and help my family, my friends, my golf and my personal life. n www.wwgolf.biz

LOCAL SWING By Rhys Beecher

On the tee with

Director of Instruction, The Academy by Troon Golf, The Address Montgomerie, Dubai.

Rachel Jennings Rachel has a wide takeaway with very little wrist movement. This allows the shoulders to turn off the ball early and is a great example of how to build power into the backswing.

From down the line, you can see how ‘quiet’ the takeaway is with minimal forearm rotation. This is a characteristic of Rachel’s backswing and results in the club moving behind the body and the face closing at the top of the swing.

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One of the best features of Rachel’s backswing is how well she maintains the flex in her trailing (right) knee. This helps maintain stability and load power going back. It is also a huge source of power as she starts the downswing.

Brought to you by

Rachel is a wonderful ball striker capable of generating a great deal of distance off the tee. She achieves this because of the power sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s able to load into the backswing and the powerful lower body movement she produces through the downswing.

Fully loaded at the top of her swing, Rachel starts the downswing with an aggressive turn of the lower body. This is an important move for Rachel and is the reason she is able to square the clubface on the way down. As the downswing continues to unwind, you can see in the follow picture how well Rachel has done to clear the lower body and maintain her posture, leaving the club room to release through the ball.

You will see on the above image, Rachelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upper body is slightly behind through the ball. This is emphasized with the driver, and is the result of a powerful lower body movement. You will notice how firm the lead (left) leg is through the hitting area which allows Rachel to extend fully through the ball. This is again a powerful movement and Rachel shows great stability in the posture throughout.

The left side remains firm and Rachel completes a full rotation into the follow through. For a powerful hitter, you will notice how balanced the finish position is.

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OPEN Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club February 22nd 2013 – 1.00pm Shotgun Start l Located in the oasis city of Al Ain, the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club offers an 18 hole Championship course which is a picturesque and challenging experience for all golfers. l The Al Ain Worldwide Golf Open will see competitors play the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club on the 22nd February 2013.

l The tournament will be a 4 person team event with the best 2 scores on each hole counting for the team. l The entry fee will include, use of practice facilities, range balls, shared golf carts and will culminate with a prize presentation buffet and prizes. Accommodation is optional and can be arranged by request at the Al Ain Hilton Hotel. Hotel Prices at the Al Ain Hilton: 495 dhs Single Room. 522 dhs Double Room, Including all taxes and breakfast.

Format: 4 Person Team, Am/Am Stableford. ¾ Handicap Allowance Tournament Cost Per Person: •

Gold Member – 100 dhs

•

Silver Member – 195 dhs

•

EGF Members – 275 dhs

•

Visitor – 300 dhs

•

Junior Under 16 – 200 dhs

Prizes: Top 3 Teams and Special Events Prizes

To enter or for further inquiries contact Luke Plumb, Tournament Coordinator at Al Ain Equestrian and Shooting Club as follows: Tel: +971 3 702 6400 Fax: +971 3 168 3331 E-mail: luke@aesgc.ae

LOCAL NEWS

MENA GOLF TOUR

stephen Dodd 2012 MENA Tour CHAMPION STEPHEN DODD took second place in the Tour Championship at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club in October to clinch the title of 2012 MENA Tour Champion. The 46-year-old Welshman, winner of three titles on The European Tour, who was victorious with Bradley Dredge in carrying off the World Golf ChampionshipsWorld Cup in Portugal in 2005, topped the Order of Merit with $27,636 to take the MENA Tour title. England’s Zane Scotland finished second on the six-tournament Order of Merit with earnings of $25,697 with William Harold, winner of the Tour Championship at Al Ain ESGC, in third place with $20,455. Harold and Dodd went into the final round of the series in a share of the lead and went head-to-head until the penultimate 53rd hole. Just as the prospect of a play-off seemed likely, the 24-year-old English prodigy sank a tricky 20-foot birdie putt to win his first tournament since turning professional in February this year. Golden Tickets The top three in the standings –Dodd, Scotland and Harold, received golden tickets to play in the 2013 Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club next February, along with Max Williams, who emerged as the Leading Amateur on the MENA Tour. “It feels great to finish as No.1 player on the MENA Tour,” said a victorious Dodd after receiving the trophy from Shaikh Fahim bin Sultan Qasimi, Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation. Mohamed Juma Buamaim, Chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, and Saif Al Shamsi, Board Member of the Al Ain ESGC, were also present at the presentation. “I think I have achieved everything I wanted to from the Tour. I have some great memories of playing in previous Omega Dubai Desert Classics and it will be fun to return to the Emirates Golf Club where I finished second to Ernie Els in 2005.” “Playing on the MENA Tour this season has helped

MENA Golf Tour champion Stephen Dodd receiving the trophy from Shaikh Fahim bin Sultan Qasimi, Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation, with Mohamed Juma Buamaim, Chairman of the MENA Golf Tour, and Saif Al Shamsi, Board Member of Al Ain ESGC. build a nice momentum going into the European Tour Qualifying School,” continued Dodd. “I was impressed with how well the Tour is run. It’s on a par with any Tour I’ve played on. I’m sure with time it will grow from strength and strength. Harrold was equally pleased with his performances. “Winning the MENA Tour Championship will always be special since it’s my first as a professional,” he said. “Playing in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic will be just awesome. I think every player here wanted to play there. Getting a Classic spot is easily the best thing that has happened to me.” Echoing similar sentiments, Williams said: “You can’t put a price on playing in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.” The Englishman topped the Order of Merit for Amateurs with 176 points, well ahead of Switzerland’s Dubai-based Michael Harradine (154) and compatriot Tyler Hogarty (147). “I think the Sheikh Maktoum Golf Foundation is doing a fantastic job by awarding a spot to an amateur in the Classic,” continued Williams, who has also played in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters three times, due to victories in the Qatar Amateur Championships.

Leading Tour Championship scores (par-71): 196 – William Harrold (England) 64, 65, 67. 197 – Stephen Dodd (Wales) 64, 65, 68. 198 – Duncan Stewat (Scotland) 67, 68, 63. 200 – Craig Smith (Wales) 65, 71, 64. 201 – Zane Scotland (England) 72, 66, 63. 203 – Simon Dunn (Scotland) 69, 64, 70. 205 – Fredrik Quicker (Sweden) 69, 67, 69; Dan Waite (England) 67, 72, 66; Faycal Serghini (Morocco) 67, 67, 71. Order of Merit standings (professionals): 1. Stephen Dodd (Wales) $27,636. 2. Zane Scoltand (England) $ 25,697. 3. William Harrold (England) $20,455. Order of Merit for Amateurs: 1. Max Williams (England) 176 points. 2. Michael Harradine (Switzerland) 154. 3. Tyler Hogarty (England) 147.

Jamega Pro Tour boost to MENA Tour THE leading development tour in the United Kingdom will offer top players on its ‘Race to the Gulf’ schedule fully paid trips to play in the MENA Golf Tour next year. Reflecting on the growing popularity of the MENA Tour, the Jamega Pro Tour will run two separate Orders of Merit with two top players from each category earning the prize which includes paid entry and membership fees, flights and sustenance allowance. The first section on the Jamega’s Order of Merit, based on a point system, will run from Costa Esuri in Spain for 10 events while the second Order of Merit section will run from tournament 11 through to tournament 20. Established in 2004, the Jamega Pro Tour believes trips to the MENA Tour could provide a “realistic chance” to their leading players to compete in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic in 2014, when the longest-running European Tour event outside the Europe celebrates its 25th anniversary. Mohamed Juma Buamaim, Chairman of the

MENA Golf Tour, welcomed Jamega’s move, saying: “It is quite encouraging that the Tour is getting worldwide recognition. With players from different countries looking to advance their career, the Tour, only in its second year, has managed to create its own niche. “Of course, winning a spot in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic remains a massive incentive, but the Tour, as a whole, is aimed at creating a healthy environment for the region’s players who, hitherto, lacked opportunities to reach their highest level. “With regular exposure to a quality field, I am sure the day is not far away when we will see a MENA Tour player doing well and making a name for himself. That’s the goal,” he added. A new initiative of the Sheikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the MENA Golf Tour is affiliated to the R&A and the Arab Golf Federation. The six-event Tour, which is backed by Omega and Mercedes-Benz, boasts a combined prize fund of $325,000. www.wwgolf.biz

Dirab Golf & Country Club is the first certified grassed 18-Hole Par-72 championship and 9-Hole Par 27 Academy golf course in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Located 45 kms south west of Riyadh City and nestled in the picturesque Tawfig valley, the club features lush tree-lined fairways and perfectly manicured greens. Open all year round, the course offers a driving range and practice facilities- 9holes are floodlit, enabling play after sundown. Having hosted the 1st Saudi Arabian National Amateur Championship in 2001, 10th Annual GCC Golf Championship in 2002, BMW World Qualifier Tournament in 2004, Dirab Pro-Am Golf Tournament in 2005, 28th Pan Arab Golf Tournament in 2008 and Saudi Oger Amateur Golf Championship in 2009, Dirab Golf & Country Club is equally suited for seasoned golfers and for those wishing to learn the sport.

LOCAL NEWS

Sport 360 golf society

Left to right: Jon Gould, Rory Thomson and Mark Dupree.

teeing it up with the sport 360 society Continuing our Worldwide Golf series on the UAE’s Golf Societies League clubs, this month we introduce the fun-loving enthusiasts, SPORT360. THE SPORT360 Golf Society League team is a relatively newly-formed Society, comprising a group of players who are members of Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club and who play a regular ‘Wednesday Waggle’ together at the Club. They are a group of around 40 players who get together each Wednesday evening for a mid-week ‘shoot out’ for small yet ‘priceless’ prizes. Each Wednesday the group has the privilege of playing with most of the PGA Pros at Sharjah where they benefit from their skill, experience and competitive spirit. The SPORT360 Club embraces players of all nationalities and cultural backgrounds ranging from Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The society always mix up the pairings each week to give everyone the opportunity to play with different Pros and fellow amateur playing partners. Their name comes courtesy of

sponsors, the ‘SPORT360’ newspaper which sponsors the group’s shirts (proudly worn and immaculately modelled in the team photo above) for the season ahead. SPORT360 have recently announced their sponsorship of the Sharjah Men’s Open and the newspaper enjoys a healthy partnership with the Club. This season’s Golf Society League match day team is initially made up of the following players: Mark Dupree, 32, founder, Captain and course leader. Mark’s aggressive golfing style and match play performances could be compared to a certain Ian Poulter not only for his skill but also for his sartorial presence on the course; Rory Thomson, 53, who has spent the last 25 years trying to transform himself from an inept hockey player into an even more inept golfer with some success (in the tradition of Happy Gilmore). He has, however, developed the unique ‘bear on ice’ style of driving

(pirouette into single Salchow), a cause for considerable merriment to opponents and a certain disquiet among his teammates; Jon Gould, 24, is a low handicapper with a very long drive and a very short temper but a kind-hearted soul; Ian Plant, 34, played professional football for Hull City in the UK during the 1990s and his claim to fame is a hole-in-one on the third at SGSC; Rob Russell, 28, is a big-swinging ‘wild thing’ who is eager for a recall to the team after returning from injury. Last year, the same group of players, who played under a different team name to protect the innocent, were runners-up in the GSL. After a long season they lost their final match against a strong Dubai ExPutts team. Rory Thomson and Mark Dupree were also runners-up in the match play pairs season-long competition at Sharjah. This year they hope to

go one better in the GSL. The ‘Wednesday Waggle’ also continues to grow with regular added members. Society organisers plan to grow the set-up with regular arranged Society days in co-operation with sponsor SPORT 360. n

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The Allegria www.theallegriacairo.com

The-Allegria

Allegria on the up Richard Bevan talks to Troon Golf’s Josh North, who has recently taken over the reins at The Allegria, Egypt, designed by Greg Norman, about his background, his views and his plans for the future. WWG: Where were you born and brought up and what were your earliest memories of golf? JN: I was born and raised on England’s Golf Coast in the North West of the country at a place called Lytham St Annes which is famous for its history with the British Open and has a string of fantastic courses nearby including Royal Birkdale and Royal Liverpool . I was introduced to golf by my step father at the age of 10 and I’ve never really looked back since then! WWG: Where have you worked prior to coming to The Allegria? JN: I have been based in Egypt for the last five years with previous roles at Stella Di Mare Golf Resort and the JW Marriott Mirage City. Prior to that, I worked my way up the ranks at De Vere Herons Reach in Blackpool…seems a long time ago now! WWG: What are your impressions of Egypt and the Middle East and how do you regard the future for the region? JN: Egypt has all the qualities to become a world class golf destination. With a cluster of fantastic courses, including our own Greg Norman signature with Troon Management, the future looks good. With a year-round climate that is perfect for playing golf plus historic sites such as the Pyramids (you can see them from our 12th hole) it really has plenty to offer golf tourists. The whole region is becoming more and more popular, for very much the same reason – great weather and fantastic courses. Plus, the fact major events are being played across the region provides excellent PR and really highlights what the Middle East has to offer. WWG: What are your most memorable moments of either playing or watching golf? JN: I have had so many great memories on the golf course and have been very fortunate to compete at a decent level, although today’s job obviously focuses on the management side of the business. Recently, as with most golf fans, the unbelievable comeback of the Europeans in September’s Ryder Cup was something very special and truly inspiring to any golfer. 74

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WWG: Who are your golfing heroes – and why? JN: I grew up in the Seve generation and he was a true hero and an inspiration to all. Not only on an individual basis but also in events such as The Ryder Cup. Going back a few years it was his charisma in The 1995 Ryder Cup at Oak Hill, New York, which brought about a one-point European victory. If I can remember rightly, in his singles game he made an amazing birdie on the third hole against Tom Lehman when he holed an impossible chip – that was typical Seve! Also, ironically, as a youngster Greg Norman was my role model due to the way he played the game – always very attacking, taking on every shot, although this this didn’t work for me and my game! WWG: Do you have any other hobbies? JN: I’m a huge fan of all sports. My main interests are football and rugby. I actually still play with the Cairo Rugby Team and try to avoid injury! It’s a nice distraction from the day job and Cairo is famous for having a very vocal ex-pat scene. WWG: What are your aims for The Allegria? JN: Currently our goal is to put The Allegria on the international map. We would like to think that when people think of Egypt and golf, they think of The Allegria Club. WWG: What is your view of the golfing scene in Egypt and the Middle East? JN: As previously mentioned, the fact that some of the biggest European Tour events are being played in the region shows what the Middle East has to offer. Certainly for the future, we should see a large increase in golf tourists due to this exposure. WWG: With the ongoing situation in Egypt does it make it even more difficult to run a successful golf club?

JN: Obviously recent events, over the past year or so, have altered the strategy and direction of golf clubs within the country. For sure, we have had to change a few things while making sure the guests do not suffer. However, when faced with situations such as these, it allows us to be more dynamic and think outside the box in terms of revenue streams. WWG: Do you have any ideas for creating more golfers in Egypt or attracting more golfing tourists? JN: The Allegria really sells itself, with the quality of the course, the weather and ancient sites just around the corner. However, we have been extremely proactive in the planning of international events to gain exposure as well as

LOCAL NEWS Contact: Tel :+2 0122 3779 788 / 800 E-mail: golfreservations@sodic.com

competitive and attractive rates. More locally, we have implemented grass roots golf to many of the local schools. We recently received a ‘short golf’ pack from the R&A as part of a grant scheme. This was excellent support from the governing body of golf and is certainly proving popular over here. WWG: What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen on the golf course? JN: Many years ago I was playing golf with a few members. One of them was lining up a putt and moving backwards to have a better look…next thing, I turn around and he’s disappeared! The poor chap fell backwards into a bunker! Pretty deep as well!

WWG: Do you think it is possible for a golf club to be viable without having the financial benefit of an hotel, or real estate, or both? JN: It depends on the circumstances and often a golf course can make an hotel a viable business. As a rule of thumb it is certainly becoming more and more difficult for a golf club to survive without an hotel, unless it’s totally members-based or there is a large amount of daily play. The real estate is often sold as a consequence of the golf course being there, especially in the Middle East region. Ultimately, the forward planning and positioning of a club should determine their stance on this. www.wwgolf.biz

PIC Golf SOCIETY LEAGUE

Supported by SNTTA Travel, BMW and WWG

www.golfandshootingshj.com

EPC AND AL NABOODAH IN THE TOP SPOTS It was a fairly even affair in the second fixtures of the 2012/13 PIC Golf Society League as competition for places in the quarter finals starts to hot up. Emirates Pilots Club are now flying top of the PIC League with 12 points after two wins over Etihad Golf Society who have failed to take off and remain bottom of the league with no points. Tied for second in the league are Emirates Golf Society and Sport 360 who both won one and lost one match against Mott MacDonald and Dubai Irish Golf Society respectively. It was a monumental win for Steve Blandford, not just because of the PIC League Emirates Pilots Club Emirates Golf Society Sport 360 D.I.G.S. Mott MacDonald Etihad Golf Society

mammoth winning score of 7&6, but because it was his first winning match, having been a loyal GSL player for three seasons! Al Naboodah top the BMW League with 10 points, after winning both of their matches against Sultans of Swing. Second in the league with seven points are the Sharjah Golfing Buddies after they gained their first two wins over Darjeeling. It was an extremely closely fought game between Dubai Divots and The ‘Ackerdemicals, each winning one of their matches 2&1. This means they are just as tight in the league standings with both in a share of third place with six points each.

Played

Won

Lost

Tied

Points

4 4 4 4 4 4

4 3 3 1 1 0

0 1 1 3 3 4

0 0 0 0 0 0

12 9 9 3 3 0

BMW League Al Naboodah Sharjah Golfing Buddies Dubai Divots The ‘Ackerdemicals Darjeeling Sultans of Swing

Played

Won

Lost

Tied

Points

4 4 4 4 4 4

3 2 2 2 1 1

0 1 2 2 3 3

1 1 0 0 0 0

10 7 6 6 3 3

INDIANS AND MASSIN LEAD WORLDWIDE GOLF & SNTTA LEAGUES IN the second round of fixtures of the P. I. C. Golf Society League, supported by BMW, SNTTA Travel and Worldwide Golf, former champions MasSin 1 and newcomers, the Indian ExPats Golf Society took control of their respective leagues. Both recorded 6 – 0 white washes over their respective opponents Gulf Rock and MasSin 2. They now lead their divisions with 10 points. In second place in the SNTTA League (led by MasSin 1) are Dubai Duffers on seven points. The

Duffers led after round one but they suffered a 1 – 4 defeat at the hands of defending champions Dubai ExPutts 1. Gulf Rock and Dubai ExPutts 2 share third place on five points and are very much in contention for one of the 2 qualifying slots. The Worldwide Golf League (led by the Indian Expats) has three teams all sat on six points as Rimausinga Society, Dubal Golf Society and The Nepalese Golf Society vie for one of the two quarter final qualifying slots.

SNTTA Travel League

Played

Won

Lost

Tied

Points

Worldwide Golf League

Played

Won

Lost

Tied

Points

MasSin Golf Society 1 Dubai Duffers Gulf Rock Dubai ExPutts 1 Dubai ExPutts 2 K.E.G.S. 1

4 4 4 4 4 4

3 2 1 1 1 1

0 1 1 1 3 3

1 1 2 2 0 0

10 7 5 5 3 3

Indian Expats Golf Society Nepalese Golf Society RimauSinga Dubal MasSin Golf Society 2 K.E.G.S. 2

4 4 4 4 4 4

3 2 2 2 1 0

0 2 2 2 3 3

1 0 0 0 0 1

10 6 6 6 3 1

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LOCAL NEWS

Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club www.golfandshootingshj.com

Contact: Tel : +971 6 548 7777 E-mail: info@golfandshootingshj.com

Sharjah-Golf-Shooting-Club

Badger wins the Captain’s Season Opener TOM Badger won the inaugural Captain’s Season Opener recently thanks to a wonderful display in an event that was used to welcome the new Club Captains for the 2012/2013 season. For the first time in the club’s history there are two Club Captains installed to take charge, and they are long standing members Mel and Jacqui Stewart. Badger finished with a total of 44

points to pip Gary Langthorne to the overall prize with Langthorne settling for taking the spoils in Division ‘A’. The honours in Division ‘B’ went to Mark Dupree, who made a long awaited return to the winner’s circle with a final score of 42 points while the best lady on the day was Nicola Milton who also scooped 42 points and blitzed the ladies division by a whopping eight points.

SGSC Club Captains Mel and Jacqui Stewart are pictured with the day’s winners.

Jenks and Morley seal the Social ANDREW Morley and Steve Jenks romped to victory in the recent BMW Members and Guests Social as they returned a net 64.5 to win by two strokes. The husband and wife team of Terri and Brian Stewart claimed the front nine Texas Scramble title with a net 32.9 while it was also a family

affair on the back nine Better Ball competition and father and son Mohammad Bin Idris and Zubair Idris took the spoils with a net 70. Other notable winners on the day were B.J Kim and Vivian Verma who picked up the Nearest the Pin and Longest Drives prizes respectively.

B.J Kim takes and early lead in the Order Of Merit

BMW Winners for November 2012 .

Three out of four TEAMS SET FOR NMT FINAL

Winners of the Orient Travel – Thai Airways Monthly Medal October 2012. KOREAN B.J Kim proved to be the quickest out of the blocks as he clinched the top award in the Orient Travel – Thai Airways Monthly Medal to take the lead in the Order of Merit. After a break for the summer, the tough monthly strokeplay event, which also carries points for the net and gross Order of Merits, returned and Kim carded an impressive net 70 to take the overall prize by virtue of a scorecard play-off.

Scottish golfer William Neilson matched Kim’s score but was the unfortunate golfer to lose out on the countback. Third place went to Yasushi Shinohara who finished with a net 72 while the best gross of the day turned out to be a closely fought contest with Iranian Hassan Yazdi pipping scratch South African Rickey Dominguez to the title. All four winning golfers received commemorative plaques for their efforts.

AFTER some tense qualification matches the representatives for three of the four teams set to compete in the final of the NMT Global Projects Battle of the Continents are now known. Qualifying for Europe were Chris Farell, Charlie Wilcox, Kasper Kristiansen, John Fahy, Mark Dupree, Shane O’Neill, Mr Borja and Mel Stewart. Africa and the Middle East will have Hassan Yazdi, Roy Holmes,

Martin Hunt, Grant Redman, Leroy Durward ,Omar Safi, Erich Stander and Simon Mmuttle teeing it up while the Americas and Australasia team will be made up of Dave Loftus, Johnny Aldridge, Mike Rifai, Randeep Singh, Patrick Green, Gurbax Singh, Leo De Sousa and Mark Rush. The qualification match for the Asian side takes place on December 1st with the Grand Final set for January 5th. www.wwgolf.biz

Jumeirah golf estates www.jumeirahgolfestates.com

Contact: Tel : +971 4 375 999

Jumeirah-Golf-Estates

Majrekar seals Pro-am place with October win SHANKAR Majrekar timed his form perfectly as he clinched the October Men’s Medal to win a spot in the Rolex Pro-am at the DP World Tour Championship. A brilliant sub 70 of net 69 saw Shankar claim the medal honours in Division ‘A’ ahead of early pacesetter Jehanzeb Awan who shot a 71 from a gross 76. The best gross score went to Bilbo

Waite steals the show TERRY Waite shot a stunning net 60 to win Division ‘A’ in the November Monthly Medal to win by nine shots from Christopher Wilmot. Scratch players Bilbo Perrot and Craig Forrest battled it out for the gross prize and coming out on top was Forrest thanks to his better back nine after they both

shot a 1-under-par gross. Division ‘B’ went to Ashok Galgotia thanks to a net 71 and a two-stroke win over Costas Verginis while in the Ladies Division Tania Gelasini took first place ahead of Katrin Wilke after a solid net 71. Gelasini capped her day by winning the Nearest the Pin prize on hole 11.

Perrot as he shot a fine 71 while the Division ‘B’ qualifier was Maurits Klaverts with a net 63 and both earned their spot in the Rolex Pro-Am. The Ladies division witnessed a new name adorning the honours board as Katrin Wilke topped the pile with a solid 73 and an impressive three-shot victory over Suad Ghalib.

Walker strolls to Firestone victory ENDURANCE was the key to success for Guy Walker as he won the 2012 Firestone Classic over the Fire course. Walker won ahead of Shabir Yakub with Chris Wilmot securing third. Both Longest Drive prizes were won by the big-hitting James Ashbrige while Katrin Wilke and Mike Cowley took the Nearest the Pin prizes on holes 8 and 14 respectively.

One point win at the Ryder Cup Challenge THIS year’s Ryder Cup Challenge on the Fire Course served up almost as much drama as the real thing at Medinah Country Club as a team of members representing Great Britain and Ireland prevailed by one point over a team from the ‘Rest of the World’. The format for the day was a selection of Fourball Betterball and Foursomes matches which were contested over the first nine and second nine holes respectively 78

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where points were awarded for the number of holes up after the completion of the round. Thirteen matches fought long and hard to attain as many points as possible with the outcome being decided by a single hole as GB&I ran out winners 23-22. Triumphant GB&I Captain Geoff Hunter was full of praise for his team’s efforts in winning this trophy for a second time over Neal Graham’s Rest of the World.

6TH HOLE TOP TIP 398 yard par-4 David Blackadder, Golf Operations Supervisor - PGA A visually stunning hole, this par-4 is not to be taken lightly. Multiple bunkers line both sides of the fairway to protect a narrow entrance positioned near the ideal landing area. The second shot is played to an elevated green, protected by bunkers short, right and long. Plenty of club is required to land your ball onto this relatively flat green as a weak approach will roll back towards your feet for you to try again!

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Al hamra GOLF CLUB www.alhamragolf.com

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Contact: Tel : +971 7 244 7474 E-mail: enquiries@alhamragolf.com

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Harradine wins the seventh RAK Men’s Amateur Open MICHAEL Harradine won the seventh edition of the Ras Al Khaimah Amateur Open last month by seven shots thanks to a superb gross 142 total. This event is a key fixture in the UAE’s Mens Order of Merit and saw competitors travel from all over the UAE to take part in the biggest RAK Open to date. Harradine took an overnight lead into the second round thanks to an opening 69 but there were seven competitors within eight shots, hoping to strike. Ricky Dominguez produced the best round of day two with a solid 72 to give himself a 36-hole total of 150 and an anxious wait to see if Harradine, or anyone else in the final

group, was going to stumble across the finishing line. Sammi Hajri signed for rounds of 75 and 74 for a 149 total but it turned out to be only good enough for second place as Harradine followed his opening 69 with a solid 73 for a 142 total and an impressive seven-shot victory The net division came down to a battle between fellow Al Hamra Members Andy Prescott, Lee Rider and Jake Maki-Petaja who were all in a tussle to take the top spot. After the final day it was Prescott who prevailed with a 135 total, three clear of Rider and Maki-Petaja who had to be separated by a countback. In the end it was Rider who sneaked into second place.

Robin romps to Harradine Cup Victory ANNIE Robin stormed to victory in the Harradine Cup last month as once again a ful field showed their support for this wonderful event on a superbly conditioned Championship course. As the scores began to filter in PJ Marriott became the early clubhouse leader with a fantastic round of 40 points, which put one hand on the Harradine Cup. That was until two groups later when Robin came in with nines of

24 and 23 for an incredible score of 47 points, which blew away the rest of the field and saw her clinch the title. Marriott had to settle for the runner-up spot with Clive Rawlings finishing third with a score of 39 points. In addition there were on-course Nearest the Pin events which were won by Elton Swartz on Hole 4, Fred Watts on Hole 7, Clive Rawlings on Hole 12 and Paul Sillifant on Hole 15.

Watts seals the Crans Sur Sierre Trophy THE annual Crans Sur Sierre Trophy took place under perfect golfing conditions and coming out on top was Fred Watts as he scored a level-par score of 36 points to take the coveted crown from Clive Rawlings. The Crans Sur Sierre Trophy was presented to Al Hamra by the President of Crans Sur Sierre Golf Club in Switzerland and

has become a flagship event in the calendar and one that every member would like to win. Rawlings thought he had a shout at victory after scoring four points on the last hole but it didn’t quite earn him the title after Watt’s early heroics. Jake Petaja took third place after losing out to Rawlings on a countback.

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Al HAMRA GOLF CLUB – THE FAIREST OF FAIRWAYS

Set against the backdrop of the majestic Hajar Mountains in Ras Al Khaimah, the Al Hamra Golf Club beckons golfers to sample its first-class facilities. From the Al Hamra Golf Academy, where golfers and non-golfers will find the perfect place to enhance or learn the game, to the Academy Par 3 course with holes ranging from 60 to 127 yards in length, there’s something for every level of golfer. Al Hamra doesn’t stop when the sun sets either with floodlit golf available on the Al Hamra championship course with a nine-hole course being made up of a composition of the front and back nine. Of course, there’s more to the Al Hamra resort than simply golf.

The club also boasts an array of dining options from elaborate dining, quick snacks or private functions. The Zahara’s menu tempts with Asian / fusion elements and a large terrace that borders the Arabian Gulf Lagoon and the 18th hole. Lagoon’s Sports Bar is considered the perfect meeting place either before or after golf or just for a casual meal featutring a menu of local and international favourites. Dunes Café located in the Driving Range Clubhouse offers a calm and relaxed dining experience with a light and healthy menu. This is the golfing getaway you've been looking for - and we look forward to welcoming you soon.

For more information contact Al Hamra Golf Club at +971 7 244 7474 or email enquiries@alhamragolf.com

Find us on www.facebook.com/alhamragolfclub Find us on @AlHamraVillage

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LOCAL NEWS

tech access international pairs

Winners, Rania Hage and Graham Atherton are pictured with Francois Wolfaardt, Director of Golf, Arabian Ranches.

Hage and Atherton secure the opening fixture The 2012-13 Tech Access International Pairs UAE Presented by Cadillac launched in earnest early last month as members at Arabian Ranches took to the course looking to secure the first berth in this season’s National Final. With such a prestigious prize on offer – winners receive a stay at Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi as well as the chance to go on and represent the UAE in the International Pairs World Final – competition was predictably tight.

Taking advantage of perfect golfing conditions were Rania Hage and Graham Atherton who stole the show with a superb Stableford haul of 46 points. The duo of Andy Scanlon and Chris Tometzki would have been forgiven for thinking that their 44-point total had given them a sniff of victory, but ultimately they had to settle for second place with Sheila Alban and Jett Smith finishing third with a score of 43 points.

Yas Links winners Elizabeth Campbell and Bill Lisgo alongside Victoria Hassett of Yas Links.

Sid Elday and CJ Niver are pictured with Lady Vice Captain Susan Falconer and Director of Golf Steve Johns.

No stopping FLEDGLING PAIR Elday and Niver AN impressive haul of 44 Stableford points saw Sid Elday and CJ Niver take the spoils in the International Pairs qualifier at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club last month. The pair overhauled the clubhouse lead of 42 points set by Stuart Blan and Stuart Williams to earn their spot in the National Final. Norman Llewellyn and Rajesh Kholy

also overtook Blan and Wiliams but their tally of 43 points was only good enough for second place. Elday and Niver both started playing golf four years ago and are regular partners having met at the City Golf Club as beginners. Their fledgling careers will receive a stern test when they tee it up in the 2013 National Final at Yas Links in June.

Emirates Golf Club winners Alan and Soumaya Salem with Club Captain Moshe Kohli.

Lisgo and Campbell stride to Yas Links victory

Salems snatch International Pairs UAE Victory

THE third leg of the IP qualifiers hopped across Abu Dhabi to Yas Links where there were some strong showings from a few form runners. Last year’s World Finalists Walter and Ronan Hall were determined to defend their title – albeit with different partners – while Bill Lisgo and Elizabeth Campbell were also among the pre-tournament favourites. On an unseasonably warm morning

ALAN and Soumaya Salem finally realised their Tech Access International Pairs UAE Presented by Cadillac dream as they won a Qualifier at their fifth attempt. The highly fancied pairing, who are members at The Address Montgomerie Dubai and Emirates Golf Club, have played in Qualifiers at both clubs in the first two Tech Access International Pairs UAE series but it proved to be fifth time lucky as

Lisgo and Campbell who posted a superb score of 43 to win ahead of Brian McClure and Steve Burnell while third place went to Elwood Hyden and Alex Iapichino who scored a respectable 39 points. Campbell pronounced her performance as ‘the best of her life’ while the defending champions were disappointed to finish down the leaderboard with their respective partners.

they sealed their spot in the 2013 National Final at Yas links when they won the Emirates Golf Club event late last month. The duo won via countback over Paul Byrne and Maura Duggan and Mike Tracey and Stephen Jones after all three pairs finished with 41 points. The Salems had a better back nine than Byrne and Duggan and a better finish over the last six holes than Tracey and Jones.

YAS ABU DHABI

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THE Abu Dhabi City Golf Club has come a long way since the days when it was first established as an 18-hole sand course, the Abu Dhabi Golf & Equestrian Club, back in the late 1970s, several years before the introduction of grass golf courses in the UAE.

S the old year ends Abu Dhabi City Golf Club is celebrating the anniversary of three milestone achievements: The construction of the new greens in December 2009; the new state-of-the-art Golf Academy and the two-tier 34-bay driving range, unique to the UAE, in December 2010; and the opening of The Pavilion in 2011. With the state of the golf course now being the equal of any course in the UAE, the Abu Dhabi City Golf Club has never been in better condition. In 1987 the course was grassed and opened as a 9-hole floodlit facility. The greens were constructed with Tif Dwarf Bermuda Grass but it was always a struggle to maintain them at a high standard so it was decided that new greens would be constructed in June 2009 using Sea Isle 2000 Paspalum. The difference in the topography of all of the green complexes was considerable producing firm, undulating surfaces with a ‘linksy’ feel to them.

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The new greens were officially opened in December 2009. After maturing and settling in over the last three seasons and with some intensive work on them, the putting surfaces now compare favourably with any course in the UAE. Generally running at 9.5 on the stimpmeter, they are a good speed to putt on and it is always an advantage to be putting from the low side of the hole! The definition of the rough and surrounding areas of the course are excellent and with water coming into play on six of the nine holes it has become a very challenging layout! As an original sand course Abu Dhabi City Golf Club is one of the oldest in the region. It has certainly moved with the times to become a hugely enjoyable course to play. It is also in great condition, in an ideal location and great value for money. General Manager, Rhian Lobo, explained: “We have a lot to celebrate in 2013. We have grown

the Club steadily over the last three years, firstly with improving the course itself, secondly with the two-tier driving range, practice facilities and Junior School, and thirdly off course with the increasing popularity of The Pavilion and The 19th Street Restaurant and Bar. “We’ve always stayed true to what we believe in – making our facility accessible to the community of Abu Dhabi, whether it’s through our F&B outlets, our Academy or our Golf Course. “We are proud that we have been able to introduce and convert so many people into becoming established golfers and we are particularly proud of our juniors with more than 200 youngsters attending the weekly classes, and we shut the entire golf course once a month to give them a chance to experience “real golf.” “The effect of our Junior Academy and our Introduction to Golf programmes is felt throughout Abu Dhabi.”

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Celebration time at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club The Golf Academy and Food & Beverage options AS the Golf Club has steadily improved, so has the Golf Academy. It was always a thriving facility, encouraging all levels of golfer but it lacked the space to match its popularity. With only 16 hitting stations in the main Practice Tee area, golfers were often faced with a long wait. Being so close to downtown Abu Dhabi, the Club had limited options to expand either going wider or longer. So they decided that the only way was up! Construction started in late 2009 and the UAE’s first and only 2-Tiered Driving Range was officially opened on December 12, 2010 by His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed. The Driving Range boasts 34 hitting bays, all equipped with state of the art TrueStrike Mats, an Air Conditioned Swing Studio, housing the latest technology from V1 and Flightscope and Floodlighting until 10.30pm. Whether it’s providing shaded practice facilities for golfers during the hot summer months; group coaching to dozens of golfers, or simply affording an outstanding panoramic view

of the city, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club has the lot. Steve Johns, Head PGA Professional, commented: “Even with the large investment we have made in improving our Golf Academy and the condition of the golf course, we have managed to stay true to our beliefs in delivering good value for all our members, clients and visitors. “The golf course is now an absolute pleasure to play and as well as having a thriving Membership, we are also seeing more and more new faces visiting the facility every day. “The Golf Academy is unique in the UAE with its two-tier driving range and it remains one of the busiest academies in the emirates.” The “19th street” Restaurant & Bar, and the outdoor Terrace “The pavilion” provide magnificent views of the golf course, the racetrack and the city – with food and drinks to match. Both restaurants are the perfect al fresco setting for a morning breakfast, business lunch or a relaxing evening dinner, especially after

merging both menus into one, with a new concept of “choose your salad, your pizza, or your pasta.” The indoor Clubhouse 19th Street restaurant is a great place to conduct business and so is the renewed Ryder Lounge, which comes alive in the evening and on Friday for karaoke nights. The 19th Street Bar has a relaxing, homely atmosphere and the HD screens show all the latest sports events for avid sports fans. The Pavilion has a BBQ that starts every day from 5.00pm with a large variety of the chef’s signature grills. With the horseracing season underway The Pavilion hosts its famous Race Night BBQ, the perfect way to spend a Sunday with family and friends while watching top class horseracing live or on the big screen.

For Abu Dhabi City Golf Club it’s a case of onwards and upwards as the Club celebrates its ongoing success on and off the golf course.

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The Track, Meydan www.meydangolf.com

Contact: Tel : +971 4 381 3733 E-mail: info@meydangolf.com

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FACEBOOK opens ROUTE TO MONTHLY PRIZE GIVEAWAYS Randeep Singh receives his ‘prize’ putter via Facebook from Tom Rourke, Head Golf Professional at The Track Meydan.

THE Track Meydan, the UAE’s newest golf course, is going where few golf courses have gone before by reaching out to golfers and non-golfers throughout the region. Further to The Track’s pay-and-play only policy, the club is also utilising social media extensively to appeal to the digitally-savvy would-be golfer in the UAE. In October, The Track launched a monthly competition prize giveaway through Facebook, offering members of its group everything from free equipment to complimentary tuition. Randeep Singh, a 17-handicaper from Dubai, walked away with a brand new TaylorMade Ghost Manta putter and a selection of The Track

apparel after winning the club’s Facebook competition last month. A keen golfer, Randeep was delighted to be the ‘winner.’ “This is a fantastic club and I’m over the moon to win it,” he said. “I hope this putter will make all the difference to my game and help me bring my handicap down. “I’m the biggest hitter in the family but the highest handicapper. The missing link has always been my putting so I’m really grateful to The Track for selecting me as the winner of this brilliant prize.” The prize of a month of free lessons was up for grabs on the The Track’s Facebook page for their November promotion with more great offers for the region’s golfers in the pipeline for future months. Paul Dennis, General

Manager, The Track, Meydan Golf, said: “We are a very different golfing proposition to anything else in the region and we are proud of what we offer golfers of all levels. “Our aim is to make the sport fun and accessible for everyone and our social media interaction is all part of that. “With a little bit of luck and his brand new putter, we hope to see Randeep rolling in a few more putts on our greens very soon.” The course welcomed its third hole-in-one in November. Nick Silvester will now have his name added to the hole-in-one leaderboard that is already beginning to look crowded. Tom Rourke, Head Golf Professional at The Track, said: “At this rate we will run out of space on the board within a couple of years. “It seems like the region’s golfers have taken a liking to both our par-3s, which are certainly a very good challenge. Our congratulations go to Nick Silvester, who hit a brilliant shot into our sixth green to score himself an ace.” For more information about Academy by Troon go to www.meydangolf.com. Stay up to date on news and competitions from The Track at www.facebook.com/ ThetTrackMeydanGolfClub.

ABOUT THE TRACK MEYDAN

“The Track” is Meydan Golf’s challenging Peter Harradinedesigned 9-hole floodlit course, located alongside the Meydan Racecourse and The Meydan Hotel. The world-renowned Meydan Racecourse is home to thoroughbred horseracing, the Dubai World Cup and the Meydan Tennis Academy. Under the experienced guidance of leading golf management company Troon, ‘The Track, Meydan Golf’ makes golf accessible to all, with an open pay-to-play fee structure where no membership fees are required. THE TRACK welcomes golfers of all levels – including non-golfers, who can take tuition. The unique city location is just 10 minutes’ drive from Downtown Dubai and 20 minutes from the Marina or Dubai International Airport. Golfing facilities include full locker rooms, a pro shop, golf club and shoe hire, floodlit driving range, chipping and putting greens plus tuition by Troon instructors. The Track Restaurant is a familyfriendly venue with an extensive menu from early breakfasts to casual evening dining inside, and alfresco on the terrace. www.wwgolf.biz

Emirates Golf CLUB www.dubaigolf.com

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Gupta and Radia power to victory ROHIT Gupta and Amarjeet Radia fired a 36-hole tally of 6-under-par to triumph in the Emirates Mixed Amateur Open Sponsored by Infinity and Powered by Al Dobowi. In the 19th edition of the event, Gupta and Radia carded rounds of 70 over the Faldo course followed by a net 68 on the Majlis to take the prestigious title by three strokes ahead of the defending champions Carolyn and Nigel Thompson. The winning EGC duo started their final round poorly with three straight bogeys. They picked up a shot on the par-3 seventh but gave it back on

Surender Kandhari (AlDobowi), Amarjeet Radia, Rohit Gupta and Club Captains Glynis Hendry and Moshe Kohli.

the following hole to see them out in 3-over par gross, 38 shots. However, the back nine of the famous Majlis course inspired them and they were faultless, birdieng holes 13, 15 and 18 to see them home in

3-under for a gross 72, net 68. The Thompsons also came in with a finalround 68 but their opening 73 cost them dearly. Finishing third after losing out to the Thompsons on a countback were

Adrian and Louise Adams from the Els Club after they compiled rounds of 72 and 69.The overall best gross prize went to EGC membrs Dalip Tripathi and Jayshree Gupta as they carded rounds of 79 and 76 for a 155 total.

Indian team wraps up the Ambassador’s Cup THE Indian Business & Professional Council (IBPC) won the second Annual Ambassador’s Cup recently after a superb score of 672 Stableford points over two rounds. The Inter-Business Council team event, organised by Dubai Golf and the Australian Business Council, Dubai, in collaboration with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and title sponsors ‘du’, saw its first round played back in April at Dubai Creek. Six of Dubai’s business councils entered a team of 16 players where the best 10 individual Stableford scores would count towards the overall team score.

The IBPC team took the lead with a 329 point haul in April and won again, adding 343 points to take the main prize ahead of the German Emirati Joint Council by 69 points. In third place were the Irish Business Network, just three points further back with 600 points. As one of the co-hosts of the event, H.E. Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated: “We feel that the Ambassadors Cup 2012 has once again proved to be a unique platform in bringing together a diverse group of business people along with diplomatic representation,

Hendry and Dols ON TOP LADY Captain Glynis Hendry and Janine Dols scored a combined Stableford score of 73 points to win the Ladies Blind Partners Competition. A fantastic eagle three on the par-5 10th from Hendry propelled them to victory while an individual best-of-theday 42 from Dols capped their day. Thea Hendrickx and Mieke Slotboom combined nicely for a total of 70 points to take the runners up spot. 86

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in a sporting environment. Developing relationships is the most effective way to promote business opportunities and we are confident

that this event will continue to facilitate strong and mutually beneficial relationships in the years to come.”

Maya secures ladies Seniors championship

Lady Captain Glynis Hendry and Janine Dols with their prize.

NAEMA Maya sealed the Ladies Seniors Championship recently after shooting an 84 around the Majlis to seal a three-shot victory over former Lady Captains Jenny Ayres and Caroline Jones. The battle for second place was done via a countback with Ayres taking the silver medal position by way of her better back nine. The best net prize for the day went to

Ladies Seniors Champion, Naema Maya receives her trophy from the Lady Captain, Glynis Hendry. Maureen Platt with a 1-under-par 71 while the Stableford competition that was also played alongside the main event was won by Josie Tracey with a fabulous 43 points.

LOCAL NEWS Contact: Tel : +9714 380 2222 E-mail: info@dubaigolf.com

MAJLIS BENEFITS FROM MULTI-MILLION POUND INVESTMENT GOLFERS playing the highlyacclaimed Majlis Course are reaping the benefits of a multimillion pound investment, that pushes the conditioning of the golf course to new levels. Celebrating its 25th anniversary next year, Emirates Golf Club has used a seven-month period – March to September – to install state-ofthe-art, environmentally efficient irrigation systems that significantly enhance the quality and consistency of all playing surfaces on the Majlis Course, while at the same time significantly reducing the course’s water consumption. “The irrigation project, which took 208 days and over 150,000

man hours to complete, is another major milestone that allows us to maintain the course to the exacting standards that our members and guests have been accustomed to enjoying, ensuring that Emirates Golf Club remains the premier club in the region for many years to come,” said Craig Haldane, Director of Golf Course Maintenance at Emirates Golf Club. “The previous irrigation system was almost 25 years old and technology has moved on considerably since this was installed in 1988. The new system, using over 8,800 metres of mainline piping and 33,500 metres of lateral piping, makes use of the latest technology and delivers water savings by ensuring increased

Great scores light up the Diwali Scramble THE Moshe Kohli team lit up the Majlis course with 10 birdies and eight pars to win the Diwali Scramble recently with a score of gross 62 for a net 57.1. It wasn’t all plain sailing for the winning team as they were pushed all the way and eventually won by just 0.1 of a stroke from the team of Kevin Roy, Mahyra Roy, Patrick Mulligan and Surjit Namli Stephen Jones continued his good form and combined with Nina Larm, Ghanshyam Manghnani and Ashok Agarwal to clinch third following a 59.3 total. With just 0.1 shots separating the top teams, the Club Captain and organiser Kohli couldn’t have asked

Gurjit Kochar of the Mehtab Group with Club Captain Moshe Kohli

distribution efficiency throughout the golf course.” Christopher May, General Manager of Dubai Golf, said: “This is an extremely important period in the history of the Majlis course. This has not been a quick decision, but one

that has been worked through and thought out over a lengthy period of time. We are investing in the next 25 years of our core product and the system had to offer measurable benefits to our members, our visitors, and the environment.”

Dyball, Logan, Breen and Gupta in the Pink CHRIS Dyball, Lorraine Logan, Margaret Breen and Jayshree Gupta combined beautifully around the Majlis course to win the Ladies Pink Ball Competition with a score of 100 points. Finishing five points back in second place was the team of Carrie Parker, Elaine Belcher and Max

Lever while Ruth Hatton, Jenny Isles, Sandra Broedelet and Jull Muirhead took third place with a 94 point haul. The day was all about raising money for Breast Cancer Arabia, with many golf and raffle prizes kindly donated for the day and the total figure raised was well over AED 50,000.

for better fireworks to celebrate the Indian Festival of Lights. “My philosophy behind organising this tournament is to send out a message that Diwali is a wonderful festival of giving and sharing and it unites people irrespective of their caste and creed,” said Kohli after play.

Luke Donald and Justin Rose host Zurich Invitational ZURICH Ambassadors Luke Donald and Justin Rose hosted the Zurich Invitational at Emirates Golf Club prior to teeing it up at the DP World Tour Championship. The Ryder Cup stars are two of seven Zurich Golf Ambassadors worldwide for the insurance group and in the UAE,

Zurich recently signed a sponsorship agreement with Emirates Golf Club, which forms part of the company’s wider brand campaign. Donald, current World No.2, said: “As a Zurich Ambassador I’m delighted to have been a part of the first Zurich Invitational in the Middle East.” www.wwgolf.biz

DUBAI CREEK GOLF AND YACHT CLUB www.dubaigolf.com

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Fellingham seals the Creek Senior’s Open 2012 AFTER two difficult days of golf John Fellingham was left as last man standing as he won the Salama Dubai Creek Senior’s Open over the Eid holiday weekend with a 36-hole total of 149. Creek member Fellingham took advantage of his familiar surroundings to win in breezy conditions as he secured a onestroke win over Emirates Golf Club member Rene Larsen. Taking third place was another Creek member, DY Yoon, who finished with a 154 tally. “I would firstly like to say a big thank you to Salama Islamic Insurance for all of their support in making this event such a success,”

Stephen Hubner (Head Golf Professional, Dubai Creek), Ara Nakhnikian (Captain, Dubai Creek), John Fellingham (Champion), Rafiq Halani (General Manager, Salama Islamic Insurance), Alan Mackenzie (Director of Golf, Dubai Creek). said Fellingham. “ Also great credit must go to our Club Captain Ara Nakhnikian who has worked very hard in creating this two day event which can only get bigger and better with the same hard work and continued support from Salama. Another big thank you to Matthew Perry and his team who consistently

have the course at its best, and this weekend was no exception.” In the Net Division another Dubai Creek member clinched the spoils as Balvinder Sindhu posted scores of 71 and 65 for a 136 total and a four-stroke win over Paul Judson and fellow Creek member Ashok Kumar. The General Manager of Salama

Islamic Insurance Rafiq Halani was on hand to present the prizes and commented: “Salama is the proud sponsor of the Salama Dubai Creek Seniors Open which is the first 36 hole seniors event at Dubai Creek. “We are committed to support such events in the future.”

Hills pair overcome The Green Keepers Revenge Winners Russell and Josh Hill with Kellogg’s brand manager Jerry Thomson. IN near perfect conditions, the Green Keepers Revenge Halloween tournament was held over Dubai Creek’s academy course and the course superintendent, Matt Perry, came up with some amazing pin positions for the event and again devised some special obstacles for the competitors to navigate around and over. These obstacles didn’t deter the day’s main prize winners Russell and Joshua Hill scored 29 points to take the spoils. One shot further back was the pairing of Alan and Dilan White with third place going to Mark Baxter and Alan Smith on 31. In the nearest to the pin 88

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category, Alan White triumphed for the adults. On the fifth hole, playing from the event’s unique bunker tee, he struck a fantastic shot to only a few feet of the hole. The junior prize was taken by Jaran Varyani at the firsthole where the tractor in the middle of the fairway proved to be no distraction at all! A fun day was had by all and Ahmad Yahya, Marketing Director for sponsors Kellogg’s said: “We are delighted to have been part of such a successful event, the participants have all had a fantastic day and even our mascots have had an opportunity to play some golf!”

Hoekstra collects a victory LIDA Hoekstra picked up her first win of the season as she finished strongly to clinch the Ladies Strokeplay last month ahead of Kiyono Taniuchi with a net 72. Hoekstra finished the last three holes level par and took the top spot on a count-back thanks to her better back nine. “Firstly I would like to say that I am very happy to win today and I always enjoy this challenging and beautiful course,” smiled Hoekstra. “I managed a good finish which consisted of an unlikely birdie

at the 16th and a par on the demanding 17th.” New Dubai Creek member Daniella Sacchini scored a solid net 74 to take third place in only her first ladies event. After conducting the prizegiving Dubai Creek Professional Craig Waddell said: “ It was great to see the ladies out there today enjoying the course in the cool conditions. The standard was very high and an extra special mention goes to our new member, third placed Daniella Sacchini.”

LOCAL NEWS Contact: Tel : +971 4 295 6000 E-mail: dcgyc@dubaigolf.com

Winner Berthe Reinke and Dubai Ceek Lady Captain Mego Hann.

Stephen Hubner (Head Golf Professional, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club), Ashok Kumar (BMW-Rivoli Medal Winner), Ara Nakhnikian (Club Captain, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club).

Kumar clinches the November Medal ASHOK Kumar got back to winning ways with a superb victory in last month’s BMW-Rivoli Medal thanks to a net score of 3-under 68. “I would like to thank my playing partners who were great and very supportive,” smiled Kumar after accepting the trophy. “The course was again in fantastic condition and so was the weather. I made three birdies and I’m very happy to have

won, I guess it was my day today.” Kurup Devanand had a solid round and secured his first victory of the season with a level-par net 71 in Men’s Division ‘A’ with Gary Chapman finishing second with a 74. In Division ‘B’ both Ashok Ahuja and Mansour Khodjasteh put in great performances with scores of net 69 but it was Ahuja’s better inward half that ensured him the top spot.

Another good performance came from Maureen Platt who took the Ladies Division title with a net 73 while Dhruv Nair was in the prizes again as he took the Junior Division with another sub-par score of net 69. Finally it was Kennon Rider who came home strongly to complete his round of gross 77 and take the overall gross prize thanks to a better inward half over John Fellingham.

THE ADDRESS MONTGOMERIE DUBAI www.themontgomerie.com

Reinke is white hot BERTHE Reinke secured the spoils in the Ladies White Tee Challenge recently thanks to a superb haul of 33 Stableford points. Joanna De Wilda also scored well, compiling 31 points to take second place with Nadia Matveeva finishing third with 30 points. Yuko Tsukiori took the prize for the Longest Approach to the long par-4 12th hole whilst Aude Granzotto won the Nearest the Pin honours after knocking it close on the par-3 14th.

Contact: Tel : +971 4 390 5600

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Varkey seals the Men’s Open DINO Varkey shot a second round even par 72 to post a 142 total and win the AGMC BMW Men’s Open by six strokes while Montgomerie Dubai member Joon Eun took the net prize. Meanwhile, in the ECCO October Medal Tej Ghuldu and OK Young Cho sealed the gross prizes and Nicholas Hymas, Gavin Brannan and Frances Milne clinched the net prizes.

Dino Varkey collects his Men’s Open trophy.

Winners of the October Medal.

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Riyadh Golf Courses provide a challenging but rewarding playing experience for golfers of all abilities.

Located just 20 kilometres from Riyadh Centre RGC is, for members and visitors alike, truly an oasis in the desert.

Membership now available for 2013. There will be a membership waiting list operating from February 1st, 2013

Riyadh Golf Courses PO Box 84329 Riyadh 11671

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

+966 (0) 557 399900 reception@riyadhgolfcourses.com www.riyadhgolfcourses.com

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ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB www.arabianranchesgolfclubdubai.com

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Contact: Tel : +971 4 366 3000 E-mail: info@arabianranchesgolf.ae

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Burrow and Waimer seal the November Medal

Galeppini, Vijayan and Hage drive off with Volvo qualifier EDOARDO Galeppini returned a gross 3-over-par 75 to win the Gross division of the Volvo World Golf Challenge qualifier and will now go on to a regional qualifier at Al Badia for the chance to play in the Volvo World Golf Challenge Pro Am at Fancourt in South Africa in January. There were three qualification spots up for grabs on the day – one in the gross division for handicap holders 0 to 12, Men’s Net division for handicap holders 13 to 24 and the final spot went to the best Net score in the ladies division.

A field of 72 competitors played on the day in perfect condition. In the Net Division TR Vijayan took the spoils with a 68, one shot clear of Jacques Leretz. Leretz will be disappointed to finish second and not qualify as he didn’t take advantage of a memorable hole-in-one in his round. The ladies division was contested amongst a small but competitive field with several players in brilliant form and it was Rania Hage who sealed the victory with a two-shot win over Lise Slane.

Great scores in Individual Stableford EDDIE Ramage shot a superb 72 which equated to 40 Stableford points to win the Best Gross title of the Individual Stableford event recently. Each competitor used their handicap index as the Tournament handicap allowance which was taken at the appropriate stroke index holes. Ramage took full advantage of a perfect day for scoring to post an outward half of 21 points and he kept his cool on the back nine where he posted a further 19 points. His only real blemish on the card came on holes 10 and 16 where he scored only a single point.

Eddie Ramage collects his prize from Lady Captain Anne Hainey. Paul Baxter won the Individual Stableford title in the Men’s Division after he won a countback over Kevin Warren. Both players shot identical scores of 39 with matching outward and inward nines and it was Baxter’s better score on the closing six holes that saw him prevail. In the Ladies division, Louise Doyle posted a brilliant score of 43 points to claim the title by eight points from Karen Evans.

MAX Burrow returned a gross 1-over-par 73 to win the November Rivoli Monthly Medal by one stroke from Steve Bennett while Juson Waimer clinched the Ladies Division with a solid 82. Burrow, one of the club’s top performers with several medal victories and a Club Championship already under his belt, had a steady performance and got the job done with nines of 36 and 37. Bennett finished with a triple bogey to miss out by one shot. In the Men’s Division the net round of the day belonged to Division ‘A’ Champion Bryan Banner who posted a net 69 while Haide Wright reigned supreme in the Ladies Net division with a net 69 to win by three shots from Pernilla Karlsson on net 72.

Winners Juson Waimer (top) and Max Burrow are pictured with Club Captains Anne Hainey and Eddie Ramage.

Brilliant Burrow wins the ECCO Golf Classic MAX Burrow found himself in the winner’s circle once again after he fired a superb gross 5-under-67 to win the ECCO Gold Classic last month. Burrow played faultless golf and got the job done on a day perfect for scoring and went on a run of four consecutive birdies on his way to his winning total. Second place went to Ron Murphy, who was delighted to beat the rest of the field to second place with a 73. In the Net Divisions the top prize went to Pieter Van Wyk who posted a net 68 to edge out Andre Coetzee by a stroke. The Ladies Division saw Emma Rooms win her second consecutive Ladies Net title with a one-stroke win over Anne Hainey with a 69 while David French downed David Loft in the Men’s ‘B’ Division thanks to a net 68.

Men’s Gross winner Max Burrow alongside Club Captains Eddie Ramage and Anne Hainey.

Ladies Net winner Emma Rooms alongside Club Captains Eddie Ramage and Anne Hainey.

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ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB www.adgolfclub.com

Contact: Tel : +971 42 558 8990

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a warm welcome for the Siegels THE father and son duo of Daniel and Gerhard Siegel made sure victory stayed in the family after securing the honours in the annual ‘Members Welcome Back’ tournament. Over 40 players took to the 9-hole floodlit Garden Course for a shot at the title and the Siegels came out on top with a countback victory over Darren

Bradshaw and Bob Lowe. Both pairs came in with a 22-point haul but Daniel and Gerhard clinched the top spot by virtue of their better performance on the last hole. There were two nearest the pin competitions – one for the ladies and one for the men – and they were won by Debbie Betts and Joe Howell respectively.

Charity day RAISES AED30,000 ABU Dhabi Golf Club hosted the annual Pink Ladies Golf Day recently and more than AED 30,000 for Breast Cancer Research was raised as 92 ladies took part in the fun-filled event. This year the theme was ‘70s Disco’, and wild and wonderful outfits dotted the National course, from the ‘Dancing Queens’ to ‘The Supremes.’ Ladies making their way past the judges’ panel were first marked for the Best Dressed Team award, before

heading onto the course ready for the 10.00am shotgun. After the day’s place the team called the ‘Pink Birdies’, made up of Fiona Berry, Gunda Lampe Schneider, Denise Hayward and Paro Mukherjee took the spoils ahead of the ‘Discoettes’ – Mi Ran Lee, Jody Knapp, Wanni Jefferson and Janar Mussinova. Winning the coveted Best Dressed Team award was the ‘Pretty Punkt’ team of Debbie Betts, Caroline Milford, Suzie Linaker and Trisha Stubbs.

ace MAKES IT DONOVAN’S DAY in rivoli DONOVAN Joseph savored a superb hole-in-one on the 165-yard par-3 15th at ABGC which propelled him to glory in the 0-14 handicap Division of the Monthly Members Rivoli Stableford. Joseph had 17 points after the front nine but stormed home on the back nine to score a total of 39

points and win by three from his nearest challenger, Daniel Venter. In the men’s 15+ Handicap Division, J.V. Delos Santos finished with score of 38 points to win by one from Alan Cook while in the Ladies Division Mi Ran Lee finished top of the pile with 39 points, one clear of Sana Tufail.

LOCAL NEWS

Saadiyat beach golf club www.sbgolfclub.ae

Contact: Tel : +971 2 557 8000

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club

GROWING THE GAME across the capital THE Abu Dhabi Schools and Clubs League (ADSCL), run by the region’s leading golf course management company Troon Golf, has kicked off for a second year. The league is run in collaboration with five other Abu Dhabi golf clubs across six months who will all work towards the common goal of growing the game by offering juniors free tee times to play competitively. The initiative is led by P-J Van Merch, Golf Professional at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, whose passion for the game saw him first develop the

neighbouring golf clubs as part of a wider mission to encourage juniors to take to the course and play golf in a competitive spirit. At Saadiyat Beach Golf Club we are strongly committed to giving back to the local community, and the league is another activity which allows us to do this through offering free tee times to juniors who have signed up for the league.” Also taking part in the event are Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Al Ain Equestrian and Shooting Golf Club and Yas Links and the league culminates in April 2 with the final round being held at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. Saadiyat Beach Golf Club’s Junior Golf programme at the Academy caters to children aged between five and 13 years old.

league in December 2011 after noticing the surprisingly small number of junior golfers playing competitively. “I noticed a sharp contrast in the number of juniors being taught golf at our Academy, compared to those playing golf competitively,” said Van Merch. “Despite more than 500 children receiving coaching through various lesson programmes in the Abu Dhabi area, only a handful of these were playing on golf courses. To sign up for the league or to “We wanted to launch a learn more about the club’s tournament that would work directly junior golf programme, contact: with Abu Dhabi’s schools and theacademy@sbgolfclub.ae

Tyson gets the glory LINA Tyson got her hands on the bounty as she won November’s Rosewood Bowl Monthly Medal with an excellent net 70, four shots clear of the rest of the field. Atique Daneshmend and Musa Husni Abu Hijleh finished with matching 74s and took second and third place respectively.

Yas Links GOLF CLUB www.yaslinks.com

YasLinksGC

Contact: Tel : +971 2 810 7777 E-mail: info@yaslinks.com

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Tang and Lai take the spoils GARY Tang romped to victory in Division ‘A’ of last month’s Etihad Open Stableford with a huge score of 47 points, five clear of runner-up Jeo Ong with KH Tan in third on 40 points. Division ‘B’ saw Soon Lai take the spoils from Cleaner Duggan after a countback victory after both were locked on 41 points with third place going to Stephanie Wilson on 37 points.

Members beat the Staff in landslide victory COMPETITIVENESS between Yas Links’ members and staff was extremely high during their match-off last month and it was the members who took the honours with a convincing 8 ½ – 1 ½ victory. After 9 holes the Yas Links Staff were

Morris clinches the Stableford

Agnes wins the medal

ANDREW Morris sealed the honours in the recent Etihad Open Stableford with a superb haul of 41 points, three clear of Elizabeth Campbell with David Stewart taking third on 37 points. In Division ‘B’ Seth Leong took the spoils with a huge tally of 42 points with Soon Lai second on 39 and David Harvey in third with 35 points.

AGNES Letier-Lacaze shot a net 70 to win the Cadillac Medal recenty by one stroke from Sharon Hall while Roman Hawczak took the gross honours with a 1-over-par 73. Peter Gilzean finished third behind Hall and Letier-Lacaze and he was helped on his way by a remarkable gross eagle 2 on Agnes Letier-Lacaze, winner of the Cadillac Medal, the opening par-4 hole. with YL Golf Operations Supervisor Victoria Hassett.

The Royal Golf CLUB www.theroyalgolfclub.com

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in a good position to take a strong lead, but a few slip ups by a couple of teams gave the members some incentive. Sensing that victory was within their grasp they went full steam ahead and sank putt after putt to seal a memorable win.

Contact: Tel : +973 1 775 0777

theroyalgolfclub

King Hamad Trophy returns THE prestigious King Hamad Trophy will once again take place at The Royal Golf Club this season with the action set to take place from December 20-22. The strokeplay event is approved by the R&A and counts towards the R&A’s amateur world rankings. It is expected to attract top amateur golfers in the region looking to gain these important ranking points. Invitations have been sent to over 40 golf federations around the world and a high level of participation 94

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is expected. The 54-hole tournament is also open to golf professionals and carries a US$15,000 prize fund for professionals with US$7,500 being allocated to the overall winner. The first King Hamad Trophy was held at The Royal Golf Club in 2007 and Irishborn professional Graham Spring from Doha Golf Club won the tournament with a level-par 216 while Sultan Abdulla of Bahrain Golf Club came second and Rachid Akl from the Golf Club of Lebanon came third.

(Left to right) Shaikh Abdulla bin Salman Al Khalifa with the inaugural King Hamad Trophy winner Graham Spring and Ahmed Al Janahi of Batelco (2007).

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Al Ghazal GOLF CLUB www.alghazalgolf.com

Contact: Tel : +971 2 575 5044 E-mail: golfclub@adhc.adac.ae

Al-Ghazal-Golf-Club

The Captains Rupert Evans, Kate Davies, and Sponsor Jacques Duplessis with Trophy Winner Bernie Blanchard.

Left to Right: Lady Captain Kate Davies, Morag Pester [Subsidiary winner], Dina Samir Al Khoury Abu Zolof, Manager – Projects & Events, Corporate Communication Department National Bank of Abu Dhabi; Overall Champion Sana Tufail and Net winner Ming Brown.

TUFAIL RETAINS THE LADIES OPEN THE final round of the NBAD 29th Abu Dhabi Ladies Open Golf Championship saw Sana Tufail once again finishing top of the pile, winning by an incredible margin of 14 shots. Tufail carded rounds of 72 and 73 to win with a 145 total, well clear of Sandy Meyer with Angela Scurr finishing third on 164. Scurr heaped praise on the champion, saying: “Having played in this event from the beginning 1984 I can say Sana has now joined five other ladies who have won this coveted

trophy more than once over the years; Pauline Reynor, Lynne Hood, Shiraz Singh, K.S. Kim and myself. “Sana is also in some very special company with past Champions such as Jacy Watson, Jacki Crooks, Dizzy Walker, Jacquie Francis (Barry), Linda Ferguson, Kirsty Aylin, Sara Kidd and of course recently Adele McKelevy and Nasha Sarkari. “All of these ladies have been at the top of their amateur games over the years and were well respected for their golfing prowess and camaraderie in the UAE, I trust Sana will continue their

traditions and know she will continue to dominate our amateur golfing scene if she plays as solidly as she did over this weekend, it was a pleasure to watch her play.” In the Net Division there was a three-way tie at the top on 148 but after a card countback Ming Brown was crowned the winner over Emily Gordon and Deborah Castle respectively. Morag Pester won the Subsidiary Division with a score of 73 to seal the title by one stroke from Yvonne Bolton-Grant with Sue Murray third.

Al Ain EQUESTRIAN SHOOTING AND GOLF CLUB www.aesgc.com

Bernie takes the Gun Trophy in style BERNIE Blanchard shot a superb 68 to win the Gun Trophy by three shots from Richard Whiteside and Peter Comber who had to be separated by a countback. After the scores were tallied it was Whiteside who took second place ahead of Comber. In the Ladies Division Ming Brown continued her dominance by wining with a net 72 from second placed Anina Bester 74 while the only 2s Club winner on the day was Mark Hayman. Sponsors of the Gun Trophy for the second year running were Scott Safety represented by David Jackson, Regional Director and Jacques Duplessis – Regional Manager presented the prizes.

Contact: Tel : +971 3 702 6400 E-mail: golf@aesgc.ae

Golfin Alain

Tufail seals the Emirates Airline Ladies Open SANA Tufail continued her fine form when she came out on top in the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club’s Ladies Open sponsored by Emirates Airline thanks to back-toback rounds of level par 71 for a 142 total. That gave her a huge 10-stroke victory over her nearest challenger Paromita Mukherjee from Abu Dhabi Golf Club who shot an 81 and then a 71. Yas Links member Sharon Hall scored an 82 and a 77 for a 159 total and third place.

The Net championship was won by home member Charmaine Bakker, who was competing in her first ever Ladies Open. She carded net rounds of 67 and 64 to win with a 131 total, one clear of Vibeke McNaughtan of Saadiyat Beach Golf Club while third lace went to Kim Chiang who finished on 135. Sara Donovan won Division ‘A’ with a 138 total, one clear of Anastasia Bakal while in Division ‘B’ Monina Gudaca defeated Dale Stammers on a countback after both players scored 139. www.wwgolf.biz

LOCAL NEWS

ABU DHABI CITy GOLF CLUB www.adcitygolf.com

@adcitygolf

Contact: Tel : +971 2 445 9600 Fax : +971 2 443 225

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LADIES RAISE DHS2,000 FOR CHARITY THE lady golfers of Abu Dhabi City Golf Club held a fun ‘Pink’ day recently to raise funds for Breast Cancer Arabia and 39 players took part in a Texas Scramble competition and raised a total of Dhs 2,000 along the way. It was a fun day for all who took part and there were some wonderful prizes handed out for Team Net, first and second places. There were also happy winners for Longest Drive, Straightest Drive and Closest-to-thepin holes.

Tower Links Golf Club www.towerlinks.com

Kholy Claims the Volvo RAJESH Kholy clinched the sixth round of the Volvo Order of Merit series ahead of 48 other competitiors thanks to a haul of 44 points. Finishing second, four points behind, was Imram Tariq.

Contact: Tel : +971 7 227 939 Email: membership@towerlinks.com

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Glasgow Glistens in MMI Social JEFF Glasgow dominated the recent Wednesday Social with a mouthwatering score of +3 in the Individual Bogey Format. Glasgow had been in a bit of a form slump of late but his taste buds were seemingly aroused as birdie putts dropped with startling regularity. Hugo Toledo, who has just

returned from a short vacation to Thailand where he was busy fine-tuning his game, finished second after losing out in a countback. Paul Williams finished in third with a score of +2 while the Nearest the Pin winners were Hugo Toledo and Miller Green respectively on holes 12 and 16.

banyan golf club www.banyanthailand.com

Contact: Tel : +66 (32) 616 200 email: reservations@banyanthailand.com

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Banyan supports its Rising Stars Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin continues to support local talent with two sisters becoming the latest additions to the Rising Stars scheme. Khun Nichakorn Raksachat (19) and Khun Nanthikarn Raksachat (18) both became professional golfers in June 2011 and since then they have been regular competitors on both the Singha Tour and SAT – Thai LPGA Tour. Both dedicated girls are now working hard preparing for upcoming tournaments and China Tour Q-School early next year. www.wwgolf.biz

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LOCAL NEWS

Almouj Golf www.almoujgolf.com

Contact: Tel : +968 2200 5990 E-mail: info@almoujgolf.com

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Members can’t beat the Management

Almouj Golf opens its doors to discovery ALMOUJ Golf opened its doors to the public last month for an access-all-areas opportunity to discover the game of golf for all the family. The ‘Discover Almouj Golf’ Day featured various activities and entertainment throughout the afternoon to help introduce golf to adults and children – whether complete beginners or for those with some golfing experience – as well as those interested in knowing more about the game. With tours of the course by golf buggies, a demonstration of golfing equipment from the Almouj Golf pros

and a hole-in-one competition held on the first hole of the Academy Par-3 course fun was had by all involved. Rounding off the golfing entertainment was internationallyrenowned trick shot golfer Kevin Carpenter (pictured) who amused the crowds with his incredible golfing trick show involving balloons, a unicycle and giant clubs. Commenting on the event, Louise Daly, Sales and Marketing Manager at Almouj Golf, said: “We are passionate about telling people more about golf, giving children and adults a chance to try it out and find out why so many people enjoy the game.”

TEAMS of three members contested in a medal scramble format against an Almouj Golf Management team consisting of Louise Daly, Steve Johnson and Jamie Wood recently, hoping to get one over on the members of staff. Competition was fierce and scoring was low with four out of the seven teams breaking level par. The team of Aaron O’Hara, Stuart Ingram and Craig Hardie produced a flawless gross 67 which included five birdies and 13 pars, and with their combined handicap of 42 giving

Pictured left to right: The Management Team of Steve Johnson, Louise Daly, James Wood prior to play.

Muscat Hills GOLF CLUB www.muscathillsgolf.com

MuscatHills

them an allowance of 4.2 shots their net total of 62.8 set the standard to beat. The Management team were determined to put in a good showing and not allow the members bragging rights but things looked questionable after a bogey at the very first hole. However, they rallied and didn’t look back, posting a grand total of nine gross birdies over the remaining 17 holes and their gross 64 with an allowance of 3.2 meant that their net score of 60.8 was good enough to sit atop the leaderboard.

Contact: Tel : +968 245 14080 E-mail: bookings@muscatgolf.com

Muscat-Hills-Golf-Country-Club

van Coppenhagen wins the Inaugural BankDhofar Pro-Am FRANCOIS van Coppenhagen shot a 2-under-par 70 and +7 points in the Modified Stableford format to win the Inaugural BankDhofar Pro-Am and a cheque for OMR 500 at the first professional golf event in the Sultanate last month. The 23-year old PGA Professional from Sahara Kuwait Resort played consistently well and won by one from the Muscat Hills professional Alex Day. “It is a great honour to be the first winner of the Inaugural BankDhofar Pro-Am, which is the first professional golf event staged in Oman. “I look forward to returning to Oman next year to defend my title,”

said van Coppenhagen. With Day taking second place with a +6 score, finishing third was Cormac Flannery, Head Professional at The Royal Golf Club, Bahrain, who scored +2. In the team event, taking the spoils was the Crestlink Team from Qatar who were led by professional Peter Bailey of Doha Golf Club and featured amateur players Chris Duffy, Gregg Krahulec, Hiram Diggines. They scored an excellent 87 Stableford points, pushing the Audi team of Professional Simon Westney and team members Latif Razek, Karen D’Amours, Abe Steiginga who also scored 87 points, into second place. Tony Mahoney, CEO of BankDhofar,

said: “My thanks to the guests and professionals who came together to make this a wonderful event. “BankDhofar are proud to support

the awareness and development of golf in the Sultanate and look forward to announcing some new youth initiatives next year.”

BankDhofar CEO Tony Mahoney (left) and HH Rawy Al Said, CEO of Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club (right) present Francois van Coppenhagen the trophy for winning the 2012 BankDhofar Pro-Am. www.wwgolf.biz

Dirab GOLF CLUB

Contact: Tel : +966 1 812 6671 E-mail: info@dirabgolf.com

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ROYAL PERFORMANCE AT SABB OPEN

Kim and Holding win the Ladies Medal JUN Hee Kim and Denise Holding nabbed the Best Net and Best Gross respectively at the Rosewood Hotel Ladies Monthly Medal recently after two superb displays. In Division ‘A’ Claire Watts led the

Riyadh-Golf-Courses

Omar Khan wins Volvo World Golf qualifier OMAR Khan compiled 37 Stableford points to win the Volvo World Golf Challenge qualifier at Riyadh Golf Courses last month and will now go on to tee it up at the Volvo World Finals in January in South Africa. The course was in good condition and scoring was tough but that didn’t affect Khan who played superbly to win, while also qualifying on the day was Abdullah Al Hussaini who was crowned the best Saudi

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by Steve Hunter followed by Nadeem Mirza in second and Declan White in third place. David Hunt, Khalid Raja and Abbi Oluyadi took the top three places in the Third Division while Mi Young Yoo excelled in the Ladies’ Division with Susan Tressier in second and Liz Kennedy in third. The Junior Division was topped by Jal Han Kim, with Christer Rem Sibug finishing second and David Lloyd Bantug coming third.

way with Choi Kim taking second and Caroline Wright finishing third while in Division ‘B’ Mi Jung Yoo took the spoils ahead of Theresa Wade and Susan Tessier respectively.

Riyadh Golf Courses www.riyadhgolfcourses.com

HRH Prince Khalid Bin Saud Al Faisal put in a sterling performance to take top honours in the gross division at the recently held annual Saudi British Bank Open Golf Tournament. Jun Saporsantos clinched the net title while Omar Hariri took first place in the Men’s First Division with Jullian Bennet and Jose Vigil in second and third place respectively. The Second Division was headed

National thanks to his haul of 35 points. In addition to this the first ever floodlit competition took place and was a resounding success with husband and wife pairings of Sanker and May Biswas and Martin and Frauke Lentsch winning the four-player scramble format with a net 28 over nine holes. This event has now been pencilled in as a monthly competition to help encourage family participation at the club.

Contact: Tel: +966 557 399900 Email: reception@riyadhgolfcourses.com

DOHA GOLF CLUB www.dohagolfclub.com

Contact: Tel : +971 4 295 2277

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Jaidah Group hosts charitydriven corporate golf day MARC Norris and Simon Taylor (pictured) took top honours in the Jaidah Group corporate tournament held in aid of the Qatar Cancer Society recently. A number of high-profile participants from throughout the GCC took to the course for the annual event which seeks to engage community members from Doha and the surrounding area, coming together to relax, compete… and raise money for a worthy cause. In what was a tightly fought contest Norris and Taylor put in a sterling performance for victory while Howard Kitson and Alex Belarmino secured second place and Alan Crozier and Nigel Coopers placed third. There were also number of sponsored ‘skill prizes’ which included the following players: Martin Parrott, Paul Watts, Paul Comeau, Rashid Ali, Eric Moss and Hugh McCorry.

Eyas Al Homouz, Jaidah Energy’s General Manager, commented: “This event showcases our commitment to our partners, clients, and suppliers. The tournament was an excellent opportunity to network, while engaging in some healthy golfrelated competition. “ Ultimately, we hope that our event offered a place where participants could experience a world-class course and see elements of Jaidah Group’s evolving corporate identity.”

HRINDAS SCOOP MIXED OPEN THE brother and sister team of Laila and Jakub Hrinda scored an excellent 137 net after a tough 36 holes to win the 11th annual Mixed Open sponsored by InterContinental. With a field of 80 couples taking part in the two-day greensomes event competition was tough but the Hrindas dovetailed beautifully to win by three from husband and wife duo Kwan Jong and Mee Kyung Park.

Taking third place with 141 net was the mother and son team of Jung Hyeok Kim and Young Souk Choi. “InterContinental Doha is very proud to be associated with Doha Golf Club and to sponsor this prestigious event bringing together superb couples from all over the world and we are definitely looking forward to seeing you next year”, said Andreas Pfister, General Manager of InterContinental Doha.

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OMEGA’S latest addition to the Aqua Terra collection, the Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Blue Dial is bold and stylish while being robust enough to handle an active lifestyle. The 38.5 mm stainless steel case features a polished bezel and domed scratch-resistant sapphire crystals. There’s also a wonderful transparent caseback which allows a perfect view of the mechanical movements powering the watch while the signature blue dial features the lacquered teak pattern associated with the Aqua Terra collection. The Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Blue Dial is water resistant up to 150 metres / 500 feet. www.omegawatches.com

Titleist 913 Drivers

Rokform Rokbed V3 Golf Shooter THIS is a great, inexpensive way to analyse your swing. The Rokform Rokbed V3 Golf Shooter is basically an extremely hard wearing case for your iPhone which attaches to a mount that you stick into the grass allowing you to easily film yourself at the range via one of the multitude of swing analysis apps available from the App Store. Simple but very effective – this one is definitely not a gimmick and you’ll get a lot of use out of it. www.rokform.com

Druh Ryder Cup Belt

Callaway RAZR Fit Xtreme THE new driver from Callaway has set tongues wagging across the golfing globe. It’s been in play by Callaway Tour Pros for part of the current season with mind blowing gains reported. One player added 16.6 yards in total driving distance over his current RAZR Fit gamer by adding 0.6 mph and reducing his backspin by nearly 500 rpm! Like its predecessor, Callaway designed the RAZR Fit Xtreme using super-light carbon composite materials in the crown, as well as titanium in the face. But the face used in the RAZR Fit Xtreme has been re-engineered, making it rounder, with material added to the high-toe area. It’s also thinner and taller from sole to crown. www.callawaygolf.com

locker room www.wwgolf.biz

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Gielly Green Argan Ultime

Ole Henriksen Celebrate The Truth Contains: • Truth Serum Collagen Booster – 30ml • Truth Crème Advanced Hydration – 30ml • Truth is In The Eyes Eye Peel Concentrate – 7ml • Truth to Go Wipes x10

WWG STYLE

Argan oil is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, antioxidants and fatty acids, including Omega 9, essential for cell production and repair. This ‘liquid gold’ works to hydrate your hair, body and face.

This luxurious skincare set from Ole Henriksen is the ideal size to pop into your bag for a weekend away.

Versace Pour Homme Gift Set Contains: • Hair & Body Shampoo 100ml • Eau de Toilette 100ml

Balmain Ambre Gris Ambre Gris from Pierre Balmain is a perfect winter fragrance for women. It is warm, spicy, sensual and uplifting. Technical jargon: Pink Pepper, Cinnamon, Tuberose, Immortelle, Myrrh, Smoky Gaiac Wood, Benzoin, White Musks and Ambergris.

Versace Pour Homme evokes the scent of the Mediterranean – a confident, striking fragrance with powerful woody aromatic notes that create a powerful uplifting scent. Technical jargon: Top notes – Neroli, Bitter Orange Leaves, Citron of Diamante, Bergamot. Heart notes – Geranium, Blue Hyacinth, Clary Sage, Cedarwood. Base notes – Oud, Mineral Amber, Musk, Tonka.

get fresh www.wwgolf.biz

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Ines

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WWG STYLE INES Sastre is a Spanish model, actress and one time flame of Colin Montgomerie. Yes that’s right, you heard us right the first time – COLIN MONTGOMERIE! The European beauty, who speaks Spanish, French, English and Italian fluently, first made a name for herself on the world stage as the face of Lancome’s Tresor perfume in 1996 before playing the role of Francesca Babini in Italian movie Il testimone dello sposo. Her most high-profile movie role came in The Lost City, directed by Andy Garcia in 2005 where she played Aurora Fellove and she’s appeared on countless magazine covers and in fashion shows around the world. The UNICEF ambassador has played golf since she was a child and is a regular in the Gary Player Invitational. Colin Montgomerie may not have won any Majors but he certainly pulled off a wonder-stroke in wooing the delectable Sastre.

WWG: When did you take up golf and what was it about the game that appealed to you? IS: Golf is very popular in Spain. My parents used to play. When my elder sister started to play I wanted to start playing too, but I wasn’t old enough so I had to wait until I was eight or nine years old.

Ines starred along side Andy Garcia in the 2005 film The Lost City.

WWG: How often do you play and who with? IS: I’m lucky to have a lot of friends who are passionate golf players. Because of my work, I don’t play as much as I would like to. So I play whenever I have a little bit of time, especially in the summer when I go to the French Basque Country or whenever an opportunity arises. WWG: What is your handicap? IS: My handicap is 20. WWG: Which competitions have you played in – what is your best result? IS: I have very special memories of the Lancôme Trophée as well as of the Dunhill Links Championship and the Nelson Mandella Invitational a few years back, in whicWho would make up your fantasy fourball?

“I’m very competitive, it’s always great when you win.”

WWG: How seriously do you take the game? IS: Very. I take my clubs to my hotel room. I clean them, line them up and talk to them before playing in an event. That’s how serious! WWG: Who would make up your fantasy fourball? IS: Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus. WWG: How important is for you to take time for relaxing pursuits such as golf? IS: Very important. It gets me focussed on something different, I love to be outdoors and exercising.

star golfer www.wwgolf.biz

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WWG STYLE

gerina

Piller UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH LPGA PROFESSIONAL...

WWG: If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be? GP: Nancy Lopez. WWG:What is your favorite meal off the course? GP: Pizza. WWG: Is there a song you like to sing when no one is around like in the car or shower? GP: Everything is going to be alright – Bob Marley. WWG: Are you afraid of anything? GP: Heights. WWG: What is one item of clothing you couldn’t live without? GP: My Dallas Mavericks hoodie! WWG: What is your most hated interview question? GP: So, since you are from Roswell, have you seen any aliens? WWG: Do you have a favourite golf club in your bag? GP: My driver. WWG: Favourite movie of all time? GP: Lion King.

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Night golf starts this December. The Track, Meydan Golf will soon be floodlit and available to play until late into the night. Leave work at the end of the day and head to Meydan to get your golf fix whether it be on the championship course or by sharpening your game with tuition at the Academy by Troon.

Book online or call us now on +971 4 381 3733 for tee time bookings.

www.meydangolf.com Like us on facebook.com/TheTrackMeydanGolfClub Follow us on @thetrackmeydan

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www.omegawatches.com

OMEGA DUBAI LADIES MASTERS 5-8 DECEMBER 2012

Available at:

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OMEGA Boutiques: BurJuman • Deira City Centre • Dubai Mall Mall of the Emirates • Mirdif City Centre Sahara Centre • Waﬁ and at select Rivoli Stores. Tollwww.wwgolf.biz Free: 800-RIVOLI