2011 Worldwide Golf Midde Easts Number 1 Golf Magazine by Worldwide Golf

MIDDLE EAST’S No.1 GOLF MAGAZINE

I s s u e 1 2 3 , F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 1

Official Media Partner Middle East

CONOR RIDGE

P POWERS TO VICTORY

The Englishman ends his drought by winning the Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain.

THE IRISHMAN WHO RISKED IT ALL – AND IT PAID OFF!

RETIEF GOOSEN FLYING HIGH

ROSS FISHER SWING TIPS CAPTAIN OLLY TAKES THE HELM ARABIAN GOLF

TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEW 9 HOLE MEYDAN GOLF CLUB

ISBN 978-9948-15-427-3

9 789948 154273

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NEWS & VIEWS

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

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GARY PLAYER INTRODUCTION

The European stars turn out in force as Gary Player starts the ceremonial tee-off: Colin Montgomerie, Matteo Manassero, Paul Casey, Henrik Stenson, Thomas Bjorn (Captain of the winning team), Alexander Noren and Paul Casey.

WORTHY CAUSES, WINNERS T HE 2011 Saadiyat Beach Classic was a perfect example of the true spirit of golf and those values of sporting friendship which make golf such a special game. We had famous faces from all over the world joining in the fun and making it yet another memorable occasion. The event went unbelievably well and we had an incredible international field. There was an amusing moment at the Gala Dinner at the magnificent Emirates Palace Hotel when I asked two rugby union legends to come on to the stage during the prize giving – ZinZan Brooke who played in the all-conquering New Zealand All Blacks team, and the giant Victor Matfield, Captain of the South African Springboks team. I told them that they had better behave themselves otherwise I’d slap them around a little. I also said what I would do if I saw these two guys coming to tackle me – I’d run like hell. What was so good was to see Ian Poulter and Paul Casey spending a lot of money at the charity auction. I can’t find the words to say how much I appreciated those two young guys, who, admittedly, are making a lot of money, but who are willing to put something back. They were fantastic. The other memorable moment for me was at the Gala Dinner when His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nayan doubled our takings, raising the total to a fantastic Dhs1.9 million. That’s an astonishing amount. On the morning of the Pro-Am I did a golf clinic and had breakfast with the children from the Ability Centre for Special Needs and the Emirates Autism Centre. We had two of the children come up and

“WHAT WAS SO GOOD WAS TO SEE IAN POULTER AND PAUL CASEY SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY AT THE CHARITY AUCTION. I CAN’T FIND THE WORDS TO SAY HOW MUCH I APPRECIATED THOSE TWO YOUNG GUYS, WHO, ADMITTEDLY, ARE MAKING A LOT OF MONEY, BUT WHO ARE WILLING TO PUT SOMETHING BACK. THEY GARY PLAYER WERE FANTASTIC.”

say a few words, and they were brilliant. I really appreciated that HE Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nayan and his associates stayed throughout the Dinner. The tournament itself was great fun. Among the golf stars who joined me on the first tee for the ceremonial tee-off were Europe’s triumphant Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, who went on to win the Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain, Henrik Stenson, Matteo Manassero, Alexander Noren and Thomas Björn. We had 18 teams take part, comprised of some of the world’s leading golf and sporting celebrities and it was Thomas’s team that won on a countback from Henrik Stenson’s team, after both teams had finished on 120 strokes. At the Presentation Dinner we had stars from the world of golf, sport, film and music. Following generous donations throughout a live and silent auction from sponsors, guests and celebrities, HH General Sheikh Mohammed Bin

Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and the Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, made that magnificent gesture in matching the total already raised to help the three children’s charities – The Ability Centre for Special Needs, the Emirates Autism Centre, and The Player Foundation. Events like the Saadiyat Beach Classic do a wonderful job in raising awareness for the support of children with disabilities. We are working closely with the charities to continue the fundraising efforts of TDIC and its partners and we hope to see more organisations and individuals showing support to these great causes. It was a perfect golfing day for the Classic and we were all reminded that we are the fortunate ones. Regardless of who won the Pro-Am the real winners were the worthy causes and the children who will benefit from the funds raised. ■

Gary Player Worldwide Golf, Executive Editor www.wwgolf.biz

Floodlit golf on the Faldo e golfbooking@dubaigolf.com t +971 4 380 1234 www.dubaigolf.com

Over 100 destinations worldwide

CONTENTS Sail and play in style WORLDWIDE GOLF has joined forces with Royal Caribbean to arrange and invitational golf day at Al Badia Golf Club, with Dinner at the Captain’s Table on the Brilliance of the Seas, in Dubai, on Sunday, March 13. Worldwide Golf will invite 48 VIP golfers to a round of golf at Al Badia Golf Club, with Dinner, compliments of Royal Caribbean (18 Holes, cart and range facilities included) with tee times from 11.0am -12.50pm Following the Invitational golf tournament, 48 VIPs along with spouses/partners will then be invited to attend a reception with the Captain on board the magnificent Brilliance of the Seas, after which they will be treated to a short tour around the ship followed by Dinner. After Dinner there will be a prize draw for one lucky couple to win a 5-day Mediterranean cruise.

Regulars

Features

GARY PLAYER INTRODUCTION

ARABIAN GOLF

ERNIE ELS COLUMN

100

LOCKER ROOM

ROSS FISHER COLUMN

103

GROOM ROOM

QUICK 9: WITH MARTIN KAYMER

104

IN THE BAG: CLUB PRO

GREG NORMAN COLUMN

CLUBHOUSE QUICKIES

DIVOTS

ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES

OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING

GARY PLAYER COLUMN

RACE TO DUBAI

8 EMIRATES AIRLINE INVITATIONAL: Retief Goosen

heads a star-studded international field at Yas Links GC to win one of the World’s most prestigious Pro-Am titles.

16 SHAHRIAR KHODJASTEH : Carpetland’s extrovert, fun-loving amateur talks about his passion for golf, how it helps business and how the family is giving back. 20 PAUL CASEY BACK IN THE GROOVE: The

CONOR RIDGE

P POWERS TO VICTORY

EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS

WORLD ROUND-UPS

THE IRISHMAN WHO RISKED IT ALL – AND IT PAID OFF!

RETIEF GOOSEN FLYING HIGH

WOMEN’S GOLF MIDDLE EAST

TUTORIAL

CLAUDE HARMON III

ROSS FISHER SWING TIPS CAPTAIN OLLY TAKES THE HELM ARABIAN GOLF

TAKE A LOOK AT THE NEW 9 HOLE MEYDAN GOLF CLUB

ISBN 978-9948-15-427-3

9 789948 154273

ISSUE No. 123, FEBRUARY, 2011 Published by: Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd, 54 Alderley Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, England, SK9 1NY mike@wspglobal.com alex@wspglobal.com Tel: +44 01625 535081 Fax: +44 01625 537487 Editor-in-Chief: Mike Gallemore Executive Editor: Gary Player

powerful Englishman wins the inaugural Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain.

24 MARTIN KAYMER’S ‘HOME’ WIN: The newly

crowned World No.2 races to victory for the third time in four years at the HSBC Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

31 STELLA DI MARE: We’re back in the Land of the Pharaohs for a look a Karl Litten’s much-acclaimed links development by the Red Sea. The Englishman ends his drought by winning the Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain.

I s s u e 1 2 3 , F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 1

Official Media Partner Middle East

MIDDLE EAST’S No.1 GOLF MAGAZINE

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NEWS & VIEWS

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

FRONT COVER: Paul Casey

Editor: Alex Gallemore Publisher: Mike Gallemore Senior Editor: Richard Bevan Editorial Assistants: Todd Staszko, James Reeves, Tabitha Florence Design Manager: Joanna Eardley Technical Manager: Mark Collinge Editorial Panel: Gary Player, Mike Gallemore, Alex Gallemore, Richard Bevan, Todd Staszko

Published in Dubai by: Prografix, PO Box 24677, Dubai, UAE (Tel) +9714 340 3785 Advertising & Marketing: David Burke davidb@wspdubai.com (009715) 05519363 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.

32 CAPTAIN OLLY AT THE HELM: The Ryder Cup legend and two times US Masters Champion is the obvious choice to pick up where Monty left off. 38 CONOR RIDGE: The Horizon boss risked everything, including his house, to pursue a dream – and his dreams came true in the form of G-Mac and Ross Fisher.

45 MEYDAN GOLF CLUB: The inside track on one of the World’s most glamorous racecourse where Peter Harradine is aiming to achieve the best of both worlds.

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BPA Worldwide Audited Average Monthly Qualified Circulation 14,636 (July-Dec 2010)

WWGCOLUMNIST

ERNIE ELS is the most successful South African golfer of his generation. Els, nicknamed ‘The Big Easy’ due to his easylooking swing, has won three Majors and seven World Match Play Championships during a career that spans close on two decades. Els has two US Opens to his name and won The Open Championship at Muirfield in 2002.

Everyone involved should be congratulated

Pictured playing in the Relief Event for the Queensland flood disaster at The Els Club Dubai: ABOVE: Haroon Lorgat, Chief Executive Officer of the International Cricket Council. ABOVE LEFT: Mo Murad, owner of Channel 4 Radio Network. ABOVE RIGHT: Australia cricket legend, Rod Marsh.

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S I was saying in my last column, I didn’t get as long a break as I would normally like over the Festive and New Year period, but I love to start my year with back-to-back tournaments in Hawaii – so that was decent compensation, shall we say! We play two very different golf courses there: Kapalua is wide open and with huge changes in elevation; whereas Waialae is relatively flat and a much more strategic test of golf. I’ve had success at both venues and I always go there with confidence. Last season, tee-to-green my game was in great shape, but I was a bit hot and cold with the putter and you can’t win golf tournaments when it’s like that. It’s kind of the pattern at the moment, some very good days, some not so good.

But I’m grinding it out on the practice putting green and I feel confident I’ll find a way to get some consistency. I’m now in the middle of a month off at the house with my family in Jupiter, Florida. This gives me a chance to work hard on my fitness and my golf game in perfect weather, with temperatures in the high 70s, low 80s pretty much every day. At the same time I can re-charge the batteries and push on hard and give it maximum effort through the Florida Swing and into the year’s first Major The Masters at Augusta National in April. Obviously I’m sorry that the European Tour’s Desert Swing for the moment doesn’t fit into my playing schedule. I have a lot of friends in this part of the world, and many great memories of the

tournaments I’ve played there over the years, but for personal and professional reasons this really is the best formula for me just now. I’m also sorry that I’ll miss this year’s braai, a true taste of South Africa, at The Els Club during the week of the Dubai Desert Classic. Last year’s event was a lot of fun and I know a percentage of the proceeds from this year’s event are to be donated to the Els for Autism Foundation, which is much appreciated by Liezl and myself. I was very pleased and impressed with The Els Club Dubai in holding a Relief Event for the Queensland flood disaster last month. It was a wonderful gesture which raised AED109,437 for the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal to help those affected by the floods in

“THANK YOU FOR PUTTING ON THE GOLF EVENT AT THE ELS CLUB DUBAI TO ASSIST WITH THE FLOOD RELIEF APPEAL. IT IS A FANTASTIC INITIATIVE AND ON BEHALF OF THE PEOPLE OF QUEENSLAND, I SINCERELY THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS TO HELP REBUILD THIS GREAT STATE. PLEASE KNOW THAT THE MONEY YOU HAVE RAISED WILL GO DIRECTLY TO THE PEOPLE OF QUEENSLAND TO HELP REBUILD THEIR LIVES” – Darren Lockyer, Captain of Australia Rugby League Team, Queensland and Brisbane Broncos. Queensland, Australia. The day was a complete sell-out, with more than 230 golfers taking part, which says a lot about the generosity of spirit of The Els Club members and their willingness to help people many thousands of miles away. Everyone involved in organising and participating in this event should be congratulated for their efforts. It was good for the Club to receive a thank-you message from one of Australia’s rugby league legends, Darren Lockyer (printed above). It was only 12 months ago that the Club held a special charity golf tournament to raise money for those affected by the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January. You cannot fail to be shocked and upset by the sort of images that you see on television in the aftermath of such disasters, but at the same time it is heartwarming to see how people all over the world can still pull together to

help those in need. It’s very gratifying to know that The Els Club Dubai plays its part in supporting such worthy causes. Meanwhile, on the subject of worthy causes, in January we launched the Els for Autism Golf Challenge. We believe this will be the biggest-ever charitydriven national amateur golf tournament in US history and it will utilise the PGA Tour’s TPC clubs and other clubs to host 32 Super Regional events across the country. Teams of two with a maximum individual handicap of 24 can compete in each Super Regional event. The low net winning team and the highest fundraising team from each of the 32 events will then move on to a final two-day extravaganza in Las Vegas in late October, which is going to be an incredible experience. They’ll have a lot of fun and compete for some amazing prizes. All proceeds from the Challenge will go to the Els

For Autism Center of Excellence, a project that will offer a global digital learning platform, plus a state-of-theart education and research facility, to families all over the world with children on the autism spectrum – a disorder that affects one in 110 children and one in 70 boys. It means a lot to Liezl and me that we’re getting the support of my sponsors SAP and Callaway, along with their partners and customers, and many other friends and associates from all over the world, including of course The Els Club Dubai. The more people we can get involved in this, the bigger difference we can make to people’s lives. This is all about raising the funds to deliver the best treatment possible to children on the autism spectrum around the world. They really need our help and it’s a cause that I’ll forever be passionate about and do my best to support. ■ www.wwgolf.biz

GOLDEN GOOSE

ETIEF Goosen got his season off to the perfect start by winning the Pros event at the Emirates Airline Invitational Hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah on a blustery day at Yas Links Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, as England cricket legend Michael Vaughan and playing partner Ross McGowan scooped the Pro-Am two-man Team prize. The Goose warmed up for his first outing on The European Tour in 2011 – the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship – in stunning style, shooting a round of 8-under-par 64 that included seven birdies and a scintillating eagle at the at the 11th with just one bogey at the 17th. The South African had only entered the Invitational four days earlier and had never played Kyle Phillips’ delightful Yas Links course before but after experiencing at first hand the unique and much-lauded atmosphere generated by the region’s most prestigious Pro-Am he was more than happy he decided to take part in the event. “It was my first round here so maybe that was a good thing – I didn’t know where all the trouble was,” said the two-time US Open champion who carried his good form into the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship to finish in a share of third place. “I just tried to hit good shots, played solid golf, putted well and hit a lot of shots close to the pin. The course obviously suited my game quite nicely. I was a late entry so I think I made the right decision to play.

‘It’s a beautiful layout’

“Yas Links is a beautiful layout. It hasn’t been open very long but it’s in really great shape. It can get tough – when the wind blows hard round here it can get really difficult. The greens are also obviously very sloping so they can be very tricky. “I think Abdullah and Tournament Director James Bowring have done a really good job with The Invitational. For a Pro-Am event it’s great prize money and it’s great for the charities to benefit from this, too. “I hope I can keep going like this for the rest of the week. It’s great to be going into my first event on The

European Tour this year with the confidence this win has brought me.” Frenchman Thomas Levet, without a win last season, enjoyed an encouraging return to action after recovering from a foot injury that saw him barely able to walk over Christmas. The Frenchman shot 6-under 66 to share second place in the Pros event with Swedish Dubai resident Henrik Stenson. “The event was very good,” said Levet. “It’s very well organised. It’s relaxing and it’s actually a very nice way to start the season. On practice days you can shoot any low score and it doesn’t really matter. But once the score starts counting it gives you a better idea of where you are. The golf course is really nice, too, so it’s a fun day all round. I played last year as well and as long as they ask me to play I’ll continue to come.”

Dazzling Form

It was a mark of how highly tournament host Abdullah Al Naboodah is regarded for his efforts in growing the game in the Middle East that the Emirates Airline Invitational featured one of the most glittering fields you’ll see anywhere in the game. World No.1 and joint reigning champion Lee Westwood enjoyed a great day alongside Abdullah but despite some solid play the pair were unable to reproduce the dazzling form that saw them scoop last year’s team prize. Lee and Abdullah went round in 4-under. The World No.1 was impressed with his first outing on the Yas Linkscourse and was quick to heap praise on his playing partner for the continuing growth of a tournament that has improved steadily in each of its five years of existence. “Abdullah’s done another great job with the event,” said Westwood. “It’s always so well run and all the players like playing in it. The course is very similar to the other ones Kyle Phillips has designed. It’s a got a feel like Kingsbarns to it.” Also in the star-studded field was reigning US Open Champion and Emirates Airline Invitational Ambassador Graeme McDowell, who put in a sterling

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Emirates Airline Invitational Host Abdullah Al Naboodah tees off under the watchful eyes of his playing partner Lee Westwood.

“ABDULLAH’S DONE ANOTHER GREAT JOB WITH THE EVENT. IT’S ALWAYS SO WELL RUN AND ALL THE PLAYERS LIKE PLAYING IN IT.” – LEE WESTWOOD display ahead of his first European Tour appearance of the season at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, shooting 5-under 67 for a share of fourth place in the Pros event. The Ryder Cup star, who kicked on at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship the following week with a tied third place finish, was equally impressed with Phillips’ achievement in creating an outstanding links course in the desert. “He’s created something pretty special and unique here,” said McDowell. “Authentic is probably a good word for it. He really has achieved what he set out to do – creating a genuine links course in the desert. “Sometimes you can close your eyes and think you’re on Kingsbarns, the way the greens roll, the way they’re shaped, the turf and the way everything reacts – as I say, authentic is a great word. “I felt very much at home with the wind blowing – it was good to be out there. I got off to a solid start – was 7-under-par through 13 holes – and then the jetlag kind of hit me with about five holes to go and I ended up finishing 5-under. But it was a fun day, it’s a great event Abdullah puts on here and I really enjoyed it. Obviously, with Emirates

and all the other great Partners we have here this week – they just keep raising the bar for this tournament every year. They’ve put a great field together on this magnificent links course. It’s a great job all round by all concerned, and particularly by Tournament Director, James Bowring.” The celebrity contingent were also out in force with football stars David O’Leary, Ruud Gullit and Jamie Redknapp joining Michael Vaughan as well as fellow former cricket legend Allan Lamb and UK radio DJ Spooney.

‘A really good day’ “It’s been lovely – a really good day,” said former Liverpool midfielder Redknapp, who paired with Oliver Fisher to shoot 8-under to take a share of third place. “I know Ollie well so it was a nice walk round. It’s a tough course but I really enjoyed playing it. It’s also much warmer here than England which is always a nice thing! “Kyle Phillips has done and amazing job. It’s a great course and really tough – especially some of the par 3s where you haven’t got much of an area to aim at. Luckily I hit the ball OK. I’ve really enjoyed the day.” Spoony added:

“It’s a special event. Coming out to play in the Emirates Airline Invitational is brilliant. It’s a great competition and one of the best fields ever assembled for a one-day event – on a beautiful golf course.” One of the stars of the day was 12-yearold Dhruv Nair, who secured his place in the event by winning the junior section of the Worldwide Golf Golden Ticket Qualifier Grand Final held at Yas Links the previous week. The young Indian golfer played alongside Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal and put in a nerveless display. The pair combined well to shoot 11-under to sit atop the leaderboard for most of the day before being edged into second place by Vaughan and McGowan’s score of 12-under. “I enjoyed it and I played pretty good as well,” said Nair. “I like the course. It was great to see my name up there at the top of the leaderboard. I got the news when we were on the 14th and I got pretty excited. On the first couple of holes I was nervous but after that I was OK and it was fun.” Playing in the same group as Dhruv was last year’s junior Golden Ticket winner 11-year-old Amelia McKee, who so impressed www.wwgolf.biz

ABOVE: Graeme McDowell and Abdullah Al Naboodah look on admiringly at the painting of themselves with the US Open trophy, by Mark Robinson, presented by George O’Grady on behalf of the players and The European Tour. ABOVE RIGHT: Abdullah presents the Team prize to former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan and Pro Ross McGowan.

RIGHT: Football pundit and former Liverpool and Spurs star Jamie Redknapp joins in the fun with the entertaining ‘Mentalist’, Gerard Senehi, on stage. FAR RIGHT: George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, praises Abdullah for his support of the Tour and golf in the Middle East and congratulates him on a highly successful Emirates Airline Invitational.

“IT’S A GREAT EVENT THAT ABDULLAH PUTS ON HERE AND I REALLY ENJOYED IT. OBVIOUSLY, WITH EMIRATES AIRLINE BEING THE TITLE PARTNER, AND ALL THE OTHER GREAT PARTNERS WE HAVE HERE THIS WEEK, THEY JUST KEEP RAISING THE BAR.” – GRAEME McDOWELL Abdullah at the 2010 event that he invited her back to play again this year. Amelia, who has now moved back to her native USA, combined well with Pablo Martin to shoot 2-under. “I didn’t play my best but I played pretty good” she said. “I was a little bit less nervous than I was last year but the wind made it very difficult. At the start there was no wind but at the end it was right in your face! This was my first time playing on a links course and I enjoyed it a lot.” Ex-England cricket captain Michael Vaughan and European Tour partner Ross McGowan dovetailed perfectly to come out on top in the team event. Vaughan played some great golf to contribute to the pair’s round of 12-under 66. “It was a fantastic day,” said Vaughan. “Abdullah has done an amazing job with the event and on behalf of all of the amateurs, the teams and the Partners, I’d like to thank him for inviting us. We’re all very privileged to play here on such a terrific golf course as Yas Links.” The charity auction held at the star-studded Gala Dinner following the event raised $220,000 as key figures from the world of sport, commerce and entertainment showed their generosity to the Invitational’s three main charities – the Future Centre for Special Needs, 12

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Abu Dhabi; Make A Wish Foundation UAE; and Brest Friends UAE. With two of the Pros sharing second place and three sharing fourth place $150,000 of the Professionals’ $500,000 prize fund went to the preferred charities of the leading six players in the Pros event, Retief Goosen, Henrik Stenson, Thomas Levet, John Bickerton, Matteo Manassero, and Graeme McDowell.

Overwhelming generosity One of the most hotly contested auction items was a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to play golf anywhere in the world with Ryder Cup star Ross Fisher, who is sponsored by the Al Naboodah Group, and Graeme McDowell, with all flights and accommodation included. Abdullah won with a bid of $45,000 before donating the prize to his good friend and Al Ahli Football Club manager O’Leary However, there was to be a further twist as the former Arsenal legend – in an act of overwhelming generosity – ‘re-donated’ it to young Dhruv Nair. “This is amazing, the best day of my life,” said a thrilled Dhruv. “I really enjoyed playing with the Pros at Yas Links and I played really well, my best round ever.” Abdullah AlNaboodah was

delighted with the fifth running of what has become one of the most eagerly anticipated Pro-Ams in the world. “The event just keeps on getting better,” he said. “Having Emirates Airline as Title Partner and the support of our other Partners has helped make this the best Invitational to date. Yas Links Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, not only provided the perfect setting and the relaxed atmosphere we set out to achieve, but the course presented a true test of golf. “But what makes this event truly great are the players themselves. I’m honoured by the exceptional standard of professionals in the field and to have the defending champion and World No.1, Lee Westwood, pass on the title to two-time Major winner Retief Goosen speaks volumes on how the event has grown in such a short time.” The Emirates Airline Invitational was played in a two-player team, betterball strokeplay format and among the 54 European Tour Professionals taking part – one Tour Pro per pair – there were 45 European Tour Champions, 12 Ryder Cup players, 4 Major Champions and the World No.1. ■ www.emiratesairlineinvitational.com

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WWGCOLUMNIST

IN THE KNOW WITH ROSS FISHER ROSS SHOT ROUNDS OF 70717269 IN THE ABU DHABI HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP FOR A 6UNDER TOTAL OF 282 AND A SHARE OF 31ST PLACE. HIS NEXT TWO EVENTS ARE THE COMMERCIALBANK QATAR MASTERS AND THE OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC AFTER WHICH HE’LL FLY OUT TO THE USA TO COMPETE IN THE WGC ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP. ROSS IS CURRENTLY 34TH IN THE OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING.

GREAT TO BE BACK

T was great to dust the golf clubs off and get back into action at my sponsor Abdullah Al Naboodah’s event the Emirates Airline Invitational. I’ve played in the event for the last few years and it just keeps going from strength to strength – hats off to Tournament Director James Bowring and his team because it’s always really well run and it raises a lot of money for charity, as it did again this time, so it was definitely a big success. All you have to do is look at the quality of the field to see how highly the players regard the tournament. There’s always a big buzz around it and it’s only going to keep getting better – so I hope it’s an event I can be involved with for many more years. It’s great fun playing with the amateurs and raising money for good causes but there’s also a serious event among the pros in there too and although I was a little bit rusty I played OK shooting 1-under 71. I played with Yasuyoshi Matasunga from Toshiba. He played well and I think he enjoyed it – the language barrier made it a

bit harder but we had some fun. It was my first time playing Yas Links and I thought it was a great course. It’s very reminiscent of one of Kyle Phillips’ other creations, Kingsbarns, and when you think that you’re playing a links course in the middle of the desert in Abu Dhabi, I think they’ve done a very good job. It’s definitely a course that you could see hosting a European Tour event in a few years time. What a charity auction! The event ended with a Gala Dinner in the evening and it was great to see so many people bidding at the charity auction to raise as much money as possible for the event’s affiliated charities. One of the prizes up for auction was the chance to play golf with GMAC (Graeme McDowell) and myself anywhere in the world. Abdullah won it, then gave it to Al Ahli FC manager David O’Leary who passed it on to 12-year-old Drhuv Nair, who had really impressed everyone by shooting 10-under-par in the tournament.

If he continues to play like he did at Yas Links he’s got a great future ahead of him. Hopefully, we can take him to a special course and enjoy a special day with him he’ll remember for a long time to come. My first proper Tour event was the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and I was reasonably happy with my game. I played nicely although I didn’t score as well as Mr Kaymer! But I can take a lot of positives. My putting wasn’t amazing but there were glimpses that it was coming back and I enjoyed the week so I’m looking forward to kicking on when I get back out to the Middle East for the Qatar Masters and the Dubai Desert Classic. I’m particularly looking forward to the Desert Classic. I’ve had some good results there and Emirates is a course that fits my eye very well so I can’t wait to get back there and, hopefully, compete for the title. After the Middle East Swing I’ll be jetting off to the USA for a while so it’s going to be a busy time for me from here on – but that’s just the way I like it. ■ www.wwgolf.biz

Over recent years Shahriar Khodjastehi has been one of the most prominent personalities in the UAE golf scene. Mike Gallemore talks to the fun-loving Shahriar, following his recent marriage, about how golf sponsorship works for Carpetland and Officeland and the family’s cancer charity fund-raising.

hahriar Khodjasteh is the life and soul of the party at every golf event he attends – whether he’s playing or watching. He’s built up a reputation as one of the amateur game’s most outgoing and sociable characters. With his father, Mansour, recently winning his battle with cancer, Shahriar and the Khodjasteh family, who run the Carpetland and Officeland companies, which form part of their Al Aqili Furnishings Group, are putting something back by raising funds through golf for the Friends of Cancer Patients charity based in the UAE. Shahriar, who was born in Iran in 1975, and then spent 17 years in Australia, was introduced to golf through the exploits of his talented younger brother. “Shahin was a catalyst for the family getting into golf,” says Shahriar. “As a 10-year-old he showed amazing ability. He was small for his age but I remember picking him up from golf clubs in Australia and seeing the adults he’d been playing with shaking their heads in disbelief. They couldn’t come to terms with how good he was. “Unfortunately for my brother, he had to help the family in our businesses and couldn’t give his golf the attention and focus it required – but he still plays off a very respectable handicap of two.”

Development Programme When the Khodjasteh family came to Dubai around 15 years ago Shahin took up where he left off and joined the Emirates Golf Federation (then the UGA) Junior Development Programme and was coached by Paul Lightbody. Shahriar soon decided he’d try his hand and quickly became hooked on the game. “I started to work on my father to get him into golf,” says Shahriar. “He thought golf was boring. He was an all-round sports fanatic, playing most sports, particularly tennis, football, windsurfing and karate. Eventually, I got him onto the golf course, and, like me, he quickly became just as enthusiastic. “It wasn’t long before we started supporting golf events and we’ve been a sponsor of the Dubai Desert Classic for the past 10 years. People gauge sponsorship in different ways. We thought that golf was a good thing for Carpetland to be involved in because many of our customers and clients and the people in the interior furnishing industry were interested in golf, whether watching or playing. “We realised that either inviting them to play in the Pro-Am or to come to the tournament just to enjoy the hospitality, was a good way of giving something back to our valued customers and clients. “We consider that branding is important to us as a company – but not global branding. Local branding and hospitality have a value to us and we are now sponsors of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, the Dubai Ladies Masters, and the Dubai Desert Classic. Television

YOU CAN’T BE SERIOUS

“

“WE REALISED THAT EITHER INVITING THEM TO PLAY IN THE PRO-AM OR COMING TO THE TOURNAMENT JUST TO ENJOY THE HOSPITALITY, WAS A GOOD WAY OF GIVING SOMETHING BACK TO OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS AND CLIENTS.

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SHAHRIAR KHODJASTEH branding might look good but it doesn’t really represent value for us, although now we are a regional company it definitely helps.” The Al Aqili Furnishings Group was created by Shahriar’s father, Mansour, from virtually a one-man band to an international company which employs more than 800 people and which operates throughout the GCC countries. “From almost nothing, my father built the company on friendships and relationships and almost all the people we deal with are close to our family. Golf sponsorship is not the only area we support – we also sponsor within our interior furnishing industry through events like the Interior Design Awards and the World Interior Design Congress in Dubai.”

Qatar Masters In fact, it was through their sponsorship of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters that Al Aqili found their partner in Qatar, and their Carpetland and Officeland divisions opened a 15,000sq. ft. showroom in Doha’s Salwa Road. Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait are new markets for Al Aqili Furnishings and Nigeria and Iran are also on the horizon. Shahriar admits that the recession has had an affect on business in the Middle East. “The recession has hit us here in the UAE without doubt. Many people thought we were immune in Dubai and then they got hit pretty hard,” says Shahriar. “What the recession has done is encourage us to spread our wings. “We have the majority of market share in the UAE but the recession taught us to go further afield and look for new business. To be able to do that you’ve got to make sure your infrastructure is good enough to support the growth of the business and, fortunately, we’ve been able to do that.” With Carpetland’s involvement in golf, Shahriar has had the pleasure of playing with some of the game’s leading Tour professionals. Asked who he most enjoyed playing with, he had no hesitation in saying Miguel Angel Jiménez, in last year’s Commercialbank Qatar Masters Pro-Am.

‘Jimenez was fantastic’ “Miguel was fantastic,” says Shahriar. “I’d seen him at other tournaments and thought he was a bit remote. So before I met him on the first tee in Doha I went armed with a couple of Cohiba cigars. I handed him a cigar before we teed off and it was a laugh from there to the 18th. “He was warm and friendly and just a great guy. After the round we sat together and shared a joke and later had fun at the Pro-Am dinner. The following week he went to Dubai and won the Desert Classic, which must have been due to playing with me in Qatar and my golf game rubbing off on him. “Martin Kaymer was good to play with but maybe the funniest golf partner I’ve ever had is Jarmo Sandelin. I’ve caddied for him at

Fun Time – Above: Shahriar hands over the cheque he promised Paul Lawrie with an I-O-U at last year’s Emirates Airline Invitational Hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah; Top right: Shahriar has a laugh with World No.1 Lee Westwood at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters; Above right: Shahriar with his talented younger brother, Shahin, playing golf at Windsor Castle, England. Abu Dhabi and he’s just an hilarious guy to be around. There’s never a dull moment with Jarmo. He also set the trend in outrageous golf apparel and everyone copied him, Ian Poulter included. “I had a lot of laughs with Paul Lawrie at Abdullah’s Invitational last year, a Pro-Am that has grown into an amazing event. I even had the honour of being the first winner in the Pro-Amateur Team event when I brought along European Tour Pro Steven Jeppersen to join our local Pro.” Asked about Carpetland’s involvement in raising funds for charity, Shahriar explained: “My father had his own personal battle with cancer a couple of years ago. Nobody really understands cancer unless they have been touched by it, either through friends or family, and especially what people have to go through when they have to battle this terrible disease. “My father was fortunate in that he could afford to go to the US for treatment. He had a stem-cell transplant, which, thankfully, worked. It was a big challenge for him but he was cured of the disease. Having come through the ordeal he wanted to give something back to the community to raise awareness and raise funds locally for cancer. We looked at creating a charity but decided to work with Friends of Cancer Patients. “As a result, we adapted our Carpetland monthly golf tournament to a charity event. Every month we used to give gifts – gloves, balls etc – so I suggested that instead of

doing that we should use that money and donate it on behalf of every player in the event and give them a certificate of appreciation for being part of the event’s overall contribution. My father then offered to double the amount on behalf of Carpetland. “We also looked at other fundraising ideas and now at each or our events we also have a charity raffle of a rug. “At our Carpteland finals in May we’re going to have an auction for Friends of Cancer Patients. We’ve been gathering golf memorabilia so if anyone has any items we could auction we’d be grateful for any donations.

‘Continued support’ “We’re nowhere near the level of the charity fundraising achieved by Abdullah’s Emirates Airline Invitational but it all adds up. We’ve had a lot of support from Ara Nakhnikian at Prosports and Worldwide Golf and we also have to thank the Creek and Wasl for their continued support and help. “We’re determined to do whatever we can to raise much-needed funds for the Friends of Cancer Patients charity and support those people who can’t afford the help and treatment they so badly need.” Over recent years Shahriar and the Khodjasteh family have become an integral and popular part of the UAE golfing community and their efforts to raise funds for cancer should be applauded and supported. ■ www.wwgolf.biz

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Volvo Golf Champions

The Royal Golf Club, Kingdom of Bahrain, January 27 - 30

CASEY

ENDS DROUGHT IN THE DESERT T

HE last time Paul Casey stepped into the winner’s circle he was in the lush surroundings of Wentworth at the 2009 BMW PGA Championship on a blissful afternoon in southern England. Having undergone a 20-month drought, the Englishman returned to winning ways in the desert expanse of Bahrain after sinking a six-foot par putt on the final hole to claim the inaugural Volvo Golf Champions. Casey teed off down the 429-yard 18th level alongside Sweden’s Peter Hanson after an afternoon of high drama on Colin Montgomerie’s design at The Royal Golf Club, which saw no fewer than 23 changes at the top of the leaderboard. Hanson found the rough from the tee, then hit a bunker and missed a ten-footer for par to hand Casey a short putt for the title. “This is one of the toughest battles I’ve ever had,” said Casey shortly before lifting the unique glass trophy. “I worked very hard in the off-season and I’m happy it’s paid off already.” With his win Casey moved to No.6 on the Official World Golf Ranking and joins Ernie Els and Martin Kaymer as the only players to have won three or more European Tour titles in the gulf after two wins at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in 2007 and 2009. “The World Ranking is wonderful,” smiled the 33-yearold. “I’d love to be better than the No. 3 ranking I had a couple of years ago but it’s not an immediate goal. I’m not a big watcher of the World Ranking. For me it’s about trying to win golf events and my nearest goal really is Major championships, starting with Augusta. “I discussed it with (coach) Peter Kostis and Augusta is a great opportunity for me with the way the golf course sets up, but he said to me, ‘You need to win before, go to the Middle East and I expect you to win one.’ “Hopefully he’s relatively happy now and it would be nice to crack on and get another win or two before 4 www.wwgolf.biz

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“It would be nice to crack on and get another win or two before Augusta. I think that would really set it up, and then maybe I can accomplish those goals which I’ve set myself.” – Paul Casey Augusta. I think that would really set it up, and then maybe I can accomplish those goals which I’ve set myself.” Casey arrived in Bahrain after an 18th place finish in Abu Dhabi a week earlier and started strongly with two rounds of 67 to leave him on 10-under-par, one stroke off the lead held by Edoardo Molinari, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Raphaël Jacquelin and Hanson. Spaniard Jiménez finished his round putting with his wedge after snapping his putter in anger on 13th by hurling it at his golf bag. But the incident proved to be in his favour and his form on the greens improved dramatically as he took just seven putts on his last five holes using a lob wedge! A 66 on the Saturday, helped by an eagle and a birdie on the two par-5s on the back nine, saw Casey share the lead with Hanson heading into the final day with Darren Clarke and James Kingston a shot further back on 15-under-par and Jiménez also positioned nicely on 14-under. Early on during Sunday’s round Denmark’s Søren Kjeldsen and Englishman Richard Finch both shot course-record rounds of 63, but those scores flattered to deceive as by the time the leaders hit the back nine a strong wind was whipping through the course. Strong Winds Clarke and Kingston both fell by the wayside after holding at least a share of the lead at some point during the day. The Ulsterman made a double-bogey on the final hole for a 73 and a share of eighth place on 14-under-par while South African Kingston shot a 74 to drop down to 13th. Jiménez, winner of last year’s Dubai Desert Classic, was in contention until a bogey at the 16th halted his charge. A birdie at the last got him back to just one behind on 19-under-par with leaders Casey and Hanson teeing off behind him. The Swede was struggling from tee to green and Casey also missed the dance floor with his approach, leaving the pair with up-anddowns for par to take the contest into a play-off. Hanson splashed out to 10 feet while Casey chipped to six, and after Hanson missed his putt Casey holed out to secure the victory. Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher took fourth place with a superb 5-under-par 67 to finish on 18-under while Robert Karlsson finished fifth a

Left: Paul Casey with the trophy and His Highness Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamed Al Khalifa The Chairman of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sport and President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee and Per Ericsson the CEO of Volvo Event Management. Below: Per Ericsson (right) presents two Volvo S60 cars to the winning pros Darren Clarke (left) and Paul Casey (second from right) and their amateur playing partner Kevin Aherne of England (second from left) for winning the Team Competition which took place during the third round. Bottom: Casey in action in Bahrain.

Leaderboard 1

Paul Casey

Eng

268

-20

€283,330

Peter Hanson

Swe

269

-19

€147,590

Miguel Angel Jiménez

Spa

269

-19

€147,590

Stephen Gallacher

Sco

268

-18

€85,000

Robert Karlsson

Swe

271

-17

€72,080

shot further back. “I think this event overall is a huge success,” said Casey after winning his 11th European Tour title. “It’s nice that we now have a fourth event in this Middle East Swing. The growth of golf in this region is obviously massive

– I don’t have to tell you that. I felt it was my tournament to win if I went out there and played the golf I wanted to. Nothing was a ‘gimmie’ this week and with the quality of the field that ended up right behind me it shows it was no pushover.” www.wwgolf.biz

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Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Abu Dhabi Golf Club, January 20 - 23

KAYMER’S

HOME FROM HOME M

ARTIN Kaymer’s form over the latter part of last season, as he notched up a sensational hat trick of European Tour victories including the US PGA Championship, with the small matter of a Ryder Cup triumph over the USA sandwiched in between for good measure, was nothing short of electric. His heroics saw Kaymer top The 2010 Race to Dubai and any thoughts that the winter break may take the wind out of his sails were dispelled immediately as he came roaring back out for his first event of the season to blow away the field and create history in the process as the first three-time winner of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship. The 26-year-old German, who also won at Abu Dhabi Golf Club last year as well as in 2008 and was second in 2009, displaced Tiger Woods to move to No. 2 in the World Ranking with a devastating display that saw him romp home eight shots clear of Rory McIlroy with a tournament record 24-under-par total of 268 after dropping just one shot all week. With England’s Lee Westwood, who finished tied 64th in Abu Dhabi, currently occupying the top spot, Kaymer’s rise from third to second place represents the first time The European Tour has provided the top two players in the World since another Anglo-German duo – Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer– in 1993. “Hopefully I can stay there for a while,” said Kaymer, who shot rounds of 67-65-66-66 to blow away a field containing all four of 2010’s Major winners including Masters champion Phil Mickelson, who finished tied 37th. “It is definitely nice to take over from the player who, for me, is the best in the world.” “I think for Lee and me, it’s a very nice position to be www.wwgolf.biz

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“In slow motion it’s pretty clear the ball has moved three dimples forward and it’s come back maybe a dimple and a half. At the end of the day that’s not good enough, but I wouldn’t have done anything differently – there was nothing I could do about it at that moment in time.” No.1 and No.2 in the world. You can see how strong European golf became the last few years, and not only through The Ryder Cup, just if you have a look at the Major winners last year. “It’s just a matter of time before Rory wins a big, big tournament somewhere,” he continued. “He won in Quail Hollow last year already, but I think he will win plenty of Majors in his career, so you can see the European golf, it’s getting better and better.” The tournament began in controversy when Padraig Harrington was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard after an opening round 65 had left him just one behind the in form leader Charl Schwartzel. The three-time Major winner, on the trail of his first title since the 2008 US PGA Championship, had brushed his ball slightly with his finger as replaced it and picked up his marker on the seventh green. Had he moved the ball back to its original position there would have been no penalty but as slow motion replays showed that it changed position very slightly he should have called a two-shot penalty on himself. Pretty Clear “I was aware I hit the ball the ball picking up my coin,” he said. “I looked down at the time and was pretty sure it had just oscillated and had not moved so I continued on. “In slow motion it’s pretty clear the ball has moved three dimples forward and it’s come back maybe a dimple and a half. At the end of the day that’s not good enough, but I wouldn’t have done anything differently – there was nothing I could do about it at that moment in time.” Kaymer grabbed the tournament by the scruff of the neck in the second round with seven birdies – five of them on the front nine – in a flawless round of 65 to put him three clear of Schwartzel and 12-under-par at the halfway stage. Fellow European Tour Player of the Year Graeme McDowell, also making a strong start to the season, was one stroke further back chased by Rafa Enchenique, Niclas Fasth and David Lynn – all at 7-under. “Yesterday I thought I had a

Above: Louis Oosthuizen gets on his bike at Abu Dhabi Golf Club as Lee Westwood captures the action. Left: The four Major trophies and The Ryder Cup are lined up at Abu Dhabi Golf Club alongside the Falcon Trophy to represent the fact that the Abu Dhabi field included all four 2010 Major champions and many of the European Ryder Cup team. Inset: Martin Kaymer is congratulated for his stunning victory on the 18th green by playing partner Rory McIlroy. good day already, but today I made early birdies,” said Kaymer who had made what was to be his only bogey of the tournament at the 17th in the opening round. “On the first nine, I was five under par, and it also gave me the hope and the belief that I can play well again.” It all looked too easy for Kaymer who extended his lead to five with another spotless round of 66 on day three as McIlory climbed the leaderboard into second place after a 65 left him at 13-under-par. David Lyn was one further back after a third round 67 while Schwartzel and Alexander Noren shared fourth place on 10-under. The final round turned into a procession for

Kaymer as he rattled off six more birdies in his final round 66 to stroll to his ninth European Tour title. McIlroy could do little to stop his playing partner’s march to victory, his 69 leaving him 16-under-par for second place on his own, while World No. 5 McDowell’s 67 gave him a share of third place with the fast finishing Retief Goosen, who matched the best round of the week with a 64 to join the Ulsterman at 14-under. “He’s killing us,” said Goosen of the indomitable Kaymer. “I never saw anything above 20-under round here.” Having only made two bogeys in his last 97 holes in Abu Dhabi, it’s little wonder Kaymer now jokingly refers to it as his “home course.’” www.wwgolf.biz

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QUICK 9 WITH MARTIN KAYMER

A QUICK 9 HOLES WITH…

Martin Kaymer 1) What’s your favourite golf course? MK: Valderrama, Spain. 2) What age were you when you first broke par on an 18-hole course, what did you shoot and where? MK: I was 15 years old and I shot 67 at Circolo Golf Bogogno, Italy. 3) Who would make up your fantasy fourball of golfers? MK: Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros and Ernie Els. 4) Who would make up your fantasy fourball of non-golfers? MK: My family. 5) If you weren’t a Pro golfer what would you be? MK: A physiotherapist. 6) What’s your favourite sporting event away from golf? MK: FC Koln football games. 7) What’s your favourite sports team? MK: FC Koln. 8) What’s your all-time favourite movie? MK: Men of Honour. 9) Who or what would you purchase a ticket to watch? MK: The football World Cup Final.

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Stella Di Mare Golf & Country Club Egypt – International Pro-Am 2011

For more information on our 2011 International Pro-Am. Please contact: Josh North Director of Golf, PGA Professional Stella Di Mare Golf & Country Club Ain Soukhna, Red Sea, Egypt Tel: 002 062 3250 300 Cell: 002 0108557975 – 0101774779

www.stelladimaregolf.com golfofﬁce@stelladimare.com gm.golf@stelladimare.com

S T E L L A

D I

M A R E

G O L F

C O U N T R Y

C L U B

True Desert Links By The Red Sea LOCATED just over one hour’s drive from Cairo you will discover the resort of Stella Di Mare and a magnificent 18-hole links course. Situated by the Red Sea this 6,550 metre, Par 72 golf course offers many challenges to even the most accomplished golfer. Designed by the famous architect Karl Litten and now in its fifth year the golf course is a popular choice for both local and international guests. The facilities on offer include a unique ‘aqua’ driving range and golf academy with PGA qualified golf professionals plus an ’18-hole Himalaya style putting green’ to sharpen your short game. Golf buggies, trolleys and caddies are all available for hire and rent.

Victories

The course has many challenging features whilst also remaining player-friendly throughout. The opening teeshot is a prime example with a 200-metre carry over a lagoon awaiting the pros, but variable tees make this hole like the whole course, testing and enjoyable for all. The Stella Di Mare resort boasts a triplet of hotels – The Stella Grand Hotel, situated on the beach front and very popular with families; The Stella Sea Club, which has the PADI dive centre attached offering training and

excursions into the Red Sea; and The Stella Golf Hotel which is attached to the Golf and Country Club and duals as a clubhouse. The Golf Hotel is of 5-star standard and consists of 51 bedrooms, with 48 standard rooms and three suites all with views of the golf course and surrounding gardens. The hotel prides itself on a high level of service and customer care and many guests consider it a ‘home from home.’ A drop off pool overlooking the putting green and practice facilities is the perfect way to relax after a hard day’s work on the golf course or you might choose to treat yourself to a relaxing massage in the ‘Thalasso Spa’ which offers a range of treatments. The resort has long been a favourite of golfers wishing to escape the chaotic Cairo and enjoy the delights of the relaxed Stella Di Mare. There are a host of tournaments played there including the recent ‘Starfish Trophy’ and the forthcoming ‘International ProAm’ which is already attracting guests from across the Middle East, Europe and beyond. Last year’s event saw current European Tour Professional Steven Tiley take first place with a 10-underpar total for 54 holes and this May’s second staging of the tournament already looks set to go one better. ■

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CAPTAIN OLAZÁBAL READY FOR HIS BIGGEST CHALLENGE THE RYDER CUP IS SYNONYMOUS WITH THE GAME’S GREATS AND THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT SPANISH LEGEND JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL WILL LEAD EUROPE IN CHICAGO IN 2012 HAS BEEN MET WITH ACCLAIM ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC.

osé Maria Olazábal’s career has been defined by his two triumphs at The Masters and a memorable Ryder Cup partnership with compatriot Seve Ballesteros during the late 1980s and early 1990s. With Seve getting his chance to Captain Europe in 1997 at Valderrama it seemed fitting – and comfortingly inevitable – that Olazábal would one day get his chance. Question marks have been raised about Olazábal’s fitness because of the injuries which blighted his career in the mid 90s and towards the end of the 2000s, but the way in which he’s dealt with those set-backs gives an indication that he’ll be ready for the task ahead well before the curtain rises at Medinah Country Club in just over 18 months’ time. “The Ryder Cup is very special to me and to be the Captain of the 2012 Ryder Cup Team there is only one goal – and I will try to be as successful as possible,” smiled Olazábal. “It’s a huge responsibility to be the next Captain and I have to say that it’s one of the biggest challenges, if not the biggest challenge I will have ever faced, especially at this time of my career. “I’ve managed to make successful comebacks in the past, but it gets tougher as you get older. Your physical condition is tougher to maintain, especially if – like me – you have gone almost three years without being able to exercise properly. It has been very frustrating not being able to play, not being able to practice and not feeling well. That hurts. But I’ve always been a positive person and I’m looking forward to seeing what this year holds.” Olazábal had the world at his feet in 1994 when he won The Masters, along with the Turespaña Open de Mediterrania and the BMW PGA Championship but he was struck down that summer with a mystery foot problem which eventually forced him to pull out of the 1995 Ryder Cup when the situation became so bad he could barely walk. “The pain got

progressively worse and by the summer of 1996 I thought I’d never be able to walk again let alone play golf,” says Olazábal. “It was a terrible 18 months for me but we really don’t know our limits as human beings until we’re faced with a problem like that. I used to take my health for granted but it is so precious – and sometimes we forget how valuable it is.” After treatment to his back he returned to action in 1997, winning the Turespaña Masters and finishing ninth on the Order of Merit. He also made a triumphant return to The Ryder Cup at Valderrama in his Spanish homeland under the captaincy of his mentor Ballesteros. He showed he was back to his best by gaining two points with Costantino Rocca, and a half with Ignacio Garrido in the fourballs and foursomes during Europe’s tight 14½-13½ victory to retain the Cup.

Mentor

It was as a 21-year-old that Olazábal first formed the most successful partnership in the history of The Ryder Cup when he and Ballesteros joined forces to contribute three vital points towards Europe’s historic 15-13 victory at Muirfield Village, Columbus, Ohio in 1987 – the first time Europe had won on American soil. “In my first Ryder Cup at Muirfield Village I was a 21-year-old boy, and the Captain, Tony Jacklin, I guess, didn’t know what to do with me,” recalls Olazábal. “Seve approached him and said, ‘Tony, I will play with Ollie’. “We were walking from the putting green towards the first tee, and Seve said to me, ‘Ollie, all you have to do is just play your game. I’ll take care of the rest.’ And so he did.” The OlazábalBallesteros partnership’s record of 11 wins, with two halves and two losses, remains unequalled. Olazábal went on to play in the next three Ryder Cups before his foot problems forced him to withdraw from the 1995 team. His return to action 4 www.wwgolf.biz

JOSÉ MARIA OLAZÁBAL

“IT’S A WONDERFUL ANNOUNCEMENT FOR EUROPEAN GOLF AND ONE OF THE BEST PIECES OF NEWS TO START 2011.”  Seve talking about olazábal saw him finish the 1997 season in ninth place on The European Tour. The following year he won the Dubai Desert Classic and improved his position on the Order of Merit to seventh place and his journey back to the top of the world game was completed in 1999 when he won the famous Green Jacket for the second time, defeating Davis Love III by two strokes and Greg Norman by three at Augusta National. “When I won my first Masters, you might say, ‘OK., it might have been a lucky week,’” said a tearful Olazábal, who will pit his wits against American Captain Davis Love at Medinah. “But when you win two Masters, especially the way I did it, it means a lot more.”

Victories

Later in the season he made his sixth appearance in The Ryder Cup at Brookline, where he was unbeaten in Europe’s one-point defeat by the USA. The victories started to roll in again but then, suddenly, in 2003 his form deserted him. For the following two seasons he struggled on both sides of the Atlantic and he slipped out of the top 100 on the Official World Golf Ranking. But, showing the kind of steely determination that has underlined his career, Olazábal bounced back and in 2005 he won the Mallorca Classic. The following year he qualified for his seventh Ryder Cup appearance at The K Club where he was back to his best, earning three points from three matches – including a singles victory over Phil Mickelson – in Europe’s famous recordequalling 18½-9½ victory. Two years later

LEE WESTWOOD

DAVIS LOVE III

“José Maria has been a great Ryder Cup player and when Jose Maria conducts a team talk or motivational talk everyone listens.”

“He’s always been kind and gracious to me and a great competitor. My first three Ryder Cup matches were against him. We have a long history.”

his Ryder Cup legacy continued when he was chosen as Sir Nick Faldo’s Vice Captain at Valhalla in Kentucky and last year he was named a last-minute fourth assistant to Colin Montgomerie at Celtic Manor when rain delays meant an increase in matches being played at the same time. Ollie savoured the special atmosphere of a home advantage. “It was the first time I have been a ViceCaptain at The Ryder Cup on this side of the Atlantic and I could feel the difference – the crowd support, the atmosphere,” he said after Europe’s nail-biting 14½-13½ win. “The Ryder Cup is a special and unique event and it has been great to be a part of it.” Now Olazábal is tasked with captaining a European side to victory on US soil, a feat which only Bernhard Langer, Bernard Gallacher and Tony Jacklin can lay claim to. Should he succeed it would surely become the proudest moment of his life. But whatever happens at Medinah Country Club in Illinois next year, Olazábal feels his career should not be defined solely on his Major

victories or Ryder Cup record and instead on how he played the game and how he handled his life and afflictions on and off the golf course. “I think the Majors are crucial for a professional golf career,” said Olazábal upon being welcomed to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2009. “But I have to say at the same time, the record that I have, playing with Seve in all those Ryder Cups – and not just the record but the way we played those matches, the way we fought during those matches and the way we behaved during those matches – I think that is also very important. “Golf has been a great teacher in life for me. It has taught me to be disciplined, that there are no shortcuts in life. You have to work really hard to achieve your goals. There are rules to be fulfilled: To be patient, to listen to the more experienced people, to be humble and, most important of all, to respect others, regardless of their background or where they come from.” ■ www.wwgolf.biz

WWGCOLUMNIST

Magnificent gesture in support of flood victims

truly appreciate the US PGA Tour joining me in making a contribution of US$150,000 to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal for the victims of the Queensland floods and extend my heartfelt gratitude for all those who have contributed to the relief efforts. For the PGA Tour, on behalf of The Presidents Cup, to combine with our efforts in making this donation is a magnificent gesture. As a born and bred Queenslander, my heart goes out to all those who have been affected by the recent floods there. I know that with the resiliency, determination and deep inner strength and spirit of the people of my home state, they will rise above the tragedy and rebuild their lives and return to the peaceful harmony that only Queensland can give. Flooding has submerged thousands of homes and forced unprecedented evacuations. Since November 30, 2010, a total of 35 people are confirmed to have perished in flood-related incidents, with at least nine more victims listed as missing. I witnessed the floods of 1974, which at the time were devastating, but pale by comparison to the current tragedy in Queensland. It was good to hear that Steve Elkington pledged his support to the flood relief efforts by earmarking $1,000 per birdie he made during the Bob Hope Classic. He totalled 24 birdies, which equates to a $24,000 donation to the Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal. In 2009, the PGA Tour donated AUS$100,000 on behalf of The Presidents Cup to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal, a fund that was organised to assist individuals and communities affected by the devastating fires in Victoria, Australia. It’s been an honour and a privilege to Captain the International Team at The Presidents Cup against Freddie Couples’ United States Team. The players are not personally paid for their participation in The Presidents Cup and there is no purse or prize money. Each competitor, instead, designates charities or golfrelated projects of his choice to receive a 36

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portion of the funds raised through the staging of each Presidents Cup. On behalf of the players, Captains and Captains’ assistants, more than $4.2 million was distributed to charitable causes from The Presidents Cup in 2009. Additional donations were made to The First Tee of San Francisco and the Victorian Bushfire Appeal in 2009. Since the inception of The Presidents Cup in 1994 more than $23 million will have been raised for charity. The Presidents Cup returns to the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Victoria, Australia, on November 15-20, 2011. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem said: “It has been incredibly difficult to watch the pain and suffering caused by the recent floods in Australia. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all who have been impacted by this disaster. We applaud Greg Norman for his partnership, and together, we hope this

donation will provide some relief to those who are going through such a terrible time.”

LET THE PLAYERS HAVE A VOICE

As the new season starts to unfold the problem of scheduling becomes more and more evident. Players can’t be in two places at once and with The European Tour schedule clashing with the US PGA Tour schedule it’s impossible for the world’s leading players to play all the tournaments they want to play. It’s an unwritten rule in international golf that a player should always return to a tournament to defend the title he won the year before. This season there will be a number of instances where that won’t happen. Obviously, the fans want to watch all the best players in the world compete against each other in the big events. They can see them in the Majors because the four Majors are common to both the US PGA Tour and The

PGA TOUR COMMISSIONER TIM FINCHEM: “It has been incredibly difficult to watch the pain and suffering caused by the recent floods in Australia. “Our thoughts and prayers are with all who have been impacted by this disaster. “We applaud Greg Norman for his partnership, and together, we hope this donation will provide some relief to those who are going through such a terrible time.”

ABOVE: World No.1 and No.2, England’s Lee Westwood and Germany’s Martin Kaymer, team up to help Europe win The Ryder Cup. LEFT: Kaymer and Westwood cross swords at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

European Tour. With different players confirming their allegiance to their own home Tour it makes it very difficult to get the best players together. Lee Westwood, the World No.1 has pledged his support to The European Tour and said that he won’t be playing The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, golf’s unofficial ‘fifth Major.’ The players themselves should be given a voice in deciding the schedules. We should get the three, four or five of the top-10 players in the world, put them in a room for one night or two days or for a lunch time, and ask them what their thoughts are on the situation. I’ve been saying that for 30 years. It’s never been done. There’s an advisory council for the US PGA Tour that’s supposed to represent the players. But those players are not the top players in the world. They don’t know what it’s like. They don’t appreciate the expectations involved in being pulled to Dubai, to be pulled to South Africa, to be pulled to Australia or China. But get the four or five top guys who make the golfing world turn and we might get somewhere. They aren’t all going to agree. They all have their own agendas. But at least we’ll hear it all. After we’ve listened to their opinions, you go away, and you assimilate all the information. You’re never going to make everyone happy, but a little quid pro quo every now and then works wonders.

MEXICO DESERVES TO SUCCEED LATER this month, on February 2427, the Mayakoba Golf Classic, Mexico’s Only PGA Tour event, will be celebrating its fifth Anniversary. Since the event’s

inception in 2007, the Mayakoba Golf Classic has experienced remarkable growth in a short time and has shown that the Mexican and Latin American markets have an incredible thirst for golf. When 132 PGA Tour professionals head “south of the border” to compete on Mexican soil, Mexicans all across the Republic will be taking notice and will in turn seek out opportunities to play golf themselves and learn this wonderful game. Last month, on January 23, through its monthly community golf programme, Golf PARa Todos, the Mayakoba Golf Classic Golf Lesson broke the Guinness World Record for the Largest Golf Lesson with 1,073 participants. This surpassed the 1,032 participants from a golf lesson in Beijing, China last October. My good friend and a great ambassador for golf in Mexico, Esteban Toledo, gave the class which lasted a little more than 30 minutes. This is just one example of the impact golf is having in Mexico. Perhaps the biggest reason why Mexico has advanced in the golf market

so quickly is its national heroine, Lorena Ochoa, who will be participating in the Mayakoba Golf Classic Pro-Am and will add tremendously to the event’s fifth Anniversary Celebration, has partnered with me on a bid for the Olympic golf course design for 2016 in Brazil. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to travel to Mexico to design golf courses, expand my brand into the emerging market and, of course, enjoy some vacation time as well. With those experiences, I’ve fallen in love with the country, its culture, its wonderful hospitality and its natural beauty. Sadly, today the U.S. news is filled with negative stories about crime and violence in Mexico (which is isolated to a very small area of what is a very large country) and the Mayakoba Golf Classic will be a shining example of all that is good about Mexico. I invite you , if you are able to get it, to watch the broadcast on the Golf Channel, to see for yourself, what an incredible place Mexico is and the golf paradise that it has become. ■

CAMERON BECKMAN TO DEFEND HIS MAYAKOBA TITLE ABOVE LEFT: Victorious Cameron Beckman holds the trophy high after winning last year’s Mayakoba Golf Classic, Mexico’s only PGA Tour event. ABOVE: The spectacular Greg Norman-designed course at El Canaleon Golf Club in Playa Del Carmen, Quintana Roo, overlooking the Caribbean Sea.

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HORIZON SPORTS MANAGEMENT

BIG THINGS ON THE

HORIZON

THEY SAY SPORTS MANAGEMENT CAN BE A CUT-THROAT BUSINESS AND THAT MAY BE TRUE BUT AFTER SPENDING A THOROUGHLY ENJOYABLE HOUR CHATTING WITH CONOR RIDGE, OWNER OF IRELAND’S HORIZON SPORTS MANAGEMENT STABLE OF ROSS FISHER AND LAST YEAR’S ALL-CONQUERING HERO GRAEME McDOWELL, RICHARD BEVAN DISCOVERS THAT IT HAS ITS CHALLENGES BUT IT CAN STILL BE FUN.

ONOR Ridge is a brave man who set his sights on an ambitious horizon – and got there quicker than even he could have imagined. Just six years ago as a ‘wet behind the ears’ 28-year-old with a good job and a rosy future working for Irishbased Drury Sports Management, Conor decided to cut loose and set up on his own. He remortgaged his house and set up Horizon Sports Management with £50,000. “I had just enough money to pay myself for a year, rent myself a small office and get a mobile phone – that was pretty much it, apart from some headed paper and a few business cards,” he says. Fast-forward to October 4th, 2010 and Ridge is standing next to the 16th green at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales with one of his highlyacclaimed players, European Ryder Cup Team member Ross Fisher, along with thousands of captivated fans. Millions more around the world sat glued to their television screens watching one of The Ryder Cup’s most thrilling contests reach its climax. The object of their attention? That would be Ridge’s crown jewel, the reigning US Open Champion Graeme McDowell – the first European winner of that Major for 40 years – putting the finishing touches to a sensational victory over Hunter Mahan to win the Cup back for Europe. “It was absolutely unbelievable,” says Ridge. “I remember being at the 2006 Ryder Cup as a spectator. I was cutting my teeth at a big event by buying a hospitality table at the K Club because my company at that stage was only a year and half old. “Having a Ryder Cup player on the books was a century away for me – it didn’t even enter my head to consider it. Then to be at Valhalla in the States two years later with Graeme McDowell in

the Team and then the next time The Ryder Cup is back in Europe I’ve got two players in the Team including the guy who wins it for Europe, who is also now a Major Champion – that was crazy, it was ‘pinch yourself’ stuff. “I remember, there was a time in the first couple of years of our business when I used to think, ‘God, I wonder if we’ll ever have a player who’ll win a European Tour event, wouldn’t that be amazing. Imagine the pride I’d get out of that! ‘“GMAC’s won seven Tour titles now, including a Major – how crazy is that?” Ridge’s courage in throwing his hat into the ring on a “hunch” that he could make a go of it might seem like foolhardiness to some – his colleagues at Drury certainly thought he was “mad” – but it was actually a very shrewd move.

‘Hit and Miss’

Ireland is one of the most well established golfing nations in the world with a rich tradition of producing world-class players from Christy O’Connor Senior and Junior, Des Smyth and Ronan Rafferty through to modern day stars like Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley but, surprisingly, before Ridge set up Horizon there wasn’t another player-focussed management company in the country. Drury, who are now known as the Platinum One Group, had dabbled in player management but weren’t keen to expand in that area, preferring to concentrate on their events division with tournaments such as the Smurfit European Open and their work ahead of The Ryder Cup at The K Club. “I suppose with golfers it’s a bit hit and miss. It’s full of risk and until you have big players it’s hard for it to make financial sense. So I could see why Drury would want to invest their resources in events,” says Ridge, who studied business and marketing at University College Dublin before 4 www.wwgolf.biz

Hands on approach: Conor Ridge, Ross Fisher and caddie, Phil ‘Wobbly’ Morbey with the 3 Irish Open Trophy at Killarney last year. working for Canon’s Sports Sponsorship division in Australia for two years prior to a two-year stint with Drury. “I just had a hunch that with the kind of players Ireland had produced over the years they would keep on producing them in the future. I thought, ‘surely there’s a gap in the market for an Irish management company?’ “Back in the days when Harrington, Clarke, McGinley and co. turned pro they might have considered an Irish option instead of joining one of the big international companies. “That was my logic. Maybe I was a little bit naïve and a little bit romantic about the whole thing. But, to be honest, if I hadn’t been, I probably would have scared myself out of doing it!” The young entrepreneur’s strategy was to sign talented young up-and-coming Irish players and them get out on Tour as quickly as possible, making contacts and learning the ropes while putting his business knowledge to good use in his approach to the job. His aim was to do the best he could be for his players and at the same time prove himself in the competitive world of player management. His first signing was Stephen Browne, who won the inaugural Kazakhstan Open on the Challenge Tour in 2005. As Ridge points out: “It’s for the rendition of ‘Danny Boy’ he did on the 18th green that most people remember Stephen for.” David Higgins and Michael Hoey were next to join the fledgling Horizon stable. Conor was on his way, but times were tough for those first couple of years and the company stayed afloat mainly due to sports sponsorship and marketing

consulting work they did – and still do – for brands like Puma, O2 and Irish Life in the Irish corporate market. “That was pretty much what supported us for the first two years,” he says. “You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to work out that if you’re only managing young emerging players who are playing on the Challenge Tour or the lower echelons of The European Tour, you’re not making any money. “I knew that if we going to give ourselves any chance of success we needed a big player to prove himself and get us on to the top table – the inner sanctum of the game.”

‘Share the Same Views’

That chance came at the end of 2007 when McDowell, without a win for three and a half years – but an established and admired player all the same – began to search for a new management company after five years with ISM. Despite interest from the likes of global behemoth IMG, Horizon, perhaps surprisingly given the lack of a real track record, won the race to sign the Ulsterman. “Somehow Graeme and I just connected when I met him and sat down with him. We seemed to share a lot of the same views, a lot of the same ideals and philosophies,” says Conor. “I told him what I was trying to build, what my vision and my dream was and he bought into it. “When I look back now I don’t know what I must have said to convince him because when you think about it logically, which I obviously wasn’t doing at the time, you would think, ‘he’s leaving one of the biggest management

companies in the world, IMG are interested in him, yet he’s decided to go with this young, small Irish company.’ “Yes we were energetic, enthusiastic, professional, hungry and all those things – but, as yet, we were pretty much unproven and still very small. I take my hat off to Graeme big time because he took a risk. It was a big leap of faith for him but, at the same time, people who know him appreciate that he’s a very intelligent and considered individual. He would not do anything without thinking it through and researching it totally. So it gave me a lot of confidence that he thought we were good enough.” McDowell spoke at the time of the switch as feeling “energised” as if it were a “rebirth” of his career. Just listening to Conor talk, it’s not hard to see how a man with such enthusiasm and such a passion for the game could inspire his players to fulfil their potential on the golf course. Horizon’s approach is an all-encompassing one with a team of up to five people looking after every aspect of the golfers’ lives, both on and off the course. Ridge and his team often have to be both confidante and psychologist while at the same time, “maintaining a business relationship and being strong enough to tell it like it is when it’s needed.” The Irishman is also quick to point out that it’s not just on the ‘man management’ side that Horizon excel. “I also believe that we’re as strong if not stronger, than the other companies in regards to the commercial deals we do, in terms of understanding our players’ brands. “With Graeme we really understood the

HORIZON SPORTS MANAGEMENT

Conor Ridge at the signing ceremony with Shane Lowry; at a basketball game with ‘Front Row’ Graeme and Ross; and with his Horizon team. personality, what a player like him required not only from a logistical point of view and an administrative and support point of view but also his brand, his image, the marketing and commercial side and his financial world. “We completely pulled apart his financial world in terms of his tax, accounting and put it back together, restructured it and really brought it under much more control.” A few months after becoming a Horizon player McDowell won his first title since the his 2004 Italian Open success, with victory at the Ballantines Championship in Korea before claiming the biggest scalp of career at that point with a win on the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond at The Barclays Scottish Open and making his Ryder Cup debut at Valhalla in Kentucky. The rest, as they say, is history. McDowell’s heroics last season, when he won three European Tour titles, including the US Open at Pebble Beach, as well as despatching ‘that putt’ to sink the USA at Celtic Manor, earned him the joint European Tour Player of the Year Award, along with fellow Major champion and Race to Dubai winner Martin Kaymer. Some might say it was a lucky coincidence that Horizon had secured World No. 5 McDowell’s signature when he was on the cusp of such greatness but the company’s CEO sees things differently. “I’m under no illusions. It’s not like we inherited a poor player and turned him into a superstar,” he says. “Graeme McDowell is and always has been one of the greatest players in the world. I’m sure we were fortunate to get him at the time we got him but at the same time I

“I JUST HAD A HUNCH THAT WITH THE KIND OF PLAYERS IRELAND HAD PRODUCED OVER THE YEARS THEY WOULD KEEP ON PRODUCING THEM IN THE FUTURE. I THOUGHT, ‘SURELY THERE’S A GAP IN THE MARKET FOR AN IRISH MANAGEMENT COMPANY.’” – CONOR RIDGE don’t think it’s a complete coincidence that he’s gone on to achieve what he has since joining us. In fairness to Graeme, he’s said that himself. Everything we do is aimed at making the player the best they can be.”

‘Doing Something Right’

Worldwide Golf columnist Ross Fisher joined Horizon from IMG around a year later than McDowell, after hearing his friend Graeme talk about the company’s attentive, full service, approach. Ross promptly went out and won the biggest title of his career at the Volvo World Match Play Championship and got into the top 20 in the World before joining McDowell as one of Monty’s Ryder Cup heroes in Wales last year. Further proof, says Conor, that his company must be ‘doing something right.’ “Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place,” he says. Horizon, who also look after the likes of Shane Lowry and Gareth Maybin, are now in the fortunate position of being able to choose their players carefully and are now focussed only on

players capable of, “breaking into the top 100 in the world rankings, then top 50 and better.” They’ve grown into a team of 10 in their Dublin office with further staff about to be recruited in America – a place that, along with Asia, Conor believes offers “the biggest commercial opportunities for players going forward.” Despite various buy-out and merger offers from big global companies Ridge and his team want to retain the exclusive, personal atmosphere of Horizon, rather than growing too quickly and losing the essence of what they’re about. “If it ain’t broke I’m not going to fix it,” he says. Whatever the future holds for Horizon, Conor, still only 34 years old, has already reaped huge rewards from his bold decision to roll the dice at such an early stage in his career. With two Ryder Cup stars on the books, along with a host of emerging talent and his pick of some of the world’s best players, he’s got the world at his feet. Not for nothing did the canny Irishman decide on his company’s name. He’s achieved all that he ever could have dreamed off – and he’s still aiming for new horizons. ■ www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

41 41

THE DUCKS Three golfing buddies died in a motor accident and went to Heaven. Upon arrival, they noticed the most beautiful golf course they’d ever seen. St. Peter told them they were welcome to play the course, but he cautioned them with one rule: “Don’t step on the ducks.” The men had blank expressions on their faces, and finally one of them said, “The ducks – what ducks?” “Yes,” said St. Peter. “There are millions of ducks walking around the golf course, and when one of them is stepped on, he squawks, and then the one next to him squawks, and soon they’re all raising hell and it really breaks the tranquility. If you step on the ducks, you’ll be punished.” The men started playing the course, and within 15 minutes, one of the guys stepped on a duck. The duck squawked, and soon there was a deafening roar of ducks quacking away all over the course. St. Peter appeared with an extremely ‘homely’ woman and asked: “Who stepped on a duck?” “I did,” admitted one of the men. St. Peter immediately pulled out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed the man to the homely woman. “I told you not to step on the ducks,” he said. “Now you’ll be handcuffed together for eternity.” The two other men were very cautious not to step on any ducks, but a couple of weeks later, one of them accidentally did. The quacks were as deafening as before, and within minutes, St. Peter walked up with another woman who was even uglier than the first one. He determined who stepped on the duck by seeing the fear in the man’s face, and he cuffed him to the woman. “I told you not to step on the ducks,” St. Peter said. “Now you’ll be handcuffed together for eternity.” The third man was extremely careful. Some days he didn’t even dare moving for fear of nudging a duck. After three months of this, he still hadn’t stepped on a duck. St. Peter walked up to the man and had with him the most beautiful woman the man had ever seen. St. Peter smiled and without a word, handcuffed him to the beautiful woman and walked off. The man, knowing that he would be handcuffed to this woman for eternity, let out a sigh and said, “What have I done to deserve this?” The woman replied: “I don’t know what you did, but I stepped on a duck.”

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PLAYER QUOTES JOKES WORD OF THE MONTH CARTOONS

New starter A newly retired man was given a set of golf clubs by his co-workers. Thinking he’d try the game, he asked the local Pro for lessons, explaining that he knew nothing whatsoever about the game. The Pro showed him the stance and swing, then said, “Just hit the ball toward the flag on the first green.” The novice teed up and smacked the ball straight down the fairway and onto the green, where it stopped inches from the hole. “Now what?” the fellow asked the speechless Pro. “Uh... you’re supposed to hit the ball into the cup,” the Pro finally said, after he was able to speak again. “Oh great! Now you tell me,” said the beginner in a disgusted tone

DID YOU

KNOW

Dog tricks

A man and his friend meet at the clubhouse and decide to play a round of golf together. The man had brought a little dog with him and on the first green, when he holed out a 20-foot putt, the dog started to yap and stand up on its hind legs. The friend was quite amazed at this clever trick and said: “That dog is really talented! What does he do if you miss a putt?” “Somersaults,” said the man. “Somersaults?!” replies the friend. “That’s incredible. How many does he do?” “Hmmm,” says the man. “That depends on how far I throw him!”

The largest bunker in the world is Hell’s Half Acre on the 585-yard seventh hole of the Pine Valley Course in New Jersey, USA.

WORD OF THE MONTH

Coming of age A grandfather and grandson were playing golf together. On a severely doglegged par 4, the grandfather told the grandson, “When I was your age, I’d aim right over those trees and hit the green every time.” The grandson thought about that comment and decided to give it a try. He hit a perfect drive, but it landed right in the middle of the huge trees. The grandson looked sadly at the grandfather who said: “Of course when I was your age, those trees were only eight feet tall.”

“

“These greens are so fast I have to hold my putter over the ball and hit it with the shadow.” – Sam Snead.

“If I’m on the course and lightning starts, I get inside fast. If God wants to play through, let him.” – Bob Hope.

“

FLAME-BROILED: A description of a drive that is hit hard and far (as in a Whopper, just like at Burger King)

“Golf, like the measles, should be caught young, for, if postponed to riper years, the results may be serious.” – P.G. Wodehouse.

“They might be able to beat me, but they can’t outpractice me.” – Harvey Penick, instructor to Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw among others.

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EGF card holder beneﬁts 15% OFF Dinner A’la Carte Menu Food Bill – valid from Saturday till Wednesday. 10% OFF Dinner A’la Carte Menu Food Bill – valid on Thursday & Friday. 20% OFF Lunch A’la Carte Menu Food Bill – valid from Sunday till Thursday. All above offers not valid with any other discounted offer or on set or promotional menus. All above offers not valid on Xmas, Boxing Day, New Year Eve, New Year Day & Thanksgiving.

MEYDAN GOLF COURSE IS WELL UNDERWAY MIKE GALLEMORE UNVEILS THE PLANS AND FUTURE INTENTIONS FOR THE NEW MEYDAN GOLF COURSE, ANOTHER IN THE SERIES OF POPULAR 9-HOLE COURSES DESIGNED BY PETER HARRADINE, FOLLOWING JEBEL ALI GOLF RESORT & SPA AND SHARJAH GOLF & SHOOTING CLUB.

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“ALTHOUGH WE’RE DESIGNING AND PRODUCING SOME SPECTACULAR GOLF COURSES IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE WORLD RIGHT NOW I’M REALLY EXCITED WITH WHAT WE’RE DOING WITH THE MEYDAN PROJECT. WE’RE MODIFYING QUITE A FEW OF THE EXISTING FEATURES AND IT’S GOOD TO BE RESTORING AN OLD ICON OF DUBAI, WHICH WILL COME BACK AS A FIRST-CLASS GOLFING FACILITY.” – PETER HARRADINE

N last month’s article with Peter Harradine he mentioned his exciting new project at Meydan Golf Club, which promises to recreate the old, much-loved, Nad Al Sheba Golf Club but in a bigger, better, fabulous facility. With work well underway under the lights of the spectacular Meydan Racecourse the development is taking shape and the course and driving range are on schedule to open at the start of the new season in SeptemberOctober. “Although we’re designing and producing some spectacular golf courses in various parts of the world right now I’m really excited with what we’re doing with the Meydan project,” says Harradine. “We’re modifying quite a few of the existing features and it’s good to be restoring an old icon of Dubai, which will come back as a first-class golfing facility. The landscape project manager, Kent Potter, and Abdin Nasralla, Vice President for Hotels and Hospitality for Meydan, are putting a lot of effort and resources into the Meydan Golf Club project and I’m sure it will be even more popular than the old Nad Al Sheba Golf Club was.”

High-Standard

The initial design of the Meydan course is for a high-standard, high-quality 9-hole course but with the scope to expand it to an 18-hole track once the course and driving range are up and running. Just like Peter Harradine’s Sharjah G&SC course, all nine holes are floodlit, providing the facility for golfers to play in the evening after office hours. Given Dubai’s position as a travel and business hub and Meydan’s location only 15 minutes’ drive from Dubai International Airport the Club presents the perfect facility. Golfers either arriving on early morning flights, or departing later in the day or evening would have the time to get in a few holes rather than kicking their heels at the airport. Meydan 46

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Work is underway on the new Meydan Golf Course , which looks towards the Meydan Racecourse Grandstand to the right and the magnificent Meydan Hotel to the left. Golf Club is looking to produce the perfect combination of the old and the new by recapturing the atmosphere of the old Nad Al Sheba Golf Club and combining it with the sumptuous, state-of-the-art, spectacular Meydan Racecouse with its magnificent hotel and fantastic facilities. The strength of Nad Al Sheba Golf Club was its access-to-all, relaxed, social and community spirit that set it apart from other golf clubs in Dubai and which made it a much

loved course by its patrons. Meydan Golf Club aims to recreate the ‘family and friends’ atmosphere while providing golfers with a challenging and enjoyable course along with facilities that will be second to none. Meydan will have a 32,000 sq. ft. Clubhouse located and attached to the northern end of the Meydan Racecourse Grandstand. The facilities have been carefully designed to provide a welcoming and social atmosphere for

golf enthusiasts and their families. It will include a Pro Shop, full bar and dining facilities, separate function areas, games room, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entertainment area, prayer room and changing rooms. For ease of access there will also be dedicated and fully covered parking. One of the bonuses for the golfers is the close proximity of the facilities of the Meydan Racecourse such as the stunning Meydan Hotel. Various accommodation

and food and beverage packages will be promoted in combination with the golf course, making for quality, fullentertainment and leisure experiences with excellent value. A tradition of the old Nad Al Sheba Club that Meydan is determined to keep is that it will be both welcoming and accessible to a wide section of the golfing community. As such, all areas of the Meydan Golf Course will reflect this philosophy along with ensuring

that its green fees will also represent value for money. Many golfers wondered whether the golf course at Nad Al Sheba would return but like the phoenix from the flames, Meydan Golf Course makes a much-needed comeback to provide a bigger and better facility for those who want to relax and enjoy their golf with friends and family. It aims to become the social and recreational sporting focal point for both seasoned golfers and for those interested in starting a passion for the game. â&#x2013; www.wwgolf.biz

DIVOTS RULES EXPLAINED WE were barely through the first round of the new season on the US PGA Tour before a huge rules situation reared its ugly head. Camilo Villegas, the Colombian superstar, became the latest in the long line of ‘guilty by video evidence’ disqualifications. In the first round of the Tournament of Champions event in Hawaii, Villegas found himself with a tricky uphill bump-and-run shot out of a divot on the 15th hole. He seemed to hit a well-executed shot but his ball came up millimeters short of the green and began to role back towards his feet. As it was rolling toward him he noticed some loose divots from where he had played his shot and flicked them away with his club before the ball got back to him. At the time neither player, his caddie, the marker nor spectators realised any wrongdoing had occurred. However, keen golfer Dave Andrews, who sat with friends in Florida watching the coverage, immediately spotted something out of the ordinary. Rule 23-1 states that: “When a ball is in motion, a loose impediment (including

divots) that might influence the movement of the ball must not be removed.” The penalty for this is two strokes. Villegas was unaware of any infringement as his actions seemed innocuous enough, therefore he marked his score without the penalty. By the time Dave had tried to contact the Tour through emails and Twitter, Villegas had long finished his round and subsequently signed for an incorrect score. There were a few high profile players to react sorely to the decision of disqualifying Villegas – such as Ian Poulter who is a popular ‘tweeter’ venting at the so-called “armchair referees” who he deems snitches. In the end, the right decision was made and influence from the wider public can only serve to tighten up and make the game fairer. Dave is no snitch – he’s a knowledgeable golf fan trying to do the right thing. The only point to make is that the Tour should create an easier way for viewers to contact the right people to save time which may have saved Villegas a disqualification, especially as these situations seems to be on the rise.

FANS CAN ‘DRESS IAN’ AT THE WGC-ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY FANS of Ian Poulter can vote for which outfit they want to see the Ryder Cup star wear when he gets his defence of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship underway in Arizona on February 23rd. Tournament officials, in conjunction with IJP Design, have announced the campaign via Facebook and fans can vote on one of three designs by visiting www.facebook.com/accenturematchplay

BOB CHARLES ADMITTED TO THE ORDER OF NEW ZEALAND BOB Charles, the first ever left-handed Major winner, was awarded New Zealand’s highest civil honour last month when he was admitted to the Order of New Zealand. The honour is restricted to only 20 living New Zealanders and Charles, who was knighted in 1999 and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, had it bestowed up him for his triumph at the Open Championship in 1963. “I’m very proud, humble and thankful,” Sir Bob said of his award. “Proud to be recognised by New Zealand for my achievements and contribution to New Zealand golf; humble to be joining such an illustrious group of New Zealanders; and thankful for the opportunity the sport of golf has given me.”

STATMASTER

ROUND OF THE MONTH

Martin Kaymer’s sublime performance in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship means he’s now gone 12 rounds under par at Abu Dhabi Golf Club dating back to round one in 2009. He’s now won the event three times in the past four years, and finished runner-up in the other year – in 2009.

Ulsterman Graeme McDowell put paid to any doubts that a change in his equipment from Callaway to Srixon might hinder his progress with an outstanding final round 11-under-par 62 at the US PGA Tour’s Hyundai Tournament of Champions at the Plantation Course in Hawaii to finish in third place on 23-under.

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NEWS SNIPPETS FROM AROUND THE GOLFING GLOBE

McDOWELL HONOURED BY THE QUEEN RYDER Cup hero Graeme McDowell was awarded an MBE in the New Years’ Honours list after his remarkable season in 2010 which included a maiden Major triumph at the US Open and earning the winning point for Europe at Celtic Manor. McDowell began 2010 ranked 50th in the world but quickly moved up the ranking with his victory at Pebble Beach and two more on The European Tour in Wales and Spain. The Ulsterman ended the year as the sixth best player in the world and he spoke of his pride at being given an MBE: “It’s a huge honour for me to be included on the New Year Honours List,” he said. “For my achievements as a professional golfer to be recognised in this way is truly special. Both myself and my family are very proud of this acknowledgement.”

USGA EXECUTIVE DAVID FAY RETIRES AFTER 32 years at the US Golf Association and 21 as the Executive Director, David B. Fay retired from his post and announced that deputy Executive Director Mike Butz will serve as interim Executive Director. “Things are in good order,” Fay said. “Our senior staff leaders, each of whom I have put into place, are highly talented and motivated. “And looking ahead, there are a number of multi-year projects on the drawing board which could have a long-term impact on the association which makes this, for me, a good time to move on and leave on a high note – as (Jerry) Seinfeld would say.”

OGILVY WITHDRAWS FROM SEASON-OPENER WITH CUT FINGER

AUGUSTA National is about to let just about anyone tee it up at The Masters – in computer game format. For the first time since its inception in 1999 the hallowed turf of Augusta National will be playable by gamers across the globe when the latest edition of the Tiger Woods franchise – Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 – is released in conjunction with The Masters in April this year.

TWO-time defending champion Geoff Ogilvy was forced to withdraw from the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii last month after needing 12 stitches on a cut finger. The Australian sliced his finger on a piece of coral reef in the ocean three days before the event but after the dressing and a day’s rest he couldn’t put pressure on it to make a full swing so he withdrew. The injury failed to heal in time for him to tee it up at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

Is there anyone else in the game as daring as bighitting Bubba Watson? The Ryder Cup star used his driver off the fairway on the 663-yard par-5 18th at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, sensationally knocking it to just 11 feet from the pin before holing his putt for a rare eagle three.

“Someone asked me if I was excited to be going out there to the Champions Tour. I said I would be excited if the hole was bigger. But I think it’s the same size so I’m not that excited!” – Mark Calcavecchia ahead of his ﬁrst full season on the Champions Tour this year.

AUGUSTA NATIONAL TO FEATURE IN NEW TIGER WOODS GAME

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Royal Caribbean sails to new success T

HE Brilliance of the Seas has become a shining star in the family of Royal Caribbean Cruises’ three global brands, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. In the Middle East, Royal Caribbean International has had a regional office since 1993, working successfully on outbound cruise sales. They started inbound bookings last year when the company deployed its first ship in the region with the homeporting of Brilliance of the Seas in Dubai. After a very successful first season, Brilliance of the Seas has been sailing from Barcelona to Dubai, docking in Alexandria, Egypt, and Aqaba, Jordan, on January 14 and 17 respectively, leading up to her second consecutive Gulf season, which started on January 24th. In addition to nine 7-night sailings from Dubai around the region, calling in to Fujairah, Muscat and Abu Dhabi, the new plans for 2011 includes two longer 12-night sailings, calling in to three Indian ports – Mumbai, Goa and Cochin. “For the first time we will call into India – which is very exciting, because the market has great potential and we believe the interest from the GCC will be high,” says Lakshmi Durai, Executive Director for Royal Caribbean Cruises in the Middle East. Due to Brilliance of the Sea’s successful first season and the very promising booking prospects for the second season, the ship returns in November 2011 for an even longer season until April 2012. While the majority of guests of the regional sailings come from the UK and Germany, Mediterranean itineraries are highly favoured by Middle East guests. “European sailings are very popular, and over the last few years we have had constant booking increases from both within the region and also from other parts of the world; which is why Royal Caribbean International deployed a record number of 11 ships sailing from 11 popular and historic European ports for this summer,” she explains. The cruise line’s 2011 Europe cruise and tour season is the biggest-ever European deployment and will offer 109 unique itineraries, ranging from 3 to 15 nights and visiting 27 countries and 78 ports. Dedicated to providing unique travel experiences, Royal Caribbean’s enhanced offerings will empower guests to create European cruise vacations that meet their individual style, needs and preferences. Royal Caribbean also will be expanding its existing shore excursion services by nearly doubling the number of “Easy” tours for accessible sightseeing throughout the 57 unique itineraries currently available. ■ Royal Caribbean International is a global cruise brand with 22 ships currently in service. The line also offers unique cruise tour land packages in Alaska, Canada, Dubai, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand. For additional information or to make reservations, call your travel agent, or visit: www.royalcaribbean-arabia.com or call +9714 3314299. www.wwgolf.biz

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OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING AS OF MONDAY JANUARY 31, 2011

AROUND THE WORLD ON THE EUROPEAN TOUR & US PGA TOUR

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Lee Westwood Martin Kaymer Tiger Woods Phil Mickelson Graeme McDowell Paul Casey Steve Stricker Rory McIlroy Jim Furyk Luke Donald Ernie Els Ian Poulter Matt Kuchar Dustin Johnson Retief Goosen Robert Karlsson Francesco Molinari Bubba Watson Louis Oosthuizen Edoardo Molinari Hunter Mahan Tim Clark Miguel A. Jimenez Charl Schwartzel Adam Scott Robert Allenby Geoff Ogilvy Zach Johnson Anthony Kim Rickie Fowler Justin Rose Padraig Harrington Kim Kyung-Tae Peter Hanson Ross Fisher Nick Watney Ryo Ishikawa Ben Crane Jason Day Yuta Ikeda Camilo Villegas Sean O’Hair Bo Van Pelt Bill Haas Y.E. Yang Alvaro Quiros Ryan Moore K.J. Choi Martin Laird Hiroyuki Fujita

Eng Deu USA USA Nir Eng USA Nir USA Eng Saf Eng USA USA Saf Swe Ita USA Saf Ita USA Saf Esp Saf Aus Aus Aus USA USA USA Eng Irl Kor Swe Eng USA Jpn USA Aus Jpn Col USA USA USA Kor Esp USA Kor Sco Jpn

Pts. Avg

Tot. Pts

Events

8.75 8.14 6.97 6.49 6.46 6.38 6.03 5.94 5.53 5.44 5.23 5.08 4.86 4.69 4.50 4.43 4.42 4.14 4.00 3.86 3.82 3.79 3.78 3.66 3.48 3.41 3.40 3.36 3.33 3.31 3.29 3.26 3.26 3.19 3.12 3.00 3.00 2.94 2.89 2.77 2.76 2.65 2.60 2.58 2.57 2.56 2.53 2.50 2.49 2.47

393.58 382.65 278.82 285.78 355.35 280.74 253.12 314.69 265.55 288.12 293.06 263.93 252.66 229.69 252.26 85.93 243.10 194.70 204.03 212.12 206.28 200.77 211.53 201.26 177.65 191.21 163.41 174.70 156.56 132.42 177.60 182.71 172.71 146.63 152.98 156.00 167.90 155.75 127.13 155.05 149.10 127.14 145.43 144.50 144.15 135.67 131.43 130.01 134.31 138.45

45 47 40 44 55 44 42 53 48 53 56 52 52 49 56 42 55 47 51 55 54 53 56 55 51 56 48 52 47 40 54 56 53 46 49 52 56 53 44 56 54 48 56 56 56 53 52 52 54 56

Pts. Gained 0.00 6.00 1.34 30.82 39.60 41.92 19.98 33.60 7.00 0.00 5.64 11.44 25.10 23.80 19.60 9.12 15.44 50.60 22.00 5.32 11.24 28.13 24.84 33.83 3.13 0.00 0.00 2.85 16.62 2.96 12.30 0.00 0.00 19.00 2.32 8.64 0.00 7.69 9.85 0.00 1.34 0.00 0.00 30.48 1.34 8.19 0.00 1.97 1.86 0.00

Pts. Avg 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

Stewart Cink Ryan Palmer Jeff Overton Henrik Stenson Richard Green Charley Hoffman Matteo Manassero Heath Slocum Jonathan Byrd Brendan Jones Noh Seung-yul Toru Taniguchi Angel Cabrera Lucas Glover Anders Hansen Kevin Na Simon Dyson Thongchai Jaidee Jhonattan Vegas Tetsuji Hiratsuka Stuart Appleby Liang Wen-Chong Rhys Davies Stephen Gallacher Danny Willett Fredrik Andersson Hed J.B. Holmes Brian Davis Scott Verplank Sergio Garcia Stephen Marino Robert Garrigus David Toms Ricky Barnes Michio Matsumura John Senden Brandt Snedeker Søren Kjeldsen Chris Wood Carl Pettersson Mark Wilson Kenny Perry David Horsey Oliver Wilson Marc Leishman Jamie Donaldson Shunsuke Sonoda Michael Sim Joost Luiten Brian Gay

USA USA USA Swe Aus USA Ita USA USA Aus Kor Jpn Arg USA Dnk USA Eng Tha Ven Jpn Aus Chn Wal Sco Eng Swe USA Eng USA Esp USA USA USA USA Jpn Aus USA Dnk Eng Swe USA USA Eng Eng Aus Wal Jpn Aus Nld USA

2.43 2.32 2.31 2.26 2.25 2.24 2.24 2.22 2.21 2.19 2.13 2.10 2.04 1.99 1.99 1.97 1.93 1.93 1.92 1.91 1.89 1.89 1.85 1.83 1.78 1.78 1.78 1.77 1.75 1.70 1.70 1.66 1.64 1.61 1.60 1.60 1.59 1.59 1.57 1.56 1.54 1.53 1.53 1.52 1.52 1.50 1.49 1.49 1.49 1.46

Tot. Pts

Events

Pts. Gained

114.24 127.48 124.50 99.34 103.68 116.53 89.49 124.15 112.55 87.58 97.81 92.35 87.67 99.68 105.21 106.30 108.25 107.87 86.45 106.76 105.75 88.66 103.85 78.56 81.95 85.50 90.75 99.19 78.90 79.88 94.99 81.58 82.05 85.45 83.42 89.70 84.43 84.01 78.65 87.44 84.86 68.74 77.90 80.76 85.24 74.86 59.58 71.46 59.51 82.02

47 55 54 44 46 52 40 56 51 40 46 44 43 50 53 54 56 56 45 56 56 47 56 43 46 48 51 56 45 47 56 49 50 53 52 56 53 53 50 56 55 45 51 53 56 50 40 48 40 56

0.00 14.23 2.85 1.77 5.77 2.60 5.47 2.35 51.80 0.00 11.14 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.37 9.89 0.00 2.84 48.80 0.00 6.61 1.32 2.87 13.72 0.00 1.60 0.00 4.08 0.00 1.60 24.00 30.00 1.24 0.00 0.00 2.85 6.48 3.95 13.87 13.50 48.00 0.00 4.66 3.03 8.78 5.84 0.00 0.00 2.87 11.39

Over 100 destinations worldwide

WWGCOLUMNIST

GARY PLAYER IS A TRUE LEGEND OF THE GAME. THE SOUTH AFRICAN IS ONE OF ONLY FIVE PLAYERS TO HAVE WON A CAREER GRAND SLAM OF ALL FOUR MAJORS. HE HAS WON A TOTAL OF NINE MAJORS AND NINE SENIOR MAJORS, AMONG 167 TOUR EVENTS WORLDWIDE.

All set for another season of success for Europe Martin Kaymer plays to the 18th green on his way to his third victory in four years at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship last month. In the other year, 2009, the German finished tied second with Louis Oosthuizen, one shot behind the winner, Paul Casey.

T was an absolute joy to be back in the UAE again for last month’s Saadiyat Beach Classic at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi for an event and a golf course that are both very close to my heart. It was also fantastic to see Martin Kaymer win his third Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship title at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and rise from third into second place on the Official World Golf Ranking behind Lee Westwood, relegating Tiger Woods to third. I’m not surprised that Martin described the Abu Dhabi course as his ‘home’ course after his phenomenal eight-shot victory over Rory McIlroy. Martin’s tournament record 24-under-par meant that he had dropped only two shots in the last 97 holes he’s played in the 54

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Championship. The only year in the past four seasons that Martin hasn’t won the event was in 2009 when he finished joint second with Louis Oosthuizen just one shot behind the winner, Paul Casey. That’s an amazing record but then he’s an amazing player. His potential is limitless. He’s got everything – and he’s a really nice guy, too.

The ideal attitude He’s got a good golfing brain. He’s as fit as they come and he’s not carrying an ounce of excess weight. He’s also one of the game’s finest shot makers. With all that ability he also has the ideal attitude. He can keep his composure regardless of the pressure and that’s what makes the difference.

With Graeme McDowell now ranked fifth in the world there’s going to be some jockeying for position between Martin, Lee and Graeme at the top of the rankings. Rory McIlroy is in seventh position and he’s going to be another European Tour player in contention throughout this season. My banker bet for 2011 is that Rory, and Lee, will each win a Major. There’s a big swing going on in world golf right now and it seems like European Tour players have hit the ground running and are picking up where they left off last year when European Tour players won three out of the four Majors, The Ryder Cup and three World Golf Championships events. It’s great for golf that the Europeans are doing so well. It’s also

Gary Player lines up with the Professionals and the amateurs who took part in the Pro-Am for the Saadiyat Beach Classic. good for the health of the game that there are so many emerging countries that are producing world-class players. Look at Italy with the Molinari brothers, Edoardo and Francesco, and young Matteo Manassero. They’ve really put Italy on the world golf map. Matteo played in our Saadiyat Beach Classic and he’s not only a very talented player, he’s also a very nice, well-mannered young man. That might not sound like a major attribute but it counts for a great deal in golf – and in life. Who would have thought that Italy would have two players in The Ryder Cup in 2010 and have three players in contention on the world stage?

Big surprise We are well aware of the rise of golf in Asia but we didn’t expect to see a Major winner so soon when South Korea’s Y.E. Yang overtook Tiger Woods at Hazeltine National to win the US PGA Championship in 2009, having already won the HSBC Champions in Shanghai in 2007. It was also a big surprise when Jhonattan Vegas won the Bob Hope Classic last month to become the first golfer from Venezuela to win on the US PGA Tour, defeating defending champion Bill Haas and Gary Woodland in a threeway play-off. I was pleased to see Thomas Björn and Henrik Stenson share the victory in our Saadiyat Beach Classic. If ever I felt sorry for a player it was when I watched Thomas get stuck in that bunker at the par-3 16th hole at Royal St. Georges in 2003. Having finished runner-up in the 2000 Open Championship at St Andrews, his a double bogey at 16 at the 2003

Prizegiving time for the Saadiyat Beach Classic at the Gala Dinner at the Emirates Palace Hotel. Open Championship cost him Major glory and he had to settle for second place, one shot behind American Ben Curtis. Thomas has won ten times on The European Tour and it was good to see him playing well. It would be so good to see Sergio Garcia come back to form this season. His game deserted him last season but he’s one of golf’s crowd-pullers and I’d love to see him back in contention again. He obviously enjoyed being a Vice Captain to Colin Montgomerie at last year’s Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and enjoying a

famous victory but I’m sure he must have preferred to be competing for Europe again. I’m pleased that the golf course we designed at Donnafugata in Sicily has become the venue for the Sicilian Open in March on The 2011 European Tour Schedule. It’s a wonderful golf course in a spectacular setting and it deserves to be showcased hosting a Tour Championship. After my stay in the UAE I’m off to Morocco to look at the golf courses we’re working on over there, and then I’m back to Abu Dhabi for the Laureus World Sports Awards. ■ www.wwgolf.biz

RACE TO DUBAI

As of January 31, 2011

THE FINAL 2011 R ACE TO DUBAI R ANKING Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 28 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Name Charl SCHWARTZEL Martin KAYMER Paul CASEY Retief GOOSEN Louis OOSTHUIZEN Rory McILROY Thomas AIKEN Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ Pablo MARTIN Ernie ELS Peter HANSON Graeme McDOWELL Chris WOOD Stephen GALLACHER James KINGSTON Thorbjorn OLESEN Gareth MAYBIN Manuel QUIROS Rafael CABRERA-BELLO Robert DINWIDDIE Seung-yul NOH Anthony MICHAEL David LYNN Robert KARLSSON Alexander NOREN Jamie ELSON Robert ROCK Ricardo GONZALEZ Francesco MOLINARI Jean-Baptiste GONNET Johan EDFORS Darren CLARKE Alvaro QUIROS Scott JAMIESON Tjaart VAN DER WALT David DRYSDALE Jaco VAN ZYL Branden GRACE Pablo LARRAZÁBAL Anders HANSEN Steven O’HARA Jbe KRUGER Phillip PRICE Richard FINCH Jamie DONALDSON David HOWELL Tano GOYA Anthony WALL Richard GREEN Kenneth FERRIE

Country

Tournaments Played

Prize Money

Rank

RSA GER ENG RSA RSA NIR RSA ESP ESP RSA SWE NIR ENG SCO RSA DEN NIR ESP ESP ENG KOR RSA ENG SWE SWE ENG ENG ARG ITA FRA SWE NIR ESP SCO RSA SCO RSA RSA ESP DEN SCO RSA WAL ENG WAL ENG ARG ENG AUS ENG

5 1 2 3 4 1 6 2 4 1 2 1 2 2 6 3 3 2 4 4 2 4 2 1 3 4 6 2 2 3 2 4 2 4 3 5 3 3 2 2 3 4 4 3 2 4 2 4 2 6

€419,927 €334,398 €307,487 €227,960 €227,700 €222,932 €182,467 €178,918 €170,216 €158,500 €147,590 €112,960 €112,064 €100,850 €98,071 €97,467 €95,917 €92,100 €87,171 €86,018 €79,407 €77,767 €77,647 €72,080 €69,426 €67,930 €67,825 €64,712 €64,712 €62,390 €60,667 €57,745 €54,950 €54,120 €53,332 €52,040 €51,233 €49,190 €48,413 €48,200 €45,443 €45,017 €43,754 €42,958 €42,898 €42,764 €41,242 €40,338 €39,893 €39,060

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 58 60 61 62 63 63 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 88 88 88 92 93 94 95 95 97 98 99 100

Name

Country

Romain WATTEL Keith HORNE Matteo MANASSERO Richard STERNE Alex HAINDL Scott STRANGE Carlos DEL MORAL Richie RAMSAY Edoardo MOLINARI Stuart MANLEY Floris DE VRIES Ross McGOWAN Rafa ECHENIQUE Nicolas COLSAERTS David HORSEY Alex CEJKA George COETZEE Søren KJELDSEN Oscar FLOREN Todd HAMILTON Raphaël JACQUELIN Eirik Tage JOHANSEN Martin WIEGELE Victor RIU David DIXON Hennie OTTO Andrew MARSHALL Lee SLATTERY Tyrone MORDT Daniel GAUNT Oliver WILSON Søren HANSEN Markus BRIER Thongchai JAIDEE Paul WARING Maarten LAFEBER John PARRY Rhys DAVIES Joost LUITEN Niclas FASTH Ignacio GARRIDO Tim CLARK José Manuel LARA Lloyd SALTMAN Miles TUNNICLIFF Shaun NORRIS Sebi GARCIA Ben EVANS Brett RUMFORD Wade ORMSBY

FRA RSA ITA RSA RSA AUS ESP SCO ITA WAL NED ENG ARG BEL ENG GER RSA DEN SWE USA FRA NOR AUT FRA ENG RSA ENG ENG RSA AUS ENG DEN AUT THA ENG NED ENG WAL NED SWE ESP RSA ESP SCO ENG RSA ESP ENG AUS AUS

Tournaments Played

Prize Money

3 4 2 4 4 2 3 3 2 3 4 3 1 1 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 3 4 3 6 4 3 4 3 4 2 3 4 2 2 2 4 2 1 2 2 1 2 3 1 3 3 2 2 3

€38,350 €38,275 €37,486 €37,198 €36,786 €36,088 €35,135 €34,986 €34,986 €34,924 €33,990 €32,452 €31,328 €31,328 €31,065 €30,950 €30,932 €30,528 €29,432 €29,159 €28,974 €28,650 €27,735 €27,050 €24,999 €24,537 €23,803 €23,185 €23,094 €23,045 €22,517 €22,453 €21,897 €21,500 €21,000 €20,647 €20,237 €19,964 €19,964 €19,964 €19,964 €19,700 €19,635 €19,565 €19,350 €19,350 €18,800 €18,590 €18,440 €18,400

E X P L A N AT I O N O F T H E E U R O P E A N T O U R R A C E T O D U B A I 2 0 1 1 The Race to Dubai on The 2011 European Tour International Schedule will feature 50 tournaments in 29 destinations, including new events in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Malaysia and Sicily, culminating in the Dubai World Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The curtain came down on The 2010 Race to Dubai with Sweden’s Robert Karlsson finishing the year in style by winning the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World while Martin Kaymer secured The Harry Vardon Trophy by finishing European Number One ahead of Ryder Cup colleague Graeme McDowell. The third edition of The Race to Dubai will again conclude with the Dubai World Championship and will again carry a prize fun of $7,500,000 while The Race to Dubai Bonus Pool remains at $7,500,000 to be divided between the leading 15 players at the conclusion of the season. THE RACE TO DUBAI BONUS POOL BREAKDOWN 1 US$ 1,500,000 2 US$ 1,125,000 3 US$ 750,000 4 US$ 600,000 5 US$ 525,000

6 US$ 450,000 7 US$ 412,500 8 US$ 375,000 9 US$ 337,500 10 US$ 300,000

11 US$ 262,500 12 US$ 243,750 13 US$ 225,000 14 US$ 206,250 15 US$ 187,500

NEWS

EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS

McDOWELL WINS SHOT OF THE YEAR

GRAEME McDowell’s “dream season” in 2010 was given yet another accolade when his match-winning birdie putt at the 16th on the final day of The Ryder Cup was voted European Tour Shot of the Year. The 31-year-old’s 15-foot putt at The Celtic Manor Resort was played under the most intense pressure imaginable, with the outcome of the tournament resting on his shoulders, but the Northern Irishman held his nerve to sink it and Europe went on to reclaim the Cup when Hunter Mahan missed his putt at the next hole. “That putt on the 16th was the best I’ve hit in my life,” said McDowell. “It was just 15 feet but it was above the hole and very fast. I knew I just had to get the ball going and thankfully it caught an edge and dropped in because I wouldn’t have fancied the one back if it had missed! “In the context of The Ryder Cup, that 16th hole was massive as I was aware that everything was riding on the outcome of my singles match with Hunter. I knew that a half point was still not good enough to regain the Cup. “However everything went according to plan at the 16th and the rest is history. I will never forget the feeling standing over that putt and appreciating its importance. It was as important as any stroke I will ever play in my career and I am delighted it has been voted as The European Tour Shot of the Year.”

BARCLAYS SCOTTISH OPEN MOVES TO CASTLE STUART THE Barclays Scottish Open leaves Loch Lomond after a 15-year residency at the Tom Weiskopf designed parkland beauty and moves north to the links of Castle Stuart near Inverness. Castle Stuart Golf Links, situated on Scotland’s Moray Firth coast, will host the Barclays Scottish Open from July 7-10 this year. Castle Stuart will be the seventh Scottish course to play host to the prestigious tournament since it began in 1972, following in the footsteps of Downfield, St Andrews, Haggs Castle, The Gleneagles Hotel, Carnoustie and Loch Lomond.

NEW ROLE FOR DAVID BROOKES DAVID Brookes, formerly of the International Sports Management Group, has accepted an invitation from European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady to undertake an advisory role assisting the Tour’s International Business Development. The 47-year-old brings a wealth of experience to the Tour’s advancement in the business sector, having been Sales and Marketing Director of ISM from 1993 through to August last year.

EURASIA GOLF NAMES CHARLIE TINGEY AS SENIOR DIRECTOR EURASIA Golf Ltd, a joint venture between the Asian Tour and The European Tour, has appointed Charlie Tingey as its Senior Director to oversee the alliance’s commercial aspects and promoter relationships in the region. Established in 2009, EurAsia Golf is designed to invigorate the game internationally by fortifying existing co-sanctioned tournaments, generating new competitions at all levels and reinforcing relationships with sponsors, tournament promoters, national associations and regional professional bodies. In his new role with the alliance, Tingey will drive sponsorship sales for all EurAsia Golf events and manage relationships with tournament promoters. “Charlie’s drive and expertise in both Asia and Europe gained from working in the sports industry over the last 10 years will greatly assist the development of our joint venture with the Asian Tour,” said Keith Waters, the Chief Operating Officer of The European Tour. Tingey will be based in the Asian Tour’s operations office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and will report directly to the EurAsia Golf Board of Directors.

SIMON LEAVES THE FIELD IN HIS WAKE SIMON Wakefield secured a return to The European Tour for 2011, shooting a final round 67 to lead the 34 graduates at Qualifying School in Girona, Spain. The 36 year old Englishman, who finished 63rd in the Challenge Tour Ranking, finished on 21 under par at PGA Catalunya Resort, two strokes clear of Spaniard Carlos Del Moral, with Finland’s Mikko Korhonen a further two shots back in third. Wakefield is the second consecutive Englishman called Simon to win at Qualifying School and he will be hoping to follow a similar path to last year’s champion Simon Khan, whose victory led to further glory at The European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May 2010. “The first goal was to make the cut and then it was to finish in the top 30. It was like 2005 again when I’d lost my card by a few thousand Euros and came out to Qualifying school not feeling that I deserved to be there but put it behind me and finished second,” said Wakefield. “I know this isn’t a ‘tournament’ but I’ve still had to win and I’ve broken my duck. This is as good as a win for me.” www.wwgolf.biz

WORLDROUND-UPS Tournament: Africa Open

06 – 09 Jan 2011

Venue: East London Golf Club, Eastern Cape, South Africa

OOSTHUIZEN EXCELS ON HOME SOIL LOUIS Oosthuizen birdied the first play-off hole to deny both Chris Wood and Manuel Quiros a maiden European Tour victory at the Africa Open after an enthralling final day in Eastern Cape. Oosthuizen carded a 70 to reach 16-under-par, level alongside Englishman Wood (68) and Spaniard Quiros (69) and then showed his class with a superb approach shot to 10 feet as they went down the 18th again before rolling in his birdie putt. “The whole day was a bit of a struggle,” said Oosthuizen after holing just two birdies before an eagle on the 15th helped his cause. “I didn’t get anything in the hole and then made the eagle putt on 15 which helped. “Then I made this one (in the play-off ) which was nice. I hit a terrible tee shot and then hit a full sand-wedge to get close. Then I made the putt which was great. It’s been one of those weeks where the putter was very cold, but my caddie kept me calm and said it would go in eventually. “So I kept on trying and made that nice one on the last which I will remember. It’s

always nice playing in South Africa and you want to perform. “This week there was a great field here and playing with Retief (Goosen) and (Darren) Clarke was really special. If you look at the leaderboard there were just big names up there so I think it was a great tournament.” Oosthuizen held the overnight lead alongside Austrian Markus Brier and it was the European who stormed out of the blocks with three consecutive birdies. However, Brier lost his ball on the sixth hole which put paid to his chances and he wound up with a 73 for eighth place. Wood set the clubhouse target with a round of 68 which was then matched by Quiros after he birdied the final three holes before Oosthuizen parred the last to finish alongside them before prevailing in the play-off. Both Wood and Quiros still await their maiden European Tour title but went home with a cheque each for €92,100 while defending champion Charl Schwartzel finished in a share of fourth place alongside Jaco Van Zyl and Steven O’Hara on 15-under-par.

IN THE BAG Driver: Fairway Wood: Irons (4-9): Wedges: Putter: Ball:

06 – 09 Jan 2011

WINNER: LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN CHEQUE: €158,500

Ping i15 10.3° driver Nike SQ II 3-wood (13°), 5-wood (19°) Ping S56 1° upright Ping Tour-S Rustique Wedges 47°, 54° & 60° Ping Redwood Anser Titleist Pro V1x

WINNING SCORE: 16-UNDER-PAR – 272 (66, 69, 68, 69) RUNNER-UP: CHRIS WOOD, MANUEL QUIROS – 276 (DEFEATED IN PLAY-OFF) 272

FACT FILE

South African Louis Oosthuizen picked up his third European Tour title in his debut outing in the co-sanctioned Africa Open and it moved him into an early lead on The 2011 Race to Dubai.

Tournament: Hyundai Tournament of Champions Venue: Plantation Course, Kapalua Resort, Maui, Hawaii

WINNER: JONATHAN BYRD CHEQUE: $1,120,000

BYRD CLIPS GARRIGUS’ WINGS IN MAUI JONATHAN Byrd made a winning start to his US PGA Tour season with a play-off victory over Robert Garrigus at the season-opening Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii after both players finished on 24-under-par. “I’m pretty overwhelmed,” Byrd said after winning his second title in the space of three months. Last October, at the start of the US Tour’s Fall Series, Byrd found himself 130th on the money list meaning he hadn’t yet secured his Tour card for 2011. It was, in his own words, “gut-check” time. He then won the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open with an ace in a play-off to secure his privileges for 2011 and earn a spot in the season-opening event. “You get to a point where you might lose your card,” Byrd said, referring to his

predicament last season, “and it forces you to find a way to play well.” After three rounds in Kapalua Byrd found himself in a share of the lead with Garrigus and Steve Stricker, three shots clear of the rest of the field. US Open Champion Graeme McDowell was six back at the start of play but matched the course record with a superb 11-under 62 to finish just one shot behind in third place. Stricker fell away with a final round 71 while Byrd and Garrigus slugged it out, eventually finishing with 6-under 67s for a 24-under total. Garrigus’ length off the tee meant he was the favourite as they went down the 18th. However, after they both made par they returned to the first tee and Byrd triumphed when Garrigus missed a short putt for par.

Tournament: Joburg Open

13 – 16 Jan 2011

Venue: Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club, Johannesburg, South Africa

SCHWARTZEL RETAINS JOBURG OPEN CHARL Schwartzel won the Joburg Open in his home city for the second consecutive year after a final round 67 gave him a four-stroke victory over compatriot Garth Mulroy. Thomas Aiken was in the hunt for a maiden European Tour title but his challenge faded on the back nine as he finished third on 14-under to complete a South African one-two-three. “Thomas and Garth probably outplayed me on the back nine by quite a bit, but I just managed to get the ball in the hole,” said Schwartzel after sealing his fourth European Tour title. “For me I didn’t really play well on those last nine holes, but I just kept telling myself ‘you’ve got a good short game and you can do it’ and my putting – along with the short game – came to the rescue. “It sounds easy, but I’ve been working really hard on my pitch shots, bunker play and chipping and it helped me when I needed it most today. I spent some time with Ernie Els in Florida working on my short game and it has helped me a lot.” Schwartzel opened up with a 68 to sit six strokes behind leaders Martin Maritz and Tyrone Mordt but followed it

up with a sensational 10-under-par 61 to get into a three-way share of the lead with Mulroy and Elson on 13-under-par heading into the weekend. Mulroy and Schwartzel both carded third round 69s to get to 15-under while Aiken carded a 67 to pull level with his countrymen with 18 holes to play. Scotland’s David Drysdale was a shot further back after a 67 with English duo Elson (71) and Ben Evans (67) on 13-under-par and also in contention. In overcast conditions Schwartzel quickly raced two shots clear with birdies at the first and third but then found trouble on the fourth and bogeyed after failing to get up-anddown from a damp patch of rough. Mulroy and Aiken both parred their first four holes to remain one back. Aiken then drew level at the short sixth hole with a superb tee shot to five feet, but Schwartzel regained the lead a hole later with a birdie. Aiken and Mulroy both bogeyed the 11th and when Schwartzel holed out for birdie from a greenside bunker on the 13th he went two strokes clear with five to play and he wrapped up the victory with another birdie on the 18th.

IN THE BAG Driver: Fairway Wood: Irons: Wedges: Putter: Ball:

WINNER: CHARL SCHWARTZEL CHEQUE: €265,050

Nike VR STR8-FIT (8.5 degrees) Nike SQ II 3-wood (13 degrees) and 5-wood (19 degrees) Nike VR Blades qNike VR (54 and 60 degrees) Bobby Grace Fat Lady Swings Nike One Tour D

WINNING SCORE: 19-UNDER-PAR – 265 (68,61,69,67) RUNNER-UP: GARTH MULROY – 269

FACT FILE

With his win at the 2011 Joburg Open, Charl Schwartzel became the 30th different player in European Tour history to successfully defend a European Tour title.

Tournament: Sony Open in Hawaii

13 – 16 Jan 2011

Venue: Wailalae Country Club, Honolulu, Hawaii

WINNER: MARK WILSON CHEQUE: $990,000

WILSON GOES THE DISTANCE IN HAWAII MARK Wilson shot bogey-free rounds of 65 and 67 in a marathon 36-hole final day to triumph at the Sony Open in Hawaii and punched his ticket to the Masters in the process. The 36-year-old picked up his third US PGA Tour win by two strokes from Steve Marino and South African Tim Clark and with it came an invite to Augusta National for the first time in his career. “Believe me, I looked at the fine print on that one and made sure,” he said when it was confirmed he’d be teeing it up at the first Major of the season. “I get goose bumps just thinking about it to be honest with you. Part of me feels like I don’t belong, so I’m going to have to get over that hurdle and be ready to play that week.” After heavy rain washed out play on the

opening day both weekend rounds were completed on Sunday, and after Wilson shot a 65 to take a one-stroke lead into the final 18 holes he had just six minutes before his next tee-time. The quick changeover meant little time for practise and Wilson went out and again excelled with another flawless round, this time coming in with a 3-under 67 for a 16-under-par total to win by the marauding Clark, who carded a 64 to move up 11 places into second place, and Marino who carded a 68. “I kind of figured if you could get it going around here, I might still have a chance,” said Clark, who won The Players Championship last year. “I kind of got it going there with some iron shots – a few putts would have helped but overall I’m very pleased.”

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WORLDROUND-UPS Tournament: Bob Hope Classic

19 – 23 Jan 2011

Venue: PGA West (Palmer Course) La Quinta, California

WINNER: JHONATTAN VEGAS CHEQUE: €990,000

VEGAS HITS THE JACKPOT JHONATTAN Vegas defeated defending champion Bill Haas and Gary Woodland in a three-way play-off at the Bob Hope Classic to become the first Venezuelan to win a US PGA Tour title. Vegas signed for a final round 3-underpar 69 at the Palmer Course at PGA West at La Quinta for a 27-under-par total and finished level alongside Haas (66) and Woodland (69). Haas was eliminated after only making a par on the par-5 18th and then Vegas sealed the victory with a par on the second extra hole after Woodland failed to get upand-down from a greenside bunker. Vegas became the first rookie to win the 52-year-old tournament with a spectacular

up-and-down par on the par-4 10th after knocking his tee shot into the water. He took a penalty drop and then confidently rifled his 9-iron to 12 feet and after Woodland missed his par putt Vegas holed his $990,000 putt and punched his ticket to the Masters Tournament in April in the process. “Just to think about winning on the US PGA Tour, that’s something,” said Vegas. “But to make it happen is something else, and it’s a crazy feeling. “I know it’s a dream that my dad and my American friends have to go to the Masters, just to walk around. That’s what they told me. They say, ‘Before I die, just please get me to the Masters’.”

Tournament: Farmers Insurance Open

27 – 30 Jan 2011

Venue: Torrey Pines GC, La Jolla, California

WINNER: BUBBA WATSON CHEQUE: $1,044,000

WATSON OVERHAULS MICKELSON FOR SECOND TOUR WIN BUBBA Watson overhauled Phil Mickelson to win his second US PGA Tour title at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines thanks to a final round 5-under-par 67 in San Diego. The Floridian began the day one stroke behind his fellow left-hander but took the lead on the third hole and never looked back, eventually finishing with a 16-under-par total to pick up the cheque for $1,044,000. “I worked this winter on my mind to be more focused,” said Watson. “To be worried about what I’m doing and not what everybody else is doing – just focus on what I had to do. So it just shows that I can do it (win). “I did it twice now. I’m only like 50 behind Phil (Mickelson) and 80 behind Tiger (Woods), so they better watch out. “My mind tends to wander around a lot. I’m looking at people flying around in kites. I’m looking at how beautiful the water is. I’m scared of heights, so I’m looking at the cliffs. So basically I’m

looking at stuff I shouldn’t be looking at while I’m trying to play golf.” Watson fired six birdies and just one bogey in his final round as he kept his focus to add a second win to his maiden title which came at last year’s Travelers Championship. The last of his birdies came at the par-5 closing hole after he sank a curling 12-footer to take a two-stroke lead over his Ryder Cup colleague. It proved to be decisive as Mickelson also birdied the 18th to sign for a 69 and get to 15-under-par. Dustin Johnson shot a 66 to move up four places into a share of third place alongside Jhonattan Vegas in third on 13-under-par while D.A. Points finished outright fifth on 12-under. Nick Watney closed with a best-ofthe-day 9-under 63 to finish sixth while Tiger Woods struggled on his first outing of 2011, eventually finishing in a share of 42nd after weekend rounds of 74 and 75 saw him finish 1-under for the tournament.

IN THE BAG Driver: Fairway Wood: Irons: Wedges: Putter:

Ping G15 Ping G15 (4-wood) Ping S59 irons Ping Tour-W wedges Ping Redwood Anser putter

WINNING SCORE: 16-UNDER-PAR – 272 (71,65,69,67) RUNNER-UP: PHIL MICKELSON 273

FACT FILE

With his win at the Farmers Insurance Open, Bubba Watson became the fifth ‘lefty’ to win multiple titles on the US PGA Tour. He follows Phil Mickelson (38), Mike Weir (8), Bob Charles (6) and Steve Flesch (4).

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The Resort Course at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa Quality Golf at an affordable Price Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa Midweek Golf Package and Daily Specials available until 31st March 2011 at its award winning Resort Course:

Straight Shot Sunday 9 or 18-hole green fee includes electric cart or trolley and bucket of 50 range balls (excluding public holidays), plus 20% food and beverage voucher for use in the Sports Café: Ê UÊ iÊÀ>ÌiÊ qÊ AED 160 per person Ê UÊ£n iÊÀ>ÌiÊqÊ AED 235 per person Offer available every Sunday except public holidays.

Wednesday Ladies Special Rate 9 or 18-hole green fee includes electric cart or trolley and bucket of 50 range balls (excluding public holidays), plus 20% food and beverage voucher for use in the Sports Café: Ê UÊ iÊÀ>ÌiÊ qÊ AED 160 per person Ê UÊ£n iÊÀ>ÌiÊqÊ AED 235 per person Offer available every Sunday except public holidays.

2-Month Midweek Special

Middle East’s Leading Sports & Leisure Beach Resort

Offer includes unlimited golf from Sunday to Thursday (excluding public holidays), electric cart or trolley hire, unlimited range balls, 12-day tee time booking privilege, plus 20% food and beverage voucher for use in the Sports Café: Ê UÊÓ Ì Ê«>V >}iÊ qÊ AED 1,495 per person

For more information or Tee Time reservations, please contact the Golf Reception on 04 814 5023, 04 814 5058 or the Golf Office on 04 814 5046 E-mail: golf.teetimes@jaihotels.com www.jebelali-international.com *Rates include 10% municipality fee and are valid until 31st March 2011. Tee times and all packages are subject to availability. Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa reserves the right to charge normal green fee rates for failure to cancel a tee time at least 48 hours in advance. Offers are not valid in conjunction with any other promotions or offers. Terms and conditions apply.

Sandy Meyer’s

PROFESSIONAL TIP HOW TO HIT FROM SLOPING LIES

Without getting into too much detail regarding sloping lies, here a few simple tips to keep in mind when you are hitting from a sloping lie. There are four types of lie angles that you will be faced with: The uphill lie, the downhill lie, the ball below the feet and the ball above the feet. With all four angles you have to make sure your balance is correct, because losing balance will mean losing control of the shot. Try and remember to work with the slope at all times, so if your weight naturally wants to shift more towards your left or right foot, (on uphill or downhill lies) and more towards the toes or heels (when the ball is below the feet or above the feet) then let it do so. Key points to remember: Ball Below the Feet: Flex the knees more and keep them flexed during the swing. Ball Above the Feet: Grip down on the handle of the club so your arms are in a natural position – this may result in you taking extra club. Uphill lie: Tilt the shoulder angle in line with the slope. Downhill Lie: Tilt the shoulder angle in line with the slope Ball Below the Feet and Downhill Lies: Ball will tend to move left to right. Ball Above the Feet and Uphill Lies: Ball will tend to move right to left. For all of these shots try and swing less on your backswing and aim to complete a three-quarter swing. Over swinging or too much backswing can result in loss of balance and control.

Eagles abound as Cuciurean and Lucas team up for Pairs win at Jebel Ali RIETTE Cuciurean and Natalie Lucas put on a strong performance to win the WGME Golf Day held at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa last month as they romped to a four-point victory. The duo dovetailed nicely with Lucas securing a net par on hole 6 and Cuciurean holing a superb net eagle on the par-5 ninth. Another eagle on the 12th helped their cause further and Cuciurean continued to improve their score with a run of net birdies on holes. It was then Lucas’ turn to hole some birdie putts as she picked up points on holes 15 and 16 and the pair signed for a superb total of 41 to give them a clear victory ahead of Barb McBean and Marina Kirwan. Kirwan scored three net birdies and a net eagle while McBean had two net birdies – but it wasn’t enough to overhaul their victorious playing partners. In third place was Sandie Carrington and Caroline O’Donnell from Abu Dhabi as they took the final place on the podium with a countback win over Sandy Meyer and Brenda Cooke after both pairs scored 36 points.

Michelle Gaeta wins the 9-hole Stableford THE Ladies Beginner morning session on January 18th saw the ladies play their first small competition with Michelle Gaeta crowned the winner with 13 points from the nine-hole Stableford format. Finishing in a share of second place behind Gaeta was Uta Grundner and Judith Heyburn. The nine-hole mornings, which are held every Tuesday at The Els Club, are designed for beginner ladies to take their first steps onto the golf course, overseen by Sandy Meyer their PGA coach. “This is a very important part of the development of women’s golf,” said Meyer. “Many ladies have finished training programmes or are at that stage in their development when they have to take to the course. We run a friendly competition for those who want to be a bit more competitive and work to get their scorecards in to gain their handicap – or the ladies can opt to just play a friendly social. These mornings accommodate this particular level of player and provide a friendly environment for the ladies who are all at the same stage. It also gives an opportunity for the ladies to meet socially, which is an important part of the game.”

BY KIM BOULDEN PGA PROFESSIONAL ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB

TUTORIAL Now that we are in the middle of “tournament season” here in the UAE with the four-event European Tour Middle East Swing, many golf clubs have increased the height of the rough. With unusually colder and wetter weather this time of year, the ability to play out of the rough can take countless shots off your score. Follow these easy to remember tips to help you play out of the rough with more conﬁdence!

Brought to you by

Grip With the rough trying to prevent the club face from swinging through the grass, a great tip for lady golfers and juniors especially is to revert to a “Ten Finger Grip”. This will enable you to resist the twisting effect that the grass has on the club, and will also help you to firm up your grip when chopping through the long stuff!

Address When playing from deeper lies in the rough a great idea is to address the ball with the clubface slightly open. We do this because the thickness of the grass can easily grab the hosel of your clubhead and close the clubface at impact. This tends to lead to a pull shot away from the target. The other benefit of opening the clubface is that, generally, the thick rough will try to prevent the clubhead from swinging “through” the grass. By opening the face you effectively increase the bounce of the club which will enable the club to continue to accelerate through the shot. Finally, resist the temptation of trying to lift or help the ball out of the rough. In the history of golf not one single player has had much luck when attempting this! Instead, follow the example of the Pros and let your weight move forward and your hands lead the club at impact. This works – so do try it!

x Steep angle of attack and ball position further back Another measure that a golfer can take to avoid too much contact with the grass is to play the ball further back in the stance. Yes, it does take loft off the club (compensate accordingly by selecting a club with more loft, and even more so in the deep stuff ), but by placing the ball further back in the stance, the angle of attack (or steepness) when you swing downwards will increase. This means that the clubhead will have less initial contact with the grass and allow you to approach the ball with some much-needed speed.

Make sure that you appraise the lie first. This technique is for when the ball is sitting down in the rough, not perched on top!

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F R A M E B Y F R A M E A N A LY S I S O F S O M E O F T H E B E S T S W I N G S I N P R O F E S S I O N A L G O L F

By Claude Harmon III

ROSS FISHER England's Ross Fisher is regarded as one of the best tee to green professionals on The European Tour. The Ryder Cup star might be one of the biggest hitters on Tour but the short game is where tournaments are won and lost and Ross has shown that he's got what it takes to win. In this issue we look at the short iron technique of the reigning Irish Open Champion, current Volvo World Match Play Champion and World No.34.

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F R A M E B Y F R A M E A N A LY S I S O F S O M E O F T H E B E S T S W I N G S I N P R O F E S S I O N A L G O L F

Ross employs a lovely combination of chest movement and wrist hinge to get this short iron swing off to a good start.

Good solid impact position here as you would expect â&#x20AC;&#x201C; nice bend in the shaft showing good pressure being put on to the ball.

Although he employs a narrow stance for this shot, you can see that he maintains good width in his swing here â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a classic looking short iron backswing.

SWING A small amount more chest turn and he is at the top. This is a good position to copy for your short iron play â&#x20AC;&#x201C; stable lower half, good chest turn and supported, wide arm-swing.

Ross maintains this width in the transition from backswing to downswing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; good weight shift in preparation for delivery of club to ball.

Steady finish with the club held off a little, this demonstrates clubface control, again good to copy for better short iron play.

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ARABIAN GOLF FEBRUARY 2011 WORLDWIDE GOLF DUBAI Emirates Golf Federation Al Badia Golf Club Arabian Ranches Golf Club Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa The Address Montgomerie Dubai

SHARJAH Saif Zone Golf Society League Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club

AL AIN Al Ain Equestrian Shooting & Golf Club

ABU DHABI Abu Dhabi Golf Club Al Ghazal Golf Club Yas Links Golf Club

POULIN HOLDS FIRM TO WIN JANUARY’S EGF MEDAL MARK Poulin, Abdul Moiz Khan and Amanda Cameron won their respective divisions in the Emirates Golf Federation’s Handicap Scheme Medal event at the Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa in late January. Poulin shot a steady gross 85 on a windy day to take the honours in Division ‘A’ while Khan turned in a stunning performance despite the tough conditions to win the Division ‘B’ title with 45 Stableford points, eight points ahead of his nearest challenger Neil Foster. Playing off an 18 handicap, Khan produced a solid tee-to-green game, scoring points on almost every hole. The battle went down to the wire in the Ladies Division before Cameron was crowned champion after a countback victory with a 28-point total. In the on-course competitions Ricky Whiting and Alessandro Zanetti won

the Nearest the Pin on holes 2 and 17 respectively while Jamie Wilson and Jaryd Fisher launched the Longest Drive down holes 4 and 18. The tournament, organised by the Emirates Golf Federation, once again turned out to be a big hit with golfing enthusiasts. “The Medal was oversubscribed and that reflects on the growing popularity of the event,” said Saeed Albudoor, general manager of the Emirates Golf Federation. “Our objective behind organising these medal events is to create more playing opportunities for all those who are not a member of any club and improve upon their handicaps. We are really grateful to all clubs in the UAE for their support in offering us special rates and tee times. We look forward to their continued support and hope the forthcoming events will be just as successful.”

BAHRAIN Royal Golf Club Bahrain

SAUDI ARABIA Dirab Golf & Country Club

RAS AL KHAIMAH Al Hamra Golf Club Tower Links Golf Club

QATAR Doha Golf Club

EGYPT Egyptian Golf Federation Maritim Golf & Resort Katameya Heights Golf & Tennis Resort Stella Di Mare Golf Resort

OMAN Muscat Hills Golf & County Club

THAILAND Banyan Village, Resort & Golf International Pairs

Gross winner Marc Poulin is presented with his prize by Stuart McMurdo of Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa and Jason Froggatt of the Emirates Golf Federation.

WWG LOCAL FOCUS

EMIRATES GOLF FEDERATION

Fathi Skaik, Omar Ali and Ahmad Skaik.

Joacha Ahmed, Reem Younif Al Amiri, Saeed Ahmed, Rouda Rashid and Abdul Rham Rashid are pictured at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club.

JUNIOR NATIONAL PROGRAMME – AN OVERVIEW THE National Junior Programme is the latest initiative to be introduced by the Emirates Golf Federation and is aimed at continually identifying and developing young UAE national players by providing them with the best possible opportunities to learn the finer points of the game. One of the main goals is to develop character through the structure of the rules of the game as golf teaches key life skills like patience, good sportsmanship and the ability to focus on the task at hand. Particular emphasis is placed on core skills and game awareness, including lessons in introductory, educational, rules, etiquette and competition formats.

EGF Programme The programme provides young UAE national players with an environment in which they can grow, express themselves both personally and professionally and realise their dream of representing the country one day. Through this programme the EGF is exposing young people to a leisure activity that they can enjoy for the rest of their lives, no matter what their ability level. The EGF values attitude, commitment, integrity, and honesty as highly as it does golfing ability. They have assembled an experienced team of

coaches, technical experts and support staff who all specialise in player development. Parents will also benefit from the programme because their children will be involved in an active, social sport which promotes positive values of citizenship and responsibility. Membership to the Junior National Programme is open to all UAE nationals who want to start playing golf or, if they already play, improve their game. The UAE boasts some of the finest golfing facilities in the world and the interest in the game has skyrocketed over recent years. With support from all the clubs, the aim of the National Junior Programme is to promote and develop the game at the grassroots level. Creating a strong pool of junior players is paramount to producing future generations of champions. Introducing youngsters to the game is just one part of the programme, the more important aspect of it is to try and retain them. The National Junior Programme is a step in that direction. Golf teaches that even though the best golfers have the most chances to win, the other golfers have the most chances to improve. ‘Let’s play golf and have’ fun is the overriding theme of the National Junior Programme.

The main goals of the National Junior Programme are: t Attract young UAE nationals to the game t Provide the best possible playing facilities for our national players to succeed t Provide the highest quality coaching by qualified staff t Provide the most appropriate competitive programme for each player and to constantly review performance in training and matches t Rules, etiquette and instructional clinics on the game t Golf at a minimal cost t Create an environment to promote and encourage good sportsmanship and friendship among junior golfers t Opportunities to travel and participate in domestic and international tournaments t To build good working relationships with all players, clubs other related parties t To set high standards for integrity, honesty and performance For further information on the National Junior Programme please contact the Federation on: Tel: +971 4 3684988 Fax: +971 4 3684974 Email: info@ugagolf.com

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Membership details are listed on our web site www.katameyadunes.com contact: simon.duffield@katameyadunes.com New Cairo, Egypt

ARABIAN GOLF

EGYPTIAN GOLF FEDERATION SOPHIE ISSA WINS 2011 EGYPTIAN LADIES OPEN AT MIRAGE CITY CLUB SOPHIE Issa began 2011 in fine style by taking the Egyptian ladies Amateur Open at JW Marriot, Mirage City Golf Club. Issa, a member at Katameya Heights, managed two consistent rounds of 83 and 84 for a 167 total in challenging wintry conditions as she recorded a convincing victory over Amina El Halawany, who came in with a 189. Third place in the gross category went to Beth Brown of Katameya Heights. Egyptian Golf Federation’s Gerard Bent announced the results and thanked the

efforts of the host club Mirage City and EGF sponsors Julius Baer Advisory SAE. With Issa taking the overall title it was Suzie Blazer that took the overall net title with a 36-hole total of 153 net with Linda Formas taking second place on 165 and Heba De Maurissens 10 shots further back in third. Conchita Muguiro took the Stableford category with an impressive haul of 68 points which was good enough for a six-point victory over Mar Desala. Rosalie Sheard took third place with 57 points.

Sophie Issa is pictured with the Nefertiti Trophy after winning the Egyptian Ladies Amateur Open.

EGF GRASS ROOTS PROJECT HITS ITS 2010 TARGET LAST year the EGF launched two major new initiatives as part of a longterm plan to develop the sport in the country. A ‘Grass Roots’ programme was set up with the aim of introducing 600 or more people to golf through a number of ‘Try Golf for Free’ promotions. Following 27 promotional days at 10 different clubs a total of 646 people took the opportunity to ‘Try Golf for Free’ during the year. Over 50% of those who tried golf went on to start a series of beginner lessons. A comprehensive structure

SECOND PRO TRAINING DAY CONDUCTED BY EGF THE EGF’s Golf Development Officer, Richard Phillips, conducted a second training day for EPGA professionals at Katameya Heights on Thursday December 30th. The day focussed on how best to teach beginners with particular attention being paid to the correct teaching sequence to be used and the routines that should be followed. The seven EPGA professionals spent the morning in the classroom with Phillips explaining the various theories and concepts. The afternoon saw everyone take to the range to try out what they had learned during the morning. The professionals took turns to teach the group each of the basic skills required to correctly setup and swing the club.

DOCKLAND ANNOUNCED AS OFFICIAL SHIRT SUPPLIER TO THE EGYPTIAN GOLF FEDERATION THE EGF is pleased to announce that Dockland, one of Egypt’s most popular manufacturers and retailer of Quality Clothing, has announced the continuation of its support of the Egyptian Golf Federation and its events for 2011. “It’s a great pleasure to support golf, and to play a part in advancing the game that I enjoy,” said Ismail Seif El Nasr. “We at Dockland feel that golf and the initiatives of the EGF are having a great impact on the local community, and hope that our support will help elevate the growth of the game.”

for junior development was also established. In addition to the formation of the National Junior and Rising Stars squads, EGF also introduced a National Junior Development Programme for juniors aged 7-13. All seven member based clubs in Cairo and Alexandria are now conducting the programme with 107 juniors participating to date. EGF Chairman, Ayman Hussein, said: “We are delighted with the results of these schemes in their first year and we look forward to building on this foundation in 2011.”

HASSAN SAID PERFORMS STRONGLY IN WORLD JUNIOR CHALLENGE EGYPTIAN Junior Team member Hassan Said recently finished 19th in the 14-and-under category in a 54-hole World Junior Challenge in Canada and within his own age category of 13-year-olds he finished in third place in a strong International field. Hassan improved each day as he became familiar with the course and posted rounds of 86, 84 and 81 for a total of 39over-par. Hassan still has one more year to compete in this age category of the World Junior Challenge.

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FAMILYROSS FLAVOUR AT THE TECH ACCESS CHRIS AND CHARLES PARKES SECURE INTERNATIONAL UAEACCESS QUALIFICATION TOPAIRS THE TECH INTERNATIONAL PAIRS UAE NATIONAL as well, Satnam and SandeepFINAL covered the last six ATNAM Kaur and Sandeep Singh

S A

completed several ‘firsts’ for the Tech Access International UAEthe Presented BU Dhabi Golf ClubPairs hosted latest by Cadillac when they won Qualifying Qualifying Event of the the latest Tech Access Event atInternational The Address Montgomerie DubaiRoss last Pairs UAE and Chris month. and Charles Parkes emerged victorious with a Notofonly are they the first all-family pair to claim haul 40 Stableford points. a berth in the UAE National to be at The third of 17 qualifiersFinal during theplayed 2010/11 Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in May, but Satnam season saw the popular series played on a and Sandeep arecourse the first qualifiers European Tour forlady theand firstjunior time as the in the inaugural series. club prepared to host capital’s most famous the famous layout at presented perfect theWith world’s finest players the AbuinDhabi Golf early morning conditions, 64 members took to the Championship. course withtoaim of progressing to theand National Withallvisits Jumeirah Golf Estates Final and representing The Montgomerie against Emirates Golf Club scheduled in February and pairs from every club in the UAE and it was the March, the International Pairs UAE will take in all mother pairingTour whovenues emerged three ofand the son European in victorious the UAE albeit narrowest of margins. but it by wasthe Abu Dhabi Golf Club members who No stranger to the podium, were first offered the chance Satnam to win astarts coveted every event a possible butPairs despite place in theas Tech Accesscontender International UAE combining superbly with Sandeep to record eight National Final in May 2011. netThe birdies andwas a better-ball score ofcondition 42 points,as course in magnificent they neededfora countback to clinch it prepares the impending visitvictory of the from Tour Chris King andand Danscoring Davies. was always going to professionals overin 18the holes and thenStableford on the back nine beTied difficult betterball format.

holes in one less shot to secure a place in the May event and ausual chance on to the International score than in to thisgoformat might prevail. Pairs Finalwas in Scotland. Third place,claimed just one TheirWorld patience rewarded as they point behind on 41, was the pairing of Rajinder top honours by a solitary point from Aboshi Razdan Rashed, although once again Tomoki and andQamar Matsutani Takao, who compiled a arespectable countback 39 waspoints required, this day. time going all for the theThe waywinning to the final holesIan onKelly the card, duothree will join and with Qamar’ s gross birdie – net eagle – on the 16th and Denver Farrell of Arabian Ranches Golf Club proving decisive. Stuart Blay and Stuart Williams from Abu Dhabi Nearest the Pin prizes were awarded to Barb City Golf Club in the National Final, which will McBean and Raymi van der Spek for their efforts be played at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and on holesby 8 and respectively. hosted Park13 Hyatt Dubai. This the and fourth Qualifying event in the Mikewas Revell Rob Ballantyne finished 2010-11 Tech Access International Pairs UAEfrom with 38 points, fending off the challenge Presented by Cadillac and Satnam and Sandeep Hany Abdelnour and Faris Al Azzawi after a card join representatives countback, to take from third Arabian place. Ranches Golf Club, Abu Dhabi City Golf ClubPairs andUAE, Abu Dhabi Tech Access International which Golf Club whose names are already the National is presented by Cadillac, moves to in Dubai Final draw. 8th, when members of The on January International Pairs UAE sponsored by Tech Montgomerie Dubai willishave the opportunity Access, Cadillac, Diamond Developers, Emirates to play in the most exciting amateur event in Healthcare the UAE. Ltd. and partnered by Park Hyatt Dubai, Nike Golf, Sport 360, Worldwide TechDelwood, Access International Pairs UAE is Golf and UAE Golf Online. supported by EHL Management Services, Park

Ross and Parkes combined well and stuck to their task, perhaps aware that a lower

Hyatt Dubai, Delwood, Nike Golf, Worldwide Golf, Sport 360 and UAE Golf Online.

The Address Montgomerie Dubai winners, Satnam Kaur and Sandeep Singh, pictured with Lady Tech Access Captain Jane International Grey. Pairs UAE Abu Dhabi Golf Club Qualifier winners, Chris Ross and Charles Parkes.

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75 83

GOLF SOCIETY NEWS

LEAGUES TAKING SHAPE WITH ONE ROUND REMAINING

EGS 1 and 2 remain at the top of the SAIF – Zone League after the fourth round of fixtures in the SAIFZone Golf Society League. KEGS 1 are still unbeaten with five wins and three ties from their eight matches while KEGS 2 have five wins and five losses. Darjeeling Golf Society are up to fourth while Mott MacDonald 1 and 2 slip to the bottom two places. Gulf Rock overtook the Etihad Pilots in the BMW League and the Dubai ExPutts 1 pulled level alongside the Pilots on 14 points. Dubai ExPutts 2 remain bottom with just five

GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE

points on the board. The Massin Golf Society extend their lead at the top of the WWG league to five points from the FIGME, DUBAL and Filipino Golf Society who share second place on 13 points. The Korean Golf Society are fifth on 10 points with The Lions rock bottom on three points. The Sharjah Golfing Buddies have run away with the SGSC league with seven victories and a solitary loss from their eight matches. They have 21 points and lead comfortably from the Dubai Divots on 13 with the WedgeHogz a point further back.

LEAGUE STANDINGS AFTER

ROUND 4 SAIF  ZONE LEAGUE

PLAYED

WON

LOST

KEGS 1

Massin Golf Society

KEGS 2

FIGME

Indian Golf Society

DUBAL Golf Society

Darjeeling Golf Society

Filipino Golf Society

Mott MacDonald 1

Korean Golf Society

Mott MacDonald 2

The Lions

PLAYED

WON

LOST

PLAYED

WON

LOST

Gulf Rock

Sharjah Golfing Buddies

Etihad Pilots Golf Society

Dubai Divots

Dubai ExPutts 1

WedgeHogz

Halcrow Golf Society

EPC Hole Diggers

TOILers

Lebanese Golf Society

Dubai ExPutts 2

Women’s Golf Middle East

BMW LEAGUE

TIED

POINTS

WORLDWIDE GOLF LEAGUE PLAYED WON

SGSC LEAGUE

LOST

TIED

POINTS

2010/11 SAIF ZONE GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE FIXTURE CALENDAR DATE

EVENT

TIME

FEBRUARY 2011

Sat 12th Sat 26th

BMW & Saif Zone Leagues SGSC & Worldwide Golf Leagues

13.00 shotgun 13.00 shotgun

MARCH 2011

Sat 5th

Quarter Finals

13.00 shotgun

Sat 2nd Sat 16th

Semi Finals Grand Final and 3rd/4th play-off match

13.00 shotgun 13.00 shotgun

APRIL 2011

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7 Years

Celebrating 7 Years ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

7 GREAT GOLF SPECIALS TO CELEBRATE THE 7 YEAR ANNIVERSARY A THREE MONTH LONG CELEBRATION WITH THE BEST GOLF OPPORTUNITIES TO MARK 7 YEARS OF GOLF AT ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB

SUNDAY 2 FOR 1 AT AED 595

Bring your friend or a work colleague every Sunday and play on our magnificent lush fairways and smooth running greens.

MONDAY MADNESS

Avail the coolest promotion at Arabian Ranches Golf Club when golf on Mondays is offered at an amazing 18 hole green fee rate.

EGF Members AR Residents UAE Residents Visitors

AED 250 AED 250 AED 265 AED 340

TUESDAY ALL DAY TWILIGHT

The perfect way to maximize value for money on the golf course. The chance to play as many holes as possible any time on Tuesday.

EGF Members AR Residents UAE Residents Visitors

AED 295 AED 295 AED 315 AED 345

WEDNESDAY 2 FOR 1 AT AED 595

Take advantage of our Wednesday offer with a friend or work colleague and rejuvenate your working week on the golf course.

THURSDAY 4 PLAYER SPECIAL

Get your weekend off to the perfect start with half price golf.

PAR 3 COURSE 2 FOR 1 AT AED 95

Light up your night life and enjoy a game of golf on the floodlit Arabian Ranches Par 3 Academy Course.

FEBRUARY UNLIMITED RANGE BALLS

Enjoy the amazing deal on our Anniversary with an unbeatable value for money on unlimited range balls for only AED 70 per day.

Green fee rate for 2 persons EGF Members AED 595 AR Residents AED 595 UAE Residents AED 615 Visitors AED 645

Green fee rate for 2 persons EGF Members AED 595 AR Residents AED 595 UAE Residents AED 615 Visitors AED 645 Green fee rate for 4 persons EGF Members AED 995 AR Residents AED 995 UAE Residents AED 1,100 Green fee rate for 2 persons EGF/AR Residents AED 95 UAE Residents AED 115 Visitors AED 130 February - Unlimited Range Balls for AED 70 only * Rate exclude access to Par 3 Academy Course.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Rates are inclusive of range balls and cart. All above offers are not valid during public holidays. Not valid in conjunction with any other promotion, group, corporate or hotel/tour operator bookings. Promotions valid from 2nd January - 31st March, 2011.

For reservations or enquiries, please call +971 4 366 3000 or email teetime@arabianranchesgolf.ae www.arabianranchesgolfdubai.com

LOCATION: Emirates Road (311) in the heart of Arabian Ranches. CONTACT: Tel : +971 4 366 3000 Tel : +971 4 366 3355

ARABIAN GOLF

ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB

INFO: Arabian Ranches Golf Club

opened its doors in February, 2004 and was built as a true 18 holes, par 72 desert-style grass course, a signature course designed by Ian Baker-Finch in association with Nicklaus Design. COURSE: Championship Course 7691-yard par 72.

ALBANS KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY GRAHAM (12) and Sheila Alban (16) were crowned Champions in their respective Stableford Divisions at the Toyota Individual Stableford competition last month in what was the final event of the Al Futtaim Motors Order of Merit series. Graham and Sheila played superb golf over the 12-month series and their victories in the final event saw them finish fourth and fifth respectively on the final Order of Merit standings. Graham made 11 gross pars and a gross birdie as he secured a 42-point total for a one-point win

over Matthew Derrick who in turn beat Sandy Crawford on a card countback. In the Ladies Division Sheila returned a card of 38 points to keep the prizes in the Alban family. Sheila had a tough front nine with 16 points but bounced back brilliantly with 22 over the back nine to secure the win by two strokes from Adele McKelvey. In the final Order of Merit ranking Tony and Ksenia Grayling finished at the top with 125 points with Andre Coetzee taking third place.

Club Captain Andy Burrow alongside the Albans and General Manager Elliott Gray.

THE DOUGHERTYS WIN THEIR OWN TOURNAMENT FORTUNA Dougherty turned in a memorable performance to win the inaugural Dougherty Trophy in December which she and husband Tony hosted. Lady Captain Dougherty found herself 10 points behind the leaders when she started her final round but it was clear from the start that this was going to be her day when she opened with eight points over her first three holes. Dougherty posted a final round score of 47 points with an outward half of 25 and inward half of 22 to tie the leaders on 77 and her better final round score insured that she won the inaugural Dougherty Trophy in remarkable fashion. Round one was a fierce contest for position with Kevin Barrett taking the lead on 40 points but he was closely pursued by several players on 39 points including co-host Tony Dougherty. The final round teed off in perfect conditions with the tournament leaders grouped together to battle it out. Each competitor used their handicap index as the tournament handicap allowance which was taken at the appropriate stroke index holes. This allowance was used to calculate the net score in points – a net score of par for two points; net birdie for three points; net eagle for four points and a net bogey is one point. Terry Vaughan took the early clubhouse lead on 75 points after his final round but was shortly overtaken by Ksenia Grayling and Tony Dougherty both posting a total of 77 points. Everyone thought one of these two would take the title and with Grayling’s final round score of 42 she was firm favourite to win but Fortuna’s sensational second day display ensured she took the overall honours. Although she missed out on the overall prize, Grayling was crowned the Ladies Champion with Tony Dougherty taking the men’s prize.

Overall Champion Fortuna Dougherty (far left), Ladies winner Ksenia Grayling, Men’s winner Tony Dougherty and Club Captain Andy Burrow.

CLARK AND HUT CROWNED MEDAL CHAMPIONS PAUL Clark returned a gross 4-over-par 76 to win the January Rivoli Monthly Medal supported by Speed Cleaning and Ecco shoes. Clark was steady from tee to green as he ended the dominance of John Mills and Tony Azoulay in the Monthly Medals. Clark, who was recently selected as a member of the ARGC Scratch league squad, has been in good form and was pleased to be the first to break the stronghold of Mills and Azoulay in the Medal. “I feel great winning my first Medal at ARGC,” said Clark. “It was very important for me to do well and keep my spot in the League Team.” The Division ‘A’ Net title belonged to Bob Fletcher with a net 70, edging out Peter Marler by four shots while in Division ‘B’ Kees Hartzuiker won his first Medal event with a great net score of 64. In the Ladies Division Louise Doyle won the net with a 74 and Catherine Hut won the Ladies Gross title with an 88. “It is good to see so many new faces on the podium winning events,” said Club Captain Andy Burrow. “I also want to thank Rivoli, Speed Cleaning and Ecco for their generous support in one of the Club’s most prestigious events.”

Club Captain Andy Burrow (left centre) is pictured with the day’s winners.

BLANCHARD AND COETZEE FIND TOP GEAR DARYL Blanchard and Andre Coetzee scored a superb net 60 to win the Toyota Betterball of Partners event in what was the penultimate tournament of the Al Futtaim Motors Order of Merit Series. The winners’ card consisted of an outward half of 28 and an inward half of 32 as they sealed a one-stroke win over Pieter Van Wyk and Jason Silve with Tony Dougherty and Peter Wilson one stroke further back.. After starting on hole 5 in the shotgun format their front nine holes included six net birdies and one net eagle on the par-5 third hole. Blanchard and Coetzee continued their steady play on the back nine where they recorded two further net eagles to take the title. In the Ladies/Mixed Division the overall Order of Merit leaders Tony and Ksenia Grayling continued their dominance of team events and took the spoils with a net 60.

Above: Men’s Division winners Daryl Blanchard and Andre Coetzee with Tony and Ksenia Grayling.

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ARABIAN GOLF

JEBEL ALI GOLF RESORT & SPA

LOCATION: The resort course is situated within the idyllic grounds of Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, approximately 40 minutes away from Dubai city centre, exit 13 on Sheikh Zayed highway.

INFO: First opened 1997.

CONTACT: Tel : +971 4 8836000

DESIGNER: Peter Harradine.

COURSE: Championship standard 9 hole course – par 36.

AED 25,900 DONATED TO THE DUBAI AUTISM CENTER AFTER CHARITY GOLF DAY THE Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa presented a cheque of AED 25,900 to the Dubai Autism Center after a various competitions, raffles and donations were taken during a Charity Amateur Golf Tournament which took place at the resort last month. Mohammad Al Emadi, Director General of Dubai Autism Center said: “We at Dubai Autism Center would like to thank the hotel, club management, and the organisers for holding the event and for all their support and we are looking forward to working together again in the future.” David Thompson, Regional General Manager of Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa said: “We were glad to be part of this event as we would like to work closely with the community and support good causes such as the Dubai Autism Center.” The event was the first part of five qualifying tournaments for the grand final which will take place in early April this year. The other four clubs that will hold qualifying rounds are The Els Club, Arabian Ranches Golf Club, The Address Montgomerie Dubai and Emirates Golf Club. Three top teams from each club will compete in the grand final for the honour of being crowned the Champions of Charity for Dubai Autism Center. For enquires on the dates and to register for the qualifying tournaments please contact the aforementioned clubs directly. “We are very happy with the result of the tournament at Jebel Ali and we hope that all the other participating clubs will generate the same amount of interest from the players and we will be able to raise

Pictured left to right: James Williams, Director of Golf at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, Sara Baker, Community Service Unit Head of the Dubai Autism Center, Mohammed Al Emadi, Director General of the Dubai Autism Center, David Thompson, Regional General Manager Jebel Ali Hotels, Frederik Reinisch, General Manager at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa and Event Organiser Anna Gorski. more funds for Dubai Autism Center,” said Anna Gorski, the Event’s Organiser. The three teams that qualified for the final from Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa are: 1st – Gavin Knowles, Steve Huber, Shayne Gee and Derek Lynch 2nd – Alan Drysdale, Geoff Jarvis, Duncan Watson and Richard Turner 3rd – Dylan Fjellstrom, Niklas Wiktrom, Niklas Blomqvist and Filip Karlsson

DUBAI SCHOOLS GOLF LEAGUE TAKES FLIGHT Members of the Dubai American Academy and Dubai College teams with James Williams (l) of Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa.

DUBAI American Academy produced a great team performance to win the first event of the Dubai Schools Golf League when they defeated Dubai College at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa. With each member of the team making a useful contribution to the total, Dubai American Academy carded a superb 164 points to take the honours, just five points ahead of their equally impressive opponents. Chris Fransson (47 points), Diya Chopra (42), Katy Rutherford (36) and Sanjit Chakravarty (39) played some solid tee-to-green golf for the winners while Daniel Hendry (38), Conor Seabrook (45), Henry Turpie (38) and Rahul Dungarwal (38) excelled for Dubai College. Rahul Dungarwal won the best individual prize for Dubai College on a

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countback with 38 points while Katy Rutherford scored the best individual for the Dubai American Academy. Organised by Diya Chopra, the first tournament of the league could well be the springboard for a major inter-school tournament which the young golfing enthusiast plans to start this year. “There is no dearth of enthusiasm for golf among juniors, thanks to Emirates Golf Federation’s Junior Development Programme, but we also need an interschool tournament to create more playing opportunities for these youngsters,” said Chopra. “Golf is the only sport that I know where players of different age groups and levels can play together and there is this sense of camaraderie on the course. That is exactly what happened in our first tournament. There were two girls and six boys, aged between 11 and 17 with handicaps ranging from plus 3 (held by Dubai’s best junior golfer Daniel Hendry) to a 20. “The tournament would not have been possible without the support of Chris Vallender (EGF), Tariq Baker of the Dutco Group, James Williams (Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa), Stuart McMurdo (Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa) and Jodi O’Reilly (athletic director of Dubai American Academy).” Chopra is planning to have three more tournaments by April 2011. Interested schools who have a team of at least four players with valid handicaps (boys maximum 28 and girls maximum 36) may contact her by email: diyachops@hotmail.com

LOCATION: Deira, opposite Deira City Centre.

ARABIAN GOLF

CONTACT: Tel : + 9714 295 6000 dcgyc@dubaigolf.com Book online tee times at www.dubaigolf.com

DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB NET 63 SEALS BRAR’S MAIDEN WIN AT CREEK JOSEPH Andrade was welcomed as the new Club Captain at the January Medal and began his tenure with a huge drive, 228 yards down the left hand side of the fairway. With the Captain’s Drive-In complete it was down to business and Juggie Brar won with a superb net 63 for a clear six-stroke victory. Brar, who has taken up the offer of dual membership across Dubai Golf, was playing in his first medal at the Creek and kicked off the New Year in style. Runner-up in the Men’s Division ‘B’ with a net 69 was Arshad Waheed. In Division ‘A’, a countback was required to separate John Thomas and Patrick Morrow after net 71s and it was the former who prevailed to take the honours. Serifa D’Souza triumphed in the ladies division with a net 68 for a four-stroke win over Ashaka Desai. The lowest gross score on the day was a 3-over-par 74 shot by Charlie Stephenson.

INFO: First Open 1993, redesigned in 2005. Course: 18 holes, Par 71, 6,857 yards, Championship course. Original Designer: Karl Litten. Redesign: European Golf Design in association with Thomas Björn.

Overall winner Juggie Brar receiving his BMW trophy from DCGYC Captain Joseph Andrade

MARK RAVEN WINS DUBAI CREEK MEN’S OPEN

Club Captain Joseph Andrade presents Mark Raven with the trophy.

MARK Raven won the Men’s Amateur Open at last month after putting together two excellent rounds of golf. The talented 27-year-old, who is a full-time player on the world amateur circuit with a handicap of +2, scored 67 and 73 for a 2-under-par 140 total to win by five shots. Raven’s first round 4-under-par 67 opened up a sizeable lead that was never challenged by the chasing pack on the last day’s play and it was Sebastian Heisele who ended up second with a 3-over-par 145 total after rounds of 76 and 69. Finishing in third place was home-club favourite Miki Mirza with a total of gross 149 (73 and 76). With his win, Raven was invited by Omega to take part in the Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am this month. “It has been a fantastic world class event. Thank you to the prestigious brand of Omega for sponsoring the event,” he said. “The course was in perfect condition, especially the greens so thanks also to Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club for hosting the event and to all the team at the golf club.” Michael Harradine finished in fourth place with 72 and 78 for a 150 total while in fifth place by virtue of a better last 18 holes with a total of gross 151 (76 and 75) was Dino Varkey (DCGYC). Michael Talbot (EGF) won the overall net prize with two scores of net 69 and 78 for a 147 total to pip Dhruv Chopra (DCGYC) to the title by three strokes (79 and 71) while third place went to Neil Cooper (UK) who lost out after a countback.

FADLU-DEEN AND STANTON TAKE THE HONOURS IN CARPETLAND CLASSIC TEEJAN Fadlu-Deen and Allan Stanton took the honours at the Carpetland Monthly Open in late December after carding nines of 21 and 20 for a better ball Stableford total of 41 points and a countback victory over Adhip Shanker and Arshad Waheed. The duo in the runner-up spot only managed 18 points over their last nine holes compared to their counterpart’s 20 and had to settle for second place. In third place alone with 40 points were Matt Henderics and Randeep Singh. All top three pairs will now be invited back to compete at the grand final held in May with now only four more qualifying events left. Shanker won nearest the pin on the14th hole with a sweetly struck iron shot to 12 inches while Shahin Khodjasteh won the longest drive for the day on the 10th hole. Shahriar Khodjasteh, Group Marketing Director of Al Aqili Furnishings said: “It was great to be back at the club for a game and the course is in awesome shape so a big thank you to Rob and his team and the Creek for their usual support. We have launched our charity initiative and so for every player that plays we will donate DHS 100 to The Friends of Cancer Patients Charity and

Shahriar Khodjasteh, Group Marketing Director for Al Aqili Furnishings and David Gray, Golf Services Manager at Dubai Creek presents Teejan Fadlu-Deen and Allan Stanton with their trophies. my father Mansour will contribute to double the total amount raised each month. “It is for a very worthwhile cause and we look forward to the event getting bigger and better so we can raise the maximum funds possible. Thank you all for your support and we look forward to a great 2011.”

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LOCATION: Off Emirates Road (direction Sharjah), after the Green Community roundabout, exit on the right side.

ARABIAN GOLF

CONTACT: Tel: +971 4 390 3333 Fax: +971 4 367 9584 www.jumeirahgolfestates.com/golf/

JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES CONNIE SAYAL DOUBLES UP IN DECEMBER

BORGHESI TAKES THE JANUARY MEDAL THE first Medal of 2010 saw a strong field challenge for the titles in blustery conditions out on the Earth Course and in the Net Division Paolo Borghesi led the way with a solid score of 75. Borghesi returned two very consistent nines of 47 and 48 in the tough wind and after the deduction of his 20 handicap he duly took home the winner’s trophy. Damien Morgan finished four shots back as the net runner-up with a 79 while claiming the final place on the net winner’s podium was Brain Kenny with a net score of 80 following a card countback win over Duncan Smith. Caroline Jones raced to the top of the Gross leaderboard with a score of 88. Jones shot a steady front nine of 43 and then came home in 45 to seal the victory. In the special events Jones claimed the Longest Drive on hole 9 hole with a thunderous tee shot while Eniy Allan made it an allladies affair by claiming the Nearest to the Pin award on the tricky par-3, 13th hole.

CONNIE Sayal was crowned the Jumeirah Golf Estates “Champion of Champions” in December as she took home the honours in the Monthly Medal Winners Final on the Earth Course with a net 71. The win capped a memorable month for Sayal as she only earned her place in the Winners Final by winning the December Medal with the same score.

Connie Sayal receives her trophy from Director of Golf Neal Graham.

THE ADDRESS MONTGOMERIE DUBAI NEW MEMBERS STEAL THE SHOW THE latest edition of the ECCO Monthly Medal saw new club members Russell Yeomans and Joon Eu both come away victorious. Yeomans took home the men’s gross division with a 75 while Eu won the men’s net Division ‘A’ with a net 69. Paul Jenkins beat Keith Hutcheson by two shots to win the men’s ‘B’ Division with a net 69 and in the Ladies category Angela Calvert captured the gross title by five shots with Ann Clarke taking the net Division by a countback from Julie Yoon. Nearest to the Pin winners were Sam Argui and Mark Watson while Angela Calvert and Russell Yeomans won the Longest Drive.

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INFO: The first two of four courses – Fire and Earth – opened for play on December 1st 2009. Greg Norman designed both courses with Earth playing host to The European Tour’s final tournament on The Race to Dubai – The Dubai World Championship.

LOCATION: Just off the 5th Interchange of Sheik Zayed Road towards Emirates Hills. Follow signs for Emirates Hills and then follow signs for The Address Montgomerie, Dubai. CONTACT: Tel: +9714 390 5600 Fax: +9714 360 8981

COURSE: 18 hole Championship; 7,308 yard par 75 from the Black Pearl tees; 6,753 yard par 72 from the Sapphire tees; 6,172 yard par 69 from the Emerald tees; 5,401 yard par 71 from the Ruby tee 9-hole Academy Course.

INFO: Opened October 2002

DESIGNER: Colin Montgomerie

JONES GETS IT DONE IN FIRST STABLEFORD OF 2011 SEAN Jones defeated Adam Done by one stroke in Division ‘B’ of the first BMW Stableford competition of the new year after compiling an excellent total of 42 points. Rajinder Razdan won the men’s Division ‘A’ by one point over Stephen Steyn while in the Ladies Division ‘A’ the top two players had an excellent score of 36 points but Kerry Fitzpatrick beat Ok Young Cho on countback to take the title. Nearest to the Pin winners were John Ewing and Debbie Murray while Keith Stacey and Rita Walker smashed the Longest Drives.

CLOSE CALLS IN RIVOLI CITIZEN GUEST DAY IN the recently held Rivoli Citizen Guest Day all of the divisions were very closely contested and in the gross division the top two teams both scored an excellent 65. The duo of Russell and James Yeomans prevailed as they beat Paul Pitman and Eric Koeman on countback for the title. In the net Division ‘A’ Rajinder Razan and Qamar Rasheed took the title by just 0.25 with a 61 after John and Bebbie Murray came in with a 61.25. In Division ‘B’ Tariq Chaudery and Zahid Noorani shot a net 62.25 to win by one point over Sam Argui and Alan Salem. Nearest to The Pins were won by Alex Andrakis

and Angela Calvert while James Yeomans and Rita Walker took the Longest Drives honours.

LOCATION: Dubai Festival City - Al Badia – Dubai

COURSE: Par 72 Championship Course with four teeing options.

CONTACT: Tel: +971 (0) 4 601 0101 Fax: +971 (0) 4 601 0102, Email: albadiagolf@ichdfc.ae

AL BADIA GOLF CLUB

FAWAZ AND JHANG REIGN SUPREME IT was a perfect start for Dr. Nawaf Fawaz and M.S. Jhang as they hit the top spot in January’s Officeland Monthly Open with a superb haul of 50 Stableford points for an eight-point victory. Matt Hedrics and Philip Westpal took second place on 42 points while David Chapman and Mark Holmans had to settle for third after losing a card countback. Pascale Faye proved her driving is improving as she took home the Longest Drive prize while Haydn Parker took the Nearest to the Pin on hole 4.

Cahal Altman is pictured with the winners MS Jhang and Dr. Nawaf Fawaz.

A PERFECT NEW YEAR TEE OFF FOR GROVES

LEAVENGOOD STEALS THE SHOW IN JANUARY STABLEFORD

MIKE Groves shot a superb net 70 to get 2011 off to a victorious start as he pipped David Moore to the top spot by three shots in the January Medal. Iain Milligan and Mathew Thompson settled for third and fourth place respectively after both scoring a net 74 with the former winning a card countback to take the last place on the podium. Mark Holmans carded a 78 to take home the gross prize on the day.

FAVOURABLE weather provided a favorable setting for players in the monthly Stableford competition on January 15th and Steven Leavengood took full advantage with a superb total of 38 points to take the overall prize. Both Divisions ‘A’ and ‘B’ were well represented and it was Mike Groves who emerged as the winner of Division ‘A’ with 37 points, one point ahead of Khalid Mubara while Devan Ramasamy took the spoils in Division ‘B’ with a four-point win over Adam Gray after scoring 38 points. The on course competition winners were Mike Smith who hit the Straightest Drive while Mark Holmans launched the Longest Drive. Nearest the pin winners were Madhu Pillai and Fida Mookmanji.

SHARJAH GOLF & SHOOTING CLUB FUN FORMATS AT BMW MEMBERS AND GUEST SOCIAL THE ever-popular BMW Members & Guest Social was played recently and the competition was split into two different formats over the 18 holes. Playing a Texas Scramble for the front nine the pairing of Bob Comb and Peter Newman returned the best score of 34.8 to win by a single shot. The back nine format was a Betterball Medal which was won by husband and wife pairing Golden Kim and Normita Demesa with a net score off 33 as six pars and three net birdies sealed their second victory in the space of as many months. The longest drive was won by Bob Comb while Alistdair Silverwright won the nearest the pin prize.

LOCATION: 2km from Tasjeel Auto Village behind Emirates Road. A five minute drive from University City.

INFO: A 9-hole fully floodlit course designed by Peter Harradine. Played twice results in a par-72 layout in excess of 7,300 yards.

CONTACT: Tel: +971 6 548 7777 info@golfandshootingshj.com

ANDREWS WINS AFTER COUNTBACK THE December edition of the Coral Hotels & Resorts Midweek Madness was played over nine holes off the white tees, the day’s format was a par bogey tournament and it was Tony Andrews who took the honours after defeating the course by two shots. Sue Bargh (29) was also finished with the same score as Andrews after three net birdies but a bogey on hole 8 halted her from winning her first Midweek Madness title. Third place was sealed by George Liu (3) after he beat the course by one stroke.

Left to right: Alistdair Silveright, Golden Kim, Normita Demesa, Bob Comb and Peter Newman pose with their priizes.

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AL AIN EQUESTRIAN,SHOOTING & GOLF CLUB

LADIES GOLF OPEN 2011

FRIDAY 18TH AND SATURDAY 19TH FEBRUARY TOURNAMENT FORMAT ● 36 hole Individual Aggregate Stroke Play ● Open to Amateur Ladies with a valid handicap certificate ● A valid handicap certificate must be presented prior to the first round of the tournament ● The R & A rules of golf apply along with the local rules of the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club ● All competitors will play from the AESGC Ladies Tees

ENTRY FEE AESGC Gold Member 250 AED AESGC Silver Member 300 AED EGF 400 AED Visitor 450 AED Junior (under 16) 250 AED ENTRY FEE INCLUDES

Two rounds of golf, shared golf cart, range balls, gift pack and prizes, Day 1 lunch, Day 2 prize presentation lunch.

● In event of a tie for Overall Gross a play-off will be used on hole 18, all other ties will be decided with a countback Prizes awarded to: ● Overall Gross Winner, runner up and third place ● Overall Net Winner, runner up and third place ● Division ‘A’ and ‘B’ Net Winners ● Daily Special Events

Hilton Al Ain Special offer 450 AED ++

for Double Room including Breakfast. If any players would like to receive more information on the Hilton Special offer then please indicate on the form below.

TO REGISTER Please return the Entry Form below to AESGC Reception, or Email to golf@palmsportsresort.com Closing date for the event will be Thursday 10th February, players will be notified of their participation after the closing date.

Full Name __________________________________________ _______ Handicap ___ ___ Home Club _______________________________________________ Email Address __________________________________ Telephone ______________________ Shirt Size: ■ Small ■ Medium ■ Large ■ X Large Please charge my ■ Visa ■ Mastercard ■ Diners Club ■ Other ________________ Credit Card Number ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Expiry ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ AESGC Gold Member ■ AESGC Silver Member ■ EGF Visitor ■ Junior ■ I would like information on the Hotel offer ■ I do not require any information Signature _____________________________

ARABIAN GOLF

LOCATION: Al Ain PO Box 1471 United Arab Emirates

AL AIN EQUESTRIAN, SHOOTING & GOLF CLUB

CONTACT: Tel : +971 3 7026400 Fax: +971 3 7683331 golf@palmsportsresort.com

INFO: The Championship Golf Course offers a picturesque and challenging experience for all golfers. The professionally designed par 71 course measures 6612 yards from the black tees and 6129 from the blue tees.

Left: The UAE Team of Faris Al Mazroe, Khalid Yousuf, Saif Thabet and Nabil Sharif pose alongside Bradley Dredge after winning the International Cup.

Right: Junior winners Philipp Urasch and Katy Rutherford receive their trophies from Bradley Dredge.

Left: Chris Potgieter Henrich Van Neikerk and Mark Beling of the South African team collect their prize from Bradley Dredge.

Below: European Tour pro Bradley Dredge passes on some useful tips during his 45-minute clinic.

Right: The winning ProAm team of Bradley Dredge, Lindsay Brown, Lex Cassiere and Scott Cotter pose with their prizes.

TOUR STAR BRADLEY DREDGE PUTS ON A MEMORABLE WEEKEND GOLFERS from all around the UAE enjoyed an action-packed three days at Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club last month which solidified the club as the fastest growing resort of its kind in the country. The event was held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council and Chairman of Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club and almost 250 golfers including boys, girls, professionals and amateurs took part. The first event of the weekend was the International Cup, held on Friday, which was a four-man team event consisting of four players of the same nationality. The UAE team represented by Faris Al Mazroe, Khalid Yousuf, Saif Thabet and Nabil Sharif emerged as winners in the ‘Scratch Cup’ whilst the South Africa team, led by Chris Potgieter with Henrich Van Neikerk, Mark Beling and Andre Du

Toit Heyns captured the ‘Handicap Cup’. Kids aged 9 to 18 participated in what was to be the first ever order of merit Junior Open at the club and the day began with a clinic held by European Tour star Bradley Dredge. The Welshman hit balls for 45 minutes and was kind enough to answer any questions the kids had to ask. A total of 31 youngsters took part in the competition and Philipp Urasch was crowned champion with a 1-over-par 72 in the blustery conditions. Daniel Hendry of Emirates Golf Club settled for second place with a 75 while the best performance by a home player came from 16year-old Jim Muirhead Jnr. as he posted a superb net 67 to win the Boys Net. Katy Rutherford produced her best ever score of 74 to take the Girls Gross prize on the day with Boushra Daille emerging as the Girls Net winner. Directly after the completion of the junior open came the Challenge match where Dredge

teamed up with Ladies European Tour player Elisabeth Esterl and they pitted their wits against European Tour pro Peter Whiteford and the UAE’s best PGA professional Simon Payne. After an intriguing duel Bradley and Elisabeth proved too hot for the all-male pair to handle as they prevailed on the 17th hole The weekend’s events climaxed of Sunday in the Pro-Am competition. 76 players teed off at 10:30 all chasing the winner’s trophy. Fittingly Dredge won the title alongside his team of Lindsay Brown, Lex Cassiere and Scott Cotter while Peter Whiteford, Sharon Hall, Saleh Al Ameri and Aziz Azeem bagged second place. The team of Malcolm Young, Andrew Burrow, Andrew Scanlan and Colin Graham came in the third. At the end of the tournament, Dredge was kind enough to distribute the prizes and wrap up a historical weekend for the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club.

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LOCATION: Situated on Yas Island, Yas Links Abu Dhabi features an 18-hole course, a 9-hole academy course, golf academy and floodlit practice facilities which

ARABIAN GOLF

YAS LINKS ABU DHABI

are all set against dramatic views of the Arabian Gulf. CONTACT: Tel: +9712 810 7777 www.yaslinks.com

KAYMER HEADS FOR YAS LINKS DAY AFTER CLINCHING ABU DHABI TITLE FOR A RECORD THIRD TIME THE reputation of Yas Links Abu Dhabi www.yaslinks.com has been further reinforced after it played host to new World No. 2, Martin Kaymer, the day after he won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship for a record third time in four years. The 26-year-old German spent the day at the region’s only links course, designed by renowned American architect, Kyle Phillips – to play centre-stage in a new Hugo Boss clothing photo shoot. Kaymer, the current USPGA champion and winner of last season’s European Tour Race to Dubai, will play the Qatar Masters on February 3, 2011, after which he will join a star-studded field, including Tiger Woods and World No. 1 Lee Westwood, at the Dubai Desert Classic on February 7, 2011. For Chris White, General Manager of Aldar Golf, developers of Yas Links, hosting the new World No. 2 is testament to the pedigree of the course. He said: “Since the opening of Yas Links, we have hosted some of the world’s top players, including World No. 1 Lee Westwood, reigning US Open Champion, Graeme McDowell, two-

time World Golf Championship winner, Darren Clarke, and of course the new World No. 2 Martin Kaymer, to name a few. “The interest and attraction of Yas Links and what it has to offer is forever growing, with more and more people – from golf fans, avid players and professionals to international athletes and celebrities – wanting to visit the Middle East’s first links course.”

World No. 2 Martin Kaymer holding the US PGA Trophy outside the luxurious Yas Links Abu Dhabi clubhouse.

AL GHAZAL GOLF CLUB JANUARY MONTHLY MUG SAYS FAREWELL TO DENNIS THE first medal of the year at the Al Ghazal Golf Club was a special event celebrated by a full complement of members as the popular player Dennis Cox prepared to leave Abu Dhabi for home in the USA. As part of the farewell celebrations Dennis, who is currently compiling a history of Sand Golf in Abu Dhabi and has become quite an authority on the subject, wanted to sponsor the January Monthly Medal, and in the traditional sand course roots of the Abu Dhabi Golf Club he renamed the medal as the Monthly Mug. The overall winners on the day were presented with engraved Selangor Pewter mugs and Rene Valencia was delighted to receive his as he scored a 1-over-par 72 to top Division

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‘A’ by one stroke from Emile Snyman. The Division ‘B’ winner was Rob Brown with a 69, six shots clear of Bob Malone while in Division ‘C’ Abdulrahman Laggtti defeated Adda Haouara on a countback after both shot 70. Winner of the Ladies Division with an impressive score of net 67 was Li Rhodes followed by runner-up Ming Brown on 71. Captain Juma Mussa thanked Dennis for his generosity and wished him, on behalf of the whole membership, Bon Voyage.

Dennis Cox is pictured with Captains Juma Mussa and Pauline Jeynes.

YAS LINKS CHRISTMAS EVE PAIRS SCRAMBLE THE festive season definitely brought out the golfers for the Yas Links Christmas Eve Pairs Scramble as the biggest field of the year produced some good golf on the links. In third place were the mother and son partnership of Ronan and Sharon Hall with a score of 70.6. Second place was snapped up by Brian McClure with guest Sean Davidson who posted a score of 69.8. Congratulations to the winners, Philip Dundas and Jee Hye Kim, who were delighted to be crowned champions with a score of 68.2.

LOCATION: Just 400 metres from Abu Dhabi Airport by road CONTACT: Tel : + 971 2 5758040 Fax: +971 2 5758041

CLUBHOUSE BAR Tel: +971 2 5758044 ACADEMY DIRECT Tel: +971 2 5758185 www.alghazalgolf.ae Email: golfclub@adhc.adac.ae

CONTACT: Tel: +971 2 445 9600 Fax: +971 2 443 32 25 office@adcitygolf.ae

ARABIAN GOLF

ABU DHABI CITY GOLF CLUB

INFO: The 27 hole championship course, managed Located in the Al Mushrif area, in the heart of the city, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club is a 9-hole golf course that offers a challenging game to beginners and experienced players alike.

MOMENTUM CONTINUES IN ROUND 4 OF THE ROTANA JUNIOR LEAGUE ROUND four of the 2010/11 Beach Rotana Junior Golf League took place last month and once again a huge turnout of juniors took part as 103 aspiring champions, ranging from 4-to-16 years of age, teed it up. The 10-hole Boys’ Event was won by Charles Cain who shot a very steady total of 12 Stableford points while the Girls’ 10-hole event saw Chanita Yensabi shoot a rock solid 14 points to edge Louise Edgely into the runner-up spot by two points. The hugely competitive 3-hole event was won by Timothee Labau with a great score of 14 and he narrowly took the title from Sabah Harari after a card countback. Amna Hussein won the Girls’ 3-hole event with a score of 16. Felix Chipchase took home the Boys Trophy with 13 shots while Carissa Browning won the Girls Event with a score of 15 Shots in the ‘nippers’ 2-hole event. The ‘Most Improved’ trophies went to Lean Fluery and Alex Karkaby. Layal Bou Habib, Assistant Director of Marketing and

Communications of Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi, handed out the crystal trophies to the lucky winners at the Prize Ceremony.

TWO-TIERED DRIVING RANGE UNVEILED BY SHEIKH MANSOUR

ABU DHABI City Golf Club have taken things to the next level, by introducing a two-tiered Driving Range – the first of its kind – to the UAE and it was officially unveiled by H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Presidential Affairs. Touring the Academy, Sheikh Mansour said the facility represented an important addition to the sports scene in Abu Dhabi. The opening ceremony was also attended by Ahmed Mohammed Al Hemairi, Secretary General of the Presidential Affairs Ministry & ADCGC Chairman and other officials. The Academy, managed by PGA Professionals, includes the driving range, a chipping and putting area, golf club repair facility and a social coffee shop. The Swing Studio boasts personalised computer-aided, state-of-the-art equipment. “It is important to differentiate ourselves and cater to our customers the best way”,

said CEO, Shehab Al Hashemi. “Having the first of its kind makes me very proud and it is an important addition to our continuously improving product. We have a gem in the middle of Abu Dhabi. We pride ourselves to welcome the people of Abu Dhabi. It is fantastic.” Club Manager at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club, Rhian Lobo, said: “Every city needs one. Over the past year, the UAE’s first two-tiered Driving Range was constructed. A facility, that will allow experienced golfers to fine-tune their game and novices to give the game a go. “Much in line with our tagline ‘The People’s Golf Course’, we have opened the academy to become the People’s Academy, appealing to the community of Abu Dhabi, thus growing the game of golf. Many golfers started their journey through golf via a driving range. “We wish to introduce more people to the great game of golf. Having fun on the driving range is the first step toward learning a game for life! Our seasoned golfers can enjoy hitting off the latest technology in astro turf as well as saving a database of their golf lessons on their smart phone or computer.” Head Professional Steve Johns, who has run the Abu Dhabi City Golf Academy for three years, said he was “delighted” with the fundamental upgrade to the facility and the positive impact on people’s practicing environment.

EDWARDS SEALS SEVENTH VOLVO EVENT DAVID Edwards produced a sensational back nine score of 23 Stableford points for a 39-point total to win the seventh Qualifying Event for the Volvo Order of Merit Grand Final. Edwards edged out Doug Fraser by two points to take the honours and one of the 40 spots available in the Grand Final field while Zillay Ahmed (36), George Robinson (35) and Uwe Neindstedt (35) claimed third, fourth and fifth spots respectively. The Grand Final will take place on February 18 and it promises to be a lavish and hugely competitive event, one which Volvo, ADCGC and all of the qualifiers are eagerly anticipating.

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ARABIAN GOLF

STELLA DI MARE

CONTACT: TEL: +2062 3250 300 Email: golfoffice@stelladimare.com Web: www.stelladimaregolf.com

INFO: Located in Ain Soukhna near the Red Sea only 100 km from Cairo. COURSE: The course was designed by the famous architect Karl Litten. The 18-hole par 72 championship links course measures 6,550 metres from the professional tees.

EL ASSER LIFTS STARFISH TROPHY A FULL field of 72 players graced the links of Stella Di Mare for their second Annual Men’s Open ‘Starfish Trophy’ held On Friday 14th and Saturday 15th January and over the two days of testing conditions, Soliman El Asser prevailed as the 2011 Champion. An impressive first day score of 3-underpar 69 from El Asser ensured a commanding position at the top of the leaderboard and he was followed by Mamdouh Sheikh who fired an opening 1-under-par 71 to remain within touching distance for the start of the second day’s play. The dual for the title turned into a two horse race although impressive performances of note from Mike Adly (80-73 for a 153 total) and Taymour Scarello (76-77 for a 153 total) did keep the two leaders on their toes. As day two progressed the contest was becoming an ever closer affair and both Sheikh and El Asser often changed places at the top of the leaderboard on the back nine. It was El Asser who prevailed with two late birdies on holes 15 and 16 to edge in front and he managed to sustain this two-shot advantage on to the 18th where a steady par secured victory. It is now El Asser’s second victory on the EGF schedule and he cements his place at the top of the Order of Merit. In his victory speech, El Asser praised the organisers for the excellent golf course condition and

tournament organisation plus the superb service and quality within the Hotel. The net prize was awarded to junior golfer Karl Marco who made the long journey from Alexandria to compete and was justly awarded. The popular youngster, who had a lot of support from fellow Alexandria players that also made the journey, shot net rounds of 70 and 68 to edge out fellow junior Saphir Gohar by two shots. Stella Di Mare thanked the sponsors ‘Egyptian Golf Federation’ as well as Zaki Khaled and Hana for their support with fantastic ‘Recife’ products given to all prizewinners. The management of Stella Di Mare also extended its gratitude to all the players for their support and participation. Top Five Gross Scores Soliman El Asser (Gezira GC) 69 + 76 = 145 Mamdouh El Sheikh (Alexandria Sporting Club) 71 + 76 = 147 Mike Adly (Katameya Heights GC) 80 + 73 = 153 Taymour Scarello (Katameya Heights GC) 76 + 77 = 153 Abdelmonem El Shafei (Gezira GC) 76 + 78 = 154 Top Five Net Scores Karl Marco (Alexandria Sporting Club) 88-18=70 + 86-18=68 – 138 Net Saphir Gohar (Katameya Heights GC) 81-15=66 + 89-15=74 – 140 Net Flaviano Fogliata (Stella Di Mare GC) 102-28=74 + 95-28=67 – 141 Net Shams Rafaat (Golf City GC) 83-14=69 + 86-14=72 –141 Net Tarek El Amin (Gezira GC) 96-25=71 + 96-25=71 –142 Net

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107 89

ARABIAN GOLF

KATAMEYA HEIGHTS GOLF & TENNIS CLUB JOHN AND CALLUM MORRISON TEAM UP FOR VICTORY THE father and son combination of John and Callum Morrison proved to be a strong one as they secured victory in the second event of the Parent & Child Golf Series with a haul of 21 Stableford points. The second event was played over the new 9-hole course in a greensomes Stableford format and the Morrisons prevailed by one point from Taymour and Nasly Scarello who in turn defeated Sherif and Soliman Naguib after a countback. After the scores were counted Nasly Scarello extended her lead in the Parent & Child Order of Merit and with only two events remaining the race is ongoing for the coveted Parent & Child Player of the Year title.

KATAMEYA LADIES TEAM WIN THE OPENING TWO INTERCLUB EVENTS UNDER the guidance of Nadia Ziwar, the Katameya Heights Ladies team have started the Ladies Interclub Series with two victories in the opening two fixtures to create a commanding lead. The first round took place on home soil and the Katameya ladies hammered home their advantage to win with a 132 point Stableford total to take the maximum 10 points. The second round was hosted by Dreamland and the Katameya team continued their hot form with another commanding win for another 10-point haul. Katameya sit at the top of the pile with 20 points with close rivals Mirage and Gezira sharing second place.

ROYAL GOLF CLUB BAHRAIN MAJIDI AND ZAMANLY WIN THE OPENING BMMI SHOPS COMPETITION BMMI Shops have stepped in as the title sponsor of the highly popular Royal Golf Club Monday Madness night golf series for the first quarter of 2011 and club members Bijan Majidi and Murtuz Zamanly were victorious in the first competition of the series with 21 points – which puts them at the top of the leaderboard with five points. The husband and wife pairing of Jeff and Val Wright finished runner-up after losing a card countback while Martyn Wright and Rajinder Sachdeva were a very close third with 20 points. The Nearest the Pin contests were won by Jake Core and David Wales on holes 12 and 16 respectively.

Alasdair Dick, BMMI Beer and Wine Manager with week one winners Murtuz Zamanly and Bijan Majidi.

FAMILY DAY ON THE WEE MONTY EVERY Saturday is Family Day on the nine-hole par-3 Wee Monty golf course between 10.00am and midday. It is the perfect opportunity to try something new with the whole family – no pressure, just fresh air, light exercise and most importantly, fun. Only BD15 per adult including hire clubs and kids play for free.

LOCATION: Just 20 minutes away from Cairo’s International Airport and conveniently located between Cairo’s elite districts of Heliopolis and Maadi.

CONTACT: Tel: 00202 27580512 to 17 (6 Lines) Fax: 00202 2758 0506 Email: enquiries@ katameyaheights.com Website: www.katameyaheights.com

O’KANE CLINCHES DECEMBER MEDAL A FIELD of close to 90 teed it up in December’s Medal and it was Bernard O’Kane who took the spoils in Division ‘A’ with a countback victory over Wael EL Bahey after scoring a net 70 off his handicap of 10. Division ‘B’ was also settled by a countback with Shaer El Shafei defeating Paolo Scotti, after they both shot a net 68, with Jim Brown taking third place a shot further back. Division ‘C’ was won by Omar El Geddawy who returned a net 68 and beat William Foda by two strokes while Abdel Aziz Said came third with a 71. Taymour Abou El Kheir shot the best gross on the day with a 73.

LOCATION: Situated just 20 minutes drive from Bahrain’s capital, Manama, the Royal Golf Club boasts the country’s only 18hole grass golf course which

forms the stunning centrepiece of Riffa Views, a residential lifestyle community. CONTACT: Tel: +973 17 750777

VOLVO GOLF CHAMPIONS TAKES ROOT IN BAHRAIN THE inaugural Volvo Golf champions firmly took root on the Montgomerie Course at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain as the course designer planted a ceremonial tree behind the first tee prior to The European Tour’s newest event. European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie sowed the seeds of success for the €1.7million Volvo Golf Champions as he planted a palm tree to oversee the first tee at the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain. “It’s a great addition to our Middle East Swing,” said Montgomerie ahead of teeing it up. “It’s a great honour to return to play a venue that has been designed by myself.” Meanwhile Padraig Harrington was among the European Ryder Cup stars

on course test-driving their Captain’s creation in cool conditions in Bahrain. “Obviously, it’s an entirely new golf course, everybody is going to play it,” said the Irishman. “Nobody has got an advantage – we are all new to it. It’s a new venue and a new country to come to and that is one of the best things about The European Tour.”

FEBRUARY’S EVENTS AT THE ROYAL GOLF CLUB Date

Event

Time

Open to

Saturday 13th

Valentine Better Ball Competition – 9-holes on Wee Monty course

6.30pm shotgun

All

Saturday 26th

Speed Golf Challenge – individual & team events

7.30am shotgun

All

Every Saturday

Wee Monty Family Day – only BD15 per adult, kids play free

from 10am to noon

All –

Every Monday

Ecco Monday Stableford & BMMI Monday Madness Night Golf Series

1.00pm shotgun & 6.30pm shotgun

All All

Every Wed & Sun

Ladies competition

8.30am shotgun

All ladies

Every Thur

Midweek Stableford

Tee times until 2.00pm

All