Worldwide golf october 2013 digital version by Worldwide Golf

M I D D L E E A S T â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S N U M B E R O N E G O L F M A G A Z I N E . E S T. 1 9 9 9

Worldwide

Official magazine to the European Tour in the Middle East

FEATURES CALLAWAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DOC HOCK DAVID HOWELL CHALLENGE TOUR SHOWDOWN THE EUROPEAN TOUR YOUNG GUNS GET SET FOR OMAN AND DUBAI

MIGUEL ANGEL

BOB ROTELLA SMOKEY ROBINSON

GOLF STYLE From the latest must have items to celebrities on course

JIMENEZ PLAYS IT COOL AND KEEPS IT OLD SCHOOL

DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP CAN HENRIK STENSON TOP THE CASH ON BOTH TOURS?

GOLF TIPS

O HOW TO HOLE 3 FOOTERS O MASTER THE SPIN O TEE IT FOR CONSISTENCY

Official magazine of the EGF

ISBN 978-9948-15-427-3

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INTRODUCTION Worldwide Golf Executive Editor Since 1999

The 9-time Major Champion and 9-time Senior Major Champion who has witnessed and been a part of some of the most historic oric and memorable orable golfing occasions casionss reflects on n the game today ay

Player Gary

Stenson’s $12,922,266 haul in just three weeks!

know I’ve often talked about the money there is in golf these days compared to my time when prizemoney was considerably less. But the earnings of Sweden’s Henrik Stenson last month alone are quite something. I don’t begrudge the players of today for the money they earn both on the golf course and through sponsorship off the course. I say, good luck to them. While so many of the European exiles, who moved home to live in the States to be closer to the action and reduce their travelling time to and from Europe, some have found it difficult to acclimatise to a new way of life but Henrik seems to have found his form in sensational style. Justin Rose who won the US Open at Merion Golf Club and Graeme McDowell who won the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head were the only European players to win on the US PGA Tour this year until Stenson delivered a late double. He’d been in the doldrums for a while but came back this season with a bang and with all aspects of his game working well. He’d had some good results on the US PGA Tour throughout the season with seven top 10 finishes, which included three runner-ups, one of which was a second place behind Phil Mickelson in The Open Championship at Muirfield and a third-place finish in the US

PGA Championship. Yet he was still without a win – until the second of the FedExCup Playoﬀ events in September. He cruised to victory the Deutsche Bank Championship in Chicago to pocket $1,4440,000, shared 33rd place in the BMW Championship at Conway Farms Golf Club, Illinois, to collect $42,266.66 and then won wire to wire at the TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta to earn another $1,440,000. His two decisive victories won him the FedExCup Playoﬀs with 18 points and he collected the $10 million winner’s bonus,

2 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

taking his month’s prizemoney earnings to a total of $12,922,266 for just three tournaments – an incredible feat considering he was tied for 43rd in the first of the FedExCup Playoffs at The Barclays in late August. His World Ranking shot up to fourth place and his total prizemoney earnings on the US PGA Tour for the season, including his $10 million FedExCup Playoffs bonus, totalled $16,388,230. That’s not a bad total annual earnings and I’m pleased that he has made such an impressive comeback. Q

ABOVE Henrik enjoys a Coke and a smile after winning the PGA Tour Championship and the FedExCup /K@XNƤR @R HS meant his bank balance grew by close to $13 million in the last three weeks of the 2013 US PGA Tour schedule.

CONTENTS 20 30

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Miguel Angel JimĂŠnez

Challenge Tour finale

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Mechanicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; unconventional approach is refreshing in a sport dominated by players half his age but read how he still manages it to mix it with the best.

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FEATURES

REGULARS

28 DP World Tour Championship Preview

10 The Starter

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32 Trick shot wizzard 6TKEM UJQV YK\\CTF

33 David Garland sets the stage 6JG 'WTQRGCP 6QWT &KTGEVQT QH 1RGTCVKQPU GZRNCKPU JQY VJG 'CTVJ EQWTUG YKNN DG UGV WR VQ EJCNNGPIG VJG DGUV

43 David Howell on the Tourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dilemma

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44 Fighting the odds

#OGTKECĹŠU UJQQVKPI UVCT 5VCE[ .GYKU VCNMU CDQWV overcoming scoliosis to become an LPGA Major winner.

56 Doc Hock 6JG OCP DGJKPF %CNNCYC[ĹŠU 4 & GZRNCKPU JQY technology has advanced and what the future holds.

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17 World Round-ups 4GXKGY QH TGEGPV 'WTQRGCP 6QWT CPF 75 2)# 6QWT GXGPVU

49 Worldwide Golf Columists )TGI 0QTOCP )CT[ 2NC[GT CPF 2GVG %QYGP UJQQV VJG DTGG\G

73 Arabian Golf 4QWPF WR QH GXGPVU CTQWPF VJG TGIKQPĹŠU IQNH ENWDU

STYLE 93 Smokey Robinson

The Motown music legend is a golf fanatic.

96 Travel 8GNCC )QNH #ECFGO[ D[ 1NC\Č?DCN KP C VJTKNNKPI PGY project in the Maldives.

INSTRUCTION 61 Try your best, not your hardest 5C[U OKPF IWTW VQ VJG UVCTU $QD 4QVGNNC

64 How to hole those 3 footers $[ $T[CP 5OKVJ 'OKTCVGU )QNH %NWD

66 Tee up for consistency $[ 9KNNKCO $TWEG 6JG 6TCEM /G[FCP )QNH

69 Control the spin to knock it close

$[ 9C[PG ,QJPUQP ,WOGKTCJ )QNH 'UVCVGU

6 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

98 Driving Range Bentley unleash the new Flying Spur.

100 Fashion Cobra Puma Golf.

104 Cool Stuff Keeping the fairways fresh and fun.

Competitions 26 :,1 (PLUDWHV $LUOLQH ĚŠLJKWV WR 'XEDL and two Hospitality Pavilion tickets to the DP World Tour Championship

Worldwide Golf

Contents

Over 100 destinations worldwide

Showdowns set for Dubai It’s all to play for as the big names jostle for positon on The European and Challenge Tour rankings Having spoken to Henrik Stenson last month, he was mentally exhausted after maintaining an unbelivable run of form throughout the summer and was just looking to hang in there for the FedExCup closing events with the PGA Tour Championship. Well, if mental fatigue results in picking up a $10 million bonus pot and the season-ending PGA Tour event, I’m going to give it a go before my next monthly medal.Unfortunately there is that huge void in talent between the two of us, but these days anything is worth a go! Henrik might not be able to replicate Rory and Luke at the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates by bagging both the European and PGA Tour money titles, as Tiger has alreadt

achieved the latter, but he’s the first European to win the FedExCup and he’s focused on topping The 2013 Race to Dubai with a win at Jumeirah Golf Estates next month. Following the sun and the lead set by it’s big brother, the European Challenge Tour has successfully brought their two season-ending events to the region. The National Bank of Oman Golf Classic, staged at Almouj Golf, The Wave, Muscat, Oman will be a nailbiter, as the top 45 on the Money List qualify for the Challenge Tour Grand Final at Al Badia the following week. The two events carry large prize

money, which always tests the nerve of the pros, but the top 15 on the Money List not only collect a larger cheque but more importantly they earn full exemption to the 2014 European Tour season. Just think of the great players who have started on the Challenge Tour and gone on to win Majors, lift Ryder Cups and conquer the US PGA Tour.

Alex Gallemore 'FKVQT ISSUE No. 152, COTOBER, 2013 Published by: Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd +44 1663 719926

Editor-in-Chief: Mike Gallemore Executive Editor: Gary Player Editor: Alex Gallemore Publisher: Mike Gallemore

Editors: Todd Staszko, James Reeves, Tabitha Florence Design Manager: Joanna Eardley Technical Manager: Mark Collinge

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

Senior Editor: Richard Bevan

Editorial Panel: Gary Player, Mike Gallemore, Alex Gallemore, Richard Bevan, Todd Staszko

Printed by: Raidy, Dubai

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

Advertising & Marketing Director: Rasha Siriani rasha@wspdubai.com Designer: Sarah B. Mahmood

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

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 7

PERFORMANCE IS

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The 2013 Pro V1 utilises a new, softer compression ZG process core technology for the softest Pro V1 yet. Golfers also benefit from more distance due to its lower driver and iron spin, and a shallower angle of descent that produces more roll, along with exceptional D ro p - a n d -S to p™ greenside control.

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STARTER

>> INDUSTRY NEWS >> INSIDER KNOWLEDGE

McGINLEY BEGINS HIS CAPTAINCY IN EARNEST THE 2014 RYDER CUP

EUROPEAN Captain Paul McGinley struck the opening tee shot at the beginning of the period of Ryder Cup qualification at the Wales Open, knowing he will have to make some tough decisions when the time comes to finalise his team next year. "I understand that along the journey that all Captains take, some tough decisions have to be made," McGinley said, after watching Frenchman Gregory Bourdy win the Wales Open and take an early lead in qualification. "Some have been made already and some will be made going forward. I'm prepared for that and I'm prepared for the fact that not everybody is going to agree with my decisions. “The quality of golf on The European Tour now is phenomenal and there are a lot of young players who are ready to step up to

"I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO HESITATION ABOUT HAVING ROOKIES ON THE TEAM OR PICKING A ROOKIE. GENERALLY WHAT I WANT IS PLAYERS WHO ARE PLAYING THE BEST.” Ryder Cup standard. I'm not afraid of having rookies earning their place , and if those guys step up to the plate and play really well, I'll be delighted to welcome them to the Team. "Ultimately, I'm looking for the guys who have played the best over the 12-month period and I have absolutely no hesitation about picking a rookie. Generally what I want is players who are playing the best.”

US ROMP TO EASY WALKER CUP VICTORY HOME advantage paid dividends as the US Team regained the Walker Cup with an emphatic 17-9 victory at The National in Long Island, New York last month. The US took an 8-4 lead into the second day and remained four points ahead going into the ten singles matches by sharing the morning foursomes matches 2-2. Requiring just 3.5 points from the ten singles the win was sealed when Nathan Smith won the ﬁfth match out against Nathan Kimsey.

10 | WorldwideGolf - October September 2013 2013

STARS CONFIRMED FOR WORLD CUP OF GOLF

NEWS DIVOTS KO’S STAR CONTINUES TO RISE

AMERICA’S Matt Kuchar, Italian Matteo Manassero and Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee have conﬁrmed that they will represent their respective nations at the World Cup of Golf at Royal Melbourne in Australia in November. This year’s BMW PGA Championship winner Manassero will be hoping to bring back the trophy to Italy, following the Molinari Brothers’ triumph in 2009 while Kuchar represents the defending champions, the United States, after he won the title alongside his friend Gary Woodland two years ago. “I’m genuinely excited about playing in the World Cup, and can’t wait to make my debut at Royal Melbourne,” said Manassero. “It’s not often that you get the chance to play for your country as well as yourself, so I really want to play well and help make it a great week for Italy. When Edoardo and Francesco

won in 2009 it was huge news in Italy, so hopefully I can help bring the trophy back home again.”

Teenage sensation Lydia Ko successfully defended her title at the LPGA Tour’s Canadian Women’s Open for her second win on the top Tour of the Ladies game at the age of 16. When Ko won last year aged 15 she became the LPGA Tour’s youngest ever winner and she backed up her immense promise with a final round 64 to win the event this year by five strokes ahead of Solheim Cup heroine Karine Icher. Ko is the first amateur to ever win two titles on the LPGA Tour and in addition she has a win on the Ladies European Tour and in the Australian LPGA’s Women’s New South Wales Open.

MALAYSIA TO HOST EURASIA CUP, 2014

MONTY WINS AT WOBURN Colin Montgomerie wrapped up his first victory in six years with a superb six-stroke victory at the Travis Perkins Senior Masters at Woburn Golf Club in Bedfordshire, England.. Starting the final round three shots clear the Scot showed his intent with a birdie on the first and a stunning eagle on the par-5 fifth hole. “It feels great,” said Montgomerie. “Anybody with any competitive blood in them knows that it's nice to win, to come out on top. This course has suited me down to the ground for years. I had a couple of great finishes on the main Tour – the Junior Tour, as I now call it – so it’s nice to come back here and finally win.”

A NEW matchplay team tournament between Europe and Asia will take place in Malaysia next March, The European Tour has revealed. Sanctioned by both The European and Asian Tours, The EurAsia Cup presented by DRB-HICOM will be held biennially with ten Europeans taking on ten Asians in a threeday tournament. Europe will select four players from the ﬁnal 2013 Race to Dubai rankings, four players from the World Rankings prior to the tournament and two Captain’s picks while Asia will name four men from the top of the Order of Merit and three from the World Ranking and three Captain's picks.

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 11

STARTER RUNNING THE RULE

Stuart McMurdo Golf Operations Manager Jebel Ali Golf Resort

The Barclays final round questionable Ruling…

PIMP YOUR DRIVER

www.clubcrown.com

Driver clubheads have been taking on ever more exotic colour schemes over the last few years as manufacturers continue to push the boundaries of aesthetic appeal but now American company ClubCrown has come up with a simple yet ingenious way of ‘pimping up’ your existing clubs with a series of eye-catching designs. It’s

basically an adhesive film which sticks onto the crown of your driver. There are 350 different designs to choose from and they’re easy to remove. The product conforms with USGA and R&A rules and must be fitted by a professional fitter. Launched in the US in January, it’s set to be rolled out worldwide later this year.

During the final round of The Barclays tournament in New Jersey, Matt Kuchar was in the final group and noticed that on one of the greens on the front nine there was a large indentation (not a ball mark) in the green on his line of play – even though his ball was off the green. Matt had every right to ask the question to the rules officials whether he could get relief (although it did hold up play for a considerable amount of time!). Slugger White, the senior official at the event, went and assessed the situation, and his first impression was that there is no relief as only ball marks may be repaired on the green. The only other situation where Kuchar may have been able to repair the mark is if the mark was made by a fellow competitor or caddie when the ball was already at rest at that point (Rule 16-1a/13). This was not the case. It transpired that Slugger took a second opinion from his colleagues and ultimately the mark was repaired by the referee. Having seen this live on TV I was a bit sceptical and having checked the rule book l see no rule that allows this repair to be made unless in equity Rule 1-4, the referee feels that it's fair to do so. l disagree as this would only apply in a match not strokeplay format and l think the field were disadvantaged by this ruling in favour of Kuchar. I think no other player would have received this relief and that the committee were swayed by the fact that Matt was in the final group and he was in contention to win the event. I always feel we should strive to keep as close to Rule 13 as possible which is ‘Play the ball as it Lies’. Golf is always going to throw up poor lies and it's just part of the game or rub of the green. Golf professionals especially, but also the regular golfer, enjoy golf courses of such high quality that they really shouldn’t complain about some small indentations and bad lies. It did, however, add more spice to the already exciting FedExCup play-offs and added some more debate to the rules and possible changes.

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 13

GAUDY PUTTERS Arguably the most important club in the bag, the putter is what can turn a good hole into a great hole or a bad hole into an OK hole. More often than not your last shot is with the putter so it’s critical you get one that you feel relaxed with. Why then, do some manufacturers go out of their way to confuse the issue? Let’s take a look at some of the most bizarre designs that have gone into mass production.

STARTER

Ping iN series Wack-E

Nickent Pipe

Ping make some of the ﬁnest-looking putters in the game. This, however, is not one of them. When a player wins a professional tournament with a Ping putter, the people at Ping HQ re-create it in solid gold and put it in their vault for prosperity. There are over 2,500 gold putters in there. It’s doubtful there are many gold ones of these in the vault.

The bulbous ‘pipe’ from which this ﬂatstick gets its name is rather bizarre. Flanked by two loops, the thick, white pipe protrudes outwards to try to give the eﬀect of the Odyssey Two-Ball but what it lacks is a certain amount of dignity. Indeed its robustness is far from easy on the eye.

Nike Method Drone

Yes! Tiffany C-Groove

We’re not really sure where to begin with this. Its aggressive catapult-like shape and mixture of curves and straights is most unnerving, almost threatening. The testing 4-footer on the ﬁrst green with this in your hand just got a whole lot harder.

Yes! make some excellent putters and we’re in no doubt that this is a ﬁne addition to their range – if you can get past its looks. The bulbous back with its pink (or white) arches look a bit cluttered and the uncommon centre shaft just adds to the confusion. It’s all a bit of a puzzle.

Odyssey Backstryke Dart This is an odd development but it has its merits. When held at address the shaft is in-line with the centre of the putter head and then it bends away to connect at the back of the mallet. With this you get a full view of the putter face. However, as good all that sounds, it looks wrong and it’s tough to get comfortable with when you compare how it looks at address to how every other club in the bag looks at address..

1983 WADKINS SEALS TIGHT RYDER CUP FOR USA

“I'm hitting the woods just great, but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them." Harry Tofcano “The only shots you can be dead sure of are those you've had already. “ Byron Nelson “Golf is a game where guts and blind devotion will always net you absolutely nothing but an ulcer.” Tommy Bolt

Lanny Wadkins halves his match with Spain’s José Maria Canizares after hitting a sublime 60-yard wedge to within a foot of the ﬂag at the 18th hole. The ½ point helps the USA to a narrow 14 ½ - 13 ½ victory over Europe at PGA National Golf Club, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and U.S. Captain Jack Nicklaus shows his appreciation of Wadkins’ shot by walking to the spot where the ball landed and kissing the ground. The tournament signals the return of the Matches as a real contest rather than a one-sided aﬀair dominated by the Americans.

Worst Caddie A golfer walks oﬀ the 18th green, hands his putter to his caddie and says, "Kid, you've got to be the worst caddie in the world." The caddie replies, "Sir, that would be too much of a coincidence."

Water Ball Guy gets to a long par 3 over water. A voice from above says, "Hit the new Titleist Pro V 1." The guy tees up the Titleist and takes a practice swing. The voice comes back, "Never mind, hit a range ball."

Secrets Of Great Golf

Phil Mickelson and Jim ‘Bones’ McKay pictured in 1994 and 2013. A winning team that began in 1992 and continues to this day.

A reporter was interviewing Jack Nicklaus. He said, "Jack, you are spectacular, your name is synonymous with the game of golf. You really know your way around the course. What is your secret?" To which Jack replied, "The holes are numbered!"

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 15

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TOUR

NEWS

STENSONATOR Last month’s cover star Henrik Stenson stole the limelight on the US PGA Tour as victory in their Tour Championship saw him win the FedExCup (and over $10m in the process). Now he’s got his sights firmly set on winning The European Tour’s Race to Dubai. WWG: Over the past few months you’ve pretty much been the best and most consistent player in the world, how do you put a run like that together? HS: Since the Scottish Open my game has just been unbelievably solid. It started back in the Spring when I put all the hard work in and it started to pay oﬀ over the summer and continued right through to the FedExCup Play-oﬀs. I want to thank my team, my caddie Gareth Lord, my physio Cornel Driessen, my swing coach Pete Cowen and my other coach Torsten Hansson for sticking with me. Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve all this.

WWG: How does this rank against the other wins in your career? HS: This is obviously the highlight of my career, to win the FedExCup Play-offs and the Tour Championship is unbelievable. Add to that the win at the Deutsche Bank and it really is incredible. WWG: With one season-defining victory under your belt, is it time to focus on The European Tour? HS: Yes, winning The Race to Dubai is now next on the horizon. Thankfully, I’ve got a whole month after The Tour Championship so I can rest and enjoy this incredible run that I’ve had. It was great to have a week off after winning the Deutsche Bank in Boston and now I’ve got a month off after winning these two trophies. I’m in a great position to try to win The Race to Dubai but again, it’s going to take some good play. I’ve got Justin (Rose) and Graeme (McDowell) chasing me and there might be another couple of guys up there by the time I’m back in action. So it’s going to take some good play. I’m going to try my hardest to accomplish

it. Nobody’s won the FedExCup and The Race to Dubai before. Luke (Donald) and Rory (McIlroy) won both the money titles in one year but I’d like to make my own bit of history with that one. WWG: How can you define your turnaround in fortunes? Over a year ago you were outside the top 200 in the World, now you’re fourth. HS: Conﬁdence can turn things around very quickly in this game, but it can take quite a long time as well. It’s still something I think every player battles with. No matter how good or bad you play, you still have to battle certain feelings at certain times, whether it’s certain shots you don’t like or if you think you’re not getting the lucky bounce here and there. It’s no diﬀerent for me. Right now I’m feeling good and long may it continue. One thing is for sure, this proves that I never give up. This is beyond what I could have imagined. Q

Final 2013 FedExCup Ranking 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Henrik Stenson Tiger Woods Steve Stricker Adam Scott Zach Johnson Matt Kuchar Jordan Spieth

4,750 2,743 2,650 2,278 2,238 1,823 1,690 WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 17

TOUR NEWS Date: Aug 22 - 25 Event: Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles Venue: The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland Winner’s Cheque: €272,273

Date: Aug 22 - 25 Event: The Barclays Venue: Liberty National Golf Club, New Jersey, USA Winner’s Cheque: $1,144,000

FLEET OF FOOT TOMMY STEPS IN TO WIN

ADAM Scott wrapped up the first event of the US PGA Tour’s FedExCup Play-offs with a one-stroke victory at The Barclays after coming through the field with a 66. Overnight leader Gary Woodland could have forced a play-off but his birdie putt on the 18th never threatened the hole and his 2-over 72 saw him finish in a share of second place alongside Graham DeLaet, Tiger Woods and Justin Rose.

SCOTT PRODUCES HIS SUNDAY BEST Tommy Fleetwood collected his maiden European Tour title with a play-off victory over Stephen Gallacher and Ricardo Gonzalez at the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles. After finding himself in a share of first place on 18-under par Fleetwood was the only player to birdie the par-5 closing hole at the first time of asking to win.

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Name Tommy Fleetwood Stephen Gallacher Ricardo Gonzalez Scott Henry Bernd Wiesburger

Country Eng Sco Arg Sco Aut

To Par -18 -18 -18 -17 -17

R1 68 71 65 72 65

R2 65 68 65 65 66

R3 67 64 70 67 72

R4 70 67 70 67 68

Total 270 270 270 271 271

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Country

To Par

R1 R2 R3 R4

Total

1 T2 T2 T2 T2

Aus Can Eng USA USA

-11 -10 -10 -10 -10

69 67 68 67 69

273 274 274 274 274

Adam Scott Graham DeLaet Justin Rose Tiger Woods Gary Woodland

66 73 68 69 64

72 69 70 69 68

66 65 68 69 73

Date: Aug 29 - Sept 1 Event: ISPS Handa Wales Open Venue: The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales Winner’s Cheque: €348,660

Date: Aug 30 – Sept 2 Event: Deutsche Bank Championship Venue: TPC Boston, Massachusetts, USA Winner’s Cheque: $1,144,000

BOURDY BACK ON TOP IN WALES

STENSON SAVOURS HIS PURPLE PATCH

Frenchman Gregory Bourdy picked up his first European Tour title in four years with a cool two-stroke victory over American youngster Peter Uihlein at the ISPS Handa Wales Open. Bourdy closed with three successive birdies to finish on 8-under for his first win since the 2009 UBS Hong Kong Open. Dane Søren Kjeldsen took third place outright on 5-under with John Parry and Joost Luiten in a share of fourth on 3-under.

Henrik Stenson fired a final round 66 to win his first title of the season by two strokes ahead of former winner Steve Stricker at the Deutsche Bank Championship. The Swede overhauled overnight leader Sergio Garcia to win with a 22-under total, two clear of Stricker, who won the event in 2009, and four ahead of Canadian Graham DeLaet. Garcia had a final round to forget as his 73 saw him drop into a share of fourth place alongside Jordan Spieth, Matt Kuchar and Kevin Stadler. Stenson had posted five top-5 finishes on the US PGA Tour this season prior to the victory.

Al oYk Yf YeYraf_ jgmf\& A oadd j]e]eZ]j l`] Úfak` gf làk _j]Yl [gmjk] ^gj Y dgf_ lae]& L`]j] `Yn] Z]]f dgl g^ _j]Yl ege]flk `]j]3 A oYk làfcaf_ YZgml L`] Jq\]j ;mh gf l`] )0l` kg A Ye kg hjgm\ lg oaf làk ljgh`q& Pos. 1 2 3 T4

Name Grégory Bourdy Peter Uihlein Søren Kjeldsen John Parry

Country Fra USA Den Eng

To Par -8 -6 -5 -3

R1 67 69 69 71

R2 72 70 74 69

R3 70 67 70 73

R4 67 72 66 68

Total 276 278 279 281

L`]j] k f]n]j Y ZY\ lae] lg oaf Y _gd^ lgmjfYe]fl$ A cfgo l`Yl em[`& A e bmkl _dY\ lg `Yn] ogf Y^l]j Y kmee]j g^ fa[] Úfak`]k& Pos. Name 1 2 3

Henrik Stenson Steve Stricker Graham DeLaet

Country SWE USA CAN

To Par

R1 R2 R3 R4

Total

-22 -20 -18

67 63 66 66 66 68 63 67 67 68 62 69

262 264 266

Date: Aug 22 - 25 Event: Omega European Masters Venue: Crans-sur-Sierre GC, Crans Montana, Switzerland Winner’s Cheque: : €366,660

BJÖRN AGAIN IN SWITZERLAND THOMAS Bjorn won the Omega European Masters for the second time in three years after a birdie on the first extra hole saw off the challenge from Scotsman Craig Lee. Lee, who had a chance at shooting the first ever 59 on The European Tour in the third round but came away with a 61, narrowly missed a 20 foot birdie putt which opened the door for the Dane. Björn stepped up and rolled in his 12-foot birdie putt to follow up his win in the event in 2011.

A [Ye] af làk o]]c fgl hdYqaf_ hYjla[mdYjdq _j]Yl Zml A hjgeak]\ eqk]d^ A \ kla[c lg `go A hdYq làk _gd^ [gmjk]& A \a\ l`Yl Yf\ `Y\ log Zg_]qk af /* `gd]k$ oà[` ak _gg\ _gaf_ Yjgmf\ `]j]& A ^]dl _gg\ Yf\ A _gl gn]j l`] daf]&

Date: Sept 12 - 15 Event: BMW Championship Venue: Conway Farms GC, Lake Forest, Illinois Winner’s Cheque: $1,440,000

Pos. Name

Country To Par R1 R2 R3 R4 Total

1 2 3 4

DEN SCO FRA ESP

Thomas Bjorn Craig Lee Victor Dubission Alejandro Canizares

-20 -20 -19 -18

66 71 68 69

66 65 65 65

67 61 66 65

65 67 66 67

264 264 265 266

Date: Sept 12 - 15 Event: The KLM Open Venue: Kennemer G&CC, Zandvoort, The Netherlands Winner’s Cheque: €300,000

LUITEN DOWNS JIMENEZ AT HOME OPEN JOHNSON ON SONG AS FURYK FALTERS Zach Johnson collected his tenth US PGA Tour title thanks to a closing ﬁnal round 65 at the BMW Championship. Johnson won by two strokes from Nick Watney while overnight leader Jim Furyk – who shot an incredible 59 in the second round – ﬁnished in third place. Furyk became only the sixth player to shoot a sub-60 round on the US PGA Tour but he failed to capitalise and now has the unwanted stat of squandering his last six 54-hole leads.

Al k ]plj]e]dq \a^Ú[mdl lg oaf Yl l`ak d]n]d& A e fgl kg kmj] A ^mddq _jYkh al& L`] \]hl` Yf\ l`] hYjalq o] `Yn] gf l`ak Lgmj ak k][gf\ lg fgf]& Pos. Name 1 2 T3

Zach Johnson Nick Watney Jim Furyk

Country USA USA USA

To Par

R1 R2 R3 R4

Total

-16 -14 -13

64 70 69 65 67 69 70 64 72 59 69 71

268 270 271

Home favourite Joost Luiten collected his third European Tour title on familiar soil as he downed the evergreen Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez in a play-off to win the KLM Open. Luiten, who was runner-up in the event to Ross Fisher in 2007, defeated Jiménez with a par on the first hole of the play-off to become the first ‘home’ winner of the event in ten years.

A \gf l cfgo o`Yl al e]Yfk ^gj <ml[` _gd^ Zml A l`afc al k hj]llq Za_& EYYjl]f DY^]Z]j ogf al af *((+ Yf\ l`Yl oYk `m_]$ Yf\ lg `Yn] Yfgl`]j <ml[` oaff]j fgo A l`afc oadd `]dh l`] _Ye] `]j]& Pos. 1 2 T3 T3 T3

Name Country Joost Luiten NED Miguel Angel Jimenez ESP Grégory Havret FRA Ross Fisher ENG Simon Dyson ENG

To Par -12 -12 -9 -9 -9

R1 69 64 67 69 69

R2 65 67 70 68 63

R3 66 70 68 68 71

R4 68 67 66 66 68

Total 268 268 271 271 271

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 19

20 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

Miguel Angel Jiménez <<

THE PEOPLE’S CHAMPION Miguel Angel Jiménez talks exclusively to Richard Bevan about the freak skiing injury that saw him miss the ﬁrst half of this season, his aim to ﬁnish on a high in Dubai, and the unique characteristics that have made the cigar-chomping Spaniard one of the most universally loved players in the game.

iguel Angel Jiménez injects a refreshing burst of colour and charisma in the modern world of golf. When, during the team talk prior the 2004 Ryder Cup at Oakland Hills, the European players were asked if they needed anything else in the team room to aid them during the week, Jiménez raised his hand and said, “Rioja wine, an espresso machine, and some cigars” – and he wasn’t joking. The larger than life Spaniard knows what he likes and he likes what he knows – whether it’s in line with the masses or not. He’s also one of the most

humble, friendly and down to earth players you could hope to meet – as well loved by his fellow professionals as he is by his army of fans. Victory at last year’s UBS Hong Kong Open made him, at aged 48, the oldest ever winner on The European Tour before a broken leg suﬀered during a skiing trip over the winter break saw him sidelined until the end of April. But with the help of his backroom team, the now 49-year-old is back playing some great golf and relishing a return to the UAE in November where he hopes to do the ‘Dubai Double’ by adding the DP World Tour Championship to the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic title he won in 2010.

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 21

The People's Champion Jiménez's relaxed outlook on the game has earned him millions in prize money and a huge global following MAJ: You’ve shown some good form since you came back from the injury, and enjoyed some good results in big tournaments. How do you feel it’s gone and are you happy with your game? MAJ: I am really happy with the way I am playing and I’m hitting the ball very well. To be honest, when I had the skiing accident at the end of December I had no idea how long I would be out of action, and how well I would play once the leg had healed. But I have a great team of guys around me getting me back to full ﬁtness – a fantastic surgeon who put me back together, my physical trainer, Emilio (Pereira) and my sports medicine doctor, Dani (Rosado). I worked really hard in the gym every day and I believe the results I have had since my return show that I am back to full ﬁtness.

EUROPEAN TOUR STATS Driving Distance 280.94 yards Driving Accuracy 67.14% Greens in Regulation 64.13% Average Putts per Round 28,26 Stroke Average 70.3

WWG: Talk us through exactly what happened with the skiing accident – you didn’t have a cigar in one hand and an espresso in the other did you? MAJ: (Laughs) The cigar was in my mouth! No, of course not! Actually it was quite a strange accident really. I was skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Spain with my family between Christmas and New Year. You might imagine it happened on one of the really steep slopes, but it wasn’t like that. We were skiing down the lower easier slopes and I looked back to see where the others were and probably was not concentrating as well as I should have, and didn’t see the hump in front of me. Then, boom! The next thing, I am on the ground with everyone around me, and I knew at once that I had broken my leg. WWG: It must have been frustrating after a strong finish to last season? Are you feeling any pain now when you play or is everything back to normal? MAJ: Yes, it was so frustrating, you cannot imagine! I had just won the UBS Hong Kong Open a few weeks before and was playing really well. Then I had to sit at home doing nothing when I knew I should have been out there playing tournaments instead of missing some fantastic events in Dubai, the Masters, WGC events etc. Do I feel any pain now? Yes,

22 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

"I HATE THE GYM! BUT, I SPEND A LOT MORE TIME ON FITNESS THAN YOU MAY THINK. I REALISED THAT IN ORDER TO BE COMPETITIVE AGAINST THE YOUNG GUYS I HAD TO START TO VISIT THE GYM REGULARLY! SO, I TRY TO DO SOME GYM WORK EVERY DAY AT TOURNAMENTS AND I TRAVEL WITH MY PHYSICAL TRAINER, EMILIO, EACH WEEK. APART FROM THAT, THE SECRET IS TO PRACTICE, WORK HARD, BUT MAKE SURE YOU ENJOY YOURSELF ALSO."

HENRIK STENSON << Left: Jiménez might not have the advantage of length to negotiate the challenging Earth course at the DP World Tour Championship but his ability to scramble, means this 'whiley old fox' will find his own way to challenge the bombers.

WWG: You didn’t have as fast a route to the top as the likes of Rory McIlroy. Do you think that has given you more appreciation of the life you lead as a professional golfer now that you have experienced great success?

occasionally I feel it, but not enough that I can say it is affecting my game. WWG: You’ve had some decent results in the DP World Tour Championship – what are your thoughts on the tournament and where would a victory there rank for you? MAJ: It would be fantastic to win the final tournament of the season and such a prestigious event as the DP World Tour Championship. It is a great event and, of course, the field is very strong, so to win this tournament you really have to be playing at your very best. Any win is amazing, but this would be very special. Let’s see, who knows ? WWG: What are your thoughts on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, and what is the key to playing it well? MAJ: It’s a nice golf course and it's always in great condition. Certainly the long hitters have a huge advantage because it’s so long. But like any golf course in the world, you need a lot of patience to play it and that is probably the key to playing it well. WWG: What are your thoughts on Dubai in general, as well as the hospitality and the spectators at the events there?

MAJ: I have been playing tournaments regularly in Dubai since 1990, and the changes have been unbelievable during that time. It’s hardly possible to recognise certain areas any more. But I have always loved coming to the UAE and so it was really special to win at the Emirates Golf Club in 2010. The crowds are always great at the tournaments in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and they're very keen on their golf. WWG: Do you have a favourite restaurant in Dubai? MAJ: There are a few that I love, but I probably spend more evenings at The Meat Co in the Souk Madinat Jumeirah than any other. They know me well in there now and I can get a great steak and a nice bottle of wine. I also enjoy going to the Argentinian steak house, La Parilla, in the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. WWG: How significant do you think the Final Series will be this year and will it add excitement to the end of the season? MAJ: It’s going to be great. I’m really looking forward to those events and playing in Dubai is the highlight. With so much money and points on oﬀer in those four tournaments, it means anyone can still win The Race to Dubai which makes it so much more exciting.

MAJ: It was totally different for guys like me starting to play golf. We had no financial support behind us to help us start out and we had to begin the hard way. Now, I realise that everything I have I owe to the game of golf and I appreciate that so much. For this reason, I have tried to put back something into golf. For example, for several years I was the promoter of the Open de Andalucia on The European Tour. I also opened in February the Miguel Angel Jiménez School of Golf in Torremolinos. We have great practice facilities and teaching Pros plus an amazing 9-hole Par 3 course. I’ve kept the costs to take lessons and play the course very low as I want every man and kid to be able to afford to come and play and discover this amazing game.

WWG: You led The Open at the halfway point, and would be the oldest player to win a Major if you were to claim one. How much of a realistic target of yours is it to win one ? MAJ: I want to win a Major so much and I believe I can still do it. The Majors are meant to be tough, often played in tough conditions, on tough courses against the best golfers in the world. The fact that I was leading The Open after two rounds and even though I played less well on the Saturday it was pleasing. I still ﬁnished well on the Sunday and proved to myself that I can come back. Don’t forget, next year I may play the Senior Major Championship as well! WWG: Would you ever change your evening plans for a golf tournament, even if you were three shots clear going into the final round of The Open or the Masters? MAJ: Not at all! If I was three shots clear on Saturday night and my routine had been the same all week, why would I need to change it? It doesn’t matter if I am at home in Malaga, Spain, or at a tournament, I will always have a nice dinner, a glass or two of good red wine, a coﬀee and a cigar. Then if I was three shots clear on Sunday night, perhaps I would have a glass of champagne, too!

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 23

Miguel Angel Jiménez <<

WWG: You’re obviously a fierce competitor but you seem to really enjoy life, too. How important is it for you to enjoy yourself on the golf course and also enjoy your life off the course? MAJ: It is the most important thing of all. As professional golfers we spend our lives travelling around the world to different time zones and countries. Most people would think this is a very glamorous way of living, but after 25 years of travelling I can tell you it is hard on the body and mind. We only have one life and it is so important that you love what you do, or, what is the point? My belief is that you must have a balance in life both on and off the golf course. WWG: Your victory in Hong Kong last year made you the oldest winner on the European Tour. How proud are you of that record and how satisfying was it for you to get back in the winner’s circle for the first time since 2010? MAJ: I’m very proud of that record, of course, and hopefully I can win again soon so I continue to be the oldest winner on The European Tour! I really love Hong Kong and the course at Hong Kong Golf Club. I have won there three times so the course suits my game, and the city has always been one of my favourite places we travel to on Tour. WWG: Your record since turning 40 is phenomenal – what keeps you hungry to win more titles after all these years in the game? MAJ: It’s simple. I still love playing competitive golf and every time I walk on to the first tee at a tournament I want to win. There’s no better feeling than the pressure you feel on a Sunday when you have the chance to win. As professional golfers, to experience those feelings of excitement and nerves is exactly what we work so hard for. When that sensation goes away, then I know it’s time to stop playing professional golf. WWG: Your stretching routine before tournaments is becoming legendary – we particularly love the knee circles.? MAJ: I know it might look a little crazy and I know that everyone is fascinated by my stretching routine, but in fact it is a really important part of my warm up. It doesn’t matter how old you are, keeping flexible

helps to avoid injuries on the golf course and I’m sure it’s one of the reasons why I am still hitting the ball so well. WWG: There are a few different stories around the origin of your nickname “The Mechanic” - what’s the real story behind it? MAJ: Well, when I was young I worked in a garage to try to make some money, but not as a mechanic, just helping out around the garage itself. But I believe the nickname started from my love of performance cars – everyone knows I love my Ferrari, so I imagine it started for this reason. WWG: How did you get into golf and when did you decide that you wanted to make a career from it? MAJ: When I was at school I started to work at a local golf club in Spain where my brother was the Professional. At that time I was caddying and picking up golf balls, and then when I had the opportunity I would try to hit a few shots. I discovered that I loved it and could do it quite well so I thought I would try being a professional on The European Tour. And here I am now! WWG: What’s been the greatest moment of your career so far? MAJ: There have been so many – where do I start? 2004 was a fantastic year for

WWG: Seve won his ﬁrst Major in 1979 around the time you were getting serious about the game. How much of an inspiration was he to you? MAJ: He was an unbelievable inspiration not just to me but to so many European golfers. Seve was an incredible golfer but also he had so much passion and love for the game of golf. I would say that he was responsible for making golf what it is today in Europe and we all owe so much to him.

me as I won ﬁve tournaments in the calendar year as well as playing on the winning European Team in The Ryder Cup in the USA. In 2008 I won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, which was also a special moment for me. I have been lucky enough to play in four Ryder Cups and any Pro who has done that will tell you it is the most incredible feeling. Hopefully, I will have many more great moments still to come! WWG: What was it like experiencing the ‘Miracle of Medinah’ as a Vice Captain rather than a player? MAJ: It was a huge honour to have been a part of that experience but so frustrating as I wanted to be out there playing, of course. WWG: What would a world without Rioja, cigars or espresso be like? MAJ: You are forgetting something … beautiful girls! (Laughs). My world would be a sad place without all of these pleasures! WWG: How would you like to be remembered? MAJ: I am not going anywhere yet! But when I do, hopefully people will remember me as the guy who brought some fun into the game of golf and made them smile sometimes! Q

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 25

Official 2013 Race to Dubai Ranking THE 2013 RACE TO DUBAI RANKING  AS AT SEPTEMBER 23, 2013 Pos 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

Name STENSON Henrik McDOWELL Graeme ROSE Justin STERNE Richard MANASSERO Matteo GRACE Branden RUMFORD Brett BJÖRN Thomas ELS Ernie GARCIA Sergio LUITEN Joost POULTER Ian WESTWOOD Lee JIMÉNEZ Miguel Angel GALLACHER Stephen ILONEN Mikko SCHWARTZEL Charl JAIDEE Thongchai DONALDSON Jamie CABRERA Angel OLESEN Thorbjørn BOURDY Grégory WARREN Marc JAMIESON Scott WOOD Chris APHIBARNRAT Kiradech COLSAERTS Nicolas MOLINARI Francesco CASEY Paul UIHLEIN Peter FDEZ-CASTAÑO Gonzalo FLEETWOOD Tommy AIKEN Thomas AGUILAR Felipe KAYMER Martin WIESBERGER Bernd OOSTHUIZEN Louis KHAN Simon NOREN Alex LARRAZÁBAL Pablo QUESNE Julien SIEM Marcel DUBUISSON Victor BLIXT Jonas FRASER Marcus LOWRY Shane JACQUELIN Raphaël CABRERA-BELLO Rafa FICHARDT Darren COETZEE George

Nationality

No. of events

SWE NIR ENG RSA ITA RSA AUS DEN RSA ESP NED ENG ENG ESP SCO FIN RSA THA WAL ARG DEN FRA SCO SCO ENG THA BEL ITA ENG USA ESP ENG RSA CHI GER AUT RSA ENG SWE ESP FRA GER FRA SWE AUS IRL FRA ESP RSA RSA

13 11 10 16 21 18 20 20 13 12 20 10 9 13 20 20 10 19 16 5 19 23 24 25 15 14 13 21 18 19 17 25 21 22 12 20 9 16 16 26 21 14 17 4 17 16 21 24 20 13

Prizemoney €2,118,961 €1,693,388 €1,661,271 €1,300,054 €1,270,028 €1,069,469 €1,067,099 €1,058,313 €1,036,616 €1,016,700 €1,010,068 €973,716 €943,639 €939,218 €905,863 €895,522 €882,321 €834,077 €826,072 €821,744 €793,293 €772,446 €736,862 €713,241 €703,858 €695,287 €688,174 €679,431 €679,134 €664,772 €660,483 €640,462 €625,517 €610,018 €606,562 €600,081 €590,807 €579,927 €565,510 €561,574 €553,398 €546,522 €544,054 €536,606 €526,551 €517,273 €515,435 €509,931 €499,960 €492,644

Pos 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

Name WEBSTER Steve CAÑIZARES Alejandro SANTOS Ricardo DONALD Luke DE LA RIVA Eduardo McILROY Rory LAWRIE Paul LEE Craig HOWELL David HORSEY David DYSON Simon KJELDSEN Søren HANSON Peter WILLETT Danny HAVRET Grégory HARRINGTON Padraig PARRY John FISHER Ross RAMSAY Richie STORM Graeme CLARK Tim DRYSDALE David KIEFFER Maximilian McGRANE Damien GONZALEZ Ricardo WHITEFORD Peter GRILLO Emiliano HANSEN Anders MOLINARI Edoardo PEPPERELL Eddie ROCK Robert DERKSEN Robert-Jan WARING Paul MULROY Garth MAYBIN Gareth HANSEN JB WATTEL Romain MADSEN Morten Ørum BENSON Seve LIANG Wen-chong SULLIVAN Andy HOEY Michael FOSTER Mark VAN ZYL Jaco CAMPILLO Jorge BALDWIN Matthew BROBERG Kristoffer PETTERSSON Carl SLATTERY Lee NIXON Matthew

Nationality

No. of events

Prizemoney

ENG ESP POR ENG ESP NIR SCO SCO ENG ENG ENG DEN SWE ENG FRA IRL ENG ENG SCO ENG RSA SCO GER IRL ARG SCO ARG DEN ITA ENG ENG NED ENG RSA NIR DEN FRA DEN ENG CHN ENG NIR ENG RSA ESP ENG SWE SWE ENG ENG

22 23 25 10 22 10 18 24 24 22 25 28 11 17 27 13 22 12 19 26 7 27 25 25 21 27 26 15 14 22 23 20 22 18 24 24 24 20 20 12 24 19 22 18 30 29 25 8 25 23

€465,189 €464,629 €454,066 €453,487 €448,518 €445,811 €440,663 €438,678 €438,044 €419,415 €417,332 €413,384 €409,895 €392,897 €375,720 €375,101 €374,262 €371,601 €366,887 €362,589 €351,221 €345,683 €338,638 €335,179 €325,557 €324,128 €324,124 €320,135 €319,760 €319,701 €313,345 €309,487 €305,154 €301,433 €300,962 €295,799 €295,223 €286,089 €280,959 €272,577 €270,199 €269,893 €264,464 €264,080 €262,863 €262,797 €258,105 €256,348 €255,313 €252,179

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 3 The Race to Dubai is a season-long competition spanning a minimum of 45 tournaments in 24 countries and all five continents on The 2013 European Tour International Schedule. The Race to Dubai winner receives The Harry Vardon Trophy (first awarded in 1937), and a seven year European Tour Card exemption. The winner of The Race to Dubai will secure Category 1 Membership of The European Tour similar to the winners of The Open Championship, the US Open, the US PGA Championship and the Masters Tournament. The Bonus Pool will count as Official Money on the final Race to Dubai standings.

www wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

Event 1: BMW Masters Date: Oct 24 - 27 Defending Champion: Peter Hanson Venue: Lake Malaren GC, Shanghai, China Prize Fund: $7m Format: 72 holes stroke play – no cut

Event 2: WGC-HSBC Champions Date: Oct 31 – Nov 3 Defending Champion: Ian Poulter Venue: Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China Prize Fund: $8.5m Format: 72 holes stroke play – no cut

28 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

Event 3: Turkish Open Date: Nov 7 - 10 Defending Champion: Justin Rose Venue: The Montgomerie Maxx Royal, Antalya, Turkey Prize Fund: $7m Format: 72 holes stroke play – no cut

Event 4: DP World Tour Championship, Dubai Date: Nov 14 -17 Defending Champion: Rory McIlroy Venue: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, Prize Fund: $8m Format: The top 60 players on The Race to Dubai upon completion of the Turkish Open. 72 holes of stroke play – no cut

THE EUROPE TOUR

COUNTDOWN

THE SERIES

ith the eyes of the golfing world fixed firmly on the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, The European Tour have pulled out all the stops in attracting the best possible fields in the events running up to the Dubai showpiece in the form of ‘The Final Series’. The four events of the Series complete the 2013 European Tour season and with a prize fund of just over $30m to play for (which doesn’t include The Race to Dubai’s bonus pool) all the top players in the world will be flexing their muscles on The European Tour. Swedish Ryder Cup star Peter Hanson defends his title in the first event at the BMW Masters in Shanghai before the Series moves across town for the WGC-HSBC Champions where Ian Poulter defends. The following week there is a new European Tour event, the Turkish Open before the Tour comes to a climax in Dubai for the fifth successive year. World No.1 Tiger Woods is set to play in the Turkish Open before Rory McIlroy defends his title against the top 60 on The European Tour’s Race to Dubai at the DP World Tour Championship. It’s set to be a month-long festival of world-class golf, culminating in Dubai. “The Introduction of ‘The Final Series’

Below: Defending Champion of the DP World Tour Championship, Rory McIlroy, could once again lift the title. A couple of strong ƥMHRGDR HM SGD %HM@K Series is all it would take to boost his BNMƥCDMBD @MC FDS him back into the winner’s circle.

and the associated changes to the structure will bring even more drama and excitement to the conclusion of our season, and further enhance The Race to Dubai,” said George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour. Prior to the BMW Masters, The Race to Dubai will be converted to a points table with €1 equalling 1 point. This will allow for a 20 per cent “points” bonus to be awarded to any player who plays all the ﬁrst three events of ‘The Final Series’. This bonus will be added to the respective players’ points totals prior to the start of the DP World Tour Championship which potentially improves their chances of winning The Race to Dubai. The past winners of The Race to Dubai since the inaugural DP World Tour Championship in 2009 reads like a Who’s Who of modern day European

golf with Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy winning the season-long race with both Westwood (09) and McIlroy (12) winning the final tournament itself to put the cherry on the cake. Former European No.1 Robert Karlsson clinched the DP World Tour Championship in 2010, defeating Ian Poulter in a play-off while Spaniard Alvaro Quiros triumphed in 2011 with a two-stroke win over the evergreen Paul Lawrie. With four of the biggest events on The European Tour’s schedule in successive weeks it will take a monumental effort to stay focussed on the task in hand. All that’s left is for Chief Starter Ivor Robson to clear his vocal chords and set the finest players on Earth on their way across a four weeklong golfing Odyssey.

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 29

DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY CHALLENGE TOUR GRAND FINAL: WHERE HEROES ARE MADE. 31 October â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3 November, 2013 Register each day at designated areas at Al Badia Golf Club to be entered into a draw for a chance to win one of 55 prizes totaling over AED 100,000. Prizes include a full golf club membership, a fantastic range of TaylorMade equipment, golf academy and lab sessions, and lavish dining experiences. Hashtag #ChallengeTour while capturing moments of the Grand Final on Instagram and see your pictures and videos on www.challengetour.albadiagolfclub.ae.

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PRESENT THESE VOUCHERS FOR A COMPLIMENTARY BURGER AND BEVERAGE IN SPIKES

ROUND 1: Thursday, October 31

ROUND 2: Friday, November 1

This voucher entitles the bearer to a complimentary burger and beverage in Spikes. Please complete the following upon redemption:

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ROUND 3: Saturday, November 2

ROUND 4: Sunday, November 3

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STENSON

ROSE

McDOWELL

MANASSERO

Currently leading the way, Henrik Stenson is the hottest player on the planet as his victory in the FedExCup Playoﬀs on the US PGA Tour conﬁrms. More of the same throughout the Final Series could see the World number four home as Europe’s No.1.

Since winning the US Open Justin Rose has gone a bit quiet but the Englishman has the beneﬁt of winning the Turkish event last year when it was a small eight-man ﬁeld invitational, so he’ll be hoping that happy memories can inspire him once again.

It’s been a strange year for Graeme McDowell. It’s been either a good result or a missed cut. The Ulsterman has won twice in Europe this year including the Volvo Match Play Championship and once on the US PGA Tour and always ﬁnishes the year strongly.

This young go-getter is on the cusp of greatness. The Italian became the youngest winner of the BMW PGA Championship in May and has missed only three cuts all year. A good Final Series could give him the conﬁdence he needs to fulﬁl his Major potential.

GARCIA

WESTWOOD

SCHWARTZEL

ELS

Sergio Garcia has had another upand-down campaign and his lack of steel on the ﬁnal day was most prominent at TPC Boston when he was beaten by the in-form Stenson in the ﬁnal pair. A former winner of the HSBC event before it received WGC status, Garcia knows another win there will catapult him into Race to Dubai contention.

Lee Westwood’s ﬁrst season as a full-time American resident in Florida has been steady without being spectacular. A former runaway winner of the DP World Tour Championship at the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the Englishman will be hoping some ‘home Tour’ comforts can ease him back to the top.

An early win in his homeland on The European Tour caught the eye but Schwartzel failed to build on his momentum and he failed to post a top10- ﬁnish in a Major this year. Capable of stunning golf at times, if the former Masters winner gets in and amongst it in the Final Series he could be a force to be reckoned with.

The Big Easy turns 44 this month and he’s still one of the ﬁnest players in the game. He hit a purple patch in May and June coming sixth at Wentworth and fourth at the US Open before he won the BMW International in Germany. Since then his putter has failed him but an upturn in fortunes is never too far away for Ernie Els.

JEREMY DALE That said I’m still going to stand on a ball, do shots off the high tees – I’ve got a shot that goes 400 feet up in the air and 40 yards forwards, called the vertical drive

GET TRICKY VISITORS to this year’s DP World Tour Championship are in for a treat with trick shot artist Jeremy Dale performing his captivating show. It’s the first time Jeremy, who has previously performed at the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, has performed at The European Tour’s season-ending event and he’s raring to go.

RICK shot entertainer Jeremy Dale admits he’s never been to the DP World Tour Championship or the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates before so he’s looking forward to captivating a new audience of golf fans. “I’ve been to Dubai before but I’ve never been to the tournament or to the venue so I’m really looking forward to performing on a totally new stage in front of a new audience,” says Jeremy. “I’ve known trick shot artist David Edwards for a long time and he’s enjoyed performing there in previous years. “He’s told me lots of great things about the event so I can’t wait. It’s the climax to the European Tour season and a massive event which attracts huge crowds where

32 | WorldwideGolf -October 2013

everybody turns out so it should be great.” Unlike many trick shot artists who go down the slapstick, ‘gimmicky’ route, Dale utilises a unique gift he has in order to deliver an unforgettable show that will actually teach spectators a thing or two. “I try and make it as much about golf as possible and keep the gimmicky element to a minimum,“ he says. “Where I differ from most trick shot artists is I play both lefthanded and right-handed. “The best trick shot guys I’ve seen put their own stamp on their shows rather than imitating others, so I’ve tried to do that. “I’ve taken out all the gimmicky clubs – the bendy shafts, the twoheaded drivers, the long shafts etc. I just use seven normal clubs and I’ve

got enough material to enable me to make it a proper golf show. “That said, I’m still going to stand on a ball, do shots oﬀ the high tees – I’ve got a shot that goes 400 feet up in the air and 40 yards forwards, called the vertical driver – and all that stuﬀ. “But it’s more about showing what you can do with normal golf clubs using certain skills. There’s plenty of fun and humour but I try to make it as much about the golfers themselves rather than me. “There’s a little bit of easily digestible instruction in there, too. I show what you can learn from leftand right-handed golf and there’s also something about the mental side of the game. It’s entertainment with a spot of learning tacked on.” Learning while being entertained… what could be better? Q

Setting the stage Worldwide Golf talks to David Garland, Director of Tour Operations at The European Tour, about the course preparation for the DP World Tour Championship and what new changes the players can expect. What changes, if any, are you making to the Earth course from how it was in 2012? DG: This year for the DP World Tour Championship, we have made a number of slight adjustments to the course since 2012. Back left of the 6th green has been raised slightly in order to get a hole location in this area. Similarly the front left of the 7th green has been raised, again in order to get a hole location in this area. When we have the green running as fast as we do for the tournament, “13” on the stimpmeter, these areas were borderline for hole positions so now we are bringing some of the design features of the greens back into play. We have only been overseeding the rough this year.

Did the course play according to your expectations in 2012? DG: The course last year played exceptionally well, although due to the overseeding the “run-offs” around the greens were a little sticky and this is one of the reasons why we are not overseeding the fairways this year, so they should be a little faster and firmer than previously. What have you had to do with the course so far for it to be able to host a European Tour event? DG: We had to change very little. Initially, course designer Greg Norman added a few extra tees and bunkers to increase the challenge when the tournament was first announced five years ago. Due to the date of the tournament we overseeded the rough to ensure a fair penalty if players miss the fairway. How much do the scores from the 2012 DPWTC influence how you set up the course? DG: Scores from one year to the next don’t tend to influence us. The weather can make a difference. Last year we were lucky to start on the Thursday morning due to the amount of rain we’d had and the course played quite soft on the Thursday. Some years it has been been windy. What we look for is to make it a tough but fair challenge and then the daily set up of tee and hole locations are adjusted depending on the weather.

Bringing bunkers into play off the tee and through challenging pin positions gives the players plenty to think about. Here Peter Hansen is weighing up his options at the 16th hole on the Earth course. Not only does he have a tough stance to negotiate but the pin is guarded by the tight left greenside bunker, a variety of undulations, bunker short and the lake cutting in from his right.

How does your work fit with the duties of Graeme MacNiven and Mark Tupling? DG: I work very closely with Mark Tupling, the Course Superintendent and Graeme MacNiven, the European Tour’s Deputy Director of Agronomy, in terms of how I see the golf course playing and the level of diﬃculty such as the height of the rough, the speed of the greens, etc. and with their vast experience they deliver my wishes or, indeed, tell me if what I am requesting is not practical. Is there any likelihood that the event will switch to the Fire course in coming years?

DG: We are currently undertaking a review of the Fire course and its surrounds as to the feasibility of staging the event there. Our initial ﬁndings are positive. It’s a very good course and with a little “tweaking” it will make for an interesting host course as the look and strategy are diﬀerent from the Earth course. I think some of the players will enjoy the switch while others would prefer to stay on the Earth course. Their views can depend on how well players have played the course in the past! What do you look for first when preparing a course for a European Tour event – is it simply to make it a tougher challenge? Do you have a target winning score that you would like to be achieved or how does it work? DG: When preparing a course, we look to deliver a tough, fair challenge for the European Tour’s best golfers, where they are able to express their skills and abilities. In doing that, we tend to have graded rough and consistent and smooth putting surfaces. Occasionally, new tees, bunkers etc. are added to try and achieve our goals. We never set out at any tournament with a target winning score in mind or try to set a course up to protect par or, in fact, try to achieve any level of scoring. Do you take into account any of the comments or views of the players concerning possible changes to the course? DG: We do listen to the players regarding course changes, of course, although they have to be balanced and fairly universal. Just because a player wants something changing it doesn’t necessarily make it the correct thing to do. Also changes are not always easy to achieve. The club may be against certain suggested alterations and the changes may be very expensive and disruptive to the members and general play. In summary I would like to highlight the excellent work that Mark Tupling has done over the years in producing the course in exceptional condition. It’s on course to be in great condition again this year. It’s a real pleasure to work with him. Q WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 33

THE EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR

WHERE CHAMPIONS ARE MADE

GOLF fans in the Middle East might not be too familiar with the Challenge Tour but they will be more than aware of the global stars who learned their craft on what is the feeder tour to it’s big brother, The European Tour. Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen, Michael Campbell, Trevor Immelman and Martin Kaymer are all Major winners who started their professional careers on the Challenge Tour, but the list of household names doesn’t stop their. Ian Poulter, Thomas Bjørn and Henrik Stenson are just a few more stars who have evolved to become Ryder Cup legends and golf icons. The Challenge Tour is operated by the European Tour and it’s events span from Ireland to China with prize money ranging

36 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

from €160,000 to €500,000 per event. Turning back the clock to the begining, the Challenge Tour was started in 1986 and was initially called the Satellite Tour. The Order of Merit was introduced in 1989, with the top five players gaining a tour card to play on The European Tour for the following season. In 1990 the Tour was renamed the Challenge Tour and up to 1993 the Challenge Tour Rankings were based on each players’ best results from certain events, but since 1994 it has been a straightforward money list, with all the results counting. Players who are successful on the Challenge Tour are exempt to play on

The European Tour International Schedule the following season. This year the top-15 players in the Challenge Tour rankings after the conclusion of the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final will qualify for most tournaments, players finishing16-20 in the final rankings qualify for somewhat fewer events, although the categories are re-ranked midway through the season. The players finishing 21-45 may also gain qualification for occasional low-prize money European Tour Events.

TOUR NEWS

Interiors

European Challenge Tour Major graduates Micchaeel Camp C pbbelll 2005 US Open

Trevo vor Im mmelman lm n 2008 US Masters

Marrtin Ka Kaymeer 2010 US PGA

Louisis Oos ostthuizenn 2010 Open Championship

Andrea Pavan has taken the Challenge Tour by storm this season and with two wins sits at the top of the Order of Merit. The Italian turned pro in 2010 with a handicap of +5 and took to the Challenge Tour in 2011 like a duck to water, winning twice to finish second on the Order of Merit and earn his European Tour card for 2012.

Justitin Ro Rose 2013 US Open

Challenge Tour in Numbers 1

Number of Challenge Tour players who have been Number One in the Oﬃcial World Golf Ranking - Martin Kaymer in February 2011.

Most European Tour wins by a past Challenge Tour player - Thomas Björn.

Number of players on the Challenge Tour who will gain their card on The 2014 European Tour.

Number of Challenge Tour Players to have represented Europe in The Ryder Cup.

Number of events on the 2013 European Challenge Tour calendar.

Number of players who will qualify for the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final

In 2005 he succeeded Francesco Molinari as the winner of the Italian Amateur Stroke Play, in a few years time he could be succeeding him as a Ryder Cup player…

2013 European Challenge Tour Schedule Winners Jan 31-Feb 03 The Gujarat Kensville Challenge – Shiv KAPUR Feb 14-Feb 17 The Barclays Kenya Open 2013 – Jordi GARCIA PINTO Apr 24-Apr 27 Challenge de Madrid –François CALMELS May 02-May 05 Montecchia Golf Open – Brooks KOEPKA

hosted by Al Badia Golf Club by InterContinental, following the National Bank of Oman Golf

May 23-May 26 Telenet Trophy – Daniel GAUNT

Classic to be held at Almouj Golf, The Wave- Muscat on 24th - 27th October, 2013.

May 16-May 19 Madeira Islands Open – Peter UIHLEIN

Score Adrien Mork shot at the Tikida Hotels Agadir Moroccan Classic in 2006, the ﬁrst player to oﬃcially break 60 on the Challenge Tour, The European Tour or the European Senior Tour.

May 30-Jun 02 Fred Olsen Challenge de España – Brooks KOEPKA Jun 06-Jun 09 D+D Real Czech Challenge Open –François CALMELS Jun 13-Jun 16 Najeti Hotels et Golfs Open – Simon THORNTON

226

Number of players who have won money on the 2013 Challenge Tour.

300+

European Tour wins by Challenge Tour players.

2005

The year Michael Campbell became the ﬁrst Challenge Tour player to win a Major,

Jun 20-Jun 23 Scottish Hydro Challenge – Brooks KOEPKA Jun 27-Jun 30 Kärnten Golf Open – Dylan FRITTELLI Jul 04-Jul 07 Bad Griesbach Challenge Tour – Andrea PAVAN

at the US Open Championship.

Jul 11-Jul 14 Swiss Challenge – Victor RIU Jul 18-Jul 21 Mugello Tuscany Open – Marco CRESPI

400,000,000

Jul 25-Jul 28 Le Vaudreuil Golf Challenge – Brinson PAOLINI Aug 01-Aug 04 Finnish Challenge – Stuart MANLEY

The number of homes the worldwide television coverage reaches is approximately 420 million.

Aug 08-Aug 11 Norwegian Challenge – Jens FAHRBRING Aug 21-Aug 24 Rolex Trophy – Jens DANTORP

2013 European Challenge Rankings Top 20 1

Andrea PAVAN

ITA

€128,540

11 Marco CRESPI

ITA

€62,973

Brooks KOEPKA

USA 10

€119,423

12 Jordi GARCIA PINTO ESP 19

€61,934

Daan HUIZING

NED 9

€101,362

13 Jens DANTORP

SWE 17

€60,973

Adrian OTAEGUI

ESP 17

€101,193

14 Duncan STEWART

SCO 17

€60,798

Johan CARLSSON

SWE 15

€95,813

15 Tyrrell HATTON

ENG 14

€59,287

José-Filipe LIMA

POR 18

€94,272

16 Roope KAKKO

FIN 14

€57,675

Sihwan KIM

KOR 19

€87,279

17 Stuart MANLEY

WAL 18

€57,312

Victor RIU

FRA 20

€81,842

18 Tim SLUITER

NED 16

€54,082

François CALMELS

FRA 18

€81,323

19 Agustin DOMINGO

ESP 19

€53,872

10 Robert DINWIDDIE

ENG 16

€80,165

20 Daniel IM

USA 20

€53,505

Aug 29-Sep 01 Northern Ireland Open Challenge – Daan HUIZING Sep 05-Sep 08 Open Blue Green Côtes d’Armor Bretagne – Andrea PAVAN Sep 12-Sep 15 Kharkov Superior Cup – Daan HUIZING Sep 19-Sep 22 Kazakhstan Open – Johan CARLSSON Oct 17-Oct 20 The Foshan Open – Nanhai District, Foshan City,China $350,000 Oct 24-Oct 27 National Bank of Oman Golf Classic Almouj Golf, The Wave,Muscat,Oman Oct 31-Nov 03 Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club by InterContinental

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 37

VENUE: ALMOUJ GOLF THE WAVE, MUSCAT, OMAN DATE: 24-27 OCTOBER

he stage is set for the inaugural National Bank of Oman Golf Classic at Almouj Golf, The Wave Muscat, Oman, on October 24-27, the first professional golf tournament to be played in Oman and the first time a European Challenge Tour event has been held in the GCC. The excitement is certainly rising as the event prepares to tee off with the field of 84 European Challenge Tour players being joined by 30 sponsors’ invitees and qualifiers - 10 amateurs and 20 professionals. They will be playing for a total prize fund of $300,000 with the winner taking home $48,000. Following the result of the tournament the top 45 players on the Challenge Tour Ranking will go forward to the Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final hosted by Al Badia Golf Club where the top 15 players will qualify to play on the 2014 European Tour Schedule. The importance of gaining a good result in the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic is paramount to the Challenge Tour players who will be under considerable pressure to get into the top 45 players to head for Dubai and strive to gain exemption to the European Tour for next season. “It’s a learning curve,” says Italy’s two-time winner Andrea Pavan, who leads the 2013 Challenge Tour Ranking. “Playing in the big events like this gives me the vital experience I need to be able to play well under pressure.” The National Bank of Oman has certainly captured the imagination of the golf world since the tournament was first announced earlier this year. Mohammed Mahfoudh Al Ardhi, Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of Oman, whose drive and enthusiasm has galvanised the corporate and golfing community in the Sultanate to support the event, comments: “We are proud and honoured to be the title sponsor of the first professional golf tournament to be held in Oman and to be breaking new ground in hosting the first European Challenge Tour event to be played in the GCC. “The National Bank of Oman Golf Classic will bring many benefits to the Sultanate, particularly among the youth and the business sectors. Golf has really taken off in Oman in a very short space of time and our youngsters have become enthusiastic golfers. Golf is a sport that teaches respect and fair play and the fact that more and more of our younger generation are enjoying the sport is a good sign for their future and the future prosperity of Oman. “The tournament will help boost their interest and give our Omani National Team players, like Azaan Al Rumhy and Ali Hameed, the chance to compete against

OMAN SET FOR the European Challenge Tour professionals at a higher international level. Playing any sport against stronger opposition is the ideal way to increase your standard and it will be interesting to see how the Arab National amateurs will fare against the future stars of the global game. “We have three excellent golf clubs in Muscat and another under construction, with excellent facilities, and we are pleased to assist the growth of the game among our youngsters. They are the future of Oman.” The National Bank of Oman Deputy Chairman also outlined the advantages that the tournament would bring to the business sector and to tourism in general and to golf tourism in particular. “This is a milestone event for Oman which will create many other opportunities. The tournament not only puts the Sultanate on the World Golf Map but it also beneﬁts the business and tourism sector in promoting Oman to the global corporate and investment community,” he said. Mohammed Mahfoudh Al Ardhi said he was grateful for the amount of support the National Bank of Oman had received from the public and private sectors and

38 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

Above: Mohammed Mahfoudh Al Ardhi, Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of Oman, and Nick Tarratt, Director European Tour International Dubai .ƧBD @S SGD QDBDMS Press Conference held at Almouj Golf, The Wave - Muscat.

that he appreciates the input of the various Ministries, of Sports, Information, Tourism, Health, ROP and the Muscat Municipality. “The National Bank of Oman are extremely pleased to have the support of our Premium Sponsors for this prestigious event: Oman Air, Oman Oil Company SAOC, Shangri-La Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa, ICON ProLab and Wicked Tents,” he said. “It’s also good to be working with a number of local, regional and international partners like Y&R, Paragon, WSP Global, Titan Events, and, of course, the stunning venue Almouj Golf, The Wave - Muscat. “Through the support of esteemed companies like this the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic promises to be a huge success, not only in terms of the impact it will have on the future of the game in the Sultanate, as our young golfers aspire to be the next stars of the Challenge Tour, but also the great boost it will provide for tourism and business in Oman.” Mulham Al Jarf, Deputy CEO of Oman Oil Company SAOC added: “The National Bank of Oman Golf Classic will have a hugely positive eﬀect on the national economy and we are thrilled to be involved. Local business across the board will beneﬁt from

TOUR NEWS

Sponsors Invitations

Above: Ahmed Al Musalmi, Deputy Chief Executive .ƧBDQ NE SGD -@SHNM@K !@MJ NE .L@M RG@JDR hands with Mulham Al Jarf, Deputy Chief Executive .ƧBDQ NE SGD .L@M .HK "NLO@MX 2 ."

The National Bank of Oman with the European Challenge Tour has created a further dimension by making a number of sponsor’s invitations – 10 amateurs, 20 professionals – which have given a much-needed opportunity for many golfers to gain the experience of playing at a higher level: Amateurs: Azaan Al Rumhy and Ali Hameed – Oman; Ali Al Bishi and Saleh Al Kaabi – Qatar; Hamed Mubarak –Bahrain; Faisal Mohammed Alsalhab – Saudi Arabian GA; Taymour Scarello – Egypt; Peter Stojanovic – Australia; Garrick Porteus – England, British Amateur Champion. Professionals: Bill Longmuir (Scotland) ; Brandon Stone (South Africa); Pontus Widegren (Sweden); Knut Borshelm (Norway); Jay Townsend (Australia); Ahmed Al Musharekh (UAE); Gareth Shaw (Northern Ireland); Nacho Elvira (Spain); Damian Ulrich (Switzerland); Julien Guerrier (France); Jake Shepherd, Neil Raymond, Jamie Moul, Matt Ford, David Taylor (England).

2013 NATIONAL BANK OF OMAN GOLF CLASSIC BY NUMBERS 0 - The price of entrance to the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic 0 – The price of a quick golf lesson in the Public Village between 24th and 27th October 1 – The National Bank of Oman Golf Classic is the first European Challenge Tour event in the GCC 2 – Amateur handicap limit. 2 – Number of shows David Edwards, Golf Trick Shot Master, will perform each day. 3 – Length of initial contract in years for the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic Above: Mark Kirk, General Manager of Shangri-La Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa with Hassan Shaban, a Deputy General Manager at the National Bank of Oman.

4 – Number of rounds and number of days of the 2013 National Bank of Oman Golf Classic. 6 – The 6th Green on the Par 3 course will be used as the chipping green for the week. 9 – Number of minutes between tee times on Saturday and Sunday for the final two rounds.

the exposure gained from an event which will have a worldwide audience and it will undoubtedly open doors for the Omani people both in the corporate and sporting worlds.” Mark Kirk, General Manager of the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, commented: “It’s a great honour to be involved in Oman’s first major international event, which will certainly help promote golf tourism in the Sultanate.” Nick Tarratt, Director European Tour International Dubai Office, added: “We thank the National Bank of Oman for their sponsorship of this prestigious groundbreaking tournament and for offering sponsor’s invitations to the top two players in both the PAN-Arab Championship and the GCC Championship and to other Arab Nationals in the region.” Mohammed Mahfoudh Al Ardhi concluded: “We are committed to making the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic a memorable week of golf for the players, spectators, visitors, officials and guests. I would like to extend a very special thank you to the media representatives from Oman, the region and all over the world for the support they have given us in promoting this event. I am pleased to say that the event will be delivered to the highest international standards.” Q

10 – Maximum Number of Amateurs in the field. 10 – Number of minutes between tee times on Thursday and Friday for the first two rounds. 20 – Maximum Number of Professional Invites in the field. 21 – First official practice day – Monday 21st October, 2013. 22 – Second official practice day - Tuesday 22nd October, 2013 23 – Date of Pro-Am – Wednesday 23rd October, 2013. 25 – Number of events on the 2013 European Challenge Tour calendar. 35 – Minimum caddie fee in Euros per round for the tournament. 45 – Number of players progressing to the Challenge Tour Grand Final the week after the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic.

60 – The cut to 60 and ties after 36 holes. 72 – Par of the course at Almouj GolfThe Wave - Muscat. ,

84 – Number of Challenge Tour players in the field. 114 – Number of players in the field. 1987 – The year the Challenge Tour began. 2,000 – Total amount in Euros for the Pro-Am prize fund for professionals. 7,310 – Length in Yards of the golf course at Almouj Golf, The Wave - Muscat. 48,000 – First prize in US$. 300,000 – Total prizefund for the tournament in US$. WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 39

DUBAI FESTIVAL CITY CHALLENGE TOUR GRAND FINAL HOSTED BY AL BADIA GOLF CLUB DATE: OCTOBER 31 - NOVEMBER 3

ALL TO PLAY T Al Badia Golf Club hosts the season-ending Grand Final of the European Challenge Tour on October 31-November 3 – the first time a Challenge Tour event has been held in the UAE. The €330,000 Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final marks the start of a three-year relationship between the European Challenge Tour and Al Badia Golf Club by InterContinental.

40 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

he Grand Final features the top 45 players on the Challenge Tour Rankings who will be playing for first prize money of €56,000 and the chance to finish in the top 15 players to earn their playing cards for the 2014 European Tour season. The tournament comes four days after the conclusion of the penultimate event of the European Challenge Tour, the National Bank of Oman Golf Classic played the at Almouj Golf, The Wave - Muscat. It means that both The European Tour and the European Challenge Tour, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, will both end their 2013 seasons in Dubai. ”Dubai Festival City is privileged to be the home of such a dynamic destination asset and the Al Futtaim Group remains committed to supporting the vision of the Government of Dubai in establishing the emirate as a world-leading hub for professional spectator sports and golf in particular,” says Al Futtaim Group Real Estate, Group Director, Chris O’Donnell. ”The four-day event is expected to reach 367 million homes worldwide making Al Badia by InterContinental and Dubai Festival City the focus

TOUR NEWS

Alain de Soultrait Director of the European Challenge Tour “It is very exciting for the European Challenge Tour to be coming to the GCC for the first time in our history for the final two tournaments of our 2013 season which has seen another strong performance from the stars of the future. It is also exciting to see the performances of our former graduates on the Challenge Tour. So far this season 23 players, who have either graduated or played in Challenge Tour events, have won between them 26 tournaments on the 2013 European Tour International Schedule. Graduates Henrik Stenson’s won the FedExCup Playoffs on the US PGA Tour and is in top spot in The Race to Dubai and fourth in the World Ranking, and Justin Rose won the 2013 US Open and is in third place in The Race to Dubai. Currently 48 players who have either graduated or played in Challenge Tour events are in the top 60 of The Race to Dubai. We especially thank our sponsors, National Bank of Oman and Dubai Festival City/Al Badia Golf Club by InterContinental for their impressive support in making these two Challenge Tour events happen in the Middle East. On behalf of the Challenge Tour and all our players, we look forward to seeing all the golf fans in the sunshine of Almouj Golf, The Wave - Muscat, Oman and Al Badia Golf Club, Dubai on these two magnificent courses supporting the Challenge Tour.”

of attention for a global audience of affluent golfing enthusiasts and cementing Dubai’s reputation as one of the most coveted places to play golf internationally.” In addition to the event, which has no cut, the tournament also offers a host of sponsor benefits, including a Pro-Am on October 30 which features all 45 professionals competing in the Grand Final. ”With the golf course measuring 7,330 yards we believe the Al Badia course will offer a tough test for the players and will certainly be fitting of its status as the venue for the Grand Final,” says Golf Club Manager James Shippey.

’One of the finest venues’ ”We are looking forward to welcoming golf fans to Al Badia to see the stars of tomorrow in action at one of the finest venues in the Middle East.” Nick Tarratt, Director European Tour International Dubai Office, comments: ”Having previously expressed an interest in hosting a European Tour event it was the perfect fit for Al Badia Golf Club to take the opportunity when it arose, to stage the Grand Final of the European Challenge Tour the week after the penultimate tournament

LANDMARK Al Badia Golf Club is a fitting venue for the Grand Final of the 2013 European Challenge Tour season. It will provide the ideal international showcase for the hidden gem of golf courses in the Middle East.

on the Tour at Almouj Golf ,The Wave Muscat, Oman. ”With Muscat, a mere four hours’ drive or an hour’s flight away, it was always important to stage the final event in the region and Al Badia Golf Club stepped up to the plate as both hosts and partner promoters. ”Al Badia Golf Club is the hidden gem of golf club facilities in the Middle East. It is impressive to have a venue in such an ideal location which includes on site hotels, retail, residential, entertainment and F&B options in addition to a course which presents a strong and testing examination from the back tees and an iconic, yet functional, golf operation. With everything on site at Dubai Festival City it is going to be a great week to finish the season for the 45 stars of the class of 2013 on the Challenge Tour.” The Grand Final is certainly a unique tournament for Dubai to host. The Challenge Tour’s motto is, ‘Where Heroes are Made.’ Spectators who watch the action at Al Badia can look back in a few years’ time and recall how many Ryder Cup players and perhaps Major winners they saw up close in action at Al Badia. Nick Tarratt adds: “We have been impressed how

Al Badia Golf Club and Dubai Festival City are activating the golf week with F&B incentives and prize raﬄes to encourage golfers and non-golfers to attend. The tournament also looks forward to embracing the community with participation from students and golfers in the Volunteer Programme to administer the scoring as well as acting as marshals.” James Shippey concludes: “We are extremely proud to be hosting the Challenge Tour Grand Final. We have long been regarded as one of the premier facilities in the region and we are now delighted that both Dubai Festival City and Al Badia Golf Club will be showcased to a global audience. “It positions Al Badia as a true golf destination within Dubai and the UAE – not only from a golf perspective, but as Dubai Festival City, which also boasts stunning hotels in the InterContinental Hotel, Crowne Plaza, along with the InterContinental Residence Suits, a Shopping Mall with over 400 outlets, Marina, 12-screen cinema, bowling alley and more than 75 top class dining outlets. It’s going to be a great week all round.” Q

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 41

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WIT TH DAV VID HOWELL

Eu urro ope ca an wea ather the sttorm HERE were rumours this summer about a potential ‘buyout’ of The European Tour by the US PGA Tour. They turned out to be unfounded, of course, but it did spark something of a debate about T European Tour is currently doing whether The everything it should to keep pace with the US tour. As some someone who sits on The Players’ Committee I know wh what a difficult issue this is for all parties. I think the Tour are doing the best they can in the curr current climate. Ours is such a different marketpla to the US that comparing the two is marketplace pointless. You’ve o only got to watch the news to know that ha been a very tough place to do business Europe has f years. I’m not qualified to say in the last few th Tour should be in a stronger position whether the bec or not because, at the end of the day, I’m not a businessm businessman. I guess we w players do find it a little frustrating that we se seem to have dropped back a little bit. h We were hanging on to the coat tails of the US PGA Tour ffor a few years – and things have turned around for them in a positive way while we seem los a few more players. Guys have joined to have lost the US PGA Tour to play both Tours and that’s obviously had a negative effect on the number of European TTour events they play. It hasn’t been a good three or four year period for us – I don’t think you could spin it any other way. But that’s not to say that an anyone else could have done any better in curren circumstances. the current

The eR Ryder Cup Obviously, we’d all love to see a few more events Obvious a I think England only having one in the UK and event seem seems a bit strange to everyone. Another E couple in Europe at the right times of the year w would be welcomed by all the players, as we have to do a lot of travelling at the moment to make up schedu There’s a great appetite to watch our schedules. live golf in England and the UK. The BMW PGA Champion Championship at Wentworth is a huge success – t could be partly because there are so although that e few other events – but it’s difficult to find the right dates that the star players who you need to play, comm to. can commit Take The Ryder Cup team. You’ve got 12 players the own personal interests that come all with their before the good of the Tour. Ultimately, we play as individuals and we look after ourselves, so to try th right dates is never easy. These are and find the time – maybe there are people out there tough times wor who think that it could be done a lot in the world better but maybe, in reality, that’s not the case. We still play p for an awful lot of money and the Tour is still a great place to earn a living, so we’re for all very fortunate. It’s easy for people to sit on the a say, ‘It should be done this way or sidelines and that way’ b but when you’re the one putting the

schedule together it’s not easy. I actually believe we’ve done pretty well over the last four or five years to continue with the schedule that we have. Others may have different views but I haven’t ever looked at our schedule with dread thinking, ‘Oh dear, it’s all gone wrong.’ We’re still able to earn a nice living if we play well. It’s just that ultimately we can’t compete with the US PGA Tour. We’ve discussed at Committee level many options for enticing players to play more on The European Tour. Further increasing the number of events you need to play to be eligible for The Ryder Cup is one idea but you have to be very careful that you don’t bite your nose off to spite your face. The guys have stayed loyal – most of them do still play on our Tour but if you move that number too far, there might be guys who have played in many Ryder Cups already who think, ‘You know what – this is too much like hard work.’ If there’s a star player who isn’t playing because of our selection criteria then we’ve got it wrong because it’s the biggest thing in golf and people expect to see the best teams put together. I think we’ve got the balance about right at the moment.

Enttice the playerss to play It’s the Tour’s responsibility to put the product on the table and the players’ responsibility to support it. It’s unfair on the players as individuals to say, ‘We need you to support a given week on the schedule’ and then for them to hope they bring along a sponsor and a tournament. That’s not the way it should be done. It should be the other way round. Once a good tournament is in place you have to try to entice the best players to play. It’s all about creating events that players want to play in. You can’t legislate for what an individual thinks about any given week in the schedule or any given golf course or location. Wherever they want to live and play, it’s their right to make their choices as they see fit. A collective loyalty and commitment to try and re-grow the Tour would be helpful but you’re talking about guys who have played many years on our Tour, helping it through thick and thin. It’s an individual sport and people have the right to play where they want so it’s tricky – you can see the issues the Tour face. There are no simple answers. Unfortunately, sponsors are what make the whole thing tick and our Tour seems to be based around the star players playing, in terms of getting them involved, when actually there’s another bunch of guys who aren’t perceived as the stars who are often winning tournaments – and they are the stars of tomorrow. There needs to be more of a collective view that anybody on Tour is capable of winning and is a good player and a potential star – you never know where they’re going to come from. Q

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LPGA STAR PROFILE STACY LEWIS

ON THE SPOT My mum always said when I was a kid that if I was going to play good golf I had to learn how to answer the questions from the media and handle people recognising me. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still kind of strange to me but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather be in this position than the opposite.

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PLAYER FOCUS 10N1

Richard Bevan talks exclusively to World No.3 Stacy Lewis, who won the Women’s British Open at St Andrews for her second Major title, and is set to play in this year’s OMEGA Dubai Ladies Masters, 10 years after having a metal rod inserted in her back to correct a careerthreatening problem. L P G A S T A R

Fighting the odds STACY Lewis knows a thing or two about upsetting the odds. The diminutive American was diagnosed with scoliosis – a severe curvature of the spine – at the age of 11 and had to wear a back brace 18 hours a day for seven and a half years. She now plays golf with a metal rod in her back after an operation to correct the problem a decade ago. But that didn’t stop her bursting into the limelight on the LPGA Tour by making her first title a Major with victory in the 2011 Kraft Nabisco Championship. Neither did it stop her winning four times last year to become the first American to be crowned Player of the Year since Beth Daniel in 1994. It didn’t stop her winning back to back titles at the HSBC Women’s Champions and the RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup in March to end Yani Tseng’s 109-week stranglehold on the World No.1 spot. So when the 28-year-old was up against it at the Home of Golf in the Women’s British Open in August, three shots behind with three to play, it came as no surprise that she refused to accept defeat and roared to the title with a scintillating birdie-birdie finish for a twostroke victory over Na Yeon Choi and Hee Young Park that ended a run of 10 successive Asian winners in women’s Majors. Golf fans in Dubai are in for a treat as Stacy has confirmed her spot in December’s OMEGA Dubai Ladies Masters where the OMEGA Ambassador is intent on adding to her eight titles by winning her sponsor’s event.

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PLAYER FOCUS 10N1

Stacy Lewis FIGHTING THE ODDS Becoming World No.1 and winning your second Major at the Home of Golf – it doesn’t get much better than that does it? SL: It’s been really good. It’s been overshadowed a little bit by Inbee (Park) and what she’s done but as far as my standards, it’s been really good. (Park won the first three Majors of the year prior to Stacy’s win at St Andrews.) Did it make it even more special in that it broke a run of 10 straight Majors by Asian players – to strike a blow back for ladies golf in America? SL: That was huge. In every Major we’d get asked, ‘Where are the American players?’ that’s all we got asked. So it was great to finally get that off my shoulders – at least I can’t be asked that question again for a while. The Asian players have raised the bar over the last few years – has their success made everyone else start working harder to reach the same level? SL: I think it’s raised everyone’s standards including their own. In women’s golf you see people go on a run everyone tries to improve. When Annika went on her run it made Karrie Webb better and it made Lorena Ochoa better. Then when Lorena went on her run, it made Yani Tseng better. And then Yani, to Inbee, to me... it’s kind of a trend that continues. When players play great golf it raises everybody’s standards. WWG: Your success over the last two or three years has been remarkable, what do you put it down to? SL: It’s difficult to pin it down but my putting has got a lot better. To win any tournament you have to putt well so I think that was a lot of it. So many people dream about winning tournaments and Majors but you have to get yourself into that mindset of thinking you can actually achieve it. You have these dreams of it happening but to believe you can do it is a completely different mindset. The people around me helped raise my standards and made me realise that more was possible. It’s great news that you’ve confirmed to play in the OMEGA Dubai Ladies Masters – are you looking forward it? SL: I’m very excited to get to Dubai. I’ve heard such great things about the tournament and about the area. It’ll be my first visit there so I’m looking forward to seeing what it’s all about. You’re an OMEGA Ambassador, will that make it even more special if you can win the event? SL: Definitely. Any time you win one of your sponsors' events it’s huge for you but it’s also huge for them. It would mean a lot to win and it’ll be nice to get off the LPGA, branch out a little bit and go play on another Tour to see how my game stacks up. The event attracts a good international field and women in golf, in general, tend to travel more than the guys don’t they? SL: For sure. The LPGA itself certainly travels. We don’t really need to get off our Tour to travel as it goes all around the world. But I think the OMEGA Dubai Ladies Masters comes at a great time of year for attracting LPGA players as our Tour is finished and everyone is winding down, so it’s a perfect time for the event.

STACY LEWIS'S 2013 STATS Driving Distance: 258yds Driving Accuracy: 76% Greens in Regulation: 75% Putting Average: 29.59 Sand Saves: 40% Scoring Average: 69.71 LPGA Money: $1,548,799

I’VE ALWAYS HAD TO WORK HARD. THAT’S MY PERSONALITY. GET MY BACK AGAINST THE WALL AND I’LL BE EVEN BETTER. THAT’S WHAT COMES OUT ON THE GOLF COURSE. THAT’S THE PERSON YOU SEE, SOMEONE WHO’S HAD THE DOOR SLAMMED IN HER FACE A LOT. You were diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 11 – could you tell us a bit about the condition? SL: Scoliosis is a curvature of the spine. It’s typically found in adolescence and is more commonly found in girls than boys. It’s something that not a lot of people know about because it’s not a life or death kind of thing. It’s more about the eﬀect on your quality of life, managing how much pain you have. So it doesn’t get a lot of attention.

Above: Stacy Lewis proudly shows NƤ SGD SQNOGX NM SGD 2VHKB@M !QHCFD NM SGD .KC "NTQRD @ESDQ VHMMHMF SGD 6NLDM R !QHSHRG .ODM @S SGD 'NLD NE &NKE 2S MCQDVR HM TFTRS

You wore a back brace 18 hours a day for seven and a half years – that must’ve been really tough? SL: I went to school in it, I slept in it and the only time I didn’t wear it was when I was on the golf course. That’s how golf became my thing. I thought, ‘If I go play golf I can get out of this brace for four hours.’ It became my escape and my doctor always told my parents to let me do that, to let me do what my friends and other kids were doing. He’d rather me be playing golf than wearing the brace for an extra hour. It never put you off wanting to pursue a career in golf? SL: It certainly never held me back in any aspect with my golf. It was more of a nuisance than anything. Worrying about the back brace and making sure I was wearing it for a long enough time each day was a real hassle. When I was a kid, I never really thought about playing professional golf. It never really occurred to me. It was more the case that I loved playing High School Golf because you got to play on a team. So I wanted to go to college and play golf so I could be on the team there, too. That was my goal as a kid – to get a scholarship and go play college golf. Fortunately, it all worked out for me. Q WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 47

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WORLDWIDE GOLF COLUMNIST <<

Greg

NORMAN HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED Greg Norman during an early site visit at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the venue of the DP World Tour Championship, the season-ending climax to The European Tour calendar, on the Earth course Greg designed, along with the Fire course, which is under consideration to stage the Championship in future years.

WITH the inaugural National Bank of Oman Golf Classic taking place at Almouj Golf The Wave - Muscat, Oman, later this month I’d like to wish all the players, officials and spectators a truly outstanding tournament. I’d like to thank and congratulate Mohammed Mahfoudh Al Ardhi, Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of Oman, whose foresight and enthusiasm has created a momentous milestone in sponsoring the first professional golf tournament in Oman and the first European Challenge Tour event in the GCC. Not only has the National Bank of Oman put the Sultanate on the world golf map by their sponsorship, they have supported a number of other golf championships, including the GCC Championship played at Almouj Golf, The Wave earlier this year. I’m proud of the job we did in creating the course at Almouj Golf The Wave from a blank canvas of featureless wasteland overlooking the ocean. I said when we had completed the course that it was one of the best golf courses I had ever produced and it’s very gratifying for me that Oman’s first professional tournament should be

FATEFUL TWO MONTHS played there. One of the other rewarding aspects is that the National Bank of Oman have oﬀered invitations to the leading amateur Arab Nationals around the Middle East to take part in the event and compete against the professionals of the European Challenge Tour to test their ability at a higher level than they’ve ever experienced before. It’s good to know that the National Bank of Oman is right behind the Oman Golf Committee in its all-encompassing support of junior golf. In the Sultanate of Oman golf is a relatively new sport but the progress the youngsters are making makes their eﬀorts seem well worthwhile. It was also a forward-thinking move by The European Tour to arrange for the seasonending Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final to be played at the Al Badia Golf Club by Intercontinental from October 31-November 3 – just a few days after the conclusion of the

National Bank of Oman Golf Classic. It’s only a four-hour drive or an hour’s ﬂight from Muscat to Dubai. Not only will the top 60 players on The European Tour Race to Dubai be battling it out later in November in the DP World Tour Championship on the Earth course I designed at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the cream of the European Challenge Tour will be competing to get into the top 45 at Almouj Golf The Wave, to make it to Dubai and ﬁnish in the top 15 and earn their exemption for the 2014 European Tour season. I’m pleased to hear that a detailed study of the Fire course I also designed at Jumeirah Golf Estates is being carried out by The European Tour to determine whether to switch the DP World Tour Championship in the forthcoming years. It’s good for Dubai that the emirate will decide the fate of The European Tour and European Challenge Tour players. Q

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WORLDWIDE GOLF COLUMNIST <<

Gary

PLAYER A FIFTH MAJOR TO BE CREATED? WHAT NONESENSE! After all the rumours and speculation of recent months regarding the possible takeover of The European Tour by the US PGA Tour we have now been presented with the proposition of another impossible dream for some misguided hopefuls that a new fifth Major should be introduced to the men’s game. I’ve never heard of anything so ridiculous in my life. How could anyone even consider discarding the history of the Grand Slams and, indeed, the history of the game? I sincerely hope they don’t change the number of Majors in the men’s game. I understand that this comes from a suggestion in regard to the women’s game that The Evian Championship at Evian-les-Bains in France would become a ﬁfth women’s Major Championship recognised by the US LPGA Tour and the Ladies European Tour. It would be a tragedy for the game if the same were to happen in men’s golf. That would mean that all the players who made the game what it is today would never have had the chance to play in a ﬁfth Major – Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Sam Sneed, Tom Watson, Walter Hagen, Jimmy Demaret, Jack Nicklaus, myself and so many others would have missed out on the number of Majors they could have won.

Why change history? What are they trying to do? We’ve got something that’s quite exceptional in golf so why would anyone want to change history? It’s been accepted throughout the game for so many years I’d be amazed that anyone would want to change it. How can you suddenly add one more Major? What would happen next? Will there soon be six Majors, then seven? If you added another Major it would devalue them and they would lose all their charm. It’s a matter of overpromoting. One sponsor could say that another sponsor is in so why can’t I be in? Everyone’s happy with the current situation so why change it. Tiger Woods was asked whether the Tour Championship at Atlanta or the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass should become a fifth Major but he said he would be opposed to that happening. He didn’t hesitate in saying, ‘No.’ He’s a very straight thinking person and he knows about winning Majors. The Players Championship at Ponte Vedra, Jacksonville, has often been referred to by many people as ‘golf’s fifth Major’ but that’s almost a term of endearment. Their description doesn’t mean they actually want to turn it into a fifth Major officially. To introduce an official fifth Major would dramatically change our game and the legacy of golf and I hope the rumours soon disappear altogether. Q

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WORLDWIDE GOLF COLUMNIST <<

Pete

COWEN

MONEY TALKS BUT MAJORS COUNT Heading into the US PGA Tour FedExCup Play-offs I knew that Henrik Stenson had a chance of a clean sweep if he could maintain his consistency and get a few more putts to drop. He ended up winning two out of the four tournaments to win the Playoffs and collect the $10 million bonus. During that period I reckon he was playing at about 70 per cent of what I want to see from him. But if you play on 70 per cent you’re at the top. But I know he can go to 80. Ninety-ﬁve percent of players on Tour are manipulators. Therefore, when you look at their record over a year it’s up and down like a yo-yo. But if you have great mechanics you can play steady golf far more often. Henrik has a muscle structure that determines the movement of the club, not the movement itself. It’s taken years to get that message through to him. It doesn’t happen in the middle of the night. It took two and a half years to go from nowhere in our ﬁrst year to currently fourth in the world, and another to get him in a position where he truly trusts his swing. Most swings have a DNA you can see, but what you have to do as a coach is accept the fact that you can’t change that. What you have to change is the control element of their swing to make it more controllable. If you understand the mechanics and get it through to the player, the process will give you the consistency at the other end.

Tiger and Rory I see that Tiger Woods is playing an exhibition match with Rory McIlroy in China a few days before the WGC-HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai but although Rory is staying on in China to play the HSBC at Sheshan International Golf Club, Woods is going home – even though he’s already won the WGC Cadillac Championship at Doral in March. It’s a shame when you consider how much the sponsors put into the game. I’m pl;eased that Rory, to his credit, is playing, but that’s because he’s got no form and needs to cement his place in the top 60 in The Race to Dubai. He probably wouldn’t have played had he been playing well – like he did last year. I spoke to Rory in Chicago and he was quite upbeat about his golf, but then in the first round he was awful. It’s a confidence thing with him. As soon as he gets his confidence back he’ll be fine. He’s a great player but he’s just got to hold his hands up, admit he’s had a poor year and try and do better. The expectations were too high at the start of the year but that comes with the territory when you are that good a player. People will look at the change in clubs, his girlfriend and anything else in which they can try to find or invent a fault. People love having a go at him but he might as well just say, ‘Well, I don’t feel as if I’ve played any different to previous years, but it just hasn’t

happened for me’. Tiger always had indifferent years. He hasn’t won a Major in five years and he uses Major wins as a yardstick by which to judge his year. So this year, by his own admission he’s entitled to say ,‘Well I’ve won five titles so I can’t be playing that badly, but I’m disappointed because I haven’t won a Major’. The Tour events are getting harder to win because there’s always going to be someone – every week – who holes those crucial putts. You can see that all the time and it also happens at the Majors. It always comes down to holing the putts. Jim Furyk shot 59 in Chicago but didn’t capitalise on it and failed to win. He followed it with a 69 and 71 to finish third. The mental part of following a 59 is tough and I’m sure Jim would have found it hard going, but the reason he didn’t win was because he had such a poor opening round. Yes, he shot a 59 but it didn’t separate him from the field.

Dubai climax The Final Series will make a big difference to the permutations as to who can win The Race to Dubai at the DP World Tour Championship as they offer a lot of prize money. There’s nobody currently running away with The Race and that’s good. Hopefully, it won’t before the last tournament. If it is, and Henrik has run away with it by the start of the Dubai final then The European Tour might have to rethink how it runs those four tournaments. Q

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Swing

THE ACADEMY AT EMIRATES GOLF CLUB in Association with PETE COWEN

JUSTIN ROSE 1

PETE COWEN PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL and coach to the stars, such as McDowell, Harrington, Kaymer, Stenson... if Pete doesn’t know it, it isn’t worth knowing!

Justin Rose might have become the first Englishman to win the US Open since Tony Jacklin in 1970 but he’s definately got the game to win many more Majors. As you will see in this sequence he’s able to repeat the swing consistently without manipulation, something you only see in great players.

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1. This is the epitome of good balance. I was talking about straight lines last month when I looked at Henrik Stenson’s swing and the same thing is evident here in Justin’s setup. The lines are from the sternum to the hands, the upper vertebrae down to the back of the arms, through the knees and into the balls of the feet and then the coccyx (where his belt buckle is) down to his heels. He maintains those straight lines all the way through the swing – dynamically as well as statically here at set-up. 2. Here he’s working from the ground, working against the ground. His shoulders make it look like he’s taking the club back in one piece, but in actual fact the shoulder muscles are doing the work – otherwise he’d be overturned at this point.

Pete Cowen looks at how Justin Rose become a Major player. 4

3. You can see he’s setting his shoulders in this frame against a very stable base. His body isn’t changing shape.

all aligned. This is because he’s loaded the shoulders particularly well and the body shape hasn’t changed.

4. There’s good wind up in the shoulders here. The right arm sits down, the elbows are level and the shaft is in the middle of his body. So again, he’s not overturned. He’s continued to coil his body with shoulder muscle structure, rather than an overturn of the body.

7. The change of direction begins here. That left shoulder muscle is pulling down while the right shoulder is holding position, which is keeping the shape of the club coming back down under his sternum.

5. He’s working hard to continue that and you can see that the right elbow never gets away from him.

8. Look at the sternum, his hands are under his sternum even though he’s in a delivery position. The butt-end of the club is under is sternum so there’s very little flip in the clubface, he had a habit of flipping a lot but he doesn’t flip at all now.

6. The right elbow sits down here and he’s fully loaded the club with the shaft, club face, left arm and left hand

9. You can see three lines of balance again. You can create a line from the sponsor’s logo on his back, down through his right knee and into his foot. It’s all aligning again. 10 & 11. You can see, thanks to the movement, that there’s no crush in the right glute or hip area, so it shouldn’t hurt his back. And he aligned to finish well, again in balance. The only thing I don’t like is that he flips his left foot over rather than sticking it down, but that’s just a personal preference! It’s not a criticism. There’s nothing technically wrong with doing that.

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Q&A

>> Dr ALAN HOCKNELL

THE world of driver technology is a fast moving one with new materials, shapes, sizes and technologies being explored and developed constantly. Callaway have long been right at the forefront of the battle for market share among the world’s golfers with some of the most innovative designs of the past 20 years or more, from the steel-headed Big Bertha in 1991, the Lamborghini-inspired Diablo in 2011 to this year’s FT Optiforce. +D@CHMF SGD SD@L NE ANƧMR @S Callaway, whose quest it is to research and develop the next game-changing advancement, is Dr Alan Hocknell. With the R&A limit of 460cc in head size would you say the driver has reached its peak for giving professionals and amateurs more length off the tee? AH: No. As we have demonstrated since that rule came into eﬀect, we have been able to add distance to the driver each year using a combination of design features and head construction technology. At Callaway we believe we have some of the best design and technology resources available in the industry and that gives us an advantage in delivering performance within the rules. Which club do you feel has the most development potential to improve and why? AH: It isn’t only about which club, it is also about which part of the game golfers struggle with the most. In the long part of the game, golfers struggle with distance and straightness. In other areas they also struggle with situations in the rough and with judging distance in the short part of the game. All of these represent opportunities to improve the clubs golfers use in these situations. We can use a combination of insights into player performance and knowledge of golf technology in all of these clubs. The most research work still goes into the driving clubs, but at Callaway we intend to be performance leaders in all product categories. Distance is an important metric all the way through the bag, but clearly there are quite a number of other performance metrics we think are important and those metrics change throughout the bag.

The man behind the muscle Dr. Alan Hocknell ('Doc Hock') is responsible for charting Callaway’s product innovation and design strategies across all equipment categories, inclusive of clubs, balls and electronic devices. The Englishman also leads the operational and technical direction of the Innovation Team and implements Callaway’s creative designs and technologies.

How long does it take to develop a new club from design to launch? AH: This varies greatly depending on the amount and type of technology in a given design. Projects which involve significant new technology content can take several years, whereas new product ideas which involve known technologies can be developed in as little as five months.

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Q&A

After joining Callaway Golf in March 1998 as an Experimental Engineer, Doc Hock was promoted to Senior Research Engineer in March 1999, Manager of Advanced Technology in November 2001, Senior Manager of Advanced Technology in July 2002, Director of Product Design November 2003, Senior Director, Product Design and Engineering ng in March 2004 and Sr. Vice President, Research & Development in August 2009.

FUTUREPERFORMANCE TESTING&DEVELOPMENT Having tour pros like Phil Mickelson and a wealth of computer aids must make your testing a lot easier than in previous years but how important is it to get the feedback from amateurs and how do you work with them? AH: We involve amateur golfers all the way through our design process since they are our main customers. This is evidenced in the way we design a lot of different configurations of golf clubs – whether that is different lofts and head sizes in drivers or different sole widths and face shapes in irons, for example. Some of the feedback comes directly through our fitting centres around the world, some comes indirectly through reports from our retail partners and staff professionals and some is from testing we conduct with a range of golfers at our HQ in Carlsbad, CA. As an extra touch, many of the R&D team are golfers and represent a good cross section of ability. We think it is an advantage to have our designers and engineers gain personal experience with the products and prototypes.

If you had a crystal ball how would you see clubs performing 10 years from now? AH: Looking at the last 10 years, changes to the equipment rules have had a significant influence on the design of many of the clubs in the bag. That may continue to be the case since the ruling bodies pay a lot of attention to performance – primarily the tour professionals, but also amateurs. Aside from this influence we believe we can make performance more and more individualised. That is, instead of showing how our clubs perform better under standard testing conditions, we will want to show how they can perform better for you. In that sense I would expect golfers to be able to say they are playing better and enjoying the game more than they do right now because they are more able to hit the shots they are trying to hit – at all levels of ability.

Titanium and carbon fibre remain the key materials in club and shaft manufacturing but are there other elements out there that could offer improved performance in the future? AH: In the period 15-20 years ago, the main innovation agenda was to transfer advanced materials from aerospace into golf club design. In the period immediately following, a lot of work was done to optimise the use of these materials and the processes needed in manufacturing to improve performance. Since that time there has been less focus on new materials – essentially planet Earth doesn’t have many more materials which meet the requirements we have in golf. Instead we have become more creative in the use of combinations of materials and in making smart decisions about which technologies should be applied in which clubs and for which player types, in order to optimise the technology beneﬁts in each club design. We believe there is still a signiﬁcant opportunity in this area.

What are the key ingredients for amateurs (mid handicappers) to look for when selecting a driver with regard to gaining added distance? AH: I don’t believe that mid handicappers have a clear list of design attributes they are looking for in a driver. However, surveys show us that golfers are interested in face technology as it relates to added ball speed and adjustability as it relates to improving ball flight trajectory. In terms of performance, average golfers are looking for distance and this can be achieved more consistently if the club helps deliver high ball launch angles without excessive backspin. Usually, drivers with larger head sizes give the most help to average golfers in attaining this more consistent performance. Since many average golfers have a left to right ball flight (a natural fade or slice), we offer ways in our driver designs to straighten out the shot shape to add more distance and consistency of hitting fairways.

If there was one rule that you could delete from the R&A and USGA restrictions what would it be and how could you make the most of it? AH: The 14 club rule. Given our ability to optimise technology for individual golfers all the way through the bag, there are so many opportunities for players to carry things like a second driving club, high lofted fairway woods, hybrids and forgiving long irons in the long part of the bag, multiple wedges, even diﬀerent putters for long and short putts. Of course, there is a good argument that the limit to 14 clubs forces golfers to develop more shotmaking skill, but I think there is an argument that an equal overall skill level would be required to master the use of a greater number of clubs whilst giving average golfers more consistent fun on the course.

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 59

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TRY YOUR BEST, NOT YOUR HARDEST

Master those 3ft putts

Ball position is essential

Learn to master spin control

P62 Dr Bob Rotella, mind guru to some of the biggest names in Tour golf, passes on his advice to help you achieve better results.

P64 Bryan Smith, PGA Professional at Emirates Golf Club, explains how to drain those nervy putts that count so much.

P66 William Bruce, PGA Professional at The Track Meydan, shows how to tee it up for improved consistency.

P69 Wayne Johnson, Director of Instruction at Jumeirah Golf Estates explains why and how to limit the amount of spin on your approach shots.

INSTRUCTION

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 61

Mind control Once you get on the golf course you need to think, ‘It’s just golf, I’ve got to go out there and let myself play my game.’

TRY YOUR BEST, NOT YOUR HARDEST Dr Bob Rotella is one of the world’s foremost sports psychologist, who has worked with some of the game’s biggest stars such as Major champions Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Keegan Bradley and has written eight best-selling books about the mental side of the game. Here Bob speaks exclusively to Worldwide Golf about how The European Tour’s top players should be approaching the big money Final Series if they want to go the distance by using mental techniques that can help every one of us when we get into a competitive environment on the golf course.

62 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

HE money that’s on oﬀer for the Tour players in the Final Series, and then the DP World Tour Championship, has been a great motivation for the guys all year. But now that it’s here, when they get onto the golf course they’ve got to forget all about the money, not think about it at all and just really get into playing one shot at a time and a live in the moment. That’s the challenge, despite thinking about these big prizes all year, they’ve got to get on the golf course and just play golf. You can’t be thinking about how much money is out there on every hole and every shot. The guys who are smart will have saved some energy for this part of the year. You’ve got to play a decent amount, and play well in order to get into the Final Series events but you’d better make sure that you’re not exhausted by the time you get there. If you are a bit tired you need to be certain that on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before a tournament you’re not over-practising and staying all day at the golf course. You need to make sure you conserve your energy.

Bob Rotella When you want something really badly, the tendency is to miss an easy putt or hit a poor shot and then really get down and upset. But you have to really prepare yourself not to let anything bother you during a round.. Bob Rotella was a major influence on Padraig Harrington’s victory at The 2008 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

Bob Rotella on the range with Henrik Stenson.

After working with Bob, Darren Clarke achieved his life-long ambition of becoming The Open Champion.

When you’re in these situations at these big events, if you’re leading after the first round, the media and your family and friends are all going to start talking about results: “Oh man, you’re in the lead, you could win this thing.” But you need to make a huge effort to stay in a great state of mind. In other words, you can’t carry that burden out on the golf course with you. You’ve just got to say, ‘You know what, all this means is that I’m playing really well right now and I’ve just got to go out there and play my game, and not think about the outcome.’ That’s a big challenge for guys in golf. There’s a lot of mental preparation the night before and in the morning before you go to the golf course. You have to try and anticipate, ‘Where in the round am I likely to start thinking about the outcome?’ You walk away from an interview where everyone is talking about winning and what it would mean to you and your family and your career. But when you walk out of that interview room you have to laugh and say, ‘Well that was fun but starting right now I’ve not got to care about any of that stuff.’ Any time you really want to play great, and there’s a lot on the line, it’s easy to build it up too much. So once they’re on the golf course all these guys will be doing their best to downplay the importance of the tournaments in the Final Series. Even though they’re big – once you get on the golf course you need to think, ‘It’s just golf, I’ve got to go out there and let myself play my game.’ You have to make sure that you’re ‘under-reacting’ to everything that happens. When you want something really badly, the tendency is to miss an easy putt or hit a poor shot and then really get down and upset. You

Dr Bob Rotella’s ‘The Unstoppable Golfer’ is available on www.amazon.com

have to really prepare yourself not to let anything bother you during your round. On the other hand, and this is where the game is fascinating, the night before a round, guys have got to prepare themselves to win. That involves visualising yourself shooting low, visualising yourself hitting great shots, making putts. Visualise winning, so that it’s normal for you when you have a two-shot lead coming down the stretch. It’s got to be like a ‘déjà vu’ experience where it’s no big deal. But once you get on the golf course that’s when you’ve got to really work hard on staying in the present. Anticipate coming down the last nine holes and getting all excited about winning and what it would mean for you ﬁnancially, or careerwise, or endorsement wise. You’ve got to say, ‘If that stuﬀ even starts to get in my head I’ve got to just laugh at it and throw it away and say, ‘What I need to do is just get my mind in the right place on each shot, right now.’ The outcome is something that will happen naturally. It’s the same for amateurs playing in any tournament – don’t let yourself start thinking about the outcome while you’re out on the course. Q WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 63

INSTRUCTION BRYAN SMYTH PGA GOLF PROFESSIONAL EMIRATES GOLF CLUB

LOWER YOUR SCORE BY MASTERING 3FT! Putting statistics from the USPGA Tour highlight an amazing yet key statistic directly linked to lower scoring. The PGA Tour putting average from 3 feet or less is 99%. Why? Because Tour Players take advantage of an alignment system on the golf ball and consistently swing the putter head back & through on line. On these short putts it is critical to keep the putterhead swinging straight back and through. I recommend that you try this simple practice drill to improve your putter alignment and stroke direction to lower your scores. Happy practicing and enjoy the game!

Improve your game with The Dubai Golf Academy at Emirates Golf Club

Mark your golf ball with a prominent line using an alignment cup or similar alignment system as shown, before aligning your golf ball to the intended starting line.

Place your ball three feet from the hole and position two tees just outside the heel and toe of your putterhead, forming a gate to provide direct feedback should your putterhead veer oﬄine.

Set yourself a challenging target as to how many putts you can hole consecutively without contacting the tee pegs. Some of the world’s best will hole 100 consecutive putts as part of their practice routine. I recommend you track your progress by focusing on beating on your previous best score.

Finally, make sure there is always a consequence to your practice, should you miss you must start the drill all over again.

Ş $MG@MBD XNTQ F@LD VHSG @ Q@MFD NE KDRRNM O@BJ@FDR Ş 2THS@AKD ENQ @KK KDUDKR NE FNKEDQR EQNL BGHKCQDM @FDC ENTQ SN @CTKSR Ş +D@QM EQNL NTQ SD@L NE DWODQHDMBDC FNKE OQNEDRRHNM@KR /KD@RD BNMS@BS NQ DL@HK DLHQ@SDR@B@CDLX CTA@HFNKE BNL VVV CTA@HFNKE BNL

INSTRUCTION WILLIAM BRUCE

GOLF PROFESSIONAL THE TRACK, MEYDAN GOLF

QUICK TIPS BALL POSITIONS When playing the driver, a lot of golfers play the ball too far forward in their stance, causing indiďŹ&#x20AC;erent shot patterns. The forward ball position shifts the shoulders open to the target, which leads to an out-to-in swing and usually a slice.

66 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how to make sure your ball position is correct. Tee the golf ball up so it is in line with the logo on your shirt, or just inside your left heel. Playing the ball in the correct place takes no time on the practice ground, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just remembering to monitor it. Get it in the correct position every time and your driving will become a lot more consistent.

WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 67

THE NEW TITLEIST 913 DRIVERS The success story began when Titleist 913 drivers were introduced on Tour, and the momentum has grown with every player ﬁt, as amateurs experience the best combination of speed, forgiveness and performance for their game. New innovations to the face insert, rear weight and lower CG location provide more distance than ever before, along with uncompromising looks, sound and feel. And our patented, industry-leading SureFit ® Tour hosel technology offers 16 independent loft and lie combinations to achieve the most precise ﬁt. Visit titleist.co.uk and learn how Titleist driver technology can deliver more for your game. Steve Stricker PGA Tour Player 166 mph Ball Speed

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INSTRUCTION WAYNE JOHNSON DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION PGA JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES

WAYNE JOHNSON’S qualifications and coaching expertise are unquestionable. He worked at the highest level as a golf teacher and coach, spending four years as Director of Instruction for one of the world’s foremost golf teachers, Butch Harmon, at his schools in the USA, Bahamas and Macau. Wayne worked closely and assisted Butch in many of his coaching sessions with such notable tournament professionals as Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Mark Calcavecchia, Lee Westwood, Darren Clarke and José Maria Olazábal. Wayne first came to Dubai in 2002 and was responsible for the creation of the Academy by TROON GOLF at the internationally recognised five-star Montgomerie Dubai, quickly becoming the Middle East’s leading golf instructional facility. Wayne is currently Director of instruction for the Jumeirah Golf Estates Tour Academy, home of The European Tour’s seasonending climax, the DP World Tour Championship.

ONE of the key shots when playing the DP World Tour Championship is the approach shot on the 18th hole of the EARTH course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. The Tour professionals invariably make sure that they leave themselves a lay-up distance where they can play a controlled approach shot with optimal trajectory, promoting minimal spin and reaction of the ball on this tricky final green. Club golfers generally fall into the habit of trying to hit too little club too far on shorter shots, promoting a stepper angle of attack and creating lots of spin, thereby making the approach shot difficult to control. The excessive spin creates a high shot and when the ball lands, the spin can cause the ball to react too aggressively and sometimes spin off the green into the burn. Here is a way to control trajectory for this type of shot and promote the right amount of spin to control distance. WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 69

The Address

MONTGOMERIE DUBAI PROVIDES THE ULTIMATE MEMBER EXPERIENCE

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us welcome you to one of Dubai’s most celebrated golf havens. Our membership is the perfect reason to grab your clubs and get into the swing of the season. Enroll today and enjoy exclusive benefits. 17 days advance booking privilege Complimentary use of the practice facilities, pool, gym and floodlit

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INSTRUCTION WAYNE JOHNSON DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION PGA JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES

Club selection: One to two clubs more than normal for the required distance

Controlled swing: 3/4 length of backswing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; arm swing finishing with shoulder turn.

Downswing: Lower body turn delivers the clubface at impact (match up arm swing with body rotation to control distance and trajectory).

Followthrough: Curtail through swing to promote penetrating ball flight and distance control. WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 71

Riyadh Golf Club, located 20 minutes North of Riyadh off the Qassim Highway boasts 18 holes of manicured playing surfaces that can be stretched to over 7400 yards from the back teeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Providing a challenge for golfers of all abilities, facilities include

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Will you be at RGC to participate in the Riyadh Corporate Masters November 16th, to try and qualify for the

WORLD CORPORATE MASTERS FINALS at..... The Els Club, Dubai, UAE 8-9th of December, 2013 Entry fee 2500 per team / RGC members 50% discount, two ball better ball format Entries will be accepted on a first come first serve basis. Please email all entries to reception@riyadhgolfcourses.com

Missed out on all the invitations to corporate golf events, take advantage of our GET INTO GOLF OFFER. Bring this voucher to receive a 50% discount on our published lesson rates.

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October

Arabian Golf AMATEURS A STEP CLOSER TO ROLEX PRO-AM SPOT AT DP WORLD TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP hile The Race to Dubai gathers momentum, so too does the excitement around the Luckiest Ball on Earth competition, held to determine which lucky UAE amateur will tee it up with the top 60 players on The European Tour in the Rolex Pro-Am on 12 November, just 48 hours before the start of the DP World Tour Championship. Last month, 21 events were staged at 20 clubs affiliated to the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) with each winner going through to the Luckiest Ball on Earth Grand Final to be held on the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on 13 October. Over 1,000 players took part in the 21 events to underline the popularity of a competition that is now in its third year as part of the countdown to the US$8 million DP World Tour Championship. In addition to the 21 club event qualifiers, the top three UAE nationals in The President’s Cup will also compete in the Grand Final as invitation entries. “Once again we have been delighted with the support we have received from the Emirates Golf Federation and the participating clubs,” said European Tour International Director, Dubai Office Nick Tarratt. “The Luckiest Ball on Earth Grand Final promises to be yet another memorable occasion and we wish all of the players the very best of luck on the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on 13 October.”

CONFIRMED AS FINALISTS AFTER WINNING THEIR INDIVIDUAL CLUB QUALIFIERS ARE: Adele McKelvey (Arabian Ranches Golf Club) Khamtan Butcha (Al Dhafra Golf Links) Cathy Feron (Saadiyat Beach Golf Club) Nicolas Reincke (The Track - Meydan Golf ) Mike Beggs (Al Badia Golf Club) Patrick Morrow (Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club) Richard Posa (Emirates Golf Club – Men’s Event) Robert Shedden (Al Ain Equestrian Golf & Shooting Club) Paul Macbeth (Sharjah Wanderers Golf Club) Barnaby Crompton (The Address Montgomerie Dubai) Hanief Sallie (Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club) Brian Shepherd (Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa) Dan Blomstrand (Al Hamra Golf Club) Chris de Beaufort (Al Ghazal Golf Club) Robert Paige (Yas Links) George Bou Kheir (Abu Dhabi Golf Club) Raymond Beard (Jumeirah Golf Estates) Mick Carrington (Abu Dhabi City Golf Club) Thea Hendrickx (Emirates Golf Club – Ladies Event) David Cracknell (The Els Club) Peter Mitias (Tower Links Golf Club) WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 73

CONTACT: Tel : +9714 380 2222 E-mail: info@dubaigolf.com

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB www.dubaigolf.com

EmiratesGolfClub

EGC WELCOMES ITS ONE MILLIONTH ROUND EMIRATES Golf Club celebrated another huge milestone last month as it recorded its one millionth round of golf on its lush fairways. The brainchild of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Emirates Golf Club has grown from a single course in 1988 to the ambitious and spectacular venue it is today, featuring the Majlis and Faldo courses, Peter Cowen Golf Academy,

and world-class leisure and food and beverage facilities. “Emirates Golf Club has become an icon in the UAE and one of the city’s most prominent landmarks,” said Andrew Whitelaw, General Manager, Emirates Golf Club. “Over the past 25 years we have inspired golfers at all levels and set the bar for the growth of the sport in the region. Serving one million golfers is another huge milestone – in a year of huge milestones – that

we wanted to celebrate with our members and guests. “Milestones such as this are very important and should be recognised, but it is vital that we plan for the future and safeguard Emirates Golf Club for the next one million golfers and beyond. With the continued support of our owners, wasl Asset Management, we look forward with great optimism and excitement to the next chapter in the life of our Golf Club.”

RICHARD POSA CLINCHES THE SEPTEMBER MASHREQ MEDAL

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR JUNIOR LESSONS

RICHARD Posa produced his best ever score in only his second tournament to win last month’s Mashreq Medal Championship in Association with BMW and Harvey Nichols Dubai. Posa’s net 68 was four shots better than his closest rivals and saw him clinch Division ‘C’ (Hcp 21-34) in the ﬁrst medal of the new season. In Division ‘A’ (hcp 0-10) Tim Evans and Salem Dasmal both signed for a level par 72 but Dasmal’s better back nine gave him top prize. Evans had to settle for runners-up place in the Division but his gross 73 saw him win the gross prize. Lalu Mahtani clinched Division ‘B’ (Handicap 11-20) with a 1-under-par 71, two clear of Stephen Jones and three ahead of Andrew Hendry. Posa’s overall best net of the day earned him a place in the Luckiest Ball Grand Final to be held on Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Sunday, 13th October 2013. The overall net winner of the Grand Final will earn a place in the Rolex Pro-Am for the DP World Tour Championship on the same course on Tuesday, 12th November.

DUBAI Golf have introduced a brand new Dubai Golf Junior Programme at both Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and registration for both venues began last month. Professionals at the clubs have utilised their knowledge and expertise to create a new Dubai Golf Junior Programme which will allow youngsters to move through diﬀerent levels as their skills and experience develop. “The new junior programme includes a combination of skills and physicalbased activities with a focus on fun to ensure that the junior golfers really do get the maximum beneﬁt from the time that they spend with us,” said Stephen Deane, Head Academy Professional, Emirates Golf Club. Stephen Hubner, Head Golf Professional at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club said: “Last year our team of Golf Professionals taught more than 400 juniors. We are fortunate to have some very strong young players within the region and it is fantastic to play a role in contributing to their development.”

Club Captain Dick Purchase hands Richard Posa his trophy with Parag Tikekar, Head of Proposition, Mashreq Gold, looking on.

74 | ArabianGolf - October 2013

DUBAI CREEK GOLF AND YACHT CLUB www.dubaigolf.com

DubaiCreekGolf

CONTACT: Tel : +971 4 295 6000 E-mail: dcgyc@dubaigolf.com

dubaicreekgolfandyachtclub

VISITORS DEFEAT THE VICE CAPTAIN IN SEASON-OPENER

Winner Patrick Morrow is pictured with Dubai Creek Club Captain George Horan after his victory.

MORROW SEALS ROUND THREE PATRICK Morrow won the third round of the Mashreq Gold Cup in association with BMW and Harvey Nichols, Dubai thanks to a three-stroke win over Craig McBride last month. The win was his second of the 2013 Mashreq Medal Championship Order of Merit series and came courtesy of a superb net 65. “It always feels good to be in the winner’s circle but to ﬁnally break 80 after 11 months has really brought back the enjoyment of the game that I have been playing for 41 years,” smiled Morrow after collecting the trophy. To make his win extra special he received the ‘Luckiest Ball on Earth’ prize which punched his ticket for the qualifying event for this year’s DP World Tour Championship Rolex Pro-Am. The best gross score of the day came from Dubai Creek Junior Rayhan Thomas who carded a superb 2-under 69 to beat Max Burrows in a countback while McBride, who missed out on the overall prize, took the spoils in Division ‘A’ with his 68. Nick Clayson took the spoils in the Men’s Division ‘B’ with a level-par 71, one clear of Naresh Handa while in the Ladies Division new Dubai Creek member Amelie Burty shot a net 70 to win. After narrowly missing out a month earlier Monty Stapleton made a superb net 65 to win the junior division and also jump to the top of the Junior Order of Merit. The winners of the ‘Beat The Pro’ competitions were Mark Jolliﬀe, Michael Nielsen and Edward Fearn, whilst Kennon Rider, Alan White, Ryan Riley, Adam Savage and again Michael Nielsen were all successful in the 2’s club.

JEBEL ALI GOLF RESORT www.jaresortshotels.com

THE 2013/14 season got underway recently as the Ladies of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club played host to members of The Address, Montgomerie Dubai in a Betterball Stableford competition. A total of 32 players teed it up and taking the honours was the visiting pair of Lori Reynolds and Jeanette Nievwendijk as they narrowly defeated the Creek Vice Captain Paula Savage and her partner Nadia Matveeva on a countback. Both pairs compiled an impressive 43-point haul but it was the visitors who prevailed thanks to their better back nine. Third place went to Fiona Berry and new Creek member Beatrice Galeppini as they finished one point further back. It proved to be a very successful first outing for Galeppini as she also picked up both the Straightest and Longest Drive challenges. Other prizes on the day went to Phyllis Carson and Fiona Linn for their Nearest the Pin efforts on holes 5 and 14 respectively. The prizes were presented by Dubai Creek Professional Craig Waddell and Dubai Creek Lady Captain Maureen Platt and following the prizegiving Platt commented: “It’s fantastic to see all the ladies again after the summer break and to have 32 competing in the opening event of the season is a great achievement and a great reflection on Dubai Creek’s commitment to ladies golf. Huge congratulations go to all winners today and our thanks go to Fiona Linn and her team from The Montgomerie for making the trip here.”

CONTACT: Tel : +971 4 814 5555 E-mail: jagr@jaresorts.com

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FIGS TURNS THREE THE Furniture and Interiors Golf Society celebrated its third anniversary with a full ﬁeld taking part in a four-man Stableford event recently and coming out on top were newcomers Ryan Bruss, Alex Sauerman, Robert Russell and Ben Goodman as they tallied a combined score of 87 points. Nearest the Pin prizes were won by Woody Leonard, Mahesh Patel, Paul Schwartz and Jason Ebbett on holes 2, 8, 11 and 17 respectively. The next FIGS event is scheduled for December. Golf Operations Manager, Jebel Ali Resort Stuart McMurdo is pictured with Nick Burnett and Mahesh Patel. ArabianGolf - October 2013 | 75

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

ALMOUJ GOLF www.almoujgolf.com

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CAPTAIN WELSH WINS YELLOW BALL PAIRS

John Prescott (left) accepts his prizes after his victory.

JOHN PRESCOTT SEALS THE MUSCAT MONTHLY MEDAL LAST month’s Chedi Muscat Medal marked the opening of the 2013/14 season at Almouj Golf and John Prescott emerged victorious thanks to a net 68 after an excellent gross 83 oﬀ his 15 handicap. The Championship Course was starting to show signs of the conditions that will be presented to the European Challenge Tour in October for the inaugural National Bank of Oman Golf Classic. The greens have responded very well to the work put in by Steve Johnson and his team and were noticeably faster than they had been over the summer and players who were unfortunate to miss the fairways also enjoyed the challenge of the rough, which was more lush than usual. Tournament regular Prescott was head and shoulders above the rest of the competitors to

take the Men’s Best Net title by a commanding eight strokes from his nearest rival. With most of the single digit handicap golfers still on their summer vacations it was Nasaruddin Mohamed who produced the best Gross score of the day with a ﬁne 81, adding The Chedi Muscat Monthly Medal Best Gross to his growing collection of trophies and booking his spot in the season-ﬁnale in the process. In the Ladies Division it was 16-handicapper Louise Daly who coped with the conditions better than her opponents as she returned a net 78 to win. Daly is returning to the UK so is unlikely to take advantage of her invitation to the Tournament of Champions in May 2014 but will nevertheless have an extra piece of glassware to pack for winning the Ladies Net prize.

CLUB Captain William Welsh partnered Danny Renihan to victory in the recent Yellow Ball Pairs Challenge as they scored 70 points for a two-point victory. In addition to the normal rules whereby the best points score from the pair on each hole counted as their team score, each pair was given a yellow golf ball. The yellow ball entitled the player holding it to record double stableford points, but before teeing oﬀ each pair had to decide which player would be using the yellow ball on the odd numbered holes and consequently which player would be responsible for it on the even numbers. In order to ensure that good course management prevailed the rules ensured that the yellow ball would only deliver double points until it was lost and that no replacement would be given. The shotgun start meant several pairs started on holes of the Championship Course which bordered the sea and unfortunately for some, their yellow ball was a very brief addition and was lost before it had the chance to accumulate any points! Welsh and Renihan faired best in the format as they denied Keith Harvey and Iain Watters a shot at the title. Finishing third with 62 points was Mike Reed and Robert Daniel while Yvonne Welling and John Petersen ﬁnished fourth with 56 points.

ALMOUJ NARROWLY LOSE TO EGC IN CHALLENGE MATCH MEMBERS from Almouj Golf took on a team from Emirates Golf Club over the Dubai Club’s stunning Majlis course recently but suﬀered a narrow defeat to their hosts. The Emirates team came out on top with a score of 6-5 as 44 players put their skills to the test. In the ﬁrst match out Almouj Golf Captain William Welsh and Daniel Renihan triumphed over Dick Purchase and Drummond Welsh 3&2 but it wasn’t to be for the visiting Muscat players.

RESULTS EGC TEAMS FIRST Dick Purchase and Drummond Welsh lost to William Welsh and Daniel Renihan 3-2.

Rob Broedelet and Sandra Broedelet won against Stephen Monson and Dougie Hall 2-1.

Ishu Rupani and Pavan Nihalani lost to Ali Al Mahrouki and Nasruddin Mohammed 3-1.

David Formas and Sandra Chia won against Kevin D’Amours and Stu Boyce by one hole.

Soumaya Salem and Alan Salem lost to Chris Hanks and Karen D’Amours 4-2.

Harald Liedtke and Iqbal Ismail won against Fauzi Adnan and Achmed Kamal Mahmud 2-1.

Gunnar Nielsen and Henning Larsen lost to Greg Andreason and Ed Colver by one hole.

Sudhir Vora and Tej Chhabra won against Andrew Clarke and Pete Bell 4-3.

Phil Harris and Mathys Oberholster lost against John Prescott and Shirley Prescott by one hole.

Veronica Elias and Bruno Muller won against J.K. Foster and Iain Watters 5-4.

Julio Garcia-Villalon and Hugo Garcia-Villalon beat Girish Ghawali and Fahad Al Mahrouki 3-1.

76 | ArabianGolf - October 2013

DUBAI GOLF SUMMER SERIES

VERMA INSPIRED BUT KUMAR TAKES THE SERIES GAURAV Verma sealed the fourth and final fixture of the Dubai Golf Summer Series, sponsored by Titleist, and taking the overall series victory was Aryaan Kumar after some excellent performances. Verma scored 44 points on the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club to come out on top and admitted to feeling a little rushed prior to teeing off. “I flew back into Dubai at 8.0am this morning and then went out and shot my best ever score to date – I’m delighted,” he said. With Verma taking the spoils on the day the only task that remained was to work out who had won the overall Series and coming out on top with a haul of 111 points was Kumar as he won by two points from Kabir Nanda and Ashwar Jodha. Competitors had the opportunity to play in four fixtures over the summer, which were sponsored by Ping, Footjoy, Greg Norman and Titleist, with their best three scores counting to the final league table. The ladies competition was a close contest with Ji Won Bae recording 32 points to take the prize for best lady golfer with junior Kavita Sehmi recording the lowest gross of the day with a 74, a superb effort in hot and humid conditions. Prize sponsors, Titleist, also rewarded Punya Khanna and Neil Taylor for their accuracy on the Nearest the Pin prize holes with Titleist golf balls. The conclusion of the Order of Merit was the closest of contests with 3 points separating the top five players. With 213 different golfers competing over the four events it was youngster Aryaan Kumar who claimed top prize on a 111 points total. He signed for 39 points over the Majlis course to combine with a 33 at Dubai Creek and 39 on the Faldo course, to win the series by two points. Kabir Nanda and Ishwar Jodha tied on 109 points each but Nanda’s best individual tally of 42 points at Dubai Creek gifted him the runners-up place.

David Stevenson of ProSports is pictured with the winner of the fourth and final event of the Dubai Golf Summer Series, Gaurav Verma (Top) and with Aryaan Jumar (above) , winner of the overall series.

ISHWAR JODHA FINISHES IN TOP SPOT

Stuart Taylor (ProSports), Ishwar Jodha (Winner), Chris May (Dubai Golf CEO) and Stephen Hubner (Dubai Creek Head Golf Professional) pictured at the prizegiving presentation..

THE third event of the Dubai Golf Summer Series, sponsored by Footjoy, took place in late August and ﬁnishing top of the pile was Creek member Ishwar Jodha as he took advantage of his home knowledge with a haul of 40 points. “It’s great to win here today,” said Jodha. “The summer series is fantastic as it provides players the chance to continue playing and competing through the summer months over three fantastic courses. Many thanks to FootJoy for their generous sponsorship.” Two players ﬁnished one point back and after a nervy countback it was Ashok Kumar who clinched second place outright, denying Michael Nielsen the silver medal spot. Aashka Desai was back in the winner’s circle and picked up her

second win of the series with a superb performance of 40 points to win the Ladies Division while the best score of the day came from the Junior Division as Hrithik Khurana was victorious with a staggering 43 points, beating fellow Creek junior Kabir Nanda by a single point. The two on-course prizes went to Glory Xavier and James Jackson for their accurate tee shots on the par-3 8th and 14th holes. After conducting the prizegiving presentation Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Head Golf Professional Stephen Hubner commented: “It has been wonderful to see another full ﬁeld enjoying one of our summer events here at Dubai Creek. Our thanks go to ProSports International for their support of this popular series.”

ArabianGolf - October 2013 | 77

ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB www.arabianranchesgolfclubdubai.com

ArabianRanchesGolf1

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

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MURPHY AND McKELVEY STEAL THE SHOW Adele McKelvey Gross Champion as well as winner of the Luckiest Ball on Earth competition alongside Club Captain Terry Vaughan.

RON Murphy returned a three over par gross 75 to win the September Rivoli Monthly Medal supported by Speed Cleaning while Adele McKelvey continued her dominance over the ladies with a level par gross 72 to win her Division. Murphy’s round was very steady with few mistakes except for his final hole where he made a double bogey to finish off what would have been an otherwise exceptional day. Murphy’s 75 was still the best gross by one stroke from four players including James Sayer who took the runner-up spot by virtue of a countback The best net round of the day in the Men’s division belonged to Division ‘B’ Champion Ed Atack as he posted a net 68 to win via a countback from Serge Rahman. Division ‘A’ was another tight contest and taking the spoils with a net 69 was John Hainey with Cameron Marland settling for second place on a 71. In addition to McKelvey taking the Ladies Division spoils she also won the Luckiest Ball on Earth competition and has won a spot in the play-off for an opportunity to play in the Rolex Pro-Am of the DP World Tour Championship. The Ladies Net division was won by Bernadete Futschik as she won by one stroke from Emma Rooms with a 74.

DELACOURTE AND RAMAGE ARE THE SENIOR STARS ALAIN Delacourte and Eddie Ramage took the spoils in their respective Stableford and Gross Divisions at the Dubai Duty Free Seniors Cup last month. Fifty six players competed in the event which was open to Men, 50 years and above, and Ladies, 45 years and above and each player used their handicap index as the allowance to be taken at the appropriate stroke index holes. The card of Delacourte, was very impressive, with 11 gross pars and a gross birdie. A front nine of 21 points followed by a back nine of 24 gave him a win by four

Dubai Duty Free officials, Sinead El Sibai, Vice President – Marketing and Nic Bruwer, Vice President – Human Resources present Alain Delacourte with the trophy Stableford points from Tony Stroud on 41 points. Stroud settled for the Men’s Division title, winning by one point over Brian Hollis. Eddie Ramage, Captain of the ARGC Scratch League squad, ﬁred

a 2-under par 70 to win the best gross thanks to nines of 36 and 34. Emma Rooms won the Ladies Division with a score of 41 Stableford points, ﬁve clear of Karen Evans.

(left to right) Kevin and Amanda Barrett, Doug McLennan, new Captains Pauline Wallace and Terry Vaughan and Hakan Kalrsson.

FUN FOR ALL AT THE CAPTAIN’S DRIVE-IN THE ceremonial drive-in for new Captains Terry Vaughan and Pauline Wallace took place recently and in addition a four-player Team Scramble was played, which was won by Doug McLennan, Hakan Karlsson and Amanda and Kevin Barrett with a superb net 54 from a gross 58. The day started with an introduction of the incoming Captains from Elliott Gray followed by a tee shots from Wallace and Vaughan which went 172 yards and 209 yards respectively. Competitors in the Scramble looked on and entered their guess at how far each new Captain’s drive would travel. The lucky winners were Aaron Birch who predicted Wallace’s distance and Amanda Barrett who picked the correct length of Vaughan’s drive correctly. The scoring in the team event was exceptional and the winning team’s card included two eagles and 10 birdies as they romped to victory. The event not only welcomed the new Club Captains in to Office and also thanked the outgoing Club and Lady Captain – Eddie Ramage and Anne Hainey. “It has been a great day and a great year with Eddie and Anne in office; they have been tremendous supporters of the Club, Membership, Management and the social calendar of events,” said Director of Golf Francois Wolfaardt. “We all look forward to another fun-filled year with Terry Vaughan and Pauline Wallace in office.”

ArabianGolf - September 2013 | 79

JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES www.jumeirahgolfestates.com

CONTACT: Tel : +971 4 375 999

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SUPERB SCORES IN MEMBERS AND GUESTS TEXAS SCRAMBLE A TEAM atmosphere was widespread throughout the recent Members & Guests event as a Texas scramble format created great excitement on every hole. By the end of play, six teams had managed to break the net 60 barrier and all were in with a chance of winning but coming out on top with a superb net 57.7 were Mike Cowley, Dave Mundell, David Haswell and Jason James. Finishing in second with 58.3 were Colin McDonald, James McGlynn, Roy Curlsey and Robert Varty while just 0.3 shots further back in third place were Raymond Beard, Hudson Fountain, Andrew Rotteveel and Neil Brown. There were four on-course prizes up for grabs and winning the two Nearest the Pin challenges were George Malcolm on hole 8 and Sandeep Singh on the 14th while Andrew Rotteveel struck the Longest Drive on hole 7 and Jehanzeb Awan won the prize for Nearest the Pin in Two on hole 16.

BUGGY TALK AROUND THE TURN At the last time of writing, I was on the Isle of Arran, where my brother made a surprise from the US and we had our first round of golf on the island for over 20 years. I remember saying that I might surprise him too and go to his wedding in the US in August. Well, I did go to the wedding and what a memorable event it was, in the North Georgia mountains. Do you know the best thing about having an evening wedding? That's right, there's time for a round of golf in the morning! And so we did; at the wonderfully undulating, challenging and unusually named Butternut Golf Course just outside Blairsville, Georgia, where we were made very welcome. All being friends, and in my case, a relative of the groom, our format wasn't quite what you'd find on the PGA tour; there was buggy swapping at various times during the round. It was 'around the turn’ that Stewart, an old school chum and rugby teammate and I, joined forces and got chatting. Stew has a jet set life, swanning around the globe, purportedly for work (but I'm not sure about that), when out of the blue, about a year ago, having not been travelling for some time, he developed a very swollen and very painful leg. He described it as the worst pain he had ever experienced. He had developed a DVT (deep vein thrombosis) in his leg. He was seen in A&E where the diagnosis was made and treatment immediately commenced with injections to thin the blood. He then started Warfarin tablets, which take over from the injections and continued it for a period of six months. The pain lasted for weeks and the swelling never fully resolved. As always, with many of my friends and their various ailments, it seemed that Stew was after more strokes on "medical grounds". And being teammates for the rest of the round, that was no problem! DVTs are common, sometimes with dramatic symptoms, sometimes barely anything. They are caused when there is injury to the lining of the veins (usually in the legs, which triggers a blood clot within). They are associated with increasing age, the contraceptive pill and HRT use, periods of immobility (long flights and car journeys or after surgical operations), pregnancy, cancer and can run in families, especially if the individual is a smoker, obese and poorly hydrated. They are dangerous because on occasions some of the clot can break off and travel through the heart and block the blood supply to the lungs, a pulmonary embolus, which can be fatal. The diagnosis is made by a blood test and an ultrasound of the veins. Treatment is "thinning the blood" for six months or more. Prevention, as always, is better that cure. So stay hydrated, don't smoke, keep a healthy body weight, wear flight socks for long journeys and perform frequent foot and ankle exercises. Top Tip: If you suspect a DVT, don't dither. Doctor!

BROWNE BOUNCES BACK ANNIE Browne put the disappointment of ﬁnishing runner-up in the July Medal behind her with a superb victory in the Ladies Division of August’s Medal. She found her form on the back nine of the Earth course and even sealed the Nearest the Pin prize on the 17th en route to victory. In the Men’s Division ‘A’ it was Martin Uchytil who topped the pile with a 71, one clear of Ayaz Afridi with Mike Talbot third after losing out to Afridi on a countback. Division ‘B’ was a two-horse race between George Erasmus and Darren Jacobs as both ran away from the ﬁeld. They pushed each other all the way and eventually it was Erasmus who earned victory with a superb net birdie-birdie for an 8-under 64, one clear of Jacobs. Martin Grieg won the Nearest the Pin prize on hole 6 while Owen Jones won the prize on the 13th.

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SHARJAH GOLF AND SHOOTING CLUB www.golfandshootingshj.com

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

Sharjah-Golf-Shooting-Club

CONARES TO SPONSOR THE SGSC GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE CONARES, the leading provider of downstream steel products in the region, has announced that it will become Title Sponsor of the popular Golf Society League at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club for a period of three years. As an avid enthusiast of the sport and an active golfer himself, Bharat Bhatia, CEO of Conares, signed the contract with Director of Golf Martin Duff for title sponsorship throughout 2013/2014, 2014/15 and 2015/16 golfing seasons. Commenting on the agreement, Bharat Bhatia said: “Golf has become an increasingly popular sport in the UAE with many amateur golfers seeking a competitive challenge from the game. The Golf Society League provides ample opportunity to those who enjoy the sport, with or without a handicap, and are looking for friendly competition. The SGSC have done a wonderful job with the League which has grown to become immensely popular over its last four seasons. We are excited about the upcoming tournaments, and are certain it will continue to be an overwhelming success. We are happy to be a part of it. “We see that the Title Sponsorship for the Golf Society League, which has proven over the last four seasons to be a top-class amateur golfing event, will provide Conares with great value, with national and regional exposure in addition to the goodwill which will be created over the coming three years. Conares’ current market share is about 20 per cent, and has the potential to take it up to 30 per cent of the market.” Speaking on the sponsorship agreement with Conares, Martin Duff said: “We are delighted to sign this ground-breaking deal with new Title Sponsors

Conares CEO Bharat Bhatia signs the 3 year Golf Society League Title Sponsorship agreement with Sharjah Golf & Shooting Clubs Director of Golf, Martin Duff. Conares. The League has grown to become one of the most sought-after events for golfers in the UAE with Golf Societies particularly keen on competing more frequently against each other. The sporting fervour is definitely growing year on year with many business heads following the success of the last four year’s Leagues and, as a result, entering teams under their company name to attain both further brand exposure and an extended networking base for their golfing staff.” The annual Golf Society League is nearing its start, with the first round of fixtures due to be played on Saturday 19th October and then the week following on Saturday 26th October. If you are interested in entering a team in this competitive but fun golf society competition contact the Golf Business Development and Sales Manager, Samjhana Lama, on 056-7017960 or email at golfsales@golfandshootingshj.com

HANIEF SALLIE ENDS HIS WAIT FOR A WIN

MALAYSIAN FRIENDS COMBINE TO CLINCH THE MEMBERS AND GUESTS SOCIAL THE Malaysian duo of Mohammad Bin Firdaus and Adi Hussaini combined superbly to score an overall net 66.4 to clinch a recent edition of the BMW Members & Guests Social by two clear strokes. With the tournament split into two shotgun starts it was scratch golfer Tim Collins and partner Dean Moss who combined the best in the morning to win the front nine Texas Scramble with a net 34.6, whilst husband and wife pairing of Martin and Catherine Geskes produced the best nine holes of the entire day as they ﬁred home a 7-under net 29 within the better ball back nine format. With the overall champions Firdaus and Hussaini playing in the afternoon section the front and back nine awards went to Andrew Morley and Andre Thom and Randeep and Sandeep Singh respectively.

82 | ArabianGolf - October 2013

SOUTH African Hanief Sallie proved that hard work and persistence pays oﬀ as he ended a long drought with a victory in last month’s Orient Travel – Thai Airways Monthly Stableford. Sallie posted a very creditable 39 points in tough conditions during the morning shotgun to take the honours by four points from Robert Gayle and John Berry. Taking second place outright was Gayle as he edged out his English compatriot on a countback. The best gross in the morning section went to South African Scratch Team member Roy Holmes who returned 29 gross Stableford points to outshine Sunny Ramadas and Mike Robson. The afternoon’s prize went to Malaysian Mohammad Firdaus Bin Idris who returned 37 points, which was two shy of Sallie’s overall winning total. However, two steady nines of 18 and 19 points allowed Bin Idris to win the afternoon prize.

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

SHARJAH GOLF AND SHOOTING CLUB www.golfandshootingshj.com

Sharjah-Golf-Shooting-Club Team Asia celebrate winning the inaugural NMT Batter of the Continents last year.

BATTLE OF THE CONTINENTS RETURNS FOR ITS SECOND YEAR AFTER a highly successful first outing the NMT Battle of the Continents (BOTC) competition is set to return, bigger and better than before. With sponsorship again renewed from NMT Global Projects, the five events will host more golfers than the first edition with superb prizes and the opportunity to also win a BMW car on offer during the Final. Last year’s NMT Battle of the Continent Champions, Asia, will look to repeat a dominating win which saw them take victory in the inaugural competition by three clear points. Both the American/Australasian and European teams are aiming to improve on what was an extremely poor showing in the final. “We were very disappointed with our performance last year,” said European Captain Gary Langthorne. “We are out for revenge this year and will be doing all we can to take the trophy away from Asia.” Each section of the BOTC has a Captain and the field in each qualifier will play for eight available slots in the Grand Final on January 17th. The three best gross

players and five best net scores from the qualifying events will form the teams for the Grand Final. In the Final, the eight qualifiers and their Captains will play with one representative from each of the three other continents in an 18 hole Stableford Matchplay competition. The leading scorer from the fourball will be awarded four points for their team and the player with the fewest points from the flight will receive one point. The continent with the most points from the nine matches will lift the trophy. Continents Gross & Net Open Qualifiers Africa and Middle East Europe America’s and Australasia Asian Final (8 qualifiers from continent & Captains)

THE TRACK, MEYDAN www.meydangolf.com www.meydangolf.com

Date & Time Dec 6th - 13.00 Oct 18th - 13.00 Nov 9th - 13.00 Nov 30th - 13.00 Jan 17th -12.00

Captain Leroy Durward Gary Langthorne Dave Loftus Vivien Verma

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

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NESEK SEALS THE POWERPLAY CHALLENGE MATEA Nesek topped the pile in the recent PowerPlay challenge after a countback victory over two players. Nesek scored 38 points but Michael Blaauw and Gaurav Verma also tallied the same score. However, after the three cards were compared it

was Nesek who prevailed thanks to her better performance on the last three holes with Blaauw taking second place ahead of Verma. Blaauw won the Longest Drive challenge on hole 5 while Verma won the same prize on hole 9.

NICOLAS REINCKE QUENCHES HIS THIRST NICOLAS Reinke stole the show in the recent Quench Thirst Open with a Stableford haul of 41 points. Taking second place, two points back, was Nick Burton with Curtis Hegge ﬁnishing third with a 38-point haul. The lowest gross score on the day went to Andrew Frost with an 80 while the Nearest the Pin prizes on holes 2 and 6 went to Elzeth Karg and John Fry respectively. ArabianGolf - October 2013 | 85

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

AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB www.alhamragolf.com

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GREAT SCORES IN RAK SCRAMBLE THE inaugural Richmond Trading LLC ‘Back to RAK’ Scramble proved a huge success as competitors from all over the UAE visited the most northerly emirate to compete in the fun Texas Scramble format over two days at Al Hamra and Tower Links Golf Clubs. The opening day’s play at Al Hamra saw some very competitive scoring and there were two teams that really impressed over a course in near perfect condition. With a score of 59.7 the team of Nicola Milton, Nick Chittenden, Suad Chailb and Sandra

Greneat set the halfway lead closely followed by Jake and Nilo MakiPetaja, Dewald Lubbe and Andy Spavin on 60.7. Those two groups were two shots ahead of the rest of the ﬁeld, setting up a two-horse race

on the second day at Tower Links GC. As day two unfolded both teams produced some remarkable golf and after another excellent performance it was the team of Lubbe, Spavin and Jake and Nilo Maki-Petaja who came

out on top with a score of 116.4. The overnight leaders ﬁnished in second place with a total of 119.5 with third place going to Salim Sheikh, Mark Fitzpatrick, Omer Saﬁ and Julia Savina on 123.2.

RABAB’S HOT STUFF AT THE SIZZLER RABAB Al Haj claimed victory in the recent RAK Summer Sizzler with a one point victory over youngster Mikhail Pinto in the two-round event. The new addition to the Summer Fixtures saw the clubs of Al Hamra and Tower Links team up to host a mid-summer 36 hole Individual Stableford which saw competitors battling both the course and the blistering heat. Al Haj got oﬀ to a solid start by posting a score of 34 points on the opening day at Tower Links but was one behind Tony Johnson heading into day two. No fewer than six players were within

three points of Johnson and all harboured hopes of victory. Day two at Al Hamra began with a shotgun start and taking the individual spoils on the day was Tony Beaumont with 37 points but that wasn’t enough to trouble the top of the overall leaderboard. Instead it was Al Haj who followed her opening 34 with a 33 point haul to win with a total of 67. With Pinto taking second place after two scores of 33, third place was taken by Mohammed Darwish who followed a 29 on day one with a superb 36 on day two for a 65 point total.

DAN’S THE LUCKIEST MEDAL MAN DAN Blomstrand became the Luckiest member at Al Hamra after he clinched the Luckiest Ball on Earth Competition recently. He caressed it round the Championship Course in 98 strokes for his winning net total of 76 and a two shot winning margin from Paula Svensson. Blomstrand will now go on to represent Al Hamra in the Grand Final which takes place on Sunday 13th October round the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai. Should he go on to win the Grand Final he will have the honour of playing with one of the world’s best golfers in the DP World Tour Championship Rolex Pro-Am, this time on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

TOWER LINKS GC www.towerlinks.com

CONTACT: Tel : +971 7 227 8444

TOWERLINKSGC

MIZU AND YUKI ARE PERFECT PARTNERS ON A night of low cloud and heavy humidity Mizu and Yuki Pellerine turned out to be perfect partners as they triumphed in the recent Better Ball Stableford competition with a solid score of 23 points. The pair dovetailed perfectly in the sweltering conditions as

they compiled no less than six net birdies which helped them win by one point ahead of Mike Cox and his partner Willem. The steady pairing of Joe Wivou and Ray Labonte put in a performance that bodes well for the rest of the season as they took third place with 21 points.

ArabianGolf - October 2013 | 87

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

ABU DHABI CITY GOLF CLUB www.adcitygolf.com

@adcitygolf

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ACADEMY OPEN DAY A HUGE SUCCESS SATURDAY September 14th was an historic day for Abu Dhabi City Golf Club as it hosted its Academy Open Day and the Club’s team of ﬁve PGA Professionals gave lessons to 1,123 budding golfers in the space of just one day. With a combination of adult group lessons, junior group lessons, short game coaching and video-based lessons there was something on oﬀer for everyone, including VIP guests, Sheikh Nahyan Ben Dyab Bin Saif Al Nahyan, Sheikha

Bent Dyab Bin Saif Al Nahyan and Sheikh Mohamed Ben Dyab Bin Saif Al Nahyan. “The Academy Open Day was amazing,” said Frank Higgins, one of over 1,000 guests who took part. “The Professional Staﬀ were great, everything on the day ran well – a lot better than we expected with so many people. As a ﬁrst time golfer, I immediately got hooked and even bought a set of clubs. I came for an hour and stayed all day – it was brilliant.”

YAS LINKS GOLF CLUB www.yaslinks.com

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

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STUART AND KEENAN SEAL THE ECCO CHALLENGE GRAHAM Stuart and Dave Keenan produced their best performance to date over the links to triumph in the ECCO Challenge held recently. The format for the day was a Pairs Betterball Stableford and Stuart and Keenan worked well together form the start of their round and returned an impressive team score of 40 points. Just one point behind in second place were Alex Lapichino and Walter Hall with Bill Lisgo and Corey Spring ﬁnishing third with 38 points.

ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB www.adgolfclub.com

@ADGolfClub

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KIM BAGS A NIGHT FLIGHT WIN THE fourth event in the Etihad Airways Night Flight series tournaments took place with another full ﬁeld of 44 players taking part, and coming out on top with an impressive 20-point haul over the 9-hole ﬂoodlit Garden Course was In Ki Kim. Kim sealed the deal by one

point ahead of three players who each scored 19. A countback was needed to decide the medal positions and taking second place by virtue of a better score on the last six holes was Jung Hyeok Kim with Shamal Karim clinching third place by virtue of his better last three-hole score.

88 | ArabianGolf - October 2013

CONTACT: Tel : +971 2 558 8990 E-mail: info@adgolfclub.com

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WILLIAMSON AND USHER LEAD VISTA RACE TO MANILA ROBIN Williamson won overall Best Net honors in the second round of the Vista Land Race to Manila recently to move into a share of the lead on the Order of Merit alongside Jose Vigil. Sponsored by Vista Land International Marketing Inc. in cooperation with the Saudi Golf Business Society (SGBS), the Filipino Golf Association and A-Faisaliah Hotel, the competition comprises five tournaments including the final in November. “Points will be awarded to the winners in each of the five tournaments akin to the PGA Tour’s FedExCup as follows: 500 to first place, 490 to second place, 480 to third place and so on, with 1,000 points awaiting the winner of the November final,” said Dirab Golf Manager, Bouchaib El Jadiani. “An all-expenses paid trip to Manila will be awarded to the Race to Manila champion in both the Best Gross and Best Net categories.” With the win and a second-place finish in the First Division (0-9 hcp) in the first round, 9-handicapper Williamson has compiled 990 points so far and is in a tie with Vigil, another 9-handicapper, who finished second in the First Division with a 71 to follow up his victory in the first round of fixtures. Williamson finished with a sparkling net score of 68, outstripping a host of

players, including runner-up Vigil, who were in contention for the Best Net prize. Briton Steph Usher and Filipino Alex Arellano also moved into contention by winning ﬁrst place points as the overall Best Gross champion and First Division champion with scores of 72 and 69 respectively. Steady from tee to green, scratch golfer Usher mixed two birdies with the same number of bogeys in nines of 38 and 32. In Division ‘2’ (10-18 hcp) it was Noor Halim who took the spoils with a countback win over Mark Davies after they both scored 69 while in Division ‘3’ (19-28 hcp) there was a three-way tie at the top with Shaun Tempel, Alan Malawanda and Paul Hwang all compiling a 69.

HOLDING TO CONTINUE AS LADY CAPTAIN THE Dirab Ladies started their 2013/14 season recently following their summer break and it was conﬁrmed that Denise Holding will again hold the post of Lady Captain for the campaign. The group will continue to meet twice a week but have changed their days to Mondays and Wednesdays and kicking oﬀ the new season with victories were Fauzia Shamin as she won the Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin prizes and Roberta Hobbs who won the Longest Putt competition.

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ArabianGolf - October 2013 | 91

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The legendary Rhythm and Blues singer can’t get enough of the ancient game. WorldwideGolf - October 2013 | 93

SMOKEY ROBINSON WORLDWIDE GOLF STYLE

MOKEY Robinson is a true legend of popular music. He was discovered by Barry Gordy in the late 1950s and it was actually Robinson who persuaded Gordy to start his own label, Tamla Records, which was to morph into the seminal Motown Records. Robinson and his band, the Miracles (formerly the Matadors), had Motown’s million-selling smash hit ‘Shop Around’ in 1960 and they went on to write, produce and perform 26 top 40 hits throughout the 1960s, including the No.1 single ‘Tears of a Clown’, ‘I Second That Emotion’ and ‘Tracks of My Tears’. One of Motown’s most in-demand songwriters in the early ‘60s, Smokey Robinson also penned such classic hits as ‘My Girl’ for the Temptations and ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ for Marvin Gaye among countless others. It was in 1969 that the American played his first round of golf at Palmer Park Golf Club in Detroit, having previously thought the game was “boring.” But when his Motown buddies such as Gordy, Marvin Gaye and A&R man Mickey Stevenson began playing he tagged along and was soon hooked on what he called the “heroin of sports.”

What do you love most about golf? SR: What I really love about golf is that it is an individual sport which constantly challenges you. How often do you play? SR: As often as I can. I’m fanatical about it. Over the last four years I’ve had to cut my golf way down because I’ve been so busy. I practice my game whenever I can, and I love to go to the range and hit balls and work on stuﬀ. What’s your handicap? SR: When I’m playing on a regular basis and practicing, it’s 15 or so.

What’s been your most inspirational golf moment? SR: When I saw guys playing in the snow from outside my hotel room window in New York and realised that I must not really love golf as much as I thought I did.

BELOW Rhythm Blues star Smokey Robinson pictured during his day job.

If you could change one rule in the game what would it be? SR: I would love to have footprints in bunkers and divots in fairways played as “ground under repair”. It shouldn’t be a penalty that someone playing before you was inconsiderate.

If you had to pick one of your songs to sum up your golf game, what would it be? SR: It would probably be ‘You Really Got a Hold on Me’. Because the words of the song seem to be highly appropriate for me: ‘I don’t like you, but I love you/Seems like I’m always thinking of you/Though you treat me badly, I love you madly/You really got a hold on me!’

Bob Dylan once called you “America’s greatest living poet.” Who is America’s greatest living golfer? SR: Tiger Woods is the best who has ever played. Jack Nicklaus didn’t have nearly the short game that Tiger has. What’s been your most enjoyable moment in golf? SR: I used to get really, really frustrated with golf, but about 10 years ago I stopped letting it frustrate me like that. I’ve had two holesin-one, and those were fantastic moments. I love being out there with my buddies playing – and we don’t give any putts. Lowest Round? SR: 71 at The Plantation Course in Kapalua during a Pro-Am with Peter Jacobsen in 1998.

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Travel

Velaa

Troon has recently been appointed to oversee the UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF OLD AND NEW exciting new VelaaA Golf Academy by Olazábal in a thrilling new project in the Maldives.

elaa Private Island is one of the world’s most intriguing prospects and with the creation of a unique golf tuition centre, under the expert stewardship of Troon, it is sure to become one of the most soughtafter destinations when it opens later this year. The partnership with Troon Golf provides further impetus to the exciting development and demonstrates the intent of the ownerss, Jiri and Radka Smejc, to present the most unique golf experience the world has to offer. The Velaa Golf Academy by Olazábal, which has been created in collaboration with the two-time Major Champion and Ryder Cup Captain, will offer a memorable golfing experience in the solitude of the private island located north of Malé, within the constellation of islands that form the Noonu Atoll

96 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

in the Maldives. In the peace and tranquillity of the Indian Ocean, the Academy has been designed to offer a comprehensive golf programme on a one-to-one basis providing each guest with privacy and seclusion to hone their skills by themselves or with invited family or friends. The concept ensures a trip to the secluded island will be the vacation of a lifetime, reinforcing Troon’s mantra to provide exceptional, incomparable golf experiences across its ever-increasing portfolio. “Velaa Private Island is a thrilling, enviable opportunity for the discerning traveller and we are extremely excited about being selected by their owners to work with them and José María to create what will be an innovative Academy set in a paradise location,” remarked Bruce Glasco, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Troon International Operations.

Velaa Private Island

The spiritual capital and senior imperial city of the Kingdom of Morocco, Fes, has an invaluable cultural heritage, with its old-town Medina, ranked as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

“The Academy sits seamlessly within Velaa Private Island’s exceptional array of amenities and to be able to impart our knowledge and guidance alongside José María in its creation is testament to the owner’s fantastic vision for Velaa Private Island and their drive to create the best, once in a lifetime experience.” – Bruce Glasco

Signature restaurants, all of which are managed under the expert guidance of Michelin-star Chef Adeline Grattard, who infuses French and Asian cuisines in menus for an unrivalled culinary experience of the highest standard.

BRINGING together world-class food and beverage experiences as well as unrivalled leisure facilities, Velaa Private Island combines the essence of Maldivian culture, where each and every guest is able to enjoy their stay as if they were the only ones on the island. Water activities, sunset cruises, dolphin watching and even private boat excursions using the island’s luxury prestige yacht or traditional Bahtelis are on oﬀer to the guests. In addition, Velaa Private Island is one of only a handful of locations which hosts a distinguished ‘My Blend by Clarins Spa’ that brings together a variety of body treatments and exclusive facial products. “We strive to oﬀer each guest the greatest possible quality, service and leisure amenities and to add a Golf

Academy designed by José María and managed by Troon Golf sets Velaa Private Island apart, creating an unparalleled golf and leisure experience that we are sure will sit at the top of all consumers’ dream destination lists,” says Glasco. Velaa Private Island, which shares its name with the generations of turtles that have inhabited the island, comprises 43 luxury private villas and ﬁve four-bedroomed residences which fuse local materials and contemporary ﬂourishes, all with the added indulgence of their own private pool with plentiful areas to relax and unwind. While 18 of the 43 villas are built over water, Velaa Private Island features just one “Romantic” Pool Residence which can only be reached by boat. Q

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100 | WorldwideGolf - October 2013

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HAMMACHER SCHLEMMER GOLF HOVERCRAFT ($58,000)

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Night golf at The Track. Play until 11pm at The Track, Meydan Golf, Dubai. For best rates book online at www.meydangolf.com

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Available at leading Golf Clubs, Golf House Shops and ECCO Shops in UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Iran & Egypt. Tel: +971-4-299 3885 EXT 100, 101, 404 · Email: ecco.golf.me@ecco.com · ecco.com