Worldwide Golf Issue 137

Middle East’s No.1 Golf magazine

Quiros EYES MAJOR LEAGUE The fun-loving straight talking Spaniard drops in to deliver an exclusive interview and column

RICKie FOWLER

GAVE UP MOTOCROSS FOR A LIFE ON TOUR ISBN 978-9948-15-427-3

9 789948 154273

ISSUE 138, JUNE 2012

Official Media Partner Middle East

Tips Practice with a purpose

and visualise your round Pete Cowen DISSECTS ALVARO’S MONSTER SWING THE UK GOLDEN TICKET TOUR LAUNCHES

Arabian Golf GOLF News from around the region

EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS l DIVOTS l EQUIPMENT l World Round-ups Official Publication of The Emirates Golf Federation & The Arab Golf Federation

Worldwide Golf Executive Editor Since 1999

GARY PLAYER The nine time Major Champion who has witnessed and been a part of some of the most historic and memorable golfing occasions reflects on the game today

There’s no substitute for personal contact and shows like Golf Live are just what we need. The format can be just as successful anywhere in the world. There were plenty of opportunities for spectators to talk to the players and get autographs.

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AST month I was invited to Golf Live at the London Golf Club in Kent, which hosted The European Open in 2008 and 2009, one of the big tournaments on The European Tour, and I have to say it was the most fantastic event of its kind I have ever seen.

I have been a professional golfer for nearly 60 years and this is the most impressive golf show I’ve attended. This is just the sort of show golf should have. It promoted the game perfectly.

When you go to a watch a golf tournament you cannot speak to the players. At Golf Live there were the players, celebrities, golf manufacturers, everyone involved in the industry making themselves available. I’d never seen anything like it.

There’s no substitute for personal contact and shows like Golf Live are just what we need. The format can be just as successful anywhere in the world. There were plenty of opportunities for spectators to talk to the players and get autographs and there were plenty of pros on hand, who were clearly also enjoying the occasion, including Colin Montgomerie, Pablo Larrazabal, Thomas Levet, Oliver Fisher, Benn Barham and Rhys Davies and

from the ladies game, Solheim Cup Captain Alison Nicholas and Ladies European Tour players Carly Booth and Melissa Reid.

I took part in a fun event to go for a World Record and shoot the quickest ever round of golf, combining with Chris Evans, Rhys Davies, Benn Barham and Oliver Fisher on the 18th hole and contribute towards a record time.

Lee Westwood’s coach Pete Cowen was there to explain his teaching methods which have helped some of the best golfers in the world. I rate Lee as the best player in world golf tee to green. He has taken a lot of criticism for his putting but I don’t believe that’s Lee’s problem.

Like Pete, I don’t think that it’s Lee’s putting that is letting him down. Although Lee topped the stats for greens in regulation at the Masters he was still two shots behind the Champion Bubba Watson, in a share of third place.

I’ve said it many times in recent years but I’d love to see Lee win a Major and I believe he will achieve his goal sooner rather than later. He’s come close so many times. Nobody deserves to win a Major more than Lee – he’d be one of the most popular Major

winners in the game when it finally happens.

Although his tee to green stats are very impressive, rather than concern himself about his putting Lee should concentrate on lifting his chipping and his bunker play up a notch. If he gets the ball nearer the hole he’s got a much better chance of knocking it in.

With Jack Nicklaus it was his chipping and bunker play that he needed to improve and he worked on it and improved it. With Arnold Palmer his wedge play wasn’t as good as the rest of his game but he went to work on it and got it up a notch to become the player he was.

With me, it was my physical strength. I worked very hard on all aspects of my strength, including my diet, to make sure that I could compete at the very highest level. I still work out in the gym and do all I can to make sure I am strong and healthy, for my own well-being as much as anything else.

Lee is already a great player, and an all-round great personality, but if he could just match his chipping and bunker play to his driving and approach play he’d be the complete player and he’d make his first Major come all that quicker. n www.wwgolf.biz

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Contents features

Donald outshines The Big Displeasy IT was heart-warming to see Luke Donald once again striking a blow for the purists with another lesson in precision over power as he plotted his way to a second consecutive BMW PGA Championship victory around Wentworth’s West Course and regained the top spot in the World Ranking in the process.

‘Mr Wentworth’, Ernie Els, landed himself in hot water and was made to stand on the proverbial ‘naughty step’ for his outburst about the state of the greens on the course he re-designed two years ago. Ernie’s point, and he did have one to be fair, was that there was no consistency in the firmness of the putting surfaces during the sun-drenched third round, with some of them holding, and others not.

“I asked them to put water on the greens, so put water on the greens. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure it out. The guys are not happy and I’m not happy” (this is the censored version of Ernie’s comments). Ouch.! The Big Easy suddenly became the Big Feisty! Things were getting tasty and for a moment we had visions of the towering South African leading a player revolt to rival the French national football team’s infamous strike during the last World Cup. What was happening to our beloved, dignified game? We needn’t have worried as it proved to be nothing more than a storm in a teacup and a slap on the wrists for The Big Displeasy, a hastily prepared public apology and a sizeable donation to charity and all was forgotten. Whether Ernie’s petulant outpouring had an element of truth about it or not, it all seemed to pass Donald by as he once again gave us a short game masterclass, shooting four rounds in the 60s. Green problems? What green problems?

“It wasn’t something that my caddie and I talked about too much. It wasn’t something I thought about in great detail,” said the World No.1 after becoming the first man for 12 years, and only the third in the 57 year history of the famous event, to win it two times on the bounce. When you play the game with such unerring accuracy and intelligence as Donald does there isn’t much that can ruffle your feathers. It’s certainly difficult to see the Hemel Hempstead man ever needing to resort to using a belly putter. The Players Championship greens have often come in for similar criticism to that leveled at Wentworth. American Matt Kuchar won golf’s so-called ‘Fifth Major’ using a long-handle putter. It’s an issue that has got under the collar of two of our columnists this month – turn to Page 36 and Page 48 to read Pete Cowen and Gary Player’s respective opinions on the subject.

We’re also thrilled to welcome a new Guest Columnist this month in the shape of the Middle East’s adopted son, Alvaro Quiros. The reigning champion of DP World Tour Championship, Dubai will be dropping in to WWG Towers every now and again to update us on his adventures, both on and off the course and where the big-hitting, always-smiling Spaniard is concerned, you never know what to expect. So we should have a lot of fun!

fowler power

After A seemingly endless wAit, rickie fowler finAlly lAnded his first Us PgA toUr title lAst month And joined the ever-increAsing nUmber of first-time winners still in their 20s. todd stAszko chArts the growing cAreer of the likeAble yoUng AmericAn.

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HE winds of change that blow though the US PGA Tour have been given another boost after colourful Californian Rickie Fowler finally joined the party with a maiden victory at the Wells Fargo Championship.

While the youthful exuberance of Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and Bill Haas stole most of the American media’s headlines last year (not to mention Rory McIlroy’s incredible US Open win), one young man was left lagging behind and was beginning to look a little foolish in his all-orange Sunday gear. Not any longer. Fowler defeated McIlroy and journeyman D.A. Points in a play-off at Quail Hollow to win at his 72nd attempt and rid himself of some of the demons that have plagued him over the last few years.

“Taking the step from junior golf to college golf or to amateur golf and then from there to the PGA Tour – it’s the biggest leap you take because these are the best players in the world,” smiled Fowler. “It’s not easy to win out here, so it’s nice to get the first one out of the way.”

Fowler had been flying under the radar for the past five years. As an amateur two-time Walker Cup winner in 2007 and 2009, the PGA Tour’s 4

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Fresh from becoming a PGA Tour winner for the first time young gun Rickie Fowler talks dirt bikes, rivalries and smoke-filled days on the driving range.

GETTING TO KNOW THE CELEBRITIES ON THE FAIRWAYS

QUICKNINE

WITH

HUGH GRANT

WWG: You play in a lot of Pro-Ams so you obviously enjoy your golf?

HG: Some days more than others! No, I’m obsessive, I have been for more than 10 years.

Star of Four Weddings and A Funeral and Notting Hill, Hugh Grant, reveals how his obsession with golf is ruining his love life.

WWG: What handicap do you play off?

HG: 7 – at the moment.

WWG: You must’ve played some of the best courses in the world, which is your favourite?

HG: Scottish links golf is my favourite form of golf and I love the course Sandwich in Kent. I also quite like the courses out in Long Island, New York – Shinnecock Hills is good, my brother’s a member there. But I can’t deal with playing golf in too hot conditions. I don’t like strange grass and I can’t be doing with grain!

WWG: Is golf your favourite sport?

HG: It is now but in my early days rugby was my game, and then tennis. I went along to play golf the first time as a joke and thought I’d hate it but you know what it’s like, I became addicted.

WWG: Do you think golf gets in the way of relationships?

HG: When you say to a girl, ‘I play golf’ her eyes glaze over. I do feel guilty about my golf. You know you’re a sad case when you spend your spare time reading books on putting or going to YouTube to watch slow motion golf swings.

I’ll get out of bed in the middle of the night and practise my swing in front of a mirror. I’m obsessed and it’s destroying my life!

WWG: Are you a sucker for buying new equipment?

HG: If there’s a new golf gadget for sale, I’ll buy it. I’ve never not bought anything that’s been offered, and there’s now a whole room in my house dedicated to golf equipment. You can’t get in there for clubs and impact bags.

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WWG: Has any of it helped?

HG: None whatsoever!

WWG: How would you describe your on course demeanor?

HG: I’m extremely unpleasant. I’m the worst. I like my golf to be very competitive, I like a lot of money at stake, and I don’t like any chit-chat or jokes. I hate all that. I just want serious brutal golf and if it goes badly, I get very nasty.

WWG: You’re obviously used to being in the spotlight – do you mind playing golf in front of people?

HG: No, although I do get intimidated. It doesn’t take much!

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Australian LPGA professional and model answers a few quick-fire questions about the game and fashion.

Anna

Rawson

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What do you do mentally to prepare for a golf tournament and how do you mentally stay in the the game while playing?

To prepare, I visualise myself winning the tournament. I try to think about coming down the stretch Sunday in the lead. I hear the crowds, and I even get butterflies! To mentally prepare the best, I think very confidently about every aspect of my game.

Do you ever hit a bad shot and fear that you’ll go to a dark place, mentally?

I never fear going to a dark place mentally. Usually when it happens, you have no control. I just try and learn from that for the next time. Luckily, I also have my caddy who can snap me out of any sort of bad mental behavior.

What’s your most comfortable outfit to wear when you go out shopping?

A dress with flip flops or maybe ballet flats, if it’s cold. I prefer to wear anything that’s comfortable and nonrestricting. It’s also easy because it’s only one piece of clothing, soI don’t have to think about matching it.

What’s the worst golf-related pick-up line you’ve ever heard?

In Korea, once I played a Pro-Am with three professors. They were all telling me about the best English pick-up lines they had ever heard but none of them were golf-related. The best/cheesiest one was, “I play the field, and it looks like I just hit a home run with you.”

Do you actually have to pay green fees?

Occasionally I do, especially because I try to fly under the radar as much as possible on the course.

Anna Rawson. Wow. Need we say more?

Do you have any pre-match good luck rituals?

I used to listen to my psychologist’s Focus CD. But after a few tournaments, I knew the words by heart, so I stopped listening. I make sure that before every round I eat as much as I can so that I have tons of energy for the course but that’s not really a good luck thing.

What’s one thing you can’t do without?

My blackberry. It’s so fabulous to communicate with people. Sometimes I can be having eight different conversations with people in three or four different continents! It’s an amazing thing!

ISSUE No. 137, June, 2012 Published by: Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd +44 1663 719926

Alex Gallemore Editor

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

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

alvaro quiros

INstructioN

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AlvAro Quiros tAlks exclusively to richArd BevAn ABout the mAn Behind the smile.

gunner

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TUTORIAL By: Luke CanteLo, teaChing ProfessionaL, ButCh harmon sChooL of goLf

HE’S tHE largEr-tHan-lifE Spaniard witH a SmilE tHat’S almoSt aS big aS tHE booming drivES HE rEgularly wallopS down tHE fairwayS of tHE EuropEan tour and HiS pHEnomEnal rEcord in tHE middlE EaSt, along witH HiS infEctiouS pErSonality, HavE EarnEd Him an army of fanS acroSS tHE rEgion. alvaro QuiroS EmErgEd aS King of dubai laSt yEar aftEr winning tHE EmiratES’ two flagSHip EvEntS – tHE dubai dESErt claSSic and tHE dubai world cHampionSHip – but SuccESS in tHE rEgion iS notHing nEw for tHE 6 ft 3in bombEr. HiS rEcord in tHE Qatar maStErS iS pHEnomEnal and HE prEcEdEd HiS winS in dubai witH victory in doHa in 2009 followEd by conSEcutivE runnEr-up SpotS in 2010 and 2012.

HiS form HaSn’t QuitE Hit tHE HEigHtS of laSt yEar yEt but witH tHE major SEaSon about to gEt into full Swing tHErE’S Still plEnty of HugE HomE runS aHEad of Him.

The ever-smiling Spanish bomber delivers a home run with this exclusive Q&A.

Regulars

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Making the Big, easy 51

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JOEL NEALE PLAYING EDITOR WORLDWIDE GOLF TALKS TO:

ChrisDavis

DIVOTS NEWS ITEMS QUICK 9 WITH HUGH GRANT

LOCAL SCENE

Chris Davis

WORLD ROUND-UPS

TUTORIAL

Do you have any short term goals?

Yes, so many – too many to list them!

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Swing sequence: alvaro quiros

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

It is very hard for me to say. My path over the last five years has changed a few times. It would be difficult for me to be specific. My dream and aspiration still is to play golf at the highest professional level and compete against the best in the world.

Do you have any pre tournament routine – practice rounds, mapping the course?

Of course. Ideally I like to play at least two practice rounds on the course that I will be competing on. I need to have a feel for the golf course, figure out how to play it, where not to miss the ball, danger zones – and to figure out targets, note down some short term goals for the week and get some rest.

GREG NORMAN COLUMN

What would you say is the most difficult thing about life on Tour?

Being a professional athlete is extremely difficult in so many aspects. Although, at this point for me, the hardest thing would be to sustain the means to be able to keep going, to keep playing and having the opportunity to keep competing.

GARY PLAYER COLUMN

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n Plan and Time Your Session It would make no sense at all to stand on the driving range five minutes before you tee off, and try to learn the techniques required to either draw or fade the ball. Neither would it be beneficial to switch your putting grip for the first time to ‘cross handed’, the day before your club championship.

It would make more sense to focus on your pre-shot routine, visualisation and shot execution during your practice sessions. The idea is to hit fewer balls, but with more purpose. If your typical practice session involves shelling 100 balls, then expect to hit 30 in the same time.

n The pre-shot routine

What event do you look forward to most and why?

I look forward to every event that I play. I enjoy every competition. One of the most fascinating things about competitive golf is that it’s different every time. Each course offers different challenges, and I enjoy having to go through the process of adapting to new experiences.

Nevertheless, this season I really look forward to the MENA Tour event being held at the Dubai Creek in September. To play a professional event for the first time on my home course will be momentous.

When did you take up the sport?

I took up golf when I was 10, at the Aviation Club. It was my Dad who encouraged me. When I became older and met some players my age, who are now some of my closest friends, I just kept going.

What other interests do you have besides golf?

Aside from golf I enjoy playing all other sports, watching sporting events, music, and learning about and experiencing different cultures really intrigues me as well.

Favourite course?

In the UAE its very difficult to say, they are all so awesome! If it really had to come down to one, I would have to say my home course, Dubai Creek. Best course I have ever played outside of home in Dubai is Sentosa Island in Singapore.

What’s your lowest round, where and when?

Was when I was a sophomore (2nd year) in College and I was playing a one-on-one match against my college coach. I birdied six of my last nine holes on the front nine, and finished the round shooting 65.

What’s the most unusual experience for you on the golf course?

I was playing an Asian Development Tour event in Malaysia. One of my playing partners got a hole-in-one on our 7th hole on Day One. The following day, we were the same pairing for the second day. The same player, the same hole, the very next day..– ace again. The guy

wins a car and a lifetime membership to the golf club.

Not a bad start to the week.

Who inspires you the most? And Why? Tough question, there are so many people who inspire me all the time and it changes so often. Right now I would say Bubba Watson. To have come as far as he has, battling anger and depression problems, family issues and the passing of his father; someone who many say has one of the most unorthodox golf swings on the Tour, who has learned to stay positive and relentless, and to have, in my opinion, won one of the greatest golf tournaments in the game is pretty special and it’s an inspiring achievement.

Have you ever had a hole-in-one?

NO! Unfortunately, I’m still waiting to make it happen.

Favourite course in the UAE and why?

Dubai Creek. No matter how many times I play it, I always find it challenging. And that always encourages me to come back the next time, to beat it. I love the last two finishing holes with Dubai city and the Creek in the background, just makes me laugh. You can be playing the round of your life, but it can all fall apart on your last two holes. Great challenge, the city atmosphere, you’re in the middle of everything, the staff really make you feel welcome, amazing people, positive vibes. Its where I started and I love it.

n learn from Bubba Having never really been a big fan of the long but wayward Bubba Watson, his recent Masters victory really brought to light the importance of being creative. Bubba Watson hit the winning shot on the second play-off hole against Louis Oosthuizen that could previously only be seen in dreams or nightmares (whichever way you look at it!). I can guarantee you one thing about that Pitching Wedge Bubba hooked 40 yards through the air, he has probably spent more time hitting that shot on the driving range throughout his career, than he has practiced hitting it straight.

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SWING ANALYSIS BY

DUBAI GOLF TUTORIAL

LUKE CANTELO Teaching Professional Butch Harmon School of Golf | Dubai Sports City

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Previously there was much more space between Chris’s left arm and body here, and we are continuing to tighten this up.

Hence Chris is now setting the club earlier at this stage and staying more connected.

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THOUGHT last month’s Players Championship was a big disappointment. It certainly didn’t live up to its reputation of being regarded by some as ‘golf’s Fifth Major.’ It’s nowhere near the stature of the four Majors.

The big problem with the Players Championship is that they’ve made the Stadium Course into a Bermuda grass course and it’s only a certain type of player who can win at Sawgrass. It’s not a balanced course. That’s why you get players like Tim Clark and Matt Kuchar winning because they’ve got the game to suit the course. That’s why players like Rory McIlroy will always struggle to win it. He can’t play to his strengths. He’s virtually hand-cuffed.

Henrik Stenson won it in 2009 because he could afford to hit three wood off the tees and leave his driver in the bag. Sawgrass is a thinking man’s layout but the only thing people remember about Pete Dye’s course is the last three holes, and particularly the Island Hole.

Making a splash

The lower body is much quieter and stable here. We have been trying to load Chris’s right glute to help add stability at the top of the swing and allow him to fire better in the downswing.

LOCKER ROOM

You can just see Chris’s left heel here and it’s stable and grounded. When we started it was off the ground into and through impact giving him very little structure at this important time. We will continue to quieten his right foot here as well.

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IN THE BAG: DAVID ADAMS

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Now they’ve taken all the corporate sponsorship marquees from around the course and deposited them on those last two holes the focus is even more centred on 16-17-18. The hill overlooking the famous 17th Island Hole was always where the drama was and where the thrill-seekers gathered but now it’s like an amphitheatre.

It’s like a Coliseum. The crowd gets a bit over-enthusiastic and it can become a daunting proposition for all the players with the galleries basically baying for the ball to find the water. They’ll applaud a tee shot that stays on the green but they get just as much fun seeing balls splash into the lake.

Matt Kuchar’s victory was well earned from Rickie Fowler, Ben Curtis and the US PGA Tourbased Scotsman Martin Laird. Mr. Consistency Luke Donald deserved his sixth placed finish, courtesy of a final round 66 and a back nine of 30. I was really pleased to see Henrik Stenson coming in tied 16th with Martin Kaymer. Henrik is gradually getting it together and he’s improving with every tournament. The European Tour players 36

ANNA RAWSON Q&A

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features

EmiratEs airlinE invitational GoldEn tickEt Uk toUr 2012

Wokefield Park - WychWood Park - Slaley hall – The carrick

4 Great Courses – 4 unforGettable Golf experienCes – 4 World final spots – 1 Golden tiCket

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sePtember 4th

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GOLDEN TICKET UK GOES ON TOUR FOLLOWING the success of last year’s Emirates Airline Invitational UK Golden Ticket event, which was held at the stunning Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, England, Worldwide Golf has teamed up with Boom Events to put together the 2012 UK Golden Ticket Tour culminating in a UK Final in the magical setting of Loch Lomond at The Carrick Golf Club in Scotland.

The Golden Ticket Series sees amateur golfers from across the Middle East compete in regional qualifiers for the chance to play in the World Final, which is held a few days prior to the star-studded Emirates Airline Invitational Hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah. The winner of the World Final receives a coveted ‘Golden Ticket’ for a money-can’t-buy golfing experience of a lifetime that sees them tee it up alongside the likes of Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell and Retief Goosen at the highly acclaimed invitation-only event.

The Golden Ticket Series, which raises thousands of dollars for charities around the world, has proved so popular that last year it made its debut in the UK for the first time, with the larger than life Rafa Roberts winning through to the World Final after a stellar display at Brocket Hall. The UK event was so hugely over-subscribed that this year we are hosting four UK events on four stunning golf courses, with four all-expenses paid trips to the United Arab Emirates, to compete in the World Final, up for grabs.

Regional Qualifiers: The Golden Ticket UK Tour 2012 will take in three spectacular De Vere golf venues. Playing alongside the likes of DJ Spoony and former Celtic and West Ham ‘keeper Allen McKnight, the winner of each event will be flown by Emirates Airline to play in the Golden Ticket World Final at the Official host venue in January 2013 (hotel accommodation included).

UK Final: The mini-tour series will work as a bonus pool with the top 12 players in the Order of Merit going on to shoot it out in a winner-takes-all UK Final staged on the banks of the magical Loch Lomond, at The Carrick Golf Club near Glasgow.

Players will accumulate points and must compete in at least two of the three regional events to become eligible for the Golden Ticket UK Tour Final Shootout.

Format: The format for each event will be 18-holes strokeplay with the winner being the best nett score as per R&A rules.

Maximum handicaps of 18 for men and 28 for women apply. Handicap certificates must be sent with the entry form and verified.

EntRy FEE: GoldEn ticKEt REGional QUaliFiER 1 event – £125.00 (720 Dhs) thE GoldEn ticKEt toUR 2 events £250.00 (1,440 Dhs) 3 events £325.00 (1,873 Dhs) There is no additional fee for the 12 players qualifying for the UK Final.

Entry fee includes breakfast on arrival and hot buffet at the prize-giving ceremony following each event. As well as places in the World Final and the UK Final in Scotland a host of top prizes will be up for grabs at each event while each competitor will receive an exclusive goodie bag.

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the open preview rickie fowler

dJ Spoony, BBc Radio presenter: “I can’t wait for the Golden Ticket Tour. It’s a chance for amateurs to play in a real Tour-style format with a truly unforgettable prize at the end of it. The Emirates Airline Invitational is an event everybody wants to play, whether they’re celebrities, sportsmen or high-flying businessmen, but you can’t get in unless you’re invited! With four trips on offer and 12 places at The Carrick up for grabs I don’t think there’s another amateur Tour in the UK to touch it.”

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The Emirates Airline Invitational Golden Ticket Tour goes global.

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

Playing Editor: Joel Neale Design Manager: Joanna Eardley Technical Manager: Mark Collinge

Publisher: Mike Gallemore

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

Editors: Todd Staszko, James Reeves, Tabitha Florence

for Lee. But Sponge won’t let him down. I think the Open Championship winner will be decided by the weather at Royal Lytham. My money would be on Lee to win, despite not having Billy on the bag, but there are so many good players hitting their best form right now, anyone could win it.

One player who has surprised me is Ben Curtis.

He couldn’t win in the Middle East but he went back to the States and won the Valero Texas Open in April, his first win since 2006. The 2003 Open Championship winner had been playing on a partial exempt basis on the US PGA Tour. Now he’s got full playing privileges for the next two years. I’m going to take great delight in saying to him: “Well, you couldn’t win on the tough European Tour but you could win on that easy Tour in the States.”

Competitive spirit Ben changed his coach to Shaun Hogan and he’s changed his swing in the last 18 months to be a bit more orthodox. It was nine years ago when he won The Open at Royal St George’s when we all thought Thomas Björn was heading for victory until he got stuck in that bunker on the 16th. Ben is playing really well right now. He’s always been a fantastic putter and he’s putting as well as anyone currently.

When you look at Ben’s stats over four days of a tournament, his total number of putts is around 100-103 shots. When you can putt like that you’re always going to be in contention.

Kuchar won the Players Championship using a belly-putter and Martin Laird also used a long putter but I would ban the club from professional golf and let nerves come back into the game. If you don’t want nerves to play a part in top-class sport then you should do away with top-class sport. It’s part of the competitive spirit of sport and it’s what makes the difference.

If you’ve got a four-foot putt at a crucial time in the round and you’ve got a putter that’s anchored into your belly or you chin or your chest bone and you swing it like a broom you take the nerves out of the equation. That’s not what it’s all about. It would be a much more even contest if the long putter was banished from the game altogether. n

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“Ban long-handle putters,” says Pete Cowen and Gary Player in his Column on P48.

A LvA R O Q u I R O S

SWING

Last month I explained how Bubba Watson matched his movements to generate huge clubhead speed.

Alvaro Quiros is arguably longer off the tee but as you can see from the swing sequence below the two swings are poles appart. If Alvaro could remove the flash speed he'd be more consistent and a top 10 contender on the World Ranking.

By Pete Cowen PGA MASteR PRoFeSSIonAL the ACAdeMy At eMIRAteS GoLF CLUB in Association with Pete Cowen

Alvaro is pretty conventional with his set-up. It’s a sort of swing that a lot of people would like the look of.

Here he takes it away wide, picks it up in the early part of his backswing, then starts working his shoulders early to support the club. In normal terms he swings the club pretty short in relative terms.

Flash speed Alvaro has a lot of wrist speed in his golf swing, a lot of down lag before impact and that gives him the speed. But when he gets too quick, his hips and his shoulders start coming out of the shot early and the margins of hitting the middle of the club at that sort of speed are very tight. This is where his distance control starts to suffer, especially with the short irons, as anything off centre would result in noticeable yardage differences.

He loads against his shoulders which is where he gets a lot of his leverage from. Above you can see his shoulders almost don’t allow the club to go to the horizontal. His shoulders are locked in, which has become the modern swing.

Building consistency : I’d like to see Alvaro use a lot more pressure than pure speed. He could do that because his technique is pretty good. Even when he gets fast, he never loses control of his shoulders. The distance he hits it is phenomenal but if Alvaro could transfer his flash speed to continuous pressure on the ball he would be the complete player. His distance control would be better and his short game would improve. He’d still hit it just as far and he’d be more consistent. Alvaro is a massive talent and is a top 50 world ranked player, but he's got the ability to stay within the top 20. He's got the fire power to destroy courses off the tee and he just needs that consistency to take him up to another level.

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and EntEr tHE Promotional codE: ‘WWG’

Senior Editor: Richard Bevan

are increasingly looking at their Ryder Cup points standings as Madinah gets ever closer. Alvaro Quiros deserves to make The Ryder Cup Team this year but he’s going to have to produce a few more good results to earn his place. A lot of very good players are going to be disappointed come September but that just goes to show the strength of The European Tour. It’s good for the Team but not for those players who miss out – and it’s not good for their selfesteem.

I feel sorry for Paul Casey who missed The Ryder Cup two years ago and is now out again with a shoulder injury that forced him to retire from the Players Championship halfway through the first round. It’s not the same injury he incurred in the snowboarding incident in Arizona earlier in the year but he’ll be gutted if he misses out on The Ryder Cup again.

Injuries can wreck a player’s season and sometimes their career altogether. Lee Westwood’s caddie Billy Foster suffered a bizarre knee injury at Quail Hollow last month which will keep him out for around six months. That’s a blow to Lee’s chances this season in not having his right hand man out there supporting him but let’s hope it doesn’t hit Lee too hard. There’s only the two of you out there so it’s not going to be easy for Lee. It was said that Billy got injured playing football but it wasn’t even a kickaround. He’s blown all the ligaments in his right knee and it’s swollen to quite a size. What happened was that the caddies were going to play a football match against a local team at Quail Hollow and they asked Billy to play. He said, ‘no I’m not going to play and risk getting injured but I’ll come and watch. ‘ The players were having a kickaround before the match and someone kicked the ball towards Billy and he tried to trap it. His foot went one way and his knee went the other.

Luckily Lee has got a really good stand-in, Sponge, who caddied for Michael Campbell when he won the US Open and for Robert Allenby.

Michael ‘Sponge Waite’ is an Aussie and he’s a really good bloke on the golf course. But there’s nobody like Billy and Lee knows that. We all know that. Billy was the right man for Seve and he’s the right man

BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP alvaro quiros Q&A

ChARITy: The Emirates Airline Invitational UK Golden Ticket Tour 2012 is in aid of the highly worthy charity, the Jude Brady Foundation, which raises money to support families who experience stillbirth and neonatal death.

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I thInk the Open ChampIOnshIp wInner wIll be deCIded by the weather at rOyal lytham. my mOney wOuld be On lee tO wIn, despIte nOt havIng bIlly On the bag, but there are sO many gOOd players hIttIng theIr best fOrm rIght nOw, anyOne COuld wIn It.

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

WORLd FINAL: The winner of the World Final held in the UAE will receive the Golden Ticket to play with the stars of The European Tour in the 2013 Emirates Airline Invitational hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah, with the professionals competing for a $500,000 purse. The pro-am will also be broadcast on sports TV networks all around the globe.

to Book a PlacE on tHE 2012 Uk GoldEn tickEt toUr PlEasE visit: www.judebradyfoundation.co.uk/events/uk-golden-ticket-tour www.wwgolf.biz

CONGRATULATIONS from Worldwide Golf to Pete Cowen on receiving the Special Achievement Award for his contribution to European Golf from The European Tour. Pete was presented with the Award by one of his ‘star pupils’,reigning Open Champion, Darren Clarke, at The European Tour Awards Dinner at Wentworth Club on the eve of the BMW PGA Championship, the Tour’s flagship event.

lee Can battle tO wIn wIthOut bIlly

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The left foot has stabilised better into his finish, showing we are moving in the right direction.

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5/17/12 5:23 PM

PETE COWEN COLUMN

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How it works:

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PETE COWEN PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL

LOCAL GAME WITH CHRIS DAVIS

You see here what we have been working on is starting to take shape, with his arms and thoracic spine staying more together in the first move.

How you continue your practice is up to you but why not play 18 holes?

If you are familiar with the course you will be competing over, then start from the first hole and visualise every tee shot and approach shot. If you find yourself missing the green (in your mind’s eye), then take the opportunity to try and execute a successful pitch shot to a shorter target on the range.

Perfect your practise sessions and learn the art of preparation and visualisation.

joel neale column 1

Play18

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arabian golf

PlaYing The hole The easiest way for me to highlight these visualisation techniques, is to choose my favourite, yet most challenging hole and play it out on the range.

In this example I have chosen the beautiful but dangerous 17th at Dubai Creek but you can choose any hole, shot or situation you want.

Once you have chosen your hole, you must look out to the driving range and picture the shots you are expecting to encounter, starting from the tee shot.

As I look out at the familiar sight of the Creek’s driving range, I picture in my mind’s eye the 17th fairway. Even to the extent that I can visualise the water cornering around the 80 yard sign, with the well placed fairway bunkers lurking around the white flag down the right side.

Now that I have visualised the fairway in front of me, I will go through my pre-shot routine and attempt to execute the shot.

On this occasion, obviously, I hit the perfect 300+ yard drive, straight down the left half of fairway. I would then imagine my approach shot to be approximately 80 yards over the bunkers to a middle left pin position. As you can see in the image on the right, I am now about to practice that very shot, whilst constantly visualising the 17th green.

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A pre-shot routine is as individual as your golf swing and can range anywhere from three to thirty seconds (any longer and slow play will definitely be an issue!). To give you an idea, I personally start my routine from behind the ball – staring down my target line. At this point, I have two half practice swings and then step into the ball. Three waggles of the club while looking at the target, and then FIRE! I think of my ‘golf swing’ as actually starting from when I’m at the first stage of my routine, which is behind the ball. That way, if I’m disturbed during my routine, I start again – from behind the ball.

If you use the pre-shot routine for every shot during your practice session, then the likelihood of repeating the same routine each time, both on the range and on the course, is greatly increased. It’s the repetition that leads to muscle memory that will eventually lead to greater consistency.

If you were head of the R&A what would rule would you change?

I believe that the R&A have it all pretty well figured out when it comes to the rules of golf. Having said that I hate scuff marks on the green. I would say that we should be able to repair scuff marks on our putting line.

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Chris and I started working together a few weeks ago. He has a pretty solid tournament schedule lined up through the summer in Europe and into the end of the year with the MENA Tour events in the region, and then Asian Tour School at the end of the year, so it is important for Chris to feel that he can be ready to compete and contend quite quickly.

Chris has a very fluent motion and can create some speed but he has not been happy with his consistency and accuracy. I saw two major issues with Chris’ motion that contribute to this – his arms would disconnect from his body early during the backswing, causing the club to be pushed out of position, and, secondly, his lower body movement looked loose and he wasn’t able to load the muscles he needed to keep the swing structured and the movement through impact repeatable and strong. When this becomes second nature to Chris, he will feel like he is creating more power by moving less, a key lesson that a lot of amateurs can learn. In our short time working together Chris has made some big steps forward and I think this season should be a successful one for him.

CRAIG WADDEL TEACHING PROFESSIONAL CREEk GOLF & yACHT CLub By: craigbywaddell, SeniorPGA golf ProfeSSional, duBaiDubAI creek golf & yacht cluB

As a regular reader of Worldwide Golf magazine, I am sure that you are fully up to date with the Creek Professionals’ tips on how to make the most of your practice sessions? If not, visit our website: www.dubaigolf.com to view previous tutorials. As a finale to the Perfect Practice Series, I will be taking you through some of the key steps necessary to prepare your game for the course.

Joel Neale talks to fellow local pro Chris Davis who is playing on the MENA Tour and the Asian Development Tour.

TROON TUTORIAL

Perfect Practice SerieS the Perfect PreParation

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

Where did you play college golf in the States?

And do you think this route helped you get to the standard where you could turn Pro? I played college golf for Barry University in Miami, Florida.

Absolutely it helped. The four years that I spent on the team certainly helped me to aspire to become a professional. The competition, the camaraderie and the team spirit really made me realise that this is something I enjoy doing and I wanted to take it to a higher level.

What’s next for you on the calendar, where do you think you will be playing most of your golf this year?

Last year I played all my golf in the Middle East and Far East Asia. No doubt, it was an amazing experience. This year I have decided to spend some time in Europe and play professional events there. I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play on some European development tours there, The EPD tour from Germany, the Alps Tour and the Euro Pro Tour and I’m really looking forward to it.

PETE COWEN COLUMN

Arkesh Bhatia. Age 13, handicap 10. Creek Member and Member of the Butch Harmon School of Golf www.wwgolf.biz 51 Junior Elite Group and coached

by Justin Parsons.

Perfect PreParation

When did you turn professional?

I turned professional in 2010 after I graduated from University in the United States

Being based in Dubai, do you feel that you are at an advantage in terms of facilities and being centralised between Asia and Europe?

The facilities in all of the emirates are some of the best if not the best facilities that I have ever played on. We have all the tools to be able to improve our game – the coaching staff, floodlit grass ranges, superb courses, everything. Despite the hot summers in the UAE, we are at an advantage to be able to play pretty much every day. No one likes to be out in the rain and the cold. I’m sure I speak for many others in saying that.

Judy Cahill. Handicap 24.

Els Club Member. Coached

by Mario van Zyl.

How to manage your way to victory at The Els Club.

local scene

gary player introduction

Aaron Holton. Tour Professional - Thailand PGA and MENA Tour.

Coached by Luke Cantelo.

Advertising & Marketing Director: Rasha Siriani rasha@wspdubai.com General Manager – MENA Chris Turlik Marketing Executive: Nairy Soghomonian

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Pete Cowen reveals how Alvaro Quiros could add even more distance and a consistency to his huge swing.

June 2009 SSN 1- 46805671 Approval UAE National Media Council: Ref.816 30/5/2007 Trade Licence No. 1/104375/15280 Dec 2011 BPA Worldwide Statement – Average Monthly Qualified Circulation: 14,993 (3 month average, Oct-Dec 2011).

ALVARO QUIROS WORLDWIDE GOLF GUEST COLUMNIST

Time to regain my form I

WAS delighted to be asked to write for Worldwide Golf as a guest columnist. I’ve enjoyed much success in the Middle East and I very much like to be there so it’s nice to link up with the region’s No.1 golf magazine.

Today our jobs consist of so much more than just playing golf, even though that’s obviously what I focus on. But when I’m given the chance to communicate with the people who are kind enough to take an interest in what we do, I like to take that opportunity whenever I can. It’s as simple as that.

Since I won the Qatar Masters in 2009 and then the Dubai Desert Classic and Dubai World Championship last year people often ask me what it is about playing in the region that agrees with me so much. All I can say is that I feel very comfortable there. The long courses suit me, the people are very nice, the hospitality is first class, there’s a wide variety of great food, nice hotels – why wouldn’t I do well?

I’m not necessarily sure it applies only to me either – all the Tour players love the region. It has everything you could ever wish for when it comes to playing tournament golf.

My win at the Dubai Desert Classic was a very important moment in my career because it proved that anything is possible. From thinking I was too far behind the leaders being eight shots off the pace at halfway to all of a sudden being in contention early in the final round, to having a nightmare with a triple bogey on the eighth, to making a hole-inone on the 11th, then thinking that might not be enough.

Needless to say, it was a roller-coaster ride but a very important ride for me. I’ll never forget that hole-in-one, it was just perfect – one of those shots where you’re not even surprised when it goes in!

Winning again in Dubai at the Dubai World Championship was the perfect end to the season for me. It was another very dramatic finish. I started the final round two ahead of Paul Lawrie but from the beginning he was holing every putt he had. I started

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“If you can fight until the end, at least if you don’t win the title, you’re going to be close, and that’s something positive. I had a one-stroke lead going up the last but I didn’t think for one second about changing my style and playing more conservatively – I never change my game plan. I play attacking golf, that’s my game.” – Alvaro Quiros with three birdies but that wasn’t enough to give me a good advantage so I was just trying to repeat myself, to keep doing the same things, trying to enjoy it, and to fight it.

If you can fight until the end, at least if you don’t win the title, you’re going to be close, and that’s something positive. I had a one-stroke lead going up the last but I didn’t think for one second about changing my style and playing more conservatively – I never change my game plan. I play attacking golf, that’s my game.

Paul was still in contention, he still had a chance to make birdie at the last, which in the end he did. So if I’d laid up I would have had to fight for the birdie with technically the most difficult shot – putting.

So I attacked the pin with my second shot, a 3-wood. It was a comfy distance and so I just had to go for it and I found the green, then sank the big putt to win with an eagle. It was a great feeling. I really felt the support of the crowds in Dubai. I love the crowds there. I like people in general and to be fortunate enough to have people who come and take an interest in what I do is a great blessing.

In general, my game is feeling good this season.

I have not quite had the results I expected yet but I have worked hard and am still working very hard.

The results will come. If you keep working you will be rewarded.

Away from the course I have recently gained a new sponsor, Concord watches, which has been a great experience for me. It felt like a natural fit from the very first meeting I had with the company’s representatives.

The watches are real works of art and very elegant….a bit like myself! More importantly, the people behind the brand are very nice and I like to be with them – these things matter most to me. n

Alvaro Quiros is sponsored by Concord watches.

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11

Donald doubles up at Wentworth LUKE Donald returned to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking after he successfully defended his title at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last month with a superb fourstroke victory over Justin Rose and Paul Lawrie.

“To come and successfully defend my title and get back to World number one is very sweet indeed,” smiled Donald after celebrating with wife Diane and children Elle and Sophia Ann. Donald teed off two clear of Rose in the final pairing in front of record crowds at The European Tour’s flagship event but found himself level after an uncharacteristic bogey at the par-5 fourth hole – a hole he’d birdied on each of the three previous days.

Bounced back However, Donald bounced back with successive birdies on six and seven and then moved three clear with another on the tenth. Rose birdied the 12th but so, too, did Donald and when Donald birdied the 16th and Rose bogeyed, the win looked assured.

“I was just trying to keep my head down and plug away – I was swinging well and I’ve putted well all week,” said Donald, who becomes the third player to successfully defend the PGA Championship following Nick Faldo (80, 81) and Colin

Factoids:

BACK TO NUMBER ONE: Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy have exchanged places at the top of the Official World Ranking six times since Donald first became World No.1 at Wentworth last year. Donald is beginning his fourth stint as the world’s top ranked player. The Englishman, who won the Order of Merit on both sides of the Atlantic last season, sealed the fourth consecutive victory by an Englishman in the BMW PGA Championship, following Paul Casey (2009), Simon Khan (2010) and his win in 2011.

Luke Donald successfully defended a title for the first time in his professional career with his win over Rose and Lawrie at Wentworth.

Montgomerie (1998, 1999, 2000). “I just needed to settle down a bit. This is a big week and I felt some of the pressure.

After the fourth I didn’t give him (Rose) another hole where he was teeing off first, other than the 18th – I got the job done.

I take great satisfaction from this. It means I am doing the right things, the hard work is paying off and I have a great team around me.”

Lawrie carded the low round of the day – a stunning 6-under 66 – to finish on 11-under, alongside Rose and both gave their chances of Ryder Cup qualification a boost in the process. Both are winners on Tour this year with Lawrie winning the Commercial Qatar Masters and Rose taking the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral in Florida.

Lawrie, who reached a high of 29th in the world in 2000, is now back up to 29th again thanks to his runner-up finish and is now the highest ranked Scot in the world.

“You’re never unhappy when you shoot 66, but really it should have been a few less,” smiled Lawrie ruefully. “When you get on a bit of a run the confidence goes up and right now it’s probably never been better.”

Rory McIlroy missed the cut after two wild rounds of 74 and 79 around the West Course while Lee Westwood struggled to get things going and finished tied 33rd. n

Bmw PGA Championship

to go back to World No.1 Luke Donald celebrates his win on the 18 green with his wife, Diane, and children Elle and Sophia Ann. In successfully defending his title at Wentworth he went back to number one in the Official World Golf Ranking, replacing Rory McIlroy at the top. th

1 Luke Donald 2 Paul Lawrie 2 Justin Rose 4 Peter Lawrie 5 Branden Grace

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68 69 68 273 -15 71 71 66 277 -11 71 69 70 277 -11 71 72 71 280 -8 69 73 70 281 -7

Luke Donald

Lee Westwood

Rory McIlroy

Adam Scott

Steve Stricker

#1 PERFORMANCE CHOICE. PGA EUROPEAN TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

PGA TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

4,060

3,729 NEAREST COMPETITOR

NEAREST COMPETITOR

541

1,354

Gary Woodland

810

NATIONWIDE TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

CHAMPIONS TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

NEAREST COMPETITOR

LPGA TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

1,738 NEAREST COMPETITOR

CANADIAN TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

935

2,707 NEAREST COMPETITOR

271

Bill Haas

394

Stacy Lewis

199

NEAREST COMPETITOR

Rickie Fowler

TRUSTED BY MORE PLAYERS AROUND THE WORLD. Join Team Titleist at titleist.co.uk Source: Darrell Survey, SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC. Based upon results through 22/11/2011 on the U.S. PGA, U.S. LPGA, Champions, Nationwide, South African, Asian, Korean, OneAsia, Australasian, Japan, Canadian PGA and PGA European Tours.

155

Geoff Ogilvy

K.J. Choi

Nick Watney

#1 IN WORLDWIDE PLAYERS 2011

Yani Tseng

Webb Simpson

#1 IN WORLDWIDE WINS 2011

21,533 NEAREST COMPETITOR

ASIAN TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

3,485

NEAREST COMPETITOR

252

JAPAN TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

Cristie Kerr

651

NEAREST COMPETITOR

27

ONE ASIA TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

898 NEAREST COMPETITOR

164

AUSTRALASIAN TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

941 NEAREST COMPETITOR

NEAREST COMPETITOR

Kyung-Tae Kim

202

Bubba Watson

77

SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

924

1,277 NEAREST COMPETITOR

175

KOREAN TOUR BALL COUNT 2011

1,262

Ian Poulter

1,150 NEAREST COMPETITOR

Matteo Manassero

354

Zach Johnson

NEws DIVOTS CELEBRITIES LAUNCH ‘SEVE DAY’ tournament

MARKING the first anniversary since Seve Ballesteros lost his battle with brain cancer, celebrities from the world of sport and entertainment have united to launch the first ever ‘Seve Day’ – a European-wide golf tournament set up by YourGolfTravel. com, in partnership with the Seve Ballesteros Foundation and Cancer Research UK. Justin Rose, along with celebrities including BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans, former footballer and England manager Kevin Keegan, and Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp, have all committed to support Seve Day which starts on July 1 2012 – paying tribute to Seve’s first Major title at The Open in 1979. Seve Day hopes to attract thousands of participants and raise significant funds for the Seve Ballesteros Foundation which, in partnership with Cancer Research UK, funds vital research into brain cancer. A grand final will be held at Celtic Manor in October 2012.

Chapman seals US Senior Major

ROGER Chapman became the first Englishman to win the US Senior PGA Championship after a gritty two stroke victory over American John Cook with Hale Irwin one stroke further back. Chapman signed for a final round 1-over-par 72 for a 13-under total to win on what he described as “the greatest day of my professional career. It’s incredible,” he beamed after holding aloft the huge trophy.

“You have got Hale Irwin, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Fuzzy Zoeller and Jay Haas on the trophy – and it’s incredible just to have my name under Tom Watson’s – the defending champion. It’s the best feeling in the world. This is what we strive for, this is what we practice and work hard for.”

CONTROVERSIAL WIN FOR Azahara MUNOZ

SPANIARD Azahara Munoz beat Candie Kung 2&1 to secure her first LPGA Tour win at the Sybase Match Play Championship, having edged her semi-final match against Morgan Pressel in controversial circumstances. Pressel had been ahead by two in their last four match when the pair were put on the clock by referee Doug Brecht after the 11th for slow play. Pressel then won the 12th, which would have put her 3-up, but she had taken two minutes and nine seconds to complete the hole – 39 seconds over the limit, so she was penalised a hole. That meant she was only 1-up and Munoz went on to win the match 2&1.

Brandt SNEDEKER’S CLUBS GO MISSING

AMERICAN Brandt Snedeker was forced to compete with a makeshift set of 10 clubs and wearing a pair of training shoes in the opening round of the Volvo World Match Play Championship at Finca Cortesin in Spain. His own clubs went missing on a flight from Miami to Malaga. The set-back did him no harm, however, as he went on to thrash Thomas Björn 5&4. “I grabbed John Senden’s back-up driver this morning, and the driver worked really well – so that could be my driver now,” said Snedeker.

“I also grabbed a putter from the Pro Shop and that started working really well but then when my own clubs arrived on the fourth hole I added a hybrid, 3-wood and lob-wedge and my own putter to the bag. It’s been a weird few days to say the least.”

PAUL LAWRIE JOINS THE 500 CLUB

SCOTLAND’S Paul Lawrie reached the milestone of 500 European Tour events at the Volvo World Match Play Championship last month. The 1999 Open Champion, who played his first tournament at the 1992 Johnnie Walker Asian Classic, marked the achievement with an impressive performance which saw him reach the semi-final before being ousted by eventual champion Nicolas Colsaerts. His good form continued with a share of second place with Justin Rose at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Despite all that Lawrie announced that he would not be playing the US Open Championship, preferring to stay in Europe.

NO CONTRACTS FOR OLYMPIC COURSE IN RIO

THE ownership dispute over the land set to be used for the Olympic golf course for 2016 took another twist recently when a court ordered the city of Rio de Janeiro to hand over the contracts detailing the ownership of the land – but city officials said no such documents existed. A Brazilian court issued a search warrant for the contracts on behalf of a company claiming ownership of the property, saying it had the right to see the documents related to the land. The city said it hasn’t signed any contracts for the golf course because it will be a private undertaking. It had publicly announced earlier this year, however, that it made an agreement with the land owner to have the course built onthe site.

IRISH OPEN FLIES HIGH WITH EMIRATES EMIRATES Airline has broken new ground with its first sponsorship in Ireland by becoming the Official Airline of the Irish Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club.

The event, which takes place from June 28 - July 1 is one the key stops on The European Tour International Schedule and is set to feature Irish favourites such as Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell, Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington.

The three-year sponsorship deal follows Emirates launching its first Irish service in January when it began flying to Dublin.

“We have entered into another major sponsorship, supporting sport in Ireland and connecting with golf enthusiasts around the world,” said Salem Obaidalla, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations,

Round of the Month

Austrian Bernd Wiesberger shot not one but two course record 65s to set up his victory at the Ballantines Championship at Blackstone Golf Club in Seoul, South Korea.

Europe & Russian Federation. “Irish golfers have never had a higher profile, with no fewer than nine current tournament winners active on The European Tour.”

The European Tour’s James Finnigan, Commercial Director of the Irish Open, added: “Emirates is a world-class partner that brings added global exposure and prestige to the Irish Open. This event has massive appeal, attracting audiences from all over the world, so it’s appropriate that a like-minded sponsor with an extensive global reach and a strong foothold in golf is onboard.”

The agreement with the Irish Open increases Emirates’ support of golf in 2012 to 15 events, seven of which are European Tour tournaments.

STATMASTER

Francesco Molinari’s victory in the Spanish Open made him the first Italian ever to win the event.

QUOTE (miracle) OF THE MONTH “He lifted me up 3 feet and slammed me down. I was 3 feet from my life. He had me submerged up to my belt buckle. That was my miracle of the month.” – Albert Miller, 75, speaking after narrowly escaping an alligator’s grip at Lake Ashton Golf and Country Club in Florida when he went to retrieve his ball from a pond.

G ETT I N G TO K NOW T H E C E L E B R I T I E S ON T H E FA I R WAY S

QUICKNINE WWG: You play in a lot of Pro-Ams so you obviously enjoy your golf?

HG: Some days more than others! No, I’m obsessive, I have been for more than 10 years.

WWG: What handicap do you play off?

HG: 7 – at the moment.

WWG: You must’ve played some of the best courses in the world, which is your favourite?

HG: Scottish links golf is my favourite form of golf and I love the course Sandwich in Kent. I also quite like the courses out in Long Island, New York – Shinnecock Hills is good, my brother’s a member there. But I can’t deal with playing golf in too hot conditions. I don’t like strange grass and I can’t be doing with grain!

WWG: Is golf your favourite sport?

HG: It is now but in my early days rugby was my game, and then tennis. I went along to play golf the first time as a joke and thought I’d hate it but you know what it’s like, I became addicted.

WWG: Do you think golf gets in the way of relationships?

HG: When you say to a girl, ‘I play golf’ her eyes glaze over. I do feel guilty about my golf. You know you’re a sad case when you spend your spare time reading books on putting or going to YouTube to watch slow motion golf swings.

I’ll get out of bed in the middle of the night and practise my swing in front of a mirror. I’m obsessed and it’s destroying my life!

WWG: Are you a sucker for buying new equipment?

HG: If there’s a new golf gadget for sale, I’ll buy it. I’ve never not bought anything that’s been offered, and there’s now a whole room in my house dedicated to golf equipment. You can’t get in there for clubs and impact bags.

WWG: Has any of it helped?

HG: None whatsoever!

WWG: How would you describe your on course demeanor?

HG: I’m extremely unpleasant. I’m the worst. I like my golf to be very competitive, I like a lot of money at stake, and I don’t like any chit-chat or jokes. I hate all that. I just want serious brutal golf and if it goes badly, I get very nasty.

WWG: You’re obviously used to being in the spotlight – do you mind playing golf in front of people?

HG: No, although I do get intimidated. It doesn’t take much!

WITH

HUGH GRANT

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YAS LINKS GOLF CLUB Summer passport

Passport to

Paradise SUMMER GOLF normally spells sizzling conditions in soaring temperatures, which is why many golf clubs offer special discounted packages to entice those brave-hearted souls who are prepared to take on the weather and avail themselves of the reduced rates.

Last summer Yas Links broke the tradition and introduced a loyalty programme which rewarded intrepid golfers by discounting repeat play or dining experiences.

Yas Links does have the added incentive of a cooling breeze that blows over the golf course off the sea, but this year Yas have

taken their Summer Passport several stages further by rewarding members and guests with an enhanced offering.

General Manager, Chris White, says: “Last year’s Summer Passport proved very popular so it made perfect sense to not just repeat it but improve it. Whilst most clubs offer a heavily reduced summer membership we personally feel that it is better to reward our loyal members and their guests who support the club throughout the year.

“Yas Links Summer Passport gives members and guests who may have more time to play summer golf a sliding scale of

n The Yas Links 2012 Summer passport offers incentives for weekday and weekend play on both the Links course and the floodlit Par 3 Academy course with green fees starting from 50AED per player. n Repeat golf can be played on the Links at 199AED a round whilst weekend incentives net down to 257.50 AED a round.

discounted rates which means the more they play, the better the rate they pay.

“With longer daylight hours and, in some cases, reduced working hours, the summer really is a good time to get out on the links.

The prospect of playing summer golf may fill some with trepidation yet the realty is often a very different and enjoyable experience.

“Yas Links sits perfectly right on the sea shore and although a light breeze may appear insignificant many of our regular golfers often comment that the afternoon sea breeze really does make their round more enjoyable.”

n Not wishing the coaching staff to have a quiet summer the Yas Links Academy again has some amazing offers with 30 minute lessons netting down to 112.50AED a lesson.

just three of 18 ‘specials’ available, not including the Iftar offering during the Holy month of Ramadan.

n Pro Shop purchases receive up to 20% discount whilst the Food and Beverage offering is sumptuous – Hickory’s Curry Special for 9AED, up to 50% discount on the Daily Special and kids eating free are

Great discounts, a cooling breeze, floodlit facilities and the customary Yas Links welcome makes the Summer Passport a ‘Yes to Yas’ proposition. www.wwgolf.biz

39

Date: Apr 26–29 Event: Zurich Classic of New Orleans Venue: TPC Louisiana, Avondale, Louisiana Winner’s Cheque: $1,152,000

Date: Apr 26–29 Event: Ballantines Championship Venue: Blackstone GC, Icheon, Seoul, South Korea Winner’s Cheque: €367,500

DUFNER’S PERFECT WEDDING GIFT

JASON Dufner gave himself the perfect wedding present when he finally secured his maiden PGA Tour title with a play-off win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans after a string of near misses. Dufner, who was due to get married the following week, had lost via play-offs at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and the US PGA Championship last year, held his nerve to beat Ernie Els at the second extra hole.

“There’s been a good bit of pressure. People talking about, `Why aren’t you winning? Why can’t you close the deal?”

1 2 3

Name Jason Dufner Ernie Els Luke Donald

Country To Par USA -19 RSA -19 ENG -17

R1 67 66 73

R2 65 68 65

R3 67 68 66

R4 70 67 67

Total 269 269 271

RICKIE Fowler rolled the dice and emerged a winner as he secured his first win on the US PGA Tour with a gutsy display at the Wells Fargo Championship.

The exciting 23-year-old found himself in a play-off with US Open champion Rory McIlroy and D.A. Points and opted to play a highly risky wedge shot into the 18th that had no margin for error. The gamble paid off as he stiffed it to 4-feet for birdie and a deserved maiden victory.

“I hit a perfect shot at the right time, and I was going for it.”

Country To Par USA -14 NIR -14 USA -14 AUS -11

R1 66 70 66 71

“I just tried to enjoy it and I had the three best rounds of my life. I tried not to make bogeys and I did that pretty well, it was awesome.”

Name 1 Bernd Wiesberger 2 Richie Ramsay 3 Victor Dubuisson 3 Marcus Fraser

Country To Par AUT -18 SCO -13 FRA -11 AUS -11

R1 72 70 68 71

R2 65 72 75 67

R3 65 68 68 69

R4 68 65 66 70

Total 270 275 277 277

FRAN THE MAN IN SPAIN

FOWLER BREAKS ON THROUGH

Name Rickie Fowler Rory McIlroy D.A. Points Marcus Fraser

AUSTRIA’S Bernd Wiesberger looked as though he’d been winning European Tour titles for years as he cruised to his maiden victory a whopping five strokes clear of Scotland’s Richie Ramsay. The 26-year-old was unstoppable as he compiled two sensational consecutive course record 65s in the second and third rounds before closing with 68 to seal his first win in breathtaking fashion.

Date: May 03–06 Event: Reale Seguros Open de Espana Venue: Real Club de Golf de Sevilla, Seville, Spain Winner’s Cheque: €333,330

Date: May 03–06 Event: Wells Fargo Championship Venue: Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina Winner’s Cheque: $1,170,000

1 2 2 3

BERND ON FIRE IN SEOUL

R2 72 68 68 67

R3 67 66 69 69

R4 69 70 71 70

Total 274 274 274 277

ITALIAN Francesco Molinari turned on the style in Spain to claim his third European Tour title – and his first for 18 months – at the Reale Seguros Open de Espana. The 29-year-old, whose last win was at the 2010 WGC-HSBC Champions, improved his chances of making the European Ryder Cup team, by coming from four strokes back with a brilliant closing round of 65 to take the title.

“I knew I was playing well. I just needed some putts to drop. I was also hoping the other guys would not go too far under par and everything worked out perfectly.”

Name 1 Francesco Molinari 2 Alejandro Canizares 2 Soren Kjeldsen 2 Pablo Larrazabal

Country To Par ITA -8 ESP -5 DEN -5 ESP -5

R1 70 74 71 71

R2 71 72 70 72

R3 74 68 71 69

R4 65 69 71 71

Total 280 283 283 283

Tour NEws Date: May 10-13 Event: The Players Championship Venue: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Winner’s Cheque: $1,710,000

Date: May10–13 Event: Madeira Islands Open – Portugal Venue: Santo da Serra, Madeira, Portugal Winner’s Cheque: €112,500

CUTE KUCH DOES THE BUSINESS

SENSATIONAL SANTOS SCORCHES

MATT Kuchar won the biggest title of his career with a solid performance at The Players Championship that saw him cross the line two strokes ahead of Martin Laird, Zach Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Ben Curtis. His last win had come at the 2010 Barclays and a string of top 10 finishes have followed without victory but he secured his fourth PGA Tour title with a composed final round of 70 at Sawgrass.

“It’s an amazing feeling to beat the field at The Players Championship.”

1 2 2 2 2

Name Matt Kuchar Martin Laird Zach Johnson Rickie Fowler Ben Curtis

Country To Par USA -13 SCO -11 USA -11 USA -11 USA -11

R1 68 65 70 72 68

R2 68 73 66 69 71

R3 69 72 73 66 70

R4 70 67 68 70 68

Total 275 277 277 277 277

RICARDO Santos produced a devastating final round of 9-under 63 to become the first Portuguese player to ever to win an event on home soil with a fourstroke victory over Magnus A Carlsson at the Madeira Islands Open. The 29-year-old started the final round four strokes off Carlos Del Moral’s lead but he picked up four shots in his first eight holes to surge up the leaderboard before a stunning finish saw him follow birdies on 12 and 13 with a birdie-birdie-birdie finish for his maiden victory.

“It has been an unbelievable week and it will be tough to beat this win. I don’t have the words to describe how happy I am.”

Name 1 Ricardo Santos 2 Magnus A Carlsson 3 Andreas Harto

Country To Par POR -22 SWE -18 DEN -17

R1 68 66 67

R2 67 66 71

R3 68 71 66

R4 63 67 67

Total 266 270 271

Date: May 17–20 Event: Volvo World Match Play Championship Venue: Finca Cortesin, Casares, Andalucia, Spain Winner’s Cheque: €700,000

Date: May 17–20 Event: HP Byron Nelson Championship Venue: TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas Winner’s Cheque: $1,170,000

DUFNER’S STAR KEEPS RISING

NIC IS KING OF THE WORLD

“You probably couldn’t dream it any better than what’s been going on here.”

“It means everything. “Where do I start? I felt that I had a pretty good shot at it last year in the same format, and I was a little disappointed not to get to the final.”

JASON Dufner joined Hunter Mahan as the only two players to have won twice on the US PGA Tour this season with a nerveless display in the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Texas. Dufner hadn’t won in 163 starts on Tour before his win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans in April but he added his second victory in three with four rounds in the 60s capped by a stunning clutch birdie putt of over 25 feet on the final hole to beat Dicky Pride by one.

1 2 3 3 3

Name Jason Dufner Dicky Pride Joe Durant Marc Leishman Jonas Blixt

Country To Par USA -11 USA -10 USA -9 AUS -9 SWE -9

R1 67 66 70 65 68

R2 66 68 71 69 70

R3 69 69 65 71 67

R4 67 67 65 66 66

Total 269 270 271 271 271

NICOLAS Colsaerts held back a stern challenge from Graeme McDowell to win the Volvo World Match Play Championship.

The Belgian bomber had fought back from four holes down to win his semifinal duel with Paul Lawrie and he again needed all of his resilience to finally see off McDowell at the last hole in the final.

Name Country 1 Nicolas Colsaerts BEL 2 Graeme McDowell NIR 3 Rafa Cabrera-Bello ESP 3 Paul Lawrie SCO

alvaro quiros

m www.wwgolf.biz

Alvaro Quiros talks exclusively to Richard Bevan about the man behind the smile.

gunner ww.wwgolf.biz

HE’S the larger-than-life Spaniard with a smile that’s almost as big as the booming drives he regularly wallops down the fairways of The European Tour and his phenomenal record in the Middle East, along with his infectious personality, have earned him an army of fans across the region.

Alvaro Quiros emerged as King of Dubai last year after winning the emirates’ two flagship events – the Dubai Desert Classic and the Dubai World Championship – but success in the region is nothing new for the 6 ft 3in bomber.

His record in the Qatar Masters is phenomenal and he preceded his wins in Dubai with victory in Doha in 2009 followed by consecutive runner-up spots in 2010 and 2012.

His form hasn’t quite hit the heights of last year yet but with the Major season about to get into full swing there’s still plenty of huge home runs ahead of him.

WWG: You’re known as one of the game’s great characters but is it important for you to be yourself and have fun out there and do you think the modern game is lacking in personalities compared to years gone by?

AQ: I think we are fortunate to now have more and more characters developing out on Tour. It is a matter of realising that enjoyment and showing happiness will make other people happy. Life can be good and life can be bad. However, many times I do believe we have a choice in how we perceive a situation to be. I do believe it pays off to see things in as positive a way as possible.

WWG: You share a lot of attributes with Seve, your charisma and the swashbuckling way you play the game – how much of a loss to the game is he, how much did he influence you and how do you feel about continuing the Spanish legacy in golf he started?

AQ: Obviously I am proud and very honoured to even be mentioned in the same sentence as him but really, I was never fortunate enough to be around at that same time to be able to experience Seve and everything that he did. We were not even able to watch Seve on TV when I was young. I must say that José Maria Olazábal has had a bigger influence on me and for that I am very happy.

WWG: You don’t often shy away from taking a shot on, no matter how difficult it looks – do you feel in your mind that you can make almost any shot and that attacking gains more results than being conservative?

AQ: Yes. WWG: Have you always been such a big hitter or is it something you’ve worked hard on?

AQ: Well, it came with the strength and speed I gained when I grew physically as a teenager. But yes, it has almost always been there naturally.

WWG: What would you say are your best attributes as a player?

AQ: This may sound like an easy question to answer but I find it hard to answer although I do think my ability to enjoy the good moments that happen is very good and I’m pleased that it also gives other people joy. I like that energy.

WWG: Do you feel you have the game to win a Major and how much of a goal of yours is it to win one?

AQ: I’m a more complete player now than I was, and, obviously, and there is no reason why I should not win a Major? I mean, it’s another golf tournament. It’s just a major. That’s all. I don’t think Colin Montgomerie, for example, is a worse player because he doesn’t have a Major to his name. This is maybe what the media can think or other people can think, but at the end somebody who won eight Order of Merit titles is a great player anyway. And at the same time I have to say that there are players with one Major and three victories in their careers.

Are they better than others here, for example? We will see at the end. They’re numbers, moments in

DP World Tour Championship Dubai reigning Champion.

2009 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Champion

2011 Omega Dubai Desert Classic Champion.

your life. It would be great if I can be in a Major this year in contention. It would be another step up for me.

ourselves. Otherwise we wouldn’t be out here. So the belief has always been there. And, of course, it is very nice to prove yourself right now and again.

WWG: Tell us about your childhood, how did you get into the game?

AQ: I come from a modest upbringing. I have a very nice family around me and I consider myself very fortunate in so many ways. My father was and still is a good golfer and he introduced the game to me fairly early when I was young. I loved it right away.

WWG: Your victory in the 2010 Open de España made you only the fourth Spaniard since 2010 to win the event. That must have been an emotional moment to win in front of your home fans for the first time?

AQ: It was a very emotional moment. I still almost consider that to be my biggest achievement on a very personal note. Our National Open is very important to most Spaniards and it’s the one they all want to win.

WWG: It must have been a special moment to win your first European Tour title at the Alfred Dunhill Championship in 2007 – how important was that win in terms of giving you the confidence in your belief that you could compete and win at the top level?

AQ: It was extremely important for me! However, I injured my hand soon after that and it almost felt like I started from zero when I got back. Things have gone well though for me since then.

WWG: That first win must have taken the pressure off and allowed you to play with more freedom, knowing you didn’t have to worry about keeping your Tour card. The good results got more consistent in 2008 and then you managed your second win in Portugal – how did it feel to know you had the game to not only win once, but to do it again?

AQ: I think most of us have an inner belief in

WWG: Does it feel like a home from home when you come to the UAE and the Gulf now?

AQ: I think that is a stretch where I always feel at home and very comfortable. But there is nothing like southern Spain. That will always be home for me.

WWG: What do you love about the game and do you feel fortunate to be making a living out of something you love?

AQ: I love the fact that golf brings people together.

I love the test of playing golf. Every day is a new test of your character. And of course, yes, I know I am very fortunate to do what I do. However, it is important to remember that we all work very hard to get to where we are. It does not matter what you do, I think. Nothing good ever comes easy.

Alvaro quiros

m www.wwgolf.biz Alvaro has become the face of Callaway on The European Tour. Las Vegas was a fitting venue for the extravagant Spaniard who tee’d it up for a series of Callaway adverts and commercials.

WWG: How much do you feel you can achieve in the game, what are your ambitions?

AQ: Actually, for now, I will keep this one to myself. I know what I can do. Time will tell if I achieve them.

WWG: What do you like to do when you’re not playing golf? What’s a perfect day for you off the course?

AQ: A day on the beach, visit my family, play some football with friends, and have a nice Spanish dinner, again, preferably on the beach. Followed by some dancing until it is way too late to do anything but to sleep.

WWG: What’s your favourite music/bands etc?

AQ: I like dance music. As in David Guetta for example. I love music with a lot of energy.

WWG: Which football team do you support?

AQ: Atletico Madrid WWG: What would you be if you weren’t a pro golfer?

AQ: I would play football.

WWG: Tell us about your association with Concord – how did it come about, what does it involve, and what do you like about their watches?

AQ: If I am not mistaken, the first few meetings came about through meeting representatives from Concord in the Americas. It felt like a natural fit from the very first meeting as the watches are works of art and very elegant. A bit like myself! More importantly,

the people behind the brand are very nice and I like to be with them.

WWG: Worldwide Golf readers will be delighted that you have become a guest columnist. As the No.1 performer at the region’s golf tournaments give us your thoughts on joining the Middle East’s No.1 golf magazine?

AQ: Well, as you already mentioned, I have had success in the region and I very much like to be there. Today our jobs consist of so much more than just playing golf even though that’s obviously what I focus on. When given the chance to communicate with the people who are kind enough to take an interest in what I do, I like to take that opportunity if I can. It is as simple as that.

WWG: What is it about you and the Middle East, how come you always do so well here?

AQ: Again, it’s quite simple. I feel very comfortable here. The courses are excellent and they suite me, in general, and the people are very nice and I always get a nice welcome and get well looked after. Good food, nice hotels. Why wouldn’t I do well?

WWG: Give us your thoughts on last year’s wins – to not only win a tournament as prestigious as the Dubai Desert Classic, but to then follow up with another victory at an event as significant as the DP World Tour Championship Dubai?

AQ: As I just mentioned I feel very comfortable and relaxed when I am in the region. That is half the job

done. That means I can focus on what is important, the end result on the golf course. There are very few secrets…

WWG: What are your thoughts on the tournaments in the Middle East – do you think they are well run and do you feel well looked after when you play in them?

AQ: Very much so. Hospitality overall is fantastic.

WWG: What about your fans in the Middle East, they’ve really taken you to their hearts since you started winning so much here, do you feel well supported in the region?

AQ: Well, yes. I love the crowds! I like people in general and to be fortunate enough to have people come out and take an interest in what I do is a great blessing. Of course.

WWG: How does your game feel at the moment and what are your thoughts on how the season has gone so far?

AQ: In general my game is good. I have not had quite the results I expected yet but I am working very hard. I’m sure the right results will come. If you keep working you will be rewarded. No doubt.

I had three good rounds and one not-so-good round at Wentworth last month in the BMW PGA Championship – 67, 70, 77, 70. I finished tied 10th on four-under par, 11 shots off Luke Donald. A better third round would have helped but at least I came back a little in the final round. n

EMIRATES AIRLINE INVITATIONAL

GOLDEN TICKET UK GOES ON TOUR FOLLOWING the success of last year’s Emirates Airline Invitational UK Golden Ticket event, which was held at the stunning Brocket Hall in Hertfordshire, England, Worldwide Golf has teamed up with Boom Events to put together the 2012 UK Golden Ticket Tour culminating in a UK Final in the magical setting of Loch Lomond at The Carrick Golf Club in Scotland.

The Golden Ticket Series sees amateur golfers from across the Middle East compete in regional qualifiers for the chance to play in the World Final, which is held a few days prior to the star-studded Emirates Airline Invitational Hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah. The winner of the World Final receives a coveted ‘Golden Ticket’ for a money-can’t-buy golfing experience of a lifetime that sees them tee it up alongside the likes of Sergio Garcia, Graeme McDowell and Retief Goosen at the highly acclaimed invitation-only event.

The Golden Ticket Series, which raises thousands of dollars for charities around the world, has proved so popular that last year it made its debut in the UK for the first time, with the larger than life Rafa Roberts winning through to the World Final after a stellar display at Brocket Hall. The UK event was so hugely over-subscribed that this year we are hosting four UK events on four stunning golf courses, with four all-expenses paid trips to the United Arab Emirates, to compete in the World Final, up for grabs.

How it works: Regional Qualifiers: The Golden Ticket UK Tour 2012 will take in three spectacular De Vere golf venues. Playing alongside the likes of DJ Spoony and former Celtic and West Ham ‘keeper Allen McKnight, the winner of each event will be flown by Emirates Airline to play in the Golden Ticket World Final at the Official host venue in January 2013 (hotel accommodation included).

UK Final: The mini-tour series will work as a bonus pool with the top 12 players in the Order of Merit going on to shoot it out in a winner-takes-all UK Final staged on the banks of the magical Loch Lomond, at The Carrick Golf Club near Glasgow.

Players will accumulate points and must compete in at least two of the three regional events to become eligible for the Golden Ticket UK Tour Final Shootout.

Format: The format for each event will be 18-holes strokeplay with the winner being the best nett score as per R&A rules.

Maximum handicaps of 18 for men and 28 for women apply. Handicap certificates must be sent with the entry form and verified.

Entry Fee: Golden Ticket Regional Qualifier 1 event – £125.00 (720 Dhs) The Golden Ticket Tour 2 events £250.00 (1,440 Dhs) 3 events £325.00 (1,873 Dhs) There is no additional fee for the 12 players qualifying for the UK Final.

Entry fee includes breakfast on arrival and hot buffet at the prize-giving ceremony following each event. As well as places in the World Final and the UK Final in Scotland a host of top prizes will be up for grabs at each event while each competitor will receive an exclusive goodie bag.

TO BOOK A PLACE ON THE 2012 UK GOLDEN TICKET TOUR PLEASE VISIT: www.judebradyfoundation.co.uk/events/uk-golden-ticket-tour AND ENTER THE PROMOTIONAL CODE: ‘WWG’

Emirates Airline Invitational Golden Ticket UK Tour 2012

Wokefield Park - Wychwood Park - Slaley Hall – The Carrick

4 Great Courses – 4 Unforgettable Golf Experiences – 4 World Final Spots – 1 Golden Ticket

1

3

Wokefield Park

Slaley Hall

August 21st

September 18th

London

Newcastle

2

Wychwood Park

4

The Carrick

September 4th

October 8th

Manchester

Glasgow

World Final: The winner of the World Final held in the UAE will receive the Golden Ticket to play with the stars of The European Tour in the 2013 Emirates Airline Invitational hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah, with the professionals competing for a $500,000 purse. The pro-am will also be broadcast on sports TV networks all around the globe.

Charity: The Emirates Airline Invitational UK Golden Ticket Tour 2012 is in aid of the highly worthy charity, the Jude Brady Foundation, which raises money to support families who experience stillbirth and neonatal death.

DJ Spoony, BBC Radio presenter: “I can’t wait for the Golden Ticket Tour. It’s a chance for amateurs to play in a real Tour-style format with a truly unforgettable prize at the end of it. The Emirates Airline Invitational is an event everybody wants to play, whether they’re celebrities, sportsmen or high-flying businessmen, but you can’t get in unless you’re invited! With four trips on offer and 12 places at The Carrick up for grabs I don’t think there’s another amateur Tour in the UK to touch it.”

Advertorial

Be a step ahead of the game with Shotsaver Leading golf GPS brand, Shotsaver, has launched the latest addition to its range in the form of the S430 Tour Pro – featuring market firsts with both 2D, 3D hole and green flyover and lay-up views for better course management.

The S430 Tour Pro’s inventive ‘Fly-over Technology’ takes golfers down the full length of each hole, helping golfers plan the best route to each green, before they have even stepped onto the course.

Preloaded with over 5,500 EU golf course maps and with capacity to hold a further 15,000, the device’s ‘Lay-Up Technology’ helps users plan for greater handling of the course as it calculates the distance of the next two shots from their position to the front, centre and back of the green.

As golfers walk up the fairway, the S430’s hole view automatically moves with them and provides greater detail as they need it, zooming in and rotating to match their view on the course for a greater chance of accurate shots.

As with all Shotsaver products, the S430 also allows golfers to record the distance each ball is hit and which club was used, helping them to develop their game and monitor progress. Golfers simply record the position of their ball before each shot, and Shotsaver will provide the user with details of the longest, shortest and average distances hit with each club.

The device has a sunlight readable 3.5-inch LCD screen and is also fully waterproof to ensure that users are not caught out in bad weather on the green.

Steven Ballard, managing director at Shotsaver, comments: “The S430 Tour Pro offers smarter technology for the GPS market, reacting to the golfers needs with automatic rotation, zoom and view, which can help improve their control of the course.

“The device’s 5,500 pre-loaded course maps and its impressive 3D hole and flyover views mean that users can plan their game before they play, with access to detailed information for individual sections of the green and the locations of hazards, making it a must have product for the savvy golfer.”

The Shotsaver S430 Tour Pro is available from £249.99

(approx US$395.00/ Dhs 1,454)and includes free course updates, golf trolley mount, travel case and protective silicon case. The S430 is part of the Shotsaver range of GPS and laser range finders, which start from £129.99 (approx US$205.00 / Dhs 756) at

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Drive to Spain with Shotsaver AMATEUR golfers heading to the UK this Spring/Summer will have the opportunity to compete at one of Spain’s most prestigious championship golf courses this year, with the Shotsaver Drive to Spain 2012.

The nationwide competition will see pairs across the country take each other on, with the winners and runners-up of each round invited to a Grand Final in Spain in October.

The finalists will enjoy an all-inclusive, four-night stay at the five-star La Cala Hotel and Golf Resort, with flights, transfers and three competitive rounds of golf on the magnificent La Cala courses, plus the chance to win £450 (approx US$713.42 / Dhs 2,620) each in vouchers for the golf shop of their choice.

Qualifiers will take place in England throughout May and June at the following venues: 4Stockport Golf Club, Cheshire - Completed 4Manor House Golf Club, Castle Combe, Wiltshire - Completed 4De Vere Oulton Hall, Leeds - Completed 4De Vere Carden Park, Cheshire - 13th June 2012 4The Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club, Felixstowe -20th June 2012 4Bush Hill Park Golf Club, Winchmore Hill, London - 26th June 2012 To enter, call 01928 579 579 or visit www.snooper.eu to download an entry form. All entrants must have a current club handicap (maximum 24), which must be presented on the day. Entry fee is £25 (US$39.62 / Dhs 145) per person.

W NE

tour pro s430 From Tee to Green and everything in between

Win an all exp paid golf trip enses to Spain Play in the Shot saver D to Spain 2012! rive Visit www.sno oper for further deta .eu ils

Shotsaver Flyover Technology Know every detail before you play

Shotsaver Tour Pro Green View Zoom in to every green

Auto zoom, Auto rotation with Shotsaver ‘Lay-up’ technology’

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Professionally mapped course data Maximum detail. Maximum accuracy

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World 1st! 2D and 3D hole view

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RRP £249.99 No Subscription Fees! Free Course Updates! Includes free golf trolley mount, travel case and protective silicon case. For information call 0333 240 1000 or visit www.snooper.eu

Pic 1

Improve Your Golf at Muscat Hills New Golf Academy Muscat Hills newly opened world-class practice facility is offering the latest technologies in golf tuition to help you improve all areas of your golf game – the V1 digital analysis software and the Flightscope X2.

Take advantage of our discounted summer lesson programme. There is no better time to improve your golf or to take up the game of a life time.

EXCLUSIVE SUMMER PROMOTION

4 4

4 x 1-HOUR V1 LESSON A FREE 30-MIN SHORT GAME LESSON

Price: OMR 99

This is where the headline goes in Georgia regular This is where the intro copy goes in Gill Sans reg and explains what the current offer is. And it will not be as boring as this is. And it will not be as boring as this is. And it will not be as boring as this is. This is where the intro copy goes and explains what the current offer is.

To find out more about the new Academy facilities at Muscat Hills or to book a lesson contact us at: Muscat Hills Pro Shop, T: +968 245 1 4080/1 or e-mail: alex@muscatgolf.com www.muscathills.com Call the Golf shop on/ (+968) or email Club booking@muscatgolf.com www.muscathills.com Muscat24514080/1 Hills Golf & Country / PO Box 3358, P.C. 111, Sultanate of Oman

The Open Championship July 19-22 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

LEARN TO LOVE

THE LINKS The Open Championship, the grandest tournament of them all, returns to Royal Lytham & St Annes for the first time in 11 years next month and the world’s finest swingers will descend on the Lancashire Golf Coast in a bid to lift the Claret Jug. While the American golf media go gooey for the prestige of slipping into the Green Jacket at Augusta and the identikit US Open and US PGA Championships, the biggest and best golf tournament on the planet rotates around nine humble stretches of links dotted around the coasts of Scotland and England.

St Andrews, the Home of Golf, is joined by four courses in Scotland and four in England on the current Open Championship rota and they all provide a true test of how the game has been played and should be played.

Call us old fashioned, but The Open is the oldest, the biggest and still the best.

www.wwgolf.biz

33

The Course THE Golf Club at Royal Lytham & St Annes on Lancashire's Golf Coast was founded in 1886 with the golf course being built in 1897. Though a relatively short course it quickly earned a reputation as one of the best links layouts in the UK. To combat its shortness, designer George Lowe, the Club’s first Pro, carefully installed around 200 bunkers to

catch any errant shots and unlucky bounces. Renowned course architect Harry Colt made a few tweaks in the years between 1919 and 1922 and after these improvements the venue was chosen to host its first Open by the R&A in 1926 when America's gentleman amateur Bobby Jones won the first of his three Open Championships.

Royal Lytham – a hotbed of drama Royal Lytham was the scene of one of the most unfortunate (or hilarious, depending on your sense of humour) incidents in recent Open Championship history.

After beautifully mashing a 6-iron to within 4 inches of the pin on the opening par-3 of the final round in 2001, stoic Welshman Ian Woosnam marched over to the second tee in buoyant mood after his tap-in birdie took him into a share of the lead.

However, his caddy, Myles Byrne, was sheepishly lagging behind after realising the bag he was carrying contained 15 clubs. “You’re going to go ballistic,” was the now infamous method in which Byrne broke the bad news to Woosie on the tee.

“I give you one job to do,” sighed an exasperated Woosnam as he tossed the offending extra driver into a nearby gorse bush. His penalty was two strokes, turning his birdie on the

first into a sour bogey. European Tour Chief Referee John Paramor was the man in charge of the two-ball featuring Woosnam and Alex Cejka and said the atmosphere for the next few holes was horrendous. An eagle on the sixth lifted the mood somewhat but the damage was done.

Woosnam played the rest of the round in level par and finished in a share of third place, four shots behind the winner, David Duval.

“Would he have won? I think he had a really, really good chance,” said the highly respected and much-liked Paramor. “I’ve known Woosie for a long time and he has this aura about him, this cocky little walk, when he’s on form.

“I think it looks fantastic. He moves his legs really quickly, swaggering almost, and that’s how he was on the first tee that afternoon. He wasn’t the same after the penalty, which was a

pity because I believe that was the day he could have won The Open.”

One of the great ironies is that the error would have been spotted prior to Woosnam teeing off on every other

Open venue because Royal Lytham is one of the few courses that opens with a par-3, meaning he reached for an iron and didn’t give a thought to grabbing a driver. Poor Woosie! n

Past Winners 1926

1952

1958

1963

1969

1974

Bobby Jones

Bobby Locke

Peter Thomson

Bob Charles

Tony Jacklin

Gary Player

1979

1988

Seve Ballesteros Seve Ballesteros

1996

2001

Tom Lehman

David Duval

The Open Championship July 19-22 Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club

Who's going to make their mark?

Darren Clarke was a 150-1 shot prior to his emotional triumph at Royal St George’s last summer and after a final round 75 at the Scottish Open in Inverness the week before he didn’t seem like a good bet.

However, the nature of links golf is unpredictable and the odds of a Darren Clarke/ Dustin Johnson final pairing at The Open would have been even longer. The field, like the nature of links golf, is wide open. Three-time Open Champion Tiger Woods isn’t having the best of Darren Clarke – an unlikely winner?

seasons despite picking up his first PGA Tour title in three years at Bay Hill in March. The 14-time Major winner missed the cut for the eighth time in his career at the relatively easy Quail Hollow Championship and will need to get his famous low flying ‘stinger’ working overtime if he is to conquer the Royal Lytham layout – one course where overpowering length is not the answer.

Luke Donald missed the cut last year and looked out of sorts after getting to World No.1 with his win at Wentworth, but with a short game as good as his you've got to respect his chances.

Luke Donald Deadly Donald has one win on his CV this year but he's not shown the same levels of consistency he enjoyed last year. Will this be the year the Englishman breaks into the Major league?

Lee Westwood also didn’t make the weekend last year which was unusual given his form in the Majors over the past few years. However, the loss of bagman Billy Foster to a knee injury may have a detrimental impact on his chances this year.

The way the big names at the top of the world ranking focus their schedules so that they’re hitting peak form for the Majors means the leaderboard should be densely packed with stars.

Unheralded Americans often show up at The Open and fly under the radar to take home a famous victory. It’s easy to forget the victories by Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton in 2003 and 2004.

Last season it was three-time PGA Tour winner Dustin Johnson who powered his way into contention while Phil Mickelson unexpectedly finished runner-up to Clarke in a tournament that the lefty only ever had one top-ten before. The American form horse is Hunter Mahan – one of only two players with multiple wins on the PGA Tour this year.

Rickie Fowler finally realised his potential with his win at Quail Hollow and then a runner-up finish at The Players behind Matt Kuchar in May. The young Fowler (whom you rarely miss in his often outrageous get-ups) led for a while during the first round of The Open last year and has links experience with a victorious outing at the 2007 Walker Cup at Royal County Down in Ireland where he came up against (and beat) Rory McIlroy in the foursomes.

Another fearless youngster who goes at it all guns blazing is Webb Simpson while Masters Champion Bubba Watson certainly has the imagination to win an Open. Many liken Watson’s

Bubba Watson Bubbly Bubba is one of the PGA Tour's most colourful characters off the course and a magician on it. Will he bash his way successfully around a British links? Who knows, but we'll have fun watching!

Hunter Mahan It's doubtful Hunter will need that kind of eyewear come his tee time at Royal Lytham in deep, dark Lancashire, but behind the ridiculous shades is a steely character who can grind and grind and grind....

style to that of the late Seve Ballesteros and it cannot be overlooked that Seve won two of his three Open titles at Royal Lytham.

Add to the mix the Latin flair of Spaniards Alvaro Quiros, Sergio Garcia and Miguel Angel Jiménez (who will all be desperate to board Captain Olazabal’s plane to Medinah in September), the gritty Australians Jason Day, Adam Scott and Geoff Ogilvy and the ever expanding regiment of top class players coming from Korea and Japan and this year’s Open is set to be another brilliant bonanza. n

Lee Westwood Golf writers around the world are bored of talking about Lee Westwood's lack of Major success. Here at Worldwide Golf we make no bones about it – we're rooting for Lee!

Tiger will need to get his 'stinger' working overtime if he's to win a fourth Claret Jug.

Rickie Fowler One of the hottest players on the PGA Tour at present.

Thanks to his recent win Fowler has the confidence now to pit himself against the world's best on the biggest stage. Go Rickie! www.wwgolf.biz

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PETE COWEN PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL

CONGRATULATIONS from Worldwide Golf to Pete Cowen on receiving the Special Achievement Award for his contribution to European Golf from The European Tour. Pete was presented with the Award by one of his ‘star pupils’,reigning Open Champion, Darren Clarke, at The European Tour Awards Dinner at Wentworth Club on the eve of the BMW PGA Championship, the Tour’s flagship event.

Lee can battle to win without billy

I

THOUGHT last month’s Players Championship was a big disappointment. It certainly didn’t live up to its reputation of being regarded by some as ‘golf’s Fifth Major.’ It’s nowhere near the stature of the four Majors.

The big problem with the Players Championship is that they’ve made the Stadium Course into a Bermuda grass course and it’s only a certain type of player who can win at Sawgrass. It’s not a balanced course. That’s why you get players like Tim Clark and Matt Kuchar winning because they’ve got the game to suit the course. That’s why players like Rory McIlroy will always struggle to win it. He can’t play to his strengths. He’s virtually hand-cuffed.

Henrik Stenson won it in 2009 because he could afford to hit three wood off the tees and leave his driver in the bag. Sawgrass is a thinking man’s layout but the only thing people remember about Pete Dye’s course is the last three holes, and particularly the Island Hole.

Making a splash Now they’ve taken all the corporate sponsorship marquees from around the course and deposited them on those last two holes the focus is even more centred on 16-17-18. The hill overlooking the famous 17th Island Hole was always where the drama was and where the thrill-seekers gathered but now it’s like an amphitheatre.

It’s like a Coliseum. The crowd gets a bit over-enthusiastic and it can become a daunting proposition for all the players with the galleries basically baying for the ball to find the water. They’ll applaud a tee shot that stays on the green but they get just as much fun seeing balls splash into the lake.

Matt Kuchar’s victory was well earned from Rickie Fowler, Ben Curtis and the US PGA Tourbased Scotsman Martin Laird. Mr. Consistency Luke Donald deserved his sixth placed finish, courtesy of a final round 66 and a back nine of 30. I was really pleased to see Henrik Stenson coming in tied 16th with Martin Kaymer. Henrik is gradually getting it together and he’s improving with every tournament. The European Tour players

are increasingly looking at their Ryder Cup points standings as Madinah gets ever closer. Alvaro Quiros deserves to make The Ryder Cup Team this year but he’s going to have to produce a few more good results to earn his place. A lot of very good players are going to be disappointed come September but that just goes to show the strength of The European Tour. It’s good for the Team but not for those players who miss out – and it’s not good for their selfesteem.

I feel sorry for Paul Casey who missed The Ryder Cup two years ago and is now out again with a shoulder injury that forced him to retire from the Players Championship halfway through the first round. It’s not the same injury he incurred in the snowboarding incident in Arizona earlier in the year but he’ll be gutted if he misses out on The Ryder Cup again.

Injuries can wreck a player’s season and sometimes their career altogether. Lee Westwood’s caddie Billy Foster suffered a bizarre knee injury at Quail Hollow last month which will keep him out for around six months. That’s a blow to Lee’s chances this season in not having his right hand man out there supporting him but let’s hope it doesn’t hit Lee too hard. There’s only the two of you out there so it’s not going to be easy for Lee. It was said that Billy got injured playing football but it wasn’t even a kickaround. He’s blown all the ligaments in his right knee and it’s swollen to quite a size. What happened was that the caddies were going to play a football match against a local team at Quail Hollow and they asked Billy to play. He said, ‘no I’m not going to play and risk getting injured but I’ll come and watch. ‘ The players were having a kickaround before the match and someone kicked the ball towards Billy and he tried to trap it. His foot went one way and his knee went the other.

Luckily Lee has got a really good stand-in, Sponge, who caddied for Michael Campbell when he won the US Open and for Robert Allenby.

Michael ‘Sponge Waite’ is an Aussie and he’s a really good bloke on the golf course. But there’s nobody like Billy and Lee knows that. We all know that. Billy was the right man for Seve and he’s the right man

for Lee. But Sponge won’t let him down. I think the Open Championship winner will be decided by the weather at Royal Lytham. My money would be on Lee to win, despite not having Billy on the bag, but there are so many good players hitting their best form right now, anyone could win it.

One player who has surprised me is Ben Curtis.

He couldn’t win in the Middle East but he went back to the States and won the Valero Texas Open in April, his first win since 2006. The 2003 Open Championship winner had been playing on a partial exempt basis on the US PGA Tour. Now he’s got full playing privileges for the next two years. I’m going to take great delight in saying to him: “Well, you couldn’t win on the tough European Tour but you could win on that easy Tour in the States.”

Competitive spirit Ben changed his coach to Shaun Hogan and he’s changed his swing in the last 18 months to be a bit more orthodox. It was nine years ago when he won The Open at Royal St George’s when we all thought Thomas Björn was heading for victory until he got stuck in that bunker on the 16th. Ben is playing really well right now. He’s always been a fantastic putter and he’s putting as well as anyone currently.

When you look at Ben’s stats over four days of a tournament, his total number of putts is around 100-103 shots. When you can putt like that you’re always going to be in contention.

Kuchar won the Players Championship using a belly-putter and Martin Laird also used a long putter but I would ban the club from professional golf and let nerves come back into the game. If you don’t want nerves to play a part in top-class sport then you should do away with top-class sport. It’s part of the competitive spirit of sport and it’s what makes the difference.

If you’ve got a four-foot putt at a crucial time in the round and you’ve got a putter that’s anchored into your belly or you chin or your chest bone and you swing it like a broom you take the nerves out of the equation. That’s not what it’s all about. It would be a much more even contest if the long putter was banished from the game altogether. n

PETE COWEN COLUMN I think the Open Championship winner will be decided by the weather at Royal Lytham. My money would be on Lee to win, despite not having Billy on the bag, but there are so many good players hitting their best form right now, anyone could win it.

A lvaro Q uiros

SWING

Last month I explained how Bubba Watson matched his movements to generate huge clubhead speed.

Alvaro Quiros is arguably longer off the tee but as you can see from the swing sequence below the two swings are poles apart. If Alvaro could remove the flash speed he'd be more consistent and a top 10 contender on the World Ranking.

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

Alvaro is pretty conventional with his set-up. It’s a sort of swing that a lot of people would like the look of.

Here he takes it away wide, picks it up in the early part of his backswing, then starts working his shoulders early to support the club. In normal terms he swings the club pretty short in relative terms.

FLash speed Alvaro has a lot of wrist speed in his golf swing, a lot of down lag before impact and that gives him the speed. But when he gets too quick, his hips and his shoulders start coming out of the shot early and the margins of hitting the middle of the club at that sort of speed are very tight. This is where his distance control starts to suffer, especially with the short irons, as anything off centre would result in noticeable yardage differences.

By Pete Cowen PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL The Academy at Emirates GOLF CLUB in Association with PETE COWEN

He loads against his shoulders which is where he gets a lot of his leverage from. Above you can see his shoulders almost don’t allow the club to go to the horizontal. His shoulders are locked in, which has become the modern swing.

Building consistency : I’d like to see Alvaro use a lot more pressure than pure speed. He could do that because his technique is pretty good. Even when he gets fast, he never loses control of his shoulders. The distance he hits it is phenomenal but if Alvaro could transfer his flash speed to continuous pressure on the ball he would be the complete player. His distance control would be better and his short game would improve. He’d still hit it just as far and he’d be more consistent. Alvaro is a massive talent and is a top 50 world ranked player, but he's got the ability to stay within the top 20. He's got the fire power to destroy courses off the tee and he just needs that consistency to take him up to another level.

www.wwgolf.biz

39

fowler power

After a seemingly endless wait, Rickie Fowler finally landed his first US PGA Tour title last month and joined the ever-increasing number of first-time winners still in their 20s. Todd Staszko charts the growing career of the likeable young American.

T

HE winds of change that blow though the US PGA Tour have been given another boost after colourful Californian Rickie Fowler finally joined the party with a maiden victory at the Wells Fargo Championship.

While the youthful exuberance of Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson and Bill Haas stole most of the American media’s headlines last year (not to mention Rory McIlroy’s incredible US Open win), one young man was left lagging behind and was beginning to look a little foolish in his all-orange Sunday gear. Not any longer. Fowler defeated McIlroy and journeyman D.A. Points in a play-off at Quail Hollow to win at his 72nd attempt and rid himself of some of the demons that have plagued him over the last few years.

“Taking the step from junior golf to college golf or to amateur golf and then from there to the PGA Tour – it’s the biggest leap you take because these are the best players in the world,” smiled Fowler. “It’s not easy to win out here, so it’s nice to get the first one out of the way.”

Fowler had been flying under the radar for the past five years. As an amateur two-time Walker Cup winner in 2007 and 2009, the PGA Tour’s

4

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“Growing up I loved motocross. It has made me a bit fearless on the course.

fowler power

I’ve taken the more conservative route on the bike now, but I’m still taking risks and having fun on the golf course.

Rookie of the Year in 2010 (controversially picked ahead of McIlroy after the Ulsterman won at Quail Hollow while Fowler posted two seconds in the season) and then a Ryder Cup pick at Celtic Manor, his stock had been steadily rising but he couldn’t get the day job done with a win on Tour.

“Over the last couple years I’ve worked on my short game more than anything,” admits Fowler.

“I struggled with some bunker play in my first couple years, and I’ve sure put some work in. I’ve gained a lot of confidence in that department, and I was able to get up‑and‑down with ease, whereas it may have been a little bit tougher a couple years ago.”

Now, after his convincing play-off win over McIlroy whispers began to spread around the Tour of a new rivalry beginning in the game. With the former Box Office stars Tiger and Phil both struggling to find the levels of consistency that they had throughout the 2000s, Rory, Rickie and

a host of others have stepped up to the plate to fill the void.

“Obviously, Phil and Tiger have had a bit of a rivalry, but I think that there’s so many good young players right now that it’s hard to focus on maybe just Rory and me as a rivalry,” says Fowler. “I mean, you can name ten guys and put us all in as a rivalry – we’re all trying to beat each other just as much as the others. It’s kind of hard to pick out just two guys right now with the number of players who have been playing well and those who have won tournaments.

Rivalry “Rory is top ranked young player right now, but you’ve got guys like Keegan Bradley, who’s a Major champion, so I feel like there’s plenty of young guys who deserve some credit that would be part of a rivalry. Now that I’m a PGA Tour winner I’ve got some credibility and it’s obviously

an honour to be talked about as Rory and I go back and forth, but there’s a long way to go.”

To some, the garish outfits (he decks himself head to toe in orange on the final day of a tournament in homage to his time spent at the Oklahoma State University) might lead to a ‘style over substance’ conclusion. But scratch beneath the clean-cut surface and you’ll find an upbringing as normal as apple pie.

His desire to succeed is born out of the fearlessness and sheer competitive instinct that most children grow up with. He’s come a long way since his childhood in small-town Murrieta, California, where there’s a driving range but no golf course. Oh, and a father who’s obsessed with motocross racing.

“Growing up I loved motocross,” smiles Fowler.

“It has made me a bit fearless on the course. I’ve taken the more conservative route on the bike now, but I’m still taking risks and having fun

4

SUCCESS IS IN FULL SWING. Rory McIlroy Adam Scott

Steve Stricker Luke Donald Bill Haas Lee Westwood

Nick Watney Hunter Mahan

Yani Tseng Webb Simpson

2012 Worldwide Ball Count

Cristie Kerr

Bubba Watson

7,131 Nearest Competitor

1,165

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So when you’re on the tee with everything on the line, there’s just one question: What ball would you play?

Learn more at titleist.co.uk Prosports International sales@prosports.ae Tel: +971 4 3477737 Source: Darrell Survey. Sports Marketing Surveys Inc. Northmountain International. Based upon results through 13/05/2012 on the U.S. PGA, U.S. LPGA, Champions, Nationwide, South African, Asian, Korean, China, OneAsia, Australasian, Japan, Canadian PGA and PGA European Tours.

fowler power on the golf course. I mean, on a dirt bike, when you’re sizing up a jump you can’t have any second thoughts. You have to fully commit. If you don’t, a lot of things can go wrong.

“When things go wrong on a bike, it’s a lot worse than when they go wrong on the golf course. Once you commit, you just go. Same goes for a golf shot. I play golf fast too, that goes back to my motocross days. Get the number, decide on the shot I want to hit and go. I usually have everything figured out before the other guys hit.”

Humble Beginnings Rickie traded in the dirt bike after sustaining an ankle injury at the age of 15. He then decided that he wanted to make the high school golf team.

From there on the obsession switched from bikes to ‘bats’ and he hasn’t looked back. His humble beginnings hark back to first taking lessons at the age of seven at the local driving range from his only ever swing coach, Barry McDonnell, who sadly passed away last year.

“We’d go to the end of the range, he’d smoke his cigar, and I’d be hitting away,” remembered Fowler after his win in North Carolina. “We never laid sticks on the ground for alignment and we never used a video camera. He just taught me my

own swing and how to know where the clubface is. It’s nice to have him watching down on me.”

Fowler’s journey from a small-town Californian driving range to becoming a PGA Tour winner has been eventful and his progression shows no sign of slowing.

He followed his win at Quali Hollw in the Wells Fargo Championship with a superb secondplace finish at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass and he looks set to achieve all the goals he set for himself coming into 2012.

“To get my first win and then to have a good showing at The Players is great,” says Fowler. “I got one goal out of the way – to win on Tour. Now I’m focussed on getting all the way to The Tour Championship and give myself a chance to play on the Ryder Cup team again at Medinah.”

One thing is for sure. Courtesy of his win the PGA Tour have another star on their books. And despite Fowler trying to deflect the idea of a rivalry growing between himself and McIlroy, it won’t go away.

Both Fowler and McIlroy are winners by nature, both have time on their side and both have a steadily growing fanbase. Looks like it’s time for Tiger and Phil to up their games and give these young guns a run for their money. n

“I got one goal out of the way – to win. Now I’m focussed on getting to The Tour Championship and give myself a chance to play on the Ryder Cup team again this year.”

Rickie Fowler Factoids n Rickie Fowler’s mother is Japanese and Rickie’s middle name is Yutaka. n Fowler is a member of Ben Crane’s ‘Golf Boys’ alongside fellow PGA characters Bubba Watson, Hunter Mahan and Crane. Their music video for ‘Oh Oh Oh’ has had almost 5million hits on YouTube. n Fowler won his first title as a professional at the Korea Open in 2011 on the OneAsia Tour, defeating Rory McIlroy by six strokes. n Fowler wears orange on Sundays because that’s the colour of the Oklahoma State University athletics faculty.

Greg Norman celebrates winning the first of his two Open Championship victories, on the Ailsa Course at Turnberry in 1986. His second Open Championship win came at Royal St. George’s in 1993. He’s planning to return to the Ailsa Course to compete in the Senior Open Championship next month.

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www.wwgolf.biz

GREG NORMAN WORLDWIDE GOLF COLUMNIST

Back in the game I

T’S good to be fit and fully recovered from my shoulder injury and right on track to play the third of the five Senior Majors on the US PGA Champions Tour Schedule, the Constellation Senior Players Championship at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Western Pennsylvania, later this month.

It will be my first visit to Pittsburgh since I played in the 1994 US Open at Oakmont, won by Ernie Els in a play-off with Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts.

It was 10 years prior to that, at Winged Foot, when I lost the 1984 US Open in a play-off with Fuzzy Zoeller – and it was in 1995 that I finished runner-up to Corey Pavin by two shots in the US Open at Shinnecock Hills.

I’m really looking forward to playing the Constellation Senior Players Championship. It will be one of the Champions Tour’s strongest fields with 78 of the best senior golfers competing on a truly classic golf course at Fox Chapel.

The Constellation is also one of the Tour’s most valuable fund-raisers.

Since 1992 the Championship has raised more than $8 million for charity.

This is the first time the Champions Tour has been back to Pittsburgh since the 1998 Senior Classic and you can always count on huge crowds there and a great atmosphere.

Fred Couples is defending his title and former winners of the event, Mark O’Meara and Jay Haas will also be bidding to win it for the second time. It’s going to be fun catching up with so many old friends on the Champions Tour. Fred is an old friend

and we had a lot of fun together when he captained the US Team and I was captain of the International Team in The Presidents Cup. We pitted our wits against each other at Harding Park, San Francisco in 2009 and again at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia last year. There was great rivalry between us throughout both events but they were played in the very best sporting spirit. The matches were a credit to all the players on both teams. Our International Team lost on both occasions but the game of golf was the real winner.

I’m planning to play the Senior Open Championship at Turnberry in July. I’m very excited at the prospect. It will certainly bring back old memories of my first Open Championship victory there on the famous Ailsa course back in 1986, the year when I led all four Majors going into the final round.

It was a good year for me. It’s always tough playing The Open, particularly at Turnberry, but I managed to win by five shots ahead of Gordon J. Brand.

The Ailsa Course is one of golf’s most historic Open Championship venues and it has also hosted the Senior Open six times, producing some legendary winners like Gary Player, Tom Watson and Bernhard Langer.

I came close to winning the Senior Open in 2009 at Sunningdale, Surrey, when I led the field going into the final round but had to settle for sixth place. I also finished third at the Senior Open in 2005 at Royal Aberdeen, the year Tom Watson won his third Senior Open in the space

of five years. I always like going back to Scotland and the Ayrshire coast has some of the finest links courses in the game, including Royal Troon further up the coast from Turnberry.

I love to play links golf and one of the most enjoyable two weeks of my career came in 2008 when I led the 137th Open Championship at Royal Birkdale going into the final round, and finished tied for third behind Padraig Harrington. The following week I went up to Royal Troon for the Senior Open and finished in a share of fifth place.

I

WAS pleased to see Danang Beach Resort collect multiple awards at the recent International Property Awards Asia Pacific, including the ‘Best Golf Development in Asia Pacific’ for the second year running.

VinaCapital’s Danang Beach Resort also won ‘The Best Golf Development in Vietnam’ Award and our Greg Norman Estates luxury residential villas, a component of the resort, came first in the ‘Best Property Single Unit within Vietnam’ category.

The Danang Beach Resort comprises several residential communities including The Ocean Villas, Norman Estates, the Dune Residences, The Cham and The Point that surround the international and regionally awarded ‘Dunes Golf Course’ we designed.

T

HE final two holes have now been completed at Almouj Golf at The Wave Muscat, Oman, and I can’t wait to see the course in all its glory.

I’ve said from the outset that The

Wave would be one of the finest courses I had ever designed and I’m proud to say that it has turned out exactly as I predicted.

I couldn’t be more pleased that the first full field tournament to be hosted at the course will be the Worldwide Golf Oman Open which will bring amateur golfers from all over the Middle East to Muscat and I’m certain they will love the golf course and its spectacular location.

The Worldwide Golf Open events have been running for more than four years at many of the golf courses in the UAE and they have done a great service to golfers in the region who are not necessarily golf club members but like to play competitive golf in a fun and friendly environment.

The events were always oversubscribed and I’m sure that golfers from throughout the region will like what they see at Almouj Golf at The Wave Muscat and will be eager to come back again.

I

’M pleased to hear that we have reached a major milestone with our Ayla Oasis golf course development in Amman, Jordan, with the ‘Switching On Ceremony’ for the sea water pumps to flood the lagoons.

It took four days to complete with the water travelling from one lagoon to the next through a variety of cascading weirs.

This has allowed work to commence with the excavation of the area between the connecting lagoons and the Gulf of Aqaba. It’s an interesting project and a fascinating site to work with. n

www.wwgolf.biz

47

GARY PLAYER WORLDWIDE GOLF COLUMNIST

Ban the broomhandle I

WAS pleased to see Matt Kuchar winning The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass last month but I was far from pleased to see him achieve his win with a long-handle putter, which he uses running up the inside of his left forearm.

There have been many great players who have used long-handle putters and I’m not taking anything away from their achievements but I’ve always said that long-handle putters should be banned from the game.

It gives players an unfair advantage and it’s not the way the game was meant to be played.

Nerves plays an integral part of our game and if you use a long-handle putter you’re trying to take nerves out of the process of playing the shot. It doesn’t matter whether you anchor the putter under your chin, your belly button, your chest, your arm, or anywhere, you are still anchoring the club, using it in a swinging action.

Sam Sneed was one of golf’s legends who won 82 US PGA Tour events and seven Majors and I remember the days when he used a long-handle putter. He putted croquet-style, with his head over the ball, his right hand close to the putter head and his left hand at the end of the handle pushing the ball towards the target with his feet pointing in the direction of the hole. It looked ungainly and very strange but it was very effective for him.

Finally, the USGA, who are responsible for the rules of golf in the United States, banned the croquet putting style by implementing new rules which stated that golfers were not allowed to “straddle the line of their putt.”

Sam was upset but he wasn’t totally beaten by the new rule. He adopted a new ‘sidesaddle’ putting stroke. It involved him putting his feet together, pointing them in the direction of the hole, and swinging his long-handle putter with his left hand at the end of the handle and his right hand halfway down the shaft parallel to

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the outside of his right foot. The end of the longhandle putter was not anchored to any part of his body.

Sam continued with this allowable putter and putting stroke for many years and won many more golf tournaments using this ‘sidesaddle’ stroke.

Many of the world’s finest golfers have taken to the long-handle putter to compensate for the yips. There’s no doubt that it does take the muscles in your hands and wrists out of play but, as I say, that’s all to do with nerves and nerves are an important part of the game.

Great players like Bernhard Langer turned to the long-handle putter to eliminate his yips and various players, including Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and Ernie Els have all tried different variations of the long-handle putter when their form on the greens has let them down.

Apart from Kuchar, Adam Scott uses a longhandle putter, which he employed in winning the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational last year. Keegan Bradley won the 2011 US PGA Championship using a belly putter and US-based Scotsman Martin Laird, who was tied for second place at The Players Championship last month, used the long stick.

The USGA say that they and the R&A are currently taking a fresh look at the long-handle putter “for the good of the game, for the good of all golfers long term, for the tradition of the game and for the history of the game.”

Any player is entitled to use a longhandle putter if they wish. It’s not illegal.

It’s well within the current rules of the game and it doesn’t detract from the fact that many of the players who use the long stick are hugely talented but I still think the quicker the R&A and the USGA ban the long-handle putter the better it will be for the overall good of everyone in the game.

W

ITH the US Open coming up at the Olympic Club in a couple of weeks’ time in San Francisco , I still believe that Rory McIlroy will successfully defend the title he won so emphatically.

I don’t know anyone in the game at the moment who is more talented than the young Irishman, yet that doesn’t mean he’s going to be the best.

I’d pick him to win any tournament right now, he’s that good. But he needs to raise his putting up a notch. He’s done well to win his first Major but winning two, three, four and five Majors is something else.

To be regarded as a golfing superstar I think you have to win six Majors. There are a lot of first-time Major winners out there but someone has got to kick on and make a name for themselves. Rory has the ability to do that and winning a second US Open would be an important stepping stone.

I’m impressed with the way Rickie Fowler plays the game and he’s another young man with an exciting future ahead of him. In the putting department Ben Curtis has recently shown them all how to do it. I haven’t seen anyone putt as well and as consistently as Ben for quite a while.

I’d like to see Darren Clarke get back on track with his game but he’s going to have to lose some weight to get into contention. When you get over the age of 40 you have to work even harder to keep fit. Darren’s got a special talent and winning The Open last year at Royal St. George’s was a memorable moment but winning tournaments becomes more and more difficult when you’re carrying weight.

The US Open could present us with another surprise and The Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St Anne’s, where I won the third of my British Open titles, is a tough proposition, particularly if the weather plays its part – so we’re in for an interesting time ahead. n

I remember the days when Sam Snead used his putter croquetstyle, with his head over the ball, his right hand close to the putter head and his left hand at the end of the handle pushing the ball towards the target with his feet pointing in the direction of the hole. It looked ungainly and very strange but it was very effective for him. Finally, the USGA, who are responsible for the rules of golf in the United States, banned the croquet putting style by implementing new rules which stated that golfers were not allowed to “straddle the line of their putt.�

www.wwgolf.biz

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TUTORIAL By: Luke Cantelo, Teaching Professional, Butch Harmon School of Golf

Making the Big, Easy

Aaron Holton. Tour Professional - Thailand PGA and MENA Tour.

Coached by Luke Cantelo.

Judy Cahill. Handicap 24.

Els Club Member. Coached

by Mario van Zyl.

Arkesh Bhatia. Age 13, handicap 10. Creek Member and Member of the Butch Harmon School of Golf Junior Elite Group and coached by Justin Parsons.

Making the big, easy It’s not how, it’s how many. This is one of my favourite sayings in golf.

Yes, on your good days on the course everything is easy. You can fire at the pins and the hole looks as big as a bucket. But on days when you don’t have your “A” game, we all know how difficult the game can be. That’s why one of the most important skills you can learn in golf is the ability to manage your game around the golf course. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, and we must learn how to get the most out of each shot and each hole, each day.

That’s why I’m going to take you through three different ways to play the toughest hole at The Els Club, the Par 4 15th. When Ernie Els designed our course, I think he had his nickname in mind, the Big Easy. The 15th is a big hole at 489 yards from the championship tees, and it’s certainly not easy. It sits opposite our 7th hole in an expansive area, with both holes curling around a lake, making each hole exposed to any wind on offer, which makes things even more difficult.

Obviously, the lake plays a major role in forming a strategy to play the hole, and with two deep fairway bunkers at a reachable driving distance for all teeing areas, getting your ball in play is of the utmost importance.

I’m going to show you how Aaron Holton, a golf professional based in the US who plays the MENA and Thai Tours with whom I am currently working with, plays the 15th from the championship tees; how Arkesh Bhatia, a 10 handicapper who’s part of our junior programme and works with our Director of Instruction, Justin Parsons, plays it from the silver tees; and how Judy Cahill, a 24 handicap prominent Member at The Els Club who has lessons with our Teaching Professional Mario Van Zyl, plays this hole from the red tees. They all have different ways of getting their best score out of a very tough hole.

TheTee Shot At 489 yards from the championship tees, this is truly a brutal hole for anyone wanting to play it at that length. The number one thing for Aaron to do from this back tee is to avoid the water and get his ball on dry land. Therefore, there is really no advantage for him to take on the water on the tee shot. The correct line for him is slightly left of the two fairway bunkers, requiring a tee shot of around 280-290 yards. Believe me, a par 4 is a good score from this tee box.

The 2nd Shot Aaron has successfully placed his ball to the left of the fairway bunkers but is still faced with a long, daunting second shot.

This will require a long iron from around 200 yards to find the putting surface, which he finds in the front section of the green.

Depending on the length of her tee shot, Judy can often reach this green in two, but today she is going to take a more conservative route and place her ball short and slightly left of the green. This will lead her away from the water and give her a reasonable pitch up the green. For this shot Judy chose her 3 wood.

Arkesh has hit a super tee shot, moving his ball past the fairway bunkers and leaving him with a shot of just under 150 yards. This means Arkesh will be able to take a more aggressive line to the flag with a mid to short iron. Again he can hit a slight draw, moving the ball away from the water and towards the pin.

TUTORIAL

Arkesh, playing from the silver tees at 375 yards, for his age, gives the ball a good strong hit. Fortunately for him, he can also move his driver from right to left in the air, meaning he can move the ball away from the water with his tee shot. Therefore, he can take a much more aggressive line from the tee than Aaron, and place his ball past the bunkers, significantly reducing the length of his second shot.

For Judy, playing from the red tees at 333 yards, the right bunker represents a good visual starting line for her tee shot. Judy tends to hit the ball slightly from left to right, so she can aim just right of the bunker and move it to back to the centre of the fairway.

The Approach With Aaron on the front of the green some 35 feet away from the hole and Arkesh pin high about 12-15 feet from the hole, it’s Judy’s turn to show us some short game magic. She has to come up over a false front on the left side of the green and then let the ball release down to the hole. The smart thing about leaving her shot short and slightly left of the centre of the green gives her plenty of green to work with, and she hits a very nice approach.

Onthe green Thanks to a solid long iron approach Aaron has about a 35 foot putt for birdie. After the false front on the left side, the green slopes from front to back, so this is actually a quickish downhill putt, which Aaron cannot afford to be too aggressive with. He hits a good lag putt about 2 feet short of the hole and holes that for a solid par. Any time you walk off a 489 yard par 4 with a par, I think you should be happy!

As Arkesh had a mid to short iron in his hand for his second shot, he was able to control the distance of the shot very well and is “pin high.” This left him a relatively flat, straight putt and with the confidence of youth, he rolls it in for a birdie. This shows that this difficult hole can in fact be made easy.

Judy has hit a great pitch shot close to the hole leaving herself a slightly down hill putt.

Not to be outdone she calmly taps it in for another par.

As you can see for each player, their selected strategy has enabled them to successfully negotiate this difficult hole. Unfortunately, it will not always be this easy, but by knowing your strengths and weaknesses and by managing your game to the best of your ability, you will certainly be able to save shots each time you play.

PLANET GOLF

LUMINE SET TO LEAD GOLF TOURISM DRIVE ON COSTA DORADA

L

OCATED on the stunning Costa Dorada, just an hour south of Barcelona in the historic region of Tarragona, LUMINE Mediterránea Beach & Golf Community has fast gained a reputation for being one of Europe’s must visit destinations.

With 45-holes of Championship golf, 27 of which were designed by Greg Norman, first-class facilities and a wealth of après golf activities and nearby attractions, LUMINE is quite simply the Continent’s most diverse golf resort and has already made a significant contribution to the region’s drive to grow golf tourism.

The LUMINE estate is a pure golfing haven, managed by Troon Golf, who have laid down the service and quality benchmark in the golf industry in recent years as the clear leader in upscale golf course management, service and development. Readers will no doubt be familiar with Troon’s portfolio of high-profile global resorts, including The Grove in London and Abu Dhabi Golf Club, which have both shone on the world stage in hosting European Tour and World Golf Championships events.

With its attention to detail it’s not hard to see why LUMINE has already been hailed as Spain’s most impressive new golf resort. It was recently selected to host the Second Stage of The European Tour Qualifying School at its Lakes Course. Calle Carlsson, General Manager,

LUMINE Golf Club, sees the Q School event as the first step to bigger things: “We’re looking forward to welcoming the stars of tomorrow to Lumine Golf Club. The entire resort is set up to host a major event and I have no doubt this will be the start of something special for both LUMINE Golf Club and the Costa Dorada region.”

Winding its way around the picturesque Sèquia Major wetlands, an area of natural interest, the Greg Norman-designed Lakes Course is undoubtedly the most testing of the three courses at LUMINE, a links-style championship layout featuring several water hazards.

Located within 170 acres, LUMINE Golf Club also includes the more traditional Hills Course, a second 18-hole championship course that runs through pine and olive trees, providing spectacular views of the nearby coastline.

The aptly named 9-hole Ruins Course, another Greg Norman design, weaves its way through

Roman archaeological remains and completes a diverse 45-hole offering of immaculately presented golf that caters for golfers of all ages and abilities. The three courses are also the first in Spain to obtain the prestigious “Audubon International Signature Sanctuary” Certificate.

LUMINE boasts two fully-equipped clubhouses, impressive conference facilities, impeccable service and hospitality, numerous accommodation offerings to suit all tastes and budgets, several stunning restaurants serving superb Mediterranean cuisine, the acclaimed LUMINE Beach Club and the must-visit Volcano nightclub.

Close to the international airports of Barcelona and Reus, guests can also enjoy one of Europe’s biggest theme parks and a thriving local nightlife to Michelin-starred restaurants, wine tasting in the nearby Priorat region and the historic towns of Tarragona and Cambrils. www.lumine.com

TUTORIAL

Perfect Practice Series The Perfect Preparation

Perfect Preparation As a regular reader of Worldwide Golf magazine, I am sure that you are fully up to date with the Creek Professionals’ tips on how to make the most of your practice sessions? If not, visit our website: www.dubaigolf.com to view previous tutorials. As a finale to the Perfect Practice Series, I will be taking you through some of the key steps necessary to prepare your game for the course.

n Plan and Time Your Session It would make no sense at all to stand on the driving range five minutes before you tee off, and try to learn the techniques required to either draw or fade the ball. Neither would it be beneficial to switch your putting grip for the first time to ‘cross handed’, the day before your club championship.

It would make more sense to focus on your pre-shot routine, visualisation and shot execution during your practice sessions. The idea is to hit fewer balls, but with more purpose. If your typical practice session involves shelling 100 balls, then expect to hit 30 in the same time.

n The pre-shot routine A pre-shot routine is as individual as your golf swing and can range anywhere from three to thirty seconds (any longer and slow play will definitely be an issue!). To give you an idea, I personally start my routine from behind the ball – staring down my target line. At this point, I have two half practice swings and then step into the ball. Three waggles of the club while looking at the target, and then FIRE! I think of my ‘golf swing’ as actually starting from when I’m at the first stage of my routine, which is behind the ball. That way, if I’m disturbed during my routine, I start again – from behind the ball.

If you use the pre-shot routine for every shot during your practice session, then the likelihood of repeating the same routine each time, both on the range and on the course, is greatly increased. It’s the repetition that leads to muscle memory that will eventually lead to greater consistency.

n Learn from Bubba Having never really been a big fan of the long but wayward Bubba Watson, his recent Masters victory really brought to light the importance of being creative. Bubba Watson hit the winning shot on the second play-off hole against Louis Oosthuizen that could previously only be seen in dreams or nightmares (whichever way you look at it!). I can guarantee you one thing about that Pitching Wedge Bubba hooked 40 yards through the air, he has probably spent more time hitting that shot on the driving range throughout his career, than he has practiced hitting it straight.

IHP/I/6112 Worldwide Golf Banner.indd 1

Playing the Hole The easiest way for me to highlight these visualisation techniques, is to choose my favourite, yet most challenging hole and play it out on the range.

In this example I have chosen the beautiful but dangerous 17th at Dubai Creek but you can choose any hole, shot or situation you want.

Once you have chosen your hole, you must look out to the driving range and picture the shots you are expecting to encounter, starting from the tee shot.

As I look out at the familiar sight of the Creek’s driving range, I picture in my mind’s eye the 17th fairway. Even to the extent that I can visualise the water cornering around the 80 yard sign, with the well placed fairway bunkers lurking around the white flag down the right side.

Now that I have visualised the fairway in front of me, I will go through my pre-shot routine and attempt to execute the shot.

On this occasion, obviously, I hit the perfect 300+ yard drive, straight down the left half of fairway. I would then imagine my approach shot to be approximately 80 yards over the bunkers to a middle left pin position. As you can see in the image on the right, I am now about to practice that very shot, whilst constantly visualising the 17th green.

CRAIG WADDEL TEACHING PROFESSIONAL creek golf & yacht club By: Craigbywaddell, SeniorPGA Golf Professional, Dubaidubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club

Play18

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How you continue your practice is up to you but why not play 18 holes?

If you are familiar with the course you will be competing over, then start from the first hole and visualise every tee shot and approach shot. If you find yourself missing the green (in your mind’s eye), then take the opportunity to try and execute a successful pitch shot to a shorter target on the range.

5/17/12 5:23 PM

The perfect place. Fly in. Drive off.

Almouj Golf. Inspired by Oman. Designed by Greg Norman.

World-class golfing has never looked better: the 18-hole Almouj Golf links course is set between the stunning Hajar Mountains and tranquil Indian Ocean.

It’s also never been more convenient: thanks to its location just minutes from Muscat Airport and close to The Wave, Muscat, enjoying its 5-star facilities will fit in perfectly with your business schedule. You can even use our golfing equipment – with our compliments. Should your meeting run late, fit in a round or practise your swing at our floodlit 9-hole par-3 course and driving range. Afterwards, make your way to our fully-equipped clubhouse and enjoy the culinary delights prepared by our top chefs.

For more information about Almouj Golf and its facilities, or to make a booking visit www.almoujgolf.com; alternatively, call our reservation team on +968 22 00 59 90 who will be happy to help with any questions you may have.

THE GOLF COURSE

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THE ACADEMY www.almoujgolf.com

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5 STAR FACILITIES

Joel Neale WWGPLAYINGEDITOR

C

ongratulations to Peter Richardson on winning his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the PGM ADT Masters at A’Famosa, Malaysia, by eight shots a couple of weeks ago. The Englishman, who led after the second round, was a dominant figure throughout the week as he signed off with a winning total of 18-under-par 270.

A smiling Peter (pictured right holding the crystal trophy ) started his final round with an almost unassailable seven-shot lead.

He had an early scare when he bogeyed the par-five fourth but quickly regained his composure with birdies on the seventh and ninth holes to reach the turn in 35.

He then birdied the 14th hole before another closing birdie on the 18th sealed his maiden ADT victory which will put him in a good position for finishing in the top-three of the Order of Merit at the end of the season and earn himself an Asian Tour playing card for the 2013 season.

“I was feeling confident at the start of the day,” said Peter. “I knew that I was playing well and I only had to keep my momentum going until the last day. It’s a great feeling to win my first ADT title, which is my biggest professional win so far, and I’ll always remember this week in Malacca.

“My next goal is to play on the Asian Tour and I’m glad that this win will go a long way towards helping me achieve that.”

Peter, who finished second on the 2011 MENA Tour Order of Merit, is currently leading the ADT’s Money list, and he’s on the right track to obtaining full playing rights for the Asian Tour 2013.

It’s such an inspiration for players such as myself and my fellow players on the MENA Tour to see someone like Peter win in Asia.

It just goes to show that the initiative behind the MENA Tour is already a huge success for aspiring amateur golfers and for professionals looking to showcase their talent and be provided with the opportunity to take their game to the next level.

The MENA Tour is a great feeder, mainly to the Asian Tours but being located in the Middle East it’s fast becoming a platform for European Golfers, too.

The MENA Tour hits the nail on the head with its best intentions to encourage and produce talent in the region and the Tour has already increased its tournament schedule from four events in its inaugural season last year to six tournaments later this year.

Peter perfect!

Michael Harradine will be the hot favourite for the Singapore Amateur Open invite.

The schedule will now run from September 23rd with the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Open through to the Tour Championship in Al Ain on the 28-31st October.

The re-organisation of the schedule means that players can come to the region for the six consecutive weeks and play all the events without having to spend additional costs on flights, hotels, travel, food, and all the other costs involved in living and playing in the Middle East for six weeks.

MIKE MAGIC I’D LIKE to congratulate Mike Harradine on winning the EGF Order if Merit Championship by two shots from Khalid Yousuf and three strokes from Craig Forrest at the Els Club last month.

This season-ending event which replaced the previous Scratch Matchplay Championship, saw the top 30 men and women players on the EGF Order of Merit (gross) join the leading 20 juniors in an extremely strong field that showcased the rising standards of the game in the UAE. Mike Harradine and Khalid Yousuf are so pleased at earning special invitations to the Singapore Amateur Open later this year and they thoroughly deserve their opportunity.

They are both hugely talented and it’s great that all the hard work they have put in this season has been recognised in such a way by the EGF. Women’s winner Serifa D’souza and Junior Player of the Year Sana Tufail are also over the Moon to be receiving similar trips to play abroad. Sana has only failed to win on one occasion this year which is a fantastic record.

I think the idea of introducing a new championship worked out brilliantly well. It couldn’t have been better.

The EGF should be congratulated for bringing all the best talent in the UAE, who have supported all the Order of Merit events throughout the season, together to compete in such a great a Championship.

Mike thoroughly deserved his victory. He’s had a fabulous season, winning four titles out of the 12 qualifying events he played in his hugely successful season.

“We are very pleased with this new championship in bringing together the top talent in the UAE and it reflects the strides we have taken in creating a competitive environment for the players,” said Saeed Albudoor, General Manager of the Emirates Golf Federation.

As golfers in the UAE we should all be very grateful for the fantastic opportunities we are given to play competitive golf. n

JOEL NEALE PLAYING EDITOR WORLDWIDE GOLF TALKS TO:

ChrisDavis

LOCAL SCENE

Chris Davis

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

When did you turn professional?

I turned professional in 2010 after I graduated from University in the United States Where did you play college golf in the States?

And do you think this route helped you get to the standard where you could turn Pro? I played college golf for Barry University in Miami, Florida.

Absolutely it helped. The four years that I spent on the team certainly helped me to aspire to become a professional. The competition, the camaraderie and the team spirit really made me realise that this is something I enjoy doing and I wanted to take it to a higher level.

Being based in Dubai, do you feel that you are at an advantage in terms of facilities and being centralised between Asia and Europe?

The facilities in all of the emirates are some of the best if not the best facilities that I have ever played on. We have all the tools to be able to improve our game – the coaching staff, floodlit grass ranges, superb courses, everything. Despite the hot summers in the UAE, we are at an advantage to be able to play pretty much every day. No one likes to be out in the rain and the cold. I’m sure I speak for many others in saying that.

What’s next for you on the calendar, where do you think you will be playing most of your golf this year?

Last year I played all my golf in the Middle East and Far East Asia. No doubt, it was an amazing experience. This year I have decided to spend some time in Europe and play professional events there. I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play on some European development tours there, The EPD tour from Germany, the Alps Tour and the Euro Pro Tour and I’m really looking forward to it.

Do you have any short term goals?

Yes, so many – too many to list them!

Where do you see yourself five years from now?

It is very hard for me to say. My path over the last five years has changed a few times. It would be difficult for me to be specific. My dream and aspiration still is to play golf at the highest professional level and compete against the best in the world.

Do you have any pre tournament routine – practice rounds, mapping the course?

Of course. Ideally I like to play at least two practice rounds on the course that I will be competing on. I need to have a feel for the golf course, figure out how to play it, where not to miss the ball, danger zones – and to figure out targets, note down some short term goals for the week and get some rest.

What would you say is the most difficult thing about life on Tour?

Being a professional athlete is extremely difficult in so many aspects. Although, at this point for me, the hardest thing would be to sustain the means to be able to keep going, to keep playing and having the opportunity to keep competing.

What event do you look forward to most and why?

I look forward to every event that I play. I enjoy every competition. One of the most fascinating things about competitive golf is that it’s different every time. Each course offers different challenges, and I enjoy having to go through the process of adapting to new experiences.

Nevertheless, this season I really look forward to the MENA Tour event being held at the Dubai Creek in September. To play a professional event for the first time on my home course will be momentous.

When did you take up the sport?

I took up golf when I was 10, at the Aviation Club. It was my Dad who encouraged me. When I became older and met some players my age, who are now some of my closest friends, I just kept going.

What other interests do you have besides golf?

Aside from golf I enjoy playing all other sports, watching sporting events, music, and learning about and experiencing different cultures really intrigues me as well.

Favourite course?

In the UAE its very difficult to say, they are all so awesome! If it really had to come down to one, I would have to say my home course, Dubai Creek. Best course I have ever played outside of home in Dubai is Sentosa Island in Singapore.

What’s your lowest round, where and when?

Was when I was a sophomore (2nd year) in College and I was playing a one-on-one match against my college coach. I birdied six of my last nine holes on the front nine, and finished the round shooting 65.

What’s the most unusual experience for you on the golf course?

I was playing an Asian Development Tour event in Malaysia. One of my playing partners got a hole-in-one on our 7th hole on Day One. The following day, we were the same pairing for the second day. The same player, the same hole, the very next day..– ace again. The guy

wins a car and a lifetime membership to the golf club.

Not a bad start to the week.

Who inspires you the most? And Why? Tough question, there are so many people who inspire me all the time and it changes so often. Right now I would say Bubba Watson. To have come as far as he has, battling anger and depression problems, family issues and the passing of his father; someone who many say has one of the most unorthodox golf swings on the Tour, who has learned to stay positive and relentless, and to have, in my opinion, won one of the greatest golf tournaments in the game is pretty special and it’s an inspiring achievement.

Have you ever had a hole-in-one?

NO! Unfortunately, I’m still waiting to make it happen.

Favourite course in the UAE and why?

Dubai Creek. No matter how many times I play it, I always find it challenging. And that always encourages me to come back the next time, to beat it. I love the last two finishing holes with Dubai city and the Creek in the background, just makes me laugh. You can be playing the round of your life, but it can all fall apart on your last two holes. Great challenge, the city atmosphere, you’re in the middle of everything, the staff really make you feel welcome, amazing people, positive vibes. Its where I started and I love it.

If you were head of the R&A what would rule would you change?

I believe that the R&A have it all pretty well figured out when it comes to the rules of golf. Having said that I hate scuff marks on the green. I would say that we should be able to repair scuff marks on our putting line.

If you had to choose between Thor or Superman, who would it be?

Definitely, I have to stick with the classic Superman. I think it would be a real pain in the butt having to carry around Thor’s hammer all the time.

SWING ANALYSIS BY

LUKE CANTELO Teaching Professional Butch Harmon School of Golf | Dubai Sports City

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The lower body is much quieter and stable here. We have been trying to load Chris’s right glute to help add stability at the top of the swing and allow him to fire better in the downswing.

Chris and I started working together a few weeks ago. He has a pretty solid tournament schedule lined up through the summer in Europe and into the end of the year with the MENA Tour events in the region, and then Asian Tour School at the end of the year, so it is important for Chris to feel that he can be ready to compete and contend quite quickly.

Chris has a very fluent motion and can create some speed but he has not been happy with his consistency and accuracy. I saw two major issues with Chris’ motion that contribute to this – his arms would disconnect from his body early during the backswing, causing the club to be pushed out of position, and, secondly, his lower body movement looked loose and he wasn’t able to load the muscles he needed to keep the swing structured and the movement through impact repeatable and strong. When this becomes second nature to Chris, he will feel like he is creating more power by moving less, a key lesson that a lot of amateurs can learn. In our short time working together Chris has made some big steps forward and I think this season should be a successful one for him.

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You see here what we have been working on is starting to take shape, with his arms and thoracic spine staying more together in the first move.

Previously there was much more space between Chris’s left arm and body here, and we are continuing to tighten this up.

You can just see Chris’s left heel here and it’s stable and grounded. When we started it was off the ground into and through impact giving him very little structure at this important time. We will continue to quieten his right foot here as well.

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LOCAL GAME WITH CHRIS DAVIS

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Hence Chris is now setting the club earlier at this stage and staying more connected.

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The left foot has stabilised better into his finish, showing we are moving in the right direction.

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Q&A

LOCALNEWS

A R A B I A N

MICHAEL HARRADINE SHINES IN SEASON-ENDING EGF EVENT AlYazya Al Shehhi From: Sharjah Golf Club: Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club Q: How long have you been playing golf?

A: Only eight months!

Q: Who is your favourite golfer?

A: Tiger Woods Q: What’s your favourite movie?

A: The Hunger Games Q: Away from golf, what other activities do you like to do?

A: Ice Skating

Michael Harradine added another feather to his cap when he won the season-ending EGF Order of Merit Championship by two shots at The Els Club.

The talented golfer, who emerged on top in the 2011-2012 Men’s Order of Merit (gross) with a tally of 268.8 points, shot gross rounds of 73 and 74 for a 3-over-par total of 147 to beat his closest rival Khalid Yousuf by two shots. Craig Forrest had to settle for third a shot further back on a gross 150.

The ladies division, in contrast, produced a dramatic twist to the script with Serifa D’Souza, who had finished 13th on the Ladies Order of Merit, taking the honours with a 36hole score of 164, four shots ahead of runner-up Kim Chiang and eight shots clear of third-placed Sandra Grenet.

The Men’s Order of Merit winner Harradine and Yousuf will get special invitations to compete in the Singapore Men’s Amateur Open Championship later this year in recognition of their achievements during the season.

The winners of this season’s Ladies Order of Merit title (Sana Tufail) and the OoM Championship (Serifa) will also receive a similar trip overseas.

Dominance In all, top 20 men and ladies players on their respective Orders of Merit, along with the leading 20 junior players were invited by the Emirates Golf Federation to compete in this new season-ending competition which has replaced the Scratch Matchplay Championship.

Connor Keegan comfortably kept

up his dominance in the Junior Division with back-to-back rounds of 75 for a 36-hole gross total of 150, beating Eoin Cunifee (158) and Rayhan Thomas (159) to second and third place respectively.

At the presentation ceremony, the EGF honoured ace Sana Tufail with the Junior of the Year award.

The talented youngster was also presented with a special trophy for her remarkable feat of winning 10 of the 11 ladies Order of Merit events during the season.

Bilal Belaid received the Most Improved Junior prize while Danied Hendry walked away with the Best Performance of the Year award.

The Best Golf Initiative award went to Saadiyat Beach Golf Club for introducing golf to Children from Abu Dhabi’s Future Centre for Special Needs.

Michael Harradine is presented with his prize from UAE National Team Head Coach Chris Vallender.

Q: If you could have your pick of any car what would it be?

A: A Porsche Q: If you could have just one ‘super power’ what would it be?

A: I would want to be able to fly Q: What’s your favourite subject at school?

A: English. I love reading.

Above: Junior winners Serifa D’Souza (top) and Connor Keegan are presented with their prizes by Chris Vallender.

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AL BUDOOR AND SKAIK TAKE UAE NATIONALS PAR-3 HONOURS AHMED Al Budoor and Mahmood Skaik won the UAE Nationals Par-3 League competition at Dubai Creek last month with two superb performances.

Ahmed Al Budoor carded a 2-under gross score of 25 to win Division ‘A’ by four strokes from Obaid Khalid while Mahmood Skaik topped Division ‘B’ with a gross 28, one clear of Khalil Kashwani.

Mahmood Skaik’s cousin Ahmed Skaik, who shot a gross 31, also took home a prize, winning the Nearest to the Pin prize on the ninth hole.

Saeed Albudoor, General Manager of the Emirates Golf Federation, said: “Once again we had a good response to the event, thanks to the support from parents.

“The field included players from Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi which shows that golf is gaining in popularity among young Emiratis from all over the UAE. Players like Ahmed and Mahmood have shown a marked improvement in their game. It was pleasing to see Ahmed post his first under-par score and I hope his performance will encourage others to work hard on their game.”

Mohammed Al Musharrekh Triumphs in DDF UAE Nationals Cup Mohammed Al Musharrekh recorded a superb 38 points over the Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club to clinch the 18th edition of the Dubai Duty Free UAE Nationals Cup. Despite the presence of his talented sons, Ahmed and Abdulla, in the starting field it was Mohammed who was inspired over the Sir Nick Faldo designed course to post the 2-under par score. His closest challenger was his son, Abdulla Al Musharrekh, who signed for 35 points but his gross 76, 4-over par, gifted him the trophy for best gross of the day.

Nawaf Fawaz produced a consistent display over

his home course and clinched the runner-up prize with 32 points. Saif Thabet signed for 31 points to claim second runner-up position.

The 48-strong field included a record nine junior entries resulting in a keenly contested junior category. Abdulla Al Qubaisi and Ahmed Al Budoor were tied on 30 points but a better back nine from Abdulla saw him take home top prize on a countback with Ahmed in the runner-up place.

Commenting on the UAE Nationals Cup, Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free said: “The annual Dubai Duty Free UAE

Nationals Cup has been running for 18 years and the tournament has grown quite popular every year and has attracted junior Emirati golfers as well. My thanks go to my team at Dubai Duty Free and to the Emirates Golf Club for organising this wonderful event and we look forward to seeing you all again next year.”

Also receiving trophies were Ahmed Al Musharrekh for Longest Drive on the 16th and likewise Oman Al Shehhi for his tee shot on the 5th.

Rashid Al Mazroei was rewarded for his accuracy on the par three 8th, winning Nearest the Pin.

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice-Chairman of Dubai Dutry Free presents the Dubai Duty Free UAE Nationals Cup trophy to Mohammed Al Musharrekh, with Sinead El Sibai, Vice President - Marketing of Dubai Duty Free. Mohammed beat his two talented sons, Ahmed and Abdullah, to win the 18th edition of the event, played at the Faldo course.

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Ahmed Al Musharrekh’s Magnificent Seven AHMED Al Musharrekh triumphed in the Black Tee Challenge recently after rounds of 3-under-par 70 at the Faldo and a 2-under-par 70 over the Majlis course gave him a 5-under 140 total for a seven-stroke victory over Pontus Fredriksson.

The talented youngster, representing the Emirates Golf Federation, was three clear of Craig Forrest after day one over the Faldo and he continued his fine form into the second day to sign off with a convincing victory.

Although the rough was less penal on the Majlis, the greens were running at tournament speed at over 11 on the stimp meter but after an eagle on the 13th Ahmed put clear daylight between him and the pack with Fredriksson charging fast and into second place.

Philip Wane finished two shots further back on 149 and Trevor Marshal took fourth after two 75s gave him a 150 tally.

Richard Holden improved his opening net 75 on the Faldo with a net 69 on the Majlis to clinch the best net tally for the Championship with Sohail Barney Coleman (Golf Services Manager) presents Ahmed Al Musharrekh with his prize for Al Marzouqui taking second and Maajid Mushtaq Madni in third. winning the 2012 Black Tee Challenge with a magnificent seven stroke victory.

Mike Sim’s Captains day a great success Mike Sim’s Captains Day was well received as 115 competitors teed it up last month in a special Pro-Am Scramble format.

Each team consisted of four members and a PGA Professional from the region and despite teams teeing off from the Black Championship tees for most of the tournament there was some impressive scoring.

The quintet of Andy Matthews (EGC Professional), Johnny Aldridge, Steven Jones, Paddy McGrath and Cameron Bellman came out on top with a fabulous score of 57.2, a gross 60 over the Majlis course.

The runners-up, by a slender 1.3 strokes, were Steven Deane (EGC Professional) Paul Byrne, Rory McDonald, Bill Ayres and Brian King following their 58.5.

James Shippey, Director of Golf from Al Badia Golf Club, captained his team of Dave Duguid, Rohit Gupta, Gordon Wingate and Alistair McMillan to third

place after signing for a tally of 58.6.

Mike Sim’s team (who were not eligible for the prizes) carded a majestic 56.7 after some great play from Tom Barry, Ritchie Sim, Mohsin Altajir and touring professional Ross Bain.

The day started with the final of Simbo’s Skills Challenge, the captain’s version of Big Break, which commenced in November with the top 10 making the final. In a keenly contested finale that involved a bunker shot, chipping challenge, putting, a 120 yard approach and a lob shot it was Charlie Stricklin who won with 56 points.

Trevor Belcher was second on 38 with Kuttan Mallatiri in third on 26 points. Paul Byrne represented sponsors ABB admirably by scoring an impressive 78 points.

The traditional Captain’s Drive saw Mike beat his season-opening drive by 23 yards with a 229 yard tee shot. Roger Cornwell guessed correctly and won the prize on offer.

Pictured left to right: Cameron Bellman, Captain Mike Sim, Paddy McGrath, Andrew Matthews and Stephen Jones.

Oberholster shoots low in Rivoli medal MAY’s BMW-Rivoli Monthly Medal produced some excellent scoring from the 65-strong field with Matys Obelholster (pictured right with Mike Sim) signing for a net 69 to take the top spot in Division ’A’ . Kouroche Achtari led the way in the gross section with a superb level-par 72.

Achtari was delighted with his performance as it was his first competition for some time following a back injury.

His net 70 also earned him the runner-up place in Division ‘A’ behind Oberholster. Joseph

Smith signed for a 3-under par 69 to take top spot in Division ‘B’ with Bob Bailey having to settle for second place after a card countback. Tej Chhabra clinched third place with a 71 while Cees Van Dooren took the Division ‘C’ title with a level par 72.

Caley and Belcher scoop Stableford VIV Caley and Elaine Belcher won their respective handicap divisions in the latest Ladies Stableford over the Majlis course recently with two superb performances.

Caley secured the honours in the Silver Division with a 40-point haul while Belcher took home the Bronze Division Bronze Division Winner, Elaine Belcher collects her prize with a best-of-theprize from Lady Captain Caroline Jones. day score of 41.

Head and Turnbull taste success in Caroline Jones Lady Captain’s Day THIS year’s Lady Captain’s Day was held recently over the Majlis course with some fun and different tasks posed to participants, including teeing off with a putter and only being allowed to use a 7-iron on the 13th hole.

After a fun day’s play taking home the prizes were Barbara Head, who topped the Silver Division with 45 points and Nicola Turnbul, who took the honours in the Bronze Division with 51 points. In the Past Captains Division Angela Connor came out on top with 43 points. The season-long

Birdie Tree winner was Nancy Wingate.

The season-long Electic Competition came to an end with Glynis Hendry winning the best gross prize on a countback from Rosemary Turlik. They both had fantastic rounds of 64.

The best net prize was won by Jenny Isles with 56.6 and the runnerup spot went to Glynis Hendry with 57.8.

During the Season, the Ladies section has been running a beginners’ group. The winner of the Rosebowl for this year is Sue Hopwood, with Caroline Parker runner-up.

Barbara Head receives her prize for winning the Silver Division from Lady Captain Caroline Jones and Aija Karklina, Marketing Manager for Ecco.

Angela Connor makes it two in two

Past Lady Captain Angela Connor receives her prize from Lady Captain Caroline Jones.

Angela Connor scored a steady 34 points on the Faldo course to win the Past Lady Captain’s trophy for the second year running.

In the Ladies Stableford event, also held on the Faldo course, Lorraine Logan took the overall winners’ prize with a fine 40 points Lady Captain Caroline Jones won Silver Division (HCP 0-23) with 38 points to edge out the Lady Vice Captain, Glynis Hendry, who scored 35 points.

A score of 31 points was enough to win the Bronze Division (Hcp 24-42) with two players sharing this score. It was Carrie Parker with a better back 9 who took the winner’s prize from Annette Carstanjen on a countback.

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May BMW-Rivoli Joy for Lirio JOY Lirio accumulated a fantastic net score of 68 points on hard and fast greens to win the May BMW Rivoli Medal ahead of a field of 80 players.

“I knew I needed a good performance to keep my position on the Order of Merit, but it was a good day for me when all parts of my game came together,” said Lirio.

“With the course in such fantastic condition for this time of year, it’s a pleasure to be able to play at the Creek right now.”

Also making it into the winner’s circle on the day was Alok Pant, who shot a net 73 to take the men’s Division ‘A’ title and Madhav Nair who scored a superb net 69 to top Division ‘B’.

Ladies Vice Captain Maureen Platt put in a great performance on the day with a net 70 to win the Ladies Section while Rishi Nair won the Junior Division with an outstanding net 65.

In the battle for the lowest gross performer of the day it was Miki Mirza who came through, beating John Fellingham on the countback.

“It’s great to see yet another successful BMW-Rivoli Monthly Medal and some fantastic scores,” said Head Professional at the Dubai Creek, Stephen Hubner.

“I would like to thank our sponsors BMW and Rivoli for their continued support in making this monthly event such a fantscticsuccess.”

Lady Vice-Captain Maureen Platt and Head Golf Pro Stephen Hubner are on hand to present Joy Lirio with her prizes after the May Monthly Medal.

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Khans claim the Carpetland Final BAYAR and Moiz Khan took home the spoils in the final of the Carpetland Monthly Open Series last month after a superb score of 68 Stableford points.

The duo, who had earned their place with a top-four finish at one of the previous Carpetland Opens played throughout the season, were delighted with their victory.

“It’s a great honour and a great achievement to win this event,” said Bayar. “ We played very well as a team, supporting each other the whole way round. We would like to say a big thank you to Carpetland and to Dubai Creek for putting together such a great event.”

The winners of the April Carpetland Monthly Open, Abdel Aziz Salem and Hisham Shammas, also put in a great performance as they recorded 64 points to take the runner-up spot. Third place had to be decided on a countback after three teams finished on 63 points and after the

cards were compared the father and sun duo of Balvinder and Ashok Sindhu were handed the final place on the podium with their back nine of 33 points.

At the prize presentation Shahriar Khodjasteh, Group Marketing Director of Al Aqili Furnishings, proudly announced that a total of over AED 150,000 had been raised for the ‘Friends of Cancer Patients Charity’ throughout yhe length of the series.

Dubai Creek’s Head Pro Stephen Hubner said: “On behalf of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club I would like to thank all of you for supporting this wonderful charity golf series throughout the season and also congratulate you on qualifying for today’s final.

“A huge thank you is also due to Shahriar and Mansour Khodjasteh for once again bringing the series to Dubai Creek and we look forward to hopefully hosting the tenth edition next year.”

Shahriar Khodjasteh (Group Marketing Director, Al Aqili Furnishing), winners Moiz Khan and Bayer Khan with Stephen Hubner (Head Golf Professional, Dubai Creek).

Indian Business Council leads the way DUBAI Golf and the Australian Business Council, Dubai, in collaboration with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry staged the first round of ‘The 2012 Ambassadors Cup’, an Inter-Business Council team golf event at Dubai Creek in late April.

Taking the spoils on a hot day when seven of Dubai’s business councils entered a team of 16 players were the Indian Business Council with a score of 329 from their best ten individual Stableford scores on the day.

The German Business Council finished in second place in round one with a total of 302 points – a vast improvement on their tied sixth place finish in the inaugural event last year – while taking third place was the Irish Business Council, just one point behind.

“It’s fantastic to welcome the first round of the second staging of The Ambassador’s Cup to Dubai Creek,” said Mustafa Al Hashimi, Club Manager of Dubai Creek.

“Last year’s event was extremely successful and the tournament utilises the game of golf to bring together a diverse group of business people, along with diplomatic representatives, to create a unique cultural and business exchange platform.

“We are happy to say that round one of this year’s event was bigger than the last and we are confident that this event will facilitate strong and mutually beneficial relationships.”

The second round will take place at the Emirates Golf Club’s award winning ‘Majlis Course’ on October 11th where the team with the best aggregate team Stableford score over the two rounds will be named the champions.

IBPC Sharjah clinch the Corporate Invitational THE prestigious Corporate Invitational was held for the third time at Dubai Creek last month and finishing top of the pile after an exciting day’s play were the IBPC Sharjah Team after a tense card countback.

The format for the day saw each company enter a team of eight players and compete in a pairs betterball Stableford competition with the top three pairs’ scores making up the overall team score.

With two teams tied at the top, the fourth pair from each team were compared to calculate the wnners and Suneel Aggarwal and Ashok Sindhu of IBPC Sharjah defeated the Al Naboodah pair of Peter Mayne and Manab Kundu with their score of 33 points.

With the IBPC Team winning the championship, the Al Naboodah Team captained by James Bowring claimed the runner-up spot. Bowring and his partner for the day, Dubai Creek member John Fellingham, put in a fantastic performance and managed the best pairs score of the day with 40 points.

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Narrow TNT win seals Ryder Cup trip for trio

Pictured – (left to right): Kevin Barrett, Steve Stanton (TNT Operations Director Middle East), Denver Farrell and Shane Callaghan.

SHANE Callaghan, Denver Farrell and Kevin Barrett hung onto their lead by the narrowest of margins by finishing second in the third event of the TNT Corporate Challenge to win an overall prize and a trip to the Ryder Cup at Medinah in the USA later this year.

The team of Inderpal Singh, Nadir Mir Mohammadi and Ayaz Afridi combined well to produce a hugely impressive score of 74 points in the best two from three format to win the third round but their final total score of 140 was one point short of the tally reached by Callaghan, Farrell and Barrett, who scored 72 points in round three.

The winning team of the 2012 TNT Corporate Challenge will fly to Chicago to witness the contest of Europe v USA in the 39th Ryder Cup thanks to their nail-biting one-point win.

Findlay seals the May Medal ADAM Findlay collected the honours in Division ‘A’ of last month’s Monthly Medal with an overall net 67 for a two-stroke victory over Martin Fernandez.

Fernandez was at his consistent best and was very pleased with his nines of 34 and 35 points but came up against a superior player on the day to dash his hopes of victory.

In Divison ‘B’ Philip Mercer romped home with a stunning net 63 for a five-stroke win ahead of Rod Jones and Giordano Gelasini, with Jones taking second place on a countback.

The Ladies Division saw Laura Sole secure a remarkable net 59 to win from Julia Sykes who posted a 70.

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Manikas mix well JIM and Emma Manikas secured the Els Club Mixed Open last month with a net 71, two strokes clear of Tim and Ali Williams with Adrian and Louise Adams third with a 77.

Randeep and Satnam Singh took the spoils by winning the ‘Nearest in Two Shots’ on the 16th with John May and Monina Guadaca taking the same prize on the sixth hole.

Bruce Milley and Susan Riley won the ‘Nearest the Pin in Three Shots’ on the 13th.

JUDI AND BILL WIN THE COUPLE’S CUP JUDI and Bill Cahill secured the honours in the Couple’s Cup last month, pipping the in-form Emma and Jim Manikas to the title. Mercedes Sheen cleaned up in the ladies on-course prizes by taking the Nearest the Pin (hole 4) and the Longest Drive (12) challenges while Adrian Adams struck the Longest Drive for the men on the ninth.

Strangely, there were no winners of the Nearest the Pin on the 11th as no gentlemen hit the putting surface throughout the day. However, Kim Manikas made up for this by winning the ‘Nearest the Pin in Three Shots’ on the 18th hole.

© PING 2011

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Dukla seals narrow win in Mark Fahy Memorial Day ON a typically glorious day last month a diverse mix of 65 golfers took to the course in the eighth annual Mark Fahy Memorial Golf Day which was organised by Paul Byrne, Captain of the Dubai Irish Golf Society, and sponsored by Dubai Duty Free.

Returning the best score on the day were Andre Dulka and Mark Wild who both came home with 38 points. However, there can be only one winner and after the two scorecards were compared Dulka was crowned champion for his stronger finish.

“We had a wonderful event at the Al Badia Golf Club and we take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the 8th Mark Fahy Memorial Golf Day,” said Dubai Duty Free President George Horan. “Congratulations to all the winners and we look forward to seeing you all next year.”

In the ladies event Evelyn Noonan took the honours after she secured a countback win over Sara Moore with both players scoring 33 points.

Dubai Duty Free President, George Horan (second from the right) with Nic Bruwer, Vice President-Human Resources, Dubai Duty Free, and Dubai Irish Golf Society’s Paul Byrne and the newly crowned champion of the Mark Fahy Golf Day 2012, Andre Dulka.

Charmaine Bruwer showed off her skills in winning the Nearest the Pin contest on hole 11 while Noonan picked up a second prize when her drive on the 12th ensured she picked up the ladies

Longest Drive prize. Despite missing his birdie opportunity from three feet, Scott Hanna won the men’s Nearest the Pin on hole 7 while Mick Connelly smashed the Longest Drive down 13!

Juniors graduate after six months of fun THE 24-week Junior Development Programme came to a close recently with more than 200 people attending the graduation ceremony.

A new addition to the programme from previous years was the ‘skills days’ which involved the children running through a series of challenges and their results being monitored over the 24 weeks.

Al Badia Golf Pro, Mathew Parker, said: “Through their efforts and dedication the 144 students on the programme improved by an average of 31 per cent during the programme.”

The highest honour to be received at the graduation was the ‘Spirit Award’ which is awarded to the junior who showed the best etiquette, ambition, dedication, improvement

Casari takes the spoils SERGIO Casari won the Rivoli Monthly Medal recently with an impressive net 69 score. A packed field hit the course despite temperatures of over 100 degrees fahrenheit but the heat did not affect scores as some very solid performances were achieved.

Casari’s solid and consistent round saw off the challenge from Paul Barbone who just missed out on the prize on a countback. The best gross score of the day came from Carl Downham who finished only 4-over par with an impressive 76.

The on course prizes went to Andre Pringos for his Nearest the Pin approach on the seventh hole and Tony Billingham crushing the Longest Drive down the 12th fairway.

and was an ambassador for the programme. The winner of the award was Karan Dhamecha who showed great desire to improve and lead by example in all facets.

“Karan is a prime example of how all juniors should look at wanting to improve in any sport.

Each day his attitude and eagerness to do his best grew and that has resulted in a significant improvement. All of us at the Club are proud to have him join our membership family and look forward to watching him grow as a person and as a golfer,” explained Mathew Parker.

The Junior Development Programme resumes in September and will see the programme continue to evolve to offer the best opportunities for developing physical literacy and sport skills.

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Sayer seals a maiden win JAMES Sayer returned a 78 to win May’s Rivoli Monthly Medal supported by Speed Clearning with Lady Captain Catherine Hut taking the Ladies Gross prize with an 88 and Rebecca Ward sealing the Ladies Net with a 68. Sayer, an up-andcoming junior member, performed well under pressure to secure his first strokeplay title with nines of 36 and 42.

Division ‘B’ was won by TR Vijayan who shot an 86 for a net 68.

Crawford and Atkins win the Hydroturf Scramble

Club Captain Andy Scanlan and Lady Captain Catherine Hut with James Sayer.

SANDY Crawford and Daryl Atkins took home the spoils in the Hydroturf Strokeplay Scramble last month ahead of 90 other pairs on the day. The duo combined superbly in the popular format to score a gross 66 for a net 57.9 to finish well clear of the field. In the gross format the winners were Steve Bennett and James Sayer with a 63 while the Ladies/ Mixed Division was won by Jacques and Florence Corgini with a net 61.

Freer and Livingston crowned Elysian Golf Day Champions TOM Freer and Gary Livingston scored 47 Stableford points to win the Elysian Betterball of Partners event recently after two halves of 25 and 22 points gave them a one-point win over Adele

McKelvey and Rebecca Ward.

McKelvey and Ward did win the Ladies/Mixed Division with their 46 while the same score saw Ian Souter and Mark Kenaghan take the title by two points from

Steve Bennett and Jett Smith.

Andy Scanlan, Club Captain, announced the prizewinners and thanked Elysian in partnership with Aphrodite Hills for their support.

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John Brash and Kerry Fitzpatrick fire in as new

THE annual BMW Captain’s Trophy welcomed the new Captains into their roles and bade a fond farewell to the outgoing Captains in a fun-filled tournament.

As Paul Pitman and Anne Allan holed out with their final putts it was over to John Brash and Kerry Fitzpatrick to hit their ceremonial ‘drive in’ to mark the beginning of their captaincies.

In the day’s tournament Nikhil Sharma and Maneesh Dungarwal captured the Division ‘A’ with a net 63 to defeat Keith Stacey and Mike Welch by two shots while the overall winners were Samantha Harwood and Graeme Henderson who carded a superb 62.

Division ‘A’ winners Alan and Sam Salem with Ladies Captain Kerry Fitzpatrick and Men’s Vice Captain Kevin Thorley.

Sandeep and Satnam Singh accept the Division ‘B’ title.

Singh and Salem duos soar to victory ALAN and Sam Salem secured the honours in Division ‘A’ of the 2012 Mixed Medal while Sandeep and Satnam Singh took the spoils in Division ‘B’ in a hotly contested tournament.

A total of 31 teams took part and the Salem duo topped the pile in Division ‘A’ with a net 65.5, clear of Nicholas Hymas and Annie Browne who had to settle for second place. The Singh duo defeated Michael Brennan and Laura Richardson to take Division ‘B’ while the gross honours went to Patrick Wynn and Nanna Nielsen with a gross 74.

Philmore and Russell seal Member Guest title The temperatures weren’t the only thing that were heating up in the recent Rivoli Member Guest Day as Paul Philmore and David Russell combined to shot a red-hot gross 63 to win by three shots from Patrick Wynn and David

Millar. In Division ‘A’ John Brash and Richard Smith took the title with a net 60.5, two strokes clear of Maneesh and Rahul Dungarwal, while in Division ‘B’ a score of 60.75 gave Julian Price and Wendy Greenhalgh a four shot win.

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Rai takes the May Medal MUKTI Rai made a long-awaited return to the winner’s circle last month with a superb victory in the Orient Travel – Thai Airways Monthly Medal.

Rai posted a gross 85 for a net 68 to win on a countback from Claudette Dumoulin who also shot a net 68. Dumoulin was in fine form having won the ladies Club Championship a month earlier but was kept out of the top spot by a fine performance from Rai. George Liu took third place with a level-par net 72 while the leading gross performer on the day was Nathan Fisher who came in with a gross 73.

Superb scoring in BMW Social A RECORD-breaking field of over 50 golfers took part in the May edition of the BMW Members and Guests Social with all 26 partnerships looking to take home the prize for either the betterball Stableford compeition on the front nine or the shambles Stableford on the back nine.

Leading the front nine charge with a staggering 28 points was Alistair Seivewright and Emma

Lomax as they managed to avoid any one-pointers and even picked up four 4-point holes to produce their winning total.

The back nine shambles Stableford award went to Nabin Rai and SGSC junior Omar Karim as they secured a countback win over two pairs, thanks to a score of 24 points, which included a net eagle and three net birdies over the last six holes.

Catherine Geskes wins Kempinski May Medal CATHERINE Geskes secured the first Kempinski Hotel Ajman Midweek Medal for the month of May with a score of 33 over nine holes, ahead of Colin Ewing (who won Division ‘2’) and Abdul Moiz Khan (who won Division ‘1’) and who both lost out on the main prize after a card countback.

Geskes, who plays off a 36 handicap, managed to complete nine holes without carding anything more damaging than a double bogey.

Waseem Qureshi wins a 4-way countback FOUR players tied for the top spot with a net 72 after round seven of April’s Thai Airways Medal and after a tense card countback, Waseem Qureshi was finally crowned the champion, and with it he took home maximum order of merit

points. Losing out on first place and having to settle for the runner-up spot was Scottish golfer William Neilson, who also picked up the Nearest the Pin Award for his shot on hole 3. Third place went to Roy Holmes, returning to the podium

Lee seals the Midweek Bogey K.J. Lee continued what has been a superb season of golf by winning the Coral Beach Resorts Midweek Bogey, played over 9 holes last month, finishing 4-up against the course.

Two shots back was fellow countryman Jinman Lee who finished extremely strongly by picking up three shots over the final five holes to finish on 2-up and pick up the Division Two prize.

Nepalese Golf professional Purna Sharma topped Division One thanks to two gross birdies and seven gross pars, while Young Park took the spoils in Division Three.

after a brief spell away, who produced a superb knock of 78 gross. However, his day was spoiled by a triple bogey which ruined his chances of victory. In fourth place was another unfortunate ‘loser’ Mohammad Bin Idris.

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Andrade and Mehra blitz strong field at Dubai Creek FORMER Creek Club Captain Joseph Andrade forged a formidable partnership with Vinay Mehra to win the 201112 International Pairs UAE Dubai Creek Qualifier by three shots.

Andrade, who was Captain at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in 2011, and Mehra blitzed a strong field at one of the UAE’s oldest and most prestigious clubs. With the course presented in immaculate condition, Andrade and Mehra played the back nine first and started solidly, finding themselves 3-under-par after four holes thanks mainly to Andrade’s net eagle on the difficult 13th hole.

Despite a few minor blips on holes 14 and 16, Mehra made net birdies on the 17th and 18th to reach the turn with a team score of 21 Stableford points in the better-ball format. Arguably the toughest finishing holes in the UAE, Mehra’s steady play was to ultimately prove decisive.

The front nine were to be even more fruitful as Andrade and Mehra scored four net birdies and a net eagle for 23 points and a 44 total. Perhaps inspired by playing alongside the 2010-11 Dubai Creek winners – K.J. Singh and Naresh Handa – Andrade and Mehra will head to the June National Final of the Tech Access International Pairs Presented by Cadillac as one of the favoured teams based on this form.

Singh and Handa matched their winning score (40 points) from last year but could not make their way to the podium this time around.

Four pairs finished the day three points off the pace with 41 points and a scorecard countback was required to separate

Dubai Creek Qualifier winners, Vinay Mehra and Joseph Andrade with Creek Head Professional, Stephen Hubner. them. Always contenders, the father and daughter team of Ishwar and Henna Jodha took the runners-up prize thanks to their better last-6 holes. Perhaps left to rue a no return on the 6th hole, the Jodhas may well have pushed Andrade and Mehra to the limit but it wasn’t to be.

Third place was won by Marco and Annett Carstanjen, while the pairings of Madhav Nair and Ashok Kumar and Rami Safadi and Rabih Sfeila missed the prizes through the countback.

Sfeila, who represented Emirates Golf Club in the 2010-11 National Final, did the nearest-the-pin prize on the 14th while Ashok Singh Sindhu collected the prize on offer on the fifth.

Flemming and Nolte clinch last spot in UAE National Final THE Qualifying series for the 201112 Tech Access International Pairs UAE Presented by Cadillac came to a conclusion last month as a full field of members at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club battled for the last berth in this year’s National Final.

As summer began in earnest at one of the UAE’s best kept golfing secrets, the going was tough as temperatures reached 45 degrees and the competition came down to endurance.

Eventually, it was the pairing of Mike Flemming and Carel Nolte who emerged victorious, albeit by a solitary point. The betterball Stableford format obviously suited the experienced duo as they came in with a stunning score of 46. This was thanks mainly to a back nine of 25, which was easily the best of the day.

With the UAE National Final fast approaching, Flemming and Nolte will arrive in good form, although a more difficult test of golf at Yas Links awaits them.

Two pairs finished tied on 45 points but Stephen Thornton and Robert

Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club Qualifier winners, Mike Flemming and Carel Nolte pictured with Club Captain, Jim Muirhead.

Shedden’s back nine of 24 points clinched the runners-up spot for them from Richard Ellis and Jason Generally who fired a brilliant 23 on their front nine but couldn’t match it on the inward half. Adam Suski and Ruth Langer won prizes for Nearest the Pin on holes 7 and 17 respectively.

Last year’s winners at Al Ain, Andre Heyns and Larry Benson scored a

commendable 42 points, which gave them a finish of tied 8th but in the end, the 2012 National Final will feature the only player who played in the inaugural event as Phil Mallinson from Al Hamra Golf Club in Ras al Khaimah will be hoping to take advantage of his experience in the event. The National Final will feature mixed pairings and two juniors.

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Fiyaz fires it up FIYAZ Ahmed shot a blistering 20 Stableford points to take the honours in the social Stableford recently, ahead of five players who underwent a nervy card countback to settle the podium places.

After the cards were compared it was Yuki Pellerine who took second place ahead of Paul Williams while wooden spooning on the night was Derek Fisher.

Miller Green left his wedge out on the course after chipping to the 12th, much to the hilarity of his playing partners, while winning the Nearest the Pin prizes were Julian Nutting (hole 12) and Andy Klein (hole 16).

Left to right: Miller Green, Derek Fisher, Andy Klein, Paul Williams, Yuki Pellerine and Julian Nutting.

Green and Ahmed nick Stableford MILLER Green and Fiyaz Ahmed stormed through the field to take the title in the cumulative Stableford competition held last month as they amassed 36 points in the nine hole event.

The pair were simply unstoppable with Ahmed doing most of the damage with a handicap that seemed somewhat out of balance

with his undoubted ability – a handicap cut was duly done in the days following the event.

Jeff Glasgow and Shinjiro Hino were placed second on the night with 35 points after getting the upper hand over Greg Maddox and Mark Regan while taking the wooden spoon with a score of just 19 were Rick Wilson and Phil Madin.

UAE invitational SCRATCH LEAGUE Arabian Ranches crowned Invitational Scratch League winners ARABIAN Ranches beat Yas Links in the final of the 2012 Invitational Scratch League with a 6-2 victory over two legs.

Ranches took a 3-1 lead into the second leg after a sublime performance on their home patch and then repeated the result at Yas Links to seal a convincing win.

This is the second occasion that Arabian Ranches have lifted the League title following their victory in the inaugural Invitational Scratch League in 2006-07.

The only other winners in this, the sixth season of the League, are Emirates Golf Club who won the title in four consecutive seasons from 2007-2008 until 2010 – 2011.

Strong performances on both days came from Arabian Ranches Club Champion

Max Burrow, Aaron Birch, Steve Bennett and Gary Swan who were all double winners on both days.

“All our congratulations go to Arabian Ranches Golf Club for their fine victory in both the two-leg final as well as their winning their Round Robin League and their famous semi-final victory over Emirates Golf Club,” said Bob Driver, the Scratch League Co-ordinator.

“Throughout the season-long League of 27 matches there has been participation from 153 of the leading golfers in the UAE and we thank all 12 competing clubs and all the golfers for their continued enthusiasm.”

The victorious men in red from Arabian Ranches Golf Club celebrate their second

win in the Invitational Scratch League after their emphatic 6-2 result at Yas Links.

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charity’s always a winner at al hamra TWO recent events at Al Hamra have helped raise AED 53,930 for ‘We Are Macmillan Cancer Support’ as more than 100 golfers and four PGA Professional took to the course to help the good cause.

The first event was the Greg Smith Macmillan Cup in late April which saw the largest shotgun field to date with 108 golfers and 27 teams. Taking home the honours after a tense battle was the foursome of Joe and Zenia Wivou, Paul McCullough and Ray Labonte. The golf was rounded off by a BBQ buffet on the Lagoons terrace where everyone enjoyed the other fundraising initiatives, including an urban auction which took place throughout the evening.

In May the ‘Dawn to Dusk Challenge’ was held and was led by Al Hamra’s ‘Fantastic Four,’ General Manager Simon Mees and three of the Club’s PGA Pros – Andrew Pilfold, Ross McArthur and Karl Rowe. The foursome played 12 hours of golf from 7.00am to 7.00pm in soaring temperatures in a fund-raising effort. They were delighted to take part and enjoyed the experience immensely. “We are always delighted to play our part in supporting a worthwhile cause, such as ‘We Are Macmillan Cancer Support,’” said Mees after the 12-hour marathon. “The Macmillan Cup turnout this year was excellent and the “Dawn to Dusk Challenge” was one of the best golf games we’ve ever played. Charity events like these are highlights on Al Hamra Golf Club’s calendar, each year. Our upcoming ‘Open Stabelford’ tournament is the next big event we are excited about.”

Ma Li Min produces her best for Open win THE penultimate event in the Blue Bell Shipping sponsored Open Challenge Series took place over Al Hamra’s Championship Course recently and it welcomed the largest field of UAE golfers so far.

Turning up and clinching a narrow one-point victory was Ma Li Min, who carded a superb score of 40 Stableford points – one of her best ever competitive rounds.

Three players finished on 39 points and needed to be separated by a card countback and taking second place was Mike Smith, thanks to a tally of 22 points on his back nine. In third place was Sergy D’Souza while Dave Faulkner missed out on a place on the podium while the two Nearest the Pin prizes were picked up by Mukti Rai on Hole 4 and Abdulla Al Marzooqi on Hole 11.

Prescott peaks perfectly to win ANDY Prescott produced his best ever performance in the weekley Thursday night Floodlit Challenge series recently to win with a superb Stableford haul of 21 points for a two-point win over Tower Links member Johan Buxmann.

ALMOUJ GOLF THE WAVE

In third place finishing with 18 points was podium regular Jae Koh who seems to consistently finish around the top of the pack, while the two Nearest the Pin prizes were picked up by Johan Buxmann on Hole 4 and Andy Spavin on Hole 7.

MUSCAT HILLS G&CC

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Abdelnour seals rivoli May stableford Hany Abdelnour fired an impressive 42 points to win the overall prize in last month’s Rivoli Stableford, one shot clear of Thomas Bower. In Division ‘B’ Shamal Karim sealed the title with a countback victory over Peter De Beer after both players carded 41 points while Cathy Siegel finished top of the Ladies Division by two points from Michelle Larter with a 37 point tally.

CANADA clinch INTERNATIONAL CUP

Lady Captain Muriel Gosselin presents Hany Abdelnour with his prize.

THE team representing Canada successfully defended its title to win the fifth staging of the Millenium Hotel Abu Dhabi International Cup recently.

The annual tournament saw 26 teams battle it out for honours over the National Course and

abu dhabi city golf Club www.adcitygolf.ae

Louis Gosselin and Lady Captain Muriel Gosselin secured the win with a superb haul of 43 Stablford points. Hilary Knight and Tim Kelley represented team Scotalia and they finished second with a score of 41 points pipping Emily and Cathy Siegel of Taiwan on a countback.

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Good Scores in Rotana Junior final ASSHAY Patel and Spencer Cain emerged victorious in the 9-hole tournament of May’s Beach Rotana Juniors Grand Finale event with scores of 24 points while in the 3-hole competition Sam Loveridge took the title from Aarnav Patel.

Waseed spoils Sahl’s day with countback win TARIQ Waseed won the third round of the Volvo Order of Merit series recently with a countback victory over Jamal Sahl after both players returned a score of 42 points. Taking third place with a 41-point haul was Chris Thompson while Tanmaya Hada was fourth with 40 points.

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Nobody can keep up with the Joneses The impressive two-round score of 123.6 from the husband and wife team of Rob and Samantha Jones saw them crowned 2012 Mixed Open champions by an amazing nine shots.

A stunning greensomes score of net 60.8 on the final day’s play was added to the pair’s impressive first day score of net 62.8 to give them a comfortable win over the second placed

husband and wife pairing of Jason and Sanne Smith, who finished with a two-day total of 132.4 with third place going to Kevin Ross and Sara Axtell on 133.6 Kevin Ross and Paul Carpenter took home the Nearest the Pin prizes for the men while Sarah Hobday and Anne Timmers secured the same prizes for the ladies.

Left to right: All the prize winners on the day – Jason and Sanne Smith, Rob and Samantha Jones and Kevin Ross and Sara Axtell.

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Al Hamra win opening leg of the Members Challenge

Andrew Pilfold and Tom Rourke are pictured before play.

THE first leg of the inaugural Al Hamra and Yas Links Members Challenge match took place at the Al Hamra Golf Club last month and the home side won seven of the ten matches to take a healthy advantage into the return leg in September.

The Al Hamra team used their local knowledge to good effect to overcome Yas Links with the Al Hamra’s Director of Golf, Andrew Pilfold and Club Professional Karl Rowe defeating Yas Links’ Director of Golf, Tom Rourke and Teaching professional, Craeg Deery 3&2.

The Yas Links members enjoyed some exciting

games against Al Hamra but the home side had the edge over many of the away pairings in a tightly run match, During the presentation Rourke thanked Pilfold and his team for their hospitality and commented on how the course had improved hugely since his last visit.

Both clubs look forward to the return leg of the match which is to be held at Yas Links in late September where the teams will complete the match for the rights to be engraved on the new trophy.

America and Asia triumph in the Phillips Cup PLAYED under the name of Yas Links course designer Kyle Phillips, the 2012 Phillips Cup saw 36 club members split into two opposing teams for a Ryder Cup-style shootout under the sun.

A team from America and Asia teed it up against a ‘Rest of the World’ side and they prevailed with a narrow 20-18 points victory. Appointed Captain of the American and Asian Team was Emanuel Ostijic

and Captain for The Rest of the World was Joe Howell and after day one the American and Asian team held the lead 11.5 – 6.5. The format for Day 2 was Singles Match play with the draw having been decided by the Team Captains the previous night. The team spirit from both teams was incredibly high with team colours being worn and home country flags flying from the golf carts. As the matches concluded, the Rest of

the World were on for an almighty comeback with one group still left out on the battlefield America and Asia had won 7 ½ matches to 11 ½. Thus, all was still to play for as the combined total from Day 1 stood at American and Asia: 19 to the Rest of the world at 18.

With tension running high Michael Revell triumphed for the American and Asian side to seal a dramatic two-point victory.

Emanuel Ostojic takes the May Open

Walter Hall and Michael Revell revel in their victory

EMANUEL Ostojic took the honours in Division ‘A’ of May’s Etihad Airways Open with a superb haul of 39 Stableford points, one clear of Philip Morris with Roman Hawczak taking third. First place in Division ‘B’ went to Peter Thomas on a mammoth 40 points, four clear of David Harvey with Steve Burnell finishing third on 33.

WALTER Hall and Michael Revell won the Members Pair Betterball recently with an almighty net 66, one clear of two pairs who had to go through a card countback.

Brian McClure and Alex Barclay scored a net 67 and so too did Shane and Grace Groves. It was the Groves who came out on top in the countback to take second place outright.

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Saadiyat Beach Golf Club

British Airways host fun-for-all Team Golf Day

AS part of the ongoing celebrations to mark 80 years of flying to the Middle East, British Airways held a Corporate Golf Day at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club recently as seven teams of four competed over 18 holes, and players competed two against two within each team.

Coming out on top after a superb performance was the team from CitiBank with the Trade team finishing second and third place going to the Press Team.

Paolo De Renzis, Regional Commercial Manager, Middle East said: “I’d like to thank everyone who took part in the Golf Day. Each team embraced the spirit of the day and competition was fierce.

The event was a great opportunity for us to mark a significant milestone for British Airways and this event is the first of several celebrations that will take place during the year.”

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Captains Peter and Deborah say farewell The Members of AGGC gave their resounding appreciation by competing en-masse in the Captains’ Farewell 18-hole Texas Scramble competition.

Although the Captains don’t finish their captaincy until the end of May, it’s a tradition to have a final bash at the beginning of May each year.

In Captain Peter Mc Manus’s speech he announced

that he will be leaving us to return to his ‘very patient wife Pat’ in the U.K. in the Summer, so Richard Whiteside and Bernie Blanchard got together some mementoes for Peter to take with him as well as a Farewell Ode to Peter from Bernie.

The competition was won by the team of Rupert Evans, Emily Gordon, Steve Coulson and Morag

Pester with an impressive nett 55.3, runners-up were Richard Whiteside, John Kudiarskyj, Chaya Kinder and Abdulrahman with a nett 59.1 and third were Lizette and Jaco Breytenbach and Ria and Eddie Brown with a nett 59.3. Nearest the Pins went to Lady Captain Deborah Castle and James Rowan and Straightest Drive was won by Bernie Blanchard.

Al Ghazal take back the Tee Trophy THE annual interclub ‘Tee Trophy’ match between Al Ghazal and Al Dhafra Golf Links took place last month with the host team, Al Ghazal, claiming back the title with a comfortable victory.

The event format started with a fourball betterball match on the Friday

and finished with a Singles Match on the Saturday and at the end of the first day’s play AGGC had a 3-point lead.

After a good start to the second day the players from Al Ghazal stretched their lead and ended up winning with a 19.5 – 10.5 score to take the trophy back for another year.

AGGC Captains Deborah Castle and Peter McManus are presented with the Tee Trophy from ADGL Captains Stuart Mainland and Annika Johansson.

al ain equestrian Shooting & Golf Club www.aesgc.ae

Sandford seals the Hertz Social DANE Sandford Snr topped the pile in Division ‘A’ of the recent Hertz Thursday Social with a score of 21 points over the back nine, one point ahead of Adam Suski.

Division ‘B’ saw Jim Doig shoot the equal highest score of the day with 23 points, one clear of Harry Van Wyk, while Chris Emmerson also shot 23 to top Division ‘C’ ahead of Brian Cunniffe, by four points.

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David puts Miles between him and the pack A STUNNING net 60 from David Miles saw him seal the honours in Division ‘C’ of the May Monthly Medal with what was his best ever score.

Miles secured a massive seven-stroke victory ahead of Martine Garbutt with Chris Emmerson finishing third.

Dane Sandford Snr won the gross prize with a 74 but the Division ‘A’ title went to Wayne Turner, whose net 69 was two stokes better than Sandford’s net 71.

In Division ‘B’ Floris Brand took first place with a net 66, one shot clear of Nick Peacock with Mike Flemming taking third place with a 68.

Spend a Day at the Club This summer spend the day at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club. Book your round on the 18 hole championship course and receive a host of additional benefits!

Enjoy a day at the club for AED 325 from Sunday to Thursday and AED 375 on weekends and public holidays between 1st June and 30th September, inclusive of: • • • •

18 holes on the championship course with range balls and cart hire Sandwich or snack at LakeView before or after your round Ice cream at LakeView or the Pool Bar Complimentary pool access for the player and a guest on the day of play

Bookings are subject to availability and must be made in advance.

For reservations please contact T +971 4 380 1234 Email golfbooking@dubaigolf.com dubaigolf.com

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facebook.com/almoujgolf Nathan Kendall receives his prize for winning the St. George’s Stableford Men’s Division competition from Almouj Golf Head Professional James Wood.

Susan Sargeant, winner of the St. George’s Stableford Ladies Division shakes hands with Almouj Golf Head Professional James Wood.

Kendall seals the Stableford NATHAN Kendall defeated Mike Bulliman in a countback to win the St George’s Stableford recently after both players tallied the same total. Bulliman had to settle for second place but did have the consolation of securing two 2s over the 14 holes. In the Ladies Division it was Susan Sargent who took the honours with 25 points, leaving Sarah Morris in second place with 23.

Sarah Morris is presented with her prize for topping the Ladies Division from James Wood.

Early bird captures the Medal ROB Edwards and Aaron O’Hara were in the first group out at April’s Monthly Medal and their scores of gross 65 over the 14-hole layout was not bettered by close of play. With the duo tied with a 65 it came down to a card countback to settle the honours and after a back seven comparison the title was handed to Edwards, thanks to his 32 to O’Hara’s 35.

The Net Division saw John Petersen take the spoils with a 56, four shots clear of a host of players in second place while in the Ladies Division Sarah Morris took the spoils with a gross 68 for a net 55.

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Muscat Hills opens its new Academy with a sample of cutting-edge technologies in golf tuition Muscat Hills celebrated a soft-opening of their new Golf Academy in the beginning of May. All Members of the Club were invited to test the new cutting-edge technologies V1 and Flightscope for a free 15-minute sample lesson. Head Professional, Alex Day, picured above,introduced the new facilities added to the existing driving range and practice putting green, and demonstrated the advantages of the V1 digital analysis software and the Flightscope X2 – the most advanced technologies in golf tuition.

The new advanced technologies are part of a new

private studio which is the centrepiece of the new Academy facility which is located at the bottom end of the driving range. In addition to the studio are eight spacious practice bays. To complement the new Golf Academy two separate practice greens have been constructed – one for pitching and bunker shots and another, constructed to USGA specification to perfect your putting stroke (which will open later this year).

Students will have a personal account set up enabling them to access the analysis online through a smart phone (iPhone, Blackberry etc), whilst also

providing them with the option of forwarding to websites such as Facebook or Youtube should they wish to show the world their skills.

Alongside the V1 computerised tuition software, Muscat Hills has installed Flightscope X2. The accuracy of this launch monitor is amazing! It provides both the instructor and student clear and visible data that is essential for correct club fitting or making the golf swing more efficient.

The grand opening of Muscat Hills Golf Academy is scheduled for October this year.

Sundowners summer series returns Muscat Hills continues the tradition of the popular Sundowners Summer Series on the May 16. The Sundowners Series will run through the summer period. This year Muscat Hills is sweetening the series with an additional ranking and a great prize by Kenya Airways. The winner of the Sundowners’ Order of Merit in the Individual competitions will win two Return tickets Muscat-Nairobi, courtesy of Kenya Airways.

New website has everything you need Members and visitors are already enjoying the functionality and modern design of the new Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club website – www.muscathillsgolf.com – which went live at the end of April this year.

The new site is comprehensive, user-friendly, handy and informative.

It is delivering important information about the Golf Club as an integrated facility along with facts about the Golf Course, the Golf Academy and the golf Course Maintenance activities.

It shares the latest news, rates, promotions, interesting facts from the Club life and keeps its browsers up to date on the events calendar, the

results of the past tournaments and shares the pictures from them.

The most important additional development is the special section dedicated only to the Muscat Hills Golf Club Members.

The “Members Central” page has been built especially to make the Members’ day-to-day golf practice easier, to serve to the Members and help them operate their membership from their computer or smart phone.

They can book tee times, choose their playing partners, view the list of players for the day and check their accounts along with many more handy options.

The 9-hole events will be played every Wednesday afternoon at a reduced price for visitors and for Members there will be a minimal competition fee. Two complimentary selected beverages after the round are included for each player. Muscat Hills will also bethrunning a weekend series of Sundowner Events: 17 May, Wadi Bash Cross Country; 1st June, Powerplay; 14th June, Sundowners Summer Scramble & BBQ; 26TH July, Sundowners Summer Scramble & BBQ; 27th Sept, Sundowners Summer Scramble Final.

Khawar Nabi and Deepah Agawal triumph The second edition of the Invitation Day on May 10 witnessed a fantastic team result of 47 Stableford points by the winning pair, Khawar Nhabi and Deepah Agawal. More than 30 people took part in the 18-hole Better Ball Stableford event. The Invitation Day is one of the annual Blue Riband Club tournaments where Members show their home golf club to friends and colleagues. The partnership of Nicholas Hill and Brett Archer turned in 46 points to take second place on a back nine countback from the duo of Sumant Sunder and Harry Singh who also finished on 46 points.

Dirab Golf & Country Club is the first certified grassed 18-Hole Par-72 championship and 9-Hole Par 27 Academy golf course in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Located 45 kms south west of Riyadh City and nestled in the picturesque Tawfig valley, the club features lush tree-lined fairways and perfectly manicured greens. Open all year round, the course offers a driving range and practice facilities- 9holes are floodlit, enabling play after sundown.

Having hosted the 1st Saudi Arabian National Amateur Championship in 2001, 10th Annual GCC Golf Championship in 2002, BMW World Qualifier Tournament in 2004, Dirab Pro-Am Golf Tournament in 2005, 28th Pan Arab Golf Tournament in 2008 and Saudi Oger Amateur Golf Championship in 2009, Dirab Golf & Country Club is equally suited for seasoned golfers and for those wishing to learn the sport.

Palms Golf Club – Intercontinental Hotel Riyadh www.ichotelsgroup.com/intercontinental/en/gb/locations/overview/riyadh

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SIBUG WINS INAUGURAL BMW INTERCONTINENTAL GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP PHILIPPINE Resty Sibug will remember the inaugural staging of the BMW Intercontinenral Golf Championship recently as he emerged the champion after landing back in Saudi from his annual leave in his homeland just two days before the tournament.

Siburg shot a sublime net 54 to finish at the top of a 100man field and capture the title amid reduced visibility due to frequent dust storms.

The two-day tournament attracted more than 100 players of 15 different nationalities as players from all over the Kingdom and

beyond came to Riyadh to participate in this prestigious golfing event. South African Roy Evans took the spoils in Division ‘A’ with a net 59 thanks to a narrow countback victory over Jun Saporsantos while in Division ‘B’ Abdullah Kim shot a 57 to win by one shot from Jong Hoon Cho. Division ‘C’ saw a score of net 62 shared by two players but taking the title on a countback was Pakistan’s Javed Shamim ahead of Rana Mahmood.

In the Ladies section Young Hi Park bagged the title with a net 63, eight shots clear of runner-up Chong Hi Park.

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Captain’s Day a roaring success

THE 2012 Captain’s Day tournament took place recently and in a fourball Texas Scramble format the team of Duncan Smith, Rob Stacey, Bennie Burger and Sigurd Anderson took the spoils.

Finishing second were Spence Hawthorn, Gary Richardson, John Spitz and Will Appelby while in third place were Paul Dart, Declan White, Liz Kennedy and Jonathan Corrigan.

George MacKay and Lois Barker were crowned Men’s and Ladies’ Longest Drive winners while there were also Nearest the Pin prizes for Ed Bulkeley, Sigurd Anderson, Ruby Klawakowski, Peter Butterworth, Shirley Denis and Duncan Smith. Craig Gordon rounded off the prizes with the Straightest Drive.

georgia coughlin and choi kim earn their hilton medals GEORGIA Coughlin won the Gross prize at the Hilton Garden Monthly Medal recently with Choi Kim taking the Net honours. Denise Holding took was top in Division ‘A’ ahead of Medele Burger and Mira Jung. Monika Schiffer won Division ‘B’ with Regina Jung and Mi Jung in second and third places respectively.

irvan Fachrizal excels in ASEAn Mission event IRVAN Fachrizal secured the best Net honours in the 2012 ASEAN Mission golf tournament recently and also took home the Nearest the Pin trophy during a memorable round of golf. Amk Channara finished second with a countback win over Mynmar Ambassador, Khin Zaw Win, and Moca Tanggorac of the Philippine Embassy took fourth place.

There was a ladies putting event held in conjunction with the tournament and members of the Royal Thai Embassy finished in first place ahead of the Brunei Embassy with the Philippine Embassy in third.

T H E R I YA D H G O L F C O U R S E . . .

. . . E X P E R I E N C E A PA R A D I S E F O R ALL GOLF LOVERS IN SAUDI ARABIA

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AL BISHI SEALS HIS THIRD CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP ALI Al Bishi held on to his overnight lead to win the Club Championship for the third successive year last month.

After a first round 73 gave him a four-stroke lead over Phil Whyte he held on to complete a nervy one-stroke win over Ali Saleh Al Kaabi.

Al Bishi watched as his lead was whittled down by

Ali Al Bishi (left) celebrates his third successive Club Championship victory at Doh Golf Club.

the chasing pack over the second day with Al Kaabi coming within touching distance on the final green.

Al Kaabi had a putt to match Al Bishi’s total but it narrowly missed, meaning Al Bishi lifted the trophy for the third time. Al Kaabi signed for a 9-over-par gross, one clear of Al Misbah and Donovan Liddicoat.

Fazal and Hisham win the Commercialbank Corporate Golf Challenge ON a day when no quarter was given, Fazal Kazi and Hisham Al Rashid’s net score of 64 narrowly edged out David Burrows and Phail Whyte’s net 64, on the countback to win the two-man Scramble format during the Commercialbank Corporate Golf Challenge recently. Finishing in third place with a creditable 65 were Alan Robinson and Lee Bennet.

A total of 92 public and private sector clients took part

looking to tame a course that’s widely regarded as the toughest on The European Tour’s Middle East Swing.

Doha’s club members took part in an individual Stableford competition and winning by one with a 41 point haul was Jonathan Toms.

Mikken Mathiesen finished second on 40 points with Susie Dagless third on 39.

Liu lifts the Ladies Club Championship KELLY Liu posted scores of 82 and 86 for a 168 total and a two-stroke victory over junior Laila Hrinda who had rounds of 81 and 89.

The net category was won by Elizabeth Mouveaux with a superb score of 145 net with Tasnin Kazi taking second on a countback from Taddy Dance.

Porto seals the Mug POLICARPIO Porto won the Vodafone Qatar Monthly Mug last month with a superb haul of 40 Stableford points.

Claiming Division ‘B’ with 41 points was Geoffrey Hunt while C.S. Chandrasekaran and Kelly Liu won Division ‘C’ and the Ladies Divisions respectively with 42 points each.

Great scores in Volunteer Day DOHA Golf Club hosted a golf day for all the volunteers who pledged their services during February’s Commercialbank Qatar Masters and coming out on top in the morning shotgun 4-man Texas Scramble were Rhys Ravey, Adam Cross, Duncan Marshall and John Anthony with a score of net 59.

The winners of the afternoon shotgun were Dennis Asuncion, Paul Comeau, Anthony Hunn and Andre Josiah who also shot a 59.

Dean dominates the Club Shield DEAN Kenneally (19) returned a superb gross 83 for a net 64 in soaring temperatures to win the overall prize at the fifth staging of the annual Club Shield.

In Flight ‘A’ Chris Cane (13) topped the pile with a gross 78 for a net 65 and a two-stroke victory. Jea An Sung (12) took second place after defeating Jin Ho Jang (17) on a countback while in Flight ‘B’ C.D Chanrasekaran (20) scored a gross 87 for a net 67 and a two-stroke win over Yuchiro Ishige (20) and Kyung Suk No (20) who also had to be separated by a countback. After the cards were compared it was Ishige who dropped into second place.

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Locker room

cool stuff

Concord

C1 Eternal Gravity

IF you like your watches cheap and cheerful the US$1.2 million Concord C1 Eternal Gravity probably isn’t for you. But if money is no object and bling is your thing this timepiece will surely float your boat. The 18k white gold case is 48.5mm in diametre and 18.5mm thick, protecting a 3.3mm thick sapphire crystal. The case is set with 227 baguette-cut diamonds totaling 20.17 carats. On the dial there’s another 100 baguette-cut diamonds totaling 1.40 carats and 34 carnelians totaling 1.88 carats. Even the crown features 26 diamonds weighing in at 1.30 carats giving this sparkler an eye watering 403 gemstones adding up to 25.31 carats. Oh, and it’s pretty good at telling the time as well, but then, you weren’t too bothered about that were you? Concord also have a fabulous range of watches to suit every taste.

www.concord.ch

Leica

Pinmaster II

THE Leica Pinmaster II is a wonderfully accurate rangefinder that delivers an exact distance reading up to 820 yards (750m).

It features an AquaDura coating so that dirt and water simply roll off the lens while the casing is carbon-fibre reinforced and waterproofed to three foot (1m). There is a super-clear LED display to allow easy reading even in difficult light conditions and you can switch between metre and yard readings which is really useful when you’re travelling.

Despite being really durable Pinmaster II is surprisingly lightweight and fits comfortably in your pocket. It also looks the business.

www.leica-camera.com

Logitech

AV Stand for iPad

Naim

UnitiQute

THE Naim UnitiQute is an all-in-one audio player that perfectly represents what contemporary music in the home is all about. It is ultra compact and hugely versatile while still producing sound quality of the highest order. Music downloads, high-resolution music files, internet radio, network music, UPnP servers, iPod/MP3 players, Wi-Fi streaming – everything that the new era of music delivery can throw at it, UnitiQute can play. Never before have audio and digital formats been so seamlessly available in one unit.

www.naimaudio.com

THIS AV stand is a cracking accessory for your iPad. Not only is it a stand, perfect for when you’re watching movies, listening to music, or streaming, which can be adjusted to multiple angles, it’s also a docking station and speaker unit with excellent sound quality. And there’s more – the unit is remote controlled, allowing you to control your music and video from across the room, while there is a composite cable included, allowing you to watch video content from your iPad on your television. The stand even has a 3.5mm aux input allowing you to connect external mp3 players and other music sources. www.logitech.com

in the bag David Adams

Driver:

Titleist D3 10.5 project X shaft x-flex

Senior Golf Professional Emirates Golf Club

What age did you start playing golf and where and what is your golfing background?

I joined Hallowes Golf Club in Sheffield at the age of 15 and played there for five years as I represented the club and county as an amateur. I went through the PGA Training Programme and turned professional just before my 20th birthday. I moved to the UAE in September 2003 and have been a teaching professional at Emirates Golf Club for more than eight years.

3 Wood:

Titleist 910f 13.5 diamana shaft x-flex

What were your first set of golf clubs and how did you get them?

The first full set of clubs I had were made by a company called Daiwa which were bought at the local golf club for me by my parents one Christmas. Like most young golfers I needed a lot of help from my family. as Starting up in golf can be quite expensive.

What rule would you change and why?

Irons (4-PW): I think you should get free relief from old Titleist MB dynamic gold divots on the fairway. As someone who rarely x100 shaft finds himself in the middle of the fairway it is very frustrating to get a bad lie when I hit the occasional drive straight! Some people say take the view that it’s the rub of green but so, so too, is having an old pitchmark on the line line of your your Wedge: putt on the green but you are are allowed to 56 & 60 titleist Vokey dynamic repair that and improve your your chances. gold x100 shaft

Hybrid:

Titleist 910h 21 diamana shaft x-flex

What’s your favourite course in world golf and why?

I was lucky enough to be invited to play Loch Lomond in Scotland.

Not only is it a great golf course but the surroundings and the views were simply stunning.

What would you do to promote and expand golf?

Emirates Golf Club has worked hard on promoting its Junior and Ladies golf coaching programmes. Our numbers have almost doubled this season which shows that we are generating a lot more golfers from beginner level onwards who will then, hopefully, turn into more full time golfers helping the golfing community in Dubai grow.

What’s your favourite golfing moment?

One of the finest moments in golf was in the 1995 Ryder Cup. Seve went out in the first match against Tom Lehman and was playing some of the worst golf of his career. However, he managed to frustrate his opponent by playing some of the best recovery shots I have seen. Although he went on to lose the game to Lehman a lot of his team-mates later said that his performance gave them the inspiration to go on and win their matches.

Who is your golfing hero and why?

Seve Ballesteros is by far the most exciting, flamboyant and charismatic golfer I have seen. Watching the way he played, compared to other golfers of his generation, was fascinating. He made the game much more interesting and also gave me the inspiration to practice my short game, something that most golfers spend too little time working on. It also taught me to never give up on a round when competing, as you never know what might happen.

Who would be your dream fourball and why?

The first choice for my dream fourball would be Henry Cooper, one of the best boxers of his time. He was the first man to send Mohammed Ali to the floor which is no mean feat. He was a true gentleman and great personality. Bobby Moore would be my second choice. As the only Englishman to lead his side to World Cup glory he was regarded as one of the finest defenders of his era. David Jason would complete my fourball.

He is hilarious in ‘Only Fools and Horses’ and I think he would be fun to have out on the course. It’s important to have fun while you are playing! www.wwgolf.biz

95

Australian LPGA professional and model answers a few quick-fire questions about the game and fashion.

Anna

Rawson What do you do mentally to prepare for a golf tournament and how do you mentally stay in the the game while playing?

To prepare, I visualise myself winning the tournament. I try to think about coming down the stretch Sunday in the lead. I hear the crowds, and I even get butterflies! To mentally prepare the best, I think very confidently about every aspect of my game.

Do you ever hit a bad shot and fear that you’ll go to a dark place, mentally?

I never fear going to a dark place mentally. Usually when it happens, you have no control. I just try and learn from that for the next time. Luckily, I also have my caddy who can snap me out of any sort of bad mental behavior.

What’s your most comfortable outfit to wear when you go out shopping?

A dress with flip flops or maybe ballet flats, if it’s cold. I prefer to wear anything that’s comfortable and nonrestricting. It’s also easy because it’s only one piece of clothing, soI don’t have to think about matching it.

What’s the worst golf-related pick-up line you’ve ever heard?

In Korea, once I played a Pro-Am with three professors. They were all telling me about the best English pick-up lines they had ever heard but none of them were golf-related. The best/cheesiest one was, “I play the field, and it looks like I just hit a home run with you.”

Do you actually have to pay green fees?

Occasionally I do, especially because I try to fly under the radar as much as possible on the course.

Do you have any pre-match good luck rituals?

I used to listen to my psychologist’s Focus CD. But after a few tournaments, I knew the words by heart, so I stopped listening. I make sure that before every round I eat as much as I can so that I have tons of energy for the course but that’s not really a good luck thing.

What’s one thing you can’t do without?

My blackberry. It’s so fabulous to communicate with people. Sometimes I can be having eight different conversations with people in three or four different continents! It’s an amazing thing!

TM

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O L T E G

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