Worldwide Golf - Rory McIlroy

Issue 101, February 2009

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WORLDWIDE

Golf Est:1999

Rorys Master Stroke Classic win earns $416,660 and a call from Tiger to join him at Augusta.

Middle East’s No.1 Golf Magazine

POWER UP WITH PAUL CASEY ELS●PLAYER●NORMAN●FISHER●NEWS & VIEWS Official Publication of The Emirates Golf Federation & The Arab Golf Federation

CONTENTS LAST MONTH’S WORLDWIDE GOLF MIDWEEK OPEN: Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, January 19th

Issue 101, February 2009

Join the Emirates Golf Federation and make sure you have a registered handicap for the 2009 Midweek Opens

TIPS GEAR STYLE PROPERTY FASHION TRAVEL

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Golf

WORLDWIDE GOLF’s first Midweek Open of 2009 supported by Peugeot and played at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa got the New Year off to a fine start – on the day following the first event of the Middle East Swing, the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. It was very gratifying that all the golfers who had entered our tournament turned up on the day to play and it was even more rewarding that every competitor had an Emirates Golf Federation Official Handicap Certificate or golf club handicap. Please note that all players wishing to take part in the 2009 Worldwide Golf Midweek Open series must have a registered handicap with a golf club or with the Emirates Golf Federation. We now have a database of more than 1,000 golfers keen to take part.

David Burke reports on the seventh Worldwide Golf Midweek Open, supported by Peugeot at Jebel Ali Resort & Spa – and plays down his magnificent performance WORLDWIDE THE seventh Worldwide Golf Midweek Open supported by Peugeot played at Jebel Ali Resort and Spa last month was another overwhelming success. We were all very well looked after by everyone at the Resort and the course was in pristine condition.

With a limited field of only 54 competitors it meant that almost as many more golfers on the waiting list had to be disappointed. But it was rewarding for Worldwide Golf that all 54 players turned up on the day, which is a measure of the popularity of the Series.

For only AED295 each competitor enjoyed: 18 holes of golf; shared golf cart with GPS; range balls and access to the practice facility prior to play; use of the locker rooms, Tournament golf shirt, and an excellent fish and chip supper after play.

Bill Henrie tamed the windy conditions better than the rest of the field and was a worthy winner with just 37 Stableford points.

Modesty prevents me from making too much of my outstanding performance in finishing a sensational second in Division B with 32 points.

Like our Editor of Worldwide Golf, Alex Gallemore, who was third in our fifth Midweek Open at

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Arabian Ranches Golf Club in November but declined to accept his prize, I thought I’d better do the same.

As a gentleman and a scholar I’m also not going to make too much of my achievement as a 20 handicapper in case Alex starts to ask questions on how much time I’m spending on the golf course.

The winner of Division A was Satwinder Singh Sembi with 34 points. Golf Course Manager for Orient Irregation, Marty Brown, scored 33 points along with Burhan Mohammed but took second place a countback.

Dave Lamb won Division B with 34 points, two points ahead of Alan Comyn. Suresh Shewakramani came in third with 30 points.

The Ladies winner was Sarabjot Bhangoo with 30 points.

Nearest the Pin winner on hole 17 was Derrick Denholm and the Longest Drive award on hole 13 went to Abizher Mohammed.

We would like to thank our sponsor, Peugeot, for making the tournament possible, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa for making us so welcome and looking after us so well and the Emirates Golf Federation for their help and support.

Golf

Est:1999

Est:1999

Midweek Open

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Worldwide Golf Midweek Open

Rorys Master Stroke

RYDER CUP

Classic win earns $416,660 and a call from Tiger to join him at Augusta.

Former England football star Glen Hoddle and World Cup snowboard racer Heidi Krings having fun with Snowgolf.

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MONTY’S THE MAN

ELS●PLAYER●NORMAN●FISHER●NEWS & VIEWS

Colin Montgomerie named European Cup captain

C

OLIN Montgomerie has been named as the European Ryder Cup Captain for the 2010 matches at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales. The Scot beat off competition from home favourite Ian Woosnam and Spain’s Jose Maria Olazábal to land what many regard as golf’s greatest honour.

“This is obviously one of my proudest moments,” said Montgomerie at Emirates Golf Club last month on the eve of the Desert Classic. “It is a huge responsibility having lost the last Ryder Cup. It is important we do everything we can to claim back the Ryder Cup in 2010.”

A veteran of eight Ryder Cups, Montgomerie has played under six different captains – Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Bernard Gallagher, Mark James, Sam

Torrance and Seve Ballesteros and will draw on his experience as he looks to impart his personality on his team. Montgomerie also hinted at increasing the number of wildcards at his disposal from two to three.

“We have committee meetings in Ireland in May, long before the qualification starts in September, and all those terms and conditions will be in place before qualification starts,” he said. “I will abide by the committee’s decision but I think you’ll find we’ll go for one more captain’s choice than we have in the past.”

The Scot also confirmed he will be looking forward to locking horns with his American counterpart Cory Pavin and his star player Tiger Woods in 2010.

“I’ve played three times in the Ryder Cup against him and managed to come out

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2-1 at this stage,” said Montgomerie of Pavin. “He is someone whom I respect and who currently holds the Ryder Cup – even without Tiger Woods playing at Valhalla.

Tiger will be back in 2010 so it will be very difficult and very close.”

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“I will abide by the committee’s decision but I think you’ll find we’ll go for one more captain’s choice than we have in the past.”

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Cover: Rory Mcilroy

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Ryder Cup, Colin Montgomerie SERGIO GARCIA

THEY say familiarity breeds contempt, but not as far as Paul Casey is concerned. The 31-year-old claimed his second Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in three years with a one-stroke victory over Louis Oosthuizen and defending champion Martin Kaymer on a course that he simply adores.

“I think this place is fantastic,” he beamed after lifting the Falcon trophy.

“This win is satisfying because I haven’t won for two years. I felt pressure which I hadn’t really felt before – I didn’t like that feeling of not having won for two years.

It’s good motivation.”

The Englishman began the final round with a four-stroke lead and quickly made it six with birdies on his opening two holes. However, playing partner Kaymer kept in touch with birdies of his own and South African Oosthuizen also made a move with five birdies in eight holes either side of the turn, which left him three shots behind.

Casey then stumbled with bogeys on 11, 13 and 14 before composing himself with four pars to withstand the late onslaught from his challengers.

“My game is now better than it’s ever been and I’ve played some great stuff in spurts,” said Casey, “but I’ve never really put it together. I’ve been focused on the Majors, and performed well, and maybe neglected other tournaments.”

Casey began the event with high hopes having married long-term partner Jocelyn in December.

“It feels like a pay-off for all the worrying I’ve put in over the past couple of months. It shows that marriage is clearly good for me.”

After a first round 3-under 69, Casey went on a two-day birdie binge to set up a winning position as rounds of 7-under 65 and 9-under 63 earned him his four-shot lead.

However, it’s in Casey’s nature to seemingly always give his opponents a chance after building a lead. Casey should have a 2004 Wales Open victory and a

DIVOTS

QUIROS IS THE MASTER IN QATAR

CASEY SWOOPS FOR THE FALCON 2006 British Masters title under his belt but lost out after faltering down the final stretch – and it was in danger of becoming a damaging habit, particularly as Casey’s plan was to focus on the Majors.

Anthony Wall, who finished fourth, said: “I always feel Paul Casey will fritter shots. I think he is mega talented but he seems to always like to give people an opening going down the last nine.

“It’s amazing. It shouldn’t happen, but it does seem to occur regularly. You’ll always get a chance.”

There was a slight glimmer of hope for the chasing pack, but Casey closed the door with pars over the last four holes. The victory, and more importantly the manner with which he achieved it, has clearly spurred him on.

“Now I want to try to win every tournament I enter, rather than see them as preparation for the Majors,” he said. “So I will go to Qatar next week and try to win there and then I’ll go to Dubai and try to win the Classic.”

SPAIN’S Alvaro Quiros held his nerve to clinch the Commercialbank Qatar Masters by three shots ahead of Henrik Stenson and Louis Oosthuizen at Doha Golf Club.

The big-hitting 26-year-old went into the final day with a one-shot lead and played with the solidity of a seasoned professional – despite an early wobble – to seal the win.

“At the beginning of the year I was trying to get into the top 50 in the world,” he smiled. “After Abu Dhabi, my game was good, and now I’m very close to the Majors.

I’m qualified for the WGC-Accenture Match Play – the first World Golf Championships I will play in – and it’s very important for me.”

Quiros shot through the field and into a winning position with a sensational third round 8-under 64 and he was feeling philosophical going into the final day. “It’s going to be a new day like the others, and with a little bit of luck, I will be fighting for the trophy,” he said after his bogey-free

round. “But this is golf and you have to wait until it’s your week.”

It was most certainly Quiros’ week. He was the benefit of good fortune on more than one occasion in his quest for the famous pearl trophy. On the long par-5 18 hole on day two, he pulled his drive only to see the ball cannon off one of the large boulders and back into the fairway – he then made a four for his only birdie on the closing hole all week. Then, during his third round 64, luck was smiling on him again as another pulled drive on the ninth saw his ball end up stuck in a tree. A refereeing decision allowed him to take a free drop and he safely made par.

Having had lady luck on his side during the opening rounds she could do nothing to help him as his solid form deserted him early in the final round. A front nine wobble saw him go out in 1-over 37 but three birdies in the first four holes after the

IRISH OPEN BACK ON LINKS turn got him back on track. A bogey on the difficult 15 gave the chasing pack a sniff of glory but Quiros quickly made amends with birdies on 16 and 17 and a solid par on the 18 clinched the title.

“It wasn’t a perfect day,” he reflected, “but the score was enough and I won, that’s all!”

Quiros came home with a 3-under 69 for a 19-under total, which saw him beat Oosthuizen (71) and Stenson (68) by three with Ireland’s Damien McGrane finishing alone in fourth place on 13-under.

“It was a good day,” said Stenson, who finished in the top seven for the fifth successive year. “He (Quiros) obviously kicked in some good birdies here and there, I had some chances but I’m happy with my performance. It’s been another good week in Qatar.”

Oosthuizen had to settle for his second runner-up finish in succession after a final round that never really got going. “I’ve

THE Irish Open, one of the longest running events on The European Tour, will return to a links course this year when County Louth GC in Baltray will host the event. Brett Rumford was the winner the only previous time the course has hosted the event, in 2004, and Irish favourite Padraig Harrington is looking forward to the tournament already.

“I am delighted to hear that The Irish Open is returning to Baltray,” he said. “It is certainly one of the most exciting links courses in the country and one I have enjoyed playing in the past. I look forward to the tournament being a great success.”

JOHN DALY BANNED FROM PGA TOUR

MONTY WON’T BE A GOLDEN OLDIE

JOHN Daly has revealed he is banned from participating on the PGA TOUR and is playing on The European Tour instead. Daly admitted he is serving a suspension of six months for conduct deemed detrimental to golf’s image. The 42-yearold, who also served a 12-tournament ban in 1994, said: “This is the lowest I’ve ever been.”

His agent, Bud Martin, said: “John’s New Year’s resolution is do everything he can to make positive things happen on the golf course. I hope he can walk the walk because the talk sounds great.”

COLIN Montgomerie has announced that he won’t make the step up to the European Seniors Tour when he turns 50 in five years time because he will still be exempt on The European Tour. “I don’t think you’ll find me playing seniors golf. I can’t see myself leaving home for another six days a week for seniors golf. I am lucky enough to be exempt on The European Tour until I am 52 and I plan on carrying on playing until then and I will see my options after that.”

WOODS FACES TOUGH ROAD BACK TIGER Woods remains unsure as to when he will be able to play again as he continues to recover from knee surgery last June. “I’ve got to do a lot of work, and it’ll be an arduous task,” he said. “I think I can handle a full swing now, but I’m not there yet.

It’s going to take a little bit of time. I don’t know how my legs are going to start recovering.”

“It feels like a pay-off for all the worrying I’ve put in over the past couple of months.

It shows that marriage is clearly good for me.”

ENGLISH OPEN PUT ON HOLD THE English Open has been postponed for two years after developers at the course ran into financial difficulties. The event, which was set to return to The European Tour after a 14-year absence, was due to be held at St Mellion but the club’s owners blamed the credit crunch for hitting sales of 265 homes as part of a £100m club development.

– Paul Casey, who married his longterm partner, Jocelyn, in December.

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Commercialbank Qatar Masters

VIJAY Singh and Ian Poulter both went under the surgeon’s knife last month in order to get to full fitness on their respective Tours. Poulter pulled out of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship for corrective eye surgery while Singh underwent knee surgery which will see him sit out all events until the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Feb 12.

SHOT OF THE MONTH: ANTHONY Kim smashed an awesome fairway metal from over 250 yards on the final hole of the Mercedes-Benz Championship to just seven inches for a tap-in eagle. Sublime.

ROUND OF THE MONTH: PAUL Casey accelerated to a four-shot lead heading into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship thanks to a sensational 9-under 63.

Nine birdies, no blemishes and just one shot off the course record.

MAKING HIS MARK

WORLD No.2 STILL LEADING THE RACE TO DUBAI AFTER THE DESERT SWING SERGIO Garcia undoubtedly had the best season of his career last year with three victories, including two of his biggest, at The Players Championship, which earned him his biggest payday so far, and the HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

He ended the year as No.2 on the Official World Golf Ranking behind Tiger Woods and he’s making rapid progress towards the top during Tiger’s enforced absence through injury. Sergio’s play off victory over Oliver Wilson in the HSBC Champions last November put him at the head of The inaugural Race to Dubai and his results in the Desert Swing have kept him in the lead, ahead of Rory McIlroy .

Garcia finished tied eighth in the Abu

Dhabi Golf Championship, tied seventh in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters and tied 11th in the Dubai Desert Classic. In his last four tournaments Garcia’s victory in the first event of The European Tour season plus three top11 finishes have already earned the Spaniard €763,481 in prize money, which puts him €154,071 ahead of his nearest rival, Desert Classic winner Rory McIlroy, in The Race to Dubai.

Sergio has occupied the top spot in the Race to qualify for the Dubai World Championship at the Greg Norman-designed Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates November 19-22 since the start last November and he’s determined to still be out in front when the top 60 make the Championship.

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Abu Dhabi Golf Championship

SINGH AND POULTER IN SURGERY

DUNN AND BAIN FAIL Q-SCHOOL DESPITE leading after an opening round 5-under 68, Ross Bain failed to earn his Asian Tour card for next season after rounds of 76-82-74 and 74 saw him finish in a tie for 80th. Dunn finished 60th after rounds of 71-77-77-72 and 74 as only the top 40 placed players earned their cards.

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Divots

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The World No.2 Sergio Garcia

WORLDWIDE GOLF COLUMNISTS WWG COLUMNIST

Ernie Els is the most successful South African golfer of his generation. Els, nicknamed ‘The Big Easy’ due to his easy-looking swing, has won three Majors and seven World Match Play Championships during a career that spans close on two decades. Els has two U.S. Opens to his name and won The Open Championship in 2002.

ERNIE

Gary Player is a true legend of the game. The South African is one of only five players to have won a career Grand Slam of all four Majors.

He has won a total of nine Majors and nine Senior Majors, among 167 Tour events worldwide. This year he broke the appearance record at The Masters Tournament when he made his 51st start.

ELS

GRADUALLY GETTING BACK ON TRACK

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ournament wins the last three years have been somewhat slim pickings for me, certainly by the standards of my career up to 2005. But then again, the last three years haven’t been what I’d call normal.

Since coming back from knee surgery at the beginning of 2006 it has, at times, been tough. Not just on the golf course, but off it, too. I’ve had a lot of important things away from golf that I’ve had to kind of put in place. That has taken my focus away from golf a little bit. I guess that’s part of the reason I haven’t had the results I’ve grown used to.

During this time I have to say Callaway has been unbelievable. They have been a great support system.

They support me personally and they have supported the causes I’m involved with. That’s meant a lot to us as a family and we really appreciate everything they’ve done.

I feel we’re in a good place now. The family is really settled in Florida. They are really happy there. Ben’s happy. Samantha’s great. The other stuff is looking better, too – and ‘touch wood’ business is not too bad, either. We’ve got some good golf course design projects at various stages going on around the world.

As I’ve said in my previous Columns in Worldwide Golf, my game is getting back to where I want it to be. It’s not like I’ve been totally off the planet. I’ve had occasional wins, some really good tournaments and lots of close finishes, even in the Majors. But I’ve not been at quite the same level as 2004. I’ve not had my usual consistency.

That’s why I had the extended break after the PGA TOUR Play-offs for the FedExCup series and why I took more time off than usual in December. I didn’t go down to the Million Dollar Challenge in South Africa, which was a tough decision to make, and I didn’t play in my good friend Johann Rupert’s tournament, the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek. That was tough, too. But I felt it was necessary. I mean, each year you want to feel like you’re ready to go, the first week in January and with me usually playing so much golf in December that hasn’t always been the case. It hasn’t always given me enough time off to re-charge the batteries.

This time it was different. With that extra time off in

December I just feel totally energised right now. I’m 39 years of age and ready to walk the hills again, so to speak. Even though I haven’t had quite the start to 2009 that I was hoping for, I feel good about the year ahead.

As I said in last month’s Column, I love starting my year with back-to-back tournaments in Hawaii.

Qualifying for the limited-field Mercedes, it’s almost like playing the TOUR Championship – you know, you feel like you’ve done something good just to be there and it gives you a bit of a confidence boost. On the whole I played well in Hawaii. Unfortunately, I had just one ordinary round on Saturday but other than that, it was mostly good. I just didn’t quite score as well as I played. My game is right there, but it seems like most days I’m two or three shots worse than I feel like I should be. It was only the first week of the year, though.

The following week in the Sony Open I again suffered from one bad round, a 72 on day one. I played well after that, though, shooting 69-68 and a bogey-free final round of 67. I hit a lot of fairways and greens – in fact, one of the media guys told me I was second in ‘Greens in Regulation’ for the week.

Usually, on a tight golf course like Waialae that’s one of the keys to a high finish. Sadly, my putter really let me down.

While I was in Hawaii we had the Official Opening of

GARY

Golf legend Greg Norman is the finest Australian golfer of his generation. He won two Open Championships among 84 tournaments worldwide spanning three decades and is now Chairman of Great White Shark Enterprises. One of the most recognisable men in the game.

PLAYER

A A

S this global recession continues to bite deeper it’s time for the players who have been earning big bucks over recent years to put something back. I’ve talked before in my Column that the players should make every effort to support the tournament sponsors in every way they can. I mentioned it again last month.

Those sponsors are being hit hard and it’s very difficult for them to spend millions of dollars on golf tournament sponsorships when they’re losing money and having to make large-scale redundancies.

When you look at the number of title sponsors on the PGA TOUR in the States who are either financial institutions or automobile companies it’s easy to understand that there will be trouble ahead in keeping those tournaments alive. Many of those companies are having to be bailed out by the U.S. Government, which makes it almost impossible for them to justify large golf sponsorships running into millions of dollars.

The game needs a shot in the arm and one way of providing such a boost would be for the players to volunteer to put, say 10 per cent of their earnings into a fund, which could be used by the Tours to bolster the tournaments.

The Tours may have financial reserves to call upon but they are non-profit making organisations and their coffers cannot support the level of existing prize money without the money from title sponsors.

The players need to do something in these tough times and I believe it would be a gesture that would be welcomed by all the Tours worldwide.

On the subject of the Tours, I must commend The European Tour in their foresight many years ago in expanding their Tour Schedule to include

I HIT A LOT OF FAIRWAYS AND GREENS – IN FACT, ONE OF THE MEDIA GUYS TOLD ME I WAS SECOND IN ‘GREENS IN REGULATION’ FOR THE WEEK. USUALLY, ON A TIGHT GOLF COURSE LIKE WAIALAE THAT’S ONE OF THE KEYS TO A HIGH FINISH. SADLY, MY PUTTER REALLY LET ME DOWN.

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Ernie Els

co-sanctioned events around the world. It’s never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket and the result of The European Tour’s smart strategy is that they are suffering much less than the PGA TOUR in the U.S. Perhaps it’s time to revisit a truly World golf tour again.

The progression of golf in the Middle East and Asia over recent years has been colossal and The European Tour are reaping the benefits of widening their horizons.

The Middle East Swing has grown in stature and importance over the last few years and now attracts many of the big names from the United States, in addition to the international players who have steadily been taking over the leading spots on the Official World Golf Ranking. In the current top 10 of

“The European Tour’s smart strategy means that they are suffering much less than the PGA Tour in the U.S.” – GARY PLAYER the World Ranking there are only three Americans, which tells its own story.

The Asian Tour is producing more and more world-class players every year. It came as no surprise to me that Asia beat Europe in last month’s Royal Trophy at the Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand.

It was the first time since the annual Ryder Cupstyle competition began in 2006 that Asia had won the event but their 10-6 victory over a strong European team proved the strength in depth of the Asian players.

Europe’s captain, Jose Maria Olazabal, who was standing in for Seve Ballesteros, is one of the

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NORMAN

DUBAI’S CONFIDENCE AND STABILITY CAN RIDE IT OUT

THE PLAYERS NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP

our new golf course, Hoakalei. It was a great success.

Obviously, the course will need to mature before it can host a world-class professional tournament, but I have to say we’re optimistic. I’ll certainly be pushing for something and I’ve already had discussions with the PGA TOUR’s Commissioner in the States, Tim Finchem. The TOUR’s contract with Kapalua ends after the 2010 Mercedes, so who knows? We have the Sony Open on O’ahu, so why not another event there, too.

Two weeks in Honolulu would be fantastic.

Anyway, for my next tournament I flew from Hawaii to Qatar. The first thing I went to work on was my putting, but things didn’t go the way I would have liked. To be honest, I was never in it. I played OK teeto-green, but I really didn’t make much on the greens.

It was obviously nice to shoot a 68 on the final day and there was some good stuff in there, but it was a case of too little too late – a shame, really, because I was looking forward to doing well in Qatar. I had higher hopes for Dubai.

After phoning through this report I’m heading off to the airport to catch the short flight from Doha to Dubai for the Desert Classic. It’s one of my favourite tournaments, having won it three times. And I’ll never forget the course record 61 I shot on the way to my first win in 1994.

By the time you read this story, you’ll know if I made it four wins!

GREG

S the global recession begins to bite the growth markets, including the Middle East, I’m confident the Middle East in general and Dubai in particular, can rebound more quickly than the more mature markets of the United States and UK/Europe.

This is no time to panic. Calm minds and cool heads are what’s required to see this worldwide credit crunch through. It was always said that when the United States catches a cold the rest of the world catches a fever. But times have changed. That old adage might have been the case in the past but it certainly doesn’t apply today. The U.S. economy has serious fundamental flaws but that is not the case with other, more nimble economies around the world.

We have all weathered recessions in the past, and we all seem to come out of them without too much harm. It is understandable that people tend to go on the defensive and become more insular.

But too much pessimism can be self-fulfilling.

Closures and redundancies are inevitable where companies are not as financially sound and in many ways the natural process takes its course. The United States economy has been built on straw in many aspects and it’s probably true to say that it needed a recession and a credit crunch to get the country back to reality. The way things have been going in recent years the happenings of the last few months seemed almost inevitable.

However, Dubai and the UAE and the Gulf states are in a very different proposition. Dubai has the confidence and the stability to ride out the storm.

Through the vision of Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, Dubai has created its own success. Over a number of years it has firmly established itself as the business capital of the Middle East with a diversified economy and in the process built a reputation for innovative thinking backed by solid fundamentals.

Due to its leadership and the entrepreneurial spirit that abounds in Dubai, where nothing is considered impossible, the achievements of the emirate in recent years have been colossal and while there will be a correction, it will likely sort out the speculators and pave the way for the longer term developers and land users. Let’s remember that Dubai has a very small population base, but is fast becoming the hub for

contenders for the Ryder Cup captaincy and I think he would do a good job. He’s a very nice man and it would be a fitting gesture for him to be given the accolade.

I was pleased for Asia to win the Royal Trophy and it was good for the game – in the same way that it was good for the United States to beat Europe in The Ryder Cup at Valhalla last September.

Golf is all about competition. When it stops being competitive it stops being interesting.

I was also pleased to see Richard Sterne win back-to-back tournaments in South Africa before Christmas. He won the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Golf Club and the South African Open Championship at Pearl Valley.

He was in contention to win the Joburg Open but his challenge faded over the closing holes and he ended up sharing 12th place behind the winner Anders Hansen.

Sterne is a hugely talented golfer who is capable of joining the top flight. He’s worked on his short game and he’s improving all the time. South Africa is blessed with a number of emerging young golfers who are making their mark on the world game, including Charl Schwartzel, Trevor Immelman, Rory Sabbatini, Andrew McLardy, Thomas Aiken, Anton Haigh and Louis Oosthuizen.

One big disappointment to me was the news that John Daly had been banned by the PGA TOUR after an incident that ended up with him spending the night in a police cell in North Carolina.

It looks as though he has finally blown it, which is a terrible waste of a huge talent. He is one of the best talents I have ever seen and certainly among the top five players I’ve seen in my lifetime.

Despite all his natural ability he’s chosen to self-destruct. Had he been able to control himself he could have won several Majors by now but although he’s playing on The European Tour’s Middle East Swing it seems an impossible feat for him to get back into the game. ■

commerce in the GCC. Sustainable growth is part of its future Where else would you see a golf and tourism destination grow out of the desert with so many outstanding Championship courses created in such little time.

The foresight of the Maktoum Family has also created the world’s biggest and most prestigious airline, in Emirates, one of the largest aluminium producers in Dubal – and just about every international company is represented in Dubai.

When Worldwide Golf launched in 1999 there were just a handful of grass courses in Dubai. Within the next couple of years the number will have quadrupled, with courses designed by some of the greatest names in the business.

Dubai has the confidence to continue to produce

everyone but I’m sure that Dubai will take up the challenges ahead and continue to expand this oasis of prosperity.

This is an exciting time for me on the golf front.

I enjoyed a remarkable playing season in 2008 and I’d like to make it another memorable year on the course in 2009.

It was great to pair up with my son, Gregory, to win the ADT Golf Skills Challenge at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort and Club at Aventura, Florida, in November and it will be a thrill to have Gregory on the bag when I play The Masters in April.

I played the 22nd Wendys Champions Skins Game at Ka’Anapali Golf Resort in Maui last month, which was a lot of fun. I don’t get to play as many Champions Tour events as I’d like, so it was good to meet up again with my fellow Worldwide Golf

THROUGH THE VISION OF SHEIKH MOHAMMED DUBAI HAS CREATED ITS OWN SUCCESS. OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS IT HAS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS THE BUSINESS CAPITAL OF THE MIDDLE EAST WITH A DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY AND IN THE PROCESS BUILT A REPUTATION FOR INNOVATIVE THINKING BACKED BY SOLID FUNDAMENTALS. world-class projects and developments while so many other countries retreat into their shells.

Strategically, it has made the most of its geographical position, midway between the emerging markets of India, Asia and the Far East with the West. The Dubai Free Zone and Dubai Ports Authority have established themselves as the ideal staging post between the Eastern and the Western worlds.

Due to the abundance of oil and natural gas, other emirates, such as Abu Dhabi and nearby Middle Eastern States and Kingdoms like Bahrain, Qatar and Oman are making the most of their natural resources.

The next year or two are going to be tough for

Columnist Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Fuzzy Zoeller, Tom Watson, Jay Haas and Bernard Langer.

I’m looking forward to being back in Australia later this month for the Johnnie Walker Classic at the Vines Resort in Perth. It boasts one of the strongest fields ever with so many outstanding players making the trip, including Camilo Villegas, Anthony Kim, Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter.

The recession will hit golf hard this year and we’ll all have to make the most of our opportunities but with The Race to Dubai gathering momentum towards the Dubai World Championship it’s going to be an exciting season.

5

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Gary Player

ROSS Fisher is one of the hottest young stars on The European Tour.

Having only joined the Tour in 2006 he already has two titles under his belt, including the 2008 European Open. He is currently 31st on the Official World Ranking.

ROSS

FISHER

GREAT TO BE BACK IN ACTION

A

S I write this column I’m sat in my hotel room in Doha the night before the Qatar Masters gets underway. It’s great to be back in action again. It’s always nice to have a break after a long season but I was itching to get back out there again and coming back to the UAE is a great way to get the season underway.

I really love it out here. I came to Dubai to practice and have a short break last year and had a great time. The weather and facilities are perfect. I want to try to do the same again this year but it may be difficult as I’ll be playing more events in the U.S., particularly with the World Golf Championships and The Masters.

But for now I’m really happy to be back in this part of the world. I’ve got very fond memories of this region. My record in Dubai is good and I played my first Qatar Masters last year and did quite well so I’m hoping for another good performance this week.

I didn’t have such great memories of Abu Dhabi having missed the cut last year, but it was nice to make it into the weekend this year and do reasonably well.

I shot 75-67-70-68 and finished 8-under 280. To be fair, if I’d shot that score last year I think I would have finished tied seventh but as it was, I finished 37th!

It just shows how good the scoring was and it was a great win for Paul Casey.

But I was still happy enough with my performance, considering it’s the first event and there are always going to be a few cobwebs.

One thing that I did find really bizarre in Abu Dhabi was the weather. I wasn’t actually at the course when it rained on the first day but my mate was there and he said it was just horrendous. He said it went really cold and wet and then all of a sudden hailstones started coming down the size of golf balls. I couldn’t believe it when the courtesy car came to pick me

up from the hotel and the lady told me how bad the weather was up at the golf course because it was really sunny and hot where I was! It was a bit of a strange one.

Another very enjoyable aspect of my trip to the UAE came the week before Abu Dhabi when I warmed up for the event by taking part in the Al Naboodah Pro-Am at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

I first met Abdullah Al Naboodah when I played the event last year and got to know him quite well. I then met him again when I came out for my short break last year and we had a game together. He hadn’t been playing that long and he was off about 11 or 12 but I have to say he was a bit of a bandit! Still, when I saw him at his event this year and he told me he was playing off 5.8 now I was pretty impressed – he’ll only have been playing three years in March. But I did think, ‘It’s not surprising the amount of golf you play!’ He’s

Above: Ross Fisher and Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club’s 1-handicapper Jay Varkey, who teamed up to play in last month’s Al Naboodah ProAm at the Creek.

completely obsessed with the game. He loves it and that’s great. He’s very passionate about golf and I think that showed again in his golf day. It was tremendous. I knew it was going to be a special day and he put everything into making it a great day, not only for the pros but also for the amateurs. Hopefully the event will continue for many more years.

It was even more special for me as I now have an association with the Al Naboodah Group, who have become a shirt sponsor. I was delighted when the offer came in from them due to the fact that I knew Abdullah and get on really well with him. He’s a great bloke. We’re going to be playing more and more in the Middle East in the years to come so it’s great to be associated with such an important company in the region.

Hopefully I can repay the faith they’ve shown in me by putting in some good performances during the rest of the Middle East Swing and for the remainder of what promises to be a very exciting season. ■

Picture courtesy of Rebecca Hobday

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45

Greg Norman

27

Ross Fisher

Claude Harmon III

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UNLEASHING THE POWER WITH THE 2009 ABU DHABI GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER

Flower by Kenzo is a cool, contemporary fragrance for the modern woman who seeks freshness and inspiration from mother nature. A creamy finish is left after an instant floral hit. Technical jargon: Top notes – Bulgarian rose, wild hawthorn, palma violets.

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PLAYER TECHNOLOGY HARDWEAR FOOTWEAR APPAREL BALLS NEW DEALS GALORE AT THE START OF THE NEW SEASON

Meanwhile Stuart Appleby is moving to Callaway after spending the past few years under Bridgestone Golf’s sponsorship.

THREE big names are changing their gear ahead of the new season.

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BY PACO RABANNE

Next month...

212 SEXY – BY CAROLINA HERRERA

A trendy fragrance for the younger woman, Black XS For Her holds a combination of floral highs with woody lows for a musky yet crisp finish.

Technical jargon: Top notes – hellebore rose, tamarind blossom, pink peppercorns, cranberry. Heart notes – vanilla. Base notes – massoia note, patchouli.

212 Sexy features a distinctive and classy musky aroma with a seductive blend of rose pepper and musk for the modern, confident woman.

Technical jargon: Top notes – tangerine, bergamot, rose pepper. Heart notes – floral petals, gardenia. Base notes – musk, candy floss.

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Padraig Harrington, voted PGA TOUR Player of the Year last year, has moved from Hi-tech footwear to FootJoy. “FootJoy is a brand that just about every young golfer is brought up wearing, and I was no different,” he said. “The new SYNR-G shoes from FootJoy support the foot well throughout the golf swing, which is important when hitting solid, powerful shots.”

Sony Ericsson Walkman W508 www.wwgolf.biz

57

SONY Ericsson’s latest offering is another must-have for those who like to combine their MP3 player with their phone, while the clam shell design is a stylish departure from the traditional shape of their other Walkman phones.

The W508 has all the use-ability of its predecessors but is also packed to the rafters with new features. Choose from eight changeable ‘Style-Up’ covers to

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This cracking little phone also incorporates at 3.2 megapixel camera, video camera and RDS radio.

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DRIVING

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ARABIAN

54

Current FedExCup holder Vijay Singh will no longer play the Titleist Prov1 ball but instead will use the Srixon Z-star ball. “I’ve thoroughly tested Srixon balls and I’m convinced that they’re better than what I’ve been playing,” said Singh after signing a multi-year deal with the company.

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PEUGEOT NEW 407 Styling and Technology >>

RIDE COMFORT PERFORMANCE SPACE BRAKING

92

IN keeping with the new direction and goals of the United Arab Emirates Golf Association the Board has created a new logo for the Emirates Golf Association. “There was always some confusion with the name of the UGA, with some people believing it stood for United Golf Association and not realising that it was a shortened version of the UAE Golf Assiociation,” says General Manager, Saeed Al Budoor. “Emirates Golf Federation – EGF – is instantly recognisable in that it represents the seven Emirates of the UAE. We think this will help the image of the EGF and underline the fact that the Federation looks after the golfing interests of all the seven Emirates.”

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93

PEUGEOT NEW 407 “Renewed driving pleasure” is the mantra of the new Peugeot 407 and that’s exactly what’s on offer as the vehicle features upgrades in styling, dynamics and handling on top of improvements across almost every aspect of the car.

A F T E R A L O N G D AY O N T H E C O U R S E , I T ’ S A LW AY S G O O D T O TA K E T I M E O U T T O F R E S H E N U P

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The design of the 407 is focussed around a number of core customer motoring values: styling and technology.

Subtle visual improvements have updated a design that is just as dynamic and bold as before but now features more in terms of elegance, robustness and high quality, both externally and internally.

New enhanced comfort equipment increases the appeal by offering even greater specification to its occupants, particularly onboard temperature control and new telematics systems while new equipment such as front parking assistance enhances the car’s worldwide reputation for ease of driving.

D R I V E R - F A I R W AY- H Y B R I D - I R O N S - W E D G E S - P U T T E R - B A L L

INTHE

y 2009

Issue 101, Februar

EGF – MENS AMATEUR ORDER OF MERIT 1 2 T3 T3 T3 6 T7 T7 9 T10 T10 T10

MATTHEW TURNER (EGC) KHALID YOUSUF (EGC) JOHN FELLINGHAM (DCGYC) SOO CHUL SHIN (DCGYC) VIKRAM JUDGE (DCGYC) AHMED AL MUSHARREKH (SGSC) SEBASTIAN HEISELE (EGC) JOEL NEALE (EGC) DINO VARKEY (DCGYC) MALCOLM TENNANT (SWGC) PURNA SHARMA (SGSC) KOUROCHE ACHTARI (EGC)

43 35 30 30 30 24 22 22 19 18.5 18.5 18.5

Clubs Al Ghazal Golf Club Al Hamra Golf Club Arabian Ranches Golf Club Butch Harmon School Dirab Golf Club Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Emirates Golf Club Ernie Els Charity InterContinental Riyadh Golf Club Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa Katameya Heights Golf & Tennis Club Palm Sports Resort Al Ain Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club Sharjah Wanderers The Montgomerie, Dubai The Royal Golf Club, Riffa Views Tower Links Golf Club

PERTY STYLE PRO TIPS GEAR

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WORLDWIDE

CLEAN SHAVE – BY OLE HENRIKSEN

Golf

LUKE CANTELLO

Est:1999

3-Wood: Callawayclassically X 15° Aldila NV X Shaft enchanting as it is

and feminine.

Hybrid: Callaway modern FT 2 Hybrid 18° Technical jargon: Top Irons 3-PW: Callaway with Rifle 6.5 Flighted Shafts notesX–Forged caipirinha lime, peach.

Wedges: Callawayrose, X 54° / 60°Heart notes – moonflower, peony petals.

Putter: Callaway White Hot Tour #2 cedar, Base notes – white light oak, applewood.

Ball: Callaway iX Tour

Q&A:

BLACK XS FOR HER –

BY PACO RABANNE

Rorys Master Stroke Classic win earns a call $416,660 andjoin from Tiger to ta. him at Augus

A trendy fragrance for When woman, did you first start playing golf and where? theQ: younger A: IXS started playing Black For Her holds agolf at The Coffs Harbour Golf Club in New South Wales at thehighs age of eight. My uncle introduced me to combination of floral the gamelows as he with woody forwas a a very low handicap player. My first annual membership fee was just AUD$34. musky yet crisp finish.

Technical jargon: Top notes Q: How rose, longtamarind have you been in Dubai?

– hellebore A: I moved to Dubai in September 2006 as I was very fortunate blossom, pink peppercorns, to be offered a position at The Academy by Troon Golf at The cranberry.

Heart notes Montgomerie, Dubai.

It was a fantastic move for me and I – vanilla.

Base notes – thoroughly enjoy it here. massoia note, patchouli.

Middle East’s No.1 Golf Magazine

H PAUL CASEY

POWER UP WITMAN ●FIS HER ●NE WS & VIEW S ELS●

PLAY ER● NOR

tion & The

es Golf Federa

tion of The Emirat

Official Publica

FLOWER – BY KENZO

Flower by Kenzo is a cool, contemporary fragrance Clean Shave is a smooth for the modern woman gel which delivers a light who seeks freshness and foam for a cleaner, closer inspiration from mother shave. Recommended for nature. A creamy finish is men prone to irritation or left after an instant floral razor bumps it is enhanced hit. Technical jargon: Top with natural extracts of aloe, notes – Bulgarian rose, wild cucumber and eucalyptus hawthorn, palma violets.

NINA – BY NINA RICCI to soothe and rejuvenate Heart notes- opopanax, D I R E C T O R O F I N S T R U C T I O N , T Hskin.

E A C A D E M Y, T H E M O N T G O M ERIE, DUBAI. white musk. Base notes – A modern fragrance for the hedione, cyclosal. modern woman, Nina by Nina Ricci is a fresh, floral Driver: Callaway FT-3 9.5° Graffalloy Blue S Shaft and fruity scent that is as

tion Arab Golf Federa

212 SEXY – BY CAROLINA HERRERA 212 Sexy features a distinctive and classy musky aroma with a seductive blend of rose pepper and musk for the modern, confident woman.

Technical jargon: Top notes – tangerine, bergamot, rose pepper. Heart notes – floral petals, gardenia. Base notes – musk, candy floss.

Q: What’s your favourite memory of your time spent in Dubai so far?

A: Being a part of the victorious Dubai Trophy team last year was a great feeling. It was so nice to be in a team situation like that again, with great sportsmanship shown over the two days by both teams.

Q: What was your first set of Golf Clubs?

A: My first set was a half set of Wilson Stylists with persimmon headed woods and blade irons. That really shows how long ago I started playing!

Q: Who is your golfing hero and why?

A: Obviously growing up in Australia my idol was Greg Norman.

I was so lucky to be at Royal St. George’s in 1993 to watch him win his second Open Championship. His final-round 64 was very special to see. His most admirable trait however, was that win or lose he always conducted himself with class on the course.

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

A: If I was head of the R&A I would make sure no golf clubs were allowed to have “internal Out of Bounds.” No matter where you are within the boundaries of a course, if you can find your ball and hit it, you should be able to!

Groom Room

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37

LAST MONTH’S WORLDWIDE GOLF MIDWEEK OPEN: Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, January 19th

Join the Emirates Golf Federation and make sure you have a registered handicap for the 2009 Midweek Opens WORLDWIDE GOLF’s first Midweek Open of 2009 supported by Peugeot and played at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa got the New Year off to a fine start – on the day following the first event of the Middle East Swing, the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. It was very gratifying that all the golfers who had entered our tournament turned up on the day to play and it was even more rewarding that every competitor had an Emirates Golf Federation Official Handicap Certificate or golf club handicap. Please note that all players wishing to take part in the 2009 Worldwide Golf Midweek Open series must have a registered handicap with a golf club or with the Emirates Golf Federation. We now have a database of more than 1,000 golfers keen to take part.

David Burke reports on the seventh Worldwide Golf Midweek Open, supported by Peugeot at Jebel Ali Resort & Spa – and plays down his magnificent performance WORLDWIDE THE seventh Worldwide Golf Midweek Open supported by Peugeot played at Jebel Ali Resort and Spa last month was another overwhelming success. We were all very well looked after by everyone at the Resort and the course was in pristine condition.

With a limited field of only 54 competitors it meant that almost as many more golfers on the waiting list had to be disappointed. But it was rewarding for Worldwide Golf that all 54 players turned up on the day, which is a measure of the popularity of the Series.

For only AED295 each competitor enjoyed: 18 holes of golf; shared golf cart with GPS; range balls and access to the practice facility prior to play; use of the locker rooms, Tournament golf shirt, and an excellent fish and chip supper after play.

Bill Henrie tamed the windy conditions better than the rest of the field and was a worthy winner with just 37 Stableford points.

Modesty prevents me from making too much of my outstanding performance in finishing a sensational second in Division B with 32 points.

Like our Editor of Worldwide Golf, Alex Gallemore, who was third in our fifth Midweek Open at

6

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Arabian Ranches Golf Club in November but declined to accept his prize, I thought I’d better do the same.

As a gentleman and a scholar I’m also not going to make too much of my achievement as a 20 handicapper in case Alex starts to ask questions on how much time I’m spending on the golf course.

The winner of Division A was Satwinder Singh Sembi with 34 points. Golf Course Manager for Orient Irregation, Marty Brown, scored 33 points along with Burhan Mohammed but took second place a countback.

Dave Lamb won Division B with 34 points, two points ahead of Alan Comyn. Suresh Shewakramani came in third with 30 points.

The Ladies winner was Sarabjot Bhangoo with 30 points.

Nearest the Pin winner on hole 17 was Derrick Denholm and the Longest Drive award on hole 13 went to Abizher Mohammed.

We would like to thank our sponsor, Peugeot, for making the tournament possible, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa for making us so welcome and looking after us so well and the Emirates Golf Federation for their help and support.

Golf Est:1999

Midweek Open

PLAYER INTRODUCTION

Worldwide Golf’s Executive Editor

PLAYER

GARY

FIVE-STAR VISITORS

Getting in the swing of things at the site of the Gary Player-designed course at Saadiyat Island during the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship: Henrik Stenson, Robert Allenby, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia and Paul Casey, who went on to win the tournament by one shot from Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer for the second time, having also won in 2007.

I

WAS delighted to see some of the leading players who were competing at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship making the trip out to our Saadiyat Island golf course, which will host The European Tour event in years to come.

Among those swinging a club at the course were three-times Major winner Padraig Harrington; World No.2 Sergio Garcia; Paul Casey, winner of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in 2007 who went on to win the Championship for the second time in just three years; World No.12 Henrik Stenson; and Australia’s Robert Allenby.

I’m thrilled with the progress at our Saadiyat Island course. It’s one of the finest oceanfront courses I’ve ever designed and I believe it is something special and will soon become recognised as one of the most prestigious courses in the Middle East.

It’s in a spectacular setting, 500 metres offshore on the 27 square kilometre Saadiyat Island, with the backdrop of the Arabian Gulf and Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. It’s a pleasure working with the TDIC and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority who are doing amazing things with Abu Dhabi.

Sergio is the man in form at the moment and if he can continue his momentum he could take Tiger’s crown as the King of World Golf. He’s still a good way behind in second place in the rankings but each week Woods is out of the game Sergio has the chance to close up.

The PGA TOUR in particular and the game in general are in need of the sort of boost that Tiger’s return would bring but his comeback after his long rehabilitation from knee surgery seems to be a long way off.

Tiger has said that he’s starting to make a full swing of the club but he’s not expecting to be back until The Masters in April. There are a lot of important events between now and Augusta and although we’re well

aware of just what a remarkable athlete Woods is, it’s expecting too much for him to return with another Major victory. It could take him some time to get back to winning ways, even considering that he has fully recovered from his injury.

Players like Sergio and Harrington have made the most of Tiger’s absence but they’ll have to keep winning the big events to knock Tiger off the top of the world.

I was pleased to read that the victorious Paul Casey had said: “These are exciting times for Abu Dhabi and seeing the Gary Player course was great. We hit drives from the 13th tee and down the beach. You can really feel the wind whipping up from the sea and I think that will be one of the best elements of the course. The wind has been well utilised in the design and the Saadiyat course will be very links like.”

I’m honoured that these five outstanding players visited our course, which is scheduled for completion by the end of the year. It will be interesting to see how they perform at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship at Saadiyat Island in future years.

I’m also very pleased with the golf course I have designed back home on the farm in South Africa. We completed it just before Christmas and I can’t wait to present it to everyone. It can be operated using around a fifth of the water used by a normal golf course.

The running costs can be reduced by 25 per cent of conventional costs.

It could revolutionise golf course design, particularly in regions where water is in such short supply.

We’ve put a lot of work into the course and I’m delighted at what we’ve achieved – it’s very rewarding.

It was also very gratifying to hear that our Blair Athol Golf Course, which we built at our former home in South Africa, which opened in April 2007, has just been rated the No.2 course in South Africa for 2009. www.wwgolf.biz

1

Ernie Els is the most successful South African golfer of his generation. Els, nicknamed ‘The Big Easy’ due to his easy-looking swing, has won three Majors and seven World Match Play Championships during a career that spans close on two decades. Els has two U.S. Opens to his name and won The Open Championship in 2002.

ERNIE

ELS

GRADUALLY GETTING BACK ON TRACK

T

ournament wins the last three years have been somewhat slim pickings for me, certainly by the standards of my career up to 2005. But then again, the last three years haven’t been what I’d call normal.

Since coming back from knee surgery at the beginning of 2006 it has, at times, been tough. Not just on the golf course, but off it, too. I’ve had a lot of important things away from golf that I’ve had to kind of put in place. That has taken my focus away from golf a little bit. I guess that’s part of the reason I haven’t had the results I’ve grown used to.

During this time I have to say Callaway has been unbelievable. They have been a great support system.

They support me personally and they have supported the causes I’m involved with. That’s meant a lot to us as a family and we really appreciate everything they’ve done.

I feel we’re in a good place now. The family is really settled in Florida. They are really happy there. Ben’s happy. Samantha’s great. The other stuff is looking better, too – and ‘touch wood’ business is not too bad, either. We’ve got some good golf course design projects at various stages going on around the world.

As I’ve said in my previous Columns in Worldwide Golf, my game is getting back to where I want it to be. It’s not like I’ve been totally off the planet. I’ve had occasional wins, some really good tournaments and lots of close finishes, even in the Majors. But I’ve not been at quite the same level as 2004. I’ve not had my usual consistency.

That’s why I had the extended break after the PGA TOUR Play-offs for the FedExCup series and why I took more time off than usual in December. I didn’t go down to the Million Dollar Challenge in South Africa, which was a tough decision to make, and I didn’t play in my good friend Johann Rupert’s tournament, the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek. That was tough, too. But I felt it was necessary. I mean, each year you want to feel like you’re ready to go, the first week in January and with me usually playing so much golf in December that hasn’t always been the case. It hasn’t always given me enough time off to re-charge the batteries.

This time it was different. With that extra time off in

December I just feel totally energised right now. I’m 39 years of age and ready to walk the hills again, so to speak. Even though I haven’t had quite the start to 2009 that I was hoping for, I feel good about the year ahead.

As I said in last month’s Column, I love starting my year with back-to-back tournaments in Hawaii.

Qualifying for the limited-field Mercedes, it’s almost like playing the TOUR Championship – you know, you feel like you’ve done something good just to be there and it gives you a bit of a confidence boost. On the whole I played well in Hawaii. Unfortunately, I had just one ordinary round on Saturday but other than that, it was mostly good. I just didn’t quite score as well as I played. My game is right there, but it seems like most days I’m two or three shots worse than I feel like I should be. It was only the first week of the year, though.

The following week in the Sony Open I again suffered from one bad round, a 72 on day one. I played well after that, though, shooting 69-68 and a bogey-free final round of 67. I hit a lot of fairways and greens – in fact, one of the media guys told me I was second in ‘Greens in Regulation’ for the week.

Usually, on a tight golf course like Waialae that’s one of the keys to a high finish. Sadly, my putter really let me down.

While I was in Hawaii we had the Official Opening of

our new golf course, Hoakalei. It was a great success.

Obviously, the course will need to mature before it can host a world-class professional tournament, but I have to say we’re optimistic. I’ll certainly be pushing for something and I’ve already had discussions with the PGA TOUR’s Commissioner in the States, Tim Finchem. The TOUR’s contract with Kapalua ends after the 2010 Mercedes, so who knows? We have the Sony Open on O’ahu, so why not another event there, too.

Two weeks in Honolulu would be fantastic.

Anyway, for my next tournament I flew from Hawaii to Qatar. The first thing I went to work on was my putting, but things didn’t go the way I would have liked. To be honest, I was never in it. I played OK teeto-green, but I really didn’t make much on the greens.

It was obviously nice to shoot a 68 on the final day and there was some good stuff in there, but it was a case of too little too late – a shame, really, because I was looking forward to doing well in Qatar. I had higher hopes for Dubai.

After phoning through this report I’m heading off to the airport to catch the short flight from Doha to Dubai for the Desert Classic. It’s one of my favourite tournaments, having won it three times. And I’ll never forget the course record 61 I shot on the way to my first win in 1994.

By the time you read this story, you’ll know if I made it four wins!

I HIT A LOT OF FAIRWAYS AND GREENS – IN FACT, ONE OF THE MEDIA GUYS TOLD ME I WAS SECOND IN ‘GREENS IN REGULATION’ FOR THE WEEK. USUALLY, ON A TIGHT GOLF COURSE LIKE WAIALAE THAT’S ONE OF THE KEYS TO A HIGH FINISH. SADLY, MY PUTTER REALLY LET ME DOWN.

WWG COLUMNIST

Above: Ernie Els chats to renowned coach Butch Harmon at The Els Club in Dubai during the Official Opening of the Butch Harmon School of Golf at Dubai Sports City.

Left: Ernie walks the fairway with Sweden’s Robert Karlsson during last month’s Commercialbank Qatar Masters.

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5

Gary Player is a true legend of the game. The South African is one of only five players to have won a career Grand Slam of all four Majors.

He has won a total of nine Majors and nine Senior Majors, among 167 Tour events worldwide. This year he broke the appearance record at The Masters Tournament when he made his 51st start.

GARY

PLAYER

THE PLAYERS NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP

A

S this global recession continues to bite deeper it’s time for the players who have been earning big bucks over recent years to put something back. I’ve talked before in my Column that the players should make every effort to support the tournament sponsors in every way they can. I mentioned it again last month.

Those sponsors are being hit hard and it’s very difficult for them to spend millions of dollars on golf tournament sponsorships when they’re losing money and having to make large-scale redundancies.

When you look at the number of title sponsors on the PGA TOUR in the States who are either financial institutions or automobile companies it’s easy to understand that there will be trouble ahead in keeping those tournaments alive. Many of those companies are having to be bailed out by the U.S. Government, which makes it almost impossible for them to justify large golf sponsorships running into millions of dollars.

The game needs a shot in the arm and one way of providing such a boost would be for the players to volunteer to put, say 10 per cent of their earnings into a fund, which could be used by the Tours to bolster the tournaments.

The Tours may have financial reserves to call upon but they are non-profit making organisations and their coffers cannot support the level of existing prize money without the money from title sponsors.

The players need to do something in these tough times and I believe it would be a gesture that would be welcomed by all the Tours worldwide.

On the subject of the Tours, I must commend The European Tour in their foresight many years ago in expanding their Tour Schedule to include 44

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co-sanctioned events around the world. It’s never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket and the result of The European Tour’s smart strategy is that they are suffering much less than the PGA TOUR in the U.S. Perhaps it’s time to revisit a truly World golf tour again.

The progression of golf in the Middle East and Asia over recent years has been colossal and The European Tour are reaping the benefits of widening their horizons.

The Middle East Swing has grown in stature and importance over the last few years and now attracts many of the big names from the United States, in addition to the international players who have steadily been taking over the leading spots on the Official World Golf Ranking. In the current top 10 of

“The European Tour’s smart strategy means that they are suffering much less than the PGA Tour in the U.S.” – GARY PLAYER the World Ranking there are only three Americans, which tells its own story.

The Asian Tour is producing more and more world-class players every year. It came as no surprise to me that Asia beat Europe in last month’s Royal Trophy at the Amata Spring Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand.

It was the first time since the annual Ryder Cupstyle competition began in 2006 that Asia had won the event but their 10-6 victory over a strong European team proved the strength in depth of the Asian players.

Europe’s captain, Jose Maria Olazabal, who was standing in for Seve Ballesteros, is one of the

contenders for the Ryder Cup captaincy and I think he would do a good job. He’s a very nice man and it would be a fitting gesture for him to be given the accolade.

I was pleased for Asia to win the Royal Trophy and it was good for the game – in the same way that it was good for the United States to beat Europe in The Ryder Cup at Valhalla last September.

Golf is all about competition. When it stops being competitive it stops being interesting.

I was also pleased to see Richard Sterne win back-to-back tournaments in South Africa before Christmas. He won the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Golf Club and the South African Open Championship at Pearl Valley.

He was in contention to win the Joburg Open but his challenge faded over the closing holes and he ended up sharing 12th place behind the winner Anders Hansen.

Sterne is a hugely talented golfer who is capable of joining the top flight. He’s worked on his short game and he’s improving all the time. South Africa is blessed with a number of emerging young golfers who are making their mark on the world game, including Charl Schwartzel, Trevor Immelman, Rory Sabbatini, Andrew McLardy, Thomas Aiken, Anton Haigh and Louis Oosthuizen.

One big disappointment to me was the news that John Daly had been banned by the PGA TOUR after an incident that ended up with him spending the night in a police cell in North Carolina.

It looks as though he has finally blown it, which is a terrible waste of a huge talent. He is one of the best talents I have ever seen and certainly among the top five players I’ve seen in my lifetime.

Despite all his natural ability he’s chosen to self-destruct. Had he been able to control himself he could have won several Majors by now but although he’s playing on The European Tour’s Middle East Swing it seems an impossible feat for him to get back into the game. ■

WWG COLUMNIST

The victorious Asian Team with their non-playing Captain, Naomichi ‘Joe’ Ozaki, celebrates their first win over Europe in The Royal Trophy, at the Amata Spring Country Club, Bangkok, Thailand: Ryo Ishikawa (Jpn), Toru Taniguchi (Jpn), Charlie Wi (Kor), Liang Wen-chong (PRC), Hideto Tanihara (Jpn), S.K. Ho (Kor), Thongchai Jaidee (Tha), Prayad Marksaeng (Tha).

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Golf legend Greg Norman is the finest Australian golfer of his generation. He won two Open Championships among 84 tournaments worldwide spanning three decades and is now Chairman of Great White Shark Enterprises. One of the most recognisable men in the game.

GREG

NORMAN

DUBAI’S CONFIDENCE AND STABILITY CAN RIDE IT OUT

A

S the global recession begins to bite the growth markets, including the Middle East, I’m confident the Middle East in general and Dubai in particular, can rebound more quickly than the more mature markets of the United States and UK/Europe.

This is no time to panic. Calm minds and cool heads are what’s required to see this worldwide credit crunch through. It was always said that when the United States catches a cold the rest of the world catches a fever. But times have changed. That old adage might have been the case in the past but it certainly doesn’t apply today. The U.S. economy has serious fundamental flaws but that is not the case with other, more nimble economies around the world.

We have all weathered recessions in the past, and we all seem to come out of them without too much harm. It is understandable that people tend to go on the defensive and become more insular.

But too much pessimism can be self-fulfilling.

Closures and redundancies are inevitable where companies are not as financially sound and in many ways the natural process takes its course. The United States economy has been built on straw in many aspects and it’s probably true to say that it needed a recession and a credit crunch to get the country back to reality. The way things have been going in recent years the happenings of the last few months seemed almost inevitable.

However, Dubai and the UAE and the Gulf states are in a very different proposition. Dubai has the confidence and the stability to ride out the storm.

Through the vision of Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, Dubai has created its own success. Over a number of years it has firmly established itself as the business capital of the Middle East with a diversified economy and in the process built a reputation for innovative thinking backed by solid fundamentals.

Due to its leadership and the entrepreneurial spirit that abounds in Dubai, where nothing is considered impossible, the achievements of the emirate in recent years have been colossal and while there will be a correction, it will likely sort out the speculators and pave the way for the longer term developers and land users. Let’s remember that Dubai has a very small population base, but is fast becoming the hub for

commerce in the GCC. Sustainable growth is part of its future Where else would you see a golf and tourism destination grow out of the desert with so many outstanding Championship courses created in such little time.

The foresight of the Maktoum Family has also created the world’s biggest and most prestigious airline, in Emirates, one of the largest aluminium producers in Dubal – and just about every international company is represented in Dubai.

When Worldwide Golf launched in 1999 there were just a handful of grass courses in Dubai. Within the next couple of years the number will have quadrupled, with courses designed by some of the greatest names in the business.

Dubai has the confidence to continue to produce

everyone but I’m sure that Dubai will take up the challenges ahead and continue to expand this oasis of prosperity.

This is an exciting time for me on the golf front.

I enjoyed a remarkable playing season in 2008 and I’d like to make it another memorable year on the course in 2009.

It was great to pair up with my son, Gregory, to win the ADT Golf Skills Challenge at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort and Club at Aventura, Florida, in November and it will be a thrill to have Gregory on the bag when I play The Masters in April.

I played the 22nd Wendys Champions Skins Game at Ka’Anapali Golf Resort in Maui last month, which was a lot of fun. I don’t get to play as many Champions Tour events as I’d like, so it was good to meet up again with my fellow Worldwide Golf

THROUGH THE VISION OF SHEIKH MOHAMMED DUBAI HAS CREATED ITS OWN SUCCESS. OVER A NUMBER OF YEARS IT HAS FIRMLY ESTABLISHED ITSELF AS THE BUSINESS CAPITAL OF THE MIDDLE EAST WITH A DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY AND IN THE PROCESS BUILT A REPUTATION FOR INNOVATIVE THINKING BACKED BY SOLID FUNDAMENTALS. world-class projects and developments while so many other countries retreat into their shells.

Strategically, it has made the most of its geographical position, midway between the emerging markets of India, Asia and the Far East with the West. The Dubai Free Zone and Dubai Ports Authority have established themselves as the ideal staging post between the Eastern and the Western worlds.

Due to the abundance of oil and natural gas, other emirates, such as Abu Dhabi and nearby Middle Eastern States and Kingdoms like Bahrain, Qatar and Oman are making the most of their natural resources.

The next year or two are going to be tough for

Columnist Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Fuzzy Zoeller, Tom Watson, Jay Haas and Bernard Langer.

I’m looking forward to being back in Australia later this month for the Johnnie Walker Classic at the Vines Resort in Perth. It boasts one of the strongest fields ever with so many outstanding players making the trip, including Camilo Villegas, Anthony Kim, Colin Montgomerie, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey and Ian Poulter.

The recession will hit golf hard this year and we’ll all have to make the most of our opportunities but with The Race to Dubai gathering momentum towards the Dubai World Championship it’s going to be an exciting season.

WWG COLUMNIST

THE MOST CHALLENGING MILE The last four holes fall just short of a mile and I fully expect this to be one of the most challenging and exciting miles in golf.

Above: Justin Rose; Darren Clarke; Sergio Garcia; David Spencer, CEO of Leisurecorp; Abdul Wahid al Ulama, Vice Chairman of Leisurecorp; Khalid Yousuf; Martin Kaymer and Robert Karlsson pose for photographers at the showcase of the last four holes of the Earth Course, venue for the 2009 Dubai World Championship.

Left: Sergio Garcia plays his second shot to the par-4 16th during the unveiling of the ‘most challenging mile in golf’ at the Earth Course played by Garcia, Karlsson, Rose, Clarke, Kaymer and Yousuf, one of the most talented youngsters in the UAE.

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WWG COLUMNIST

ROSS Fisher is one of the hottest young stars on The European Tour.

Having only joined the Tour in 2006 he already has two titles under his belt, including the 2008 European Open. He is currently 31st on the Official World Ranking.

ROSS

FISHER

GREAT TO BE BACK IN ACTION

A

S I write this column I’m sat in my hotel room in Doha the night before the Qatar Masters gets underway. It’s great to be back in action again. It’s always nice to have a break after a long season but I was itching to get back out there again and coming back to the UAE is a great way to get the season underway.

I really love it out here. I came to Dubai to practice and have a short break last year and had a great time. The weather and facilities are perfect. I want to try to do the same again this year but it may be difficult as I’ll be playing more events in the U.S., particularly with the World Golf Championships and The Masters.

But for now I’m really happy to be back in this part of the world. I’ve got very fond memories of this region. My record in Dubai is good and I played my first Qatar Masters last year and did quite well so I’m hoping for another good performance this week.

I didn’t have such great memories of Abu Dhabi having missed the cut last year, but it was nice to make it into the weekend this year and do reasonably well.

I shot 75-67-70-68 and finished 8-under 280. To be fair, if I’d shot that score last year I think I would have finished tied seventh but as it was, I finished 37th!

It just shows how good the scoring was and it was a great win for Paul Casey.

But I was still happy enough with my performance, considering it’s the first event and there are always going to be a few cobwebs.

One thing that I did find really bizarre in Abu Dhabi was the weather. I wasn’t actually at the course when it rained on the first day but my mate was there and he said it was just horrendous. He said it went really cold and wet and then all of a sudden hailstones started coming down the size of golf balls. I couldn’t believe it when the courtesy car came to pick me

up from the hotel and the lady told me how bad the weather was up at the golf course because it was really sunny and hot where I was! It was a bit of a strange one.

Another very enjoyable aspect of my trip to the UAE came the week before Abu Dhabi when I warmed up for the event by taking part in the Al Naboodah Pro-Am at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

I first met Abdullah Al Naboodah when I played the event last year and got to know him quite well. I then met him again when I came out for my short break last year and we had a game together. He hadn’t been playing that long and he was off about 11 or 12 but I have to say he was a bit of a bandit! Still, when I saw him at his event this year and he told me he was playing off 5.8 now I was pretty impressed – he’ll only have been playing three years in March. But I did think, ‘It’s not surprising the amount of golf you play!’ He’s

Above: Ross Fisher and Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club’s 1-handicapper Jay Varkey, who teamed up to play in last month’s Al Naboodah ProAm at the Creek.

Picture courtesy of Rebecca Hobday

completely obsessed with the game. He loves it and that’s great. He’s very passionate about golf and I think that showed again in his golf day. It was tremendous. I knew it was going to be a special day and he put everything into making it a great day, not only for the pros but also for the amateurs. Hopefully the event will continue for many more years.

It was even more special for me as I now have an association with the Al Naboodah Group, who have become a shirt sponsor. I was delighted when the offer came in from them due to the fact that I knew Abdullah and get on really well with him. He’s a great bloke. We’re going to be playing more and more in the Middle East in the years to come so it’s great to be associated with such an important company in the region.

Hopefully I can repay the faith they’ve shown in me by putting in some good performances during the rest of the Middle East Swing and for the remainder of what promises to be a very exciting season. ■ www.wwgolf.biz

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w w w. s p o r t n f i t n e s s m e . c o m

Sport&Fitness Middle East In association with

Issue 1 Dhs 10

SERGIO GARCIA

MAKING HIS MARK

WORLD No.2 STILL LEADING THE RACE TO DUBAI AFTER THE DESERT SWING SERGIO Garcia undoubtedly had the best season of his career last year with three victories, including two of his biggest, at The Players Championship, which earned him his biggest payday so far, and the HSBC Champions in Shanghai.

He ended the year as No.2 on the Official World Golf Ranking behind Tiger Woods and he’s making rapid progress towards the top during Tiger’s enforced absence through injury. Sergio’s play off victory over Oliver Wilson in the HSBC Champions last November put him at the head of The inaugural Race to Dubai and his results in the Desert Swing have kept him in the lead, ahead of Rory McIlroy .

Garcia finished tied eighth in the Abu

Dhabi Golf Championship, tied seventh in the Commercialbank Qatar Masters and tied 11th in the Dubai Desert Classic. In his last four tournaments Garcia’s victory in the first event of The European Tour season plus three top11 finishes have already earned the Spaniard €763,481 in prize money, which puts him €154,071 ahead of his nearest rival, Desert Classic winner Rory McIlroy, in The Race to Dubai.

Sergio has occupied the top spot in the Race to qualify for the Dubai World Championship at the Greg Norman-designed Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates November 19-22 since the start last November and he’s determined to still be out in front when the top 60 make the Championship.

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The HSBC Champions marked the start of The Race to Dubai and the victory capped an excellent year for you.

How important is getting off to a good start this season?

It’s good to make a great start into the new era of European Golf, but the season is a long one and so many things could happen. I am just happy to win and hopefully being able to keep that momentum going.

It was my fourth play off of the year and when you get into a sudden death play off, you have to hit the right shot at the right time – and get lucky at the same time. It happened a couple of times last year, where I thought I almost won the play off and I ended up losing it.

“I WANT TO WIN MAJORS AND WILL DO MY VERY BEST TO PUT MYSELF INTO THE POSITION TO WIN.”

Having reached No. 2 in the World what are your goals for the 2009 season and how has The Race to Dubai affected the way you set out your priorities this year?

I want to win Majors and will do my very best to put myself into the position to win. As far as my schedule for 2009 goes I will be playing both Tours, trying to succeed on my home Tour as well as the U.S. PGA Tour.

How realistic a target is it for you to chase down Tiger’s position at the top of the ranking?

We miss Tiger a lot and the game of Golf needs him.

Hopefully he can be back soon and be healthy again.

I don’t get up in the morning thinking of how can I become No.1 in the world. There are many things ahead of me and we will see how far this journey will take me.

Fact is – I have never been so close to No.1 in the world.

With your win in Shanghai you immediately took the lead in The Race to Dubai. How important is it for you to take your opportunities given that you are splitting your time with playing in the States?

Any opportunity is important. This is the first year of The Race to Dubai and we are all excited to see how it goes and how it works out. It’s too early to make any predictions or comparisons, but The Race to Dubai is a great thing for European golf.

You’ve been one of the most vocal advocates of The Race to Dubai, do you think that it will have more of an impact on The European Tour than the FedExCup did on the PGA Tour, and why?

It’s difficult to say. Both are great platforms and each of them has its own character. I believe that it was time for something like this to arrive and we are all excited.

Some U.S. PGA Tour members are interested in playing for the Dubai World Championship and this says a lot.

Looking back at last summer, how much belief did your win at The Players Championship give you?

Has it affected the way you prepare for the bigger tournaments? Is a Major just round the corner?

The victory at The Players was very special for me.

The Players has always been a great tournament and to win our own Championship is a thrill. Of course it boosted up my confidence like a big victory should do and Majors? Yes, I would like to win a Major and I have been close a few times now.

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Sergio Garcia hits a shot on the under-construction Gary Player course at Saadiyat Island prior to the start of The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

SERGIO GARCIA

How important to you is the Middle East Swing and what would it mean to you to win one of the events in the Middle East?

The Middle East Swing is important to us for several reasons. Firstly, it’s a great time of the year, early in the season after the Christmas break, and it’s a perfect period to get back into the swing. Secondly, we play great golf courses, receive superb service and treatment and try to promote this part of the golfing world. The Middle East Swing is a major element in The Race to Dubai schedule for us and it will be for the foreseeable future.

What do you feel this region has to offer the golfers of the world and what are the benefits?

The region is a first class golfing destination and it seems like this is only the beginning. To escape the northern European winter and spend some time in the Middle East is pure quality.

Tell us something most people don’t know about Sergio Garcia?

The local Football Team that I am involved in, FC EL Borriól, is making great progress and has been promoted into the next league. If I hadn’t become a professional golfer I’d like to have been a footballer.

You’ve had three top-11 finishes in the Desert Swing in January and narrowly missed out on winning your first victory in the Middle East – what do you put that down to?

I’m really excited about this year and I’m pleased with the way I’m hitting the ball. I’m out there to win and I feel my game is in good shape. I’ve not been making the putts but I’ve just got to keep doing the same things.

What’s the best thing about being Sergio Garcia?

To experience a “dream come true” life as a sportsman.

Left: Garcia took to the tennis court at the 2008 HSBC Champions for a match against Grand Slam legend Bjorn Borg.

Below: Sergio Garcia plays a neat backhand while relaxing with a game of table-tennis during The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

Sergio Garcia shows off his soccer skills – he might have made it as a soccer star instead of teeing it up around the world.

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CASEY SWOOPS FOR THE FALCON THEY say familiarity breeds contempt, but not as far as Paul Casey is concerned. The 31-year-old claimed his second Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in three years with a one-stroke victory over Louis Oosthuizen and defending champion Martin Kaymer on a course that he simply adores.

“I think this place is fantastic,” he beamed after lifting the Falcon trophy.

“This win is satisfying because I haven’t won for two years. I felt pressure which I hadn’t really felt before – I didn’t like that feeling of not having won for two years.

It’s good motivation.”

The Englishman began the final round with a four-stroke lead and quickly made it six with birdies on his opening two holes. However, playing partner Kaymer kept in touch with birdies of his own and South African Oosthuizen also made a move with five birdies in eight holes either side of the turn, which left him three shots behind.

Casey then stumbled with bogeys on 11, 13 and 14 before composing himself with four pars to withstand the late onslaught from his challengers.

“My game is now better than it’s ever been and I’ve played some great stuff in spurts,” said Casey, “but I’ve never really put it together. I’ve been focused on the Majors, and performed well, and maybe neglected other tournaments.”

Casey began the event with high hopes having married long-term partner Jocelyn in December.

“It feels like a pay-off for all the worrying I’ve put in over the past couple of months. It shows that marriage is clearly good for me.”

After a first round 3-under 69, Casey went on a two-day birdie binge to set up a winning position as rounds of 7-under 65 and 9-under 63 earned him his four-shot lead.

However, it’s in Casey’s nature to seemingly always give his opponents a chance after building a lead. Casey should have a 2004 Wales Open victory and a

2006 British Masters title under his belt but lost out after faltering down the final stretch – and it was in danger of becoming a damaging habit, particularly as Casey’s plan was to focus on the Majors.

Anthony Wall, who finished fourth, said: “I always feel Paul Casey will fritter shots. I think he is mega talented but he seems to always like to give people an opening going down the last nine.

“It’s amazing. It shouldn’t happen, but it does seem to occur regularly. You’ll always get a chance.”

There was a slight glimmer of hope for the chasing pack, but Casey closed the door with pars over the last four holes. The victory, and more importantly the manner with which he achieved it, has clearly spurred him on.

“Now I want to try to win every tournament I enter, rather than see them as preparation for the Majors,” he said. “So I will go to Qatar next week and try to win there and then I’ll go to Dubai and try to win the Classic.”

“It feels like a pay-off for all the worrying I’ve put in over the past couple of months.

It shows that marriage is clearly good for me.”

– Paul Casey, who married his longterm partner, Jocelyn, in December.

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ABU DHABI GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

Leaderboard Pos 1 2 2 4 5 5 5 8 8 10 10 10

Name Paul CASEY Martin KAYMER Louis OOSTHUIZEN Anthony WALL Johan EDFORS Padraig HARRINGTON Rory McILROY Sergio GARCIA Danny WILLETT Bradley DREDGE Peter HANSON Francesco MOLINARI

To Par -21 -20 -20 -18 -17 -17 -17 -16 -16 -15 -15 -15

Total 267 268 268 270 271 271 271 272 272 273 273 273

Prize Money €245,122 €127,741 €127,741 € 73,537 € 52,652 € 52,652 € 52,652 € 34,856 € 34,856 € 27,257 € 27,257 € 27,257

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QUIROS IS THE MASTER IN QATAR SPAIN’S Alvaro Quiros held his nerve to clinch the Commercialbank Qatar Masters by three shots ahead of Henrik Stenson and Louis Oosthuizen at Doha Golf Club.

The big-hitting 26-year-old went into the final day with a one-shot lead and played with the solidity of a seasoned professional – despite an early wobble – to seal the win.

“At the beginning of the year I was trying to get into the top 50 in the world,” he smiled. “After Abu Dhabi, my game was good, and now I’m very close to the Majors.

I’m qualified for the WGC-Accenture Match Play – the first World Golf Championships I will play in – and it’s very important for me.”

Quiros shot through the field and into a winning position with a sensational third round 8-under 64 and he was feeling philosophical going into the final day. “It’s going to be a new day like the others, and with a little bit of luck, I will be fighting for the trophy,” he said after his bogey-free

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round. “But this is golf and you have to wait until it’s your week.”

It was most certainly Quiros’ week. He was the benefit of good fortune on more than one occasion in his quest for the famous pearl trophy. On the long par-5 18th hole on day two, he pulled his drive only to see the ball cannon off one of the large boulders and back into the fairway – he then made a four for his only birdie on the closing hole all week. Then, during his third round 64, luck was smiling on him again as another pulled drive on the ninth saw his ball end up stuck in a tree. A refereeing decision allowed him to take a free drop and he safely made par.

Having had lady luck on his side during the opening rounds she could do nothing to help him as his solid form deserted him early in the final round. A front nine wobble saw him go out in 1-over 37 but three birdies in the first four holes after the

turn got him back on track. A bogey on the difficult 15th gave the chasing pack a sniff of glory but Quiros quickly made amends with birdies on 16 and 17 and a solid par on the 18th clinched the title.

“It wasn’t a perfect day,” he reflected, “but the score was enough and I won, that’s all!”

Quiros came home with a 3-under 69 for a 19-under total, which saw him beat Oosthuizen (71) and Stenson (68) by three with Ireland’s Damien McGrane finishing alone in fourth place on 13-under.

“It was a good day,” said Stenson, who finished in the top seven for the fifth successive year. “He (Quiros) obviously kicked in some good birdies here and there, I had some chances but I’m happy with my performance. It’s been another good week in Qatar.”

Oosthuizen had to settle for his second runner-up finish in succession after a final round that never really got going. “I’ve

QATAR MASTERS

“I’m qualified for the WGCAccenture Match Play – the first World Golf Championships I will play in – and it’s very important for me.” – Alvaro Quiros . been playing well. I think today’s round was the only round in the 70s my last eight. But I didn’t feel like I was swinging it too great today, and I missed loads of putts, but second place? I’ll take it.”

Below: Alvaro Quiros plays his approach to the 18th during the final round of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters at Doha Golf Club.

Right: All smiles as Quiros claims the pearl trophy.

Leaderboard Pos 1 2 2 4 5 5 7 7 7 7 7

Name Alvaro QUIROS Louis OOSTHUIZEN Henrik STENSON Damien MCGRANE Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ Maarten LAFEBER Andrew COLTART Simon DYSON Gonzalo FDEZ-CASTAÑO Sergio GARCIA Chapchai NIRAT

To Par -19 -16 -16 -13 -12 -12 -11 -11 -11 -11 -11

Total 269 272 272 275 276 276 277 277 277 277 277

Prize Money €314,400 €163,844 €163,844 €94,321 €73,004 €73,004 €43,689 €43,689 €43,689 €43,689 €43,689

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CLASSIC MCILROY SET FOR DATE WITH TIGER NORTHERN Ireland’s teenage sensation Rory McIlroy broke his European Tour duck in dramatic fashion with a one-stroke victory over England’s Justin Rose at the 20th Dubai Desert Classic and bagged himself a dream spot in the U.S. Masters in the process.

The 19-year-old led from wire-to-wire with rounds of 64-68-67 and 70 for a 19-under total of 269 and secured his maiden Tour victory despite a nervy finish and a late charge from Rose. McIlroy was six shots clear with six holes left to play but three bogeys on the bounce from 15 to 17 saw his advantage cut to just one as they teed it up on the par-5 18th. Rose had a 15-footer for birdie to force a play-off with his playing partner but narrowly missed, giving the youngster an emotional win that moved him up to 16th in the Official World Golf Ranking and second in The Race to Dubai. And as if confirmation of his Masters berth wasn’t enough of a bonus, he will now have the privilege of playing a practice round at Augusta with Tiger Woods arranged by Mark O’Meara, his playing partner for the first two rounds at Emirates Golf Club.

“This win has definitely moved me up a step and I just want to keep getting better and better,” said McIlroy, who collected

Rory McIlroy poses with the trophy alongside Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, after winning the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic.

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a winner’s cheque for US$416,660. “Your success only makes you more motivated to do better. I have become a very good player, but I still have a lot of years to progress and I just want to keep improving and hopefully one day I will be able to compete with Tiger (Woods). “I will have to reassess my goals, but I will just go out every week and try and get myself into contention going into the back nine on Sunday and that’s my goal every week.

“You see guys coming down the stretch with a four or five shot lead, and you think it’s easy – but it’s not. You still have to play the shots, and you still have to hole the putts.

“I got myself into a great position in the middle of the back nine, but then let a few shots slip and Justin birdied a couple as well, so I had to fight back. It was nice to just hold it together on the last and get a great up and down for the victory.”

McIlroy’s victory was made all the more impressive by the strength of the field he beat, playing, for the most part, with a calm self-assuredness that belied his age and relative inexperience at the top level. Following Rose behind him on the leaderboard were the likes of Henrik Stenson (third), Paul Casey (tied fourth),

Robert Karlsson (tied fourth) and Sergio Garcia (tied 11th). Then of course there was double Major winner O’Meara, one of McIlroy’s boyhood heroes, who paid the young star the ultimate complement after witnessing at close quarters a blistering opening round that included nine birdies.

“It’s hard to compare anyone with Tiger because of his mind and heart, that’s such a big element,” said the 52-year-old. “But certainly Rory has those qualities. Ballstriking wise, at 19 Rory is better than Tiger was at that age. His technique is better.

Certainly Tiger has developed his game and modified his swing over the years to be able to hit the ball pin-high, but Rory is already doing that at 19.

“He’s kind of a step ahead. He hits it far enough, he is very composed, and he has a great short game. I can’t see any weaknesses or why he can’t win many Major Championships. Rory’s got it.”

With a trip to Augusta in the pipeline McIlroy will get the chance to open up his Major account sooner rather than later and if his progession continues at same rapid pace it has been moving at in less than 18 months as a professional golfer, you can bet it won’t be long before he joins the world’s elite.

Rory McIlroy with Dubai’s Matthew Turner – the leading amateur – and the children who operated the scoreboards from Dubai College, after the Irishman’s scintillating Desert Classic triumph.

DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC “I got myself into a great position in the middle of the back nine, but then let a few shots slip and Justin birdied a couple as well, so I had to fight back. It was nice to just hold it together on the last and get a great up and down for the victory.” – Rory McIlroy

Leaderboard 1 2 3 4 4 4 7 7 7 7

Rory MCILROY Justin ROSE Henrik STENSON Paul CASEY Robert KARLSSON Martin KAYMER Miguel Angel JIMENEZ Louis OOSTHUIZEN Scott STRANGE Anthony WALL

NIR ENG SWE ENG SWE GER ESP RSA AUS ENG

-19 -18 -17 -16 -16 -16 -13 -13 -13 -13

64 68 68 68 65 70 72 68 69 70

68 66 65 68 71 67 70 65 71 68

67 69 71 68 71 68 67 68 66 68

70 67 67 68 65 67 66 74 69 69

269 270 271 272 272 272 275 275 275 275

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19

# 1 G L OV E O N TO U R .

More players on the US and European Tours choose to wear FootJoy. Players like Luke Donald, Fredrik Jacobson and Davis Love III, who rely on the best fit and performance of the FootJoy StaSof ® and SciFlex ™ golf gloves.

From the performance of the premium Pittards ® Taction™ APL ™ Cabretta leather to the incredible feel, breathability and grip, the best players in the world know that FootJoy gloves are the most technically advanced and highest quality gloves available. To discover for yourself why the world’s best count on FootJoy, visit footjoy.co.uk/gloves.

Source: Darrell Survey (US) Sports Marketing Surveys Ltd (Europe). Pro Sports International, PO Box 26723, Dubai, UAE footjoy.co.uk Available from: Abu Dhabi Golf & Equestrian Club, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Al Badia, Al Ghazal, Dirab Golf Club, Doha Golf Club, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Dubai Duty Free, Emirates Golf Club, Golf House Super Store, Golf Shop Direct, Katameya Heights, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mirage Golf Resort, Nad Al Sheba Club, Riffa Golf Club,The Montgomerie Dubai, Sports Mart Doha, ME Golf Kuwait.

RYDER CUP

Former England football star Glen Hoddle and World Cup snowboard racer Heidi Krings having fun with Snowgolf.

MONTY’S THE MAN Colin Montgomerie named European Cup captain

C

OLIN Montgomerie has been named as the European Ryder Cup Captain for the 2010 matches at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales. The Scot beat off competition from home favourite Ian Woosnam and Spain’s Jose Maria Olazábal to land what many regard as golf’s greatest honour.

“This is obviously one of my proudest moments,” said Montgomerie at Emirates Golf Club last month on the eve of the Desert Classic. “It is a huge responsibility having lost the last Ryder Cup. It is important we do everything we can to claim back the Ryder Cup in 2010.”

A veteran of eight Ryder Cups, Montgomerie has played under six different captains – Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Bernard Gallagher, Mark James, Sam

Torrance and Seve Ballesteros and will draw on his experience as he looks to impart his personality on his team. Montgomerie also hinted at increasing the number of wildcards at his disposal from two to three.

“We have committee meetings in Ireland in May, long before the qualification starts in September, and all those terms and conditions will be in place before qualification starts,” he said. “I will abide by the committee’s decision but I think you’ll find we’ll go for one more captain’s choice than we have in the past.”

The Scot also confirmed he will be looking forward to locking horns with his American counterpart Cory Pavin and his star player Tiger Woods in 2010.

“I’ve played three times in the Ryder Cup against him and managed to come out

2-1 at this stage,” said Montgomerie of Pavin. “He is someone whom I respect and who currently holds the Ryder Cup – even without Tiger Woods playing at Valhalla.

Tiger will be back in 2010 so it will be very difficult and very close.”

“I will abide by the committee’s decision but I think you’ll find we’ll go for one more captain’s choice than we have in the past.”

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Picture courtesy of Rebecca Hobday

Abdullah Al Naboodah tees off in the third Al Naboodah Pro-Am at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club last month, where he finished third with Ireland’s Ryder Cup star Graeme McDowell, shooting 5 under par 66. Abdullah started playing golf a little over two and a half years ago and currently plays off a handicap of 5.8.

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ABDULLAH AL NABOODAH Mike Gallemore talks to Abdullah Al Naboodah about his love affair with the game of golf

FAST TRACK TO FUN AND SUCCESS ABDULLAH Al Naboodah doesn’t do anything by halves. If he’s in, he’s in – all the way. He’s also a natural competitor in everything he does. Through his Al Naboodah Group, he is closely involved in the construction and development of golf course infrastructure in the Middle East. As a golfer he is fast becoming one of the most outstanding amateurs in the region.

Last month he hosted the Al Naboodah Pro-Am at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club where 40 professionals, including 39 of the leading lights on The European Tour and 40 top amateurs from the region, battled it out in one of the most competitive pro-ams ever held in the Middle East.

The individual tournament was won

by Stephen Gallacher who collected the Dhs250,000 for his charity back home in Scotland. Abdullah and Graeme McDowell finished third in the team event.

Abdullah’s interest in golf is intriguing to say the least. He started playing seriously a little over two and a half years ago at the age of 30 and today he has an official handicap of 5.8. Not bad for a player whose first encounter with the Royal and Ancient art resulted in him walking off the golf course saying: “Guys, this is not my game – I’m off.”

Abdullah explains: “I started playing polo in 1998 and really enjoyed the sport. I loved the speed, the agility of the ponies and the players, the movement and the skill required to play it well.

“I thought, ‘This is nice’” “I was playing competitively in England with some Argentine players who suggested we had a game of golf. I’d never tried the game before but despite all my best efforts I just couldn’t hit the ball straight. I decided it wasn’t for me.

“In February, 2006, I was in Switzerland skiing when an Australian friend, Josh Abood, asked me if I’d like to have a game of golf some time.

“When I got back to Dubai in March we went to the Creek and hit some balls on the driving range. I actually got some to go straight so I bought a set of clubs and had my first real session on the range. Despite the fact that I was wearing a kandura I hit the ball well – they were really taking off. I thought, ‘this is nice.’

“I was not as passionate about polo as I

Abdullah Al Naboodah with 2009 Commercialbank Qatar Masters champion Alvaro Quiros at the Al Naboodah Pro-Am at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Resort. previously was and maybe the time was right to get involved in another sport so I booked some lessons with one of the PGA pros at the Creek, James Bowring. It was the first golf lesson of my life. There were three of us and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I suddenly thought, ‘this is fun – I could be good at this.’ I decided there and then that I could enjoy wasting my time on this game.

“I took a few more lessons with James and when his contract at the Creek expired he started working for me. I told him, ‘I need to be good at this.’ I played my first tournament in April, the UAE Nationals Championship at the Creek, and scored 124.

“Then James and I had a beautiful trip to England in the summer playing golf every day, although I was still a 28 handicapper. I played badly but enjoyed playing the different courses around the UK. “That summer for the first time I broke 100 – with a 98 at Brocket Hall Golf Club. I was

delighted – I couldn’t have been more happy.

That same summer I had my first birdie, at Foxhills Golf Club in Surrey. I suppose that was the beginning of my love affair with golf, which will not end.”

In January, 2007 he shot 100 in the second round of the UAE Nationals Championship and the following month broke 90 for the first time in the Rolls Royce Pro-Am at The Montgomerie Dubai with an 89.

‘My goal is to make Category One’ In the UAE Nationals Championship in January 2008 he shot 82 to finish fourth net overall and a few weeks later broke 80, again in the Rolls Royce Pro-Am with a 77 which earned him a call up to the UAE National Squad. In April he reached the single figure handicap of 8.8 This year Abdullah has his sights set on joining the elite group of amateurs in Dubai. “My goal for last year was to make it into ‘Category One’ (handicap 5 and below),” says Abdullah, www.wwgolf.biz

23

Above: Abdullah Al Naboodah (right) playing his favourite links course, Turnberry, Scotland, in 2007 with his coach James Bowring (left) and good friend, Rodolfo Ducos.

Left: Abdullah with World No.2 Spain’s Sergio Garcia, playing in last month’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship Pro-Am. Below: Abdullah Al Naboodah shares a joke with Tiger Woods during the 2008 Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club. “It was a roller coaster ride but a wonderful experience – he’s a genuinely nice guy,” says Abdullah.

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“but for a number of reasons it didn’t happen.

However, I will make sure it will happen in 2009. I’d like to finish in the top 10 in one of the amateur opens in Dubai and a couple of good rounds could do it.

“I am a competitor in everything I do – including golf. I cannot do something without wanting to be really good at it. I’m not interested in being just average. I know it’s not possible for me to be the best amateur in Dubai because I have too many family and business commitments and there are too many good amateurs in Dubai. I cannot afford to devote the necessary time to practice to get that much better.”

Not only has Abdullah played some of the world’s great courses, he’s also played with many of the world’s great players.

“I played in last year’s Desert Classic Pro-Am with Tiger Woods and it was a roller-coaster ride but a wonderful experience. He’s a genuinely nice guy and he gave me a few tips on how to play certain shots. When we shook hands on the first tee he asked me what my handicap was. When I said ‘13’ he looked horrified and replied, ‘30! ’ ‘No, not 30 – but 13,’ I said and he looked really relieved.”

Last June Abdullah shot 79 at Pebble Beach in the United States, closing with back to back birdies. In July he also played The Barclays Scottish Open Pro-Am at Loch Lomond, where he is a member. “It was hilarious,” he says. “I was due to play with Jeev Milkha Singh but he

ABDULLAH AL NABOODAH Abdullah Al Naboodah with his coach, James Bowring, pictured playing the spectacular Bayonne Golf Club in New York City Harbour.

had to pull out with an injured foot and Bradley Dredge stood in. We started the shotgun on the seventh and I managed to birdie the ninth.

As I walked off the green a young boy ran up to me with a picture of Jeev, asking me for my autograph – so I signed it in Jeev’s name.”

Abdullah believes that the association between golf and the UAE is an ideal match and that Dubai is steadily emerging as a genuine golf and tourism destination.

‘Where should we play golf’ “The weather in the UAE between October and March is perfect for golf,” says Abdullah, “apart from the occasional rainy day. It’s too cold and wet in Europe during the winter months so the Emirates are the obvious choice.

“The success of the Dubai Desert Classic and now the Middle East Swing has shown how good golf is in the region. I have a lot of business associates from all over the world and when they ring me to fix up business meetings the first thing they ask is where we should play golf – especially if they have never been to Dubai before. They know all about Dubai and its golf courses through the exposure and publicity the Desert Classic has received worldwide.”

Abdullah is passionate about the recently re-launched Emirates Golf Federation (EGF), of which he is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Through my involvement with the EGF we are trying to promote the game in general and junior golf in particular, especially for nationals,” says Abdullah. “We’re pleased that Worldwide Golf is supporting our efforts to increase membership and the overall interest in golf – and our junior schemes.

‘It’s a long-term investment’ “We want to try and get more and more nationals involved in the game, particularly the youngsters. It’s a long-term investment to bring them on and encourage them. It really all boils down to their natural talent but where they have that ability and the desire to succeed we can do a great deal to further their careers in golf – and even support them with scholarships in the U.S. and elsewhere.”

The Al Naboodah Construction Group plays an integral part in many of the iconic buildings that have earned Dubai its reputation and put the Emirate on the world map.

“We have constructed many developments, including the golf courses at Emirates Golf Club, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Four Seasons Golf Club and the distinctive clubhouses at the Creek and Emirates. We still need more golf courses to make Dubai a golfing destination but golf is only a part of the many things to see and do in Dubai. There are enough golf courses to occupy the tourist, who

“I AM A COMPETITOR IN EVERYTHING I DO – INCLUDING GOLF. I CANNOT DO SOMETHING WITHOUT WANTING TO BE REALLY GOOD AT IT.” – ABDULLAH AL NABOODAH can combine a few rounds of golf with all the other attractions here.”

In addition to the Al Naboodah Pro-Am Abdullah also launched his own golf events for his employees. “When we started the Al Naboodah golf series for our staff we had 51 members taking part,” he says. “I didn’t even know we had 51 employees who played golf!

The number has now grown to about 60.

“Over six rounds in seven months I went from a handicap of 17 to 7 and still managed to win the Order of Merit. However, I cannot win it again this year – it would be embarrassing.

“But it’s been good for the company and for golf. It has encouraged a lot of my employees to start playing golf. We play the events in a Stableford format so that everyone can enjoy the day and now around 50 players turn up for each round.”

The Al Naboodah Group sponsor Ross Fisher, Graeme McDowell, Steve Webster, and Steven Jeppesen. “It’s good for them to be ambassadors for us,” says Abdullah. “Ross, in particular, is a brilliant golfer who’s got all the right attributes to become a top-10 golfer in the world.”

Abdullah says his favourite links course is Turnberry with Pacific Dunes and Pebble Beach coming second and third. “I fell in love with Pine Valley in the United States, and, of course, Loch Lomond.” But his home from home is still Dubai

Creek Golf & Yacht Club. “I’m a member of most of the golf courses in Dubai but the Creek is really my home club.”

Abdullah Al Naboodah has become a great asset to the game of golf in so many ways.

Last December he shot his lowest round to date with a 73 at the Creek and last month he made his debut in the UAE Scratch League representing the Creek, winning 8 and 7.

He’s got his sights well and truly set on becoming a Category One golfer but with his ability, determination and competitive spirit don’t be surprised if he manages to get down to scratch. ■

Abdullah Al Naboodah and Europe Ryder Cup star, Ireland’s Graeme McDowell, weighing up their options en route to finishing third in the Al Naboodah Pro-Am at the Creek Golf & Yacht Club last month.

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DIVOTS IRISH OPEN BACK ON LINKS THE Irish Open, one of the longest running events on The European Tour, will return to a links course this year when County Louth GC in Baltray will host the event. Brett Rumford was the winner the only previous time the course has hosted the event, in 2004, and Irish favourite Padraig Harrington is looking forward to the tournament already.

“I am delighted to hear that The Irish Open is returning to Baltray,” he said. “It is certainly one of the most exciting links courses in the country and one I have enjoyed playing in the past. I look forward to the tournament being a great success.”

JOHN DALY BANNED FROM PGA TOUR

MONTY WON’T BE A GOLDEN OLDIE

JOHN Daly has revealed he is banned from participating on the PGA TOUR and is playing on The European Tour instead. Daly admitted he is serving a suspension of six months for conduct deemed detrimental to golf’s image. The 42-yearold, who also served a 12-tournament ban in 1994, said: “This is the lowest I’ve ever been.”

His agent, Bud Martin, said: “John’s New Year’s resolution is do everything he can to make positive things happen on the golf course. I hope he can walk the walk because the talk sounds great.”

COLIN Montgomerie has announced that he won’t make the step up to the European Seniors Tour when he turns 50 in five years time because he will still be exempt on The European Tour. “I don’t think you’ll find me playing seniors golf. I can’t see myself leaving home for another six days a week for seniors golf. I am lucky enough to be exempt on The European Tour until I am 52 and I plan on carrying on playing until then and I will see my options after that.”

WOODS FACES TOUGH ROAD BACK TIGER Woods remains unsure as to when he will be able to play again as he continues to recover from knee surgery last June. “I’ve got to do a lot of work, and it’ll be an arduous task,” he said. “I think I can handle a full swing now, but I’m not there yet.

It’s going to take a little bit of time. I don’t know how my legs are going to start recovering.”

ENGLISH OPEN PUT ON HOLD THE English Open has been postponed for two years after developers at the course ran into financial difficulties. The event, which was set to return to The European Tour after a 14-year absence, was due to be held at St Mellion but the club’s owners blamed the credit crunch for hitting sales of 265 homes as part of a £100m club development.

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SINGH AND POULTER IN SURGERY VIJAY Singh and Ian Poulter both went under the surgeon’s knife last month in order to get to full fitness on their respective Tours. Poulter pulled out of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship for corrective eye surgery while Singh underwent knee surgery which will see him sit out all events until the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Feb 12.

DUNN AND BAIN FAIL Q-SCHOOL DESPITE leading after an opening round 5-under 68, Ross Bain failed to earn his Asian Tour card for next season after rounds of 76-82-74 and 74 saw him finish in a tie for 80th. Dunn finished 60th after rounds of 71-77-77-72 and 74 as only the top 40 placed players earned their cards.

SHOT OF THE MONTH: ANTHONY Kim smashed an awesome fairway metal from over 250 yards on the final hole of the Mercedes-Benz Championship to just seven inches for a tap-in eagle. Sublime.

ROUND OF THE MONTH: PAUL Casey accelerated to a four-shot lead heading into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship thanks to a sensational 9-under 63.

Nine birdies, no blemishes and just one shot off the course record.

NEWS SNIPPETS FROM AROUND THE GOLFING GLOBE

SEVE STARTS CHEMOTHERAPY GOLF legend Seve Ballesteros has begun a second course of chemotherapy in his home in northern Spain as he continues his rehabilitation following surgery on a brain tumour last year. Seve’s nephew Ivan read out a statement from Seve at a press conference at last month’s Royal Trophy. “I am now at home recovering and will keep fighting with all of my heart to win my most difficult match,” he said. “I hope to see you next year as Captain of the European Team.”

CHOKER OF THE MONTH: AFTER four rounds of superlative golf Steve Stricker had a bad day at the office during the fifth and final round of the Bob Hope Classic. ‘Stricks’ carded a triple bogey on the seventh and then a quadruple bogey on the 10th on his way to a 77. Ouch.

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29

PLAYER QUOTES JOKES WORD OF THE MONTH CARTOONS

Tiger’s Driver ON a golfing tour in Ireland, Tiger Woods drives his BMW into a petrol station in a remote part of the Irish countryside. The attendant at the pump greets him in a typical Irish manner completely unaware of who he is serving.

“Top ‘o the mornin’ to you, sir,” says the attendant.

Tiger nods a quick “hello” and bends forward to pick up the nozzle.

ers go f l o g l a Re relax. o t k r o to w e Dillon g r o e G –

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As he does so, two tees fall out of his shirt pocket onto the ground.

“What are they then, son?” asks the attendant.

“They’re called tees,” replies Tiger.

“Well, what on the good earth are they for?” inquires the Irishman.

“They’re for resting my balls on when I’m driving,” says Tiger.

“Almighty Jaysus!” says the Irishman, “Them boys at BMW think of everything!”

Temper! Temper!

Did you hear about the bad tempered golfer who bought a new set of Great Big Bertha Woods?

After playing with them for a couple of rounds he returned to his pro shop and told the pro that these were the best clubs he had ever played with. “I can throw these clubs 40 yards further than my old ones,” he told the pro.

Almighty Swing A golfer set up his ball on the first tee, took a mighty swing and hit his ball into a clump of trees.

He found his ball and saw an opening between two trees he thought he could hit through.

Taking out his 3-wood, he took another mighty swing.

The ball hit a tree, bounced back, hit him in the forehead and killed him.

As he approached the gates of Heaven, St. Peter saw him coming, 3-wood still in hand, and asked “Are you a good golfer?”

To which the man replied, “Got here in two, didn’t I?”

WORD

CLUBHOUSE QUICKIES Retief Goosen briefly loses his bearings.

OF THE MONTH...

Cabbage / Spinach.

Deep, thick, inescapable rough. Green leafy vegetables, despite their obvious health benefits, are not good for your game!

THE FIVE LAWS OF GOLF 1. No matter how bad your last shot was, it won’t be your worst.

2. After playing your best round of golf you can

be sure that your next round will be one of your worst. The probability of this law coming true increases with the number of people you tell about your great last round.

didnt I f i f l o s. up G Id give any sweater m have so Bob Hope –

3. The person you would most hate to lose to will always be the one that beats you.

R&A R&A R&A

DID new

7/11/07

2:59 PM

YOU KNOW...

I find it more satisfying new of7/11/07 to be a bad player golf. new 7/11/07 new 7/11/07 The worse you play, the better you remember the occasional good shot!

– Nubar Gulbenkian

(sig A) p.8-37 (sig A) p.8-37 (sig A) p.8-37

4. The higher a golfer’s handicap, the more qualified he deems himself as an instructor.

5.

more33 expensive the golf ball the more 3:00 PMThePage 3:00 powerful PM Pageis33 its magnetic attraction to water.

3:00 PM Page 33

Rule 13-1. Ball Played as it Lies Rule 13-1. Ball Played as it Lies Rule 13-1. Ball Played as it Lies

Page 30

St Andrews has hosted The Open Championship 27 times, three times more than Prestwick. Muirfield has hosted the event 15 times while this year’s location, Turnberry, is playing host to The Open for only the fourth time.

Padraig Harrington is looking to become the first player since Australian Peter Thomson in 1954-56 to win the Claret Jug three consecutive times. Five times winner Thomson also won in 1958 and 1965.

REALLY, DENNIS REALLY,— I’D RATHER DENNIS — REALLY, DECLARE I’D RATHER DENNIS —IT UNPLAYABLE DECLARE IT I’D RATHER AND . . . IT UNPLAYABLE DECLARE AND . . .

UNPLAYABLE AND . . .

WE’RE ONLY TRYING WE’RE TOONLY HELP, WALTER. TRYING WE’RE YOU DON’T WANT TO HELP, WALTER. ONLY TRYING ATO LITTLE THING LIKE YOU DON’T WANT HELP, WALTER. TO COST YOU ATHIS LITTLE THING LIKE YOU DON’T WANT A STROKE, DO THIS TO COST YOU A LITTLE THING LIKE YOU?!

A STROKE, THIS TO COSTDO YOU YOU?! DO A STROKE, YOU?!

Waddy, a beagle belonging to the secretary of Brockenhurst Manor Golf Club had found 35,000 balls by the time it+ had become 11 years old.

GNASH! GNASH! GNASH!

The ball shall be played as it lies, except as otherwise provided in the Rules.

The ball shall be played as it lies, except as otherwise provided in the Rules.

The ball shall be played as it lies, except as otherwise provided in the Rules. www.wwgolf.biz

9

INSIDE GOLF

BUTCH&CLAUDE

HARMON Mike Gallemore talks to the legendary Butch Harmon, widely acknowledged as the leading golf tutor in the world, and his renowned golf coach son Claude Harmon III, on the opening of the Butch Harmon School of Golf at Dubai Sports City, run by Claude.

Q: Are you pleased with the outcome of your School of Golf here at Sports City?

BUTCH: I’m very proud of what we’ve created here. There’s nothing like this anywhere else in the world. It’s better than what I’ve got back in Las Vegas.

CLAUDE: As Butch says we’ve managed to improve on our facility in Vegas. Great credit should go to Balasubramaniam, Khalid Abdulrahim Al Zarooni, and Mohammed Al Habbai and their colleagues at Dubai Sports City for their total support in making all this possible. 4

BUTCH&CLAUDE

HARMON ‘I can’t praise our School enough and I can see it becoming one of the best of its kind in the world.

Claude and his team have worked wonders.

This really is a unique facility. It’s even got a putting studio that I don’t have back home.’

– BUTCH HARMON

Q: You’ve got every conceivable piece of computerised equipment here but what is it about The Butch Harmon School that makes it stand out from the rest?

BUTCH: It’s important to understand that anyone in the world can install the sort of equipment we’ve got here but it’s what you do with it that counts. We’ve got the tradition of three generations of Harmon golf coaches, which adds up to a lot of experience. I learned a lot from my father, Claude, who won the 1948 Masters, and was one of the most respected teaching professionals of his day. I grew up when my Dad was working with some of the greats of that era, like Ben Hogan, and I’ve been fortunate in working with players like Tiger, Phil, Fred, Adam and Ernie. (Butch was also an established PGA Tour player, who won the 1971 B.C. Open in his final year on Tour). I’ve got 36 years experience in the golf arena.

CLAUDE: We’re a one-stop shop. We’ve got all the facilities we wanted, which we utilise with our teaching techniques. It’s not the equipment that is all important, it’s how we use it and how we interpret what the technology shows us. What we’ve got here is a blend of the old school with the new school, in terms of the most up-to-date technology – with all the bells and whistles.

Q: What’s the difference between Butch and Claude Harmon in teaching techniques?

BUTCH: Claude and I are the same – but we’re different. We operate using the same ethics but Claude has carried on that family tradition. We don’t teach a system, we teach individuals. I do it my way, Claude does it his way. I’m 65 years old but I’m still learning.

CLAUDE:My Dad learned from his Dad and I’ve learned from my Dad. It means a lot when you 34

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can learn from the best teacher in the business. As Butch says, we have our own personalities but we work in the same way. For instance, when Butch worked with Adam Scott in Vegas and was then away from the School for a while, I was able to take over with Adam where Dad had left off.

Q: Is it helpful that Dubai also has The European Tour Centre of Excellence at nearby Jumeirah Golf Estates for the benefit of their Members to practice?

BUTCH: It’s good that the Tour is creating the facility at Jumeirah Golf Estates and it will be good for their players, many of whom we have worked with – like Adam Scott, Ernie and Jose Maria Olazabal. It’s great timing that we’ve got our School up and running now, which works well with the fact that The Els Course is now well established and situated right next to our School.

CLAUDE:Our good friend Wayne Johnson at Leisurecorp has asked us to look after some of the Tour players, including some of the hopefuls who are trying to get onto the Tour. It’s great that despite the financial global recession we’re up and running with the School, whereas the Tour’s facilty could be 10 months away from completion.

Q: What do you think about the progress Dubai has made in becoming a global golf tourism destination?

CLAUDE: It’s amazing what has happened in Dubai. The Race to Dubai and the Dubai World Championship has strengthened The European Tour and has certainly put the spotlight on Dubai and showcased what it has to offer. In the States, the FedExCup didn’t really do what the PGA Tour hoped it would do but The Race to Dubai really seems to have captured everyone’s imagination. I can see more and more U.S. based players competing on The European Tour this season and in the future. Boo Weekley and Brandt Snedeker played in Qatar and I’m sure more will follow. It’s great for the game and The European Tour. I encouraged Phil Mickelson to go play worldwide and now he’s loving it.

I said to Tiger that Jack Nicklaus helped make himself the most recognised golfer in the world by playing all around the globe and Tiger didn’t need any convincing to do the same. I can only congratulate The European Tour on creating what has virtually become a World Tour – something Greg Norman tried to do many years ago but couldn’t achieve. I believe The European Tour will suffer much less than the PGA Tour with this global recession, particularly with there being so many banks, automobile manufacturers and financial institutions among the title sponsors in the U.S. It might be reasonably OK in the States this year but 2010 could be a problem.

CLAUDE: We realised back in 2002 that there was a huge untapped market here in Dubai and it’s been an exciting time to be involved in what’s taken place here at Dubai Sports City. The Els Course, which is right next to us, is a world-class

layout and a great facility and we’re very proud to be part of this amazing Sports City development.

Q: When do you think Tiger will return to the fray?

BUTCH: I understand Tiger is now hitting a full swing so it might not be too long before he’s back. I believe his aim is to make The Masters but whether he makes it or not you can be sure he’s not going to compete back on the Tour until he thinks he’s fit enough to win straight away.

CLAUDE: I hear that because he’s not been working on his driving, his short game is better than ever – which is worrying for the rest of the players.

Q: Do you envisage your School of Golf becoming one of the best in the Middle East?

BUTCH: I can’t praise our School enough and I can see it becoming one of the best of its kind in the world. Claude and his team have worked wonders. This really is a unique facility. It’s even got a putting studio that I don’t have back home.

I think when golfers begin to see what we’ve got here they’re going to be blown away. Our facility offers individualised tuition for every golfer, from Tour pros to top amateurs from club members to corporate golfers and from mums to kids.

CLAUDE: We’ve got everything imaginable here within a 5,000sq.ft School, surrounded by the driving range, putting green and short practice game area; four air-conditioned swing studios with wall-mounted cameras linked to the latest V1 Video Swing Analysis system; a SamPuttLab; a radar-based Trackman Launch Monitor plus an AMM electro-magnetic 3D motion body swing analysis system. We’ve also got the latest state of the art Technogym Kinesis providing a platform for physical fitness.

TWO OF A KIND: Legendary golf tutor Butch Harmon with his renowned golf coach son, Claude Harmon III, pictured together at the opening of the Butch Harmon School of Golf at Dubai Sports City. Claude is running the School, which is available to every level of golfer from International Tour players to youngsters who are just taking up the game.

INSIDE GOLF

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Award-winning French cuisine

For

Reservations: t. +971 4 380 2222 e. egcdining@dubaigolf.com www.dubaigolf.com

DRIVING

RANGE

WWG WHEELS

PEUGEOT NEW 407 Styling and Technology >>

RIDE COMFORT PERFORMANCE SPACE BRAKING

PEUGEOT NEW 407 “Renewed driving pleasure” is the mantra of the new Peugeot 407 and that’s exactly what’s on offer as the vehicle features upgrades in styling, dynamics and handling on top of improvements across almost every aspect of the car.

The design of the 407 is focussed around a number of core customer motoring values: styling and technology.

Subtle visual improvements have updated a design that is just as dynamic and bold as before but now features more in terms of elegance, robustness and high quality, both externally and internally.

New enhanced comfort equipment increases the appeal by offering even greater specification to its occupants, particularly onboard temperature control and new telematics systems while new equipment such as front parking assistance enhances the car’s worldwide reputation for ease of driving.

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DRIVING The PEUGEOT NEW 407 continues to further the environmental policy to which Peugeot is committed.

ENVIRONMENT From its initial conception, the best possible compromise between dynamism, fuel consumption and emissions was sought for the 407.

To reduce the vehicle’s weight and at the same time offer a high-level of protection, the decision was made to use light alloys for bulky suspension components, with the choice of Cobapress aluminium for parts with complex shapes (the hub carrier in particular), as well as an aluminium bonnet and numerous other high-strength steel panels. In addition, the car’s aerodynamic shape, electro-hydraulic power steering and air conditioning, with external compressor control, help to reduce fuel consumption. Front parking assistance also enhances the car’s world-wide reputation or ease of driving and dynamic performance. Standard window lamination provide greater insulation from the exterior world.

407 Stats ENGINE

FEATURES

2.2 Performance:

The new 407 is available with a choice of four and six-cylinder petrol engines featuring the latest technology

t &41 "#4 BOE &NFSHFODZ #SBLF TZTUFN t "EWBODFE .VMUJ MJOL TVTQFOTJPO t %SJWFS QBTTFOHFS TJEF DVSUBJO BOE TUFFSJOH column airbags t /BWJHBUJPO TZTUFN XJUI POCPBSE DPNQVUFS t 3FNPUF DFOUSBM MPDLJOH XJUI EFBEMPDLT t &MFDUSJD GSPOU BOE SFBS XJOEPXT t (4. #MVFUPPUI 3BEJP $% QMBZFS XJUI .1 playback and AV – USB input t #PEZ DPMPVSFE CVNQFST CPEZ TJEF NPMEJOHT door mirrors and door handles t"VUPNBUJD )FBEMJHIUT XJUI 'PH MJHIUT GSPOU BOE SFBS t -FBUIFS TUFFSJOH XIFFM t #J[POF $MJNBUF DPOUSPM XJUI SFBS EVDU

Top speed 213km/h Acceleration 0-100km/h 9.1secs Transmission 5-speed/ 6-speed

The petrol engine range: 2.0-litre – 103 kW (140bhp) – 200Nm at 4000rpm – 5-speed manual or 4 speed auto Tiptronic 2.2-litre – 120 kW (163bhp) – 220Nm at 4150rpm – 6-speed manual or 4 speed auto Tiptronic 3.0-litre – 155 kW (211bhp) – 290Nm at 3750rpm – 6 speed auto Tiptronic ESP, ABS and Emergency Brake system

Fuel Consumption:

CO2 emissions2 192(g/km) ECE Urban 11(litres/100km) EUDC Extra Urban 6.4(litres/100km) Tank capacity 66 litres

Exterior Dimensions: Length Width Wheel base Trunk space

4.691 m 1.811 m 2.725 m 407 litres

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Great ts Momen lf o g in

This Month in History

FEBRUARY Highlights from yesteryear

1876

The First Ever Golf Ball

Albert Spalding manufactures the first official golf ball under the Spalding banner. Starting out with just $800, he starts his sporting goods company and releases the first baseball, tennis ball and basket ball, along with the first golf ball.

1949

Hogan’s Near Fatal Car Crash Ben Hogan suffers a near fatal headon car crash with a bus in Texas. He was left with a double-fracture of the pelvis, a fractured collarbone, a fracture to his left ankle, a chipped rib and near-fatal blood clots.

Doctors feared he might never walk again let alone play golf. He left hospital in April, 59 days after the accident. Four years later he completed the ‘Hogan Slam’ of the first three Majors of the 1953 season.

One of those Majors was The British Open at Carnoustie, which clashed with the U.S. PGA Championship – making it impossible for him to complete a season Grand Slam. He was the only golfer to achieve that feat until Tiger Woods did it in 2000.

Hogan had already won the U.S. PGA Championship in 1946 and ‘48.

1944

Jeff Maggert is Born

Jeff Maggert, the first ever winner of a World Golf Championships event, is born on February 20th. Maggert claimed the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in February 1999, beating Andrew Magee on the 38th hole of the 36 hole final.

1955

The Great White Shark is Born

Greg Norman is born on February 10th and goes on to become one of the most successful and popular golfers of the modern era – the only golfer in history to be No.1 on both sides of the Atlantic, winning the Order of Merit on The European Tour in 1982 and topping the PGA Tour Money List in 1986, 1990 and 1995.

He won The British Open Championship twice, in 1986 at Turnberry and at Royal St George’s in 1993.

He proved at The Open last year that he is still a force to be reckoned with.

1971

1971

Nicklaus’ Second Grand Slam

Sheppard Smashes First Golf Ball on The Moon

Jack Nicklaus secured his second Grand Slam after winning the 53rd U.S. PGA Championship at PGA National in Florida. Nicklaus completed a wire-to-wire victory with a 7-under 281, beating Billy Casper by two shots. It was the Golden Bear’s second U.S. PGA Championship victory, having already won in 1963. He went on to win the Championship again in 1973, 1975 and 1980.

Golf-mad American astronaut Alan B. Sheppard hits a golf ball for “miles and miles and miles” after connecting with a one-handed swing with a makeshift 6-iron on the surface after landing on the Moon.

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OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING A R O U N D T H E W O R L D O N T H E U. S . P G A T O U R & E U R O P E A N T O U R AS OF FEBRUARY 2, 2009 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Tiger Woods Sergio Garcia Padraig Harrington Phil Mickelson Vijay Singh Henrik Stenson Robert Karlsson Geoff Ogilvy Kenny Perry Anthony Kim Camilo Villegas Lee Westwood Ernie Els Jim Furyk Justin Rose Rory McIlroy Adam Scott Steve Stricker Stewart Cink K.J. Choi Paul Casey Martin Kaymer Miguel A Jimenez Mike Weir Trevor Immelman Alvaro Quiros Zach Johnson Justin Leonard Ben Curtis Robert Allenby Ian Poulter Tim Clark Ross Fisher Jeev Milkha Singh Graeme McDowell Andres Romero Rory Sabbatini Stephen Ames Shingo Katayama Luke Donald Retief Goosen Aaron Baddeley Oliver Wilson Stuart Appleby Richard Sterne Boo Weekley Hunter Mahan Soren Hansen Lin Wen-Tang Louis Oosthuizen

USA Esp Irl USA Fji Swe Swe Aus USA USA Col Eng Saf USA Eng Nir Aus USA USA Kor Eng Deu Esp Can Saf Esp USA USA USA Aus Eng Saf Eng Ind Nir Arg Saf Can Jpn Eng Saf Aus Eng Aus Saf USA USA Dnk Twn Saf

Pts. Avg 10.46 7.96 6.56 6.51 6.40 5.25 5.11 5.09 4.81 4.70 4.62 4.44 4.30 4.00 3.91 3.86 3.85 3.69 3.54 3.51 3.49 3.48 3.42 3.28 3.23 3.20 3.16 3.11 3.08 2.96 2.91 2.86 2.80 2.76 2.69 2.68 2.67 2.63 2.62 2.60 2.52 2.51 2.50 2.48 2.42 2.31 2.30 2.28 2.24 2.24

Tot. Pts 418.59 413.84 334.43 305.86 332.77 267.88 265.55 244.11 245.31 230.52 231.03 239.97 240.95 187.98 175.74 161.98 181.03 166.02 173.57 182.74 171.20 198.43 184.92 167.32 168.03 131.31 154.78 170.88 135.59 174.79 151.41 154.49 148.23 203.92 148.14 136.74 138.69 120.89 146.71 106.40 138.57 120.70 135.06 134.16 123.26 122.69 121.96 120.65 89.73 116.22

Events 40 52 51 47 52 51 52 48 51 49 50 54 56 47 45 42 47 45 49 52 49 57 54 51 52 41 49 55 44 59 52 54 53 74 55 51 52 46 56 41 55 48 54 54 51 53 53 53 40 52

Pts. Gained 0.00 22.15 9.92 0.00 2.16 47.80 14.75 49.95 61.59 22.00 4.84 4.32 11.30 0.00 31.20 63.41 28.41 13.42 4.13 7.87 60.83 39.07 20.07 11.20 3.95 61.57 57.15 10.56 0.00 4.08 0.00 10.04 8.26 10.89 2.57 1.90 9.36 6.24 0.00 4.83 21.11 7.74 6.02 0.00 4.77 10.23 2.00 6.32 0.00 61.89

Pts. Avg 51 Sean O’Hair 52 Peter Hanson 53 Rod Pampling 54 Kevin Sutherland 55 Angel Cabrera 56 Soren Kjeldsen 57 Prayad Marksaeng 58 Davis Love-III 59 Mathew Goggin 60 Pat Perez 61 Richard Green 62 Brendan Jones 63 Anders Hansen 64 David Toms 65 Dudley Hart 66 Ryo Ishikawa 67 Carl Pettersson 68 Woody Austin 69 Charl Schwartzel 70 Chad Campbell 71 D.J. Trahan 72 Ryuji Imada 73 Gonzalo Fdez-Castano 74 Brandt Snedeker 75 Darren Clarke 76 Azuma Yano 77 Scott Verplank 78 James Kingston 79 Francesco Molinari 80 Fredrik Jacobson 81 Anthony Wall 82 J.B. Holmes 83 Rocco Mediate 84 Hideto Tanihara 85 Brian Gay 86 Hennie Otto 87 Ken Duke 88 Thongchai Jaidee 89 Nick Dougherty 90 Bart Bryant 91 David Smail 92 Hiroyuki Fujita 93 Gareth Maybin 94 Shintaro Kai 95 Alexander Noren 96 Peter Hedblom 97 Jeff Quinney 98 Stephen Marino 99 Billy Mayfair 100 John Senden

USA Swe Aus USA Arg Dnk Tha USA Aus USA Aus Aus Dnk USA USA Jpn Swe USA Saf USA USA Jpn Esp USA Nir Jpn USA Saf Ita Swe Eng USA USA Jpn USA Saf USA Tha Eng USA NZl Jpn Nir Jpn Swe Swe USA USA USA Aus

2.23 2.20 2.18 2.18 2.17 2.13 2.11 2.11 2.08 2.08 2.07 2.04 2.03 2.03 2.03 2.01 1.98 1.98 1.97 1.96 1.90 1.89 1.83 1.82 1.80 1.77 1.76 1.75 1.74 1.72 1.71 1.66 1.66 1.63 1.59 1.56 1.56 1.55 1.53 1.51 1.50 1.50 1.48 1.47 1.46 1.44 1.42 1.39 1.38 1.38

Tot. Pts 122.51 123.28 128.82 108.79 112.84 123.49 135.26 90.81 120.66 112.27 91.19 93.65 101.53 85.20 81.10 80.54 116.85 112.85 112.21 106.10 110.19 111.25 96.83 105.82 104.54 88.71 84.31 96.49 95.72 77.46 100.62 84.56 81.21 83.01 101.56 62.51 96.44 91.51 79.31 69.28 74.90 70.37 59.10 63.01 80.07 72.10 79.37 88.65 80.30 84.45

Events Pts. Gained 55 56 59 50 52 58 64 43 58 54 44 46 50 42 40 40 59 57 57 54 58 59 53 58 58 50 48 55 55 45 59 51 49 51 64 40 62 59 52 46 50 47 40 43 55 50 56 64 58 61

19.62 11.05 9.53 3.23 2.52 0.00 0.00 22.00 2.05 33.35 8.78 0.00 34.11 38.09 0.00 0.00 6.36 3.23 13.13 6.43 16.42 6.75 11.98 0.00 6.93 1.24 0.00 3.60 10.06 0.00 25.70 2.00 2.00 1.47 24.35 7.71 0.00 6.42 2.56 1.76 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 6.18 1.25 0.00 8.99 0.00 8.35

Over 100 destinations worldwide

RACE TO DUBAI As of February 2, 2009

THE EUROPEAN TOUR R ACE TO DUBAI 2009 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Name

Country

Sergio GARCIA Rory MCILROY Oliver WILSON Henrik STENSON Alvaro QUIROS Richard STERNE Louis OOSTHUIZEN Paul CASEY Wen-tang LIN Peter HANSON Martin KAYMER Anders HANSEN Charl SCHWARTZEL Francesco MOLINARI Geoff OGILVY Justin ROSE Andrew MCLARDY Johan EDFORS Damien MCGRANE Rodney PAMPLING Robert KARLSSON Gareth MAYBIN Adam SCOTT Anthony WALL Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ Jeev Milkha SINGH Pablo LARRAZÁBAL Padraig HARRINGTON Graeme MCDOWELL Robert ROCK Lee WESTWOOD Hennie OTTO David DRYSDALE Scott STRANGE Danny WILLETT Maarten LAFEBER Marcus FRASER Prayad MARKSAENG Bradley DREDGE Gonzalo FDEZ-CASTAÑO David DIXON Simon DYSON Peter LAWRIE Chapchai NIRAT Rafael CABRERA BELLO Richard FINCH Alexander NOREN Robert ALLENBY Thomas LEVET Thomas AIKEN

ESP NIR ENG SWE ESP RSA RSA ENG TPE SWE GER DEN RSA ITA AUS ENG RSA SWE IRL AUS SWE NIR AUS ENG ESP IND ESP IRL NIR ENG ENG RSA SCO AUS ENG NED AUS THA WAL ESP ENG ENG IRL THA ESP ENG SWE AUS FRA RSA

Tournaments Played 4 6 5 5 4 5 8 4 1 6 4 5 6 4 1 3 5 6 6 3 3 5 2 4 4 5 5 2 3 3 4 7 4 6 5 4 2 3 4 4 8 6 4 5 4 6 4 2 4 3

Prize Money

Rank

€763,481 €609,410 €525,870 €459,303 €436,205 €429,523 €427,213 €394,983 €327,384 €311,583 €270,034 €255,946 €234,906 €224,146 €219,708 €218,624 €208,759 €196,143 €175,520 €165,244 €153,596 €149,628 €147,298 €145,593 €140,111 €132,889 €130,172 €120,081 €103,420 €99,601 €95,787 €95,271 €95,048 €94,613 €93,920 €93,484 €93,193 €92,488 €90,736 €89,163 €88,283 €85,355 €83,851 €82,724 €81,661 €75,475 €74,304 €72,457 €72,358 €70,051

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

Name

Country

Wen-chong LIANG Ross FISHER Colin MONTGOMERIE Ernie ELS David GLEESON Trevor IMMELMAN Søren HANSEN Retief GOOSEN Ian POULTER David HORSEY Brett RUMFORD Andrew COLTART Thongchai JAIDEE Jyoti RANDHAWA Mikael LUNDBERG Marc CAYEUX Iain STEEL Bernhard LANGER Gary MURPHY Mark BROWN Richard GREEN Martin ERLANDSSON Robert-Jan DERKSEN Paul LAWRIE Oliver FISHER Camilo VILLEGAS Alan MCLEAN Jean-François LUCQUIN Chris WOOD Mikko ILONEN Michael JONZON Stephen GALLACHER Robert DINWIDDIE Keith HORNE Tim CLARK Rory SABBATINI Jarmo SANDELIN Pelle EDBERG Ben LEONG James KINGSTON Paul BROADHURST Søren KJELDSEN Phillip ARCHER David LYNN Seung-yul NOH Mark FOSTER David FROST Aaron BADDELEY Magnus A CARLSSON Joakim HAEGGMAN

CHN ENG SCO RSA AUS RSA DEN RSA ENG ENG AUS SCO THA IND SWE ZIM MAS GER IRL NZL AUS SWE NED SCO ENG COL SCO FRA ENG FIN SWE SCO ENG RSA RSA RSA SWE SWE MAS RSA ENG DEN ENG ENG KOR ENG RSA AUS SWE SWE

Tournaments Played 3 4 4 3 3 3 4 3 1 6 4 4 4 4 4 4 1 1 5 5 3 6 3 4 5 1 3 5 4 5 6 3 5 4 2 3 7 6 2 5 4 5 6 6 1 6 4 2 5 4

Prize Money €68,462 €68,381 €68,263 €68,103 €63,899 €61,561 €60,719 €59,463 €58,712 €58,411 €56,200 €55,890 €55,312 €54,878 €54,418 €52,896 €52,016 €52,016 €51,863 €49,272 €48,303 €47,926 €47,122 €47,019 €45,387 €44,956 €43,900 €43,776 €42,763 €42,183 €41,404 €40,909 €39,818 €39,695 €38,593 €38,260 €37,946 €37,602 €37,576 €37,156 €37,035 €36,695 €36,317 €36,243 €36,078 €35,155 €33,540 €33,530 €33,215 €32,567

E X P L A N AT I O N O F T H E E U R O P E A N T O U R R A C E T O D U B A I 2 0 0 9

The Race to Dubai is a $10 million season-long competition for the world’s leading golfers, which culminates in the world’s richest golf tournament, the Dubai World Championship at The Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, UAE, November 19-22. Players will be ranked according to their earnings from all events on The European Tour International Schedule, including the Major Championships and the World Golf Championships, ensuring the cream of world golf will qualify. No.s 1-60 players in The Race to Dubai at the conclusion of the previous tournament compete in the season’s climax, the $10 million Dubai World Championship. Following the Championship, the season’s 15 top-ranked players by earnings share a Bonus Pool of $10 million. The No.1 player will receive $2,000,000, the runner-up $1,500,000 and the third-placed player $1,000,000, with prizes down to the 15th player, who will earn $250,000. The winner of The Race to Dubai will receive a seven-year European Tour Card exemption. From 2010 The Race to Dubai will commence in January and the Dubai World Championship will complete the season in November.

THE RACE TO DUBAI BONUS POOL BREAKDOWN 1 US$ 2,000,000 2 US$ 1,500,000 3 US$ 1,000,000 4 US$ 800,000 5 US$ 700,000

6 US$ 600,000 7 US$ 550,000 8 US$ 500,000 9 US$ 450,000 10 US$ 400,000

11 US$ 350,000 12 US$ 325,000 13 US$ 300,000 14 US$ 275,000 15 US$ 250,000

Date: 08 – 11 Jan 2009

Tournament: Joburg Open Venue: Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club, South Africa

R: SEN NE N IN A W RS H DE AN

HANSEN SWOOPS FOR VICTORY “I thought I needed to keep the third round going and again got off to a good start – and then I thought I had to come out and shoot 5-under today. I thought 15-under was going to be the winning score, so I was right! I’m very happy.”

ANDERS Hansen claimed his third European Tour title at the expense of Scotland’s Andrew McLardy after a birdie on the final hole gave him a one-shot victory at the Joburg Open.

The Dane was level with McLardy on 14-under as he teed off on the par-5 18th hole and set up the win by nailing his second shot to 25 feet. He missed his eagle putt but tapped in for birdie to put pressure on McLardy who was playing in the group behind. McLardy then pulled his tee shot on the final hole to end his chances of making birdie to match the Dane’s total.

“It means a lot to win obviously – because that’s what we’re here for,” said Hansen. “Especially after the first day, where the first two holes I started double bogey-bogey and thought ‘what is this?’ But I turned it around and got off to a flying start on the second day. I couldn’t keep it going, but that sort of helped me put things

into perspective, thinking about the next day. I thought I needed to keep the third round going and again got off to a good start. Then I thought I had to come out and shoot 5-under today. I thought 15 under was going to be the winning score, so I was right. I’m very happy.”

Hansen was helped by a string of four consecutive birdies before the turn and he closed out his 5-under 66 with a level-par back nine.

McLardy, who was the overnight leader alongside Charl Schwartzel and David Drysdale, missed a series of birdie putts down the stretch as he parred the last six holes to finish with a 3-under 68.

However, no player could cope with Hansen’s performance as he posted the round of the day with his 66. Drysdale finished alone in third place on 13-under with Schwartzel, Tyrone Van Aswegen and Danny Willett a shot further back.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG

Driver: Hybrid: Irons: Ball:

TaylorMade Tour Burner 10.5° Adams Idea Pro 18 Titleist AP2 Titleist Pro V1x

Date: 09 – 11 Jan 2009

FACT FILE: Anders Hansen found it tough on the tenth hole at The Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club as he bogeyed it twice and parred it twice. He found the par-4 fourth hole to his liking however, with three birdies over the week.

He also enjoyed the par-5 final hole with three birdies over the four rounds.

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

€174,350

WINNING SCORE: 15-UNDER-PAR – 269 (71, 68, 64, 66) RUNNER-UP: ANDREW McLARDY TOURNAMENT:Mercedes Benz Open Venue: The Plantation Course, Kapalua Resort, Maui, Hawaii

OGILVY WINS WIRETO-WIRE IN HAWAII

R: VY NE IL IN G W FF O O GE

GEOFF Ogilvy began the 2009 PGA Tour season with a convincing wire-to-wire six-stroke victory at the Mercedes-Benz Championship.

Ogilvy began with a 6-under 67 as three birdies on each nine gave him a first round onestroke lead over Ernie Els and Kenny Perry. Ogilvy maintained his one-stroke margin, this time over D.J. Trahan, after the second round with a 5-under 68. Els remained in contention, two strokes behind while Anthony Kim charged up the leaderboard to 7-under – four strokes behind Ogilvy.

Ogilvy then played a sensational 8-under 65 to stretch his lead to six strokes heading into the final day. He wrapped up the win with a 67 despite seeing his lead cut to just one stroke by Kim at the eighth hole. However, the 2006 U.S. Open champion made an eagle on the ninth to

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

$1,120,000

ease the pressure and then made five birdies on the back nine to cruise to a 24-under-par total and his first title since last year’s World Golf Championships-CA Championship.

“It’s an uncomfortable feeling to know you’re six shots out in front then almost back to tied,” he said after lifting the trophy. “But when I walked off the ninth green I felt the best I did all week. All of a sudden, a switch flicked.”

Kim nailed a fairway metal from 250 yards to within a foot on the par-5 18th for an eagle which put him into a share of second place with Davis Love III. The pair both shot 67s for an 18-underpar total. Els, Trahan and Perry finished in a tie for sixth place with Zach Johnson on 15-under. Sean O’Hair and Justin Leonard shot final rounds of 67 and 65 respectively to finish alone in fourth and fifth place.

WORLD ROUNDUPS Date: 09 – 11 Jan 2009

: ER N IN IA W AS

Tournament: The Royal Trophy Venue: Amata Spring Country Club, Bangkok, Thailand

FACT FILE: Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng were the heroes for the Asian team as they were both undefeated in their three matches. They paired up to win their first foursomes matches 5&4 on day 1 and 4&2 on day two and they both won their singles matches 5&4 against Pablo Larrazabal and Paul McGinley respectively.

WINNING SCORE: 10 - 6

ASIA CELEBRATE MAIDEN WIN IN ROYAL TROPHY ASIA won their first Royal Trophy against Europe with a 10-6 victory in Thailand. After two days Asia had established a five-point lead and sealed the victory with the two points they needed from the eight singles matches.

Europe made it difficult for Asia by charging out of the blocks on day three. Søren Hansen halved his match with Ryo Ishikawa while Paul Lawrie and Nick Dougherty beat Liang wen-chong and Charlie Wi respectively. However, Prayad Marksaeng edged Asia closer to victory with a 5&4 win over Pablo Larrazabal before the experienced Toru Taniguchi crushed Niclas Fasth 7&6 to clinch the victory.

Oliver Wilson and Johan Edfors won their matches against

Hideto Tanihara and S.K Ho respectively but it was too little too late as Asia surged to a four-point victory.

Europe Captain Jose Maria Olazábal congratulated Joe Ozaki’s team for their triumph before hinting regular Captain Seve Ballesteros would return to the event in 2010.

“My last words are for Seve,” said the Spaniard. “He is recovering from some health issues, but even though I’m the captain this year, I might not be the captain next year – and I can assure you he is going to be tougher than I was.

“We lost, it hurts but that will make us better in the future. This is a great event and we have to learn our lesson from this week. The Asian Team have raised the bar

Date: 15 – 18 Jan 2009

and we are going to have come back angrier and more determined to beat these guys.”

Lawrie, who was Europe’s top scorer with two and a half points out of three, said: “I am very disappointed with the result but that can happen. It’s the first week of golf for a lot our boys after a long break and you have to say that the Asian Team played well and putted a lot better than us.

“At the end of the day that is what this game is all about – it doesn’t matter how well you play, you have to get the ball in the hole and they have done that better than us this week. But we have had a great time, this is a great tournament and I hope I can get the chance to come back.”

Tournament: Sony Open in Hawaii Venue: Waialae Country Club

ZACH JOHNSON’S BIG FINISH IN HAWAII

R: ON NE NS IN H W JO CH ZA

ZACH Johnson shot a superb final-round 5-under 65 to clinch the Sony Open by two shots from Adam Scott and David Toms. “That was tough – it was a different win,” said Johnson, who finished on 15-under. “The wind was a little gusty at times. I feel fortunate to have come out on top.”

Johnson began the final day with a one-shot lead and quickly extended it but was caught by Toms and Charles Howell III at the turn. But he started the back nine with consecutive birdies and made two more on holes 14 and 18 to secure the title. “I’m encouraged with the way I’ve started off this year,” he said, referring to his victory and a tie for sixth at the Mercedes-Benz Championship a week earlier.

“It’s good to know that all the work I put in is paying off. I’m thankful for that. The progress and the road to get to this is what is enjoyable.”

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

$972,000

Howell put pressure on Johnson with a strong finish with birdies on 16 and 17 but a bogey at 18 saw him drop to 12-under with a 4-under 66.

Toms also carded a 66 while Scott, who started the day in tenth place, fired a 6-under 64 for a share of second place with Toms on 13-under.

“I was hoping to win today but Zach played too well,” said Toms, whose last victory was the 2006 Sony Open. “I was proud of the way I hung in there and put pressure on him through the back nine. He’s a good player and tough to beat.”

Johnson’s victory was the fifth of his PGA Tour career and his second in four months after he claimed the Texas Open in October last year.

“After you get a taste of Maui, you always want to keep coming back,” smiled Johnson after collecting the trophy. “Now I get to go back to Maui again. That’s never a bad thing!”

MIDWEEK GOLF PROMOTION AED 350 per person incl. 10% discount on Food & Beverage and 10% discount on Merchandise products in the Pro Shop from Sunday to Thursday Visit www.adgolfclub.com to download the promotion voucher Valid until 31st of March 2009. Not applicable with any other promotion or public holidays. Must hold a valid UAE driving license or UAE residency visa.

www.troongolf.com Abu Dhabi Golf Club P.O. Box 51234 Abu Dhabi, UAE T: +971 2 558 8990 F: +971 2 558 5005 E: info@adgolfclub.com W: www.adgolfclub.com

WORLD ROUNDUPS Date: 22 – 25 Jan 2009

TOURNAMENT: BOB HOPE CLASSIC Venue: SilverRock Resort, Bermuda Dunes CC, Nicklaus Private and Palmer Private at PGA West, La Quinta, California

OVER five rounds Pat Perez finally proved he has what it takes to win as he claimed his first PGA TOUR title at the 50th Bob Hope Classic. Closing in on nearly 200 PGA TOUR starts without a victory, Perez played solid, consistent golf to taste that winning feeling for the first time.

“I just tried to stay pretty evenkeeled,” said Perez. “I figured if I could just play solid and hit some good shots and kind of stay calm and think about what I’m doing out there, I was going to be fine.

“In the past I got tired of getting upset all the time (not winning), it’s a lot of energy. I learned how the best guys do it.”

Mentioning Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Ernie Els, Perez said: “All these guys are pretty even-keeled. They don’t let things bother them. They put stuff behind them. Before, if I made a double on five, the tournament was over. I look at that as a speed bump now.”

Steve Stricker had a three-stroke overnight lead but crumbled to a disastrous 5-over 77 in the fifth and final round to finish in a share of third place.

Perez carded a final round 3-under 69 – which included an eagle at the last – to seal a threeshot victory over John Merrick, who carded a 67 to rise from sixth place overnight into second place.

Canadian Mike Weir also shot a 67 to move up from 12th place overnight into a share of third place alongside Stricker.

Perez opened with an 11-under 61 on the Palmer Private course at PGA West and followed it with a 9-under 63 to set a new PGA TOUR scoring record after two rounds.

Two consecutive rounds of 67 kept him in touch as Stricker found form of his own with rounds of 65 and 67 before a brilliant 63 gave him a three-shot lead heading into the final day.

However, Stricker didn’t get going in the final round and carded triple and quadruple bogeys in quick succession on holes 7 and 10 ended his chances. Perez stuck to a steady game plan in the windy condition and sealed his win with a brilliant 6-iron approach to the par-5 18th.

His tap-in eagle gave the margin of victory a more convincing look to it.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG

Driver: 3-Wood: Hybrid: Irons (3-9): Wedge: Wedge: Wedge: Putter: Ball:

TaylorMade R9 8.5° TaylorMade Burner 14° TaylorMade Rescue TP 19° TaylorMade rac Forged MB TayloMade rac 48° Titleist Vokey Spin Milled 54° Titleist Vokey Spin Milled 60° Odyssey White Hot XG #7 Titleist Pro V1x (2009)

R: NE EZ IN R W T PE PA

PEREZ SHOOTS THE LIGHTS OUT

FACT FILE: Pat Perez became the fifth player in the 50 years of the Bob Hope Classic to earn his first PGA TOUR win in the event. It was his 198th career start.

Three of the last four winners of the Bob Hope Classic have been comeback winners.

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

$918,000

WINNING SCORE: 33-UNDER-PAR – 327 (61, 63, 67, 67,69) RUNNER-UP: JOHN MERRICK - 330 TOURNAMENT: FBR Open Venue: TPC Scottsdale, Arizona, USA

Date: 29 – 1 Feb 2009

PERRY SECURES ‘UGLY’ WIN IN ARIZONA

R: RY NE R IN PE W NY N KE

KENNY Perry secured his 13th PGA TOUR title after a gritty play-off victory over Charley Hoffman at the FBR Open.

Perry shot a 2-under 69 to finish on 14-under while Hoffman carded a 4-under 67 – the best final round of any of the top-10 finishers – to match Perry’s total. Perry, who won three times last year, squandered a one-shot lead with a bogey on the final hole in regulation to let Hoffman in.

Both players made bogey then par on the first two extra holes respectively as nerves started to show, but Perry showed his experience by sinking a 22-footer for birdie on the next hole to take the title.

“The play-off was ugly,” admitted Perry. “We were hitting it everywhere, having to scramble

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

$1,080,000

from all over the place. But that’s probably the first putt I’ve ever made to win. Those are the putts you think about when you’re a kid – you’re on the putting green saying, ‘This is to win The Masters’, and I finally made one. It took me a long time to do it!”

Hoffman, whose only PGA TOUR title to date came at the 2007 Bob Hope Classic, was magnanimous in defeat. “Kenny gave me a few opportunities, I gave him a few opportunities, and he happened to close the door,” he said.

“The greens were crusty and fast. They were hard to make putts on. He obviously did what he needed to do to win – he’s a great player.”

Kevin Na finished in third place on 13-under with James Nitties and David Toms taking a share of fourth place a shot further back.

MICHAEL PASK Michael Pask re-joined IMG in 1995 as Manager of the David Leadbetter Golf Academy and was instrumental in developing the business in Europe and Asia into a successful, profit-making company with 25 full time academies and various sponsorship and corporate relationships. Michael’s role has since expanded considerably and he is now Head of the Sports Leisure and Tourism Business Unit. As if that were not enough to keep him occupied he also looks after five-time consecutive Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave.

W

HEN you’ve got a job like mine it helps that you’re a sports fanatic. I love the variety of working for an all-sports global management company like IMG. It’s fascinating, interesting, exciting and rewarding to take on the different challenges and I really enjoy being involved in such a wide spectrum of activities.

My principal role is still within golf and as part of that I head up the Golf Course Services Group, which is primarily concerned with the management of resorts and facilities. We provide an integrated service to developers from consultancy through design, management and marketing of facilities Phenomenal success We provide the link between European Course Design, which is one of our joint ventures with The European Tour. European Golf Design, of which I’m a Board Director, have won three out of the last four best new courses awards in Europe, which is a great reflection of the quality of the work we produce. Our success has been built on producing customised solutions that fit the position and its surroundings. It has to be tailor-made for the individual project. It’s a great business and I am

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lucky enough to meet some fascinating people.

Our golf clients also enjoy the challenge of the golf course design business. They love being involved with these developments and as they do, they add significant credibility and promotional opportunities to the course.

Colin Montgomerie’s design of The Royal Golf Club, Riffa Views, in Bahrain is a good example.

Monty spent a lot of time and put in enormous effort because he believed that if he was going to put his name to the layout, then he should make it the best he possibly could. As a result the project has been a phenomenal success.

As a company IMG also became involved in promoting the real estate aspect of the Riffa Views development and publicising the course and its facilities, marking the opening with a celebrity Invitational event that included Monty, Camilo Villegas, Retief Goosen and Michael Campbell.

Among the celebrities were Kapil Dev, Boris Becker and Sir Steve Redgrave.

It’s a challenging time to be launching golf course developments at the moment but our Legend Golf and Safari Resort in South Africa is something very special. We’ve got 18 of the best Tour players in the world each designing a hole – Padraig Harrington, Vijay Singh, Trevor Immelman,

Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, Colin Montgomerie and K.J. Choi among them. It’s a stunning golf course, that includes the ‘Extreme 19th’ hole which can only be reached by helicopter, and a Big Five game resort. We’re very excited about the Legend project.

National treasure One of my other responsibilities is to look after Sir Steve Redgrave. He’s a great guy and a delight to deal with. It really is an honour to be involved with a unique national treasure. He made enormous sacrifices in achieving his lifelong ambition of winning five consecutive Olympic gold medals and then he embarked on a five-year task to raise £5 million for charity, which, of course, he also achieved. There are few in the world who can say they achieved so much not just for themselves but for others as well.

I believe Steve is the perfect role model for today’s youngsters and at a time where problems like obesity and diabetes are becoming one of Britain’s most serious challenges, role models and mentors are absolutely essential to the future health of the nation.

Wearing my sport, leisure, tourism hat IMG is also in a position to provide a holistic approach

IMG

to the development of sport at all levels, local and national, in trying to combat social ills through regeneration programmes.

I’m a firm believer that sport can break down barriers by enabling people to compete in a friendly environment. When youngsters from all walks of life compete together it helps create a much better understanding of what life is all about. Through the passion of sport children have the power to heal the divisions that exist.

Great sporting moments Throughout history, sport has changed our lives – Jesse Owens winning four Olympic gold medals in Berlin in 1936; Nelson Mandela presenting the Rugby Union World Cup to South Africa captain, Francois Pienaar, in 1995, to name but two great sporting moments.

As part of this unit in delivering sports advice to major developers we are involved in some very exciting projects that have sport as an integral component.

Three years ago we set up the Golf Advisory Group, which specialises in helping companies and countries interact with the sport. We work with Federations, major brands and new businesses and events in how they maximise their investment in golf. As an example we have been heavily involved in the Russian Golf Association for the past few years with president Konstantin Koshevnikov, and have written their entire golf plan, which I believe they are very pleased with.

I see the former Eastern Bloc as a very important market. Like everyone else the Russian economy is

having its own challenges at the moment, but we’re moving forward on quite a few golf course design projects out there as well as our advisory role.

I like the Russians. They can be slow to make friends but they’re very loyal once they trust you.

Our understanding of how to work in new markets has I believe been pivotal in the success of IMG over the years and this is one example. We have always tried to be flexible and understand the market we are going into. The delivery of client objectives is critical.

I am also responsible for IMG Academies outside the USA, which centre around the David Leadbetter Golf Academies (DLGA). It’s amazing to think that 12,000 athletes go through IMG Academies in our Florida HQ alone. We also have a further 25 global facilities under the DLGA brand.

Dedication I remember seeing Maria Sharapova at our Academy at Bradenton at a very early age playing girls of twice her age and smashing them off the court. Nick Bolletieri, her coach at the time, said she would go on to greatness, and she did. I find it very inspiring to see youngsters who have the combination of dedication, performance conditioning, application and ability who invariably go on to achieve their goals.

In a diverse company with a global reach we’re proud of the fact that we can deliver an A-Z approach to any market to achieve the best possible solution for all our clients. We are also very proud of the philosophy of integrity that is one of the cornerstones of our business. ■

It’s a stunning golf course, that includes the ‘Extreme 19th’ hole which can only be reached by helicopter, and a Big Five game resort. We’re very excited about the Legend project.

Above: IMG’s Michael Pask with Sir Steve Redgrave Below: The Montgomerie at Royal Golf Club, Riffa Views.

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GEAR

Next month...

We give you the verdict on the Heavy Putter C2 Deep Face.

PLAYER TECHNOLOGY HARDWEAR FOOTWEAR APPAREL BALLS NEW DEALS GALORE AT THE START OF THE NEW SEASON

THREE big names are changing their gear ahead of the new season.

Padraig Harrington, voted PGA TOUR Player of the Year last year, has moved from Hi-tech footwear to FootJoy. “FootJoy is a brand that just about every young golfer is brought up wearing, and I was no different,” he said. “The new SYNR-G shoes from FootJoy support the foot well throughout the golf swing, which is important when hitting solid, powerful shots.”

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Meanwhile Stuart Appleby is moving to Callaway after spending the past few years under Bridgestone Golf’s sponsorship.

Current FedExCup holder Vijay Singh will no longer play the Titleist Prov1 ball but instead will use the Srixon Z-star ball. “I’ve thoroughly tested Srixon balls and I’m convinced that they’re better than what I’ve been playing,” said Singh after signing a multi-year deal with the company.

WWG STYLE

NIKE SQ DYMO 2 DRIVER THE latest in our series on the new Nike SQ Dymo ranges – the SQ Dymo 2 Driver.

We put the club through its paces.

ARGUABLY even nicer looking than the standard SQ Dymo Driver, the SQ Dymo 2, with its neat square head is definite eye-catching.

As with the rest of the range the SQ Dymo 2 is engineered from the ground up to optimise launch and spin. The square head of the SQ Dymo 2 makes lining up shots easier while staying very poised throughout the swing and producing a satisfying ‘ping’ on impact.

The more advanced players among you may be put off by the fact that head is pretty toed-in but, if like some in WWG Towers, you produce more slices than Hovis, this is actually a godsend.

The club also hits incredibly straight. Perhaps too straight, as we found it quite difficult to produce draw or fade but again, for the right player, this will be a positive feature. All in all a good choice for the average player but better players should perhaps opt for the round SQ Dymo. www.nike.com/nikegolf

GREAT PUTTING – THE ANSWER THE ANSWER is a brand new creation from U.S. company Confident Golf designed to literally teach you ‘the answer’ to the question, ‘How can I improve my putting?’ The genius of this product is in its simplicity. You simply adjust the dualrail runner to meet the lie angle of your putter and follow the arc with the shaft of your club to create the perfect putting plane. The device teaches you correct tempo and release by simple muscle memory and repetition. You can use it with or without a ball, at home, in the office or on the putting green. Too many training aids baffle the user with science or utilise ‘gimmicky’ technology but THE ANSWER teaches you to putt correctly without actually having to think too much about what you’re doing so that it eventually comes naturally. A refreshing solution to an age-old problem. www.fine-golf.com www.confidentgolf.com www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

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909 PERFORMANCE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN.

INTRODUCING TITLEIST 909 DRIVERS. Driving is about confidence. And confidence is directly connected to what you see at address, what you hear and feel at impact, and how your driver performs on every swing. The new Titleist 909 drivers deliver Tour-proven, high performance looks, sound, feel, distance, control, consistency, quality and confidence. One of these three drivers will optimise your launch conditions, and help you play your best. Discover all the details at titleist.co.uk

Pro Sports International, PO Box 26723, Dubai, UAE. Sign up to In The Swing, our free e-newsletter, at intheswing.info Explore our website at titleist.co.uk.

Brought to you by

Claude Harmon III

Pro swing analyist >>

SWING

PRO LOOK

CLAUDE HARMON III, DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION, BUTCH HARMON SCHOOL, DUBAI SPORTS CITY

PAUL CASEY

UNLEASHING THE POWER WITH THE 2009 ABU DHABI GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER

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SWING PAUL CLAUDE HARMON III, DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION, BUTCH HARMON SCHOOL, DUBAI SPORTS CITY

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1

During his early years on Tour, Paul could often get the club working too far on the inside during his backswing. This would cause problems as he came into impact. Now the club works much more on the up, staying in front of his lower body.

Here the big muscles are in control.

For a guy who is small in stature, Paul generates enormous power and length. Paul spend lots of time in the gym and his posture here reflects this.

Give him some weights here and he will have no problem lifting them.

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Paul has a very simple golf swing – his upper body turns around a very stable lower body position. His legs and hips support the turn of his upper body, and he wastes very little movement as he gets to the top.

6 Here comes the power!

Paul gets a huge amount of torque in his downswing.

His downswing starts from the ground up, meaning as his hips turn out of the way, his shoulders follow. Notice the position of his left arm.

The unwinding of the hips pulls the arms into impact, which creates some serious lag and power.

CASEY

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3

PRO LOOK

4

As the shoulders start to turn, the arms start to rotate the club upwards.

Notice how square the face is as he’s half way back. I see too many players with the clubface too shut at this point in their backswing. The toe of the golf club should be pointing to the sky at this point.

I love the position of the hands here. They are in the middle of his chest, between both the left and right arm. Paul hits the ball hard with his big muscles, and here his upper body is turning and supporting the golf club.

8 Paul likes to draw the golf ball – meaning he hits the ball from right to left. As you can see, the ball here is starting off to the right. Most slicers swing left and the ball ends up too far to the right. If you slice the ball, try to aim the ball right of your target. This will help you swing more from the inside and promote a draw.

7 Again, check out how square the club face is – this time as it exits his shoulders. This shows how much Paul hits the ball with his body and not just his hands. On his backswing he turns his left shoulder back. Here – post impact – he is turning his right shoulder through. A great swing thought on the course is ‘left shoulder back – right shoulder through’.

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© 2008 PING P.O. BOX 82000 PHOENIX, AZ 85071

TUTORIAL

PRO LOOK Brought to you by

Strike out of the rough THE first leg of the Middle East Swing saw Paul Casey emerge victorious in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. The Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s main defenses are its length, the wind, and as all of you had seen…the rough! Mother Nature threw a few hailstones our way but did not cooperate with the normal winter winds. The high, thick rough is a characteristic now of many courses that stage a Tour event in an attempt to tame or humble the talents of today’s Tour Players. It is amazing to think that Casey still shot a tournament record 21 under par, had the most birdies, and yet only hit 57% of the fairways.

This means that he spent a lot of time in the rough.

In this month’s edition of the Troon Golf Tutorial, we will look at ways you can improve the quality of strike out of the rough, when accuracy off the tee has let you down. We will look at 3 different types of lies in the rough (ball sitting up, half buried, and completely buried) and run you through your set-up position, club selection, and angle of attack to help you achieve better results and keep those big numbers off the scorecard.

Club selection is a vitally important factor in producing low scores. There are many factors presented to us when we are selecting a club, such as distance, the elements, elevation, hazards, etc. A factor which tends to be ignored by many is the lie of the golf ball. The lie of the ball in the rough should be top of the list when selecting a club to hit.

Some lies will allow us to select a club which fits the distance and others will force us to take our medicine and chip back onto the fairway. www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

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TUTORIAL p

On to

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This is the lie you dream of getting when you have sprayed your tee shot. The ball is sitting up nicely on top of the grass enabling you to get any club onto the back of the ball. You will be able to select the club to suit the distance in this circumstance. You have to be a bit cautious with this shot or you will end up sliding the club completely under the ball. Make sure you grip down on the club slightly and play the ball a little further back in your stance than you normally would to account for the ball being above the level of your feet. Remember to prepare with a couple in rehearsal swings in order to judge the level of swing required for solid contact.

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Half d burie

In this scenario, the ball is only half buried. I think this is the most difficult of the lies as it always tempts us into trying to get more distance out of the shot than what the lie seems to presents us with. Loft is your friend in this circumstance.

A long iron or fairway wood is definitely out of the question, unless your name happens to be Tiger. I have set up with the ball further back in my stance and shifted slightly more of my weight onto the left side. This will help me produce a steeper angle of attack than normal. This will reduce the amount of grass my club head makes contact with before striking the back of the ball. Strength in the hands and wrists is going to play a factor in how much distance you can squeeze out of this shot. Good course management practices need to be put in place here, therefore, don’t bite off more than you can chew.

PRO LOOK

In thile so

This is the lie in which the ball has nestled right down to the soil and needed the assistance of the rest of your group to locate it. Take your medicine and use one of your high lofted clubs (9, PW, SW), and look to get the ball back into the fairway. This will help keep the big numbers off the scorecard. I have moved the ball behind the center of my stance and shifted 60% of my weight onto my left side at address. No matter how steep your angle of attack is, there will always be grass getting in between clubface and ball. Be strong with the hands and try and keep the clubface presenting the ball with loft at impact. This is the lie where you will feel the grass “grab� the clubface and reduce its loft.

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PRO LOOK

TUTORIAL

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d Lofteht flig

Having the ball sitting down greenside doesn’t mean that you can’t produce a lofted flight and control its roll. You have to approach this shot like an explosion shot out of a bunker.

You need to open your stance to the target, position the ball in the middle, and have your weight favoring the left side. You need to trust the fact that the grass will act like a cushion between clubface and ball requiring a positive swing through. A steep takeaway and downswing is essential to having the ball pop up. To maintain the loft of the club, you have to resist the release of the clubface, not letting it turn over and make sure you are holding it open. Try imagining that you are balancing a tee on the clubface through impact to assist in keeping loft. This shot is best played with your SW or Lob wedge.

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WAYNE JOHNSON – INSIDE THE ROPES WAYNE JOHNSON is our correspondent for The Race to Dubai. Heavily involved in the planning and promotion of The Race to Dubai and the Dubai World Championship, Wayne is able to give a unique insight into the progress of the competitions and a behind-the-scenes (and ‘inside the ropes!’) look into The Race to Dubai – as well as giving us his views on the latest happenings in golf.

Fun and games on the spectacular ‘Longest Mile in Golf’

T

HE worst-kept secret in golf is finally out of the bag – The Earth Course is spectacular and every bit as tough as Greg Norman intended it to be. We always dreamt that one day Jumeirah Golf Estates would host a great championship, but we could not have imagined that a tournament as important as the Dubai World Championship would be coming – and so soon!

We’ve quietly got on with the job of creating a course that is a worthy climax to The Race to Dubai.

The entire course is ready to play now and was actually fully grassed in April last year, but the plan was always to give it two full seasons to mature before the Championship and over the next 10

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months there will be intensive maintenance to ensure it is in immaculate condition for November.

The last four holes of the Earth course measure almost exactly a mile and the Great White Shark has set it up to be one of the most demanding finishes anywhere in the world. For our big unveiling, those challenging 1,700-plus yards were played for the first and last time before the Dubai World Championship in front of more than 200 media and guests.

To launch the course, we were joined by members of the extended Leisurecorp family: Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, and Darren Clarke lined up for the TaylorMade team against an International team featuring Robert Karlsson, Martin Kaymer, and Khalid Yousuf, the promising Emriati teenager UAE National

Martin Kaymer

Justin Rose struck his drive directly into the water and to the gasps of the crowd it skipped twice across the water’s surface before landing on the other side.

team member, who went on to play in the Dubai Desert Classic for the second consecutive year.

To add to the fun we ‘miked’ up the players so the crowd could hear their thoughts on the course, their play, and in Darren’s case how much he was enjoying his cigar!

Khalid is a great kid and I got to know him really well as his personal coach for several years and during my stint as coach of the UAE national team. I spoke to him as he warmed up and he was understandably a little nervous to be lining up with five of the world’s finest golfers – especially when standing on the 15th tee all you see is a series of bunkers ready to swallow any wayward or short drive.

But I had every confidence in my former prodigy and with the calm and poise of a seasoned pro, he nailed his drive straight as an arrow, over the myriad of bunkers, and safely onto the fairway where it nestled alongside the balls of Garcia and co. I’m not ashamed to say that it was my voice that could be heard booming proudly above the delighted crowd “great shot Khalid!”

Khalid’s next shot, a wedge into the green, was even more sublime and landed three feet from the flag and a good foot inside his professional playing partners’ efforts.

In fact, the youngster played like a Tour professional throughout and afterwards told me he would love to be back at Jumeirah Golf Estates one day as one of the 60 qualifiers from The Race to Dubai. He said he had to believe that he is capable of rising to the level of the guys he had just played with and the experience would stand him in good stead for his Dubai Desert Classic appearance. Good luck to him I say.

David Spencer has been calling the final four holes at the Earth course “The Green Mile” and this stretch could easily be the tournament death of many a golfer that steps upon it.

After the bunker trauma of the 15th, next up is a long par-4, guarded by two lakes and a testing twotier green. If those two holes weren’t challenging enough, players are then tested by two visually stunning, but nerve-wracking holes to finish.

The 17th is a 195-yard par-3 played over water to an island green, inspired by the infamous 17th at TPC Sawgrass. Darren nearly met his match here as he watched his tee-shot bounce off the bank, back down the hill and come to rest perilously close to the water. Until then, the popular Irishman had been at his mickey-taking and entertaining best. And you know what? It didn’t make a jot of difference. We still didn’t manage to keep him quiet for the rest of play!

Finally, we arrived at the 651-yard par-5 18th, which

is sure to test the stress levels of even the most assured of golfers. When asked if it was possible to reach the green in two, Justin Rose responded immediately “No way!”

With this monster hole playing uphill and into the wind there is a very real possibility that the Dubai World Championship will not be decided until the final hole is complete. As David Spencer, put it as he stood on the 18th tee: “Somebody at the end of this year is likely to have a putt on that green in the far distance that will be worth US$3.67 million.”

CNN’s Justin Armsden, a good friend of ours and host for the day, got a surprise on the 18th when David grabbed the mike and told the crowd that it would be his turn to ‘have a go.’ Justin’s strike looked sweet, initially, but the likable presenter got his just dessert for taking the mickey out of the golfers all day when his ball bounced on the bank and rolled back into the water with a pathetic plop!

Perhaps affected by the efforts of our host for the day, Justin Rose struck his drive directly into the water and to the gasps of the crowd it skipped twice across the water’s surface before landing on the other side. After watching Seve Ballesteros on practice days at Augusta National I know this trick all too well!

A perfect day ended in a perfect moment when three swans, who have recently made their home at Jumeirah Golf Estates, flew in formation over our heads as we basked in the glorious sunshine on the picturesque course. Our media guys said it took them weeks to plan! A great course, great players

and perfect weather. The course is now shut and no-one will get to play it before the Dubai World Championship, no matter how many times they ask.

So Henrik Stenson, who unfortunately couldn’t join the fun, and the boys in Dubai will just have to wait!

The ‘final four’ was just a small taste of what to expect at the Dubai World Championship later this year, but I think Greg’s ‘Longest Mile in Golf’ certainly showed the golf world that we mean business at Jumeirah Golf Estates and are planning something very special for The European Tour season’s finale.

All that’s left to say is that we look forward to welcoming you all to Jumeirah Golf Estates in November for a stunning Dubai World Championship! ■

Top of page: Justin Rose delights the crowd by skimming his ball across the lake on The Earth Course’s 18th hole.

Below: (l-r) European Tour players Robert Karlsson and Sergio Garcia with David Spencer, CEO Leisurecorp Golf.

Inset: Rising star Khalid Yousuf of the UAE National team.

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INSIDE GOLF

SANDY & CLARE JOIN FORCES Sandy Meyer, Golf Professional at Arabian Ranches and Clare Lipscombe, Golf Professional at Al Hamra Golf Club, will combine their efforts to bring you the Ladies Column in Worldwide Golf each month.

Here’s a Q&A from them both to help you learn a little more about them and their golfing background.

WWG: WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE COURSE? SANDY: Durban Country Club. It’s a great Golf Course with some fantastic holes, especially the notorious “Prince of Wales”, 11th Hole. I won my first big event on this course, the Natal Ladies Championship.

CLARE: Sunningdale Old Course. It’s got some amazing holes, it’s always in perfect conditrion and the greens are fantastic! I’ve got fond memories of this course – I won the Sunningdale Foursomes Event here, playing with Stuart Little.

WWG: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST SET OF GOLF CLUBS? SANDY: Hogan Directors – my parents bought them for my birthday when I was 15.

CLARE: Mizuno White Fangs. My dad had won these in a competition some time before and had put them away in the loft until I came home from school one day to say that I was playing in a golf competition and needed some clubs. I used those for the competition, went to buy some shoes that weekend and I was kitted out and ready to go!

WWG: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST HANDICAP? SANDY: My first handicap was 36.

CLARE: 30 – At Cirencester Golf Club, Gloucestershire, my home club.

WWG: WHAT AGE DID YOU START PLAYING? SANDY:14.

CLARE: 15.

WWG: WHEN DID YOU TURN PROFESSIONAL? SANDY: 1995 while working at Dubai Golf & Country Club.

CLARE: November 2003.

WWG: WHAT IS YOUR LOWEST ROUND? SANDY: 67 Gross at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in 1993.

CLARE: Five-under at Cirencester Golf Club (club medal) and Woodbury Park (During South West Championships) WWG: WHAT’S BEEN YOUR BEST GOLFING MOMENT? SANDY: Playing golf with my father at St. Andrews.

CLARE: Winning the English Ladies Strokeplay Championship – 72 hole Competition at Gog Magog GC, Cambridgeshire WWG: WHAT ABOUT YOUR PROUDEST MOMENT? SANDY: Gaining my Natal Colors to represent my province and being selected to be part of the South African junior team to play in the French Girls Junior Open.

CLARE: Making my England Debut at Royal Dornoch Golf Club for the Ladies Home International Matches – England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

WWG: YOUR WORST MOMENT? SANDY: Killing a bird by mistake with my fairway shot during a tournament in Port Elizabeth. At this point I was leading the event and got so upset, I double dropped the next three holes. (I was only 15 at the time). I lost by two shots.

CLARE: My Mum losing my clubs over a ravine when caddying for me in a 36-hole competition at Bath Golf Club. We were looking for my partner’s ball then when it

was my turn to play, my clubs were nowhere to be seen – Mum forgot to turn the electric trolley switch to off and there they were lying at the bottom of a ravine!

WWG: WHO WAS YOUR MALE ICON PRO WHEN YOU WERE LEARNING ABOUT GOLF? SANDY: Seve Ballesteros.

CLARE: Nick Faldo.

WWG: AND YOUR FEMALE ICON PRO? SANDY: Nancy Lopez.

CLARE: Nancy Lopez.

WWG: WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE SHOT? SANDY: High lob shot.

CLARE: Greenside Bunker Shot – nothing better than executing a great shot out of the sand and seeing it ‘nip and grip’ next to the pin.

WWG: WHAT MADE YOU TAKE UP GOLF? SANDY: The encouragement of my parents.

CLARE: A Friend from school needed a partner to play in a competition during the Easter Holidays and thought, why not. Then I got hooked! My dad played but I never wanted to play. I thought it was a bit of an old mans’ game! Hated practicing to begin with so spent all summer during the school holiday playing in Junior Opens.

WWG: FAVOURITE ACTIVITY OUTSIDE GOLF? SANDY: Working in the gym and horse riding.

CLARE: Tennis – I used to play a lot of tennis and was also a swimmer, until golf took over.

WWG: WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE CLUB IN THE BAG? SANDY: My Driver Callaway FT3.

CLARE: Nike SV 53 degree Wedge.

WWG: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB? SANDY: Worked in Standard Bank Mastercard Divison and did Credit Card Authorisations.

CLARE: Supermarket Assistant, Waitrose plc – worked there for 12 years to help raise money for my golf.

WWG: HOW MANY HOLES IN ONE HAVE YOU HAD? SANDY: Only one – at the age of 14. I was playing in a match play league against another club and it was seven in the morning. My 7-iron flew straight into the hole and the lady I was playing with was not impressed.

CLARE: Three – two at Cirencester Golf Club, holes 2 and 9, during general play and one at Wentworth West Course hole 2 in a 36-hole event.

WWG: HOW MANY COURSE RECORDS HAVE YOU SET? SANDY: Umhlali Country Club, South Africa – 68 Gross.

CLARE: Four – one at Cirencester Golf Club, one at Woodbury Park, Exeter, one at Red Course Frilford Heath Oxfordshire, one at Blue Course Frilford Heath, Oxfordshire.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE PROFESSIONALS E-MAIL SANDY: smeyers@arabianranchesgolf.ae E-MAIL CLARE: clare.lipscombe@alhamragolf.com

WWG ANNOUNCEMENT

ARABIAN ‘GREAT EXAMPLE TO UAE YOUNGSTERS’ SAEED AL BUDOOR (right), General Manager of the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) heralded the performances of Matthew Turner and Khalid Yousuf as “a great example to the youngsters in the UAE. Both Khalid and Matthew are graduates of the original Junior Development Programmes and both have become accomplished golfers. It’s unbelievable for Matthew to win ‘Leading Amateur’ and Khalid’s experience at the Earth Course, the Pro-Am and the Desert Classic will be invaluable for the Pan-Arabian Championship at Al Hamra Golf Club next month.” bruary 2009

Issue 101, Fe

EGF – MEN’S AMATEUR ORDER OF MERIT 1 2 T3 T3 T3 6 T7 T7 9 T10 T10 T10

MATTHEW TURNER (EGC) KHALID YOUSUF (EGC) JOHN FELLINGHAM (DCGYC) SOO CHUL SHIN (DCGYC) VIKRAM JUDGE (DCGYC) AHMED AL MUSHARREKH (SGSC) SEBASTIAN HEISELE (EGC) JOEL NEALE (EGC) DINO VARKEY (DCGYC) MALCOLM TENNANT (SWGC) PURNA SHARMA (SGSC) KOUROCHE ACHTARI (EGC)

43 35 30 30 30 24 22 22 19 18.5 18.5 18.5

Clubs Al Ghazal Golf Club Al Hamra Golf Club Arabian Ranches Golf Club Butch Harmon School Dirab Golf Club Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Emirates Golf Club Ernie Els Charity InterContinental Riyadh Golf Club Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa Katameya Heights Golf & Tennis Club Palm Sports Resort Al Ain Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club Sharjah Wanderers The Montgomerie, Dubai The Royal Golf Club, Riffa Views Tower Links Golf Club

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Rorys e k o r t S r e t Mas s Classic win eadrn call a an 60 ,6 $416 in jo to r ge from Ti him at Augusta.

Middle East’s No.1 Golf Magazine

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TWO of the outstanding prospects of the Emirates Golf Federation’s Junior Development Programme, Matthew Turner and Khalid Yousuf, who are currently first and second in the EGF Men’s Order of Merit, enjoyed some memorable experiences during the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic week.

MATTHEW TURNER WINS ‘TOP AMATEUR’ AT DESERT CLASSIC

KHALID YOUSUF HAS A WEEK TO REMEMBER

MATTHEW Turner played the tournament of his young life at Emirates Golf Club in finishing Leading Amateur at the Dubai Desert Classic on level par 288.

The 17 year old made his debut in the Desert Classic last year and finished a creditable tied 108th. Twelve months down the line Matthew’s experience and maturity was there for all to see as he shot a magnificent 70-72-71-75 and with just 15 holes to go on Sunday was 6-under for the tournament.

The 2009 Desert Classic Champion, Rory McIlroy, who was Leading Amateur in the tournament in 2007, told Matthew at the prize giving ceremony: “I sat in the seat you’re sitting in right now – so it just proves what you can do.” McIlroy added: “Matthew’s a great prospect.

Hopefully, he’ll go on improving and turn into a great player.”

Matthew, who was 2-under after the first round, shot level par in the second round, one under in the third round and opened up on the final day with three straight birdies to go 6-under, was thrilled with his performance.

“I enjoyed every hole and every minute of it,” he said. “Playing with Alvaro Quiros, who won in Qatar last week, on the final day was something special. His 64 was something to witness.

“Last year I was nervous the whole way round but this time after I’d played two holes I was calm and relaxed and just played my game.

After I got to 6-under thanks to those three straight birdies I got a bit tired and didn’t manage to get up and down when I got into trouble.

But at the beginning of the week I would have settled for level par for the tournament.

“Darren Clarke and the other players were a great help and gave me some important tips. Playing with such huge players was something I’ll always remember. Just to know I can be up there with those guys gives me a lot of confidence. I’m just looking forward to playing golf again.”

KHALID Yousuf enjoyed three fabulous events during Dubai Desert Classic week that he will remember forever. First, the three-time UAE national champion was invited to play in the ‘Longest Mile in Golf’ at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on the Tuesday. The following day he played in the Pro-Am for the Classic at Emirates Golf Club and on the Thursday he played his first round as a sponsor’s invitation from DUBAL in the Dubai Desert Classic.

“At the Earth Course it was a wonderful day being so close to such great players as Sergio Garcia, Robert Karlsson, Justin Rose, Darren Clarke and Martin Kaymer. I drove the ball really well and I was pleased with my performance – they took my approach shot on all but one hole.

“I was freaked out at being in their company in the beginning but once I started hitting the ball I began to enjoy myself. The two players in my group, Robert and Martin, were great with me and really helped me settled down. It was fantastic to be involved in an event like that. It was a great privilege.”

The following day Khalid played in the Pro-Am for the Desert Classic with Ireland’s Peter Lawrie. “I shot two or three over par but it was a good bit of fun,” said Khalid.

On the first day of the Classic, which suffered a serious fog delay, Khalid struggled to find his form. “I was going all right until the 18th when I got behind a tree and mistakenly tried a risky shot which made a bad situation worse and eventually ended up with a 77. In the second round I was more concerned about my playing partner Chris Wood making the cut, and I hurried too much. Unfortunately Chris shot 70 to follow his first round 75 and failed to make it into the weekend. I ended up with an 81.

“I was disappointed but overall it was a good week. Not many people get the chance to do what I did and I felt very privileged to have those opportunities. Now I’d like to concentrate on more gym work and get ready for the Emirates Championship and Pan-Arabian Championship at Al Hamra next month.”

Matthew Turner, aged 17, is presented with the ‘Leading Amateur’ prize by Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum after scoring level par 288 at the 20th Dubai Desert Classic.

Khalid Yousuf receives his sponsor’s invitation to play the 20th Dubai Desert Classic from Walid Al Attar of DUBAL as Mohammed Juma Buamaim, Vice Chairman of ‘golf in DUBAi’ looks on.

ELS CLUB CHARITY CHALLENGE

Balasubramaniam, Chief Executive of Dubai Sports City; Mohamed Juma Buamim, Vice-Chairman and CEO of ‘golf in Dubai’; Khalid Al Zarooni, President of Dubai Sports City; Ernie Els; Thomas Rubi, General Manager of The Els Club and Butch Harmon with the cheques of $50,000 and $40,000 for the autism charities.

Ernie’s fun Charity Challenge proves a winner for all DUBAI Sports City, Golf in Dubai and the Sheikh Maktoum Foundation have joined forces to raise funds for autism and at the Els Club Charity Challenge last month USD90,000 was raised.

Autism is a lifelong disorder which impairs a person’s ability to communicate and relate to others. It became part of South African golf legend Ernie Els’ life after his son Ben, now aged six, was diagnosed with the disorder and the money raised will go to autism charities both in Dubai and internationally.

The Els Club Charity Challenge saw nine amateur golfers, each representing a local sponsor, challenging Ernie over one hole on The Els Club course at Dubai Sports City.

On each hole, a USD10,000 charity donation from the sponsor was the prize for one or other of the designated charities – Ernie’s Autisms Charity or the Sheikh Maktoum Foundation – depending on whether Els or the amateur won the challenge, with the amateur benefiting from a full handicap allowance.

Butch Harmon, who had just inaugurated his own Butch Harmon School of Golf at Dubai Sports City, also attended the Charity

Challenge and provided tuition to the amateurs.

Apart from being a hugely worthwhile event it was also a fun day for the competitors and spectators. The results were evenly shared. Ernie beat: Lee Tabler (representing Troon), Jim Muldoon (represeing Arcapita), Duleep George (representing Gulf News) and Ronnie Corbett (representing Golf in Dubai) He lost to: Rodney Marsh (representing Emirates Airlines), Nic Bruwer (representing Dubai Duty Free), Surender Kandhari (representing Dubai Sports City, Al Dobowi Group, First Group, Ten Sports, BMG Middle East Development), Farbod Dowlatshahi (representing Delwood) and Colin Baxter (representing Hydroturf ).

Balasubramaniam, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Sports City, commented: “We are delighted to work with ‘golf in Dubai’ and local companies on this great initiative which is so important to Ernie. We would like to thank Ernie, Butch, ‘golf in Dubai’ and all the companies who have supported us in making this event possible. Dubai Sports City are proud to support such a worthy cause for one of our key ambassadors and business partners.”

“It’s been good fun today. I really appreciate the support that both Dubai Sports City and ‘golf in Dubai’ have given autism today.”

– Ernie Els

Supporting companies of The Els Club Charity Challenge were: Al Dobowi Group, Arcapita, BMG Middle East Development, Delwood, Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Sports City, Golf in Dubai, Emirates Airlines, First Group, Gulf News, Troon Golf, and Ten Sports.

Mohamed Juma Buamim, Vice-Chairman and CEO of ‘golf in Dubai,’ said: “We were delighted to support this charitable initiative for such a good cause. The Sheikh Maktoum Foundation will be giving the funds won by the amateurs today to Dubai Autism, which we feel is the most appropriate use of these charitable funds.”

Ernie was delighted with the inaugural event, saying: “It’s been good fun today. I really appreciate the support that both Dubai Sports City and ‘golf in Dubai’ have given autism today. It means a lot to me. I am sure that the funds will be put to good use and I would like to thank all the companies here in Dubai who supported the event.”

BUTCH HARMON SCHOOL

ARABIAN GOLF

Butch Harmon School of Golf opens at Dubai Sports City BUTCH Harmon, widely acknowledged as the world’s leading golf instructor, last month officially inaugurated The Butch Harmon School of Golf at The Els Club, Dubai Sports City, alongside a host of VIPs and leading figures from the world of sport. The facility will be run by his son, Claude, one of the world’s leading golf coaches in his own right.

Butch was also in Dubai to coach one of his most famous current students, Ernie Els, who was bidding for a record fourth Desert Classic title.

The Butch Harmon School of Golf, located at The Els Club in Dubai Sports City, will bring the most comprehensive golf instruction to the region.

“This is a truly a special moment for all of us who have been involved on this magnificent project since its inception,” said Butch at the opening. “Dubai Sports City is a unique venue in

terms of sport and we are privileged to have our first international base here.

“The Butch Harmon School of Golf at Dubai Sports City will offer individualised tuition programmes for everyone. It’s exciting to be part of this new community here in Dubai and I know that Claude and his team will do a great job.”

The 65-year-old legendary coach, who works with many professional male and female players of varying skills levels, began his career as a US PGA TOUR player himself in 1969. Butch’s students have combined for over 100 PGA, European, and Champions Tour victories whilst under his tutelage.

Khalid Abdulrahim Al Zarooni, President of Dubai Sports City, commented: “This is the first completed Academy in Dubai Sports City, and it has been constructed and presented to exceed world-class standards. We thank Butch, Claude

and his team for the hard work in getting us to this point and we welcome the Harmon family to our rapidly growing community.”

Dubailand CEO Mohammed Al Habbai said: “I would like to extend my congratulations to Dubai Sports City on another achievement. We are proud to witness the launch of yet another world class attraction.”

To celebrate the launch Claude Harmon and his team gave eight local youngsters a free first golf lesson at the School. Claude, who has coached Major winners in his own right including current U.S. Masters Champion Trevor Immelman, commented: “It’s a great day for all of us, but now the hard work begins. We wanted to start with local kids since it’s so important for the future of golf here. They had a great day and we’re looking forward to providing tuition programmes for everyone from beginners and regular golfers to the pros themselves.”

Butch Harmon and son Claude with Adam Scott at the Butch Harmon School of Golf at Dubai Sports City.

www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

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ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB

ARABIAN GOLF

Dougherty, Watts and the Everinghams claim the glory in Lexus Golf Day THE two-player teams of Fred Watts and Tony Dougherty and Iain and Francoise Everingham drove off with the spoils from the prize table in their respective divisions at The Lexus Golf Day last month as a full field of 88 players competed for honours.

Dougherty and Watts – one of the strongest combinations at the club – returned a 1-under net 71 as they nudged out their closest rivals in the Men’s Division – Steve Bennett and Gerry Brady.

In the Mixed Division Iain Everingham continued his good form over the past few weeks as he partnered up with his wife Francoise to return the lowest score of the day – a net 70, which was a superb score in the testing conditions.

The tournament was the last one in the Al Futtaim Motors Order of Merit Golf Series for 2008/09 which was led by Rob Garner by a clear 46 points going in to the final event and he topped the season-ending ranking despite not scoring on the day.

Club Captain Bob Fletcher and Elliott Gray presented

the prizes to the winners and Order of Merit winner Garner. “I would like to thank all my playing partners who I have enjoyed competing with over the past 12 months,” said Garner. “A big thanks to everyone at Al Futtaim for their support in sponsoring each monthly event in the series.”

CONTACT Tel: 04-366-3000 Fax: 04-366-3355 INFO Course: 18-hole championship course Designer: Ian Baker-Finch Winter Guest Room Rates Rates Applicable 1st October - 31st December, 2008 Guest Room Rates from: Visitors Dhs 695 RATE IS PER ROOM, PER NIGHT PLUS 10% MUNICIPALITY FEE AND 10% SERVICE CHARGE Winter 18 Hole Golf Rates Rates Applicable 1st October - 31st December, 2008 WEEKLY RATES Visitors Dhs 510 UGA Members Dhs 395 WEEKEND RATES Visitors Dhs 600 UGA Members Dhs 470 RANGE BALLS Inclusive in rates

Divisional winners with Club Captain Bob Fletcher.

BUGGY HIRE: Dhs 55

Freed, Burrow, McLennan, Schoeman and Hage take January Rivoli Medals STEVE Freed, Doug McLennan, Andy Burrow, Jo Schoeman and Rania Hage picked up respective honours in the first Rivoli Medal of the year.

The event attracted a full field of just under 90 players and it was McLennan who took the limelight with the round of the day after firing a level-par 72. Highlights of his round were three birdies before the turn on holes 4, 6 and 9 and birdies on both the par 5s on the back nine.

McLennan – known for his power – added accuracy to his game and earned himself a spot in the next Invitational Scratch Matchplay Match.

In the Men’s Division ‘A’ Burrow returned a net 70 to win by one stroke from Tony Azoulay while in Division ‘B’ Freed caught the attention of the Handicap committee with a net 65 as his handicap was cut from 23 to 19. He topped his division by 10 strokes from Simon Crane.

In the Ladies Division Schoeman edged out playing companion and Lady Captain Adele McKelvey to take the low gross of the day with an 81 on a back-nine countback. Hage continued her fine form taking the Net Medal with a 73 despite carding two eights and a nine. The Handicap Committee also reduced her handicap by three shots from 33 to 30 at the Prize Presentation.

Santa Claus with the winning team and John Hainey – Vice Club Captain (right).

Favourites turned over at Toyota Golf Day THE pre-tournament favourites, Andy Burrow, Daryl Blanchard, Allan Good and Detlef Proschold finished second after being blitzed by the team of Owen and Russell Mills, Greg Wright and Graham Wood in the Toyota Golf Day. The winners carded a staggering net 54.1 in the four-player team event, which saw them win comfortably from the secondplaced team of Burrow, Good, Blanchard and Proschold, who came in with a very respectable

58.7. Elliott Gray said: “A big thanks to everyone for their support in each monthly Al Futtaim Motors event. Without the sponsorship and participation from the membership and their guests these events would not be successful.”

There was a touch of Christmas in the air as Santa Claus made an appearance, and together with Vice Club Captain John Hainey, presented the prizes and the drew the raffle prizes. www.wwgolf.biz

75

THE MONTGOMERIE, DUBAI

ARABIAN GOLF

Three-Way Tie Causes Countback Winner at January Breakfast MORE than 80 golfers took part in the first Monty’s Breakfast Brunch of the year in the hope of winning Burjuman gift certificates provided by tournament sponsor Gulf Extrusions.

The team of Tony and Anne Clarke and Maneesh Dungarwal and Mohammed Ali Bhatti finished with 98 points and were crowned the winners after a card countback. John and Debbie Murray and Derek and Anne Allan also posted the same score as did the team of John Aslett, Graham Stanley, Danny Holtkamo and David Inglis.

After the cards were studied the teams were placed on the podium as such:

CONTACT (04) 390 5600 www.themontgomerie.com GREEN FEES All rates are in UAE Dirhams (AED) 1st October 2008 to 31st May 2009 Visitor: 725 UGA Member (Thurs-Sat): 580 UGA Member (Sun-Wed): 510

SPECIAL PRIZES WERE AWARDED TO:

1. Tony and Anne Clarke and Maneesh Dungarwal and Mohammed Ali Bhatti

Men’s Nearest the Pin Hole 6 ~ Malcolm Gray

2. John and Debbie Murray and Derek and Anne Allan

Men’s Nearest the Pin in Two Shots hole 1 ~ Mike Mustafa

3. John Aslett, Graham Stanley, Danny Holtkamo and David Inglis.

Ladies Nearest the Pin Hole 13 ~ Anne Allan

Men’s Nearest the Pin Hole 17 ~ Danny Holtkamp Ladies Nearest the Pin Hole 8 ~ Jane Gray Ladies Nearest the Pin in Two Shots Hole 5~ Kerry Fitzpatrick

Green Fees are inclusive of 18 holes of golf, shared cart and access to the Practice Facility with unlimited range balls prior play. All green fees are subject to 10% Dubai Municipality fees.

Current Twilight Rate (2:00PM onwards) - AED 225 GOLF SERVICES Club Rental 18 holes: 190 Club Rental 9 holes: 125 Shoe Rental : 55 Driving Range: 120 Hole Academy Course: 120 Range + Academy Course:200

GREAT DAY AT BMW CITIZENS STABLEFORD BMW’s January Citizens Stableford competition attracted a field of over 60 golfers, enabling members of The Montgomerie, Dubai to compete for fantastic prizes provided by AGMC, the exclusive importer of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.

Keith Stacey walked away with the top prize in Division ‘A’ after a one-point win over Richard Smith while in Division ‘B’ Lionel Yeoman scored 44 points for a three-point win over Naresh Bhambhaney. In

the Men’s division ‘C’, Danny Holtkamp out-played the field to take the men’s title with a score of 42 Points – six points clear of runnerup John Aslett.

The ladies Division ‘A’ saw a very consistent Charmaine Bruwer take the title on 36 points, one point ahead of the previous month’s winner and Ladies Captain Beccy Yeoman. Ladies Division ‘B’ was also a tight affair as Anne Allan took the title by one point from Linda Mahoney.

E M I R AT E S G O L F C L U B

ARABIAN GOLF

Mitters and Wingates wrap-up Christmas Scramble victory BINDU and Joyshil Mitter and Gordon and Nancy Wingate triumphed in the traditionally popular Mixed Christmas Scramble over the Faldo course.

The Mitters and Wingates recorded a superb total of 59.6 – gross 65 which included four birdies on each half.

Two quartets posted scores of 60.8 and a card countback was needed to sort the podium finishes.

After both cards were examined the runners-up were announced as Yana Jamieson, Colin Jones, Peter Jamieson and Gerry Jamieson.

Third place went to the team of Mike and Josie

LOCATION Emirates Hills, Interchange 5 Sheikh Zayed Road, opposite Hard Rock Café

Tracey and Martha and Bill Wong.

Claire Fensome and Kashe Gerbich claimed the Longest Drive prizes while Martha Wong and Ken Matheson triumphed in the Nearest the Pin challenge.

A fantastic turn out of 112 golfers competed and the day’s golf was followed by a traditional Christmas dinner and Christmas carols from the Emirates Golf Club staff choir. Following the Emirates Golf Club choir and individual solo performance from Martha Wong’s daughter, Michelle, the traditional raffle raised Dhs27, 000 for the junior staff.

CONTACT (04) 380 2222 egc@dubaigolf.com Book online tee times at www.dubaigolf.com INFO Majlis Course – 1988 Wadi by Faldo Course – 1996, redesigned in 2006 COURSES Majlis – 18 holes, Par 72, 7211 yards, championship course Wadi by Faldo Course – 18 holes, Par 72, 7433 yards Designer: Majlis Course – Karl Litten WINTER RATES Wadi by Faldo : 18 holes EGC Majlis: 18 holes Par 3: 9 holes

RACK RATE WINTER PEAK WINTER OFF PEAK

995 995

795 100 695 100

875 875

625 100 535 100

645 645

490 100 490 100

UGA WINTER PEAK WINTER OFF PEAK JUNIOR WINTER PEAK WINTER OFF PEAK

(l-r) Lady Captain Elise Hanson, Winners Gordon Wingate, Bindu Mitter, Nancy Wingate, Joyshil Mitter and Vice Captain Mike Tracey.

Yousuf Comes Out On Top

Schoeman Stars in Westar Medal JO Schoeman recorded the best gross and net scores of the day to triumph in the Ladies Monthly Medal sponsored by Westar Properties.

Having completed the front nine holes of the Faldo course in 40, 4-over-par, bogeys followed on the 11th and 13th but a strong finish with backto-back birdies from the 16th saw her sign for a gross 79.

Schoeman picked up best net in Silver ‘A’ Division (hcp 0-12) with a net 74 closely followed by a trio of competitors on 76, with Jenny Ayres taking the runners-up place after a card countback.

Nova Matheson and Yong Bok Chun both signed for a net 77 in Silver ‘B’ Division (hcp 13-20) however Matheson took top honours following a better back nine. Barbara Head claimed first place in Bronze Division (hcp 21-36) with a net 76, two strokes better than Chris Purchase.

WINTER HIRE RATES Price (Dhs.) Club Hire 170 Practice Balls (per 50 balls) 30 Shoe Hire 65 Trolley Hire 30

Lewis triumphs in BMW Medal SAM Lewis recorded the best gross and net score in January’s BMW Monthly Medal over the Faldo course. On a day of high scoring with the standard scratch score 76, only two players broke par. Lewis signed for a gross 80 – net 70 – to clinch the Division ‘A’ title (hcp 0-10) by two shots from Trevor Hardwick. The highlight in a consistent performance from Lewis was a birdie on the 489-yard par-5 10th hole. His back nine of 2-over-par gifted him the Best Gross from David Ashcroft who matched his gross score but lost out on countback. Ashcroft claimed third place in Division ‘A’ with a net 74.

Division ‘B’ (hcp 11-19) was a closer affair with both Allan Salem and Clive Eckersley shooting level-par scores of 73, with Salem taking top spot following a back nine countback. Peter Skerrow went home with third place after posting a 74.

Connor Murray secured first place in Division ‘C’ (hcp 20-28) with a net 78.

KHALID Yousuf claimed the glory in the Gross category of the December BMW Monthly Medal as he signed for a 75 which included a fabulous eagle on the 523-yard fifth hole.

In Division ‘A’ Bradley Able and Tom Green both returned excellent scores of 1-over-par 74, but it was Able who was crowned the champion thanks to his superior inward half.

Amir Hussain continued his fine run of form with a third-place finish after signing for a net 75.

David Green continued to set the pace in the Order of Merit race with a net 73, the lowest score from the 75-strong field, to claim top honours in Division ‘B’ (handicap 11-19). Arun Khehar claimed second place following his net 75 which edged out Tarek El Sakka into third on a card countback.

Bill Henrie clinched the medal for Division ‘C’ (handicap 20-28) with a net 74.

Khalid Yousuf with Vice Captain Mike Tracey. www.wwgolf.biz

77

Shin Wins Amateur Open SOO Chul Shin won the Men’s Amateur Open at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club with some sterling golf.

Rounds of gross 72 and 73 fended off closest rival Ahmed Al Musharrek, who shot gross 73 and 74 for second place alone. Sebastian Heisele finished with two rounds of 74 on 148 for third place.

Shin kept his cool all day and played confidently within himself to

take the title. For his fantastic efforts Shin has won a place in the Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am and four days hospitality courtesy of Omega.

“It was a great two days golf with the course in amazing condition,” said Shin.

“Thanks to Dubai Creek, all the players and to the sponsor Omega. Also my mum and dad for all their support”

Above Left: Soo Chul Shin receiving the new perpetual trophy from Dubai Creek’s Vice Captain and Omega representative, Adel Zarouni and David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at Dubai Creek. Above Right: Soo Chul Shin coaxing his birdie putt to the hole for a tap in and safe par to win by a clear two shots.

Shin and Chopra Soar To Carpetland Victory

Shahriar Khodjasteh, Group Marketing Director of Aqili Furnishings and David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at DCGYC presenting Robert Platt and Bruno Amer with their trophies.

THE junior duo of Soo Chul Shin and Diya Chopra stormed to victory at the December Carpetland Monthly Open with a strokeplay score of net 58 (13-under-par) for a five-shot victory.

Finishing second were Vinay Mehra and Kush Sama as they scored an impressive net 63.

The top three pairs all qualified for the Carpetland Finals which take place in May. Other prizes on the day went to the big-hitting junior Chris Davies, who smashed the Longest Drive down the 12th fairway, while Hassan Dahabiyeh shot Nearest to the Pin on the fifth.

In the raffle draw, Rumi Sarkari won the sought after Carpetland rug.

A special festive prize was awarded for the best dressed golfer courtesy of Carpetland and Golf Me and Stephen Sanderson was the lucky winner who made the effort to play his round in a sporting v-neck jersey and bow tie. Stephen has won a made-to-measure Italian designer golf outfit from Golf Me courtesy of Geraldine Bellini.

Platt and Amer Clean Up at Carpetland

Shahriar Khodjasteh, Group Marketing Director of Aqili Furnishings and David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at DCGYC presenting Soo Chul Shin and Diya Chopra with the winners’ trophies.

ROBERT Platt and Bruno Amer blew away the field at January’s Carpetland Monthly Open as two net eagles and 13 net birdies saw them total a staggering 51 Stableford betterball points to win by seven.

The team of Victo Liwanag and Mario Marimon clinched second place after a countback win over Tobias Parkin and Edward Weston.

Parkin was honoured with the Longest Drive down the 12th fairway while Tony Andrews claimed the Nearest the Pin on the fifth.

Ara Naknikian won the monthly raffle of a Carpetland Rug for the very first time.

D U B A I C R E E K G O L F & YA C H T C L U B

ARABIAN GOLF

JUDGE WINS AL HAKIM’S CAPTAIN’S DAY 2008 OVER 100 members turned out to play as DCGYC hosted their annual Captain’s Day in late December. The event honoured Abul Aziz Al Hakim’s year as Captain and it was Vikram Judge who claimed the honours with a haul of 40 Stableford points.

Judge shot a superb gross 67 which helped him beat Craig McBride on a countback for the overall prize. Rakesh Shah finished in third place with 39 points.

Al Hakim said afterwards: “I am proud and privileged to be the first UAE National Club Captain in Dubai. I am also very proud to be the Club Captain of the best golf course in the Middle East 2008 as voted by Business Traveler Middle East. Thank you to all management, staff and of course the members of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club for their support during the last year!”

Miki Mirza collected the best gross prize with 36 gross points while Diya Chopra was crowned the overall ladies winner with 38 points. Chris Davies hit the Longest Drive on the 12th hole and Nearest the Pin on the 16th was won K.J Singh.

C0NTACT (04) 295 6000 dcgyc@dubaigolf.com Book online tee times at www. dubaigolf.com INFO First Open 1993, redesigned in 2005 Course: 18 holes, Par 71, 6,857 yards, championship course Design Originally: Karl Litten Redesign: European Golf Design in association with Thomas Björn RATES The Shoulder Rates below are valid from 1st October 2008 until 15th November 2008, and from 1st April 2009 until 31st May 2009

Managing Director of Dubai Golf, Rod Bogg and General Manager of Dubai Creek, Jean Francois Luquer presenting Abdul Aziz Al Hakim with the commemorative Captain’s gift.

Varkey Walks It DINO Varkey won the inaugural Papers Worldwide Invitational in late December after a stunning round of level-par gross 70 pipped Vikram Judge and Miki Mirza to the top spot by three shots.

“It is an honour to win the inaugural Papers Worldwide Invitational,” said Varkey. “I had to play some exceptional golf to beat the quality field assembled for the day. Thank you to Vikram Judge and John Fellingham for organising such a fantastic day.”

Judge claimed the runner-up

LOCATION Deira, opposite Deira City Centre

spot after a card countback with Mirza finishing third.

In the overall net division Tejan Fadlu Deen collected the crystal with his net 72. In second place Jay Varkey finished alone with a net 73 and Abdullah Al Naboodah finished third with net 76. The guest net division was highly contested and 2008 Club Captain Aziz Al Hakim shot net 69 to take the honours. Stathis Stathis carded a net 71 to finish in second place with Francisco Giles four shots back on net 75 finishing third.

Winter rates Dubai Creek Course: 18 holes Par-3 course: 9 holes Rack Rate Shoulder Peak Shoulder Off Peak Winter Peak Winter Off Peak

18 695 595 795 695

9 75 75 75 75

UGA Shoulder Peak Shoulder Off Peak Winter Peak Winter Off Peak

625 535 715 625

75 75 75 75

Junior Shoulder Peak Shoulder Off Peak Winter Peak Winter Off Peak

490 490 560 560

55 55 55 55

WINTER HIRE RATES Price (Dhs.) Club Hire Practice Balls (per bucket of 50 balls) Shoe Hire Trolley Hire

170 30 65 25

Above Right: Dino Varkey is presented with the winner’s trophy by Vikram Judge, Managing Director of Papers Worldwide Ltd. and Jean Francois Luquer, General Manager of Dubai Creek. Above: The field for the Papers Worldwide Invitational. www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

79 79

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THE THIRD AL NABOODAH PRO-AM

ARABIAN GOLF

Pictures courtesy of Rebecca Hobday

Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher receives the Individual winner’s cheque for charity of AED250,000 from Abdullah Al Naboodah.

Winners of the Pro-Am with their prizes: Amateur Paul King (left) and Professional Scott Strange with Abdullah Al Naboodah.

Start of a memorable day: Graeme McDowell, Abdullah Al Naboodah, Robert Karlsson and Tejan Fadlu-Deen

‘Most enjoyable Pro-Am ever’ THE Al Naboodah Pro-Am, held at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club last month, proved beyond doubt that it is the most competitive and enthralling pro-am in the Middle East region.

Always well supported and impeccably organised, this third Al Naboodah Pro-Am turned out to be the best yet. With 40 professionals, including 39 leading European Tour players, and 40 of the top amateurs in the region turning out in force, it was always going to be a memorable occasion.

Great players

Notable professionals included The European Tour’s 2008 Order of Merit winner and World No.7 Robert Karlsson, Worldwide Golf Columnist Ross Fisher, Graeme McDowell, David Howell, Alvaro Quiros, Ricardo Gonzalez and Steve Webster along with many more great players.

In the individual Professional charity event Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher shot a magnificent 3-under-par 68, on the superbly prepared Dubai Creek course, to take the AED250,000 charity first prize. Stephen donated the total amount to his preferred charity, The Kidney Dialysis Unit in Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, Scotland.

England’s Robert Rock and Simon Dyson shared second place just one shot behind to win AED87,500 apiece for their chosen charities.

Five players tied for fourth place on 1-under-par 70 to collect AED15,000 each for their charities – India’s Jyoti Randhawa, Sweden’s Pelle Edberg, England’s Graeme

Storm and Steve Webster and Frenchman, Gregory Bourdy. Steve Webster is one of four European Tour players sponsored by Al Naboodah, along with Fisher, McDowell and Steven Jeppesen.

The scoring was just as tight in the Pro-Am with Aussie professional Scott Strange and amateur Paul King winning the event on a countback with a better back nine, shooting 6-under 65. England’s Robert Rock and Rodolfo Ducos had to settle for the runnersup spot.

A countback had to decide third and fourth place with Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and Abdullah Al Naboodah scoring a 5-under 66 with a better back six, relegating England’s Simon Dyson and Allan Stanton to fourth.

Robert Rock (right), who also shared second place in the Individual event, and Rodolfo Ducos receive their prizes from Abdullah Al Naboodah for finishing runners-up in the Pro-Am.

Simon Dyson and Allan Stanton, who came fourth in the Pro-Am on a countback. Dyson also tied second in the Individual event.

Outstanding success

The third Al Naboodah Pro-Am was another outstanding success and all the players, professionals and amateurs, agreed that it was the most enjoyable and competitive pro-am they had ever played.

Al Naboodah Director of Golf, James Bowring, commented: “By thinking of every detail we have created an event which our VIP guests do not want to miss.”

The tournament winner, Stephen Gallacher, added: “The cheque meant a lot to my family, as my father in law died last year. He was having kidney dialysis three days a week for five years and was treated very well, so to give it to the renal unit was a big deal.

“The Pro-Am itself was run tremendously well with a high attention to detail, and played on a great course. It really was a fantastic day.”

Alvaro Quiros, who was presented with a Camel club cover for winning the Longest Drive, with Pro-Am partner Jamal Saab.

Ross Fisher, one of four players sponsored by the Al Naboodah Group, tees off in the Al Naboodah Pro-Am. www.wwgolf.biz

81

AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB

Christmas celebrated with members at Al Hamra in the Christmas Challenge THE festive season got underway with a Christmas Challenge Competition at Al Hamra.

Members were in full festive spirit as they played in the pairs combined Stableford format. Any team that beat the Professionals score had their first drink bought for them.

It was Professional Alasdair Webster and partner Jeff Hunt that took the honours with 56 points and three ahead of their nearest challengers.

Fred Smith and George Ward were runners up with 54 points while Steve Jones and Greg Smith finished in third spot with 50 points.

Aces Coming Thick and Fast at Al Hamra AL HAMRA has witnessed three holes-inone in the space of a month including two on the same day.

Richard Moody recorded the first on hole 11 during the Maison Chic & Engel & Volkers Open Stableford before a general afternoon’s play saw two in quick succession.

Steve Dunnage holed out on the tricky 11th hole with a 4-iron before David Smith smashed his 3-wood right into the bottom of the cup on the long 15th hole.

No New Year Hangover for Hegge THE New Year started off with heavy fog shrouding the links at Al Hamra but it didn’t take long for player Cutis Hegge to cut through the din and lift the New Year’s Day Cup. Played over an 18-hole Stableford format, Hegge clearly benefited from waking up with a clear head as he amassed 41 points to win by three from Nathan Brown. In third place was Mieko Sakuma on 36 points.

January Medal Sees Stevenson Win By Five COOL conditions at the links made scoring tough for the first medal of 2009 at Al Hamra but it didn’t affect Andy Stevenson as he completed a resounding five-stroke victory to take home the title. In second place was David Gould while there was a handicap

reduction for junior member Jonathan Upshall who shot a gross 99.

Steve Moremon continued his steady play to win the Net Division with a 71 while in the ladies section Rita Hicks won the Gross prize with a 94 and Sharon Moore topped the net division with 77.

T H E R OYA L G O L F C L U B AT R I F FA V I E W S

ARABIAN GOLF

Horne in historic Captain’s Drive-In THE 2009 golfing season at the new Royal Golf Club officially got underway on January 1st when Club Captain Alan Horne hit the opening tee shot down the first fairway.

“I am honoured to have been selected as the first club captain for the Royal Golf Club,” he said. “I look forward to acting as liaison between the members and the club management and to raising money for my designated charity, the RIA Institute. Over BD1700 was raised for the school at this first event of the year and I would like to thank the sponsors and competitors for their support and generosity.”

To mark the occasion a Texas Scramble tournament was arranged and 100 members took part for honours over the 18-hole Colin Montgomerie-designed course. The competition was won by the team of Abdulla Sultan, Des Prunty, and Paddy and Mary Gallagher who achieved a net score of 59 while the Captain’s team, comprising Alan and Marion Horne, club general manager Michael Braidwood Left: Alan Horne hits the opening shot of the season on the new Montgomerie course. and Sassan Sarkoob, came second with net 63.60.

Right; Alan Horne (centre) with the winning team (l – r) of Abdulla Sultan, Des Prunty, Paddy and Mary Gallagher.

First Hole In One by Dana Lilja Rolling Hills Players Experience New NEW member Dana Lilja became the first player to achieve a hole-in-one on the club’s new 18-hole Montgomerie course. Dana was playing on his own when he holed the seventh using an 8-iron. Fortunately course marshal Abbas Sarhan witnessed the achievement and coincidentally the club’s General Manager, Michael Braidwood, was on the course just one hole ahead at the time.

“I’ve only been a member of the club for two weeks so I’m over the moon to have managed a hole-in-one so early on,” said Lilja afterwards. “I can’t wait to get Dana (right) is congratulated on back out on the course again to try for his hole-in-one by Phil Jones, the another!” club’s Director of Golf.

Course in Friendly Day Out

FIFTY members of Rolling Hills Golf Club in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, travelled to Bahrain recently to try their hand against the Royal Golf Club’s members on the challenging new course.

The event was separated into two sections with the honours split between the two clubs. The betterball match play section was narrowly won by the Rolling Hills team by 10.5 to 9.5 while the Royal Golf Club’s members put up a stronger show in the individual Stableford competition.

Alan Horne (left) celebrates with Prizes were presented by Rolling Hills Jeff Meisner after a successful tournament organiser Jeff Meisner and day’s golf.

Royal Golf Club Captain Alan Horne.

JEBEL ALI GOLF RESORT & SPA

Scandinavian Flavour at Jebel Ali AS the number of Swedes and Danes populating the upper echelons of professional golf suggests, Scandinavia is a hotbed of golfing talent.

The breeding ground for the advancement of Europe’s most northerly inhabitants is Scandinavia’s fine selection of championship golf and they selected the Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa to host their inaugural tournament of the 2009 Scandinavian Golf Championship.

The tournament, played last month, saw Max Holm emerge as the winner thanks to a net 75. Johnny Stenegard was a shot further back in second place while Dylan Fjellstom took third after losing out to Stenegard on a countback.

(l-r) Filip Karlsson, Dylan Fjellstrom, Johnny Stenegard and Max Holm. www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

85 85

K ATA M E YA H E I G H T S G O L F & T E N N I S C L U B

Jose wins Vodafone December Junior Golfer of the Month CONGRATULATIONS to Jose Phillips who claimed the December Vodafone Junior Golfer of the Month. This prestigious award is decided by all the PGA Golf Professionals at Katameya and is awarded to a junior who has shown dedication and enthusiasm for the game, shows improvement through their practice and tournament results during the month.

Phillips had a two great weeks of competitive golf during the month. He,

Phillips family on fire in Parent & Child Series THE father and son combination of Jose Phillips and his namesake son claimed event two of the Parent & Child golf series after gelling together to post an impressive score. In the greensomes format they produced 26 Stableford points to win by one from Iby and Timi Obatoyinbo. Ken and Calum Gibson also carded 25 points but had to settle for third place after a card countback. With the victory Jose jnr took maximum Order of Merit points and elevated himself into the top five table.

along with his father, won event two of the Parent and Child Golf Series (see below) and with his top-three finish in the third event of the Katameya Junior Series Jose more than deserves to win this award. Jose has been seen practising in his own time on all aspects of his game. His dedication and hard work has paid off with two successful weeks. He wins a pro shop voucher and a nine-hole playing lesson with the PGA Professional of his choice.

Wakid is No. 1 on Good Day For The Obatoyinbos COOLER and windy conditions made for difficult scoring during the third event of the Katameya Junior Series but Ibrahim Wakid overcame the weather to top Category 1 with a net 71 after a countback win over Hassan Said. Saphir Gohar finished in third place a shot further back.

Category 2 was a nine-hole strokeplay format and Timi Obatoyinbo came out on top after returning a gross 41 for a

net 27 – four shots better than Ritvki Miglani. In third place was Jose Phillips who also carded a net 31 but missed out on the runner-up spot after a countback. The Katameya Kids, who compete over six shortened holes on the New Nine, saw Harrison Obatoyinbo claim the victory with a gross 27. Misha Murdoch took the runner-up place with a 29 with Jan Jap Van Klompenberg in third place with 32.

Top: Jose Phillips and son Jose Jnr win event two of the Parent & Child Series.

Middle: Iby and Timi Obatoyinbo take the runner-up spot on a card countback.

Bottom: Ken and Calum Gibson are edged into third place.

Above left: Category 2 winner Timi Obatoyinbo and (above right) younger brother Harrison collect their certificates.

Three Aces at Katameya Sheridan Claims The December Monthly Medal Already in 2009 IT took less than two weeks into 2009 for Katameya to see its first hole-in-one, and then two followed in consecutive days.

The first hole-in-one of 2009 was on Wednesday, January 7 on the fifth hole of the New Nine course at Katameya – the lucky golfer was Ariaud Van Eeckhout.

A day later the third hole of the Championship Course witnessed Juhani Kari shoot an ace and another day after that Rebecca J. Day holed her tee shot on the fifth on the New Nine to complete the hatrick!

THE December monthly medal saw 175 players compete for honours in blustery, cool weather conditions which made scoring difficult for some and easy for others.

Joe Sheridan won the best gross with a round of 77 while the three Divisions were all tight scoring affairs.

The Division ‘A’ winner was J. Hambric who returned a net 69 for a two-shot win over runner-up Ahmed Durrani and third

place (on countback) Ibrahim Wakid who both returned net 71. Division ‘B’ produced some similar results to Division ‘A’ with John Morrison returning a net 68 to win from runner-up, Kevin Jones net 70 and third place Hassan Said net 71.

It was Division ‘C’ that provided the low round of the day – a net 65 from winner Alastair Gray. Runner-up was Cherylanne Vickers with a net 67 and third place was Gianpeiro Coppolla who returned a net 70.

SHARJAH GOLF & SHOOTING CLUB

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

SGSC ANNOUNCE EVIAN LADIES AND JUNIOR OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS and 14th of March. Both are primarily gross events but have generous net prizes along with heavily subsidised entry fees. The fields are limited to 39 players and the official closing dates for both events are a week before the first round.

To obtain entry forms please visit: www.golfandshootingshj.com or call 06 5487777 and speak to Golf Reservations to be forwarded a copy.

FOLLOWING on from the resounding success of the first Men’s Open Championship staged back in December, Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club have announced their first Ladies and Junior Open Golf Championships.

The Junior Open, which is also listed on the UAE Junior Order of Merit, will be competed over the weekend of 13th and14th of February and the Ladies Open Championship supported by Evian will be held over the weekend of 13th

CONTACT +971 6 548 7777 info@golfandshootingshj.com INFO A 9 hole fully floodlit course designed by Peter Harradine.

Played twice results in a par-72 layout in excess of 7,300 yards.

RATES

YASSIN WINS ORIENT TRAVEL MONTHLY MEDAL

ON PEAK 18 HOLES: Guest – 275DHS EGF – 245DHS

RAMSEY Yassin produced one of his finest rounds in gusting winds to win the January edition of the Orient Travel Monthly Medal.

On a day when the CSS (Competition Scratch Score) shot up to 75 because of the blustery conditions, Yasin carded 5-over-par net 77 to beat his nearest challenger Nick Harel (8) by a single stroke.

Yasin, a former Lebanon National Golf Team member, rolled in nine pars during his round and could have scored even better had it not been for five dropped shots over the two par 5s on the back nine.

Bill Buchanan (5) finished an impressive front nine in 38 shots which helped him win the Best Gross prize of the day. A total of 21 members and guests compete for honours from the Championship tees and the next Orient Travel Monthly Medal will be held on for February 6 with a 7.30am shotgun start.

OFF PEAK 18 HOLES: Guest – 220DHS EGF – 200DHS ON PEAK 9 HOLES: Guest – 165DHS EGF – 150DHS OFF PEAK 9 HOLES: Guest – 135DHS EGF – 120DHS HIRE RATES Golf cart – 18 holes: 60AED Full club set – 18 holes 150AED Golf shoes – 50AED Golf trolley – 20AED

The prizewinners with Martin Duff of the Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club.

Armour and Human Pair Up Nicely

Prizewinners: Gurbax Singh, Satnam Kaur, Bill Buchanan and Gibbom Human with SGSC Director of Golf Martin Duff.

All-round Test At BMW Members & Guest Social

THE December BMW Members & Guest Social comprised of two different formats over 18 holes. The front nine competition was an Aggregate Bogey format, where players play against the golf course while the back nine competition was a Betterball Medal format.

The winners of the Aggregate Bogey format were the sponsors team of Satnam Kaur and Sandeep Singh. Both players got off to a rocky start and were 3-down to the golf course with three holes remaining, Sandeep made a net birdie at the seventh to bring their score to two down. At their

eighth hole, both players made net birdies to bring their score back to level-par.

In the back-nine section the rapidly improving Ramsey Yassin (10) and Eric Tanghal (21) stormed round in five below par. Their stellar score started with three net birdies in their opening four holes to set up a fantastic score and a one-stroke victory margin.

The Longest Drive went to Purna Sharma on hole 7 while Nearest to the Pin was won

by George Lui (6). Both players have made a habit of collecting prizes in the last couple of competitions held at SGSC.

SCOTT Armour and Gibbom Human teamed up to win one half of the prizes on offer at the January edition of the BMW Members & Guest Social. The event was comprised of two different formats over the outward and inwards halves and Armour and Human claimed the first half’s honours.

They returned a gross 36 for a net 32.9 which was the culmination of nine steady gross pars. Armour (12) was also in the prizes again as he won the Nearest the Pin at the 17th hole.

The back nine competition was a Betterball medal which was won by Gurbax Singh (20) and Satnam kaur (32) who returned a net 31 which included a brilliant 40-foot winning putt for par at the 18th.

Bill Buchanan (5) won the longest drive on the seventh hole with a drive measuring over 300 yards. www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

87 87

Memberships Available for 2009 Golf and Social Sign up today - 04 3905600 citizenship@themontgomerie.ae

At The Montgomerie, Dubai, you are never just a visitor.

We pride ourselves on providing our Members with a seamless 5-star experience, whether it be playing our Colin Montgomerie-designed championship golf course, staying in our stylish 21-room boutique hotel, dining in our award winning restaurant, enjoying a private golf clinic, or luxuriating in the Angsana Spa. We make it our responsibility to ensure that you want for nothing from the moment you arrive.

CREATING EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES

P.O. Box 36700, Dubai, UAE Email info@themontgomerie.ae www.themontgomerie.com

PALM SPORTS RESORT AL AIN

ARABIAN GOLF

Sandford on fire in Coca Cola Medal

THE field in the Coca Cola Medal Finals was made up of all the Gross and Division winners from the 2008 season and was split in to three divisions with ‘A’ and ‘B’ playing strokeplay and Division ‘C’ playing Stableford over 18 holes.

Division ‘A’ saw Dane Sandford carry on the form he showed towards the end of 2008. Sandford made the turn in 34 with three

birdies and a single dropped shot on the seventh he then picked up another birdie on the 12th to get to 3-under for his round before a double bogey pegged him back on the 15th.

Another dropped shot on 16 took him back to level par but a fantastic birdie-birdie finish saw him record a 70 gross for a net 66 to claim the Division ‘A’ prize.

Second place in the Division went to Lyndon Chalmers with a 79 gross for a net 73.

Division ‘B’ saw Bill Brown close with a gross 81 for a net 69 which gave him a two-stroke victory over Bogdan Schiopu who fired a gross 89 for a net 71.

LOCATION: The Palm Sports Resort is situated to the south of the road between Tawam Hospital roundabout and the Maqam Palace traffic lights, on the site of the old Equestrian Centre.

Fresh from his winter vacation to South Africa, Brown came back full of beans and it showed with his impressive 39 gross over the front nine. Three pars followed on 10, 11 and 12 before he finished his round with six straight bogeys.

Division ‘C’ was the closest fought as George Carruthers came out on top with a total of 35 points – one point ahead of his wife Jill. George rallied well after he failed to score any points on the first two holes with an excellent back nine score of 46 gross and 20 points. Jill had a one-point advantage as both players stood on the 18th tee but failed to score, which handed the title to her husband.

CONTACT Tel: + 971 3 7026 400 golf@palsportsresort.com INFO: Opened in 2007, a 9 hole grass golf course with 9 newly rebuilt greens Weekend rates 18 holes include shared golf cart and driving range.

WEEKEND RATES: 18 holes: UGA – 280AED Non UGA – 300AED 9 holes: UGA – 170AED Non UGA – 190AED WEEKDAY RATES: 18 holes: UGA – 230AED Non UGA – 250AED

Turner gets off to a flyer WAYNE Turner made a great start to the new season with victory in the first Thursday Social Individual Stableford at Palm Sports Resort.

Consistent golf saw Turner record seven pars in a convincing win and his winning margin could have been even greater had it not been for two double bogeys, the second one coming at his last hole of his competition – the par-3 seventh.

The Division ‘A’ winner was the in-form Bong Lulu with a total of 18 points.

Lulu took a double bogey on the par-4 second but despite the setback he followed it up with a run of six pars on the way to his winning total.

Runner-up in Division ‘A’ was Lindsay Brown as she also recorded 18 points but lost out with her total over

the last six holes and had to settle for second place.

Finishing off the prizes was Lyndon Chalmers with his total of 17 points for third place.

Phil James got off to a great start in Division ‘B’ with a birdie on the second and steady scoring for his remaining eight holes was good enough for him to see out the victory. John Evans took the runner-up spot on 17 points and pushed Tracey Thorpe Willet in to third spot on a countback over the last three holes.

9 holes: UGA – 140AED Non UGA – 160AED CLUB RATES: 9-hole – 90AED 18-hole – 140AED

AL GHAZAL GOLF CLUB

Lincoln is far from over the Hill A FULL field took part in the first Hill International Monthly Medal the year as organisers had to double up on five tee boxes in order to accommodate as many players as possible.

Division ‘C’ witnessed the best score as Lincoln Masalamani scored a 64 to top the table. The result saw him earn a handicap cut of four strokes to 19 while runner-up Ramesh Emmanuel also earned a cut of one stroke after his 73.

Division ‘B’ was hotly contested between James Lind and newcomer Jan Friedman both on 72 which resulted in a countback. Lind was confirmed as the winner thanks to his better back nine.

It is well documented that when new Captains take the helm their golf game suffers, but that hasn’t been the case with Al Ghazal’s Captain Will Low. He has been in the winning circle on numerous occasions since his Captaincy began late last year and this time was no exception as he shot a 72 to win the overall prize by one S.J. Lim on 73.

In the Ladies Silver Division Anina Bester continued her domination of the section as she carded a 70 to beat Nicolette Van Dyk. Sharon Yang also kept a firm grip on the Bronze Division as she shot a 70 to beat Cheminah McVeigh by four strokes. The result saw her earn a handicap cut to 26.

CONTACT Tel: + 971 2 575 8040 Fax: + 971 2 575 8041 INFO: Opened in 1997, an 18-hole sand course with specifically treated ‘browns’ which offer a true putting surface.

WEEKDAY RATES: 18 holes: UGA – DHS95 Non UGA – 120 9 holes: UGA – DHS 70 Non UGA – DHS 85 WEEKEND RATES: 18 holes: UGA – DHS150 Non UGA – DHS165 9 holes: UGA – DHS90 Non UGA – DHS115 CLUB HIRE: 9-hole – DHS40; 18-hole – DHS60 TROLLEY HIRE: Pull trolley: UGA – DHS10 Non UGA – DHS20 Electric trolly: UGA –DHS20 Non UGA – DHS30 CART HIRE: 9 holes: UGA – DHS30 Non UGA – DHS35 18 holes: UGA – DHS40 Non UGA – DHS50 www.wwgolf.biz

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I N T E R C O N T I N E N TA L R I YA D H G O L F C L U B

MARTY WINS FIRST APPLETISER GOLF TOURNAMENT

MARTY Cowal signed one of his best scorecards in golf and became the overall champion of the first Appletiser monthly medal golf tournament at the InterContinental Riyadh Golf club sponsored by Balsharaf Group.

Despite the chilly weather conditions in the morning, the participants enjoyed a wonderful round of golf at the city centre executive golf course.

Marty won a glittering crystal trophy and other golf prizes from Ahmed Haroon, Business

Director of Balsharaf Group.

Mounir Melliti , Recreation Manager, of Intercontinental Riyadh, expressed his appreciation and thanks to the players and to Balsharaf for their support.

In the A Division (hdcp 0-6) Jun Saporsantos grabbed the Championship with 35 Stableford points, beating Alex Arellano, another golf fanatic , who could only score 31 points. In the B Division ( hdcp 7-12) Chris Hodder won the Championship with a wonderful score of 39 points which is equivalent to 3-under-par while Vagn Jensen bagged the

runner–up position .

In the C Division( hdcp13-18) David Lloyd won with 38 points with Tim Douglas taking the runner-up spot with 36 points.

Anne Bjornstad, Ladies Champion of the Club won the Ladies Division with 32 Stableford points while Alice Wendy and Evelyn Jensen won the consolation prizes.

Amer Eshaq and Marty won the Nearest the Pin prizes. Baby Joseph, Assistant Golf Club Manager thanked the players, Sponsors and InterContinental Riyadh management for their great enthusiasm and support to the game and the Club.

SHARJAH WANDERERS

Higson Is No Mug

Bushnell Doesn’t Give Them A Sniff ALAN Bushnell destroyed the field at the annual SGB Hunnebeck golf day as his superb performance saw him earn a handicap cut to 10. A full field took part in the event and second place went to Bob Driver.

Pictured (l-r) is Lady Captain Joan Breen, SGB Hunnebeck General Manager Barry Furlong, Alan Bushnell and Club Captain Chris Scott.

STEVE Higson claimed the Chivas Regal Monthly Mug after a superb net 72 gave him a one-shot victory over Gary Falk.

Higson is pictured with the sponsor’s representative Paul O’Rouke (l) and Club Captain Chris Scott (r).

TOWER LINKS GOLF CLUB

ARABIAN GOLF

Clear Victory for Lamb and Belton TERRY Belton and Mike Lamb won the Annual Black and White Challenge last month with a blistering 45-point total.

Playing a betterball Stableford format the duo were relentless over the more difficult front nine, scoring four three-point holes for an outgoing 20 points.

This, however, was only the start of things to come as they rolled out the heavy artillery on the back nine, shooting five three-point holes with four of them coming on holes 13

through 16. Marching onto the 18th tee, loose-limbed Lamb let fly with a towering drive and pin point approach to set up a gross birdie four, netting them a tasty four points to return in 25 points for their 45 point total.

Second place was claimed after a countback by the father and daughter combination of Joe and Zenia Wivou on 42 points.

One of the pre-game favourites for the title, they lived up to expectations as they went out in 19 points, which

included the blemish of a non-return on hole 9. They, like Lamb and Belton, found the back nine a little easier going as they recorded 23 points including two four-point holes on holes 13 and 15.

Taking third place was Chris Stanford and Tyrone McCarthy. Both players complemented each other well during the round, with a spattering of three-point holes and two four-point holes on the inward nine, but they lost out to Joe and Zenia’s better back nine.

LOCATION In Ras Al Khaimah, the golf course meanders through a mangrove reserve with the Hajar Mountains serving as a backdrop.

C0NTACT +971 7 2279939 (Reservations Desk) golf@towerlinks.com INFO First Open: May 2004 Course – 18 holes Championship Floodlit Back-Nine Designer: Gerald Williams RATES Non-Member:Dhs350 UGA Member: Dhs300 WEEKEND RATES Non-Member:Dhs400 UGA Member: Dhs350 CLUB HIRE Dhs120 RANGE BALLS 50 Balls – Dhs20 (1 basket included with green fee)

Lamb chops the field down to size

WITH the weather in Ras Al Khaimah resembling an English skyline, Michael Lamb felt right at home as he won The Sherwood’s Social Powerplay Stableford.

Fresh from his win in the Black and White Challenge Lamb scored 26 points in the Powerplay format with the defining moment coming on hole 18 where he achieved eight Stableford points after electing to take his Powerplay.

Hosae Lee seems to have swapped his schoolbooks for golf clubs of late as he once again featured on the leaderboard taking second place with 25 Stableford points. Lee played another solid round, picking up two six-point holes after electing to nominate holes 11 and 15 to take two of his compulsory three Powerplays.

Graeme Sauer was welcomed back to prize table as he scored 24 points in the chilly conditions. He also achieved two six-point holes on his elected Powerplay holes, the 10th and 18th. Dave Clark was awarded the Wooden Spoon title for his tally of four Stableford points.

The two-pin Powerplay format was the first for 2009 after a successful inauguration in the 2008 season and is set to be a regular feature at Tower Links during the season.

John Bickerton welcomed as Touring Professional TOWER Links has welcomed European Tour player John Bickerton as their Touring Professional for the 2009 season.

Bickerton is a well respected and established professional both on and off the course and a winner of several titles around the world with his last title being the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa in 2007.

Moremon Secures Maiden Title JEANETTE Moremon claimed the season-opening Sherwood’s Wednesday Social Stableford after a haul of 18 points gave her a one-shot win over Liezel Parry.

Moremon’s only blemish came on the 13th where she splashed into the hazard twice to fail to record a score. However, she steadied the ship with back-to-back three-point holes which set her on course for victory.

Parry finished level on 17 points alongside Ae Yung Kim and both players were locked on 12 points each over the last six holes. The countback went down to the last three holes and Parry was confirmed as the runner-up with eight points to Kim’s six.

The Wooden Spoon on the evening went to Andy Stuart as his scoreless run of holes from the 12th through the 14th helped him attain the booby prize.

www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

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LOCKER ROOM Sony Ericsson Walkman W508 SONY Ericsson’s latest offering is another must-have for those who like to combine their MP3 player with their phone, while the clam shell design is a stylish departure from the traditional shape of their other Walkman phones.

The W508 has all the use-ability of its predecessors but is also packed to the rafters with new features. Choose from eight changeable ‘Style-Up’ covers to

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personalise the handset; use ‘Shake Me’ to shuffle songs; silence calls simply by waving your hand over the phone; or search for your favourite song using ‘TrackID’.

This cracking little phone also incorporates at 3.2 megapixel camera, video camera and RDS radio. www.sonyericsson.com

COOL STUFF

Logitech Illuminated Keyboard THIS sleek, slim-line keyboard from Logitech is perfect for night owls prone to finishing off business reports in the wee small hours or for those who just like to while the night away emailing friends or colleagues.

As well as its elegant appearance, the big selling point of this keyboard is the illuminated keys, which are also wonderfully smooth and fluid to the touch due to the PerfectStroke system. www.logitech.com

Aspinal of London Manicure Set THE modern man cares as much about his appearance as his female counterpart and this stylish manicure kit from Aspinal of London is the perfect travel accessory. As with all of Aspinal of London’s products, attention to detail and high-quality materials are obvious throughout this great little product. The set comes with scissors, tweezers, nail clippers .

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www.aspinaloflondon.com

Wii CRAZY MINI GOLF Track Your Health and Fitness with the FitBit A NEW fitness and sleep tracker has been launched in the United States which keeps you up-to-date with how healthy and active you are.

The small item clips to your clothes as you go through your daily and nightly routines (providing you wear pyjamas) and gauges how healthy your lifestyle is – all with the power of wireless technology. www.fitbit.com

CRAZY Mini Golf on the Wii is great fun for all the family.

Best played with the optional plastic putter, there are 72 entertaining holes set over four courses. You can create customised characters using the ‘NuYu’ editor and in multiplayer mode your opponent’s characters will also appear during your game and can cheer or taunt you as you putt.

You use the putter as you would a real one and the movements are actually really accurately simulated on screen while for non-golfers there is also an easier arcade style fast play mode. www.popcorn-arcade.com To win a copy of Crazy Mini Golf for the Wii answer the following question: Who won last month’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship?

TO ENTER: win@sportingpublications.com www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

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A F T E R A L O N G D AY O N T H E C O U R S E , I T ’ S A LW AY S G O O D T O TA K E T I M E O U T T O F R E S H E N U P

CLEAN SHAVE – BY OLE HENRIKSEN

NINA – BY NINA RICCI A modern fragrance for the modern woman, Nina by Nina Ricci is a fresh, floral and fruity scent that is as classically enchanting as it is modern and feminine.

Technical jargon: Top notes – caipirinha lime, rose, peach. Heart notes – moonflower, peony petals.

Base notes – white cedar, light oak, applewood.

Clean Shave is a smooth gel which delivers a light foam for a cleaner, closer shave. Recommended for men prone to irritation or razor bumps it is enhanced with natural extracts of aloe, cucumber and eucalyptus to soothe and rejuvenate skin.

BLACK XS FOR HER –

BY PACO RABANNE A trendy fragrance for the younger woman, Black XS For Her holds a combination of floral highs with woody lows for a musky yet crisp finish.

Technical jargon: Top notes – hellebore rose, tamarind blossom, pink peppercorns, cranberry. Heart notes – vanilla. Base notes – massoia note, patchouli.

Groom Room

FLOWER – BY KENZO Flower by Kenzo is a cool, contemporary fragrance for the modern woman who seeks freshness and inspiration from mother nature. A creamy finish is left after an instant floral hit. Technical jargon: Top notes – Bulgarian rose, wild hawthorn, palma violets.

Heart notes- opopanax, white musk. Base notes – hedione, cyclosal.

212 SEXY – BY CAROLINA HERRERA 212 Sexy features a distinctive and classy musky aroma with a seductive blend of rose pepper and musk for the modern, confident woman.

Technical jargon: Top notes – tangerine, bergamot, rose pepper. Heart notes – floral petals, gardenia. Base notes – musk, candy floss.

BAG

D R I V E R - F A I R W AY- H Y B R I D - I R O N S - W E D G E S - P U T T E R - B A L L

INTHE

LUKE CANTELLO

D I R E C T O R O F I N S T R U C T I O N , T H E A C A D E M Y, T H E M O N T G O M E R I E , D U B A I .

Driver: Callaway FT-3 9.5° Graffalloy Blue S Shaft 3-Wood: Callaway X 15° Aldila NV X Shaft Hybrid: Callaway FT 2 Hybrid 18° Irons 3-PW: Callaway X Forged with Rifle 6.5 Flighted Shafts Wedges: Callaway X 54° / 60° Putter: Callaway White Hot Tour #2 Ball: Callaway iX Tour

Q&A: Q: When did you first start playing golf and where?

A: I started playing golf at The Coffs Harbour Golf Club in New South Wales at the age of eight. My uncle introduced me to the game as he was a very low handicap player. My first annual membership fee was just AUD$34.

Q: How long have you been in Dubai?

A: I moved to Dubai in September 2006 as I was very fortunate to be offered a position at The Academy by Troon Golf at The Montgomerie, Dubai. It was a fantastic move for me and I thoroughly enjoy it here.

Q: What’s your favourite memory of your time spent in Dubai so far?

A: Being a part of the victorious Dubai Trophy team last year was a great feeling. It was so nice to be in a team situation like that again, with great sportsmanship shown over the two days by both teams.

Q: What was your first set of Golf Clubs?

A: My first set was a half set of Wilson Stylists with persimmon headed woods and blade irons. That really shows how long ago I started playing!

Q: Who is your golfing hero and why?

A: Obviously growing up in Australia my idol was Greg Norman.

I was so lucky to be at Royal St. George’s in 1993 to watch him win his second Open Championship. His final-round 64 was very special to see. His most admirable trait however, was that win or lose he always conducted himself with class on the course.

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

A: If I was head of the R&A I would make sure no golf clubs were allowed to have “internal Out of Bounds.” No matter where you are within the boundaries of a course, if you can find your ball and hit it, you should be able to!

O’S

H ECC C T A M D CAN N A R B E R SHO ANCE, M R O F NO OTHE R OF PE N O I T A N I COMB YLE. T S D N A T KO C H – CAR IN COMFOR ce. erforman serious p ts e spired e n -i m d n g tren ry fashio TM , featurin ra o p m Conte thers, ydromax stant lea al Cool H water-resi , g The Casu in il ta e minine d pport. colors, fe d ideal su n a y it il b a superb st

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