Worldwide Golf - Issue 106, Tom Watson

Issue 106, Summer 2009

MIDDLE EAST’S No.1 GOLF MAGAZINE

WORLDWIDE

PAdraig Harrington

Claude Harmon III looks at how the two time Open Champion deals with those tricky greenside chips.

MY Dear

watson Who’d have thought it: Tiger misses the cut and a 59-year-old legend has an eightfooter on the last for the 138th Open Championship. To win Majors you don’t need power – just balls of steel!

egyptian Open

The Middle East’s oldest golf tournament re-emerges through the Egyptian Golf Federation with a $200,000 event.

Exclusive

DETAILS OF NEW EGF USGA FORMAT HANDICAP SYSTEM.

ELS●PLAYER●NORMAN●FISHER●NEWS & VIEWS Official Publication of The Emirates Golf Federation & The Arab Golf Federation

Worldwide Golf’s Executive Editor

PLAYER

GARY

PLAYER INTRODUCTION

Summer of Surprises W HAT a remarkable Open Championship we’ve just witnessed and what a fantastic performance by Tom Watson, who led virtually from start to finish. It was almost a repeat of Tom’s Duel in the Sun with Jack Nicklaus at Turnberry in 1977.

Tom showed that at 59 he still has what it takes to win a Major on the regular Tour and what a wonderful achievement that would have been. The honour went to Stewart Cink but Tom was the favourite of the fans for all four days.

Last month marked the anniversary of the real start of my professional golf career. It was 50 years ago to the month that I won the first of my three Open Championships at the 1959 Open at Muirfield, where I shot a final round 68 to beat Fred Bullock and Flory van Donck by two shots.

I was 23 years old and it was my first step towards achieving my nine Majors and nine Senior Majors. I won The Open two more times, at Carnoustie in 1968 when I had a two-shot victory over Jack Nicklaus and Bob Charles, and in 1974 at Royal Lytham & St Annes, beating Peter Oosterhuis by four shots. That record of winning The Open in three separate decades has never been beaten.

I went on to add three Masters Tournament titles (1961, 1974, 1978), two U.S. PGA Championships (1962, 1972) and the U.S. Open in 1965. I matched my nine Majors with nine Senior Majors and I’m just as proud of that record: Three U.S. Senior PGA Championships (1986, 1988, 1990), two U.S. Senior Opens (1987, 1988) and the Mazda Senior TPC (1987). I also won The Senior Open Championship on the European Senior Tour three times – once at Royal Portrush in Ireland and twice in the first four years of the Championship at Turnberry (1988, 1990), where last month’s Open was played.

I’ve often said that there is very little difference between the standard of golf on the Senior Tours and the regular European Tour and PGA Tour. Greg Norman proved that point at Royal Birkdale last year and Tom Watson proved it again at Turnberry.

Coming up is another notable anniversary for me, the 23rd Senior Open Championship at Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire, the venue of my first European Tour victory, in the Dunlop Tournament in 1956, and one of my favourite courses. With 18 Major winners and 32 former Ryder Cup players it will be quite a tournament and I can’t

wait to meet so many old friends and fellow players again. (turn to the Gary Player Column on Pages 40 – 41).

This has been a summer of surprising performances so far. We’ve recently witnessed a U.S. Open where Lucas Glover, previously ranked 71 in the Official World Golf Ranking and having missed the cut in his three other appearances in the Championship, ran out a two-shot winner. Glover was four-over-par in his final round, which had to played on the Monday due to heavy rain on Sunday.

Standing on the 16th tee he produced his first birdie of the day and went on to take the title which shot him up to 18th on the World Ranking. It’s a remarkable statistic that shows the huge prize money there is in today’s game that Glover has earned more than $10 million in his six years on the PGA Tour with one Major win and one PGA Tour win, in 2005, and currently stands in eighth place on the PGA Tour Money List.

Magnificent achievement Behind Glover in second place were World No.2 Phil Mickelson, amateur Ricky Barnes and former World No.1 David Duval, making one of the most spectacular comebacks of recent years. Barnes had missed the cut in three of his four previous U.S. Open appearances and finished tied 59th in his other, in 2003.

Then we had the young German, Martin Kaymer, winning the French Open in a play-off with Lee Westwood, and following up his success the following week by winning The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond by two shots.

Back-to-back wins don’t happen very often for any player but to win two of the biggest events on The European Tour was a magnificent achievement. Kaymer proved what a talent he is with his two victories last year at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and the BMW International Open, finishing eighth on The European Tour Order of Merit. The previous year he earned the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award for his five top-10 finishes but he showed remarkable maturity and composure in Paris and at Loch Lomond for a 24 year old who is only in his third year on Tour.

He has the distinction of being one of the few players to shoot a 59 in a Tour event, which he did in 2006 on the Satellite EPD Tour, where he won five of the 14 tournaments he played. I expect many more to come. www.wwgolf.biz

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Contents

TUTORIAL

Brought to you by

CONTROLLING YOUR IRON PLAY ON PAR 3s

By Luke Cantelo

54 WITH the warmer months now upon us, golfers in the region have an opportunity to reflect on their golf over the previous, “season,” and prepare their games for the cooler months ahead. It’s time to think about certain shots in various rounds that cost you the chance of a better score and try to improve them for the next time you play. There may have been an errant drive, a three-putt or a duffed iron shot that caused a big number to appear on your scorecard and none of us want them showing up consistently.

Some of you may be seeking that extra 20-30 yards off the tee so you feel like you hit the ball like a pro, and hence reduce your score dramatically, but there are many examples of how better players hit certain shots in a round that we can all learn from.

One of the areas that this is evident in is how better players control their ball flight on tee shots into Par 3s. To do this, choosing the correct shot and selecting the right club is imperative.

For an example of this I am playing the tee shot at 17th hole at The Montgomerie, Dubai from a teeing area that most club golfers use week in, week out. The hole plays around 165 yards from here with bunkering at the front and back and large grassy slope to the left. The hole on this occasion is tucked in the left half of the green, bringing all of the above into play.

The extra challenge of this hole is that it is exposed to any type of wind and at this time the wind is blowing strongly against me and from the right side. Therefore this is going to effect my normal club and ball flight that would travel 165 yards. The wind will cause the ball to move in the air left and short of the target, so I need to adjust my shot selection.

Most amateur golfers will not compensate for this situation enough. They will try to use the same club and hit the ball harder than normal in an effort to hit the ball further through the wind. This will only increase the spin on the ball, causing it to rise higher in the air than normal and be more susceptible to the wind and bringing the trouble on the hole into play.

To stay in control of this shot, it requires a lower trajectory with less spin, and here is how you play it…

SWING

PADRAIG HARRINGTON

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

51 Great chippers are always in this position at impact. Firm left wrist, passive right hand, clubface square. Padraig has more weight on his left leg here than his right, which helps him hit down on the ball. I see too many players hitting these shots off their back foot, trying to get the ball into the air. The weight should be distributed 60-70 percent on the front foot, 40-30 percent on the back foot. This will help keep your body still.

Padraig has very quiet hands through impact. You have two hands, but only one golf club. So both your hands, the left and right, need to work through impact together, as one single unit. Notice how both the left and right arm are still straight here, just after impact. Think about swinging your arms past your body, with your hands being very passive.

I love how still Padraig keeps his head here. There is no effort to try and lift the ball up. The head position here is almost exactly the same as at address. The head and legs are stable throughout the chip. Padraig hits his chips with a very stable base, meaning almost no lower body movement. Most players drive their knees too much, thus creating an inconsistent strike.

If you want to improve your chipping, try to hold this follow through position until the ball stops rolling. Like all good chippers, Padraig holds his post impact position. This can allow you to see if there has been any break down in your left wrist. Try to hit your chips and keep the clubhead as low to the ground as possible post impact. If the clubhead is finishing too high, your wrists will be breaking down. Think low clubhead on your follow through.

DARREN CLARKE

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LIFE IS A ROLLERCOASTER

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Regulars 1 3 6 10 20 29 32 35 36 40 42 43 48 51 54 59 68 69 92 95 96

Features

GARY PLAYER INTRODUCTION ERNIE ELS COLUMN CLUBHOUSE QUICKIES THESE MONTHS IN HISTORY DRIVING RANGE: E CLASS MERCEDES GEAR: THE LATEST EQUIPMENT ROSS FISHER COLUMN DIVOTS: NEWS ITEMS GARY PLAYER COLUMN OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING THE RACE TO DUBAI WORLD ROUND-UPS CLAUDE HARMON III SWING ANALYSIS TUTORIAL WAYNE’S DIARY UAE GOLF CLUB SUMMER RATES LOCKER ROOM GROOM ROOM IN THE BAG: CLUB PRO

ISSUE No. 106, SUMMER, 2009 Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd, 54 Alderley Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, England, SK9 1NY

MARTIN KAYMER

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ARABIAN GOLF

DARREN CLARKE, veteran of 18 years and 12 titles on The European Tour, has been in the game long enough to know that it’s not all plain sailing. A runner-up on the Order of Merit three times, he made history when he became the first European to win a World Golf Championships event with a stunning victory over Tiger Woods in the 36-hole final of the Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa Resort & Spa in California in 2000. He then trumped his own feat by becoming the first player other than Woods to win more than one prestigious WGC title by claiming the 2003 Bridgestone Invitational at Akron, Ohio.

Add to that a swashbuckling record in The Ryder Cup – he has been on the winning European Team four times from five appearances – and Clarke’s career achievements would be enough to make any Tour player proud. But behind the glory the 40-year-old has experienced extreme tragedy and his character has been tested in the cruellest of circumstances. He lost his wife Heather to breast cancer in 2006 shortly before an emotional appearance at the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland saw him emerge as one of Europe’s star performers with three points from three.

But from there his form understandably suffered and his 138 place finish on the 2007 Order of Merit would have lost him his playing card, were it not for the two year exemption gained from his inclusion in The 2006 Ryder Cup Team. He fought back with two victories last year but has again struggled to find his form this season. WWG catches up with the popular cigar chomping Irishman as he looks to kick start his season with a good run over the summer schedule.

K

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THE 138TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP: Tom Watson comes within inches of making golf history as Stewart Cink wins in a four-hole play-off at Turnberry.

16 MARTIN KAYMER: The 24 year old German wins back-to-back at the Open de France Alstom in Paris and The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

22 DARREN CLARKE: The popular Irishman answers WWG’s questions in a Q&A on the situations he has had to overcome and his hopes for the future.

SPECIAL

FROM the moment he joined The European Tour in 2007 Martin Kaymer’s star has been rising at a rapid rate. After back-to-back wins at the Open de France and the Scottish Open, it’s just gone supernova.

72

HANDICAP SYSTEM: The Emirates Golf Federation adopt the format of the USGA Handicap System to start in October on a three-month implementation programme. The EGF also introduce a swipe card handicap system to monitor and update Members’ handicaps each time they play.

61 RACHEL BELL: Rising Ladies European Tour player offers some useful tips in keeping fit with a series of Core stability exercises.

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

Advertising & Marketing: David Burke davidb@wspdubai.com (009715) 05519363 Worldwide Golf specifies that post-press changes may occur to any information given in this publication and takes no responsibility for goods or services advertised.

MY Dear

watson Who’d have thought it: Tiger misses the cut and a 59-year-old legend has an eightfooter on the last for the 138th Open Championship. To win Majors you don’t need power – just balls of steel!

egyptian Open

Exclusive

DETAILS OF NEW EGF USGA FORMAT HANDICAP SYSTEM.

ELS●PLAYER●NORMAN●FISHER●NEWS & VIEWS Official Publication of The Emirates Golf Federation & The Arab Golf Federation

FRONT COVER: Tom Watson nearly pulls off the biggest upset in the history of golf, losing in a play-off to fellow American Stewart Cink

EGYPTIAN OPEN: The Egyptian Golf Federation announce the re-establishment of the Egyptian Open with a prize fund of $200,000 as a European Challenge Tour event.

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

PAdraig Harrington

Claude Harmon III looks at how the two time Open Champion deals with those tricky greenside chips.

The Middle East’s oldest golf tournament re-emerges through the Egyptian Golf Federation with a $200,000 event.

64

Editor-in-Chief: Mike Gallemore Executive Editor: Gary Player Editor: Alex Gallemore Publisher: Mike Gallemore Senior Editor: Richard Bevan Editorial Assistants: Todd Staszko, James Reeves, Tabitha Florence Design Manager: Mark Frain Technical Manager: Mark Collinge

Issue 106, Summer 2009

MIDDLE EAST’S No.1 GOLF MAGAZINE

WORLDWIDE

Printed by: Raidy, Dubai

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

BPA Worldwide Audited Average Qualified Cerculation 13,693 (December 2009- Feb 09)

summer offers EMIRATES LEISURE Dive in @ 40 degrees Don’t forget to pack your swimmers when paying an 18-hole green fee, as access to the cool tropical swimming pool post-round is included once the thermometer hits 40 degrees celsius. Offer is valid Sunday to Thursday until 15th September 2009. Present your green fee receipt to the pool supervisor on arrival.

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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

Mixed fortunes but still plenty of positives

I

t feels like a while since I last wrote a column for Worldwide Golf magazine. And a lot has happened since then. Where do I start?

Well, the Major championships are probably as good a place as any. We’ve played two since my last update – the US Open and The Open Championship – and for my part it was a case of mixed fortunes.

The US Open at Bethpage Black was an experience I’d rather forget, to be honest. I liked my chances going in there. The course was great and I liked the set-up. But I got off to a bad start to my first round and I just never found my competitive rhythm. It’s as poorly as I’ve played in a Major championship for quite some time. It was very disappointing. But hey, this game can knock your head against a wall sometimes.

I was looking for much better at The Open Championship, my favourite tournament of the year, at glorious Turnberry. And it was better. It was a great Championship and an amazing week for golf, with Tom doing what he did and coming so close to winning a sixth Open at the age of 59. Man, golf is such a cruel sport sometimes.

And for me the buzz of being right in the mix on the back nine on Sunday was tainted by the disappointment of letting slip a possible winning opportunity.

I took away some positives from Turnberry, though. My swing felt good, I hit a lot of great shots in the toughest of conditions and down the stretch on Sunday, I felt more competitive than I had in a while. I can’t put into words how much it would have meant to win my second Open, but being that close just makes me want it even more. I’m going to keep working my tail off and I’m quietly optimistic about the second half of this year. I really believe I can start winning again soon.

Anyway, off the golf course there’s lots of other positive stuff to report. The final phase of the Wentworth West Course Restoration Project is well underway. There’s so much more than meets the eye when it comes to constructing new greens to such high and exacting standards. In fact, it’s what you can’t see that really determines the secret of its success.

When the great architect Harry Colt designed

and constructed the West Course in the early 1920s, there were no sprinkler systems on golf courses so the greens needed to be able to hold water in the winter to provide moisture for the summer.

To achieve that, what they used to do was put a layer of clay underneath the top soil. But now with today’s sprinkler systems and with the rain we get early in the year, the water has nowhere to go so it just collects on the surface of the greens. That creates sponginess and an inconsistent roll. That’s why we had to rebuild the greens. It was the only way forward.

Work starts by undercutting the existing profile of the greens by 16 inches. Then in simple terms you basically build-up layers; starting with a complex drainage system and topping it off with a layer of what we call ‘root zone’, essentially a mixture of sand, soil and peat. This is laboratory tested to a one per cent tolerance to ensure the correct balance of porosity and moisture retention, to help preserve the long-term health of the turf which is then laid directly on top of it.

There’s more to it than that, obviously, but we haven’t got the space here for me to go into all the technical details. Let’s just say it’s a very clever and skilled process. The depth of each of these layers is identical for every green and mirrors the exact profile of the finished putting surface. If you could cut out a slice, it would look like a layer cake.

On the surface most of the changes are quite subtle. As I’ve said before, this is about refining, improving and modernising a Colt classic. We’re not creating something new.

Others changes are more significant, though.

We’ve taken out the tiers on the third green.

We’ve brought the water much more into play at the front of the eighth green. And the 18th green complex will look very different for next year’s BMW PGA Championship; we’ve moved the green slightly to the left, re-shaped it and introduced a natural-looking water hazard running diagonally across the front portion of the green. In our view it makes a good finishing hole great.

Elsewhere, as you may know, we recently established the Els for Autism Foundation in the US and we’ve really hit the ground running.

Ernie Els with his caddie Ricci Roberts during the 138th Open Championship at Turnberry.

We launched it with a Pro Am at PGA National in Florida, which was supported by friends and legends of golf. Liezl then hosted a Tea Party on the lawn at our house in West Palm Beach, which was a huge success.

And this really is just the beginning of a whole series of projects and initiatives aimed at raising awareness and money to help fund scientific research aimed at understanding Autism and developing knowledge-based treatments with the intention of finding a cure.

We also want to generate the funding for Centres of Excellence which will include educational programs for students aged between 3 and 21 years; a services component of doctors, speech therapists and other specialists, as well as an on-site research centre. You can read more about it on my website, where we now have a dedicated ‘Els for Autism’ section.

Years from now people may remember me as a golfer and a Major champion. But I’d like also to be remembered as somebody who took the issue of Autism and really did something meaningful with it. Trust me, the rest of my life I’ll be fighting this thing. ■

WWG COLUMNIST Ernie Els tees off in front the famous lighthouse during the 138th Open Championship at Turnberry.

“IT WAS A GREAT CHAMPIONSHIP AND AN AMAZING WEEK FOR GOLF, WITH TOM DOING WHAT HE DID AND COMING SO CLOSE TO WINNING A SIXTH OPEN AT THE AGE OF 59. MAN, GOLF IS SUCH A CRUEL SPORT SOMETIMES.” – ERNIE ELS

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It’s Official – Worldwide Golf leads the field WORLDWIDE GOLF is more than ten years old and since its launch in 1999 has witnessed many changes and developments in golf and publishing throughout the Middle East region. From the outset it has always considered itself the leader in the field of monthly golf publications through its popularity throughout the golfing community.

Now its position as the region’s highest qualified circulated monthly golf magazine has been verified by BPA Worldwide*, the only global media auditor for publications of circulation and distribution. The initial 2009 media audit carried out by BPA Worldwide on various golf publications has confirmed that Worldwide Golf has the highest qualified circulation of any monthly golf publication throughout the Middle East*.

Worldwide Golf Magazine is the only Official Publication of the Arab Golf Federation and the Emirates Golf Federation and reaches a wide range of golf clubs and individual golfers throughout the Middle East. Over the past decade many golf publications have come and gone. Now, in this time of global economic downturn it is more important than ever for Worldwide Golf to provide not only a bigger and better service to the Middle

East golf industry but also full value to its advertisers who have to be even more careful in ensuring that their advertising budget is being well spent.

Worldwide Golf has raised the bar in quality golf magazine publishing in recent years and continues to widen its horizons month on month.

Worldwide Golf has always been totally straightforward and transparent in all its business dealings. Our circulation and readership figures have been common knowledge and now, through the BPA Worldwide audit, are available to everyone.

Third party independent audits are the only method of proving a publisher’s figures on circulation and distribution, which is why, for the benefit of our valued advertisers, we invited BPA Worldwide to carry out the audit. *Worldwide Golf: BPA Worldwide February 2009 circulation statement Total Qualified Circulation = 13,958. Middle East Golfer: BPA Worldwide December 2008 circulation statement Total Qualified Circulation = 6,012. Golf Digest Middle East: No BPA audited figures.

BPA CHIEF ADVISES SWITCH TO AUDITED TITLES THE Chair of the Middle East Advisory Board of the global media audit organisation, BPA Worldwide, has called on advertisers to move their advertising budgets from unaudited titles to audited titles.

Margi Gilbride, who is also Marketing Communications Manager for leading manufacturer of branded consumer products for skin and beautiy care, Beiersdorf Middle East, commented: “I would encourage advertisers to take full advantage of a publisher’s commitment to transparency in its circulation in the region in working towards a globally-recognised

audit standard. BPA Worldwide, which is working closely with a number of publishers in the Middle East,is the only global media auditor. It is the world’s largest independent, not-for-profit auditor of business to business media offering uniformly applied standards around the world.Now in its 75th year BPA Worldwide has more than 2,600 advertisers and media buyers within its worldwide membership. It audits more than 2,500 media properties across 25 countries.

BPA audits enable media owners to compete successfully for advertising spend by providing media buyers and

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Third party audits represent the buyer’s only reliable assurance against misleading, exaggerated or even fraudulent claims.

Visit www.bpaww.com for the latest audit reports, membership information and publishing and advertising industry news: BPA Worldwide, Two Corporate Drive, Ninth Floor, Shelton, CT, USA 06484-6259.

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PLAYER QUOTES JOKES WORD OF THE MONTH CARTOONS

The Island Hole A golfer, now into his golden years, had a lifelong ambition to play the 17th ‘Island Hole’ at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Florida, exactly the way the pros do it.

The pros drive the ball out over the water onto the small green that is on a small spit of land. It was something the golfer had tried hundreds of times without success. His ball had always fallen short, into the water.

Because of this, he never used a new ball on this particular hole. He always picked out one that had a cut or a nick, as did many other “average” golfers

when negotiating very challenging holes.

Recently he went to Sawgrass to try again. When he came to the fateful hole, he teed up an old, cut ball as usual, and said a silent prayer.

However, before he could hit the ball, a powerful voice from above seemed to be booming out from the clouds, saying: “Wait! Replace that old ball with a brand new one.”

The golfer complied, with some slight misgivings, despite the fact that this same force seemed to be implying that he was going to finally achieve his

“Why do I wear a red sport shirt on Sundays?

Well, if I play bad on the last round of a tournament and cut my throat, it blends.”

– Lee Trevino 10

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lifelong ambition. As he stepped up to the tee once more, the voice came down again: “Wait. Step back. Take a practice swing.”

So he stepped back and took a practice swing, certain now that this heavenly force was going to make his dream come true.

The voice boomed out again: “Take another practice swing.”

Dutifully, he did. He stopped expectantly and waited ...

A long silence followed ...

Then the voice again: “Use the old ball.”

L

game e h t g n i n Lear A golf professional hired by a big department store to give golf lessons was approached by two women.

“Do you wish to learn to play golf, madam?” he asked one.

“Oh, no,” she replied, “it’s my friend who’s interested in learning. I learned last Wednesday.”

“Don’t play too much golf if you want to get on in the game. Three rounds a day are too much for any man, and if he makes a practice of playing them whenever he has the opportunity, his game will suffer.”

– Harry Vardon

WORD

OF THE MONTH...

JUNGLE – The thickest, nastiest rough on the course.

DID

CLUBHOUSE QUICKIES

Double Bogey Blow James and his friend Tom were playing a round of golf with their wives early on a Sunday morning. It was a fourball, betterball format with a little bit of cash on the line.

James stood on the 10th tee having hooked his previous three tee shots, and to nobody’s surprise he hooked his drive again. When he found his ball, it was right up against one of the greenkeeper’s buildings. His wife advised him to hit the shot through a narrow gap between the side of the building and some branches.

“I can’t do that,” James said. “Look how narrow that gap is!” But his wife was persistent in urging him on, and she persuaded James to attempt the risky shot.

So James took a mighty swing and struck the ball ... and the ball cannoned off a tree branch, ricocheted off the building and hit his wife in the head, knocking her stone cold dead.

A week after the funeral, James and another friend, Ashley, were having a round. James teed up the ball on No.10 and hit the same shot he had hit a week before. He found his ball in exactly the same spot, and once again his partner advised him to hit through the gap.

“No way,” James said. “I can’t hit that shot.”

“Why not?” Ashley asked him.

“Well,” James replied, “you know what happened last time.”

“No, I don’t,” said Ashley. “What happened?”

“Well, last time I tried that shot,” James said, “I made a double bogey!”

s ay S on m Si

YOU KNOW...

The record for the most Open Championship wins belongs to Harry Vardon with six wins between 1896 and 1914. Four players have won five titles. James Baird (1901-1910), J H Taylor (1894-1913), Peter Thompson (1954-1965), and Tom Watson (19751983).

“Usually when I would throw a club toward the water, I’d pick a spot near the water bank. I knew how far I could throw every club in the bag.” – Tommy Bolt.

The perfect tee shot Dave stood over his tee shot for what seemed an eternity, looking up, looking down, measuring the distance, figuring the wind direction and speed. He was driving his partner nuts. Finally, his exasperated partner said: “What’s taking so long? Just hit the blasted ball!” Dave answered: “My wife is up there watching me from the clubhouse.

I want to make this a perfect shot.”

“Forget it, man,” his partner replied.

“You don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of hitting her from here!”

“Simple Simon says, put your hands on your head...” Argentina’s Rafa Enchenique amuses himself between shots at the Open de France Alstom. www.wwgolf.biz

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138TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. TURNBERRY.

WATSON GETS

THAT CINK-ING FEELING

Stewart Cink celebrates on the final green after defeating Tom Watson to win the 138th Open Championship at Turnberry.

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I

T was very nearly the greatest Major championship story of all time but, right at the death, the most remarkable and captivating Open Championship in recent memory produced one final twist in the tale.

Just as we were on the cusp of witnessing history being made as the old master, 59-year-old five-time Open Champion Tom Watson, looked set to do the unthinkable and beat his young rivals to an astonishing sixth Claret Jug at Turnberry, Stewart Cink appeared on the radar like a stealth bomber and spoiled the party.

It says everything about the regard with which the legendary Watson is held around the world that a player as well-liked on the PGA TOUR as Cink should be painted as the villain of the piece but to hear the hush of the galleries as he brutally ousted the Kansas City Kid in a four-hole play-off you’d be forgiven for thinking he’d just shot Father Christmas. “It’s been a surreal experience,” said Cink. “Playing

against Tom Watson, this stuff just does not happen.

“I grew up watching him – he has turned back the clock and I feel so happy just being part of it.”

You had to feel slightly sorry for Cink, a five-time PGA TOUR winner whose biggest win up to that point came five years ago at the World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational. Here he was, fulfilling his life long dream of winning a Major and yet he was breaking the crowd’s heart at the same time. Not that Cink will be giving that much thought when he’s staring at the Claret Jug on his mantelpiece for the next year.

“It cleared up the waters a little bit for me because it’s not the first time I’ve been in that situation,” he said. “I’ve played plenty of times with Tiger and hearing the Tiger roars and Mickelson. I’m usually the guy that the crowd – they appreciate but they’re not behind me 100 percent of the way. You know, they aren’t. So, you know, that’s the sort of

Right: Tiger Woods looks despondent during a second round 74 which saw him miss the cut for only the second time in a Major championship.

Far right: Tom Watson misses the putt on the 72nd hole that would have seen him crowned Open Champion for a record-equalling sixth time at the age of 59.

Above: WWG’s Ross Fisher endures a nightmare on the fifth hole in the final round as the deep rough swallows his ball and he ends up with tournament-wrecking quadruple bogey eight.

Left: Newly crowned Open Champion Stewart Cink (left) chats with runner-up Tom Watson (middle) and Italy’s Matteo Manassero (right) who won the Silver Medal as the leading amateur for finishing tied 13th on 2-over 282.

role I’ve been cast into for my whole career. And, hey, that’s not the worst. It’s okay.

“But it actually helped me focus a little bit. There’s always a lot of obstacles out there on a links course with these bunkers and the wind and the greens always presenting difficulties, and that’s just another one.”

Any other year the crowd would have been right behind Cink – unless perhaps he was up against a British player – but everyone, except Cink’s watching wife and sons, desperately wanted Watson’s fairytale week to have a happy ending. Twenty six years after his last Major triumph at the 1983 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, and 32 years since he won one of the most famous Opens of all time – the 1977 ‘Duel in4 www.wwgolf.biz

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138TH OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. TURNBERRY.

“I hit a lousy putt and the play-off was one bad shot after another. Stewart did what he had to do and I didn’t give him much competition. But what I take from this week is a lot of warmth - the crowds were just wonderful to me all week - and a lot of spirituality. And it was good fun.”

– Tom Watson the Sun’ with Jack Nicklaus over the same Ailsa Course, Watson was agonisingly close to becoming the oldest Major champion in history by 11 years.

Having been in possession of at least a share of the lead from the second round onwards he walked up the 18th fairway on the final round with two shots from the fringe to complete his magical quest, which would have also tied Harry Vardon’s record of six Opens. He chose to putt rather than chip and it was a decision he’ll live to regret as he sent the ball skidding eight feet past the hole and then left his next attempt short to tie Cink at 2-under 278.

After a wonderful first shot on the return trip down the treacherous par-4 fourth the remainder of the fourhole play-off was pretty much all downhill for Watson as the ball refused to find the fairway and Cink cruised in six shots clear, stroking home a tap in for birdie at the final hole after a wonderful approach to three feet.

“It would have been a hell of a story, wouldn’t it?” said Watson. “It tears out your gut like it’s always torn out my gut. It’s not easy to take. I put myself in position to win and didn’t do it.

“I hit a lousy putt and the play-off was one bad shot after another. Stewart did what he had to do and I didn’t give him much competition.

“But what I take from this week is a lot of warmth – the crowds were just wonderful to me all week – and a lot of spirituality. And it was good fun.”

Tiger Woods The 138th Open Championship truly was the Major that refused to do what it was told. Tiger Woods isn’t meant to miss the cut – in any event let alone a Major championship – and yet he did. For only the sixth time in his professional career and the second time in a Grand Slam event – the first being in the immediate aftermath of his father Earl’s death at the 2006 US Open – the World No. 1 failed to make the weekend after two forgettable rounds of 71 and 74 left him 5-over and one stroke from safety. His second round saw him drop seven shots in six holes either side of the turn including double bogeys on the 10th and 13th.

“No doubt I’m frustrated, it just didn’t happen for me,” he said. “I played three holes very poorly.”

A 21-year-old rookie isn’t meant to set the clubhouse target at Major championship and yet Chris Wood did. The Englishman was one of the shining stars of the week as he played with a composure and class that belied his relative lack of experience. Having won the Silver Medal as leading amateur last year, finishing in a share of fifth place at Royal Birkdale, Wood went even further this time 14

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around, firing solid rounds of 70-70-72-67 to finish just one stroke outside the play-off tied with Lee Westwood in third place at 1-under. His final round was a work of art as putt after fearless putt found the cup to match the lowest score of the day. After a long wait he was just about to begin practicing for a play-off when the news came in that Cink had birdied the last to go to 2-under. He came agonisingly close but there’ll be plenty more Major championships for Wood and on the evidence at Turnberry it won’t be long before he claims one of them.

“To say I’m only 21 and have competed in two Majors, the experience I’ve had at The Open has been amazing for my career,” said Wood, who earned £255,000 – the biggest paycheque of his career – and moved to 31st in The Race to Dubai standings. “I’ve got a new flat so I needed to pay the rent!

“One of my goals going out today was to get into the top 10 and secure a place for next year and give myself a good chance to get in The Race to Dubai.

“And it feels even better this year to have

followed up what I did last year as a pro. I felt I controlled my nerves really well.”

Even the weather didn’t follow the script as the predicted weekend downpours failed to materialise and the sun lit up the majestic Turnberry links in all their glory.

But by far the biggest thumb in the face of expectation was Watson’s evergreen performance. Nine months after undergoing hip replacement surgery the eight-time Major winner, 1,374th in the World Rankings going into the tournament, showed that there was plenty of life left in the old dog. Watson dominated the headlines throughout the week. He rolled back the years with a blistering 65 to take the early lead in the opening round before Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez edged him into second place by a stroke. The magic continued in the second round when a level-par 70 put him tied at the top of the table with Steve Marino. At this point Watson probably still thought it was all still just a bit of sentimental fun. It couldn’t possibly last…could it?

Old Geezer When the conclusion of the third round left him out in front on his own, one stroke clear of Australia’s Mathew Goggin and England’s Ross Fisher, things began to get a little more serious.

“The first day here, it was yeah, let the old geezer have his day in the sun, you know, 65,” Watson told us on the Saturday evening. “The second day you said, well, that’s okay, that’s okay. And then now today you kind of perk up your ears and say, this old geezer might have a chance to win the tournament.

“It’s kind of like Greg Norman last year,” he added referring to Norman’s third place finish at Royal Birkdale. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know one thing, I feel good about what I did today.

I feel good about my game plan. And who knows, it might happen.”

It was impossible to call the final round. As the

Lee Westwood tees off on the ninth in front of the famous Turnberry lighthouse during the final round. He went on to finish in a share of third place with Chris Wood, one stroke off the play-off.

lead groups teed off it looked as though WWG’s Fisher might be the man to end England’s 13-year wait for a Major champion and 17-year wait for an Open Champion. Fisher, whose wife Jo was due to give birth, had said before the tournament that he was prepared to fly home straight away should he get the beep on his pager telling him she’d gone into labour. She mustn’t have been watching his phenomenal start because if she had, her waters would surely have broken as Fisher went birdie-birdie on the first two holes to lead the Championship by three strokes. A bogey on the fourth was his first blemish of the day but it was nothing compared to the nightmare waiting for him on the next hole. A wild swing off the fifth tee sent his ball crashing into the thick rough. His next shot only moved the ball forward a few feet and when his third shot sent the ball soaring over the fairway he had to take a penalty drop. In the end he left the hole with a quadruple eight before further dropped shots on seven and eight meant he’d leaked seven in five holes. Despite that crushing blow, the 28-year-old showed great character to finish the tournament with 10 straight pars, leaving him in a share of 13th place at 2-over.

“I paid the price for one bad tee shot and took an eight. My heart sank,” said Fisher, who also put in a strong show at this year’s US Open to finish fifth. “It was a bad swing. I tried to chip it out and could not do it. It’s a shame but that’s golf.

“I hung in there and managed 10 pars in a row which is pretty solid. And it’s been a great week. I was leading The Open, which is pretty cool. And, in

a couple of days I will be a dad so that’s not bad is it?”

Fellow Englishman Westwood, playing in the same group as Fisher also looked a likely winner.

A roller coaster day of four bogeys, an eagle and a bogey kept him among the leaders before a birdie on the par-5 17th saw him tee off on the 18th needing a birdie to give him the clubhouse lead of 3-under.

A wayward drive saw him in the bunker but a wonderful escape left him with two putts from 60 feet to make the play-off. However the roars from the crowd as Watson, playing in the group behind, struck a beautiful tee shot into the middle of the fairway, persuaded Westwood to instead go for a birdie three. He sent his attempt 12-feet past and missed the return, leaving him agonisingly close to Major success for the second time in just over a year, having also finished one stroke outside the play-off at last year’s US Open.

Rewrite History “I just thought I needed to hole it,” said a despondent Westwood. “Before I hit my putt I figured he (Watson) had hit the middle of the fairway and I thought he was going to make four from there, but I shouldn’t have got ahead of myself.

“I mainly avoided those sort of errors this week and I haven’t made too many mistakes but I bogeyed three of the last four.”

The stage was set for Watson to rewrite history by beating 1968 US PGA Championship winner Julius Boros’ 41-year record as the oldest ever Major winner by over a decade. He followed his perfect tee shot at the last with a beautifully struck eight iron approach and was desperately unlucky to see it run through the green and onto the fringe. When he failed to get down in two from there it always seemed the momentum would be with Cink, who had sunk a sublime 14-foot birdie putt at the same hole to get to 2-under.

“In retrospect I probably would have hit a nine-

Chris Wood plays his approach into the 18th green to complete a closing 67 which gives him the clubhouse target of 1-under 279. The 21-yearold took a share of third place in what was only his second Open Championship and his first as a professional.

iron rather than an eight-iron,” reflected Watson. “I hit the eight-iron just the way I meant to. I was thinking nine, but I said, I’ll hit an eight, and I caught it just the way I wanted to, and sure enough, it went too far.

“I chose to putt it from the short rough there. I just felt like I had better chance to get it close, and I looked at that upslope, looked like there was some grain in there, so I decided I was going to make sure I wasn’t going to leave it short and sure, I gunned it on by and made a lousy putt.”

Full credit to Cink for the way he struck his long birdie putt sure and firm to set the target. He had hung around the top 10 on the leaderboard, barely noticed all week, with rounds of 66-72-71 before five birdies and four bogeys en-route to a closing 69 put him in the driving seat.

“It is the most crucial putt I’ve ever struck,” he said.

“Nothing even comes close. It’s just such a sweet feeling to hole one at that moment.”

He then showed enormous composure to keep his focus in the play-off when the whole world was routing for Watson. Cink took a one-stroke lead at the first extra hole when Watson bogeyed. Watson then made a superb recovery to rescue par at the next when a wayward drive put him down an embankment in the rough. But it was at the next hole that the wheels truly came off for Watson when he made a double bogey to Cink’s birdie after struggling to free his ball from the deep rough. Another bogey for Watson at the final hole meant that Cink was left to soak up the moment as he despatched his birdie putt to take the title.

“I stand here a little intimidated by this piece of hardware I have in my hand,” he said clutching the famous trophy. “There are a lot of emotions running through my mind and my heart and I’m so proud to be here with this.

“I’ve waited a while for this and I don’t have a great record at The Open but that’s all gone now.”

The crowd, as golf crowds always do, showed their appreciation for Cink’s efforts with a hearty round of applause at the end. But when the presentation was over and the spectators began to leave the dusk covered Turnberry links there was a distinct feeling in the air that this would always be remembered as The Open Championship that Tom Watson lost. ■ www.wwgolf.biz

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MARTIN KAYMER

K SPECIAL FROM the moment he joined The European Tour in 2007 Martin Kaymer’s star has been rising at a rapid rate. After back-to-back wins at the Open de France Alstom and the Scottish Open, it’s just gone supernova. 4

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ABOVE: Germany’s Martin Kaymer poses with the famous Rossdhu House Trophy after winning The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, the week after he won the Open de France Alstom at Golf National near Paris.

ABOVE RIGHT: Martin Kaymer raises his cap to acknowledge the cheers of the Loch Lomond crowd as he walks down the 18th fairway on the final day, followed by Retief Goosen and Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño, who joins in the applause.

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THE young German displayed all the elements that make up a true champion over eight spectacular days of tournament golf. In Paris he held his nerve when the fast-finishing Lee Westwood set the clubhouse target of 13under, keeping it steady on the homeward stretch to make the play-off before beating the Englishman at the first extra hole.

On the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond he powered over the finish line as all around him stumbled, firing the only sub-70 round of the top nine players from the top of the leaderboard on Saturday night with a closing 2-under 69 to take the title by two strokes from Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño and Raphaël Jacquelin.

It was a double whammy that put paid to the theory that it’s difficult to win twice on the bounce.

“I did struggle after my first two wins last year,” smiled Kaymer, who now has four European Tour titles under his belt after winning the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and the BMW International Open last season. “I missed the cut in Qatar after I won in Abu Dhabi, and then I missed the cut after I won in Munich. This week was different, I don’t know why, just my form I think. I’m playing so solid and not making any big mistakes at the moment and my short game is good, which really helped me and that’s probably the main reason for my success.”

Kaymer also revealed that his repetitive dietary habits in Scotland, along with plenty of good old fashioned shut eye, may have played their part in his sustained success.

“Every night here I have eaten ribs! I have also slept a lot over the last few days and this is pretty

“This week was very special, because I think if you win in ‘the Home of Golf’ in Scotland, it’s always something special, and I really enjoyed the last two days. It was amazing how the spectators were supporting us – it was unbelievable.”

– Martin Kaymer much the reason why I was able to play well this week,” he said. The 24-year-old had the look of someone special when he burst onto the scene with five top tens in first season to claim the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year Award in 2007.

He confirmed that he was destined for big things by claiming his first title in his first outing of 2008, roaring to an emphatic four-stroke wire-to-wire victory over Henrik Stenson and Westwood in Abu Dhabi to become at 23 years and 24 days, the youngest German winner in European Tour history.

He made history again when he became the first home grown winner in the 20-year history of the BMW International Open in Munich, digging deep after letting a six-stroke lead slip to see off Anders Hansen with a swashbuckling birdie at the first playoff hole.

“Six shots is a lot, but it does not feel like that,” he

MARTIN KAYMER Martin Kaymer prudly holds the trophy after winning the Open de France Alstom, one of the oldest tournaments on The European Tour, at the first hole of a play-off with Lee Westwood.

said. “I struggled a little bit and made a big mistake on the 11th. I thought I would make it easy with a five-iron, but got a little loft on the ball. I didn’t keep my patience, but I will know for next time and I kept fighting.

“It was very exciting. To be the first German to win this tournament is very special for me. I had a lot of great support out there, and I can’t wait to play next year.

“To win in my country is very special for me. I was leading after three days with six shots, and they were gone after six, seven holes. But I just kept fighting and brought it home.”

A wonderful second season saw him finish eighth on the Order of Merit and come agonisingly close to a place in Nick Faldo’s European Ryder Cup Team – just one spot outside automatic qualification. Faldo nevertheless invited him to Kentucky to savour the atmosphere and it was an experience which had a profound effect on him, making him even more determined to make sure of his place on next year’s team in Wales.

“Before that, I never really knew what the Ryder Cup was all about,” he said. “I thought it was a good tournament with a lot of spectators, a good course and two teams playing against each other.

In the Hunt “Now I know it is more about the spirit and honour of playing for Europe against the United States and the biggest event I can play as a golf professional.”

Unfortunately for Kaymer his wins in France and Scotland won’t count towards qualification as the process only begins in September but if he continues to play the way he has been, he’ll have nothing to worry about.

In the searing heat at Le Golf National in Paris he was on fire, racing out of the blocks with a courserecord equalling 62 before rounds of 72 and 69 kept him in the hunt as he scrapped his way down the back nine on the Sunday with a series of crucial pars to make the play-off with Westwood.

On his return trip down the 470-yard par-4 18th in extra time both players hit nervy tee shots which found the rough. Kaymer just managed to clear the lake surrounding the island green with his second shot but Westwood came unstuck, finding the water before his chip from the drop zone left him a 30-foot putt just for bogey.

He missed his putt, leaving Kaymer to par out for victory, a winner’s cheque for €666,660 and a place in the World top 20.

“This is obviously very special for me. I had some good chances, but finally I won it, so it’s good,” he said.

Referring to the tee shot in the play-off he added: “I hit the same iron as I had done 20 minutes

before but it was just a weak shot. It was an OK lie and I thought that I could easily get it over the water. I had 170 metres with a six iron, but I pulled it a little bit which probably turned out to be a good thing.

“I carried the water by about a metre or so. With the chip over the bunker down to the flag I just wanted to make sure that I kept the ball short of the pin because there was a danger of losing it off the back of the green and into the water. After his fourth shot I knew that I had at least one putt for the tournament and I managed to sneak that one in the left side.”

Consistency Far from being burnt out from the euphoria and exertion of victory, Kaymer became energized and played with a wonderful consistency at Loch Lomond, hardly putting a foot wrong with rounds of 69-65-66-69 for a 15-under-par winning total of 269.

His winner’s cheque for €579,339 lifted him into second place behind Paul Casey in The Race to Dubai. He also moved to a career-high 11th place in the Official World Golf Ranking.

“I think the key to my success was my play around the greens,” said Kaymer who averaged just 27 putts per round all week and had a 100 per cent sand saves record, “especially when I didn’t hit the ball really well.

“I missed a few greens but my short game was really good. There were a few really good up and downs, especially on No. 9 and 10, they were really important. No. 9 was a very, very difficult chip and I

made par there. That was important for me to stay up there.”

Kaymer started the final round one stroke back from leader Fernandez-Castaño and after dropping further back with a bogey on two he moved into the driving seat with birdies on three, six and eight for a front nine of 34.

As the day wore on it became clear that the main obstacle standing in the way of a second consecutive title was Frenchman Jacquelin who made a phenomenal charge with four birdies down the stretch for a smouldering back nine of 31 and a closing 66 to set the clubhouse target of 13-under.

But Jacquelin ultimately ran out of holes and when he holed his fifth birdie of the day after a superb approach to the par-4 15th, the contest was all but over.

Prestigious Kaymer added another entry into his growing section in golf’s history books by becoming the youngest winner of the prestigious event and the magic of winning one of the biggest titles on The European Tour in the birthplace of golf, was not lost on him.

“This week was very special, because I think if you win in the ‘Home of Golf’ in Scotland, it’s always something special, and I really enjoyed the last two days,” he said. “It was amazing how the spectators were supporting us – it was unbelievable.”

Kaymer seems to have a knack for special achievements and something tells me there’s plenty more of them to come from him. ■ www.wwgolf.biz

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Great ts Momen lf o g in

These Months in History

1973

Weekley welcomed

BOO Weekley, one of the stars of the victorious American Ryder Cup team at Valhalla Golf Club last year, is born on July 23rd in Milton, Florida.

Weekley is a two-time PGA Tour winner and has represented the USA in the Omega Mission Hills World Cup and The Ryder Cup.

J

ULY

Highlights from yesteryear

1990

Mickelson makes his mark PHIL MICKELSON wins the U.S. Amateur after defeating Manny Zerman 5 & 4 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver. One year later Mickelson wins on The PGA Tour as an amateur and is still the last amateur to win an event on the American circuit.

1987

2003

SIR Nick Faldo wins his first Major at Muirfield with a one-stroke victory over Paul Azinger and Rodger Davis.

It is the first of three Open Championships in a total of six Major Championships during the glittering career of the recently knighted Englishman.

TOM Watson returns to Turnberry, the scene of his famous Duel in the Sun victory over Jack Nicklaus in 1977, and wins the Senior Open Championship in a play-off with England’s Carl Mason.

Faldo’s first

1989

King’s first U.S. Open crown

BETSY King wins the first of her two U.S. Women’s Opens at the Indianwood Golf and Country Club in Michigan. A year later she successfully defends her title at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Georgia.

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Watson’s memorable return

A

UGUST

Highlights from yesteryear

1971

2000

Paddy is born

Woods makes it three Majors in a year

PADRAIG Harrington is born on August 31st 1971 and goes on to become Europe’s most successful golfer since the turn of the millennium.

Harrington wins three out of six Majors since the 2007 Open Championship, including his successful defence of The Auld Claret Jug last summer and then makes it back-to-back Majors at the U.S. PGA Championship.

TIGER Woods wins the U.S. PGA Championship to become the first golfer since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three Majors in a calendar year. He ties the to-par record for the PGA (-18) with Bob May, and then wins in a play-off.

When Woods missed the cut in last month’s Open Championship at Turnberry it was only his second missed cut in a Major and only his sixth missed cut since turning professional.

2008

1972

Brand wins back-to-back

Player nets his sixth Major

GORDON J. Brand wins two tournaments on the European Seniors Tour in August last summer and finishes the season second on the Order of Merit. Brand takes The De Vere Collection PGA Seniors Championship after beating namesake Gordon Brand Jnr in a play-off and then triumphs at the Travis Perkins Senior Masters at Woburn Golf Club a week later.

GARY Player beats Tommy Aaron and Jim Jamieson by two strokes at Oakland Hills to record his second U.S. PGA Championship win and his sixth Major. Player goes on to win another three Majors and becomes one of the most celebrated golfers of all time.

1998

Singh steps up

VIJAY Singh wins his first Major at the US PGA Championship after a twostroke victory over Steve Stricker at Sahalee Golf Club in Washington. Starting the day level with Stricker, Singh carded a 2-under 68 to win while Stricker could only manage to shoot a levelpar 70.

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DARREN CLARKE

LIFE IS A ROLLERCOASTER DARREN CLARKE, veteran of 18 years and 12 titles on The European Tour, has been in the game long enough to know that it’s not all plain sailing. A runner-up on the Order of Merit three times, he made history when he became the first European to win a World Golf Championships event with a stunning victory over Tiger Woods in the 36-hole final of the Accenture Match Play Championship at La Costa Resort & Spa in California in 2000. He then trumped his own feat by becoming the first player other than Woods to win more than one prestigious WGC title by claiming the 2003 Bridgestone Invitational at Akron, Ohio.

Add to that a swashbuckling record in The Ryder Cup – he has been on the winning European Team four times from five appearances – and Clarke’s career achievements would be enough to make any Tour player proud. But behind the glory the 40-year-old has experienced extreme tragedy and his character has been tested in the cruellest of circumstances. He lost his wife Heather to breast cancer in 2006 shortly before an emotional appearance at the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club in Ireland saw him emerge as one of Europe’s star performers with three points from three.

But from there his form understandably suffered and his 138th place finish on the 2007 Order of Merit would have lost him his playing card, were it not for the two year exemption gained from his inclusion in The 2006 Ryder Cup Team. He fought back with two victories last year but has again struggled to find his form this season. WWG catches up with the popular cigar chomping Irishman as he looks to kick start his season with a good run over the summer schedule.

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WWG: You enjoyed a successful season last year but haven’t quite found your stride yet resultswise this season. How are you feeling about your game at the moment?

Darren Clarke: My golf has been very frustrating this year. I’ve always worked extremely hard and perhaps sometimes too hard. I made a conscious decision a few weeks ago to change quantity for quality on the practice range and hopefully I’ll start getting a few good breaks again soon.

Darren Clarke is all smiles as he holds the trophy and is congratulated by an Emirates Airline hostess after winning the 2008 BMW Asian Open at Tomson Shanghai Pudong Golf Club, Shanghai, the first of his two Tour wins last season.

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WWG: What do you put your relatively slow start to the season down to?

Darren Clarke: If there is one area of my game that needs to improve then it’s definitely my putting. I’ve even tried the belly putter this year, but that didn’t work and was last seen rotating over the Surrey countryside looking for a helipad to land on!

WWG: How confident are you of ironing out any niggles and getting some big results under your belt this season and what do you need to do to make that happen?

Darren Clarke: Hope springs eternal so I’m really looking for a better second half of the season than the first. I know nothing more than just to keep doing whatever I need to do to turn it round.

“ I’m having more fun away from the course these days than on it and nobody gives me greater pleasure than my boys.

Tyrone and Conor are doing well at school and show plenty of potential for carrying on the family’s history of sport” – Darren Clarke WWG: How is your life away from the golf course going at the moment? How important are your family and friends in terms of giving you a support network to ground you when you’re home from tournaments?

Darren Clarke: I’m having more fun away from the course these days than on it and nobody gives me greater pleasure than my boys. Tyrone and Conor are doing well at school and show plenty of potential for carrying on the family’s history of sport. I have always had a very strong support system around me so I couldn’t be much happier in that respect.

DARREN CLARKE WWG: Sadly you’ve had experience of what Phil Mickelson is going through at the moment – have you talked to him?

Darren Clarke: I’ve spoken at length with Phil and he knows I appreciate exactly what Amy and he are going through. Hopefully, the treatment she receives will enable her to come through it and I’m sure everybody in golf thinks the same.

WWG: You’ve been through more than any person should have to go through in your life already and yet you’ve managed to keep going and stay in the game. How difficult was it for you, having been at the top, winning big events, to fall to No. 225 in the World Ranking at one point.

Did you ever feel like packing it in?

Darren Clarke: It was as a consequence of things that were outside of my control. My priorities were changed somewhat from myself and playing golf to making sure that my boys were OK. WWG: It must have been immensely difficult to focus on golf at that time?

Darren Clarke: Golf is a difficult game at the best of times but if you’re not quite at the races or your mind is elsewhere, results and ranking are going to suffer and that’s what happened. But I was totally understanding of what was going on. I got very annoyed and very down with it all but, luckily, I had a lot of people supporting me and telling me to keep going.

“ I’ve known just what a special talent Rory is for many years and long before he turned professional.

What makes him so good is that there are no weaknesses in his game. ” – Darren Clarke

WWG: Getting that first win under your belt at last year’s BMW Asian Open was a bit of a turning point. How much of a relief was it to be back in the winner’s circle after a break of three years (and five on The European Tour) and to win the tournament in the manner you did – with a huge birdie putt at the last?

Darren Clarke: It was a fantastic step in the right direction to win again albeit I made it a lot more difficult than I’d meant to do! But to hole a put like that when I needed to was very special. To hole a long putt to win involves a lot of luck as well as a bit of skill and, thankfully, the luck was there. It was the best victory of my career, not because of the size of the tournament but because of the journey I’d taken to get back to that point.

WWG: Did it get the monkey off your back to a certain extent and allow you to play with less pressure, which led you to a second victory of the season at the KLM Open?

Darren Clarke: Getting back into the winner’s circle again was always going to be a difficult thing for me but I managed to do it and then just looked to kick on from there. It was great that I was able to do that by getting another win under my belt in Holland.

WWG: As a fellow Northern Irishman, what do you make of Rory McIlroy?

Darren Clarke: I’ve known just what a special talent Rory is for many years and long before he turned professional. What makes him so good is that there are no weaknesses in his game. I haven’t been the least bit surprised in how quickly he has progressed and how seamless the transition from the amateur to paid ranks has been. Rory will achieve everything that he wants to. It’s entirely up to him and I know how ambitious he is.

WWG: What’s your favourite hobby away from the golf course?

Darren Clarke: I’ve been fishing for about 15 years and I fish as often as I can. I’m one of those sad blokes who gets all the new equipment as soon as it comes out. Whenever golf commitments allow I go fishing nearly every Monday. I have a couple rods on the River Test in Hampshire so I’m usually down there every Monday and I take the boys with me as often as possible.

Gone fishing: Darren Clarke enjoys a spot of fishing in South Carolina during a day off from the Verizon Heritage tournament on thePGA Tour in the United States.

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I

T was good to be at Turnberry for The Open despite shooting 7-over on the Thursday and missing the cut. Turnberry is one of the best venues The Open Championship can have. The hotel is right up there on the hill perched above one of the great links courses in world golf and this year it looked down on another memorable Open.

As a representative of the Senior brigade it just wasn’t to be for me this year but Tom Watson had virtually the entire crowd behind him as he came within inches of making golf history by winning the Championship at the age of 59. Tom is a great friend and I could feel his disappointment in letting victory slip through his fingers on the final hole.

But he took it in the true spirit of the game like the great champion he is and congratulated Stewart Cink on his victory as a sportsman. To lead The Open virtually from start to finish is still a feat he can be very proud of.

When I won the first of my two Opens in 1986 the course was set up in a similar way to last month. The rough was extremely thick and heavy, although the fairways were a little bit wider this year than they were in ‘86, or any other year, to say the least. The golf course has a lot more length on it. There were a few different angles we had to get adjusted to.

So those players who never played in the early Opens at Turnberry wouldn’t know anything different. But the guys, like the older generation, had to make some adjustments to the shot lines.

But all in all, the golf course was in absolutely perfect condition. I thought the greens at Royal Birkdale were good last year but the greens at Turnberry were more consistent.

Endurance After the success I had last year I’m well aware that I’m not as physically strong as I once was and that my endurance is not as great as someone in their 20s or 30s. But at the same time you have the experience. That was the case last year. I used my experience under the adverse conditions very, very well, even though I hadn’t played much or practised much. So you draw on that experience, knowing where to go and where not to go. It’s all about knowing how to play the conditions – and sometimes a par is like a birdie on many occasions – and just keeping your patience as best you can.

If you get off to a nice consistent start, you put yourself in a place where you might have a chance of winning and, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that last year.

My preparation for this year’s Open was more than last year. I spent a little bit more time practicing in Florida, where it was 98 degrees and 98 per cent humidity and no wind. You go through about eight gloves in a practise session.

I went over to Ireland and considered going to Skibo in Scotland but decided not to thinking the weather was going to be bad. I also thought about playing The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, but again thought the weather might be bad but as it turned out, it was perfect.

So I ended up suffering the miserable weather in Ireland, where it was raining with the wind blowing at about 30 miles an hour, and didn’t get much practise in.

It was great having my son, Gary, on the bag at Turnberry. He was asking me questions about what was it like back then, saying, ‘Dad, where

GREG

NORMAN TOM TAKES ALL THE CHEERS..

WWG COLUMNIST did you drive it on that hole,’ and I’d say we’d hit it here and we’d hit it there. Just talking to Gary about it, just for him to get an idea about how things had changed over a period of from ‘86 to where we are now, was an interesting trip down Memory Lane. You do feel it, there’s no question. Good memories, bad memories, always entrenched in there, for all the right reasons or wrong reasons. So when you can have a chance like that to talk about them, why not. Arnold Palmer’s contribution to The Open was also discussed.

Arnold is 80 this year, and if he hadn’t come over in 1960 to play The Open the game wouldn’t have progressed in the way it did so rapidly. I think every player should be thankful to Arnold, because he really opened up the era of commercialisation in golf. He did a phenomenal job of exploiting the commercial possibilities of the game. In many ways, to this day we have all received some benefit from his involvement. He instilled a certain amount of understanding of the commercial side of golf and understanding what publicity is all about for an individual. He did it very, very well.

At 80 years old he’s still doing a

great job with it. Everybody has Arnold to thank.

There’s nobody else, quite honestly. His back-toback Open Championship victories (1961, 1962) at Royal Birkdale and Troon really set the ball rolling. Then Jack (Nicklaus) came along and had a completely different attitude and philosophy towards the game of golf and those two gelled beautifully together, because they were competing against each other on a global stage, although it was more like an American stage.

Every time it came to a Major championship the two of them were always there in contention. It was great for the game.

Now it’s Tiger Woods taking the helm and everybody else is trying to keep up with him.

So we all – and our bank accounts – should say, ‘thanks Arnold.’ Asked whether my second round 63 at Turnberry in 1986 was my best ever round I’ve got to say that there are three rounds I remember very, very well – Turnberry, my final round 64 at Royal St. Georges to win my second Open in 1993, and the 62 I shot at Glen

Abbey in the Canadian Open. Doral was also memorable – three scores but four different golf tournaments. But at Turnberry in 1986 I drove the ball exceptionally well. Driving was my big strength in my heyday.

I’m also looking forward to The Open at St. Andrews next year because of the way it played in 2005. It suits any player, especially with the new groove technology coming in next year.

The younger generation have never experienced it and don’t really have a clue what is going to happen to their game. They’d better start making the adjustment.

Andy North said to Tom Watson and me at Turnberry, ‘you guys should both start playing more golf because you know in the early part of next year when the guys are trying to make the adjustment, the more experienced players are going to have an advantage over the younger players because of their lack of control over the golf ball.’

So I’m looking forward to 2010.

‘ARNOLD IS 80 THIS YEAR, AND IF HE HADN’T COME OVER IN 1960 TO PLAY THE OPEN THE GAME WOULDN’T HAVE PROGRESSED IN THE WAY IT DID SO RAPIDLY.’

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Ross Fisher

DRIVING

RANGE

WWG WHEELS

MERCEDES E CLASS

Styling and Technology >>

RIDE COMFORT PERFORMANCE SPACE BRAKING

THE new Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the pacemaker when it comes to safety, comfort and environmental compatibility. With its unique combination of driver assistance systems, this saloon enhances the leading position of Mercedes-Benz in the luxury class.

For more than 50 years, the saloons in the E-Class and their predecessors have been acknowledged as trendsetters in the safety field. The new saloon continues this tradition with an unrivalled combination of the very latest assistance and protection system whose concept and development are based on what actually happens during accidents.

These technologies make the E-Class an “intelligent partner” – able to see, feel, react reflexively in critical situations and if necessary act independently to prevent accidents or mitigate their consequences. With this concept, the new Mercedes model not only protects its own occupants, but also contributes decisively to the greater safety of other road users.

Mercedes-Benz has improved the already exemplary long-distance comfort of the E-Class even further in the new saloon, principally through the use of intelligent bodyshell technology with up to 30% greater rigidity, further improved seats and a newly developed suspension whose shock absorbers automatically adjust to the current driving situation. The optional air suspension now works in combination with an electronic damping system.

Other features include a drowsiness detection system, Adaptive Highbeam Assist and the proximity control system which is capable of performing automatic emergency braking when there is acute danger of a collision.

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DRIVING From the luxury class, the MERCEDES E CLASS Q5 STYLING

Environmental compatibility

The outstanding safety and comfort of the E-Class are matched by its environmental compatibility and economy: the four and six-cylinder engines are directinjection units, and consume up to 23% less fuel than before.

Along with the engines, the ‘BlueEFFICIENCY’ package for the E-Class is largely responsible for the considerable fuel savings. Engineers from every development department have worked together to optimise assemblies and components, to save fuel by means of reduced weight, a new form, improved functioning or efficient energy management.

Additional work done in the wind tunnel has also been particularly successful, as the resulting drag coefficient of only 0.25 makes the new E-Class the world’s most aerodynamically efficient luxury saloon. One of the measures taken to improve the aerodynamics is the adoption of automatically adjustable fan louvers, which control the airflow to the engine compartment in line with the engine’s cooling requirements.

Other ‘BlueEFFICIENCY’ measures include newly developed tyres with up to 17% lower rolling resistance, energy-saving control of the alternator, fuel pump, air conditioning compressor and power steering, and the ECO start/stop function which switches the engine of the new E 200 CGI off when idling.

Displays in the speedometer inform the driver how much fuel is being consumed (per 100 kilometres), and when the next higher gear should be selected in order to maintain an economical and environmentally conscious style of driving.

The range of engines available for the new E-Class comprises four, six and eight-cylinder units with outputs from 136 hp to 525 hp.

Safety:

The new E-Class is the first car in the world to be equipped with headlamps which adapt to the traffic situation and respond automatically to avoid dazzling other drivers. The optional Adaptive Highbeam Assist uses a camera on the windscreen to recognise oncoming traffic and vehicles moving ahead and to control the headlamps so that their beams do not reach the other vehicle. This achieves the best possible road illumination in a given situation. The range of the dipped headlamp beams can be extended from 65 to as much as 300 metres. If the road ahead is clear, the system performs a gentle transition to high beam.

Mercedes-Benz offers this new system in a lighting package that includes bi-xenon headlamps, the Intelligent Light System and LED daytime driving lights.

Petrol engines: 20% FUEL SAVING THANKS TO DIRECT INJECTION Mercedes-Benz equips the ‘BlueEFFICIENCY’ models – E 200 CGI and E 250 CGI – with the newly developed four-cylinder direct petrol injection engines with a displacement of 1.8 litres, turbocharging and variable intake and exhaust camshafts. The E 200 CGI ‘BlueEFFICIENCY’ (184 hp) is equipped with a six-speed manual transmission and the ECO start/stop function as standard, and consumes only 6.8 litres of premium petrol per 100 kilometres (combined NEDC consumption).

This equates to 159 grams of CO2 per kilometre.

In the E 250 CGI ‘BlueEFFICIENCY’ (204 hp), which has a fivespeed automatic transmission as standard, maximum torque is now 310 newton metres, which represents an increase of more than 26% over the previous V6-engine. At the same time the NEDC fuel consumption is reduced by over 20% to 7.3 litres per 100 kilometres, equating to 174 grams of CO2 per kilometre (provisional figures).

Mercedes-Benz equips the V6 and V8-models as standard with a seven-speed automatic transmission, steering wheel selector lever and shift paddles.

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GEAR PLAYER TECHNOLOGY HARDWEAR FOOTWEAR APPAREL BALLS

GOLF GARB

MIZUNO MP T WEDGES THE wedge is among the most important clubs in your bag. It’s your trusty companion, always there when you need it to help you out of a jam or set up a birdie opportunity, but the market place is jammed packed so which one to choose? We’re going to be taking a look at some of the most popular choices over the next few issues.

Mizuno’s MP T has to be right up there for our money. These wedges aren’t a new release but the feel and precision you get out these things is second to none and they’re well worth a look if you’re in the market for a new purchase. The MP T series wedges all utitlise a Grain Forging System to produce this wonderfully enhanced feel around the greens.

www.mizuno.com

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www.wwgolf.biz

ONLINE apparel website www.golfgarb.co.uk is great onestop shop for your golf clothing needs. The UK based company, which delivers worldwide, offers a full range of men’s and women’s gear as well as a dedicated juniors section and the range of clothing available is very impressive.

This stylish Argyle sweater from Backtee – the Thomas Björn endorsed brand – is made from high quality 100% gassed cotton.

Featuring a ribbed neck, waistband and cuffs along with an eye catching diamond design, the v-neck is available in three colour choices. www.golfgarb.co.uk

WWG STYLE

POP-UP PROTECTOR COME on admit it, we’ve all done it, especially when we first began learning the game. You get your 3-wood or your driver in hand ready to play the shot of your life. You visualise the ball soaring off down the fairway, straight as an arrow. You take aim and swing at the ball. And that’s where it all goes wrong. You’re awakened from your blissful fantasy by the cruel realisation that you’ve just sent the ball 10 feet directly above your own head! What’s worse, your club bears a permanent scar on the upper section of the clubhead to allow anyone who wasn’t fortunate enough to witness your hapless moment a permanent reminder of your folly.

U.S. company Deco-Leco have come up with a solution which will not only save your embarrassment, it will protect your clubs and therefore save you pennies when you come to sell them on. The Pop-up Protector is a ‘thermoplastic elastomer’ (basically very hard wearing tape) which is pre-coated with a high performance acrylic adhesive typically used in the aerospace industry. You simply stick the protector to the top of the clubhead where the offending marks occur and away you go – you can swing with confidence, free to make mistakes that won’t prove costly further down the line. And what’s more the Pop-up Protector has been passed by the R&A and the USGA as conforming to the rules of golf. www.pupgolf.com

BUSHNELL’S LATEST PAIRING IF it’s an affordable, handheld GPS rangefinder you’re after look no further because Bushnell have come up with a pair of crackers with their two latest releases, the Yardage Pro XG and the Pro XGC. These latest offerings, which come hot on the tails of the company’s first foray into the GPS market with Yardage Pro earlier this year, boast increased storability and provide the distance of your last shot as well as to any point on the hole. www.bushnell.com

CLUB GLOVE TRAIN REACTION LEADING golf travel bag manufacturers Club Glove have come up with the ideal system for transporting everything you need for a golf trip in one go.

The Train Reaction system combines various Club Glove bags and fits them all together, literally in a train, so that they can easily be pulled through airports etc. You get a suitcase, a carry on bag and a travel cover, all of which slot together so you can pull it as one. The system has proved a big hit already and was used by Team USA during the recent Junior Golf World Cup in Toyota City, Japan.

“The Train Reaction system is the latest in a long line of Club Glove products to be conceived and designed with the golfer in mind,” says Jeff Herold, Club Glove President. “By never sacrificing quality, style or function, we’re able to provide innovative solutions to players like these tremendous young athletes who travelled across the world to represent the United States.” www.clubglove.com

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ROSS Fisher is one of the hottest young stars on The European Tour. Having only joined the Tour in 2006 he has two titles under his belt, including the 2008 European Open. He is currently ranked 21nd in the World and 4th in The Race to Dubai.

ROSS

WWG COLUMNIST

FISHER

EXCITING TIMES AHEAD

I

’VE got a very exciting week ahead of me in more ways than one. My wife Jo is about to give birth to our first child and there’s also the small matter of The Open Championship at Turnberry to take care of.

By the time you read this column both events will probably have happened and I have to say I’ve no idea how the next week is going to pan out. The baby’s birth takes priority over golf, that’s for sure, and I’ve already said that if Jo goes into labour during The Open I’ll be on the next plane back home even if I’m leading the tournament.

I’ve got a pager in case anything happens – Jo says that if I’ve only got a few holes left and she goes into labour, she’ll tell them to wait until I’ve finished before beeping me but if it happens before I go out to play I’ll be off straight away.

I’m more nervous about the imminent new arrival than I am about playing in another Major Championship. We decided not to find out whether it’s going to be a boy or a girl beforehand so it’s going to be a big surprise. I think we’re prepared though. We’ve got the nursery ready and all of that stuff and we’ve read all the baby books. Once the baby has arrived I’m taking a couple of weeks off,

then I’ll play the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational and the US PGA Championship and take another three weeks after that so, hopefully, I’ll have over a month with Jo and the baby, which will be really nice.

I don’t mind at all whether it’s a boy or girl. Different people are predicting different things but to me as long as it’s healthy and happy, that’s all that matters. I don’t care whether he or she wants to become a golfer or whatever. It’s important to let kids grow and mature along their own track and not try to force things onto them.

Having a baby certainly puts a whole different perspective on your life. When it’s been just the two of you for so long and then all of a sudden there’s a little one to think about it definitely changes things – but I think it will change my life for the better and it’ll be great to have that family base to come home to when I’m not playing.

On the golf front I’m feeling pretty good about my game and providing I play the whole tournament, I think I’ve got a good chance at Turnberry. I saw the course a couple of weeks ago when I went up and played a round with my caddie, Adam. I’ve played it a few other times in the past and think I’ve got the game to do well there. I

Below: Ross Fisher hits off the tee on his way to a oneunder par total of 279 and a fifth place finish at the U.S. Open at the Black Course at Bethpage State Park, New York.

did all right at The Open last year and did well at the Dunhill Links Championship, when I almost won. I also played a lot of links golf as an amateur so I’m used to it and I enjoy it – it’s a great challenge. I’ve been doing a lot of work on my short game with Mark Roe and my coach Christian because that’s the key – a lot of chipping, bunker play, pitching and putting.

I’m coming off the back of some good results at the U.S. Open and The Barclays Scottish Open. I was generally happy with how things went at Bethpage but at the same time a little disappointed. But if you walk away from a Major feeling disappointed with finishing fifth you know you can be proud of your achievement.

It was a great week and I played really, really nicely. If it were not for a couple of putts here and there things could have been different and I’d be writing this column as a Major winner, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.

It was an important stepping stone and a learning curve and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I’ll take everything I picked up at the U.S. Open and use it next time around.

Any time you can put yourself in contention in any tournament is good but if you’re doing it in Majors you know you’re doing something right. I just have to keep putting myself in those positions and, hopefully, I’ll be able to turn one of them around and come home with the trophy.

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DIVOTS

LYLE IGNITES FEUD WITH MONTY OVER RYDER CUP SNUB SANDY Lyle has apologised to Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie after bringing up an incident four years ago when his fellow Scot was accused of cheating. Lyle brought up a controversial episode at the 2005 Indonesian Open where Montgomerie was accused of incorrectly dropping his ball when asked whether his own decision to walk off during last year’s Open at Royal Birkdale may have contributed to him not being handed the Captaincy for next year’s Ryder Cup in Wales.

“In my frustration at continually being asked about the incident at last year’s Open, I regrettably brought up another old incident, one that happened four years ago and has long since been resolved,” Lyle said in a hastily organised press conference at Turnberry.

“Colin Montgomerie and I are not at war. Colin is a great champion and a good friend.

I was trying to make the point by comparison that neither of these incidents had anything to do with the selection of the current Ryder Cup captain.”

Montgomerie, who was preparing for The Open, was unimpressed with Lyle’s apology. “It’s a rather strange apology to be honest,” he said.

“I’m just trying to compete in The Open and my preparations have been dented. I’m not very happy about that at all.”

36

www.wwgolf.biz

NEWS SNIPPETS FROM AROUND THE GOLFING GLOBE

Faldo knighted for services to golf NICK Faldo became just the second British golfer to receive a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list this year.

“I am more than a little bit humbled to have been afforded this great honour,” said 51-yearold Faldo.

The six-time Major champion is the most successful British golfer of the modern era and follows in the footsteps of Sir Henry Cotton who was the first English golfer to be knighted in 1987.

Manassero storms to British Amateur title

ITALIAN Matteo Manassero won the British Amateur title at Formby Golf Club after beating England’s Sam Hutsby 4&3 in the 36-hole final.

The 16-year-old Manassero became the youngest winner of the tournament – and the first Italian – and earned invitations to The Open at Turnberry and next year’s Masters tournament. “I never imagined once that I could win this tournament,” he said. “I’m shocked, it’s unbelievable!”

International Federation of PGA TOURS announces changes

Ji wins first Major EUN Hee Ji held off 2007 champion Cristie Kerr to win her first Major at the Women’s US Open at Saucon Valley Country Club in Pennsylvania.

South Korea’s Ji shot an even-par 284 total to win by one shot from Chinese Taipei’s Candie Kung and two from Kerr and compatriot InKyung Kim.

Official Olympic golf bid launched PETER Dawson, head of the R&A, has confirmed that golf has been put forward to the International Olympic Committee as a potential sport in the 2016 edition of the Games. “The IOC board will pick the two sports from seven to recommend in August,” he said. “Then in October the full membership get to vote on the possible inclusion.

The top men and women in the sport have backed the bid and we told the IOC that the best names would be available for the 2016 Games.”

Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie and ladies legend Annika Sorenstam were among 18 players who sent letters of support to IOC members in April.

IN step with the global growth of professional golf, the International Federation of PGA Tours has announced an expansion and restructuring of its membership that will include additional professional golf tours, including – for the first time – women’s golf tours.

The following professional golf organisations have accepted an invitation to become members of the International Federation of PGA Tours: China Golf Association, Korea Professional Golfers’ Association, Professional Golf Tour of India, LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour, Australian Ladies Professional Golf Tour, Japan LPGA, Korean LPGA and the Ladies Asian Golf Tour.

The International Federation of PGA Tours was formed in 1996 by golf’s five world governing bodies – the European Tour, Japan Golf Tour Organisation, PGA TOUR, PGA Tour of Australasia and the South African Sunshine Tour – with the purpose of providing a forum for the world’s professional golf organisations to discuss issues of mutual importance and, together, develop and promote the game of golf on a global basis. As part of its mission, the Federation initiated the World Golf Championships in 1999.

The Asian Tour joined the International Federation of PGA Tours in 1999, while the Canadian Tour and the Tour de las Americas joined the Federation as associate members in 2000 and 2007, respectively. As part of the restructure, the Canadian Tour and the Tour de las Americas will join the new, expanded membership.

Blistering Barnes RICKY Barnes became just the fourth player in US Open history to get to 10-under-par or lower at any stage during the tournament. The other players to acheive the feat are Gil Morgan and Tiger Woods at Pebble Beach in 1992 and 2000 respectively and Jim Furyk at Olympia Fields in 2003.

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NEWS SNIPPETS FROM AROUND THE GOLFING GLOBE

Nakheel delivers boost to The European Tour’s Race to Dubai THE Dubai government’s property development arm Nakheel has delivered a timely boost to The European Tour by committing to the £100m deal which has come under question in the midst of the worldwide economic downturn.

Leisurecorp, a division of Nakheel, initially signed the £100m sponsorship deal which turned the Order of Merit into The Race to Dubai and created the season-ending $10m Dubai World Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates. The project has been placed in doubt after Leisurecorp was submersed into Nakheel after an internal review and it potentially placed the deal, which was intended to bankroll The European Tour in jeopardy, but negotiations over the last few weeks appear to have been successful.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of Nakheel’s ultimate holding company, Dubai World, was at Turnberry prior to The Open to meet representatives of The European Tour, and is understood to have signed off the final details of the deal.

“We have been looking at every aspect of our business,” confirmed Hamza Mustafa, managing director of Nakheel Leisure. “In this climate you would expect us to review our business. No-one is immune from this downturn, but we have recently reaffirmed to The European Tour that we stand by our commitment to the deal on the same terms. We hope that by standing by golf in the hard times the game will remember us when times improve.”

Statmaster:

Monty’s keen eye for detail kicks in at Celtic Manor RYDER Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie has shown the door to a potential performance wrecker at The Celtic Manor Resort after spotting that the locker room’s large wooden doors swing open both ways. “Suddenly it dawned on me,” he said. “You can’t see who is on the other side.

Now imagine you are just about to pull the door when one of your team-mates come barging through the door – Bang! The door smashes into your hand and that’s your Ryder Cup finished.

Twelve months of sweat and toil taken away in an instant.”

Shin makes her move JIYAI Shin won her second LPGA Tour event of the year with a seven-stroke victory the Wegmans LPGA and now sits comfortably at the top of the LPGA Player of the Year rankings and the LPGA money list.

The South Korean has an eightpoint lead over Yani Tseng in the Rolex Player of the Year rankings and is leading the money list from the same player by over $200,000.

AFTER his wins at the French and the Scottish Opens, Martin Kaymer is the second player to win back-to-back on The European Tour this season after Richard Sterne won twice in South Africa in December. The last European to win back-to-back was Lee Westwood in 1999 at the Dutch and the European Opens.

Round of the summer: NICK Dougherty announced his return to the kind of form that saw him triumph at the prestigious Dunhil Links Championship in 2007 with a magnificent final-round 64 at the BMW International in Germany.

Shot of the summer: Rafa Echenique put Nick Dougherty under immense pressure after holing out from 243 yards for an albatross at the par-5 final hole of the BMW International. The Argentine struck a sublime 3-iron from the middle of the fairway which pitched six feet from the hole and rolled gently into the cup to complete a sensational back nine of 27.

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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. Here he talks about his upcoming trip to Sunningdale, a course which is full of fond memories.

GARY

PLAYER

Sunningdale full of fond memories GARY PLAYER has played an integral role in The Senior British Open since its launch at Turnberry back in 1987, winning the Championship a record-equalling three times (with Tom Watson), and finishing in the top-five five times over a 13-year stretch.

His nine Senior Major Championships, on both the European Senior Tour and the Champions Tour in the U.S. matches the nine Majors he won in one of the most remarkable careers in golf, which began back in 1953 when he turned professional.

This month he’ll make an emotional return to Sunningdale Golf Course in Surrey, where he won his first European Tour title in 1956 at the Dunlop Tournament and has fond and vivid memories of the course he regards as one of his favourite places on the planet.

I’VE virtually been an ever present at The Senior Open – I missed the Championship only once, in 2002 – and it’s very rewarding for me, and the European Senior Tour, to see how the Championship has grown in stature and popularity over its 23 years.

Having won the event twice at Turnberry in the first four years (1988 and 1990) beating players of the calibre of Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Bob Charles and Harold Henning I had to wait until 1997 at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland before I managed to win it for a third time, although I came close in 1993 at Royal Lytham when I tied second with Tommy Horton, just one shot off the winner Bob Charles, who was winning the Championship for the second time. Bob has a fantastic record in the Championship with 10 top-five finishes, six of them runners-up.

Bob and I paired up to play in the Legends of Golf tournament in Savannah in April and won the Demaret Division title, shooting consecutive rounds of 63 in the better-ball format. We ham and egged it pretty well for an 18-under-par total 40

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of 126 which matched the low 36-hole total for the tournament. Not bad for two 73-year-olds.

I’ve managed to shoot my age and even shoot below my age a number of times on the Champions Tour – but then the older I get the easier it becomes. I shot an opening round 69 in the Senior Open at Turnberry in 2006, beating my age by one shot.

The Senior Open has been a showcase Championship for the European Senior Tour and since being recognised by the Champions Tour as a Major at Turnberry in 2003 the Americans have come over in increasing numbers.

Major winners With 18 Major winners competing, it was the strongest field every assembled for the Championship and with players like Ben Crenshaw, Tom Lehman, Mark O’Meara, Larry Mize and three-times Champion Tom Watson among so many leading players it provided an entertaining week. There were also 32 former Ryder Cup players taking part which added another interesting dimension to the Championship.

After 22 years on the links of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland I was surprised when I heard it was being switched to Sunningdale. It’s a lovely golf course and along with Wentworth it’s one of my favourites. It’s also got one of my favourite holes – the 10th on the Old Course. It’s a magnificent hole with a wonderful view down the valley and up towards the Halfway Hut. Among all the golf courses I’ve designed around the world I’d have been happy to have created that hole.

Apart from winning the Dunlop Tournament in 1956 I’ve played the Old and New courses on numerous occasions and loved every minute of it. After I’d won the title, which was played over 90 holes of both the New and Old courses I came in for a lot

of criticism that my swing was not good enough for me to make it in the professional game. There were some who said I would go nowhere, that my swing was too flat, and that I had no future I was competing against the likes of Peter Thomson, Bobby Locke, Norman von Nida and the amazing Arthur Lees, who they reckoned was unbeatable around Sunningdale. I remember, I scored successive 64s on the Old and New courses, which broke the 36-hole record set by Bobby Jones.

After the tournament I went over to Florida and was playing with Ben Hogan. I told Ben about the comments on my ‘flat swing’ and Ben said, ‘you can never be too flat.’

He was proved right.

So was Norman Von Nida, who persuaded me to go to Australia, where he had bee n so successful. I took his advice and won the Ampol tournament, which earned me enough money to get married. I went on to win 18 tournaments on the Australasian Tour and won my first Major at The Open Championship at Muirfield three years later.

Memories My memories of Sunningdale are all good.

The Old Course is a truly classical course where you have to drive well to score well.

It’s got everything a classic golf course should have.

It will be a sentimental journey for me.

When I was at Sunningdale more than half a century ago I stayed in a bed and breakfast with Mr. and Mrs. Beattie close to the club and they really looked after me.

Sunningdale was where I had my first Tour win and it will be a wonderful experience for me to meet up with so many old friends again and reminisce over those great days. ■

WWG COLUMNIST

“After 22 years on the links of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland I was surprised when I heard it was being switched to Sunningdale. It’s a lovely golf course and along with Wentworth it’s one of my favourites. It’s also got one of my favourite holes – the 10th on the Old Course. It’s a magnificent hole with a wonderful view down the valley and up towards the Halfway Hut. Among all the golf courses I’ve designed around the world I’d have been happy to have created that hole.”

10th hole on the Old Course, Sunningdale

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41

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 JULY 13, 2009

Pts. Avg

Tot. Pts

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

11.06 8.50 6.62 6.26 6.07 5.93 5.84 5.81 5.00 4.88 4.87 4.60 4.42 4.42 4.29 4.20 4.06 4.03 3.96 3.75 3.64 3.63 3.55 3.49 3.37 3.26 3.22 3.19 3.14 3.13 3.08 3.03 3.03 2.97 2.89 2.88 2.83 2.80 2.68 2.67 2.64 2.64 2.62 2.62 2.40 2.39 2.36 2.35 2.34 2.32

442.28 382.53 324.41 313.09 303.71 260.91 274.50 301.94 234.95 248.68 263.10 225.60 225.26 225.20 206.02 197.50 211.10 209.48 209.90 187.72 196.75 192.25 202.36 188.33 168.40 172.54 144.76 127.67 169.46 134.40 166.37 172.55 145.22 157.54 179.05 141.19 150.21 151.34 160.56 144.32 184.47 144.93 123.15 133.56 115.41 131.29 122.62 115.37 116.88 104.21

Tiger Woods USA Phil Mickelson USA Paul Casey Eng Kenny Perry USA Sergio Garcia Esp Steve Stricker USA Geoff Ogilvy Aus Henrik Stenson Swe Jim Furyk USA Vijay Singh Fji Martin Kaymer Deu Camilo Villegas Col Sean O’Hair USA Padraig Harrington Irl Anthony Kim USA Robert Karlsson Swe Lee Westwood Eng Ian Poulter Eng Lucas Glover USA Zach Johnson USA Ross Fisher Eng Rory McIlroy Nir Retief Goosen Saf Ernie Els Saf Mike Weir Can Hunter Mahan USA Ben Curtis USA Luke Donald Eng Angel Cabrera Arg David Toms USA Soren Kjeldsen Dnk Tim Clark Saf Stewart Cink USA Nick Watney USA Brian Gay USA Alvaro Quiros Esp Justin Leonard USA Rory Sabbatini Saf Robert Allenby Aus Gonzalo Fdez-Castano Esp Jeev Milkha Singh Ind Miguel A Jimenez Esp Adam Scott Aus Shingo Katayama Jpn Dustin Johnson USA Graeme McDowell Nir Oliver Wilson Eng Trevor Immelman Saf K.J. Choi Kor Davis Love-III USA

Events 40 45 49 50 50 44 47 52 47 51 54 49 51 51 48 47 52 52 53 50 54 53 57 54 50 53 45 40 54 43 54 57 48 53 62 49 53 54 60 54 70 55 47 51 48 55 52 49 50 45

Pts. Gained 255.40 231.09 271.86 207.20 57.04 201.59 173.38 169.13 137.36 49.64 168.98 82.36 175.88 34.24 76.57 33.92 70.07 124.55 188.80 151.49 111.22 133.79 138.33 69.41 79.29 115.97 56.07 79.15 124.47 118.49 90.83 88.02 55.76 145.13 136.06 99.61 60.01 99.13 54.66 93.96 57.08 48.89 48.78 43.18 93.46 41.22 44.40 18.31 41.81 62.64

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

Søren Hansen Chad Campbell Justin Rose Stephen Ames Thongchai Jaidee Prayad Marksaeng J.B. Holmes Mathew Goggin Kevin Sutherland Anders Hansen Peter Hanson Louis Oosthuizen Charl Schwartzel Ben Crane Brendan Jones Aaron Baddeley Bubba Watson Pat Perez Paul Goydos Kevin Na Nick Dougherty Andres Romero Mark Wilson David Smail Francesco Molinari Rod Pampling Stephen Marino Ryo Ishikawa Boo Weekley Fred Couples Richard Sterne Thomas Levet Stuart Appleby Michael Sim Anthony Wall Ryuji Imada Woody Austin Scott Verplank Richard Green Brandt Snedeker Jerry Kelly D.J. Trahan Johan Edfors Lin Wen-Tang Charley Hoffman Charles Howell-III John Senden Dudley Hart John Rollins Matt Kuchar

Dnk USA Eng Can Tha Tha USA Aus USA Dnk Swe Saf Saf USA Aus Aus USA USA USA USA Eng Arg USA NZl Ita Aus USA Jpn USA USA Saf Fra Aus Aus Eng Jpn USA USA Aus USA USA USA Swe Twn USA USA Aus USA USA USA

Pts. Avg

Tot. Pts

2.28 2.26 2.26 2.23 2.19 2.08 2.08 2.08 2.06 2.04 2.02 1.99 1.99 1.97 1.96 1.96 1.95 1.93 1.91 1.90 1.89 1.89 1.86 1.86 1.84 1.84 1.83 1.81 1.81 1.79 1.78 1.77 1.76 1.75 1.72 1.69 1.65 1.63 1.62 1.59 1.59 1.58 1.57 1.56 1.55 1.55 1.55 1.55 1.53 1.52

121.00 124.40 117.57 104.87 129.14 129.06 104.08 116.21 106.89 104.03 109.26 101.54 111.33 88.43 82.48 98.04 103.19 96.59 91.86 110.18 101.87 99.93 100.51 91.18 103.11 108.32 117.23 76.16 92.13 71.43 92.81 84.75 98.51 71.70 99.93 94.87 89.20 79.94 74.55 86.11 93.71 93.19 84.65 62.50 91.70 91.49 97.61 61.92 84.03 79.13

Events Pts. Gained 53 55 52 47 59 62 50 56 52 51 54 51 56 45 42 50 53 50 48 58 54 53 54 49 56 59 64 42 51 40 52 48 56 41 58 56 54 49 46 54 59 59 54 40 59 59 63 40 55 52

61.45 65.63 57.74 41.48 74.88 45.24 58.39 38.26 41.02 78.86 42.60 80.97 51.24 57.52 26.29 44.02 70.22 59.91 52.20 95.48 65.45 31.75 65.97 44.55 48.42 38.95 70.68 18.00 35.22 50.79 18.75 58.82 22.22 60.86 55.04 35.12 39.74 42.81 30.40 32.81 58.24 39.60 56.88 2.05 77.07 64.65 59.87 6.67 63.07 45.67

Over 100 destinations worldwide

RACE TO DUBAI As of July 13 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

Paul CASEY Martin KAYMER Geoff OGILVY Ross FISHER Rory MCILROY Angel CABRERA Gonzalo FDEZ-CASTAÑO Sergio GARCIA Oliver WILSON Søren KJELDSEN Lee WESTWOOD Alvaro QUIROS Robert ROCK Peter HANSON Thongchai JAIDEE Nick DOUGHERTY Henrik STENSON Thomas LEVET Ian POULTER Louis OOSTHUIZEN Johan EDFORS Søren HANSEN Anders HANSEN Charl SCHWARTZEL Richard STERNE Jeev Milkha SINGH Francesco MOLINARI Camilo VILLEGAS Raphaël JACQUELIN Ernie ELS Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ Scott STRANGE Stephen DODD Anthony WALL Retief GOOSEN Graeme MCDOWELL Thomas AIKEN Niclas FASTH Adam SCOTT Wen-tang LIN Steve WEBSTER David DRYSDALE Graeme STORM Jeppe HULDAHL Fabrizio ZANOTTI Peter LAWRIE Christian CÉVAËR Justin ROSE Simon DYSON Danny WILLETT

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

Tournaments Played 10 13 6 13 15 7 16 9 14 15 15 15 16 18 15 18 13 15 8 19 18 16 16 14 14 14 18 7 18 10 16 19 15 16 11 13 13 19 7 6 17 15 18 18 14 18 14 7 20 15

Prize Money €1,949,841 €1,761,694 €1,536,513 €1,344,422 €1,331,325 €1,096,363 €1,052,736 €1,018,028 €1,003,476 €977,799 €905,131 €823,391 €812,289 €751,834 €746,338 €726,989 €706,170 €697,920 €663,896 €654,946 €651,603 €647,236 €629,136 €620,096 €603,449 €592,429 €583,745 €556,664 €547,020 €532,994 €509,910 €478,476 €477,785 €457,476 €456,708 €428,408 €423,897 €416,095 €411,110 €406,621 €390,911 €387,849 €385,385 €383,029 €379,511 €378,839 €376,509 €371,879 €361,426 €360,107

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

Name

Country

Gareth MAYBIN Rodney PAMPLING Rafa ECHENIQUE Rafael CABRERA-BELLO Tim CLARK David HORSEY Marcus FRASER Damien MCGRANE Richard GREEN Prayad MARKSAENG Ben CURTIS Robert KARLSSON Thomas BJÖRN Andrew MCLARDY Gary ORR Titleist Alastair FORSYTH Felipe AGUILAR Anthony KANG Ross McGOWAN Daniel VANCSIK Stephen AMES Michael HOEY Pablo LARRAZÁBAL Chris WOOD Anthony KIM Robert-Jan DERKSEN Alexander NOREN Jamie DONALDSON Brett RUMFORD Colin MONTGOMERIE Padraig HARRINGTON Marc WARREN Richard FINCH Paul BROADHURST Ignacio GARRIDO Luke DONALD José Manuel LARA Paul WARING David LYNN Jean-François LUCQUIN Mark BROWN Paul LAWRIE Jyoti RANDHAWA Mike WEIR Mark FOSTER Grégory BOURDY Markus BRIER Tano GOYA Seve BENSON Robert ALLENBY

NIR AUS ARG ESP RSA ENG AUS IRL AUS THA USA SWE DEN RSA SCO SCO CHI USA ENG ARG CAN NIR ESP ENG USA NED SWE WAL AUS SCO IRL SCO ENG ENG ESP ENG ESP ENG ENG FRA NZL SCO IND CAN ENG FRA AUT ARG ENG AUS

Tournaments Played 18 7 19 19 7 18 16 20 12 10 6 8 12 16 13 17 18 15 18 17 4 16 19 16 7 16 12 17 17 16 8 15 20 19 18 6 20 18 18 21 19 15 15 4 20 19 17 15 18 7

Prize Money €357,543 €353,873 €351,575 €351,116 €346,019 €345,115 €336,022 €332,090 €324,797 €315,458 €314,998 €314,761 €307,734 €305,733 €296,404 €289,174 €288,444 €288,247 €286,477 €285,248 €283,130 €279,026 €277,841 €274,176 €273,933 €266,834 €260,961 €252,102 €250,533 €250,507 €248,919 €240,832 €238,987 €238,732 €238,727 €237,372 €235,545 €231,741 €217,938 €214,989 €214,885 €212,205 €212,090 €211,228 €195,964 €194,835 €194,730 €191,356 €191,133 €190,677

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: 28 – 31 May 2009

Tournament: The European Open Venue: The London Golf Club, Kent, England

FRENCHMAN Christian Cévaër won The European Open as a dogged display at a windy London Golf Club earned him a one-stroke victory and the biggest paycheque of his career.

“This is a fantastic day for me,” said the 39-year-old, who parred the difficult last to claim the €341,220 first prize. “I am ecstatic to come out on top. What a great surprise it was to see the big leaderboard when I was coming up the hill at the 18th and that I was the only guy left on 7-under. I am proud to get the job done.”

Ranked No.449 in the world going into the event, Cévaër beat one of the strongest fields assembled on The European Tour this season after four rounds of solid golf.

Cévaër carded opening rounds of 67, 70 and 70 for a 9-under total to head into the final round tied for the lead with Indian Jeev Milkha Singh, three stokes ahead of Rory McIlroy, Alvaro Quiros and Chris Wood.

After three bogeys on the outward nine and just one birdie on his card all day at the par-5 15th, Cévaër still found himself in

contention after playing partner Singh had fallen down the field.

Cévaër needed to par the 471yard par-4 last hole – statistically the hardest closing hole so far on The European Tour – to win the title. He did it with great composure after knocking a drive and then a rescue club into the heart of the green.

He needed two putts for victory and he duly obliged before being doused in champagne by his fellow countrymen.

“The course was drying out, but I’m really happy the way I swung it overall,” he said. “I just didn’t catch the right breaks on the front nine.

I went into the rough a few times and just couldn’t get it up-anddown. But to come out in the end on top – and luckily as some other players struggled too, because of the wind and the greens drying – it’s fantastic.”

Singh dropped into a share of fifth place alongside Welshman Stephen Dodd and England’s Chris Wood on 5-under after shooting a 4-over 76 while the trio of Spaniard Alvaro Quiros, Englishman Steve Webster and Scot Gary Orr finished on 6-under, one stroke behind Cévaër.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: TaylorMade R9 - 9.5º Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Tour Burner 3-wood –13º Hybrid: TaylorMade Rescue TP –17 and 21º Irons (3-9): TaylorMade Tour Preferred Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG Marxman Mini Ball: TaylorMade Black LDP

Date: 28 – 31 May 2009

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

€341,220

R R: AË NE ÉV IN C W IAN ST RI CH

CÉVAËR CLINGS ON FOR EUROPEAN OPEN TRIUMPH

FACT FILE: The par-4 471yard 18th hole at The London Golf Club was the hardest closing hole on the 2009 European Tour schedule so far.

Holding an average of 4.69, the hole saw the least number of pars over the week and the most number of double bogeys or worse. It proved tougher than both the notable final holes at Augusta and Doral where The Masters and the WGC-CA Championships are respectively held.

WINNING SCORE: 7-UNDER-PAR – 281 (67,70,70,74) RUNNER-UP: GARY ORR, STEVE WEBSTER, ALVARO QUIROS – 282 Tournament: Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial Venue: Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth, Texas

STRICKER STEPS IN TO DENY CLARK

R: KER NE IC IN R W E ST EV ST

STEVE Stricker took advantage of Tim Clark’s missed par putt on the 18th in regulation to defeat the South African and Steve Marino in sudden-death at the Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

Clark missed a 9-footer for par in regulation to finish with a 17-under total, level with the two Americans. All three players then missed birdie putts as they replayed the 18th for the first playoff hole – Clark pulling his putt from seven feet – before going back to the 17th to see if a winner could be decided.

Marino was out of contention after a wayward drive but solid irons off the tee gave Stricker and Clark good angles in to the green. Stricker knocked his to four feet and Clark, knowing he needed to be

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

$1,116,000

aggressive, saw his ball hit the pin and spin back 20 feet away from the cup. He missed his putt leaving Stricker with a short birdie putt for his fifth PGA TOUR title.

“I feel fortunate,” said Stricker, who collected $1,116,000 and 500 FedExCup points for the victory.

“I’ve been on the other end a couple times this year where you feel you’re going to win and end up losing. This feels very good.”

Clark was left cursing his luck as he continues to search for his first PGA TOUR win despite winning three times on The European Tour. “I can’t take anything positive from today,” said the 33-year-old.

“I have a lot of work to do when it comes to closing out golf tournaments.”

WORLD ROUNDUPS Date: 04 – 07 June 2009

Tournament: The Memorial Tournament Venue: Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio

TIGER Woods carded a sensational 7-under 65 to come from four strokes back overnight and win the Memorial Tournament by one shot from Jim Furyk.

“I knew I could do this,” said Woods after birdies on the final two holes sealed the victory. “I was close to winning, but the game wasn’t quite there when I really needed it on Sunday. I rectified that.”

Woods, who started the day in a share of seventh place, posted a clubhouse lead of two shots on 12-under-par and Furyk – the only player out on the course with a realistic chance of catching him – could not match the World No.1’s birdie-birdie finish to force a play-off.

Furyk did close with a birdie to finish outright second, three shots clear of Jonathan Byrd and Mark Wilson, who shared third place.

By the time Woods had bogeyed the 16th he was in a share of first place with Furyk, Byrd and Davis

Love, but that soon changed with two wonderful approach shots on the final two holes. He sunk an eight-foot putt on the 17th before knocking it to two feet on the 18th for a simple birdie.

“I felt comfortable hitting it leftto-right, right-to-left,” said Woods.

“I didn’t have a problem taking the ball up in the air or bringing it down. That’s what I was looking for. That’s what I was able to do at home in my practice sessions, and now it’s just a matter of carrying it out here onto a tournament venue and doing it.”

Woods, who hit 14 fairways out of 14 on the final day, was in imperious form and Furyk paid tribute to his efforts. “I think he answered a lot of questions today,” said Furyk who carded his best result on the PGA TOUR so far this season. “I played well today, I hit the ball really well and I hit a lot of good putts – I’m actually proud of the way I played.”

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: Nike SQ Dymo 380 (10.5°; Mitsubishi Diamana Whiteboard 83g shaft) 3-wood: Nike SQ2 (13° Mitsubishi Diamana Blueboard 103g shaft) 5-wood: Nike SQ2 (19°; Mitsubishi Diamana Blueboard 103g shaft) Irons (3-PW): Nike Forged Blades Wedges: Nike Victory Red (56°) and Nike SV (60°) Putter: Scotty Cameron by Titleist Newport 2 Ball: Nike One Tour

Date: 04 – 07 June 2009

R: DS NE O IN O W RW GE TI

WOODS SEALS DRAMATIC MEMORIAL VICTORY

FACT FILE: Tiger Woods hit every fairway during his final round at the Memorial Tournament for the first time since the second round of the 2003 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

He hit 49 of 56 (87.5%) fairways during the week which equalled the best mark of his professional career.

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

$1,080,000 WINNING SCORE: 12-UNDER-PAR – 276 (69,74,68,65) RUNNER-UP: JIM FURYK – 277

Tournament: The Celtic Manor Wales Open Venue: The Celtic Manor Resort, Newport, Wales

HULDAHL SNEAKS IN FOR MAIDEN TOUR VICTORY

R: HL NE DA IN L W HU E PP JE

LITTLE-known Dane Jeppe Huldahl pulled off a shock victory at The Celtic Manor Wales Open with a one-stroke win over Niclas Fasth. Played over the course that will host next year’s Ryder Cup, Huldahl outlasted the field to finish top of the pile and take home the cheque of €343,086.

“It feels amazing,” said Huldahl, who had never posted a top-10 finish on The European Tour before. “I don’t know what to say to be honest. I didn’t even dream of this coming into this week.”

The 26-year-old opened up with rounds of 2-under 69 and level-par 71 to sit five shots off the lead held by Scotland’s Richie Ramsay on 7-under with Ross Fisher and Robert Rock a shot further back going into the weekend.

However, in heavy downpours which delayed the third round to a 9pm close, Huldahl shot a best-

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

€343,086

of-the-day 68 to move into a share of the lead on 5-under with Ignacio Garrido and Nick Dougherty going into Sunday. But after another cold day in South Wales it was Huldahl who emerged victorious.

“I couldn’t feel my hands on the last three holes,” he said. “I knew I was doing well, but I didn’t know how well until I asked my caddie on the 18th tee.

“He told me I needed a par – and it’s nice to have a par five and have a chance to lay up. But I couldn’t put winning out of my head and it was quite emotional.”

Fasth shot a 66 to finish in second place while Spaniard Garrido took third place. The English duo of Gary Lockerbie and Danny Willett shared fourth place while Dougherty dropped down to 37th place after shooting a 79.

WORLD ROUNDUPS Date: 02 – 05 July 2009

Tournament: AT&T National Venue: Congressional Country Club, Bethesda, Maryland

TIGER Woods won his 68th PGA TOUR title at Congressional County Club as he held off a final-round surge from fellow American Hunter Mahan at the AT&T National to win by one stroke.

Woods shared the overnight lead with defending champion Anthony Kim but took the title after posting a 3-under 67 for a 13-under total. Mahan did take a share for the lead with Woods when he carded a course-record equalling 62 to set the clubhouse target of 12-under but Woods pulled clear with a birdie on the 16th and sealed the win with back-to-back pars.

“I just felt that today starting out – looking at the pin locations – I felt like if I shot something under par it would be good enough, but it wouldn’t have been,” said Woods, who picked up his third win of the season. “What Hunter did today was pretty impressive. I certainly didn’t see that score out there. He went out there and put so much pressure on both AK (Kim) and myself. I think he was done when we were on 12, so six holes to go, and at the time I was tied for the lead.”

Woods moved ahead with a solid 20 footer for birdie on the par-5 16th and then closed out the win with steady pars.

Kim got off to a sublime start to his round with a birdie at the first after two stellar shots set up and easy tap-in, but things quickly

turned around on hole 5. Kim three putted for bogey after Woods had made five straight pars and then the World No.1 took control with back-to-back birdies on holes 6 and 7. Kim then bogeyed hole 8 to drop three shots behind but picked up a shot on the next hole to stay in touch. However it wasn’t to be a successful defence for the 24year-old as he played par golf over the back nine before a bogey on the final hole saw him finish with a 1-over 71, four shots behind Woods.

“I had a lot of fun,” Kim said. “I know I’ll be knocking on the door again. It’s only a matter of time. I learned if you have a birdie putt, you better make it.”

Mahan’s charge went under the radar of the 40,000 spectators, nearly all of whom were following the Woods and Kim paring. But that didn’t bother one of the stars of last year’s American Ryder Cup team. “I think everybody was watching AK and Tiger and expecting kind of a battle there, and I knew I just had to go low today,” said Mahan. “I figured great players up on the leaderboard like that, they’d make it to at least 13 or 14-under.”

Mahan’s estimation wasn’t far off, but he wasn’t surprised to see Woods walk away with another PGA TOUR victory. “He’s pretty good,” smiled Mahan. “He knows what he’s doing. He knows how to play this game better than anybody.”

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

$1,080,000

R: DS NE O IN O W RW GE TI

WOODS DIALLED IN AT THE AT&T

FACT FILE: Tiger Woods now sits just five titles behind Jack Nicklaus’ haul of 73 PGA TOUR titles with 68 wins to his name. Nicklaus is second on the all-time winners list with Sam Snead at the top with 82.

WINNING SCORE: 13-UNDER-PAR – 267 (64,66,70,67) RUNNER-UP: HUNTER MAHAN – 268 Tournament: John Deere Classic Venue: TPC Deere Run, Silvis, Illinois

Date: 09-12 July 2009

STRICKER GOES DEERE HUNTING

R: KER NE IC IN R W E ST EV ST

STEVE Stricker moved up to No. 2 behind Tiger Woods in the FedExCup standings after claiming his second PGA TOUR title of the season at the John Deere Classic.

The tournament was hit by rain storms on the Friday, causing the second round to be pushed back to Saturday with a mammoth 36-hole final on Sunday.

Stricker’s spirit certainly wasn’t dampened.

Having opened with a 71 around the TPC Deere Run course, the Illinois native shot the round of his career with a course-record equaling 10-under 61 in the second round before following with thirdround 68 and a closing 64 to take the title by three strokes from local favourite Zach Johnson and Brandt Snedeker.

“It was a very long day and I’m ecstatic to be

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

$774,000 sitting here as the champion,” said Stricker who finished 20-under 264 to claim the $774,000 winner’s cheque. “I just tried to keep patient today and go about my game plan like I’ve been doing every other day. You know, it worked out. I hit a lot of good shots, putted well, and I’m very happy to be sitting here.”

Johnson, who grew up just over an hour away in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and is one of the tournament’s directors, was delighted to record his highest ever finish in the event in front of hordes of adoring fans.

“This place has really done a lot for me,” he said.

“John Deere gave me two sponsor’s exemptions.

Now, I’m on the board of the tournament. I come here because I love the golf course for sure, family, friends.”

Brought to you by

Claude Harmon III

SWING Pro swing analyist >>

PRO LOOK

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

ALTHOUGH PADRAIG HARRINGTON WON TWO MAJORS IN 2008, HIS BALL STRIKING STATISTICS WERE NOT THE BEST. IN 2008, HE RANKED 154TH IN FAIRWAYS HIT AND 186TH IN GREENS IN REGULATION. NOT THE KIND OF STATS YOU WOULD THINK FROM A MAJOR CHAMPION. BUT PADRAIG HAS ONE OF THE BEST SHORTS GAMES IN THE BUSINESS AND LOGS SOME SERIOUS HOURS WORKING ON HIS WEDGE GAME. EVERYONE WANTS TO HIT THE BALL FURTHER, BUT PADRAIG PROVES YOU NEED A GREAT SHORT GAME TO GET THE JOB DONE!

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SWING

PADRAIG

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

Great chippers are always in this position at impact. Firm left wrist, passive right hand, clubface square. Padraig has more weight on his left leg here than his right, which helps him hit down on the ball. I see too many players hitting these shots off their back foot, trying to get the ball into the air. The weight should be distributed 60-70 percent on the front foot, 40-30 percent on the back foot. This will help keep your body still.

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Padraig has very quiet hands through impact. You have two hands, but only one golf club. So both your hands, the left and right, need to work through impact together, as one single unit. Notice how both the left and right arm are still straight here, just after impact. Think about swinging your arms past your body, with your hands being very passive.

HARRINGTON

I love how still Padraig keeps his head here. There is no effort to try and lift the ball up. The head position here is almost exactly the same as at address. The head and legs are stable throughout the chip. Padraig hits his chips with a very stable base, meaning almost no lower body movement. Most players drive their knees too much, thus creating an inconsistent strike.

If you want to improve your chipping, try to hold this follow through position until the ball stops rolling. Like all good chippers, Padraig holds his post impact position. This can allow you to see if there has been any break down in your left wrist. Try to hit your chips and keep the clubhead as low to the ground as possible post impact. If the clubhead is finishing too high, your wrists will be breaking down. Think low clubhead on your follow through.

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TUTORIAL CONTROLLING YOUR IRON PLAY ON PAR 3s

By Luke Cantelo

WITH the warmer months now upon us, golfers in the region have an opportunity to reflect on their golf over the previous, “season,” and prepare their games for the cooler months ahead. It’s time to think about certain shots in various rounds that cost you the chance of a better score and try to improve them for the next time you play. There may have been an errant drive, a three-putt or a duffed iron shot that caused a big number to appear on your scorecard and none of us want them showing up consistently.

Some of you may be seeking that extra 20-30 yards off the tee so you feel like you hit the ball like a pro, and hence reduce your score dramatically, but there are many examples of how better players hit certain shots in a round that we can all learn from.

One of the areas that this is evident in is how better players control their ball flight on tee shots into Par 3s. To do this, choosing the correct shot and selecting the right club is imperative.

For an example of this I am playing the tee shot at 17th hole at The Montgomerie, Dubai from a teeing area that most club golfers use week in, week out. The hole plays around 165 yards from here with bunkering at the front and back and large grassy slope to the left. The hole on this occasion is tucked in the left half of the green, bringing all of the above into play.

The extra challenge of this hole is that it is exposed to any type of wind and at this time the wind is blowing strongly against me and from the right side. Therefore this is going to effect my normal club and ball flight that would travel 165 yards. The wind will cause the ball to move in the air left and short of the target, so I need to adjust my shot selection.

Most amateur golfers will not compensate for this situation enough. They will try to use the same club and hit the ball harder than normal in an effort to hit the ball further through the wind. This will only increase the spin on the ball, causing it to rise higher in the air than normal and be more susceptible to the wind and bringing the trouble on the hole into play.

To stay in control of this shot, it requires a lower trajectory with less spin, and here is how you play it…

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TUTORIAL

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SET UP Firstly, club selection is very important. When the wind is up we need to use perhaps one or two (or more) extra clubs depending on how strong it’s blowing. This shot of 165 yards is normally a 7-iron distance for me but I have chosen a 6-iron this time.

The key aspect of this shot is to keep the ball flight down so at set-up I have narrowed my stance slightly and positioned the ball more in the middle of my stance. The narrowing of my stance will help restrict my swing, keeping it compact and the ball more central in my stance for a 6-iron well help it’s flight begin lower than normal.

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BACKSWING At set up I have also, “choked down,” on the grip for more control of the clubface and this will also lower the ball flight and reduce the spin.

The key to starting the ball on a lower trajectory is to control the length of your swing.

Abbreviating your backswing and follow through reduces the spin on the ball and hence its flight is lower. Here you can see my backswing has been restricted to control the flight.

PRO LOOK

IMPACT At impact you can see how restricting my backswing has helped me move aggressively into my left side, with my arms fully extended and the club staying square through impact.

FINISH As I mentioned earlier, a reason for, “choking down,” on the club at address is to increase the sensation of the clubface staying square to the target through impact for more control. Here you can see that the clubface has stayed square and the ball has started on the line that I wanted it to.

At the finish position for this shot it is important to abbreviate your finish for a lower flight. This will produce slightly less speed through impact than normal and hence less spin on the ball. I try to, “match” the length of my backswing and follow through to increase my distance control for these type of shots.

A great way to practice these types of shots on the practice ground even when there is no wind to speak of is to choose a certain club for example a 6-iron and try to hit it the length you would hit your 7-iron. This will force you to abbreviate your swing and control the speed that you swing through the ball with. This type of practice will really help you when you are faced with a scenario like the 17th at The Montgomerie in the wind the next time you play.

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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.

TURNBERRY WAS A RARE JEWEL IN THE SUN IT’S fair to say that this year’s Major championships have thrown up three surprise winners. Angel Cabrera may have won the U.S. Open two years ago but was ranked a lowly 69th in the world when he slipped on the famous Green Jacket having seen off Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell in a nail-biting playoff. He also gained the distinction of becoming the lowest-ranked Masters winner of all time.

This year’s U.S. Open, held in wretched conditions on the already challenging Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York, went one better. Lucas Glover, little known outside the States and ranked 71st in the world, landed his first Major and only his second win on the PGA Tour.

Despite an extraordinary roll call of winners that includes most of the game’s finest ever players, The Open Championship produced another shock as Stewart Cink overcame Tom Watson in a four-hole play-off. In the past ten years alone, the Claret Jug has been lifted by Scot Paul Lawrie, who tamed a fearsome Carnoustie set-up in 1999 despite never actually leading the tournament when he was on the course; in 2003, Ben Curtis defied ante-post odds of 300-1 to win by a single stroke at Royal St George’s; and a year later, fellow American, Todd Hamilton, who only secured his PGA Tour card at the eighth attempt, aged 38, saw off Ernie Els in a play-off at Royal Troon.

High quality With the return of The Open to Turnberry after a 15year hiatus though, thoughts turn to the high quality of winners that the stunningly beautiful Ailsa course has granted on the three occasions that the most attractive of venues on The Open rotation has hosted the event.

The Open has often borne witness to the wilder elements of the British weather but the Championship’s first visit, in 1977, was to become famous for the relentless ‘Duel in the Sun’ between two of the greatest champions of all time. Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson were no fewer than ten strokes ahead of Hubert Green in third place, trading the lead to the last in searing temperatures that had scorched the fairways to straw.

“This is what it’s all about isn’t it?” Watson asked

Nicklaus on the 16th tee. “You bet it is” replied the Golden Bear, who, in defeat, demonstrated what the ‘duel’ had meant to him by escorting the victor Watson to the scorers tent with his arm around his shoulder.

The huge crowd that lined the 18th thought and hoped that they were about to see history repeat itself as Watson had two strokes just off the back of the green to win his sixth Major, having led this 138th Open virtually from start to finish.

At the age of 59 Watson’s eight foot putt for victory fell short, and with it went what would have been one of the most amazing moments not only in the history of golf but also in the annals of great sporting achievements.

It wasn’t to be but Watson showed why he’s an icon of the game as he struggled valiantly in the play-off, despite accepting, along with the spectators, that his chance had slipped from his grasp.

At Turnberry in 1986 in contrast to the low scoring of Nicklaus and Watson, Greg Norman won his first Major on level par. A fair indication of the difficulties faced by the players is that the average first round score was in excess of 78. Nobody matched Norman’s mastery of the course or the prevailing winds that weekend and it is no surprise that last year, aged 53, he exhibited the same shot-making ability in even worse conditions at Royal Birkdale to lead the Championship going into the last day, before fading to finish third.

The most recent Turnberry Open, in 1994, saw Nick Price, ranked No.1 in the world at the time, win his second Major. He would go on to record back-to-back Major victories by winning the U.S. PGA Championship at Southern Hills within a month. Price and Jesper Parnevik thrilled the galleries by going toe-to-toe on the last day before the Zimbabwean overhauled the Swede with a stunning 50 foot putt for eagle at the 17th.

Since Price held the Claret Jug aloft 15 years ago, a lot has changed at Turnberry. Last October, Leisurecorp, a division of Nakheel Leisure, took possession of the famous resort. On 1st November, the hotel closed for the start of a £40 million restoration project that saw the resort reopen as part of the Starwood Hotel

company’s Luxury Collection and serve as The R&A’s headquarters for the 138th Open Championship.

The Ailsa Course also closed in November to allow for a programme of enhancements to be completed to ensure the course was in pristine condition for The Open. The players subsequently confirmed the excellence of the changes.

No fewer than 21 bunkers had been added to to improve its defences with new tee positions and various fairway realignments also contributing to a significantly longer set-up than that which faced the players 15 years ago.

At Leisurecorp we regarded the hosting of The Open as a great honour for Turnberry and the upgrade of the golf course and the completion of the extensive hotel restoration was a vital ingredient of its success. Internationally-renowned interior designer Mary Fox Linton led a project to restore the 103-year old hotel to the vision of its original architect, James Miller, with public spaces completely redesigned to open up the views out across the Ailsa course to the ocean.

Traditional External repairs to the hotel included refurbishment of the famous red roof tiles and a complete repainting of the exterior that soaked up 256 gallons of brilliant white paint. More than 80 bespoke, double-glazed windows were installed to maintain the traditional façade of the hotel while ensuring that it met modern standards of efficiency.

Every care was taken to ensure that the architectural and design integrity of Turnberry was respected and maintained. The second phase of refurbishment has already begun and is scheduled for completion in spring 2010.

Leisurecorp completed the work on the hotel and the course in good time for the 138th Open in the great tradition of Turnberry and golf’s oldest Major.

It will be remembered as another duel in the sun where once again the wind got up and allowed Ailsa to flex her muscles and challenge the shot-making capabilities of the world’s best.

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GOLF FITNESS

COREWELLNESS

IMPROVE YOUR CORE STABILITY AND YOUR SWING WILL FOLLOW

By Rachel Bell

UP and coming English golfer Rachel Bell, who is set to take part in this year’s Ricoh Women’s British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, one of The Open venues on the Lancashire Coast, is spearheading a new international campaign to highlight the importance of good core stability, a key element in creating a good swing.

The CoreWellness programme, developed by world expert in Kari Bo, is outlined in a new Pelvicore Technique DVD which features a range of exercises that can help tone your body and improve control and core stability.

Rachel follows these core stability exercises before every game: “As professional golfers we all know how crucial core stability is for a controlled and powerful swing,” she says. The good news is that Worldwide Golf readers can obtain a copy of the DVD free by simply visiting www.corewelssness.co.uk.

Core Stability Training: Side lean on elbow .

1. Pull in abdominals, hold release x 6 reps.

Core Stability Training: 4 point kneeling 1. Pull in abdominals, hold, release x 4 reps.

Back in neutral (flat) position. Feel abdominals with one hand. Lift tummy away from hand, hold, release.

2. Pull in, hold, hold, relax x.4 reps.

2. Lift bottom clear of ground x 6 each side.

3. Pull in, hold for +/6 seconds x 4 reps.

4. Hold abdominals in, opposite arm/leg stretches x 6 reps.

Core Stability Training: Prone lying 1. Upper Body lifts x 8 reps.

Legs wide, arms beside body, draw shoulder blades together. Look down, chin in. Do not lift too high.

Press pubic bone down into mat.

2. Opposite Arm and leg lifts x 8 reps. Hands folded under forehead.

Return hand to this position after each stretch. Abdominals and PFMs should be held throughout exercise.

Core Stability Training: Supine lying Supine, feet and knees together, arms at side.

1. Pelvic Tilt x 10 reps. Use abdominals to flatten back to floor.

2. Bridge x 10 reps.

Lift buttocks, hold 2-3 seconds.

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CUP OF CHEER: Celebration time for The European Tour and the newly reformed Egyptian Golf Federation as Nick Tarratt (Director, The European Tour International - Dubai Office), Gerard Bent (Golf Manager, Egyptian Golf Federation), Ayman Hussein (Chairman, Egyptian Golf Federation), Mohammed El Attar (Vice Chairman, Egyptian Golf Federation) all hold the historic Egyptian Open Trophy.

EGYPT BACK ON THE WORLD MAP

NEW LOOK EGYPTIAN OPEN SET FOR EUROPEAN CHALLENGE TOUR FUTURE $200,000 Prize-Fund Confirmed For Middle East’s Oldest Tournament

E

GYPT has put itself firmly back on the world golf map through the drive, imagination and foresight of the newly reformed Egyptian Golf Federation in reestablishing the Egyptian Open, one of the oldest Championships in world golf.

From November 5-8 60 professional golfers will line up with a selection of the Middle East’s best amateur and professional players to contest the $200,000 prize-money when the new-look Egyptian Open gets underway at Cairo’s Mirage City Golf Course.

Although not part of the Official 2009 Schedule, the event will enjoy European Challenge Tour support with the Egyptian Open set to attain full Challenge Tour status in 2010 and 2011 with the potential of achieving full European Tour status in years to come.

‘Excited and delighted’ This year, 60 players from the Challenge Tour will compete alongside around twenty local and regional invitees as the country that can rightly claim to be the founding father of golf in the region returns to the global stage.

“Everyone at the Egyptian Golf Federation is excited and delighted that our Open, which was first staged back in 1921, is back at the forefront of golf in the region,” said Egyptian Golf Federation Chairman Ayman Hussein.

“Legends like Bobby Locke, Gary Player and Peter Thomson, who between them won 18 Open Championship titles, competed here in the 1950s and we look forward to welcoming many future stars in the shape of the Challenge

Tour players who will join us in November.”

The 7,108-yard Mirage City Golf Course will provide a welcome test for the Challenge Tour stars who will bring down the curtain on their 2009 campaign at the end of season Grand Final in Puglia, Italy just one week earlier.

“While other cities in the Middle East have established their golfing credentials over the past two decades, we believe that with a golfing heritage that stretches back more than 120 years, a current complement of 18 grass courses and a rejuvenated Open Championship, Egypt can position itself as one of the leading golfing destinations in the region,” added Egyptian Golf Federation Vice Chairman Mohammed El Attar.

‘Proving Ground’ Following the curtain-raising Pro-Am on November 4, the Egyptian Open will be a 72hole event with no cut, giving all the visiting professionals a chance to experience four days play over the Peter Harradine-designed course.

Golf has an historic relationship with Egypt dating back to 1882 and the building of the Gezira Club. As well as the likes of Locke and Thomson, this year’s competitors will be following in the footsteps of the legendary Gary Player who began a stellar career of nine Majors, nine Senior Majors and 167 international tournament titles with victory in his first professional Tour victory coming on Egyptian grass back in 1955.

“With an International Schedule stretching from Argentina to China, the Challenge Tour is accepted as the greatest proving ground

“Legends like Bobby Locke, Gary Player and Peter Thomson, who between them won 18 Open Championship titles, competed here in the 1950s and we look forward to welcoming many future stars in the shape of the Challenge Tour players who will join us in November.”

– Ayman Hussein, Chariman Egyptian Golf Federation.

for aspiring Tour professionals with the likes of Trevor Immelman, Henrik Stenson and Justin Rose graduating from the ranks,” said Nick Tarratt, Director The European Tour International, Dubai Office.

“Although this year our role will simply be to assist and support the Egyptian Golf Federation in their hosting of the event, our intention is to secure official Challenge Tour status for the Egyptian Open in 2010 and 2011. After that, it has the potential to go wherever it wants. Egypt has ➥

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EGYPTIAN OPEN

The imposing Mirgae City Golf Course, Cairo, which hosts the 2009 Egyptian Open on November 5-8.

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SWIM

EGYPTIAN OPEN an impressive history already and if the Egyptian Golf Federation wishes the event to be a full European Tour event I am sure that dream can be realised.

“I worked in Egypt for almost two years from 2002 to 2004. It is exciting to see the Egyptian Golf Federation taking up a catalyst role in bringing all the golf industry parties together by high-profiling the game of golf in Egypt through this three year European Tour tournament alliance.

“The Egyptian Golf Federation is also developing the game at junior grass roots level as well as promoting all the golf facilities in Egypt through the collective support of the IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators) and the 2009 IGTM (International Golf Travel Market) to be held shortly after this year’s Egyptian Open in Malaga, Spain on the 16th to 19th November, 2009.

‘Raising standards’ New golf facilities in Egypt currently underway which will be operational in the foreseeable future include golf course designs by Greg Norman, Sir Nick Faldo and Peter Thomson, the last under the Thomson, Perrett and Lobb name.”

Tarratt added: “We are anticipating, following discussions between The European Tour and the Egyptian Golf Federation, to soon to be able to announce some high profile invitations from the Arab region for the 2009 Egyptian Open which will give both amateurs

and professionals the opportunity to test themselves against a more than significant standard of golf on the global stage.

“These new playing opportunities for golfers in the region can only assist in the development and raising of standards as well as benchmarking the progress that has been made to date and defining the work that still has to be done.

“We are hopeful that ongoing discussions with other Golf Federations and interested parties in this region will result in more European Tour events being added to the calendars of the European Seniors, the European Challenge and, ultimately, The European Tour in the not too distant future.” ■

“New golf facilities in Egypt currently underway which will be operational in the foreseeable future include golf course designs

by Greg Norman, Sir Nick Faldo and Peter Thomson, the last under the Thomson, Perrett and Lobb name”

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W W G LO C A L F O C U S

ARABIAN Khalid and Ahmed test their skills at high level on the Alps KHALID Yousuf and Ahmed Al Musharrekh will make their first appearance in an Alps Tour event when they take part in the Uniqa FinanceLife Open at the Golf Club Gut Murstätten at Lebring in Austria, from July 23 to 25.

The two leading UAE golfers have been selected by the Emirates Golf Federation as part of its ambitious drive to expose the homegrown talent to a high-level of competition.

Leading professionals and amateurs will be showcasing their skills at the tournament, part of the Alps Tour which has been created to give young players the opportunity to play and earn their chance to step up to the European Challenge Tour and gain exemptions from Stage One of The European Tour Qualifying School.

Yousuf is no stranger to playing in the company of top professionals having twice competed in the Dubai Desert Classic, but for Al Musharrekh it will be his first experience of such high level golf.

The pair were selected for the trip following their impressive showing on the regional circuit. Both Khalid and Ahmed were instrumental in guiding the UAE team to a magnificent second-place finish – just one shot behind the winners Bahrain – in the recent GCC Golf Championship where Al Musharrekh also won the individual

Clubs in July 2009 Worldwide Golf Emirates Golf Federation Abu Dhabi Golf Club Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club Al Hamra Golf Club Al Naboodah Group Charity Donation Arabian Ranches Golf Club Dirab Golf Club Doha Golf Club Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Egyptian Golf Federation Emirates Golf Club Katameya Heights Golf & Tennis Club Muscat Hills Golf & Country Club Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club The Cascades G&CC at Soma Bay The Royal Golf Club, Riffa Views Tower Links Golf Club

championship with a gross 216. “Both Khalid and Ahmed have already made their mark on the regional circuit and it’s time for them to be competing at international level to enable them to hone their competitive edge,” said Saeed Al Budoor, General Manager of the Emirates Golf Federation.

“If their recent form is any indication, I am sure they will do well in Austria. We, at the Emirates Golf Federation, are committed to providing the players the best playing opportunities that we can and this Austrian trip is very much part of our initiative to try and keep the momentum going.

“I am sure the exposure that Khalid and Ahmed are getting at international level will motivate other national players to take up golf seriously.”

Chris Vallender, the UAE team’s coach, is pleased that the pair are taking their chance to play competitive golf with other hopeful young golfers.

“There is no short cut to success,” he said. “The best thing is that the boys are willing to sweat it out and that’s quite encouraging. The experience of playing with aspiring professionals will go a long way in building their confidence in their abilities.”

AIMING HIGH: Ahmed Al Musharrekh and Khalid Yousuf.

Daniel Hendry

SUMMER RATES 2009 Abu Dhabi Golf & Equestrian Club From 1st June 2009 to Last day of Ramadan (Excl EID) EGF RATE NON EGF RATE 18H Dhs. 200 Dhs. 200 9H Dhs. 100 Dhs. 100 Rate includes cart hire and range balls

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Pay the applicable 9 hole rate and play as many holes as you can from 4 pm onwards

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Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club From 1st June 2008 to last day of Ramadan (excl Eid) EGF RATE NON EGF RATE Peak (2 pax) Off Peak (2 pax) Peak (2 pax) Off Peak (2 pax) 18H Dhs. 245 Dhs. 200 Dhs. 275 Dhs. 220 9H Dhs. 150 Dhs. 120 Dhs. 165 Dhs. 135 2 for the price of 1.To avail EGF rates both players must be EGF members Rates exclude cart or trolley

The Els Club From 1st June 2009 to 30th September 2009 EGF RATE Thu - Sat Sun - Wed 18H Dhs. 380 Dhs.295 Rate includes cart & range access before play

The Montgomerie Dubai From 1st June 2008 to 30th September 2008 EGF RATE Thu – Sat Sun - Wed 18H Dhs. 325 Dhs. 250 18H 10 am - 2 pm Dhs. 200 Dhs. 200 Rates inclusive of cart and range use prior to play

NON EGF RATE Whole Week Dhs. 450

AL NABOODAH

ARABIAN GOLF

THE SAEED and MOHAMMED AL NABOODAH GROUP GOLF SERIES GIVING BACK THE Saeed and Mohammed Al Naboodah Group donated AED30,650 in June to the Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs as a result of funds raised through the Group’s season-long Golf Series.

Khalid Al Halyan, Chairman of Al Noor Training Centre, along with the Director, Isphana Al Khatib, Board Member Amna Dabbagh and six of the children were presented with the cheque by James Bowring.

Al Noor Training Centre takes care of children with Special Needs through an individualised, holistic and goal oriented training programme, which is carried out by a multidisciplinary team. Currently the Centre has 260 students with a capacity to go up to 300. The Centre runs under the umbrella of the Ministry of Social Affairs. It is housed in a purpose-built facility, kindly donated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, through the benefaction of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein.

The Centre has recently been the recipient of several awards, including one for ‘Outstanding Special Needs Centre’ in the recently concluded Princess Haya Awards for Special Education. The Centre receives no regular official funding and community support plays a major role in meeting its financial needs for operational costs.

James Bowring is the Order of Merit Champion for the 2008-2009 season of the Saeed and Mohammed Al Naboodah Group Golf Series.

The Members of the series – created by Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah in 2007 to help build working relationships across the companies in the Saeed and Mohammed Al Naboodah Group – have each paid an entry fee of AED150 to play in the one-day events during the season. The goal is to donate the combined total to a charity chosen by the Order of Merit Champion for this season, James Bowring. He commented : “It is an honour to win the series this year and a privilege to donate the money to a great charity who offer so much to their students”.

The Saeed and Mohammed Al Naboodah Group Golf Series included seven individual stableford events at a variety of golf courses in the UAE with points being awarded to each player based on their finishing position. The points accumulated during the season by selecting the best five performances from the seven rounds plus points gained in the Singles and Doubles Matchplay tournaments.

Above: Order of Merit winner James Bowring presents the cheque for AED30,650 to Khalid Al Halyan, Isphana Al Khatib, Amna Dabbagh and six of the children at the Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs.

The winners of each event in the series were: Round 1 Al Hamra Golf Resort Round 2 Abu Dhabi Golf Club Round 3 Jebel Ali Golf Resort Round 4 The Els Club Round 5 Emirates Golf Club - Wadi Round 6 Four Seasons Golf Club Round 7 Dubai Creek Golf Club Singles Matchplay Doubles Matchplay

Winner - Paul Barbone Winner - Rodolfo Ducos Winner - William McBride Winner - Firdhose Coovadia Winner - Kevin Lander Winner - Sekhar Reddy Winner - Steve Higson Winner - James Bowring Winners - James Bowring & Shahriar Khodjasteh

SPECIAL PACKAGE COMBOS! COMBO 1 Sasquatch 2 Sumo Driver SQ Sumo 2 Fairway 3 Wood SQ Sumo squared #2 Hybrid CCI Irons Steel 3-PW Golf Bag 3495 DHS

COMBO 2 Sasquatch 2 Sumo Driver SQ Sumo 2 Fairway Wood #3 SQ Sumo squared Hybrid #2 Ignite #3H #4H-PW Steel Golf Bag 2790 DHS

COMBO 2 Sasquatch 2 Sumo Driver SQ Sumo 2 Fairway 3 Wood SQ Sumo squared #2 Hybrid 1550 DHS

Visit our Nike Golf Showrooms at : MOE (opposite Ski Dubai) Weekdays: 10am-10pm / Weekends 10am-12am (Tel 04-341-3443) SZR Al Kawakeb Bldg E (before Dusit Hotel) Now Open 7days a week 11am-7:30pm (Tel 04-343-5627)

A R A B G O L F F E D E R AT I O N

ARABIAN GOLF

THE UAE has become the home of the Arab Golf Federation from 2009-2012, with the Chairman, H.H. Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi; General Secretary, Adel Zarouni. Affiliated to and supported by the R&A. The responsibilities of the Arab Golf Federation are to: ■ Organize the Arab Golf Championship; ■ Organize Arab Junior Championship; ■ Promote golf in the Arab countries.

Below are the contacts for the various countries of the Arab Golf Federation:

BAHRAIN Khalifa El Fadalah Vice President TEL: 00 973 1 777 7179 E-MAIL: bgassoc@batelco.com.bh E-MAIL: daij_khalifa@bapco.net

OMAN Prince Qais Ben Tarek El Said President Mr. Ali Hameed TEL: 00 968 601 883 /5/9 E-MAIL: alihameed143@yahoo.com

EGYPT Ayman Hussein President Dr. Mohamed El Attar Vice President/Chief Executive TEL: 00 20 2 2703 6444 E-MAIL: mohamedattar@eescoegypt.com WEB: www.egyptiangolffederation.org

PALESTINE Khaled Agawie President TEL: 00 961 1 370 563 E-MAIL: khpalgolf@gmail.com

JORDAN Amer El Salty President TEL: 00 962 6 566 8852 TEL: 00 962 77 720 0030 E-MAIL: rsalti@go.com.jo

KUWAIT Mazen Ali Zakaria Al Ansari President TEL: 00 965 638 8847 E-MAIL: q8golf@gmail.com

LEBANON Khaled Salam President TEL: 00 961 1 583 556 TEL: 00 961 1 743 502 MOB: 00 961 3 383 438 E-MAIL: lebanesegolffederation@yahool.com

LIBYA Dr. Salem Mohamed Musa President TEL: 00 218 21 478 0485 E-MAIL: SM_Musa@yahoo.com

MOROCCO Hassan El Guwaily President TEL: 00 212 3 775 5636 E-MAIL: abdellatif.benali@menara.ma

QATAR Hassan Nasser El Nuami President TEL: 00 974 581 7481 TEL: 00 974 483 7809 E-MAIL: qga@qatarmasters.com E-MAIL: mshoueiry@qatarmasters.com

SAUDIA ARABIA Khaled Abu Nayyan President TEL: 00 966 1 409 0009 E-MAIL: kia@nesma.sa E-MAIL: saudigolf@yahoo.com E-MAIL: info@ksagolf.com WEB: www.ksagolf.com

SYRIA Dr. Shawkt Aedy TEL: 00 963 11 213 4020 E-MAIL: chamgolf@net.sy

TUNISIA Marwan Mabrouk President TEL: 00 216 71 238 133 TEL: 00 216 71 752 037 TEL: 00 216 71 237 087 E-MAIL: ftg@ftg.org.tn UAE H.H. Sheikh/ Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qassimi Chairman TEL: 00 971 4 368 4988 E-MAIL: bindu@ugagolf.com E-MAIL: info@ugagolf.com E-MAIL: saeed.albudoor@ugagolf.com WEB: www.ugagolf.com

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EGF to implement USGA handicap system THE EGF is launching a new Handicap system for all UAE golfers.

The system will use the USGA format handicap system and implementation will take place over a period of three months from October. The move will see all golf courses in the UAE rated using the USGA Slope Index rating which measures course difficulty.

The USGA Handicap System™ enables golfers of all skill levels to compete on an equitable basis. The current version of the USGA Handicap System went into effect on January 1, 2008, and the next revision will take effect on January 1, 2012.

The purpose of the USGA Handicap System is to make the game of golf more enjoyable by enabling players of differing abilities to compete on an equitable basis. The System provides a fair Course Handicap for each player, regardless of ability, and adjusts a player’s Handicap Index up or down as the player’s game changes. At the same time, the System disregards high scores that bear little relation to the player’s potential ability and promotes continuity by making a Handicap Index continuous from one playing season, or year, to the next. A Handicap Index is useful for all forms of play, and is issued only to individuals who are members of a licensed golf club.

Two basic premises underlie the USGA Handicap System, namely that each player will try to make the best score at every hole in every round, regardless of where the round is played, and that the player will post every acceptable round for peer review. The player and the player’s Handicap Committee have joint responsibility for adhering to these premises.

A Handicap Index, issued by a golf club or authorised golf association (through its member clubs), indicates a player’s skill and is a number taken to one decimal place, e.g., 10.4.

A Handicap Index compares a player’s scoring ability to the scoring ability of a scratch golfer on a course of standard difficulty.

A player posts scores along with the appropriate USGA Course Rating and Slope Index Rating to make up the scoring record. A

Handicap Index is computed from no more than 20 scores, plus any eligible tournament scores. It reflects the player’s potential because it is based upon the best handicap differentials posted for a given number of rounds, ideally the best 10 of the last 20 rounds.

A Handicap Index is portable from course to course, as well as from one set of tees to another set of tees on the same course. A player converts a Handicap Index to a Course Handicap based on the Slope Index Rating of the tees played.

A USGA Course Rating is the USGA’s mark that indicates the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer under normal conditions, based on yardage and other obstacles that affect scoring ability. A Slope Index Rating is a measurement of the relative difficulty of a course for players who are not scratch golfers.

Each course is rated from each set of tees for both the scratch golfer and the bogey golfer. The USGA Course Rating and Slope Index Rating together reflect the difficulty of the course for a player who is not a scratch golfer. The greater the difference between the scores of the scratch and bogey golfers on a certain course, the higher the Slope Index Rating will be and the more strokes players will receive.

Conversely, the less the difference, the lower the Slope Index Rating will be and the fewer strokes players will receive.

Each player locates the Handicap Index on the appropriate Course Handicap Table and finds the corresponding Course Handicap. A Course Handicap Table can be found in the clubhouse or near the first tee of a golf course. There will be a Course Handicap Table for each set of tees used by men and by women. The number of strokes a player receives (Course Handicap) is based upon the relative difficulty (Slope Index Rating) of the course.

The USGA Handcicap System manual can be downloaded from the USGA’s website at www.usga.org, use of this manual, which provides a detailed description of all aspects of the System, will make all competitions more enjoyable.

For more information on the USGA Handicap System talk to your club’s professionals and visit the USGA website – www.usga.org To air you opinions on the new system and to get any questions you may require answering please visit the Worldwide Golf forum at www.wwgolf.biz/forum

A selection of questions will be answered by members of the Emirates Golf Federation on the forum, and a selection of the questions and answers will be published in the September issue.

THE EGF is pleased to announce the EGF Handicap scheme September Monthly Medal as follows: Event: EGF Handicap scheme Venue: Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club Date: Saturday 12th September, 2009 (2.00 pm Shotgun Start) Entry Fee: Dhs.245 (including cart and range balls) Closing Date: Friday, 4th September 2009 Slots are still available in the August Medal to be held on 22nd August at Arabian Ranches Golf Club. Entry fee is Dhs.320 which includes cart hire and range balls.

Sign up to both of these events via the EGF website - www.emiratesgolffederation.com

E M I R AT E S G O L F F E D E R AT I O N

ARABIAN GOLF

EGF to introduce new card-based handicap system THE EGF is introducing a new card-based handicap scheme for players which will coincide with the new USGA-style handicap system. Every Member of a golf club in the UAE and all Members of the Emirates Golf Federation will receive a card which will have a magnetic strip containing the individual’s name, club membership and their individual handicap.

The card will be swiped at the beginning of play and then again at the end – where the gross score posted will also be entered. The system will then automatically update the handicap in accordance to the USGA format regulations. As it is an online internet-based system the handicaps will always be up-to-date, according to Saeed Al Budoor, General Manager of the EGF (pictured above).

The card will be used at all of the UAE-based golf clubs in partnership with the new implementation of the USGA format handicap scheme as all clubs will be linked to the handicap network. Each golf course in the UAE will be graded on the USGA’s sliding scale and as soon as each course receives its rating the swipe card system will be initiated. The system will start from October, alongside the new USGA format handicap system and will have a three-month implementation period. www.emiratesgolffederation.com

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The Royal Golf Club, Riffa Views, hosts the first first Faldo Series Middle East Championship THE Faldo Series, launched in Europe by Sir Nick Faldo back in 1996, has established itself as one of the world’s leading junior golf tournaments and in the first weekend in October the Royal Golf Club, Riffa Views, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, hosts the inaugural Faldo Series Middle East Championship 2009.

Youngsters from Bahrain and all over the Middle East will compete in the Championship as part of the Faldo Series Asia schedule, which features a record 15 tournaments in 12 different countries across Asia.

Bahrain have been joined by Thailand and The Philippines for the first time this year in hosting the Championship.

The Championship, played over the Colin Montgomerie-designed

ORDER OF PLAY THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1st 9.00am

Tournament registration opens

11.00am – 1.00pm

Official Practice

1.00pm

Sponsors Golf Event

5.00pm

Player development session: Train the brain with PGA and NLP practitioner Martin Robinson

6.00pm

Welcome reception, players, officials, sponsors

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2nd 7.30am – 9.30am

1st round Faldo Series Middle East Championship, 1st tee start

3.00pm

Player development session – Fitness for Golf with Nathan Williams.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3rd 7.30am – 9.30am

2nd round Faldo Series Middle East Championship, 1st tee start Development tournament, 10th tee start

9.00am & 10.30am

Faldo Mini Series Tournament – Wee Monty Par 3 Course

11.00am

Development clinic – Introduction to golf for new beginners

From 12.00 noon

Competitors BBQ

2.00pm

Official prize giving

2.30pm

Golf trick show featuring Geoff Swain and Kevin Carpenter

Royal Golf Club Course, provides a much-needed challenge for the many talented young golfers throughout the Middle East and offers an ideal opportunity for the growing number of young Nationals and ex-pats to compete in the pressure of a big, prestigious tournament.

Entry forms have gone out to golf clubs all around the Middle East but entries can be made by using the entry form at the foot of this page which are to be sent to The Royal Golf Club, Riffa Views, Kingdom of Bahrain. Entry fees are compliments of the Royal Golf Club and local sponsors. ENTRY HOT LINE: +973 17 750777. E-mail: golfevents@ theroyalgolfclub.com. Website: www.theroyalgolfclub.com.

Sponsorship and support opportunities can be made available by contacting Michael Braidwood, General Manger, the Royal Golf Club, Kingdom of Bahrain.

Supported by UBS, Mission Hills Golf Club and The R&A, the 2009 Faldo Series teed off in Chinese Taipei in June where more than 1,000 talented young golfers – boys and girls aged 12 to 21 – took part.

The Faldo Series Asia provides grass-roots activities for children from the local communities which include free coaching and the chance to watch the competitors in action. This is part of Sir Nick Faldo’s drive to simultaneously create access to the game and inspire a younger generation of golfers.

The six-time Major winner, who competed at The Open Championship at Turnberry last month at the age of 53 commented: “I want the Faldo Series Asia to help as many young golfers as possible, so for more countries to come on board for the fourth year running is really encouraging. The enthusiasm and passion for golf is already here in Asia. Now, hopefully, with the support of UBS, Mission Hills and The R&A, we can help talented golfers to gain more tournament experience and younger children to simply try the game. In the long-term I hope this will get more youngsters playing golf and more champions emerging from Asia.”

The climax of the season will be the Grand Final in March 2010, an R&A World Amateur Golf Ranking event which Faldo will once again host at Mission Hills in China, home of the Faldo Series Asia and the Omega Mission Hills World Cup. As well as spending time with the golfing legend, more than 60 Asian finalists will compete for five invitational spots to the Faldo Series Grand Final in Brazil plus the opportunity to play in a flagship Asian Tour or Ladies European Tour event for the overall boy and girl champion.

For further information on the Faldo Series Asia visit www.nickfaldo.com or e-mail asia@nickfaldo.com.

The Faldo Series Asia is part of the charity, The Faldo Trust for Tomorrow’s Champions (Asia) Limited, and underwritten by Sir Nick Faldo himself.

ENTRY FORM

FRIDAY 2ND - SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER 2009 AT THE ROYAL GOLF CLUB, RIFFA VIEWS, KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN NAME:

DATE OF BIRTH:

MALE OR FEMALE: HOME CLUB:

NATIONALITY:

Contact Details ADDRESS:

HANDICAP:

EMAIL:

TELEPHONE:

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75

T H E R OYA L G O L F C L U B , R I F FA V I E W S (l – r) Club Captains Sara Thompson and Alan Horne, John Wilson, Royal Golf Club Golf Events Supervisor, Rob Lane, Debbie Beedie of the Dreamflight charity, Mike Crandell, Mark Holmans, Hilde Kwik, Soy Butler, Debbie Lane and Helen Nilssen.

Fundraising golf day a success MEMBERS of The Royal Golf Club and their guests raised over BD700 for charity by competing in the Royal Golf Club’s inaugural Club Fundraising golf tournament in June. The individual Stableford event was narrowly won by Mike Crandell with 44 points which pipped Jenny Burke into second place by one point while Dave Sowards finished in the final podium place with 41 points.

The money raised will be split equally and donated to RIA and to Dreamflight. RIA, which is a non profit-making school catering to children with autism, chosen by 2009 Club Captains Alan Horne and Sara Thompson as their designated Captains’ Charity. Money donated to the charity will be used to purchase special chairs for selected students. This year over BD3000 has been raised by the Club’s members for the charity through various golf tournaments and fund raising activities. The Dreamflight charity raises money every year to help send two seriously ill Bahraini children on a Dreamflight holiday of a lifetime.

Summer Events NIGHT Golf comes into its own as the summer months roll in and the Royal Golf Club are introducing a Night Golf Summer Series. Teeing off every Monday evening at 6.30pm, members and guests will have the opportunity to enjoy a variety of different formats in a relaxed, sociable environment.

The series will continue throughout August and Ramadan.

Further information on all forthcoming events is available by visiting www.theroyalgolfclub.com

DIRAB GOLF CLUB

Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge 2009

Winners of the Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge 2009.

MS Kim and Marwan Koussa won the second qualifying round of the Xerox Coporate Golf Challenge with a combined net score of 65 at Dirab Golf Club and will now be invited to play in the Grand Final at Jumeirah Golf Estates in December.

Kim and Koussa beat Taj Rahman and Askari Naqvi on a countback to claim the top prize thanks to their back nine of 34. Third placed Ljaz Naqsbandi and Aftab Ahmed also shot a net 65 but lost out due to their back nine score of 36.

“The tournament went really well, especially taking into consideration that the 114-player field is a new record since the initiation 12 years ago”, said Ayman Mattar, Business Development Manager, Xerox Middle East and Africa. “As we move on with the

Championship I am sure we are going to witness more exciting rounds which will be played across the GCC.” The leading teams which can now look forward for a chance to participate in the Grand Final and win a place in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championships PRO-AM, which will be held in January 2010.

The last 2009 Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge qualifiers will be held as follows: Round 5: Thursday, September 3 at Arabian Ranches Golf Club, Dubai Round 6: Thursday, October 8 at The Montgomerie, Dubai Round 7: Thursday, October 22 at The Els Club, Dubai

ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB

ARABIAN GOLF

Fay and Wright take TNT Two-Player Classic A CAPACITY field of 48 battled it out in the TNT Two-Player Classic over Arabian Ranches and Greg Wright and Nathan Fay took the Men’s Division after carding a 1-under 71 (net 61.7).

The pair carded four gross birdies – including a two at the par-3 12th – to record their first partnership win since joining Arabian Ranches in October last year.

In the Ladies and Couples Division, John and Maureen Onuonga returned the lowest score of the day with a net 60.1. John (17) and Maureen (36) got off to a flyer. Starting on hole 13, the husband and wife duo notched up two gross birdies on the last six holes of the back nine before turning to the first. A gross 4-over-par on the front nine for nines of 40 and 34 gave them their winning total after the reduction of their 15.9 strokes.

Martyn Wright of TNT and Captain Bob Fletcher conducted the prize presentation. Fletcher thanked everyone for participating and TNT for their continued support of Arabian Ranches Golf Club.

Bob Fletcher – Club Captain (l) with the Divisional winners.

Evans and Leretz take Parasol Garden Furniture Individual Stableford KAREN Evans returned a tremendous haul of 40 Stableford points to win the Ladies Division by three points at the Parasol Garden Furniture Individual Stableford tournament held recently.

Evans scored three gross pars (net eagles) for 12 points over holes 1,5 and 11 and she added five net birdies to score nines of 19 and 21 points.

Jacques Leretz also returned a winning score of 40 points to deny Rob Garner the Men’s title by just a single point.

Leretz’s card consisted of net eagles on holes 1 and 16 and numerous pars. Evans and Leretz

both caught the eyes of the handicap committee and although a non-qualifier, Leretz and Evans were both cut by two shots.

Garner completed 17 holes in level-par but scoring no points at the par-3 17th cost him the winner’s spot.

“We thank Mark Sault of Parasol Garden Furniture for this the first of two events to be held in 2009,” said Elliott Gray. “Mark is a great supporter of Arabian Ranches and a very generous sponsor to have on board in our domestic tournament calendar.”

Mark Sault of Parasol with Karen Evans.

Attieh and McKelvey take Gross Rivoli Monthly Medals THE Rivoli Monthly Medal supported by Marble Renewal of the UAE attracted a capacity field of 92 players and it was youngster Khalid Attieh (5) who stole the show as he carded his best ever round of gross 2-under 70. A card baring six pars, five bogeys and seven birdies gave him a victory margin of three shots from Club Champion John Mills.

Adele McKelvey (5) returned one of her lowest rounds of the year, a gross 2-over-par 74, despite playing the par 5s in 2-over. However birdies at hole 2 and the short 15th counteracted the slip-ups at the lengthier holes and McKelvey added another gross medal to her trophy cabinet.

In the Ladies Net Medal, Karen Evans (28) returned a fantastic net 67 just one week after her triumph in the Parasol Garden Furniture Stableford in which she carded 40 Stableford points. Her handicap has been reduced from 30 to 25 in a one week period.

Elliott Gray commented: “We are pleased to have this capacity field complete play in the targeted time of four hours, especially in the heat of the summer our thanks go to Rivoli Group and Graham Alban of Marble Renewal of UAE for the respective title and support sponsorships. Also to Darren Smith our Golf Course Manager and his team who have the golf course in fine shape after the end of season renovations.”

Adele McKelvey - Lady Captain, Khalid Attieh, Tony Azoulay and Club Captain Bob Fletcher. www.wwgolf.biz

77

E M I R AT E S G O L F C L U B

Professionals earn hard-fought victory in Dubai Golf Trophy THE UAE PGA Professional team beat the Emirates Golf Federation’s team of amateurs to win the 10th edition of the Dubai Golf Trophy at Emirates Golf Club.

The Professionals were made to work hard in the 16 singles matches to clinch victory as they went into the final day with a slender one-point lead. They coped superbly with the pressure and won this event for the eighth time over the magnificent Faldo course with a winning score of 17.5-14.5.

Malcolm Young from Arabian Ranches Golf Club drained the winning putt on the 17th green against Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Dino Varkey and in doing so completed a 100% record for the event with three wins out of three.

With nine of the singles matches level at one stage during proceedings, the pressure was intense. But the juniors on the amateur team yet again produced impressive performances with victories for

Matthew Turner, Joel Neale, Khalid Yousuf and Sean Thornberry and Ahmed Al Musharrekh claiming a comprehensive 7&6 victory over Steve Munroe.

However, the professionals rose to the challenge and recorded 4.5 points from the final five matches to complete the victory with wins for Steve Chambers, Malcolm Young, David Gray and Stuart Fee. Cyril Rozes and Alex Charwani from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club shared a point in a hugely competitive match that epitomised this great event.

Justin Parsons, Professional Captain, was delighted to keep his hands on the trophy following an intense final day in stifling conditions.

The stand out performers over the two days were Malcolm Young (Arabian Ranches), Nick Oakley (Emirates Golf Club), Joel Neale and Khalid Yousuf (both Emirates Golf Club) following their 100% records in the three-match series.

The amateur team (blue shirts) line up next to their professional counterparts prior to play in the 2009 Dubai Golf Trophy.

Mallattiri Makes his Move KUTTAN Malattiri put together an excellent round of golf to win the BMW July monthly medal.

Starting on hole 6 and playing from a handicap of 12, Malattiri got off to a slow start dropping four shots in his first four holes but he steadied the ship and played the back nine holes in an impressive 2-over-par 39. He continued this form through his remaining five holes on the front nine to finish the round with 69.

Closest rival on the day with a round of 70 in the ‘A’ Division was Stathis Stathis whose triple bogey eight on his opening hole proved costly – but for the error he would have been able to walk

away with the spoils. Steady play was the feature of Stathis’s card with the highlights being birdies on holes 7 and 18 while Paul Woutersen took third place in the division with a fine 71. Matthew Turner took the best gross on the day with a 1-over-par 73.

Division ‘B’ was clinched by the in-form Sam Tarassoli who impressed with his solid play as nines of 46 and 47 gave him a net 71which was good enough to pip Ali Al- Shabibi into second place by one stroke. Patrick Mulligan showed some good form with a net 75, which afforded him third place in the division.

Turner and Yousuf hit hot streak in BMW Medal

Winner of Division ‘A’ Khalid Yousuf and Vice Captain Mike Tracey.

TWO of the most promising young golfers to come out of the UAE and Emirates Golf Club over the past few years, Khalid Yousuf and Matthew Turner, performed fantastically in the BMW June Monthly Medal.

The Dubai Desert Classic performers proved their ability once more by both firing a 68 gross over the Majlis course. In fact it was Turner’s second 68 in a matter of weeks having won the Summer Open with the same tally. Turner managed to take the best gross of the day following an inward half of 34 including birdies on holes 13, 14, 17 and 18 but gave one back on the 447-yard 12th. Having started his round

from hole 3 he also birdied holes 7 and 8 but a costly bogey on his last hole cost him a 67.

Yousuf compiled his 68 with five birdies and a single bogey on the 15th. His net 69 was good enough to claim top place in Division ‘A’ (hcp 0-14). Rigel Fernandes and Tony White also signed for the same 3-under-par tally with Fernandes taking the runner-up spot on a card countback.

Bob Curtis came out on top in Division ‘B’ (hcp 15-28) following a superb net 70, with Daniel Yanchus one further back while Dean Rolfe claimed third following a level-par net 72.

E M I R AT E S G O L F C L U B

ARABIAN GOLF

Turner triumphs in low-scoring Summer Open MATTHEW Turner compiled a fantastic round of 68 over the Majlis course to triumph in the Emirates Summer Open sponsored by Titleist, Cobra and Footjoy.

A full field of 108 golfers produced some superb scoring despite the hot and humid conditions but it was Turner’s gross 68 that was the pick of the bunch. His blistering back nine holes included four birdies and an eagle. He dropped shots on holes 11 and 12 but completed the inward nine of the Dubai Desert Classic track in 4-under-par 33. A level-par front nine saw him take the title by two shots from Steve Kelly while Khalid Yousuf signed for a 71 to take third place.

Matthew Curtis and Rigel Fernandes both recorded rounds of net 65 in Division ‘A’ (hcp 0-12), with Curtis taking top place following a card countback. Curtis holed out for birdie on his final hole of the day, the par-4 12th, which added to birdies on holes 4 and 17. Curtis (10) had a fine season and his handicap has come down by six strokes over the course of the year.

Division ‘B’ (hcp 13-28) saw Ben Ewbank (EGF) who carded a net 64 to beat second-placed Sanjay Amarnani by three shots. Chris Chapman was also in the prizes as he recorded a hole in one on the 160-yard seventh hole.

LOCATION Emirates Hills, Interchange 5 Sheikh Zayed Road, opposite Hard Rock Café CONTACT (04) 380 2222 egc@dubaigolf.com Book online tee times at www.dubaigolf.com INFO Majlis Course – 1988 Faldo Course – 1996, re-designed in 2006 COURSES Majlis – 18 holes, Par 72, 7211 yards, championship course 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

Top: David Stevenson of Prosports, Gross Champions Matthew Turner and Emirates GC Club Captain Surender Kandhari.

Below: Chris Chapman celebrates his hole-in-one with David Stevenson of Prosports and Emirates Club Captain Surender Kandhari.

WINTER HIRE RATES Price (Dhs.) Club Hire Practice Balls (per 50 balls) Shoe Hire Trolley Hire

170 30 65 30

Stathis and Evangelopolous triumph in Greensomes

Donovan impresses over the Faldo Course THE Dubai Golf Summer Series stopped off at Emirates Golf Club’s Faldo course with a strong field of 84 competitors taking part.

The second fixture, sponsored by Dubai Golf, produced some fantastic scoring and the Els Club’s Mark Donovan the pick of the bunch with a superb 38 points off ¾ handicap allowance. Donovan got off to a fast start, having dropped a shot on his opening hole, and he to eagled the 515-yard par-5 and followed it with a birdie on the fourth. A further birdie followed on the par-5 10th and a steady finish saw him record a winning total of 38 Stableford points. Matching his tally was

STATHIS Stathis and Nick Evangelopolous clinched the recently held Greensomes Competition over the Majlis course with a 37-point tally.

Starting on hole 2, the duo played consistently well with the highlight being a gross birdie on the 527-yard 10th hole. The victory could have been more comprehensive if it wasn’t for a double bogey six on their final hole. Two pairs recorded 36 points but it was the superior back nine of 22 points from Trevor Varri and Joel Neale that clinched second place ahead of Bryan Wilson and Mick Brett.

Andrew Morris from the EGF, but his weak back nine of 17 points saw him miss out on top place after a card countback.

Paul Chader and Jong Jung Kim of Dubai Creek and Martin Hunt all recorded 37 points but it was Chader who claimed third place after a better final six holes.

Rigel Fernandes continued his fine run of form with a gross 75 to take best gross of the day in the men’s section with Janine Craig winning the ladies division after her 34 Stableford points. Also in the prizes were Ken Matheson and Carmel King for their accuracy on the Nearest to the Pin holes. www.wwgolf.biz

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Emirates juniors crowned Captains Par-3 League champions

Emirates Captain, Surender Singh Kandhari with his champion junior team of Harley Knight, Connor Rooney, Matthew Curtis, and Philip Urasch.

The Junior League Captains along with the winning Emirates team and junior competitors.

THE new Captains Par-3 League junior initiative by club Captains Francisco Giles (DCGYC), Bob Fletcher (ARGC), Malcolm Gray (TMD) and Surender Kandhari (EGC) ended at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in June with juniors from Emirates Golf Club emerging victorious.

With another impressive and very solid performance the EGC juniors ran up a grand total of 352 for a comfortable victory over Dubai Creek in second place on 396 – a great effort from a team that were on average three years younger than the champions. The Montgomerie Dubai finished in third place on 440 and Arabian Ranches in fourth place on 460.

Dubai Creek Captain Giles said: “It was great to see all the juniors play fantastic golf and we look forward to this event carrying on next year and to seeing it grow from strength to strength. Thank you to all the Captains and juniors for their support and the parents of all the juniors who have taken part.”

Emirates also collected the daily team prize with juniors Conner Rooney (28), Matthew Curtis (29) and Philip Urasch (27) contributing to a great team score of 3-over-par. The overall individual winner for the day was 9-year-old Aryan Chordia who carded a level-par 27 and won by virtue of his last six holes from Philip Urasch.

Individual winner Aryan Chordia being presented with his prize by DCGYC Club Captain Francisco Giles.

Shanker takes home the crystal Marvelous Malik nets the big one ADHIP Shankar endured the heat to win the BMW Monthly Medal at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in July with a solid score of net 71. Two consistent nines and only one bad hole all day was just enough to win by one shot from his playing partner Vikram Arora who shot a 72 to win the Men’s Division ‘B’.

Runner-up in Men’s Division ‘A’ after another good performance with net 72 was Ashok Kumar and runner-up in Division ‘B’ was a surprised George Varghese who finished with net 73.

Nahsa Sarkari continued her dominance in the Ladies Division as her net 69 secured first place by a clear two shots. Serifa D’souza finished in second place on net 71 virtue of a superb back nine from Shloka Desai.

July’s Champion, Adhip Shankar receiving his BMW trophy from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Captain, Francisco Giles.

SAEED Malik produced a marvelous round of golf to clinch the BMW June medal with a gross 72 (net 67) to win by three clear shots.

Runner-up in Men’s Division ‘A’ was Rakesh Shah with a net 72 while Vikram Judge won the best gross with a superb 1-under-par 70.

Two scores of net 70 tied the Men’s Division ‘B’ but it was Naresh Handa who claimed the win by virtue of his amazing back nine of net 30.5 from Steve Sanderson.

Junior member Diya Chopra shot the lowest of the net score of the day (66) to win the Ladies Division by four shots from the consistent Nasha Sarkari who finished alone in second place with a net 70.

June’s Champion, Saeed Malik receiving his BMW trophy from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Director of Golf Alan Mackenzie.

D U B A I C R E E K G O L F & YA C H T C L U B

ARABIAN GOLF

Rajalekha and Kim top the initial summer leaderboard

LOCATION Deira, opposite Deira City Centre C0NTACT (04) 295 6000 dcgyc@dubaigolf.com Book online tee times at www. dubaigolf.com

THE new Dubai Golf Summer Series started at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on Saturday 27th June and the first round sponsored by Ping witnessed a strong field of 86 players making a start to their campaign to reach the grand final at Emirates Golf Club on Saturday 5th September.

Two players scored an wonderful 38 points from their ¾ handicap allowance and by virtue of a superb back nine of 22 points. M.R. Rajalekha took the winner spoils and a place at the top of the series leaderboard.

Fellow Dubai Creek member Y.J. Kim just missed out and finished in second place by two points.

Sami Butt (EGF) finished in third place on 36 points and also scoring 36 points was Rigel Fernandes (EGC) who picked up the best gross prize with 34 gross points. Two Nearest the Pins were on offer and were both snapped up by two great shots from Dan Weisser (EGF).

Siblings team up to take June Carpetland Open THE brother and sister duo of Dhruv and Diya Chopra claimed the June Carpetland Monthly Open after a betterball Stableford score of 43 (7-under) saw them win by one shot from the chasing pack.

In second place,by virtue of their back nine of 21 points, were Craig McBride and Peter Lindsey as they beat Peter and Trish Shaw by a single point on their back nine countback.

Naema Maya won Nearest the Pin on hole 5 while Jason Ramshaw struck the Longest Drive on hole 12. Most golf was awarded to the sporting efforts of Jan Peter and Marceline Van Der Ree and Michael Owen had the luck of the draw for the second time as he claimed another Carpetland rug in the raffle.

Shahriar Khodjasteh, Group Marketing Director of Aqili Furnishings and David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at DCGYC presenting Dhruv and Diya Chopra with the winner’s trophies.

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

D.D Lee finds a champion partner Shahriar Khodjasteh, Group Marketing Director of Aqili Furnishings presenting D.D. Lee and S.I. Kim with their trophies.

D.D. LEE, one of the two-time overall champions of the Carpetland Monthly Open Finals has found a new partner – S.I. Kim – and they have both booked their place in the 2010 finals by winning the July open at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

A superb net 63, 8-under-par betterball score was just enough for Lee and Kim to win by one shot from the father and daughter duo Mitesh and Shloka Desai who finished with 7-under net 64. Two shots back in third place on net 66 were Peter and Trish Shaw and all three pairs have secured their place in the fourth consecutive grand finals to be held at Dubai Creek in May 2010.

Shloka Desai won Nearest the Pin on the 16th hole with a great iron shot and scratch handicapper Matt Selby unleashed a huge drive down hole 7 to claim the Longest Drive of the day. George Varghese and Zul Amin won the most golf prize on a very hot and humid afternoon that was difficult for all the players. Rumi Sarkari was luckily drawn out the hat for a second time to win a beautiful Carpetland rug in the monthly raffle.

RATES The rates below are valid from 1st June 2009 until 30th September 2009.

Summer rates: Dubai Creek Course: 18 holes Par-3 course: 9 holes RACK RATE

18

9

Shoulder Peak 400 Shoulder Off Peak 300

75 75

EGF Shoulder Peak 360 Shoulder Off Peak 270

75 75

JUNIOR Shoulder Peak 280 Shoulder Off Peak 280

55 55

SUMMER HIRE RATES Price (Dhs.) Club Hire Practice Balls (per bucket of 50 balls) Shoe Hire Trolley Hire

170 30 65 25

Dubai Creek’s Omega Matchplay Results DUBAI Creek Golf & Yacht Club staged its Omega Matchplay competitions throughout the 2008/2009 season and after 170 members competed in the three divisions of Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Ladies’ Singles three overall champions have been duly crowned.

In the Gents’ Doubles Division the defending champions Miki Mirza and Saeed Malik reached the final once again in a bid to make history of a first doubles back to back win at the club but they were undone in the final as Ashok Kumar and Samir Sahu beat them on the 17th hole.

The Mens Singles Matchplay Division witnessed two low handicappers, David Gowans (6) and Humayan Shahryar (5) battle it out for the coveted title. In a very tight game Gowans ground it out to win on the 18th green and collect his first major

club competition at the Creek in the process.

In the Ladies’ Division K.S. Park and S.S. Park had seen off some tough competition to reach the finals and it was S.S. Park who prevailed in a thrilling match as she pipped her competitor at the first hole of a play-off.

“Omega has long been associated with the royal and ancient game of golf, and as golf is growing tremendously, we are proud to contribute to and associate ourselves with this development, especially within the booming city of Dubai,” commented Omega Vice President, Raynald Aeschlimann. “Golf and luxury watchmaking have a lot in common, as both demand high precision, extreme dedication and a Harbiner Dhanjal, Deputy General Manager of Rivoli and commitment to constantly raise performance Club Captain Francisco Giles presenting the winners with the Omega prizes and Champions Trophy. benchmarks.” www.wwgolf.biz

81

AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB

Season Ending Event Concludes a Memorable Year of Golf AN 18-hole strokeplay competition and annual presentation night were held recently to conclude a memorable season of golf at Al Hamra. The event also saw the conclusion of the Men’s and Ladies winter ‘Eclectics’ and Order of Merits as most of the places were still to be resolved over the day’s 18 holes.

The curtain-closing event provided some of the clubs best seen scores to date. The ladies gross division was claimed by the prolific Vicki Rogers with a score of 82 while Rita Hicks’s gross 85 was good enough to take the gross runner-up prize and cement her place at the top of the ladies gross Order of Merit. The ladies net division saw the best net score ever recorded by a member to date as Sarah De Roose coolly recorded a 63 and a four-shot reduction to her handicap. Sharon Moore took the ladies net runner-up and consolidated her top spot finish in the Ladies Net Order of Merit.

The Men’s Gross division saw two familiar faces picking up the awards as Steve Rayment took first place with a score of 83 and Michael Talbot the runner-up spot with an 86. A solid round of net 67, which had been brewing for a while, gave David Arataki the net division honours ahead of Mark Ruddock who finished as the runner-up with a commendable 70.

General Manager Simon Mees opened up the prize presentation ceremony by thanking the members and staff for their support during his first season at the club and the day’s sponsors – Promosports, Progolf, Prosports and Bluebell Shipping – who provided the prizes.

The season’s award categories presented on the night were the

Matchplays, Order of Merits, ‘Eclectics’ and Most Improved Golfers’ of the Year.

Fourball Betterball Matchplay winners were Karen and Phil Mallinson with Rita Hicks and Eric Engelbrecht in second place.

The Ladies Matchplay winner was Veraena Kondes with Annie Marriot the runner-up while Rita Hicks and Sharon Moore were crowned the Ladies Gross and Net Order of Merits champions respectively after their day’s performances.

The Ladies Gross and Net ‘Eclectics’ saw two phenomenal scores take the top spots as Vicki Rogers’ 13-under-par 59 total gave her the gross title and Julia Stanbrook claimed the net title with tidy total of 46.

In the Men’s section Jeff Hunt was crowned the Matchplay Champion with David Upshall the runner-up while David Moore and Haridas Kondath stormed away with the Men’s Gross and Net Order of Merits respectively.

In the ‘Eclectics’ Dave Gould took top spot in the gross with a score of 61 and Chris Stanbrook made it a family double in the Net ‘Eclectics’ by claiming the men’s with score of 45. The most improved junior of the year went to Jonathon Upshall who has continued to develop his game and mature as a golfer. The most improved male golfer went to Haridas Kondath who has reduced his handicap from 28 at the beginning of the season to 14.8.

Veraena Kondes was awarded the ladies award for her continued all round display as a golfer and member of Al Hamra.

Rayment and Hicks start the Summer with a bang STEVE Rayment’s 83 was strong enough to earn him the Men’s Gross Division title ahead of Jeff Hunt and David Moore at the June Monthly Medal. Hunt finished two strokes back for second place while Moore carded an 86 to take third place.

Haridas Kondath’s drive and determination resulted in a more than honorable 68 net which saw him top the Men’s Net Division resulting in yet another handicap cut. Second place went to Pierre Lefebvre with a level-par 72 with David Upshall’s 76 securing him third place.

The Ladies Divisions were a much closer affair as just one shot separated the winners in each category. Rita Hicks claimed the ladies gross title by one shot from Vicki Rogers with an 86 while Sarah De Roose continued her fine form taking the net division crown with a score 74, one ahead of Julia Stanbrook.

ARABIAN GOLF The Inaugural Greg Smith Macmillan Cup raises Vital Funds for Charity AL Hamra Golf Club recently hosted the inaugural Greg Smith Macmillan Cup, organised not only to remember a valued friend to many and popular founder member of the Club but in an effort to raise money for an extremely caring charity, The MacMillan Trust, which played a very significant part in Greg’s fight against cancer.

After a courageous battle with lung cancer for over a year Greg finally decided it was time to leave golf competitions for his friends to win, but one of his last wishes was that they would arrange a Charity Golf Tournament by way of thanks to MacMillan.

The on course battle in the Texas Scramble team event went down to the wire. Finishing out in front and claiming the day’s top honours with a net score of 55.3 was the team of Haridas Kondath, Vincent Brank, James Gonzales and Mukti Rai. Taking second place with a solid net score of 58.3 was the team of Ian Broom, Mark Gathercole, Blake Ashton and Al Hamra teaching professional Ross McArthur. The only three-ball team in the field – Andy Stevenson, Chris Sharkey and David Upshall, who rotated an extra ball between the group, came in a creditable third place with a net score of 59.4 The on course challenges were fiercely contested with Rae Kondes taking the 0-18 handicappers’ Longest Drive and Adam Ridgway claiming the 19-36 Longest Drive. The Nearest the Pin award on the difficult 15th hole was won

by Vincent Brank whose tee shot finished a mere six feet from the hole.

Adam Ridgway, Greg Smith’s nephew, who took part in the day’s tournament, was thrilled with the proceedings. “It was an emotional day but fantastic to see so many people support and raise money for the Macmillan Trust who played a very significant part in my uncle’s fight,” he said. “We are very grateful for the support received from numerous companies such as Bluebell Shipping, X-Concepts, Staff Women’s Clothing, Chesterton’s and the

numerous UAE Golf Clubs, and Hotels that donated prizes.”

Andrew Pilfold, Director of Golf at Al Hamra Golf Club said: “We thank all the people and companies who have been involved in the organising, providing of sponsorship and donations for today’s event and look forward to hosting the next Greg Smith Macmillan Cup and raising more money for this worthwhile cause.”

Just over 68,000 Dirham’s was raised from the Inaugural Greg Smith Macmillan Cup, which came from player donations, sponsorship, player registration fees, a Charity Raffle and Auction. Due to the success the tournament will now be an annual fixture in Al Hamra’s Club calendar.

Hunt and Rogers Triumph as Kent goes out with a bang WITH the temperatures continuing to rise, the Al Hamra members were still out in full force to challenge for the July Monthly Medal honours on a sun drenched morning in the desert. The event also saw Al Hamra bid farewell to one of its favorite members, Rick Kent, who was determined to go out on a high.

In the Men’s Gross Division Jeff Hunt fired a solid round of 81 – with a great back nine of 39

shots – to clinch the top spot for the first time this summer. Hunts score of 81 was three clear of runner-up Phil Mallinson and Fraser Moore. While in the corresponding Ladies Gross Division Vicki Rogers proved to be the most consistent performer, storming to victory by a comfortable three shots from Rita Hicks, who posted a fine gross round of 85.

Hicks though did not leave empty handed, claiming first place in the Ladies Net Division. Veraena Kondes took the runner-up award in the Ladies Gross Division and Julia Stanbrook in the Net Division.

In the Men’s Net Division the out going Rick Kent proved no slouch, carding a tremendous net round of 67 to earn victory by five shots from his closest rival Eric Engelbrecht and a handicap reduction of two. The twos competition proved very profitable for Pierre Lefebvre as he carded the only two of the day to claim the pot of 280 Dhs.

Mont Blanc sponsor Al Hamra’s Hole in Ones Al Hamra Golf Club has announced that Mont Blanc have renewed their Hole in One Sponsorship. Mont Blanc will continue to be the official hole in one sponsor at Al Hamra Golf Club on the Par-3 7th and 15th holes.

Any member achieving a hole in one on the holes when signed and witnessed by another player will receive a Mont Blanc en. Also receiving a pen will be any guest or visitor who also achieves the feat.

www.wwgolf.biz

83

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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

ARABIAN GOLF

Awn wins 2009 Medal Grand Final AHMED Ahn produced the best round of his career to win the 2009 Medal Grand Final as he topped the field of 32 players with a superb gross 77 for a net 64. The field comprised of players who had won their respective divisions (A, B and C) in the Monthly Medals from September 2008 through to April this year.

The event was played in conjunction with the Medal but only the top two players in each division received prizes along with the best gross and the overall net champion.

Along with Awn’s superb round the remaining players in the Grand Final produced some great golf to give them an opportunity to win their

respective Grand Final divisions. Division ‘A’ winner was Terry Murdoch who returned a net 68 playing off his 12 handicap which narrowly beat Forbes Gauld by two shots as he returned a net 70.

Division ‘B’ winner, Katherine Spangenberg returned a net 71 from her 20 handicap and also beat runner-up Fredrick Carlsson by three shots who returned a net 74.

Alistair Gray topped Division ‘C’ with a net 72 for an eight-shot win over runner-up Omar Shama who returned a net 80. Taymour Scarello posted a 2-over-par 74 for the best gross score of the day.

Donia Scarello takes the Ladies Club Championship DONIA Scarello is the 2009 Ladies Club Champion thanks to a superb victory over Sophie Issa and Helene Guillou who finished second and third respectively.

Scarello was over the moon to win the event and in her brief speech she thanked the owners of Katameya Heights, her parents and Head Professional Steven Burton his team.

Scarellos dominate Men’s Club Championship THE 2009 Katameya Heights Club Championship was once again ‘The Scarello Show’ as Taymour and Maurizio took first and third place respectively in the annual event.

Taymour opened on day one with a 1-over-par 73 to join Gary Pyott and Charles Gordon at the top of the leaderboard and the trio had a healthy four-shot lead over the rest of the field.

Day two was set to be a great battle between the three leaders and as the round unfolded it was Pyott who pushed Scarello right to the end.

Scarello finished with a 147 gross total for a two-shot victory over Pyott with Maurizio Scarello finishing third on 157 after a countback with fourth-placed Ed Helmbeck. Grant McKenzie finished fifth place with 158.

Day one’s joint leader Gordon struggled on day two and finished sixth after losing to Senior Champion McKenzie on a countback.

Katameya Junior Golf Series Club Championship THE final event of the Katameya Junior Golf Series – The Junior Club Championship – saw over 25 juniors compete in three different categories.

Category ‘1’ division players competed over 36 holes on the Championship course with Taymour Scarello coming out on top with gross rounds of 73 and 74 for a 147 while Ibrahim Wakid claimed the net prize with rounds of 75 and 69 for a 144.

The category ‘2’ players played strokeplay over nine holes to determine the 2009

Category 2 Junior Club Champion and it was Harry Butterworth who produced a net 29 to win by one shot from runner-up Janna Cappetti. Abdel Aziz Said finish in third place with a net 32.

As for the young Tiger Cubs competing in the Katameya Kids Junior Club Championship ‘6-hole’ division, it was Misha Murdoch who produced a gross 20 to become the champion golfer, five shots ahead of runner-up Dirk Cappetti with a gross 25 with third placed Misha Murdoch producing a gross 27. www.wwgolf.biz

85

TOWER LINKS GOLF CLUB

The Untouchables take the End of Season Scramble THE quartet of Joe and Zenia Wivou, Lesley Mullen and Paul McCullough claimed the End of Season Scramble in emphatic fashion, shooting a wonderful 55.7 net.

Joe had been riding high all year and this result was just the icing on the cake as him team shot a 10-under-par 62 gross. They shot 28 gross on the back nine (8-under-par) which was the lowest recorded on the day, and just to seal the deal they calmly rolled in a 15 foot eagle putt on the final hole after taking advantage of one of Zenia’s monster hits. Matt Jones, Len Collins, Mike Lamb and Troy Richardson were one of the favorite teams heading into the day and they did not disappoint either as they pushed hard all the way but fell tantalisingly short by a mere 0.2 of a stroke and had to settle for second place. It was a fitting way for Collins to finish the season as he was playing his last major competition before leaving Tower Links to take up a position in Doha.

Steve Weise, Simon Tyldsley, Mark Wilcock and Mark Reid finished off the podium places as they shot a net 56.2 from their 7.8 handicap.

Having started a slowly out of the blocks they shot a tidy 34 on the more difficult front nine but like the majority of the field on the day did their damage on the shorter back nine where they recorded just 30 strokes, the highlight and defining moment coming on the 18th where they made a superb eagle three.

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)

The Untouchables

Heslop powers to Powerplay victory Kevin Heslop triumphed in the Sherwood’s sponsored Powerplay Stableford after shooting 26 points on a steamy RAK evening. Heslop,who professes to play off a 14 handicap, frolicked around the back nine like a happy fairy as he amassed his monster tally, making good use of his chosen Powerplay holes. ‘Big Kev’ – as he likes to be called – dropped in a couple of six-pointers after making gross birdies on holes 13 and 15 and professed that his putter was almost too hot to handle.

Joe Wivou finished in second place behind Heslop, netting a superb eight points off the 13th after electing it as one of his Powerplay holes. He made a gross birdie into the difficult black flag which helped him shoot up the leaderboard and into the runner-up spot.

Third place on the evening went to S.P. Hong with a stellar score of 25 Stableford points. Hong negotiated the Powerplay format with ease and precision and took full advantage of his current run of form to book his spot on the podium. Hong might have won the event had it not been for a two-point deduction on hole 18 where he recorded a net bogey after electing to take the optional Powerplay on that hole.

Andy Klein was the recipient of the Wooden Spoon on the

‘Girl Power’ shines at The Tower ZENIA Wivou and the in-form Lesley Mullen took the Sherwood’s Sponsored Two Player Scramble in cracking fashion as they played flawless golf, returning a gross score of 34, 2-under-par gross on a balmy Wednesday evening.

Playing to a handicap of 3.1, the pair finished with a winning net score of 30.1, narrowly defeating Graham Farrington and Kevin Heslop who finished with a net 30.6.

The boys had the same gross score as the girls which is highly surprising due to Heslop’s lack of discipline around the fringe and his careless disregard for leadership!

However, Farrington straightened him out and guided him in the right direction with some subtle words of encouragement.

Wiz and Matt Jones finished in third place on 33.1 net after winning on a countback from Yuki and Mizu with Matt singing Wiz’s praises with his deft touch on the greens as he wielded his putter like Merlin and his wand.

night – the prize awarded to the worst golfing performance.

To say he won with ease would be a huge understatement; Andy blitzed the field, recording zero points on the night in what is the worst performance in recorded history at Tower Links.

M U S C AT H I L L S

ARABIAN GOLF

Muscat Hills appoints Men and Lady Captains The new Captains will become ambassadors for a new era of grass course golf in Oman.

MUSCAT Hills Golf and Country Club has announced that the Minister of Oil and Gas, His Excellency Dr. Mohammad Al Rumhi has proudly accepted the role as the Men’s Captain for the club. His female counterpart will be leading Omani-based ladies champion golfer Sanjoli Singh.

Both of the new captains have been selected by the Muscat Hills Board based on their previous golfing achievements and their commitment to the development of golfing excellence in the Sultanate.

H.E. Dr. Mohammad Al Rumhi is an accomplished amateur golfer who currently plays off a handicap of seven and has competed in numerous major golfing tournaments across the region. Golfing excellence runs through the family and His Excellency’s son Azaan Al Rumhi, who is Oman’s leading golfer, struck the ceremonial first tee shot at the opening ceremony in April, while his younger son, Hamed plays off a handicap of two.

Commenting on his appointment His Excellency said: “As a long-term passionate Omani golfer, I am extremely proud to have been invited to represent Muscat Hills in the capacity of Captain. I am looking forward to helping young Omani golfers to develop their talent and skills on Oman’s first world-class grass golf course.”

Sanjoli Singh brings to her role as Women’s Captain a pedigree of success in many prestigious tournaments including the Scandinavian Open, Sayyid Abbas, Cowi Cup, the Amouage Open and the Ghallah Club Championships and plays off a handicap of five. A resident in Oman since 1994, she has represented the Sultanate at the BMW World Finals in 1997 and 1998. Further achievements include winning the Muscat Ladies Open in 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006 and most recently she conquered the first Oman Ladies Nationals tournament that took place earlier this year.

Singh said: “One of my goals in the role will be to help encourage more women to take up golf now they have such superb grass course facilities to play on. I am very proud to have the opportunity to be an ambassador

for the Muscat Hills development alongside His Excellency and help to spread awareness of golf in the Sultanate.”

Once Muscat Hills is completed, the project will host the first 18-Hole grass championship golf course in Oman and will host a European Tour event in 2011. Muscat Hills offers a unique golfing experience in the Middle East because of its use of the natural unique and unusual topography of the site. It offers golf enthusiasts a course that has been designed to naturally flow over the local Omani landscapes and natural wadis that run adjacent to a number of holes offering a spectacular golfing experience. It is the only mountain golf course in the region.

His Excellency Dr. Mohammad Al Rumhi, new Men’s Captain at Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club (above left) and new Ladies Captain Sanjoli Singh (above right).

SPECIAL SUMMER GOLFING PACKAGES INTRODUCED

MUSCAT Hills Golf and Country Club have announced summer membership packages, allowing unlimited golf during the summer.

Muscat Hills is encouraging golf enthusiasts in Oman to play on their new grass course throughout summer with the introduction of a range of special membership packages over the coming months that are valid June to September.

Individual packages on offer are offered to golfers: RO 450 for the four

months, RO 350 for any three consecutive months and RO 240 for any two consecutive months.

Family Summer Membership packages are also included in the offer.

A spouse, child, parent, brother or sister will be able to join anytime in the summer months with the following special rates: RO 350, RO 275 and RO 190, for the same periods as above.

Juniors joining (under the age of 18) also have their own customised packages helping them to learn and enjoy the game on Oman’s first grass course ensuring them a head start learning to play the game: RO 185, RO 145 and RO 100, for the same periods.

All of the packages will allow members to enjoy unlimited rounds of golf on the 9-holes now open and free use of golf carts (under 16s need to be accompanied by an adult).

Muscat Hills Marketing and Memberships Manager, Leon Sassen said: ”We want to encourage golfers in Oman to enjoy our unique golf course and grass golfing experience throughout summer – traditionally a time when playing reduces because of the heat. The combination of grass, golf carts and the unfailing breeze at Muscat Hills has defeated summer, and we are confident that our very competitive special summer membership rates will encourage players to stay on our fairways and greens throughout the months ahead.”

www.wwgolf.biz

87

SHARJAH GOLF & SHOOTING CLUB

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

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 ON PEAK 18 HOLES: Guest – 275DHS EGF – 245DHS

Winner Ramsey Yassin with the trophy alongside all the other winners who hold their frames.

YASSIN WINS ETIHAD OPEN GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP RAMSEY Yassin (5) won the 2009 Etihad Summer Open Golf Championship thanks to an 18-hole Stableford total of 39 points.

Ramsey described his round as a solid as he made three gross birdies – two at the long par 5s on the opening nine holes and one on the short par-3 12th hole – which helped him clinch the title.

Also victorious in their respective divisional prizes were Division ‘A’ winner Darryl Blanchard (8) from Arabian

Ranches Golf Club and Division ‘B’ winner Frederick Matabang (20) representing the Emirates Golf Federation with scores of 37 and 38 respectively.

Other prominent winners included Sami Butt (Dubal 6) with 30 points in the gross category and Nasha Sarkari (10) from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in the ladies division.

Other prizes were collected by Bill Buchanan Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club with 29 gross points and Serifa DeSouza (16) Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club with 16 gross points.

YASSIN WINS AGAIN

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

(l-r) Reshi Renovilla, Robin Bailey, Paul McBeth, Mike Siddaway and Simon MacDonald.

THE Etihad Summer Open Champion Ramsay Yassin (5) won his second Stableford competition in as many weeks with an excellent score of 37 points on a blustery day over the 7337-yard layout. Ramsay was level through the front nine which featured seven pars and a bogey and a birdie but struggled through the back nine as he came back with 40 shots. However, his 37 points were good enough to win by three shots from Babu Thomas (19) who took second place outright.

The Best Gross winner was golf fanatic Aminya Ranjan (8) with 22 points as halves of 12 and 18 gave him the win.

ROBIN DOES IT AGAIN

Martin Duff, Amiya Ranjan, Ramsey Yassin, Babu Thomas and Imsany Hasrat, Deputy Director of Tourism Malaysia.

ROBIN Bailey (23) and Mike Siddaway (23) returned a score of level-par to win the front nine section of the BMW Members and Guest Social by one stroke.

Bailey is no stranger to this competition as he has been in the prizes three times since September 2008 and both players did exceptionally well, dovetailing each other to win.

The back nine competition was won by Paul McBeth (13) and Reshi Renivilla (23) as they returned a fine score of 34 which converts to 2-under-par. McBeth admitted later that Renivilla’s play was outstanding but his own putting was good enough to help them win.

Renivilla was in the prizes again after winning the Longest Drive at the seventh with a drive which was bordering on the 300-yard mark while Simon McDonald won the Nearest the Pin at the 17th hole with a towering 5-iron which landed within five feet of the pin.

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T H E C A S C A D E S AT S O M A B AY G O L F & C O U N T RY C L U B

Nasser Yacoob triumphs at the Red Sea Open Amateur Championship THE 2009 Red Sea Pan Arab Open Amateur Golf Championship concluded with Nasser Yacoob taking the top prize.

This year’s tournament, sponsored by Mobinil, attracted 145 amateur golfers from nine different Arab nations and eight other countries as far away as Argentina and the USA. The players competed on Soma Bay’s award-winning Cascades, a stunning desert and oceanfront links course, designed by Gary Player.

Yacoob of Bahrain took the overall title in the Men’s competition with a gross score of 228 over 54 holes. This is the third time he has won the Championship (2001, 2005 and 2009) as he beat Saudi Arabian Othman Al Mulla into second place. Mamdouh El Shiekh finished third.

Abdullah Sultan Saleh ElHakam, also of Bahrain, once again claimed the first prize in the Senior Men’s competition, as he did in

2008, with a gross score of 229. The Ladies’ competition was also closely contested and it was Egyptian Dina Abou Ella, previous winner of the Silver category in 2007 and 2008, who made it a triple in 2009 with a gross score of 40 over 36 holes.

The tournament opened with a ceremonial flag-raising by the former Egyptian Ambassador to the USA, Abdel Raouf Reedy.

At the special closing ceremony the winners were presented with a personal replica cup or commemorative plate, and then they celebrated into the night with a beachside barbecue and live entertainment hosted by Soma Bay’s flagship hotel La Résidence des Cascades.

The annual Red Sea Pan Arab Open Amateur Golf Championship was first started in 2001 and is now well established as the most important individual tournament in the region.

DOHA GOLF CLUB LOCATION Close to West Bay Lagoon, 8km north of central Doha.

CONTACT +974 483 2338 info@dohagolfclub.com INFO 18-hole 7,374-yard par72 Championship course accompanied by a floodlit 9-hole Academy Course with spectacular views of the West Bay Lagoon.

Designed by Peter Harradine.

VISITOR RATES Championship Course 18 holes – 590DHS 9 holes – 3985DHS Academy Course 18 holes – 365DHS 9 holes – 200DHS

Manuel and Jain share honours at 100th Golf Tournament WAYNE Manuel and 14-year-old Pratyush Jain outplayed 82 other golfers to emerge victorious at the 100th golf tournament organised by Qatar Golf Lovers. Manuel and Jain were declared winners in flights ‘A’ and ‘B’ respectively in the event which was sponsored by Ammico & Sal Contracting Company.

Fazal Kazi was runner-up to Manual in flight ‘A’ with Dean Barnes and Jeff Compton following closely in third and fourth place respectively.

Steve Dewar was runner-up in flight ‘B’ with Jean Lucas third while Gert Rousseau won the men’s best gross and Valerie Dalton won the ladies best gross.

Jamal Nasar and Fazal Kazi, Managing Partners of Ammico & Sal Contracting hosted a prize distribution dinner for all players after play and gave away prizes to the winners. Jamal also addressed the gathering and expressed their satisfaction in being able to sponsor this landmark event.

All prizes were donated by DOMASCO. Graeme Newport, Managing Director of DOMASCO participated in the tournament and also attended the function.

Chris Myers, General Manager of Doha Golf Club also attended the function and congratulated QGL members on this milestone achievement. “I have no

Front row (L-R): QGL Vice President Manoj Megchiani, Valerie Dalton, QGL President PK Mathew, Graeme Newport, Fazal Kazi, Jamal Nasar, Steve Dewar and Dean Barnes.

Back row (L-R): QGL Secretary Sanjay Jain, Wayne Manuel, Gert Rousseau, Pratyush Jain, Chris Myers and Steve Cater.

doubt, QGL is the most active golf society in Qatar,” said Myers.

The tournament was the 100th tournament QGL has organised since its inception in April 2001 and besides the monthly tournaments, QGL has also organised Ramadan tournaments and singles and doubles matchplay tournaments.

ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB

ARABIAN GOLF

Wang and Martin take the Ali & Sons Audi Members Medal WITH the golf course in excellent condition for the time of year, members of ADGC participated in a morning shotgun for its June Medal and Jean Wang continued her purple patch to win the Ladies Gross with an impressive 77 in the humid conditions.

Tony Martin, who has come close on many occasions in the past, was successful this time as he walked away with the Men’s Gross also with a 77.

The divisional Net prizes were hard fought with some great golf being played and it was Lafayette Dunn who shot a net 72 to win a three-way countback in the men’s 0-14 handicap division. In the 15-28 hcp division, David Westerman won by only a single shot after a spectacular net 64.

Another player who enjoyed a good spell of golf is Sharon Hall as she triumphed in the Ladies Silver Division with a net 70 while Sheren Smith-Evans completed the divisional winners in the Bronze section with a net 74.

Abu Dhabi Golf Club would like to thank Ali & Sons Audi for their continued sponsorship and support of their member tournaments.

Winners Tony Martin and Jean Wang collect their prizes.

CONTACT (02) 558 8990 INFO: The 27 hole championship course, managed by the worldrenowned Troon Golf, weaves through undulating terrain that features palms, ornamental trees and shrubs, as well as nine spectacular saltwater lakes.

The experience provides a toughbut-fair challenge, with lush fairways, strategically placed bunkers and generous greens.

Designed by Peter Harradine, planting had begun way back in 1992, accounting for the well-established look the Club presented even on the day of its inauguration.

OFF PEAK RATES: National Course Non Member AED 325 EGF Member AED 260 WEEKEND RATES Non Member AED 390 EGF Member AED 320 Buggy Hire & Range Balls included in the above rates.

ABU DHABI GOLF & EQUESTRIAN CLUB

Season finale showcases the top talent

Buultjens shoots low in the heat A HOT and blustery day saw scoring conditions toughen during the May Novotel Monthly Medal as a field of 88 players took to the course.

The top spot in Division ‘A’ was claimed by Phillip Buultjens who continued his outstanding form to win with a net 69 off his 11 handicap while Division ‘B’ was taken by Tom Jones who edged home with a net 73 from his 13 handicap.

Mohammed Nasser was a popular winner of Division ‘C’ as he came in with a net 73 from his 26 Handicap while Rob Smith took home the lowest gross medal with a very steady 77.

The always-competitive Ladies Division was won by Elizabeth Campbell who edged home with a net 74 off her 26 handicap while Yaslam Al Ameri, Ian Anderson and Tony Merriman were the lucky winners of three vouchers for meals at restaurants ran by sponsors Novotel.

All the day’s winners collect their prizes.

THE Grand Final of the Rotana Junior League signaled the end of a sensational season for the juniors of Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club.

The event, played on a bright and breezy day, was made up of the top four qualifiers from the season long Order of Merit in of each the following categories; 3-hole, 10-hole, 18-hole net and 18-hole gross. All 16 of the qualified players had played outstandingly consistent golf to reach the final stage.

Sean Tierney claimed the handicap trophy in the 18-hole event with an outstanding net 70 from his 25 handicap while the gross champion for 2008/09 was Phillip Buultjens who returned a superb score of gross 82.

In the 10-hole event, Nicolas Bardh continued his great form with an outstanding score of 18 Stableford Points while the hugely competitive 3-hole group was as close as ever, with Uzair Sattar shooting a great score with just 17 shots to be crowned season champion.

In the eight Rotana Junior League Events played over the Season, more than 850 children participated - an amazing figure which highlights what can be done to support junior golf development in the UAE.

Winners on the day collect their prizes inside the clubhouse. www.wwgolf.biz

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LOCKER ROOM MERCEDES-BENZ FOLDING BIKE THEY may be better known for big, fast, striking engine driven machines of the four-wheeled variety but Mercedes Benz have shown that they’re more than capable when it comes to the pedal powered two-wheel variety.

In a nod to the environment and to the urban commuter who wants to leave traffic jams and petrol fumes behind, the German manufacturer has come up with the aptly named ‘Mercedes-Benz Folding Bike. ‘ Now this creation may look like your bog standard folding bike but we test rode one around the WWG Towers car park and found an impressive amount of bells and whistles lurking below the

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surface. Actually, the bell is very much above the surface, in the place you’d expect to find one on a bike, but there are many other features like the eight-speed ‘clutchless’ gears, an adjustable gel saddle, ergonomic hand grips and tough tyres made by Continental tyres which give the game away that this bike has been designed by a team of boffins who really know what they’re doing. The best thing about this folding bike is its size – it folds down to just 80x80x35cm so it takes up minimal storage space and can easily fit in the boot of the car.

www.mercedes-benz.com

COOL STUFF

EA SPORTS ACTIVE

ASPINAL CUFFLINKS ASPINAL of London’s Steel Bullet Sky Blue T-Bar Cufflinks are the perfect accessory for the man about town. Each piece is cast in solid steel and highlighted with accents of sky blue colour and texture with beautiful quality grosgrain and ribbon. These beautiful contemporary designed, elegant cufflinks simply ooze quality, style and distinction. Each pair comes in an exquisite Aspinal signature jewellery presentation box.

www.aspinaloflondon.com

RULE TWENTY ONE POCKET TOWEL THIS nifty little creation from U.S. based company ruletwentyone is the best pocket towel we’ve seen here at WWG Towers.

Launched at this year’s PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, the innovative product is basically a ball cleaning towel that stays damp on the inner side while remaining dry on the outer side so that your pockets don’t get wet.

The back pocket towel fuses an absorbent bamboo terry layer with a waterproof shell that folds conveniently into your pocket. The hyper-absorbent bamboo terry layer is also eco-friendly and stays wet for the entire round, meaning you’ll always have clean balls! It looks the business as well!

www.ruletwentyone.com

PAIN NO MORE WHEN the aches and pains kick in after a hard day on the course this lotion from collagen specialists PureCol really does the trick in easing them. PainNoMore combines collagen with aloe vera to provide instant pain relief from the outside in. It was designed to cater for the growing demand from athletes, sports people and regular gym goers seeking quick-fix relief from sporting injuries and debilitating aches and pains. Coming in the form of a massage lotion and with a deep-heat type sensation, the combination of aloe vera (an effective anti-inflammatory and ideal to aid absorption) and collagen (ideal for protecting and repairing muscle, cartilage and bone and facilitating joint mobility) provides the perfect antidote to a host of complaints including muscle joint and pain, sore limbs, neck tension, headaches, cramp, burning leg sensations, sinus and congestion relief, stiffness and arthritis.

SET to challenge Wii Fit in the workout stakes is EA Sports Active. Developed in collaboration with fitness experts, including Bob Greene – renowned exercise physiologist, author and celebrity personal trainer – EA Sports Active gives you an onscreen training partner who will put you through your paces with a variety of exercises and sporting challenges. The system features a leg strap which recognises and tracks leg movements and also a resistance band which works with a number of upper body strength training exercises.

One of the best features on EA Sports Active is the “30 Day Challenge,” a fitness road map which provides a new, 20-minute workout every time a player exercises, including clear instruction, feedback on technique and positive encouragement throughout the workout. Each circuit feels different and increases in intensity as fitness levels improve to help you work up a sweat and work toward your fitness goals. Users can also create their own custom workouts that vary in activity, duration and intensity, and the Wii Balance Board can also be used to add functionality to many exercises.

www.easports.com

www.LookAndHealth.com

AQ WIRELESS OUTDOOR SPEAKERS THESE AQ Wireless Outdoor Speakers from www.iwantoneofthose.com are perfect for barbecues and garden parties. Simply plug your stereo, i-pod or pc into the transmitter, place the two 3.5 watt speakers wherever you want within a100 metre radius and hey presto, you’ve got ‘music al fresco.’

The futuristic shape of the speakers not only looks great, it also serves a purpose in keeping them waterproof should it rain. The sound quality you get from these speakers is surprisingly good, with a healthy dose of bass and crystal clear treble, while the system will run off batteries or the included adaptor.

To win a set of AQ Wireless Outdoor Speakers answer the following question: Who won this year’s Open Championship at Turnberry?

www.iwantoneofthose.com

TO ENTER VISIT: www.wwgolf.biz and click “Competitions”

WIN www.wwgolf.biz

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THE LOOK SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. THE FEEL IS A CONVERSATION STARTER. At PING, we know trust in your equipment may mean the difference between winning your next match or making the cut. That’s why champions have relied on PING for 50 years. Pros like Hunter Mahan — who took one look at the new S57 blade iron and switched — come to the course knowing they have a competitive advantage on golf’s most competitive stage. Visit pinggolf.com.

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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

PHILIP KINGSLEY TEXTURE AND HOLD

LISA HOFFMAN VARIATIONS (TUNISIAN NEROLI) If Lisa Hoffman’s name sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Lisa is the wife of world famous movie star Dustin and an award-winning beauty product creator in her own right. The Variations kit is a masterpiece in fragrant luxury. Perfect for the traveller, the set is comprised of four vials of pure fragrance oils which are designed to be worn at different times during a 24-hour period in tune with a woman’s changing ‘olfactive sensitivities’. The vials are divided into: The Morning Variant, The Daytime Variant, The Evening Variant, and The Bedtime Variant. Tunisian Neroli combines French ylang ylang, French golden amber, Italian lemon, South African buchu leaf, and Tunisian neroli (orange flower). www.lisahoffmanskincare.com

OLE HENRIKSEN AFRICAN RED TEA REVOLUTIONS KIT This Ole Henriksen African Red Tea Revolutions Kit is perfect for the health conscious traveller who doesn’t want to sacrifice skin care just because they’re on the move.

Available from www.beautique.com the set is packed with anti-oxidant rich African tea products designed for their maximum anti-aging qualities and all round general health benefits. The kit contains: African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser, African Red Tea Face Mist, African Red Tea See The Difference Serum, Visual Truth Eye Crème, Express The Truth Anti-wrinkle Crème, African Red Tea Exfoliating Lip Salvation, African Red Tea Bag, African Red Tea Bath Tea Bag.

Groom Room

This new multi-tasking formula hair wax is perfect for men to create hold, texture, definition and sublime shine. Available from www.philipkingsley.com the soft loose wax adds texture, definition, shine and firm hold. The easyto-use formula is perfect for adding definition and structure to short choppy styles. The formula has also been created to give unbeatable shine, and hold.

PERRICONE MD HIGH POTENCY EYE LIFT Perricone MD has introduced this revolutionary new formula to restore a luminous and youthful appearance to the eye area. The treatment visibly helps to lift, firm and brighten skin and also minimises the appearance of deep lines and wrinkles.

The delicate skin around the eyes is one of the first areas to be hit by tell tale signs of aging but this High Potency Eye Lift serum dramatically improves the appearance of that fragile area. www.nvpmd.co.uk

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

STEVEN TROUP PGA PROFESSIONAL, DOHA GOLF CLUB Driver:

TaylorMade R9 10.5º Fujikura Motore Stiff Flex

Fairway Woods:

Taylor Made Burner 09 T3 3 Wood 14.5º Fujikura Re Ax 75 Stiff Flex, Taylor Made Burner Tp 5 Wood 17.5º Fujikura Re Ax 70 Stiff Flex

Irons:

Taylor Made Tour Burner 3-Pw, Nippon Ns Pro 950 Stiff Flex Standard Length Standard Lie

Wedges:

Taylor Made Z Wedges 52º And 60º

Putter:

Odyssey White Hot Xg #5 Centre Shaft 30”

Q&A: Q: When did you first start playing golf and where?

A: I first started playing golf at the age of 13 after I realised my football skills weren’t up to much.

When I started looking for a new sport to play my dad introduced me to golf. My first experience was a round at Portlethen Golf Course where I shot 121.

I’ve never looked back since, although I can go round in a few shots less now!

Q: How long have you been in Doha and what has been your most memorable golfing moment during that time?

A: I’ve been in Doha now for two years. I’ve had so many memorable golfing moments during that time but without a doubt the best was having the pleasure of caddying for Brandt Snedeker in the practice round the day prior to the 2009 Qatar Masters. He played alongside Justin Rose and Graeme Storm. Watching him at close quarters and seeing how he conducted his practice sessions and prepared for the tournament was a great insight for me as a teaching professional.

Q: What was your first set of clubs?

A: My first ‘set’ was a mixed up half set that I got from my neighbour which comprised of about five different now obscure golf brands. I do however remember that the 9 iron was a Dunlop Blue Flash!

Q: Who is your favourite golfing hero and why?

A: Without a doubt, Tiger Woods. He is by far the most talented, hardworking professional on Tour and in my opinion the best sportsman of our time.

He has such an large array of shots and is capable of pulling off the absolute sublime on a regular basis. The thing I find the most impressive about him is his abilty to win – no matter how pressurised the situation he is always able control that pressure 96

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and use it in his favour. He is definitely a true inspiration to all golfers.

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

A: I think it would have to be rule 16-1 (touching the line of putt). It infuriates me that you cannot repair spike mark damage on the green in the line of a putt. You are able to repair damage made by the ball when it hits the green, why not the damage done by spikes. Perhaps that’s just me finding another reason why the ball didn’t drop! ■

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Dubai - ECCO Shops - Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre, The Dubai Mall. Abu Dhabi - ECCO Shop - Marina Mall Also available at leading golf culbs in UAE, Qatar, Bahrain & Egypt For Sales & Distribution: ECCO Middle East, Tel:+971-4-299 3885 Ext-101 & 403 Fax: +971-4-299 3886 P.O. Box 293878, Dubai. Email: ae.golf@ecco.com. visit:ecco.com/golf