Worldwide Golf - Lee Westwood

Issue 110, December 2009

MIDDLE EAST’S No.1 GOLF MAGAZINE

Lee Westwood walks away with the Dubai World Championship and The Race to Dubai pocketing $2.75 million

GOLF’S NEW GODFATHER

CANON PRO GOLF SERIES DRIVING RANGE ARABIAN GOLF TUTORIAL TIPS DUBAI LADIES MASTERS SAADIYAT BEACH CLASSIC

Al Naboodah Invitational Lee Westwood leads the allstar cast at the fourth charity pro-am on Monday, January 25

www.alnaboodahinvitational.com

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NEWS & VIEWS

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

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PLAYER INTRODUCTION

What a golf course this is!

Worldwide Golf’s Executive Editor

PLAYER

GARY

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T’S been a hectic but rewarding few weeks for me, travelling to 12 countries and 19 cities in just 30 days – but it’s been well worth the time and effort involved.

It was a wonderful sight to see our Saadiyat Beach course coming along so nicely. What a golf course this is.

I’m sure that it will become one of the finest golf courses in the world.

I’ve made numerous visits to the course since we first started work on the project but I was so pleased to see that it has turned out to look and feel exactly as we had hoped it would. It’s the ideal blend of the natural elements of Saadiyat Island with our captivating design statements which have created a matchless playing experience. And it’s all positioned at the heart of one of the world’s most rapidly developing golf destinations.

What really makes the course so unique is how we’ve managed to harness the different contrasts of colour from the sparkling blue waters of the Arabian Gulf, the dark tree lines and the white sand. It’s an exciting combination of natural beauty.

I was proud to show the visiting media around a selection of the holes, which included the stunning par-4 Hole 10, the Mousetrap; the dog-leg right par-5 Hole 11, Player’s Alley, the aptly named par-3 Hole 12, Panoramic; and the breathtaking par-3 Hole 17, Arabian Oasis.

Saadiyat Beach Golf Course is positioned on Saadiyat Island, which lies just 500 metres offshore from Abu Dhabi city, the capital of the seven United Arab Emirates and will become a global leisure, residential and cultural destination.

It was good to meet again with Lee Tabler of the TDIC as well as Ahmed Hussein, Chief Operating Officer of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Development & Investment Company, to discuss the arrangements for the soft launch on December 20th and the course’s official opening in January 2010, which will incorporate our star-studded international charity golf tournament, The Saadiyat Beach Classic with which we aim to attract golfing and non-golfing celebrities from around the world.

Our two-day charity tournament will be held on Wednesday, January 27th and Thursday 28th, following the first tournament on The European Tour’s three-tournament Middle East Swing, the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship (January 21st- 24th).

The course, which will be operated by Troon Golf, will open to the public fully in February 2010 and I can’t wait to see the reaction of the golfers who come to enjoy the

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club experience. With its practice range, Golf Academy and iconic clubhouse, the Golf Club is expected to become the social focal point of the district.

All levels of golfers will be welcome and the club’s facilities will be unique to the region offering a true “Member for the Day” experience for UAE residents, holidaymakers and guests from the surrounding hotels on a pay-and-play basis.

We have designed the amphitheatre-style Par 72 Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in a classic ‘figure of eight’ configuration with more than a third of the course having views of the Saadiyat coastline where dolphins are regularly spotted.

Over the years we have designed and created more than 300 golf courses around the globe but I have to say that this Saadiyat Beach course is one of the most stunning and beautiful locations I have ever worked with and I am certain that it will soon be regarded as one of the best courses in world golf.

Come and see and play the course in February and let us know what you think.

Ahmed Hussein, Chief Operating Officer of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, listens as Gary explains why he believes that the Saadiyat Beach Golf Course will soon be recognised as one of the best in the world and outlines the plans for The Saadiyat Beach Classic on January 27 and 28, 2010. www.wwgolf.biz

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Contents

THE BUSINESS Richard Bevan reports from the Dubai World Championship where Lee Westwood lit up the Earth Course with dazzling performance which propelled him back to the summit of European golf.

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Abdullah Al Naboodah

2010 Al Naboodah Invitational www.alnaboodahinvitational.com

A WEEK TO REMEMBER

Abdullah Al Naboodah

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BULLY BOY WESTWOOD DOES

Below: Enjoying nine holes of golf with legend, Gary Player, at The Els Club where Abdullah’s driving and bunker play comes under scrutiny of the Black Knight. Inset: Tom Scott of The Player Group, Tariq Al Sowaidi, Gary and Abdullah.

For details of the 2010 Al Naboodah Invitational: www.alnaboodahinvitational.com

NGLAND’S Lee Westwood may have struggled to hoist the giant new Race to Dubai trophy above his head but he made light work of Greg Norman’s Earth Course as he cruised to a spectacular six-stroke victory over ISM stablemate Ross McGowan in the inaugural Dubai World Championship.

Worksop’s finest was crowned European No.1 for the second time after firing a course record 64 to cap a performance that he described as the best of his career in Dubai. His 23-underpar total of 265 ensured him the victory he needed to guarantee top spot on the money list ahead Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, another of Chubby Chandler’s ISM gems, who added to a captivating tournament with a stellar performance of his own to finish in third place, eight shots back. The $1,250,000 Westwood

“If you ever wanted a tournament to burst on to the scene that’s probably as good as it gets out there.” – Lee Westwood claimed for winning the tournament, along with the $1,500,000 bonus he received for topping The Race to Dubai, gave him a total of $2,750,000 – the single largest prize fund ever awarded to one player in European Tour history. As debuts go, the Dubai World Championship and The Race to Dubai delivered the goods.

“If you ever wanted a tournament to burst on to the scene and have your first one out, that’s probably as good as it gets out there,” said Westwood, who finished the season with total earnings of €4,237,762. “You’ve got The Race to Dubai and the two people that are in the frame for winning it coming down the stretch; you probably couldn’t get any better.

“I think Dubai and The European Tour have come out of it looking fantastic. I think it’ a great effort for golf in this region. I think it’s a great advert for golf on The European Tour. It shows the quality of the players that we have on this Tour.”

Westwood’s win moves him to fourth place in the World Ranking, matching his highest ever position, which came in early 2001 following his last Order of Merit success in 2000 when he ended Colin Montgomerie’s seven-year stranglehold on the Harry Vardon trophy with five victories during an imperious season.

From that high there followed an almighty slump when he almost disappeared off the radar completely over two forgettable seasons as his ranking plummeted. The journey back from that low has been a long and often frustrating one for the man considered to be the finest English player of his generation, which made his Race to Dubai triumph at Jumeirah Golf Estates the sweetest of the lot.

“Without doubt this is the highest point,” he said. “Obviously I had a high point in 2000 but back then I was young and didn’t really know what it was all about, I’d just really experienced the highs.

“I went through a bit of a low which was well documented and didn’t play so well, dropping out of the top 250 in the world rankings and it’s been a long way back.

“I’m much more mature now and I’ve got a more rounded game. There’s less flaws, there’s less weaknesses.”

Westwood revealed that he outdid his opponents in Dubai by turning into a golfing bully on the advice of his caddie, Billy Foster, admitting that in the preceding weeks he had been guilty of concentrating too much on what his rivals for The Race to Dubai – McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher – were doing.

“The reason for the big turnaround in confidence was a conversation I had with Billy at the beach party they held on the Tuesday evening before the tournament,” he said. “He’d probably had just enough Heineken to tell me what he really thought and as I’d only had two Mojitos, I was able to actually understand what he was telling me!

“He said that I’ve been great all year, great in Portugal, won there, had a lot of confidence and then since then I had not been myself – I had been paying too much attention to the other people around me, looking at boards too much,

Lee Westwood reacts after sinking the winning putt at the Dubai World Championship and becomes European No.1 for the second time in his career.

worrying what other people were doing. He said, ‘You’ve won seven times in a season and 30 times in your career’, which is more than the other three guys that were trying to win the money list put together probably. He said, ‘You’ve been out here 16 years and that’s longer than all three of them put together’. He told me that if I started playing the way he knew I could do that they would be the ones looking up at the board and worrying about me. That’s what I tried to do and that’s why I was confident all week.

“I know it’s a terrible word to use because I don’t, I hate it, but he said, ‘You’ve got to bully them on the golf course.

“I think the way you are, the way you portray yourself can be intimidating to other people.

I’m not saying it was but I think it certainly

MIDDLE EAST’S No.1 GOLF MAGAZINE

Abdullah Al Naboodah talks to Mike Gallemore about the week of the Dubai World Championship and the forthcoming Al Naboodah Invitational charity tournament, which takes place at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on Monday, January 25, 2010, where 48 European Tour professionals will compete with 48 amateurs in teams of two players. This fourth year of the Al Naboodah Invitational promises to be the best so far for players and spectators alike. For details visit: www.alnaboodahinvitational.com

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HAT a wonderful winner Lee Westwood was for the inaugural Dubai World Championship.

He’s a truly great Champion and the tournament could not have hoped for a better winner.

I spoke with him on the Friday when he’d finished his second round and afterwards he signed a golf ball for my son, which was a nice gesture. To be fourth in the world and drop down to 250th place and then come back to fourth on the World Ranking again and be top of The European Tour says something about the character of the man.

Lee is such a magnificent player and an equally fine personality who deserves all the success he is enjoying right now. He’s had one of the best seasons of his career and it was a fitting finale that he should crown it by winning the Championship, and along with

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it The Race to Dubai. To take home $2.75 million is fair a week’s work and for Lee to move up to fourth place in the Official World Golf Ranking matches the highest placing he reached in 2001.

Winning The Race to Dubai gave him his second Order of Merit title to go with the Harry Vardon Trophy he won in 2000, when he had five tournament wins on The European Tour.

Volunteer I was so pleased for Lee. He was one of the first Tour players to volunteer his presence at our event in January, along with his ISM stablemate, Rory McIlroy, who finished third in the Dubai World Championship and runner-up to Lee in The Race to Dubai. Rory was another of the leading Tour players who offered to play

in our Al Naboodah Invitational. The effort everyone has put into the Invitational for January has been great. The respect that the players have got for the charity event is very rewarding and I can’t thank them enough for all their support One of the things I’m really looking forward to is that the event is moving forward into becoming a really top class tournament in the years to come.

The players enjoy playing it because it’s a fun event. If they did not enjoy it then there would be no point having it. It has to be enjoyable for the pros and the amateurs alike. It’s got to be both fun and at the same time competitive.

The reward for having such a good time is the fact that we are generating much needed funds for charity. At the end of the day all the players can sleep well at night

knowing they have done a good thing for charity. We all have a fun day with our friends and fellow players and a great day is enjoyed by everyone – players and spectators.

The Pro-Am dinner is also something we all look forward to. We ask the players if they would like to join us at the dinner and they are always eager to come. When we held our first Invitational in 2007 we asked the professionals if they would attend the dinner and they came. The next year they hardly needed asking and all of them turned up.

I want the professionals to be happy.

If they are happy it makes for a happy atmosphere and the amateurs are happy to be in their company. It’s very important that everyone is happy. The friendliness of the players also rubs off on the spectators.

The pros give more than 100 percent and it’s their input that creates the overall enjoyment of the entire day – and the dinner.

This year we need to bring the event to the spectators to get as many people as possible to the tournament and enjoy the fun of the day. There are no ropes for the spectators. They can get close to the players

while still showing respect for them and enjoy a unique, friendly atmosphere. I’m hoping that we can attract a big crowd to the Creek because I know they will enjoy the day.

Dubai World Championship week was a fascinating few days for me. I was fortunate that my bid of AED150,000 in the online charity auction was successful and I had an excellent round in the Dubai World Championship Pro-Am playing with Ernie Els over the Earth course. I’ve been a longtime avid supporter of charities and the Dubai Autism Centre and the ‘Els for Autism’ are both deserving causes.

Excellent company Having now played with Ernie I can understand why he is called ‘The Big Easy.’

Ernie’s a great man and a great champion.

He really is so easy-going. He was excellent company and it was all so relaxed we talked about everything except golf. I really enjoyed the day. On Thursday I had

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the honour of playing nine holes with Gary Player at The Els Club, which I think is an excellent course. Every time I meet Gary he impresses me more and more.

He’s absolutely amazing. At the age of 74 he’s still a phenomenal golfer. I was so impressed with the shots he played.

I had the opportunity of seeing his bunker play at first hand and he’s unbelievable. It’s easy to see how he earned the reputation of being one of the best bunker players in the game.

We talked about the youngsters in the UAE and how we need to bring forward a champion from the UAE to turn pro and play on The European Tour and to look ahead to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

I’m looking forward to going to South Africa to play in the Gary Player Invitational at The Links at Fancourt. It promises to be a fun occasion, although I’ll probably get another lecture from Gary on eating the right kind of food! ■

WWG MIDWEEK OPEN ERNIE ELS COLUMN GREG NORMAN COLUMN DIVOTS: NEWS ITEMS

HSBC CHAMPIONSHIP winner Phil Mickelson makes it a Shanghai double.

OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING

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GARY PLAYER COLUMN THE FINAL RACE TO DUBAI WORLD ROUND-UPS CLAUDE HARMON III SWING ANALYSIS TUTORIAL

VOLVO WORLD MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP: WWG columnist Ross Fisher takes the biggest prize of his career.

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THE COMMERCIALBANK QATAR MASTERS: Defending champion Alvaro Quiros is expected to lead a world-class field .

24 ALDAR YAS LINKS: Aldar’s Chris White

WOMEN’S GOLF DUBAI

desscribes the fascinating Abu Dhabi course and its magnificent facilities.

EGYPTIAN OPEN

32 THE AL NABOODAH INVITATIONAL: Lee Westwood heads the cast at the fourth running of the popular Pro-Am.

ARABIAN GOLF LOCKER ROOM GROOM ROOM

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IN THE BAG: CLUB PRO

ABDULLAH AL NABOODAH INVITATIONAL AT DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB ON MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2010. VISIT:

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10 THE CANON Pro Golf Series at Arabian Ranches with Thomas Levet, Ian Woosnam and Nick Dougherty.

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Published by: Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd, 54 Alderley Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, England, SK9 1NY

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ABDULLAH AL NABOODAH INTERVIEW: A week to remember, having played with Ernie Els and then Gary Player.

34 NIKKI GARRETT INTERVIEW: The Australian Ladies European Tour player talks about the 2009 Dubai Ladies Classic.

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

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CANON PRO GOLF SERIES DRIVING RANGE ARABIAN GOLF TUTORIAL TIPS DUBAI LADIES MASTERS GARY PLAYER CLASSIC

Al Naboodah Invitational Lee Westwood leads the allstar cast at the fourth charity pro-am on Monday, January 25

18 WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS-

ROSS FISHER COLUMN

ISSUE No. 110, DECEMBER, 2009

GOLF’S NEW GODFATHER

12 DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP and The Race to Dubai winner Lee Westwood celebrates his $2.75 million double victory.

CLUBHOUSE QUICKIES

Lee Westwood poses with the two trophies after his imperious winning display at the Dubai World Championship.

He captured the baton for winning the tournament and the huge trophy for topping The Race to Dubai.

Lee Westwood walks away with the Dubai World Championship and The Race to Dubai pocketing

Features

GARY PLAYER INTRODUCTION

$2.75 million

34 www.wwgolf.biz

“I know it’s a terrible word to use because I don’t, I hate it, but you’ve got to bully them on the golf course.”

– Lee Westwood

FRONT COVER: Lee Westwood, winner of the inaugural Dubai World Championship and The Race to Dubai.

“THERE ARE NO ROPES FOR THE SPECTATORS. THEY CAN GET CLOSE TO THE PLAYERS WHILE STILL SHOWING RESPECT FOR THEM AND ENJOY A UNIQUE, FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE.” – ABDULLAH AL NABOODAH

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Regulars

helped. It certainly made me feel good.”

Westwood’s intimidation tactics obviously did the trick. He was paired with McIlroy - as the top two players in The Race to Dubai - in the opening round. Robert Allenby took the early lead with an impressive 7-under 65 while Westwood joined Camilo Villegas and Chris Wood on 66. McIlroy, who led the money list by just shy of €130,000 at the start of the week, struggled to keep pace with the leaders with a level-par front nine before recovering with a wonderful back nine of 32 to complete an opening 68.

But he played into his rival’s hands when he declared that he was glad he wouldn’t have the extra pressure of playing with Westwood in the second round, saying: “I found it quite tough to play together today, just because you want to try

Issue 110, December 2009

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NEWS & VIEWS

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

OMAN OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP THE Oman Golf Committee (OGC) has announced the launch of the inaugural 1st Oman Open Championship to be played on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd January, 2010 at Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club. The 36 holes Championship will be open to both Men and Ladies from Oman and throughout the region with a separate 9 hole event for Juniors. The Championship is the official premier event of the OGC and is aimed at providing an opportunity for local golfers to compete against players from other Gulf countries.

The Championship will be Oman’s first tournament to be played on a grass golf course and is expected to attract strong interest from golfers throughout the Gulf.

There will be an entry handicap limit cut-off applied to manage the size of the field, so that if the number of entries were too high based on, say a handicap of 28, the handicap entry limit could be reduced to, say 24, to bring down the number of competitors. The main competition will be stroke play while the junior competition will be a Stableford format.

The support of sponsors is crucial to the success of the Oman Open in enabling the OGC to grow the tournament into a premier event as Oman embarks on widening its appeal as a world-class golf tourism and tourist destination. A number of new and exciting grass golf courses are under development which will be playable in the next few years.

The OGC is looking for a limited number of key sponsors to support this premier event with a maximum of five sponsors at 5,000 OMR per sponsor. Contact Yvonne Welling at budgie@omantel.net.om Or telephone Yvonne – Oman 99341102.

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THE MIDDLE EAST’S No.1 GOLF MAGAZINE - WRITTEN BY GOLFERS FOR GOLFERS

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MIDWEEK OPEN at Arabian Ranches GC, January 5, 2010 and

WIN a GOLDEN TICKET to the AL NABOODAH INVITATIONAL

WORLDWIDE GOLF has partnered with the Al Naboodah Invitational to offer our readers an exclusive opportunity to play alongside European Tour professionals like The Race to Dubai and Dubai World Championship winner Lee Westwood, Ryder Cup star Graeme McDowell and World No.10 Rory McIlroy in the charity event on January 25th, 2010, at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club.

This is the only chance to play in the Al Naboodah Invitational as it is a strict invitation only event. Two spots in the field have been reserved as ‘GOLDEN TICKETS’ for winners of the Worldwide Golf Midweek Open in January. The two lucky winners will each become a VIP for the day, partnering a European Tour professional and compete against some of the world’s best players in the most competitive yet friendly pro-am in the region.

There is one spot available for adults (maximum handicap 18 for men, 24 for ladies) and one spot for juniors (maximum handicap 28).

For your chance to win a place in the tournament that every amateur wants to play, and a prize that money just can’t buy, simply enter the Worldwide Golf Midweek Open at Arabian Ranches Golf Club on Tuesday January 5th, 2010.

The Worldwide Golf Midweek Open is an Individual Strokeplay event for male, female and junior golfers with an official handicap. The entrance fee is inclusive of access to the practice facility prior to play and to the locker rooms and a light buffet presentation dinner at close of play (beverages will be at individuals’ expense). The sign-up is simple. Just fill out the entry form below and fax. it to Arabian Ranches Golf Club with your credit card details on 04 3663355 or download the entry form from www.alnaboodahinvitational.com If you do not wish to use your credit card, payment can be made direct to Arabian Ranches Golf Club. Payment in advance is required to enable us to fill the limited field in the competition. Advance fees paid by players who fail to turn up to compete will not be refunded. Money will be refunded if cancellation is received with 48 hours’ notice as it will allow those on the long waiting list the chance to participate.

The details of the event are as follows: Entry fee AED495, which includes Green Fees, shared Golf Cart, Event Shirt, Range Balls, Tournament Prizes, Buffet at the Prize Presentation.

Date Venue Time Format Tees Entry Fee Closing Date

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Tuesday, 5th January 2010 Arabian Ranches Golf Club 1.00 pm Shotgun Start 18 Holes Strokeplay Full Handicap Allowance Men – Gold Tees, Ladies – Red Tees AED 495.00 (Juniors AED195.00) 20th December 2009 – on a first come first served basis.

Please fax your confirmation to: 04 3663355 Name: Handicap: Club / EGF Mobile No: Fax No: E-mail Address: Credit Card

Visa

MasterCard

Card Number: Name on card: Expiry date: Shirt Size: (Please encircle) S M L XL XXL PLEASE FAX TO: 04 3663355

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Cancellation:

The entry fee will be debited from the card details enclosed with this form once the club has confirmed your event entry. If you need to withdraw your entry we require 48 hours notice to make the space available to players on the standby list. Your card will not be debited if you follow this cancellation process.

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WWGCOLUMNIST

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

The Dubai World Championship has been a huge boost for The European Tour

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’M writing this month’s column from the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, and let me tell you, although it’s freezing cold outside it feels great to be back in the old house, even if it is for just one week.

We base ourselves in the US now for lots of good reasons that are already well known, but Wentworth remains one of my favourite places in the world. This has been such a lovely family home for us and we’re all here together this week and making the most of it. We may not be back again until the spring.

The timing of this visit is perfect in other ways, too, as it gave me a chance to check on the progress of the final phases of the West Course renovation project. Since my last visit to Wentworth in the summer the guys had kept me right up to speed with everything that had been happening, so I knew work had been going really well.

Looks fantastic But it was great to come back here and see it for myself. I walked the course a couple of times straight after getting back from China and it looks fantastic. I also hit some shots into the new-look 18th green and had a chat with some of the guys from the Association of Golf Writers. It was good to be able to explain to them my design philosophies and the reasoning behind some of the changes we’ve made to the golf course.

All 18 greens and the greens’ complexes are now complete and I believe the quality of the workmanship is as good as you will see anywhere in the world. The course is different in certain areas, but above all, we’ve tried to enhance the quality of this wonderful golf course and, where appropriate, give some different 6

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shot values. Some people will have criticisms, because that’s the way life is.

But as they say, you can’t please all the people all the time. You just have to go with what you believe in, have total integrity in what you do, and do it to the absolute best of your ability and for what you feel is the right reasons.

Everyone involved in this project can rest easy on all of those issues.

I’m extremely proud of what we’ve been able to achieve at Wentworth.

Personally, I can’t wait to come back again in the spring and play the course. That will be very special and I think we’re in for a great BMW PGA Championship next year.

Golfwise I’ve just had a pretty good little stretch in the Far East, with backto-back tournaments in Singapore and China.

Barclays put on another great show at The Barclays Singapore Open, despite Mother Nature doing her utmost to try to spoil things. The weather delays were a real shame for everyone involved, but the organisers did a good job in tough circumstances and they got us finished right on time.

I started the week really strongly with a bogey-free 67 that could have been seriously low, but any time you start a tournament with a 67 you can’t complain. The momentum kind of left me that week, though, and after a decent second round 69 I shot a pair of 72s over the weekend to fall back into a tie for 14th place.

That was not what I had in mind, but I felt confident going into the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, China, mainly because my swing had been feeling good for several months and I knew that all I had to do was make a few putts and the results would come.

So it was no real surprise to me the way I performed in at Sheshan International Golf Club. A lot of the

media were making a big deal about it, but to be honest I’d been playing like that pretty much the whole summer.

As I said, all I needed to do was get on a roll with the putter and that’s exactly what happened. The greens were probably the best we’ve putted on all year and I must say I had a great time out there!

It was probably my strongest tournament of the year so far. But I was disappointed with my shot into the last hole, because that pretty much cost me a win. It was a tough downhill lie from 220 yards and I tried to hit a big cut with a 5-wood and basically duffed it.

I’ve been criticised for not laying up, but I don’t listen to that kind of stuff.

Hey, if I’d laid-up and not made birdie they’d have probably crucified me for that, too! All I can say is that in the heat of the moment, a 5-wood felt like the right shot at the time and that’s all you can ever go with.

IN THE KNOW WITH ERNIE ELS

The best round of my 2009 season so far – my final round nine under par 63 ( in the World Golf ChampionshipsHSBC Champions tournament at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai, China, where I finished runner-up to Phil Mickelson by just one shot.

I shot 70, 71, 68, 63 for a 16 under par total of 272. I made 22 birdies, two eagles and scored my ninth career holein-one in the second round.

Big week for me I didn’t dwell on it for long, either.

Let’s face it I gave it a heck of a run.

It was a big week for me and I took a bunch of positive vibes from it. I made a lot of good putts, my short game is right back where I want it to be and I’m swinging the club great. Shooting a final round 63, and knowing the situation, is going to do a lot for how I feel about my game going forward into the New Year. Seriously, I’m feeling really good about my future again.

The Dubai World Championship has been a huge boost for The European Tour and Nakheel and Leisurecorp should be congratulated for their vision and commitment.

It’s great news for everyone involved in the game of golf and as we approach the end of the season it creates a lot of excitement for players and fans alike.

PHIL MICKELSON commented after winning the HSBC Champipns: “Ernie played one of the greatest rounds ever on the final day, shooting a course record equalling 63, and I was very fortunate to come out on top.”

“I’M EXTREMELY PROUD OF WHAT WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO ACHIEVE AT WENTWORTH. PERSONALLY, I CAN’T WAIT TO COME BACK AGAIN IN THE SPRING AND PLAY THE COURSE.” – ERNIE ELS

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7

CANON PRO GOLF SERIES

GREAT GOLF, GREAT FUN FOR ALL

Above Top: All the participants and professionals line-up at the Arabian Ranches Golc Course after play.

Above: Frenchman Thomas Levet attempts a trick-shot on the tee, much to the delight of the onlookers.

10

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A

N unforgettable day was had by amateurs and professionals alike at the Canon Pro Golf Series held at Arabian Ranches Golf Club last month.

Making up ‘Team Canon’ were three of The European Tour’s most charismatic pros in Welshman Ian Woosnam, Englishman Nick Dougherty and Frenchman Thomas Levet and they didn’t disappoint in delivering a great day of golfing fun and laughter.

One of the highlights of the day was the exhibition match played by the pros over holes 1,2,3,8 and 9. Guests and amateurs were able to walk and talk with the three Tour players, as the banter went back and forth with Levet one of the main perpetrators and the diminutive fun-loving Woosnam bearing the brunt.

The day also involved a photocall where every amateur had the chance to have their photograph taken with the pros while non-golfers were catered for with a beginners’ clinic hosted by the three teaching Professionals at Arabian Ranches Golf Club in which the participants won prizes in a

putting, chipping and ‘most potential’ competition.

The main event was an 18-hole Modified Stableford Pro-Am with full handicap allowance where each of the 17 three-player teams got to play three holes with one of the professionals. All three players teed off, the best positioned ball was selected and each player played their own ball from there, with the best two net scores counting towards the team total.

The team of Gareth McMurray (11) Joe Morrin (11) and Jonathan Hendry (18) blew away the rest of the field when they posted a combined net score of 118 to win by a clear five shots from runners-up, Gordon Shand, Paul Moir and Alan Green on 123. McMurray and his team played holes 13, 14 and 15 with Levet who contributed an eagle and two birdies to the team’s total.

Three-time European Tour winner Dougherty said: “The day went really well. It was superbly organised and was a lot fun. The exhibition match is a really good idea. It’s a lighter side to it which you don’t really see at other corporate days and it gave the guys a chance to walk the course with us and get to know us a little bit before we go out on the golf course with them.

“The format is unique as the guests can get really close to the professionals and they forge a nice relationship. The days I’ve done with Canon definitely seem more intimate and the guys certainly appreciate that. From a professional’s point of view there’s nothing worse than standing on one tee box, playing a par-3 with every group as they pass through but today we played a nice course, each pro played three different holes with each group and everyone had a fair share of time with the professionals.

“The course at Arabian Ranches was very narrow and tight off the tee so it’s a tough driving course but the greens were super quick and on the whole it was in fabulous condition.

Canon Pro Golf Series

“The social atmosphere was great. It seemed that because a lot of the guys who played today were members at the club the atmosphere was a lot more ‘club’ like, which is what it should be like – plenty of banter and plenty of tales about their day out on the course with the pros!”

Arabian Ranches Golf Manager Francois Wolfaart added: “It has been a great day for all the players who were participating, our thanks go out to IMG and Canon for their support” The day ended with a dinner and prizegiving ceremony where all the participants enjoyed a great evening with the pros.

The Canon Pro Golf Series is a unique Canon event which was launched in the late 1990s involving some of the world’s leading European Tour players. The programme runs across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

The annual series spans 15 one-day events across 13 countries, including South Africa, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Germany, France, Netherlands, UK and last month, for the first time, Dubai.■

Above Right: Bertil Widmark, Managing Director Canon Middle East; Thomas Levet; Mr Shuichi Shionoya, Head of Canon’s Emerging Market Business Unit; Ian Woosnam OBE, Ryioshi Bamba, President & CEO Canon EMEA; Nick Dougherty, with the winning Team METS, J. Morin, G. McMurray and J.Hendry.

Below: Ian Woosnam and Thomas Levet offer a few friendly words of advice as Nick Dougherty lines up a putt.

“The day went really well, it was superbly organised and was a lot fun. The exhibition match is a really good idea.”

– Nick Dougherty

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11

BULLY BOY WESTWOOD DOES

THE BUSINESS Richard Bevan reports on the Dubai World Championship where Lee Westwood lit up the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates with a dazzling performance which propelled him back to the summit of European golf and to No.4 in the World.

E

NGLAND’S Lee Westwood may have struggled to hoist the giant new Race to Dubai trophy above his head but he made light work of Greg Norman’s Earth course as he cruised to a spectacular six-stroke victory over ISM stablemate Ross McGowan in the inaugural Dubai World Championship.

Worksop’s finest was crowned European No.1 for the second time in his life after firing a course record 64 to cap a performance that he described as the best of his career.

His 23-under-par total of 265 ensured him the victory he needed to guarantee top spot on the money list ahead of Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, another of Chubby Chandler’s ISM gems, who added to a captivating tournament with a stellar performance of his own to finish in third place, eight shots back. The $1,250,000

“If you ever wanted a tournament to burst on to the scene that’s probably as good as it gets out there.” – Lee Westwood Westwood claimed for winning the tournament, along with the $1,500,000 bonus he received for topping The Race to Dubai, gave him a total of $2,750,000 – the single largest prize fund ever awarded to one player in European Tour history.

As debuts go, the Dubai World Championship and The Race to Dubai delivered the goods.

“If you ever wanted a tournament to burst on to the scene that’s probably as good as it gets out there,” said Westwood, who finished the season with total earnings of €4,237,762. “You’ve got The Race to Dubai and the two people who are in the frame for winning it coming down the stretch – you probably couldn’t get any better.

“I think Dubai and The European Tour have come out of it all looking fantastic. It’ s a great effort for golf in this region. I think it’s a great advert for golf on The European Tour. It shows the quality of the players that we have on this Tour.”

Westwood’s win moves him up to fourth place 12

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in the World Ranking, matching his highest ever position, which came in early 2001 following his last Order of Merit success in 2000 with five victrories in an imperious season when he ended Colin Montgomerie’s seven-year stranglehold on the Harry Vardon trophy.

From that high there followed an almighty slump when he almost disappeared off the radar completely over two forgettable seasons as his ranking plummeted. The journey back up from that low has been a long and often frustrating one for the man considered to be the finest English player of his generation, which made his Race to Dubai triumph at Jumeirah Golf Estates the sweetest of the lot.

“Without doubt this is the highest point,” he said. “Obviously, I had a high point in 2000 but back then I was young and didn’t really know what it was all about, I’d just really experienced the highs.

“I went through a bit of a low which was well documented and didn’t play so well, dropping out of the top 250 in the World Ranking and it’s been a long way back.

“I’m much more mature now and I’ve got a more rounded game. There’s less flaws, there’s less weaknesses.”

Westwood revealed that he outdid his opponents in Dubai by turning into a golfing bully on the advice of his caddie, Billy Foster, admitting that in the preceding weeks he had been guilty of concentrating too much on what his rivals for The Race to Dubai – McIlroy, Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher – were doing.

“The reason for the big turnaround in confidence was a conversation I had with Billy at the beach party they held on the Tuesday evening before the tournament,” he said. “He’d probably had just enough Heineken to tell me what he really thought and as I’d only had two Mojitos, I was able to actually understand what he was telling me!

“He said that I’ve been great all year, great in Portugal, won there, had a lot of confidence but since then I had not been myself – I had been paying too much attention to the other people around me, looking at leader boards too much, worrying what other people were doing. He

Lee Westwood reacts after sinking the winning putt at the Dubai World Championship and becomes European No.1 for the second time in his career.

said, ‘You’ve won seven times in a season and 30 times in your career’, which is probably more than the other three guys who were trying to win the money list put together. He said, ‘You’ve been out here 16 years and that’s longer than all three of them put together’. He told me that if I started playing the way he knew I could play that they would be the ones looking up at the leader board and worrying about me. That’s what I tried to do and that’s why I was confident all week.

“I know it’s a terrible word to use because I don’t, I hate it, but he said, ‘You’ve got to bully them on the golf course.’

“I think the way you are, the way you portray yourself can be intimidating to other people.

I’m not saying it was but I think it certainly helped. It certainly made me feel good.”

DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Westwood’s intimidation tactics obviously did the trick. He was paired with McIlroy – as the top two players in The Race to Dubai – in the opening round. Robert Allenby took the early lead with an impressive 7-under 65 while Westwood joined Camilo Villegas and Chris Wood on 66. McIlroy, who led the money list by just shy of €130,000 at the start of the week, struggled to keep pace with the leaders with a level-par front nine before recovering with a wonderful back nine of 32 to complete an opening 68.

But he played into his rival’s hands when he declared that he was pleased he wouldn’t have the extra pressure of playing with Westwood in the second round, saying: “I found it quite tough to play together today, just because you want

“I know it’s a terrible word to use because I don’t, I hate it, but you’ve got to bully them on the golf course.”

– Lee Westwood Lee Westwood poses with the two trophies after his imperious winning display at the Dubai World Championship.

He captured the baton for winning the tournament and the huge trophy for topping The Race to Dubai. www.wwgolf.biz

13

DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Rory McIlroy hits his drive off the first tee at the start of the final round of the Dubai World Championship.

to try and concentrate on the tournament, but at the same time, you’re seeing what he’s doing, and it will be nice not to play with him tomorrow, just to concentrate fully on my own score and on my own game.”

Westwood believes it was a mistake by the youngster – still only in his second full season on The European Tour – and one that he won’t make again.

“It was a massive feather in my cap when he said he was glad to get away from it,” he said.

“There’s nothing worse to say than that if you’re Rory and he will learn from that. There’s nothing better for me than for a competitor to say they’re glad they’re not playing with me.”

Despite having what he described as his least satisfying round with a 69 on the Friday, Westwood found himself at the top of the leaderboard at 9-under at the halfway point.

Allenby followed his opening 65 with a much more laboured 72 to share second place two shots back with Padraig Harrington, McGowan, McIlory, Louis Oosthuizen and Villegas.

It was a day of twists and turns as McIlroy looked to be heading for the lead after a swashbuckling front nine of 31 before he threeputted the 14th and 15th en-route to a back nine of 38. Irishman Harrington then had his chance to top the table before two balls in the water at the par-5 18th resulted in a double bogey which dropped him back into the pack.

“It was a perfect way to start to get myself right back on top of the leaderboard,” said McIlroy. “I felt as if I’d played the back nine okay, just those couple of short putts on 14 and 15 let me down.

14

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The most disappointing thing was 14 and 15 are birdie holes and to bogey them means you are sort of losing three strokes.”

As the Dubai sun continued to shine down on the Earth course over the weekend Westwood’s putter got hot, very hot. In fact just about every club in his bag was on fire as he continued to assert his dominance over Greg Norman’s layout as well as his fellow players.

A blemish-free 66 put him two clear of McGowan (66) and five clear of McIlroy, who stuttered with bogeys on 16, 17 and 18 for a 69.

Harrington and Alexander Noren remained in the hunt after a 69 and 67 respectively left them tied with McIlroy at 10-under while Sergio Garcia and Geoff Ogilvy had a slim chance at 9-under.

But Westwood was not for turning. He completed his flawless weekend with another bogey-free round, setting a new course record with an 8-under 64 for his outstanding 23-under total. Fairway after fairway and green after green were found, as they had been all week, with unwavering accuracy, while the short stick continued to turn his scorecard red.

Five birdies in a blistering outward nine of 31 gave him a commanding six-stroke lead before three more birdies on the way home put the finishing touches to a sensational victory.

“That’s about as good as I’ve ever played, I’m speechless really,” he said. “I played great all week. A 66 and 64 over the weekend will take some beating I think. It means so much to me.

I’ve been through a lot and I’m delighted to be standing here. It’s got to be the best day of my golfing career. I think that’s about as good as I’ve

“I have no complaints. I gave it my best shot and it’s been a great season, but Lee is just different class.”

– Rory McIlroy ever played under this pressure. Hopefully, there will be more, maybe a Major in the future. Some of the young players coming through, like Rory McIlroy, put me under a lot of pressure so it will be tough. I’m going to enjoy the rest of 2009.”

McIlroy was able to hold his head up high after a superb performance that secured him second place on The Race to Dubai but admitted that he could find no answer to Westwood’s scintillating form.

“I have no complaints,” said McIlroy, who finished the season with earnings of €3,610,020. “I gave it my best shot and it’s been a great season, but Lee is just different class.

“Most times coming here leading the money list and then finishing third in the tournament would be good enough (to win The Race to Dubai), but even if I’d played well I’m not sure I could have got to 23-under.

“Lee’s been through the highs and lows of this game and he’s back. He’s played fantastically well for two years and I suppose this is his reward for persevering.” Westwood’s win was as much as

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DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP he deserved after an outstanding season. He was a whisker away from winning his beloved Open Championship but finished third, one stroke away from a play-off with Tom Watson and Stewart Cink after three-putting the last.

Rather than letting that blow throw him off course he picked himself up and dusted himself down, posting a string of good results in the big tournaments and winning the Portugal Masters for his 19th European Tour title (the DWC took his tally to 20).

“After Turnberry (The Open Championship) I was about as disappointed as I’ve ever been in my career. It felt like, and still does, a tournament I should have won.

“The Open Championship is the most important tournament in the world to me. It is the one to win. So to come so close and not win was obviously very disappointing but, like I said at the time, you’ve got to get over that sooner or later and turn finishing third in a Major championship into a positive.

“I tried to do that over the few weeks that followed and backed that up by finishing ninth in the World Golf Championshps-Bridgestone Invitational and third in the U.S. PGA Championship and I’ve had some more really good results since then.

“I tried to draw confidence from the experience and move on and be ready for the next time. Today felt a similar sort of pressure to trying to win The Open, because it’s (The Race to Dubai) played over a year, or even14 months.

“It means a lot to be the European No.1, to be able to say that again.”

He may have turned bully on the golf course but Westwood is one the game’s nice guys and the inaugural Dubai World Championship and Race to Dubai could surely not have wished for a better winner. ■

Martin Kaymer and Ross Fisher, the other two major contenders for The Race to Dubai heading into the Dubai World Championship, retained their respective positions of third and fourth on the money list despite unspectacular performances during the tournament. Kaymer finished tied 37th at 2-under while Fisher finished tied 42nd at 1-under.

A delighted Lee Westwood lifts his caddie and good friend Billy Foster off the ground after winning the Dubai World Championship.

Westwood on McIlroy: “What’s he got going for him? He’s 20 years old. A millionaire already. Hits it miles. Has a nice looking girlfriend. Drives a Lamborghini. It’s hard, isn’t it!”

DUBAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL LEADERBOARD

16

Pos

Name

Country

To Par

R1

R2

R3

R4

Total

1

Lee Westwood

ENG

-23

66

69

66

64

265

€ 830,675

2

Ross McGowan

ENG

-17

71

66

66

68

271

€ 553,781

3

Rory McIlroy

NIR

-15

68

69

69

67

273

€ 323,963

4

Padraig Harrington

IRL

-14

68

69

69

68

274

€ 224,282

4

Geoff Ogilvy

AUS

-14

70

69

68

67

274

€ 224,282

6

Alexander Noren

SWE

-13

70

69

67

69

275

€ 162,094

7

Sergio Garcia

ESP

-12

71

67

69

69

276

€ 139,553

7

Adam Scott

AUS

-12

68

73

67

68

276

€ 139,553

9

Peter Hanson

SWE

-10

72

71

66

69

278

€ 114,633

9

Miguel Angel Jiménez

ESP

-10

72

68

69

69

278

€ 114,633

9

Ian Poulter

ENG

-10

71

74

68

65

278

€ 114,633

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Prize Money

Mickelson produces a second Shanghai classic to win the first WGC-HSBC Champions

P

HIL Mickelson signed off on a hugely successful year by beating the best in the world to take home his second World Golf Championships title at the HSBC Champions tournament in Shanghai.

Beginning the final round two shots ahead of Tiger Woods and Nick Watney in the last group, Mickelson held off his playing partners and a superb late charge from Ernie Els to step into the winner’s circle for the fourth time in 2009 and the second time at Sheshan International Golf Club, having previously won the HSBC Champions in 2007.

“It feels terrific to have won this tournament,” smiled the World No.2. “It has been very special to have a World Golf Championships here in China and to be the champion feels great. ”This is my last event of the year. I won’t be playing again until end of January in the U.S., and so to finish the year with this victory feels wonderful.”

Mickelson carded a final round 3-under-par 69 for a 17-under-par total to win by a stroke from Els who shot up the leaderboard after firing a course record equalling 9-under-par 63.

Tiger Woods was out of sorts and was left trailing in Mickelson’s wake as he could only muster a level-par 72 to finish sixth while Watney also struggled to mount a serious charge, carding a 1-under 72 for fifth place.

Instead of battling with his playing partners, Mickelson was made to fight as the name of Ernie Els gradually crept up towards the top of the leaderboard as the round went on – eventually taking the lead with a birdie on the 17th as Mickelson teed off on 16.

“I knew on 16 that I was a shot behind and needed to make birdie to pull even,” said Mickelson. “I thought that it was important to make birdie on 16 because I was counting on Ernie making birdie on 18, and I needed to keep pace. “ However, the drivable par 4 16th which clocks in at just 288 yards yielded only a par for Mickelson when his usually sublime short-game let him down. His drive missed the green and he fluffed his trademark flop shot by sliding under the ball, hitting it straight up in the air so it landed back in his divot – and then bumped it onto the green leaving himself a tricky 18-footer for par. He duly stepped up and knocked it in, punching the air in relief at what a big moment it was for his title bid. “That was the best putt I

18

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WESTWOOD PLAYS UP FOR THE FANS

LEE Westwood responded to the fans’ requests on the BBC-606 internet message board at the HSBC Champions by doing two push-ups while lining up a putt on the 18th green. Message board members were unconvinced that it was the real Lee Westwood posting messages on the forum and asked him to prove it by wearing turquoise and then purple shirts during the tournament and doing push-ups on the 18th during the third round. The World No.4 duly obliged, much to the delight of his followers.

holed all week,” he said afterwards. He then went on to birdie the par-3 17th to put the pressure on Els who then threw his chance of victory away by duffing his 5-wood into the drink on the 18th.

“I had 218 yards to the front of the green, but I was on a severe downslope and I was in between clubs, thinking I couldn’t carry a 4-iron to the front, because I can hit my four iron to about 215,” said the South African, who shot eight birdies and an eagle.

“I tried to take a 5-wood, aim left and hit a big cut. But because of the downhill lie, I kind of stood back on my swing, and I hit the ground first – and basically duffed it. For me to come back all of the way, to actually share the lead at that point, was quite nice. But I’m

”This is my last event of the year. I won’t be playing again until end of January in the U.S., and so to finish the year with this victory feels wonderful.”

–Phil Mickelson

disappointed about that shot, although I’m just going to really think about the 63 I shot. I really can’t complain.”

Mickelson needed to par the lengthy 18th for the victory but made hard work of it, twice hacking out of the rough with an 8-iron to get on the green in regulation. The Californian then got down in two with the flat stick to hoist the HSBC Champions trophy for the second time, the first as a WGC event.

“Ernie played one of the greatest rounds ever, shot a course equalling record, and I was very fortunate to come out on top,” he said.

“This feels terrific because I had to fight very hard. Nothing came easy – I didn’t hit it great.

The putts weren’t falling, and yet I hung in there and was able to win by one.”

WGC HSBC CHAMPIONS

FINAL LEADERBOARD Pos

Name

To Par

R1

R2

R3

R4

Total

2

Ernie ELS

-16

70

71

68

63

272

1 3 4 5 6 6 8 8

Phil MICKELSON Ryan MOORE

Rory McILROY Nick WATNEY

Martin KAYMER Tiger WOODS

Alvaro QUIROS

Lee WESTWOOD

-17 -15 -14 -13 -12 -12 -11 -11

69 66 73 64 66 67 69 70

66 69 68 70 74 67 66 71

67 70 70 70 69 70 76 65

69 68 63 71 67 72 66 71

271 273 274 275 276 276 277 277

www.wwgolf.biz

19

MY SPECIAL MOMENT Worldwide Golf Columnist, Ross Fisher, proved his credentials as one of the hottest talents in world golf by putting on a spectacular display at Finca Cortesin in Spain to beat the USA’s controversial Ryder Cup star Anthony Kim to carry off the prestigious Volvo World Match Play Championship title. Here Ross gives his personal account of the biggest win of his career. Worldwide Golf congratulates Ross on his fantastic victory in Spain.

I

’VE not had much chance to celebrate and think about what I achieved in winning the Volvo World Match Play Championship yet, to be honest with you.

Any time you win is special but this one was more so because it is such an historic tournament and it is match play – it’s just a bit different to a normal event, as we’re so used to playing stroke play.

Holland was special because it was my first win (the KLM Open, 2007) and obviously so was the European Open last year because I won by eight many shots. But the Volvo World Match Play Championship is probably more satisfying because it is a different sort of golf.

Of course, it was all the more special because it was my first appearance in this famous event and because of its history, having been played at Wentworth, my home course, for so many years. I’ve grown up watching the tournament as a boy and wanting to play in it so to get the opportunity was fantastic and I jumped at the chance.

I suppose it’s a bit ironic that the first time I play it’s not at Wentworth. I was a bit disappointed about that at first, but times change, venues change and Wentworth is going through a lot of changes at the moment. Obviously, I would have loved to have done it at Wentworth, that would have been amazing, but I thought Finca Cortesin was a great course.

It was very tricky, a great match play course. The whole set up there was absolutely first class and it was a really enjoyable week. Finca Cortesin is one of the hilliest courses I’ve played and physically very demanding. We were very fortunate that we had buggies a lot of the time because it was a tough week. I played six holes on the Tuesday, then the pro-am on the Wednesday so by the time Thursday came, I knew I was in for a lengthy week.

It turned out to be especially long for me because I ended up playing 39 holes on the Saturday so to get the job done fairly early on the Sunday was a relief.

GROUP STAGE Beating Camilo Villegas was a good victory to start with but I was disappointed with my match against Westy (Lee Westwood). I felt like I had my chances to get back in the game but didn’t quite take them. I fought all 20

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ROSS FISHER’S ROUTE TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD Match 1: def. Camilo Villegas Match 2: def. by Lee Westwood Match 3: def. Jeev Milkha Singh

2-up 2-down 1-up

Semi-final: def. Angel Cabrera 39th hole Final: def. Anthony Kim

4&3

the way but unfortunately wasn’t able to get something from it so I knew with the new format it was going to be imperative that I beat Jeev (Milkha Singh) to go through.

Hearing the roars from the 18th from the match between Camilo and Westy I thought that Camilo might have won the match so I knew that mine was crucial. I’d already effectively won as I was two up playing the 18th but all the matches in the group stage played the full 18 holes because each hole counted if the points were tied.

Walking down the fairway I could see from the leaderboard that they’d only halved their match so I knew that I was through – which made the palaver that I was putting myself through on 18 a little less frustrating, and to lose the hole wasn’t such a big deal.

SEMI-FINALS To get through to the semi-finals was great and to play a guy like Angel Cabrera, the Masters Champion, was always going to be difficult. I threw a lot of holes at him and he threw some at me. I was down, then I got back in control, then let it slip, then got it back again. But to see him hit such an amazing shot on the 36th hole in regulation – you really can’t do anything about that.

(Cabrera was in the rough from his tee shot but then found the green with a wonderful fairway wood approach, before two-putting for birdie to win the hole, forcing a play-off.)

I played it conservatively I suppose. I didn’t think I could get there in two so that’s why I laid up. I wasn’t sure how he was lying but my caddie Adam and I certainly didn’t think he was going to do what he did! My third shot into the green was about an inch from slam dunking and going straight in but just missed.

It was tough but I got through in the end.

“Hearing the roars from the 18th from the match between Camilo and Westy I thought that Camilo might have won the match so I knew that mine was crucial.” – Ross Fisher

FINAL I was really pleased with the way I played in the final against Anthony. Any time you give a guy like that a chance he’s obviously going to take it so it was important not to give him anything and I don’t think I did. Adam and I had a game plan right from the start of the week on which clubs we were going to take off which tees and how we were going to play each of the holes. We stuck to our plan and it worked. I got the driver out when I needed to and played safer off the tee at other times and it paid off. The putter was really, really hot on the Sunday. The morning was pretty good and I managed to get a lead. I knew I had to get a fast start in the afternoon and I managed to do that eagling the fourth and

Volvo World Match Play Championship

then consolidated from there. Every time he had a look at birdie I was always there as well and managed to roll in my putts. Winning the fourth and fifth holes to go 3-up was key.

Then on seven I had a really good chance. I’d missed the green and played a good bunker shot to recover. He was on in two, missed his birdie putt, then missed his par putt and made five. So I thought, ‘I’ve got a really good chance to win and get back to 3-up’ but it lipped out and went three times the distance.

I thought, ‘I’ve gone from winning a hole to potentially losing it,’ but I managed to hole the return putt for a half. It had a knock-on effect because he missed a three-footer on eight for a chance to win the hole and get back to 1-down, which was huge. We halved that

one then I holed a 20-footer on nine with him at four or five feet to halve that one as well.

I made a three on 10 to go 3-up again and on 11 he was inside me again and I knocked in my birdie before he did. We had a couple more halves before I delivered the killer blow on 14 with a really good pitch while he hit his approach over the back of the green. Even when I was 4-up with four to play still I knew he was going to fight so when he had a putt for birdie on 15 I knew he’d give it a chance.

To see it fly by and then to knock in my par putt to win 4&3 was wonderful. I’d had a fantastic season already and the only thing missing was a win, so to take this opportunity when it came was a great feeling. www.wwgolf.biz

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Commercialbank Qatar Masters

COMMERCIALBANK QATAR MASTERS GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

D

EFENDING champion Alvaro Quiros is expected to defend the prestigious Mother of Pearl trophy when the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Presented by Dolphin Energy, is staged at Doha Golf Club from January 28-31, 2010.

It will be the 13th time Qatar’s only championship course has staged what has now become one of the most popular overseas events on The European Tour calendar.

No-one has yet managed to successfully defend the title over a course that is known to be a real desert challenge – especially when the wind picks up – meaning Quiros will have his work cut out to join the one-man ‘Double Club’ of Adam Scott, the only twotime winner.

Quiros comfortably won the 2009 Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Presented by Dolphin Energy, thanks to a final round 69. With a 19-under-par total, the bighitting Spaniard romped to a three-shot win over former champion Henrik Stenson and Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa.

It was a win that secured a place in the world’s top 30 as well as the winner’s cheque for $416,660.

It was also a fitting end to a memorable event that had enjoyed the strongest World Ranking line-up ever seen in a European Tour event outside of The Open Championship and BMW PGA Championship since records began. It also saw the first ever appearances in the region of American stars Boo Weekley and Brandt Snedeker.

Such is the tournament’s success and standing, Abu Dhabi-based Dolphin Energy Limited has signed a new three-year deal with the Commercialbank Qatar

Masters following its successful joint sponsorship of the tournament for the past two years.

The agreement underlines the standing of the tournament as one of the flagship occasions on The European Tour, while emphasising sponsor satisfaction.

“Dolphin Energy is proud and delighted to renew our sponsorship of this magnificent tournament,” said Dolphin Energy CEO Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh. “When we first became involved as presenting sponsor back in 2008, we wanted to demonstrate our company’s commitment to Qatar. Today we are happy to emphasise that commitment by signing for another three years.”

Since its inaugural event in 1998, the tournament has seen 11 different winners with 2009 winner Quiros on a roll of honour that includes the likes of Scott, Stenson and multiple Major winners Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.

Under the title sponsorship of Commercialbank, the event has grown to become a world-class tournament boasting some of the biggest names in the game and Commercialbank Group CEO Andrew Stevens was quick to recognise the role played by the tournament’s family of sponsors.

“This new agreement means Dolphin Energy will have been our presenting sponsor for five years,” he said. “It is that type of commitment that ensures stability for the tournament and helps us maintain the standards players, officials, media and spectators have come to expect when The European Tour reaches Qatar. We are delighted to renew our relationship with Dolphin Energy who will help Commercialbank, the QGA and the QOC stage yet another star-studded event over the next three years.”

Above: Two-time winner Adam Scott poses with the trophy after winning the Commercialbank Qatar Masters for the second time in 2008.

Below: Last year’s winner Alvaro Quiros.

“We are delighted to renew our relationship with Dolphin Energy who will help Commercialbank, the QGA and the QOC stage yet another star-studded event over the next three years.”

– Commercialbank Group CEO Andrew Stevens

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“YAS LINKS IS ON SCHEDULE TO BECOME A UNIQUE AND MEMORABLE GOLFING DESTINATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST” – Chris White, General Manager of the Aldar Golf Division talks us through this magnificent, traditional golf development on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

K

YLE Phillips continues to build his name and reputation on delivering ‘the purest’ form of golf. All over the world there are naturally beautiful golf courses where the architect has been able to meander golf holes through natural vegetation or landforms.

The challenge of some sites is to create a natural looking golf course from what might have been a relatively flat piece of land – Kyle Phillips has done that in the most dramatic way on Yas Island.

The design and building of the golf course not only involved the creation of landforms but also in gaining the maximum aesthetic and playing challenge from the coastline.

The long, linear site has no fewer than eight holes that play parallel to the sea front whilst all 18 holes offer the most spectacular views of the beautiful Arabian Gulf.

The long, wispy native grasses that border each hole, coupled with both subtle and dramatic sand dunes, allow you to play each hole in an almost amphitheatre environment, not knowing or even seeing the parallel holes – it really can’t get any more peaceful than that.

Aldar Golf Division, the operators of Yas Links Golf Course, intend to make the overall visit to their

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flagship facility as memorable as the course itself and the Andalucía Club House will certainly be a part of that memory.

Though some 6,000sqm in size, the building has a certain quaint feeling about it and members and guests will enjoy its calm and relaxing atmosphere.

The interior design has created a truly warm and rustic environment with the use of stone flooring, pastel-coloured walls and rich wooded wall panels and ceiling beams – the aim being to take the natural landscape of the golf course into a natural clubhouse by using appropriate materials.

Aldar Golf has taken the whole branding exercise very seriously and have ensured that all areas of club procurement are for products that align themselves with the overall brand – whether that be golf vehicles, staff uniforms or marketing material. After all, it will add to the lasting memory and should complement each facet of the business.

Yas Links is on schedule to open in early 2010 and is currently in ‘the growing-in phase’ where the course construction and maintenance team have to be confident that the strength of turf will withstand the rigorous use of golfers’ divots and continual traffic.

Aldar Yas Links

What Yas Links Golf Club has to offer: CLUBHOUSE The Andalucia clubhouse covers an area of 5,750sqm and features a sports bar, fine dining restaurant, gentlemen’s and ladies locker rooms with steam rooms, a pro shop, reception/lobby area as well as an outdoor pool and croquet lawn with spectacular coastal views.

THE SPORTS BAR The Spanish inspired Sports Bar provides an ideal meet-and-greet spot before and after a round of golf. Draft beverages, fresh cocktails and juices are available alongside Iberic inspired cuisine of Petiscos, pizza, burgers and healthier options.

PATIO CAFÉ A Terraced area overlooking the 9th and 18th greens as well as beautiful views of the crystal blue water and mangroves where you can enjoy speciality coffees, hot and cold drinks, fresh croissants, pastries and sandwiches.

FINE DINING Inspired décor from traditional Spanish homes with a menu with influence from as far afield as California and Argentina. Fresh, rustic cuisine with a contemporary flare offers stunning views over the course and the ocean and an additional terraced area.

OBSERVATION DECK Located in the observation tower which provide visitors with even more spectacular views of the course and ocean.

PRO SHOP 100m2 in size which will stock a range of the latest apparel and equipment and feature great offers in all the game’s recognised brands, catering from beginner to expert.

LOCKER ROOMS Provide private changing areas and lounge with spa facilities and interactive multi-media facilities.

ACADEMY The dedicated Golf Academy features a private members practice ground, guests practice ground, a nine hole Academy golf course, dedicated short game practice area, six shaded hitting bays with air ventilation as well as two indoor swing studios – with all areas fully floodlit.

Yas Links Golf Academy has a team of world class PGA Professionals who are ready to personally improve your knowledge, technique and understanding of the game, whether it’s your first visit to the links or whether you have the time to commit to a more structured development programme.

The extensive floodlight practice facilities include an Academy course, grass practice ground, short game area and putting green.

All the above are complemented by the latest coaching technology including: Trackman ball flight detection, K-Vest motion capture analysis, GASP digital video technology and a Force Plate movement sensor, plus a SAM putt laboratory.

“THE expression of the Yas Links Abu Dhabi brand was to capture the history of the Links Course concept, whilst portraying a fresh, contemporary yet sophisticated feel. The Club Logo mimics the long grass of the Links courses but also reads ‘Yas’ in abstract Arabic typography. It stands out in the regional brandscape and adds a new level of class and elegance. The colour palette is taken from the unique landscape of the region and concentrates on the natural earthy tones of the sand and soil.”

– John Brash, founder and CEO of Brash Brands in Dubai believes the branding of Yas Links will reflect the tradition of Links golf and the Kyle Phillips design of the course.

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clubhouse quickies

PLAYER QUOTES JOKES WORD OF THE MONTH CARTOONS

Practice your putting GOLFER: “Doctor, we’ve got an emergency! My baby just swallowed my golf tees.”

DOCTOR: “I’ll be there at once.”

GOLFER: “But tell me what to do till you get here, doc?”

DOCTOR: “Practice your putting.”

“The ego is everything and if you can’t get that pumped regularly, you can’t last.” – Dave Marr

“My ultimate ambition is to be able to afford to retire from the game because it drives me berserk.” – David Feherty

A clear path to the green Bill really enjoyed playing golf and he occasionally took in a round with his wife. One time (with his wife Sally along) he was having an extremely bad round. On the 12th hole, Bill sliced his drive over by a grounds keeper’s shack. Although he didn’t have a clear shot to the green, his wife noticed that there were two doors on the shack and there was a possibility that, if both doors were opened, he might be able to hit through.

Without hesitation, Bill instructed his wife to go around to the other side and open the far door. Sure enough, this gave him a clear path to the green. He stepped up to his ball and prepared to hit. Sally had been standing by the far door, waiting for him to hit through. After a moment, she became curious and stuck her head in the doorway to see what he was doing. At that exact moment, Bill cracked a 3-wood that hit his wife square on the forehead, killing her instantly.

Bill avoided golf for a year. However, he finally recovered, remarried, and started playing golf with his new wife Jill. Again, on Hole No.12, he slices his drive to the shack. Jill says, “Honey, if I open the front and back door of that shed, I think you could play through.” “Nah,” replied Bill, “The last time I did that, I shot a seven on the hole.”

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Eventually A pretty terrible golfer was playing a round of golf for which he had hired a caddie. The round proved to be somewhat tortuous for the caddie to watch and he was getting a bit exasperated by the poor play of his employer.

At one point the ball lay about 180 yards from the green and then as the golfer sized up his situation, he asked his caddie, “Do you think I can get there with a 5-iron?” And the caddie replied, “Eventually.”

WORD

OF THE MONTH...

PIN-SEEKER: A shot that heads straight for the flag the moment you hit it.

DID YOU KNOW?

Lee Trevino, one of golf’s most entertaining, successful and popular players, was hit by lightning twice.

“You know you’re on the Senior Tour when your back goes out more than you do.”

– Bob Bruce

Oops!... Again...

I Did It

“When facing a hazard, focus your attention sharply on your target, not the hazard.”

– Dr Bob Rotella

The worst caddy Bill was 26-over-par by the eighth hole. He had landed a fleet of golf balls in the water hazard, and dug himself into a trench fighting his way out of the rough. When his caddie coughed during a 12-inch putt, Bill exploded.

“You’ve got to be the worst caddie in the world!” he screamed.

“I doubt it,” replied the caddie. “That would be too much of a coincidence.”

Who’s tee?

As the two players approached the ninth tee they noticed what appeared to be a small picnic party assembled right on the spot. “Here, what are you doing with our tee?” one called out. “It ain’t yours,” came the retort. “We brought it with us all the way from town.”

Tiger just couldn’t wait until the press conference was over to listen to the new Britney Spears album.

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WWGCOLUMNIST

A

NY time you have the opportunity to host a championship with the stature of the Dubai World Championship on the world golf circuit, it is important that the golf course is the best it can be.

It’s obviously important for the players, it’s important for the event and it’s important for my design company and I was very proud of the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

When the Dubai World Championship was first announced, we had already started construction on the Earth course. We had built some of the greens, especially on the front nine. So for us to come in and make very few changes to the golf course for a professional tournament tells us that we did a good job from a playability aspect.

We did do some adjustments, more on the back nine, and I really wanted the last four holes to provide a spectacular finish. So I made the conscious effort to make the last four holes one mile – not just for the pros but also for everyone who plays my golf course so they can walk away with a memory, whether it’s a good one, whether it’s a challenging one.

Prior to the first round I only really spoke to one player and that was Padraig Harrington. He liked the golf course. He said it’s the perfect length and the greens were perfect and he liked the way the course was set up.

The interesting aspect about the Championship is that we knew the tournament was going to be played at this time of the year, with a small field, and that the wind changes direction during the course of the day. In the morning it’s cool and it comes off the east and switches around to the west round about one or two o’clock so it adds a whole new dimension to the challenge.

One thing to remember is that the 28

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golf course was built as a residential community golf course – it wasn’t designed specifically for tournament play. The fairway corridors are very, very wide and because of the scale and the magnitude of this property and project, the bunkers are built to a massive scale, too. They are located in the right place, but remember, these guys don’t hit the ball 280 yards, they hit the ball 320 yards. So you have to try and change that as best you can and then it’s over to The European Tour – if they decide to get the greens a little bit quicker and a little bit firmer, the scores come down dramatically.

The golf course will evolve. It will change over a period of time – just as Dubai has.

Dramatic change It’s been 18 years since the Dubai Desert Classic started and 18 years ago there was nothing here. The Hard Rock Cafe was the tallest building in this part of the world. I stayed at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, and that was a threestory, four-story hotel. I remember driving across the desert to get to the Jebel Ali. The road system wasn’t anywhere like it is now. So it’s all been a dramatic change.

The Earth course will change too – the trees will get fuller; I might shift a few trees more into the play area. But if I do that, then 51 weeks of the year, the residents who will play here are going to be penalised more.

So you walk that real fine line: Do you want to set up a golf course for one week a year when you really built it for all the residents of the Jumeirah Estates?

For the tournament it was totally up to The European Tour. They did an assessment on the playability of the golf course at the end of the event taking into account the speed of the greens and pin positions. There might be some adjustments in the future to

the firmness of the greens or maybe the way the mowing pattern of the fairways might change.

I’ve never designed a golf course specifically for a golf tournament. If I do have that opportunity one day, things would be a lot different, obviously.

Hopefully, I will have that opportunity, from a player’s perspective and in my business that would be a wonderful thing to do.

I’ve learned you have to be flexible in our business. You have to read what’s going to happen in the future, and if it’s too good to be true, then it’s too good to be true.

Global situation So from a businessman’s perspective, you have to have that flexibility and awareness that when the pendulum swings back the other way, is your business model in a place that can survive those times? I think we are seeing a lot of that globally. It’s not just here in Dubai, but it’s a global situation where the bad times really flush out the weak and the good survive. Dubai will survive. It’s had to go through a transition time, a readjustment.

From a design standpoint, we have seen some changes. We have had to make some adjustments. We have seen golf courses get mothballed. But, fortunately, very few have actually been cancelled.

Now we are starting to see a little bit more of a flow of credit coming through. A lot of the projects that had been parked up all around the world are starting to come back online now. It’s not going to happen overnight. I don’t think the era of the 80s and the 90s will ever return. I think that regulations are going to be implemented and that there will be a lot more oversight taking place.

So it’s all good, really. We’ll get back to the good days. But we are not going to get back to making a lot of money.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON’S VERDICT ON THE EARTH COURSE

PRIOR TO THE FIRST ROUND I ONLY REALLY SPOKE TO ONE PLAYER AND THAT WAS PADRAIG HARRINGTON. HE LIKED THE GOLF COURSE. HE SAID IT’S THE PERFECT LENGTH AND THE GREENS WERE PERFECT AND HE LIKED THE WAY THE COURSE WAS SET UP.

TOP: Greg Norman show his putting skills under the watchful eyes of Jeev Milkha Singh and Saeed Harib of Nakheel Leisure.

ABOVE: Chief Executive of The European Tour, George O’Grady; Marwan Al Qamzi; Greg Norman and Saeed Harib and Jeev Milka Singh. www.wwgolf.biz

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DIVOTS Wie captures maiden LPGA Tour title

MICHELLE Wie won her first LPGA Tour title last month after a final round 3-under-par 69 gave her a two-shot victory over Paula Creamer at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico.

Amazingly, it was her first Tour win in a well publicised career that began as a 10-year-old when she qualified to play in the Women’s U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship.

At 11 she won the Jennie K .

Wilson Invitational, the oldest and most prestigious women’s amateur tournament in Hawaii, where she grew up.

“It’s definitely got the monkey off my back,” she said, referring to her six runner-up finishes on the LPGA Tour prior to her victory.

“I think that, hopefully, life will be a lot better, but I still have a lot of work to do,” she said. “I still have a lot to improve.”

PGA TOUR player, Doug Barren, banned for doping

Catriona Matthew joins IMG SCOTLAND’S Catriona Matthew, the 2009 Ricoh Women’s British Open Champion, has signed up with the global sports management company, IMG. Catriona became the first Scottish woman to win a Major and only the fourth Briton to do so when she claimed the British Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes in August. What made her achievement even more remarkable is that she took the title just 11 weeks after giving birth to her second daughter, Sophie.

AMERICAN Doug Barron has become the first golfer to be found guilty of taking performance enhancing drugs and has been suspended for one year.

Barron, who turned professional in 1992 and played his last full season on the U.S. PGA Tour in 2006, said: “I would like to apologise for any negative perception of the Tour or its players resulting from my suspension. I want my fellow Tour members and the fans to know that I did not intend to gain an unfair competitive advantage or enhance my performance while on Tour.”

Ross Fisher named European Tour Golfer of the Month WORLDWIDE Golf columnist Ross Fisher received The European Tour’s Golfer of the Month for October award after his superb performance at the Volvo World Match Play Championship. The 28-year-old had a superb week at Finca Cortesin which culminated in a convincing 4 & 3 victory over American Anthony Kim in the 36-hole final.

“It is a great thing to win the Golfer of the Month award – I was really thrilled when I was told about it,” said Fisher.

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NEWS SNIPPETS FROM AROUND THE GOLFING GLOBE

Seve honoured by the R&A

Sam Torrance takes his third Senior Tour Order of Merit

SEVE Ballesteros has been given honorary membership at the Royal & Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews. The Spaniard, who overcame four operations to defeat a brain tumour, plans to return to the Home of Golf in 2010 to celebrate The Open Championship’s 150th anniversary.

“I am greatly honoured,” he said. “St Andrews and the town will always retain a very special place in my heart.”

SAM Torrance is presented with his third John Jacobs Trophy by European Senior Tour Managing Director, Andy Stubbs, for topping the Order of Merit after a thrilling climax to the European Senior Tour season.

Torrance’s third place finish at the OKI Castellόn Senior Tour Championship meant he finished just €3,380 ahead of last year’s No.1 Ian Woosnam in the closest Order of Merit contest since 2000. “It means the world to me,” said the 55-year-old Scot. “I’m delighted – I’m over the Moon. This Order of Merit is actually sweeter than the other two because the older you get the harder it is.”

McIlroy to take on the U.S. PGA TOUR RORY McIlroy has confirmed he will take up U.S. PGA TOUR membership next year in addition to his commitment to The European Tour.

McIlroy played in 11 U.S. PGA TOUR sanctioned events this year and will need to play in 15 next year. “I can’t thank The European Tour enough but I am just in a privileged position where I can play wherever I want. I earned enough money in U.S. Tour events to get my card so I have taken out membership,” said McIlroy.

“I want to become a better player and the best way to develop my game is to be playing more in the States, and playing a worldwide schedule.”

HSBC boost for LPGA Tour HSBC have announced that they will continue their title sponsorship of the HSBC Women’s Champions for the next three years, starting with the 2010 tournament scheduled from the 25-28 of February in Singapore.

A field of 63 players will compete for the coveted ‘Champion of Champions’ title and a prize fund of US$1.3 million. Players can qualify for the tournament known as ‘Asia’s Major’ by winning events on the LPGA Tour and by placing in the Top 20 on the Rolex Ranking.

Billy Foster named Caddie of the Year LEE Westwood’s bagman Billy Foster was named the Caddie of the Year at the WGCHSBC Champions after the duo enjoyed a productive year – both on and off the course.

Westwood won his first title since 2007 at the Portugal Masters in October while Foster did some off-course charity work in the days between The Barclays Scottish Open and The Open Championship. He raised £65,726 for The Darren Clarke Foundation by walking from Loch Lomond to Turnberry with Westwood’s clubs on his back.

Open change sees Watson back at St Andrews for 2010 THE R&A have changed the qualification criteria for The Open Championship after Tom Watson’s runner-up finish at Turnberry last year and the third-place finish by Greg Norman, 54, at Royal Birkdale in 2008.

The rule now allows any former Open Champion who posts a top-ten finish guaranteed entry into the next Open Championship.

Fact of the Month

Quote of the Month

Tiger Woods has never finished outside the top 10 in any of the World Golf Championships strokeplay events.

“Getting away from golf is good for you. It gets the grumps out of you,” – Geoff Ogilvy.

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2010 Al Naboodah Invitational www.alnaboodahinvitational.com

Westwood and McIlroy lead the way as Europe’s best sign up for the Al Naboodah Invitational 2010

A

S the cream of The European Tour competed at the Dubai World Championship last week the newlook Al Naboodah Invitational at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on January 25, 2010, was the talk of the players’ locker room.

Leading the way to volunteer their services for the Invitational were the Dubai World Champion Lee Westwood and third placed Rory McIlroy, along with many of the biggest names in the game who were eager to sign up for the charity Pro-Am. Ross Fisher, Simon Dyson and Graeme McDowell were also among those who have already committed to play.

A total of 48 Professionals and 48 amateurs will join forces in a betterball strokeplay competition of one Tour Pro and one amateur in teams of two players, with the Pros playing for a charity prize fund of AED500,000. The Invitational has gained the reputation of being the most prestigious and popular Pro-Am in the region among players and spectators alike.

“It’s the tournament all the Pros and the amateurs want to play,” says Al Naboodah Invitational Tournament Director, James Bowring. “The eagerness of the Tour Pros to support the event has been very gratifying and we appreciate their involvement at a time when they are playing so much golf,

particularly coming the day after the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and three days before the Commercialbank Qatar Masters.

“It’s also very encouraging for us to know that the Pros support our exciting plans to make this a world-class event in years to come. When we launched the tournament back in 2007 we never imagined that it would grow so quickly into such a wonderful international event.”

The Invitational has provided a rare opportunity for spectators to watch the Pros at close quarters in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere and January’s tournament will introduce further activities to involve the galleries. There will be also be Junior Clinics for many of the young players from the Al Naboodah UAEPGA Junior Golf Series.

Spectators can register for tickets online: www.alnaboodahinvitational.com.

As in previous years there will be a holein-one competition with a car as the prize for the Professional who produces an ace.

The Invitational will enable juniors to qualify to play in the event and the older juniors will have the opportunity to caddie for the Pros. The fourth Al Naboodah Invitational is set to be the most successful so far and will set the scene for even bigger and better Al Naboodah Invitationals in the coming years.

ABOVE: Abdullah Al Naboodah shakes hands with Ernie Els at the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates during the Dubai World Championship Pro-Am.

BELOW: Fellow ISM players Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood, who finished first and third in the Dubai World Championship, show mutual respect as they shake hands as playing partners at the opening day of the Dubai World Championship.

Confirmed players so far: Lee WESTWOOD Rory McILROY Ross FISHER Simon DYSON Robert ROCK Graeme McDOWELL Jeev MILKHA-SINGH Peter LAWRIE Chris WOOD Steve WEBSTER Graeme STORM James KINGSTON Thomas AIKEN Bradley DREDGE Jamie DONALDSON Paul LAWRIE Rafael ENCHINIQUE Ricardo GONZALEZ Daniel VANCSIK David LYNN David HOWELL Darren CLARKE Shane LOWRY

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WWGCOLUMNIST

A great year for me on and off the course

Ross Fisher tees off during the final round of the U.S. Open Championship at Bethpage Black.

He finished in fifth place for his best performance in a Major in 2009.

I

T’S been a great year for me both on the golf course and particularly in a personal sense with the birth of our lovely daughter, Eve. I performed well in the big events – the WGCs and the Majors – and as I said after my victory at the Volvo World Match Play Championship, I really feel I could have won two or three Grand Slam tournaments.

I had a great chance to win the U.S. Open but a couple of putts just slid by at the wrong time, and I led The Masters after the first day and unfortunately didn’t quite hang on.

In the final round of The Open I was two shots clear after four holes but one bad swing cost me the Championship, and at the US PGA I was right up there on Saturday but unfortunately finished with a couple of bogeys.

After that I’d gone a little bit cold and hadn’t really been in the mix so my victory at the Volvo World Match Play capped a great season for me. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with how it finished at the Dubai World Championship, coming in tied

42nd. I went into the tournament with a chance to win The Race to Dubai but I just couldn’t get comfortable on the golf course. It’s not really a bomber’s course and it’s not a plodder’s and I would have preferred the greens to have been a little bit smaller.

I also think you should be able to see a lot more greens with your second shot. You could count on one hand the greens you can actually see.

It’s bizarre.

When you look at the scoring there’s obviously a way to play it so I take my hat off to Westy (Lee Westwood) for a great performance. If we go back next year I will have to try to figure out a way to play the golf course.

But I can’t complain about how my season has gone. Every year I set myself certain goals to try to move my game forward – this year I wanted to improve as a player, finish higher up The Race to Dubai, win again and progress in the World Ranking.

I’ve managed to do all four and I’ve also done well in the big events so it’s obviously been a successful year

that has surpassed my expectations and it’s not over yet. I’m really upbeat about my trip to China with Poults (Ian Pouter) for the Omega Mission Hills World Cup. We’ve both just won and we’re in good form. I was with Poults in China for the WGC-HSBC Champions and we’re in really high spirits and very confident.

I just hope we can keep going after such a busy season. We’ve got a great chance. We’ll have to play very well to win because there are some strong teams but we both know our capabilities and believe we can do it.

Last year one round, the first round, let us down. If we can put four good rounds together, which we’re capable of doing, I’m sure we’ll be in the mix come Sunday.

At the start of next year I’ll set out what I want to achieve. Continuing to move up the World Ranking is going to be something I’m going to focus on and obviously the Majors, the WGCs and the Ryder Cup are a very big part of my plans. Hopefully, I’ll keep on achieving my goals.

IN THE KNOW WITH ROSS FISHER

Ross Fisher is currently 20th in the Official World Golf Ranking after his placing received a boost following his superb victory over Anthony Kim in the final of the Volvo World Match Play Championship. He finished the season in fourth place in The Race to Dubai rankings.

Ross also emerged as the best performing player in the world across the 16 rounds of all four Majors this year.

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S O M E O F T H E G R E A T E S T P L AY E R S I N T H E W O R L D H AV E O N E T H I N G I N C O M M O N .

F O O T J O Y. C O . U K / D R Y J O Y S

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RIDE COMFORT PERFORMANCE SPACE BRAKING

AUDI S5 COMBINING the technology of the V8 FSI engine with quattro permanent all-wheel drive makes the Audi S5 high-performance coupe a unique proposition as the engine’s power is impressively matched by the sport suspension and the high-performance brake system.

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DRIVING RIDE COMFORT PERFORMANCE SPACE BRAKING

Design and interior UNOBTRUSIVE but unmistakable design elements inside and out give this athlete in the Audi programme its unique image. The S5’s radiator grille is painted in platinum grey and has vertical chromed bars. The bumpers have a more pronounced outline and an aluminium blade emphasises the air intake grills. The aluminium-look outside mirror housings add an extra accent, as do the body-colour door sill trims and the exhaust system with four oval tailpipes. The more marked shape of the trunk lid spoiler lip generates increased aerodynamic downforce.

The interior design of the S5 also emphasises its dynamic character: the sport seats; three-spoke leather-trimmed sport steering wheel with S5 badge and instruments with grey dials and specific aluminium door sill plates create an atmosphere of refined, dynamic power. The interior provides ample scope for personalisation as Audi makes a wide selection of special materials and colours available.

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Equipment and trim Standard S5 equipment includes xenon plus headlamps with LED daytime running light strips, and S sport seats with electric position adjustment and leather upholstery. As would be expected of a member of the A5 model family, this high-performance coupe can be equipped with the very latest communication and entertainment equipment – from the Bang & Olufsen Sound System to the Bluetooth car telephone.

Hi-tech assistance systems are also available for the S5: adaptive cruise control, Audi side assist and the Audi parking system advanced. They respectively help maintain distance to the car ahead, assist in changing lanes, and make reverse-parking easier by using a rearview camera. Further highly attractive optional extras are 20-inch wheels, the keyless entry system advanced key and numerous customisation options.

Drivetrain In the Audi S5 the 4.2-litre eight-cylinder engine is rated at 260 kW (354 hp). Its peak torque is 440 Nm (324.41 lb-ft), which it delivers at an engine speed of 3,500 rpm. The V8 derives its enormous power potential from innovative FSI direct fuel injection. The tiptronic gearbox of this potent coupe needs only 5.4 seconds to accelerate to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) from a standing start. Its engine revs freely in the most fascinating way, responds instantly to gas pedal movements and confirms its stature with a roaring sound.

On the sporty six-speed tiptronic automatic transmission, quattro permanent all-wheel drive provides perfect traction with variable torque distribution and a basic split of 40 percent to the front and 60 percent to the rear axle.

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Official World Golf Ranking AS OF NOVEMBER 23, 2009

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

Tiger Woods Phil Mickelson Steve Stricker Lee Westwood Paul Casey Padraig Harrington Henrik Stenson Sergio Garcia Kenny Perry Rory McIlroy Jim Furyk Martin Kaymer Ian Poulter Geoff Ogilvy Sean O’Hair Stewart Cink Ernie Els Lucas Glover Retief Goosen Ross Fisher Anthony Kim Camilo Villegas Zach Johnson Vijay Singh Robert Karlsson Angel Cabrera Hunter Mahan Luke Donald Robert Allenby Yang Yong-Eun Nick Watney Ryo Ishikawa Søren Kjeldsen Mike Weir Yuta Ikeda David Toms Francesco Molinari Justin Leonard Tim Clark Oliver Wilson Brian Gay Miguel A Jimenez Ben Curtis Søren Hansen Simon Dyson Alvaro Quiros Anders Hansen Dustin Johnson Peter Hanson Stephen Ames

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

15.94 8.95 7.21 6.82 5.83 5.83 5.48 5.19 5.17 5.12 5.08 4.89 4.84 4.78 4.47 4.44 4.29 4.09 4.05 4.03 3.86 3.86 3.80 3.80 3.51 3.49 3.32 3.28 3.24 3.11 3.11 2.96 2.94 2.91 2.90 2.76 2.73 2.69 2.69 2.68 2.59 2.57 2.53 2.52 2.46 2.43 2.41 2.40 2.36 2.34

Tot. Pts 637.47 393.81 317.09 347.74 250.65 302.92 257.47 269.80 263.72 292.09 248.91 249.38 241.92 239.17 218.97 208.91 235.88 212.88 238.95 209.41 197.07 196.88 193.95 174.93 143.76 181.57 172.86 137.67 191.00 180.55 164.62 156.90 158.91 145.49 115.82 129.62 153.07 137.33 150.63 144.60 155.35 144.13 111.19 133.58 150.10 133.71 115.77 131.98 125.07 109.95

Events

Pts. Gained

40 44 44 51 43 52 47 52 51 57 49 51 50 50 49 47 55 52 59 52 51 51 51 46 41 52 52 42 59 58 53 53 54 50 40 47 56 51 56 54 60 56 44 53 61 55 48 55 53 47

604.54 367.29 326.84 282.74 276.86 198.22 216.25 122.94 241.21 283.06 217.05 221.14 217.32 222.82 232.18 183.23 188.52 229.40 231.90 177.84 133.47 123.57 205.00 67.42 50.72 189.39 160.89 134.43 140.20 195.83 192.03 118.19 128.67 111.04 111.29 142.26 128.93 104.69 115.61 108.14 155.39 102.60 63.99 112.05 139.85 127.02 119.03 139.31 91.63 86.22

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

Graeme McDowell Nir Ryan Moore USA Alexander Noren Swe Shingo Katayama Jpn Adam Scott Aus Chad Campbell USA Jeev Milkha Singh Ind Scott Verplank USA Thongchai Jaidee Tha Gonzalo Fdez-Castano Esp Michael Sim Aus Matt Kuchar USA Edoardo Molinari Ita Kevin Na USA Hiroyuki Fujita Jpn Rory Sabbatini Saf Jason Dufner USA Justin Rose Eng Heath Slocum USA Ross McGowan Eng Chris Wood Eng Mathew Goggin Aus Kenichi Kuboya Jpn Davis Love-III USA Charl Schwartzel Saf Jerry Kelly USA Stephen Marino USA Kevin Sutherland USA Yasuharu Imano Jpn K.J. Choi Kor Anthony Wall Eng John Rollins USA James Kingston Saf Brendan Jones Aus John Senden Aus Liang Wen-Chong Chn Pat Perez USA Gregory Bourdy Fra Louis Oosthuizen Saf Bubba Watson USA Paul Goydos USA Ben Crane USA Lin Wen-Tang Twn Mark Wilson USA Brandt Snedeker USA Fred Couples USA Prayad Marksaeng Tha Thomas Levet Fra David Smail NZl Rod Pampling Aus

2.31 2.31 2.30 2.28 2.27 2.27 2.26 2.26 2.25 2.23 2.23 2.22 2.19 2.13 2.13 2.12 2.11 2.09 2.03 2.02 1.95 1.92 1.92 1.90 1.90 1.87 1.84 1.84 1.83 1.81 1.80 1.75 1.74 1.74 1.73 1.73 1.71 1.68 1.66 1.61 1.61 1.60 1.59 1.59 1.58 1.57 1.55 1.55 1.54 1.54

Tot. Pts 124.80 124.54 114.87 122.97 106.70 122.49 149.13 110.64 132.95 118.24 89.23 115.19 109.72 117.30 104.28 120.86 105.36 110.87 119.99 113.04 78.20 107.77 90.40 95.24 110.46 108.29 116.11 97.36 73.14 88.89 99.01 96.15 93.89 74.60 109.12 84.70 85.40 90.74 87.76 85.28 83.56 83.23 63.52 90.52 88.73 62.79 100.85 78.85 78.48 95.23

Events Pts. Gained 54 54 50 54 47 54 66 49 59 53 40 52 50 55 49 57 50 53 59 56 40 56 47 50 58 58 63 53 40 49 55 55 54 43 63 49 50 54 53 53 52 52 40 57 56 40 65 51 51 62

80.83 121.89 93.89 79.01 83.72 104.55 80.40 99.15 114.68 104.54 95.82 104.53 113.45 131.38 85.92 116.29 112.42 100.39 103.72 106.76 65.93 66.64 72.35 80.42 84.50 103.36 102.35 65.07 56.21 62.84 81.76 100.45 67.14 48.47 101.82 62.26 80.38 74.90 98.68 79.25 67.39 78.81 25.29 83.01 67.92 62.58 58.93 75.11 60.17 61.28

Over 100 destinations worldwide

WWGCOLUMNIST

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

Celebrating our 10th GPI anniversary at Fancourt

R

AISING money for charity through golf has been one of the driving principles throughout my career and it’s at this time of the year where I get a chance to do a lot of good work around the world.

Our Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola in Shanghai, China, last month was a wonderful event which raised much needed funds for charity. I had the great pleasure to be joined by actor, comedian and film producer Jackie Chan, who shares my passion to improve the lives of underprivileged children.

Since we launched the event in China in 2007 more than 2,000 AIDSimpacted orphans in Yunnan, Hubel Anhie and Xinjiang have benefited from the money we have raised. Over the first two Invitationals we raised R6.5

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million and last month’s raised almost R8 million.

It was great fun to work with Jackie Chan and I was delighted with the attendance of China’s Olympic hurdler Liu Xiang and No.1 golfer Liang Wenchong plus Retief Goosen and Paul Casey at the Gala Dinner for more than 300 guests, which included many prominent Chinese businessmen and Doug Jackson, President of Coca-Cola, China.

The team scramble competition the following day was a real success with each of the par-3 holes was hosted by a professional golfer or a celebrity.

The final leg of our Gary Player Invitational series, which includes the United Kingdom, United States and China, celebrated its 10th anniversary at The Links at Fancourt in George, South Africa.

MASTERS PRIZE I WAS amazed to hear that the first prize for the Asian Amateur Championship at Mission Hills Golf Club where 120 youngsters from Iran, Japan, China, India, Korea and Australasia competed, was a place in the 2010 Masters.

Can you believe that? I was surprised but pleased for the winner, Korea’s Han Chang-won, who now qualifies to play in the 2010 Masters Tournament.

In winning the Championship the 17-year-old also booked a place at the International Final Qualifying for The 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.

It took me a good few years to make it to The Masters and to The Open so it just goes to show how times have changed – but what a wonderful thing to happen to such a young man. It will

GARY PLAYER ON REACHING THE AGE OF 74

THE good thing about celebrating my 74th birthday on November 1st is that it makes it another shot easier to shoot my age.

Statistically, it gets easier the older I get.

(In 2009 Gary shot his age of 73 or better on the U.S. Champions Tour a total of nine times).

be some kind of experience for the boy and his family.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT I WAS honoured to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in Vancouver last month at the Golf Business Canada Conference.

I’ve been visiting Canada for more than half a century and believe that it is a country that has everything. It is certainly the healthiest place in the world to play golf.

It has an abundance of oil and water and vast open spaces but Canadians must still do everything possible to sustain these most valuable resources.

I mentioned to the conference that the reigning Olympic golf gold medallist was George Lyon – a Canadian who won the event in 1904, the last year golf was included as an Olympic sport.

BREEDERS’ CUP AWARD IT WAS also a pleasure to attend the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita in California. It was a privilege to see such a great race and such an exceptional filly in Zenyatta, who came to the track unbeaten in 13 starts. What a way to win, to come from last to first and beat all the colts.

It was also a humbling experience to receive the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Sports and Racing Excellence Award from Greg Avioli.

He said: “The award honours an individual who has established a career of excellence in a chosen profession and also maintains a passionate interest as an owner, breeder or participant in the thoroughbred

racing industry. Demonstrating the same commitments to excellence which made him the world’s greatest international golfer, Gary’s outstanding success as a thoroughbred breeder and passionate supporter of horseracing makes him an extraordinary first recipient of our Sports and Racing Award.”

At our stud farm in South Africa we have produced an average of 12 per cent stakes winners per crop, with horses like Pinehurst, World Over, Foreign Source, Kadarko, Foolish Pride, Creator and Superwood, which is quite an achievement. We also produced the multiple Group One winner, Lady Windermere, who was voted ‘Filly of the Year’ in South Africa this year.

My big wish for racing is that the superstars like Rachel Alexandra and Sea The Stars should be kept in racing for a little longer so that the racing public can enjoy the spectacle of seeing the best race against the best.

MICHELLE WIE A WINNER I WAS delighted to see Michelle Wie win the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Guadalajara last month on the LPGA Tour and it was amazing to think that it was her first ever career tournament win.

She has been in the spotlight for so many years but it proves the point that if Michelle can carry on and live a normal golfing life competing against her peers she will become a huge success in ladies golf. If that happens and she learns how to fend for herself, I’m sure she will go on to win many more tournaments.

WOODS A WINNER ALL WAYS THE Australasian Tour may have come in for a certain amount of criticism for paying Tiger Woods a reputed US$3 million appearance fee to play in the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath Golf Club in Melbourne but it was a good thing for Australian golf.

The Australian Government apparently commented that although it cost $3 million to get Tiger there, Australia benefited by $20 million.

Woods went on to win by two shots and took home a further $200,000. He made the event a sell-out and brought the world’s attention to the Australian Masters. Tiger is a true World No.1 who has played all around the globe and deserves all the accolades he collects.

He’s the best golfer in the world who plays all over the world. Americans have a habit of judging sports stars as being the best in the world when they are really only the best in the United States. To be the best in the world you’ve got to play around the world against the best in the world, and Tiger is doing just this.

Greg Avioli, Breeders’ Cup President and Chief Executive Officer, presents Gary with the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Sports and Racing Excellence Award. at Santa Anita.

FAR LEFT: Fun and games at the Gary Player Invitational presented by Coca-Cola in Shanghai, China, as Gary and the white-suited Jackie Chan co-host the Gala Dinner.

LEFT: Gary receives the Lifetime Achievement Award in Vancouver at the Golf Business Canada Conference.

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Race to Dubai

After the Dubai World Championship

THE FINAL 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

Lee WESTWOOD Rory McILROY Martin KAYMER Ross FISHER Paul CASEY Geoff OGILVY Oliver WILSON Simon DYSON Ian POULTER Sergio GARCIA Ernie ELS Ross McGOWAN Søren KJELDSEN Francesco MOLINARI Padraig HARRINGTON Peter HANSON Gonzalo FDEZ-CASTAÑO Henrik STENSON Thongchai JAIDEE Alvaro QUIROS Robert ALLENBY Søren HANSEN Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ Anders HANSEN Alexander NOREN Charl SCHWARTZEL Retief GOOSEN Thomas LEVET Robert ROCK Camilo VILLEGAS Louis OOSTHUIZEN Johan EDFORS Graeme McDOWELL Jeev Milkha SINGH Nick DOUGHERTY Adam SCOTT Raphaël JACQUELIN Anthony KIM Rafael CABRERA-BELLO Anthony WALL Scott STRANGE Richard STERNE Peter LAWRIE Chris WOOD Grégory BOURDY Thomas AIKEN Steve WEBSTER David DRYSDALE Graeme STORM Peter HEDBLOM

ENG NIR GER ENG ENG AUS ENG ENG ENG ESP RSA ENG DEN ITA IRL SWE ESP SWE THA ESP AUS DEN ESP DEN SWE RSA RSA FRA ENG COL RSA SWE NIR IND ENG AUS FRA USA ESP ENG AUS RSA IRL ENG FRA RSA ENG SCO ENG SWE

Tournaments Played 26 25 20 22 14 13 25 32 15 17 17 30 26 27 16 27 26 21 27 26 14 26 28 25 25 25 18 26 26 13 28 28 23 22 27 13 30 12 32 26 28 21 29 25 30 22 26 27 30 29

Prize Money €4,237,762 €3,610,020 €2,864,342 €2,531,183 €2,362,947 €2,202,814 €2,010,158 €1,807,753 €1,773,470 €1,660,788 €1,571,577 €1,558,808 €1,529,253 €1,505,010 €1,468,232 €1,288,434 €1,209,372 €1,187,232 €1,161,466 €1,120,472 €1,118,025 €1,112,253 €1,082,937 €1,077,950 €1,040,144 €983,622 €970,851 €902,102 €889,397 €886,288 €867,334 €862,857 €848,571 €847,844 €833,713 €809,185 €801,281 €759,292 €744,297 €741,897 €727,481 €708,884 €682,097 €679,559 €671,376 €660,322 €654,551 €651,634 €649,875 €648,874

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 James KINGSTON Justin ROSE Gareth MAYBIN Wen-chong LIANG Luke DONALD Niclas FASTH Bradley DREDGE Danny WILLETT Jamie DONALDSON Damien McGRANE Darren CLARKE Stephen DODD Fabrizio ZANOTTI Jeppe HULDAHL Ignacio GARRIDO Christian CÉVAËR Robert-Jan DERKSEN Oskar HENNINGSSON Michael JONZON Tim CLARK Rodney PAMPLING Ricardo GONZALEZ Marcus FRASER Richard GREEN Prayad MARKSAENG David HORSEY Daniel VANCSIK Rafa ECHENIQUE Marcel SIEM Felipe AGUILAR Gary ORR Paul LAWRIE Anthony KANG Marc WARREN Paul BROADHURST Pablo LARRAZÁBAL Colin MONTGOMERIE Martin ERLANDSSON David LYNN Christian NILSSON Thomas BJÖRN Mikko ILONEN Michael HOEY Tano GOYA José Manuel LARA Maarten LAFEBER Richie RAMSAY Robert KARLSSON Brett RUMFORD Jyoti RANDHAWA

Country

Tournaments Played

RSA ENG NIR CHN ENG SWE WAL ENG WAL IRL NIR WAL PAR DEN ESP FRA NED SWE SWE RSA AUS ARG AUS AUS THA ENG ARG ARG GER CHI SCO SCO USA SCO ENG ESP SCO SWE ENG SWE DEN FIN NIR ARG ESP NED SCO SWE AUS IND

24 14 29 15 12 31 29 27 29 32 24 25 24 29 29 27 25 23 32 10 13 26 26 20 18 27 29 30 30 29 20 24 22 28 28 33 25 27 27 17 21 28 26 26 31 31 30 13 29 26

Prize Money €638,960 €633,769 €625,876 €622,348 €617,649 €612,746 €612,378 €596,462 €594,696 €563,128 €534,733 €529,929 €511,756 €510,381 €502,659 €496,462 €491,337 €476,090 €475,538 €471,279 €461,844 €442,748 €436,921 €432,904 €425,638 €424,666 €398,822 €397,987 €393,530 €389,204 €380,682 €379,258 €375,373 €369,261 €365,353 €356,473 €354,304 €352,073 €351,165 €343,763 €343,220 €342,239 €341,327 €338,939 €334,321 €334,271 €331,171 €329,390 €329,134 €324,176

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 $7.5 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 $7.5 million Dubai World Championship. Following the Championship, the season’s 15 top-ranked players by earnings share a Bonus Pool of $7.5 million. The No.1 player will receive $1,500,000, the runner-up $1,125,000 and the third-placed player $750,000, with prizes down to the 15th player, who will earn $187,500. 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$ 1,500,000 2 US$ 1,125,000 3 US$ 750,000 4 US$ 600,000 5 US$ 525,000

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

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

Tournament: Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open

Date: 15 – 18 Oct 2009

Venue: TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada

WINNER: MARTIN LAIRD

WINNER’S CHEQUE LAIRD MAKES THE $756,000 BREAKTHROUGH AFTER PLAY-OFF IN THE DESERT SCOTLAND’S Martin Laird won his first PGA TOUR title at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Nevada after defeating the American duo Chad Campbell and George McNeill in a play-off.

Laird closed with a 3-under 68 to match McNeill (67) and Campbell (69) at 19-under 265 and eliminated Campbell on the second extra hole before defeating McNeill with a birdie on the third.

“When I got into the play-off I was surprised; I kind of chilled out a little. I was pretty nervous the last two or three holes in regulation, and once I got there in the play-off I kind of relaxed a little

more,” said the Scot. “And when I stood up there on the first play-off hole and struck the ball down the middle, it was the perfect way to start the play-off.”

Laird holed an 11-foot birdie putt on the par-4 18th for the victory after McNeill, winner of this title in 2007, hit his approach near the greenside water hazard, then lipped out an 18-footer for par.

His compatriot, Campbell, dropped out on the par-3 17th with a bogey. “I didn’t play that well today,” said Campbell. “I was able to hang around and make some putts and make some birdies to get myself into the play-off but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get it done.”

Tournament: CASTELLO MASTERS Costa Azahar

Date: 22 – 25 Oct 2009

Venue: Club de Campo del Mediterráneo, Castellon, Spain

JONZON ENDS 12-YEAR WAIT FOR VICTORY SWEDEN’S Michael Jonzon won his first European Tour title since the 1997 Portuguese Open with a one-shot victory over Martin Kaymer and compatriot Christian Nilsson at the CASTELLO MASTERS Costa Azahar.

Jonzon hadn’t had a top 10 finish on The European Tour since December last year and, needing to win or finish second to guarantee his card for next season, he held off the pair with a superb 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th for victory.

“I’m over the Moon,” said Jonzon, who was celebrating only the second European Tour win of his career. “It’s been desperate for me and I am kind of speechless at the moment. It’s unbelievable.”

Jonzon’s cheque for €333,330 was more than three times his previous biggest in a career that has included eight trips to Q-School in 16 years.

“It’s going to take time to let this sink in, I guess. I’m just so thrilled to have a playing status for next year and I’m so proud of myself the way I handled these days.”

The Swede opened with a

superb 64 to sit one shot behind Kaymer but then fired rounds of 68 and 65 to leap into the ascendancy heading into the final 18.

Jonzon held a one stroke advantage over Kaymer and defending champion Sergio Garcia. He started strongly, going out in 5-under to increase his lead to three strokes before a birdie at the 13th put him firmly in the driving seat.

But he faltered with a double bogey on the 15th and a bogey at the 17th. As Jonzon stumbled Kaymer made a move and found himself tied for the lead along with Nilsson – who was in the clubhouse on 19-under – after birdies on holes 14, 16 and 17.

When he hit his approach to the last to nine feet the 24-year-old German looked favourite to land the title. However, it was Jonzon who prevailed after he holed his birdie putt from twice as far as Kaymer, who then missed his chance to force a play-off.

Garcia finished fourth outright after a birdie on the final green game him a 2-under-par 69 for a 17-under-par total.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: TaylorMade R9 9.5º Aldila R.I.P. shaft 3-wood: TaylorMade R9 15º Aldila Voodoo shaft Hybrid: TaylorMade Rescue 09 TP, 17º; Aldila VS Proto Hybrid 95-S shaft Irons (3-PW): TaylorMade rac TP Wedge: Titleist Vokey 200 Series 52º Wedge: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled 60º Putter: Scotty Cameron T10 Select Newport 2 Ball: TaylorMade TP Red LDP

WINNER: MICHAEL JONZON

Michael Jonzon’s previous largest cheque in his European Tour career was €104,393, which he picked up for taking a share of second place at The 1999 Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond.

WINNER’S CHEQUE

€333,000

WINNING SCORE: 20-UNDER-PAR – 264 (64,68,65,67) RUNNER-UP: MARTIN KAYMER, CHRISTIAN NILSSON – 265

WORLDROUND-UPS Tournament: Frys.com Open

Date: 22 – 25 Oct 2009

MATTESON SINKS ROOKIE DUO IN ARIZONA

WINNER: TROY MATTESON

TROY Matteson almost lost his chance of winning his second PGA TOUR title at the Frys. com Open when he bogeyed holes 17 and 18 in regulation to fall into a tie with rookies Rickie Fowler and Jamie Lovemark. But he knocked a sublime approach to the second extra hole to tap-in for a sensational victory.

“I just can’t believe that it’s ended up like this,” said Matteson. “I know I stumbled going down the stretch, but I’m still beside myself.”

The trio all made par on the return trip down the 18th but then Matteson took control with an approach shot worthy of winning any golf tournament. From 196 yards he knocked it to 20 inches for a tap-in birdie to beat the youngsters to the title. “That’s as good as I can play,” said Matteson, who carded a 61 during rounds two and three to make a move for the title before

Venue: Grayhawk Golf Club, Scottsdale, Arizona WINNER’S CHEQUE

$900,000

firing a 68 for an 18-under-par total. “I really don’t have to worry about playing better than that, because that’s it.”

Twenty-year-old Fowler turned professional after a successful performance in the Walker Cup a month earlier and was pleased with how he’d taken to life on the professional circuit.

“I knew I was capable of coming out and competing,” he said after his second top-10 finish in the space of two weeks. “But to finish tied for seventh (in Las Vegas) and then tied for first and then losing a play-off is a pretty quick start.”

Lovemark, who needed to secure second place alone to earn enough money to secure his card for 2010 admitted he would go on to Q-School instead of playing the following week’s Viking Classic.

Tournament: Barclays Singapore Open

Date: 29 Oct – 01 Nov 2009

Venue: Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore

POULTER ENDS BARREN SPELL IN SINGAPORE IAN Poulter wrapped up his first victory since the 2007 Dunlop Phoenix Open in Japan with a one-shot victory over China’s Liang-Wen-chong at the Barclays Singapore Open.

Poulter opened with a 5-underpar 66 to take a share of the lead then extended it with a secondround 64. He then closed out the victory at a rain-soaked Sentosa Golf Club with back-to-back 1-over-par 72s for a 10-under par total.

“Getting off to the start I did, getting out of the blocks pretty quick, surprised me a little as I was mis-hitting some shots and I made it a little interesting on a string of holes yesterday,” Poulter said, referring to his opening rounds. “Coming out today I made some mistakes as well on the front nine and back nine to make it too close for comfort. But to stand on the last knowing I had to make five, I was pretty happy.”

Poulter had held a five-shot lead at the halfway stage but a third round 72 saw it slip to just one shot from Graeme McDowell heading into the final day.

Poulter had kept hold of his lead by the turn but dropped

back into a tie with McDowell after his third bogey of the day at the 11th and he then dropped behind the Ulsterman with another bogey at the 13th.

But Poulter battled back with a superb 30-foot birdie putt on the next hole before McDowell carded three consecutive bogeys to drop out of contention.

Liang carded a 1-under-par 70 to take second place with the Australian duo Scott Hend and Adam Scott one shot further back for a share of third place.

“Overall, I’m satisfied and pleased with how I played all week and being in contention today,” said Liang. “It was good that I maintained my form the entire week. I will try to maintain my form for the rest of the year.

“My tee shots were not good on the back nine but that’s golf.

I tried my best but lady luck was eluding me. It was quite a pity on the 18th hole that I couldn’t find a birdie, I just hit a bad third shot. I had a pitching wedge in hand, had 126 yards to the pin.

There are no regrets – golf is like that. If I can’t make birdie, I have to accept how I played.”

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: 3 Wood: 5 Wood: Hybrid: Irons (4-7): Irons (8-pw): Wedges:

Cobra ZL Driver 9.5º | Fujikura 6.0 Motore Speeder X flex shaft Titleist 909F D2 13.5º | Fujikura Rombax 7X07 shaft Titleist 906F (18º) | Grafalloy Prolite 35X Titleist 909H (19º) | Aldila NV Hybrid 85 X Cobra Pro CB | Dynamic Gold X100 Cobra Pro MB | Dynamic Gold X100 Titleist Vokey Design 54º, 60º

WINNER: IAN POULTER

Ian Poulter’s eighth European Tour title was his first since the 2006 Open de Madrid and came courtesy of a nervy wire-to-wire victory at Sentosa Golf Club.

Poulter’s opening 36 holes contained only one blemish – his first hole of the tournament – as he posted a 12-underpar halfway total.

Back-to-back 1-over-par 72s over the weekend sealed the victory.

WINNER’S CHEQUE

€554,127

WINNING SCORE: 10-UNDER-PAR – 274 (66,64,72,72) RUNNER-UP: LIANG WEN-CHONG – 275

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WORLDROUND-UPS

Tournament: JBWere Australian Masters

Date: 12 – 15 Nov 2009

Venue: Kingston Heath Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia

WINNER: TIGER WOODS

WOODS CLEANS UP IN AUSTRALIA TIGER Woods won his first professional title on Australian soil thanks to a two-stroke victory over local favourite Greg Chalmers at the JBWere Australian Masters.

The World No.1 went into the final round level with Australians Chalmers and James Nitties but took the title thanks to a superb 4-under-par 68 for a 14-underpar total.

“Now I’ve won on every continent, except for Antarctica,” smiled Woods, who was making his first appearance in Australia since the 1998 Presidents Cup. “To have won on every playable continent is something I have always wanted to do and now I have done that.

I had to make some birdies early and I did that and was able to keep the lead. I played very consistently. I wasn’t trying to be overly aggressive, just trying to plot my way along.”

Wearing his customary red shirt, Woods started the final

round in fine form by birdieing the opening hole, which eradicated the memory of a mediocre level-par third round.

He then made his move for the title with birdies on holes 5 and 6.

He made another birdie on the par-5 12th before giving a shot back on the 13th after a photographer interrupted his approach shot. But Woods bounced back by holing from 15 feet for a birdie on the par-3 15th, which effectively closed the door on his challengers.

Woods’ partners – most notably Chalmers – pushed him but the Aussie failed to significantly close the gap after missing birdie putts on holes 14 and 16 and had to settle for second place. France’s Francois Delamontagne and American Jason Dufner finished in a share of third place on 10-under par while joint overnight leader Nitties carded a 1-over-par 73 to fall back to fifth place.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: Irons: Wedges: Ball: Putter:

Nike SQ Dymo Prototype 10.5º Nike VR Forged Blades Nike SV Tour Nike One Tour Scotty Cameron by Titleist Newport 2

Tiger Woods teed it up in Australia for the first time in 11 years and promptly won the JBWere Australian Masters thanks to an imperious display of iron play. Woods’ Greens in Regulation stats for the week came in at 76.39% with an impressive 83.33% during the final round.

WINNER’S CHEQUE

€173,117

WINNING SCORE: 14-UNDER-PAR– 274 (66,68,72,68) RUNNER-UP: GREG CHALMERS – 276

Tournament: Children’s Miracle Network Classic

Date: 12 – 15 Nov 2009

Venue: Disney’s Magnolia & Palm Course, Lake Buena Vista, Florida

AMES CAPITALISES IN PLAY-OFF

WINNER: STEPHEN AMES

STEPHEN Ames won the PGA TOUR’s season-ending Children’s Miracle Network Classic at Disneyland in Florida after defeating Americans Justin Leonard and George McNeill in a play-off.

The Canadian knocked a 177-yard approach to the final hole in regulation and rolled in the birdie putt to join McNeill and Justin Leonard on 18-under-par and head into sudden death.

Leonard, who missed a tough birdie putt to win outright minutes earlier, was eliminated first as he three-putted on the 18th – the first extra hole. Ames and McNeill made solid

WINNER’S CHEQUE

$846,000

pars and then again looked certain for pars on the par-3 15th, but McNeill’s five-footer was slightly over-hit and it ran around the cup before lipping out giving Ames his fourth PGA TOUR title and his second Children’s Network Classic after he took the title in 2007.

“At the end of the day on Saturday, I said if I shot 64 I had a good chance at winning the tournament,” said Ames. “Sure enough, I ended up shooting a 64, which was great.”

The winning prize money saw Ames jump from 64th on the money list up to 37th – his fourth consecutive top-40 finish on the season-ending ranking.

WORLDROUND-UPS Tournament: UBS Hong Kong Open

Date: 12 – 15 Nov 2009

Venue: Hong Kong Golf Club, Fanling, Hong Kong

WINNER: GRÉGORY BOURDY WINNER’S CHEQUE

€279,288

BOURDY HOLDS OFF MCILROY FOR HONG KONG TITLE GREGORY Bourdy held off a charging Rory McIlroy to win the UBS Hong Kong Open by two strokes and take his place at the season-ending Dubai World Championship.

The Frenchman carded a final round 3-underpar 67 to beat the Northern Irish star who came home with a superb 64 for second place, with Robert-Jan Derksen and Francesco Molinari taking a share of third place.

“It is fantastic. It is my mother’s birthday today so I dedicate this to her,” he said. “I needed this victory to go to Dubai as well, my girlfriend is here and

everything went right. I wanted to stay focussed on my game, play shot by shot and I knew if I was 3 or 4-under it would be okay to win the tournament.

“I knew if I won I would go to Dubai but first was to play well today and win the UBS Hong Kong Open. I have played well, won and I’m going to Dubai so I have everything.”

McIlroy’s runner-up finish saw him leapfrog Lee Westwood at the top of The Race to Dubai ranking and the 20-year-old was happy with his final round performance. “I played lovely, really, really well. I thought I needed a low one and went out with the

mindset that if I went lower than 65 then I might have a chance but Gregory obviously played very well,” he said. “I am a bit disappointed at the moment but I have the consolation of going back to the top of The Race to Dubai.”

Bourdy opened with rounds of 64 and 67 which saw him occupy the top spot with Derksen, China’s Liang Wen-chong and South African Charl Schwartzel at 9-under-par at the halfway stage. He then clawed into a two-shot lead over Derksen with a third round 63 and sealed the win with another steady 3-under-par 67.

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Brought to you by

Claude Harmon III

SWING Pro swing analyst >>

CLAUDE HARMON III, DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION, BUTCH HARMON SCHOOL,

PRO look

DUBAI SPORTS CITY

JIM FURYK THE 2003 U.S. OPEN CHAMPION’S UNIQUE SWING HAS BEEN EASY PICKINGS FOR GOLF PUNDITS ALL AROUND THE GOLFING GLOBE EVER SINCE HE JOINED THE U.S. PGA TOUR IN 1992. BUT HIS FANS QUICKLY NAMED HIM ‘GRINDER’ AS HE WAS CONSISTENTLY FOUND AT THE BUSINESS END ON TOURNAMENT SUNDAY. FURYK HAS SILENCED HIS CRITICS OVER THE YEARS WITH NUMEROUS VICTORIES BUT HOW DOES HE MANAGE TO REPEAT THAT SWING TIME AND TIME AGAIN. CLAUDE HARMON III TAKES A LOOK AT WHY HE’S BEEN SUCH A FORMIDABLE FORCE IN THE GAME FOR THE PAST 17 YEARS.

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SWING

JIM

Notice how the arms hang naturally from the shoulders at address. The knees are flexed, and the weight is balanced over the balls of the feet. If you can see too much of the right forearm here it would show the shoulders setup to open at address.

The arms and chest work the club into the backswing. Notice you can still see the clubhead here. I see too many players at this point in their swing with the club too far inside. Keep the clubhead in front of your legs below your waist.

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

The lower body is dominating the move into impact.

The downswing starts from the ground up. As the hips turn to face the target at impact, the shoulders are still a bit closed. Notice where the clubhead is here, lagging behind the turn of the hips and shoulders. The hips should pull the club into the impact zone.

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I love this position. The club is working down the target line here, with the arms extending away from the body.

The clubface is square here, showing more use of the body rather than hand manipulation. If you struggle to draw the ball, try to work the club into this position post impact.

FURYK Check out the logo on the back of Jim’s shirt. You can see this because he has made a good shoulder turn during his backswing. A great backswing thought is turn your shoulders and let your back face your target.

As the shoulders turn, the club is starting to work up. Jim does a job at staying in his posture, meaning his upper body stays leaning forward as he makes his backswing.

Your upper body needs to stay tilted forward as your shoulders turn the club away.

The hips have completely turned toward the target.

The weight has moved onto the lead leg here and the arms are working up.

A classic followthrough position. The hands are just to the left of his left ear, with the club finishing through the neck. To gain more control over your shots, try to hold this followthrough position until your ball lands.

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TUTORIAL PUTT IN THE PRACTICE AND LOWER YOUR HANDICAP PUTTING is without a doubt the single best way for you as a player to lower your scores. No matter how good you hit the golf ball, if you can’t hole putts consistently your scores will not improve. I see far too many players pounding away on the driving range, working on their full swing. But day in and day out, I see very few players working on their putting. At the recent Dubai World Championship, Lee Westwood put on an awesome display of golf. A huge part of that performance in shooting 23-under-par for the Championship was down to his putting. Check out the following drills and apply them to your game for better putting.

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By: Claude Harmon III

Brought to you by

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TUTORIAL Box Drill CUT four pieces of string about the length of your putter. Place them on the ground and create a box around the hole. Stick the head of your putter in the hole, lay it down on the green, and place each piece of string about a putter length away from the hole. Next, place three balls on a straight line from the hole at two, three, and four paces away from the hole. Make four lines creating a cross shape.

This will give you twelve separate putts. The goal of this drill is to teach you to putt with controlled aggression. The key to good putting is having the right speed on all your putts. The drill goes like this: Any holed putt makes you one under par, any putt left short of the hole or putted past the string makes you one over par. The idea is to putt all twelve balls and finish the drill even par.

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PRO LOOK Brought to you by

Check Your

Setup

Good putting starts with a good setup.

At address, you need to make sure the shaft of your putter is in a neutral position, meaning basically in a straight line up and down.

If your hands are behind the ball at address, the shaft will lean back, causing you to hit up on your putts too much. This can cause you to spin the ball backwards at impact which can lead you to struggle with hitting your putts the correct speed.

The most common fault I see is players having too much forward press at address, with the shaft leaning too far forward at and the clubhead too far back. This fault can cause you to deloft your putter at impact, again causing serious speed and distance control issues. The less extreme your setup can be the better you will putt. www.wwgolf.biz

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Nikki Garrett

NIKKI GARRETT turned professional in 2005 and made an immediate impression on the Ladies European Tour a year later by being named the Ryder Cup Wales Rookie of the Year – clinching the award with her fourth top-ten finish at the Dubai Ladies Masters. In 2007 she won back-to-back titles on Tour at the Tenerife Ladies Open and the Open de España Femenino. Worldwide Golf caught up with the 25-year-old Australian for a Question and Answer session prior to her return to the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters this month where she will lock horns with the cream of the women’s game at Emirates Golf Club.

Q: At the 2006 Dubai Ladies Masters you were crowned Rookie of the Year after finishing tied 10th, proving you felt at home in the emirate.

What is it you like best about the Majlis course and Dubai?

A: The Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club is amazing. The layout of the course is both beautiful and exciting. I really enjoy playing in Dubai because of the general atmosphere of the whole place. It’s always a lot of fun.

Q: The Majlis is one of the most demanding courses on the L.E.T. but what holes pose the greatest challenge and is there something you’ve been working on in your game during the past few months?

A: My favourite hole is definitely the 18th. It is possible to take it down the 17th fairway, which is really risky, but I like taking chances! I have been working on my swing a lot, along with leg strength to help keep my bottom half more stable.

Q: What’s the key to low scoring on the Majlis? Do you feel the course suits your game?

A: The key to low scoring is to attack the birdie holes and take your chances. The course suits me because it encourages me to take chances and be aggressive and I enjoy playing on the greens as they are always in fantastic condition.

Q: After a solid season this year in Europe, how are you feeling ahead of the season-ending Dubai Ladies’ Masters?

A: I feel confident but I’m also relaxed about playing, which will keep me focused. Dubai has always had a welcoming feel so that relaxes me.

Q: With Michelle Wie winning last month and making her Dubai Ladies’ Masters debut, she will no doubt pose a great threat, but which other players would you have your eye on and what are their strengths?

A: There are so many talented players competing it’s hard to mention one! The defending champion, Anje Monke, will be a big threat but the line up is so strong, with so many good players such as Gwladys Nocera, Becky Brewerton and Marianne Skapnord. This is the reason I like playing in Dubai so much, the quality of the players is such an exciting challenge!

Q: When you first teed it up at the Majlis, did anyone have any hints or tips regarding the course?

A: I didn’t receive any hints or tips actually! I

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just spent a bit of time on the course during the practice rounds and watched a few people play, that way I got to understand the course and be properly prepared.

Q: Being an Australian based on the L.E.T. you must have racked up some Skywards Miles on the Emirates flights, but how do you manage to overcome jet lag and pass time on the plane?

Pictured below and below, left: Australia’s Nikki Garrett in action at the 2008 Dubai Ladies Masters at Emirates Golf Club.

Below right: Omega Dubai Ladies Masters defending champion, AnjaMonke of Germany who is one fo the players to watch, says Nikki.

Q&A

A: I’m very lucky in that I’m the type of person who can sleep anywhere at anytime! I do think that it helps that once you get off the plane you should do some exercise to get you back moving again.

As I’m sponsored by Emirates for the Omega Dubai Ladies’ Masters I will be flying Business Class with them so I know the journey will be relaxing and I love the ‘ice’ in-flight entertainment system!

Q: How have you found the advancements in golfing technology have helped your game over the last couple of years?

A: The quality of both the clubs and balls have improved so much. It’s so much easier now to hit the ball further, which is, of course, a great thing for my game!

A: I like to try new things to mix it up a bit. At the moment I’m trying sailing with my boyfriend. I am generally just happy being with my family and friends.

Q: What’s the best film you have seen recently?

A: I haven’t had time to see many but will have the chance to watch a few on the Emirates flight! I will definitely be seeing the new Twilight film New Moon, though!

Q: What tunes did you last upload to your iPod? A: I’m a big fan of Lily Allen.

Q: What ruling would you change in the game and why?

A: When you hit a good drive in the middle of the fairway and it lands in a divot, I think you should get a drop or placing away from it.

Q: Who is your golfing role model and why?

A: I don’t really have a golf role model. My role model outside golf would have to be Lance Armstrong because of the commitment he shows and the success he has achieved. If I were to pick a favourite golfer I would have to say Tom Watson because of his mannerisms, his swing and determination. I also like watching Camilo Villegas.

He’s got the flair and he’s got the style. He brings some excitement into the game and he’s not afraid to lie on the greens to line up putts. I think he’s really fun to watch!

Q: Outside the ropes, what other interests do you have?

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Women's Golf Dubai

PAR-3 EVENT RAISES MONEY FOR BREAST CANCER CHARITY WOMEN’S Golf Dubai (WGD) hosted a Par-3 Event at Arabian Ranches Golf Club in October in support of Burjuman’s Safe & Sound Breast Cancer Awareness Programme. Our congratulations go to the winners, Adele and Rebecca, second placed Ashely and Margie and Denise and Jane who finished third.

The Safe & Sound campaign is one of the region’s largest and most comprehensive breast cancer awareness programmes which was first launched in 1997. All proceeds from fundraising initiatives are used towards generating further awareness and supporting patient care.

WGD will continue to support the Safe & Sound Programme through golf every year in the breast cancer awareness month of October.

WGD will also continue to show their support towards Breast Cancer Awareness at the International Ladies Pink Brunch during the 2009 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters at Emirates Golf Club.

The winning pair, Adele and Rebecca, at the prize presentation.

JOIN Women’s Golf Dubai at the exclusive Ladies Charity Brunch on the clubhouse terrace at Emirates Golf Club during the 2009 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, organised by Golf in Dubai.

Block your diary for this special International Ladies Pink Brunch which will be held on Wednesday 9th December and Thursday 10th December from 10:30am onwards and get the chance to meet some of the Professional Tour players.

All proceeds from fundraising are donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

DETAILS: Date: Venue: Time: Cost:

Wednesday, 9 December 2009 Thursday, 10 December 2009 Emirates Golf Club 10:30 - 15:30 Brunch 16:00 - 17:30 Afternoon Tea AED 250

*Price includes Brunch from 10.30-15.30 and Afternoon Tea from 16.00-17.30 *Unlimited access to the clubhouse and golf course on the chosen day

Sandy Meyer’s

PROFESSIONAL TIP month’s article on After our Par-3 event at Arabian Ranches Golf Club I’ve decided to focus this of the head position the – wrong it’s realising without into fall golfers avoiding a trap that most before, during and after the golf swing.

Understanding the head position throughout the swing.

MANY ladies who start learning the technique of the swing – and even some established golfers – have the understanding that the head should not move AT ALL in the golf swing.

This is not-true.

The head must move in the golf swing to allow for sufficient weight transference.

I am sure you have all heard the “don’t lift your head-up” quote that has become a famous saying for many shots that have gone wrong. More than likely this is not the problem. Yes, I do agree that a golfer does need to keep eye contact with the ball, but this does not mean your head has to be “set in concrete”.

Try this tip: Use any type of erasable marker to draw a line vertically down a full length mirror so that when you stand in front of the mirror and take your address your head is bisected by the line. If you swing back correctly all of your head should move to the right hand side of the line (opposite for left handed players).

If you head stays where it was or in some cases may move to the

left of the line, then your weight is not moving correctly and in many cases this is known as the “reverse pivot’. This causes many inconsistent shots.

The same is said for the forward swing. You can see in some swings, the player staying down far too long AFTER the ball is hit and this causes the reverse problem. The weight is then shifted back onto their back foot causing problems with body rotation and weight transference which leads to a loss of length and problems with accuracy.

Your head has to move FORWARD into the finish position. For an extreme example of this, take Annika Sorenstam’s swing through impact as an example. Her head moves excessively forward just before impact, to the point where it’s almost impossible to see the ball being hit. I would not try this in your swing, as it is a unique movement, but you have to agree if a former World No.1 had this type of flexibility, we can surely see that our head has to accommodate the full movement and mechanics of the swing. www.wwgolf.biz

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TIP-TOP TILEY TAKES EGYPTIAN OPEN TITLE IN CAIRO - ENGLISHMAN HOLDS OFF MONTY TO LIFT REGION’S OLDEST TROPHY -

E

NGLISHMAN Steven Tiley held his nerve to lead from the front and win by four shots at the $200,000 Egyptian Open after a windswept final round in Cairo.

It was a controlled performance from the 27year-old who played on both the Asian Tour and European Challenge Tour this season before recording the biggest win of his career thanks to a final round 68 that saw him take the title on 13under-par.

For a while a play-off had looked likely as Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen birdied the 17th to go level with Tiley on 11-under. Unfortunately for the Dane, a double bogey on the last saw him drop back while Tiley grabbed birdies on two of the last three holes to clinch the title.

“When he went to 11-under alongside me, I thought it was going to be a very close finish,” said Tiley after receiving the 88 year-old trophy from Ayman Hussein, Chairman of the Egyptian Golf Federation. “But once that double bogey was posted and he dropped to 9-under, I knew a parpar finish would be enough so to birdie 17 was a bonus and I could relax coming up the last.”

One of the ISM Management stable that includes the likes of Lee Westwood, Ernie Els and Darren Clarke, Tiley revealed that a phone call from ISM chief Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler had helped him focus on the job in hand.

“Chubby told me to just keep doing what I was doing – hitting fairway and greens,” he smiled.

“It’s simple but it kept me focused on my game. I just did what I had to do and let the others make mistakes.”

Tiley’s name goes on to the esteemed trophy after an event that saw European Ryder Cup skipper Colin Montgomerie finish in fifth place after a disappointing final round at the JW Marriott

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Mirage City Golf Club. Montgomerie, who had started the day just three behind the leader, got to within one shot of Tiley but had to settle for an even-par 72, seven shots adrift of the new champion.

“I played well all week but just not consistently enough,” said Montgomerie. “Today was a poor day – driving well and putting OK but never at the same time. But overall I’m not too concerned. I’ll get it going again.”

Despite a fierce wind that threatened to knock many of the players off their feet, Tiley settled quickly picking up a birdie on the second hole before surrendering it on the third.

Despite the setback, he picked up another five shots with a solitary bogey on the 14th the only blemish on a calm and collected back nine.

“It’s been a great week for me,” he added. “I’ll take a break next week then go to the second stage of Q School in Spain. This has certainly given me a boost in confidence so I’m looking forward to it.”

Although not part of the official European Challenge Tour, the Egyptian Open showed it has the capacity to put on a worthy event enjoyed by all the visiting pros and amateurs.

“We’ve seen some wonderful golf over the four days and our thanks must go to the players from the European Challenge Tour who agreed to join our local and regional golfers in what we believe to be a unique event in this part of the world,” said Tournament Director Gerard Bent of the Egyptian Golf Federation. “Their presence – and obviously that of Colin Montgomerie – has given golf in Egypt an international profile and we hope to push on from here and stage full Challenge Tour and possibly European Tour events in the years to come.”

Egyptian Open Final Leaderboard - 13 -9 -8 -6 -5

Tiley (Eng) Olesen (Den) Feyrsinger (Aut) Montgomerie (Sco) Murray (Sco)

Above: Steven Tiley receives the Egyptian Open trophy from Egyptian Golf Federation Chairman Ayman Hussein.

Below: Colin Montgomerie in action at the 2009 Egyptian Open at the JW Marriott Mirage City Golf Club.

EGYPTIAN GOLF FEDERATION NEWS

MONTY’S DESERT CAMPAIGN REACHES THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZA

E

UROPEAN Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie took time out from playing the 2009 Egyptian Open to visit the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx.

Eight-time European No.1 golfer Monty, who finished fifth at the tournament, admitted the visit was the highlight of his first competitive appearance in Egypt but didn’t expect to find any potential Ryder Cup stars amongst the ancient tombs.

“It’s not often you get the chance to do something like this so I was delighted to be asked,” said Monty. “I have been looked after incredibly well on my first playing visit to Egypt and look forward to coming back to this part of the world.”

Montgomerie will be back in the country on a regular basis thanks to his first Egyptian course design project which is underway at Citystars at Sharm el Sheikh.

European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie poses in front of the Pyramids during the 2009 Egyptian Open. www.wwgolf.biz

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WWG LOCAL FOCUS

ARABIAN Clubs in December 2009 Worldwide Golf Al Ghazal Golf Club

Emirates Golf Club

Al Hamra Golf Club

Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort, Egypt

Arabian Ranches Golf Club

Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club

Dirab Golf Club

The Els Club Dubai

Doha Golf Club

The Royal Golf Club, Bahrain

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club

The Montgomerie Dubai www.callawaygolf.com

THE MONTGOMERIE, DUBAI

Rasheed captures the BMW Stableford WITH the greens running fast and wind gusting over the course, the November edition of the BMW Stableford proved more challenging than previous months.

In the Men’s A Division Qamar Rasheed beat the field by two with a score of 37 Stableford points.

Runner-up in the Men’s A Division was Malcolm Gray with 35 points. In the Men’s B Division Alan Salem defeated the field and the tough conditions to shoot an excellent 40 points. In the Ladies A Division the Ladies Club Captain Barb McBean won with a score of 36 points.

Valerie Saeed put in a superb performance and defeated Sam Argui by two with the score of 37 points to win the Ladies B Division.

In other on-course contests Kerry Fitzpatrick and Rajinder Razdan won the Long Drives, and Alan Salem and Stephanie Yeung won the Nearest to the Pins.

Rees takes October Ecco Medal TYRONE Rees took the top spot in the Men’s Net Division at the Ecco October Medal thanks to a one-shot victory over John Brash after signing for a 66. The Gross Division saw Malcolm Gray top the pile by two strokes after a superb round of 75.

In Ladies Division Chaemaine Bruwer took home the low gross honours while Angela Lee and Yang Joo Hyung each won their respective categories.

EGF

EGF looks at the introduction of SNAG SNAG (Starting New At Golf ), the golf-style game for youngsters and newcomers to the sport is gaining momentum around the world and the Emirates Golf Federation are looking at ways of promoting the fun game which is a first step towards learning the sport.

Chris Vallender says that SNAG is really catching on and that it would be an ideal tool for the junior schools in the UAE to introduce the game. “It seems to have captured the imagination of budding young golfers everywhere and it was noticeable how popular it was at the Dubai World Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates,” he says.

SNAG has all the basic elements of golf, but uses modified equipment and rules to

make the learning experience easier and more fun. With oversized clubs and soft, larger balls, SNAG is a fun and interactive way to introduce children to the game of golf.

Shivas Nath of Evolution Golf, the company involved in bringing SNAG to the UAE, said: “We’ve seen a fantastic response to the SNAG area at the Dubai World Championship. The oversized club – which is actually the exact same weight as a normal golf club – and the large ball mean children don’t struggle to make contact.

“The ball is also soft, like a tennis ball, making it a safe game for the kids. We SNAG will inspire youngsters to take up the sport.”

ARABIAN GOLF

UAE National Day Golf Tournament THE UAE National Day golf tournament, featuring a full field, will be held at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club on December 2 with a 1pm shotgun start. Sponsored by the National Marine Dredging Company for the second year in a row, the annual tournament is open all UAE nationals and resident amateurs holding a valid UAE handicap.

Organised by the Emirates Golf Federation, the event is in line with instructions from Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, exhorting all government bodies in the emirate to celebrate the 38th anniversary of the UAE National Day. As in previous years, the organisers have received huge interest in the event. “The tournament has always been oversubscribed — and we are expecting another full house,” said Saeed Albudoor, General Manager of the Emirates Golf Federation.

“Each year the tournament has this festive feel to it with UAE nationals and expatriates from different nationalities signing up in big numbers — and that fun-filled atmosphere has made it one of the most popular events on the domestic circuit,” he added.

Ahmad Abdulla Al-Jabir, Chief Support Officer of National Marine Dredging Company, said his company was delighted to be part of the prestigious event.

Darwish Al Qubaisi, Board member of the Emirates Golf Federation, lauded the support of the National Marine Dredging Company, saying without their backing it wouldn’t have been possible to organise an event of this scale and stature.

“Sponsorship provides a lifeline to any event and we sincerely thank Ahmad Abdulla for all his efforts,” he said. “I look forward to his continued and support and, on our part, we promise to the deliver the event befitting the occasion.”

Entries to the tournament closed on November 22 and the leading UAE national players are expected to line up for the honours.

EGF December Tournament Calendar DATE

EVENT

VENUE

Wed, Dec 2

UAE National Day Golf Tournament

ADGC

Fri, Dec 4

National Day (Open)

AHGC

Fri, Dec 11

Gulf News ARGC Seniors Open

ARGC

Fri, Dec 11

The Al Naboodah UAE PGA Junior series

AHGC

Wed, Dec 16

Par 3 League

Wed, Dec 16

The UAE PGA Patrons’ Cup

Fri, Dec 18

SGSC Junior Open

EGC DCGYC SGSC

Entry forms can be downloaded from http://www.emiratesgolffederation.com/calendar/tournament-entry-form.asp www.wwgolf.biz

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SGSC and WWG join forces to launch the UAE GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE

S

HARJAH Golf & Shooting Club (SGSC) have taken an exciting step in launching a new and unique concept in the form of the UAE’s first Golf Society League.

The inaugural event will be staged in January 2010 and will run over the following months.

More than a dozen golf societies are expected to join up and two or more leagues will be created, depending on the exact number of societies competing Each Society will send a team of four players to each fixture. The teams will play all the other Societies in their division in a Betterball Match Play format over the following five months, starting in January.

All the fixtures will be held at SGSC on one designated Saturday afternoon of each month with each league playing on a different date.

‘Unique and exciting prospect’ Four societies will qualify from the final league standing for the Semi Finals which will be held in June 2010. Two societies will progress to the final, with the losing semi-finalists competing in a separate play-off for third and fourth places.

Director of Golf Martin Duff (pictured above right) is pleased with the announcement, saying: “This is a truly unique and exciting concept.

Approximately 4,000 golfers in the UAE are not members of a golf club and play casually, either with friends socially but often with various golf societies. This series of events will offer these

individual golfers and groups an exciting, regular competition, which will heighten the profile of their society - and all at considerably discounted rates. The individual cost will be AED 295 per fixture, which includes 18 holes of golf, range balls, cart and dinner after the event.

“Worldwide Golf, the Middle East’s leading golf publication, have signed up immediately as official Media Partner and guaranteed the league a minimum of two pages in each edition, guaranteeing the widest possible coverage and promotion for the event with pictures, full league tables and results of each tournament

‘This is a great idea’ “Further down the line we even anticipate a degree of corporate interest. Senior Management of companies will undoubtedly see the value in entering a team from their company. The interest and brand exposure achieved through Worldwide Golf magazine is certain to be significant, as well as the interaction with other guilds providing a new and unique networking platform.”

Worldwide Golf Editor, Alex Gallemore, added: “This is a wonderful concept which brings individual golfers, whose only means of playing is with friends or with societies, into a more competitive yet friendly environment.

“It’s also a great way of providing an opportunity for golfers to meet new people and for the societies in the UAE to get closer together through friendly competition. We have

found through the popularity of our Worldwide Golf Midweek Open series that there are a lot of enthusiastic golfers out there who are looking to play golf and make friends in a relaxed yet competitive atmosphere at a reasonable rate.

“This is a great idea and we are pleased to be involved with Martin Duff and Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club in creating a series of events that will provide a huge benefit for golfers who are on the fringe of basic club membership.

“It may also present a situation where handicaps can be regularised and perhaps even an association with the Emirates Golf Federation.”

For entry details and enquires about sponsorship of the SGSC Golf Society League please call 06 5487777 and speak to Golf Sales and Marketing Manager, Iris Ebel.

Alternatively send email enquiries to golfsales&golfandshootingshj.com

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PAYNE SNATCHES INAUGURAL TNT CLASSIC TOWER Links Golf Club professional Simon Payne shot an even-par 72 at the Arabian Ranches Golf Club to take the trophy at the TNT Classic – the inaugural event in the UAE PGA Patrons’ Cup series.

Payne (pictured top right) scored five birdies during his round but admitted that his putting lacked discipline, however it was a putt on hole 4 that secured his victory over Emirates Golf Clubs’ Jamie Wood, who carded 73.

“My game has felt quite good over the past few months, I am very pleased to have turned my game around after an average start to last season,” said Payne. “My playing partners were of great support, as is TNT’s whose continued involvement in PGA events helps to lift the professional profile of the game to another level.”

Payne is also member of the team that will be representing the UAE PGA in the European PGA Teams Championship to be played in Spain later this year. Payne believes, with the calibre of player joining him, that a top-10 finish is achievable.

In third place was Al Badia Golf Club’s Richard Sheridan who was disappointed with his 3-over par 75 finish while Alex Charawani’s (pictured bottom right) 77 saw him claim the top spot in the Amateur Division. Steve Bennett’s 78 secured him runner-up spot with Miki Mirza walking away with 79 and third place.

As a sponsor of the inaugural Patrons’ Cup, Mark Woodcock, TNT Sales and Commercial Director said: “It was an honour to be the sponsor of the inaugural event being the TNT Classic. Elliot Gray and his team have done an outstanding job and the competition in both categories was strong. I am confident everyone enjoyed the day, as much as we did, and TNT looks forward to hosting the first event in the 2010’s Cup series.”

The next event in this series will be the Al Naboodah Cup held at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on December 16th.

McArthur takes third title in Order of Merit series ROSS McArthur shot a 2-under-par 70 around Jebel Ali’s Resort Course to become the third different winner so far this season in the race for the Order of Merit.

The Al Hamra Golf Club professional took the title by one stroke from Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club’s Steve Chambers while Nick Oakley of Yas Links led the Abu Dhabi based contingent, finishing third with a 73.

“The course was in exceptional playing condition today and on behalf of my fellow PGA members I’d like to thank Director of Golf James Williams and his team,” said McArthur.

Julian Danby, Chief Executive of the UAE PGA said: “It was great to see yet another new winner for this season picking up the first place cheque today, this really shows the strength of players we have within the UAE and it has already created quite a buzz to this years’ Order of Merit Series.

“The UAE PGA extends its warm thanks to our Patrons, Al Naboodah Group, Acuma Wealth Management, Auriga and TNT, all of whom are great corporate ambassadors for the game, and derive a great deal of satisfaction in developing golf in the UAE.”

Ross McArthur (R) with UAE PGA Tournament Committee member Malcolm Young.

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UAE PGA

SUCCESSFUL PGA JUNIORS PAR 3 SERIES GETS UNDERWAY

ARABIAN GOLF

Abdullah Al Naboodah with 2008/2009 Junior Par 3 golf series winner Aryan Chordia.

ARYAN Chordia is keen to defend the title he won at the inaugural UAE Professional Golfer’s Association’s Junior Par 3 golf series, sponsored by Al Naboodah, with the 2009/2010 series now underway.

Over 90 young golfers competed in the three-part 2008/2009 UAE series, which was held at various par-3 golf courses in Dubai with the talented nine-year-old Dubai Creek golf student Chordia coming out on top.

The 2009/2010 season began on November 13th at The Montgomerie, Dubai and is open to all budding golfers between the ages of six to 14 years who are currently enrolled in golf clinics and golf schools run by golf clubs in the UAE. Each tournament is played in a stroke-play format with full handicap allowance, and follows the PGA’s highly-coveted and successful Order of Merit format.

Inaugural series sponsor and Patron to the UAE PGA, Al Naboodah, have re-signed for the 2009/2010 series, which is a sign of their ongoing commitment to the development of the game in the UAE. “We are exceptionally pleased of the PGA’s association with Al Naboodah and we are delighted they are renewing their involvement in the Junior Par 3 series,” said Julian Danby UAE PGA Chief Executive. “This involvement supports the UAE PGA’s commitment of developing our Junior golfers and provides them with an opportunity to participate in a quality event with a professional tournament feel.”

Emirates Golf Club, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, The Montgomerie, Dubai and Arabian Ranches Golf Club are again venues for the 2009/2010 Par 3 series, and will be joined by Abu Dhabi Golf & Equestrian Club and The Palm Sports Resort golf course in Al Ain, increasing the opportunity for more Juniors to participate.

“I am very proud to be the winner of the first series and I have been practicing at The Creek at every opportunity I had this summer,” said Chordi ahead of his title defence.

Registration for the series will be co-ordinated by the respective Club’s PGA coaching professionals.

BIG NAMES SIGN ON TO SUPPORT THE UAE PGA THE UAE PGA has added two more corporate heavyweights to their list of supporters through an agreement with local sporting goods wholesaler and distributor, Prosports International, which sees the world-renowned golf brands of FootJoy and Titleist become Official Partners.

Titleist currently holds the No.1 position as the favoured golf ball on the PGA TOUR, a title held since 1949, so it seems fitting this ball should be recognised as the UAE PGA’s official ball.

All golfers will agree that the golf shoe is an integral piece of equipment, silently supporting their game. The FootJoy golf shoe is also able to boast a No.1 ranking on the PGA TOUR, a claim that they have held for over 60 years, and a claim which now rests alongside being the UAE PGA’s official footwear.

Offering over 20 tournaments in the UAE PGA’s calendar, with outstanding involvement from high profile Patrons in the Al Naboodah Group, Acuma Wealth Management, Auriga and TNT, this new partnership is another strong addition to the PGA’s efforts to provide quality benefits to its members.

“It goes without saying that we are delighted to have these two great brands on board as Official Partners,” said Julian Danby, UAE PGA Chief Executive. “Titleist and FootJoy are synonymous with the game of golf and

we sincerely thank the Senior Management of Prosports International for the support extended to the UAE PGA and its members.”

Prosports International General Manager of Sales and Marketing, David Stevenson added: “Titleist and FootJoy have a long history of supporting PGAs and their members across the globe. We at Prosports, as the exclusive distributor of Titleist and FootJoy products for the region, are proud to assist with UAE PGA’s efforts and look forward to building a long and mutually beneficial relationship.”

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ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB

Scotland take Baker-Finch Nations Team Trophy ARABIAN Ranches Golf Club hosted the annual Baker-Finch Nations Team Trophy for Members and their guests recently. The event had a field of 108 players with four players in each team representing their country.

Twenty seven teams competed for the honour of winning the Nations Trophy with England starting the day as favourites with 13 teams.

England’s closest rivals Scotland, with seven teams in the field, proved equal to the challenge when Dillon Sim (24), Jim Sim (10), Ewan Bremner (18) and Martin Issott (5) stormed off with the title after posting a score of 91 points, three clear of runners-up Owen Mills (5) Graham Wood (6) Nathan Fay (14) and Greg Wright (9) on 88 points.

The winning team took full advantage of the par 5s with team Stableford scores of nine,seven,eight and nine to set the platform for their winning performance. The 18-hole event saw each player receiving full handicap allowance. The best Individual Stableford score counted towards the team total on the par 3s, the best two scores on the par 4s and the best three scores on the par 5s.

Jim Sim commented at the prize presentation: “We had a great day out on the course with the set-up being a little different than usual. It was fun to play the course from tees we don’t use to often.”

The prize presentation took place on the newly furnished Ranches Restaurant Terrace with the worthy winners being congratulated by Fortuna Dougherty.

Hill and Evans take Betterball title

Ex-Captain Bob Fletcher raises AED60,000 for local charities DURING his Captaincy at Arabian Ranches from September 2008 to August 2009, Bob Fletcher organised an initiative to help raise funds for local children’s charities.

His initiative was given full backing by everyone at the Club and the total amount raised during his tenure was AED60,000, which was divided between the Rashid Pediatric Therapy Centre and the Make-a-Wish Foundation upon completion of the November Monthly Medal.

Janette Graham, Head Teacher of Rashid Pediatric Therapy Centre; Rita Bains and Annette Waddington, Board Members of the Make-a-Wish Foundation, were on hand to accept the donations and give a brief speech outlining their respective charities activities as well thanking Fletcher for his efforts.

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The winning team from Scotland: Jim Sim, Dillon Sim, Martin Issott, Ewan Bremner

STEVE Hill (4) and Keith Evans (5) scored a net 65 to win the Betterball of Partners Strokeplay event.

The format was Betterball Strokeplay with each competitor receiving ¾ handicap allowance.

Men played from the blue tee markers measuring 6,807 yards and ladies played from the red tee markers measuring 5,503 yards.

Hill and Evans’ card consisted of two halves of 31 and 34 for their winning score after starting on hole 12 in the shotgun start.

A trio of teams closely pursued Hill and Evans and it was Steve Bennett (1) and Andy Burrow (3) who claimed second place with a net 66.

In the Ladies/Mixed Division, the husband and wife team of Phil and Denise Alcock blew away the competition with a net 66 to win by three shots from Stephen and Janet Sanderson.

Francois Wolfaardt, Golf Manager, commented at the prize giving: “It’s been a magnificent day with over 100 players competing in this event. We also want to congratulate Steve Bennett for hitting his third career hole-in-one on hole 2.”

Rita Bains (left) and Annette Waddington (right) accept their cheques from former Club Captain Bob Fletcher.

ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB

Mills takes November Rivoli Monthly Medal

ARABIAN GOLF LOCATION: Emirates Road (311) in the heart of Arabian Ranches.

CONTACT: Tel : +971 4 366 3000 Fax : +971 4 366 3355 INFO: Arabian Ranches Golf Club opened its doors in February, 2004 and was built as a true 18 holes, par 72 desert-style grass course, a signature course designed by Ian Baker-Finch in association with Nicklaus Design.

COURSE: Championship Course 7691-yard par 72.

JOHN Mills (0) returned a gross 1-under par 71 to win the November Rivoli Monthly Medal supported by Marble Renewal of the UAE. Mills’s performance will have put him in good stead prior to heading to Portugal in an attempt to qualify for the European Senior Tour and he was at his usual best with a scintillating performance.

Mills was perfect from tee to green and posted three birdies to offset the two bogeys on holes 5 and 10.

“I feel satisfied with my performance especially leading up to the qualifying event in Portugal,” said Mills after his round. “To be able to score 71 at Ranches gives me a lot of confidence going forward.”

Mills, who had been runner-up in the previous two Medal events, had it all his own way, winning by five shots from the October winner Tony Azoulay.

The net round of the day belonged to Division ‘A’ Champion Wim Boogaerts (10) who shot a gross 73 for a net 63.

In the Ladies Division Maureen Onuonga (32) blew away the competition with a flawless performance.

Onuonga was able to post a Net 71 to win the Ladies Net Division for her first Rivoli Monthly Medal victory – Ashley Anderson (9) won the ladies gross prize with a superb 87.

Francois Wolfaardt – Golf Manager said: “This was a very exciting event with all the men battling for a place in the Singles Matchplay Championship and with the last 10 places up for grabs in December, the next Rivoli Monthly Medal will be even more exciting. I also want to thank Rivoli for their generous support in one of the Clubs most prestigious events.”

Above: Medal Winners with Club Captains John Hainey and Fortuna Dougherty.

Kelly and Inkson combine to win Lexus Golf Day THE duo of Ian Kelly (12) and Gordon Inkson (5) scored 12 Modified Stableford points to win the Lexus Golf Day recently.

The format for the event was a Combined Modified Stableford and each player received full handicap allowance. Points were awarded as follows: 8 Pts – net albatross, 5 Pts – net eagle, 2 Pts – net birdie, 0 Pts – net par, 1 Pt for a net bogey and 3 Pts – net double bogey, both players individual scores were combined together at each hole to determine the team total.

Both Kelly and Inkson made valuable contributions at crucial times during the round but it was the three gross birdies from Inkson that allowed the team to post the winning total of 12 points.

The duo posted an inward half of nine points and an outward half of three points with the highlight of their round coming at the hole 8 where they combined for seven points.

The big hitting pair of Andre Coetzee (5) and Louis Michel Doyon (9) took the runner-up spot, one shot behind the winners.

In the Ladies/Mixed Division the husband and wife combination of Mark and Karen Evans equalled the

best score of the day to win their division after posting 12 points. Karen (24) has been in great form recently and with this victory reduced her handicap to 22.

This was the couple’s second tournament win in as many weeks after winning a Betterball Stableford event a week earlier.

“We try to keep the events interesting by providing our Members and their guests with a variety of formats; this combined modified Stableford proved to be great fun as both players had to be on top of their game and perform well throughout the round to stand a chance of winning,” said Francois Wolfaardt, Golf Manager. “We thank Lexus for all their support and encouragement in helping us create a quality event to our Membership, Homeowners and their guests.”

One of the many highlights of the day came from Andy Scanlan who made a hole-in-one at hole 7– the first ace of his career.

Mark and Karen Evans with Lady Club Captain Fortuna Dougherty.

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YOUR COMPLETE

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Dhs.580 per person

PAR 3 PACKAGE* From

Dhs.115 per person

*The Creek package includes an 18-hole green fee, shared cart, range balls and prize presentation dinner. The Par 3 package includes a 9-hole green fee, rangeballs and prize presentation dinner. Rates apply for 12 golfers to 108 golfers.

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For enquiries, contact Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club T: +9714 295 6000 F: +9714 295 6009 E: dcgyc@dubaigolf.com www.dubaigolf.com

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

Indian Independence Golf Cup a huge success

ARABIAN GOLF LOCATION Deira, opposite Deira City Centre.

C0NTACT (04) 295 6000 dcgyc@dubaigolf.com Book online tee times at www.dubaigolf.com INFO First Open 1993, redesigned in 2005.

Course: 18 holes, Par 71, 6,857 yards, Championship course Design Originally: Karl Litten.

Redesign: European Golf Design in association with Thomas Björn.

THE 13th Annual Indian Independence Golf Cup supported by RBS was held at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club last month and over 100 players registered from the Indian community in Dubai to battle it out for the coveted titles.

Playing a Stableford format with a 3/4 handicap allowance and the main prize being presented at the Consul General of India it was a prestigious day for all of the players to take part in.

In Men’s Division ‘A’ the champion for the

second year in a row was Biren Dey who scored a fantastic 39 points total to secure the victory. Finishing in second place on 37 points was Sergey D’Souza with Anand Kapoor finishing alone in third place a point further back.

Dileep Kumar won the Men’s Division ‘B’ by one point with a solid score of 34 points.

Second place was decided on a countback over the last nine holes after two scores of 33 points and it was Jamal Bin Marghoob who

prevailed by a single point from J.S Raj. Nasha Sarkari played consistently to score 30 points and win the Ladies Division by two points from close rival Serifa D’Souza.

Satwinder Sembi won the Seniors Division with his total of 31 points and the scratch handicapper Miki Mirza won the day’s best gross prize with 36 gross points.

Nearest the Pin winners were Vikar Mustafa and Stathis Stathis while Biren Dey smashed his way to the two Longest Drive prizes.

Fund-raiser for Al Noor Training Centre JUNIOR member at Dubai Creek M.R Rajalekha organised a charity Par 3 event for the Al Noor Training Centre for children with special needs and raised AED 10,000.

Thirty six players turned out to support the cause and help came from all players and the three generous sponsors Eico, Al Mansoora Printing and Crown Paper Mill.

With Dubai Creek’s strong junior contingent shining through, all three Nearest the Pin contests were won by Diya Chopra on holes 3 and 9 and Dhruv Nair on the fifth. Rayhan John Thomas was runner-up in the junior division with a 1-over-par gross 28.

Dhruv Nair shot a superb 1-under-par 26, and equalled the lowest score from the Men’s division – a superb effort by the talented 11-year-old.

In the ladies Shloka Desai and Nasha Sarkari were tied with gross 5-over-par 32s and a countback over the last six holes declared Desai the overall winner.

The Men’s Division was also a close affair with Miki Mirza and Abdullah Al Naboodah both tied with gross 1-under-par 26, and after a countback all the way to the last hole, Mirza was awarded first place.

“Thank you to the sponsors, players, management and at the club for supporting this worthy cause and it is fantastic we can all make the effort to raise much needed funds for the children,” said Rajalekha. “Also I must thank my mum and dad for their support in making this all possible.”

Jean Francois Luquer, General Manager of Dubai Creek commented: “It was great to see one of our junior members make a special effort and come forward wanting to organise this event and do such a wonderful job in ensuring it was a great success.”

Jean Francois Luquer, General Manager of Dubai Creek presenting M.R Rajalekha with the cheque for AED 10,000 along with several other participants.

Shahriar Khodjasteh, Group Marketing Director of Aqili Furnishings and David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at Dubai Creek present Jan Peter and Marceline Van Der Ree with their trophies.

Friday 13th – Lucky for some at the Creek JAN Peter and Marceline Van Der Ree won the Carpetland Monthly Open at Dubai Creek on Friday 13th November with an amazing betterball score of 8-under-par net 63.

The husband and wife duo gelled well to score 10 net birdies between them and one unfortunate double bogey.

A superb back nine of net 29, 7-under-par, was more than enough to win by a clear two shots and seal their maiden victory in the monthly open series.

Runner-up was Neil Chan Some and Chris Dommett with a great 6-under-par net 65 while in third place – by virtue of their back nine – was Kurup Devanand and Naresh Handa on net 66.

All the top three winning pairs have secured their place in the fourth consecutive grand finals to be held at Dubai Creek in May 2010.

Madhav Nair won Nearest the Pin on the 14th hole with a great iron shot and Marceline van Der Ree out drove the men and claimed the Longest Drive on the seventh hole.

The lucky raffle winner of the sought after Carpetland Rug was Vikram Arora.

The next Carpetland Monthly Open is set for Saturday 19th December with a 13.00 shotgun start.

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E M I R AT E S G O L F C L U B LOCATION Emirates Hills, Interchange 5 Sheikh Zayed Road, opposite the 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, 7,211 yards, Championship course Faldo Course – 18 holes, Par 72, 7,433 yards Designers: Majlis Course – Karl Litten Faldo course – Sir Nick Faldo

Hendry and Nielsen cruise to 10-shot triumph DAN Hendry and Nanna Nielsen shot a second round 65 to clinch the Emirates Mixed Amateur Open supported

by Al Dobowi by a staggering 10-shot margin.

The duo followed their impressive opening net 67 over the Faldo course with a sensational 65 over the famous Majlis layout.

Commencing the final round with a four shot lead they could have not started any better, picking up birdies on the opening two holes. They were pegged back with a double bogey on hole 5 but picked up another shot on the next hole.

Their gross 36 on the front nine set the foundation for an awesome finish as they returned home in 33 shots with birdies coming in quick succession on holes 11,13,15 and 16. Rounds of 71 and 69, in a greensomes

Hwang takes October medal SUN Jin Hwang took Division ‘A’ at the BMW October Monthly Medal after a countback victory over Vipen Stethi.

Hwang got off to a flying start with back-to-back birdies on holes 3 and 4 and after coming home in 1-over-par 38 he signed for a gross 75 (net 70). Despite failing to make any birdies on the back nine, Hwang’s performance over the latter half of the course saw him take the title from the disappointed Stethi.

Jignesh Sangani claimed third place, finishing one shot behind the top pair with a net 71, while the best gross score of the day went to Pontus Fredriksson with a level-par round 72.

Division ‘B’ saw the lowest net of the day carded by Stephen Jones who scored an excellent 68 to win by four shots over Vikrant Mehra, who in turn took second spot from Kuttan Malattiri on a countback.

Harish Rupani won Division ‘C’ with a net 71 while Gurjit Grewal took second place with a net 74 – winning on countback from Amresh Sagani.

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format, proved to be far to good for the rest of the 132strong field as their net 132 total (13-under-par) saw them romp to a comfortable victory.

Rai and Joan Legnar signed for a final round 68 to follow their opening 74, giving them second place – a fine performance for the inaugural winners of the championship back in 1993/94.

Arabian Ranches Golf Club were well represented by Adele Mckelvey and John Mills, who combined to return rounds of 72 and 71 which was good enough to clinch third place. Darren and Frances Cole matched their total of 143 and had to settle for fourth following a countback.

Also in the prizes were Y.J Kim and Nasha Sarkari for their gross total of 155.

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

ARABIAN GOLF

Hendry finds top gear to win BMW Medal HAVING clinched the Emirates Mixed Amateur Open a fortnight ago, Daniel Henry continued his rich vein of form to fire a gross 70, net 66 to triumph in the November edition of the BMW Monthly Medal.

Starting from the first hole of the Faldo course he got off to a shocking start by dropping two shots but consolidated by completing the remainder of the front nine in level par seeing him out in 38 shots, 2-over par. He then went on to tear the difficult back nine apart by recording an eagle three on the 489-yard 10th and picked up birdies on the 12th, 13th and 17th holes.

His inward half of 32 gave him a 3-under gross tally of 70 and net 66. Hendry completed his round in the morning and must have thought the gross medal was his but Joel Neale matched his tally of 70 in the afternoon and

also his back nine of 32, 5-under par. However Hendry’s better back six holes gifted him the honour of best gross and best net of a 94strong field.

Tony White produced one of his best performances at Emirates Golf Club with a net 67 to take the runners-up spot in Division A (handicap 0-10). Andrew Robinson, another player in fine form, signed for a 70 to take third place.

Vijay Devnani clinched a three-stroke victory in Division B (handicap 11-19) following his net 69, with A.E Ravi and Alan Salem taking second and third place respectively after returning rounds of 1-under par 72. John Phillips also fired a 72 to claim top prize in Division C (handicap 20-28) with Hal Hemmerich second (74) and Yeo Bong Yoon (78) third.

Pullan Clinches Seniors Championship VAL Pullan fired a gross 78 over the Faldo course to claim the Seniors Championship. Pullan’s round consisted of birdies on the 13th and the short par-3 eighth hole as she went out in 42 and came back in 36 for a three shot victory over Mitsuko Emmerson.

Lynne Dickinson scored an excellent gross 82 to take third place while her net 70 saw her take second place in the Net category behind Nova Matheson.

Those ladies not eligible for the Seniors Championship competed in a Stableford format with Jo Shoeman coming out on top with a level-par 36 points.

ABU DHABI GOLF AND EQUESTRIAN CLUB

Record numbers compete at opening junior tournament MORE than 280 children have signed up for the Junior Golf Academy this season at the Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club and on October 17th and 18th the first tournament, sponsored by the Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi, took place with a recordbreaking 110 participants.

Dressed smartly in their junior academy apparel, they took to the course hoping to win one of the various trophies on offer and in the 18-Hole Event it was young Englishman Jason Sneyd who took in the Gross Category with an impressive 80 from his 24 handicap, while Emilie Schwarte claimed the Handicap Prize with a net 59 from her 36 handicap.

The 10-Hole Boys Event was captured by Sebastian Bardh, who scored a very steady 16 Stableford points with Uzair Sattar finishing second, two points adrift while in the Girls 10-Hole competition Roshni Karadia shot a rock solid 14 Points to take the title.

The hugely competitive 3-Hole Event was won by Doryan Idri with an incredible score of just 13 shots. Linus Shcwarte finished second after recording the same score but losing out on a countback. Clara Wickner won the Girls 3-Hole Event with a record score of just 14 shots.

The ‘nippers’ 2-Hole Event was won by Kien Deschpande who took the Boys Trophy with 12 shots while Olivia Wright won the Girls Event with another recordbreaking score of eight shots. Moritz Klein, General Manager of Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi and Layal Bou Habib, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications, attended the prize-giving ceremony.

Doryan Idri accepts her prize after winning the 3-hole event with just 13 shots . www.wwgolf.biz

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THE ELS CLUB

Brink’s near-miss in Odyssey’s ‘Putt for €1m’ finale Germany’s Jürgen ten Brink’s money-can’t-buy 100ft pressure putt slides past the hole in breathtaking climax to Odyssey’s 2009 competition GERMAN golfer Jürgen ten Brink came within inches of becoming an instant millionaire in the climax to Odyssey’s ‘Putt for 1million Euros’ promotion staged at The Els Club in Dubai. Brink, who plays his golf at Münsterland Golf Club in Steinfurt, saw his all-important putt slide agonisingly past the hole, missing by just one foot on the right, and finally coming to rest about seven feet away.

Brink, pictured below, right, after taking his putt, had the opportunity of making golfing history after winning the putt-off against nine other qualifiers the previous day, allowing him his shot – or putt – at a €1million.

He said: “It was one of the most nervous, yet exciting, moments of my life. It’s a shame the ball didn’t disappear in the hole, but I’ve had an amazing time and met some of the best golfers in the world during the final. I may not have holed the putt for a million, but I still feel like a winner.”

Brink took part in the final stages with other golfers from the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, France, Spain and Italy after they all went on to correctly ‘spot the ball’ in the online competition, winning their once-in-a-lifetime trips.

All were then flown out to Dubai and treated to the VIP trip, which coincided with the climax of The European Tour’s ‘Race to Dubai’, the Dubai World Championship, played on the Jumeirah Golf Estate’s Earth course and won in spectacular style by England’s Lee Westwood.

As part of Callaway Golf’s red carpet treatment, the finalists also got the chance to meet some of the company’s Staff Professionals, including Ernie Els, Nick Dougherty, Alvaro Quiros, Oliver Wilson and Alexander Noren. “I’d also be nervous

standing over a putt for €1million!” said Dougherty. “For the general public to get a feel for the pressure we have on The European Tour is an experience they will never forget. Just imagine the scenes, had Jürgen holed his putt.”

Neil Howie, President of Callaway Golf Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “The Odyssey’s ‘Putt for 1million Euros’ promotion has been a resounding success.

To give a golfer a chance to change their life with a single putt is an amazing experience. We thank Jürgen for his efforts. It’s a shame we are not writing a cheque for €1million, but he returns to Germany with our very best wishes.”

The Els Club’s 60,000 Low scoring at Rivoli Member Major square foot Clubhouse THE experience at The Els Club is set to reach new heights with the 60,000 sq ft Clubhouse opening in early 2010.

With no expense spared, it will echo the high standards already set by a course which has become one of the most acclaimed in the region. Members and Guests will have access to a private lounge, state of the art meeting/conference facilities, a choice of dining options including the Big Easy Dubai as well as a range of other benefits.

The Big Easy Dubai will be a relaxed but refined eatery serving wholesome, freshly prepared dishes with a South African pedigree inspired by Ernie Els and his signature restaurant in Stellenbosch. Combining the freshest ingredients where diners can enjoy the best-aged cuts of steak, innovative salads and appetisers along with probably the best hamburger in town. The Big Easy Dubai will be the ideal spot for business lunches, family meals and cosy dinners. Complimented by an expansive selection of new and old world wines, this will be the perfect retreat located in the Els Clubhouse.

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ROBERT McNamara and Ronan O’Reilly took the spoils as The Els Club hosted the Rivoli Member Major last month.

O’Reilly shot a superb 73 to capture the gross prize while McNamara’s net 66 was good enough for the top spot in the net category.

Abdul Khadir Hussein finished a shot behind McNamara for second place with Kris Horvath claiming third place with a 68.

Robert Houston won the Nearest the Pin challenge on hole 4 with Malcolm Gray taking the same spoils for his tee shot approach to the 17th. The Long Drive challenges on holes 1 and 18 were won by Caroline Jones and Dean Cheesley respectively.

SHARJAH GOLF & SHOOTING CLUB

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

Buchanan makes it two

CONTACT +971 6 548 7777 info@golfandshootingshj. com

BILL Buchanan took home the Midweek Madness trophy on November 16th after a fine display of golf.

Sponsored by the Coral Beach Resort Sharjah, the event returned for its bi-weekly competition and was played to a par/bogey format from the white tees. Buchanan (5), who also won the November Orient Travel Medal, continued his fine form by defeating the course 4-up.

He started at the par-5 fourth where he recorded his first birdie to go 1-up before picking up another shot at the second to take him 2-up through two. By the time he got to the ninth tee he was 3-up and at his final hole – the short par-3 third – he rolled in a birdie putt from 15 feet to beat his nearest rivals by two.

Coral Beach General Manager Jean Pierre Simon (19) took the runner-up spot on 2-up after a card countback, with the highlight of his round coming at the 162-yard par-3 eighth where he holed out from 10 feet for a gross birdie. At the ninth he laid up his second shot short of the water and from there he hit a fine wedge to within a foot to give him a gross par – net birdie.

Taiwanese golfer George Liu (6) finished third after he beat the golf course by two shots. Liu birdied the first and recorded net brdies on holes 5 and 9. His only blemish was a single dropped shot at the challenging second hole.

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.

Dags win KLM Golf Society Cup THE inaugural KLM Golf Society Cup supported by Orient Travel was won by the DAGS Society duo of Tony Stafford (4) and Ed Rice (8) as they stormed around the course, shooting a net 65.

The duo recorded seven birdies and 11 pars as they defeated the Dubai Irish Golf Society duo of Kevin Dunleavy (14) and Paul Maccabe (18) on countback.

At the presentation they thanked Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club and the sponsors for running an excellent tournament and said that they are already looking forward to returning next year to hopefully defend their title.

Representing the COGS Golf Society, Charles Coles (13) and Xavier Farrington (4) finished a shot behind with a net 66.

After a fantastic opening front nine score of 32 they returned a net 34 for the tricky back nine. The duo recorded only one dropped shot at the par-5 13th.

At the presentation Fredric Huang, country manager of title sponsors Air France and KLM thanked all the competitors and Director of Golf Martin Duff for hosting a terrific event.

He went on to offer all the participants in the event a 15% discount for their next flight on KLM or Air France.

Stafford and Rice (centre) with the Inaugural Society Cup and the other prize winners.

www.wwgolf.biz

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R OYA L G O L F C L U B B A H R A I N

Think Pink Golf at the Royal Golf Club THE fifth annual Think Pink Charity Golf Day was a huge success once again this year with at least BD9,000 being raised for the charity.

Experienced lady golfers were invited to compete in an 18-hole Texas Scramble competition on the Royal Golf Club’s Montgomerie Championship Course while ladies with higher handicaps had the option to play a nine-hole scramble on the club’s Wee Monty par-3 academy course.

The team of Sara Axtell, Gill Perras, Evelyn Sword and Cass Winton won first prize in the 18-hole Texas Scramble with a net score of 61.2 while Karen Van Mastright, Ade Holstege, Antoinette De Windt and Valerie Lim won the nine-hole event with a team score of 30.

The money raised, which was increased by the hosting of two additional events for male golfers, will be used to help raise awareness of breast cancer within the Kingdom of Bahrain.

All the competitors prior to teeing off, posing outside the Club’s Majlis function hall which was specially decorated for the occasion.

ETT Team triumph in Royal Golf Club Pro-Am ROYAL Golf Club General Manager and PGA Professional Michael Braidwood led his Environmental Turf Technology (ETT) team to victory in the Club’s second annual Pro-Am tournament with a score of 87 points.

Braidwood’s team, consisting of Matthew Perry, Richard Fortmuller and David Goodchild, each received the top prize of Gulf Air flights to the UK and a day at a corporate box at English football team Queen Park Rangers.

Another of the Royal Golf Club’s six PGA Professionals, Scotsman Colin Ferguson, took the prize for Top Professional Performance with a superb 4-under-par 68. Richard Dinsdale, the pro at Parc Golf Academy in Wales, came second with a 2-under-70. Dinsdale was in Bahrain competing as a finalist in the Gulf Air PGA Pro Captain Challenge in which he and his

partner Steve Williams were also runners up.

“I’d like to thank all our sponsors – Projects System Group, ART Marine, Motorsport Middle East, Gulf Air, Muscat Hills, Lost Paradise of Dilmun Water Park, ETT, EK Kanoo, Queens Park Rangers, L’Hotel, AXA and Club Car for their support in making this tournament such a fantastic success,” said Braidwood at the prizegiving ceremony.

Jim Farmer, Captain of the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland said: “Everyone who took part in the Gulf Air PGA tournament over the past couple of days found today’s Pro-Am a perfect finish to a superb trip.

Project Systems Group hosted an excellent lunch for all the competitors after the competition and the superb prizes were a great incentive for everyone to play their very best game.”

(l – r) The victorious ETT team of David Goodchild, Richard Fortmuller, Michael Braidwood and Matthew Perry.

Millbrook duo clinch Gulf Air PGA Pro Captain Challenge from Parc Golf

Rob Brightman (left) and Duncan Steele with the Gulf Air PGA Pro Captain Challenge trophy.

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ENGLISH golf professional Rob Brightman and Club Captain Duncan Steele of Millbrook Golf Club clinched the trophy at the Gulf Air PGA Pro Captain Challenge thanks to a superb second round performance.

The duo, who lay in joint fourth place overnight after shooting a 69 on the first day of the 36-hole tournament, totted up a string of birdies in the second round, coming in with a superb 8-under-par 64, giving them a tworound total of 11-under-par 133.

Richard Dinsdale and Steve Williams of Parc Golf Academy in Wales, who were in joint first place after round one, shot a very respectable 67 in the second round to clinch the runner-up spot with a total score of 10-under-par 134.

“Obviously we are both absolutely delighted with our win,” said Brightman after the match.

“Duncan’s putting was awesome – his 25 foot putt on the 18th for a gross birdie turned out to be the winning shot.”

Steele added: “We’ve had a fantastic time here in Bahrain, it’s been a brilliant experience for all of us. I’d like to thank Gulf Air, BMW UK, the PGA and the Royal Golf Club for hosting such an excellent tournament; we’ve been treated like kings!”

Seven pairs of finalists from the seven PGA regions of the UK and Ireland were flown to Bahrain courtesy of Gulf Air to take part in the sixth annual Gulf Air PGA Pro Captain Challenge.

Gulf region finalists Alan MacKenzie and Francisco Giles from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club also competed as well as Royal Golf Club representatives Michael Braidwood, General Manager and Club Captain Alan Horne.

R OYA L G O L F C L U B B A H R A I N

ARABIAN GOLF

‘Fore 1 Golf’ take the Seventh Qualifying Round of the 2009 Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge at the Royal Golf Club YOUSIF Majid and Sattam Algosaibi representing ‘Fore 1 Golf’ shot a superb net 64 in gusty conditions at the Royal Golf Club to win the seventh Qualifying Round of the 2009 Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge.

They posted four gross birdies and made some good par saves and felt that they had played really well under the conditions. Majid and Algosaibi, with handicaps of 9 and 11 respectively, have been practicing hard in the last few months and are looking forward to the Grand final on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Close on their heels were last year’s winners, Farooq Ahmed and Ebrahim Esbai with a 66 net.

“I would like to congratulate the winners,” said Ayman Mattar, Business Development Manager, Xerox Middle East. “We are eagerly waiting for the Grand Final in Dubai which is now just one qualifying round away.”

The Grand Final will be held on Thursday, December 10th, on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai.

Yousif Majid shakes hands with John Joseph, Group General Manager, Business International, Xerox Bahrain.

OTHER TEAMS WHO HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE GRAND FINAL AT THE EARTH COURSE AT JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES Marsh Insco – Livio van Hellenberg Hubar and Alexander Blom

Axiom Telecom – Shravan Khanna and Vaqqas Ahmed

Kentz – Das Nambiar and Ed Power

Systech International – Kevin Thorley and Raja Flora

ADCO – Mike Guzon and JV delos Santos Citi – Omer Khan and Naveed Kamal Discovery Homes – Arshad Waheed and Tony Andrews Global Aerospace Logistics – John W Albertson III and Jerry Durossette

My Home International Property - Graham Bull and Robert McNamara Gulf Reinsureance Ltd - Ariel Ignacia and Shankar Majrekar Al Huraiz Real Estate - Anand Lakhiani and Ishu Rupani

Ishtar Décor – Nick Lloyd and Jayne Washbourne

HCBC Global Asset Mgt - Stuart Cameron and Paul Donavan

Weynha LLC – Alan Salem and Soumaya Argui

Versons Group – Pravesh Jethwani and Mohamed Murad

Danielle Sheppard wins top AXA prize THE fifth annual Think Pink Charity Golf Day was a huge success once again this year with at least BD9000 being raised for the charity.

Experienced lady golfers were invited to compete in an 18-hole Texas Scramble competition on the Royal Golf Club’s Montgomerie Championship Course while ladies with higher handicaps had the option to play a nine-hole scramble on the club’s Wee Monty par-3 academy course.

The team of Sara Axtell, Gill

Perras, Evelyn Sword and Cass Winton won first prize in the 18-hole Texas Scramble with a net score of net 61.2 while Karen Van Mastright, Ade Holstege, Antoinette De Windt and Valerie Lim won the nine-hole event with a team score of 30.

The money raised, which was increased by the hosting of two additional events for male golfers, will be used to help raise awareness of breast cancer within the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Overall winner Danielle Sheppard and all the prize winners with Steve Wagstaff, AXA Country Manager (far left, standing) www.wwgolf.biz

81

YOUR COMPLETE

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Rates apply for 12 golfers to 108 golfers.

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For enquiries, contact Emirates Golf Club via T: +9714 380 2222 F: +9714 380 1752 E: golfoffice@dubaigolf.com www.dubaigolf.com

DOHA GOLF CLUB

ARABIAN GOLF LOCATION Close to West Bay Lagoon, 8km north of central Doha.

DEMO DAY A HIT THE Taylormade Demo Day recently held at Doha Golf Club was a huge success with many keen golfers of all ages turning up to try out the latest golf clubs from Taylormade.

Matthew Nutting and Ronald Kimber of Taylormade Middle East were on the range offering participants the chance to try out and purchase the latest in Taylormade equipment – including the highly popular R9 driver.

Golfers received information and advice from the pair to help find the right product to suit and improve their games.

The Garveys and Chris Duffy take the GCC Invitational

CONTACT +974 483 2338 info@dohagolfclub.com INFO 18-hole 7,374-yard par-72 Championship course accompanied by a floodlit 9-hole Academy Course with spectacular views of the West Bay Lagoon.

Designed by Peter Harradine.

Doha Rates Midweek: 18H - QR365 9H - QR200 Twilight: 18H 9H

- QR420 - QR220

Weekend: 18H - QR420 9H - QR220

Pink Ribbon Golf Tournament raises QR12,000

THE team of Chris Duffy, Melvin, Danny and Richard Garvey claimed the title in the Gulf Contracting Company Invitational with a score of net 63 Gross 71.

The four-man scramble saw a full field of players take to the Championship Course and an enjoyable day was had by all participants. Second place went to Jim Hughes, Mark Jarman, Keith Townson and Stan Rees with a net 65 for a 73 Gross while third place was closely contested with the team of Fazal Kazi, Jamal Nasir, Bob Noble and Gavin Harvout edging it with a net 66 for a 74 Gross on countback.

The winning team of Chris Duffy, Melvin, Danny and Richard Garvey.

DOHA Golf Club was the stage for the annual “Pink Ribbon Golf Tournament” as 15 teams totaling 60 ladies teed off in the morning to raise money for Breast Cancer Research.

The winning team of Cathy Pals, Margaret Tasker, Anne Laudick and Paula Humpreys – playing off a combined handicap of 12 – brought the victory home with a net score of 68 on countback.

The tournament was followed by a lunch, which was generously donated by Doha Golf Club and at the prize giving ceremony a raffle was drawn with many prizes generously donated such as a spa treatment for two at the Four Seasons, Doha.

QR 12,000 was raised for the cause which included a generous donation from the Doha Golf Club Ladies Section.

Deadly Donovan captures the Monthly Mug DONOVAN Liddicoat won Flight ‘A’ of the November InterContinental Monthly Mug by virtue of a countback over Michael Murray. Both players recorded 40 points but it was Liddicoat’s haul of 23 on the back nine that gave him the title.

The scoring was slightly better in Flight ‘B’ as a fantastic round by Hiroumi Suzuki of 44 gave him first place by five shots from second placed Fraser Ross.

The ladies division was won by Jean Hay with a score of 39 points. www.wwgolf.biz

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AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB

The Pros are waiting THE annual Beat the Pros tournament got into full swing in October as qualification ran alongside the Monthly Medal.

Players entered the Monthly Medal as pairs and the top eight teams with the best combined net scores along with the reigning Beat the Pro Champions will go forward to take on two of the Al Hamra Professional Staff in a series of Betterball matches.

The matches will take place during the season and the team that beats the professionals by the biggest margin will be crowned the Beat the Pro Champions. The top eight qualifying teams contain some new and old faces to the Beat the Pros format, but we’re sure all will be ready to test their skills and put one over on the Pros Team.

ARABIAN GOLF LOCATION: just off E 11, 12 miles south of Ras Al Khaimah CONTACT: TEL: +971 7 244 7474 FAX: +971 7 244 7423 INFO: Built along the Arabian Gulf, the course is complimented by a large open lagoon with four interconnected lagoons.

COURSE: 7,267 yard, par 72 18 hole course with additional par-3 Academy Course DESIGNER: Peter Harradine

Whirlwind Watts claims Etihad and Medal Honours THE Al Hamra November Monthly Medal was run in conjunction with the Etihad International Golf Challenge 2009 and it was John Watts who claimed the top spot in both as he fired an 82 to win the Gross Medal prize and his net 69 gave him the Etihad overall winner’s prize.

On the day the competitors competed for the Medal honours but also the chance to win Etihad air miles and to be entered into the Grand Prize Draw to win a special trip to the Abu Dhabi Golf Championships in January 2010. Etihad Airways donated 1,000 air miles to each competitor and 4,000 to the winner of the Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin competitions, with the Overall Winner (Lowest Net) receiving 12,000 and entry to the Prize Draw.

George Ward was the unlucky runner-up, losing out on the Etihad prize to Watts after a back nine card countback, however Ward did take the Men’s Net Prize in the Medal.

Watts had to pinch himself during his back nine as he proceeded to roll in three consecutive birdies on holes 13, 14 and 15. Following his birdie spree Watts returned in 40 shots to compliment his outward nine of 42 and give him his 82 gross. Eric Engelbrecht walked away the gross runner-up prize following a score of 89 as he continued his recent impressive form.

Sekhar Thodla, one of Al Hamra’s original founder members who has rejoined the club after a spell working abroad, claimed the runner-up spot in the Men’s Net Division with a very steady 72 albeit in hindsight he probably felt he could have gone one better had it not been for a misfiring start to his round.

The plan for a new trophy cabinet cannot be far away at the Hicks Household as Rita Hicks continues to dominate the ladies gross division by picking up her fourth consecutive Ladies Monthly Medal Gross Division title. Hicks laid claim to the title by returning a good gross score of 90, which consisted of a front nine 44 and back nine 46.

Julia Stanbrook kick started her season as she picked up Ladies Net Division title with a decent net score of 77. Julia also laid claim to both the Etihad special events on the day as she picked up the Nearest the Pin at theseventh hole with a beautifully played tee shot and the Longest Drive at the par-5 eighth hole.

De Roose rules the roost SARAH de Roose scored 25 Stableford points to win the first Floodlit Challenge of November.

The evening’s format was singles Stableford and De Roose’s haul over the nine holes saw her take the title by three points from second placed Pierre Lefebvre with Victor Husband finishing third on 20.

In the on-course side prizes Fraser Moore won the Nearest the Pin in Three on the par-5 18th hole while Ami Watts struck the ladies Longest Drive down the first fairway.

De Roose continues fine form THE annual Harradine Cup took centre stage at Al Hamra Golf Club in the finest golfing weather of the new season so far.

The tournament once again was sponsored and supported by Dubai based golf course architect Peter Harradine and his Harradine Golf and Orient Irrigation companies.

The last two Harradine Cup’s have been won by one of Peter Harradine’s own associate course architects but that all changed this year as Sarah de Roose continued her fine form over the Links.

De Roose, claimed the title in style as she beat the rest of the field by a clear seven points, reeling off nines of 20 points on the front and 25 on back for a

45 point total. Second, third and fourth places were decided on a countback over the last nine holes after Al Hamra member Cindy Rials, Yuki Matsuura and Sunny Ramadas all returned the excellent score of 38 points.

Despite a shaky front nine, where for a period of six holes he only scored four points, Ramadas had a superb back nine which amassed him 25 points as he finished with a glorious birdie at the final and signature par-5 18th hole to take second place outright.

Third place was awarded to Rials following a back nine points tally of 20 Stableford points, which left Matsuura in fourth place with 16 points on the inward back nine after a very impressive start to his round on the front nine.

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85

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Find the right fit for your game at an authorized PING Fitting location or visit ping.com. ©PING 2009

DIRAB GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

Kim’s Saudi Oger Open Golf triumph Saudi Oger Winners pictured with Sheikh Khaled Abunayyan, President of the Saudi Golf Federation; Bouchaib El Jadiani, Dirab Golf & Country Club Manager; Mazen Fayed, Director of Corporate Communications, Saudi Oger; Mohamed Benamar of Radisson Blu and Abdelkader Boujdoun of Royal Air Maroc.

ARABIAN GOLF Location: Nestled in the picturesque Dirab Valley below the Tuwaiq escarpment, just 30 minutes drive from the diplomatic quarters of Riyadh, take the Makkah national road and turn left to Dirab.

The golf course is situated just off the Dirab Road.

Contact: TEL: + 966-1-498-0017/8 dirabgolf@yahoo.com Info: Opened in 1991, Dirab GC is the only grassed Championship golf course in Saudi Arabia with 9 of the 18 holes floodlit for night golf.

Course: 7,420 yards par 72 Championship Course with driving range and practice facilities.

Green Fees: 18-holes (peak): 18-holes (off-peak): 9-holes (peak): 9-holes (off-peak):

SR300 SR200 SR200 SR150

*Peak times – Thu/Fri Off-Peak times – Sun-Wed

Far Left : Mazen Fayed pictured presenting a prize to M.S. Kim for winning the Saudi Oger Open Golf Championship.

Left: Mazen Fayed pictured presenting a prize to Othman Al Mulla for taking second place in the Saudi Oger Open Golf Championship.

KOREAN M.S. Kim emerged triumphant in the three-way play-off at the inaugural Saudi Oger Open Golf Championship. In a thrilling finale to what is effectively the Kingdom’s national championship, the veteran Kim beat Saudi’s No.1 Othman Al Mulla and Bahraini Naseer Yaqub in extra time.

Yaqub dropped out of contention with a bogey on the first additional hole while Othman and Kim both made par.

On the second extra hole Kim saved par from six feet to stay alive after Othman had sunk his par putt. The pair then went back to the 18th tee for the third time in the play-off, just as darkness started to descend, as they battled for the prestigious championship (Best Gross) flight of the two day 36 hole competition.

‘All are winners, there are no losers’ Kim, representing the expatriate golf community, found the bunker guarding the green while Al Mulla, the poster boy of Saudi Golf, had to punch his ball out from the trees only to see it fly over the green.

This mistake cost Othman the title as he chipped to within three feet but missed the putt while Kim, drawing on his wealth of experience, got up and down for the win.

Othman was philosophical in defeat saying: “I put myself in a position to win but sometimes you gain more in losing than winning.”

Khaled Abunayyan, President of the Saudi Golf Federation said: “I am very proud to say that the tournament has been very successful.

All are winners and there are no losers. Because at the end of the day

everyone has had a nice game.” Mazen Fayed, Director of Corporate Communications, handed over prizes to the winners. Besides Fayed, the other sponsors’ representatives who attended the ceremony were Abdelkader Boujdoun of Royal Air Maroc and Mohamed Benamar of Radisson Blu. Kim, Al Mulla and Yaqub all had a two-day total of 151, with young Khaled Attieh on 152 and Robert Ruth on 155, as they emerged as the five winners in the Best Gross category. M.S. Kim was awarded a trip to the 2010 Royal Air Maroc Corporate Challenge while Al Mulla will join Kim on the trip as second placed / top Saudi National player.

Men’s Best Net Division Winners The Men’s Best Net Division winners were Abdullah Hussein, champion on 133, Talal Sarieddine with a 140 and Resty Sibug on 143.

The Junior Division championship went to Abdulrahman Al Mansour with a 150 total for a two shot victory over Turki Al Hussain. Valentine Graus finished third on 169.

The Ladies Division went to Anne Bjornstad with 134, C.H. Lee was the first runner-up and Genet Chaplow the second runner-up.

Plate Division winners were Majid Surour, Karen Bridgeford and Lois Barker who also took the Longest Drive award for the ladies over two days.

The men’s Longest Drive awards went to George Mackay and Kim, and Closest to the Pin prizes were taken by Mubarak Al Ghamdi and James Shin. www.wwgolf.biz

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THE GRAS S I S NO W E VE N G R E E NE R

The Address Montgomerie Dubai N OW OP E N

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reopened The Address Montgomerie Dubai. Stay for bed, breakfast and one of the following for just AED 1250 for two people: A romantic dinner in the award-winning restaurant, Nineteen, a round of golf on our Championship Course or a 30 minute massage at Angsana Spa. This is The Address Montgomerie Dubai. Valid until 21st December 2009, subject to availability.

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AL GHAZAL GOLF CLUB

Alena Low and Emile Snyman crowned ADAC’s Airport Cup 2009 Champions ALENA Low and Emile Snyman capped a superb weekend of golf by taking their respective honours at the ADAC Airport Cup. Anina Bester, who was leading with a superb score of 40 points after day one, looked set to walk away with the title. However, Gill Sibson and Low – on 37 and 35 points respectively after the first round – were not ready to give up the chase.

Low (11) showed her mettle in the second round by recording 39 points which included two birdies on holes 8 and 16. A front nine of 19 points and 20 points on the more difficult back nine saw her take the Championship with a total of 74 points.

Bester had a second round of 32 points to take second place on 72 and hold off Sibson who took third place with 69 points.

Ken Ritzal, who scored 37 points in round one, also faded to lose his lead to overall winner Snyman whose impressive 42 points in the second round gave him a total of 78 points and a winning margin of seven points from second placed Nam Young Baek. Third place went to Mark Hayman on 71 points (after losing to Beak on a countback), two points ahead of fourth placed Adda Haouara.

Subsidiary prizes went to Guest Winner Mahamad Bin Dan with 55 points and Thomas Kua on 48 points.

Best First Day scores were won by Sharon Yang with 33 points, and Ken Ritzal’s 37 points while the Best Second Day scores were 36 points by Lizette Breytenbach and 37 points by Daniel

ARABIAN GOLF CONTACT: TEL: +971 2 5758040 FAX: +971 2 5758041 CLUB HOUSE BAR - TEL: +971 2 5758044 ACADEMY DIRECT TEL: +971 2 5758185 WEBSITE: www.alghazalgolf.ae EMAIL: golfclub@emirates. net.ae

Acting CEO John Stent [second right] with The 2009 Winners Emile Snyman and Alena Low and both Club Captains Pauline Jeynes and Will Low. Van Dyk. To make the ADAC Airport Cup even more special and memorable, Vinod Arya recorded an ace on the 16th hole during the second round and dutifully rang the ‘Traditional Golf Club Bell’ to celebrate his achievement.

John Stent, ADAC’s Acting CEO, presented all the winners with their prestigious trophies at the presentation ceremony in the clubhouse which concluded the 2009 ADAC Airport Cup Golf Tournament.

Valencia and Breytenbach shoot for glory at the Gun Trophy THE popular Gun Trophy saw a full complement of members take to the course and it was Rene Valencia who took home the trophy by one shot with an impressive 67.

Stan Nikau took second place with a 68 after defeating Inki Kim on a countback. Both players received a handicap cut while Valencia saw his cut to five.

Best lady on the day with a 69 was Lizette Breytenbach, winning by one shot from Alena Low. The Gun Trophy was a ‘Golfer of the Year’ event and both Alena Low and Mark Hayman managed to hold on to their leads by 11, and three points respectively.

Captain Will Low presented all the winners with their prizes on behalf of Al Ghazal Golf Club.

Left: Club Captain Will Low with winner Rene Valencia.

SHARJAH WANDERERS

Dunn breaks course record in the 2009 Men’s Open triumph SIMON Dunn eclipsed his previous course record with a superb 65 in first round of the Sharjah Wanderers Golf Club Men’s Open, following this effort up with a fine 66 in round two to win the event by four shots from his fellow Asian P.G.A. touring professionals Ross Bain and Craig Smith.

In this, the first event of the Emirates Golf Federation’s Order of Merit, Vikram Judge – last year’s overall champion – produced two excellent rounds to seal his place as the leading amateur from Joel Neale and Paul King.

The day prizes were won by Malcolm Tennant and Tom Green who both shot level par 72s. These were excellent performances, particularly from Green as it was his first taste of playing on the Sharjah sand course.

In the overall net division Peter Shaw from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club prevailed by one shot from Sharjah Wanderers’s home player Doug Cameron.

left to right: 2009 Mens Open Champion Simon Dunn pictured with Joe Craig of event sponsors Multiforms and Club Captain Gary Falk. www.wwgolf.biz

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JOLIE VILLE GOLF & RESORT

ARABIAN GOLF

ENTRIES OPEN FOR

THE SALEM TROPHY 2010

Friday 19th & Saturday, 20th February THE Jolie Ville Golf & Resort is accepting entries for the eagerly anticipated Salem Trophy 2010 set to take place over Sharm El Sheikhâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only Championship golf course on February 19th and 20th.

The tournament, set to be played over 36 holes and two days in the Stableford format, is sure to be one of the highlights of the golfing calendar so get your entry in quickly.

Golfers will receive their full handicap allowance with a maximum of 28 for the men and 36 for the ladies with prizes awarded to the top three in both the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and ladies divisions.

ENTRY CONDITIONS Entry is only available to players with a recognised golf handicap certificate, which must be produced upon registration. Entries must be received by the 5th February 2010 and all fees must be paid in advance to secure entry to the event.

ENTRY FEE: The 160 U$D (does not include Green Fees) entry fee includes a welcome cocktail party on Thursday 18th February, a charity donation, player gift, BBQ after play each day, and a Gala Dinner and prizes.

For more information or to obtain an entry form please contact: golfreservations@sgr-maritim-jolieville.com

DAILY ACADEMY One full hour of golf instruction especially tailored for beginners. It gives a comprehensive introduction to the game. The programmes include all the basic shot techniques as well as the most familiar rules and etiquette of the game.

FRIDAY TOURNAMENT You can join in the weekly Stableford tournament, and in addition to receiving great prizes you will also receive the opportunity to play in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grand Finalâ&#x20AC;?.

FREE GOLF LESSONS For those who want to have a go, but havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet built up the courage to book a lesson! Why not come along and join the instructors for a fun one hour introduction to the game. All equipment is supplied and sessions are on a Monday between 10.00am and 11.00am. Please call the golf shop to make your reservation!

Green Fee â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Prices in EURO INCLUSIVE OF GOLF CAR

Jolie Ville Golf & Resort Royal Peninsula

Jolie Ville Resort & Casino

Other Hotels

Guests 9 Holes 18 Holes 3 x 18 Holes 5 x 18 Holes

50.00 75.00 205.00 340.00

60.00 85.00 255.00 425.00

70.00 115.00 345.00 575.00

Practice Facilities 1 Basket x 50 balls Rental Clubs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9 Holes Rental Clubs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 18 Holes Caddie â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9 Holes Caddie â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 18 Holes

6.00 22.00 36.00 22.00 36.00

6.00 22.00 36.00 22.00 36.00

8.00 25.00 43.00 25.00 43.00

Golf Coaching 45 Minutes Individual 4 x 45 Minutes Individual Extra Person Surcharge 18 Hole Playing Lesson 9 Hole Playing Lesson Daily Academy

36.00 136.00 75% 145.00 95.00 15.00

36.00 136.00 75% 145.00 95.00 15.00

50.00 179.00 75% 236.00 132.00 22.00

Terms & Conditions t "MM (SFFO 'FFT JODMVEF (PMG $BS t "MM SBUFT BSF OFU OPO DPNNJTTJPOBCMF JO &630

including all governmental taxes. t +PMJF 7JMMF (PMG 3FTPSU .BOBHFNFOU SFTFSWFT UIF SJHIU of keeping the above mentioned rates subject to change without prior notice. t +VOJPST VQ UP ZFBST PME SFDFJWF EJTDPVOU on the above mentioned green fees (Passport may be required for verification). t 1SJDFT BSF WBMJE GSPN UP Golf Shop & Reservations Telephone: + 20 69 3600 635 Fax: + 20 69 3600 642 Email: HPMGSFTFSWBUJPO!THS NBSJUJN KPMJFWJMMF DPm In house guests dial: 8

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EVERYTHING YOU WOULD WANT...AND MORE!

SNOOPER SHOTSAVER S320 THOSE kings of sat-nav, Snooper, have released the latest upgraded version of the popular golf range finder, the Shotsaver S280, to include a host of new game improvement features.

The new Shotsaver S320 allows you to record the distance each ball is hit and which club was used, meaning performance can be improved at every level. You just record the position of your ball, take your shot and then record the position where it lands. The Shotsaver provides you with details of the longest and shortest distances you hit with each club and also keeps a running average. The device provides golfers with distances to the front, back and middle of the green and lets you know the location of bunkers, fairways, streams, lakes and other hazards.

The Shotsaver features a 12-hour battery, super-bright display and improved graphics, as well as larger on-screen icons, a waterproof casing and an electronic scorecard feature. There are also now 3,500 UK and European courses stored in the database and an optional sat-nav add-on. The perfect Christmas gift for the travelling golfer. www.snooperuk.com

SINGLE MINDED ABOUT GOLF ACADEMY WE’VE tried just about everything to improve our pitiful golf games here at WWG Towers so when this set of CDs aimed at conquering the mental aspect of the sport landed on our doorstep we decided it couldn’t do any harm to give it a go. The Single Minded Golf Academy is essentially a mix of sports psychology, Neuro-Linguistic programming (NLP) and Tai Chi (sound strange? It is a bit!). Like any aspect of mental training, you get out of it what you put in and Single Minded Golf Academy will only work for you if you throw yourself into the exercises fully. The set, brainchild of coach and master of NLP Adam Sprackling, features four modules which take you through the various steps to tame your on-course demons. You start by tackling the subconscious mind then move on to improving your self confidence and mastering your on-course emotions before finally learning mental and physical techniques from Tai Chi to improve your consistency. Finally, there is a fifth ‘Take it to the Range’ CD which summarises everything you’ve learned and gives you some exercises to make sure you keep incorporating it into your game. While it hasn’t turned us into Tiger Woods overnight, Single Minded Golf Academy definitely improves your ability to keep your mind in check on the course and the CD format is easier to follow than a book. www.singlemindedgolf.com 92

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STOCKING FILLER

EVOLVE GOLF’S EPOCH PERFORMANCE TEE THESE Epoch tees from Evolve Golf are not only high performing, they’re also environmentally friendly and cost effective. Constructed entirely of recycled materials they are far more durable than wood tees and also feature a unique design that results in extremely low friction at impact, improving distance and accuracy off the tee. Many of the world’s top players are switching from wooden tees to Epochs and they’ve been used in 123 Tour victories so far. www.evolvegolf.com

THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 2009 – THE OFFICIAL STORY LIJA by LINDA HIPP INSPIRED by art and literature from the 1920s1950s, the LIJA by Linda Hipp’s Autumn 2009 collections – Garden of Eden, Twilight in Italy and The Sun Also Rises – draw their titles from books of the era, while the individual styles are named from famous artists, design aesthetics, shoes and other period themes.

A fusion of sport, leisure and fashion, the line’s array of layering pieces showcases sophisticated prints and unique detailing in knits, soft shell and midlayer looks.

Highlights of the collections include two new fabrications – “Ozone,” a lightweight, durable outerwear, providing comfort, style and strong performance features; and “Mira,” a technical bottom fabric that offers functionality and easy care.

www.lijastyle.com

ALWAYS a welcome choice for a Christmas present is the official book of The Open Championship.

This year’s tournament was particularly magical as Open Championship legend and five-time winner Tom Watson rolled back the years with a stunning performance which very nearly saw him claim the Auld Claret Jug on the windswept links of Turnberry, scene of his famous ‘Duel in the Sun’ victory over Jack Nicklaus in 1977. As it was, Stewart Cink flew under the radar and spoiled the party with an impressive victory that was, sadly, somewhat understated due to the emotional furore surrounding Watson’s near miss.

The book contains a foreword from Cink and lots of historical Openrelated stuff as well as everything you could possibly need to know about Turnberry and this year’s Championship. A great souvenir for the golfing historian. www.wwgolf.biz

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

Christmas Gift Set Special

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER CLASSIQUE

DKNY BE DELICIOUS

SEAN JEAN UNFORGIVABLE

Classique is a bold, sweet fragrance which blends the flowery scent of rose with more spicy and woody notes, creating an intriguing and intoxicating result. This lovely gift set also has pink Christmas neon lighting on the box to add a touch of festive charm. Technical jargon: Top notes – rose, star anise. Heart notes – orange blossom, ginger. Base notes – vanilla, amber wood. Set contains: Classique EDT 50ml, Classique Body Lotion 100ml.

DKNY BE DELICIOUS delivers a taste of New York City for the modern man. Sophisticated and masculine, Be Delicious brings together wet greens, modern woods, green apple and an intoxicating coffee note. The round bottle not only catches the eye, it also makes for convenient spray application. Set contains: Be Delicious EDT 50ml, Be Delicious Shower Gel 150ml.

As you would expect from the music mogul whose name it bears, Sean Jean Unforgivable is a sleek, smooth, sexy fragrance with just a hint of mystery about it. Seven of the ingredients used in the fragrance were naturally grown and harvested. Technical jargon: Top notes – Sicilian lemon, Italian bergamot, Moroccan tangerine, grapefruit, juniper, sparkling champagne accord. Heart notes – Mediterranean air accord, Tuscan basil, Florentine iris, clary sage, lavender. Base notes – cashmere accord, cool sea moss, Australian sandalwood, amber, tonka bean.

LUSH CHRISTMAS EVE Christmas Eve is about the excitement and anticipation of opening the mysterious gifts under your tree. This enormous red hatbox from Lush does nothing to allay those feelings, opting to stoke the fires of your festive frenzy until it reaches fever pitch. The fabulous set contains 20 yuletide treats for the good girls and boys on Santa’s list.

ISSEY MIYAKE L’EAU D’ISSEY POUR HOMME Issey Miyake has also entered into the Christmas spirit by offering this L’eau D’Issey Pour Homme gift set complete with decorative paper Christmas tree! A modern classic, L’eau D’Issey Pour Homme is a fresh and vibrant fragrance blending citrus and woody notes. Technical jargon: Top notes – Yuzu (Japanese Citron), Cypress, coriander, mandarin, clary sage, fresh verbena. Heart notes – blue water lily, nutmeg, saffron, bourbon geranium, Ceylonese cinnamon. Base notes – tobacco amber, musk, Indian sandalwood, Haitian vetiver, Cypriol.

Groom Room

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

Johan Du Bruyn ASSISTANT GOLF PROFESSIONAL, PGA PROFESSIONAL, SAADIYAT BEACH GOLF CLUB, ABU DHABI

Q&A Q. When did you first start playing golf?

A. I first started playing golf five years ago when I was staying in the USA for a year. My apartment was opposite a golf course and, as I didn’t have much to do during the weekends I went and bought some golf clubs from a local sports shop, took a couple of golf lessons and started playing twice a week. I went back to South Africa where I started to take my Professional Golfers Association course and I qualified in March this year as a PGA Professional.

Q. How long have you been in Abu Dhabi and what has been your most memorable golfing moment during that time?

A. I haven’t been living in Abu Dhabi for that long, but the most memorable golfing moment so far was when I first walked on to the magnificent Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. I can’t wait to play the course when we open officially.

Q. Who is your golfing hero and why?

A. Gary Player for his winning records and his achievements and for designing almost 300 golf courses worldwide for us to enjoy the game we all love. And for what Mr. Player has done for the sport itself, and for forming foundations for underprivileged kids. My modern era hero has to be Tiger Woods for his winning records and being such a wonderful role model and a great ambassador for the game of golf.

Q. Who is your golfing hero and why?

A. When I first started playing golf Seve Ballesteros was the best player in the world and I remember travelling up on the train to watch him play at the Wentworth Club in Surrey. My only really true golf hero is Ben Hogan. To me he had the best swing and even now I don’t see anyone swinging the club as well as he did.

Tiger Woods is obviously an incredible golfer but he still has a good way to go to be able to control the ball as well as Hogan did.

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

A. I would have to say that I would allow any player in a bunker to ground their club like any other shot before you play it. That would be nice!

96

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Bushnell laser rangefinders dominate the PGA, LPGA and Champion’s Tours* like no other name in golf.

No brag, just facts. So when the best players in the world overwhelmingly choose one brand over all others, the obvious question is: why? One word – performance. PinSeeker® Technology (now available on our whole range) zeroes in on the flagstick, instantly isolating it from background clutter to provide super-accurate distance-to-pin readings — dramatically bolstering your confidence in club selection and swing tempo. When you’re ready to take your game to the next level, equip yourself with the next level’s #1 choice in laser rangefinders. Bushnell.

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It works and you gotta buy Bushnell to get it. ” Sergio Garcia

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ECCO GOLF SHOES PROVIDE THE PERFECT PLATFORM FOR MY SWING. ®

– FRED COUPLES

An accomplished union of beautiful leatherwork and a full complement of advanced ECCO technologies, the World Class GTX sets the standard for comfort, performance and luxury in the game of golf.

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