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Ian Poulter

THE INVITATIONAL DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC YAS LINKS ROBERT KARLSSON MICHAEL CAMPBELL ARABIAN GOLF TUTORIAL TIPS

the colourful englishman proved he can walk-the-walk as well as talk-the-talk by claiming the WGC-accenture Match Play Championship. Now bring on tiger!

ISBN 978-9948-15-427-3

9 789948 154273

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What a Classic send-off for Saadiyat Beach!

Worldwide Golf’s Executive Editor

PLAYER

GARY

PLAYER INTRODUCTION

couldn’t have wished for a better send-off for the unveiling of our Saadiayat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhabi. It was a satisfying moment when I had the honour of hitting the first drive off the first tee in the Saadiyat Beach Classic. To open our new course in such style was the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of talented people who shared my enthusiasm to create one of the most spectacular courses I’ve ever designed. Considering we started with just a hard piece of baked ground it was quite an achievment. In the years to come I’m confident that it will gain the reputation of being one of the finest courses in world golf. I was pleased to present Ahmed Hussein, Chief Operating Officer of the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Development and Investment Company (TDIC) with the signed driver I used to hit off the first tee. The TDIC have done a magnificent job in supporting and assisting us in the creation of the Saadiyat Beach Course. Nothing has been too much trouble for them throughout the project. It has been a wonderful team effort in achieving our aims in such a short time span. The Saadiyat Beach Course and the addition of a Frank Gehry-designed clubhouse will be critical factors in the establishment of Abu Dhabi as a highly sought-after golf and leisure destination. There is no doubt that the emirate has arrived as a major force on the international golfing scene and will continue to be a magnet for the sport’s leading players and an avid

fan base, globally. The Saadiyat Beach Classic and the course should serve as an inspiration to others around the world and provide an important platform for younger generations to connect with the sport, a key facet in golf’s continuing development in the region. I was proud to be able to introduce the course to so many distinguished guests and players and I couldn’t have been happier to see Rory McIlroy play so well to lead his team, Emirates, to victory with a combined team score of 27-under-par. Rory is a very likeable young man with bags of talent and one of the best swings in golf. He’s got a great team behind him with Chubby Chandler’s ISM and if he continues the way he is going, I have no doubt Rory has the potential to be the next No.1 player in the world. Rory’s ISM stablemate and fellow Irishman Darren Clarke also gave up his time to attend the event. We even had the pleasure of the company of Melissa Reid, Maria Verchenova and Henrietta Zuel from the Ladies European Tour plus the young rising star of The European Tour, Oliver Fisher. The entire two-day event went off very well and I was so pleased to hear praise for the course coming from just about everyone I met. When it has fully matured over the next couple of years it will be even more spectacular, particularly when all the surrounding building work is complete. There’s no hurry to host the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship but it will certainly be a wonderful venue. n

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Contents 14

Regulars

Features

GARy plAyER iNTRoDUCTioN ERNiE Els ColUMN GREG NoRMAN ColUMN DRiViNG RANGE: poRsChE 911 CAbRiolET DiVoTs: NEWs iTEMs Ross fishER ColUMN ClUbhoUsE QUiCkiEs offiCiAl WoRlD Golf RANkiNG

WGC-ACCENTURE MATCh plAy ChAMpioNship sees England’s Ian Poulter beat compatriot Paul Casey to claim the biggest title of his career.

EMiRATEs AiRliNEs is set to further enhance its position on the world golf stage after being named Official Airline for The Ryder Cup.

10 RobERT kARlssoN roars back to form with a stunning victory over Alvaro Quiros at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters. 14 DUbAi DEsERT ClAssiC provides another thrilling spectacle of golf as the inimitable Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez defeats European No.1 Lee Westwood

GARy plAyER ColUMN RACE To DUbAi WoRlD RoUND-Ups

TUToRiAl

18 MiChAEl CAMpbEll talks about his determination to come through one of the toughest periods of his career.

WoMEN’s Golf DUbAi

ClAUDE hARMoN iii sWiNG ANAlysis

ARAbiAN Golf loCkER RooM GRooM RooM iN ThE bAG: ClUb pRo

ISSUE No. 113, march, 2010 Published by: Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd, 54 Alderley Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire, England, SK9 1NY mikeg@sportingpublications.com alexg@sportingpublications.com Tel: +44 01625 535081 Fax: +44 01625 537487 Editor-in-Chief: Mike Gallemore Executive Editor: Gary Player

MIddl e e ast’s No .1 G ol f M a Gaz INe

9 789948 154273

ThE iNViTATioNAl Alex Gallemore gives his personal account of playing in one of European golf’s most talked about events.

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

THE INVITATIONAL DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC YAS LINKS ROBERT KARLSSON MICHAEL CAMPBELL ARABIAN GOLF TUTORIAL TIPS

the colourful englishman proved he can walk-the-walk as well as talk-the-talk by claiming the WGC-accenture Match Play Championship. Now bring on tiger!

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

Ian Poulter

yAs liNks – AbU DhAbi: Mike Gallemore walks the course with designer Kyle Phillips.

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published in Dubai by: Prografix, PO Box 24677, Dubai, UAE (Tel) +9714 340 3785 Advertising & Marketing: David Burke davidb@wspdubai.com (009715) 05519363 Worldwide Golf specifies that post-press changes may occur to any information given in this publication and takes no responsibility for goods or services advertised.

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fRoNT CoVER: ian poulter.

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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.

Things are beginning to work well

he 2010 season is really into its stride now and by the time you read my column in this issue of Worldwide Golf the year’s first Major championship, The Masters Tournament, will almost be upon us. It’s amazing how quickly they come around again after an eight-month gap. i like the way i’ve performed in these first two or three months of the year. i was really looking forward to teeing it up in the Farmers insurance Open at Torrey Pines, san Diego, at the end of January. This is kind of where my golfing career started, winning the World Junior Championship in 1984, and, obviously, i have a lot of fond memories whenever i go back there. it’s a special place and a really good ball-striking golf course. You’ve got to hit it well to score well at Torrey Pines. You can’t fake it. so finishing 11-under par and in a share of fifth place was pretty satisfying. i was happy with my putting and i hit the ball really soundly from tee to green. The following Monday i took part in a Callaway media day. We did some filming for television, which is pretty good fun, and i also had the chance to meet the r&D guys, partly so that i can give them my feedback on the new grooves but also so they can give me an insight into some of the new technologies that are coming our way. it’s one of the many things that Callaway do so well and it’s always a very interesting exercise for me. later that week was the northern Trust Open at riviera, just a short drive further north near los Angeles, one of my favourite golf courses in America. i had high expectations, although it turned out to be one of those weeks where i kind of stayed under the radar. still, it was another solid tournament for me and another top-10 finish. it meant i’d shot under par in 11 of my first 12 rounds of the year and my highest score was a level par 70 in the sony Open in 4

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know Dan pretty well since we moved out here to Florida and we work well together on the golf course. He’s a former professional hockey player, very competitive by nature and a fine golfer, so he totally gets it. ricci is still on the scene, though. He’s obviously a great friend and a great caddie, too. i think between him and Dan it’ll be a pretty even split, each doing around 12 or 13 tournaments this year. i’ve not had this type of arrangement before in my career, but i think all things considered it’s going to work well. Also, i think the decision to base Optimistic myself here in America and concentrate Having played some really good on the PGA TOUr is paying dividends. stuff for three or four weeks, i was very We’re into March and i haven’t had to do much looking forward to the WGCany serious travelling to speak of since Accenture Match Play Championship at flying back to America from south Africa Dove Mountain, Tucson, Arizona. sure, in the first week of January. That’s a big i’ve not had a lot to shout about in this change to what i’ve grown accustomed tournament in previous years, but i felt to in my 20-year professional career and optimistic going in there. i have to say i like the way it works. i played great against ryan Moore My schedule for the next month in the first round, shooting six-under or so is further proof of this. i’ve got a par for the 15 holes that we played. My week off at the house in Florida and second round against retief Goosen then i play the Honda Classic, which was a different story, though. it was is only a short drive from our house kind of an up-and-down match and in West Palm Beach, so that’s another neither of us was on top form. i probably week in my own bed. Then after that played better from tee to green than it’s the WGC-CA Championship at retief, but he putted better than me Doral in Miami, followed by the Arnold and in matchplay that’s often the telling Palmer Championship at Bay Hill, which factor. if i’d made a couple of putts here also takes place here in Florida. so there or there it might have been a different you go, i’ll have got to the first week of story. But it wasn’t to be. i left the door April and playing a busy tournament open for retief and he’s too good a schedule, but without any of the player not to take advantage. drawbacks of long haul travel. so anyway, these first couple of That’s not to say there aren’t any months on the PGA Tour i’ve been international excursions on my asked a lot about my caddie situation schedule – it’s just that by limiting – basically, people wondering who the long flights in the first half of the this new guy is and where has ricci season i’ll hopefully be stronger and roberts disappeared to! Well, this year in better shape for the whole of the i’m sharing out the workload between season. i feel like it’s going to work well. Dan Quinn, who has been on the bag And the kids are certainly enjoying for the first part of 2010, and my regular seeing a bit more of their dad – which long-time caddie ricci. i’ve got to means a lot to me and liezl. n

Hawaii. After a crazy up-and-down 2009, this was much more like it. There is some consistency in my scoring again. Actually, all departments of my game are looking good. Callaway have given me a softer-covered golf ball, the Tour i(s), and my short game has come back almost overnight. i’m sharper than i have been the last couple of seasons and i finally feel like my putting has clicked too. i’ve sorted out my posture, i feel comfortable over the ball, and i’ve got a nice shoulder-rocking motion going on. i’ve gone back to the way i used to putt in my 20s and it’s starting to work.

ErniE Els’ good Early form in 2010.

Sony Open in Hawaii T12 (8-under-par) 272 Total Four Round Scores: 69, 70, 67, 66 Farmers Insurance Open T5 (11-under-par) 277 Total Four Round Scores: 70, 69, 69, 69 Northern Trust Open T10 (8-under-par) 276 Total Four Round Scores: 68, 70, 70, 68

“all departments of my game are looking good. Callaway have given me a softer-Covered golf ball, the tour i(s), and my short game has Come baCk almost overnight. i’m sharper than i have been the last Couple of seasons and i finally feel like my putting has CliCked too. ” – ErniE Els www.wwgolf.biz

POULTER

READY TO MIX IT WITH THE BIG BOYS Two years ago IAN POULTER was widely derided for claiming that when he reaches his full potential it will be just him and Tiger Woods in the battle for the game’s top spot. All mouth and daft trousers, some said. Well they’re not laughing any more after the bold Englishman confidently matched his stylish outfits with a stylish performance to triumph at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship last month. Todd Staszko reports from the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in the Arizona desert.

ITH a performance as dazzling as his outfits during his five-day stint in the Arizona desert, Ian Poulter finally realised his American dream with a 4&2 victory over compatriot Paul Casey in the final of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Two years ago the Englishman was ridiculed for an off the cuff remark about him being the only player capable of threatening Tiger Woods’ dominance in the game, but this performance went a long way in proving any doubters wrong. After crushing fellow Ryder Cup star Sergio Garcia 7&6 in the semi-final, Poulter was left pretty in pink thanks to another splendid display against Casey in the 36-hole final. “I’ve never felt more comfortable on the golf

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course,” beamed Poulter after becoming the first English winner of an individual WGC event. “This win is mega for me. It’s been five or six years of hard work, I’ve come over to live in America and to finally win over here means everything. It’s so pleasing to be able to finally say I’m a winner on the PGA TOUR.” Poulter shot out of the blocks and built a 4up lead after 14 holes but was pegged back by Casey to just 2up after the first 18. Poulter made a good start to the afternoon session to get to 4up but once again Casey cut the deficit to 2up after 28 holes. However, that was as good as it got for Casey as a birdie on the 33rd hole – the short par-4 15th – gave Poulter a 3up lead with three to play and it was all over on the next green as a solid par putt sealed the win after

WGC-ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY

Casey failed to get up-and-down. “I’ve had an interesting ride from a lot of people’s point of view of how I present myself on the golf course, as opposed to how well I can actually perform,” said Poulter after it was revealed he moved up to No.5 on the Official World Golf Ranking. “It’s very pleasing to be in this position now. I guess No.5 in the world stands for more than just what I wear on the golf course. It’s been a long time coming.”

time the game was as good as over.” After ending the game with six holes still to play Poulter didn’t wait for the climax of the other semi-final between Casey and Camilo Villegas, instead he went back to his hotel to soak in a bath and rejuvenate himself. “I decided to run a bath and I was sitting on

“I guess No.5 IN the world staNds for more thaN just what I wear oN the golf course. It’s beeN a loNg tIme comINg.” – Ian Poulter Poulter started the week with a closely fought victory over another Ryder Cup player – American Justin Leonard – finally despatching him on the 19th hole and he moved on to defeat Adam Scott 2&1 to progress to the third round. He then swept aside Jeev Milkha Singh 5&4 to set up what he thought to be the most difficult tie of the week against Thongchai Jaidee – the Asian Tour’s No.1 player. “I’ve played with Thongchai a few times and I know he’s a great player,” said Poulter. “Potentially, looking at it on paper it could have easily gone the other way so it was very pleasing to get it finished on the 18th green. I had a good six-or-seven-foot putt uphill, leftto-right, and I really felt it was huge for me this week to beat Thongchai.” After progressing past the finest players from India and Thailand, Poulter was up against Spain’s best export for a place in the Championship Match and he made light work of Garcia with a 7&6 victory – a semi-final record. “It was a good day,” said Poulter. “I had a good run of four birdies in a row, finishing with a great up-and-down on the 11th and by that

Poulter’s route to victory ROUND 1 def Justin Leonard ROUND 2 def Adam Scott ROUND 3 def Jeev Milkha Singh QUARTER FINAL def Thongchai Jaidee SEMI FINAL def Sergio Garcia FINAL def Paul Casey

19 holes 2&1 5&4 1up 7&6 4&2

the bed and they were still playing,” said Poulter. “The bath took a good five or ten minutes to run and they were still playing. I was waiting to get in the bath but they were still out there on the golf course. I was just amazed that they were on the course three hours after I had finished.” Casey eventually prevailed after 24 holes to set up the final with Poulter and the man from Hitchin admitted that his period of rest – coupled with Casey’s extra demands – might have played a small part in his victory. “It was nice that I could sit back and relax while they were still working hard,” said Poulter, “that might be one of the factors why I’ve come through in the way that I have. “It’s another tick in a previously un-ticked box – to win in America. I don’t feel as if I’m under immense pressure and I’m able to concentrate on the shots I need to play. I think anything is possible and I think I can definitely do better than fifth in the World. But let’s see how far we can go.” n

Ian Poulter’s front cover outfit: Old English Rose IJP Pique Shirt Blueberry IJP Sleeveless Cardigan Violet Classic Leather Belt Old English Rose IJP Casual Shorts www.ijpdesign.com

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EmiratEs airlinE rydEr cup announcEmEnt

EmiratEs airlinE announcEd as official rydEr cup partnEr Richard Hills (2nd left), European Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie and Gary Chapman (2nd right) are flanked by Emirates air hostesses at the announcement at Emirates Golf Club.

Colin Montgomerie gets to grips with a model Emirates airliner at the announcement.

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MIRATES Airline have pledged their support to the 2010 Ryder Cup after signing up to become the Official Airline for the biennial event. Colin Montgomerie, who will captain the European side against the United States at The Celtic Manor Resort in October, was in Dubai prior to the Desert Classic alongside Ryder Cup Director Richard Hills to unveil the news. “I would like to thank Emirates airline for supporting The Ryder Cup, and in particular Team Europe,” said Montgomerie. “Soon we will be at the magnificent Celtic Manor Resort and I am delighted that Emirates will be part of that occasion with us.” Gary Chapman, President Emirates Group Services and Dnata, shared Montgomerie’s excitement ahead of the event, saying: “To be part of such a prestigious tournament is a great honour for Emirates and with millions of TV viewers across the globe watching it is a marvellous opportunity to consolidate our position as a global force in sports sponsorship.” HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “The Ryder Cup is the pinnacle event in team golf so it is tremendous to be

supporting Colin and his players as the Official Airline in 2010 and as an Official Partner of the European Team in 2012 “As an Official Partner of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, 2010 was always going to be a memorable year for Emirates. It is now going to be even more special with The Ryder Cup marking the crowning moment in our long and successful association with golf.” Hills is also delighted with the airline’s involvement saying: “We are excited that Emirates has chosen to partner The Ryder Cup and look forward to working with them over the coming tournaments.” The airline – which will travel to 25 European destinations after adding Amsterdam, Prague and Madrid to its network this year – will be connecting passengers to the 2010 tournament, as well as the 2012 event at Medinah in Illinois, with San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston and New York also on the Emirates network. In addition to The Ryder Cup, Emirates will be the Official Airline at 14 other tournaments in 2010 and with nine of them on The European Tour International Schedule they will play a big part in the race to participate at The Celtic Manor Resort this autumn.

Ice-cool

ROBERT KaRlssOn cOmplETEs his cOmEBacK aT ThE cOmmERcialBanK QaTaR masTERs

OBERT Karlsson completed a memorable comeback from injury by winning the Commercialbank Qatar Masters in fine style – his first win since missing most of 2009 with an eye infection. Karlsson romped to his tenth European Tour title with a superb three-shot win over defending champion Alvaro Quiros after he shot a sublime final round 7-under 65 for a 15-under total. “The focus this year was to come back and start to put together good rounds and a then a string of good rounds and then you never know what’s going to happen,” said Karlsson. “That’s the thing I am most happy with. It’s not really the win – it is fantastic to win – but to play four really good rounds together, that’s the most satisfying thing.” Karlsson peppered the flag all the day and shot a bogey-free round with three birdies on the outward half and four coming home – including two on the final two holes. “It has surprised me a little bit,” he added. “Especially the way I played during the final round. But if you go out and shoot a 65 on the last day of a tournament after being a couple behind, usually you will have a good chance and obviously it was my day. “I felt like things were coming together and with the way the scoreboard looked – it’s a topclass field with top-class players up there – I knew I had to do something special.” Overnight leaders Paul Casey and Bradley Dredge both faltered over the final 18 holes, closing with 74s to drop into a share of fifth place. Lee Westwood posted a 2-under 70 to claim third place while the long-hitting Spaniard Quiros shot up from sixth place into second after a superb 5-under 67. Players were met by strong winds during the opening day and only 24 players in the field returned an under-par score. Karlsson was one of these players as he opened up with a solid 4-under 68 to finish the day one shot behind the lead held by Oliver Wilson and Welshman Dredge. The Swede kept himself in contention after a second round 70 which saw him sit three shots behind the lead held by Brett Rumford with 10

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Dredge one shot behind and Westwood and Wilson a shot further back. Day three belonged to Casey as he shot a superb 66 to climb into a share of the lead with Dredge on 10-under par heading into the final day. Westwood was one shot back on 9-under and was to play alongside Karlsson, who was on 8-under after another 70, in the penultimate group.

“I felt lIke thIngs were comIng together and wIth the way the scoreboard looked – It’s a top-class fIeld wIth top-class players up there – I knew I had to do somethIng specIal.” The Ryder Cup pair traded blows on Doha Golf Club’s Championship Course and it was Karlsson who came out on top thanks to his strong finish. Westwood opened up with two birdies but was pegged back by three bogeys, Karlsson meanwhile wasn’t dropping shots and opened up a four shot lead over Westwood by the turn. However, Westwood picked up four birdies in five holes and got to within one shot of Karlsson. Undeterred the Swede ploughed on and after Westwood dropped a shot at the 16th Karlsson relaxed to birdie the final two holes for a convincing victory – his first since his two victories in 2008 which saw him crowned European No.1 for the first time. Last year Karlsson started to replicate his 2008 form with a share of fourth place at the Dubai Desert Classic but then after taking a share of 16th place at The European Open in May he was forced to the sidelines until October. The injury was originally thought to be an inner ear infection but was then diagnosed as a fluid blister behind his left retina which affected his depth perception. “Apparently it’s quite common for men between the ages of 25 and 50 with stressful

ROBERT KARLSSON

Robert Karlsson proudly hoists the trophy after winning the 2010 Comercialbank Qatar Masters.

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ROBERT KARLSSON

Main: Robert Karlsson lifts the Harry Vardon Trophy after becoming the first Swedish player to top the Order of Merit in 2008. Below: Robert Karlsson teams up with Henrik Stenson (r) at last year’s Omega Mission Hills World Cup where a good performance boosted his confidence. Below (bottom): Robert Karlsson lines up a putt at this year’s Commercialbank Qatar Masters.

jobs,” Karlsson said as he confirmed his absence from The 2009 Open Championship at Turnberry. “There’s never a good time for these things to happen, but I’m just looking forward to getting through it and getting back to playing.” Karlsson returned to action in October but missed four cuts in five events on The European Tour before he found some form alongside Henrik Stenson at the Omega Mission Hills World Cup, finishing in a share of second place. “It was tough to come back because I was hoping I had not lost that much, but being out for such a long time I found finding form was harder when I started playing again,” he said. “It was hard to not get down on myself, and when I was off, I didn’t really know where I was. When I started playing I played poorly and then it felt like I was even further away than I was when I actually had the time off.” After another break from the course over the winter Karlsson returned to the Tour at Abu Dhabi but only managed to finish in a share of 60th. However, he admitted to feeling good about playing again and after his opening round in Qatar a week later said: “I’m definitely looking forward to starting again and give myself a proper chance to start playing again.” Three days

later he was a champion again on The European Tour. “I’m delighted,” he beamed after lifting the famous Pearl trophy and following in Stenson’s footsteps as a winner in Qatar. “It is very important to get into the running for The Ryder Cup early on in the season and I’ve done that – but it’s eight or nine months away so I’m going to take it a little bit easier now. ”But it was very, very pleasing to start playing well. I would have been very, very happy coming out of Qatar with a top 20!"n

“It Is very Important to get Into the runnIng for the ryder cup early on In the season, but that’s eIght or nIne months away, so take I’m goIng to take It easy now.” www.wwgolf.biz

Vintage Jimenez downs westwood in dubai thriller

IGUEL Angel Jimenez likened himself to a fine wine as he defeated European No.1 Lee Westwood in a play-off at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic for his first win in nearly two years. “Like a good wine, with age, I get better and better,” smiled the Spaniard after parading the famous coffee pot trophy. Jimenez triumphed with a par on the third extra hole after Westwood missed two putts on the first two holes of sudden death which would have given him the title. “All week I’ve been playing strong with a strong mind and with good support from my caddie,” said Jimenez. “I have been coming to Dubai for many years and had a few chances to win and now I finally have it, I feel very pleased and very happy.”

short, pitched agonisingly close to the lake. However, after chipping onto the green the Westwood missed a 10-footer for birdie and Jimenez got up-and-down to take the pair down the final hole for the second time. From the tee Jimenez found a difficult lie in the rough and after laying up again he pitched through the green into the bunker. Westwood was again over the water in two and in a good lie just off the green. From their positions both played indifferent shots with Westwood leaving his chip 12 feet short and Jimenez blasting out way beyond the hole. However, Jimenez rolled in his tough par putt to heap the pressure on Westwood who again missed his chance for the title. With the Dubai sun fading behind the skyscrapers the pair made their way to the par-4 ninth hole and both players missed the green with their approach shots. Their chips were both good and after the match referee was called in to see whose ball was closest it was deemed that Westwood was to putt first. He misread it and it crept past the left lip leaving Jimenez to roll his putt in for his ninth The pair began the final day tied with win since turning 40 in 2004. Thongchai Jaidee and Alvaro Quiros and both “I feel comfortable and good on the golf shot a level par 72 in the final round to finish course and that is the key,” said Jimenez. “I on 11-under-par know I am not 25 or 30 years old – I have Jaidee dropped three shots early on in just turned 46 – but I’m still healthy and still his round but made the ground up before strong, not strong like a 25-year-old, but still squandering a five-foot birdie putt on the strong and I still can play. And if I feel happy final green which would have put him into on the golf course and can focus on the golf the play-off. Quiros also saw his chances course, then I can win tournaments. slip after three late bogeys so it was left to ”It’s also difficult, with all of the new Westwood and Jimenez to duel for the title. players, these new guns like Rory (McIlroy) The Englishman, who won the Dubai and Quiros, they are long off the tee, it’s an World Championship in November last year, advantage, and it’s going to be much more looked the most likely to win at the first time difficult for guys like me who are in their 40s. of asking at the par-5 18th after clearing the But that’s the way it is.” water in two, while Jimenez, having laid up Westwood was philosophical in his

appraisal of the play-off. “The writing was on the wall,” he lamented. “Miguel plugs it in the front trap and 99 times out of a 100 that falls back in the water. He’s one of best bunker players on Tour and then plays one of his poorer bunker shots, but holes from 18 feet for par to stay in it. That’s just one of those things. Play-offs can be like that.” For Jimenez the win took him up to 30th on the Official World Golf Ranking which cemented his place in the World Golf

“Like a good wine, with age i get better and better,” Miguel Angel Jimenez

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Above: Winner Miguel Angel Jimenez shares a joke with runner-up Lee Westwood at the prize presentation ceremony.

DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

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JIMÉNEZ TRIUMPHS IN DUBAI PING pros Miguel Angel Jiménez and Lee Westwood, two of the European Tour’s most prolific champions, needed three extra holes to decide the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. When the final putt dropped, it was the Spaniard Jiménez who raised the trophy in triumph. Jiménez, who is beginning his 23rd year on tour, relied on 14 PING clubs in his victory, including S57 irons, Tour-W wedges and a Redwood Anser putter.

Find the right fit for your game at an authorized PING Fitting location or visit ping.com.

DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC

Championships-Accenture Match Play and the WGC-CA Championship at Doral. “The goal for the year is the same as usual,” he smiled as his spoke of his plans for the rest of the season. “Enjoy yourself, focus on the golf course and everything will follow – and that is what I try to do. Of course The Ryder Cup is a long-term target and if I stay in the top-50 in the World Ranking I’ll be able to play different tournaments. “Because I was around 60th (in the world), that probably was enough to play at the (WGC) Match Play but not enough to play at Doral, but now I’m going to be at Doral. And there’s still a bit of time till the US Open. That’s the only Major I am not exempt for, but to keep in the top-50 until May will be the key to get in all of the majors and big tournaments.” In the defence of his maiden European Tour title, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy finished in a share of sixth place with the in-form Quiros while Martin Kaymer, winner of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship at the start of the Middle East Swing, took a share of fourth place alongside last year’s Challenge Tour winner Edoardo Molinari. n

Final Dubai Desert classic leaDerboarD 1

Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ

ESP

-11

67 68 72

277

Lee WESTWOOD

ENG

-11

65 68 72

277

Thongchai JAIDEE

THA

-10

66 69 73

278

Martin KAYMER

GER

-9

70 68 70

279

Edoardo MOLINARI

ITA

-9

70 70 71

279

Rory MCILROY

NIR

-8

70 69 73

280

Alvaro QUIROS

ESP

-8

69 67 75

280

“the goaL for the year is the same as usuaL, enjoy yourseLf, focus on the goLf course and everything wiLL foLLow” - Miguel Angel Jimenez Right: Miguel Angel Jimenez reacts after defeating Lee Westwood in a sudden death play-off.

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ICHAEL Campbell knows a thing or two about how to come through a rough patch. The New Zealander finished fifth on the Order of Merit in his rookie season on The European in 1995 before almost sliding off the radar over the next two seasons, needing a trip to Q-School to regain his card in 1997 after finishing 133 on that year’s money list. But he fought his way back, winning five titles around the world in 2000 before securing his place in golf history with a sensational victory over Tiger Woods in the 2005 U.S. Open at Pinehurst. He was the first player of Maori descent to win a Major and he brought more pride to his nation when he added the World Match Play Championship later that year to be named European Tour Golfer of the Year. He’s going through another difficult period at the moment but reports of him considering quitting are way off the mark and he’s drawing on his past experiences to help him come through it and regain his form. WWG caught up with Cambo, who was sponsored by Emirates Airlines during the Middle East Swing, on the eve of the Desert Classic.

WWG: How and when did you become associated with Emirates Airlines and what does the sponsorship involve? MC: It actually goes back to 2005 when they sponsored me to go home to New Zealand for my 10 day Homecoming Tour after I won the U.S. Open. I wanted to go back and share my success with my people back home but I was stuck in England so Emirates helped out and flew me and

I think that Emirates are always slightly ahead of the game compared to other airlines so I always fly with them when I’m choosing a route to tournaments. The level of service throughout is very high, not just in First Class. I love the way they introduce the Cabin Crew and then give you a list of the languages they speak – there’s about 12 of them! I think that’s great. WWG: Basing yourself in England and

“I wanted to go back and share my success wIth my people back home but I was stuck In england so emIrates helped out and flew myself and all my famIly over there.” – Michael caMpbell all my family over there. That was the starting point of our relationship. I’ve become good friends with Roger Duthie, the Head of Sponsorship in Dubai, and Chris Lethbridge in New Zealand and a bunch of other guys through my travels. I always fly Emirates if I can. It’s a great airline and I enjoy the service. They flew me over from Australia for the Middle East Swing and I wore the Emirates logo throughout the three tournaments. WWG: What are your impressions of the airline in comparison to others you’ve travelled on? MC: I’ve been travelling now for the past 18 or 19 years so I’ve got a fair amount of experience of different airlines. I love the personable service you get with Emirates. It starts right from your house when they pick you up in a limousine to take you to the airport. First Class is just incredible – it’s like having your own bedroom 30,000 feet in the air. They even have showers! I actually phoned my kids up to tell them that I’d just had a shower at 30,000 feet - they thought that was pretty cool. 16

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New Zealand you must have racked up some Skywards Miles on the Emirates flights, but how do you overcome jet lag? MC: One thing I always try to do is something I was taught by a friend. A couple of days before I travel I start eating the correct meals for the time of day of the place I’m travelling to. So for instance if I’m in Sydney and it’s night time and I’m travelling to Dubai where it’s morning, I have bacon and eggs to fool my system into thinking it’s breakfast time. That helps. When golfers travel they need to get into the schedule of the new time zone very quickly so I also try and sleep on the plane if it’s night time where I’m travelling to and stay awake if it’s day time. I could sleep standing up in a telephone box so I’m quite lucky in that respect. WWG: In your debut at the Dubai Desert Classic in 1995 you finished third, what is the key to low scoring on the Majlis and do you feel it’s a course that suits your game? MC: That’s a long time ago now! The course is much longer than it was back then. They’ve

lengthened many of the holes and grown the rough off the fairways so you have to be long and accurate. There are kids coming out nowadays who bomb it such a long way it makes the course shorter. I’ve never been a big hitter and the course suits players who can hit it long and straight, that’s the key. The greens are fantastic and the course in general has evolved so much over the years since I first played it. It’s a much better golf course than it was 15 years ago and it has adapted to the technology really well by lengthening the holes and making the greens smaller. WWG: Are there any particular holes that stand out for you on the Majlis? MC: Eighteen has always been a great hole. It’s a make or break hole. Over the years at the Desert Classic we’ve seen a lot of mistakes made with guys losing the tournament at the last hole, putting the ball in the water with their second shot and that kind of thing. I also like the ninth. It’s a tough par-4 that shares the same green as the 18th – those two are the two standout holes for me. WWG: How much has Dubai and the game developed in the region since you first began playing the Desert Classic 15 years ago? MC: Well you just have to look at all the buildings around now! We used to stay in town for the Classic and it took us 20 minutes to get to the golf course but now it’s completely changed. Dubai has moved forward a lot over the last 15 years. Golf is still a relatively new sport here really but it’s developed well. I think Dubai needs a local guy to take off on the international circuit for it to really explode. WWG: Do you regard Dubai now as a genuine golf tourism destination? MC: The number of golf courses in Dubai

MICHAEL CAMPBELL

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MICHAEL CAMPBELL

compared to when I first started coming is incredible. You have a Colin Montgomerie course (The Address, Montgomerie), The Els Course, two Greg Norman courses (the Earth and the Fire), Thomas Björn’s re-designed Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Nick Faldo’s course at Emirates Golf Club, and Tiger Woods is designing a course. All these famous players have been coming over and building courses in the emirate so I truly believe Dubai can hold its hand up and say ‘we’re a genuine golfing destination now.’ There are a full selection of different types of golf courses from links-type courses to tree-lined parkland courses so they cater for everyone. I think now we’ve got The Race to Dubai and the Dubai World Championship the region’s profile is only going to increase further on the world golf stage. WWG: You’re known to run quite a lot of golf clinics, what’s the most common fault that you see in amateur players and how do you go about correcting it? MC: I think the most important thing that you should teach an amateur – at all levels – is to have confidence. It’s different from player to player and with each piece of advice you give you must ask them to be confident when they put it into practice. WWG: How important is it to you to try to put something back into the game after all the success you’ve had? MC: I really enjoy giving back. I’ve had a lot of success in golf. I’ve won a Major and 15 tournaments around the world. I’m healthy, my wife and kids are healthy and I was brought up with the philosophy that we were born into life with two hands – one to receive and one to give back. What I’ve been doing the last three or four years is to try to make the world a slightly better place by giving something back.

“we were born Into lIfe wIth two hands – one to receIve and one to gIve back. what I’ve been doIng for the last three or four years Is to try to make the world a slIghtly better place by gIvIng somethIng back” Michael caMpbell WWG: What do you think of the new groove regulations and how do you think they will affect the professional game? MC: Well, personally I haven’t noticed that much difference to be honest. Callaway had given me some wedges for the Desert Swing and

Michael Campbell proudly holds the US Open trophy in 2005 in New Zealand after being flown back to his homeland by Emirates. I only really lost about 10 per cent of the spin I had before. It’s hardly noticeable. Players can still hit 7-irons from the rough and stop it. I thought I’d get more flyers out of the rough – shots that come out hotter - but I’ve not had one during the Desert Swing.

Cambo Quickfire WWG: Who would be in your dream four-ball? MC: Nelson Mandela, Ben Hogan and Gene Simmons from the rock band Kiss. WWG: Outside the ropes, what other interests do you have? MC: I’m into my wine. I’ve probably got a collection of about 2,000 bottles at home. I like Australian wines – preferably red wine.

WWG: It’s been well documented that you’re struggling for form at the moment and some reports have suggested that you’ve considered giving up the game recently – how much truth is there in that? MC: I was misquoted. The reporter said to me, ‘What would you do if you gave up golf?’ I said, ‘I wouldn’t know, that’s why I’ve not given up!’ It was completely misquoted. I’m not a quitter. I’m working really hard on my game to try and start moving back up those leaderboards.

if I get lazy I sometimes fall into a comfort zone. That’s how I tend to operate - from one to the other. Now is the time for me to work harder, gut it out and hopefully get the results.

WWG: You went through another sticky patch early in your European Tour career but managed to come through it to enjoy great success, particularly in 2005, so you know better than most how to come through tough times. MC: You’ve got to dig deep and get through the tough patches and in doing so you become a better player and a better person. Hopefully, it won’t last too long. As you say, I’ve been through these ruts before on many occasions and it’s a matter of how you handle them and, hopefully, I can draw some positives from the experience and then soldier on. It’s all to do with work ethic. When I get my head down and go for it, that’s when I do well but

WWG: Lee Westwood says he came close to giving up the game altogether when he dropped down the rankings but now he’s back on top of European Golf. It’s a game where that can happen but how do you approach the situation? MC: I’ve sat down and spoken with Lee about that recently and asked him about his game in 2003/04 when he couldn’t really lace his boots to be honest. He told me he’d put it down to the fact that he had complicated things out on the course too much and forgotten the basics. It can happen to us all but I’ve had wonderful support from my peers like Lee and so many of my fellow players and I can sense that they feel for me. n

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WWGcolumnist

Golf in Mexico is certainly growing in every way

VER the years I have enjoyed participating in the development of the game in emerging markets. From Eastern Europe and South America to China and Brazil, I’ve been fortunate enough to participate in the growth of the game. One market in particular, Mexico, has shown sustained growth over the past decade. Last week, I hosted the Mayakoba Golf Classic at the El Camaleon course I designed at Playa del Carmen in Mexico. It was the fourth running of the Mayakoba Golf Classic, the only PGA Tour event played in Mexico, and one of our Greg Norman Production Company events. I’m pleased that the tournament has become such a success. Golf in Mexico is certainly growing in every way. Lorena Ochoa’s meteoric rise to the

ago and he was the first guy to come up to me at the Mayakoba tournament and say, ‘What a great event – thanks for having me back.’ He’s a consummate professional and for him to be promoting the game of golf the way he does, within the other players, is a credit to him and a credit to Mexico. I can also see the growth in golf from a business perspective. We’ve seen it from not only the hard goods, golf clubs, soft goods and clothing being sold in Mexico but there’s been a tremendous boom in all things related to the game. Golf is an extremely important diversity for Mexico right now but it’s going to take some time. Look what we’re doing through the Mayakoba Golf Classic with ‘Golf for Everyone.’ It created a huge amount of interest. By promoting the game

balanced in our approach to do this and we actually organised a qualifying event. But some of the best rewards a player can get come when he does qualify. Golf is an international game. You only have to look at the Official World Golf Ranking to see how things have changed over recent years. We know about the great strides being made in the Far East and another example of the game growing in unexpected areas is certainly Mexico. It was good to see Cameron Beckman win the tournament with a 15-under par score of 269, shooting 65, 68, 69, 67, two shots clear of Brian Stuard and Joe Durant. It was a hotly contested event with five players sharing fourth place. It was good to see a slimmed down John Daly make the cut for the first time in a year on the PGA Tour. n

“estaban todedo was the first guy to come up to me at the mayakoba tournament and say, ‘what a great event – thanks for having me back.’” Lorena ochoa has ignited the game in mexico. she’s the cataLyst. – GREG NORMAN top of the women’s game has done a lot to promote the game in Mexico. She’s now been world No.1 for 149 weeks with 27 victories on the LPGA Tour, which is quite an achievement. She’s ignited golf in Mexico and as a result there are a number of up-andcoming youngsters determined to emulate her. Estaban Toledo has been almost a father figure for the game in Mexico. He’s an interesting character. He was a professional boxer for four years before taking up golf and as an ambassador of the ‘To Get A Grip’ Foundation’ he has worked hard for underprivileged children and introduced them to golf. He’s a real ironman and has devoted much of his time to raising muchneeded funds for charities. I played with Estaban many years 26

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of golf in the facility we attracted a thousand people to the academy. Just think about all the other facilities in Mexico that will grow to this level year after year after year. A generation from now we’ll begin to see the emergence of the young kids, who are probably only five, six, seven, eight years old right now. Ten years from now we could start seeing champions coming out of Mexico on a regular basis. Lorena Ochoa was the catalyst. Behind her, there could be many other great players, both female and male players, both professional and amateur golfers as well. We had so many requests for a sponsor’s exemption into the Mayakoba Golf Classic it was overwhelming. We had to be very

Fashion Delivers OUR Greg Norman Collection announced last month that we have made a sizeable donation to Fashion Delivers, which will facilitate the charity to provide clothing and goods to those affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Michael J. Setola, President and CEO of the Greg Norman Collection and his partner, Haresh Tharani, are founding members of Fashion Delivers, which was started in 2006 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Since the earthquake hit Haiti the charity has raised more than $17 million from apparel companies throughout the industry.

Cameron Beckman (left) holds the trophy with Juan-Miguel Villar Mir, President of OHL, S.A. after winning the Mayakoba Golf Classic at El Camaleon Golf Club.

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spring offers DUBAI GOLF Dubai Golf is offering attractive new green fees during March & April for both Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and the Faldo Course at Emirates Golf Club. Green Fees UAE Residents – Dhs.450 EGF (Emirates Golf Federation) – Dhs.410 All green fees are valid Sunday to Thursday, excluding public holidays, and are inclusive of shared cart and range balls prior to play. Bookings can be made 7 days prior to play. UAE Residents will need to present proof of residency on arrival. For reservations, please contact each club via: Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club T: 04 205 4555 E: creekreservations@dubaigolf.com Emirates Golf Club T: 04 380 1999 E: egcreservations@dubaigolf.com GOLF • DINING • RECREATION

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WWGWHEELS

DRIVING

Porsche 911 Turbo cabrioleT Styling and Technology >>

RIDE COMFORT PERFORMANCE SPACE BRAKING

Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet Intelligent Power: Consumption down significantly â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Performance up

Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, proudly presents a new top model at the pinnacle of its broad range of production sports cars. The new Porsche 911 Turbo combines far-reaching innovations in technology with fine tuning and supreme refinement in design. All key features of this high-performance sports car have been significantly improved with the new 911 Turbo combining a substantial improvement in fuel efficiency and lower weight with more power, even higher speed and enhanced driving dynamics.

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DRIVING RIDE COMFORT PERFORMANCE SPACE BRAKING

The heart and highlight of the seventh generation of the Turbo is the new power unit displacing 3.8 litres and delivering maximum output of 500 bhp (368 kW). The first entirely new engine in the 35-year-history of the Turbo comes with features such as Direct Fuel Injection and Porsche’s exclusive turbocharger with variable turbine geometry on a gasoline power unit. As an option, the new six-cylinder may be combined for the first time with Porsche’s seven-speed PDK Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (DoubleClutch Gearbox). Models equipped with PDK are also available with a new, optional three-spoke steering wheel with gearshift paddles as an alternative to the standard steering wheel with its shift buttons. Fitted firmly on the steering wheel, the right paddle is for shifting up, the left paddle for shifting down. In conjunction with the optional Sport Chrono Package Turbo both the gearshift paddle and the PDK steering wheel with its shift buttons come with integrated displays for Launch Control and the Sport/Sport Plus mode, which are designed differently on the two steering wheels. The combination of PDK, Direct

Fuel Injection and turbocharging ensures an unprecedented standard of efficiency, agility, responsiveness and performance. The Porsche 911 Turbo reduces CO2 emissions versus its predecessor by almost 18 per cent, which ranks it unique in its segment in this respect. Depending on the configuration of the car, the new top model requires just 11.4 – 11.7 ltr/100 km (equal to 24.8 - 24.1 mpg imp) which is under the eU5 standard. Unlike most other cars in its sector, the new Turbo remains below the crucial level of fuel consumption for ‘gas guzzler’ tax in the USA, the special tax imposed on cars with substantial fuel consumption. All this despite acceleration to 100 km/h in 3.4 seconds. Its top speed, in turn, is 312 km/h or 194 mph. The Turbo driver of the future will also enjoy a further improvement in driving dynamics, detailed enhancement of fully controlled all-wheel drive and Porsche Stability Management (PSM) being further supported by new Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) available as an option. This makes the car even more agile and precise in its steering for an even higher level of driving pleasure.

WWGWHEELS

Power Power Unit: Water-cooled horizontally-opposed six-cylinder; engine block and cylinder heads made of aluminium; four overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing on intake side and valve lift switchover (VarioCam Plus); hydraulic valve play compensation; bi-turbocharging, turbocharger with variable turbine geometry (VTG); Direct Fuel Injection; two three-way catalytic converters on each row of cylinders, each with two oxygen sensors; 10.4 ltr (2.3 imp gals) engine oil; electronic ignition with solid-state distributor (six ignition coils). Max engine speed: 7000 rpm output per litre: 96.8 kW/131.6 bhp capacity: 3800 cc compression ratio: 9.8:1

engine output: 368 kW (500 bhp) at 6000 rpm Max Torque: 650 Nm/479 lb-ft from 1950 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5000 rpm (700 Nm/516 lb-ft from 2100 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4000 rpm**)

*Specifications may vary according to markets ** With Overboost featured on the optional Sport Chrono Package Turbo www.wwgolf.biz

DIVOTS

Parnevik could be forced to retire with serious back injury

Hoylake announced as The Open venue for 2014 THE Hoylake links at Royal Liverpool Golf Club will host The Open Championship in 2014, marking the 12th time the club will have welcomed golf’s most prestigious Major. The tournament was last held at Hoylake in 2006 when Tiger Woods was victorious and attracted 230,000 spectators – a record for The Open in England. “We are delighted the Open is returning to Royal Liverpool,” said David Hill, the R&A’s Director of Championships. The R&A have also announced that Walton Heath will host The Senior Open Championship in 2011, following this year’s Senior Open at Carnoustie.

Freddie Couples breaks through on Champions Tour FREDDIE Couples won The ACE Group Classic last month for his first victory on the Champions Tour after holding off Tommy Armour III by one stroke. Couples closed with a birdie on the 17th and a tap-in par on the 18th to total 11-under and wrap up his first win since the 2003 Shell Houston Open on the PGA Tour. “That’s a long time,” said Couples. “I am very excited that I won and I’ll keep trying to win out here and I have a couple chances on the PGA Tour to make the cut. But just making the cut is not my idea of fun.”

PGA Tour player Jesper Parnevik could be forced to retire from the game after announcing he might need joint fusion surgery to correct a broken vertebrae in his lower back, “which may mean I can’t play anymore,” said the 44-year-old Swede. The eccentric Parnevik, a five-time winner in America had emergency surgery in early February which kept him out of action for a month. “My intention is not to quit golf,” he said but admitted a more advanced operation that could end his career “seems inevitable”.

Tiger Woods makes emotional apology TIGER Woods admitted to cheating on his wife in a 13-minute apology delivered at the PGA Tour HQ in Florida, which was broadcast around the world last month. Making his first public appearance since the allegations into his private life surfaced in November last year, Woods said: “I was unfaithful, I had affairs and I cheated. What I did was unacceptable. I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation and kids all around the world who admired me.” Woods, still the top-ranked golfer in the world, admitted he will undergo further therapy and gave no clear indication when he would return to the game. “I do plan to return to golf one day,” he added. “I just don’t know when that day will be. I don’t rule out that it will be this year. When I do return I need to make my behaviour more respectful to the game.”

R&A make official visit to Qatar Open Amateur Championship IN recognition of the Qatar Open Amateur Championship becoming a World Amateur Golf Ranking counting event, The R&A made its first official visit to the Middle-Eastern state. R&A Director Michael Tate was present during the 23rd staging of the event, which was held at Doha Golf Club in January. The Championship has come a long way since its inception in 1983, when it was contested over a sand course in Umm Said, to become an international tournament which, this year, welcomed 120 amateurs from 25 countries to the nation’s state-of-theart 27-hole golf facility.

Corey Pavin picks his Ryder Cup assistants AMERICAN Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin has chosen four vice-captains to take to The Celtic Manor Resort this October in his bid to retain The Ryder Cup Trophy. Pavin will call on former captain Tom Lehman, Jeff Sluman, Davis Love III and Paul Goydos. Pavin was assistant to Lehman at The K Club in Ireland four years ago when Europe earned a recordequalling nine-point victory over the Americans while Love has accepted the invitation but still prefers to make a seventh appearance as a player. 28

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Quote of the Month “I think it’s the Beast in the East,” said American Kenny Perry as he battled to come to terms with the Doha Golf Club course after a practice round at the Commercialbank Qatar Masters.

NewS SNIppeTS frOm arOuND The gOlfINg glObe

PGA Tour in a spin over groove regulations after Phil Mickelson-Scott McCarron bust-up AFTER a controversial war of words between Phil Mickelson and Scott McCarron over the usage of Ping Eye II wedges in tournament play, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem is talking to Ping to figure out a solution. Mickelson put a Ping Eye II wedge produced before1990 in his bag for the Farmers Insurance Open in California after finding out the club could be used because of a legal loophole. McCarron, who sits on the US PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Committee, caused some commotion at Torrey Pines when he told a San Francisco newspaper about Mickelson using Ping wedges with square grooves, saying: “It’s cheating, and I’m appalled Phil has put it in play.” Mickelson then stated he had been “publicly slandered” and hinted towards legal action. McCarron then apologised to Mickelson when the World No.3 stopped using the wedge and admitted he only used the club to raise the awareness, saying: “I’m certainly sorry for it. I’d like to apologise to Phil Mickelson for what I said. We both realise now that we’re on the same page on this issue.” The U.S. Golf Association changed its rules to outlaw square grooves with a certain depth and volume, now requiring grooves that are shallower with rounded edges, which are known as V-shaped grooves. The idea is to reduce spin and make accuracy off the tee more important. However, the Ping Eye II wedges made before April 1, 1990, are approved for play, even though

the grooves don’t conform because of Ping’s legal settlement with the USGA (in 1990) and the PGA Tour (in 1993) take precedence over any rule changes. Finchem apologised to players for not realising some competitors – Mickelson, John Daly and Hunter Mahan, among others – would use

clubs that were at least 20 years old. Among the considerations were to find a solution with Ping and John Solheim who said in a statement that the Tour could not establish a local rule that was different from the USGA but said he was willing to discuss a “workable solution.” Watch this space. Phil Mickelson using his controversial Ping wedge at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, California , last month.

Molinari brothers match each other step for step

Poulter-Casey shoot-out highlights a switch in power

BROTHERS Edoardo 29 and Francesco Molinari 27currently sit side by side on the Official World Golf Ranking in 47th and 48th place respectively. The pair won the Omega Mission Hills World Cup last November and have both made solid starts to the 2010 European Tour season with elder brother Edoardo, aged 29, finishing tied fourth at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Francesco, 27, taking a share of 13th place at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

WHEN Ian Poulter beat Paul Casey to become the first Englishman to win the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship last month it highlighted the continuous power swing from the PGA TOUR to The European Tour. When Darren Clarke won the first of his two WGC events at the Accenture Match Play Championship in 2000 in California, there were 39 Americans, 16 Europeans and 9 international players in the field. At last month’s Accenture there were 21 Americans, 30 Europeans and 16 international players. In the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of February 2000 there were 29 Americans, 9 Europeans and 12 internationals. In last month’s World Ranking table there were 15 Americans, 20 Europeans and 15 internationals. How times change.

John Daly’s brief encounter JOHN Daly never ceases to surprise us. He has struck an unlikely deal with online company, Slix, to promote their underwear. Daly, 43, has shed seven stone over the past 12 months and now weights in at around 13 stone. His trademark loud trousers have got even louder in recent months causing quite a stir among the galleries and now this latest partnership is sure to boost his profile even further. The American, who won the US PGA Championship in 1991 and The Open Championship at St Andrews four years later, performed a U-turn in January over comments that he would quit the sport. He made the cut in the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico last month – the first time he had made it into the weekend on the PGA Tour in 12 months.

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Yas Links is 'different' class MIKE GAllEMorE walks the course and talks to designer Kyle Phillips who has created something completely different in the Middle East – a traditional-style authentic links course that brings a new experience to the region.

Yas Links n Par 72 Championship links Course; n Championship Tees – 7,450 yards; n Back Tees – 7,053 yards; n Medal Tees – 6,671 yards; n Members Tees – 6,233 yards; n ladies Tees – 5,431 yards.

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EEING is believing, they say – and Yas Links is a golf course that has to be seen to be believed. Walking the course last month with designer Kyle Phillips was akin to being transported to the seaside links of St Andrews, Royal Birkdale, or Ballybunion. I’ve played many of the treasured links of Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales over the past half century and invested in more balls than most in the process but if I could have disregarded the warm sun on my back and the calm aqua-marine ocean I could have been back home battling the elements. It’s remarkable how Kyle Phillips has created a genuine, traditional links course out of nothing. Where there was once flat desert wasteland there are now rolling wide fairways, deep bunkering, wispy rough and inviting, sloping greens with their traditional heartbreaking run-offs. It’s pure coastal-style links on a par with Kyle’s other links masterpieces, Kingsbarns

near St Andrews and Dundonald near Troon in Scotland. I’d seen the pictures, read the hole descriptions and talked to California-based designer Kyle, but all that hadn’t prepared me for something completely different by way of a unique golfing experience in the Middle East. Kyle is understandably proud of his creation, which has come to fruition in a little over three years. “When I first came out to Abu Dhabi in February 2007 to look at the site I was immediately captivated by the challenge of turning a 3,200 metre long strip of flat, sandy shoreline devoid of vegetation into an authentic traditional-style links course,” says Kyle. “We had to work out where we could find the material to build the landforms necessary to create a true, traditional-style links course. We also needed to define the coastline while at the same time protecting the mangrove plantation. “Both problems were solved by dredging

Aldar Yas Links

Course designer Kyle Phillips points out his thinking behind his outstanding layout to Mike Gallemore.

the mangrove plantation and using the sand for the landforms. Now we have a clearly visible coastline and a channel that enables golfers to sail all the way from Abu Dhabi Marina and moor their boat at the golf club. The view from the edge of the golf course along the coastline, with the blue waters of the Gulf and the mangrove plantation in the background is spectacular. “Better draining sand for sandcapping the dunes and for the turfgrass, native rough grass and shrubs areas was brought in from further out in the desert. By virtue of this work we were able to expand the shoreline edge to more than 3,700 metres in length. “Another advantage was that we had the room to create as many as five tee boxes per hole to accommodate golfers of all standards. Although our

courses are designed to host professional championships they also have to be flexible to be playable for the 15-25 handicappers for the rest of the year. I’ve always worked on the basis that our golf courses should be designed first and foremost for the pleasure of the players.” With Kyle’s pedigree it’s not surprising that he has a preference for links courses. “The nice thing about links golf is that players can choose their own route to the pin. The big hitters can take on the challenges of clearing water or bunkers while the high handicappers can take a more canny line. links golf is more interesting and more fun than target golf. “Any good golf course has to have a big finish and I believe the closing holes, 1617-18, are three of the best closing holes of any course I know. Each hole presents its own challenge with the final par-5 hole www.wwgolf.biz

Aldar Yas Links

inviting golfers to take on the green in two. “When the wind is downwindbirdie or even eagle is achievable. But when it’s facing you it’s a different proposition altogether.” Kyle was also pleased to show us the 9-hole par-3 Academy Course, which is floodlit for use in the evening. “It’s ideal for practising or for beginners. The landforms are similar to the championship course but the greens are smaller and less contoured and the bunkers are less challenging. “I can’t wait to hear what the golfers think of the Yas links experience – I’m sure they will find it different to any other course they have played in the region.” Kyle has every reason to be proud of his creation. Yas links is different. It really is a true links course and I’m sure it will attract a great many golfers who may never have played coastal golf before and many others who yearn to get back on the links again n.

Facilities n

18-hole Championship Course.

Par 3 academy course.

Floodlit driving range.

Golf Academy with 2 indoor swing studios. and 8 covered hitting bays.

n n

Short game chipping and bunker practice area. luxurious Clubhouse. Pro Shop.

Men’s locker room with private steam room.

ladies locker room with private stream room.

n n

25m swimming pool. Private boat mooring area with transportation to marina and hotels.

Sports Bar.

Fine dining restaurant – Mediterranean cuisine.

n n

Events lawn. Croquet lawn.

on course pavilions.

THE Andalucia-styled Clubhouse is just as outstanding as the golf course. Everything has been done in the best possible taste from the luxurious sports bar to the spacious locker rooms. The use of traditional dark wood and beautifully matched marble gives it a really relaxed atmosphere. It’s got everything a clubhouse should have plus spectacular views over the links to the mangrove island and the blue waters of the Gulf beyond.

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WWGcolumnist

NO NEED TO PANIC – I’M ALL SET FOR THE FLORIDA SWING

WAS hugely disappointed to get knocked out in the opening round of the World Golf ChampionshipsAccenture Match Play at Ritz Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain, Arizona. I played poorly, it’s as simple as that and in match play if you have an off day, then your tournament can be over by lunchtime on Wednesday. Unlike a regular Tour event where you have the opportunity to recover from a bad opening round and shoot low on the Friday to make the cut or put yourself in contention, with match play you must be at your best at all times. Even then, you might still lose the match, so it’s an unpredictable format in that sense. I arrived at Dove Mountain full of confidence having reached the semifinals on the same course last year before going on to have a great year in the Majors and winning the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain. But I just wasn’t on my game. I had six bogeys in my first eight holes. If you do that you’re not giving yourself a chance to win and fair play to Thongchai Jaidee,

Ross Fisher shakes hands with Thonchai Jaidee after going out in the first round of the World Golf ChampionshipsAccenture Match Play Championsionship in Arizona 5 and 4.

he capitalised on my poor play and thoroughly deserved his 5 and 4 win. But there’s no reason for concern with my game. I have two weeks to prepare for the next World Golf Championships event, the CA Championship in Doral. I’m really looking forward to the swing of events in Florida, where I’ve recently bought a house at Lake Nona. My schedule covers three events, starting with the CA, then the Transitions Championship and finally the Tavistock Cup. Hopefully, I’ll be in great shape by then, and will manage to get in a few practice rounds at Augusta afterwards, ahead of The Masters in April. Overall, I’ve been reasonably pleased with my start to 2010. I was a little rusty in Qatar where I finished 1-over-par in a tie for 42nd place. But that’s to be expected with your first tournament back, especially when the weather has interrupted your practice schedule as it did with me. I wasn’t expecting my game to be too sharp and it wasn’t. But as soon as I got to Dubai, with my practice rounds, my work on the

range and playing in The Invitational hosted by Abdullah Al Naoodah, which was so much fun, everything felt more comfortable and I was swinging much better. I was very confident going into the Dubai Desert Classic and fancied myself as a contender. Although I didn’t hit topgear, I played consistently all week and to finish only a shot outside eighth place was a satisfactory start to my season. If a few putts had dropped in who knows where I might have finished? Golf is a game where you have to take the positives out of every performance and have a short enough memory to move on from disappointments quickly, while trying your best to learn from the mistakes you’ve made. The Accenture is gone. Now it’s onwards and upwards. I’m sure it won’t be long before I’m back on track. Making it onto Monty’s Ryder Cup team in October is very much part of my plans but to do that I need another very good season. I’ll be working very hard towards that over the next six or seven months.

In the know wIth RoSS FISheR

Ross is currently in 21st place in the Official World Golf Ranking and 52nd on The 2010 Race to Dubai table. His best result so far this season is a share of 11th place in the Dubai Desert Classic with a total of 5 under par 283, shooting consistent rounds of 70-72-70-71.

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Let the good times roLL !"#$%#&'(&$"))*+',-./'0 0(12' 03/4'(3564'13,,4'73., Alex GAllemore, editor of WorldWide Golf, A former scrAtch Golfer And noW A recreAtionAl 9-hAndicApper, describes his experience of plAyinG in the invitAtionAl hosted by AbdullAh Al nAboodAh.

ALEX GALLEMORE drives off the first tee: “Hitting the ball has never been a problem for me – I just struggle to get that little white fella in the hole.”

I’D known of the reputation of The Invitational being the most prestigious yet friendly pro-am in the Middle East having covered the event in Worldwide Golf since its launch in 2007. I was also well aware of the depth and quality of the field the event always seemed to attract. But actually playing The Invitational alongside the cream of The European Tour was a totally different experience for me. As publishers of the official tournament programmes for many of The European Tour and European Senior Tour tournaments I’ve been fortunate to play in a number of Tour pro-ams over the years but this was completely different. It was so much more friendly and relaxed. It was fun from start to finish. I’ve played in pro-ams where the Professional clearly didn’t want to be there – seemingly determined not to utter a word to anyone. I’ve also encountered Professionals who only wanted to treat it as a serious practice round, focussing on their game as if they were playing The Open to the exclusion of all around them. I’ve seen some Professionals tell their amateur playing partners to pick their ball up instead of offering a little friendly advice. Many of the fortunate business people I know who play regularly in tournament pro-ams tell me that it’s pot-luck. Sometimes a big name player is so focussed on the event their mind is fixed on the job in hand, or they’ve travelled half way around the world and just stepped off a plane to meet their clubs on the first tee. You can have the greatest players in the world in a pro-am but if the atmosphere is tense, then both Professionals and amateurs can’t wait for the round to finish. Getting everyone involved to walk off the final hole laughing and smiling is an art form. It is very rarely accomplished. There are so

“It’s not often I four-putt the first green and walk off with a smile on my face!” – Alex Gallemore 36

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many pieces that have to fall into place to make the whole thing work. But, as I said, The Invitational was different. When I arrived at the Creek I chatted with a few old friends in the Spike Bar and then headed for the driving range. I was down as first reserve to play but I wasn’t really expecting to get a game. I was watching little Amelia McKee swing that cut down driver and talking to her father, Rob, when I got the call from James Bowring that I was playing. Amelia is amazing. Ten years old and only half the size of my eleven-year-old daughter, Vienna. If she continues to improve with her game she’s going to be quite something. She’s also got a personality to match. She wasn’t overawed by the occasion in the least and spoke really well when she was interviewed by Richard Boxall in front of the television cameras. following the professionals I just had time to get my clubs out of the car, hit a few balls, and make my way to the 10th tee. I shook hands with my playing Professional Steven Jeppeson, who shot the course record at the Creek not so long ago, I knew I was in safe hands even though the likes of Lee Westwood, Ross Fisher, Sergio Garcia and Darren Clarke were in the field. Partnering us were Khalid Mubarak and his Professional, Paul Broadhurst. I had the pleasure of following the Professionals after they had both split the fairway with their tee shots. Things were made worse as one of my close friends and European Tour Professional Jamie Donaldson was watching from the adjacent first tee, waiting to tee off. As a good friend does, he shouted across some friendly advice: “Bet you a tenner you top it or put it in the drink!” On the driving range he’d seen me consistently skull or slice my driver so his bet looked a winner. It was the best thing that could have happened. As everyone laughed I relaxed and hit a screamer just shy of the Professionals. I respectfully responded with an

The INVITATIONAL hOsTed by AbduLLAh AL NAbOOdAh 2010

ABOVE: It’s in the bag. Michael Hoey was presented with a Rolex watch after sinking the only ace in the tournament’s four year history. If he’d only done it a year earlier he’d have driven off in a new Porsche. RIGHt: I’ve see hundreds of images of the 1999 Open Champion, Paul Lawrie, but this is the first I’ve seen with such a beaming smile on his face. But having partnered Shahriar Khodjasteh from Carpetland he had no other option! Always the joker, Shahriar incentivised his Professional playing partner by offering a large dirham bonus for every birdie he made. Paul had even more reasons to smile as he sank his fair share during the round.

encouraging challenge to Jamie: “Now it’s your turn. Double or quits if you go further!” It turned out to be the quickest 30 pounds I’d ever made. The rust was starting to work loose as I set up a 12 foot birdie on the opening hole but, as they say, the first thing to go if you’ve not played for a while is your short game. How true. I sent my first putt 15 feet past the hole and the return putt wasn’t much better. So having looked a birdie in the eye, I walked off with a double bogey, thanks to four glorious putts. But my heavy hands on the green caused much amusement and lightened the atmosphere, setting the tone for the rest of the round. The Creek has to be one of my favourite courses in the UAE and our host, Abdullah, certainly provided us with the scenic tour by making us mere mortal amateurs tee off the back plates with the Professinals. Khalid and I were constantly taking on the par-4s with either a rescue club or a long iron for our approach shots. As we came to the turn I was starting to get the pace of the greens but the running joke was still whether or not the hammer hand would make a return. A couple of birdies on the back nine would usually have silenced my playing partners but not on this occasion. Whether I four-putted or holed out for

birdie my group still found it funny. Normally, I’d be getting annoyed by this stage, but I found the whole thing as funny as they did. All around us on the course we could hear other groups laughing and joking and sharing comments from spectators. I’d never seen that before. It’s great fun to play in an atmosphere like that. For the amateurs it really does take the pressure off when you’re concentrating on a shot. Shame I couldn’t remember how to putt or Darren and Lee would have been kicked off the top of the leaderboard!

Clarke sharing top spot on eight-under-par. How on earth they could shoot those scores is unbelievable. The amateur prizes were announced at the Gala Dinner and my five-under-par net pairing score was reasonably respectable considering I hadn’t got a clue what I was doing with the putter. But, as usual, it was close but no cigar. Our host had the luxury of choosing the 2009 Race to Dubai winner, Lee Westwood, as his playing partner in the team event but a decisive birdie by Abdullah Al Naboodah on the back nine gave the pairing a one shot victory over Dubai Duty Free’s fun and games George Horan and Darren Clarke. The fun and games certainly didn’t mean At the Dinner I thought it was a wonderful the players weren’t taking the event seriously. gesture for Abdullah to invite young Amelia The amateurs like me were trying to play their McKee to play in next year’s Invitational. It will best golf for their own personal esteem as be interesting to see how she develops in the 12 well as to keep pace with the Professionals. months between. Regardless of the smiles the Professionals At the end of the evening I went back to our were just as competitive as ever. That’s why hotel with a smile on my face and I was still they’re Professionals. I’ve found that successful smiling the following morning when I recalled all Professionals in any sport have to have that the things that had happened at the Creek single-minded determination to win. Now I can verify from first hand experience After shaking hands on the final green the that The Invitational hosted by Abdullah Al focus, as always, was who’s going to win. The final Naboodah is by far the most prestigious, friendly leaderboard read more like a fantasy European and relaxing pro-am I’ve ever come across. I’ve Tour dream team with Lee Westwood and Darren never had so much fun playing serious golf. n

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Leave The City Behind at Al Hamra Golf Club Rediscover a championship golfing sanctuary built along the shores and rolling waves of the Arabian Gulf. A mere 45-minute drive from Dubai International Airport, via Emirates Road. Now managed by Banyan Tree Al Wadi.

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WORD

OF the MOnth... Windcheater: A fizzing shot played low, straight into a stiff wind. It is played with strong backspin and starts low and rises only toward the end of the shot.

DiD yOu knOW?

The Lowest Recorded Score for throwing a golf ball around 18 holes (more than 6,000 yards) is 82 by Joe Flynn, aged 21, at the 6,228-yard Port Royal Course in Bermuda on March 27, 1975.

“These greens are so fast I have to hold my putter over the ball and hit it with the shadow.” – Sam Snead “We learn so many things from golf - how to suffer, for instance.” – Bruce Lansky

clubhouse quickies

PLAYER quotEs JokEs woRd of thE month CARtoons

DON’T GIVE UP THE GAME A man was walking down the street when he was stopped by a shabby-looking tramp who asked him for money to buy food. The man took out a £10 note from his wallet and asked, “If I give you this money, will you buy some beer with it instead of a meal?” “No, I had to stop drinking years ago,” the tramp replied. “Will you use it to go fishing instead of buying food?” the man asked. “No, I don’t waste time fishing. I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive.” “Will you spend this on greens fees at a golf course instead of

food?” the man asked. “Are you crazy?” replied the homeless man. “I haven’t played golf in 20 years!” “Well,” said the man, “I’m not going to give you the money. Instead, I’m going to take you home for a terrific dinner cooked by my wife.” The homeless man was astounded. “Won’t your wife be furious with you for doing that? I know I’m dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.” The man replied, “That’s okay. It’s important for her to see what a man looks like after he has given up beer, fishing and golf.”

tHe cHances of MaKInG two Holes-In-one In a RoUnD of Golf aRe one In 67 MIllIon.

“You can talk to a fade but a hook won’t listen.” – Lee Trevino

RobeRt KaRlsson Does soMe seRIoUs tHInKInG as He taKes sHelteR fRoM tHe lIMelIGHt UnDeR tHe tRees at tHe QataR MasteRs.

“The ball retriever is not long enough to get my putter out of the tree” – Brian Weis www.wwgolf.biz

Official World Golf Ranking As of sUNDAY fEBRUARY 21, 2010

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 steve stricker phil Mickelson lee westwood Ian poulter paul Casey Jim Furyk Martin Kaymer rory McIlroy padraig harrington henrik stenson geoff ogilvy sergio garcia Kenny perry robert allenby retief goosen stewart Cink sean o’hair ernie els robert Karlsson ross Fisher Camilo Villegas luke donald lucas glover Zach Johnson dustin Johnson angel Cabrera anthony Kim Y.e. Yang nick watney alvaro Quiros Miguel a Jimenez hunter Mahan Charl schwartzel ryo Ishikawa tim Clark Vijay singh oliver wilson Michael sim Yuta Ikeda Mike weir Matt Kuchar adam scott thongchai Jaidee søren Kjeldsen anders hansen edoardo Molinari Francesco Molinari graeme Mcdowell søren hansen

usa usa usa eng eng eng usa deu nir Irl swe aus esp usa aus saf usa usa saf swe eng Col eng usa usa usa arg usa Kor usa esp esp usa saf Jpn saf Fji eng aus Jpn Can usa aus tha dnk dnk Ita Ita nir dnk

12.60 7.93 7.68 7.04 6.31 6.03 5.35 5.30 5.00 4.93 4.90 4.87 4.40 4.36 4.23 4.05 4.00 3.98 3.95 3.93 3.81 3.79 3.64 3.62 3.50 3.29 3.27 3.12 3.04 2.95 2.92 2.85 2.83 2.81 2.79 2.79 2.79 2.76 2.68 2.67 2.59 2.56 2.54 2.52 2.48 2.47 2.45 2.40 2.38 2.37

Tot. Pts 503.80 349.08 322.50 358.96 315.74 271.47 251.49 275.68 284.80 256.56 225.43 238.80 228.67 217.89 245.51 242.98 188.14 199.02 213.26 165.22 190.49 193.45 156.55 191.67 178.37 184.48 163.28 159.08 173.00 159.20 157.85 159.64 144.28 157.12 159.31 159.25 119.96 143.26 107.37 106.62 124.22 132.87 117.03 151.30 131.61 128.57 129.84 136.77 131.01 130.22

Events 40 44 42 51 50 45 47 52 57 52 46 49 52 50 58 60 47 50 54 42 50 51 43 53 51 56 50 51 57 54 54 56 51 56 57 57 43 52 40 40 48 52 46 60 53 52 53 57 55 55

Pts. Gained 0.00 85.75 12.31 53.21 106.40 69.51 9.43 73.89 35.41 5.84 12.61 52.47 30.10 11.54 42.26 44.73 23.71 18.41 24.77 59.71 9.48 40.54 47.29 11.74 13.30 78.46 9.96 8.35 14.03 20.08 50.65 52.00 3.93 57.11 11.03 31.80 3.68 29.85 20.20 2.00 10.31 39.15 4.31 41.55 5.35 14.46 20.81 9.41 9.70 20.28

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

Brian gay usa rory sabbatini saf david toms usa ryan Moore usa simon dyson eng peter hanson swe usa Ben Crane Jeev Milkha singh Ind Justin leonard usa alexander noren swe J.B. holmes usa stephen ames Can ross Mcgowan eng scott Verplank usa louis oosthuizen saf Kevin na usa Chad Campbell usa Chris wood eng stephen Marino usa shingo Katayama Jpn gonzalo Fdez-Castano esp Jason dufner usa Ben Curtis usa Brandt snedeker usa hiroyuki Fujita Jpn Justin rose eng heath slocum usa Marc leishman aus John rollins usa John senden aus Koumei oda Jpn davis love-III usa paul goydos usa Kenichi Kuboya Jpn Brendan Jones aus Yasuharu Imano Jpn gregory Bourdy Fra shane lowry Irl James Kingston saf Martin laird sco Kevin sutherland usa K.J. Choi Kor Bubba watson usa liang wen-Chong Chn Jerry Kelly usa Mathew goggin aus pat perez usa anthony wall eng ryan palmer usa Bryce Molder usa

2.36 2.32 2.29 2.28 2.23 2.21 2.19 2.13 2.09 2.08 2.03 2.01 2.01 2.00 1.99 1.99 1.94 1.93 1.92 1.89 1.89 1.87 1.85 1.84 1.79 1.79 1.75 1.74 1.68 1.68 1.68 1.66 1.66 1.66 1.65 1.65 1.62 1.61 1.59 1.58 1.57 1.56 1.56 1.54 1.52 1.50 1.48 1.47 1.44 1.43

Tot. Pts 141.76 125.37 107.55 118.48 133.82 117.16 113.81 127.76 104.38 102.12 97.54 96.56 106.31 93.93 105.70 107.31 105.00 77.27 115.16 100.14 96.19 95.39 81.35 93.71 87.80 96.72 103.32 104.52 92.51 100.85 83.80 84.67 86.12 82.80 66.01 65.97 90.73 64.31 84.45 88.29 81.59 74.95 79.33 3.90 86.78 86.84 74.21 81.04 77.50 75.88

Events Pts. Gained 60 54 47 52 60 53 52 60 50 49 48 48 53 47 53 54 54 40 60 53 51 51 44 51 49 54 59 60 55 60 50 51 52 50 40 40 56 40 53 56 52 48 51 48 57 58 50 55 54 53

20.41 31.33 3.55 13.88 6.45 15.84 50.65 14.18 2.00 7.22 46.23 11.05 6.76 5.44 35.36 13.61 11.25 13.62 25.71 0.00 2.08 5.04 1.28 28.00 0.00 9.67 7.52 26.23 17.28 2.15 0.00 10.33 22.96 1.89 0.00 0.00 7.50 19.06 5.81 15.56 9.83 12.43 14.33 2.21 2.62 1.28 10.17 1.95 50.00 7.94

Over 100 destinations worldwide

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Gary Player is a true leGend of the Game. the south african is one of only five Players to have won a career Grand slam of all four majors. he has won a total of nine majors and nine senior majors, amonG 167 tour events worldwide.

Saadiyat Beach Classic an all-round success “I’ve spoken to Gary so many tImes about saadIyat beach I couldn’t belIeve the course could be as fantastIc as he descrIbed – but It Is. to create such a maGnIfIcent layout from just bare, flat wasteland Is nothInG short of a work of art. Gary has created so many fabulous courses all around the world but I can understand why he rates saadIyat beach amonG hIs best.” – MIKE GALLEMORE we were also able to make a donation of dhs155,000 to the haiti earthquake victims due to the generosity of the abu dhabi tourism authority who presented the unique prize for the auction of a classic 1976 rolls royce silver shadow, hand painted by emirati artist abdul Qader al rays. there was a long list of corporate partners, including Platinum sponsors emirates airline and emirates Palace; t was very gratifying that our Gold sponsors, abu dhabi commercial magnificent emirates Palace hotel in Saadiyat Beach Classic was such an Bank, al habtoor leighton, al jaber leGt abu dhabi attended by 350 guests. we all-round success. I know it’s one of engineering & contracting, hilalco, had 65 major prizes on offer for both my favourite subjects but the most jan de nul Group, the national Bank of the live and silent auctions. the muchheartening aspect of the event was abu dhabi, Parsons and saif Bin darwish; needed funds went to the classic’s to see the enormous generosity of so and media Partners abu dhabi media charity partners, the Zayed higher many supporters, which enabled us organization for humanitarian care and company, motivate Publishing and Gulf to raise more than Dhs1.2 million for news Broadcasting. special needs, the Khalifa Bin Zayed al deserving charities. a number of companies supported nahyan foundation, the red crescent this is what it is all about. it’s great uae, the future centre for special needs the Gala dinner, including action to bring people together on a great impact, adnh compass, aecom, allied and our Gary Player foundation. golf course but what really makes the investment Partners, BnP Paribas, mirage among the prizes were a stay at our difference is raising money for charity. mille, multiplex, standard chartered Bank house during the open championship we are very fortunate to play golf for a and ed Zublin aG. imG, the Black Knight at st andrews in july; a 3-d section of living and it’s important to give back to Group and troon Golf supported the the louvre abu dhabi architectural those less fortunate. model signed by the museum’s architect, classic. it is very satisfying for me to be jean nouvel; items from my Gary Player the catalyst to bring all these people Poulter’s a Major player memorabilia and various pieces of together and to have done it for a i was pleased to see ian Poulter artwork, including a painting by reza worthwhile cause is the icing on the derakshani, ‘Black figs’, which was kindly win the world Golf championshipscake. accenture match Play championship bought for dhs110,000 by edward the Gala dinner took place at the in tucson, arizona, last month. it was Borgerding at the auction. his first win in the united states and an important milestone in his career. i believe he’s the kind of player who could win a major this year. i like his focus UAE RESIDENTS: Sunday-Wednesday – Dhs400 and i like the way he handled himself in Thursday-Saturday – Dhs500 the accenture. Booking is within a 12 day window when he was asked about tiger

SAADIYAT BEACH GOLF CLUB RATES

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Gary takes the time at Saadiyat Beach to help and encourage the youngsters.

“Gary player Is a fIGurehead for Golf and what he does for the sport and charIty Is fantastIc. to be able to GIve so much back to the people who need It most Is so Important.” – DARREn CLARKE speaking after playing the Saadiyat Beach Classic.

“the uae has become a Great GolfInG destInatIon and wIth facIlItIes lIke saadIyat beach Golf club I can only see more Golfers comInG to play here. It’s Ideal for practIsInG and the facIlItIes are world-class.” – RORy MCILROy, WORLD nO.10

woods’ absence after his victory i thought he spoke very well. he wanted to talk about his own game and his own performance and not somebody else’s, which was totally correct. ian’s biggest win of his career has shot him up to fifth place in the official world Golf ranking in between lee westwood and Paul casey, who he beat 4 and 2 in the accenture. for europe to have six players in the world top 10 shows how international the game has become. i’ve always said that golf is an international sport and the international players have rarely received the credit they deserve. Golf in the united states is suffering at the moment but there is a notable surge in the sport around the world, particularly in places like india, china and indonesia. i’m very excited that the volvo china open is being hosted by one of the golf courses i designed over there, suzhou

Gingi lake, near shanghai. it’s a huge event in the far east and i’m sure it will attract a lot of interest worldwide. Seniors are on par it amazes me that the players on the champions tour in the united states continue to shoot such low scores. i’m sure if the comparison were made between the scores on the PGa tour and the champions tour then the over50s would be on a par with the younger guys. Bernhard langer holed a bunker shot at the first extra hole of a sudden-death play-off with john cook to win the allianz championship in Boca raton, florida, last month. it was langer’s ninth win on the champions tour and his 10th as a senior golfer, having made the switch from the PGa tour in august 2007 immediately after his 50th birthday. in less than three years he’s won nearly $5 million in prizemoney.

in the ace Group classic in naples, florida, on the champions tour only the week before, tommy armour iii shot an 11-under par 61 to finish runner-up behind freddie couples, who won the tournament by one shot with a closing 64. it’s not as though these guys are playing on short courses. most of the layouts are longer than 7,000 yards and they’re tough tracks. it’s a fun tour to play on and the standard of golf is outstanding. n

ABOVE: Gary shares a joke with Ireland’s Rory McIlroy

BELOW: Gary signs the driver he used on the first tee and presents it to Ahmed Hussein.

“thIs has been an Important and sIGnIfIcant step forward for abu dhabI’s GolfInG ambItIons and has Gone a lonG way to establIsh the emIrate as a hIGhly souGht-after sports and leIsure destInatIon – a fact made even more pertInent wIth the funds we have raIsed for charIty. we wanted to create somethInG specIal that set the Global benchmark and resonated wIth vIsItors and resIdents who wanted to connect wIth a truly world-class destInatIon. Gary has created what we fIrmly belIeve wIll be a truly unparalleled GolfInG experIence for amateurs and professIonals alIke.” – AhMED huSSEIn, Chief Operating Officer of TDIC and Deputy Director General of ADTA www.wwgolf.biz

Race to Dubai

As of Sunday February 21, 2010

tHe european tour r aCe to DuBai 2010 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 32 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Name

Country

Ian POULTER Paul CASEY Charl SCHWARTZEL Camilo VILLEGAS Martin KAYMER Sergio GARCIA Robert KARLSSON Lee WESTWOOD Thongchai JAIDEE Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ Alvaro QUIROS Oliver WILSON Anders HANSEN Andrew DODT Retief GOOSEN Rory McILROY Edoardo MOLINARI Pablo MARTIN Richie RAMSAY Richard FINCH Darren CLARKE Søren HANSEN Keith HORNE Shiv KAPUR Thomas AIKEN Jeev Milkha SINGH Louis OOSTHUIZEN Richard BLAND Fredrik ANDERSSON HED Shane LOWRY Brett RUMFORD Luke DONALD Tim CLARK Peter HANSON David DRYSDALE Chris WOOD Henrik STENSON David HORSEY Ross McGOWAN Ernie ELS Geoff OGILVY Gareth MAYBIN Robert ROCK Graeme McDOWELL Rick KULACZ Thomas BJÖRN Barry LANE James KAMTE Bradley DREDGE Danny WILLETT

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

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

Prize Money €1,186,295 €725,491 €626,977 €488,552 €414,160 €396,640 €377,253 €366,366 €342,441 €333,074 €313,680 €283,974 €258,879 €250,000 €229,909 €220,908 €210,165 €200,379 €192,879 €183,875 €179,294 €162,539 €153,013 €152,994 €140,575 €132,166 €130,650 €128,372 €109,323 €109,030 €108,550 €101,964 €101,964 €100,529 €96,104 €95,090 €93,172 €88,364 €82,540 €80,902 €80,440 €79,990 €79,100 €76,790 €76,700 €76,341 €75,832 €75,264 €75,184 €75,021

Rank 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 57 57 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 93 93 93 97 98 99 100

Name

Country

Rhys DAVIES Ross FISHER Richard STERNE Tetsuji HIRATSUKA Francesco MOLINARI Grégory BOURDY Y. E. YANG Adam SCOTT Robert ALLENBY Ariel CANETE Joost LUITEN Simon DYSON Alexander NOREN James KINGSTON Hennie OTTO Peter WHITEFORD Anthony KIM Marcel SIEM Richard GREEN Darren FICHARDT Michiel BOTHMA Søren KJELDSEN Pelle EDBERG Jeppe HULDAHL Peter LAWRIE Marcus FRASER Nick DOUGHERTY Trevor FISHER JNR Damien MCGRANE Pablo LARRAZÁBAL Michael HOEY James MORRISON John PARRY Dale WHITNELL Mikko ILONEN Niclas FASTH Steven O’HARA Branden GRACE Clodomiro CARRANZA Oliver FISHER Ignacio GARRIDO Ricardo GONZALEZ Angel CABRERA Vijay SINGH Padraig HARRINGTON Rory SABBATINI Jaco VAN ZYL Paul WARING David LYNN Sam HUTSBY

WAL ENG RSA JPN ITA FRA KOR AUS AUS ARG NED ENG SWE RSA RSA SCO USA GER AUS RSA RSA DEN SWE DEN IRL AUS ENG RSA IRL ESP NIR ENG ENG ENG FIN SWE SCO RSA ARG ENG ESP ARG ARG FIJ IRL RSA RSA ENG ENG ENG

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

Prize Money €73,640 €73,001 €72,248 €71,250 €71,058 €69,369 €69,190 €69,190 €69,190 €67,280 €66,500 €64,823 €64,578 €63,614 €61,334 €59,518 €54,424 €53,036 €52,773 €52,210 €51,872 €51,703 €49,230 €47,395 €46,615 €45,549 €44,263 €43,408 €42,162 €41,361 €40,984 €40,825 €38,850 €38,825 €36,120 €36,060 €35,575 €35,462 €35,430 €34,975 €34,161 €33,265 €32,774 €32,774 €32,774 €32,774 €32,643 €32,395 €32,075 €31,795

e x p l a n at i o n o f t H e e u r o p e a n t o u r r a C e t o D u B a i 2 0 1 0 The Race to Dubai on The 2010 European Tour International Schedule will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments, including six new events, culminating in the Dubai World Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The 2010 European Tour International Schedule launched with four events in South Africa and will travel through four continents before building to a thrilling climax in Dubai from November 25-28, 2010. The curtain came down on The 2009 Race to Dubai with England’s Lee Westwood finishing the year in style by winning the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World and securing The Harry Vardon Trophy by finishing European Number One. The second edition of the Dubai World Championship will again carry a prize fund of $7,500,000 while The Race to Dubai Bonus Pool remains at $7,500,000 to be divided between the leading 15 players at the conclusion of the season. The Race To Dubai bonus Pool bReakDown 1 US$ 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: Bob Hope Classic

Date: 21 – 24 Jan 2010

Venue: SilverRock Resort, La Quinta CC, PGA West, La Quinta, California

Haas Holds on for maiden title BILL Haas joined his father, Jay, as winner of the five-round Bob Hope Classic in California with a one stroke win over Matt Kuchar, Tim Clark and Bubba Watson at PGA West. Haas shot a final round 8-under-par 64 to get to 30-under-par for the tournament and pip overnight leaders Clark and Watson by the narrowest of margins, with Kuchar joining them in second place with a 9-under 63. “This feels unbelievable,” said Haas. “I was so nervous coming down the stretch. I still don’t know how I hit the my approach shot on 18 – my hands were shaking.” Haas birdied the final hole to post a clubhouse lead at 30-under after a superb 3-iron approach from 220 yards left him a twoputt birdie from inside 30 feet. After birdies

winner: Bill Haas

Winner’s Cheque

$918,000

on the 17th, both Kuchar and Clarke had makeable putts for birdie on the par-5 final hole to get to 30-under and take Haas into a play-off but they both missed. Haas was then left to celebrate a famous victory with his family, including his father, Jay, who won the Bob Hope Classic 22 years earlier. This was Bill Haas’s first win on the PGA Tour and it earned him a cheque for $918,000. Haas opened up with a 68 and then posted three consecutive 66s to head into the final 18 holes just one shot behind the leaders. He was 5-under through the opening nine and continued to play consistently, with no dropped shots and picking up another birdie on the 14th before back-to-back closing birdies sealed the victory.

Tournament: Farmers Insurance Open

Date: 28 – 31 Jan 2010

Venue: Torrey Pines Golf Course, La Jolla, California

Crane swoops for viCtory at torrey pines BEN Crane politely tapped in a simple par putt on the final hole to win the Farmers Insurance Open by one stroke from Marc Leishman, Brandt Snedeker and Michael Sim. Crane carded a 2-under 70 for a 13-under total which was good enough to clinch his first title in nearly five years and take home the cheque for $954,000. “I didn’t know that I had won when it was over,” said Crane, whose par was good enough to avoid a play-off. “I had no idea who was playing well. I wasn’t aware of what was really going on in front of me. Certainly the cameras followed us most of the day. But I didn’t know whether someone was ahead of me had made a good score. I’m thankful that I didn’t know what was happening.” Crane began the final round two shots behind but quickly made up the ground with early birdies on holes 2, 3 and 5. Another birdie at the 11th

maintained Crane’s charge but two bogeys on holes 13 and 17 dropped him back into the mix on 13-under. However, without knowing exactly where he was on the leaderboard he calmly played the last hole in regulation to win his third PGA Tour title. “It’s certainly really cool to know that I’m going in the right direction,” said Crane, whose last victory came at the 2005 US Bank Championship in Milwaukee. “In the past when I’ve played well, I think I’ve rested on it, and I think I have a better plan in place to kick on from this win this year.” Leishman, Snedeker and Sim all made par on the par-5 18th hole, failing to catch Crane and had to settle for second place. Ernie Els carded a 69 to share fifth place with American duo Michael Allen and Alex Prugh on 11-under after they both shot up the leaderboard 31 and 20 places respectively with rounds of 65 and 66.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG

Driver:

Titleist 909D2 10.5º with Mitsubishi Diamana Blueboard 73x shaft 3-wood: TaylorMade V-Steel 15º with Mitsubishi Diamana Blueboard 83x shaft 5-wood: TaylorMade V-Steel 18º with Mitsubishi Diamana Blueboard 83x shaft Hybrid: Titleist 909H 21º with UST Mamiya AXIVCore Tour Red 89 Series shaft) Irons (5-PW): Titleist AP2 with True Temper Dynamic Gold shafts Wedge: Titleist Vokey Design 51º Wedges: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled 55º and 59º Putter: Odyssey White Hot #5 Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

winner: Ben Crane

Ben Crane was a model of consistency as he won his third PGA Tour title, topping the Greens in Regulation stats with an 87.5% completion rate. Crane made up for his lack of distance off the tee (272.5 average) with a superb display of iron play

Winner’s Cheque

$954,000

Winning Score: 13-under-par - 275 (65, 71, 69, 70) runner-up: Marc LeiShMan, Brandt Snedeker, MichaeL SiM – 276

WorldrouNd-ups Tournament: Northern Trust Open

Date: 04 – 07 Feb 2010

Venue: Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California

striCker Hits Career HigH witH riviera win STEVE Stricker moved into second place on the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time in his career after a convincing victory at the Northern Trust Open in California. Beginning the final round with a huge six-stroke lead, Stricker carded a steady 1-under 70 for a 16-under total to win by two strokes from Luke Donald who shot a 5-under 66. “I just knew it was going to be hard,” said Stricker, who closed with six consecutive pars to seal the win. “You’re playing a different game than what you normally play. You played scared – at least I did there for a while.” Stricker opened up with a par on the par-5 opening hole – which had yielded two birdies and an eagle in the first three rounds – and then dropped a shot on the par-3 fourth to give the chasing pack a glimmer of hope. Donald, Dustin Johnson and J.B. Holmes were all in within touching distance heading towards the turn but back-toback birdies by Stricker on holes 8 and 9 and then another birdie

on the 11th put paid to their chances. The trio closed the gap further down the stretch but it wasn’t enough. Even a bogey at the 12th didn’t cost Stricker too much ground and he held on for his eighth PGA Tour victory. Donald, who was fifth at The Open Championship last year, was pleased with his performance but admitted Stricker was a worthy champion. “I felt like I played nicely,” said the Englishman. “I hit a lot of quality shots, felt very much in control and I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, gave myself a lot of good looks at birdies. “If I’d got really hot with the putter, I could have maybe caught Steve. He played nicely coming down the stretch, and I think he was a deserved winner. But at least I gave him a little run for his money.” Johnson and Holmes shared third place on 13-under-par while new American Ryder Cup assistant Paul Goydos took a share of fifth place alongside Steve Marino, Andres Romero and George McNeill.

winner: steve striCker

STEVE Stricker has won eight times on the PGA Tour, four of which have come within the last 12 months. He won three times in 2009 and made a winning start to this year at the Northern Trust Open.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: Fairway: Hybrids: Irons (4-pw): Wedges: Ball:

Titleist 909D3 - 8.5º Titleist 906F2 3-wood - 13º Titleist 909H - 19º & 21º Titleist 755 Titleist Vokey - 54º & 60º Titleist Pro V1

Winner’s Cheque

$1,152,000

Winning Score: 16-under-par - 268 (67, 65, 66, 70) runner-up: Luke donaLd - 270 Tournament: Avantha Masters

Date: 11 – 14 Feb 2010

Birdie seals maiden viCtory for dodt

winner: andrew dodt

AUSTRALIAN Andrew Dodt claimed the Avantha Masters in New Delhi by one stroke from Englishman Richard Finch after a birdie on the final hole saw him post a 68 for a 14-under total. Seven players shared the lead as the final round commenced but it was Dodt – starting one stroke off the lead – who prevailed to win his first European Tour title. “It was a huge relief when I birdied the 18th,” said Dodt, who got up and down from a greenside bunker to tap in for birdie. “The week has been awesome. This has been my third competitive week in a row and I was just hoping for a good week. I stayed patient today and did what I had to do and I played really well.” Englishman Barry Lane was one of

Venue: DLF Golf and Country Club, New Delhi, India Winner’s Cheque

€250,000

seven players who held the lead going into the final round and at the age of 49 was bidding to become the oldest European Tour winner but he finished two strokes back in a share of third place. Richard Bland, Tetsuji Hiratsuka and David Drysdale joined Lane on 12-under-par. Finch birdied the last hole to card a 6-under 66 for the best round of the day and was happy with his performance despite missing out on the victory. “I’m really pleased with the result – it was good to put a solid last round together because I started four shots off the lead and there were a lot of people between me and the guys at the top so it was always going to take something special,” he said.

Tournament: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

Date: 11 – 14 Feb 2010

Venue: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula GC, Spyglass Hill GC, Pebble Beach, California.

life’s a BeaCH for JoHnson DUSTIN Johnson successfully defended his title at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am after a one-stroke victory over J.B. Holmes and David Duval in California. The American got up-anddown for birdie from a greenside bunker at the famous 18th hole to post a final round 74 for a 16-under-par total and take home the cheque for $1,080,000. “All you can ask for is a chance to win on the last hole – it’s such a gorgeous hole,” said Johnson. “If you miss it a little left, it’s not so pretty.” After a good drive Johnson hit a crisp 3-iron into the front right bunker – the best place to miss with the ocean waiting for anything too far left – and then calmly blasted out to three feet to set up the winning putt. Last year, Johnson’s 54-hole lead handed him the victory when rain and high winds washed out the final round, but this time he had to work for his

1795 RED

50% Black

victory with former World No.1 Duval and Holmes closing in. Johnson went out in 1-overpar 37 after a bogey, an eagle and a double bogey and then fell into a share of the clubhouse lead with Duval on 15-under. Duval had made a nice two on the par-3 17th but couldn’t birdie the 18th to heap the pressure on Holmes and Johnson who were still on the course. Holmes had a makeable birdie putt on the 18th to get to 16-under but it stayed high of the hole. Johnson teed off on the 18th knowing a birdie would give him victory and he duly obliged. “Throughout today I didn’t feel like I was making any mistakes, but nothing seemed to be going my way,” said Johnson after signing for a 2-over 74. “I hit two good shots on 18 – pushed my second shot a little bit, but it was in the front right bunker, which me and my caddie talked about, and it wasn’t a bad spot to be. Got up-and-down for the victory. You can’t beat that.”

winner: dustin JoHnson

Dustin Johnson became the first player since Tiger Woods to come out of university and win a tournament in each of his first three years on the PGA Tour after his successful defence of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Winner’s Cheque

$1,080,000

Winning Score: 16-under-par - 270 (64,68,64,74) runner-up: david duvaL, JB hoLMeS - 271

WorldrouNd-ups

Tournament: Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun

Date: 18 – 11 Feb 2010

Venue: El Camaleon Golf Club, Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Cameron BeCkman’s putter gets Hot in CanCun CAMERON Beckman sealed the third PGA Tour title of his career with a two-stroke win over Brian Stuard and Joe Durant at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun, Mexico, thanks to a final round 4-under-par 67. Beckman began the final round three strokes behind Durant but closed strongly to finish on 15-under-par and pick up the cheque for $648,000. “I started off well. I parred the first and birdied the next two and kind of got going a little bit,” Beckman said. “I was really uncomfortable off the tee today, but I chipped and putted really well. That’s pretty much what got the tournament won for me.” Beckman bogeyed the sixth hole – his only blemish all day – but bounced back to birdie hole 8 to make the turn on 2-under par. He then birdied holes 13 and 17 to set the clubhouse target which was good enough

for the win. “I was really nervous on the 18th,” he admitted “I hadn’t driven the ball all that good the whole all day and you can get in trouble on that tee. “I still felt like the two guys behind playing me could birdie the last two holes. Looking back now, I could have made bogey and still won, but fortunately I hit a good tee shot and pitching wedge into the green, and twoputted for par. “This is probably the best I’ve putted in a long time. Probably since the last time I won back in 2008.” Five players shared fourth place with American Skip Kendall, the biggest mover in the final round after shooting a 7-under 64 to leap up 21 places. The colourful John Daly made the cut for the first time this year on the PGA Tour but dropped 50 places into a tie for 67th after a final round 81.

winner: Cameron BeCkman

Cameron Beckman topped the Putts Per Round stats at the Mayakoba Golf Classic at Riviera Maya-Cancun, Mexico, with an average of 26.5 over the four days. He had 27 over the first three days and used the flat stick just 25 times on the Sunday.

Winner’s Cheque

$648,000

Winning Score: 15-under-par - 269 (65,68,69,67) runner-up: Brian Stuard, Joe durant - 271

Y O U R

O A S I S

O F

G O L F

I N

S A U D I

A R A B I A

Dirab Golf & Country Club is the only grassed 18-hole Par-72 championship and 9-hole Par 27 Academy golf course in Riyadh, Kingdom Saudi Arabia. Located 45 kms south west of Riyadh City and nestled in the picturesque Tawfiq valley, the club features lush tree-lined fairways and perfectly manicured greens. Open all year round, the course offers a driving range and practice facilities- 9 holes are floodlit, enabling play after sundown. Having hosted the 1st Saudi Arabian National Amateur Championship in 2001, 10th Annual GCC Golf Championship in 2002, BMW World Qualifier Tournament in 2004, Dirab Pro-Am Golf Tournament in 2005, 28th Pan Arab Golf Tournament in 2008 and Saudi Oger Amateur Golf Championship in 2009, Dirab Golf & Country Club is equally suited for seasoned golfers and for those wishing to learn the sport.

7,280 yards (Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tee) / 5,590 yards (Ladies Tee) Driving Range with Practice and Teaching Facilities (Practice Putting Green, Chipping and Pitching Range) Club House and Restaurant Flood Lit 9 Holes Fully equipped Golf ProShop Swimming - Tennis - Horse Back Riding - Polo American Football - Rugby 5000 acre farm suitable for camping-Quad Bike hire

Dirab Golf & Country Club P.O. Box 71, Riyadh 11411 Saudi Arabia Reservations: Tel + 966 1 498 0017 / 498 0018 Email: info@dirabgolf.com

Ibrahim Abunayyan Sons Group www.dirabgolf.com

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

Padraig Harrington Padraig Harrington Has become one of tHe gameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best Players tHrougH sHeer Hard work. witH two majors now on His cV, Harrington is a tHreat to win eVery tournament He enters. in tHe Past, Padraig was known for His killer sHort game wHicH is easily one of tHe best in golf. but in tHe Past few years, Padraig Has made some big cHanges in His full swing in order to gain more distance off tHe tee. working closely witH botH bob torrance and dr. greg rose from tHe titleist Performance institute, Padraig continues to try and take His game to tHe next leVel.

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SWING

PADRAIG

Claude harmon III, dIreCtor of InstruCtIon, butCh harmon sChool, dubaI sports CIty

Padraig works very hard on staying connected during his swing. To achieve this, he hits balls for hours with two gloves placed under each armpit. This helps keep his arms connected to his body during his takeaway. The move off the ball here is all about using the big muscles, with the chest moving the arms. Think of keeping the triangle formed by your arms at address intact as the chest moves the club off the ball.

The idea of connection is back again here, post impact. Both the left and right arms are still very connected to the body as the chest turns through impact. If you slice the ball, try to keep your arms and upper body working together as one unit through the impact zone. If the arms and body get disconnected during the swing it can rob your swing of power and consistency.

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HARRINGTON Padraig has always made a big turn to the top of his backswing. His pre-shot routine always includes a number of long, exaggerated backswing with a full shoulder turn. Although Padraig makes a big turn, he does not overswing the club, which allows his arms to support the club at the top. Check out the left foot, which is coming off the ground slightly. This is a very “Old School” move employed by legend Jack Nicklaus to gain more distance.

Padraig puts in serious hours in the gym, working on getting stronger and more flexible. His gym work has helped him swing the golf club faster and more efficiently. His practice routine includes hitting balls with both his left and right arm only, in an effort to create a “cracking of the whip” feeling. His impact position is one of full release, where the club has been swung through to his followthrough by his big muscles controlling his arms.

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BUILDING CONSISTENCY AROUND THE GREENS With DJ Flanders, General Manager Saadiyat Beach Golf Club

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Brought to you by

the DRILL Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, which opens this month, will introduce several of Gary Playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distinct design characteristics to the region. One such characteristic is the noticeable shape and elevations around the greens. These areas are enhanced by the tightly mowed collection areas, which will leave the golfer with several play options. When playing this shot it is recommended to leave your wedges in the bag and utilize a lower lofted club, such as a hybrid, 5 wood or 3 wood. This approach will give you the most consistent results with the least amount of effort.

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TUTORIAL

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PRO LOOK Brought to you by

The wedge In this situation, most golfers would utilise a sand wedge or higher lofted club to get the golf ball up and onto the putting surface. Using a higher lofted club will require a much larger swing to get the ball to the hole. This is a higher risk shot, however, as the farther the club head travels from the ball, the more room there is for error.

The hybrid Using a lower lofted club, in this situation, will require much less effort and will expose you to less variables for failure. I recommend utilising a hybrid club which has anywhere from 18 to 24 degrees of loft. The loft and the mass of the club will promote a solid shot with topspin enabling you to “putt” from off the green. Use the same grip and stance as if you were going to putt, gripping down the shaft so you are in an upright putting position. Use the same pendulum-like putting stroke as if you were on the green, keeping your wrists soft throughout the shot. As you know, golf is a game of misses and it is important to point out that a miss-hit with the lower lofted club will produce a much more desirable result than a miss-hit with the full swing wedge. This is also a great shot to use when under pressure. A perfect example of this is when Todd Hamilton, adopted this technique on the 72nd hole of the 2004 British Open to defeat Ernie Els.

loft comparison A higher lofted club requires more effort as the trajectory of the ball is much higher. With a lower lofted club, the ball’s energy is going directly to the hole, requiring less effort and a smaller swing to get the ball to go the same distance.

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Weekday Single & Family Memberships available for 2010

Enjoy playing at The Montgomerie, Dubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Championship Golf Course Sundays to Thursdays in addition to access to our relaxing outside pool, gym, floodlit driving range and Par 3 course. For a nominal upgrade fee you can also enjoy a weekday membership at Arabian Ranches Golf Club. Limited full single / family and corporate memberships are also available. Sign up today CREATING EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES

Please call: +971 4 390 5600

P.O. Box 36700, Dubai, UAE Email citizenship@themontgomerie.ae www.themontgomerie.com www.troongolf.com

Women's Golf Dubai

wGD membersHip carD is now available Women’s Golf Dubai is thrilled to announce the launch of the new Women’s Golf Dubai membership Card on march 1st, to reward women golfers with exclusive privileges. The WGD membership Card offers discounts on and off the course, which entitles members to benefits and discounts at participating Golf Courses and associated Partners. Women’s Golf Dubai membership is a unique, affordable membership programme open to all individual female golfers and has been designed in conjunction with participating partners to promote and increase participation in golf. This initiative will allow female golfers to become part of a community, building a sense of belonging and togetherness and enhance the overall enjoyment of playing golf. Invitation to organised golf with WGD Membership We invite avid female golfers to become part of organised golf and to experience all the benefits and privileges the Women’s Golf Dubai membership has to offer. as a Women’s Golf Dubai member, you are eligible for all WGD member benefits except a handicap index, which is provided by the emirates Golf federation. With the release of this dynamic membership card, WGD members can now avail themselves of the many benefits, such as discounted green fee rates, discounts on golf clinics and lessons, discounts at participating restaurants and retails shops, spas and much more. Please note that benefits and services will vary by facility. members will receive an elegant Golf shirt with their membership registration and will be entitled to one free tournament entry to any WGD Par-3 event on the Women’s Golf Dubai annual events calendar. female Golfers can become a Women’s Golf Dubai member through the WGD website www.womensgolfdubai.com from march 1st onwards, by selecting the ‘become a member’ option and following the steps. The details of member benefits, participating partners and payment structure will be available to members on the website from march 1st. Payment can be made directly through the secure site by submitting your payment details.

UPCOMING WGD EVENTS WGD Tournament on 14 March 2010 Date: sunday, 14 march, 2010, 10.0am shotgun start venue: Dubai Creek Golf & yacht Club finish: Play is expected to finish around 12:noon format: 9 Holes Par 3, Two lady Team event lunch and presentation: around 12:30 after the conclusion of the tournament Golf clinic on 14 march 2010 Date: sunday, 14 march, 11:00 – 12:noon venue: Dubai Creek Golf & yacht Club lunch and presentation: around 12:30 WGD Tournament on 23 March 2010 Date: Tuesday, 23 march 2010, 08.0am-09:30 venue: The els Club, Dubai finish: Play is expected to finish around 14:00 format: 18 Holes, four lady Team event lunch and presentation: around 14:00 after the conclusion of the tournament ReGisTRaTion foR THese eVenTs Will oPen soon, Please VisiT THe WGD WebsiTe DiaRy foR moRe DeTails anD To submiT youR online TouRnamenT/Golf CliniC enTRy. WWW.WOMENSGOLFDUBAI.COM

sandy Meyer’s

Professional TiP How to play from a slope PlayinG from slopes makes things a lot more difficult on the course, especially as many of us are accustomed to hitting balls on a flat driving range bay with no bumps and humps to make life more interesting. i would advise our ladies to practice a few shots from different lie angles. There are usually some areas near the range you can do this, or ask you professional and they will assist you on where to hit from. With sloping lies we are faced with four different kinds: ‘uphill’, ‘downhill’, ‘ball above the feet’ and ‘ball below the feet’. Here are some basic tips to remember when playing these shots. l Don’t always take a full swing as this can throw you off balance. l Try and position your shoulders perpendicular to the slope on ‘Downhill’ and ‘uphill’ lies. l balance is vital with these shots, so try and maintain as much balance in the swing as possible and that may mean swinging slightly slower and keeping the weight distribution at the set up more toward your lower foot on the slope.

l Hitting an uphill lie is the easiest of all the shots, but remember to take at least one to two clubs more – depending on the severity of the slope – as this shot will produce a very high ball flight and incurs a loss of distance. l Downhill lies are probably the most difficult. Try and stay down through the shot as much as you can. The ball flight will be low, so take at least one to two clubs less – again depending on the severity of the slope. l When hitting a ball that is above your feet it is key to remember that this shot will tend to draw or pull, so aim more to the right of the target. Grip the club shorter down the handle as the ball is closer to you than off a normal lie. l a shot played with the ball below your feet will tend to fade, so aim slightly to the left. Hold the club full length and remember to flex the knees more at the setup. Try and maintain this knee flex throughout the entire swing. if you straighten the legs you will end up topping the ball.

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B est Ever Offer

Incredible Rate available for March and April 2010 Celebrate with us, as we commemorate 6 years of providing the friendliest service coupled with an unforgettable experience. Stay and relax in one of the eleven luxurious guest rooms at Arabian Ranches Golf Club and receive an amazing room rate starting from

AED 495*

Inclusive of full English breakfast, Municipality fee and Service charge

SAVE UP TO AED 565 Arabian Ranches Golf Club offers you an amazing array of amenities and activities that include: 18-hole Championship Golf Course | Restaurant & Bar | 9-hole Par 3 Course | Golf Academy Flood-lit Driving Range and Practice Facilities | Pro-shop |Angsana Spa (Arabian Ranches)

DURIN

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RANCH RESTAU ES RANT Terms & Con Apply.ditions

Subject to availability and cannot be used in conjunction with other special offers or promotions. * Terms & Conditions apply.

Arabian Ranches Golf Club was built as a true 18 hole, par 72, desert style grass course, a signature course designed by Ian Baker-Finch in association with Nicklaus Design. The Spanish Colonial style Clubhouse boasts the Ranches Restaurant and Bar, with a terrace overlooking panoramic scenic views over the 9th and 18th holes. A great place to meet and try the international menu. Within the Clubhouse there are 11 luxurious en-suite Guest Rooms.

For enquiries, please call +971 4 423 8877 or email rooms@arabianranchesgolf.ae www.arabianranchesgolfdubai.com

WWG LOCAL FOCUS

ArAbiAN Clubs in March 2010 Worldwide Golf Abu Dhabi City Golf Club Abu Dhabi Golf Club Al Badia Golf club Al Ghazal Golf Club Al Hamra Golf Club Arabian Ranches Golf Club Banyan Golf Club, Hua Hin,Thailand Dirab Golf Club Doha Golf Club Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Egyptian Golf Federation Emirates Golf Club

Emirates Golf Federation Jumeirah Golf Estates Katameya Heights Golf & Tennis Resort Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort, Egypt Muscat Hills Golf Club – The Oman Open Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club The Address Montgomerie, Dubai The Palms Golf Club Intercontinental, Riyadh Tower Links Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah UAE Golf Society League Palm Sports Resort, Al Ain The Royal Golf Club, Bahrain

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E m i r At E S G O L F F E D E r At i O N

Hassan and Ahmed Al Musharrekh in dominating form THE Al Musharrekh brothers, Hassan and Ahmed, produced some solid golf to dominate the UAE Nationals Monthly Medal tournament at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club. Young Hassan upstaged many big names in the field to win the overall gross title with a tidy 5-over-par 76 while his elder brother Ahmed reigned supreme in Division One, taking the honours with a net 81. Both Hassan and Ahmed couldn’t have asked for a better preparation in the run-up to the GCC Championship in Qatar where they will be representing the UAE. Fast-improving Hassan could have done even better in the Gross Division, but a triple bogey on the closing hole marred his otherwise very consistent round. Still, it was good enough to beat his nearest challenger Saeed Malik by three strokes with Salem bin Dasmal finishing third on a gross 87. Ahmed, who featured in the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, held sway in Division One while Hassan Alqemzi held centre-stage in Division B, winning the title with a net 76. Shawqi Sajwani walked away with the Division C title with a net 79. Once again the monthly medal, organised by the Emirates Golf Federation, drew a good response with almost all the leading UAE national players turning up to compete. “I thank all the players for making the event a great success,” said Saeed Albudoor, General Manager of the EGF. “I am particularly pleased with the rapid improvement shown by Hassan recently. He played a great round, well below his handicap, despite getting into trouble on the last hole. I am sure this performance will put him in good stead when he travels to Qatar with the UAE team. My best wishes to him and the UAE team and I hope they will return home with a lot to cheer about.”

Hassan Al Musharrekh with Saeed Albudoor General Manager of the EGF

Aryan Chordia steps up the challenge to keep his title in the fourth Al Naboodah Junior Par 3 series WINNER of last year’s Al Naboodah UAE PGA Junior Par-3 series, Aryan Chordia, stepped up to successfully defend his title by winning the fourth event in this year’s series by three clear strokes at Arabian Ranches Golf Club last month. Chordia carded an outstanding 25 to claim the series signature ‘red cap’ ahead of a strong field of 68 junior male and female golfers. Close scores finished the day’s play in both the Boys’ Under-12 and Under-16 challenges. The Under-16 competition almost provided a photo finish of the third event with Jack Novack once again claiming the podium finish carding a 29. The battle for runner-up and third place was played out through a countback between Rishal Lakdawala and Jorge Menkhorst, both

returning a 31. Lakdawala bettered his round 3 finish by taking the runner-up position away from Menkhorst who had to settle for third place. Rishi Nair fought hard to rise two spots from his most recent finish, and after scoring a strong 28 finally won the title of Under-12 winner on a countback from Rayhan Thomas. Only one shot behind Thomas, with 29, was third-placed Fardeen Meeran. Play in the Girls Division was just as intense as the boys, with Anastasia Bakal clinging on to first place in the 12-and-under category, finishing with a creditable score of 31, which forced 10-year-old Amelia McKee into second place just one shot behind. Ashaka Desai scored 36 to finish in third place.

ArAbiAn Golf the new eGF handicap system Worldwide Golf talks to Chris Vallender (left) about the introduction of the new Emirates Golf Federation Handicap System

Q: How will a golfer be able to get access to their handicap information on the new system? A: You can view your games and profile via the Internet on www.golferscard.ae. Simply by using your EGF number as your username and the password provided in your correspondence from your club you can find out all you need to know about your current handicap status.

Q: What else can you do on that website? A: You are also able to view other players’ handicaps and game history, print your own handicap, update your profile, send and receive messages to and from your club and monitor your ‘projected’ and ‘live’ handicap. If you’re unsure about anything on the website you can talk to your club’s Golf Director. Q: Please talk us through some of the definitions involved in the handicap system what is the gross score? A: The number of actual strokes – plus penalty strokes – taken by a player during a round of golf. Q: What is the Adjusted Gross Score? A: This is your Gross Score after all allowances and deductions have been made. Q: Please describe the ‘Nett Differential’. A: This is the nett difference between your nett score and the course rating. Q: What does Equitable Stroke Control mean? A: This means recording, or adjusting to, a maximum score on a hole according to strokes allowed as per your handicap. If a player fails to complete a hole, (eg. in Stableford format), then he must record one shot more than the last shot that he would be able to score a point on. (This is explained further with examples in the panel on the right hand page)

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Q: What is the Slope Rating of a golf course? A: The standard slope rate of a golf course is 113. The figure is the difficulty of the golf course rating to a Bogey Golfer. The higher the number over 113 the more difficult the golf course. Q: What does the term ‘Bogey Golfer’ mean? A: A golfer who has a handicap of 20 on a course of standard difficulty (113 slope).

the handicap of a particular golf course, which is calculated off the Slope Rating of that golf course. Q: How do you qualify for a new handicap? A: For a new handicap you must enter five games onto the system. If you already have a handicap it will be transferred to the new system and will be adjusted after five games have been entered into the system.

Q: How often is your handicap updated? “The Handicap Index is the handicap figure that A: The average of all your a golfer holds – calculated from scores submitted scores will be taken to adjust from previous rounds. The Course Handicap is your handicap up to 10 games. the handicap of a particular golf course, which is After that, only the 10 lowest calculated off the Slope Rating of that golf course.” differentials will be used until it becomes the lowest 10 of 20 games – which it will then use from there onwards. Your handicap will be Q: What happens if a player does not complete adjusted on your differential and all calculations a full round because of injury or another will be done by the system. reason? A: If a player plays between 7 and 12 holes then Q: When does your handicap get updated? they must record a nine hole score. If they play 13 A: Your handicap will be adjusted immediately holes or more then they must record an 18 hole after a tournament and at the end of every score. They must record the holes not played by month, based on general play scores. You marking a par plus any strokes allowed on those must always enter a score on your scorecards. holes. In Stableford games you must fill in what you Q: What are Handicap Indexes and Course would most likely have scored on that hole or Handicaps? one more stroke than the last stroke that would A: The Handicap Index is the handicap figure that have given you a point if you blow out of the hole a golfer holds – calculated from scores submitted completely. from previous rounds. The Course Handicap is

You can reverse a penalty score by providing your club with a scorecard of the particular game you missed and the handicap secretary can correct it for you. If you enter a score equal to the maximum strokes allowed for a round (course rating plus twice your handicap) five times, your handicap may be suspended pending an enquiry from your club.

Q: What can golfers expect from this new handicap system â&#x20AC;&#x201C; what will happen to their handicaps? A: Initially there will be substantial changes to your handicap but as you enter more scores, your handicap figure will settle down and reflect your standard of play.

rememBer Golf is based on honesty and integrity and golfers must always try to score as best as they can. Handicaps are there to allow players of differing ability to compete against each other on level terms, they are not there to enable players to have an inaccurate handicap figure to win prizes at competitions or qualify for competitions that they are not good enough to play in.

Q: What happens if you do not enter a scorecard into the system? A: If you fail to enter your score within 72 hours then you will be given a penalty score of par 72. If this happens three times your handicap may be suspended pending an enquiry from your club.

calculating Handicap diFFerential Adjusted gross score minus Course rating: Difference multiplied by standard slope rating: Result divided by Slope Rating = handicap differential:

Q: Is there any way of avoiding this penalty? A: You can reverse a penalty score by providing your club with a scorecard of the particular game you missed and the handicap secretary can correct it for you. If you enter a score equal to the maximum strokes allowed for a round (course rating plus twice your handicap) five times, your handicap may be suspended pending an enquiry from your club.

95 - 71.5 = 23.5 23.5 x 113 = 2655.5 21.2

Handicap index Formula Total of 10 lowest Handicap Differentials: Average: Average multiplied by .96: Delete all digits after tenths: Handicap Index:

154.8 15.48 14.86 14.8 14.8

equitaBle Stroke control deFined Examples of how to work out your Equitable Stroke Control if you fail to complete a hole. Example 1:

Example 2:

Example 3:

Handicap 10 Stroke index 12 Par 4 No strokes allowed. Player records a 6.

Handicap 10 Stroke index 5 Par 4 One stroke allowed. Player records a 7.

Handicap 36 Stroke index 18 Par 4 Two strokes allowed. Player records an 8.

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egyptian gOLF FeDeRatiOn NEWS

Egypt runnErs-up in Morocco EGYPT took second place in the inaugural North Africa Ladies Team Championship after a fine performance at Palmeraie Golf Club in Marrakech. The event is supported by the R&A to develop ladies golf in the region and acts as preparation for the full African Ladies team Championship to be held later in the year. The Egyptian team of Sophie Bernard, Maha El Sennousi, Amina El Halawany and Team Captain Nadia Ziwar faired scored a gross 517 total over the four days. Host country Morocco took the spoils with a 507 total while Tunisia finished third on 534.

Rateb and Whitfield are inaugural golf ball winners IBRAHIM Rateb and Brad Whitfield were the first winners of the monthly EGF Membership draw and won one dozen golf balls, courtesy of Srixon and Titleist. The first names to be drawn, and winning a dozen Titleist balls, were Katameya Heights member Whitfield and Gezira Sporting Club member Rateb, who won a dozen Srixon balls. The monthly draw takes place at the end of each month and golfers are encouraged to sign up for EGF membership to have the opportunity to win a prize. For further information on EGF benefits see www.egyptiangolffederation.org

Superb Frederik Christensen wins the Mirage Men’s Open by one shot WITH two solid rounds of 73 and 70 for a 1-under-par two-round total of 143, Fredrick Christensen won the Mirage Men’s Open by one shot from Chris Geraghty. Katameya’s Gary Pyott claimed the gross prize for amateurs with a total score of 150 for the weekend while Troy Kunz took the net prize with a total of 145.

Amr Abou Ela widens the gap with narrow Men’s Open win EGYPT’S top player, Amr Abou Ela, stretched his lead at the top of the EGF Order of Merit by winning the Stella Men’s Open with consistent rounds of 76 and 72 for a one stroke victory over Katameya Dan ‘s Helgeson and two strokes from Taymour Abou El Khier. Played on the immaculate but challenging Championship course at Stell, Egyptian Amateur Champion El Ela finished with a 4-over-par for a 148 total.

Junior Sherif Rizk and Gerard Bent win 2010 Cairo Open Greensomes FOLLOWING five tense exciting rounds of match play, it was Gezira junior and National Junior Squad member Sherif Rizk and EGF Golf Manager Gerard Bent who won the 2010 Cairo Open Greensomes over the Gezira Sporting Club Course. The winning team beat Ashraf Hamdy and Ismail Hisham on the final hole in one of the oldest events in Egyptian golf. An impressive 36 pairs competed in the tournament which is open to amateurs, professionals and caddies.

Grass roots ‘Try Golf for Free’ initiative gets off to a flying start ALEXANDRIA Sporting Club and Dreamland Golf Resort played host to the first EGF ‘Try Golf for Free’ promotion with a total of 90 people taking part. An impressive 59 of these promotions have now begun with a six-week beginners programme created by the EGF Golf Development Officer Richard Phillips. EGF Chairman, Ayman Hussein, said: “There has been a great response to this exciting initiative. I am confident that this trend will continue and that there will be a significant increase in the number of golfers in the country.”

Katameya Heights ladies triumph over home team Gezira WITH a fantastic team total of 174 Stableford points, the team from Katameya Heights won event two of the EGF Ladies Golf League at Gezira Sporting Club. The team earned themselves ten league points for their win with Gezira taking eight points after a second place score of 166. The third event will take place at Mirage City.

Maha Mandour swoops late to take Gezira Ladies Open title MAHA MANDOuR won the fourth event on the EGF Ladies Order of Merit series by claiming the 36-hole Gezira Ladies Open by one stroke from Katameya Heights’ Sophia Issa. With the benefit of playing on home ground Mandour was two strokes behind Maha El Sennousi and Iman Afra after a first round score of 83 but she came from behind with a late charge to win the title with a second round 80. Second place went to Issa with a two-round score of 164 with El Senoussi claiming third place, three strokes back. The net prize was won by Dina Fahmy with 143 points.

Katameya’s Issa and Maha Sennousi shine in Stella Di Mare Ladies Open SOPHIA Issa won event three of the EGF Order of Merit series by winning the Stella Di Mare Ladies Open with consistent rounds of 80 and 79. Catherine Clark finished second with a 175 as she relegated Nagwa Kamy into third place on a countback. Issa’s fellow Katameya Heights member Maha Sennousi took home the best net score with two impressive 69s for a 138 total.

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Golf Society League Standings After Round 2 SAIf Zone LeAgue

PLAYed

Won

LoST

TIed

PoInTS

Etihad Pilot Golf Society

Filipino Golf Society

Mott MacDonald Golf Society

Gulf Rock

Singapore Community Club

UAE-Nepalese Society (Est. 1987)

Won

LoST

BMW LeAgue

PLAYed

TIed

PoInTS

Indian Golf Society

KEGS

Jebel Ali Golf Society

DAGS

Filipino Golfers in the Middle East

The Dubai Welsh Society

Won

LoST

WoRLdWIde goLf LeAgue

PLAYed

TIed

PoInTS

BIGS

Wadi Gators

DUBAL

Dubai Petroleum Golf Society

Black Stallions

Sharjah Golfing Buddies (SGB)

Won

LoST

SgSC LeAgue

PLAYed

TIed

PoInTS

DAPS

Lebanese Golf Society

MBB Golf Society

Halcrow Golf Society

Darjeeling Golf Society

COGS

Schedule of Matches SAIF ZONE

BMW

SHARJAH

WWG

MARCH 6TH

1v4 3v5 2v6

MARCH 20TH

1v4 3v5 2v6

APRIL 3rd

1v5 2v4 3v6

APRIL 10TH

1v5 2v4 3v6

MAY 8TH

1v6 2v3 4v5

MAY 15TH

1v6 2v3 4v5

GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE

the fouR LeAGueS tAke ShApe AfteR Second Round SkiRMiSheS THE four leagues of the Golf Society League are beginning to take shape after the second round of fixtures last month. The Etihad Pilots lead the way in the Saif Zone League on 10 points while the Indian Golf Society have a 100 per cent record in the BMW League and lead with 12 points. The BIGS society lead the Worldwide Golf league on nine points while there is a three-way tie for the top of the Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club league with DAPS, Lebanese GS and the MBB Society all sharing nine points. The SGSC Golf League witnessed the Dubai Amateur Peacocks Society pairing of Steve Barker (9) and Paul McCarthy (12) lose their first match of the series 3&2 to the Darjeeling duo of Chris Bridle (22) and Doug Griebenouw (10). Epic encounter However, in the other match between the two sides, team captain Michael Estafanous (17) and Richal Paul (17) edged out their opponents from Darjeeling 1-up in an epic encounter that was tight from start to finish. The Lebanese Golf Society also lost their first match of the season as captain George Kharillah (5) and Ghaleb Farha (10) were thumped 7&6 by the in-form duo of Peter Disher (11) and Guy Newby (24) of Halcrow. In the other match between the two sides the Lebanese pairing of juniors Anthony (2) and Paul Saad (15) returned the compliment by dispatching their opponents from Halcrow by a GSL record margin of 9&7. The Story of the day came from the Mouse Bumping Bears Society who won both their matches against The COGS to take all six points and move up into a tie for the lead with the DAPS and The Lebanese Golf Society on nine points. Halcrow are lying on six points and are not out of the race to qualify for the semi-finals but Darjeeling (3 points) and the COGS need an exceptional finish if they are to make any impression on the top spots. In the Worldwide Golf League the BIGS lost their first

game as James Burke (22) and Marc Anderson (20) went down to the Dubai Aluminium pairing of Alex Tivi (13) and Sabu Thomas (17) 2&1. However, the other match was a little more one-sided as Larry Burke (22) and Gerry Guinnan (8) strode past their opponents 5&4. The WadiGators sit in second place on seven points after claiming three points in the second round thanks to a 6&5 victory by Rosslee Wahid (18) and Andrew Say (14). Still very much in the hunt on six points are DUBAL and Dubai Petroleum, with The Black Stallions and SGB needing whitewashes against their higher ranked opponents in the final three fixtures if they are to make the semi-finals. In the BMW league three teams went home with a 100 per cent record from their matches. The JAGS won their two matches against the FIGME society as Peter Bauer (18) and Andy Sansome (20) had a strong win over Ronald Javier (24) and Eric Matabang (18) and Chris Kelly (13) and Richard Lyne (19) followed suit with a win on the 17th green over Daniel Alforte (18) and Rudy Laguna (15). Commanding win The KEGS also cruised to two victories with Peter Gaskin (14) and Dave Minchin (22) producing a commanding win over the DAGS duo of Tony Stafford (4) and Scott Kerins (8), while Pieter Van Wyk (22) and Kevin Storey (22) worked well together for a 5&4 win. Although Hugh Bishop (21) and Mark Corcoran (16) of the Welsh Society played well together they fell prey to the superior scoring of Suneel Agarwal (16) and Ashok Sindhu (13). Their other match was much tighter but eventually went in the Indian Societies favour 2&1. The Saif Zone League saw the Etihad Airways Society take full points from the Nepalese Society. A win each for Mott MacDonald and the Singapore Community split the points while Carlos Bengco (18) and Larry Mendoza (20) of the Filipino Golfers Society had a good half with Barry Nefdt (18) and Mel Stewart (16) of Gulf Rock.

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ArAbiAn Golf ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB

PhIl AlCOCk AND PIETER VAN Wyk PUT ThE GOlf DAy ‘TO BED’ PHIL Alcock (13) and Pieter Van Wyk (6) returned the lowest score of the day to win the And So To Bed Golf Day in late January with a net 59.3 The event attracted a full field of 92 players with men playing from the blue tees and ladies from the red. In the format each team of two had a handicap allowance of 30% of their combined handicaps. Alcock and Van Wyk got off to a solid start with three gross birdies and closed out their front nine with a gross 33. The pair went on to post 32 on the outward half which included

four more gross birdies and no bogeys for a total of 65. Their allowance for the event was 5.7 which gave them their winning total of 59.3. Graham (16) and Sheila Alban (18) took the Ladies and Mixed Division with a net 62.1. They managed to hang on to the victory by a thread as second-placed Eric and Jane BruceSmith posted 62.2 to finish just 0.1 behind. Francois Wolfaardt and Roddy McFarlane the Global Franchise Manager for And So To Bed conducted the prize presentation and thanked all the players for their support.

Above: Roddy McFarlane (c), General Franchise Manager for And So To Bed, with the winners.

SUPERB SCORING AT CAPTAIN’S DAy Three members of the winning team with Club Captain John Hainey (R).

THE team of Sandy Crawford (7), Daryl Atkins (10) and Janet (24) and Stephen Sanderson (14) returned a staggering score of net 105 to win John Hainey’s Captain’s Day in January. The event attracted a field of 112 and each player received full handicap allowance. All four players teed off, the best positioned ball was selected, and all players play their own ball from where the selected ball came to rest. The best individual net score was recorded on the Par 5s, the best two net scores between the four players at the Par 4s and best three net scores on the Par 3s. Each player had to contribute three tee shots towards the team card. The winning team started on hole 15 and opened their account in style with a net birdie from Janet. The key to their performance 68

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1st -

Janet Sanderson Stephen Sanderson Sandy Crawford Daryl Atkins

105 Net

2nd -

Phil Alcock Denise Alcock Fortuna Dougherty Grant Collins

106 Net

was their ability to score no worse than a net par on any given hole. They recorded and outward half of 52 and an inward half of 53 for a their total which gave them a one-stroke victory over the team of Phil Alcock, Denise Alcock, Fortuna Dougherty and Grant Collins. John Hainey and Vice Club Captain Andy Burrow presented the winners with their prizes and thanked everyone for supporting the day and the contribution they make to ARGC. Hainey said: “I’m extremely pleased with how members and their guests supported this event and stayed for the prize presentation, we have a great group of Members whose support and input is greatly appreciated.”

lADIES INTERClUB ChAllENG TAkES ON NEW mEmBERS

lOCATION: Emirates Road (311) in the heart of Arabian Ranches.

THE Ladies Interclub Challenge series began a few years ago with the aim to create opportunities for lady golfers to compete in a friendly atmosphere against various other clubs in the region. The format is simple – 12 golfers in each team from each participating club play from a full handicap allowance in a Stableford event with the ten best scores counting. At the end of the competition the club with the most points is crowned the overall champion. In 2009, four clubs participated; Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Al Hamra Golf Club, Arabian Ranches Golf Club and The Address Montgomerie Dubai. This year there are three additional clubs participating – Emirates Golf Club, Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club and Palm Sports Resort Al Ain – which takes the number of players in the field up to 84. All Lady Captains, club representatives and Golf

CONTACT: Tel : +971 4 366 3000 Tel : +971 4 366 3355

Managers of participating clubs recognise the potential benefits of maintaining such an innovative event and it was at Arabian Ranches that the first part of the series was held, with Emirates Golf Club coming away with a six-shot win over the host club. The event gives the players an opportunity to meet each other and play at various participating clubs at a competitive price, creating a sense of camaraderie among the Ladies Golfing Community. Fortuna Dougherty, who is an avid supporter of the promotion of ladies golf, said: “This is an indication that this competition’s popularity is increasing and establishing itself, thus securing the future of the Ladies Interclub Challenge. I am very proud and privileged to be part of this process and the result has been overwhelming.”

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 BakerFinch in association with Nicklaus Design. COURSE: Championship Course 7691-yard par 72.

mIllS GOES lOW fOR fEBRUARy TITlE

fENWICk AND hAINEy ARE CROWNED ChAmPIONS NIGEL Fenwick (20) and Anne Hainey (28) were crowned the Champions in their respective Stableford Divisions ahead of a field of 88 players in the first Ecco Individual Stableford event. Each player received a full handicap allowance to be used at the appropriate stroke index holes with Men playing from the Blue tees and Ladies from Red tees. Fenwick’s card was very impressive as a front nine of 22 points followed by a back nine of 20 gave him a win by two points from Eddie Ramage (5) who returned a score of 40 points. Fenwick made only two blemishes all day, taking just one point on holes 8 and 14. In the Ladies Division Hainey returned a score of 34 points despite scoring nothing on the tough ninth hole. Her score was matched in the clubhouse by Sheila Alban, however Hainey claimed the to victory by virtue of a stronger back nine, scoring 18 points to Alban’s 17.

JOHN Mills (1) returned a gross 1-under-par 71 to win the February Rivoli Monthly Medal. The Champion was very consistent from tee to green – a trademark of his game – and with his putter behaving on the greens he proved too tough to beat. Mills posted an outward nine of 37 and an inward half of 34 which included four consecutive birdies from hole 13 to 16 for his winning total. “It was a perfect day for good scoring with no breeze and cool temperatures and this was reflected in the scores of all today’s prize winners,” said Mills after his round. “We appreciate the support from Rivoli making this the premier event for the members to play in every month.” The Division ‘A’ Net title went to Martin Connolly (5) with a Net 68 as he edged out Gary Swan (4) by one shot. Simon Crane (18) won his first Medal in Division ‘B’ with a great net score of 69 while Fortuna Dougherty (18) won the net title in the Ladies Division with a 68 and Adrienne Fullerton (12) won the Ladies Gross title with an 83.

Below: Club Captain John Hainey (R) with a selection of the day’s winners.

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WE DON’T MAKE CLUBS. WE ENGINEER DISTANCE. THE COBRA ZL DRIVER. WE PUSHED THE LIMITS

OF ENGINEERING TO PUSH THE LIMITS OF DISTANCE AND ACCURACY. ZL stands for Zero Limits. That’s the mindset Cobra engineers had when they set out to design the longest driver in our history. They pushed the boundaries of forgiveness and distance with multi-material construction, a milled rhombus face insert and an Aldila VooDoo shaft. Then they challenged the conventions of customisation with Adjustable Flight Technology: three simple, straightforward settings [Open, Neutral and Closed] that help deliver accurate, consistent distance. Count Cobra PGA Staff Pros Geoff Ogilvy and JB Holmes among the believers. And congratulations to Ian Poulter, who used his ZL Driver to win the Singapore Open. They’ve each made the switch to the new ZL and now you can too. To learn more about the all-new ZL Driver, or to find your nearest Cobra stockist, visit COBRAGOLF.CO.UK

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Ian Poulter: Winner of the 2009 Barclays Singapore Open.

THE BIG FIVE-O GOLF TOURNAMENT IN AID OF CHILDREN IS BACK

HE BIG FIVE-O is back! After the postponement of the 2009 event due to the global recession Dubai’s longest-running charity event returns to Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on Saturday, May 15th. Inspired and organised by Rod and Lisa Bogg to celebrate Rod’s 50th birthday the BIG FIVE-O GOLF TOURNAMENT IN AID OF CHILDREN has raised more than Dhs7 million over the past 12 years for children’s charities locally and internationally. It was such an overwhelming success that it was held annually for five years until the fifth event in 2001. By popular demand it was resurrected in 2005 to be held every two years. The event has established itself as one of the most popular and prestigious occasions in the sporting and social calendar in Dubai and the Golf Day and Gala Dinner has rightly earned itself the reputation of a must-attend function. The BIG FIVE-O is following the same successful format of 50 teams of four playing the Dubai Creek

course in two shotgun starts (8am and 1pm) followed by a Gala Dinner at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Dubai. The two best scores from each team of four (threequarters handicap allowance) counts on each hole and the teams may comprise any combination of men and ladies. The 200 golfers will be playing for team and individual prizes. The black-tie Gala Dinner will be held in the Baniyas Ballroom and attended by 650 guests and will include entertainment plus a silent auction, live auction and celebrities from the world of sport and entertainment representing the main charity beneficiary, SPARKS. The other benefiting charities are the Dubai Centre for Children with Special Needs, the Al Noor Training Centre, the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre and UK Youth. Dubai Golf’s new owners, wasl (Dubai Real Estate Corporation) have joined regular sponsors Emirates Airline, Grand Hyatt Dubai and Motivate Publishing in supporting the event.

There are a variety of ways of supporting the BIG FIVE-O which include:

• Buying a team of four in the golf tournament and taking a table for 10 at the Gala Dinner • Buying a table for 10 at the Gala Dinner • Sponsor a Par-4 or Par-5 hole on the golf course and display your company banner • Sponsor one of the Par-3 holes • Sponsor the Driving Range • Buy a Celebrity – by inviting them to play in your team and join you for dinner • Advertise in the Souvenir Brochure • Donate an item for the auction – either silent or live • Make a cash donation

All the sponsorship opportunities are limited and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact Tournament Coordinator Rod Bogg on 0097150 652 9963 (mobile); 009714 205 4611 (fax) or e-mail at rjbogg@dubaigolf.com.

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ArAbiAn Golf DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB

mathur and Shewakramani take the hOnOurS VIRESH Mathur and Suresh Shewakramani won February’s Carpetland Monthly Open with a superb betterball Stableford score of 44 points. The dynamic duo gelled extremely well with an equal share of contributions to the card, including a net eagle and three net birdies on the back nine to score 23 points, coming home to win by three points. The pairing of Aziz Al Hakim and Charles Jones took

second place on a countback by virtue of their better back nine of 21 points from Anthony and Paul Saad. The young brothers also carded 41 points but were pushed into third place by just one point on their back nine score. All the top three winning pairs have secured their place in the fourth consecutive Grand Finals to be held at Dubai Creek in May with only the events of March and April remaining to claim a place in the prestigious final.

FeLLingham in Fine FOrm

Mark Bryant, Development Manager for Aqili Furnishings and David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at Dubai Creek present Viresh Mathur and Suresh Shewakramani with their trophies.

Varkey wins Legacy Life Open Challenge in 3-way countback JAY Varkey won the inaugural Legacy Life Open Challenge in late January courtesy of a countback victory over two players. A total of 93 players turned out to compete for honours and at the end of play Varkey was tied with Vinay Mehra and David Gowans on 33 points in the individual Stableford format and so a countback was needed to decide the placings. Coming out on top was Varkey, who scored 19 points over the back nine to pip Mehra into second place, who in turn defeated Gowans into third place with a better back nine. Paul King, CEO of Legacy Life said: “Thank you to all players for supporting the inaugural event and it was great to see such a fantastic turn out. We look forward to the next eleven events at the club with the Grand Final in December.”

February’s BMW Medal winner John Fellingham receives his BMW trophy from Director of Golf Alan Mackenzie. JOHN Fellingham won the Overall February BMW Medal and the Overall Division ‘A’ title with a superb net score of 69. Fellingham, playing off a handicap of five, was in fine form carding two consistent nines for a gross 74 to lift the BMW crystal by a clear two shots. Runner-up in Division ‘A’ was Francisco Giles with a net 72 from a better back nine from Paul King. Men’s Division ‘B’ winner was Chris Farrer with a solid net 73 with Pritham Mirchindani finishing runner-up with a net 74 by virtue of his better last six holes from Luiz Bertuol. The Ladies Division witnessed Mego Han’s net 73 take the spoils with Vannesa North finishing in second place, three shots back on net 75. The overall lowest gross score for the day was 2-over-par 73 by Ahmed Al Musharrekh while the overall best junior – and keeping it in the family – was Hassan Al Musharrekh with a superb net 71. 72

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Paul King, CEO of Legacy Life and David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at Dubai Creek, presenting Jay Varkey with the winner’s prize of the latest Ping G15 driver.

iVan LawSOn takeS the SeniOrS Open titLe IVAN Lawson, representing the Emirates Golf Federation, won the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Seniors Open sponsored by ProSports in January firing a gross 74 for a four-shot victory. Lawson’s scorecard included twelve straight pars in a row from the 7th to 18th holes, showing remarkable consistency to take home the crystal. Finishing second with a gross 78 for a 7-over total was newly-turned senior Peter Shaw (DCGYC) while in third place by virtue of his better back nine was John Fellingham (CDGYC) after both he and Roger Floyd carded a gross 79. The Super Seniors Champion prize was awarded to the sprightly Richard Firth who scored a net 75 and the overall Ladies Seniors Champion was Noemy Bertuol who also scored a net 75. The overall net division was highly contested and it

was Alan Pumfrey (EGF) who carded a net 68 to win by virtue of his better back nine from Ishu Rupani (EGC). The consistent Gurbax Singh (TMD) scored a net 70 to finish alone in third place. Shashi Raghavan (DCGYC) and Mike Smith (ABGC) won the two Nearest the Pin prizes on offer on holes 5 and 14 respectively. David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at Dubai Creek commented: “Thank you to all the seventy three players for taking the time to make this event such a great success. “We will look to make this a new annual fixture at the club and build on the success of this year for 2011. Thank you to David Stevenson, General Manager Sales and Marketing of ProSports for the generous sponsorship of prizes that helped make the day possible.”

LOCatiOn: Deira, opposite Deira City Centre. COntaCt: Tel : (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.

(Left to Right) David Gray, Golf Operations Executive DCGYC, Ladies Champion Noemy Bertuol, Super Seniors Champion Richard Firth, Ivan Lawson Seniors Champion, Net Champion Alan Pumfrey and David Stevenson, General Manager Sales and Marketing of sponsors Prosports.

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB

twO-pOint win in gentS FOur-man StabLeFOrd THE team of Bryan Wilson, Mick Brett, Mo Toki and David Watt (pictured right) won the 2010 Gents Four-Man Team Stableford after shooting 86 points over the Faldo Course. Just losing out in the runner-up spot with 84 points was the team of Bob Knott, Stathis Stathis, Nick Evangelopoulos and Rai Legnar. Third position went to the team of Kevin Roy, Patrick Mulligan, Moshe Kohli and Ramesh Prabakar with 81 points. Other prizes on offer were Nearest the Pin on hole 8, which was won by a great shot from Roy Patterson while the Longest Drive on hole 16 was struck by Veneet Mohan. www.wwgolf.biz

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NEW TITLEIST AP1TM AND AP2TM IRONS. Since their introduction, AP irons with their advanced performance, exceptional feel and great looks have been improving the games of PGA Tour players and serious golfers alike. Now AP1 and AP2 irons have been improved with new technology for even better sound and feel at impact and more playability. The only way to truly appreciate their performance is to hit them for yourself. Get all the details, including where to get fitted, at titleist.co.uk

DOHA GOLF CLUB

ArAbiAn Golf manu chandrasekaran crowned champion of champions EVERY winner from the 2009 Monthly Medal and Monthly Mug competitions took to the tees to battle it out for the ultimate title of Champion of Champions. Thirty seven players competed in total and after a closely contested 18 holes played in a Stableford format Manu Chandrasekaran (pictured below) took the spoils with a superb haul of 37 points. Hiram Diggines took second place on 36 points with Garry Looker finishing third a stroke further back.

Pictured above: Scott Hussey (left), winner of Flight ‘A’.

scott Hussey tames DoHa THE Championship Course at Doha Golf Club was in immaculate condition for the Intercontinental Doha Mug as it was held just a few days after the completion of The European Tour’s Commercialbank Qatar Masters tournament. Scott Hussey took the honours in Flight ‘A’ with 38 points, closely followed by Glen Mercer on 36 points. Flight ‘B’ saw Hiram Diggines take the top spot with a haul of 39 points which gave him a three-point win over Frank Harrigan. The ladies division was won by Taddy Dance with 33 points.

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Watson and ewiing take one-shot win over murray and marsh

Venter pips WelcH to take stableforD Win GARETH Roy Venter won the first BMW Stableford event of 2010 with a countback victory over Mike Welch after they both topped Division ‘A’ with a score of 37 points. Scoring in the Men’s ‘B’ Division was a bit lower with Andrew McDonald winning the category with 39 points. McDonald defeated Ali Alami by one point. In the Ladies ‘A’ Division Charmaine Bruwer had a career round and blew the field away with 43 Stableford points. Her next closest competitor was Angela Lee with 36 points. In the Ladies ‘B’ Division Anagha Pangarkar scored 40 points for her first BMW Stableford win defeating Angela Calvert by two points. Longest Drive winners were Men’s Captain David Russell and Ladies Captain Barb McBean, and the Nearest to the Pin winners were Angela Calvert and Neale Carter.

AFTER a morning fog delay all the players finally made it out on to the course and their patience was rewarded with some excellent scores. Mark Watson and John Ewiing took home the gross division of the Rivoli Citizen Guest day after making four birdies and an eagle on their way to a 68 which defeated Debbie Murray and Rod Marsh by one shot. With the best net score of the day, Qamar Rasheed and Razdan Rajinder took home the ‘A’ Division title with an excellent 61.75. Their round included five gross birdies as they defeated Shankar Majrekar and Rahul Dungarwal into second place by 1.75 shots. ‘B’ Division was very tightly contested with the top three teams all within 0.5 shots of each other. Alex Westwood and Frances Milne shot a 65.25 to take the victory, leaving Anne Allan and Steven Allan in second place with a net 65.75. www.wwgolf.biz

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Pro Sports International, PO Box 26723, Dubai, UAE. Source: Darrell Survey, Sports Marketing Surveys, LTD. Based upon results through 30/11/09 on the U.S. PGA, U.S. LPGA, Champions, Nationwide, South African, Asian, Korean, Australasian, Japan, Canadian PGA and PGA European Tours. Sign up to In The Swing, our free e-newsletter, at intheswing.info Explore titleist.co.uk

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ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB

kiWi fun and GaMes at WaitanGi day MORE than 150 people joined in the Waitangi Day festivities held on Saturday, February 6th in Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s Contemporary Event Space to celebrate all things New Zealand. From Kiwi burgers to delicious Pavlovas all the guests enjoyed the atmosphere and sang and danced into the late afternoon to the sounds of musical act ‘Fingerprints’ who entertained children and adults alike. Finishing up with shisha on the lawn, the relaxed day concluded with a special treat of hokey pokey ice-cream – a New Zealand favourite. Thanks to both Spinneys and Pure for making the event a success. Waitangi Day BBQ Brunch: Ashley from ‘Fingerprints’

Michel takes the Rivoli stablefoRd FREDERICK Michel (12) closed with birdies on holes 16 and 17 to take first place in men’s ‘A’ Division of the February Stableford event sponsored by Rivoli with a fine score of 41 points. Tom Morgan came up just short, having made two birdies of his own on holes 1 and 16 but had to settle for second place on 40 points with Mike Revell finishing third a point further back. In the men’s ‘B’ Division Noburu Kamakura had an excellent round and took first place on 40 points with a one point victory over Phillipe Paulissen. Arthur Stankiewicz finished third with a haul of 35 points. In the ladies section two net eagles on her back nine gave Natalya Wisely the first place position on a countback over Cathy Feron with Pascale Michael finishing third. Another notable performance came in from Chris Cole who scored an ace on hole 7.

ROYAL GOLF CLUB BAHRAIN Category 2 winner, 16-year old Ilya Goniker.

Left: February Category 1 winner Ronan Armstrong.

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ilya GonikeR takes the febRuaRy bMW Medal SIXTEEN-year-old Ilya Goniker put up an impressive performance to win Category 2 of the February edition of the Euro Motors BMW Medal Series with a spectacular score of net 64. Ronan Armstrong scored a net 71 to clinch the top position in the first Category (hcp 0-15). It was a memorable event all round with two holes-in-one achieved by club members – Tony James on the second hole and Olive Wagstaff on the seventh.

BAHRAIN is hosting the first race of the 2010 Formula One Grand Prix season in March and the Royal Golf Club is offering savings on tee times for visitors to the club over F1 weekend. From Friday 12th to Sunday 14th March only, visitors can save over 15% on the normal rack rates, paying just BD51 for 18 holes, inclusive of golf cart.

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Walk in the footsteps of champions. Tee off at Jumeirah Golf Estates, home of the Dubai World Championship. The stunning Fire & Earth courses are now open at The Club at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Take advantage of our special introductory offers* and be one of the first to experience Fire and Earth and the Clubhouse and Tour Academy facilities. For a limited period, Annual Membership is just AED 32,000. Or become a Debenture Member for AED 120,000 and receive five free Academy lessons and a waiver of the first year’s annual membership fee. We are also offering a ‘Preview Play’ for you and up to three other players for AED 795 per person per game. Should you decide to become a member of The Club at Jumeirah Golf Estates, your preview play fee will be fully reimbursed. For more information, email membership@jumeirahgolfestates or call +971 4 363 0519 JUMEIRAHGOLFESTATES.COM

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inderpal Singh takes the inaugural Earth course Monthly Medal INDERPAL Singh shot a superb net 70 to win the inaugural Monthly Medal on the Earth Course in January. Singh won by two shots from Stuart Cameron who, in turn, won on a countback from Imran Qayyum. Stuart put the disappointment of second place behind him by taking home the gross prize with a steady 77.

Inderpal Singh receiving his prize from Director of Golf, Neal Graham

caRtER anD fRiEnDS taME thE fiRE NEALE Carter and his guests Mark Lewis, Mark Watson and Jerry Worsley tamed the Fire Course to take home the Febuary Members and Guest Scramble. The foursome topped the pile with an excellent net 57 to win by a margin of just 0.3 from members Hilary Todhunter, Andrew Rotteveel and their guests Ross Symphs and Hilton Stephens.

anDREw BanniStER hoLDS on foR MEMBERS GuESt Day tRiuMph ANDREW Bannister won the inaugural Philip Sharpe and Simon Elliottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Members Guest Day over the Earth Course with 38 Stableford points, pipping Anthony Osbourne into second place by one point. John Sharpe finished third with his tally of 36 points.

TOWer LiNKS GOLF CLUB

REiD anD wRiGht SEE BLack anD whitE MARK Reid and Gillian Wright successfully teamed up together to take the Black and White title for 2010. The format saw men play from the Championship tees (black) and the Ladies play from their Championship tees (white) which extended the course by 506 yards for the men and 661 for the ladies.The lengthy front nine did little to lift the

(l-r) Greg Donaghy, Andrew Bannister, Simon Elliot and Philip Sharpe.

S.p. hong back on song in Social Bogey S.P. HONG eased back into his winning ways as he claimed the social individual bogey in late January after shooting a steady +3 score. Having changed equipment late last year Hong had struggled to come to terms with the change but that came to an end with a superb performance and he was noticeably delighted with his turn of fortune. Gillian Wright and Dan Greenfield slugged it out for the minor places as both finished on +2 and needed a countback to decide their fate. On this occasion Wright was the lucky recipient as her final six holes netted her second place.

Location: Ras Al Khaimah. The course meanders through a mangrove reserve with the Hajar Mountains serving as a backdrop. contact: Tel : +971 7 2279939 (Reservations Desk) golf@towerlinks.com info: First Open: May 2004 18 holes Championship course. Floodlit back-nine holes. DESiGnER: Gerald Williams

spirits of the pair as they could only accumulate 14 Stableford points but after crossing the bridge they returned in 23 points for their winning total of 37. As it turns out they needed their good finish as Matt Jones and his partner also finished on the same total but their 21 points back nine total was not good enough in the back nine countback.

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Greg Norman Collection apparel now available at our flagship store in Dubai Mall and our on course partners & retail specialists : Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Emirates Golf Club, The Els Club, Golf House, Go Sports, Dubai Duty Free and Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

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BANYAN GOLF CLUB

Banyan GoLf cLuB team up with asian star thonGchai jaidee in desert cLassic pro-am THE management team at Banyan Golf Club – Stacey Walton and Stuart Daly – had the privilege to play with Asia’s top golfer, Thongchai Jaidee, in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic pro-am and shot a superb round of 4-under-par. Banyan Golf Club’s General Manager, Walton commented: “It’s a very memorable experience to play in a pro-am with Thongchai Jaidee, especially in Dubai. I have tremendous respect for his talent as a player and for his commitment to the growth of golf in Thailand. “It was also a pleasure to play the Middle East’s finest golf course, The Majlis at Emirates Golf Club, in tournament conditions. We would like to thank Mohamed Buamaim and Adrian Flaherty at ‘golf in Dubai’ for the invitation to the pro-am and to enjoy the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. “It was nice to see that the reputation of Banyan Golf Club as Best New Course in Asia Pacific has been recognised across the Middle East region.”

Location: Banyan Village, Resort & Golf, Hua Hin, Thailand 68/34 Mooban Hua Na, Tambol Nong Gae, Hua Hin, Prachuabkirikhan 77110. contact: Club: +66 (32) 616 200 reservations@ banyanthailand.com Resort: +66 (32) 538 888 booking@ banyanthailand.com

peter downie and bride tam’s wedding experience is a Banyan classic THE Banyan Golf Club hosted the wedding ceremony and celebration party for Khun Wichida (Tam) and Peter Downie, General Manager of Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore, home to the prestigious $6 million Barclay’s Singapore Open. The wedding day began in the early morning with a traditional Buddhist monk ceremony in a private Thai sala overlooking the golf course on the second floor and was attended by Peter and Khun Wichida’s close friends and family. It was great to see Mike Tracey, Emirates Golf Club’s men’s captain, Elliot Gray, General Manager of Arabian Ranches, who was Peter’s best man, and Kevin Hind from Clearwater Bay in Hong Kong. Among the guests were many other golf industry professionals based in Asia and China. Later in the afternoon, the beautiful Thai tradition of “water pouring” was conducted at the end of the Clubhouse main walkway. The golf course provided a sensational backdrop as the Asian sun set over the Burmese mountains. Peter and Khun Wichida’s family and friends celebrated long into the early hours at the Terrace restaurant, where the food and beverage team had prepared a lavish international dining experience. Live entertainment was provided by Mark James, the musician who performs on the Spike Bar patio during the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

simon messenger wins Brunel international corporate golf day BANyAN Golf Club, Hua Hin, was the host venue for Brunel International’s corporate golf tournament last month. Brunel has developed into an international group with over 8,000 employees and operates from an international network of more than 90 branch offices in over 30 countries and the company’s global managers were invited to Hua Hin to compete in their annual golf event. The two-day golf tournament was a full handicap Stableford competition and it was 14-handicapper Simon Messenger who took home the honours after defeating Bobby Brownfiel in a card countback. Both scored 57 points but it was Messenger who was victorious after his superior finish. Annette Van Veen finished in outright third place, three points behind the winning total. Brunel International’s CEO, Jan Arie Van Barneveld, said: “It was great to host this year’s tournament here at Banyan Golf Club. The event was very well organised and enjoyed by all participants. The golf course was prepared and set up to provide a fair test of golf for all players and we are looking forward to staging our event again at Banyan Golf Club, Hua Hin, in 2011.” www.wwgolf.biz

ArAbiAn Golf

AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB

WaTTS Double WHaMMy THE first Medal of 2010 saw a strong field of competitors challenging for the day’s titles and in search of those extra points for the Order of Merit. At the end of the day it was John Watts who took the honours with a solid gross score. Watts pipped Steve Rayment to the top of the Men’s Gross leaderboard with a score of 84 in good weather conditions. Rayment, one of Al Hamra’s most consistent performers, headed the chasing pack as he posted a gross score of 86 to claim second place. In the Men’s net division Sekhar Thodla led the way with a sublime score of 69 with Steve Dunnage finishing runner-up, three shots back. Losing out to Dunnage in a card-countback for the runners-up spot were Sean Mahony and Haridas Kondath. Vicki Rogers fired a round of 87 to claim a one-shot victory over Rita Hicks in the Ladies Gross division. Ami Watts made it a Watts family double as she followed up her victory in the fourth RAK Ladies Open with another sparkling performance that resulted in a net score of 70. Watts’ recent performances have earned a handicap cut of three points and on this showing it looks as thought there is more to come. Finishing runner-up to Watts was Anne Lefebvre who also carded a net 70 but lost out on the outright lead via a card countback.

Moremon takes Selector Series by two points STEVE Moremon posted a score of 22 points to win the second installment of the Selector Series Tournament in late January. Moremon had five holes where he scored three points which propelled him to a two-point victory over Liecl Ward with John Watts finishing in third place with 19 points.

Heron Swoops to snatch Crans Sur Sierre Trophy A NEW dawn was witnessed at Al Hamra Golf Club last month as a new annual club tournament was unveiled. The inaugural Crans Sur Sierre Trophy was blessed with glorious sunshine and it was Dave Heron who took the honours with a superb haul of 46 Stableford points to take home his first Al Hamra title. Heron followed on his recent good from in glittering style as he reeled off nines of 24 points on the front and 22 on the back. The highlights of his round were four gross pars and eight bogeys, and despite finishing with 46 points he still managed a no-score at the stroke 82

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index 1, par-4 10th hole. Gary Newell had a ripping start to his front nine as his first four holes amassed him 14 points which helped him collect a front nine total of 25. Despite a slightly stuttering back nine by the high standards he had set on the front, Newell returned to the clubhouse with 20 points which added to his front nine haul to give him a 45 points total and outright second place. Another solid display saw Sean Mahony claim third place, finishing with two very consistent nines of 22 and 21 for 43 points.

JoLie ViLLe GOLF & RESORT

GeT INVolVeD IN THe JolIe VIlle CuP aND Take a break FRIDAy GOLF TOURnAMEnT – InCREDIBLE PRIzES On OFFER Jolie Ville Golf & Resort is inviting golfers to enter their weekly Jolie Ville Cup which takes place every Friday and gives players the chance to win a complimentary one night stay for two in either the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort or the Maritim Jolie Ville Royal Peninsula Hotel & Resort. Played in an 18-hole Stableford format with golfers receiving their full handicap allowance, the tournaments are open to both men and women with weekly winners entered into the Grand Final, which will take place March 26, 2010. If the winner of the Grand Final has played in at least three previous events they will receive the wonderful prize of a week’s stay for two in the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort plus a week’s stay in the Maritim Jolie Ville Royal Peninsula Hotel & Resort and 10 free rounds of golf! There is a prizegiving ceremony after each event at 5.00pm and the winner must be present to receive the prize!

For more information or to obtain a tournament 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 “Grand Final”. Free GolF lessons For those who want to have a go, but haven’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 – Prices in euro Jolie Ville Golf & resort INCluSIVe oF GolF Car royal Peninsula

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Terms & conditions • All Green Fees include Golf Cart. • All rates are net non-commissionable, in EURO, including all governmental taxes. • Jolie Ville Golf Resort Management reserves the right to keep the above mentioned rates, subject to change without prior notice. • Juniors up to 16-years-old receive 50% discount on the above mentioned green fees (Passport may be required for verification). • Prices are valid from 01/10/2009 to 30/09/2010 Golf shop & reservations Telephone: + 20 69 3600 635 Fax: + 20 69 3600 642 email: golfreservation@sgr-maritim-jolieville.com in house guests dial: 8

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ArAbiAn Golf AL GHAZAL GOLF CLUB

contact: Tel : 971 2 5758040 Fax: +971 2 5758041 CLUB HOUSE BAR Tel: +971 2 5758044 ACADEMY DIRECT Tel: +971 2 5758185 Web: www.alghazalgolf.ae Email: golfclub@emirates. net.ae

SoLid Sarkari takeS the prize THE first round of the 26th NBAD Ladies Open Championship began in fine conditions but defending champion Angela Scurr got off to the worst possible start with double bogeys on her opening two holes. However, her playing partner Jane Kelly, who once had a 10 year break from the game, came in with a net 71 to lie second in the net division one shot behind leader Sharon Yang heading into day two. Gross leader after the first round was home player Lizette Breytenbach with an 80, three strokes ahead of Alena Low [AGGC] and Nasha Sarkari (DCGYC) with EGC’s Jo Schoeman close behind on 85. The Last group to tee off was the partnership of Low and Breytenbach. With Breytenbach leading by three and Low in second place it was clear that the competition was going to go right down to the wire. Scurr carded the best score of the day of with a 79 – improving her score by 11 shots – but it was not enough to trouble the leaders. Sarkari had her father on the bag and proved more resilient for the second round, scoring an 80 on the difficult par-72 course to take the overall title. First round leader Breytenbach couldn’t hold on to her slim lead and dropped back to second place with an 84. Third place went to ACGC’s Teresa Park on a total of 167 with Scurr finishing fourth on 169 and Sandy Meyer in fifth on 170. Winner of the overall best net was Jane Kelly who improved her first round by one shot to win by two shots on 141 from Sharon Yang with third place going to Emily Gordon on 145.

S.J. Lim pipS rene vaLencia to take the February medaL S.J. LIM took the honours in Division ’A’ of the February Monthly Medal after a card countback victory over Rene Valencia. The duo both returned the best score of the day – a net 71 – but it was Lim who was crowned champion thanks to his better back nine. Jan Friedmann topped Division ‘B’ with a 76 leaving Ramesh Emannuel to take the runner-up spot on a 77 while Division ‘C’ was just as tight with Abdul Rahman Al Laggitti winning by a stroke from Nick Mellor with a 72. The Ladies Overall Winner was also decided on a countback with both Chaya Kinder and Alena Low carding a net 73 and it was Low who took the prize thanks to her better back nine.

m.i. rang and Jong giL take the ‘SLim n Lite’ titLe

Winners Jong Gil and M.I. Rang with Captains Will Low and Pauline Jeynes and Hany Abdelnour of Slim n Lite. 84

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THE final round of the fifth annual Slim n Lite Mixed Amateur Open started in perfect conditions and the morning starters, M.I. Rang and Jong Gil, took full advantage to take a six-point cushion with a front nine score of 21 points. They maintained their steady pace with a superb haul of 22 points over the difficult back nine to take the title with a final total of 89 points after two rounds with runners-up Bernie Blanchard and James Rowan coming in with an overall score of 80 points. Third place went to Nasha Sarkari and Y.J. Kim with 78 points while the best first day’s score went to Xavier Carie and Adda Haouara with 40 points. The best second day went to Jeff Lampitt and John Leyland thanks to their 38 point haul.

ABU DHABI CITY GOLF CLUB

ben Williams wins novotel golf day individual title

contact: Tel : 02 445 9600

THE Novotel Golf Day was once again one of the most eagerly anticipated events on the ADCGC Calendar and January’s event was no exception. A full field of 96 lucky golfers teed it up and the standard of play lived up to the occasion. In the Individual event, Ben Williams took first place from Ronan Hall by just one point after a superb haul of 41 points . In the hidden pairs draw, Romeo Panopio (34 Points) and J.P. Halleman (34 Points) were drawn together, giving them a winning total of 68 points as they pipped the duo of Gerhard Siegel (38 Points) and Kamal Ashrafi (29 Points) into second place by just one point. Longest Drives and Nearest the Pin Prizes were won by Elke Hillrichs, Marianne Rudd and Horst Draudt and a Charity Raffle at the Evening Gala Dinner raised AED5,000 for MSF. ADCGC extended their huge thanks to the General Manager of Novotel Abu Dhabi, Adel Eid, and his team for providing another exceptional event.

momentum continueS in round 4 oF beach rotana Junior League ROUND four of the 2009/10 Beach Rotana Junior Golf League saw another huge turn-out as 109 aspiring youngsters took part in the competition. Lukas Niederlander was the champion with a very steady 19 Stableford points in the 10-Hole boys section, beating Uzair Sattar into second place by one point. In the 3-Hole event Kyle Del Favero took just 13 strokes to take the title while Maha Sattar won the girl’s 3-Hole event after completing the course in 15 shots. The ‘nippers’ 2-Hole event was won by George Hogan who took the Boys Trophy with 11 shots while Kaashvi Mahajan won the Girls Event with a score of 14 Shots. Moritz Klein, the General Manager of Beach Rotana and Ms Layal Bou Habib attended the Prize Ceremony and handed out the crystal trophies to the lucky winners.

inFo: The re-launch of the Abu Dhabi City Golf Club underlines its efforts to bring challenging but affordable golf to the UAE’s growing golfing community and anyone interested in playing.

ArAbiAn Golf

Sharjah golf & shooting club

Ramsey Yassin and Kyeung Ja Choi lift SGSC Championships RAMSEY Yassin and Kyeung Ja Choi won their respective Malaysia Truly Asia Men’s and Ladies Club Championships supported by Orient Travel in late January with impressive performances. The pair both led their categories after day one with 3-handicapper Yassin producing a gross opening round score of 2-over 74. He then increased his four-shot overnight lead with a strong start to day two as George Liu fell out of contention. The Lebanese maintained his form and concentration all the way until the 36th hole, at which point he had an unassailable lead, enabling him to enjoy his walk up the final hole to rapturous applause alongside his caddying wife. A 5-over second round 77 gave him an aggregate score of 151 for the

the StAGe iS Set FOR AnOtheR SuCCeSSFul DuFRY lADieS OPen

Left to right: Martin Duff, Rene Riedi, Iris Ebel and Erik Van Der Veen, Deputy COO of Dufry Sharjah. THE second edition of the Dufry Ladies Open Golf Championship is set to be staged at the Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club over the weekend of Friday 12th and Saturday 13th March. The 36-hole strokeplay event is expected to attract a number of the UAE’s leading amateur and professional lady golfers as they attempt to claim the title captured in 2009 by Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s Jean Wang. Wang’s winning total of 159 included a course record of 78 which still stands. Likely challengers for the title include Nasha Sarkari of Dubai Creek, who currently leads the EGF Ladies Order of Merit, and Junior Sana Tufail of The City Golf Club, Abud 86

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Dhabi, who has a proven track record around the Harradine-designed layout. Also Lady Professional Sandy Meyer, of Women’s Golf Dubai, will also be widely fancied. Erik Van Der Veen, Deputy Chief Operations Officer of Dufry Sharjah commented: “We really are excited about having exclusive sponsorship of the 2nd edition of the SGSC Ladies Open Golf Championship. “ Last year’s event was an undoubted success and we a sure this year’s will be an even greater one. 36 holes of strokeplay, walking in championship conditions is always certain to produce a worthy champion.”

title and a new Championship record. Taiwanese 6-handicapper Lui finished runner-up on 163 while Indian Amiya Ranjan enjoyed a strong finish on his way to third place. Choi (24) had a quiet start in the first round but a steady and consistent performance in the second round saw her consolidate victory over Sue Bargh (23) and Diana Brown (24). In the Men’s net categories Dutchman Erik Roeterdink (16) triumphed with net rounds of 71 and 76. Briton Jim Brown (26) returned a weekend low net score of 70 in his second round to overtake Tony Andrews (22) into third place and push Martin Geskes (22) out of the prizes into fourth place. Zina Butzova (32) collected the ladies net prize for the second straight year after completing rounds of 78 and 77.

Pranav rips up the course to win Coral Beach event THE first Coral Beach Resort Midweek Madness of February saw Pranav Vora defeat the golf course by four shots to take the title. The 19-handicapper played his best golf of the season so far with five net birdies and just one bogey as he took home the top prize. The day’s format was a par/bogey competition where players played match play against the golf course over the back nine. In second place was Sabu Thomas (18) who defeated the course 1-up with two net birdies and just the one dropped shot. The Ladies Club Champion Sue Bargh (24) came third as she finished level par against the course.

Winner of the Coral Beach Resort Midweek Madness, Pranav Vora.

MiKe SiDDAWAY WinS in tOuGh COnDitiOnS MIKE Siddaway won his second Orient Travel Thai Airways Monthly Medal of the season with a superb net 75 in difficult playing conditions. Playing from the championship tees, 17handicapper Siddaway could have scored even lower had it not been for five double bogeys. The victory now sees Siddaway move into the lead in the Orient Travel – Malaysia Truly Asia Order of Merit with four events remaining. After a serious accident, South African golfer

Pieter Botha (11) managed to play his first tournament in six months and capped it off with a runner-up finish with a net 76, while third place went to Mel Stewart (15) who lost out to Botha on a countback. The best gross prize went to SGSC regular George Liu (6) with a gross 86. Picured below with their prizes are, left to right, George Liu, who won the best gross; winner Mike Siddaway and second-placed Pieter Botha.

lOCAtiOn: 2km from tasjeel Auto Village behind Emirates Road. A five minute drive from university city. COntACt: tel: +971 6 548 7777 info@golfandshootingshj.com inFO: A 9 hole fully floodlit course designed by Peter harradine. Played twice results in a par-72 layout in excess of 7,300 yards.

K.K. SinGh WinS With AMAZinG eAGle FiniSh

(Left to Right) George Liu, Mike Siddaway and Pieter Botha.

K.K. SINGH won his first competition at SGSC last month in the Coral Beach Resort Midweek Madness with a superb score of 20 Stableford points in the 9-hole format. Singh (20) started at the par-3 12th and had 15 points through eight holes. Playing his last hole – the 380-yard par-4 11th – Singh made a solid drive into the middle of the fairway and then holed out with his second shot for a gross eagle and a five point haul which saw him take the top spot. In second place was Ramsey Yassin (3) on 18 points while in third place with 17 points was Sabu Thomas (17).

aL BaDIa golf club

MAlCOlM tuRneR tAKeS the hOnOuRS THE competitive atmosphere in Al Badia Golf Club’s February Medal complemented the intensity that was arising in the Dubai Desert Classic, with Malcolm Turner grasping the Overall Winner title with a superb net score of 64. Consistency was the key for Gross Winner Nawaf Fawaz as he carded a steady 81. Devan Ramasamy scored a net 64 to take the Division ‘B’ title with Deep Marwaha’s net 66 securing him second place. Adam Gray took the spoils in Division ‘A’ with a brilliant score of net 71 after edging out Greg Donaghy on a card countback. John Baker’s efforts earned him both the Nearest the Pin award on hole 11 and the Straightest Drive on the opening hole. Chet Riley created an impressive mark for achieving Nearest the Pin on hole 15 while Bill Buchanan bombed a 340 yards drive down the eighth fairway to secure the Longest Drive prize.

Overall Winner Malcolm Turner (left) receives his prize from Head Golf Professional Jason Froggatt.

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ArAbiAn Golf

INTERCONTINENTal RIYaDH GOLF CLUB

alex aRellaNO pips beN tORRefield iN mONthly medal TALENTED Philippine Alex Arellano (3) topped Division ‘A’ (hcp 0-6) in last month’s Intercontinental Riyadh Golf Club Monthly Medal with a superb haul of 31 Stableford points through the 18-hole full handicap event. Arellano pipped Ben Torrefiel on to the winner’s podium by just one point. Division ‘B’ (hcp 7-12) was just as close as Khalid Raja bagged the title with 32 points, beating Knut Bjornstad by just the one point. Patrick Santos scored 35 points in Division ‘C’ to win by three points from Jimmy Manabat, while the Ladies Club Champion Anne Bjornstad topped the Ladies Division with 33 points.

PalM SPORTS RESORTS AL AIN

Glasgow and mcCarthy tame the wind to win Coca Cola JEFF Glasgow battled sand storms and high winds to come up trumps in the Coca Cola Social Night last month as an outstanding points tally of 18 over nine holes was enough to see off Englishman Richard Brown by two. Losing on a countback to Brown left Steve Van Der Merwe in third place while Division ‘B’ honours went to local favorite Anne McCarthy. McCarthy’s experience of playing golf on the windy links courses of Ireland inspired her to her 18 point haul which earned her a five-shot victory over Keith Cameron and Dan Molesky, with Cameron taking second place on a countback.

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ChampiON ChalmeRs Gets Off tO a flyeR iN OpeNeR THE 2009 Palm Sports Club Champion Lyndon Chalmers started 2010 with a narrow victory in Division ‘A’ of the year’s opening Monthly Medal. Chalmers’ fine net score of 72 was only enough to tie with Scotsman Jeff Glasgow but a better inward half was enough to see the Kiwi win via a countback. One shot adrift in third place was 1-handicapper Steve Van Der Merwe with a net score of 73 but his superb scratch score of 74 in blustery conditions was enough to see him home for the prize of best gross score of the day. James Doig had the best net score of the day with a faultless round of 70 which was enough to see him finish one shot clear of Peter Scoots in Division ‘B’. Division ‘C’ was won by one of the club’s new members, American schoolteacher Theresa Lyons, as she held off Nick Peacock by one point to reign supreme. Lyons scored an impressive 44 Stableford points and had the pleasure of watching her handicap reduced for the third week in a row. Anne McCarthy completed the podium positions with 36 points for third place.

KaTaMEYa HEIgHTS GOLF & TeNNIs CLUB

Zizo earns Junior Golfer of the month award ABDEL Aziz Said (known to his friends as Zizo) has been awarded the Junior Golfer of the Month title for January by the PGA Professionals at Katameya. Zizo claimed his second victory in the last three months recently and he has been a model of consistency throughout the season so far. Zizo has been continually working extensively on his game with Head Golf Professional Steven Burton who had these kind words to say: “It’s amazing how he is maturing as a junior golfer even though he’s only nine years old. He works extremely hard on all aspects of his game and his level of enthusiasm, dedication and practice is phenomenal. He just loves golf and loves winning.” On the course, Zizo has been seen practicing on his own on all aspects of his game. His dedication and hard work has paid off with an impressive victory in Category 2 of the Katameya Junior Series. Earning the award of Junior Golfer of the Month has won him a pro shop voucher and a 9-hole playing lesson with the PGA Professional of his choice.

Good scoring at event four of Junior series THE fourth event of the Katameya Junior Series took place in late January and with the warm weather and the course in such fine condition some good scores were expected – and the juniors duly obliged. Timi Obatoyinbo won Category 1 with a net 66, beating Saphir Gohar by three strokes to take the top prize. In Category 2 the format was a 9-hole Stableford and Abdel Aziz Said produced the best score of the day to take the honours. Said scored 25 points which was good enough for a twopoint win over Misha Murdoch with Euan Morrison finishing third with 22 points. Like the Category 2 players, the Katameya Kids Category also produced some great gross 6-hole scores with Nikita Murdoch taking the top prize with a gross 25. Adam Danielson finished one stroke back with Alisha Healey finishing third with 28.

twO iN a ROw fOR hye sOOk lim

lOCatiON: Just 20 minutes away from Cairo’s International Airport and conveniently located between Cairo’s elite districts of Heliopolis and Maadi. CONtaCt: Tel: 00202 27580512 to 17 (6 Lines) Fax: 00202 2758 0506 email: enquiries@ katameyaheights.com Website: www.katameyaheights.com

AFTER winning the 2008-09 Katameya Ladies Open, Hye Sook Lim (Mirage City) made it two-in-a row by retaining the title in 2009-10. After the first round Lim was in third place, four shots behind leader Sophie Issa (Katameya Heights) but a very solid second round of 76 gave her a 161 total and was good enough to leapfrog Issa for victory. Sharon Eckstrom from Katameya Heights was crowned the net division champion with net rounds of 67-76 for a 143 total which beat her clubmate Tee Beecroft into second place by three shots. The Stableford division champion was Tanya Holliday from Katameya Heights who played very consistently over the two days. Holliday returned 37 points on day one and 35 points on day two for a total of 72 for a three-point win over Kathy Lueders.

thRee iN a ROw fOR taymOuR sCaRellO

HAVING won the 2007 and the 2008 Katameya Men’s Amateur Opens, Katameya’s Taymour Scarello made it three in succession by winning the 2009 event. Scarello was lying third after the first round and four shots behind the joint leaders Mike Adly (KH) and Issa Abou El Ela (ALEX). The second round saw El Ela and Adly control the front nine holes but Scarello was still right there on just 7-over. After changes in the lead between the three players it was Scarello who took control with a magnificent eagle on the par-5 15th which put him in the lead at 5-over. Par on holes 16 and 17 and a bogey on 18 was good enough for Scarello to win with his gross rounds of 77 and 73 earning him a 150 total and the title. Despite missing out on the gross prize, El Ela was named the 2009 Net Champion with net rounds of 65 and 74 for a 139 total. www.wwgolf.biz

ArAbiAn Golf OMAN Open CHAMpIOnSHIp

Oman Open champiOnship a resOunding success

Left: Oman Open Championship winners Ian Morrison and Okki Van Rossem pose with their trophies. AbOVe: H.e. Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy, Minister of Sports Affairs, presents winner Ian Morrison with his prize. AbOVe (top): All the prize winners and officials pose for photographs.

LAST month’s Oman Open Championship was a resounding success with 160 competitors taking part in an historic milestone event for golf in Oman. Ian Morrison won the inaugural event, organised by the Oman Golf Committee, with a superb two-round score of gross 147. Morrison was the Champion of the first Oman Open Championship played on grass at Muscat Hills Golf Club as he finished ahead of 159 other competitors who battled for honours. In addition to Morrison’s overall gross prize there were special net handicap competitions and a special tournament for juniors – with the overall results taken into account when selecting the national teams. In the Ladies’ Gross Division Okkie van Rossem (174) won after fighting off a spirited challenge from the runners-up, Jameela Daud and Minke Gijselman, while the Men’s net title was won by Nasaruddin Mohamad. The Ladies’ Net title went to Rachel Connor with Soumaya Argui of the UAE and Christine Morrison settling for second and third places respectively. In the Junior Division 1, Damian Jilan was the winner with Ahmed Al Balushi and Mohammed Mahrouqy taking the respective second and third place, while the Junior Division 2 winner was Sam Battersby, with

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Hamood Al Harthy Fahad Al Kitani finishing close behind. It was the most important and significant golf competition ever held in Oman, and a testament to the Ministry of Sports Affairs’ commitment to support and accelerate the growth of sport in Oman. Sponsors Oman Gas Company, Synergy, PDO, Southern Golf Oman, and the host club, Muscat Hills, also offered invaluable support and one of the highlights of the championship was the tournament’s first ever hole-in-one, hit by Latif Razek. Later in the evening, the Minister of Sports Affairs, H. E. Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy awarded trophies and medals to the winners while the OGC Chairman, Ali Said Al Bimani commented: “This is the most significant golf competition ever held in Oman and we are thrilled that so many golfers, both professional and amateur, participated. “Following our affiliation to the governing body of golf, The Royal & Ancient, this competition is the first official event to be organised by the Oman Golf Committee in Oman. We are confident that it will become the most prestigious golfing event in Oman and a muchanticipated event in the country’s sports calendar. We also hope that it will encourage more people of all ages to take up the game.”

DIRAB GOLF & COUnTRY CLUB

fahad’s pride in winning al mansOur cup Left: Mansour Cup prizewinners in the Al Mansour Cup Club Championship beLOW: Winner fahad Al Mansour pictured with Khaled Abunayyan, President, Saudi Golf federation.

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.

FAHAD Al Mansour made a fitting tribute to his brother Mansour Al Mansour by winning the Champions of Champions Cup for 2009. The Al Mansour Cup (or Champion of Champions Cup) is named after Mansour, a promising young Saudi golfer and member of the National Team, who died in a car accident and it was with great pride that his brother Fahad took the title. “This is the greatest tournament I have played. It means a lot to me. I feel that a Saudi should win this tournament and you can just imagine how much emotion I felt when I finally won,” he said. Playing in a group with close rival M.S. Kim, Richard Gaas and Saudi veteran, Ali Belharith, the Saudi National Team Coach, Fahad shot a 3-over par 75 to capture the Best Gross prize in ideal golfing conditions to win by an impressive four shots. Korean M.S. Kim took second place ahead of Richard

Gaas in the gross category courtesy of a countback after both players had carded 79. German Jurgen Rehfeld (17) clinched the Best Net title with a 71 with another Korean – DS Kang – finishing second, two shots back, while Gary Richardson took third place with a 74. C.H. Lee topped the Ladies Division with a 71 while newly appointed Dirab Ladies Captain, Flore Bouzanne, finished second on a countback over Eveline Hayler after they both finished with a 76. Junior Saudi Golfer Faisal Salhab nabbed the men’s Longest Drive while Bouzanne won the Ladies prize for the Longt Drive and Rabie Fares shot Nearest the Pin. Prizes were awarded by Khaled Abunayyan, President, Saudi Golf Federation, with Naseer Uddin Siddiqui, Dirab Golf Committee President, and Bouchaib El Jadiani, Dirab Golf & Country Club Manager.

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

sarieddine, lidman, wade and Tannenbaum win rgBB Open THE 2010 RGBB Open Championship took place in early February and the team of Talal Sarieddine, Ronny Lidman, Theresa Wade and Michael Tannenbaum scored a 68 (net 58) to win via a countback from the team of Paul Papanicolau, Spence Hawthorne, Lady Patey and Tom Merkel who carded a gross 69 for a net 58. The tournament, organised by the Riyadh Group of British Businessmen and hosted for the second time by Dirab Golf & Country Club, had two shotgun starts and accommodated a total of 140 players in the 18-hole clambake. All proceeds from the event were donated to the Icing Children’s Charity and Haiti Relief Efforts which were headed by the British Ambassador’s wife Lady Patey and a final cheque was presented to Lady Patey for 250,000sr. Proving a tight battle, the bottom three places in the top five were all decided on a countback with all three teams tying on 58. Each scored a gross 68, with a combined handicap of 10 and taking third place overall was the team of Peter Donkin, Casey Blatch, Richard Davies and Ray Martin. In fourth position were Marty Latimer Cowall, Attila Soki, Rob Stacey and Alison Rogers while Rajput Surinder, Ed Bulkeley, Sile McIlroy and Matt Martin finished fifth. Formed in 1991, the RGBB consists of more than 300 members who strive to develop and improve British Business Interests in the Kingdom.

Pictured left to right: talal Sarieddine, Ronny Lidman, theresa Wade and Michael tannenbaum.

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EVERYTHING YOU WOULD WANT IN YOUR LOckER... AND MORE!

6 sTep Golf lesson RORY McIroy has enjoyed enormous success on the golf course at an extremely young age and he has been coached every step of the way to stardom by Michael Bannon, who discovered him a decade before he burst onto the scene by winning the Silver Medal as leading amateur in the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie. Now Bannon reveals all with his double instructional DVD, ‘6 Step Golf Lesson’. The drills on display aren’t new but they differ in that they are carried out without the ball. “It’s that desperate desire to hit that little white thing that can get in the way for many players,” explains Michael. “We take it out of the equation until they learn how to swing. By the end of the course we want the student to be almost swinging without thinking. Hopefully, this way they will groove a swing that the golf ball will eventually get in the way of.” The first disc includes a computerised version of Bannon’s swing tutorials, which can be practised in the comfort of your own home. The second disc shows Bannon out on the course, working on the techniques with 19-year-old international Victoria Bradshaw. Bannon believes that just 10 minutes practice with these techniques each day for six weeks will give you solid fundamentals that will stay with you for life. www.6stepgolflesson.com

apple ipad

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APPLE’s latest offering, the iPad has been likened by some to a larger version of an iPod Touch for use in the home or office. You can browse the web, read e-books, send e-mails, enjoy photos, watch videos, listen to music, play games. You can also download applications just like you would with an iPhone. New applications include an improved iWork suite where you can create beautifully formatted documents, stunning presentations with animations and transitions, and spreadsheets with charts, functions and formulas. iPad’s 9.7-inch, LED-backlit display features IPS technology to deliver crisp, clear images and consistent colour with an ultra-wide 178 degree viewing angle. The precise Multi-Touch display is surprisingly accurate and responsive whether scrolling web pages or playing games. iPad is available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models and comes in two versions, one with WI-FI and one with WI-FI and 3G. www.apple.com

cool stuff

decisions on The rUles of Golf THE book every serious golfer should own. Decisions on the Rules of Golf is the official R&A and USGA interpretation on the Rules of the game with the latest updates all included. Arguments or uncertainty on the course can be cleared up in a matter of minutes with each Rule printed in full, along with a question and answer section that provides the correct interpretation. Not exactly light reading but an essential piece of kit all the same. www.octupusbooks.co.uk

The Golf docTor aUdioBook THE Golf Doctor, otherwise known as Dr. Stephen Simpson, is the man behind a series of internationally best selling audiobooks which have garnered rave reviews from many who have used them as game improvement tools. Simpson’s calming voice takes the listener through a series of psychological techniques and tells you how to use self-hypnosis and meditation to turn your mind into your strongest weapon on the golf course. Three audiobooks, ‘Confidence,’ ‘Visualisation’ and ’10 Top Mind Tricks’ can be downloaded as MP3s direct from iTunes or CDs can be ordered on Amazon. www.thegolfdoc.co.uk

The slice docTor THE Slice Doctor is an interesting training aid from FirstAid4GolfSlice aimed at ironing out those most common of amateur problems, the hook and the slice. The product is a clear liquid solution that is applied to the clubface to take any adverse spin off the ball. The idea is that players get into AS featured in the Gear pages the groove of hitting the ball of Worldwide Golf February, straight down the target line Trion Z dual bracele ts each time they swing and are worn by many top begin to use the correct set professional golfers to up rather than altering their concentration, prom increase ote set up to try to counteract calmness and ease joint pain. the problem, as is often the The bracelets, which work using case. The whole idea is based magnetic therapy, were named around muscle memory among the top 10 products – teaching your body the at the PGA Tour Me rchandise correct position it needs to Show in Orlando. be in to produce a straight www.trionz.co.uk shot. When the product is removed – it shows up under We ’re giving our reade UV light so you can be sure chance to get your rs the ha your clubs are fully legal for Trion Z bracelet by nds on a answering tournament play – your body the following question: will tell you when you’ve got W ho won last month’s your set-up wrong using Dubai Desert Clas muscle memory. sic? www.theslicedoctor.com

Trion Z BraceleT

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PUT YOURSELF IN HIS SHOES Not short on motivation, Ian Poulter worked his way up from an assistant pro to a top ranked golfer. With a personal mantra of “Look good. Feel good. Play good.” it’s not surprising that he has made his mark as a golf fashion entrepreneur as well. To satisfy his desire for perfection, Ian turns to custom FJ ICON golf shoes. The next achievement in FootJoy’s iconic legacy, these shoes represent the best in style and tour inspired innovation that players have come to expect from the industry leader. Select from a host of different styles which hit the shelves in January. Create your own pair now at www.myjoys.co.uk

Pro Sports International, PO Box 26723, Dubai, UAE. Explore footjoy.co.uk Sign up to The Comfort Zone, our free e-newsletter, at thecomfortzone.info

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

JEAN PAUL GAULTIEr ‘SUPEr’ LE MALE the king of reinvention, Jean paul gaultier, has released the latest in a long line of ‘le male’ limited editions. the scent inside is the original le male but the bottle features a removable key ring superhero ‘g’ tee shirt while the box contains a comic strip about super le male. technical jargon: notes of wormwood, bergamot, cardamom, lavender, orange blossom, cinnamon, cumin, wood, musk, amber, vanilla, tonka bean.

DKNY DELICIOUS CANDY APPLES EDT the new collection in the hugely popular delicious range from donna karan, candy Apples is like the fairground treat it’s named after – sweet, crisp and very addictive. the ripe rasberry limited edition version combines notes of apple, lime, peony, lily and cola accord.

PACO rAbANNE ULTrAvIOLET MAN AFTErSHAvE bALM this luxurious aftershave balm from paco rabanne soothes, softens and moisturises skin that is irritated by shaving while leaving you smelling like a million dollars. technical Jargon: top notes – bergamot, water fruits. heart notes – mint, spices. Base notes – cedar, oakmoss, sandalwood.

PAUL SMITH rOSE SUMMEr EDITION EDT INTENSIvE HYDrATING FOOT LOTION bY MArGArET DAbbS the perfect remedy for sore feet after a long day on the course, intensive hydrating foot lotion by margaret dabbs uses emu oil to penetrate epidermal layers, moisturising, replenishing and revitalising the skin. After use your feet feel illuminated, refreshed and light.

Groom Room

pAul smith has reinterpreted his uplifting rose fragrance to create this new summer variety. this is a light, warm and welcoming scent, easy to wear and bursting with all the fruity and flowery goodness you’d expect from a summer special. technical jargon: top notes – blackcurrant, violet, watermelon, tea. heart notes – tea rose, damas rose, iris. Base notes – amber, white musk, cedar wood.

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

in THE Steve JohnS Head Golf Professional abu dHabi City Golf Club

Q&A Q: When did you first start playing golf? A: at the age of seven - it was not really a fashionable sport back then but my dad had started playing golf on a sand course in saudi arabia where we lived. He managed to join our local club on our return to the uK in the mid 1980s and i followed as a junior member soon after and was hooked on he game. Q: How long have you been in Abu Dhabi and what has been your most memorable golfing moment during that time? A: i’ve been here nearly four years and i have loved every minute of it. My favourite golfing moment is two-fold. Personally, it was shooting level par in the abu dhabi Golf Championship Qualifier in 2008 and just missing out on top spot. Professionally, it has been seeing the standard of golf rising in my pupils, particularly some of my juniors who are progressing very well through our hugely successful Junior school. Q: What was your first set of clubs? A: a half set of cut down slazenger blades and a Wilson 6-wood (a real wood!). looking back, it was not the ideal set for me to be learning the game with but they did the job and got me down to the target handicap of 16 which was set by my dad before he got me a proper set. Q: Who is your favourite golfing hero and why? A: Growing up it was nick faldo. i admired his determination and the way he always seemed to play better under pressure – a testament to his technique and single-mindedness. He was almost like a machine. from a coaching standpoint it is Peter Cowen. i had the pleasure of being instructed by Pete for three years as an amateur and i always seemed to win in the weeks following lessons with him. He was – and still is – an outstanding coach. Q: If you were the head of the R&A, what rule would you change? A: Without a doubt it would be to let players be able to repair spike marks on the green. it is not the player’s fault that someone ahead of them has been careless or heavy footed around the hole.

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