Worldwide Golf - Ernie Els by Worldwide Golf

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Issue 114, April 2010

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ErniE ELS

our man ernie’s back to winning ways after lifting his third WGC title at doral. In great form and full of confidence he’s looking hot for the Masters.

ISBN 978-9948-15-427-3

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PLAYER INTRODUCTION

Good to be back at Fancourt

Worldwide Golf’s Executive Editor

PLAYER

GARY

T’S good to be back at The Links at Fancourt for the first European Senior Tour event to be played in South Africa. The Berenberg Bank Masters has a total purse of €500,000 which is big money for a Senior tournament. It was many years into my career before I played for that sort of prizemoney. The tournament is another example of how golf has now become an international game. Thailand’s Boonchu Ruangkit is bidding for a run of three victories in-a-row on the European Senior Tour, having won the previous two Tour events in Brunei and then Thailand, where he scored the lowest 54-hole total in Senior Tour history with 21-under-par 195, winning by a record 11 shots. When you look at the field, almost every country is represented. In 1997, when England’s Tommy Horton became the last player to win three tournaments back-toback on the European Senior Tour, there were only a handful of international players on the Tour. That year Tommy had six wins on the Tour and topped the Order of Merit for the third time. I played twice on the European Senior Tour that year and won both times. I won the Senior Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, beating my good friend and fellow South African, John Bland, at the second hole of a sudden-death play-off with a 15ft birdie putt. That was my third Senior Open to add to the six Senior Majors I won on the Champions Tour in the States, which made it nine Senior

Majors to match the nine Majors I won on the regular Tour. I was 61 years old when I won at Royal Portrush, which is a tough course in any weather, and the following week I was at the Wentworth Club, my home-from-home in England, where I won the Shell Wentworth Senior Masters. That was a fortnight I will never forget, winning on one of the game’s great links courses and then at one of its great traditional parkland courses – on the Edinburgh Course I helped to design and create. The Links at Fancourt is another course I designed and it was a proud occasion for me when I captained the International Team against Jack Nicklaus’ United States Team at Fancourt in 2003, which ended in a tie when we ran out of light on the final day with the scores level. I recently had the pleasure to oversee the resurfacing of all 18 greens and resculpturing 27 bunkers. The course also hosted the inaugural Women’s World Cup of Golf in 2005 and the South African Open Championship in 2006. The Berenberg Bank Masters has attracted a starstudded field that includes former Ryder Cup captains Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam and a host of former European Ryder Cup players. I’m looking forward to playing the tournament along with my friend and rival John Bland, although at the age of 74 and John aged 64 I will be more than surprised if we find ourselves competing in a play-off for the title as we did at Royal Portrush 13 years ago. n

Left: Gary Player poses with the Senior Open Championship after winning the tournament for the third time at Royal Portrush in 1997. Above: Team Captains Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus shake hands after sharing The Presidents Cup at Fancourt in 2003.

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Contents 4

18 13

Regulars GarY plaYer inTroduCTion ernie els ColuMn WorldWide GolF MidWeek open Clubhouse QuiCkies GreG norMan ColuMn divoTs: neWs iTeMs drivinG ranGe: audi a5 sporTbaCk Gear ross Fisher ColuMn oFFiCial World GolF rankinG GarY plaYer ColuMn raCe To dubai World round-ups TuTorial WoMen’s GolF dubai arabian GolF loCker rooM GrooM rooM in The baG: Club pro

ISSUE No. 114, APRIL, 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

10 uae junior open: UAE Juniors boosted by wasl joining the Saeed and Mohammed Al Naboodah Group as sponsors of the 2010 Junior Amateur Open at Dubai Creek on April 2.

13 alvaro Quiros: WWG Q&A with Spain’s big-hitting James Bond fan. 18 pro GolF iQ: The revolutionary new mind training programme that will have you thinking like a pro in five weeks. Check out the special offer for Worldwide Golf readers! 32 london Travel Guide: Your lowdown to everything England’s capital city has to offer on and off the golf course.

62 adel zarouni Q&a: WWG discusses with the Secretary General of the Emirates Golf Federation the key issues regarding golf in the UAE. 94 job WaTCh: Discover your new career within the golf industry. Dh10; BD1, EGP 15; RO1; QR10; KD1; SR10; £1.95

M Iddle east’ s No . 1 G o lf MaGaz INe

36 Yas links – abu dhabi: A look at the recently opened clubhouse at Yas Links Golf Club. 42 GenWorTh sTaTs: An in-depth look at how each statistic is recorded on The European Tour.

48 dubai CiTY GolF Club: An update on the Thomson, Perrett and Lobb-designed course adjacent to Dubailand.

our man ernie’s back to winning ways after lifting his third WGC title at doral. In great form and full of confidence he’s looking hot for the Masters.

9 789948 154273

Claude harMon iii, assisTinG aMelia: This month Claude Harmon analyses the swing of 10-year-old Amelia McKee.

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

ALVARO QUIROS Q&A DUBAI GOLF CITY YAS LINKS PRO GOLF IQ JUNIOR SWING TIPS DESTINATION LONDON ARABIAN GOLF TUTORIAL TIPS

ErniE ELS

editor: Alex Gallemore publisher: Mike Gallemore senior editor: Richard Bevan editorial assistants: Todd Staszko, James Reeves, Tabitha Florence design Manager: Mark Frain Technical Manager: Mark Collinge

Issue 114, April 2010

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Features

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WWGcolumnist

ErniE Els roared back into form last month, winning the World Golf Championships-CA Championship for the second time in his career with a stunning four-stroke victory over fellow south African Charl schwartzel. The victory at Doral was the three-times Major winner’s first in two years following his 2008 triumph in the Honda Classic which was also in Florida at PGA national.

Back to winning ways

N my March column I wrote how encouraged I was by my early season form on the PGA TOUR. Although things didn’t work out for me in the Accenture Match Play Championship, i quickly turned things around by winning the next World Golf Championships event, the CA Championship at Doral. it’s funny how these things work out. in the previous week’s Honda Classic, a tournament i won only a couple of years ago on a golf course that i tend to play well on, i’d had a pretty rough time and hit the ball very poorly. That was a bit of a shock to the system, to be honest. i just wasn’t expecting it. looking back, i think the strong wind that we had all week really knocked my swing ‘out of whack’. so the day after the Honda i went right back to the drawing board and looked at my basics. All through my career, that’s been the key to my game. When i get my ball position, alignment and posture spot-on i tend to hit the ball great. likewise, when i hit the ball badly it’s those same fundamentals that often let me down. The day after the Honda i played seminole with Johann rupert and lee Westwood in the member/pro event. it was great playing with lee, who’s in great form. i was watching his ball flight and it was amazing. i went back to the Bear’s Club and hit some balls and just before it went dark i found something. i couldn’t wait to get out there and try it. i hit balls until it got dark every day leading up to Doral and by Thursday i had it pretty comfortable. My ball striking was better and

the flight was stronger, too. That was key at Doral, because with the wind blowing hard you had to have control of your golf ball and hit your shots with authority. That’s what i managed to do the whole week and it felt great. The conditions were very similar to when i won there in the Genuity Championship in 2002. i shot 17-under par that week and 18-under par this time around. i’d say it’s one of the strongest performances i’ve produced for several years and i was very satisfied with the way i finished the job off on sunday. i felt very calm, very confident. it was like i used to feel when i was winning a bunch of tournaments earlier in my career – you know, one shot at a time, one hole at a time. This win couldn’t have come at a better time. seriously, it means so much to me. i felt like my game was going in the right direction, but i needed to prove it to myself and there’s no better time to do that than in the fourth round of one of the biggest golf tournaments in the game with everything on the line. it’s a funny thing. My wife, liezl, can tell me to be as positive as i can. Chubby (Chandler), can say it, so can Bob rotella and ricci (roberts) but in the end i had to trust myself and trust the work i’d been doing. A lot of people have said that the older you get the more difficult it becomes to win. it’s true. i’m 40 years old now and, you know, it feels like in my twenties i had so many chances to win and i didn’t quite take them. now that i’m older i don’t get as many

“I’ve known Charl sInCe he was a young kId and he stayed wIth us at our home In JupIter durIng the tournament. we had a few nICe ConversatIons over dInner but If he’d won he would have been stayIng In the garden on sunday nIght.” – ErniE Els 4

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chances to win. so you’ve got to try and take them when they come. Playing with Charl schwartzel was pretty cool and a great story for south African golf. Charl came at me all day and although he drew level at the 10th i managed to get ahead again and stayed there. i’ve known Charl since he was a young kid and he stayed with us at our home in Jupiter during the tournament. We had a few nice conversations over dinner but if he’d won he would have been staying in the garden on sunday night. When we started the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation Charl was an affiliated member with us and travelled with the team. What he’s done since then has been fantastic and, of course, it’s a huge inspiration to all the other kids at the Foundation. On sunday at Doral we both made a ton of birdies and were kind of going at it head-tohead. it was a lot of fun. Obviously, i was pleased to win, but i was pleased

ErniE Els’ good Early form in 2010.

By winning the $1,022,353 first prize in the World Golf Championships-CA Championship – his 63rd professional title – Ernie moved to the top of the career money list on The European Tour with €24,473,052. Ernie’s victory also took him back into the Official World Golf Ranking Top 10, a place where he has spent more weeks – 759 now – than any other player since the world ranking started in 1986.

“our son, ben, was exCIted when he saw the vIdeo of my wIn at doral and so was our daughter samantha. ben loves to watCh me praCtICe and when I go to the bear’s Club he always Comes out and gets on the range and trIes to hIt a Couple of shots hImself. he Just loves beIng on the Course wIth me. ” – ErniE Els www.wwgolf.biz

WWGcolumnist

for Charl, too. He’s a great kid and i think everyone on the PGA TOUr is going to see a lot more of him in the years to come. Anyway, i had a few days to enjoy the win. Then it was back down to some hard work because at the end of the day that’s the winning formula. My motivation has never been lacking, but i feel like my formula is good now and it’s nice to see it paying off. We’re very settled with our base in America. i haven’t travelled that much this year and i think that’s helped me stay a bit fresher than i have been in the past couple of seasons. All in all, i feel really good, mentally. i’m more excited about my whole game than i’ve been in a long time. My putting has turned around and my short game is sharp. i feel like i can have a really good year, which is why i’m working so hard on getting my mechanics right, because, as i said, mentally i’m in a good place right now and if you get the mind and body working together you can really get some good stuff happening. The day after my win at Doral we hosted the 2010 Els for Autism Charity Pro-Am at PGA national. last year we raised over $600,000 for our foundation and this year we went even better, raising almost $900,000, an incredible effort. it was a fantastic day supported by amateur golfers, sponsors and some of the world’s best players including Jack nicklaus, steve stricker, robert Allenby, stuart Appleby, Fuzzy Zoeller, Adam scott, Justin leonard, rory sabbatini, Justin rose, ray Floyd and Charl. Actually, it turned out to be a ‘million dollar week’ for the Els for Autism Foundation because liezl hosted her annual Tea Party at our home in West Palm Beach, which raised another $100,000. none of this would have been possible had it not been for the generous people who donated their time, effort and their money. i’m grateful to everyone who took part and it’s a great feeling to know that the Els Centre of Excellence is going to become a reality. Our son, Ben, was excited when he saw the video of my win at Doral and so was our daughter samantha. Ben loves to watch me practice and when i go to the Bear’s Club he always comes out and gets on the range and tries to hit a couple of shots himself. He just loves being on the course with me.

“all CredIt to ernIe, he played flawless golf today. whenever anyone makes sIx bIrdIes and no bogeys on a wIndy day lIke thIs, you’re almost bound to wIn. I thought I played really good, gave a good Charge – I was on hIs heels all the tIme.”

– Charl sChwartzEl “I’d say wInnIng the Ca ChampIonshIp Is one of the strongest performanCes I’ve produCed for several years and I was very satIsfIed wIth the way I fInIshed the Job off on sunday.” – ErniE Els

“thIs wIn Couldn’t have Come at a better tIme. serIously, It means so muCh to me. I felt lIke my game was goIng In the rIght dIreCtIon, but I needed to prove It to myself and there’s no better tIme to do that than In the fourth round of one of the bIggest golf tournaments In the game wIth everythIng on the lIne.”

– ErniE Els if you’re interested in finding out more about autism or you’d like to make a donation, please visit my website where there’s a dedicated section. After the Els for Autism Charity Pro i had another taste of success when i captained the lake nona Team to a successful title defence against Mark O’Meara’s isleworth Team in the Tavistock Cup. it was another great event and gave me more opportunity to work on getting my ball flight perfect for The Masters. i can go to Augusta with a lot more confidence.

Returning to Wentworth i’m really excited about returning to Wentworth to play the BMW PGA Championship on the new-look West Course on May 20-23. Obviously, i’ve been back to the Club quite a few times while the renovation work was taking place, most recently in December, so

i know how fantastic the golf course looks. That will be my first tournament in the UK this year. We’ve been working on the course for the past four years and the quality of the workmanship is as good as you’ll see anywhere in the world. i’m expecting the new greens to be a dream to putt on. Playing it in tournament conditions is going to be very special. Everyone knows how special Wentworth is to me. We still have our house there. it was an honour to be given the responsibility of renovating this classic course and bringing it into the 21st century. At Ernie Els Design we’re proud of what we’ve achieved and i think we’ve succeeded in making a great golf course even better – a real test for the best. Also i’m really looking forward to getting feedback from my fellow tour professionals. To be honest, i think they’re going to love it. www.wwgolf.biz

WWGcolumnist

WGC-CA Championship ErniE’s first Tour win for two years was a study in consistency. An opening round 68 left him one shot behind fellow south African Charl schwartzel but a second round 66 gave him the lead and he never let go, although Ernie’s protégé levelled with his mentor seven times over the four days before finishing runner-up, four shots behind. Three strokes further back, sharing third place, were German Martin Kaymer, American Matt Kuchar and ireland’s Padraig Harrington, whose closing 72 was never going to give him a chance on a day of low scoring. The 25-year-old rising star schwartzel could never get his nose in front although he did draw level on the 10th on the final day. The crucial moments came on the 14th and 15th. First Els saved par from 24 feet to stay one in front and then again when both players were bunkered at the short 15th with schwartzel’s ball plugged. While schwartzel went from one bunker to another Els got up and down to move two ahead.

schwartzel missed an 11 foot birdie attempt at the 16th after almost hitting the flagstick with his approach and when he made bogey as Els picked up his sixth shot of the day at the 17th, his challenge was over. “All credit to Ernie, he played flawless golf today,” said schwartzel. Whenever anyone makes six birdies and no bogeys on a windy day like this, you’re almost bound to win. i thought i played really good, gave a good charge – i was on his heels all the time. “i got tied with him after ten. And then it was close all the way, and he made a big save on 14. it’s a turning point, but in my mind, still one shot in it. i felt like i hit a good shot on 15, but the wind slightly turned on me, ball came up short and plugged, and that was a bit of a killer blow.” northern ireland’s Graeme McDowell matched Els’ spectacular closing 66 to share sixth place with England’s Paul Casey, spaniard Alvaro Quiros, American Bill Haas and Australian Alistair Presnell. n

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Leading Europeans, Ireland’s Padraig Harrrington (1) and Germany’s Martin Kaymer (2) finished tied for third with America’s Matt Kuchar (3). Just one shot further back was Paul Casey (4) along with fellow European’s Graeme McDowell and Alvaro Quiros. The European Tour players are starting to find their form and the battle for Ryder Cup places will give Colin Montgomerie an impressive line up to choose from.

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wasl joins the Al Naboodah Group in sponsorship of 2010 Junior Amateur Open JUNIOR GOLF in the UAE has received a huge boost with wasl (Dubai Real Estate Corporation and owners of Dubai Golf) joining the Saeed and Mohammed Al Naboodah Group in the sponsorship of the 2010 Junior Amateur Open at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club on April 2. wasl has matched Al Naboodah’s sponsorship to help create an even bigger and better Championship with 30 juniors competing, ranging from 11-18 years old. There will be three divisions on the day: DIV A – handicaps 0-14 playing off the blue tees; DIV B – 15-28 off the white tees and the Girls Division off the red tees. The overall tournament is a gross format with the Division prizes decided by net scores. The Championship was launched in 2001 and among the winners are Dubai Nationals Nabil Sharif, who won the inaugural event, and the 2007 Champion, Khalid Yousuf. Abdullah Al Naboodah, who has inspired and sponsored the Junior Open since 2008, commented: “This is an enormous benefit to junior golf in the UAE. The involvement of wasl as a joint sponsor of the Championship will help us take it to a higher level. It was a big step to take in introducing the Junior Open

and it has proved to be a great success. We are already witnessing the effect of the event with Joel Neale’s triumph last year and Matthew Turner’s victory in 2006 – helping both players to embark on a professional career in golf. With the support of wasl we can look forward to a great future for the Championship and to further promoting junior golf in the region.” A delighted Hesham Abdullah Al Qassim, wasl Chief Executive Officer, added: “wasl is proud to sponsor the 2010 Junior Amateur Open alongside the Al Naboodah Group. Over the last two years with Al Naboodah’s support it has become the premier Junior Amateur Open event in the UAE and with wasl’s added support this year it will no doubt be the best. “We have been able to significantly reduce the entry fee to add more value to the event and ensure all the juniors with a valid handicap can afford to take part. Junior Golf Development is very important for the future of golf in the UAE and at our two wasl-managed courses, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Emirates, we have hundreds of youngsters learning the game under the helpful guidance of our PGA Professionals. “I am sure it will be a thrilling event as proved over

Left to right: Abdullah Al Naboodah, Sohail Al Marzuki, Hassan Al Musharrekh, Faisal Al Marzuki and Hesham Abdullah Al Qassim, CEO wasl, pictured at the Dubai Creek announcement.

recent years and I look forward to seeing who will be crowned champion for 2010.” Matthew Turner and Joel Neale, winners in 2006 and 2009 respectively, are ineligible to compete this year as they are over the entry age of 18 but among the wealth of talented youngsters competing for the most prestigious prize in junior golf in the UAE are the talented Faisal and Sohail Al Marzuki and Hassan Al Musharrekh.

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MIDWEEK OPEN at Tower Links GC, May 6 THE Worldwide Golf Midweek Open will make its debut in Ras Al Khaimah next month when Tower Links Golf Club hosts the event on Thursday May 6th. The WWG Midweek Open is an Individual Stableford event for male and female golfers with an official handicap. The entrance fee includes access to the practice facility prior to play and to the locker rooms plus a light buffet presentation dinner at close of play (beverages are at individuals’ expense). To enter fill out the entry form below and fax it to Tower Links Golf Club with your credit card details on 07 228444. If you do not wish to use your credit card, payment can be made direct to Tower Links Golf Club. Payment in advance is required to book your place in the competition. Advance fees paid by players

who fail to turn up to compete will not be refunded. Money will be refunded if cancellation is received within 48 hours notice as it will allow those on the waiting list the chance to participate. Entry fee AED260, which includes Green Fees, shared Golf Cart, Event Shirt, Range Balls, Tournament Prizes, Buffet and the Prize Presentation. Only players who are registered with the Emirates Golf Federation are eligible to play in the Worldwide Golf Midweek Open. Those not registered with the EGF please contact the EGF on 04 3684988 or visit the EGF website www.emiratesgolffederation.com to apply.

Date: Thursday, 6th May 2010; Venue: Tower Links Golf Club Ras Al Khaimah; Time: 1.00pm Shotgun Start; Format: 18 Holes Strokeplay Full Handicap Allowance; Tees: Men – Blue, Ladies – Red; Entry Fee: AED 260.00. The field will be filled on a first come, first served basis. Please fax your entry to Tower Links Golf Club on 07 228444. Name:

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License To Thrill Richard Bevan talks to AlvARo QuiRos, the stylish spaniard whose Thunderball drives set pulses racing around the golfing world.

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AlvAro

Quiros

PAiN’s Alvaro Quiros is one of the most exciting players in world golf. The biggest hitter on the planet, he’s got a gargantuan personality to match and he’s fast gaining a global army of fans for his infectious smile and charisma as well as his scintillating brand of no-holds-barred golf. He loves the Middle East and has been on fire the last two years running at the Qatar Masters, winning the 2009 event and taking the runner-up spot in this year’s tournament. He turned Doral’s ‘Blue Monster’ into a mouse when he typically emerged at the top of the World Golf Championships-CA Championship driving distance chart, averaging a mammoth 316.9 yards over all four rounds and a scarcely believable 354.5 yards in the second round. Having finished tied sixth at Doral for his best result in a WGC event the inimitable spaniard is full of confidence heading for Augusta National and the Major Championship season.

WWG: You’re the biggest hitting player in the world and this was underlined again by the phenomenal distance you generated at the WGC-CA Championship. From a technical point of view, what is the key to the distance you’re able to achieve and how can the rest of us improve in this area? AQ: Well, I have to be honest – with your arms you’re not going to have much luck in that department! Seriously though, a wide swing and a lot of speed should help you. WWG: Have you always been a big hitter or is it something that you’ve worked hard to improve on? AQ: It came naturally after a few years of playing. It’s like everything else in life and golf, some players are better at certain things and I just happen to be a guy who hits it a long way. WWG: What work do you do in the gym to help with your game – talk us through a typical session? AQ: That’s quite easy for me because, actually, I don’t do much work in the gym at all. I’m trying to get into the habit of doing more but I’d much rather play football on the beach! WWG: How do your Callaway clubs contribute to the distance you create – what features do they have that help you? AQ: I’ve been working with Callaway for many years and the technicians who are helping me have been fantastic. Together we have found a way to make up a driver that gives me much more confidence. It’s all about how we can make the shaft work with the clubhead. I love the new designs with regards to the Callaway drivers so in 14

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the end it’s really all about making the shaft work for me. WWG: Do you get tired of people talking about how far you hit the ball when you are clearly also a very good all round player? AQ: No – why should I? WWG: Fair point! How are you feeling about your game heading into a vital part of the season – what have you been working on? AQ: Well, actually, the biggest area of my game that I’ve been putting some time into is my attitude. Apart from that, I believe my short game is very important to me wherever I may be playing so I am spending a bit of extra time around the greens at the moment. WWG: You must be pleased with your tied sixth at the WGC-CA. You managed to tame Doral and now there’s Augusta National approaching – another course that favours big hitters. How confident are you that you have the game to win a Major or a WGC? AQ: It’s all part of an overall process. When I win, I win. I always try my best to do whatever I can to win every tournament I play. But, in all honesty, I didn’t think I played great at Doral but, there again, it shows you how important attitude is and how much it can help! WWG: What does the number of European Tour players making up the top 10 at Doral say about both The European Tour? AQ: It tells you that The European Tour guys are doing really well. I don’t think you can read anything more out of that other than that Europe had a good week.

WWG: With no Tiger at the moment and John Daly out of the limelight could the U.S. game do with some characters – have you been tempted to play in the States more regularly? AQ: Again, it’s part of a process. Tempted is probably the wrong word but I will for sure play more in America when the time is right. However, I must say I do enjoy playing all over the world and I do see myself playing everywhere. That is the beauty of this game - it takes you to pretty much every part of the world, which is great. WWG: You always look like you’re having fun on the course and have gained a reputation as one of the game’s outstanding characters. How important is it to stay relaxed and have fun during a round? Does it help your game? AQ: For me, staying relaxed and enjoying my golf sure helps my game. I believe that life should be enjoyed – shouldn’t it? Golf is just a part of life for me – so there you go. But I accept that everyone is different. WWG: What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you on the golf course? AQ: Winning golf tournaments is sure fun. I don’t recall any particular funny incident. I try to have fun every day whatever I’m doing. WWG: You had a strong result at the Dubai Desert Classic this year and came so close to successfully defending your title in Qatar. What is it you love so much about playing in the Middle East? AQ: The tournaments we play on the Middle East Swing are all very well run and I like the courses. They set up good for my eye. Some weeks they just seem easier than others.

MICHAEL CAMPBELL MICHAEL CAMPBELL

WWG: Having played Greg Norman’s Earth course at the Dubai World Championship what do you think is the key to success? AQ: Hitting long, straight drives! WWG: You played Abdullah Al Naboodah’s Invitational event last year. What did you make of the tournament and of his efforts in growing the game in the Middle East? AQ: Clearly Abdullah is doing a lot for the game in the Middle East. Thanks to the efforts of him and others I hope and believe that we will be seeing players from the region playing on The Tour before very long.

WWG: How much is The Ryder Cup on your radar this season and what would it mean to you to make Monty’s team? AQ: The Ryder Cup is one of the best events out there and we all grew up watching it and living it. So clearly it is of great importance to me to try to make the team. WWG: You’re a fan of James Bond, what do you love so much about those films and who is your favourite Bond? AQ: He is elegant and has a lot of style. It’s as simple as that. Sean Connery is my favourite 007 but I also like the Pierce Brosnan Bond movies.

Spain’s big-hitting Alvaro Quiros in action in the World Golf Championships-CA Championship on ‘the Blue Monster’ at Doral, where he was firing on all cyclinders with the driver, averaging 354.5 yards off the tee during the second round. His 10-under par total of 278 (4-under in his final round) earned him a tie for sixth place – his best result in a WGC tournament.

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clubhouse quickies

PLAYER quotEs JokEs woRd of thE month CARtoons

Heavenly shot Moses, Jesus, and an old bearded man were out playing golf one day. Moses pulled up to the tee and drove a long one. It landed in the fairway but rolled directly toward a water trap. Quickly, Moses raised his club, the water parted and it rolled to the other side safe and sound. Next, Jesus strolled up to the tee and hit a nice long one directly toward the same water trap. It looked to land directly in the centre of the pond but it didn’t sink – it hovered on the water. Jesus casually walked out on the pond and chipped it up onto the green. The third guy got up and randomly whacked the ball. It headed out over the fence and into oncoming traffic on a nearby street. It bounced off a truck and hit a nearby tree. From there it bounced onto the roof of a shack and rolled down into the gutter, down the pipe, out onto the fairway and right toward the aforementioned pond. On the way to the pond, it hit a little stone and bounced out over the water and onto a lily pad where it rested quietly. Suddenly, a very large bullfrog jumped up on the lily pad and snatched the ball into his mouth. From there an eagle swooped down and grabbed the frog and flew away. As they passed over the green, the frog squealed with fright and dropped the ball which bounced right into the hole for a beautiful hole-in-one. Moses turned to Jesus and said: “I hate playing with your dad.”

Golfer Tommy BolT was renowned for his furious Temper on The Golf course. durinG one TournamenT he had six consecuTive lipouTs on The Greens. “why don’T you come down here,” he shouTed, while shakinG his fisT aT The sky, “and fiGhT like a man!”

Mistaken identity A man staggered into a hospital with a concussion, multiple bruises, two black eyes, and a five iron wrapped tightly around his throat. Naturally the doctor asked him, ‘What happened to you?’ ‘Well, I was having a quiet round of golf with my wife, when at a difficult hole, we both sliced our balls into a cow pasture.’ We went to look for them and while I was looking around I noticed one of the cows had something white at its rear end.’ ‘I walked over, lifted its tail, and sure enough, there was a golf ball with my wife’s mark on it – stuck right in the middle of the Cow’s’ bum.’ I held up the cow’s tail up and yelled to my wife, ‘Hey, this looks like yours!’ ‘I don’t remember much after that...’ 16

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WORD

OF the MONth... Needle: taunting or teasing your opponent during a round is sometimes known as giving them ‘needle’. a good ‘needler’ can get right under the skin of his competition.

DiD yOu kNOW?

as LiGHt as a FeatHeR Nike Golf once sent Tiger Woods a batch of five prototype drivers to test out. When he reported back he said he liked the heaviest one best. This brought considerable confusion among the people at Nike who believed that each driver weighed exactly the same. The company promptly performed some additional tests and found that the driver Woods preferred did outweigh the others – by an amount equivalent to two dollar bills.

DuO SHOOT ‘TILL THe LIGHTS Are OuT In November 2002 Colin Montgomerie and Bernhard Langer took the unusual step of sharing the title at the Volvo Masters at Valderrama in Spain. The pair finished on 3-under-par through 72 holes and after two holes of sudden death they still couldn’t be separated. They both agreed to tie the tournament because the course had gotten so dark that car headlights were being used to light the green!

Henry Cotton was once the subject of a surprising interruption during the dunlop Masters. He was lining up his putt on the 18th hole when a man walked out from the crowd and across the green. shocked by this stunning breach of etiquette Cotton straightened up and watched as the man strode up to his caddie Barnes and handed him a summons for falling behind on his alimony.

“I would like to deny all allegations by Bob Hope that during my last game of golf I hit an eagle, a birdie, an elk and a moose.” – Gerald ford “Columbus went around the world in 1492. That isn’t a lot of strokes when you consider the course.” – Lee Trevino

too RouGH to take Jim Thorpe surprised organisers of the 115th Open Championship at Turnberry in 1986 when he arrived at the course the day before play and stated: “Man, that rough is so rough it’s not my ball I’m worried about losing, it’s my caddie!” He went on to miss the cut at 16-over-par after rounds of 77 and 79.

THAT SINkING feeLING Craig Stadler was once asked why he had started using a new putter. “Why am I using a new putter?” he replied. “Because the other one did not float too well!”

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MIND CONTROL PRO GOLf IQ – The RevOLUTIONARY TRAINING PROGRAMMe ThAT WILL hAve YOU ThINkING LIke A PRO IN fIve WeekS.

HERE is a new training programme taking Australia, the U.S. and Europe by storm and it is Worldwide Golf’s pleasure to introduce it to Middle East golfers for the first time. The Pro Golf IQ programme is making headlines all around the world. Australian Tour professional Terry Price has hailed it as a groundbreaking development for the golf industry and one that will significantly decrease the traditionally mammoth gap between the amateur and professional game. Thousands of golfers, young and old, around the world have cut their handicaps significantly after completing the programme while many coaches have begun using it with their students as a mandatory accompaniment to physical lessons. CNN’s Living Golf in the U.S even featured it recently and gave the programme a glowing report. The company behind it are so confident in its success they are offering consumers a ‘money back’ guarantee. So what’s it all about? The five-week Pro Golf IQ programme was developed by Australian business partners Chris Steffe and Peter Nicholson using the innovative

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techniques of renowned sports and behaviour expert Dr Jason Gregg. The thing that sets the programme apart from the countless other mental training aids out there is that there isn’t any psychology for you to learn – there’s no science babble for you to get bogged down in. Pro Golf IQ works using a patented technique called ‘interhemispheric synchronic mediation’ (ISM). The three-times per week 30-minute sessions involve listening to multi-layered tracks of voice and sounds to re-programme the way the left analytical side of the brain and the right creative side of the brain talk to each other. Most amateur golfers only use the left brain when playing, meaning they get bogged down in mechanics and negative thoughts. What the Pro Golf IQ system teaches you to do is to bring the right brain into play, creating a more balanced, relaxed and stress-free mental state. Mental freedom “Research proves that the average golfer only uses half the brain when contemplating a shot,” says Nicholson, who slashed nine strokes off his own handicap in three months after using the programme. “Unfortunately, this is the side that is preoccupied with half-remembered tips, advice and repetitive drills – the unwanted noise that clutters the mind and hampers your game. “Professionals use both sides of the brain when setting up, so they can use the creative right side, which deals with rhythm, balance, timing, coordination and imagery. In doing so they achieve perfect mental stability.” Price believes that after completing the programme amateurs will have the ability to remain calm and play with mental freedom in the face of high-pressure tournament situations or on-course hazards in the same way Tour level players do. “Tiger Woods is the perfect example because he is a player who has incredible mental strength under pressure on the golf course. “You see him make those clutch shots and big putts all time…why? Because he is in complete control of his mental state all the time. “So it’s not rocket science when you think about it, but what this programme does is give everyone an opportunity to experience how the pros play golf. “The results speak for themselves.” And it’s not only adults who can benefit from the system, Price believes one of the most exciting aspects of the Pro Golf IQ programme is its potential to develop a whole generation of future stars who have learned how to control their on course mental state before they even reach their teens. “This programme is great for golf clubs and their members but what it can do for junior golf is scary,” he says. One recent success story is 12-year-old Australian junior Connor Reeves, a talented nine-handicapper

HAVE who lacked consistency due to a failure to control is on-course temperament. After completing the programme he learned how to control his thoughts both on and off the course and went on to win the prestigious Under 12 School Sport Australia Championships by five shots. “The first thing Connor’s parents noticed was how happy and relaxed he was around the house, all in a matter of weeks from when he started the programme,” says Connor’s coach Pete Cherret. “Regardless of whether or not he played to his high expectations or not Connor was so at peace with his efforts whereas in the past he would have been moody and frustrated. “What I find amazing is that Connor has had no professional mind coaching, which really says something about the power of Pro Golf IQ. It has helped mould a talented kid into an Aussie champion. “It’s something we’ve never been able to teach our kids in the past and it’s frightening how good our juniors could be with this unique training aid. even pros are seeing positive results after using the programme. Price, a winner of eight titles on the Aussie Tour says: “As we get older the demons set in from bad experiences in the past, but this programme has helped me eliminate all the negative

NO FEAR

“It really Is a must have for anyone who wants to Improve theIr game dramatIcally. – Terry Price thoughts I used to have. It really is a must have for anyone who wants to improve their game dramatically. Pros pay thousands of dollars every year for sports psychologists to get their mind ready for play but this programme allows everyday amateurs an affordable way to gain improvement in their game never thought was possible.” The good news for Worldwide Golf readers is we’ve negotiated a special deal whereby readers will receive a complementary ‘enforcer’ session worth $55 when they buy the main programme. enforcer is a 30-minute add-on programme that enhances all elements of the main programme and is designed to listened to the night before play. Pro Golf IQ can be downloaded directly from the company’s website or a CD version can be ordered for delivery. The manufacturers are so confident that you will see an improvement in your game that they have pledged to give any unsatisfied customers their money back. To purchase your programme and claim your free session of Enforcer visit: www.progolfiq.com and enter the promotional code WWG at checkout.

Get control of your golfing mind and learn to think like a Pro Visit www.progolfiq.com Purchase online today Enter promo code WWG to receive bonus ENFORCER session

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WWGcolumnist

Putting Chinese golf on the map

T’S an exciting and trend-bucking step to launch an event that puts up Asia’s richest individual prize of $1.28 million but the Chu family at Mission Hills, China, are world renowned for their entrepreneurial spirit. For me it’s a great honour to play

comprises 20 professionals, 20 celebrities and 120 amateurs, will be hosted at the new Mission Hills Resort on the southern Chinese island of Hainan, on October 28-31, which will also host the 2011 Omega Mission Hills World Cup. The time is right for Asia to create

tournament as ‘Asia’s premier lifestyle event’ and I congratulate them for their commitment and foresight. The 120 amateurs will play in teams of three with a celebrity or a professional golfer on the first two days of the event in a team scramble format. The weekend play will then

“The celebriTy pro-am, which comprises 20 professionals, 20 celebriTies and 120 amaTeurs, will be hosTed aT The new mission hills resorT on The souThern chinese island of hainan, on ocTober 28-31, which will also hosT The 2011 omega mission hills world cup” – GREG NORMAN in the event and also be one of three ambassadors for the inaugural Mission Hills Star Trophy along with China’s multiple Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Li Ning and Japan’s top comedian and talk show host Akashiya Sanma. I had the great pleasure to join a distinguished line-up of golf industry big-hitters to promote the event at a Press Conference last month at Hainan, which is making every effort to become one of the most popular tourism and golf tourism destinations on the planet. The celebrity pro-am, which

an event that combines both golf and entertainment. The world sees the importance of the China market to their future and will look forward to coming to the Mission Hills Star Trophy. The event is a great way to combine fun with serious golf and help popularise the sport while putting the spotlight on the Mission Hills Resort at Hainan in particular and China in general. The ‘winner takes all’ $1.28 million first-place cheque will ensure that the event is exciting and features highcalibre golf. Mission Hills are promoting the

Paralympic visit It was a great honour to meet up with Australian Paralympic Winter Team last month at their training camp in Vail, Colorado, ahead of the IPC World Cup finals in nearby Aspen. It was good to have had the opportunity to offer my best wishes to the team before they took up the challenge to ski for gold at the Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Among the medal winners in Vancouver were Marty Mayberry, who took silver in the men’s downhill, Cameron Rahles-Rahbula who won bronze in the men’s slalom and another bronze in the men’s super-combined, and Jessica Gallagher who took bronze in the women’s slalom for the visually impaired. 20

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Blackstone course The Blackstone course at Mission Hills Resort Hainan is set on 350 acres of volcanic rock that weaves through a landscape of mature trees, ancient town ruins, lava rock and expansive wetlands. It clocks in at a mammoth 7,777 yards.

be in a four-ball stroke play format between 20 teams, consisting of a celebrity and a professional, with a 36-hole individual professional event running in tandem. Hugh Grant and Matthew McConaughey will be among the movie stars and celebrities teeing it up and included in the male and female professionals competing for the mammoth winner’s cheque are Zhang Liang-wei, 2010 Ryder Cup captains Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin and two of golf’s biggest female superstars, Annika Sorenstam and Se Ri Pak.

Big Break Reality Series I also made a visit recently to the golf course we designed in the Caribbean at Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas, which opened in February and must be one of the most spectacular and picturesque golf courses in the world. I was there to make a surprise guest appearance on the Golf Channel’s Big Break Reality Series. It’s a very popular show that features 11 women golfers competing against each other in a variety of challenges that test their physical and mental strength for the opportunity to make their lifelong wish of playing against some of the best women golfers

in the world. Each week one contestant is eliminated until the last player standing gets her big break. The Big Break has produced a number of champions on the professional Tours, including Kristy McPherson who represented the USA in last year’s Solheim Cup. The contestants have incredible talent and the Big Break is their chance of earning a sponsor’s exemption to play in a 2010 LPGA Tour event and a Ladies European Tour event. I’m delighted that the Golf Channel chose our Sandals Emerald Bay course to stage the Big Break and I can’t wait to watch the series unfold this summer.

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.

Left to right: Zhu Han-song, Vice Mayor of Haikou; Andy Pierce, CAA; Fan Xiao-jun, Vice Chairman of China Golf Association and Director of Department of Culture, Radio Television, Publication and Sports of Hainan Province; Tenniel Chu, Executive Director of Mission Hills China; Greg Norman and Chinese Asian Tour player Zhang Lian-wei at the announcement of the Mission Hills Star Trophy at Mission Hills Resort Hainan.

Greg Norman and Tenniel Chu stand in front of the new three-story clubhouse of the Blackstone course at Mission Hills Resort Hainan.

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DIVOTS Tiger Woods announces his return to action at The Masters TIGER Woods will make his return to competitive golf at The Masters later this month The World No.1 has been out of action for four months following revelations surrounding his personal life but after undergoing therapy for the past two months he is now ready to get back into action at the Augusta showpiece, which he has won four times. “The Masters is where I won my first Major and I view this tournament with great respect. After a long and necessary time away from the game, I feel like I’m ready to start my season at Augusta,” said Woods. “The Major championships have always been a special focus in my career and, as a professional, I think Augusta is where I need to be, even though it’s been a while since I last played. “I have undergone almost two months of inpatient therapy and I am continuing my treatment. Although I’m returning to competition, I still have a lot of work to do in my personal life.” Woods admitted to feeling anxious about his possible reception from the fans at Augusta. “I’m a little nervous,” he said. “It would be nice to hear a couple of claps here and there. But then I hope there are some claps for birdies too.” Woods also revealed that the 45 days of inpatient therapy he has undergone since his multiple extra marital affairs were exposed last November has forced him to confront the character he had become. “I was doing a lot of things that hurt a lot of people,” said Woods, pictured practising at his

Windermere, Isleworth, Florida, home recently . “And stripping away denial and rationalisation you start coming to the truth of who you really are and that can be very ugly. But then again, when you face it and you start conquering it and you start living up to it, the strength that I feel now... I’ve

never felt that type of strength.” Fellow PGA Tour professional Charles Howell III said Woods was, “looking as good as ever” as he spent an hour with Woods prior to setting off to The Honda Classic in Florida in March. “Seriously, he seemed like he was hitting it the same as he ever did,” said Howell.

PGA Tour reaches resolution with Ping in wedge issue

Quote of the Month

PING Chairman and CEO John Solheim has announced that PING will waive its rights that prevent the PGA Tour from prohibiting the use of pre-April 1990 Ping Eye2 irons and wedges that do not meet the 2010 Condition of Competition from being played at PGA Tour professional competitions. The waiver came into effect at the end of March and applies to the PGA Tour, the Champions Tour and the Nationwide Tour. As a result of a request from the USGA, PING will also apply the waiver to the U.S. Open in June. PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem (right) said: “John Solheim and PING had a terrific opportunity to do something very positive and significant for the game of golf and we very much appreciate his willingness to take this action.”

Seve could make St Andrews return SPANISH Golf Federation President Gonzaga Escauriaza has said golf legend Seve Ballesteros is hoping to tee it up at St Andrews to celebrate The Open’s 150th anniversary in July. Ballesteros is among the 32 former champions who have been invited to play four holes in a special tournament on the eve of the Championship. “Seve wants to be on the first tee for the four-hole tournament and will probably be there,” said Escauriaza. “He was doing very well last summer when he started playing again but then he went through radiotherapy and chemotherapy. That weakened him a bit but now he’s started to get better and better. He will be very happy to be there and I’ve met his son and he said he wants to caddie for him.”

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“My attitude is a lot better. Yesterday I really wanted to break every club in the bag, but then I wouldn’t have had a set to play with today, so I’m glad that I didn’t.” - Anthony Kim at The Honda Classic.

NewS SNIppeTS frOm arOuND The gOlfINg glObe

Ruangkit smashes records on European Senior Tour

Ai Miyazato takes HSBC Women’s Champions title for an LPGA double-first

FORMER kick-boxer Boonchu Ruangkit became the first player to win back-to-back titles on the European Senior Tour since Peter Mitchell in 2008, when he won the The Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum and then picked up the Chang Thailand Senior Masters presented by ISPS seven days later. Ruangkit defeated Frankie Minoza in a play-off in Brunei before romping to a record 11-stroke victory in his native Thailand with a 21under-par total – smashing the previous lowest 54 hole total on the Tour by three strokes. Ruangkit joins Kevin Spurgeon (left) as another first-time winner on the European Senior Tour with the Englishman winning the Mauritius Commercialbank Open, the first event of the 2010 season.

JAPAN’S Ai Miyazato won the HSBC Champions last month to become the first LPGA Tour player in 44 years to win the first two events of the season. Miyazato closed with a 3-under-par 69 in Singapore for a two-stroke win over Cristie Kerr to add to her victory at the Honda PTT LPGA Thailand a week earlier.

Two times Champion Olazabal likely to miss The Masters

Abu Dhabi wins Laureus award HIS Highness Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, accepted an honorary Laureus Award on behalf of the emirate in celebration of the UAE capital’s successful hosting of the globally-recognised event. Abu Dhabi’s stature on the world sporting map has grown enormously in recent years with the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship leading the way. Last year saw the opening of the stunning Yas Marina Circuit and the first Abu Dhabi Grand Prix while sports lovers have had a host of other events to feast their eyes on in recent times, including the FIFA Club World Cup UAE, the F1 Powerboating, the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon and the Al-Ain Aerobatic Show. The emirate’s choice as a venue for the Laureus World Sports Award was testament to the great strides Abu Dhabi has made on the sporting front. “There can be few cities in world history which have developed into such a sport powerhouse, as quickly and successfully as Abu Dhabi,” said His Highness, pictured below with Edwin Moses and Boris Becker. The Laureus World Sports Awards – which are widely regarded as the premier honours on the international sporting calendar – celebrated their 10th anniversary in Abu Dhabi and were attended by a wealth of top names from the worlds of sport, film and entertainment.

JOSE Maria Olazábal looks set to miss the Masters Tournament as the two-time champion at Augusta National is again suffering from rheumatism in his arms. Champion in 1994 and 1999, the 44-yearold Spaniard has not played a tournament since October last year and his manager, Sergio Gomez, said it is likely that he will pull out of The Masters. “He has pain in his shoulder, forearms and hands. He can’t swing properly, so we won’t be going,” said Gomez. “He is practising a little bit, but for not much more than an hour. If the new miracle remedies help then he will be back, but traditional medicine is failing.”

Laura Davies becomes the oldest LET winner LAURA Davies became the oldest winner on the Ladies European Tour with a superb two-shot victory over Sarah Kemp at the New Zealand Women’s Open at the age of 46 years and 146 days. “I love to play and love to win – that’s what keeps me motivated,” said Davies, who shot a bogeyfree final round 4-under 68. “India and Portugal are among the few places I’ve been to and not won and if I get a chance to play in South Africa I’d go there.”

Round of the Month TWENTY nine-year-old PGA Tour rookie Derek Lamely shot a course record 9-under-par 63 in the third round of the Puerto Rico Open at The Trump International Golf Club, Rio Grande, en-route to his maiden victory. Lamely’s spectacular round included 10 birdies.

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DRIVING

Audi A5 SportbAck

Styling and Technology >>

RIDE COMFORT PERFORMANCE SPACE BRAKING

Audi A5 Sportback Where elegance meets practicality

THE Audi A5 Sportback combines the best of different automotive worlds. It is as emotional and elegant as a coupe, as comfortable as a saloon, and as practical as an Avant. The Sportback joins the Coupé and Cabriolet as the third member of the A5 model family – and at the same time creates a new segment. With an exciting design, great everyday utility and highly efficient and powerful TFSI, FSI and TDI engines, the A5 Sportback delivers the perfect blend of elegance and practicality.

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DRIVING RIDE COMFORT PERFORMANCE SPACE BRAKING

The A5 Sportback represents a milestone in car design. The five-door coupé excels in its elegant, elongated, sporty profile. The large hatchback fits perfectly into the tail-end styling. The spoiler lip and the diffuser insert provide contrast and emphasise the athletic tautness of the elongated contour. The coupe-like silhouette is the result of a roof section with a long, tapering roofline that is moderately lower by 36 mm (1.42 inches) than the A4 Sedan and of the short overhangs at the front and rear as well as the long wheelbase of 2,810 mm (9.22 feet) and the four frameless doors with their slim, dynamic window styling. The unusual hatchback design is distinctively emblematic of the vehicle’s excellent functionality. With the Sportback, the designers of the Avant are setting trends in tail-end design while combining sportiness, comfort and utility in a completely new way. The unique functional concept in conjunction with the emotion-packed design creates a cutting-edge mix of coupe and Avant. The luggage volume of 480 litres (17.0 cubic feet) nearly equals that of the A4 Avant, and it has an impressive 980 litres (34.6

cubic feet) with the rear seatbacks folded down. The A5 Sportback provides a full measure of comfort on all four seats and convenient entry and exit through every door. Despite the fact that its exterior height is less than that of the A4 Saloon and that its roof tapers at the rear, the Sportback has comparable headroom and legroom. The powerplant of the A5 Sportback is another advance along the path of innovative technologies Audi has been charting: All engines are of the direct injection type – the diesel versions are sophisticated common rail TDI units while the petrol engines are based on the FSI concept. All engines meet the EU5 exhaust emission standard. The diesel versions are equipped with particulate filters The A5 Sportback is available with a choice of two petrol and three diesel engines. The two petrol versions, the 2.0 TFSI quattro with an output of 211PS and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque and the 3.2-litre V6 quattro generating 265PS are both equipped with the Audi valvelift system. This feature can produce more power and higher torque as well as lower fuel consumption.

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Start-stop system The following engines are also available: the 2.0 TDI with 170PS, 350 Nm (258 lb-ft), a 6-speed manual gearbox and start/stop system, the 2.7 TDI with 190PS and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft), and the three-litre V6 TDI with 240PS plus an enormous 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of maximum torque and quattro all-wheel drive. The newly developed ESP control with electronic differential lock on the front axle ensures noticeably improved steering response as on the Coupé and Cabriolet and compensates effectively for change-of-load reactions – which increases driving safety. The perfect addition to this technology package is the Audi drive select dynamic driving system – this allows the driver to choose between three different modes which influences the throttle response characteristics, the shift points for the seven-speed S tronic or multitronic transmissions, and supports the servotronic steering. If the vehicle is equipped with the MMI operating system, a fourth, freely programmable level is also available. Audi drive select can only be ordered in conjunction with one or more of three additional technologies – adaptive shock absorber control, dynamic steering with continuously variable assistance and quattro with sport differential for the 3.0 TDI and 3.2 FSI versions. www.wwgolf.biz

OTwEAR APPAREL BALLs

PLAYER TECHNOLOGY HARdwEAR FO

SRIXON TRISPEED BALL SRIXON’s latest addition to their family of balls is the TRISPEED – a three-piece ball which has been designed to suit a wide variety of golfers. The multilayered design has been engineered to allow players to generate great distance without sacrificing any feel. The TRISPEED benefits from a large core which works in conjunction with the dimple-design to ensure a penetrating ball flight, regardless of how windy it gets.

PING LATITUDE V2 STAND BAG THE Latitude V2 Stand Bag leads the line-up of Ping’s 2010 collection of lightweight bags. An update on the previous Latitude model, the V2 has more features while ensuring its weight is still less than 5.5lbs. It has a six-way divider (compared to the previous four) to make it easier to get clubs in and out, a water-resistant GPS/rangefinder pocket and an insulated water-bottle pouch with drainage holes to get rid of condensation. The golf bag comes in four colour schemes: Black/Graphite/Silver; White/Atomic Orange/ Silver; Black/Royal/Silver; and Grey/Crimson/ Silver.

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Utopia TRX Putters UTOPIA, a small Texas-based company, have introduced their first putters to market – the TXR I and TXR II. All putters are designed, milled, handassembled, painted and polished with company founders and designers, Scott Saunders and Michael Hillis, inspecting them before their release. The company describes the TXR 1 as a “cavity-back blade” and the TXR II as a “heel-shafted cavity-back mallet.” So what’s unique about the design? The ridge in the face. That ridge – a thin leading edge – is what strikes the ball, and the ridge is positioned to strike the ball just above the ball’s equator which gives it immediate forward roll rather than the backspin that most traditional putters start the ball with. An immediate forward roll which they say will eliminate skipping and skidding and help the ball stay on target.

Evolve Golf unveil their ‘online’ tee EVOLVE Golf – the makers of Epoch, The No.1 Performance Golf Tee on Tour – have unleashed their latest model of tees which expand of the technologies found in the original Epoch design. The Epoch-S3 features the same innovation and durability found in the Epoch but incorporates the company’s new Sweet Spot System – an internet application – which will take the guess work out of teeing it up. Players simply enter a make and model of their driver and the recommended depth of insertion is displayed which coincides with the markings on the stem of the tee. “We’re continuing to push the technology envelope with new, eco-friendly products which help improve player performance,” says BJ Maloy, Founder and CEO of Evolve Golf. “The Epoch-S3, in particular, is a leading edge design that significantly cuts back on the needless waste of natural resources caused by wooden tee manufacturing while providing the golfer with an intuitive custom tee height solution for optimising the player’s performance.”

Interchangeable face for the TaylorMade TP xFT Wedge THE latest wedge from TaylorMade comes with “Exchangeable Face Technology” and it means just what it sound like – players can replace a worn clubface of a TP xFT wedge with a brand new clubface without having to buy a new wedge. The TP xFT faces can be removed by loosening two screws on the back of the clubhead using a white R9 torque wrench. A fresh club face – which features a soft, urethane, foam backing secures a tight fit and prevents metal-on-metal contact – is put in place and the screws re-tightened.

Rife score one, two at ANZ Ladies Masters RIFE putters scored a one, two at the ANZ Ladies Masters in Australia when Karrie Webb used her Rife Barbados Black to claim the title for the seventh time after being pushed all the way by Aussie compatriot and fellow Rife user Katherine Hull. Webb’s putting was a feature of a spectacular final round 61 as she roared to a six-stroke victory. When asked about her skill with the short stick she commented, “I’ve worked really hard on my putting so it feels great to know that every time I stand over one I’ve got a good chance of making it.” This victory was the first of the season for a Rife putter on the Ladies European Tour after making significant strides forward in the ladies game in 2009. Rife still holds dear to its policy of not paying any player to use its putters which bears a special testament to the quality of the product when the first and second place players in a tournament choose to play a Rife. With more players on Ladies Tours across the world making the same choice to play a Rife week in week out, the success of Webb and Hull will be sure to be repeated elsewhere in the world very soon.

SWEET SPOT GOLF SWEET Spot Golf is a company which specialises in making distinctively designed golf clubs for women – specifically drivers, hybrids and putters. The brightly coloured markings on the clubhead are not just for show. They make up what Sweet Spot calls the ‘Precision Positioning System’ (PPS) to help golfers with alignment, and PPS is found on all Sweet Spot clubheads. Sweet Spot clubs are available with the PPS markings in many different colours. But Sweet Spot Golf launched its ‘Think Pink’ line, in which the PPS alignment grooves are pink and a portion of each purchase from the ‘Think Pink’ line is donated to America’s National Breast Cancer Foundation. Sweet Spot calls its putter (pictured) the Ax which weighs 362 grams and carries 3º of loft. The drivers, hybrids and putters are also all available in pink.

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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

Multi-Material Design maximises distance and control.

Adjustable Flight Technology optimises ball flight.

Rhombus Face Insert promotes faster ball speeds.

Ian Poulter: Winner of the 2009 Barclays Singapore Open.

WWGcolumnist

Focused on The Masters

Ross Fisher celebrates after playing his part in the victorious Lake Nona team at the Tavistock Cup in Florida last month.

OW that the Florida Swing is out of the way my attention has turned fully to The Masters. Despite the fact that on paper my results in the last two official events I’ve played on the PGA Tour haven’t been great, I’m actually feeling very confident and my swing is in good shape heading to Augusta. I said after my debut there last year that The Masters is an event I feel I have the game to win and my thoughts haven’t changed on that – in fact, the progress I made last season has only strengthened my belief. I led at Augusta after the first round last year and to shoot 33 over the front nine in my first appearance at the tournament was better than I could ever have dreamed of. I finished that opening round bogey-bogey, which was disappointing, but to be able to do that and still hold the lead gives you a lot of belief that you have the potential to do really well there.

Augusta Unfortunately I wasn’t able to hold on to my lead but I hit a lot of fairways and greens all week and to match my opening round of 69 on the Sunday was a great way to finish. I think a 1-under par total and a tied 30th finish wasn’t bad for a first attempt. Obviously, my length off the tee is very useful at Augusta but you’ve also got be very accurate and putt well. I really like the greens there, they seem to fit my eye and they’re incredibly true and pure. That was the main problem for me at Doral in the World Golf ChampionshipsCA Championship. I played fantastic tee to green all week but my putting was very poor and the main problem was that I’m not that used to playing grainy greens like the ones they have there. I don’t have much experience playing on them and it takes some time to adapt. I’ve always struggled with the greens at Doral hence my results there the last few seasons haven’t been the best – I finished tied 45th this year, 46th last year and 34th in 2008. The greens at Augusta have no grain

whatsoever – they’re very similar to those at Finca Cortesin where I won the Volvo World Match Play Championship last season, so hopefully I can putt as well as I did that week in Spain. I was reasonably happy with how I played at the Transitions Championship – my second Masters warm-up event on the Florida Swing – but a few really bad holes over the weekend wrecked my scorecard. I started really well and was tied for second place until I dropped my only shot of the opening round on the 17th and slipped back to tied eighth. I was quite solid all round but I dropped nine shots over four holes on Saturday and Sunday and ended up finishing tied 63rd on 4-over par. If I’d parred those four holes I would have finished tied 13th – a few more birdies here and there and who knows? So I go to Augusta in good spirits. I played in the Tavistock Cup for the first

time as a final Masters warm-up and had a fantastic time. I played for Ernie Els’ Lake Nona Team and we beat Mark O’Meara’s Isleworth Team 17-13. I was happy with the way I played and my contribution to the team, scoring two points out of four. It’s a great event, it really is, and nothing like anything I’ve ever seen before. There’s a great competitive edge between the two sides, but there’s also a huge fun element which we as players don’t get to experience that often. It’s also a good day out for families, and the general community as a whole gets behind the event. Primarily, the Tavistock Group run the event to help support local charities and communities, and they’ve done some outstanding work over the years. It was a nice way to end the Florida Swing of events, and now I can focus completely on my next challenge at The Masters. n

In the know wIth RoSS FISheR

Ross is currently in 24th place in the Official World Golf Ranking and 50th 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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CAPITAL GOLF AND A WHOLE LOT MORE TODAY’S more ingenious golfer has to apply their craft in equal measures off the course and on it. Unless you’re one of the braver breed, who can confront the family with a bland announcement that you’re going off on a golfing holiday with the guys or girls, or you can surreptitiously extend a business trip to include a few rounds of golf, the mere mortal among us have to be a little more cunning and outwardly inclusive. It’s not such a bad compromise to combine a few tourist excursions with an excuse to take in a day trip to the nearby countryside to widen one’s horizons and hit the odd ball or two. London is still one of the most exciting cities in the world and it just happens to have some of the greatest golf courses on the planet within striking distance. For the family there is theatreland; historic landmarks like Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London; and a host of other attractions such as; the London Eye, Madame Tussaud’s, the London Dungeon, an open top bus tour, Downing Street, Covent Garden, Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square and the British Museum. For the shopaholic the choice is limitless: the emporiums of Oxford Street to the designer boutiques of Regent Street and its world famous toy shop, Hamleys, to the high-class establishments of Bond Street and Harrods. For the golfer there are numerous famous courses within an hour’s drive: Wentworth Club, nearby Sunningdale and Foxhills, The Grove, The London Golf Club, The Addington, Stoke Park, Royal Blackheath and Royal Wimbledon. For those of us who enjoy our food and drink and living in the lap of luxury there are some of the finest hotels and restaurants in the world and one major advantage of staying in London is that everything is close at hand.

Wentworth Golf Club Wentworth Drive, Virginia Water, Surrey, GU25 4LS www.wentworthclub.com +44 (0) 1344 84 22 01 Wentworth Golf Club is steeped in history. Follow in the footsteps of great champions like Seve Ballesteros, Gary Player, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer around the three Championship golf courses situated deep in the Surrey heathland. All three courses have renowned tournament pedigree. The West Course is the venue for The European Tour’s flagship event – the BMW PGA Championship – and has hosted The Ryder Cup, while the inaugural Curtis Cup was played on the East Course. The newest addition is The Edinburgh. Designed by John Jacobs in consultation with golfing legends Gary Player and Bernard Gallacher The Edinburgh course hosted the Wentworth Senior Masters for 11 years. Among the Champions were Gary Player, Neil Coles,

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Brian Huggett, Sam Torrance and Edouardo Romero. The West Course has undergone an extensive makeover and was officially re-opened at the end of March. It is one of the most famous golf courses in the UK. The Grove Chandler’s Cross, Hertfordshire, WD3 4TG www.thegrove.co.uk +44 (0) 1923 80 78 07 Located 30 minutes from Central London, The Grove is one the finest new golf courses in England. The greens are maintained to the highest Championship standards all year round and the course is open to players of all levels, due to its multiple tee options. Designed by Kyle Phillips in 2003, The Grove played host to the WGC-American Express Championship in 2006 won by Tiger Woods. The opening nine holes feel like a links course while the back nine have a more parkland appearance with considerably more trees.

London Travel Feature

The Royal Blackheath Golf Club Court Road, Eltham, London, SE9 5AF www.royalblackheath.com +44 (0) 2088 50 17 95 The Royal Blackheath Golf Club is the oldest golf club in the world. Instituted in 1608, the museum in the clubhouse features club trophies dating from 1798 and other items of interest from that era. Over the four centuries the course at Royal Blackheath has evolved from a fivehole gravel-pitted heathland to a relocated and remodelled 110 acre parkland sensation. Narrow tee shots between imposing trees, and drives over foreboding ponds, are just some of the features to this excellently thought-out design.

Sunningdale Golf Club Ridgemount Road, Sunningdale, Berkshire, SL5 9RR www.sunningdale-golfclub.co.uk +44 (0) 1344 62 16 81 The Old Course at Sunningdale Golf Club is a supreme heathland course and one of the true gems of inland courses on the British Isles. The best thing about this classic layout is that you don’t need to be a power player to get around. To fully enjoy The Old Course you need accuracy and good course management. If you go slugging it waywardly off the tee you’ll end up closer to those beautiful pine, birch and oak trees than you’d like! The neighbouring New Course is just as beautiful but more open than the Old Course. The trees do not intrude as much but from the tee the New Course demands some lengthy carries over treacherous terrain to narrow fairways.

The London Golf Club Stansted Lane, Ash, Kent, TN15 7EH www.londongolf.co.uk +44(0)1474 87 98 99 The two Championship Courses at The London Golf Club are beautifully manicured and suit all levels of golfer. Both The Heritage and International Courses were constructed under the watchful eye of Jack Nicklaus and are a purist’s dream. Despite being located next to the famous Brands Hatch race circuit, the courses have a definite links feel to them with wispy shin-high rough lurking just off the fairways and greens. The courses are very open with no tree-lined fairways so if the wind blows, getting around in par becomes an even greater task. The course hosted The European Open in 2008 and 2009. The Addington Golf Club Shirley Church Road, Croydon, London, CR0 5AB www.addingtongolf.com +44 (0) 2087 77 10 55 The Addington Golf Club is situated on an ideal site for 18 holes of top quality golf and not far from the city centre. The course meanders through mature pine and birch trees, which create a feeling of intimacy and isolation, yet the course still affords generous views of the capital from hilltop tees like that at the 14th. The course will challenge and excite golfers of all abilities and with no one hole the same The Addington ensures players will need to pull off every shot in the book to navigate their way round this superb golf course.

Foxhills Resort Longcross Road, Ottershaw, Surrey, KT16 0EL www.foxhills.co.uk +44 (0) 1932 70 44 65 Foxhills, located close to Wentworth and Sunningdale on Surrey’s sand belt strip, features two Championships courses and a superb nine-hole course to hone your short game. The Bernard Hunt Course is named after Bernard Hunt, MBE, who was the first Head Professional at Foxhills, holding the title for 25 years. He still teaches at the club after a career on The European Tour, which included 30 victories and 10 appearances in The Ryder Cup. It is a serious test for the club golfer while the other 18-hole layout – The Longcross – is considered one of the very best examples of a tree-lined Surrey course as it winds through pine, beech and silver birch trees. Royal Wimbledon Golf Club 29 Camp Road, London, SW19 4UW www.rwgc.co.uk +44 (0) 2089 46 21 25 Located just a well-placed serve away from the famous All England Tennis Club lies a gem of a golf course inside the M25 circle. Willie Park laid out the Royal Wimbledon course at its present location in 1907 with a redesign from Harry Colt coming in 1924 at a cost of £7,000 and it is this layout that is so fondly enjoyed by members and guests alike. The course is a tough test with narrow, tree-lined fairways running to a 6,348-yard par 70 layout and the foundations of a good score will be built on the front nine. All the par 4s are particularly challenging; the short holes are testing and the greens fast but true. The course always presents a fair but stern test of golf for all levels of golfer. Stoke Park Golf Club Park Road, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, SL2 4PG www.stokeparkclub.com/golf +44 (0) 1753 71 71 71 Set within 350 acres on the outskirts of London and just eight miles from Heathrow Airport lies 27 spectacular holes which make up the golf course at the Stoke Park Country Club & Resort. Originally two sets of nine holes designed by Harry Colt, an additional loop of nine was built in 1999 to offer players something different on each visit. The course is wide and lush but drives to the fairways must be accurate otherwise approach shots to the large and superbly manicured greens become tough. The clubhouse, which is an 18th Century mansion designed by James Wyatt – architect to George III – is a stunning focal point and has been featured in two James Bond films, Goldfinger and Tomorrow Never Dies.

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The London Eye Since it launched in 2000 The London Eye has become one of the city’s most iconic landmarks and has won a string of national and international awards. We were lucky enough to visit on a clear day and the views were spectacular with all the city’s landmarks visible. There are 32 capsules in total – one for each of London’s boroughs – and they are numbered 1-33 with No.13 left out for good luck. Each capsule can hold 25 people and a trip consists of one full rotation of the wheel, which takes approximately 30 minutes. There is also currently a 4-D cinema experience included in the ticket price,. It’s well worth a visit. Having gained a bird’s eye view of the city we then got an alternative view by taking The London Eye River Cruise. The Tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable as well as entertaining. Most of London’s history was built on the Thames and the cruise takes in virtually everything of interest. By Richard Bevan www.londoneye.com

Off course. While London has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the number of world class golf courses within easy reach it also has some of the world’s biggest tourist attractions and landmarks, as well a host of wonderful hotels and restaurants to keep the whole family happy. A good starting point would perhaps be an open top bus tour around the city, which will take you past all the well known landmarks and allow you to hop on and off as many times as you like. The best way to enjoy the Tour is to buy a weekend ticket and break it up into sections. The key to getting the most out of your trip to London is not to try and do too much at once. Pick a few attractions or sights that you want to see and stick to them. As well as the more established favourites there are also some new attractions that are proving hugely popular with visitors and Worldwide Golf went to check some of them out.

Ripleys Believe It or Not Robert Leroy Ripley was an eccentric newspaper cartoon strip writer from the U.S. who specialised in writing about weird and wonderful objects and people from around the world in the 1920s-1940s. An insatiable traveller, he built up a huge collection of bizarre objects which he exhibited in museums called ‘Odditoriums’. There are now 30 Ripleys Believe it or Not Odditorriums around the world featuring exhibits so strange they have to be seen to be believed. We visited the Ripleys in Piccadilly Circus. Our favourites among the five floors of exhibits were the Marilyn Monroe section, housing over 40 of her personal belongings and a Mini Cooper covered in more than a million Swarvoski crystals! By Richard Bevan www.ripleyslondon.com

Theatreland

London’s West End is the most famous theatre district in the world. If a show is worth seeing, you’ll find it playing in the West End. From classics like Les Miserables, Cats, Oliver and Phantom of the Opera to any number of modern shows and plays, you can’t fail to find a production to suit your taste. Sister Act One of the most popular current productions is Sister Act The Musical. Based on the 1992 film comedy starring Whoopi Goldberg, who is the show’s executive producer, Sister Act The Musical tells the story of club singer Deloris Van Cartier, who is forced to hide out in a convent after witnessing her gangster husband commit murder. The show had us rolling in the aisles with laughter while the singing and music on display was both infectious and brilliant. By Richard Bevan www.sisteactthemusical.com 34

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Jersey Boys We had a fantastic night out watching Jersey Boys. As an old timer, I remember all the Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons hits from my youth and they’re all performed in rip roaring fashion during this great show. From the group’s tough New Jersey beginnings to brushes with The Mob, dalliances with the opposite sex and eventually superstardom, the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons is intriguing and captivating while the stream of instantly recognisable songs fit perfectly into the plot. By Mike Gallemore www.jerseyboyslondon.com

London Travel Feature

Hotels Swissôtel The Howard I remembered the Howard as an oldfashioned Edwardian-style luxury hotel with ornate marble floors and spectacular ceilings. Under the new ownership of Swissôtel it has a livelier, modern appearance but the feeling of opulence has not been forfeited. The bedrooms are magnificent. Our room had wonderful views downriver that took in St. Paul’s Cathedral and Tower Bridge and upriver, the London Eye, the Millennium Bridge and Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. The staff were courteous and helpful. The food was excellent and the bars and lounges were inviting and comfortable. There is a Swiss Cottage-style lounge and dining area, which comes as a big surprise until you remember that this is a Swissôtel. There is also a ‘hidden garden’ outdoor lounge which is ideal when the weather is fine and the Rooftop Terrace with its spectacular views over the river. Swissôtel are soon to open two new hotels, one in the holy city of Makkah near

Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and another in the new and fast developing city district of Rajarhat in Kolkata, India. “Since we are at home in so many parts of the world, we are especially pleased that we will now be represented in the Middle East as well,” commented Meinhard Huck, President Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts. “We will definitely look into further opportunities for expanding our business in this market in the future.” By Mike Gallemore www.swissôtel.com

The Athenaeum Hotel & Apartments I was immediately impressed with the stylish décor and character of The Athenaeum. Situated in Mayfair and perfectly located for Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Theatreland and a host of other landmarks, this family run boutique style hotel has bags of personality. The place is immaculate and the recent refurb by award-winning interior designer Martin Hulbert of Fox Linton is contemporary and vibrant yet tasteful with lashings of quintessential ‘Cool Britannia’, like mini red London buses, and a wall of ‘Cockney Pearly Kings and Queens’ pearl buttons, on display. Another striking feature as far as the exterior of the hotel is concerned is a ‘living wall’ designed by renowned botanist Patrick Blanc. The wall features some 260 species of plants from all around the world, which snake up 10 floors of the hotel and are able to grow without soil using a unique selfirrigation process. We stayed in a good sized double room

with a wonderful view of Green Park opposite. The room was, like the rest of the hotel, a triumph of chic decoration with lovely clean lines, bold colours and great facilities like a Nespresso coffee machine, free Wi-Fi, Bose iPod docking station and a huge plasma television. Soft drinks and snacks from the mini-bar were also complimentary, which was a nice touch. The Athenaeum is great for families and offers town-house apartments opposite the main hotel building, which provide a real ‘home from home’. There is also a dedicated ‘Kid’s Concierge’ to arrange bespoke activities and itineraries. The hotel will ensure that there are plenty of your kids’ favourite books, games, DVDs, drinks and snacks in your room awaiting your arrival and children up to the age of 12 eat free in the restaurant. With excellent and personalised service along the highest standards of comfort and luxury throughout, The Athenaeum offers a London stay you won’t forget in a hurry. By Mike Gallemore www.athenaeumhotel.com

Restaurants

Restaurant choices in London are endless with every culinary taste imaginable catered for. We’ve picked out a couple that are definitely worth a visit. The Cinnamon Kitchen Situated in the heart of London’s financial district, the Cinnamon Kitchen offers a wonderfully inventive menu in truly modern and stylish surroundings. The dishes are essentially derived from Indian specialities but executive chef Vivek Singh has come up with a host of truly creative and tantalising modern variations. If, like us, you can’t decide what to have, a special tasting menu can be arranged to allow you to sample a selection. We were treated to speciality appetisers including aromatic minced lamb with betel leaf, spiced sweet corn soup with masala corn kebab and seared scallops with kadhai mushrooms. Then we tried the grill menu and such delights as fat chillies with paneer (a must), wild African prawns, and lamb kebabs inspired by the Sanskrit Classic Manasollasa written by Indian King Somesvara in 1127AD. The main courses were equally delicious with rajathani spiced roast red deer a personal favourite. The food and service were top notch while the atmosphere in The Cinnamon Kitchen is as vibrant as its City surroundings. By Richard Bevan www.cinnamon-kitchen.com

Indigo at The One Aldwych Indigo Restaurant at The One Aldwych is exceptional in every way. The vibrant setting on the mezzanine floor overlooking the Lobby Bar gives the restaurant a quite unique atmosphere. It seems to combine a personal and comfortable aura with the buzz from the Bar below. The food was outstanding and the service was perfect, attentive without being obtrusive. The menu was a rarity. There were no dishes to cross off one’s individual dislikes which meant ordering took us an inordinate time. I opened proceedings with the pressing of ham hock and rabbit. My wife went for the smoked haddock and potato soup and we both settled for the pan fried salmon for main course. It was outstanding. The Axis Restaurant and Bar at One Aldwich is also highly recommended and the magnificent hotel itself has gathered more awards than any other hotel I know, since it opened in 1998. By Mike Gallemore www.campbellgrayhotels.com

For more information about London please visit: www.visitlondon.com

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THE MAGnIfICEnT AnDALuCIA-STYLE CLuBHOuSE AT YAS LInkS, ABu DHABI, OPEnED LAST MOnTH TO A fAnfARE Of COMPLIMEnTS fROM MEMBERS AnD InvITED GuESTS. AT THE EAGERLY AnTICIPATED GRAnD OPEnInG PARTY THE ASSEMBLED THROnG EnjOYED THE HOSPITALITY AnD HAD nOTHInG BuT PRAISE fOR THE SuPERBLY APPOInTED CLuBHOuSE. THE COuRSE IS nOw AvAILABLE fOR PREvIEw PLAY AT SELECTED TIMES fOR MEMBERS AnD BY ARRAnGEMEnT fOR PAYInG GuESTS. THE DRIvInG RAnGE AnD ACADEMY BuILDInG IS ALSO OPEn. CHRIS wHITE, GEnERAL MAnAGER Of THE ALDAR GOLf DIvISIOn, COMMEnTED: “wE wERE PROuD TO PRESEnT OuR fABuLOuS fACILITIES AnD IT wAS MOST REwARDInG TO SEE HOw IMPRESSED OuR GuESTS wERE AnD HEAR HOw MuCH THEY LIkE OuR fAnTASTIC CLuBHOuSE. A GREAT DEAL HAS BEEn ACHIEvED HERE In An AMAzInGLY SHORT TIME AnD IT HAS BEEn A wOnDERfuL TEAM EffORT TO CREATE SOMETHInG SPECIAL THAT REALLY IS DIffEREnT In THE MIDDLE EAST.

Yas Links delights Hickory’s – Sports Bar Hickory is the American hardwood traditionally used to manufacture golf club shafts in the 1800s. It’s also the name given to the casual sports ‘bar’ and with live sports shown on four screens, members and guests will enjoy a varied menu of food and beverage with tapas, burgers, salads, daily specials and snacks. Hickory’s Terrace has become regionally known for it’s amazing sunsets over the Arabian Gulf and its native mangrove plantation. The croquet lawn and putting green adjacent to the terrace area offer further recreation and place for peaceful relaxation. Barranca – Fine Dining restaurant The Spanish term, Barranca, is used to describe a deep ditch, gully or gorge found on Links courses. At Yas Links it’s the formal restaurant with a predominately international menu with a strong Mediterranean influence. The menu is innovative with care taken to include the use and presentation of the very rarest ingredients from far and near with Spanish, Roman and Arabic influences as well as some modern trends from Argentina and California. Dining can take place either in the main restaurant, a private annex room for 24 guests, or on the terrace with its

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open fireplace. The restaurant offers an intimate bar area for pre or post dinner refreshments The Hideaway – Wine Cellar Located in the tower of the clubhouse, guests can enjoy a private wine tasting session on the Observation Deck with a 360 degree panoramic view of Yas Island. Advanced reservations are required. Yas Links Golf Academy Yas Links is a course with so much to offer and the huge investment into the establishment of an educational and instructional infrastructure was considered essential. The Academy is manned by a team of highly qualified and experienced Club Professionals from around the globe who provide expert coaching from the fundamentals to the finer points. The facilities at their disposal are second to none. Two-indoor swing studios, eight covered hitting bays, a dedicated nine-hole par-3 academy course and a short game chipping and bunker practice area and floodlit driving range which allows golfers to hone their skills night and day. Privacy, accessibility, direction and quality provide players with the means to make the most of their game at any time.

Aldar Yas Links

Andy Hillman Andy began his PGA apprenticeship at the Glendower Golf Club in johannesburg and registed under Gavan Levenson (South African Teacher of the year 2001), completing his PGA Professional qualification in August 2004. His full time teaching career began in june 2005 at the jamie Gough Golf Schools, working alongside fanie viljoen In january, 2008, he was appointed Head Teaching Professional at Sun City, South Africa, executing all teaching at the resort, including corporate clinics and individuals as well as giving playing lessons. Andy’s most recent tenure was at the Cranfield Golf Academy in London, England, where he worked with the likes of Scott Cranfield, Steven Orr and jim Hetherington, who are regarded as some of the best teachers in Great Britain. Andy is very passionate in golf Biomechanics and completed a TPI Level 1 Golf fitness Trainer course in May, 2008. He has his personal preferences in teaching and believes nobody’s swing is broken.

Steven Morgan Steven came into to the golf business in 2003 as a Retail Assistant at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. Having enjoyed a successful junior golf career he decided to turn Professional in 2004 and carried out his apprenticeship at the Turnberry Hotel. In 2008, Steven graduated from the university of Birmingham, becoming a fully qualified PGA Professional and was recognised as one of the Top 10 teachers of the year. On graduating he decided to focus on the coaching aspect of the game working at the Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy at Turnberry. He has worked alongside some of today’s greatest coaches and this experience has helped him develop the understanding of the key components required for a golfer to become the best they can be under pressure. Steven’s holistic teaching method not only focuses on the technical aspects of the swing, but also includes knowledge on the mental and physical side of the game. He has successfully put this method into practice and proved the point by qualifying to play on the South African Sunshine Tour last season.

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Official World Golf Ranking As of MoNDAY MARCH 22, 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 paul Casey Jim Furyk Ian poulter Martin Kaymer ernie els padraig harrington Camilo Villegas rory McIlroy henrik stenson geoff ogilvy robert allenby retief goosen sergio garcia Kenny perry sean o’hair luke donald hunter Mahan stewart Cink robert Karlsson ross Fisher lucas glover Charl schwartzel anthony Kim Zach Johnson Y.e. Yang dustin Johnson nick watney angel Cabrera alvaro Quiros Vijay singh Matt Kuchar Miguel a Jimenez tim Clark oliver wilson Yuta Ikeda ryo Ishikawa Michael sim graeme Mcdowell søren hansen Mike weir thongchai Jaidee Francesco Molinari K.J. Choi adam scott edoardo Molinari anders hansen

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

11.69 7.87 7.33 6.82 6.38 6.25 6.12 5.46 5.15 4.95 4.75 4.74 4.58 4.58 4.26 4.11 4.08 4.04 3.91 3.87 3.85 3.76 3.61 3.51 3.47 3.47 3.45 3.36 3.27 3.24 3.14 3.12 3.02 3.01 2.90 2.69 2.68 2.67 2.63 2.59 2.56 2.55 2.49 2.49 2.48 2.46 2.46 2.43 2.39 2.36

Tot. Pts 467.74 346.11 307.96 347.83 280.72 293.52 305.99 284.03 273.10 267.44 242.28 270.11 210.81 224.50 247.22 242.41 211.98 201.88 191.60 162.74 192.58 176.73 151.61 179.07 184.13 194.22 179.62 171.49 189.50 178.22 172.89 156.10 165.93 126.39 150.97 148.01 152.61 136.40 105.15 150.08 102.41 134.93 134.60 119.36 148.53 137.79 118.08 111.99 124.52 122.88

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

Pts. Gained 0.00 100.35 22.15 63.32 95.30 69.98 111.57 97.08 98.77 38.68 104.58 36.94 15.16 56.92 58.70 59.95 35.73 14.82 24.98 61.94 63.04 26.27 59.71 11.55 16.06 101.51 45.19 18.48 39.54 79.76 43.73 13.16 67.29 26.06 63.93 52.00 36.02 33.20 6.22 11.03 20.20 24.11 33.17 16.35 46.93 19.75 61.63 8.36 20.81 16.54

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

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

Pts. Avg

Tot. Pts

2.29 2.26 2.21 2.19 2.19 2.18 2.16 2.14 2.13 2.13 2.13 2.12 2.00 1.99 1.99 1.94 1.92 1.90 1.88 1.88 1.87 1.82 1.81 1.80 1.80 1.77 1.76 1.74 1.73 1.72 1.68 1.67 1.65 1.62 1.59 1.59 1.57 1.57 1.57 1.56 1.55 1.55 1.55 1.55 1.54 1.54 1.54 1.52 1.51 1.49

121.45 135.51 112.78 103.07 105.14 115.76 127.57 104.89 115.04 114.81 112.65 118.56 92.07 101.50 119.38 95.14 103.50 98.69 103.58 99.43 99.01 72.70 108.32 91.62 93.37 106.43 91.34 69.74 100.16 103.20 95.55 71.71 92.60 81.24 92.46 87.54 84.97 78.59 78.31 90.28 72.95 77.60 62.05 61.82 79.95 86.08 90.69 60.68 78.72 83.28

Events Pts. Gained 53 60 51 47 48 53 59 49 54 54 53 56 46 51 60 49 54 52 55 53 53 40 60 51 52 60 52 40 58 60 57 43 56 50 58 55 54 50 50 58 47 50 40 40 52 56 59 40 52 56

5.35 23.52 55.22 25.42 8.80 18.24 8.12 58.35 35.57 49.76 19.47 31.33 9.75 8.94 17.31 7.22 9.87 39.54 16.48 14.32 13.87 13.62 25.71 32.26 2.28 14.63 4.64 45.39 11.74 29.58 41.78 1.28 15.34 0.00 15.10 18.49 7.50 0.00 10.33 48.59 6.57 1.89 0.00 19.06 22.96 17.94 37.16 0.00 5.81 19.42

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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.

South African golf looking as strong as ever

WAS so thrilled to see Ernie (Els) win the World Golf Championships-CA Championship at Doral last month and what a wonderful boost for South African golf it was to see Ernie and Charl Schwartzel battle it out between them for the title. south african golf is in good shape with ernie returning to form and retief (Goosen) also getting back into contention. as defending champion at the transitions championship in florida retief started well, shooting opening rounds of 67-68 but he fell away at the weekend, shooting 70-71 to take fifth place on 8-under par, five shots behind the winner, jim furyk, who won his first tour event since 2007. young louis oosthuizen was unfortunate not win his first european tour title at the trophee hassan ii in morocco. he led the tournament by two shots at the start of the final day but a closing 70 left him two shots behind rhys davies who shot 66 to win his first european tour event in his rookie year.

tournaments every year but i knew a win couldn’t have been far away. i was amused to hear that charl had been staying with ernie during the ca championship and that ernie Huge relief had said that if charl won he’d make victory for louis could have taken him sleep in the garden on sunday him into the top 50 on the official night. i remember when i stayed world Golf ranking and earned him with jack (nicklaus) during a u.s. PGa a place at the masters but he still has one final chance to make it to augusta. championship and each time Barbara louis now has four runner-up finishes put a meal in front of me, as soon as on the european tour but i don’t think she turned her back, i switched the plates. i knew how competitive jack it will be long before he gets into the was and i wasn’t taking any chances. winner’s circle. for the last seven years i’ve backed ernie’s victory at doral must have ernie to win the masters but the come as a huge relief for him. i’ve last three years he’s missed the cut, always been a big fan of ernie’s but i although between 2000 and 2004 could never understand why he had he finished in the top 10 every year such a long drought. a man of ernie’s and was runner-up twice. this year ability should have been winning

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i’ve got a lot more confidence in him. the week after doral he continued his good form when he captained the lake nona team that defeated isleworth in the tavistock cup. Woods’ return to Augusta with tiger woods making his reappearance on the PGa tour it’s going to be an intriguing masters. Golf needs tiger back and after all is said and done he’s a professional and he’ll be a big boost to the tour and to the masters. he’s made his apologies and he’s working on his personal life and it really is a private matter between him and his wife. i wish them all the best for the future and it wouldn’t be a surprise to me if he won the tournament.

Above: Former Open Championship winners Seve Ballesteros, Gary Player, Tony Jacklin and Lee Trevino pose on the Swilken Bridge at The Open Champions’ Challenge in 2000 at the Old Course at St Andrews.

Charl Scwartzel congratulates his compatriot Ernie Els after The Big Easy wins the World Golf Championships-CA Championship at Doral last month.

150th anniversary it’s a great idea for the r&a to introduce the open champions’ challenge on the old course at st andrews on the wednesday afternoon before the open. it will be a wonderful occasion for all the former open winners to play a four hole competition over the first, second, 17th and 18th holes to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the open championship. i still get a thrill when i walk out at st andrews and all the open venues like turnberry, troon and carnoustie. it would be marvellous if seve (Ballesteros) could be there. he’s said he’s going to try to take part and i’d love to see him and i’m sure he would get a huge ovation from the crowd. we did something similar 10 years ago and around 50,000 turned up to enjoy

the moment. Being at home on the farm in south africa are the happiest days of my life and it’s been a great pleasure to show people around the golf course we have created there. we’ve just had the best rains we’ve had in 37 years so everything is growing well and the course is starting to settle in. we’ve had people coming from abu dhabi and all over the world to see how we’ve built the course and they’ve been suitably impressed. this is the way desert golf courses are going. it’s the future. Golf courses have just got to cut their costs to survive by reducing labour, machinery, course maintenance and, most importantly, water. courses just can’t afford it and they’ve got to cut their cloth according to today’s climate in every way possible. n

“It would be marvellous If seve could be there. he’s saId he’s goIng to try to take part and I’d love to see hIm and I’m sure he would get a huge ovatIon from the crowd.” – GARY PLAYER www.wwgolf.biz

GENWORTH FINANCIAL STATISTICS

GettinG to Grips with the european tour’s Genworth Financial oFFicial statistics Whenever you sit down to watch one of the major tournaments on the golfing calendar the commentators always seem to have access to a long list of a certain players’ statistics – how far they boom it off the tee, how many times they hit the fairway, how many times they get up and down for par from off the green, their putting averages etc. But how exactly is this mass of information calculated and who compiles it? Worldwide Golf reveals all…..

• Putts – In the box provided the number of putts taken on the putting surface only. Putts from off the green are not counted.

here is a lot more to meets the eye when you watch a professional golfer plot his way from tee to green during the four rounds of a tournament. Upon first view it appears to be a very simple process, but what the cameras might not always pick up is what can make the game so interesting. Not only do the players themselves have to complete their own scorecard and record the score of their playing partner, now the caddies have the responsibility of recording everything their employer does. Across all four rounds each caddie completes a statistics card (example below) – which must be signed by both player and caddie – which details the following information:

• In the Score Box the score for the hole by the player is entered. • In the Drive Distance Box caddies enter the driving distance of the tee shots on the two selected holes for each round for that tournament – usually on holes in opposite directions where all players are expected to use a driver.

From the results on the card the following stats are calculated for every player; Stroke Average, Driving Accuracy, Driving Distance, Greens in Regulation, Putts per Greens in Regulation, Putts per round, Sand Saves, Scrambles and OnePutts. The statistics are then collated on site at the tournaments and relayed through www.europeantour.com to the media. From there they are discussed by commentators on the TV and spectators who are at the tournament can get access to the latest stats in the tented village and on the next day’s drawsheet. Ryder Cup stars Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood compare their stats.

• Number of fairways hit. • If a player lands in a greenside bunker (identified as within 10 yards of the green) – the number of strokes the player takes to reach the hole is recorded.

ROUND 1 HOLE

PAR

Fairway Bunker Putts Score Drive distance 42

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Hole A

Yds

Hole B

Yds

Player’s Signature

Caddie’s Name

TOT 72

Tournament: Waste Management Phoenix Open

Date: 25 – 28 Feb 2010

Venue: TPC Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona

MaHan goeS loW for Second tour Win in arizona HUNTER Mahan shot a pair of 6-under-par 65s over the weekend at the Waste Management Phoenix Open to win his first PGA TOUR title since the 2007 Travelers Championship. Mahan came from four strokes back to beat 21-year-old Rickie Fowler by one stroke after finishing on 16-under-par with a bogey-free final round. “It’s just finding a way to win – I just haven’t been able to do it,” he said after firing four birdies and an eagle three on the 13th hole. “Obviously it feels great to win in just my fifth tournament of the year. It gives me a lot of confidence in myself that I’m doing the right things in my game, and it feels great, it really does.” Fowler, who is competing in his rookie season on the PGA TOUR, had a lengthy birdie putt on the final hole to take Mahan into a play-off but narrowly

missed and had to settle for the second runner-up finish of his young career. “I played solid,” said Fowler. “I was bogey-free today and ultimately what I wanted was to have a chance coming down the last few holes. That’s what I did but I just missed a couple putts.” Reigning U.S. PGA Champion Y.E. Yang moved 20 places up the leaderboard thanks to a 6-under 65. The Korean made an eagle two on the par-4 10th hole before four birdies from the 12th through to the 15th saw him leap into contention. However, a bogey on the 17th pegged him back and he had to settle for third place on 14under-par. Australian Mathew Goggin shared fourth place on 13-under with Americans Chris Couch and Charles Howell III while Vaughn Taylor moved up eight places into seventh overall with a closing 3-under-par 68.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver:

Ping Rapture V2 (10.5°) with a Ping Prototype 824 X shaft

Fairway Wood:

Ping i15 (15.5°) with an Aldila RIP 80 X shaft

Hybrid:

Ping i15 (17°) with a UST V2 89 X hybrid shaft

Irons (3-PW):

Ping S-57 with True Temper X-100 shafts

Wedges:

Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (54°), Ping Eye2 (59°)

Putter:

Ping IWI D66

Ball:

Titleist Pro V1x

Winner: Hunter MaHan

Hunter Mahan’s second PGA TOUR title at the Waste Management Phoenix Open propelled him up the Official World Golf Ranking by 11 spots into 22nd place. In between his two TOUR titles in 2007 and 2010 he qualified for The Ryder Cup (08) and The President’s Cup (09).

Winner’s Cheque

$1,080,000

Winning Score: 16-under-par – 268 (68,70,65,65) runner-up: rickie FoWler – 269 Tournament: Maybank Malaysian Open

Date: 04 – 07 March 2010

Venue: Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

noH MakeS HiStory in MalaySia

Winner: noH Seung-yul

SOUTH Korea’s Noh Seung-yul became the youngest ever professional winner on The European Tour with a one-stroke victory over compatriot K.J. Choi at the Maybank Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur. Noh holed a four-foot birdie putt on the 18th green to take the title on 14-under-par and, at the age of 18 years and 281 days, beat the previous record set by Dale Hayes in 1971 by nine days. “I first won on the Asian Tour in 2008 but I struggled last year, but to win early this year I am very happy,” said Noh, who earned a European Tour card with the win to add to his Asian and Japan Tour cards. “I was playing a practice round with K.J. earlier in the week and he asked me when my last win was and when I told him it was in 2008 he said,

Winner’s Cheque

€246,290

‘Isn’t it about time you won?’. For it to happen this week, I couldn’t think of a better situation.” Noh sealed the victory in superb style with a birdie on the final hole. Playing in the final group, Noh held a one-stroke lead on the par-5 18th tee but hooked his tee shot on to the adjacent 10th fairway and then heard the cheers from the green ahead which greeted a birdie from Choi. Now level with Choi, Noh boomed his second shot toward the green but again it finished way left and perilously close to the practise putting green. With the crowd gathered around him he stepped up and pitched over a greenside bunker to four feet, which left an easy birdie putt for victory. Welshman Rhys Davies shared third place with Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Dane Søren Hansen on 12-under-par.

WorldrouNd-ups Tournament: The Honda Classic

Date: 04 – 07 March 2010

Venue: PGA National Resort and Spa, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Winner: caMilo VillegaS

VillegaS SealS coMpreHenSiVe Honda claSSic Win CAMILO Villegas picked up his third PGA TOUR title with a commanding five-stroke victory over Anthony Kim at The Honda Classic in Florida. The Colombian carded a final round 2-under-par 68 to ease to victory with a 13-under-par 267 total – the lowest 72-hole score since the tournament moved to the Jack Nicklaus designed PGA National in 2007. “I’ve just had good vibes in me all week,” said Villegas, who climbed to No.12 on the Official World Golf Ranking with the win. “I’ve been working hard on my game and on my attitude and I’ve been excited about playing golf. Today I just kept plugging away. I kept hitting good shots. “If there was a golf course where you can mess up coming in, it’s this one, trust me. The finishing holes are tough. And I just picked my targets, put good swings on them and took care

of business.” Villegas began the day with a three shot lead over Vijay Singh and Nathan Green and quickly extended his advantage with four birdies in his opening 10 holes. However, he was pegged back by bogeys on holes 11, 12 and 15 but with Singh and Green crumbling to a 2-over 72 and 7-over 77 respectively Villegas had an easy path to victory. He held a four-stroke lead heading down the last with Anthony Kim in the clubhouse on 8-under and wrapped up the win in emphatic fashion with a superb 16-foot birdie putt on the final hole. England’s Justin Rose shot up the leaderboard with a superb tournament-record final round 6-under 64 to move up 20 places into third place with compatriot Paul Casey finishing in a tie for fourth place with Singh on 6-under-par.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: Fairway Woods: Hybrid: Irons (5-PW): Wedges: Putter: Ball:

Cobra S9-1 (10.5°) Cobra Speed LD (15.5°, 18°) Titleist 909H (24°) shaft Cobra Pro CB with Project X 7.0 shafts Titleist Vokey Design Spin Milled (54°, 58°, 60°) Scotty Cameron Circa 62 No. 6 prototype Titleist Pro V1

Date: 11 – 14 March 2010

Camilo Villegas romped to victory at The Honda Classic with the help of some sublime iron play. The Colombian was second in the overall Greens in Regulation standings and from that solid grounding he made the most birdies in the week – 22.

Winner’s Cheque

$1,080,000

Winning Score: 16-under-par – 268 (68,70,65,65) runner-up: rickie FoWler – 269 Tournament: Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular Venue: Trump International Golf Club, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico

laMely SecureS Maiden title in puerto rico

Winner: derek laMely

PGA TOUR rookie Derek Lamely picked up his first professional victory with a superb final round of 6-under-par 66 at the rain-delayed Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular. The 29-year-old from Illinois had to contend with a delayed start to the final round – which itself was put back a day – and slow play around the soggy course but coped admirably to seal a two-stroke victory over compatriot Kris Blanks. Lamely carded a bogey-free 66 for a 19-underpar total to take home the cheque for $630,000. “I just kept on trying to make birdies, I kept on trying to be aggressive,” he said “I’m still a rookie out here, even though I just won. There’s tons I can learn still.” Lamely shot up the leaderboard during the

Winner’s Cheque

$630,000

third round by shooting a course record 9-underpar 63 to get to fourth place heading into the final day’s play, four strokes behind Kevin Streelman. He then played the round of his life to step into the winner’s circle for the first time. “I guess for the rest of the year I just have to go through the same process of what I’ve been through so far,” he said. “See new golf courses, trying to learn what I’m doing, trying to play with the better players. I’m just trying to learn every week.” Streelman finished in a share of third place, one shot back on 16-under-par alongside Australian James Nitties, American Steve Wheatcroft and Zimbabwe’s Brendon de Jonge.

Tournament: Transitions Championship

Date: 18 – 21 March 2010

Venue: Innisbrook, A Salamander Golf and Spa Resort, Tampa Bay, Florida

furyk endS drougHt WitH gritty Win JIM Furyk wrapped up his first PGA TOUR title since the 2007 Canadian Open with a one-shot victory over K.J Choi at the Transitions Championship in Florida. Furyk held a three stroke lead going into the final day and eventually secured the win with a bogey on the closing par-4 18th for a 2-under-par 69 and a 13under-par total. “Nerves got me, to be honest with you,” admitted Furyk after he closed out the win. “I have a habit of making it tough for myself.” Furyk made a clutch par putt on the 17th hole and stood on the 18th tee with a two-stroke lead over Choi. However, the 39-year-old blocked his tee shot into the trees and then shanked his second shot into the rough some 70 yards short and right of the green. Choi hit his approach shot short of a greenside bunker and after Furyk pitched on in three Choi’s attempt at pitching in for birdie came up just short. The

1795 RED

50% Black

American then had two putts for the title and lagged his par-putt to within inches, sealing the win with a tap-in. “I made it difficult, there’s no doubt,” said Furyk, who moved up to No.6 on the Official World Golf Ranking. “I played very, very well today, but at times I didn’t get the ball in the hole very well. I made three bad plays on three of the par-3s where I didn’t get down in two with the putter and the 18th – it was rough to say the least. Bad swings and a bad decision. It all worked out in the end and for 14 holes today I played phenomenal golf.” Second placed Choi closed with a 4-under 67 to finish the day where he began while Bubba Watson carded a 3-under 68 to finish one shot back in third place. Nick Watney jumped up ten places into fourth place with a 67 while Retief Goosen, who started the day third, posted a level-par 71 to finish fifth.

Winner: JiM furyk

Jim Furyk only made five bogeys during the 72 holes at the Transitions Championship and could afford for three of them to be during his last six holes and still be victorious.

Winner’s Cheque

$972,000

Winning Score: 13-under-par - 271 (67,68,67,69) runner-up: k.J. choi - 272

WorldrouNd-ups

Tournament: Trophée Hassan II

Date: 18 – 21 March 2010

Venue: Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Rabat, Morocco

daVieS reVelS in Maiden Victory WELSHMAN Rhys Davies secured his maiden European Tour title with a superb two-stroke victory over Louis Oosthuizen at the Trophée Hassan II in Morocco. The 24-year-old Challenge Tour graduate started the day two strokes behind the South African but posted a superb final round 7-under-par 66 to Oosthuizen’s 70 for a 25-under-par total and the cheque for €229,160. “I’m a little bit lost at the moment – this is all completely surreal to me,” said Davies. “It’s all a bit of a blur. I just kept focusing on hitting the ball as close to the flag as I could. I felt like I could make every putt and I think that was the key. I had a good speed on the greens and when you have a good speed you hole a lot of putts. I had good control of my swing today. It was probably the best I’ve hit it all week.” Davies began the day shakily with a bogey at the 232-yard par-3 second hole but quickly made up ground on Oosthuizen

with four birdies in five holes to reach the turn at 3-under-par. He then continued to score well with birdies on holes 10, 11, 13 and 14 and closed out with four solid pars to take the title. Oosthuizen had to settle for his fourth runner-up finish on The European Tour and admitted he didn’t quite find his A-game during the final 18. “I am disappointed, of course. I just struggled with my irons all day,” said Oosthuizen, who had posted consecutive rounds of 64 to top the leaderboard going into the final round. “It just wasn’t happening for me at all with the irons. I didn’t put the ball close enough to the pin in order to give myself chances. Rhys played brilliantly so congratulations to him.” France’s Thomas Levet, Spain’s Ignacio Garrido, Finland’s Mikko Ilonen and South African Thomas Aiken shared third place, five strokes further back on 18-under-par.

Winner: rHyS daVieS

WITH his win at the Trophée Hassan II, Rhys Davies became the first Welshman to win on The European Tour since Bradley Dredge won the Omega European Masters in 2006.

Winner’s Cheque

€229,160

Winning Score: 25-under-par - 269 (65,68,69,67) runner-up: louiS ooSthuizen - 268

Revealing the secret Golf City LittLe is known about Dubai Golf City but tim Lobb, one of the three partners of golf course architects, thomson, Perrett and Lobb, gives an insight into the exciting new golf course development situated adjacent to Dubailand in this Q&A with Worldwide Golf. Q: When is the golf course at Dubailand set to open? TL: Work is ongoing on the course development and we are continuing to build what we are confident will become a golfing experience that we will all be very proud of. We currently have 14 holes grassed and playable and we are finalising the remaining holes at present. Crafting a great and sustainable golf course is our No.1 priority and we know we will finish this project with a development which the people of Dubai, and its many visitors, will be keen to experience. Q What is special about the course? TL: Environmental awareness has always been a top priority on this project. The way water consumption is managed is of primary importance and the whole impact of the 48

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course on the surrounding ecology has been sympathetically approached right from the design phase and the start of construction. Golf course shaping, irrigation and drainage have all been executed with the least amount of impact to the environment. Throughout the design phase and now in the construction implementation we have rationalised the grassing area and subsequent water usage for the course by reducing the areas which wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see a golf ball â&#x20AC;&#x201C; such as behind the tee boxes. The course is blessed with a topography which is perfect for the development of an interesting and diverse golfing experience. The naturally rolling landscape will allow for both uphill and downhill holes. This is particularly noticeable on the par 5, 12th hole which plays 15m downhill from the second shot to the green.

Dubai Golf City

Q What style of course can golfers expect to see? TL:The fact that the course is located on naturally rolling, elevated land will give a clue to the kind of experience golfers can expect. The hilly nature of the area, compared to the rest of Dubai, means golfers will enjoy a different type of play, mixed with some lovely views of the emirate. The land sits 40 metres above sea level and this gave our design team the perfect blank canvas to work with. The course itself will be a par 71, 6300m from the back tees. Water hazards formed from lakes and cascading streams will give striking visual awareness while playing an integral part of the golfing strategy. Naturally crafted bunkers with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;chaoticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

edging provide a striking contrast to the verdant Paspalum Platinum fairways. Much time has been spent creating green complexes, which offer continual variety and careful consideration when playing approach shots. Bunkering, drop-offs and subtle internal green contouring ensures that each green complex will be memorable and pleasurable to play on. Q What facilities will support the golf course? TL: Our team is fully focussed on completing our work on the golf course construction with the sole objective of making it the best golf course we can possibly produce but the facilities will certainly complement

this world class development. Q What can you specifically tell us about the course. What are the standout holes, for example? TL: The third hole is a short par 4, dogleg left, with cross bunkers positioned at the fairway landing zone which tempts the longer hitter to attempt to carry them and leave themselves with a very short approach shot. The cautious golfer will play short of the cross bunkers, leaving a 100m pitch to a well contoured green. A back plateau some half a metre higher than the front section presents a supreme putting challenge for errant approach shots. Two bunkers at the front and one behind provide a stern protection to this green complex. n www.wwgolf.biz

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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

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Claude Harmon III

SWING Pro swing analyst >>

Claude harmon III, dIreCtor of InstruCtIon, butCh harmon sChool

PRO look

dubaI sports CIty

assisting amelia AmeliA mcKee has a rare talent and i am looking forward to working with her on a regular basis to help her game along. She’s got a lot of natural ability and she’s keen to learn and improve her game as she gets older and stronger. She already has a very solid golf swing and i’ll be concentrating on utilising all our technology to create exercises to aid her body movement. We’ll be reporting on her progress in Worldwide Golf each month.

I first saw Amelia swing a golf club on the driving range at The Invitational hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah and I was impressed. She also has an engaging personality and she was totally at ease in front of the television cameras as she talked to Sky Sports commentator Richard Boxhall prior to teeing off in The Invitational.

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SWING

amelia mcKee

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

1 Picture 1 Amelia is well on her way to becoming a good player with a setup like this. Junior golfers take note – all good swings start with a good setup. Amelia has a very solid foundation here at address. She looks very balanced and athletic, which will help her control both her body and her golf club.

Picture 3 I teach players much older than Amelia who don’t have this position at the top! I see far too many juniors make excessive hip and shoulder turns during the backswing. They think big turns create power, but in many case, the opposite happens. Amelia has complete control of her backswing – with the upper body having turned around a solid and stable lower body position.

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6 Picture 5 Junior golfers tend to use the only power sources they have. Amelia has a lot of hand and leg action post impact, but her strength right now is in her legs and hands. As she gets older, the rest of her body will get much stronger and she will be able to use her big muscles much better. But I like the release here, which shows that she can draw the ball and get more power.

Picture 6 If Amelia can repeat this move over and over again look out! This is a very solid golf swing that can only get better!

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The lob shot By Luke Cantelo Senior Accademy Instructor, The Address Montgomerie Dubai Brought to you by

the DRILL This month we discuss a shot in golf that when executed correctly has a definite “wow” factor – the lob shot. A lob shot is required when (and only when) a player has missed the green with an approach shot and has left themselves in a situation where they have to flight the ball high over an obstacle (a bunker, large slope or bush/tree) with the hole location cut very close to the edge of the green. This leaves the player with the commonly used phrase “very little green to work with” and hence a very tough task to get the ball close. Many amateurs are left in awe when they see professionals both live and on television get out of these seemingly impossible positions with high, spinning shots that land softly and stop next to the hole. For amateurs it can be a particularly daunting shot as with incorrect technique it can cause mixed – and usually bad – results. Either a thin shot when the ball stays very low and cannons through the green, or hitting it fat, striking the ground first and not propelling the ball far enough to reach the putting surface.

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The key areas for suCCess and ConsisTenCy wiTh This shoT are: n Analysis of the lie of the ball. This will help you choose a length of swing and help you work out how the ball will react on the green when it lands. n Opening the club face to increase the loft of the club (see picture inset). n A correct releasing of the club on the downswing and through the shot, causing no â&#x20AC;&#x153;flippingâ&#x20AC;? of the wrists. n Having the courage and confidence to execute a shot such as this, and as we all know, confidence in golf is usually associated with the amount of correct practice we do!

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TUTORIAL As you can see with both upper and lower pictures at address, the ball is lying in different ways. In the top picture the ball is lying on a very firm, tightly cut piece of grass, whereas below the ball is lying in the rough and sitting down. By really opening the clubface when the ball is lying on the shorter, firmer grass, we will be able to create more spin and require less of a swing. The ball, once struck correctly, will stop very abruptly upon landing.

With the ball sitting down in the grass I will require a bigger swing so the club will move through the grass effectively, giving the ball more height. With a higher flight this can counteract the lack of spin I can get as the grooves on my clubface will not get a chance to work on the ball properly. You can expect the ball to roll a little upon landing. As you can see Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve placed the ball well forward in my stance for both shots.

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With the tighter lie I will make a short backswing as I do not need to create large amounts of wrist hinge. I keep my arms in a similar shape as to what they were at address which helps keep the loft of the club consistent throughout the swing.

In a deeper lie Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made a bigger backswing, increasing the swing of my arms and the hinging of the wrists. This will create more speed on the downswing.

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This frame is the key to consistency with lob shots, no matter what the lie. As you can see both frames show me in a very similar position just before I strike the ball. I have extended my arms into a similar position to what they were at address, but I have not “flipped” my wrists to a point where my left wrist has cupped and my right hand has overtaken my left.

The most important part in this movement for both types of lies is that the large amount of loft on the club I formed at address is maintained in this position and is ready to be applied to the ball. With the club in this position I can now aggressively turn my body through the shot knowing the ball will come out with a lot of height (and spin in the tighter lie shot) and the club will slide underneath the ball, rather than dig into the ground.

Thanks to the key movement of maintaining loft and reforming my address position with my arms and club before impact I can know move through the ball with my body. Look at the amount of loft still on the clubface in this position, the loft has been maintained well through impact.

With the thicker grass, it’s important to mirror the length of your backswing at your finish position.

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

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Women's Golf Dubai

LOrraINE MaNN SECUrES COUNTbaCk CrEEk vICTOry

raCHEL JONES wrapS Up MaIdEN wIN NEWCOMER Rachel Jones won her first competitive outing at a Women’s Golf Dubai event by winning the Par-3 Stableford event at Emirates Golf Club in February with a 22 point total. In second place, also a newcomer, was Linda Van Scherpenzeel who scored an excellent 21 points while in third place was Monina Gudaca who defeated Shannon Ayling on a countback after they finished with 18 points.

LORRAINE Mann secured the third WGD Par-3 event at Dubai Creek last month with a superb score of 23 points. Mann had a gross birdie on holes 1 and 8 which helped her secure a countback victory over Pauline Wallace. Five ladies finished one point back and it was Carine Albers who took third place overall with 16 points on the last six holes, separating herself from Jan Sayer, Riette Cuciurean, Miniko Yoshimoto and Jagoda Granowska. (l-r) Sandy Meyer (WGD) with winners Lorraine Mann, Pauline Wallace, Helen McAinsh, Julie Musty and Carine Alberts.

Third placed Monina Gudaca alongside Linda Van Scherpenzeel and Shannon Ayling.

sandy Meyer’s

Professional TiP FOCUSING ON THE ETIQUETTE OF GOLF wITH women’s Golf dubai’s aim in supporting and encouraging ‘beginner ladies’ to take part in par-3 and 18-hole events, the main aim of this article is to focus on golfing etiquette. It is amazing how many times we go to these top class facilities in the U.a.E and find during the round of golf that players have neglected to rake bunkers, fill in divots and repair pitch marks on the greens. you can imagine the number of rounds played on a golf course during the day, especially weekends, and then total the number of rounds during the week, month and then the year. If you work out approximately 600 rounds a week then you can understand the impact it has on the golf course and its condition. Golf maintenance teams do a lot of work to maintain the golf course, so please make sure next time you play to follow these rules: • Rake the bunker after you have played a shot. • Fill in divots with the sand provided by the golf club, not just on the fairway but also the rough and teeing area.

• Try and avoid slow play. It is difficult when you are on the course the first few times but you will need to play each nine holes based on a maximum of two hours for each nine.

• Repair pitch marks. If you repair a pitching mark within 10 minutes of the ball hitting the green, the dent will almost fully repair itself. If you leave the pitch mark, this can lead to marking the greens and long-term damage. • Keep golf cart usage to the cart path most of the time and following the signs on the golf course to keep carts off certain areas.

• If you have lost your ball do not spend more than five minutes looking for it. Be aware of the groups behind and ahead of you and if you are playing for the first time try and go out at times when the golf course is not busy and just play nine holes first. This will give you a chance to adjust your game and set your goal to complete the nine in two hours. Golf Courses usually have 10 minute intervals per tee time and slow play can not only disrupt the group behind but also all the other groups having to tee off as well.

Another important rule to consider when playing is ‘pace of play’. This can be intimidating the first few times you play but try and follow these simple guidelines:

• If you hit a shot and you think it may be lost or may be difficult to find, hit a ‘provisional ball’. If you find your first ball, then continue play, but if you have lost your first ball, then your ‘provisional’ that you hit will come into play. www.wwgolf.biz

Khalid Yousuf beats WestWood’s course record at the els club KHALID Yousuf fired a career-best round of 8-under-par 64 to set a new course record at The Els Club Dubai, eclipsing the previous best of 65 posted by European Number One Lee Westwood. Playing in the UAE National Monthly Medal, the UAE ace produced an almost flawless round, rattling off seven gross birdies and a superb eagle to finish on top of the leaderboard, nine shots ahead of his nearest rival, Abdullah Al Musharrekh, with Saeed Malik finishing third with an 82. Yousuf looked very much in control of his game and wasted no time in setting the tone of his round by reaching the turn at 4-under-par. He then produced the shot of the day – and one of the best of his career – when he smashed his 3-wood from 235 yards on the par-5 13th close to pin for an eagle. He then kept the momentum rolling with a smart tee-to-green game to finish the day with a flourish. “I think the key to my round was a solid start,” smiled Yousuf, who recently represented the UAE team in the GCC Championship held in Doha. “When I was 4-under after nine holes I knew could do well if I maintained the focus. “I managed to do that and I must thank my playing partners Saeed Albudoor and Adel Zarouni who kept me going with some encouraging words during the round. I did hit some very good shots, but the one on the 13th was special. “I connected my 3-wood very well and the ball stopped just five yards from the pin. I took a deep breath and calmed my nerves before rolling in the putt. The feeling was amazing when the ball went in for an eagle.” Yousuf also had special words of praise for the Emirates Golf Federation. “The EGF have been supportive of me and so are my fellow members in the UAE national team,” he said. Adel Zarouni, Secretary General of the EGF, congratulated Yousuf for showing a marked improvement in his game. “We all know Khalid has great potential and he can do wonders when on song as he did in this tournament,” he said. “I wish Khalid the very best and hope this round is just the beginning of what I believe is a great career ahead of him.” In other results Hassan Al Qamzi (net 72) and Jala Abbasi (net 78) made their presence felt during the UAE National Monthly Medal taking the honours in Divisions ‘B’ and ‘C’ respectively.

Khalid Yousuf receives the trophy for winning the UAE National Monthly Medal from Mohammed Al Musharrekh of the Emirates Golf Federation.

solid performance from uae plaYers in Gcc Golf championship THE UAE Team posted a creditable third-place finish in the National Team Category and a solid second place in the Junior Division at the GCC Golf Championship held at the Doha Golf Club last month. The National Team, comprising of Khalid Yousuf, Ahmed Al Musharrekh, Ismail Sharif and Abdulla Al Musharrekh, rattled up a gross 54-hole total of 742 to make it to the podium behind winners Bahrain (gross 695) and runners-up Saudi Arabia (gross 717). Led by young Hassan Al Musharrekh, the UAE team did fairly well in the Junior Cateogory, carding a gross 496 to finish behind hosts Qatar (gross 457). Saudi Arabia took the third place on a team gross score of 534. The UAE National Team that finished runner-up to Bahrain last year did have the occasional moment to celebrate but were left ruing missed putts. Khalid Yousuf, who shot a level-par 72 in the third round, made a strong contribution to the team total and finished fourth in the individual championship with

a gross 233, 13 strokes behind winner Nasser Yacoob Saleh of Bahrain. In the Senior division, the UAE team took the fourth place on a gross 367 with Mohamed Al Musharrekh producing some good scores of 89 and 94, a decent showing which placed him in the fifth place in the seniors individual division. “Certainly, we expected a much better result from our teams, but we can always take positives from the championship,” said Adel Zarouni, Secretary General, Emirates Golf Federation. “Players like Khalid Yousuf and Hassan Al Musharrekh did excel, but like their teammates they weren’t consistent enough to pose a serious threat to our nearest challengers. That’s golf, things sometimes don’t fall in place despite your best efforts. “Playing in the GCC Championship was a great learning curve and I am sure the players will be determined to make amends for their inconsistent showing when they feature in the forthcoming regional and domestic tournaments.”

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WWG LOCAL FOCUS

ArAbiAN Clubs in April 2010 Worldwide Golf Abu Dhabi City Golf Club Abu Dhabi Golf Club Al Ghazal Golf Club Al Hamra Golf Club Al Naboodah Junior Par 3 Series Arabian Ranches Golf Club Doha Golf Club, Qatar Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Egyptian Golf Federation Emirates Golf Club Emirates Golf Federation Jumeirah Golf Estates

Katameya Hts Golf & Tennis Resort Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort, Egypt Muscat Hills Golf Club, Oman Ras Al Hamra Golf Club, Oman Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club The Address Montgomerie, Dubai The Palms Golf Club Intercontinental, Riyadh Tower Links Golf Club, Ras Al Khaimah The Royal Golf Club, Bahrain UAE Golf Society League

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AL nAbOOdAh jUniOr pAr 3 SerieS

Rayhan John Thomas pips Jack Novack to stretch his lead going into Abu Dhabi shootout

CURRENT Order of Merit leader in the Al Naboodah Junior Par 3 series, Rayhan John Thomas of Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, extended his lead by taking the honours in the fifth event, held at Emirates Golf Club last month. After finishing with an outstanding 28, Thomas won via a countback with Abu Dhabi City Golf Club’s Jack Novack, due to his superior score over the last six holes. Although Novack missed out on the top spot his 28 was strong enough to win him the title in the Boys over-12 category, one shot ahead of Emirates Golf Club’s Jordi Menkhorst. It was a family affair in the Boys under-13 section where Dhrur and Rishi Nair, both of Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club, shot an impressive 30 points

total. Although Dhrur fought back with birdies on holes 8 and 9 to finish level alongside his brother it was Rishi who claimed top spot on the podium courtesy of a countback. Anastasia Bakal of The Address Montgomerie Dubai shot an impressive 33 to edge Kim Chang of Dubai Creek into second place and claim the Girls under-13 prize. The trophy in the Girls over-12 category was presented to Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club’s Boushra Dalile who finished with a 36. Current leader of the Girls’ Order of Merit category, Amelia McKee, finished third in the Girls under 13 division and maintains a slight lead over winner Bakal heading into the Grand Final event at Abu Dhabi City Golf Course.

Above left: Winner Rayhan John Thomas is pictured alongside Stephen Hubner, PGA Tournament Director, and James Bowring, Director of Golf, at the Al Naboodah Group. Above right: Winners and prizewinners of the fifth and final qualifier in the Al Naboodah UAE PGA Junior Series pictured with Stephen Hubner, PGA Tournament Director and James Bowring, Director of Golf, at the Al Naboodah Group.

Adel zArouni

Secretary General of the eGf Mike Gallemore talks to Adel Zarouni, Secretary General of the Emirates Golf Federation and an enthusiastic and passionate golfer, about the work of the EGF and the future for golf in the UAE: Q: How do you see your role within the EGF? A: The Federation is a federal entity appointed by the Sports Authority in the UAE and supervised by the Minister of Sports. The Board is chaired by H.H. Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi and I as Secretary General.

The mandate for the EGF is to produce a National Team to be able to play at a level where they could compete with other countries in Asia, like Korea, Japan and China. The Government has invested a lot of money in providing top facilities to grow the game. They also acknowledge that golf is a large and growing sport and also an important aspect of attracting visitors to the UAE. As a Federation they wanted the Board, which is made up of enthusiastic golfers who have the best interest of the game and the golfers at heart, to develop these areas and to implement the Government’s strategy on the ground. Basically, we need to develop the sport for the nationals and the ex-pats, who make up 90 per cent of current Federation Members. We need to develop the National Team so that they can represent the Emirates favourably to play and compete with other countries. We also need to structure the golfing facilities in the UAE not only for residents but also for visitors. In addition, we needed to develop a junior programme to produce quality young players. Q: You must be pleased at the progress golf has made in recent years and the improvement in the National Team and the juniors. A: My responsibility is to coordinate activities in achieving the strategies put forward by the Government. I’m pleased at the progress but I’m not pleased to accept where we are. The moment I’m pleased would be the start of a downhill path and the end of the strategy. We’re pleased with the development of the National Team 100 per cent. We’re proud

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of all the new facilities in the emirates in the last couple of years, with all the new golf courses, and we are very happy with our junior programme. It used to be voluntary but now it’s mandatory for all the clubs to promote junior programmes, which are now supervised directly by the Federation. We are on the right track, although there is still a lot to be done. It’s a fast track to success but certain things take time to achieve. You cannot do everything overnight. We have structured the Federation and we’re pleased with our progress. Our National Team results and the performances of our juniors in the last couple of years have been magnificent, which is something we can all be proud of. It’s pleasing, but our ambitions are still much higher than our achievements so far. Q: Does the EGF have as much power and influence as you think it should have? A: There is some debate within the Board that we should be enforcing more things but I am of the opinion that first we need to gain the confidence of everyone. The18 or 20 golf courses in the UAE understandably have their own agendas. We need to work hand in hand with the golf clubs to achieve our goals. We have to take things step by step. Instead of enforcing things we should do things by consent. We have the support of the Government and the Sports Minister and the golf clubs. We are keen golfers but our history in the game only goes back around 10 years. We don’t have the expertise and experience of the golf club managers, many of whom have been in golf for 30 or 40 years. The UK and South Africa have centuries of golfing history but we are a new golfing nation. We can achieve our aims by doing things properly. We have the power to enforce things but we prefer to work it out together.

Adel zArouni

“OUr NAtiONAl tEAM hAS AN 18-yEAr-Old, A 19-yEAr-Old, A 20-yEAr-Old ANd A 23-yEArOld. it’S GrEAt FOr thE FUtUrE. ” - Adel Zarouni

Having played with some of the biggest names in golf Adel Zarouni’s perfect fourball features Lee Westwood, Mark O’Meara and Jan Van de Velde. Q: It’s easy to forget how short a history the UAE has in golf because everything has happened so quickly. A: That’s true. For instance, our National Team has an 18-year-old, a 19-year-old, a 20-yearold and a 23-year-old. It’s great for the future. Q: When did you start to play golf? A: I first picked up a club in 1998. Q: Is the EGF strong enough and properly funded to do the things they want to do? A: We are probably the only Federation that is not dependant on Government funding. We have our own marketing, our own ways of raising revenues and an arrangement with the golf clubs to receive a fee from golf club memberships as Membership of the EGF. Our revenue goes straight back into the sport. We are not flushed with money but within our programmes we are satisfied with the balance of the revenues we have. I’m sure if we had to increase our revenue requirement the Government would support us. We should look at the sponsors and the clubs to fund our programmes. The important issue is to use the funds wisely.

Q: Should the golf clubs work more closely with each other? A: Since the new Federation came into being in late 2008 we have tried to establish committees where we can improve communication between the clubs. We discuss all the issues affecting golf and the clubs. We agreed to formulate a united strategy with the UAE clubs: On how to promote; information on fees; F&B; types of grass – everything, including how best to develop the young players. We also have a golf affairs committee which brings in keen, experienced golfers and promoters. These channels did not exist until 2008. The EGF and the golf clubs are working very well together. We are an open book. When we started with the new Board I said we can go one of two ways: We could have a cup of coffee and disappear, or we could be an open book and get the best out of everyone and everything. The second option is producing the right results. Our relationship with the clubs is improving all the time. We coordinate the calendar and the activities of the clubs, who report back to us on their events, such as Opens and Championships, and the progress

of the juniors. Also we have appointed a committee to work with the UAE PGA to develop junior programmes. We have a great relationship with Dubai Golf and we plan to build additional facilities, offices and a Golf Academy to secure an even better future. We have also started a pan-UAE handicap scheme. Q: The number of golf clubs now up and running in the UAE is establishing the emirates as a genuine golfing destination but what can be done to reduce the cost for the visitors and the locals. A: Five years or so ago when we had only a few golf courses, demand exceeded supply. Now that is not the case. Our clubs are expensive. The land is expensive and the cost of irrigating and maintaining them is expensive. There is a lot of value and expense involved. The products are not cheap and we know that the prices are high but we are trying to do something about it, particularly in reducing fees for members. For visitors it is still very expensive. We are looking to create a package for visitors to include the golf, hotel, F&B, transportation – everything the golf

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Adel zArouni

tourist needs – and present a package to the tour operators. The UAE is never going to be a cheap golf tourist destination but we want to give them good value. We have identified the problem and we are trying to put the complete package together. We realise the price of playing golf is high and we know we need to attract more people to play golf here. Q: Nad Al Sheba Golf Club catered for a specific type of golfer but since its closure it has not been replaced and many of those golfers have been lost to the game. What can be done about that? A: Nad Al Sheba Club was an exception. Due to it being on the racetrack they had the benefits of the floodlighting. It was also simple and inexpensive to create a course on land that already existed, that needed to blend in with the racecourse. Due to hot weather conditions, the authorities realised we need floodlit courses. Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club and Abu Dhabi City Golf Club each provide 9 – hole floodlit courses. In Dubai work is in progress to have 18 holes floodlit at Emirates Golf Club’s Faldo (Wadi) course. Q: Do you think there is a demand for a basic, pay-and-play course in the UAE? A: We have been looking at introducing a very simple public course where the fees would be inexpensive. We have started talking to the authorities about providing the land, which is the most important part of this. It has to be affordable. It’s difficult for developers to create a simple course. They always want to provide the best facilities. We want to look after the people who cannot afford golf club memberships and who don’t play regularly. They can’t justify the high cost of playing golf. We are aware of the need for this and we are moving forward to provide one soon. Q: How are you enjoying being Captain of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club? A: It feels good when even my friends now call me Captain. We are a layer zone between the members and the

club, taking on board the views of the members. Included on the current agenda is a feasibility study into the 18 holes being floodlit. The Creek is a great club and we’re always looking at new ideas to find ways to improve things for members and visitors. I’m enjoying the experience of being Captain and I’m having a great time, although it does require attending meetings and functions. I’m passionate about golf and I love everything about the sport. I’d like to do something I can be proud of and which my country can be proud of. The Creek has its own charm. You feel relaxed there and it has a very ‘homely’ atmosphere. Q: Having played golf all over the world where have most you enjoyed playing? A: By participating in pro-ams like the Dunhill Links (Scotland), the Omega Masters (Switzerland), the King Hassan Trophy (Morocco) the French Open, Dubai World Championship, Omega Dubai Dessert Classic, Abu Dhabi Golf Championship I have been fortunate to play golf on some exquisite and beautiful courses around the world. I’ve played with movie stars, sporting icons and great statesmen. It gave me the opportunity to talk about the UAE and golf here in particular. A few years ago hardly anyone knew anything about Dubai and the Emirates but now they are all interested and many have visited the UAE. This pleasure I cherish a lot and the round I cherish most is playing with the Honourable Dan Quayle, the 44th Vice President of the USA. He invited me for a return game in Arizona. Q: What is your favourite golf course? A: My favourite golf courses are in the UAE but Kingsbarns is a fantastic course – except when it’s windy. Glen Abbey in Toronto is a beautiful course and Crans Montana in Switzerland is spectacular. Q: What is your handicap and are you pleased with the new Handicap Scheme? A: My handicap at the moment is 16. Before introducing the new Handicap

Scheme the Board spent a long time discussing the system with the clubs and we believe it will be a huge advantage for everyone but it will take time before it works fluently. We have some issues to look into but in the long run it will be beneficial to every golfer in the UAE. An accurate handicap is essential. We’re happy with the initial results. We’ve put in a lot of work on it and I’m sure our efforts will prove worthwhile. Q: What would be your ideal fourball? A: I’m fortunate to have played in so many pro-ams with so many interesting people. I’m a great fan of Lee Westwood as a golfer and a person. Mark O’Meara is a fine golfer and who is one of golf’s true gentlemen. I have a huge respect for him as does everyone in the game. Jean Van de Velde is a person who is always eager to help anyone and I enjoy his company. I had lunch with him last month in Dubai and it was good to see him again. To put these three players together on the golf course would be a disaster but they are good human beings and it would be a lot of fun. Q: If you could change anything in golf what would it be? A: I’d try to find ways to make it shorter. Five hours to play a round of golf is too long. We have to educate people to play faster – amateurs and professionals. Q: Do you think something should be done to prevent the trend of courses becoming 8,000+ yards long? A: Many people complain that the technology of golf clubs and balls has become too advanced. Certainly, equipment has progressed to a level that was unthinkable 10 years ago. I appreciate that tournaments are doing whatever they can to compensate by narrowing the fairways, growing the rough and repositioning bunkers but at the end of the day it’s the skill of the player that counts. You may be able to get your drive 20 yards further up the fairway but it’s simply skill that decides who wins. It’s not the longest drive that counts in the end, it’s the accuracy of the shot – and the quality of your putting.

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

More players on the US and European Tours choose to wear FootJoy. Players like Luke Donald, Fredrik Jacobson and Davis Love III, who rely on the best fit and performance of the FootJoy StaSof ® and SciFlex ™ golf gloves. From the performance of the premium Pittards ® Taction™ APL ™ Cabretta leather to the incredible feel, breathability and grip, the best players in the world know that FootJoy gloves are the most technically advanced and highest quality gloves available. To discover for yourself why the world’s best count on FootJoy, visit footjoy.co.uk/gloves. Source: Darrell Survey (US) Sports Marketing Surveys Ltd (Europe). Pro Sports International, PO Box 26723, Dubai, UAE footjoy.co.uk Available from: Abu Dhabi Golf & Equestrian Club, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Al Badia, Al Ghazal, Dirab Golf Club, Doha Golf Club, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Dubai Duty Free, Emirates Golf Club, Golf House Super Store, Golf Shop Direct, Katameya Heights, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mirage Golf Resort, Nad Al Sheba Club, Riffa Golf Club,The Montgomerie Dubai, Sports Mart Doha, ME Golf Kuwait.

egyptian gOLF FeDeRatiOn NEWS

FREE GOLF ROARING SUCCESS THE Egyptian Golf Federation’s Grass Roots initiative has now been launched at six of the seven participating clubs, with the remaining club host their promotion in the coming weeks. To date Alexandria Sporting Club, Dreamland, Golf City, Orange Lakes, Katameya Heights and Mirage City have all conducted ‘Try Golf for Free’ weekends with beginner and junior lesson programmes starting the week after. An impressive 152 people have now taken a free ‘try golf’ class with 107 then starting beginner or junior

Dreamland Pro EPGA Event Golf City

group lessons, giving an excellent conversion rate of 70%. EGF Golf Development Officer, Richard Phillips said: “I’m delighted with the response so far. To have 152 people experience golf for the first time and then so many choosing to learn the game is very rewarding. “We still have a way to go to achieve our targets for the year but this is a great start and I’m sure more and more people will want to try once they hear how much their friends or family enjoyed their classes.” Gezira Sporting Club will host their ‘try golf’ weekend on April 2 and 3.

National Coach focuses on short game ahead of African Junior Golf Championship

DREAMLAND’S Golf Professional Fredrick Christensen won EPGA Event 2 with an impressive 3-under-par 69 over the Championship course at Golf City. The runner-up spot was shared between Katameya’s Steven Burton and Mirage City’s Calle Carlsson who tied on 74. The EPGA 2010 season features nine events and is supported by the EGF.

NATIONAL Coach Anne Le Coniat made short game the focus of the latest National Coaching session. The National Juniors had their first full test since The Federation set up their National Coaching programme, with team set to compete in the 2010 African Junior Team Championship from April 4 – 8, 2010. Le Coniat put both squads through several days of short game focus each morning with on course shot selection and strategy each afternoon. The focus of the National Coaching is the World Amateur Team Championship in October with a full programme in place to prepare for that Championship.

Glory for EGF Golf Manager Bent WITH a 1-over-par 71, Gerard Bent took Event 3 in the 2010 EPGA season at Alexandria Sporting Club. In testing breezy conditions and on a course set up with challenging pin locations, Bent beat Dreamland’s Fredrick Christenson by one stroke. In third place with 3-overpar 73 was local Alex professional Ayman Mahmoud. The win takes Bent to third place in the overall rankings. Burton, who managed tied fifth with 75 takes the leading spot on the rankings with

a narrow margin over Christenson. Event 4 will take place at Mirage City on April 20, 2010. The EPGA OOM will decide the Egyptian Open spots in October.

FOLLOWING the Katameya Junior Open, Issa Abou El Ela from Alexandria opened up a 15-point lead from Omar Mafouz of Gezira in Junior Gross Order of Merit.

Pos.

PLAYER

PTS

Steven Burton

61.5

Fredrick Christensen

Gerard Bent

52.5

Pos.

PLAYER

CLUB

PTS

Chris Geraghty

45.67

Issa Abou El Ela

Alexandria

Karl Anders

44.2

Omar Mafouz

Gezira

Hussein Mafouz

Gezira

Hassan Said

Katameya

Ibrahim Wakid

Katameya

Mirage win Event 3 of the Ladies League THE Mirage Team earned 10 league points after winning Event 3 in the EGF Ladies Golf League held at Mirage City with 168 Stableford points, while the Katameya Team earned eight league points with score of 151 Stableford points and Dreamland six points with score of 139 Stableford points. Gezira earned four points with score of 130 and although Alexandria drew a blank they’ll get their chance to get their own back with Event 4 taking

ISSA ANd TImI LEAd EGF JUNIOR ORdERS OF mERIT

place on home soil at the Alexandria Sporting Club on April 29.

CLUB

TOTAL POINTS

In the Junior Net Order of Merit, Timi Obatoyinbo of Katameya takes the early lead with 30 points after a four-shot victory from Saphir Gohar saw him crowned the Net Champion. Pos.

PLAYER

CLUB

PTS

Timi Obatoyinbo

Katameya

KATAMEYA TEAM

DREAMLAND TEAM

Saphir Gohar

Katameya

MIRAGE TEAM

Hassan Said

Katameya

GEZIRA TEAM

Shams Bahaa

Golf City

Hassan Fayed

Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA TEAM

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Golf Society League Standings After Round 3 SAIf Zone LeAgue

PLAYed

Won

LoST

TIed

PoInTS

Etihad Pilot Golf Society

Mott MacDonald Golf Society

Gulf Rock

Filipino Golf Society

Singapore Community Club

UAE-Nepalese Society (Est. 1987)

Won

LoST

BMW LeAgue

PLAYed

TIed

PoInTS

KEGS

Indian Golf Society

Filipino Golfers in the Middle East

Jebel Ali Golf Society

The Dubai Welsh Society

DAGS

Won

LoST

WoRLdWIde goLf LeAgue

PLAYed

TIed

PoInTS

BIGS

Wadi Gators

DUBAL

Dubai Petroleum Golf Society

Sharjah Golfing Buddies (SGB)

Black Stallions

Won

LoST

SgSC LeAgue

PLAYed

TIed

PoInTS

Lebanese Golf Society

DAPS

MBB Golf Society

Halcrow Golf Society

Darjeeling Golf Society

COGS

Schedule of Matches

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SAIF ZONE

BMW

SHARJAH

WWG

APRIL 3rd

1v5 2v4 3v6

APRIL 10TH

1v5 2v4 3v6

MAY 8TH

1v6 2v3 4v5

MAY 15TH

1v6 2v3 4v5

GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE

Round thRee pRoveS MovinG dAy foR MAny THE third round of the Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club’s Golf Society League supported by SAIF-Zone, BMW and Worldwide Golf proved to be a time to fight for pole position as many groups secured all six points in their matches to move into strong positions within their respective league tables. In the BMW League, Graham Purvis (24) and Eric Owen (12) of the Welsh society dispatched Abdul (24) and Christine Khan (28) of the JAGS 8&7. However, the other encounter between the two sides was a much tighter affair which eventually ended in a nail-biting tie. Neil Bam (19) and Ricky Whiting (14) of the Kegs also won 8&7 over the JAGS while Peter Gaskin (14) (undefeated in three matches) and Drew Steedman (8) had a 2&1 victory over the other JAGS pairing of Chris Kelly (13) and Peter Bauer (18). Upset Eric Matabang (15) and Mario Marimon (18) of the FIGME society caused something of an upset by winning 2up against a very strong Indian Society team – their first loss in the competition – but in their other match Vikram Arora and Amit Pateria convincingly prevailed 6&5. The Saif-Zone League produced some inspired golf with the two teams representing Gulf Rock and Mott MacDonald winning both their matches. ‘Play of the day’ went to Mel Stewart (14) and Lars Liden (17) of Gulf Rock whose putters were too hot to handle as they cruised to an 8&7 victory. Norhadi Alias (14) and Chang Pen Wah (16) from the Singapore Community fought bravely, only to lose 1up to the other Gulf Rock duo of Barry Nefdt (18) and Wilhelm Liden (13). ‘Shot of the day’ went to Steven Blandford (24) of Mott MacDonald whose 135 yard 9-iron approach found the hole for a rare eagle (net 0) on the par-4 fifth hole. Modest as ever, 24-handicapper Blandford joked: “I knew it was in the moment I hit it, I rarely miss from 135 yards – it’s my favourite yardage.” This moment of golfing perfection

catapulted the Mott MacDonald pair to a 5&3 victory over their Nepalese counterparts. In the other match Mott MacDonald’s Mark Dupree (22) and Rob Russel (22) defeated Nigel (17) and Purna Sharma (0) 2&1. The Etihad Pilots of Hisham Yousuf (10) and Rizal Shuaib (16) landed a 4&3 victory over Arnel Valencia (19) and Rommel Camara (23) from the Filipino Society, whereas the other pairing of Brian Mullen (0) and Matt Dowell (14) had a competitive but gentlemanly half with Joseph Mogallos (15) and Dino Mutuc (24). In the Worldwide Golf League the SGB society had their best day to date by winning both of their matches while the Black Stallions also had a good day to keep in touch with the leaders. The Blackstallions – needing victory in their two games to take them top of the league – got off to a flying start after Trevor Varri and Julian Evans defeated the BIGS pairing of James Burke and Mark Anderson 4&2 however in the other match BIGS duo Larry Burke and Jerry Guinnan defeated Steve Hill and Keith Evans 2&1. Flying start In the SGSC League the Lebanese Golf Society stayed top after winning both their games against the DAPS and with just two games left have a six-point advantage with four Societies tied for second place. The COGS pairing of James Brown and Praveen Sharma got off to a flying start in their game after being 2up through 7 holes, but as all golfers know anything can happen in golf and on the next tee Halcrow’s Alan Myers made a hole in one to take them back to 1down. With momentum on their side Myers and his partner went on to win the match on the last green. On a positive for the COGS they did win their first game in the Golf Society League after the pairing of Martin Geskes and Neil Smith won 4&3 against Jett Smith and Matt Read however they remain bottom of their league with just three points.

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ArAbiAn Golf EMIRATES GOLF CLUB

LOCATION Emirates Hills, Interchange 5 Sheikh Zayed Road, opposite the Hard Rock Café

Pontus Fredriksson accepts his prize from Club Captain Mike Tracey.

CONTACT (04) 380 2222 egc@dubaigolf.com Book online tee times at www.dubaigolf.com INFO Majlis Course – 1988 Faldo Course – 1996, re-designed in 2006 COURSES Majlis – 18 holes, Par 72, 7,211 yards, Championship course Faldo Course – 18 holes, Par 72, 7,433 yards DESIgNERS: Majlis Course – Karl Litten Faldo course – Sir Nick Faldo

PONTUS FredrikSSON keePS ClUb ChamPiONShiP TiTle PONTUS Fredriksson successfully defended his Emirates Golf Club Championship title with an impressive 1-under-par total of 144 over the Faldo and Majlis courses. Fredriksson signed for a gross 71 on day one over the Faldo course, which included an opening burst that signalled his intent to the rest of the field as he reeled off a trio of threes over the first three holes: birdie, par, eagle at the start of his title defence. He dropped shots on holes 4 and 9 to make the turn in 35. He continued his blistering form over the back nine with birdies on holes 11 and 13 which helped him come home in 36 strokes for an opening score of 2-under par. Dan Hendry posted a level-par 73 in the first match of the day with the highlight of his round coming at the par-5 tenth where he made a gross eagle.

Joel Neale joined Hendry and Fredriksson in the final group following his opening 75. Fredriksson started the final round strongly over the Majlis course with birdies on holes 3 and 4 which saw him go out in 36 shots and he closed the door on the rest of the field with birdies on the 10th and 13th to get to 3-under par for the championship. A disappointing bogey, bogey finish resulted in a 73 on the day but it gave him a 144 tally which was good enough to beat Hendry and Tom Green by four shots. Hendry followed his opening 73 with a 75 while Green produced an inspired 71 to beat his opening round by six shots and claim a share of second place.

ThE bIG FIVE-O

G O L F ERS CA LLED TO THE FIRST TEE IN A ID OF C H IL DR EN’ S C H A R I T I E S CELEBRITIES from the world of sport and entertainment are generously lending their support to the BIG FIVE-O to be held at the Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club on May 15 to help improve the lives of children both locally and overseas. Once again 50 teams of four players will take on the challenge of the spectacular Dubai Creek course with two shotgun starts (8.0am and 1.0pm) followed by a stunning Gala dinner, all in aid of very worthy causes that include; SPARKS (Sport Aiding Research for Kids), The Al Noor Training Centre, The Dubai Centre for Children with Special Needs, The Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre and UK Youth. Having developed into one of the most popular and prestigious occasions in the sporting and social calendar in Dubai, the Big Five-O Golf Tournament has raised more than a staggering Dhs7 million over the previous 7 events held. Originally inspired and organised by Lisa and Rod

Bogg, General Manager of Dubai Creek at the time, to celebrate his 50th birthday as a one-off fundraiser, this much loved charity event is proving as popular as ever some 12 years later. “Back by popular demand following an absence of 3 years the Big Five-O has once again received outstanding support. I’m absolutely delighted by the response we’ve had from both sponsors and players. Already 38 teams have been entered, 400 have booked for the gala dinner and many sponsorship opportunities have been taken,” says Rod. “The interest and appetite to get involved highlights the reputation the Big Five-O has gained as a must attend event that continues to make a real difference in the lives of many children.” Among the celebrities who have already committed to attend the event are leading names such as David Gower, Dennis Waterman, Matt Le Tissier, Jeremy Guscott and Roger Uttley. Auction items include; tickets for all England’s

matches in the 2010 Football World Cup plus flights provided by Emirates Airline; a private box for 20 people at the Epsom Derby; and Colin Montgomerie’s European Team golf cart for the upcoming Ryder Cup. In an effort to raise as much money as possible for the charities involved the event relies on the generous support of its sponsors and this year is no exception with wasl (Dubai Real Estate Corporation), owners of Dubai Golf, granting the use of Dubai Creek Golf Course. wasl joins loyal and dedicated main sponsors Emirates Airline, Grand Hyatt Dubai and Motivate Publishing. A number of sponsorship and advertising opportunities are still available from sponsoring a specific hole to buying a celebrity for your galadinner table. For general enquiries please contact Tournament Coordinator Barbara Franos on + 971 50 844 3367 (mobile) + 0971 4 205 46 11 (fax) or e-mail thebig50@dubaigolf.com www.wwgolf.biz

WHICH NEW IRON FITS YOUR GAME� Are you looking for maximum forgiveness or do you like to work the ball? The large, perimeter weighted G15 provides higherlaunching, longer carrying shots and the accuracy to hit more greens. The i15 is a mid-sized head that offers workability with cavity-back forgiveness. It’s engineered as a progressive set to deliver forgiveness in the long irons and more control in the mid- and short-irons.

ArAbiAn Golf DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB

Panting and north win by one WARREN Panting and Vanessa North won the Carpetland Monthly Open last month with an amazing betterball strokeplay score of 9-under-par 62. The pair carded nine individual net birdies (four on the front nine and five on the back nine) to win by a single shot from David Gowans and Joy Lirio, who were runner-up for the second month in a row. A shot further back and alone in third place were Najla Bartette and Agnes Anwar with a net 64. All the top three winning pairs have secured their place in the fourth consecutive grand finals to be held at Dubai Creek in May 2010 with only April’s event remaining to try and claim a place in the prestigious final. Anish Malattiri won nearest the pin on the 14th hole with a wonderful iron shot to several feet and made his putt for an elusive two. David Gowans won the longest drive for the day on the ninth hole. The lucky and very surprised raffle winner of the Carpetland Rug was David Brady who was visiting from Scotland.

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.

Mark Bryant, Development Manager for Aqili Furnishings and David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at Dubai Creek presenting Warren Panting and Vanessa North with the winner’s trophies.

M A U R E E n P L AT T C R U i s E s TO MARCH MEDAL TiTLE MAUREEN Platt won the overall March BMW medal after ousting the competition in the Ladies Division with an outstanding net score of 66. Platt, who was playing off a 29 handicap, carded two consistent nines of gross 47 and 48 for a gross 95 and a net 66 to win the BMW crystal by three shots from Vanessa North In the men’s Division ‘A’ the overall winner was Gary Chapman with a superb net 69 as he beat David Gowans by two strokes. The men’s Division ‘B’ winner was Haridas Kondath who also scored a net 69 to beat Robert Platt by one stroke who in turn defeated Alok Pant on a countback. The overall lowest gross score for the day was 78 by Mark Dennehy while the overall best junior with a superb performance and a mind-blowing score of net 61 was Rishad Lakdawala.

Michael Duffy, Senior Business Development Manager of Wentworth presenting the voucher to the overall winners George Khairallah and Adhip Shankar.

BMW medal winner Maureen Platt receives her BMW trophy from Club Vice Captain Joseph Andrade.

KHAiRALLAH AnD sHAnKAR CLinCH T H E W E n T W O RT H i n v i TAT i O n A L GEORGE Khairallah and Adhip Shanker clinched the Dubai Creek Wentworth Invitational over the closing nine holes on Friday March 12. The Pairs Scramble format proved to be relaxed but competitive with the pair winning by virtue of the better back nine with a superb net 3-under-par 33 from playing partners Shahriar and Shahin Khodjasteh who also scored a net total of 63.6. Finishing alone in third place with a net 64.7 was Warren Panting and Vanessa North. The winning pair has been invited to Wentworth for a round of golf on the newly redeveloped West Course and an overnight stay. Senior Business Development Manager for Wentworth, Michael Duffy commented: “Thank you to all the Dubai Creek members for playing today and you are all welcome to come and visit Wentworth. Dubai Creek has been a fantastic host and congratulations to the winners. We look forward to seeing you during the summer months when you are all seeking a cooler climate to play golf.”

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ArAbiAn Golf ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB

Kim and Kun crowned the Prime travel BetterBall chamPions JOUNG Sook Kim (21) and Kun Sun Kwon (24) scored 49 Stableford points to win the Prime Travel Betterball of Partners Stableford event last month. Their card consisted of two halves of 26 and 23 having started on hole 10 in the shotgun start format with 45 teams competing for the overall prize. Their opening nine holes included five net birdies and they recorded a further six net birdies on their inward nine. The duo’s score was matched by Shabir Yakub (10) and Haiyan Mujarkech (24) but they lost out on the title due to their opponent’s better back nine. Yakub and Mujarkech had to settle for first place in the Men’s Division

Aiden Walsh of Prime Travel with all the day’s winners.

which they won by two shots from Graham Atherton and Rob Garner. In the Ladies/Mixed Division Adele McKelvey (7) and Ashley Anderson (15) continued their dominance when they posted 47 points to win by one from Tony and Ksenia Grayling. Aiden Walsh, Assistant Travel Manager for Prime Travel, commented at the prize giving: “It has been a fantastic day, with our service orientated approach we could not have selected a better way to promote Prime Travel to the community at Arabian Ranches, I hope all the winners enjoy their prizes and we are looking forward to hosting more Prime Travel Golf Days at ARGC in the future.”

ArAbiAn Golf

JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES

andrew rotteveel masters the Fire

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

THE March Member Guest Stableford was held in extremely challenging conditions on the Fire course but Andrew Rotteveel adjusted well to the conditions to score 43 points and take out the competition. The conditions ensured competition was tight and just one point separated second and third with Andrew Adam scoring 41 points and Charles Menkhorst 40.

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

MIChAEL hUNT S E C U R E S S T. P A T R I C k ’ S D A y M E M B E R G U E S T D Ay THERE was plenty of green, white and orange seen at the John White Member Guest Day played on the Fire course on St. Patrick’s Day and it was Michael Hunt who took the honours scoring 38 points. Mike De Kock and Richie Mullen scored 36 and 35 points respectively to take second and third place while Mullen also took the Nearest the Pin prize on hole 8 and Brenda Cooke was Nearest the Pin on hole 14. 74

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ArAbiAn Golf

M C k E L V E y, W A R D A N D T h E F U T S C h I k S C L E A N U P AT G A R D E N E V E N T THE four-player team consisting of Adele McKelvey (7), Rebecca Ward (31) and Christian (10) and Bernadette Futschik (17) returned a score of 96 Stableford points to win the Parasol Garden Furniture Bestball Bridgman Team event last month. The format for this event was confusing, but the teams managed their way around the course with no scoring issues at all. Play started off with the best individual Stableford score from the team recorded on holes 1 to 6, then the best two Stableford scores at holes 7 to 12, the best three Stableford scores on holes 13 to 17 and all four Stableford scores were recorded on the final hole. The winning team took full advantage at holes 13 to 17 where they had to record three scores from each player. They recorded 18 points over holes 13 and 14 with the highlight of their round coming at the 16th where they recorded 10 points. Their winning total of 96 comprised of an outward half of 33 followed by an inward half of 63. Mark Sault of Parasol Garden Furniture offered his congratulations to all the worthy winners, saying: “We always have a great time at ARGC and with a field of over 100 golfers at each event we definitely look forward to the next golf day later this year.”

Location: Emirates Road (311) in the heart of Arabian Ranches. contact: Tel : +971 4 366 3000 Tel : +971 4 366 3355 info: Arabian Ranches Golf Club opened its doors in February, 2004 and was built as a true 18 holes, par 72 desert-style grass course, a signature course designed by Ian BakerFinch in association with Nicklaus Design. course: Championship Course 7691-yard par 72.

(l-r) Mark Sault (Parasol Garden Furniture) pictured with the winning team.

V I C E C A P TA I N S A N D C A P TA I N S TEAMS ShARE ThE QUAICh

Club Captains John Hainey and Fortuna Dougherty with the winners.

D O U G h E RT y P R E VA I L S I N WINDy RIVOLI MEDAL

THE annual team event held in late February between the Vice Captains team led by Tina Garner and Andy Burrow and the Captains team led by John Hainey and Fortuna Dougherty finished in dramatic style when the result came down to the last match on the course. The Vice Captains team held a one-point lead when the match between Jean Marie Teyssedre and Patrick Poles concluded. Players from both teams stood in anticipation in the clubhouse as the result was posted with Poles taking the point for the Captains team, ensuring both teams ended the day level on 18 points. The tournament also included an Individual Stableford competition and the player of the day was Brian Hollis (19), who having started on hole 9 returned a very impressive card of 38 Stableford points. Hollis had nines of 21 and 17 but had to fight for the individual victory with both playing partners Mark Sayer and Mike Twigger also posting 38 points, however the stronger back nine by Hollis gave him a countback victory by two points over Sayer. Janet Sanderson returned 33 Stableford points to take the Ladies Individual title.

Club Captain John Hainey shares the Quaich trophy with Lady Vice Captain Tina Garner.

TONY Dougherty (3) returned a gross 1-over-par 73 to win the March Rivoli Monthly Medal in strong winds and poor visibility. Dougherty swept the competition aside with excellent consistency from tee to green and ran out victor by four shots from Doug McLennan (3). “We appreciate the support from Rivoli making this the premier event for the members to play in every month,” said Dougherty upon completion of his round. The Division “A” Net title belonged to Jim Prescott (4) with a net 70 which helped him edge out Aziz Salem (10) by two shots while in Division “B” Simon Crane (20) just came up short in his bid to claim back-to-back titles when he lost on a countback to Tony Grayling after they posted a net 70. In the Ladies Division Ashley Anderson (15) won the Net prize with a 67 and Adele McKelvey (7) won the Ladies Gross title with a superb 76. Club Captain John Hainey said, “I want to thank Rivoli for their generous support in one of the club’s most prestigious events.”

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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

ArAbiAn Golf the address montgomerie DUBAI

Hubner nabs tHe sHield THE Acuma Shield was held last month at The Address Montgomerie with separate competitions for professionals and amateurs alike on the same course layout. Scores were tight in both categories with countbacks necessary to separate the victorious from the runners-up. After a tight finish it was Dubai Creek’s Stephen Hubner who was crowned the professional champion after defeating The Els Club’s Callum Nicol on a countback with the pair level on 1-under-par. Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Steven Munro carded an even-par 72 to claim third place. Pontus Fredriksson took the amateur title with a countback victory over Abdullah Al Musharrekh after their both came in with a 2-over-par 74. A countback was also needed to separate Alex Charwani and Khaled Yousuf as they both finished on 4-over-par 76 with Charwani being awarded third place after his superior finish.

Location: Just off the 5th Interchange of Sheik Zayed Road towards Emirates Hills. Follow signs for Emirates Hills and then follow signs for The Montgomerie, Dubai. contact: Tel: +9714 390 5600 Fax: +9714 360 8981 info: Opened October 2002 course: 18 hole Championship 7308 yard par 75 from the Black Pearl tee; 6753 yard par 72 from the Sapphire tee; 6172 yard par 69 from the Emerald tee; 5401 yard par 71 from the Ruby tee 9-hole Academy Course Designer: Colin Montgomerie

Amateurs and professionals with Acuma’s Managing Director Kevin Thorp (second left) and Chief Executive Con Lillis (far right).

Professional winners with Acuma’s Managing Director Kevin Thorp (second left) and Chief Executive Con Lillis (far right).

TIgHT SCORES In BMW S TA B l E F O R D WITH the recent implementation of the USGA handicapping system, the March edition of the BMW Stableford was the first tournament where the handicaps took affect at The Montgomerie, Dubai. Both the Men’s Division ‘A’ and ‘B’ saw just one point separate first and second place. Tyrone Rees came home with 46 points to top Division ‘B’ from Keun Moo Kwak while in Division ‘A’ David Kerr pipped Robert Lee to first place. The Ladies ‘A’ Division saw Ladies Club Captain Barb McBean beat Angela Lee on a countback to take the honours while the Ladies ‘B’ Division was won by Linda Mahoney with 33 points. Long Drive Winners were Barb McBean and Neil Wood and Nearest the Pin winners were Charmaine Bruwer and Robert Lee.

TWO BREAk 80 In TOUgH COnDITIOnS ONLY two players managed to break 80 in March’s ECCO Monthly Medal as a large sand storm engulfed Dubai and made playing conditions difficult for competitors. Jackie Allinson and Qamar Rasheed recorded the best scores of the day as they both shot a 79 to take home their respective Gross Division titles. In the Men’s Net Divisions Shankar Majrekar won the ‘A’ division by two shots with a net 71 while in the ‘B’ Division there was a tie at the top with 70s, but Robin Bromage was victorious as he edged Komal Sharma into second place after a countback. The Ladies Division’s were not nearly as close with Angela Lee taking home a seven-shot win in the ‘A’ division and Julie Yoon winning the ‘B’ Division by 10 with a net 64. Long Drive winners were Barb McBean and John Ewing while the Nearest the Pin winners were Ok Young Cho and Mukti Rai.

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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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ArAbiAn Golf ContaCt: Tel : (02) 558 8990

ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB

Info: The 27 hole championship course, managed by the world-renowned Troon Golf, weaves through undulating terrain that features palms, ornamental trees and shrubs, as well as nine spectacular saltwater lakes. The experience provides a tough-but-fair challenge, with lush fairways, strategically placed bunkers and generous greens. Designed by Peter Harradine, planting had begun way back in 1992, accounting for the wellestablished look the Club presented even on the day of its inauguration.

Vikram Judge, Jon Poulton, Simon Dunn, Nicolas Reincke and Charles Parks.

Poulton downs dunn to win 2010 Audi oPen JON Poulton defeated Simon Dunn in a play-off to win the 2010 Audi Men’s Open after a thrilling two days of golf in late February. The pair finished on a gross 148 after 36 holes and it was Poulton who took the title on the second play-off hole with a par on the par-5 18th hole. While those two professionals finished at the top of the pile amateur Vikram Judge finished in third place with an impressive 151 total. In the net division, Abu Dhabi Golf Club member Tom Morgan and Nicolas Reincke both finished on 144 and after a countback Morgan was crowned the winner. Charles Parks finished in third place with a 149 total.

REvELL REvELS iN MEDAL viCTORy MICHAEL Revell topped Division ‘A’ in the Rivoli March Medal with an impressive 43 points to win by two points from Bilel Belaid with Philip Sykes taking third place. In the Men’s Division B Suliman Aboumusafa was in winning form taking first place with 42 points, with Tom Morgan continuing his good form by taking another second place finish on 39 points, defeating Anoop Sood on a countback. Brigitta Penzias won the ladies section

Shelly McQuattie, Michael Revell, Joanne Kellie with an excellent score of 43 while Joanne Kellie and Shelley McQuattie finished second and third respectively after a countback having both scored 35.

sAADIyAt BeAcH GOLF CLUB

E S N A A D H O S T S G O L F D Ay AT S A A D i yAT B E A C H G O L F C L U B THE fourth annual ESNAAD golf day was held last month at the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, marking the first major corporate event to be held on the Gary Player designed course. A full field of 108 players teed off at 1pm in strong winds and challenging conditions and following a closely contested tournament the team of Bilel Belaid, Ahmed Al-Hamdasi, Nadia Belaid and Cathy Feron topped the pile with 91 points. In second place – also with 91 points but losing out on a countback – was the team of Boff Wafaa, Medhat Al-Hammami, Hiroshi Fuji and Ahmed Madour with third place going to the team of Sami Ghandour, Phil Orme, Sam Kobeisi and Garry Doherty, again on 91 points.

Darwish Al Qubaisi, General Manager of ESNAAD, presents all the prizewinners with their prizes. www.wwgolf.biz

Greg Norman Collection - “The Grove”, near the Ice Rink, Dubai Mall, Tel (+9714 339 8117)

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.

ArAbiAn Golf royal golf club bahrain

Location: situated just 20 minutes drive from bahrain’s capital, manama, the royal Golf Club boasts the country’s only 18hole grass golf course which forms the stunning centrepiece of riffa Views, a residential lifestyle community.

Bahrain to host Faldo series asia QualiFier THE Royal Golf Club has announced that it will once again play host to the Faldo Series Asia Middle East qualifier later this year on October 7 and 8. The tournament was confirmed by golfing legend Sir Nick Faldo at the prize-giving ceremony at the conclusion of the 2010 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills in China, which was won for the first time by a Japanese youngster Masamichi Ito after a suddendeath play-off. Overnight leader Chi Hsieh Hsieh from Chinese Taipei completed his final round of 74 to tie with Ito on 214 after Ito carded a 3-under-par 69. The play-off took place on the course’s par-5 finishing hole with both players finding the fairway from the tee. Hsieh played first and positioned his second shot just short of the green to leave a comfortable pitch. Ito elected to take on the challenge, hitting a seven wood from 252 yards which carried the lake and rolled out to 20 feet. Hseih failed to get up-and-down for birdie leaving Ito with a two-putt birdie to take the title. Ahmed Al Musharrekh from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club ensured he climbed the leaderboard on the final day, finishing as the highest placed player to have qualified from the Middle East. Despite heavy rain during the final round of the three-day tournament, Musharrekh recovered well after an uncertain start, finishing with an 8-over-par 80 for the day. Phil Jones, Director of Golf Operations at the Royal Golf Club, who accompanied the four Middle East

representatives to China said: “We look forward to welcoming junior players from all around the GCC again this October to compete for a place in next year’s final. Having seen the standard of the golf course and the way the juniors are looked after at the Grand Final, it really is the opportunity to win a trip of a lifetime!”

contact: tel: +973 17 750777

Final scores For the Middle east players: Ahmed Al Musharrekh (Dubai Creek)

Final position 26th

18-over-par

Hassan Al Musharrekh (Dubai Creek)

Final position 44th

25-over-par

Daniel Owen (Royal Golf Club)

Final position 59th

34-over-par

Suzanna Hobday (Royal Golf Club)

Final position 73rd

79-over-par

Left: Phil Jones, Director of Golf Operations at the Royal Golf Club pictured with Sir Nick Faldo and Tom Phillips of the Faldo Series Asia at the award dinner prize presentation. Right: Dubai’s Ahmed Al Musharrekh in action.

r oya l G o l f C l u b h o s t s b u s y f1 Weekend THE team of Matthew Perry, Chris Hurter, Ilya Goniker and Albert Hug narrowly won the F1 Scramble – which was played during the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix – with a net score of 58.5, marking the start of a great weekend for the Hug family. Albert and his wife Evelyn were also part of the Williams Team that scooped the top prize in the Constructers’ Championship along with teammates Des Prunty and Verleen Burkinshaw with a team score of 130 points. Haitham Haji won top prize in the individual category of the tournament with 38 points on countback. “The golf club is always busy over F1 weekend with many of our members having guests in town,” said Golf Events Key Accounts Manager John Wilson. “We had our fair share of VIPs paying a visit too – Nigel Mansell and his son played a round here on Friday, Heikki Kovalainen enjoyed the nine-hole Wee Monty academy course and Eddie Jordan played with one of our members on Thursday.”

F1 Scramble Winners on the Royal Golf Club F1 Podium

robinson is speed Golf Champion THE Royal Golf Club held its second annual Speed Golf tournament which was won by PGA Professional Martin Robinson as he took just over 71 minutes to complete 18 holes of golf on foot. In the Team Relay event, junior members Sam and Suzanna Hobday, Scott Wilkinson and Stuart Hutchison took first place by completing 36 holes in just over two hours. The idea for the tournament was introduced by club vice captain Ed Daly who is taking part in this year’s London Marathon as part of the St John’s Ambulance charity team. The Speed Golf competitors raised over BD1000 in sponsorship which was donated to the charity.

Ed Daly with team winners Suzanna and Sam Hobday, Stuart Hutchinson and Scott Wilkinson and John Wilson, Key Accounts Manager. www.wwgolf.biz

ArAbiAn Golf ABU DHABI CITY GOLF CLUB

ContaCt: Tel : 02 445 9600

MerriMan drives away with volvo’s first order of Merit event THE first event of the Volvo Order of Merit series at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club saw Tony Merriman take the honours after a countback victory over Elie Chiha. The pair finished level on 41 points but Merriman’s superior back nine saw him take home first prize. Flying the flag for the Ladies was Lucy Churchouse who finished in third with a fine total of 39 points while Graham Booth and Barrie Toner took fourth and fifth place respectively after shooting 38 points. The new Series is a partnership with Al Futtaim Trading Enterprises that will encompass a total of seven Order of Merit events before a Grand Final of the leading 40 players confirms the overall winner. Played with an Individual Stableford format, the top 40 players from each event will receive Order of Merit points, with the top five in each tournament receiving Volvo branded prizes. During the prize-giving ceremony Aldrin Afonso, Volvo Branch Sales Manager, said, “Volvo has had a long-standing commitment to support golf worldwide both at professional and club level.” Event 2 of the Volvo Order of Merit Series will be held on Friday April 23.

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.

B L A i r B E x O n A p p O i n T E D p. G . A T E A C h i n G p r O F E s s i O n A L THE strong team around Head P.G.A. Professional Steve Johns at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club has been enhanced with Blair Bexon joining the team as a PGA Teaching Pro from Nottingham, England. Bexon began his golfing career at Ruddington Grange Golf Club and turned Professional at the age of 18 after completing his A-levels at West Bridgford Comprehensive School in 2006. He did his PGA training at his golf club in Nottingham and completed his PGA degree last year. Johns is happy to have Blair on board, saying: “Having a young and dynamic team is what is required to further underline our efforts to grow Golf in Abu Dhabi. Our Academy is not only well known for the annual Junior Program,

but also for well structured tuition for beginners and experienced golfers alike. Having Blair on board, allows us to further extend our portfolio.” Blair kept his game in shape by playing regional golf events and won the Retford Pro-Am in 2007 and Ruddington Pro-Am in 2008, and also mounted a strong challenge to win the 2008 Midlands’ Order of Merit. After completing the PGA degree at the University of Birmingham he continued to work at Ruddington Grange Golf Club before joining Abu Dhabi City Golf Club. Blair believes that his role as a PGA Professional is to promote the game to all ages and abilities to enable his pupils to receive the maximum enjoyment from the game.

AL GHAZAL GOLF CLUB

L i m A n D F r i E D m A n n TA k E T h E mArCh hOnOUrs

The March Monthly Medal winners. 82

www.wwgolf.biz

DESPITE perfect playing conditions during the March Monthly Medal many players found it a difficult day to score on as once again S.J. Lim topped Division ‘1’ with a net score of 71. Lim’s total was good enough to edge Mike Massie into second place by just one stroke while in Division ‘2’ February Medal winner Jan Friedmann again took the honours with a 71 – two shots ahead of Eddie Brown. Division ‘3’ winner was Stan Mirossay as his score of 76 was good enough for a three-shot victory over second placed Abdul Rahman, while the overall Ladies winner by three shots was Anina Bester as she defeated Lady Captain Pauline Jeynes Bester leads the International Paints Ladies Golfer of the Year points list with 77 from Sharon Yang on 46 and Chaya Kinder on 39. The Men’s International Paints Golfer of the Year has Mark Hayman pulling away from the rest of the field on 100 points from S.J. Lim on 83 who leapfrogged H.J. Lee on 73 with Nam Young Baek also sitting on 73 points. There are only two more Golfer of The Year events to go with the AGGC Club Championships sponsored by Super Sign and the final April Monthly Medal.

fifth time lucky as ian morrison grabs muscat open glory for oman double OMAN’S top golfers turned out in force as they battled for the 37th Muscat Open and it was Ian Morrison who took the honours with a one-shot win at the fifth attempt with two solid rounds on the sand course at Ras Al Hamra Golf Club. Morrison shot 76-76 for a 152 total to secure first place which completed an impressive double following his victory in the inaugural Oman Open on the grass at Muscat Hills earlier this year. Starting the second day two shots back from first round leader Puli Sharma and one shot behind Jilan Jenggi and three-time champion Azaan Al Rumhy, Morrison stayed in contention throughout the final day before sealing the win with an excellent birdiepar-par finish. “The second day was difficult,” he said. “I felt the pressure and was a bit frustrated to hit some shots in the water. I thought I’d blown it but finished reasonably strong. After competing in five Muscat Opens it feels truly great to win one. I’ll set the trophy next to my Oman Open and hope to be back in Muscat next year to defend my title as I’m moving back to Aberdeen shortly.” Four players finished one shot back on 153 and the order had to be decided on a countback with second place being awarded to Ali Hameed thanks to his solid second round. Sachin Bawa had a somewhat cold putter on the last three holes but managed to secure third place. Jilan Jenggi saw his approach shot on the 18th hole trickle into the water which led to a disappointing double bogey but it didn’t wreck his tournament as his excellent scoring over the previous 35 holes earned him fourth place and outright victory in the Net competition with a score of 7-under-par 133.

37th muscat open

Sharma had a rocky first nine holes on the final day but came back strongly on the last nine to claim fifth place. Following Jenggi into the podium places in the Net competition was Mathew Gumba with a 135 and Sha Sudha on 139. Richard Chia finished fourth with a 142 total while Sala Al Harty claimed fifth place a shot further back. Daniel Byrne, President of the 37th Muscat Open commented: “It has truly been a fantastic competition, closely fought between Oman’s best golfers, but it would not have gone ahead without the help of our sponsors to whom we are greatly indebted for their generous support – Gulf Agency Company, Shanfari group’s Contractors Technical Services, The Eight group and Aker Solutions. “Nor without our Muscat Open Committee and our helpers who have assisted in organising

Winner Ian Morrison with runner-up Ali Hameed and third placed Sachin Bawa. this prime event, taking care of the course, the scores, equipment and food. Last, but not least, I congratulate the players who showed us great sportsmanship and talent over the two days.”

Muscat Hills’ 6tH oMan econoMic Review ceo Golf day a GReat success

PGA Professional Sandy Meyer gives a golf clinic to the enthusiastic golfers at the Oman Economic Review CEO Golf Day at Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club.

LAST month’s 6th annual Oman Economic Review CEO Golf Day hosted by Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club was a huge success for golfers and non-golfers alike. More than 100 golfers competed in the tournament with a further 120 non-golfers taking part in a Golf Clinic, hosted by PGA Professionals Billy McColl, Sandy Meyer and Paul Preston and enjoying a number of other fun golf competitions. The main event, presented by Nawras Business Solutions in association with the National Bank of Oman, and in time with Rolex from Khimji’s Watches and partnered by BMW was an 18 hole individual event which was won by Virendra Agarwal with Stuart Ingram finishing runner-up, Hamdan Al Shaqsy third and H.E. Acmad Omar in fourth place. “The OER CEO GOLF has always been an exclusive event,” said Sandeep Sehgal, CEO, United Media Services, the publishers of OER. “It is Oman’s biggest and unique golfing-cum-business networking extravaganza. For us, it is exciting that Oman’s most eagerly awaited corporate golfing championship sees everybody in the ‘who’s-who-of-Oman’ out there together on the greens.” The day-long event concluded with an Awards Presentation Dinner attended by more than 600 guests. www.wwgolf.biz

ArAbiAn Golf

Sharjah golf & shooting club

LIU MAKES IT TWO GEORGE Lui won his second Orient Travel Thai Airways Monthly Medal of 2010 after recording a gross 81 for a net 75 to take the March medal. Lui (6), winner of the January edition, opened up with a nine of 39 and came back in 42 to beat Diana Brown by one stroke and take the lead in the Malaysia Truly Asia Order of Merit. Brown had a solid day but a disastrous eight on hole 9 ruined her chances of taking home a first medal. Pieter Both (11) returned to form with a third place finish after a net 77 while the best gross prize went to SGSC Summer Open Champion Ramsey Yassin (3) with an 8-over-par total 80.

(l-r) Pieter Botha, Diana Brown, George Liu and Ramsey Yassin.

Bernie Moral, Mel Stewart, Simon McDonald and Robert Craquelin with (Director of Golf) Martin Duff.

on form stewart wins again THE February BMW Members and Guest Social saw teams of two play two different formats over 18 holes. The front nine format was a Betterball Medal which was won by Mel Stewart (16) and Simon McDonald (6) as they recorded a net 33 to beat their nearest challengers by two shots. After an awkward start on hole 1, where they recorded a net bogey, they picked up four shots on holes 4, 5 and 6 where Stewart holed a putt for a birdie â&#x20AC;&#x201C; net eagle. The back nine format was a Shambles Stableford won by Bernie Moral (22) and Abijit Gupta (25). They stormed round the nine holes in 25 points with net eagles on holes 11 and 15 for their second victory at SGSC as a team. French golfer and SGSC member Robert Craquelin (15) won both the Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin competitions for the day.

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ArAbiAn Golf 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.

Young’s birdie streak secures VictorY in sharjah Pga oPen

Lindsey Brown (top centre) with Eric Van Der Veen of Dufry.

BROWN WINS THRILLING DUFRY LADIES OPEN LINDSEY Brown of The Palm Sports Resort Al Ain won the second Dufry Ladies Open Golf Championship in thrilling style at the Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club. The 22-year-old from South Africa held a slender one-shot overnight lead from Sana Tufail (ADGC) after an opening round of 82 Playing in the last group with a tee time of 8.40am along with third placed Nasha Sarkari of Dubai Creek and Tufail, Brown got off to a shaky start with four straight bogeys. Tufail at the same time completed the opening four holes in 3-over-par meaning the pair were level for the tournament. Sandy Meyer (WGD) made the early running, jumping from seventh overnight to pole after covering the opening seven holes in 2-under par but Brown kept her calm and started to steady the ship with a birdie on hole 6 and then made par through to the turn and to hold a one-shot lead over Meyer with nine holes to play, with Tufail one shot further back. Fatigue seemed to get the better of all three of the

leading players on the back nine and they took their turn at making double bogey. Defending Champion Jean Wang of the Sahara Golf Club Kuwait had managed to remain steady and using her experience to card a tournament best 79 she set Brown and Tufail a clubhouse target of 19-over 163 after Meyer fell out of contention. Standing on the 17th tee Brown needed two pars for the title while Tufail needed to birdie at least one hole to better Wang’s total. They both bravely parred the 17th, but 12-year-old Tufail bogeyed the treacherous final hole while Brown found the front edge of the green in two strokes and a perfectly lagged putt left her with only a six inch tap-in for the title. At the presentation Brown thanked sponsors Dufry as well as SGSC for holding the event. Dufry representative, Deputy Chief Operations Executive Erik Van Der Veen applauded Brown’s efforts and promised Dufry’s support again in 2011.

Ya s s i n c o n t i n u e s his fine form RAMSEY Yassin (3) continued his fine form of late by romping to a 21 Stableford point total in the nine-hole Coral Beach Resort Sharjah Midweek Madness held last month. Yassin opened up with a birdie on the opening hole and then made eight consecutive pars to take the title by one point from French member Robert Craquelin (16). Playing his first tournament at SGSC Jan Pretorius (26) finished in third spot after losing out on countback for second. The debutant played well and but for two onepointers on holes 1 and 7, and a zero-pointer, he would have been looking at a maiden victory.

ARABIAN Ranches Senior Professional Malcolm Young put forward an outstanding and steady performance to win the recent Sharjah UAE PGA Open in what was a fiercely contested battle between Simon Payne of Tower Links, The Els Club’s Callum Nicoll and Young which went right down to the wire. At the turn Nicoll led the field on 2-under par with Payne in second, level-par and Young sat in third on 2-over-par. The last nine proved critical as a severe shift in power occurred. Nicoll lost his place at the top of the leaderboard after Payne birdied the last and Young made three birdies to create a three-way tie at the top. The three-man play-off saw Young and Payne make a par on the first hole with Nicoll bowing out. On the next hole Young holed a 40-foot putt and after Payne missed his birdie putt from 25 feet the pair shook hands, honouring Young’s win. “I am very happy with today’s result. I played the back nine in 2-under and birdied the last hole in regulation to finish even with Callum and Simon. For me to then repeat this in the play-off was very rewarding,” said Young. “Having finished runner-up three times in the last four events I am exceptionally pleased I kept it going and held off Callum and Simon.”

Winner Malcolm Young with Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club Director of Golf, Martin Duff. www.wwgolf.biz

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ArAbiAn Golf AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB

Location: just off e 11, 12 miles south of Ras al khaimah

Khalid Yousuf Crowned Champion in raK A FANTASTIC first round of gross 2-under-par 70 in very windy conditions set the foundations for Khalid Yousuf to become the third different winner of the RAK Men’s Open. Yousuf’s opening round left him four shots ahead of his nearest challengers at the end of the first day but he was pushed all the way by his closest challengers during day two. However, he didn’t let the pressure get to him as he patiently crafted a 76 gross, 4-over-par on another tough scoring day to finish with a 2-over-par total and clinch his first RAK Men’s Open title by two shots. Miki Mirza continued his excellent season with two consistent rounds of 74 to shoot 148 and take outright second place while third place went to Scott Sullivan who had rounds of 79 and 74 respectively. Sunny Ramadas has made a habit of claiming a prize whenever he plays at Al Hamra and the Men’s Open was no different as he claimed the overall Net Trophy with a level-par total of 144. Maurice Murphy also finished on 144 but took the runner-up spot after losing out to Ramadas on a card

contact: tel : +971 7 244 7474 Fax : +971 7 244 7423

countback, while David Inglis picked up the third net prize with two consistent rounds of 69 and 77. The ‘day one best gross’ was claimed by John Hunt with a solid score of 76, while Jeffrey Lui took the net prize after a fine 69. Abdulla Al Musharrekh won the ‘day two best gross’ with a composed 76.

info: Built along the arabian Gulf, the course is complimented by a large open lagoon with four inter-connected lagoons. course: 7,267 yard, par 72 18 hole course with additional par3 academy Course. Designer: peter Harradine

HandseL MaRCHes tO MedaL sUCCess MARCH continued to be a good month for Rick Handsel as he shot a superb net 67 to top the standing in the Men’s Net Division of the Monthly Medal. Handsel, who has been electric form of late, made it his third win in four weeks as his golf game continues to go from strength to strength. Fraser Moore finished as runner-up with a very commendable score of 71. Steve Rayment managed another solid performance to take the overall Men’s Gross Division title with an 82, finishing two shots clear of Eric Engelbrecht. In the Ladies Division Vicki Rogers returned a gross 83 to claim the top honours and gain valuable Order of Merit points while Rita Hicks took the net honours with a 72.

HandseL ReCORds BaCk-tO-BaCk Wins in tHe seLeCtOR seRies THE first Selector Series Floodlit Challenge of March marked the fifth fixture in all in this new exciting format and Rick Handsel produced a remarkable nine holes of golf with a score of 19 Stableford points. His performance around the floodlit holes was just too good for the rest of the field as he romped to victory by two points. Donnie Rials returned back to the course in style as he walked away with second place on 17 points after a card countback as he beat Byron Kraemer who continued his recent return to form.

BeadLe BURns it Up in FeB MedaL NIGEL Beadle opened up the Al Hamra record books as he smashed the previous best net total in the Monthly Medals with a staggering score of 10-under-par 62. Second place went to Chris Stanbrook with a score of 66, which would normally win any other tournament on any other day, while Steve Raymern’s gritty gross 80 saw him top the Men’s Gross Division by three shots ahead of Paul Tipping.

The Ladies Gross Division was a much closer affair as a countback was needed to separate the two leaders who both retuned a gross 84. Triumphing after the back nine scores were compared was Vicki Rogers as she beat Rita Hick’s tally by three to claim the prize. Norma Williamson continued her fine form of late by landing the Ladies Net Division crown with a fantastic score of 69, beating Pat Mottershead by one shot. www.wwgolf.biz

Location: Ras Al Khaimah. The course meanders through a mangrove reserve with the Hajar Mountains serving as a backdrop.

TOWER LINKS GOLF CLUB

Heslop and Hong just can’t go wrong

contact: Tel : +971 7 2279939 (Reservations Desk) golf@towerlinks.com

KEVIN Heslop and S. P. Hong joined up to win the nine-hole Wednesday Social Betterball competition recently after scoring 25 points. Andy Jubber and Dan Greenfield, who have been playing consistently well over recent months, recorded an admirable total of 23 but on this occasion it was only good enough for second place, while Kathy and Mike Richardson took third place one point further back.

JOnEs AnD PELLERinE FREE THE sHACKLEs MATT Jones and Yuki Pellerine triumphed over a congested leaderboard in the 2010 Ball and Chain Competition after a card countback was needed to decide the top four places. The power pairing went around the front nine in a solid 21 Stableford points and came home with an identical back nine score for a 42 point total and first place. Risto and Nekka Painio claimed second place with Manilyn and Johan Buxmann and Troy and Kathy Richardson taking third and fourth place respectively.

info: First Open: May 2004 18 holes Championship course. Floodlit back-nine holes. DESiGnER: Gerald Williams

DOha GOLF CLUB

seeing is Believing SIXTY-four ladies took to the green to raise funds for Seeing is Believing, a sight restoration programme, at Standard Chartered Bank’s Third Ladies Golf Tournament last month and raised a total of USD 34, 000 from sponsorships and players. The event, which first launched three years ago, was designed for the increasing female golfing community of Doha while promoting golf as a sport and was the first tournament to promote a charitable cause for sight restoration. The event, organised through the Ladies’ section at the Doha Golf Club attracted many sponsors including Al Fardan, Qatar Kentz, Shell, Spa Chakra, Domasco, Mannai Corporation, Jaidah Group of Companies, UDC, Qatar Airways, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Four Seasons Hotel, Gulf Agency Company, Gulf Contracting Company, Regatta Sailing Academy, The Hair Studio, Intercontinental Hotel, QDC, Apollo Enterprises, Ramada Hotel, Qatar Golf International, W Hotel, The Ritz Carlton Hotel, Dado’s, KLM, Global Consult, Qatar Golf Academy, Laduree as well as private donations from individual sponsors. Standard Chartered Bank will match the amount raised from the tournament and the total amount will be used to perform restorative surgery for cases of avoidable blindness such as cataract operations. David Godwin, Chief Executive of Standard Chartered Bank in Qatar said: “We are overwhelmed with the generosity and support of the sponsors. The Standard Chartered Ladies Golf Tournament has provided a great opportunity to rally golfers and the community to raise funds for a common goal to help eradicate avoidable blindness and make a socioeconomic difference to the communities.”

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s H AW A n D D i x O n TA K E T H E R A M A D A P L A z A i n v i TAT i O n A L THE ninth Ramada Plaza Invitational Golf Tournament was held at Doha Golf Club in late February and a field of 86 players competed for honours. In Flight ‘A’ (hcp 0-8) the first prize was taken by the duo of Darren Shaw and Ed Dixon who secured a countback victory over Gary McGlinchey and Chris Britton after they finished tied on net 63. Four shots back in third place was Kevin Ballinger and John Hughes. Flight ‘B’ saw everyone with a handicap of 9 and above compete and coming

INTERcONTINENTaL RiyADH

home victorious was Peter Hemmingway and Peter Weil who scored a net 69 to win by two strokes. Finishing second by virtue of a card countback were Gordon East and Robin Hawksworth who pipped Dave Cassidy and Ian Shaw into the silver medal

position after they finished level on 71 points. The Longest Drive winners were Ian McInerney in Flight ‘A’ and Steve Britton in Flight ‘B’ and the Nearest the Pin winners were Kevin Ballinger in Flight ‘A’ and Dave Gilks in Flight ‘B’.

ExCELLEnT sCOREs in DUsTy MEDAL THE Palms Golf Club at InterContinental Riyadh conducted its regular Monthly Medal early last month and in spite of the dusty weather conditions the enthusiastic participants couldn’t be kept from the golf course as a full field took part. Ben Torrefiel, playing off a 6-handicap, won the ‘A’ Division with an impressive 35 Stableford points. Patrick Bauer, also with 35 points, bagged the ‘B’ Division (hcp 7-12) title and in the ‘C’ Division (hcp1318) Patrick Santos grabbed first place with a superb 42 points.

Jolie Ville GOLF & RESORT

NovotNy aNd HoscH iN salem Glory THE 2010 Salem Trophy, which took place at the end of February, saw some wonderful performances over two days of fantastic golf at the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort. The tournament was played in a two-round Stableford format with a full field of 88 players representing 14 different nationalities taking part. The Czech Republic’s Ivan Novotny emerged as the winner from the men’s division with rounds of 43 and 42 for a total of 85. Round one leader Luke Rimmer from Great Britain, who headed the field with a solid 44 on the first day, was left agonisingly close to victory, one point back in second place, after a 40 on day two. Latvia’s Haralds Flemings rounded off the podium places for the men, following an opening 37 with a second-round 43 to take third place on 80 points. Sweden dominated the ladies’ contest with Barbro Hosch taking the spoils after putting in two consistent rounds of 37 and 38 for a total of 75. Scoring was just as tight among the ladies as it was in the men’s tournament with Berith Berne clinching the runner-up spot, a point back from Hosch on 74, after a countback with Gunilla Nilsson, who also scored 74. A BBQ was enjoyed by all as the scores were calculated before a drinks reception and a fabulous gala dinner at which the prizes were distributed. Each competitor received a gift for taking part, ensuring nobody left empty handed, while a special prize went to Walter Sumalowitsch for his hole-in-one on the seventh hole during the first round.

Ivan Novotny, Men’s 2010 Salem Trophy winner is pictured with Madame Magda Salem. Green Fee – Prices in EURO Jolie Ville Golf & Resort INCLUSIVE OF GOLF CAR Royal Peninsula

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Barbro Hosch, ladies’ 2010 Salem Trophy winner pictured with Madame Magda Salem. Jolie Ville Resort & Casino

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Practice Facilities 1 Basket x 50 balls Rental Clubs – 9 Holes Rental Clubs – 18 Holes Caddie – 9 Holes Caddie – 18 Holes

6.00 22.00 36.00 22.00 36.00

8.00 25.00 43.00 25.00 43.00

Golf Coaching 45 Minutes Individual 4 x 45 Minutes Individual Extra Person Surcharge 18 Hole Playing Lesson 9 Hole Playing Lesson Daily Academy

36.00 136.00 75% 145.00 95.00 15.00

50.00 179.00 75% 236.00 132.00 22.00

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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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

Location: Just 20 minutes away from cairo’s international Airport and conveniently located between cairo’s elite districts of Heliopolis and Maadi.

Katameya heights golf & Tennis club

contact: Tel: 00202 27580512 to 17 (6 lines) fax: 00202 2758 0506 email: enquiries@ katameyaheights.com Website: www.katameyaheights.com

Members of the winning team from Katameya Heights pose with their medals and trophy.

Katameya HeigHts defeat mirage City to go five up THE annual match between Katameya Heights and Mirage City concluded with Katameya extending their lead to five after their seventh win out of nine matches. Mirage were hungry for revenge after last year’s defeat left them 6-2 down in the series but were once again foiled by an excellent Katameya display. Keeping with the tradition of the event, Day 1 consisted of 15 fourball betterball matches and day two saw 30 singles matches with both days being played in a match play format. The day 1 fourballs were played at Mirage in tough, blustery

conditions and it was the home team who made their advantage count with a narrow 8-7 lead heading into day two. The singles were played at Katameya and once again home advantage proved crucial as they romped to a 22-8 win on the day which saw them take the title with an overall score of 29-16. With this victory Katameya extend their lead in the overall series 7-2. Both teams will be looking to play well again in next year’s tournament which marks the event’s tenth anniversary.

i b r A H i M W A k i d W i n s J u n i o r o p e n i n n A i l b i T i n g p l Ay- o f f THE 2010 Katameya Junior Open was played over two glorious days and it was Ibrahim Wakid who was left smiling after a nervy play-off victory. Katameya member Wakid took a six stroke lead over Issa Abou El Ela from Alexandria Sporting Club into day two but the pressure proved too much for the leader as he finished level with Abou El Ela on 15-over-par and the pair – who had played the final 18 holes together – had to go back down the 18th to settle the match in sudden death. After reaching the green in regulation Wakid (pictured right) won with a two-putt par on the par-4 closing hole as Abou El Ela made the green in three and narrowly missed his par attempt. The overall net division champion was Katameya’s Timi Obatoyinbo (24) who played extremely well with net rounds of 68 and 63 for a 131 total which gave him a ten stroke win over

fellow Katameya member Hassan Said (12). The 15-and-Under category witnessed another tenstroke victory as Katameya’s Saphi Gohar took the honours with a 135 total ahead of Alexandria’s Hassan Fayed. The ‘Kids on the Green’ section saw all the younger juniors compete over nine holes with three different tees used for the three different age categories. The Under-15 division saw Euan Morrison (KH) win the boy’s title with a gross 46 by one stroke from Abdel Aziz Said (KH). Soraya Scarello (KH) took the Under-15 girls section with a five-stroke victory over her sister Nasly (KH) after posting a fine gross 47 while the girls Under-11 title was won with a gross 59 by Alisha Healey. Dean Naeem of Gezira Golf Club took the Under-11 boys title with a 44, three stokes ahead of second placed Seif Tarraf (Gez).

The Under-9 boys winner was Harrison Obatoyinbo (Kat) as he won a countback with Jarod Boulegroun after the pair finished with a gross 41, while the girls Under-9 winner was Farouz Hafez (Gez) with a gross 39 which secured her the title from fellow Gezira member S. Wahby.

AleX segHAl secures Junior series vicTory in breezy condiTions

Kids Category winner Amanda Healey.

Category 2 winner Max North.

THE fifth event of the Katameya Junior Series produced some low scoring in testing, windy conditions as Alex Seghal romped to victory in Category ‘1’ with a net 70, defeating closest rival Ibrahim Wakid by five strokes. In Category ‘2’ played over nine holes of strokeplay it was Max North who produced the low round and recorded a net 27 to take the honours. North’s nearest rival was Abdel Aziz Said who took the runner-up spot with a net 28 as he defeated third-placed Euan Morrison on a countback. The Katameya Kids Category played six holes and Amanda Healey won her first title with a countback victory over Jarod Boulegroun after the pair both finished with a gross 30. Alisha Healey returned a gross 31 for third place. www.wwgolf.biz

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

Parrot MKi9200 THE Parrott MKi9200 is an ingenious two-in-one in-car Bluetooth hands free system and digital music player. Operated wirelessly from a stylish remote that fits handily to the steering wheel, the hands-free kit is jam packed with features. It synchronises automatically with your phone book and has trainingfree voice recognition, meaning it learns the names of everyone in your address book and allows you to call them just by saying the name! There is a 2.4-inch high-resolution colour screen which displays your phone book, caller ids, call info etc, while menus are also audio to allow

you to browse easier when driving. The double-microphone used in the unit blocks out any background or car noise and conversations are played through the car’s speakers for optimum clarity. The music side of things is just as trick. The MKi9200 can be hooked up to any music player – iPod, iPhone, MP3 player, USB flash drive, Bluetooth stereo phones and even analogue players. Playlists, song and artist info etc are displayed on the screen while you browse using the steering wheel remote. Virtual Superbass and Spatializer effects help make the sound quality out of this world. www.parrot.com

attaS InternatIonal SerIeS ShaftS ATTAS shafts are a popular choice for Tour professionals the world over and the new International Series Shafts have already been taken up by a huge number of players. Innovatively engineered with smooth-bending properties throughout the shaft’s constant taper design, more energy is transferred to the ball for instant feedback with greater distance. Ultra-thin carbon fibres optimise feel and allow the shaft to maintain its shape for consistent, accurate shots. www.ustmamiya.com

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Pro Golf IQ AS featured on pages 18-19 the Pro Golf IQ training programme is a revolutionary system based on the work of renowned sports and behaviour expert Dr Jason Gregg. The five-week course is designed to get you thinking like a pro on the golf course. We’ve tried it and it really does work – in fact the company marketing the product are so confident of its success that they’re offering you your money back if you don’t see an improvement in your game. The system allows you to rid your mind of negative thoughts and reduce your stress and tension levels so that you arrive at every shot confident and in the zone. The product has so far proved a roaring success with users around the world reporting dramatic handicap reductions and glowing endorsements from the likes of Australian Tour Pro Terry Price and the Living Golf programme on news channel CNN. We’ve negotiated a special deal for Worldwide Golf readers to receive a complimentary Enforcer session when you purchase the main programme. It’s a 30-minute add-on track that enhances everything you’ll learn on the main course and is designed to be listened to each night before you play. You can download the programme directly from the Pro Golf IQ website or order a CD version. Logon at www.progolfiq.com and enter the promo code WWG at checkout to receive your free Enforcer session.

PowerMonKey exPlorer THE PowerMonkey Explorer is a portable charger that is perfect for keeping mobiles, iPods, digital cameras and a host of other gadgets fully charged even in the most remote locations. It can charged in three different ways – using the unit’s solar panel, from the mains or from a computer via USB. The PowerMonkey will provide three full charges and 96 hours of standby on your mobile, 40 hours on your iPod, five hours on your games console, 48 hours on your PDA and six hours on MP3/MP4 players. It’s water resistant, tough and durable and comes with 10 tips for the most popular gadgets. The PowerMonkey also includes a useful Velcro strap, enabling the unit to be attached to a rucksack – perfect for charging your devices when you’re out and about in the sun. Featuring an LCD screen that displays battery capacity and the level of charge, the PowerMonkey Explorer also has short-circuit protection, overcharging protection and anti-discharging protection. www.powertraveller.com

UrBanZ BloCK DJ heaDPhoneS THESE funky headphones from lifestyle brand Urbanz are great for travellers or people who are always on the move. The sound quality is superb with no outside noise disturbance. They are self adjusting and foldable while the packaging doubles as an environmentally friendly transparent carry case complete with matching clip to attach to rucksacks, messenger bags or backpacks. www.urbanz.co.uk www.wwgolf.biz

Job watch Vacancies exist for the following categories across Dubai Golf (owner and operator of emirates Golf club and Dubai creek Golf & Yacht club). if you truly believe that you could make a difference please apply with an updated cV, and a photo, to the: HR department C/O Miss Antia Odero (aodero@dubaigolf.com) PO Box 6302, Dubai, UAE. Position: Commercial Manager

Requirements:

An experienced golf/hospitality professional who has extensive experience in the same or similar position ( Middle East experience preferred ). n Proven track record with necessary technical qualifications. n Minimum of 6 years senior management experience. n Thorough understanding of the commercial needs of golf clubs. n Thorough understanding of the golf tourism industry. Position: Marketing & Communications Manager Requirements:

n Experienced golf/hospitality professional who has extensive experience in the same or similar position (Middle East experience preferred). n Degree level qualification Sales & Marketing/Marketing/Communications. n Minimum of 6 years senior management experience. n Thorough working knowledge of the golf tourism industry. n Strong and sales focused commercial mindset. Position: Sales & Client Relationship Manager Requirements:

n Experience within golf clubs/leisure/resorts. Middle East experience essential. n Degree level qualification Hospitality/Sales/Marketing/Communications. n Minimum of 5 years experience in a similar position. n Thorough working knowledge of the golf-tourism industry. KataMeya DuneS, CaiRo, egypt Position: general Manager Requirements:

Soon to be opened Nick Faldo-designed 27 hole golf course development with hotel and real estate flagship facility in both Egypt and the region. n Mature, well presented, hard working individual who has confidence in his/her own ability as well of the team that he/she will head. n All-rounder with knowledge of all areas of the business; adapt to life in Egypt with preferred international/regional work experience; able to drive revenues and have front of house hosting skills; able to set up a Membership structure, by maximising revenues in a challenging and competitive market. n Strong social skills and be a people person to embrace the Gated Community â&#x20AC;&#x201C; golfers and non-golfers and Egyptians and ex-pats. n Have key industry contacts, regionally and internationally, to drive corporate golf and international rounds; work closely with the Egyptian Golf Federation, tour operators, golf clubs, golf operators and hotels in Cairo to drive international golf rounds; have a knowledge of Hotel/F&B operations. n Have experience of pre-opening of Golf Clubs and Resorts. Applications in writing by midnight Friday 16th April, 2010, to : David Burke: davidb@wspdubai.com WSp gLoBaL, DuBai position: advertising Sales exucutive

Programmes, which provide an excellent basis for generating sales and present an exciting opportunity for the ambitious sales executive. n Grow business by managing a customer base and developing new customers for our publications and services. n Implement a daily and weekly sales plan with the responsibility of reaching a monthly revenue goal. WSP Global offers a competitive salary and commission package. Please contact David Burke: davidb@wspdubai.com pRoSpoRtS inteRnationaL Position: golf Sales executive Requirements:

The leading Golf wholesale distributor in the Middle East invites applications from Western educated sales people. This is an excellent opportunity to work with some of the leading brands in Golf. n Minimum of 3 years sales experience. n Computer literate, an interest and working knowledge of golf. n Possession of a current driving license and car is essential. The remuneration package will be based on the experience of the successful candidate and will include a sales incentive based on results. Please email your application if interested to: reena@prosports.ae a globally recognised and successful Middle east Golf Operator is seeking experienced and dynamic senior managers to spearhead the pre-opening and post-opening operations of a new premium golf club facility located within the Gcc. Please send application with updated cV and a photo to davidb@wspdubai.com Position: general Manager Requirements:

n International operating experience within golf clubs/resorts, Middle East experience preferred but not essential. n A minimum of 8 years senior management experience. n Strong organisational and leadership skills. n Strong interpersonal and communication skills. n Preferred experience in pre-opening operations. n A thorough working knowledge of the golf tourism industry. n Have a proven track record of achievements in golf management. Position: golf Course Superintendent Requirements:

n A minimum of 8 years experience in golf course maintenance with a minimum of 5 years within Middle East. n Advanced knowledge of agronomy and turf grass management practices. n A working knowledge of golf facility construction principles, practices and methods; and a thorough understanding of the rules and strategies of the game of golf. n Strong interpersonal and communication skills. n Have a proven track record of achievements in golf course maintenance.

Requirements:

Position: Financial Controller

To join our team based in Dubai. The position would suit a candidate with an interest in fitness, all sports and golf. n Previous sales experience and proven track record of performance, preferably in the print media. n Meet the targets of our publications and services: Worldwide Golf, Sport&Fitness Middle East and our international Official Golf Tournament

n International operating experience within the hospitality industry, Middle East experience preferred but not essential. n Degree level qualification in Finance/Financial Management. n A minimum of 6 years senior management experience. n A thorough working knowledge of the golf and/or hospitality industry.

Requirements:

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

aMeriCan Crew Moisturising shave CreaM This shave cream from American Crew contains powerful antioxidants to ensure the razor glides across your skin without drying or irritating it. Soothing aloe and healing avocado oil provide extra protection for sensitive or dry skin.

araMis Cool Blend A new fragrance from a classic brand. Cool blend is aimed at a younger audience that Aramis usually appeals to. As the name suggests it’s a cool and refreshing modern scent with bags of character. Technical jargon: Top notes – bergamot, lemon and lime. Heart notes – jasmine, sage, cinnamon and cardamom. Base notes – golden amber, sandalwood and leather.

Clinique For Men Post shave healer this lightweight moisturising lotion helps put out the fire after shaving. It also helps to repair the inevitable nicks and is100% fragrance free.

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Paul sMith sunshine For Men A sparking limited edition summer fragrance from British designer Paul Smith, Sunshine is a scent bursting with intense energy and vitality. Technical jargon: Top notes – coriander leaves, grapefruit and black pepper. Heart notes – coriander seeds, nutmeg and starfruit. Base notes – incense, moss and cedarwood.

Groom Room

A wonderful pliable moulding cream guaranteed to keep even the most Ian Pouter-esque hairstyles in place. This stuff smells delicious. It’s made with cactus extract to moisturise the hair and increase elasticity, luster and softness. Sugar cane helps the hair absorb and retain moisture while lanolin provides the ultra strong hold.

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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 Nicole tiley PGA ProfessionAl sAADiYAT BeACH Golf ClUB

Q&A Q: When did you first start playing golf? A: i started playing golf when i was eight, participating in the Junior Golf Programme at my local country club. i began playing competitively from about the age of 14 on my Junior High golf team. in my final year of High school i received oklahoma All-state honours for golf. Q: How long have you been in Abu Dhabi and what has been your most memorable golfing moment during that time? A: i moved to Abu Dhabi in october, 2009. My most memorable golfing moment so far was playing saadiyat Beach Golf Club for the first time, for two reasons: first, the course is amazing with some spectacular views. second, ‘Team UsA’ (the general manager and myself) beat ‘Team UK/south Africa’ (the two assistant pros) 5-up with four to play in our first round on the course. Q: What was your first set of clubs? A: My first set of clubs was a no frills junior set that that had a driver, putter and 9-iron. The junior sets today have come a long way since then. Q: Who is your golfing hero and why? A: My golfing heroes are the ones that you can tell are happy to be on Tour – earning a living at their hobby. They have a passion for the sport and want to win when their competitors are playing their best. Q: If you were the head of the R&A, what rule would you change? A: i would allow for an optional ‘breakfast ball’ (mulligan) but on the first tee, only! Kidding aside, i would simplify the rules on making a drop (i.e. off a cart path or from a hazard). it should say somewhere in the rule book: ‘When taking a drop: if it is a free drop, you only get one club length. if you have to take a penalty stroke for the drop, then you get two club lengths.’ i think the rules should be easy to remember so that they can be applied.

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