Worldwide Golf by Worldwide Golf

Issue 116, June 2010

MIddle east’s No .1 Golf MaG azINe

62 is the

Official Media Partner Middle East

magic No.

KHAN DRIVES OFF WITH BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP MATTEO MANASSERO TRAVEL EGYPT JUNIOR SWING TIPS EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS ARABIAN GOLF DESERT ISLAND DOUBLE 2

Rory McIlroy demolished the field at the Quail Hollow Championship and conquered the hearts of U.s. golf fans overnight.

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1 Dozen Titleist ProV1s

ISBN 978-9948-15-427-3

For more information on how to enter visit www.wwgolf.biz

Els

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NEWs & VIEWs

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

S A A D I YAT B E A C H G O L F C L U B - A P L A C E T O B R E AT H E

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Welcome to Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, home to the Arabian Gulf’s only beachfront course, designed by golfing legend Gary Player. This captivating destination is poised to become one of the world’s truly great courses. Be among the first to play at this enchanting location. Summer or Annual Passports now available at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, either the four months of summer, June, July, August and September. Or, the remaining seven months of the Annual Passport Program, from June until the end of December 2010. Individual: Summer = 7,500 AED, Annual = 15,000 AED. Family: Summer = 11,250 AED, Annual = 22,500 AED. Corporate: Summer = 25,000 AED, Annual 45,000 AED. In addition receive the following benefits: • 2,000 AED worth of F&B vouchers (will have an expiry date) • 500 AED Merchandise voucher (will have an expiry date) • 21 day reservation window for Summer Passport holders (Annual Passport holders receive 30 days) • Use of golf carts whilst playing the course • Unlimited use of all practice facilities

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PLAYER INTRODUCTION

I WAS so pleased to see Rory McIlroy win his first tournament on the PGA Tour in the States – and what a way to win it! Quail Hollow is a tough course and to shoot an eagle and eight birdies in his final round of 10-under 62 is just phenomenal. When he squeezed into the weekend by virtue of an eagle on Friday at the 16th hole he’d played in his second round (the par 5, seventh hole) nobody considered him a contender. Shooting rounds of 72 and 73 and making it into the weekend right on the cut line of 145 is certainly not Championship-winning form. But to bounce back with a third round 66 and follow it with that amazing final round 62 for a four shot victory proves what a rare talent the 21-year-old Irishman is. I’ve got to know Rory quite well and as well as being one of the most exciting prospects in world golf, he’s also a charming young man. His father and mother are very supportive and he’s a sensible, outgoing personality. His breakthrough professional title on The European Tour came at the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic at the age of 19. Now he’s added a PGA Tour title to his name and proved to himself that he can chase a victory and close it out, Rory is going to be a contender in each event he plays. He’s got everything going for him to be a major force in the game in the coming years.

Worldwide Golf’s Executive Editor

PLAYER

GARY

RoRy’s RaRing to go

Tim Clark joins the Springbok success story SouTH AFRICAN golf seems to be going from strength to strength. With Charl Schwartzel winning the Africa open and the Joburg open back to back in January, Ernie Els winning the World Golf Championships-CA Championship at Doral in March, Louis oosthuizen winning his maiden European Tour title at the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco and now Tim Clark has joined the Springbok success story by winning The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. He’s not a big guy but he’s a tough competitor. He showed amazing skill and determination to come from behind and shoot five birdies in six holes around the turn on the Sunday to win the tournament. His final round 67 gave him a 16-under total of 272 of and a one-shot victory over Austalia’s Robert Allenby. Tim was one of only two players to shoot under 70 on the Sunday. Although this was Tim’s first win in 205 starts on the PGA Tour since he joined in 2002, his consistency had

already earned him an incredible $16.4 million. He can now add his $1.7 million Players Championship winnings to his total. If you also include Tim’s prize money on The European Tour, which he joined in 2002, it takes his winnings on both Tours over the $23 million mark. Adam Scott is back in the swing I WAS also pleased to see Adam Scott win the Valero Texas open for his first victory in the united States for two years. He won the Australian open last November but he’s struggled over recent seasons to produce the sort of form that won him The Players Championship in 2004 and The Tour Championship in 2006. Adam has got a beautiful golf swing and when he’s at the top of his game he’s among the best in the business. Let’s hope this PGA Tour win will spark a run of successful tournaments for the likeable Australian. Bill Longmuir’s seven shot win over Boonchu MY congratulations also go to my old friend Bill Longmuir in winning the Handa Senior Masters presented by The Stapleford Forum in oxfordshire, his first win on the European Senior Tour for two years. And he won it in fine style. He led from wire to wire and closed with a final round 66 for a 20-under total of 199 for a seven shot victory over the three-times winner on the 2010 European Senior Tour, Boonchu Ruangit. Bill has been one of the stalwarts of the Tour since he joined in 2003 and this was his eighth win on the Tour. His victory earned him and Boonchu a place in the u.S. Senior PGA Championship in Colorado. WWG Abu Dhabi 2-day tournament is a winner AS Executive Editor of Worldwide Golf I am so pleased that the two-day Desert Island Double amateur golf tournament at Saadiyat Beach and Yas Links at Abu Dhabi later this month is a sell-out success. The Stableford tournament, organised by Worldwide Golf, which includes an overnight stay at the Radisson Blu Hotel on the first day, is an excellent way to attract golfers to play in Abu Dhabi. I am sure they will enjoy the experience. It’s interesting to see that the players competing are from all around the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt. n

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy gets an emotional bear hug from his caddie J.P. Fitzgerald after winning the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, in spectacular style, shooting a course record final round 62 for a four shot victory, having squeezed into the weekend, making the cut right on the line of 145.

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A n n o u n ce m e n t s

AbdullAh Al nAboodAh joins the WsP boArd ABDULLAH AL NABOODAH has joined WSP Global and Worldwide Golf, the Middle East’s No.1 golf magazine, as Vice Chairman of the WSP Board of Directors. “WSP Global is highly respected worldwide as a quality and authentic publisher of sports and golf magazines, and official golf tournament programmes for the various Tours around the world,” Abdullah Al Naboodah commented:

“WSP and Worldwide Golf has done a great deal to publicise and promote golf in the United Arab Emirates internationally over the last ten years through their global and Middle East publications and I am looking forward to working with Mike and Alex and the team.” Mike Gallemore, Publisher of WSP Global, commented: “Along with a growing number of people in the golf industry I am a huge admirer of Abdullah for what he has achieved in furthering the cause of golf in the region. His fundraising through golf for local charities in recent years has been considerable. His enthusiasm for the game is infectious and his support of juniors, and particularly National juniors, is immense. “I believe that our combined efforts will take WSP Global to a new level and help widen our promotion of the UAE as a golf tourism destination even further.” Nick Tarratt, Director, European Tour International - Dubai Office, commented: “With the concurrent announcement that Worldwide Golf has been appointed Official Media Partner Middle East for The European Tour it is exciting to see the new role for Abdullah al Naboodah. Abdullah has been unstinting in his support for The European Tour in the region as well as for me, personally, since he first took up the game just a few years ago. Abdullah is a great addition to golf in this region and we wish him continued success both on and off the golf course. “For Abdullah to be paired with Worldwide Golf and WSP is great news for golf in the Middle East and the future of the game in the region now looks even healthier.”

WorldWide golf APPointed officiAl euroPeAn tour mediA PArtner WORLDWIDE GOLF has been appointed Official Media Partner Middle East to The European Tour. Worldwide Golf will continue to cover every European Tour and European Tour-sanctioned event worldwide, as it has done since its launch in 1999, and further extend its promotion and publicity of The Tour throughout the Middle East and beyond. “We have worked closely with Mike and Alex at WSP Global since the mid 1990s when they began publishing the Tour’s official golf tournament programmes and we appreciate the first class job they do,” said Nick Tarratt, Director, European Tour International - Dubai Office.

“Worldwide Golf provides an excellent service in the Middle East and internationally in keeping its readers informed about The European Tour, our players and our tournaments and we are looking forward to expanding our involvement with WSP.” Mike Gallemore, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, WSP Global and Worldwide Golf, commented: “This is a great honour for us that The European Tour has bestowed this appointment on Worldwide Golf. The European Tour has taken the game of golf all around the globe and has become very much a World Tour. “The Middle East has become one of the most important regions for The Tour and the Middle East Swing is now the focal point for the start of the season. “The Race to Dubai, which culminates in the Dubai World Championship, is the Grand Finale to the end of The Tour Season. “With the expansion of golf in Oman and Egypt and throughout the region, and with so many golf courses under construction, the Middle East is currently one of the game’s major growth areas. “The European Tour has never been stronger and the number of European Tour players in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking is increasing steadily.”

Worldwide Golf Official Media Partner Middle East

Abdullah Al Naboodah WSP Global, Vice Chairman 2

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Contents

RORY MCILROY

“IT’S GREAT TO GET A WIN SO EARLY OVER HERE, IT’S TAKEN A FEW OF THE EUROPEAN GUYS QUITE A BIT LONGER TO DO IT SO IT’S DEFINITELY NICE TO GET THAT FIRST VICTORY. NOW I NEED TO CONCENTRATE ON GETTING A FEW MORE ” – RORY McILROY

MAGNIFICENT McILROY RORY ROARS BACK

Todd Stazko reports on Rory McIlroy’s spectacular victory at the Quail Hollow Championship at Charlotte, North Carolina

ORY McIlroy put the disappointment of missing the cut at The Masters behind him with one of the most stunning displays of golf The PGA Tour has seen for years. Three weeks after leaving Augusta with self-doubts about his game he stormed to victory at the Quail Hollow Championship to become the youngest winner the United States since Tiger Woods won in 1996. McIlroy shot an incredible fourth round 10-under-par 62 to win his first PGA Tour title by four strokes from Masters champion Phil Mickelson. Just a few days before his 21st birthday the Irishman made an eagle and eight birdies in his final round as he broke the course record in North Carolina. “I don’t think I’ve ever played a better round in my life,” beamed McIlroy after his 15-under-par total. “I got off to a pretty slow start in the week and had to fight to make the cut – but the weekend was just very, very special.” ‘I just got in the zone’ McIlroy described his week at Augusta as “pretty frustrating” after shooting 7-over and was nearly left ruing another missed cut at Quail Hollow until a magnificent eagle on the par-5 seventh hole – his 16 of the second round – salvaged his efforts to make it into the weekend right on the cut-line at 1-over. Having pulled off the great escape he took his opportunity with both hands and shot 16-under over the weekend to take the title ahead of one of the strongest fields on the Tour. “I suppose I just got in the zone,” he said, looking back on his amazing final round. “I didn’t realise I was going eight, nine, 10-under-par. I just knew I’d got my nose in front, I was just trying to stay there. Ever since I was 10 or 11 years old, I wanted to be a professional golfer and it’s been a crazy ride up to this point.” After winning his breakthrough professional title at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2009 he went on to gain an additional seven top-ten finishes and end the season second on The Race to Dubai. But he admitted he was concerned about not closing out tournaments when he

ALL SMILES: Rory McIroy holds the impressive trophy after winning the Quail Hollow Championship in style.

to be at the very top of your form yet end up empty handed. “He told me that the best he has ever played was in The Open at Turnberry in 1977 and yet Tom Watson won,” said McIlroy. “Although he explained that there were other times when he didn’t play his best but got the job done.” With this advice in mind Rory bounded on with renewed confidence but ultimately fell foul of the golfing gods, missing the cut at the Houston Open and then The Masters before finding solace in the more familiar surroundings of Royal Portrush in his homeland. “I got back home from Augusta and took a few days off. I just said to myself, ‘Look, there’s no point feeling sorry for yourself. You’re not playing great, you need to go and work.’ “So all I concentrated on was playing with my buddies – playing with anyone. I was just trying to go out there and shoot a score – and I did. I thought if I can shoot 67 around there in a pretty good breeze then I can shoot it anywhere.” Those two weeks back in Northern Ireland

“I GOT BACK HOME FROM AUGUSTA AND TOOK A FEW DAYS OFF. I JUST SAID TO MYSELF, ‘LOOK, THERE’S NO POINT FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF. YOU’RE NOT PLAYING GREAT, YOU NEED TO GO AND WORK. ” – RORY McILROY found himself in contention. However, he went and sought the advice of one of the best in the business at The Honda Classic in March this year when he sat down for a chat with Jack Nicklaus. “It was an unbelievable experience, probably the best 90 minutes I’ve spent in a long time,” he said, going on to explain some of Jack’s secrets. “I thought that when he got in front, he’d say, ‘Right, I’m going to grind these guys down,’ but actually, he said he just waited for everyone else to make mistakes and admitted that he had a lot more Majors handed to him than he went out and won. I found that very interesting.” Nicklaus also explained that it was possible

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certainly seemed to do the trick. After squeezing into Saturday McIlroy stormed through the final 36 holes at Quail Hollow to write himself into the history books and underline his stature as one of the hottest young talents in the game. “It’s great to get a win so early over here,” he said. “It’s taken a few of the European guys quite a bit longer to do it so it’s definitely nice to get that first victory. Now I need to concentrate on getting a few more. ”Everyone asks me what my goals are. I just want to try to win a bit more. I’ve been a pro two and a half years and I’ve won two tournaments. It’s about time I started winning a few more.” ■

AMELIA McKEE

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

VER the past few weeks I have been working with talented junior golfer Amelia McKee. Amelia works with Rhys Beecher at The Address Montgomerie Dubai on her golf swing mechanics and technique. She recently had the pleasure of scoring her first hole-in-one at the 5th hole on the Par-3 course at The Address. My job is to help Amelia improve her Functional Movement Skills (FMS). There is so much more than just hitting a golf ball for junior golfers to work on. FMS includes Locomotive Skills (running, jumping, skipping, hopping), Stability Skills (agility, balance, coordination, speed, change of direction, disassociation), Manipulative/Object Control Skills (throw, kick, strike, catch dribble, dodge). Most experts say that a child who develops a better base of FMS will develop golf skills at a faster rate and will peak at a higher level of expertise.

FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENT PATTERNS

STABILITY SKILLS

WE start off each lesson work with Amelia on her Functional Movement Patterns. Here we are working on hopping, jumping, balance and basic movement coordination. Amelia is hopping on both her right and left legs to improve her leg strength, balance and coordination. Jumping helps improve explosive/ballistic movements needed to gain more distance in her golf swing. Amelia is also working on disassociating her upper body from her lower body by jumping and turning in an alternating pattern on 180 degrees. Amelia is doing rotational ball throw while balancing on one leg. This helps work on the internal rotation of her hips. All of these exercises and drills simulate many of the movements needed to swing the golf club.

THE next phase of our lesson was working on Stability Skills. Amelia performed One Legged Stand Ups on a bench. To perform this movement Amelia must stand and balance on one leg, sit down on a bench as controlled and as softly as possible, then use the same leg to stand back up. This exercise works to strengthen her glutes, abs and leg muscles. It also forces her to work on her balance and coordination. Next, Amelia made swings using the SNAG Golf Snapper. This is a grip and small shaft with a long ribbon attached to the end. Amelia makes swing as fast and as hard as she can.

OBJECT / MANIPULATION CONTROL SKILLS – ‘FEEL’ FIRST

FINALLY, we moved outside onto the putting green. I really think we as golf instructors have historically taught putting backward. In the past, we would teach technique first and ‘feel’ second. But I really believe now that to teach ‘feel’ first is the best way for juniors to improve their putting. We spent 30 minutes on the putting green and never hit a single putt. Instead, we talked about how to read greens, and looked at the slopes and contours of the putting surface. So much of learning how to putt involves learning how to read greens properly. Next, instead of actually putting, we rolled different weighted tennis balls at various target. We rolled balls both up and down hill to work on speed and from left to right and right to left to work on breaks. This is pure Object/Manipulation Control Skills. Amelia can learn putting technique later, but right now, she is at the age where she needs to learn ‘feel.’

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Features

gary player introduction ernie elS column golden ticKet qualifierS for the invitational hoSted by abdullah al naboodah 2-day worldwide golf deSert iSland double midweeK open bmw pga championShip roSS fiSher column clubhouSe quicKieS greg norman column driving range: new porSche cayenne divotS official world golf ranKing gary player column race to dubai

12 Shot Saver: A look at one of the best golf GPS units currently on the market. 14 rory mcilroy bounces back from a disappointing Masters to secure his first PGA Tour title with a course-record 62 at Quail Hollow. 16

22 pro golf iq reader offer: As featured in the April issue of Worldwide Golf the Pro Golf IQ programme is helping countless players cut their handicaps drastically and we’ve arranged for our readers to try it for free!

claude harmon iii Swing analySiS troon tutorial

42 rod bogg q&a: Dubai waves farewell

world round-upS

women’S golf middle eaSt arabian golf locKer room groom room in the bag: club pro

ISSUE No. 116, JUNE, 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

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

Brought to you by

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MIDDLE EAST’S No .1 GOLF MAGAZINE

62 IS THE

MAGIC NO:

Official Media Partner Middle East

KHAN DRIVES OFF WITH BMW CHAMPIONSHIP MATTEO MANASSERO TRAVEL EGYPT JUNIOR SWING TIPS EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS ARABIAN GOLF DESERT ISLAND DOUBLE 2

Rory McIlroy demolished the field at the Quail Hollow Championship and conquered the hearts of the U.S. golf fans over night.

WIN

1 Dozen Titleist ProV1s For more information on how to enter visit www.wwgolf.biz

aSSiSting amelia: Claude Harmon III works with Amelia McKee to improve her stability and flexibility.

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

Brought to you by

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to the man who has been at the forefront of the region’s development as a golf destination for the past 23 years.

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

ONE of the biggest breakthoughs this decade has been the research into how our physical makeup and limitations affect our golf swing. Core strength has been a big buzzword in golf of late, and it is essential for good swing mechanics…but what IS core strength all about?

Rory McIlroy August 23, 1993, changed everything for me. That was the first day Tiger Woods worked with my dad, Butch Harmon. I took a video of that first lesson and watching Tiger hit the ball was just amazing. He had so much raw speed, so much talent, and so much to learn. You just knew that he was going to be a great player. Over the past year, Rory McIlroy has been compared to Tiger Woods in the press. So when he chose to practice at the Butch Harmon School of Golf in the weeks leading up to the Desert Swing on The European Tour, I was very excited. I had only ever seen Rory play on TV and I was intrigued to see him swing up close. And, yes, the comparisons to Tiger are totally justified. Rory has serious raw speed, serious talent, and so much left to learn. His start to the 2010 season was not the best, but his recent win on the US PGA Tour has sent a major statement to the entire golfing world. After barely making the cut at the Quail Hollow Championship, Rory blew away the field by shooting 66 and 62 on the weekend to secure his first US PGA Tour win. Make no mistake, Rory McIlroy is the real deal and as long as he stays healthy, there is no limit to just how good he can become.

matteo manaSSero: After a headline grabbing amateur career the young Italian impresses in his professional debut on home soil at the Italian Open.

28 travel feature: The Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt is a wonderful choice for an all-round golf and family holiday destination

european tour newS

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Issue 116, June 2010

Regulars

The goal here is to make a cracking sound with the ribbon. If she just uses her hand, there will be little or no sound. She is basically trying to “crack the whip” as she swings. This move help to gain more speed and power during the golf swing. Lastly, Amelia worked on her stability with a resistance band. The goal here is to simulate a backswing move by pushing the resistance band away from the body. In order to do this, Amelia has to stabilise her lower body as she pushes the band away from her body. This move is basically to help Amelia feel how her backswing should work.

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NEWS & VIEWS

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

front cover: rory mcilroy

printed by: Raidy, Dubai

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

Plenty of positives from a great week

T’S been a very busy time for me since I last wrote my column in Worldwide Golf. I played in the Ballantine’s Championship in South Korea, which involved a bit of a monster journey from West Palm Beach to Jeju Island. But it was my first long haul flight of the season, so that’s not so bad. i’ve been playing in Asia since 1992 and i’ve seen the game and its players develop enormously in that time. i think it’s fair to say that Korea is at the forefront of the Asian golf boom. The world knows all about the strength of women’s golf there and now the men are coming through as well and there are players lining up to follow in the footsteps of guys like Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi. The fans are great. They’re friendly, extremely welcoming and very passionate about the game of

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golf. sadly the tournament was hit by some extremely challenging weather and it had to be reduced to 54 holes. That always feels a bit strange, but overall i enjoyed my week there, despite not producing my A-game. i had a week off to try to get my game back in the groove in time for The Players Championship at TPC sawgrass, but as it happened i didn’t swing it well that week and missed the cut. Then, basically, i went straight back to the Bear’s Club and spent the next few days trying to regain the form i had earlier in the year. The following week in Texas, my ball striking was back to where i’d want it to be. it was my first ever appearance in the Texas Open and it was a new golf course, a Greg norman design. some of the players struggled with the

layout, but personally i think Greg did a great job there. it’s the kind of course where if you got out of position you could make a big number. i don’t have a problem with that. it’s a tough test and you had to be very accurate and also very creative. Every green was different and it kept you thinking all the time. The overall look and feel was very much like some of the courses i’ve played in Australia and also back home in south Africa. i felt very, very comfortable out there! i got off to a slow start on day one, which hurt my chances, but i played well for the remaining 63 holes to finish in a tie for third place. All in all, i was pretty pleased with the week. My swing felt 100 per cent better than it had done in The Players Championship and i was back to hitting the ball with more authority.

Driving force

Ernie Els signs autographs for the fans after the second round of the Valero Texas Open at the TPC San Antonio.

For once the English weather was glorious and the renovated West Course by The Ernie Els Design shone as it provided fresh challenges for The European Tour pros. Simon Khan (above) negotiates the new stream as he plays his approach to the 18th on his way to winning the 2010 BMW PGA Championship.

it was just the kind of week i needed to get me back on the right track and i felt like i was just going to roll it into the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. i was really looking forward to the flagship event on The European Tour. The Ernie Els Design renovations to the West Course were completed and since the golf course had reopened at the end of March i’d heard nothing but positive feedback, both from the Club’s members and some of the professionals who had already played practice rounds there. i couldn’t wait to get there and tee it up for myself. it turned out to be a busy week to say the least! Obviously, i took on board some of the comments from the players about certain aspects of the golf course and we’ll sit down soon with the Club’s owner richard Caring and the rest of the team to reflect and review on all the feedback and the scoring stats. Having had a week or so to reflect, i just think it was great how many positives came out of the BMW PGA Championship week. We had glorious weather, which really helped the course bloom and ensured that it looked great to players and spectators alike. There were also record crowds who seemed to love every minute. i had some good support and feedback from many of them during tournament week and since then

“The greens puTTed beauTifully and The guys on The commiTTee seT The course up jusT as we wanTed iT and offered The shoT values ThaT we felT were correcT. iT’s very much a shoTmakers golf course.” – ErniE Els have received some really nice emails from fans, all of whom attended the event and loved the course and the changes. Overall, i think the golf course played great. The greens putted beautifully and the guys on the committee set the course up just as we wanted it and offered the shot values that we felt were correct. it’s very much a shot-makers golf course. There are opportunities to make birdies if you hit good golf shots, as we saw from some of the scoring out there all week. There are also some places where you can drop shots if you get out of position, which is just as it should be in championship golf. i think the balance is about right. it’s a very fair test of golf. i went to Wentworth to win the Championship, so in that sense it was a disappointing week for me personally, but as i said, this was still a great week for European golf. The

guys at Wentworth and The European Tour put on a great show for everyone – and BMW announced that it has extended its sponsorship of this tournament for another four years, which is fantastic news in these tough economic times. What’s also great news for me, personally, is that The Els Club Dubai has been chosen to host the Grand Final for the Matchplay Championship, one of the biggest amateur golf competitions ever conceived. The Els Club Dubai really feels like my home club away from home and whenever i’m in that part of the world i practice there and play there. The ‘desert links’ design makes it a very special golf course and everyone at Ernie Els Design is understandably proud of what we’ve achieved. i think it’s a strong test for players of all standards and, in my view, there’s no better venue for the finals of The Matchplay Championship. n www.wwgolf.biz

YOUR GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY THE INVITATIONAL

HE dates have just been announced for this year’s four UAE Regional Qualifying Events for The Invitational 2011 hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah. The Invitational has again joined forces with Worldwide Golf to stage three WWG Midweek Opens and one Women’s Golf Middle East event. The Worldwide Golf Midweek Open Regional Qualifiers are open to men, ladies and juniors in the UAE, who are members of the Emirates Golf Federation, and to men, ladies and juniors in the Middle East. The top 15 adults and the top 10 juniors from each event will qualify, along with the top 10 ladies from the Women’s Golf Middle East event, to play in the Grand Final in January. The fortunate field of 85 will be under pressure as the best net adult and the best junior on the day will receive the priceless GOLDEN TICKETS to take their place in The Invitational 2011.

Pantone Metallic 8920 C CMYK C:0, M:54, Y:88, B:28

Process Black CMYK C:40, M:40, Y:40, B:100

Tournament Director, James Bowring, with Amelia McKee and James Collins holding the GOLDEN TICKETS they won at the qualifying event at Arabian Ranches Golf Club.

The GOLDEN route to compete in one of the finest Pro-Am tournaments in World Golf tees off in Abu Dhabi in October: James Collins, Tour professionals Richard Green and Jean François Lucquin, and Amelia McKee pictured at the Creek Golf & Yacht Club during The Invitational.

Yas Links GC, Abu Dhabi

Tuesday, 26th October, 2010, at 1.0pm.

Entry Fee: AED495, adults – AED195, Juniors.

Arabian Ranches GC, Dubai

Monday, 15th November, 2010, at 8.0am.

Entry Fee: AED495 (Ladies Only – Women’s Golf Middle East event).

Faldo Course at Emirates GC, Dubai

Monday, 22nd November, 2010, at 5.0pm. (Floodlit) Entry Fee: AED495, adults – AED195, Juniors.

Al Hamra GC, Ras Al Khaimah

Thursday, 9th December, 2010, at 1.0pm.

Entry Fee: AED450 adults – AED150, Juniors.

To pre-register please email goldenticket@theinvitational.com AT LAST year’s Worldwide Golf Midweek Open Qualifier at Arabian Ranches Golf Club 10-year-old Amelia McKee qualified to play in The Invitational as the leading junior and James Collins took the leading adult spot. James was runner-up in the pairs section in The Invitational 2010 with Australian professional Richard Green, behind the winners Lee Westwood and Abdullah Al Naboodah. At the Charity Gala Dinner and Prizegiving ceremony at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Abdullah was so impressed with Amelia’s performance in the tournament that he guaranteed her an invitation to play in The Invitational 2011. All competitors in the Worldwide Golf Midweek Open qualifiers will be guaranteed exclusive free tickets to watch The Invitational hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah on January 31, 2011. Tickets to the general Abdullah Al Naboodah presents amateur James Collins and public will be limited. Tour professional Richard Green with their trophies.

www.theinvitational.com Premier Partners

Qualifier Venues

INTERNATIONAL QUALIFIER THE fame of The Invitational hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah is spreading. The most prestigious and popular European Tour Pro-Am in the Middle East is going international with a UK qualifier taking place at the exclusive Heythrop Park Golf Club in Oxfordshire on Wednesday, 28th July, 2010. This provides golfers in the UK with the only opportunity outside the Middle East to gain a GOLDEN TICKET and qualify for The Invitational hosted by Abdullah Al Naboodah on January 31 in the UAE. For details of the facilities at Heythrop Park Golf Club visit: heythropparkgolf.co.uk

BAck By populAr demAnd with just 100 spaces available be quick to book. DownloaD Your entrY form: www.wwgolf.biz

WWG Desert Island Double 2 SepTember 23th - 24th

DaY 1: 18 holes at Yas links golf club after plaY barbeque at Yas links clubhouse

enter now

the worlDwiDe golf Desert islanD Double at abu Dhabi

overnight staY at the raDisson blu hotel with breakfast (aeD100 for additional non-golfing guest)

Only aed950 TOTAl

DaY 2: 18 holes at saaDiYat beach golf club prize giving barbeque at saaDiYat beach golf club

log on To WWW.WWGolf.biz for deTails of how To enTer

entry fee also includes access to the practice facilities and locker rooms as well as shared golf carts, range balls and tournament prizes.

DAY 1

DAY

Two days of golf on Two of The Uaeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newesT world-class deserT island coUrses and a nighT of lUxUry accommodaTion for jUsT aed950 the magnificent radisson blu hotel (left) which overlooks the Yas links golf club, a typical room at the hotel and the spa at the radisson blu.

harDlY surprising the june wwg Desert Double solD out within 10 DaYs.

Khan you believe it?

IMON Khan got the nod on the Monday that he had a place in the field at The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and drove off six days later with the biggest win of his career to date. The 37-year-old from Essex was a last minute sponsor’s invite and made the most of it with a stunning performance on the new-look West Course, shooting a final round 5-under 66 to win by one shot from Luke Donald and Fredrik Andersson Hed. “I was determined to make the most of the invite and play like I know I can,” said Khan, who started the final round seven shots off the lead on 1-under. “Today was just surreal. The course was tough with the condition it was in and the pin positions but I didn’t know the position I was in until around the 16th. It’s still Wentworth, maybe the greens are a bit firmer but the premium has always been on accuracy and good iron play and I managed to do that. This is an amazing event, it’s inspired me for years.”

away from the feeling he had after losing his European Tour card last year. “This has got to be the best year for me to win this tournament,” he smiled. “To lose your card, and to realise at that moment that it’s gone; that was the worst I’ve ever felt. Now this – it’s unbelievable to be standing here right now. This means everything. This tournament is the reason I started playing golf and just being here is special.” Last year Khan finished 127th on The Race to Dubai and on his way back from the Hong Kong Open the realisation hit him, but showing strong strength of mind he decided to draw on the positives and put all his focus on going back to Qualifying School. It worked as Khan earned his card for 2010 in style, winning the six-round Final Stage of Q-School in Spain last November. Now, after winning The European Tour’s flagship event, Khan moved up from 471st on the Official World Golf Ranking to 106th, earned a five-year exemption on Tour and a spot in the next three Open Championships. But this wasn’t enough for Khan as he went

“This has got to be the best year for me to win this tournament, to lose your card, and to realise at that moment that it’s gone; that was the worst I’ve ever felt. Now this – it’s unbelievable to be standing here right now.” – Simon Khan Khan set the clubhouse target at 6-under-par after sinking a birdie putt on the 18th that ran 180° around the hole before finally dropping, which was met with an emotional fist pump. From there, all eyes were on Donald. The Englishman, who hasn’t won a title in four years, was level with Khan’s total with two holes to play but disaster struck. He blocked his drive on the 17th into a holly bush and wound up making a double bogey seven, leaving him needing an eagle on the revamped 18th to match Khan’s total. It was just what course re-designer Ernie Els wanted. The new stream running across the 18th green was added to plant doubt in the player’s mind – an increase in the ‘risk and reward’ factor. For Donald the risk proved too great and he laid up which left him with a 100yard shot for eagle. To his credit he almost holed it but the ball checked at the crucial moment and spun back, ending up six feet away from the hole and leaving Khan delighted – a world

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back to work the following morning aiming to qualify for a place in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach in the European Qualifier at Walton Heath. “I think if you stopped dreaming of going there and winning those events, you might as well stop, really,” he said after confirming he would take it easy on the champagne in order to prepare himself for another gruelling day. It proved too much for Khan as he ran out of fizz and fell just short of a spot at Pebble Beach, making par in a play-off as his five other competitors made birdie. “Unbelievable – I thought one of them would miss!” he said after missing his putt from 15 feet. “I was just running on empty and it was only the thought of going to Pebble Beach that kept me going.” Still, Khan can afford to take the champagne off the ice as he looks forward to five years of European Tour security after winning one of the most prestigious titles in Europe on the back of a sponsor’s invite. n

leaderboard 1 2 4 5

Simon Khan Fredrik Andersson Hed Luke Donald Stephen Gallacher Danny Willett

-6 -5 -5 -4 -3

278 279 279 280 281

BMW PGA ChAMPionShiP

“Today was just surreal. The course was tough with the condition it was in and the pin positions but I didn’t know the position I was in until around the 16th. It’s still Wentworth, maybe the greens are a bit firmer but the premium has always been on accuracy and good iron play and I managed to do that. This is an amazing event, it’s inspired me for years.” – Simon Khan

Khan’s stats Winning Score: 6-under-par 278 (72, 69, 71, 66) Winner’S cheque: €750,000

Stroke Average: Driving Accuracy: Driving Distance: Greens in Reg: Putts per round: Sand Saves:

69.50 87.5% (1) 285.6 (29) 81.9% (1) 31.5 (74) 66.7%

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ShotSaver

Game on with Snooper Shotsaver S320 LEADING satellite navigation brand, Snooper, has upgraded its best-selling golf sat-nav product, the Shotsaver S280, to include additional innovative features to help golfers keen to improve their game. The new Shotsaver S320’s inventive use of technology allows golfers to record the distance each ball is hit and which club was used, meaning performance can be improved at every level. Tim Maxwell, PGA Professional at Mottram Hall Championship Course in Cheshire, England, said about the device: “Regardless of how well you play, you can always improve, and this device is perfect for any golfer serious about upping their game.

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“I like to use this device when teaching, as it is incredibly simple to use and the accuracy is fantastic – when you take the guesswork out of the distance you need to cover then you can concentrate all your efforts on your swing.” Simply record the position of your ball, take your shot and then record the position where it lands. Shotsaver will provide you with details of the longest and shortest distances you hit with each club and will also keep a running average. Performance Products Managing Director, Steven Ballard, added: “Keen golfers can also keep track of how they are doing with an electronic scorecard that records the score of the user and up to three other players in their group. “Other fantastic features include a long-life 12 hour battery, super-bright display and improved graphics, as well as larger on-screen icons and a waterproof casing. We have also increased the number of courses on our database so it now features the details of more than 3,500 UK, EU and international golf courses. “The Shotsaver really is a must-have product for any golfer.” One of the best aspects of the S320 is that if a course you want to play isn’t already part of the database you can contact Shotsaver who will guarantee to have it plotted within 14 days providing the club in question co-operates in

supplying the relevant information. The database is literally growing all the time and the capacity is limitless. Shotsaver provides golfers with distances to the front, back and middle of the green and lets you know the location of bunkers, fairways, streams, lakes and other hazards. Satellite navigation facilities for the UK and Ireland and Western Europe can be added to the device to maximise usability. The Shotsaver is £169.99 (approx US$243.00). The additional sat-nav UK & Ireland is £59.99 (approx US$85.78) and sat-nav Western Europe is £79.99 (approx US$113.48) To purchase a Snooper Shotsaver S320 please visit: www.snooperuk.com or call + 44 (0) 333 240 1000

WWGcolumnist

MORE HARD WORK TO BE DONE

T’S been nice to spend a bit of time at home with the family but to be honest I’ve been spending a lot of my time working on my game. I was obviously disappointed overall with how things turned out for me in the BMW PGA Championship on my home course at Wentworth but getting in the mix again was good fun and a top-10 finish gives me something to build upon. In that sense it was still a positive and successful week. I’ve been saying all season that my game actually feels in really good shape generally. It’s just my putting that has been the problem and that was the case again at Wentworth. We looked up a guy I did some work with a few years ago called Phil Kenyon and he came over to the house the Sunday before the tournament and we tried a few things out. We worked quite hard, changed a few things and it was really positive. I decided that if I was going to implement the changes I had to stick with it. It worked nicely in the Pro-Am and then again in the first round where I shot a 67 to get to within two of the lead. But, unfortunately, it didn’t pan out over the last three rounds – I still putted quite well but just didn’t hole any. Friday and Sunday were OK. I shot

“I have to say I personally preferred that hole the way It was – I’m a bIg hItter and I was able to go for It In two but I dIdn’t go for It once thIs year.” – ross fisher 1-under on both days but it could have been a lot better if more putts had dropped. On Saturday I hit some good shots but didn’t capitalise and as soon as I hit a loose one I seemed to come a bit unstuck, which was disappointing. Shooting 76 on the Saturday really damaged my chances – being second after two rounds and finishing 10th is frustrating but that’s golf and you just move on. The changes to the course took away some the local knowledge and home advantage I usually have, having played there for 16 years. The greens

have changed a lot. Obviously, a lot has been said about the redesign of the 18th in particular. I have to say I personally preferred that hole the way it was – I’m a big hitter and I was able to go for it in two but I didn’t go for it once this year. For me it just wasn’t a hole that you could go for in two. I don’t think people want to see players laying up on a par 5 to finish a golf tournament. I’ve heard that they’re considering looking at the 18th again. The changes are all very new, so we’ll see what happens in the future. I’m looking forward to the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. I had a great

tournament last year when I finished fifth at Bethpage and I think the wind at Pebble Beach, combined with tough course set up they have at the U.S. Open will create a different challenge. But I’m not thinking about it yet. My focus is on working hard ahead of my next appearance on The European Tour at the Wales Open. I’m going to meet up with Phil again to continue working on my putting and hopefully we’ll crack it – your game can be in great shape but if you’re not holing putts it doesn’t mean anything. That’s the name of the game so that’s what I’m going to be working on. There’s still plenty of the season left and plenty of big tournaments to come so I’m not worried in the slightest. I’ve just got to keep plugging away and, hopefully, the putts will start to drop and a win will be just around the corner! n

In the know wIth RoSS FISheR

Ross Fisher shot rounds of 67, 70, 76, 70 at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth to finish in a share of 10th place, five shots back from winner Simon Khan. Ross currently lies 56th on The Race to Dubai and 34th on the Official World Golf Ranking.

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Magnificent Mcilroy RORY ROaRs BaCK

Todd Stazko reports on Rory McIlroy’s spectacular victory at the Quail Hollow Championship at Charlotte, North Carolina

ORY McIlroy put the disappointment of missing the cut at The Masters behind him with one of the most stunning displays of golf The PGA Tour has seen for years. Three weeks after leaving Augusta with self-doubts about his game he stormed to victory at the Quail Hollow Championship to become the youngest winner the United States since Tiger Woods won in 1996. McIlroy shot an incredible fourth round 10-under-par 62 to win his first PGA Tour title by four strokes from Masters champion Phil Mickelson. Just a few days before his 21st birthday the Irishman made an eagle and eight birdies in his final round as he broke the course record in North Carolina. “I don’t think I’ve ever played a better round in my life,” beamed McIlroy after his 15-under-par total. “I got off to a pretty slow start in the week and had to fight to make the cut – but the weekend was just very, very special.” ‘I just got in the zone’ McIlroy described his week at Augusta as “pretty frustrating” after shooting 7-over and was nearly left ruing another missed cut at Quail Hollow until a magnificent eagle on the par-5 seventh hole – his 16th of the second round – salvaged his efforts to make it into the weekend right on the cut-line at 1-over. Having pulled off the great escape he took his opportunity with both hands and shot 16-under over the weekend to take the title ahead of one of the strongest fields on the Tour. “I suppose I just got in the zone,” he said, looking back on his amazing final round. “I didn’t realise I was going eight, nine, 10-under-par. I just knew I’d got my nose in front, I was just trying to stay there. Ever since I was 10 or 11 years old, I wanted to be a professional golfer and it’s been a crazy ride up to this point.” After winning his breakthrough professional title at the Dubai Desert Classic in 2009 he went on to gain an additional seven top-ten finishes and end the season second on The Race to Dubai. But he admitted he was concerned about not closing out tournaments when he 14

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ALL SMILES: Rory McIroy holds the impressive trophy after winning the Quail Hollow Championship in style.

“I got BACK home from AugustA And tooK A few dAys off. I just sAId to myself, ‘looK, there’s no poInt feelIng sorry for yourself. you’re not plAyIng greAt, you need to go And worK. ” – RORY McILROY found himself in contention. However, he went and sought the advice of one of the best in the business at The Honda Classic in March this year when he sat down for a chat with Jack Nicklaus. “It was an unbelievable experience, probably the best 90 minutes I’ve spent in a long time,” he said, going on to explain some of Jack’s secrets. “I thought that when he got in front, he’d say, ‘Right, I’m going to grind these guys down,’ but actually, he said he just waited for everyone else to make mistakes and admitted that he had a lot more Majors handed to him than he went out and won. I found that very interesting.” Nicklaus also explained that it was possible

RORY MCILROY

“It’s greAt to get A wIn so eArly over here, It’s tAKen A few of the europeAn guys quIte A BIt longer to do It so It’s defInItely nICe to get thAt fIrst vICtory. now I need to ConCentrAte on gettIng A few more ” – RORY McILROY

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MATTEO HAS THE wOrld AT HiS fEET

TaLIan Matteo Manassero is a young man with the world at his feet. Before reaching the age of 17 last month he had already competed in The open Championship at Turnberry last July and The Masters in May, qualifying as the youngest winner of the British amateur. not bad for a young man from Verona in a country with a golfing population over just over 100,000. “I don’t put expectations on myself,” he smiled prior to making his professional debut on home soil at the BMW Italian open last month. “Maybe other people do, but I don’t play for them, I play for myself. That is how I handle the expectations.” such a down-to-earth attitude shows how he’s taken everything that’s happened to him over a whirlwind last 12 months in his stride – from guided tours of Turnberry and augusta national with golfing legend Tom Watson to becoming the second youngest member of The european Tour behind seve Ballesteros. Ballesteros was aged just 17 years and eight days when he made his professional debut at his home open in spain in 1974. He won his first european Tour event two years later at the Dutch open and went on to win five Majors and 50 european Tour titles in one of the most celebrated careers in golfing history. But Manassero won’t let any early comparisons with seve go to his head. “I am thinking about winning but there is no pressure,” he says. “If the chance comes and I take it, that would be a great moment but I am in no rush. My goal is to try to win my european Tour card for next season from the seven invites I am allowed. If I don’t succeed straight away and earn my playing rights, I won’t make a drama out of it.” one of the invites came from the Italian Golf Federation and under the watchful eye of the golfing world he finished in a share of 29th place in Turin with a 5-under-par 283 total, earning his first pay cheque of €11,960.

Manassero burst into the limelight last summer in a two-month stretch of golf that will stay with him forever. aged 16 he became the youngest winner of the British amateur Championship when he beat england’s sam Hutsby 4&3 in the final at Formby Golf Club, beating the previous age record held by Bobby Cole in 1966 by nearly two years. That win secured him a place at The open a month later where he was paired with Tom Watson for the opening two rounds. “Playing with Tom Watson I grew up a little bit because even if he doesn’t say something to you, even if he doesn’t give you advice, you grow up just watching him,” he said after finishing 13th on 2-over-par and securing the silver Medal as the best placed amateur. “It was a great week. Winning the silver Medal is special for me.” after wowing the crowds on the west coast of scotland Manassero went back to school over the winter but had to put his books to one side in april this year as he became the youngest ever participant in The Masters. It also gave him the opportunity to rekindle his relationship with Watson. The 1977 and ‘81 Masters champion was so impressed with the Italian at Turnberry that he invited him to play a practise round at augusta with him two days before the tournament began, and again, nothing about the occasion phased him. “all the top players in the world are here who I used to watch on television, but I don’t mind being the youngest ever – I just want to play,” he said as he prepared to make his Masters debut. and what a debut it was. Manassero showed no signs of nerves whatoever. He opened up with a birdie on the first hole on Thursday and closed with a birdie 16

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71 holes later on sunday to finish on 4-overpar 292 in a share of 36th place. “It was an amazing experience,” he said after collecting the silver Cup from augusta Chairman Bill Payne as the best placed amateur. “I’ve always dreamed of playing in The Masters, so to get here and to play with Lee Westwood and Mike Weir, and then to meet the winner Phil Mickelson – it was like living a dream. “I went there without any expectations, I just wanted to enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed it a lot and I also played well – so that was even better for me. I had a very good week.

Above: Manassero receives the trophy for low amateur from Augusta National Golf Club Chairman William Porter Payne. Above, right: Stewart Cink holds the Claret Jug as he stands with runner-up Tom Watson, while leading amateur Matteo Manassero looks on at the end of the 2009 British Open Golf Championship at Turnberry.

Matteo Manassero

It will help me in all areas, to play with these guys, be comfortable with the crowd and to understand that I can compete with these guys. It’s very important.” one person who has been important in the prominent rise of Manassero’s game is former european Tour player alberto Binaghi who has guided Matteo ever since he first swung a golf club at the age of four. “I always felt good with him as a coach and occasionally he caddies for me, too – like at The Masters. He’s good with me because he knows my game and my mind and that’s important,” says Manassero. Binaghi also had some kind words to say about his young pupil. “His game is very accurate and he is very consistent. He hit 48 fairways out of 56 at

“I’ve always dreamed of playIng In The masTers, so To geT here and To play wITh lee wesTwood and mIke weIr, and Then To meeT The wInner, phIl mIckelson – IT was lIke lIvIng a dream.” – Matteo Manassero

George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour:

“Matteo joins the professional game at an incredibly exciting time for European golf, and specifically for Italy – just a few months after Edoardo and Francesco Molinari’s success in the World Cup. Last October Matteo gave a passionate, mature and compelling address to the International Olympic Committee as part of golf’s delegation in Copenhagen and helped secure golf’s return to the Olympic Games in 2016. He could well be part of that historic event but now a new chapter in his golfing life begins and we wish him every success.”

augusta national. He’s not that long off the tee but he has good accuracy with his irons. I like the fact that he has controlled distances with his irons rather than long distance off the tee. at augusta I caddied, I cooked, did the laundry, did the driving, I was even a masseuse too – I don’t know what more I can do!” Whatever Binaghi did, it worked, as Manassero left augusta with another feather in his cap as the youngest ever player to make the cut at The Masters and he’s gradually getting used to talking about his achievements. “I’m more comfortable with interviews,” he said. “I’m getting used to it – I have to, it’s part of this life.” another part of his life he’s going to have to get used to is jet-setting around the globe as interest in his exploits rapdily increases. He has already received invites to Jack nicklaus’ Memorial Tournament on The PGa Tour in ohio and The european Tour’s flagship event at Wentworth – the BMW PGa Championship. If he continues his meteoric rise it surely won’t be long before he wins a Tour event to write another chapter in an already impressive success story. n

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clubhouse quickies

PLAYER quotEs JokEs woRd of thE month CARtoons

Bing’s conflict of interest Golf nut Bing Crosby was once offered the lead role in the television series ‘Columbo’ but turned it down, saying that it would have interfered with his golf schedule. Peter Falk, of crumpled raincoat fame, stepped in as the scruffy detective. nothing like Crosby.

Hale Irwin’s costly two-inch whiff HALe IrwIn (below) lost the 1983 British Open Championship at royal Birkdale to Tom watson by a single stroke. He blamed his defeat on whiffing a two-inch putt on the par-3 14th hole in the third round. “I guess I lifted my head,” he lamented, “because the club just bounced straight over the ball...”

Sam Snead’s professional abandon Sam Snead (below) was a no-nonsense professional who didn’t suffer fools easily. “I won a lot of tournaments because I was in better shape than other guys,” he once proclaimed. “I didn’t smoke and didn’t drink and went to bed at reasonable hours.” As a teacher, Snead also had little sympathy for illdisciplined players. “Lay off for three weeks,” he once told a pupil, “and then quit for good!”

Fred Basset (of The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday) now appears in a new series of books. This cartoon has been reproduced (with permission) from Fred Basset for Golf Lovers which is published by Summersdale and is available through all good bookshops and internet booksellers. 18

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WORD

OF the MONth... DUCK-HOOK: A severely sharp hook shot that barely gets off the ground. COme-baCKer: A testing, longish putt required after the previous putt was over-hit coming to rest a few feet too far past the hole.

New members It was saturday nIght and the clubhouse was crowded and noIsy and two new players were drInkIng at the bar, dIscussIng theIr game. “excuse me,” the barmaN iNterrupted, “you’re New members, areN’t you?” “yes,” oNe replied, “but iN all this crowd, how did you kNow?” “you put your driNks dowN.”

PrACTICe mAkeS PerFeCT

DiD yOu kNOW?

Lee Trevino, one of the most successful and popular players of all time, was hit by lightning twice.

“I’d give up golf if I didn’t have so many sweaters!” – Bob Hope “A blind hole is only blind once to a man with a memory,” – Tommy Armour

“If they don’t have golf in heaven – then I’m not going” – an inscription on a pillow in Arnold Palmer’s home

1973 British Open champion Tom Weiskopf played a practice round with Jack Nicklaus and John O’Leary prior to The 1975 Open at Carnoustie. “When they got to the par-3 eighth hole late in the afternoon only a couple of spectators remained. The wind was blowing hard from the left, and Weiskopf noticed two elderly Scots gentleman sitting on the left side of the green,” recalled O’Leary. “He tried to aim the ball right at them and turn it into the wind. He did just that, the ball landing right near the hole. But there was no response from the men. “He looked in the bunker. He walked over the green. Searched in the trees. Finally, Nicklaus told him, ‘Can you believe it? Your ball’s in the hole.’ “As he left the green, Weiskopf turned to the two men and said, ‘Excuse me, but did you see my shot?’ “’Yes, laddie, we saw your shot,’ they replied. “’It was a hole-in-one, but you didn’t even clap,’” said Weiskopf. “Aye, laddie, but it’s only practice, isn’t it?’”

a drive aNd a putt “that’s good for oNe loNg drive aNd a putt,” said a cocky golfer as he teed up his ball aNd looked dowN the fairway to the greeN. he swuNg mightily aNd hit his ball which laNded about a metre from the tee. his caddie haNded him a club aNd remarked: “aNd Now for oNe hell of a putt.”

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WWGcolumnist

The Wave Muscat will be a unique golf course

COUPLE of weeks ago I took a trip back to Oman for a site visit at our project at The Wave Muscat and it was great to be there and to see how the course is taking shape. When I first went to Oman several years ago, I just fell in love with the place. Ever since, I’ve been mindful that I have a responsibility to create not merely a championship course but a memorable golf experience that incorporates the character of the magnificent land forms and flora and fauna found in Oman. Having seen how the course is shaping up I’m convinced that this will be a unique golf course and one of the most beautiful we have ever built anywhere in the world. I’m pleased with the progress. The front nine has been shaped, both irrigation lakes have been excavated and the water supply has been established. The four-hectare grass nursery turf farm is growing well and during my visit we made a final selection of the turf grass, selecting a particular strain of Paspalum grass that is very salt tolerant and environmentally friendly. What also makes The Wave unique is that it is truly a core golf course. There is only a small portion of the

course that is aligned with real estate. This makes for a truly unique golf experience with vistas of the ocean and mountains. I think The Wave will be a “must play” course for any golf enthusiast who comes into the region. When I first visited the site at The Wave, standing on the rocks overlooking the Indian Ocean, I was tempted to take the plunge. Sport fishing and scuba diving are great passions of mine. I understand there is some great diving and fishing in Omani waters. I’m hopeful that on my next visit I will be able to spend some time on and in the water. During that first visit to the site, there were some unique dunes and wetland areas that I have used as inspiration to the layout which I have replicated across the entire site so as to give the course consistent topography. Having had the opportunity to

look at the layout again at first hand I’ve decided that six holes will be oceanfront and we will have eight holes with extensive views of the ocean. In this day and age, it is not often that you get this much oceanfront land to work with. I have only had the opportunity on one or two other occasions to have this much oceanfront land – in particular at my project in Bali and at the Doonbeg project in Ireland. The site itself is very linear, which presented some challenges purely from a geometrical standpoint. For that same reason, The Wave is very much a true “out and back” links golf course. Once we had the routing sorted out, the rest of the project fell into place quite easily. I made a few changes to several holes, specifically 12, 13, and 14. More than anything else, I adjusted the position of the holes slightly to create

‘Having Had tHe opportunity to look at tHe layout again at first Hand, i decided tHat six Holes will be oceanfront and we will Have eigHt Holes witH extensive views of tHe ocean. in tHis day and age, it is not often tHat you get tHis mucH oceanfront land to work witH.’

R&A suppoRt I AM delighted that the R&A have announced that they are giving funding to our Golf Foundation. As a two-time open Champion it’s gratifying to receive such recognition from the R&A to support our programmes for boys and girls throughout Queensland, Australia. our Greg Norman Golf Foundation conducts four to six week programmes in schools, runs junior tournaments over six, nine and 18 holes, conducts sports expos, runs golf clinics, visits indigenous communities and assists disabled players. thousands of youngsters are introduced to the wonderful world of golf through the Foundation each year. I appreciate the assistance of the R&A which will allow us to continue the good work on a daily basis.

Abdullah bin Khamis Al shidi (second from the left) makes a point to Chris Campbell, senior Vice president of Greg Norman Golf Course Design, left, Greg Norman, and Michael Lenarduzzi, Chief Executive officer of the Wave Muscat, as they look at the architectural model of the course plan and development. 20

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IT was a humbling experience to receive the KPMG Lifetime Achievement Award 2010 at the Golf Business Forum at the Gloria Hotels and Resorts, Belek, Turkey, last month. In addressing more than 250 golf business leaders, investors and developers, at the threeday conference I said that although it’s been a tough time for the golf business, things are picking up and credit is being freed up. But it’s not like flicking a light switch on. Whether we ever get back to the halcyon days is difficult to judge. The era of unlimited budgets for golf developments that we experienced in

the 1980s and 1990s, are gone. I’ve told people in countries such as China that we don’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past, because that has a lot to do with the situation we are in now. In the bad times you forge the best relationships and this is why this event is so important. The golf business is something I’m truly passionate about and to be recognised by a business brand like KPMG is a genuine honour. It was my first visit to Turkey. I wish them the best of luck in establishing themselves as an emerging golf tourism destination. They have Greg Norman shakes hands with Andrea certainly made an incredible start. sartori of KpMG at the presentation.

Greg Norman goes through the plans with his design team at the Wave Muscat on his site visit last month and makes a few changes to his layout, above and left. Below, Greg has fun at a golf clinic with the juniors at the course.

more oceanfront area and to give the golf operator a larger staging area for special events and activities. I think the course will be worthy of hosting a professional tournament. Oman has great potential as a golf destination. True, right now it only has one course but that is the opportunity. I’d like to think that Oman could be a boutique golf destination as opposed to other markets where the visitor is overwhelmed by the quantity of golf. Oman has so much to offer. The best result would come from having golf be part of the mix as opposed to being the “be all end all.” The Royal Family and the administrators have a good perspective on golf. More specifically, that supply should not exceed demand. I think that will serve them well. There is a good base of golfers that Muscat Hills currently has, with a very healthy traffic and participation numbers. One of the things we want to bring into The Wave is instructional programmes to build the base of golfers for the future. I think golf in Oman will be partially tourist driven, and therefore, it relieves the pressure on being too ex-pat driven. But it’s important to work with the youngsters in Oman and bring them into the game. I have a junior golf development programme in Australia and recently launched one in China. I enjoy working with youngsters. Obviously it’s good to create the golfers of tomorrow, but personally, I derive a lot of pleasure from it because you see how enthusiastic young people are when they are being presented with a new interest. I think golf in Oman is in good hands. The Oman Golf Committee have been good observers of how golf has been developed in the GCC and other markets. The key is to responsibly grow the game, to not get ahead of yourself. n

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DRIVING

new Porsche cayenne Styling and Technology >>

RIDE COMFORT PERFORMANCE SPACE BRAKING

Eagerly anticipated new generation

Porsche Cayenne makes its regional debut

// A

long awaited model has finally arrived as Porsche Middle East introduce the new generation of the Porsche Cayenne â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including a hybrid version, the Cayenne S Hybrid. A highly sophisticated full hybrid drive ensures fuel consumption of just 8.2 litres/100 kilometres with Co2 emissions of just 193 g/km. The Cayenne S Hybrid combines the performance of an eightcylinder with the economy of a six-cylinder, running on much less fuel.

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DRIVING RIDE COMFORT PERFORMANCE SPACE BRAKING

BASEd on the principle of “Porsche Intelligent Performance,” all Cayenne vehicles offer more power on less fuel, greater efficiency and lower Co2 emissions. Compared with the former generation, fuel consumption is down by up to 23 per cent, making the new models trendsetters in their respective segments. These objectives result from the introduction of the new Tiptronic S 8-speed automatic transmission with Auto-Start-Stop and a wide spread of gear ratios. There is also thermal management on the engine and transmission cooling circuit, on-board network recuperation, variable engine cut-off and an intelligent, lightweight construction. Thanks to its special combination of materials for optimum weight, as well as changes in the overall concept of

the vehicle (such as the Cayenne’s new active and extra-light all-wheel drive), the weight is down considerably – for example, on the Cayenne S by 180 kilos. Benefiting from these features and new technologies, the new Cayenne offers even more driving pleasure both on-road and off-road, combined with even greater every-day driving qualities, plus enhanced comfort. The completely new design of the model integrates the 2010 Cayenne even closer into the overall range of Porsche cars. Extra space inside and greater variability is ensured by the wheelbase, which is now 40 mm longer. In all, the new Cayenne is 48 mm longer than its predecessor. As soon as you step inside you know you’re in a Porsche. The eye-catching cockpit-like interior, which is clearly derived from the Porsche Panamera, also

features a centre console between the two front seats. For maximum comfort in the back, the rear seat bench now moves fore-and-aft by 160 millimetres, with the backrest angle adjusting to three different settings.

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Speci f ication EnginE Bore: stroke: capacity: compression ratio: Max output: Max Torque: output-per-Litre: Max engine speed: Fuel Grade: electrical system:

DimEnsions Length: width: height: wheelbase: Track: Luggage compartment: Tank capacity: Performance:

89.0 mm 96.4 mm 3598 cc 11.7:1 220 kW/300 bhp at 6300 rpm 400 nm/295 lb-ft at 3000 rpm 61.4 kW/83.4 bhp 6700 rpm Premium Plus 12 V; 3080 W three-phase alternator; recuperation of on-board network

4846 mm 1939 mm 1705 mm 2895 mm Front 1655mm; Rear 1669mm 670 – 1780 litres 85 litres (18.6 imp gals) Top speed 230 km/h (143 mph)

Increased power, reduced fuel consumption THE range starts with the 3.6-litre V6 Cayenne with increased engine power to 300bhp. With its 8-speed Tiptronic S transmission fuel consumption is down from the former model by no less than 20 per cent to 9.9 ltr/100 km. The Cayenne diesel – with its 240 bhp 3-litre V6 – likewise reduces fuel consumption by 20 per cent, down from 9.3 to 7.4 ltr/100 km. The diesel model is available in Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Qatar, Kuwait and oman. Fuel efficiency is also up significantly on the high-torque Cayenne S with its 4.8-litre V8 power unit, in this case by 23 per cent to 10.5 litres/100 kilometres. At the same time the new engine delivers

400 bhp maximum output instead of the former 385 bhp. The most powerful of the range, the Cayenne Turbo, has a 500 bhp 4.8-litre V8 biturbo engine which now consumes just 11.5 ltr/100 km also representing a reduction in fuel consumption of 23 per cent. At 193 g/km, the Cayenne S Hybrid is the cleanest version of the Cayenne with the lowest level of emissions. In the intelligent interaction of the 3-litre supercharged V6 and the electric motor, the Cayenne S Hybrid focuses on maximum efficiency from the overall system. depending on driving conditions, the vehicle operates with one drive unit

by itself or with both drive units working together. In this context the 47 hp electric motor is, of course, the ideal partner for the 333hp compressor engine with its high torque at low speeds. Together, the two drive units deliver maximum system output of 380bhp and peak torque of 580 nm at just 1,000 rpm, with the same kind of performance as the Cayenne S with its V8 power unit. The two drive units are connected to one another by a separator clutch. given a desired slow speed, for example in a residential area, the driver can cover short distances on electric power alone at a speed of up to 60 km/h, free of emissions and with hardly any noise. 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.

News sNippets from arouNd the golfiNg globe

diVots Hank Haney resigns as Tiger Woods’ swing coach

Seve looking forward to St Andrews return

HANK Haney has resigned as Tiger Woods’ swing coach after a six-year relationship with the World No.1. Haney, who starting working with Woods in 2004, said: “I will always look back upon our past half-dozen years together as my best days in professional golf. It would be a dream of any coach to have a student like Tiger Woods and for me it has come true. “Just so there is no confusion I would like to make it clear that this is my decision. I know Tiger Woods will be successful in the future no matter who helps him.” Haney, who took over the role of Woods’ swing coach from Butch Harmon, added: “As we all know, Tiger has been through a lot in the past six months and I really believe that given the chance, mind-free and injury-free, we will all see Tiger Woods play once again like we all know he can.” Meanwhile, Woods withdrew from The Players Championship midway through the final round with neck spasms but confirmed that they were not connected with any injuries sustained in his car accident last November.

GOLF legend Seve Ballesteros has announced he is returning to St Andrews for the four-hole commemorative event which will take place on the eve of The Open Championship next month. “I am happy and looking forward to playing the Champions’ Challenge,” he said at Spain’s 2018 Ryder Cup bid launch in Madrid. “I think I can do very well and say thank you to all my fans in the UK.” The special event will see past champions play over the first, second, 17th and 18th holes on the Old Course as part of The Open’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

Anthony Kim sidelined after undergoing thumb surgery AMERICAN Ryder Cup star Anthony Kim has had surgery on his left thumb which will force him to miss this month’s U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and possibly The Open at St Andrews in July. Kim, who had been playing with a torn ligament, won the Houston Open and finished third at The Masters earlier this year but pulled out of The Players Championship to have the surgery in Baltimore. “While I had hoped to be able to continue to play through the injury, compensating for it was starting to cause other issues, including a sore shoulder that I was experiencing at the Quail Hollow Championship, and we had to get it fixed,” said Kim.

LPGA Tour player Erica Blasberg dies THE golf world has been mourning the loss of 25-year-old Erica Blasberg who died last month at her home on the eve of a tournament qualifying round. Blasberg was in her sixth season on the LPGA Tour and was a two-time All-American from 2003-04 before turning professional in late ’04. “At first glance it looks like she might have taken her own life, but at second glance, something is very, very strange about it,” Erica’s father, Mel Blasberg told reporters. Police have not released a cause of death because the results of a toxicology screening by the Clark County Coroner are not yet known. A spokesperson for the coroner said it could take up to 12 weeks to determine the cause of death.

Choker of the Month

Luke Donald made a costly double bogey at the par-5 17th at Wentworth to drop out of the hunt at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. Donald left himself needing to eagle the last to tie but didn’t go for the new green in two and settled for a birdie to finish one-stroke behind winner Simon Khan.

Tiger Woods’ doctor, Anthony Galea, charged in drug scandal

THE Canadian doctor who has treated Tiger Woods and other elite athletes has been charged with supplying illegal drugs. Dr. Anthony Galea has been accused of giving Human Growth Hormone (HGH) to “at least three” U.S. American Football players. In his comeback at The Masters Woods admitted he had been treated by Galea in the past but denied using performance-enhancing drugs. In a Federal criminal complaint filed in Buffalo, New York, Dr. Galea was charged with unlawful HGH distribution, lying to officials, conspiracy to defraud, smuggling and interstate commerce with the unapproved drug, actovegin – a drug extracted from calf’s blood which is illegal in the USA and not approved for use in Canada.

Quote of the Month “Whenever you feel your putter sliding when you put it down on the practice green and lean on it, you know you’re in for a bad day” – Bo Van

Pelt reflects on the state of the greens at TPC Sawgrass during The Players Championship.

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A GOLF RESORT FOR ALL SEASONS MARITIM JOLIE VILLE GOLF & RESORT

ERCHED high atop an imposing cliff face carved into a stunning stretch of Red Sea coastline in Sharm El Sheikh is the outstanding MARITIM Jolie Ville Golf & Resort. Egypt is fast developing a reputation as one of the most exciting burgeoning golf destinations in the world and this resort showcases everything that is good about the land of the Pharoahs. Great year-round weather conditions, familyfriendly resorts and affordable international standard courses are putting Egypt on the world golfing map and the MARITIM Jolie Ville Golf & Resort is right at the forefront of the country’s golfing revolution. As featured in the November 2009 issue of Worldwide Golf the Championship Jolie Ville Golf Course is a triumph of design which has picked up a string of awards. In this issue we look at a resort as a whole, which continued the winning theme by being named ‘Egypt’s Leading Golf Resort’ at last year’s World Travel Market. Situated just 5km from Sharm El Sheikh International Airport and 7km from the vibrant tourist centre of Naama Bay, which can be accessed by complementary shuttle bus, the MARITIM Jolie Ville Golf & Resort enjoys a convenient yet tranquil location. The beachside resort is spotless throughout with large landscaped gardens, lagoons and waterfalls framing the main hotel building. There

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are 418 rooms, all impressively sized from 50sqm to 60sqm while the 28 suites weigh in at between 89sqm and a mammoth 300sqm. For those who still want more, there are six luxury villas which range from 465sqm to 510sqm! All the accommodations are beautifully presented with king-sized beds, huge bathrooms, satellite television, air conditioning and balconies or garden terraces. Water-lovers will be in their element at the MARITIM Jolie Ville Golf & Resort. There is a 30,000sqm landscaped swimming pool area complete with a lazy river, children’s pool, waterslides, saltwater and freshwater pools. The spectacular Red Sea is right outside the door with stunning tiered beach areas built into the cliff leading down to the shorefront and a jetty from where some of the best snorkelling in the world can be enjoyed along the magnificent reef. Worldwide Golf had the pleasure of sampling the restaurants at the MARITIM Jolie Ville Golf & Resort in December and found each of them met the highest international standards. The service throughout the entire resort is exceptional. Nothing is too much trouble for the attentive staff. All encompassing breakfasts and buffet dinners can be enjoyed at Les Palmiers while a full range of snacks, light meals and healthy options can be ordered at the Jolie Bistro, Dolphin, Cal Fresco or the Pool Barbecue. For evening dining there is the

Travel Feature

mouth-watering Mandarin Chinese restaurant, a delicious Teppanyaki restaurant called Mikado or a moving table-style Sushi Lounge. To work off all that excellent cuisine there are four floodlit tennis courts, a diving centre and a Health Club & Spa with a fully equipped gym, steam room, sauna and massage facilities. Not forgetting of course, the stunning 18-hole golf course and well appointed clubhouse where preferential rates are offered to guests and weekly tournaments provide the opportunity to win fantastic prizes such as two weeks accommodation in the Golf & Resort and sister hotel the MARITM Jolie Ville Royal Peninsula. The MARITIM Jolie Ville Golf & Resort is a great choice for the business traveller. There are six meeting rooms accommodating up to 500 people and equipped with the latest in conference technology, such as translation facilities and audio-video equipment. There are also two seminar rooms for up to 50 people and indoor and outdoor banqueting facilities. The hotel enjoys a privileged position immediately next door to the MARITIM Sharm El Sheikh International Congress Centre. Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a family holiday, business trip or golfing adventure the MARITIM Jolie Ville Golf & Resort offers everything you need to make your visit to Sharm El Sheikh a truly memorable experience.

MARITIM Jolie Ville Golf & Resort Um Marikha Bay, PO Box 95 46619 Sharm El Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt. Phone: +2 69 3603 200 - 214 Fax: + 2 69 3603 225 visit: www.jolieville-golf.com / www.maritim.com or email: info@sgr-maritim-jolieville.com

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Official World Golf Ranking As of MoNDAY MAY 24, 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, phil Mickelson lee westwood steve stricker Jim Furyk Ian poulter ernie els paul Casey rory McIlroy anthony Kim Martin Kaymer robert allenby luke donald padraig harrington Camilo Villegas retief goosen geoff ogilvy hunter Mahan lucas glover Y.e. Yang tim Clark henrik stenson sean o’hair Charl schwartzel Kenny perry angel Cabrera dustin Johnson nick watney stewart Cink robert Karlsson Matt Kuchar sergio garcia alvaro Quiros ross Fisher Zach Johnson adam scott K.J. Choi edoardo Molinari Francesco Molinari ryo Ishikawa Ben Crane Miguel a Jimenez peter hanson Yuta Ikeda louis oosthuizen thongchai Jaidee Kevin na Michael sim graeme Mcdowell oliver wilson

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

10.60 9.62 7.76 7.76 7.00 5.92 5.81 5.66 5.32 5.12 4.91 4.71 4.67 4.48 4.35 4.16 4.09 3.98 3.86 3.84 3.82 3.74 3.67 3.61 3.49 3.44 3.38 3.31 3.29 3.22 3.19 3.19 3.12 3.11 3.05 2.94 2.93 2.74 2.69 2.59 2.56 2.53 2.47 2.47 2.41 2.40 2.35 2.30 2.27 2.27

Tot. Pts 423.87 404.17 395.77 310.28 321.84 283.95 325.49 249.23 297.87 250.73 250.57 273.44 196.27 242.11 221.72 228.79 196.18 198.85 197.05 218.82 210.35 179.28 179.94 202.10 170.93 164.90 175.94 178.58 154.86 132.02 159.40 168.89 168.58 158.72 155.68 135.16 146.69 145.12 145.31 153.04 133.25 136.84 128.28 101.12 125.41 143.75 126.67 92.13 124.74 115.66

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

Pts. Gained 27.00 170.95 158.96 105.85 136.32 125.07 182.58 101.86 102.44 149.19 100.20 120.10 114.54 60.51 118.05 79.70 64.16 92.34 55.37 89.86 118.45 22.02 41.49 129.31 27.23 45.56 96.72 71.18 32.35 71.65 89.09 40.71 91.29 21.79 28.96 49.25 102.72 54.76 47.78 34.80 89.33 66.87 53.98 15.03 73.76 61.71 54.52 22.33 36.01 34.92

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

Brian gay scott Verplank søren hansen rickie Fowler hiroyuki Fujita ryan Moore søren Kjeldsen J.B. holmes Vijay singh heath slocum david toms anders hansen Mike weir Justin rose stephen ames stephen Marino Jason Bohn simon dyson rory sabbatini ross Mcgowan Chris wood Bubba watson Bo Van pelt davis love-III rhys davies Jason dufner Koumei oda Fredrik andersson hed Jason day liang wen-Chong Bill haas Justin leonard Jerry Kelly Fredrik Jacobson alexander noren Chad Campbell toru taniguchi, Marc leishman Jeev Milkha singh shingo Katayama gonzalo Fdez-Castano James Kingston Bryce Molder John senden Ben Curtis John rollins gregory Bourdy Brandt snedeker Kim Kyung-tae danny willett

usa usa dnk usa Jpn usa dnk usa Fji usa usa dnk Can eng Can usa usa eng saf eng eng usa usa usa wal usa Jpn swe aus Chn usa usa usa swe swe usa Jpn aus Ind Jpn esp saf usa aus usa usa Fra usa Kor eng

2.21 2.21 2.20 2.19 2.19 2.18 2.17 2.16 2.13 2.10 2.10 2.10 2.09 2.06 2.04 2.04 2.00 1.93 1.92 1.89 1.89 1.87 1.86 1.83 1.82 1.81 1.80 1.79 1.78 1.76 1.74 1.73 1.73 1.71 1.70 1.70 1.66 1.64 1.61 1.60 1.60 1.59 1.58 1.58 1.58 1.56 1.55 1.55 1.53 1.53

Tot. Pts 132.84 103.78 116.63 87.68 105.14 113.39 115.11 110.40 95.95 122.04 98.73 104.78 100.36 111.27 94.03 122.50 80.11 114.06 111.37 96.51 85.11 93.52 111.88 91.49 105.65 97.67 86.17 84.19 83.76 79.17 97.66 86.62 94.91 81.87 83.48 91.61 66.52 98.51 96.42 80.12 84.79 85.81 87.15 95.05 68.00 85.63 82.01 81.95 70.58 67.49

Events Pts. Gained 60 47 53 40 48 52 53 51 45 58 47 50 48 54 46 60 40 59 58 51 45 50 60 50 58 54 48 47 47 45 56 50 55 48 49 54 40 60 60 50 53 54 55 60 43 55 53 53 46 44

42.00 35.24 35.16 66.62 38.00 31.40 20.76 74.93 26.06 49.51 19.29 16.54 21.33 48.18 33.05 55.61 47.90 12.12 41.60 16.25 36.86 47.29 67.27 38.11 60.30 24.66 19.25 64.91 48.24 24.01 65.12 15.02 31.95 44.93 10.74 23.82 32.75 36.96 18.79 8.33 14.40 26.45 32.79 17.63 17.57 30.53 16.12 34.69 19.36 34.97

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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.

At our age the hole looks the size of an aspirin

’M looking forward to returning to Carnoustie on July 22-25 for The Senior Open Championship – the scene of the second of my three Open Championship wins. carnoustie is a monster of a course and it was where i produced one of the best shots of my career. Back in 1968 i got home by two strokes from jack nicklaus and Bob charles and Bob and i were reminiscing about carnoustie when we teamed up to successfully defend our demaret division title at the liberty mutual legends of Golf in savannah last month. Bob and i had to withstand some real pressure in the final round but we toughed it out to beat don Bies and tom shaw by two strokes, finishing with a record 36-hole total of 19-under 125. we had let the five-stroke margin we’d earned from our record 11-under opening round of 61 slip back on the second day when don and tom ran in five successive birdies on the first five holes. But Bob and i came back with three birdies over the front nine. then we managed to turn on the heat down the stretch with birdies at three of the last five holes. i made an 18-foot birdie putt at 14 and Bob holed a 15-footer for birdie at the 17th to keep our noses in front. it was good to experience that sort of pressure again when you’re trying to close out a tournament. when you get to our age that hole looks the size of an aspirin. the older you get the more you feel the pressure. But it was a big thrill for Bob and me to hold on to our title. Going back to the senior open championship presented by mastercard, i’m proud of my record of being one of only two players, along with tom watson, to have won the championship three times. Bob charles and loren roberts have both won it twice. as the championship returns to scotland after last year’s event at

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sunningdale Golf club in surrey this is the first time carnoustie Golf club has hosted the event and it’s going to be a tough proposition for all of us. i’ve been asked many times what was my career-best shot and my three wood approach to the 14th hole in the final round has to be among my top three, along with notable shots i played at the u.s. PGa championship and the masters. i’ve got wonderful memories of carnoustie and that final round. there were five of us going down the last five holes within one shot of each other and i was playing with jack. i got to the 14th hole, which is known as the spectacles, because of the two large bunkers in the middle of the

fairway. the wind was blowing and i had a three wood in my hand. i had to decide whether to go for the green. there was a lot of heather around the bigger of the two bunkers. there was only about a five yard gap and i put the ball eight inches from the hole, which enabled me to go on and beat jack and Bob and the others. that has to be one of the best shots of my life. i hit a shot at the u.s. PGa championship when there were nine of us in contention and a shot to within a couple of feet at the 17th at augusta when i was leading the masters by one stroke, but that 14th at carnoustie may have been my best, considering it was a three wood into the wind with so much trouble all around. my wife, vivienne,

New Zealander Bob Charles and Gary Player with their trophies after successfully defending their Demaret Division title at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf tournament at Savannah in record breaking style.

Gary Player signs autographs for the galleries after he and Bob Charles had shaken hands on winning the Demaret Division title at the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf tournament in Savannah with a record 36-hole total of 19-under 125.

me what is the greatest achievement of my life and i say my Grand slam on the senior tour and they are shocked, but you have to do that after you turn 50. my three senior open titles were such a thrilling achievement. the tournament is going from strength to strength and if you look at the scores they were shooting last year at sunningdale it was remarkable. the field just gets better and better every year, not unlike the open itself.

“ThaT has To be one of The besT shoTs of my life. i hiT a shoT aT The U.s. PGa ChamPionshiP when There were nine of Us in ConTenTion and a shoT To wiThin a CoUPle of feeT aT The 17Th aT aUGUsTa when i was leadinG The masTers by one sTroke, bUT ThaT 14Th aT CarnoUsTie may have been my besT.” – GARY PLAYER

was sitting in the stand and she was so nervous. after i played the shot she said she could hardly walk down the stairs in the stand because her knees were shaking that much. carnoustie is definitely one of the toughest courses i have played. it will be very challenging for a senior open. Ben hogan won the open there before me, which i watched as a young man, and i’ve always said Ben was the best player i’ve ever seen, so carnoustie has some very special memories for me. i have missed only one of the 23 senior open championships played since it was first launched at turnberry Golf club in 1987. i won the championship there in 1988 and 1990 and in 1997 at royal Portrush in northern ireland. People ask

it always amazes me to see another south Korean lady win a tour event. last month se ri Pak won the Bell micro lPGa classic at the third hole of a three-way sudden death play-off. i’d love to know how they do it. how does a country as small as south Korea, with no long tradition of golf, produce so many world class lady tour players? it’s hard to believe that there are 33 south Korean ladies in the top 100 of the rolex women’s world Golf ranking – virtually a third of the list. the u.s. open championship at Pebble Beach in california later this month looks like being a wide open affair. there are so many good players hitting their best form it’s difficult to find the winner. Phil mickelson is likely to start favourite but he’ll face stiff opposition from the most international field any major has produced. if tiger woods is going to get anywhere close to his amazing performance of 2000 when he won there by 15 shots he’s going to have to iron out some of the noticeable faults he’s shown since his return to the game. n

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With the Pro V1, I know I’m getting the best technology and quality out there. For me, no other ball performs across the board quite like it. The ultimate combination of distance, short game control and feel. – David, Community Developer I play the Pro V1® because I can control the spin on my approach and chip shots while getting great distance off my driver. – Blake, Real Estate Investor

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TRUST. I play the Pro V1 for its consistency. I need to be able to control my distances. I also love the way it performs into and around the greens. – Hannah, Student

Shooting low scores is what matters most, so my golf ball has to perform well from tee-to-green. When I look down at my Pro V1x™ I feel confident it’ll do its part. The rest is up to me. – Paul, General Contractor

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Race to Dubai

As of Monday May 24, 2010

tHe european tour r aCe to DuBai 2010 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Name Ian POULTER Charl SCHWARTZEL Ernie ELS Lee WESTWOOD Paul CASEY Alvaro QUIROS Simon KHAN Fredrik ANDERSSON HED Martin KAYMER Y. E. YANG Rhys DAVIES Camilo VILLEGAS Thongchai JAIDEE Luke DONALD Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ Anthony KIM Robert KARLSSON Padraig HARRINGTON Sergio GARCIA Louis OOSTHUIZEN Marcus FRASER Seung-yul NOH James MORRISON Danny WILLETT Peter HANSON Gareth MAYBIN Søren HANSEN Stephen GALLACHER Chris WOOD Graeme McDOWELL Oliver WILSON Francesco MOLINARI Anders HANSEN Brett RUMFORD Alejandro CAÑIZARES Richard FINCH Andrew DODT Stephen DODD Edoardo MOLINARI Retief GOOSEN Oliver FISHER Thomas AIKEN Rory McILROY Richie RAMSAY David HORSEY Jamie DONALDSON James KINGSTON Mikko ILONEN Pablo MARTIN Ignacio GARRIDO

Country

Tournaments Played

ENG RSA RSA ENG ENG ESP ENG SWE GER KOR WAL COL THA ENG ESP USA SWE IRL ESP RSA AUS KOR ENG ENG SWE NIR DEN SCO ENG NIR ENG ITA DEN AUS ESP ENG AUS WAL ITA RSA ENG RSA NIR SCO ENG WAL RSA FIN ESP ESP

6 10 6 7 7 9 11 11 7 5 13 5 10 4 10 5 7 4 5 10 9 7 9 11 9 12 11 13 11 9 9 10 10 8 12 13 6 9 12 4 13 12 6 12 11 9 10 12 10 12

Prize Money €1,376,800 €1,332,962 €1,246,906 €1,102,627 €940,835 €815,832 €787,927 €763,047 €733,163 €599,166 €596,805 €585,381 €560,386 €555,376 €528,479 €520,563 €496,821 €478,227 €460,667 €457,509 €441,722 €434,514 €404,838 €402,447 €400,659 €352,591 €336,961 €336,148 €335,216 €334,569 €328,651 €325,514 €313,949 €309,376 €299,000 €296,830 €296,280 €291,892 €291,375 €288,765 €286,674 €277,525 €276,903 €270,244 €268,906 €262,283 €249,544 €231,755 €222,034 €220,961

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

Name

Country

Paul LAWRIE Henrik STENSON Peter WHITEFORD Ross McGOWAN Darren CLARKE Ross FISHER Joost LUITEN Søren KJELDSEN Robert ROCK Nicolas COLSAERTS Johan EDFORS Robert-Jan DERKSEN Shane LOWRY Grégory BOURDY Robert ALLENBY Adam SCOTT Richard BLAND Shiv KAPUR Tim CLARK Simon DYSON Geoff OGILVY David DRYSDALE Keith HORNE Hennie OTTO Mark FOSTER Raphaël JACQUELIN Damien McGRANE Gonzalo FDEZ-CASTAÑO Angel CABRERA Peter LAWRIE Vijay SINGH Jeev Milkha SINGH Pablo LARRAZÁBAL Wen-chong LIANG Niclas FASTH Alexander NOREN Thomas BJÖRN Bradley DREDGE Paul WARING Ricardo GONZALEZ Ariel CANETE Rafael CABRERA-BELLO Rick KULACZ Pelle EDBERG Thomas LEVET Trevor IMMELMAN Anthony WALL ChristianNILSSON Barry LANE Nick DOUGHERTY

SCO SWE SCO ENG NIR ENG NED DEN ENG BEL SWE NED IRL FRA AUS AUS ENG IND RSA ENG AUS SCO RSA RSA ENG FRA IRL ESP ARG IRL FIJ IND ESP CHN SWE SWE DEN WAL ENG ARG ARG ESP AUS SWE FRA RSA ENG SWE ENG ENG

Tournaments Played 9 9 13 10 11 6 12 10 14 10 9 11 12 10 3 3 12 14 3 9 4 15 9 11 12 11 12 10 3 11 3 4 11 7 10 10 14 8 11 9 12 13 9 7 9 1 11 9 12 9

Prize Money €219,203 €215,836 €213,828 €213,622 €207,519 €204,724 €203,603 €202,616 €197,765 €196,021 €191,530 €190,407 €186,170 €180,834 €180,075 €176,271 €174,097 €171,283 €168,543 €164,259 €164,236 €163,450 €153,013 €150,537 €149,384 €145,256 €144,346 €142,761 €139,855 €136,097 €132,702 €132,166 €130,184 €126,090 €121,809 €117,946 €115,473 €113,525 €107,845 €103,713 €102,682 €101,525 €99,963 €97,773 €97,611 €97,505 €95,187 €89,883 €89,773 €85,631

e x p l a n at i o n o f t H e e u r o p e a n t o u r r a C e t o D u B a i 2 0 1 0 The Race to Dubai on The 2010 European Tour International Schedule will feature a minimum of 47 tournaments, including six new events, culminating in the Dubai World Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The 2010 European Tour International Schedule launched with four events in South Africa and will travel through four continents before building to a thrilling climax in Dubai from November 25-28, 2010. The curtain came down on The 2009 Race to Dubai with England’s Lee Westwood finishing the year in style by winning the Dubai World Championship presented by DP World and securing The Harry Vardon Trophy by finishing European Number One. The second edition of the Dubai World Championship will again carry a prize fund of $7,500,000 while The Race to Dubai Bonus Pool remains at $7,500,000 to be divided between the leading 15 players at the conclusion of the season. The Race To Dubai bonus Pool bReakDown 1 US$ 1,500,000 2 US$ 1,125,000 3 US$ 750,000 4 US$ 600,000 5 US$ 525,000

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

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

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EUROPEAN TOUR NEWS intrODUCing a nEW EUrOpEan tOUr EDitOrial pagE aS part OF tHE COllaBOratiOn WitH WOrlDWiDE gOlF aS OFFiCial mEDia partnEr miDDlE EaSt tO tHE EUrOpEan tOUr. New TourNameNTs iN The regioN – egypT aNd omaN

Re-Launch of

www.europeantour.com THE European Tour has just re-launched its website with this being the first wholesale rebuilding of the website for 12 years. www.europeantour.com is the second most visited golf website on the web. The website attracts more than 925,000 unique visitors a month and more than 23 million page impressions every month. The new website has a host of new features and more will be added in the coming weeks. The European Tour, European Senior Tour, Challenge Tour and Ryder Cup have their own dedicated sections and there will be more video and audio content, using European Tour Productions for more compelling content, more photo galleries using excellent imagery, expanded Player biographies and travel sections – and plenty more.

The Race To Dubai Show PoDcaST

This weekly radio broadcast can be found on www.europeantour.com. Hosted by John Hawksworth, Robert Lee and the Radio 5 Live golf team the weekly show updates last week’s performances on The Race to Dubai and The European Tour as well as previewing the coming tournaments around the world. Lively fun and banter is the order of the day for these two former European Tour players.

Egypt: The Egyptian Open will be held on Wednesday 20th to Saturday 23rd October, 2010, with the venue currently being finalised with the prize money announced at $250,000. The 2009 Egyptian Open played at JW Marriott Mirage City Golf Club, Cairo, saw Steven Tiley taking the trophy first played for in 1922 with a 13 under par total of 275. The 27-year-old from Cantebury, Kent, emerged victorious with an impressive four shot victory over a strong field that included Ryder Cup Captain Colin Montgomerie and a host of European Challenge Tour players. This year the event takes the key spot in the calendar the week before the seasonending European Challenge Tour’s Apulia San Domenica Grand Final in Italy. This is the second year of a three year alliance between The European Tour and the Egyptian Golf Federation and the first time the event has been officially sanctioned by the European Challenge Tour with the ultimate ambition of the Egyptian Golf Federation of establishing it as a regular European Tour event. Oman: Discussions are in the advanced stages with both the host venue and the Oman authorities for a European Senior Tour event to be hosted at Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club in October, 2011. The club has recently opened, boasting a 7,021 par 72 Paul Thomasdesigned course with support from European Senior Tour player Bill Longmuir (pictured above). The golf course is carved out of the natural rock and, as the first grass golf course in the sultanate, will be a catalyst for the growth of the game, locally, regionally and internationally.

tim Clark (above): South African Tim Clark’s amazing victory at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass last month shot him up the Official World Golf Ranking 20 places to 40th place. The winner of The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond in 2005, Clark scored five birdies in six holes around the turn to secure a one-shot victory over his fellow European Tour player, Australian Robert Allenby, who finished alone in second place. England’s Lee Westwood finished in a share of fourth place, having led the field for most of the tournament. Among a number of players who recently joined The European Tour and are competing in the 2010 Race to Dubai are Colombia’s Camilo Villegas, America’s Anthony Kim and Korea’s Y.E.Yang.

The celtic Manor wales open

TWO more big names have entered for The Celtic Manor Wales Open on June 3-6. Maybe England’s Luke Donald, joint runner-up at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last month, who makes his debut in the event, and Ireland’s threetimes Major winner Padraig Harrington (above), are aiming to get in some valuable tournament experience on The 2010 Course that hosts the Ryder Cup in September.

Tournament: Ballantine’s Championship

Date: 22 – 25 April 2010

Venue: Pinx Golf Club, Jeju Island, Korea Republic

Fraser BacK on TracK aT BaLLanTine’s AUSTRALIA’S Marcus Fraser secured his first European Tour title for seven years with a wireto-wire victory at the 54-hole rain-shortened Ballantine’s Championship. Fraser, whose only other victory to date came at the 2003 BMW Russian Open, dropped only two shots over the three rounds as he shot 65-70-69 for a 12-under total of 204 to win by four from fellow countryman Brett Rumford and Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin. “It’s unbelievable, I don’t know how I did that today. It has blown me away,” said Fraser who lost in a play-off for the Australian Masters last season. “I have had so many chances to win in seven years and you just don’t know if it’s going to be your day, and it was. I just can’t believe it. “The second win is harder than the first one, it has just been so long. I have had so many chances to win over the last seven years and I haven’t done it so to go out there and play how I did this week is a big lift.” An emotional Fraser admitted that the victory was reward for

a lot of hard work that has seen him emerge from the toughest period of his career having considered giving up the game at one stage. “Probably three or four years ago, I thought about giving it away,” said Fraser, who won €367,500 for the victory to move to 17th in The Race to Dubai. “I was playing terrible. Golf swing wasn’t improving and everything wasn’t really getting any better. “I thought I was wasting my time and you really start to question yourself, whether you think that you should be out here or whether you deserve to be out here. I went through a patch like that and luckily I went back and saw my old coach who I used to see when I was an amateur, and we got things moving in the right direction. “I never thought I’d be in this situation again, so it’s extra personal this week. At this time last year, I lost my uncle, who was also my Godfather and I missed his funeral because of this tournament. So to come back and win this week, that’s definitely for him.”

Winner: Marcus Fraser

Marcus Fraser dropped only two strokes in 54 holes as he won his second European Tour title at the Ballentine’s Championship. He also took advantage of the par-5 tenth hole, birdieing it three consecutive times.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: 3-wood: Hybrid: Irons (3-pw): Wedge: Wedge: Putter: Ball:

TaylorMade R9 SuperTri 9.5º TaylorMade Burner TP 13º TaylorMade Rescue 09 TP 17º TaylorMade R9 TP TaylorMade XFT 54º TaylorMade RAC TP 60º Odyssey White Hot Tour #5 TaylorMade Penta TP

Winner’s Cheque

€367,500

Winning Score: 12-under-par - 204 (65,70,69) runner-up: gareth Maybin, brett ruMford – 208 Tournament: Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Date: 22 – 25 April 2010

Bohn Goes Wire-ToWire in neW orLeans

Winner: Jason Bohn

AMERICAN Jason Bohn roared to a wire-to-wire victory in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana to claim the second PGA Tour title of his career the day after celebrating his 37th birthday. Bohn fired a final round 5-under 67 to win by two strokes from the battling Jeff Overton (6-under 66) with an 18-under-par total of 270. Rookie Troy Merritt made an impressive final round charge to finish third on 14-under with two time US Open champion Lee Janzen in fourth place on 13-under. “This is life changing,” said Bohn, who earned $1,116,000 for his first victory since the 2005 B.C. Open. Bohn shot into the lead with an opening 65 before stretching his advantage with a 67 in the rain delayed second round. He finished his third round 71 on the Sunday morning to lead

Venue: TPC Louisiana, Avondale, LA Winner’s Cheque

$1,116,000

by two at 13-under from Germany’s Alex Cejka heading into the final round with Overton and Janzen a shot further back. Bohn was slow off the mark in the final round, his first birdie coming at the eighth, as Merritt lit up the opening nine, going out in 33 before adding birdies at 10, 11 and 13 to take a onestroke lead. Bohn regained the lead with a birdie at the 11th to Merritt’s bogey on the 14th and then sprang into life with back-to-back birdies on holes 15 and 16 to put him two ahead of playing partner Overton who had picked up five shots over the first 13 holes. Bohn was still two ahead going up the last but Overton made a final hole birdie to heap the pressure on Bohn. However, Bohn produced yet another wonderful approach to leave himself a tap in for victory.

WorldrouNd-ups Tournament: Open de España

Date: 29 Apr – 02 May 2010

Quiros Wraps up hoMe open Win ALVARO Quiros joined Seve Ballesteros, Sergio Garcia and Antonio Garrido as home winners of the Open de España since 1972 with a play-off victory over England’s James Morrison in Seville. The big-hitting Spaniard was the highestranked player in the field at 35th in the world and he picked up his fourth European Tour title with a par on the first extra hole. “I think it’s one of the most important things in my life for sure,” said Quiros. “To be the winner of your Open is something really, really great – with The Ryder Cup and the World Cup it’s the best three things in golf for me.” Morrison was making his first appearance since winning the Madeira Islands Open two weeks earlier and threatened to win back-toback titles in just his sixth and seventh starts of his European Tour career. However, it wasn’t to

Winner: aLvaro Quiros

Venue: Real Club de Golf de Sevilla, Seville, Spain Winner’s Cheque

€333,320

be for the former England youth cricketer as he pulled his approach shot into the lake on the 18th to hand Quiros the title. The 25-year-old had matched Quiros’ total with a superb 5-under 67 and is pleased with how his European Tour career has commenced. “I’m loving every minute of it,” he said after picking up the runner-up cheque for €222,220. “This start is past my expectations, but you have to believe in yourself. “This is the biggest prize I’ve ever played for. I’ve been good at not looking at that, but I did have a quick look this morning.” Overnight leader Mark Foster saw his threeshot lead diminish as he carded a 2-over-par 74 to finish in a share of third place alongside Spaniard Alejandro Canizares and Raphael Jacquelin.

Tournament: The Players Championship

Date: 06 – 09 May 2010

Venue: TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

cLarK FinaLLy BreaKs us ducK aT The pLayers TIM Clark roared to his maiden US PGA Tour victory with a stunning final round 5-under 67 for a one-stroke victory over Robert Allenby at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass – his first win in 206 starts on American soil. The South African made five birdies in a six-hole stretch around the turn to shoot up the leaderboard and post a clubhouse lead of 16-under-par which nobody could match. “That’s as good as I could have played,” said Clark, who posted weekend rounds of 66 and 67 to set a new 36-hole comeback record at The Players Championship. “I’m hoping that this will give me that little extra confidence that I needed. This may just be what gets me started. “I had the last two weeks off and didn’t even hit balls I was playing so badly but I just found something that clicked.” Clark clicked into life on the par-4 seventh making birdie and then parred the treacherous 234-yard par-3 eighth. He then picked up four strokes in a row to get to 5-under-par for the day

and into contention alongside overnight leader Lee Westwood and Allenby. He parred the remaining six holes and then had a nervy wait to see if either player could catch him. Westwood lipped out an eight foot birdie putt on the par-5 16th leaving him two strokes behind with two to play while Allenby did make birdie to leave him one behind on the 17th tee. The Australian nailed his approach to 11 feet while Westwood’s attempt fell short and into the water which ended his tournament. Allenby’s putt was agonisingly close, falling just short of the cup before incredibly rolling back one inch. He then missed a tough 47 foot putt from off the green on 18 which confirmed Clark as the winner. Allenby finished on 15-underpar with US Open champion Lucas Glover posting the same number for a 14-under-par total. American Davis Love III carded a 68 to move up 11 places into fourth on 12-under alongside Westwood, Heath Slocum, Bo Van Pelt and Ben Crane.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: 3-wood: 5-wood: Hybrid: Irons: Wedges: Putter: Ball:

TaylorMade R9 SuperTri TaylorMade Burner Callaway Steelhead Plus TaylorMade Rescue FW Dual Srixon I-404 Cleveland CG14 Odyssey White Hot Two-Ball Long Srixon Z-Star

Winner: TiM cLarK

Both Tim Clark and Robert Allenby were on streaks of over 200 PGA Tour starts without a win before The Players. Clark ended his on 206 starts but Allenby’s goes on – it’s 223 starts since his 2001 win at the Pennsylvania Classic.

Winner’s Cheque

$1,710,000

Winning Score: 16-under-par - 272 (68,71,66,67) runner-up: robert allenby

Tournament: BMW Italian Open

Date: 06 – 09 May 2010

Venue: Royal Park I Roveri, Turin, Italy

andersson hed hoLds oFF horsey For iTaLian Win SWEDEN’S Fredrik Andersson Hed held off a final day charge from David Horsey to win his first European Tour title in 245 starts at the BMW Italian Open in Turin. Andersson Hed held a six stroke lead heading into the final day after a stunning third round 63 but found himself level with Horsey after the Englishman’s sixth birdie of the day on the 13th. However, Horsey dropped a shot on the 14th before bogeying the final hole after a ten minute wait on the tee to post a 14-under-par total and hand Andersson Hed a two-stroke victory. “The first nine holes I was very tense,” admitted Anderson Hed, who carded two bogeys and one birdie in an outward 37 before coming back in 36 for a 1-over-par 73. “I started to loosen up a bit from the 11th and played a bit better. It still wasn’t great, but it was a more solid last seven or eight

Winner: FredriK andersson hed

Winner’s Cheque

€216,660

holes. It means a lot to win, both for the rankings and my self-confidence. It would have felt even better to have played well today but I was here to be first and now I am first.” Horsey was left to rue his late lapses as he had to settle for the second runner-up finish of his career. “I got off to a flying start and I didn’t look at a leaderboard until around the 13th when I saw that it was very close. I knew the last five holes were pretty tough and thought if I could par in, it might have been enough. “The wait on the 18th tee maybe threw me off my rhythm a little bit but I can’t blame that. I really thought I was in with a good shout but I can take a lot of positives from this week.” Peter Gustafsson, Nicolas Colsaerts and Chris Wood finished in a share of third place on 12-under-par.

Tournament: Valero Texas Open

Date: 13 – 16 May 2010

Venue: TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas

Winner: adaM scoTT

adaM scoTT BacK To WinninG Ways in Texas ADAM Scott ended a two-year drought on The PGA Tour with a one-stroke victory over Fredrik Jacobson at the Valero Texas Open. After heavy rain washed out play on Friday, 36 holes were played on Sunday and Scott found a hot streak with rounds of 66 and 67 for a 14-underpar total. “It was a long old day but when you get hot it’s good to play 36 holes sometimes,” he said. “Obviously, it feels great to win any event anywhere, but to win on The PGA Tour again is a big step. It was a good field here this week.” After his third round 66 Scott was four strokes off the lead held by J.B. Holmes and he quickly moved up the leaderboard with four birdies on the opening nine. He then birdied holes 10 and 12 to move clear on 6-under for the day, before pulling a short par putt on the final green

to leave Jacobson – who was still on the course – in with a chance of victory. The Swede, who carded a top-ten finish at The Players Championship a week earlier, had makeable birdie putts down the stretch – including both 17 and 18 – to match Scott’s clubhouse target but failed to hole any to leave Scott in the winner’s circle. “I certainly felt with five holes to go I could do something,” Jacobson said after carding a bogey-free 70. “I had good feelings coming from the morning round. I gave myself good looks on all five of them but it just didn’t happen.” Aaron Baddeley, Ernie Els and Jimmy Walker finished one stroke further back in third place while Tim Petrovic and South African Garth Mulroy shared sixth place on 11-under. Overnight leader Holmes carded a 76 to drop down into a share of 13th place.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: 3-wood: Hybrid: Irons: Wedges: Putter: Ball:

Titleist 909D2 Titleist 909F2 Titleist 909H Titleist 710 MB Titleist Vokey Spin Milled Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport 2 Titleist Pro V1

Texas is a happy hunting ground for Adam Scott. His last victory on American soil came in the Lone Star State at the Byron Nelson Championship in 2008.

Winner’s Cheque

$1,098,000

Winning Score: 14-under-par - 274 (71,70,66,67) runner-up: fredrik JacobSon - 275

WorldrouNd-ups Tournament: Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca

Date: 13 – 16 May 2010

Venue: Pula Golf Club, Mallorca, Spain

hanson seaLs MaLLorca Win in pLay-oFF PETER Hanson made it back-to-back Swedish winners on The European Tour with a play-off victory over home favourite Alejandro Cañizares at the Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca. Hanson followed in the footsteps of Fredrik Anderson Hed, who claimed the BMW Italian Open a week earlier, but did so the hard way after incurring a one-shot penalty for hitting the ball twice when playing a pitch shot. Slow-motion television replays caught the fact that Hanson had clipped his chip on the 12th hole a second time on his followthrough and was informed of the penalty two holes later and fell two shots behind Cañizares. However, he sank birdie putts on holes 15 and 17 to bring him level and then saved par

Winner: peTer hanson

Winner’s Cheque

€133,330

from a bunker at the last to close on 6-underpar 274 and get into a play-off which he then won when Cañizares failed to get up and down from the same trap on the first extra hole. “It feels absolutely fantastic after all that happened there,” said Hanson, referring to his unfortunate double hit. He was shown the incident by officials and continued: “It looks strange, but of course it was a double hit. The ball went down and then I hit it again. Sometimes it’s good to have these fantastic cameras and sometimes it’s bad – but it was fair.” South African James Kingston finished four strokes back in third place while Frenchman Christian Cévaër carded a final round 65 to get to 1-under and into fourth place.

Tournament: HP Byron Nelson Championship

Date: 20 – 23 May 2010

Venue: TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas

Jason’s Good day in Texas AUSTRALIAN Jason Day wrapped up his first PGA Tour title in nervy fashion with a two-stroke victory over Brian Gay, Jeff Overton and Blake Adams in the HP Byron Nelson Championship in Texas. Day nearly withdrew from the tournament after feeling ill prior to teeing off on the Thursday but wound up in the winner’s circle on the Sunday after closing out with a bogey on the 18th. Day found water with his approach shot but was given a reprieve when his closest rival and playing partner Adams also put his in the water after admitting he didn’t see Day’s ball get wet. Day wound up with bogey to claim the title on 10-under while Adams carded a double to drop into a share of second place. “To finally come through with a win - I’m just so happy,” said Day. “It’s finally good to just put in the hard work and get the job done. I’m so happy that I had my family and friends in town to see it, too.” Day said a

dose of anti-biotics had made him feel queasy prior to the opening round but he played on because of a four-hour rain delay that allowed him to relax and recuperate. He went out and shot a 4-under 66 to take a share of the lead and was in the mix at the top of the leaderboard all week before eventually crossing the finishing line with a 2-over 72. Adams also carded a 72 while Overton posted a 71 to finish on 8-under. Gay also finished on 8-under after carding a best-of-the-day 7-under 63 to shoot up 36 places. Sixteen-year-old high school student Jordan Spieth made a name for himself on his PGA Tour debut shooting rounds of 68, 69, 67 and 72 for a 4-under total and a share of 16th place. Defending champion Rory Sabbatini finished in a share of 43rd in his attempt to become the first repeat winner of the HP Byron Nelson Championship since Tom Watson won three in a row from 1978-80.

Winner: Jason day

Jason Day became the ninth player to win on The PGA Tour this season in his 20s. There were seven winners in their 20s last season, 15 during 2008 and seven in 2007.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: Fairway Wood Irons (3-5): Irons (6-9) Wedges: Putter: Ball:

TaylorMade Burner Superfast, 10.5° TaylorMade R9, 15.0° TaylorMade TOUR PREFERRED TaylorMade R9 TP TaylorMade TP XFT ZTP, 48°, 54°, 60° TaylorMade Rossa Suzuka Kia TaylorMade Penta TP

Winner’s Cheque

$1,170,000

Winning Score: 10-under-par - 270 (66,65,67,72) runner-up: brian gay, Jeff overton, blake adaMS - 272

WO R

WIDE G LD

CHIE E A VE

F OL

LIF

Award

End of an era RoD BoGG has been the cornerstone of golf in Dubai since he first came to the emirate 23 years ago. Wordwide Golf launched in1999 yet we have never made an award to anyone or to any golf club or association. Such is the contribution Rod has made to golf in Dubai and the UAE to charities and to good causes we are minded to recognise his remarkable efforts by presenting him with the first WORLDWIDE GOLF LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

“I’d been coming to Dubai since the mid 1980s, mainly due to horseracing publications, but when Alex and I went to see Rod in 1999 to ask his advice and seek his support in launching Worldwide Golf he couldn’t have been more helpful. Since then we’ve had an ideal working relationship and we’ve joined forces to do everything possible to promote golf in Dubai and the UAE both locally and internationally. He’s a great friend to Alex and me and to Worldwide Golf and we all wish him well for the future.” – Mike Gallemore, Publisher, Worldwide Golf 42

www.wwgolf.biz

Rod Bogg - end of an era

“I have worked with Rod for much of the time he has been in Dubai and I will always remember him for all his hard work, his efforts and his achievements in creating golf in Dubai. I’d like to thank him for everything he has done in his time here, both for golf and for charity. He is a very dedicated person who has a great deal of experience in the golf industry. I remember when Rod came to me about nine years ago and asked if we could start a charity for the children in need and, of course, I approved it. It’s a good cause that has raised an amazing amount of money for children’s charities over the years. I wish Rod the very best for the future.” H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. WHEN Worldwide Golf asked RoD BoGG what he would miss most on leaving Dubai Golf he said, “I’ll miss driving into the golf course each day and walking into the Clubhouse waving and saying good morning to all the ground staff and my colleagues, all with a smile on their face. That’s what I’ll miss most.” Rod’s Q&A will certainly bring a smile to the faces of many of our readers... Q: Where was home in the UK and what were you doing before coming to Dubai? RB: I was born in the cultural centre of England – Leicester – back in the days when they had a football team. I left the UK in the early 70s and spent the next 16 years in Zambia and Malawi, the last 11 managing the Blantyre Sports Club. Q: What attracted you to Dubai in the first place and was it what you imagined it to be when you arrived? RB: A good friend sent me the Daily Telegraph advert for the Emirates Golf Club job a month before I was due to leave Malawi. I was invited to the UK for the first interview and bribed and bullied my way on to the one BA flight a week out of the Lilongwe to attend the interview in London. Having passed the first interview with Colin Snape, no mean feat, the final selection process took place a month later over three days in Dubai, when I simply fell in love with the place, and fortunately, was offered the job. Q: What was Dubai like in those days in comparison to today’s Dubai? RB: Much smaller, a bit friendlier, and a lot easier to drive around! If you went to a function in the evening you knew everyone – now you struggle to find anyone you know, and most people only want to talk to their own social circle. Having said that, where else would you have had the opportunity to be part of building a city? And even now it is infinitely more friendly, more exciting, and more ambitious than most other big cities around the world – and a heck of a lot safer. Q: What has been your relationship with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum over the past 23 years?

RB: With the greatest respect to all the people I have worked for before or since, His Highness was simply the best – the most trusting, approachable, and inspirational leader that anyone could possibly wish for. I always used to say that whatever mood I was in before meeting with Sheikh Ahmed – nervous, worried, concerned – I always came out feeling on top of the world, and it took me two years to realize why. it was simply the trust that he placed in me, and my colleagues, to run the Clubs. I only hope that I succeeded half as well in empowering my own team as his Highness did with me. Q: Who were the people you were working with in the beginning at Emirates GC and who were the people who had an interest and involvement in golf? RB: Funnily enough there was hardly anyone who knew anything about golf in Dubai at the time, other than frustrated golfers who loved the game and had to make do with sand courses, and the few hardy souls who actually built and maintained the Dubai Country Club sand course – they deserve huge credit for what they did with virtually no resources. When we opened EGC amazingly skilled golfers came out of the cupboard from all over the place, including the likes of Keith Fernandez and Bill McBride who both went on to win the early Opens at the Club. For most though it was something new, and a huge learning process for both them and us!! Many of the early management team are still in Dubai – Director of Golf James Williams is at Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Financial Controller Clifford Fernandez is still with us at the Creek, Adrian Flaherty is at golf in Dubai, and Squash Coach Ansel Candelario is still whacking it around the

courts at Emirates Golf Club, along with quite a few colleagues from golf maintenance and other back-of-house departments. I think it says a lot for the culture that we created at Dubai Golf that so many people have stayed with us for the twenty-odd years since we opened. Q: What were the initial challenges you faced in establishing Emirates GC in the UAE and, in fact, putting down the foundation for golf in the region? RB: To be honest most of the challenges came from ‘behind the scenes’, but that’s a whole separate story, and well known among the early members. As far as the golf itself is concerned it really wasn’t that difficult, although the huge numbers of new golfers who knew little of the etiquette or traditions of the game gave James and his team a whole mountain of problems with keeping play moving at anything faster than a snail’s pace, or having a picnic half way round. Being the only grass course in the region made it relatively easy to build the business, and only when the private sector began to invest in golf courses did we have any competition. Since then it has been a very different story, but equally enjoyable as we have learnt from, and enjoyed working with, the likes of Emaar and Troon. Q: Was it an uphill struggle to make golf popular in the UAE and what had to be done to spread the word in the UAE? RB: Not really, although we did have to break down a few urban myths in the early days – “ The grass will never survive in this heat”, “You’ll still have to hit off a mat”, “Noone will pay those prices for membership”, etc etc., and as far as spreading the word is www.wwgolf.biz

Q: Emirates GC has gained a worldwide reputation, which has helped put Dubai itself on the international map. How much of that is due to the Desert Classic? RB: A lot. The value of the TV exposure alone is inestimable, and it is a credit to all those who have been involved in it – Nick

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Q: What is it about Emirates GC that it remains the centerpiece of golf in the UAE? RB: The Majlis golf course. For years it has been recognised as one of the top 100

Q: Emirates GC has always had the reputation of being a friendly, welcoming club, where people congregate not only for the golf but also socially. How has that been achieved? RB: While we are a commercial operation, we are aware that our members are our lifeblood, and from the very beginning we tried to create a sense of belonging by maintaining an ‘open-door’ policy. Although they have no real say in the management, we do rely on members to advise and criticise, and while we may resent it at the time, I can quote you a lot of cases where listening to members has resulted in improvements for which we got the credit!

Q: Did you ever imagine that Dubai and the UAE would eventually become a genuine golf tourism destination? RB: To be honest, I did – mainly because of the energy and ambition for Dubai that came down from H.H. Sheikh Mohammed and the other members of the ruling family at that time. One of our original aims and ambitions was, “to put Dubai on the world’s sporting map”, and we did that mainly through the Dubai Desert Classic, one of the first European Tour events outside continental Europe. I think too many people forget that the tournament has been running since 1989 when Nick Tarratt, Bob Wilkinson and Wahid Attalah were the driving forces behind it. Having said that, it wasn’t easy to promote Dubai as a destination with only one golf course, and it wasn’t until the early 90s when The Creek was built and Michelle Chedotal arrived on the scene that golf tourism really took off. If I had to name one person who was most instrumental in putting Dubai on the golf tourism map it is Michelle – not only did she know everyone in the business, but everyone loved her to pieces. If only I could have kept up with her energy and drive…

courses in the World, and I doubt it will ever be surpassed for design and playability. Plus of course, its maturity. I used to take people to the top of the 8th green and be able to show them every hole on the course – and the sea, and the Trade Centre – but now you can hardly see another hole. That’s the physical factor – on the human side it’s the Club ‘spirit’ that exists among the members. They have to put up with a lot with tournaments, transition, visitors and commercial management, but they still support us 100% and give the Club is ‘character’.

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concerned, the people who played here did that for us – word of mouth is still the best way to advertise.

Tributes

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Q: Being so active over the past two decades in golf how on earth are you going to relax? RB: Relax? I’ve no idea. I don’t want to completely sever my relationship with Dubai, or with golf, so I am hopefully going to continue in the business through my US-based company rbgolfconsult (subtle hint). Outside of work I am going to enjoy travelling around the States and hiking the famous ‘trails’, and indulging in my secret passion – painting.

Rod Bogg - end of an era

Award

Worldwide Golf had to limit the number of tributes for this article otherwise a further magazine would have been required to fit them all in. We apologise to those whose comments we could not accommodate. Rod Bogg planted the first seeds of success of golf in dubai. His enthusiasm, experiences, dedication and networking established golf as a sport, business and attraction. His contributions touched charities and extended experiences to develop others. Thank you Rob for all you did for the sport and we wish you the best of luck and more successes in your new adventure. AdEL ZARounI, Secretary general, Emirates golf Federation

I HAVE known Rod for more than 20 years and am sad to see him go. Rod’s work in relation to golf has been unstinted and his efforts and considerable input in the development of golf in dubai is commendable. He has made a significant contribution not only to the growth of golf in dubai but also to the growth of the emirate as a leading tourist and sports destination. I appreciated his support and co-operation when I was Captain of the Emirates gC in 1995/6 and again when I was Captain of the Creek in 2007. His contribution to charity together with his wife Lisa, should not be forgotten. The hugely popular Big Five-o golf tournament and charity ball, which began as a one-off event to mark Rod’s 50th birthday, has raised millions of dirhams for children’s charities over the years and has become something of an institution in dubai. I wish Rod well on his new life in Las Vegas. It’s been a pleasure. CoLM McLougHLIn, Managing director, dubai duty Free

IT’S FAIR to say that Rod has been one of the founding fathers of golf in dubai and the uAE. He helped establish Emirates golf Club as the first 18hole grass course in the region and make it the focal point for golf. Rod’s retirement seems like the end of an era with one of the game’s major old-school guys handing over to the new boys. He has been a good friend to many of us in the golf industry over the past 23 years and he has done more to further the cause of golf in the uAE than anyone else I know. He’s had to overcome many difficulties in running dubai golf but he’s always taken everything in his stride and kept the smile on his face. He will be missed by us all and I wish him well for the future.

ARA nAkHnIkIAn, Managing director, ProSports International

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Q: What will you miss most about Dubai Golf? RB: In no particular order – people, people and people. Great bosses, great colleagues and great members. Q: one of the aims of Dubai Golf has been to promote and coach the youngsters in the region, particularly the Nationals – are you pleased that so many locals and nationals are now playing golf?

Q: Huge progress has been made in golf in Dubai in the last 23 years. What would you envisage Dubai will be like 23 years from now? RB: I hope I’m alive to see it – I’ll have almost paid off my mortgage if I am. When I arrived in 1987 everyone said that the ‘bubble’ had burst. I wonder how those people would react if we could drop them into Dubai now? The same as I will in 23 years probably. n

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Q: Looking at Dubai and the UAE today, are you pleased with the progress of golf and proud of the part you have played in its development? RB: Golf has become one of the leading sports in Dubai, and has helped in no small way to develop the city into the fabulous place it is now. To have played a very small part in that development, along with so many great people, has been a privilege that not many people have been fortunate enough to experience. Of course I am proud of what we have achieved, as should all the people I have worked with be.

Q: You came to Dubai when Emirates GC was in its infancy and when the Majlis clubhouse was under construction and you are leaving with the clubhouse under reconstruction – it’s the end of an era in the establishment of golf in Dubai and the UAE. How do you feel about playing a vital part in Dubai’s history? RB: As I’ve said earlier, it has been a unique experience. To help build a business is one thing, to help build a city is another, no matter how small a part it has been. The good thing is that the Club is about to start a new era, and needs some new blood, so it’s a good time to be leaving, although there are probably a few people who’d say it should have been years ago – 23 years ago! Seriously, I hope the clubhouse turns out as good as it looks in the designs, and if it does it will be more attractive for families, and offer a wider range of facilities. Chris May will, I know, continue the culture that we’ve created together, and the new management team will have the support of a great company – wasl.

Q: You must have many memories that stand out in your 23 years here – what were some of your best, and your worst? RB: Actually, our new owners wasl have commissioned me to write a book about the history of the Club in time for the 25th Anniversary, so you’ll have to wait until then to find out. My proudest moment though, was, without a doubt, standing on the edge of the 18th green as Seve sank his putt to win the 1992 Desert Classic – “it can’t get better than this” I thought at the time, “ my hero winning on ‘my’ golf course”. My worst – there haven’t been many, but leaving Emirates Golf Club in 1992 because of internal politics was pretty sad.

RB: I think the people who really deserve the credit for the growth of golf among both juniors and UAE nationals are those at the UGA, now the EGF, particularly Nick Tarratt, Mohamed Buamaim, and Chris Vallender. At the golf clubs Adrian Flaherty was the first to coach juniors, and Peter Downie really kick-started interest among Nationals at the Creek Academy. It’s a pity, in my mind, that we never built TopGolf at Emirates. I believe that we would have a lot more new golfers – especially Nationals – if we had.

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Tarratt, Wahid Attalah, Bob Wilkinson, and more recently Mohamed Buamaim and Adrian Flaherty – that it is recognised as one of the major events in world golf

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Tributes

Rod Bogg - end of an era

Award

I FIRST met Rod in August, 1990, through a former boss of mine, Colin Snape of the PgA, in a South London Hotel where I had an interview for the job of golf Secretary at Emirates golf Club. I signed up and came to dubai the following month, planning to stay for a couple of years and then to return to the uk. Two decades later I’m still here! Whether it’s credit or blame, Rod has certainly had an influence in me still being here. From the first day I met Rod he has been very genuine, generous, supportive and a good friend, both as my boss and later, when I moved on to other roles within the golf industry. We will all miss Rod. His contribution to golf in dubai and the region should never be underestimated. His role in the opening and the running of Emirates gC, dubai Creek & Yacht Club and dubai golf and Racing Club (nad al Sheba Club) – the last of which I was the first general Manager from 1993 to 1996 – set up the structure as well as set the benchmark for others to follow. He will leave a void in the golf industry structure, especially through his local, regional and international network of contacts. I wish him all the best for his future and we all hope to see him visiting dubai. Rod will always remain a good friend. nICk TARRATT, director, European Tour International dubai office

Rod HAS been instrumental in the development of golf in this region from the early days at Emirates gC ,to dubai Creek golf & Yacht Club and nad Al Sheba, and has been part of the success of the phenomenal growth in tourism that dubai has experienced over the past 20 + years. The reputation that Emirates golf Club and dubai Creek golf & Yacht Club now enjoy is, in many ways, a direct result of Rod’s leadership and focus on the customer and quality above all else. We have also been very fortunate at dubai golf to have a wonderfully loyal team of staff who have assisted in growing the business and the reputation of the Clubs, both in the region and internationally. Many of these team members have been with the Clubs for most of their working lives, which is amazing in this industry and again part of the culture that has been established under Rod’s leadership. Without doubt, this would not have been possible without the guidance and leadership of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum, something which Rod and all the team at the Clubs are very appreciative of. I am sure this growth and developement will continue under the direction of wasl. We at dubai golf are all fortunate to have worked with Rod and we wish him every success in his move to the States. We all look forward to welcoming him back as a guest to dubai in the years to come! Best Regards. Christopher May general Manager Emirates golf Club and dubai Creek golf & Yacht Club

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SWING Rory McIlroy August 23, 1993, changed everything for me. That was the first day Tiger Woods worked with my dad, Butch Harmon. I took a video of that first lesson and watching Tiger hit the ball was just amazing. He had so much raw speed, so much talent, and so much to learn. You just knew that he was going to be a great player. Over the past year, Rory McIlroy has been compared to Tiger Woods in the press. So when he chose to practice at the Butch Harmon School of Golf in the weeks leading up to the Desert Swing on The European Tour, I was very excited. I had only ever seen Rory play on TV and I was intrigued to see him swing up close. And, yes, the comparisons to Tiger are totally justified. Rory has serious raw speed, serious talent, and so much left to learn. His start to the 2010 season was not the best, but his recent win on the US PGA Tour has sent a major statement to the entire golfing world. After barely making the cut at the Quail Hollow Championship, Rory blew away the field by shooting 66 and 62 on the weekend to secure his first US PGA Tour win. Make no mistake, Rory McIlroy is the real deal and as long as he stays healthy, there is no limit to just how good he can become.

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SWING Rory has a very natural and freeflowing golf swing. His angles at address are neutral. He addresses the ball with a strong and solid setup, good knee flex, lower back flat, arms hanging from the shoulders.

Here comes the power! Rory has hip rotation speed to match just about anyone on Tour. He creates his massive distance by the fast speed of the unwinding of his hips. Sadly, this is tough to teach. You either have speed or you don’t. And Rory has huge speed. The rotation of his body allows him to delay the release of the club into impact. This not only creates power but also a draw ball-flight.

As with many young players of his generation, Rory’s swing has been hugely influenced by Tiger Woods. His backswing is very modern – upper body works around a very stable lower body. The arms and chest turn the club away during the backswing. The clubface stays very square here and there is almost zero lower body movement.

The arms have swung past the body, yet look at Rory’s feet. Rory’s footwork through impact is the best I have seen for a long hitter. His legs and feet are very passive through impact, giving him a very solid foundation to create speed and power.

If you want to improve your contact, try making wedges swings at this length. Think about stopping your backswing when your left arm is parallel to the ground. Set the wrists so that the bottom of the grip is pointing to the ground.

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Shades of Tiger Woods circa 2000. There are not many players who get the club in this good a position at the top of the backswing. The clubface matched the angle and plane of the left arm. This position allows Rory to hit the ball as hard as possible, while still maintaining accuracy.

Shades of Tiger again! A full big muscle body release creates this post impact position. Balance and speed is the key for all players and Rory has both. This is as good a golf swing as I have seen anywhere. I would stop whatever I was doing to watch Rory hit balls. If you get a chance to see him up close in action, take it!

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1 dozen Titleist ProV1s

Titleist Tour professional, Rory McIroy, shot a final round of ?? to win The Quail Hollow Championship A)65 B)63 C)62 For more information on how to enter visit www.wwgolf.biz Congratulations to last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s NXT Tour winners Mazen K. Ali and Shirley Prescott from Oman.

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TUTORIAL CORe sTRengTh is basically muscles in the middle area of your body that are involved in athletic activity, hence the word “core”. Our core muscles are extremeley important in the golf swing because they help support our lower back muscles, and they influence how fast you are able to swing the club. no doubt you have heard that the coil or spring-like feeling is what helps to generate clubhead speed. Well, improving the core muscles is the best way to increase your spring-like effect! If you have neglected your core muscles in the past, then this summer is an ideal time to stay indoors and do some core exercise. The best part is you don’t even need to leave the house. here are a few ideas to kick start your core muscle training.

TO build core muscle strength it is important to know what it feels like to activate these muscles. Lie face down on the ground with your heels pointing up and elbows under the shoulders. Raise your bottom up so that your body is holding in a straight line (see picture, above). This is what we refer to as “the Plank” exercise and is common in pilates and yoga teachings. Feel the muscles burning in your belly? That’s your core!

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ThIs last exercise is another good way to put the swiss ball to use. simply put the ball between your lower back and the wall. grab a light weight of some sort (you can use just about anything you wish that’s a good weight) and hold it out in front of you. now perform a squat whilst keeping the weight out in front of you (see pictures, below). This is another great dual purpose exercise as it works the legs and glutes (major contributors to the golf swing), and fires up the core muscles at the same time.

3 When the plank becomes too easy, try some more challenging exercises. The first exercise is to get a swiss ball and simply perform the Plank exercise (see picture, above). You should have lowered yourself down from the elbows as this activates the core. You will notice that the ball will move around a little. This makes it more difficult and will work your core muscles harder. When you are feeling confident with your stability, try repeating the Plank exercise, but this time incorporate a push-up (see pictures, left)). This is a great dual purpose exercise and will have your muscles burning in no time!

The last exercise is by far the most difficult. Instead of moving up and down like a push-up, try to move in and out by rolling the ball forwards and backwards (see pictures, left). This exercise is not easy so don’t be too hard on yourself and try to keep it fun!

LasTLY don’t cheat. see how in this picture (left) my bottom has sagged. To get the full benefit of these movements, try to keep your body in a good, straight position throughout the exercise. www.wwgolf.biz

SWING

AmeliA mckee

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

Functional MoveMent Patterns WE start off each lesson work with Amelia on her Functional Movement Patterns. Here we are working on hopping, jumping, balance and basic movement coordination. Amelia is hopping on both her right and left legs to improve her leg strength, balance and coordination. Jumping helps improve explosive/ballistic movements needed to gain more distance in her golf swing. Amelia is also working on disassociating her upper body from her lower body by jumping and turning in an alternating pattern on 180 degrees. Amelia is doing rotational ball throw while balancing on one leg. This helps work on the internal rotation of her hips. All of these exercises and drills simulate many of the movements needed to swing the golf club.

I I www.wwgolf.biz

stability skills THE next phase of our lesson was working on Stability Skills. Amelia performed One Legged Stand Ups on a bench. To perform this movement Amelia must stand and balance on one leg, sit down on a bench as controlled and as softly as possible, then use the same leg to stand back up. This exercise works to strengthen her glutes, abs and leg muscles. It also forces her to work on her balance and coordination. Next, Amelia made swings using the SNAG Golf Snapper. This is a grip and small shaft with a long ribbon attached to the end. Amelia makes swing as fast and as hard as she can.

object / ManiPulation control skills – ‘Feel’ First FInALLy, we moved outside onto the putting green. I really think we as golf instructors have historically taught putting backward. In the past, we would teach technique first and ‘feel’ second. But I really believe now that to teach ‘feel’ first is the best way for juniors to improve their putting. We spent 30 minutes on the putting green and never hit a single putt. Instead, we talked about how to read greens, and looked at the slopes and contours of the putting surface. So much of learning how to putt involves learning how to read greens properly. next, instead of actually putting, we rolled different weighted tennis balls at various target. We rolled balls both up and down hill to work on speed and from left to right and right to left to work on breaks. This is pure Object/Manipulation Control Skills. Amelia can learn putting technique later, but right now, she is at the age where she needs to learn ‘feel.’

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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 Tawiq 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

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Women's Golf Middle East

GILL MorrIn takes the spot LIGht AT WG-ME’s evening Par-3 event under the lights of Arabian Ranches Golf Club Gill Morrin had an exceptional night with a winning score of 22 points. Morrin played steady golf and with a par3 handicap of 15 finished the round with a 10-over-par gross 37. It was a tight finish for the second and third places as four ladies had the same score. Jagoda Granowska, Penny Ashcroft, Jan Sayer and Katy Woodman found themselves in the clubhouse having scored 21 points but it was Sayer who came away with second place on a countback. Ashcroft was handed third place so Granowska and Woodman missed out on a podium finish.

Rosewarne and Stewart take the spoils VERITY Rosewarne and Terri Stewart took the honours in the 11th WG-ME event at Arabian Ranches last month. The tournament started with a shotgun start and the format of the event was a Two-Lady Team Event Better Ball Stableford and the duo combined well for a 50 point haul – 26 over the front nine and 24 on the back. Stewart had an extremely good round and can look forward to seeing her handicap drop as she continues to improve. In second place with an outstanding score of 48 points was the team of Riette Cuciurean and Katy Woodman while third place went to Tracy Karai and Juli Piechowiak who scored 46 points. Their back nine haul of 36 points helped them secure the final podium position after a card countback with Margaret Margetts and Alison Lewis, who settled for fourth place.

Upcoming Evening Par-3 Event and Putting Demonstration: Date: Wednesday, 2 June, 2010, 6:0pm. shotgun start. Venue: emirates Golf Club. Finish: Play is expected to finish around 7:30pm. Format: 9 hole Par 3, individual Points system. BBQ Dinner and Presentation: around 8:30pm PLEASE VISIT THE WG-ME WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS AND TO SUBMIT YOUR ONLINE TOURNAMENT/GOLF CLINIC ENTRY FORMS WWW.WOMENSGOLFDUBAI.COM

Sandy Meyer’s

ProfeSSional TiP What Causes a sliCe?

there are many ladies who have problems with slicing the ball – the shot that shapes like a banana swinging off to the right. the longer the shot the more the shape is pronounced and the more trouble you find. there are a number of reasons that cause this shape of shot and here are a few check points and tips for you to go through in order to avoid it. In Your setup l Make sure you see two to three knuckles of your left hand when you address the ball with the club, whilst maintaining that your right hand is not too far over to the left – so you should see no more than two knuckles on your right hand. l Check that your alignment (feet, knees, hips and shoulders) is not pointing too far to the left of the target. This can cause the swing path of the golf club to move from out to in on impact. Make sure your ball position is not too far forward in relation to your stance – this can be a particular problem when you hit your Driver and Fairway Woods. l Your weight distribution must be evenly balanced with not too much weight either on the heels or on the toes. Your weight should be more towards the middle on the balls of your feet.

l A slice is caused when the clubface is open at impact and the swing path of the golf club is moving across the line. You can see this by the direction of your divots as they will all be facing at an angle left of the target and not directly towards the target. During your swing l On your backswing put a club down at your feet and take the club back to hip height. Is your club parallel to the club at your feet or is it too much inside or outside? The club must be parallel. l Go down to the driving range and put a tee about two feet in front of the ball. Try and make sure you follow the club through over the tee which should be on line to your selected target point. Continue this until the divots start pointing to the target and not left of the target. www.wwgolf.biz

SUMMER RATES 2010 CLUBS Abu Dhabi Golf Club From: 1st June 2010 To : 30th September 2010

Al Badia Golf Club From: 1st June 2010 To : 30th September 2010

18H

Holes 18H

UGA RATE (AED)

NON UGA RATE (AED)

Weekend 350 After 2.30pm - 265

Weekday 245 After 1.30pm - 175 After 4.30pm - 140 Rates inclusive of shared cart and range use

Weekend 390 After 2.30pm - 290

Weekday/Weekend 295 Twilight - 225

Weekday/Weekend 395 Twilight - 275

Weekday/Weekend 75 50

Weekday/Weekend 95 60

Weekday 325 After 1.30pm - 225

Al Ghazal Golf Club From: 1st May 2010 To : 31st August 2010

18H 9H

Al Hamra Golf Club From: 1st June 2010 To :30th September 2010

18H 9H

Peak Off Peak 225 190 135 115 Rates inclusive of shared cart and range balls

Peak 250 150

Off Peak 210 125

Arabian Ranches Golf Club From : 1st June 2010 To: 30th September 2010

18 H 9H

Fri - Sat 265 160 All rates include range balls only

Sun - Thu 195 110

Fri - Sat 340 205

Sun - Thu 285 170

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club From : 1st June 2010 To : 30th September 2010

18 H 9H

Fri - Sat 360 220 Rates include cart & range balls

Sun - Thu 270 165

Fri - Sat 400 240

Sun - Thu 300 180

Emirates Golf Club – Majlis From : 1st June 2010 To : 30th September 2010

18 H 9H

Fri - Sat 380 240

Sun - Thu 360 220

Fri - Sat 400 275

Sun - Thu 400 250

Emirates Golf Club – Faldo From : 1st June 2010 To : 30th September 2010

18 H 9H

Fri - Sat 300 240

Sun - Thu 300 220

Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa From: 1st June 2010 To : 30th September 2010

18 H 9H

Palm Sports Resort From: 1st June 2010 To : 18th September 2010

18 H 9H

The Els Club From : 2nd May 2010 To : 30th September 2010

18 H

The Montgomerie Dubai From : 1st June 2010 To: 30th September 2010

18 H

Fri - Sat Sun - Thu 290 260 230 220 Rates includes golf cart hire & practice range balls.

Thu - Sat Sun - Wed Thu - Sat 260 220 275 185 160 195 Twilight - Dhs. 115 Rate inclusive of shared cart or trolley hire and a bucket of range balls prior to play

Sun - Wed 235 170

Peak Off Peak 200 185 130 100 Rate inclusive of cart hire and driving range

Peak 230 150

Off Peak 210 120

Whole week 385

Whole week 450

Twilight Dhs. 285 after 3 pm and Super Twilight Dhs. 185 after 4.40 pm Rates inclusive of cart and range balls Weekend 325

Weekday 250

Weekday/Weekend 395

Twlight - After 1 pm - Dhs. 350 Rates Inclusive of Cart and range balls

Tower Links Golf Club From:1st June 2010 To: 30th September 2010

18H 9H

Peak Off Peak 195 180 110 110 Inclusive of shared cart and basket of range balls prior to play

Peak 220 125

Off Peak 200 120

Yas Links Abu Dhabi From:1st June 2010 To: 31st August 2010

18H 9H

Peak Off Peak 399 299 200 150 Inclusive of golf cart and practice facilities

Peak 499 250

Off Peak 399 200

Note Peak/Weekend rates are applicable on Public holidays as well Rates subject to change at clubs’ discretion

ArAbiAN

WWG LOCAL FOCUS

Clubs in April 2010 Worldwide Golf Abu Dhabi City Golf Club Abu Dhabi Golf Club Al Ghazal Golf Club Al Hamra Golf Club Arabian Ranches Golf Club Dirab Golf Club Doha Golf Club, Qatar Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Egyptian Golf Federation Emirates Golf Club Emirates Golf Federation

Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa Katameya Heights Golf & Tennis Resort Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort, Egypt Officeland Open, Al Badia Golf Club Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club The Address Montgomerie, Dubai The Royal Golf Club, Bahrain Tower Links Golf Club TNT Grand Final UAE Golf Society League Yas Links Golf Club, Abu Dhabi

NEWS FORUMS COMPETITIONS TRAVEL READ ONLINE & MORE... visit;

www.wwgolf.biz

WOrLdWide GOLF midWeek Open

Roger Floyd victorious in WWG Midweek Open

TOWER Links member Roger Floyd took advantage of his local knowledge to win the Worldwide Golf Midweek Open after a hugely impressive 40-points Stableford haul. Floyd, who currently plays off a 4 handicap, breezed around the testing layout to take the title by three shots. He went out with 19 points and followed that with 21 points on his journey back to the clubhouse for his winning total. Peter Boland and Pieter Botha needed a countback to decide their fate as both shot a solid 37 points and it was Boland who took the spoils, courtesy of his better final six holes - 15 points to the 13 scored by Botha. Division ‘B’ winner Andy Jubber scored 38 Stableford points for a three-point winning margin over Jan Pretorious, while the ladie’s division saw Kathy Richardson walk away with the honours with a 36-points total.

All the winners with their prizes at the Worldwide Golf Midweek Open at Tower Links Golf Club..

Emirates Golf Federation

KOrEANS COMbINE TO WIN FrIENDShIP CuP Team Korea and Team UAE Members with their trophies after the prize presentation ceremony for the Korea-UAE Friendship Cup tournament at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi.

EAM Korea combined effectively to pull off an excellent victory over Team UAE in the Korea-UAE Friendship Cup tournament held at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi. Winning friends and social networking may have been the theme of the competition, jointly hosted by the South Korean Embassy and the Korean Business Association of the UAE, but there was no lack of intensity on the course. Close matches and great team efforts marked the proceedings at the Gary Player-designed golf club. Team Korea finished with a net score of 88.8 which saw them edge past the UAE team, who came home with a net 89.3. If the big prize went to the Koreans in this 18hole stroke play event, the UAE team did find plenty

to cheer about when the individual awards were announced. Adel Zarouni walked away with the best net (67) score while Ismail Sharif, the former UAE national champion, took the coveted best gross prize with a 67. Encouraged by the overwhelming response to the competition and a sense of camaraderie among the players, the Korean Embassy confirmed they could make the event an annual affair. South Korean Ambassador to the UAE, Chung Yong-chil, thanked the Emirates Golf Federation for accepting the invitation to play in the Friendship tournament and for putting on such a great event. “We believe such competitions can play a crucial role in cementing ties between

the two countries,” he said. “I hope the EGF team enjoyed playing in the tournament as much as we did in hosting them. The event is just the start of our association with the EGF and we may have many more such exchanges in the future.” Adel Zarouni, Secretary-General of the EGF, was equally delighted to be part of the initiative. “The Koreans are well known for their passion for golf. Playing with them certainly was a great experience,” he said. “We look forward to having more such competitions. “South Korea and the UAE have always enjoyed great ties, and the introduction of the Friendship Cup will only add to the exchanges. We, at EGF, will do our best to ensure the event becomes a permanent feature on the UAE domestic circuit.”

DANIEL hENDry AND ShLOKA DESAI CrOWNED EGF OrDEr OF MErIT ChAMPIONS

ANIEL Hendry capped a superb season by winning the Emirates Golf Federation’s Junior Boys Order of Merit in both gross and net divisions while Shloka Desai reigned supreme in the Junior Girls Division. Emirates Golf Club prodigy, Hendry, saw his impressive victory at the Emirates Junior Open – the final event on the Order of Merit schedule – take his tally to 124 points, beating his nearest challengers and fellow club members Tom Green (111.5) and Philip Urasch (92) in style. Hendry, who plays off a plus 2 handicap, shot a solid gross 75 over the Majlis course to walk away with the title, two strokes ahead of Young Jae Kim of Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and Tom Green. It was Hendry’s first outright victory in the five Order of Merit events during which he consistently raked in top-five finishes, and ended the season in triumphant style by adding the net Order of Merit to his rich hoard of achievements. Hendry finished with 83.5 points in the net division, beating Harley Knight (78.5) to second place while Tom Green took third place with 74.5 points in the season-long Order of Merit race. Like Hendry, Shloka Desai also ended her campaign on the Junior Order of Merit for Girls in

similar style by winning the Emirates Junior Open. The Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club star carded a net 75 to finish on top and took her Order of Merit tally to 119 points, well ahead of Diya Chopra who finished second with 113 points and with Boushra Dalile (EGF) claiming third place with 74 points. Shloka, who featured in all five Order of Merit events throughout the season, was a picture of consistency, winning a handsome number of points in each tournament and firmly cementing her credentials as one of the rising young stars in the UAE.

Once again a great success Saeed Albudoor, General Manager of the Emirates Golf Federation, congratulated the winners on their excellent performances during the season, saying. “We were impressed with the enthusiasm and the great sense of camaraderie among the players. “Each event produced a close fight for top honours and the scores were very good throughout the divisions. We would like to thank all the players and the clubs for making the Order of Merit events once again a great success.”

ArAbiAn Golf

DINO VArKEy DOWNS KhALID yOuSuF FOr SCrATCh MATCh PLAy VICTOry

INO Varkey pulled off a superb victory over Khalid Yousuf to win the prestigious Scratch Match Play Championship at Al Badia Golf Club recently. Playing consistently tee-to-green, Varkey defeated the top UAE national player, Yousuf, 4&2 to pick up the trophy for the third time, adding to his titles he won during the 2003-04 and 2005-06 seasons. A galaxy of top-ranked players featured in the tournament who were seeded on the basis of their position on the EGF Order of Merit. As expected, the competition produced some intense battles but there was a definite sense of camaraderie among the players. Finishing third in the men’s division was Mike Harradine while Ahmed Al Musharrekh, who demonstrated a

significant improvement in his game this season, settled for the fourth place. Sana Tufail asserted her supremacy in the ladies division winning the title in fine style by defeating Sue Henderson 4&3 in the final, while Hendry justified his top billing in the junior division, demolishing a strong field to take the honours in emphatic style. Playing from the white tees, Daniel defeated Aditya Judge 6&5 in the final to inscribe his name on the trophy. Saeed Albudoor, General Manager of the Emirates Golf Federation, congratulated the winners for producing some excellent golf throughout the tournament. “Overall, there was a good response to the tournament and I thank all the players for making the event such a success,” he said.

BELOW: Dino Varkey proudly holds the winner’s trophy with runner-up Khalid Yousuf and all the prizewinners at the Scratch Match Play Championship at Al Badia Golf Club.

ADEL ZArouni CLinChEs DubAi Duty FrEE uAE nAtionALs Cup

DEL Zarouni clinched the Dubai Duty Free UAE Nationals Cup by the narrowest of margins over the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club. He carded a level par 36 points, and his back nine of 19 was the difference between him and Abdulla Al Musharrekh, who also accumulated the same tally. Zarouni produced a strong finish on the back nine holes of the famous Majlis course with three straight pars from the 16th hole. Al Musharrekh managed only 16 points on the closing nine. His costly double-bogey on the 447-yard 12th hole was the difference between first and second place. His gross 73 was the best gross of the day, one clear of Khalid Yousuf. Hassan Al Suwaidi performed well, signing for 33-points and taking third place. The best junior in the field was Hassan Al Musharrekh following his 34 point total. Also in the prizes on a warm afternoon were Abdulwahed Alqasem for his tee shot on hole 7 which won him the Nearest the Pin award and Sohail AlMarzouqui for the Longest Drive on the 16th hole. All winners were delighted to receive their trophies from Dubai Duty Free Director, Corporate Communications, Salah Tahlak, together with Barney Coleman, Golf Services Manager of Emirates Golf Club. Commenting on the UAE Nationals Cup, Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free said: “This annual golfing event is now in its 15th

year and I would like to thank all the participants and the Emirates Golf Club for their continuous support. We are glad you all had such a great time and we hope to seeing you all again next year”.

Adel Zarouni is presented with the impressive trophy by Dubai Duty Free’s Salah Tahlak. www.wwgolf.biz

MORE THAN JUST GOLF

Al Badia Golf Club swings into summer with an unbeatable Green Fee promotion, combining great golf with dining at Spikes restaurant. Play 18-holes at the championship golf course over a la carte dining inclusive of selected beverages. This deal hits the spot! Take a walk where the grass is greener. Reserve your appetizing setting like no other.

Rates for the promotion: • 18 Holes

Midweek at

AED 299.

• 18 Holes

Weekend at

AED 399.

Oﬀer valid from 01 May – 30 September 2010

Terms and conditions apply. To book your preferred tee time, call or email us: Phone: 04 601 0111 Email: albadiagolf@ichdfc.ae www.albadiagolfclub.ae

brett Armstrong And mArk HolmAns tAke mAiden officelAnd montHly open

RETT Armstrong and Mark Holmans won the inaugural Officeland Monthly Open at Al Badia Golf Club last month with a stunning score of 47 Stableford points for a three-point victory over the duo of John Allen and Mike Smith. Third place went to Steven Vanson and Andred Lovbrand on 43 points. In the on-course competitions Jan Vandrey launched the Longest Drive 277 yards down the 17th fairway while Steve Fidler knocked it to six feet on hole 7 to win the Nearest the Pin prize. Al Aqili Furnishings recently announced the Officeland Monthly Open, which will be held on the first Friday of every month at Al Badia Golf Club, and Group Marketing Director, Shahriar Khodjasteh, is confident that their latest addition to the golfing calendar will be a success. “We have had enormous success with our on-going Carpetland Monthly Open and are looking forward for another great tournament with the Officeland Monthly Open. We are also very excited about our association with Al Badia Golf Club and look forward to hosting the tournament on its challenging course,” said Shahriar. The Al Badia Course was designed to an Arabic theme by internationally renowned golf architect Robert Trent Jones II. The layout incorporates an array of water features and the 18-hole, par-72 championship course provides a challenging round for the seasoned golfer as well as the recreational player. “We are delighted to be part of the Officeland Monthly Open,” said Roger Morris, Club Manager at Al Badia Golf Club. “Al Aqili Furnishings have been strong patrons of the Al Badia Golf Club over the years and it gives us great pleasure to form an official partnership to launch this tournament. As market leaders in our respective industries we hope to take the quality of the golfing scene in Dubai to the next level with this collaboration and continue our association for many years to come.”

Al Aqili Furnishings, the region’s leading flooring and interior solutions giant, has been a leading sponsor of golf tournaments around Dubai and the GCC since its inception. The company has identified golf as a natural affiliation for its brands and has sponsored international tournaments such as the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, Omega Dubai Ladies Masters and the Commercialbank Qatar Masters, in addition to many corporate and charity golfing events over the last decade.

Above: Al badia Golf Club Manager, Roger Morris, and Shahriar Khodjasteh, officeland Group Marketing Director, shake hands in front of the Al badia Clubhouse at the announcement of the officeland Monthly open.

Left: Carl Altman, Assistant Golf Manager at Al badia Golf Club (left), the winning duo, brett Armstrong and Mark Holmans, and Shahriar Khodjasteh (right). www.wwgolf.biz

Farrington takes tnt grand Final Victory Having reacHed tHe end of tHe tHird tnt express amateur order of merit and aWarded tHe grand prize to tHe Winners, tnt uae general manager Bryan moulds looks Back and assesses tHe last eigHt montHs of competition.

Left: Bryan Moulds, Country Manager tNt, tony Dougherty, Grand final winner Xavier farrington, and Shabir Yakub.

e decided early on to continue the series for 2009/10, even though at the time global financial conditions were tough. We have built up a very loyal playing base who all enjoyed the cut and thrust of a monthly competition which led up to the Grand Final and this has been showcased in the form of some excellent performances. After constructive discussions with the management at Arabian Ranches Golf Club we launched the season with a new vigour. Having taken account of the feedback from players we decided to interlace the events, switching between Stableford and Strokeplay every month, allowing 7/8ths handicaps per event. We started the competition off with more than 160 golfers vying for 100 spots in the opening event and, of course, unfortunately, some players were left disappointed. Since then, the leaderboard has changed shape many

times until we ended up with our final 20 shooting it out for the last winner’s berth after Shabir Yakub and Tony Dougherty had booked their slots in the first week of May, by virtue of coming first and second respectively in the Order of Merit league table at the end of all the qualifiers. The honour of winning the Grand Final went to Xavier Farrington after a tense final day on May 22nd. Farrington scored an excellent 38 Stableford points to take home the trophy. I’d like to thank all the team at Arabian Ranches Golf Club for their efforts in maintaining the course throughout the season and for making everywhere so orange on tournament dates. My final thanks, as ever, have to go to the fanatical and fantastic UAE golfers who make the TNT Express Amateur Order of Merit competition such a fabulous success.

yakub claims tnt amateur order oF merit golF series SHABIR Yakub claimed the 2009/10 TNT Amateur Order of Merit Golf Series after returning a creditable net 73 in the final qualifying tournament of the eight-month series. The final qualifier saw an elite field of 60 players compete with 16 players from the current top 20 on the Order of Merit. Yakub led the Order of Merit going into the final qualifier and could not be caught, therefore claiming the title by 2.52 Order of Merit points from runner-up Tony Dougherty. In the event itself the lowest score of the day was a staggering net 66 by Denver Farrell and in doing so he also became the only multiple winner of the season. Farrell, playing off a 10 handicap, carded a 2-over-par 38 over both nines which gave him a ticket to the Grand Final on Saturday, 22 May. Mark Woodcock, Sales and Marketing Director of TNT, presented the awards to the top three players from the day’s event and handed out the

invitations for the TNT Grand Final to the top 20 in the Order of Merit, saying: “Today has been a great end to the Series. We are extremely happy with the management of this Series by Arabian Ranches Golf Club.”

Above: Mark Woodcock of tNt with Order of Merit winner Shabir Yakub and runner-up tony Dougherty.

www.wwgolf.biz

INTRODUCING LASER MILLED™ TECHNOLOGY Cleveland® Golf, the leader in wedges, is once again revolutionizing the short game by introducing Laser Milled™ Face Technology on the new CG15 wedges. On these clubs, four perfectly calibrated texture lines are milled in-between each of the Zip Grooves™ to create a breakthrough in surface roughness that maximizes spin within the rules of golf. If you want to change the face of your scorecard, put a set of CG15 wedges in your bag today. Cleveland, and the CG logo are registered trademarks of Cleveland Golf / Srixon. CG15, Laser Milled, and Zip Grooves are trademarks of Cleveland Golf / Srixon.

egyptian gOLF FeDeRatiOn NEWS

Pro-Am Series introducing two new 2010 global brands Pro-aM series THE EGF have announced two creative new Pro-Am formats that will excite the local golfing community in the form of the Global Brands Pro-Am Series. The first of the two Pro-Am style events will be hosted by Katameya Heights on Monday, 31st May, over 18 holes on the Championship course. The second event is the Global Brands Junior Pro-Am that will take place at

Mirage City on Saturday, 26th June, over the Championship course. Junior players, selected from the Order of Merit, will be joined by one Professional and two Amateur Players to make up a team of four players and 20 teams will have the opportunity to participate on a first come first served basis. Entry for both events includes all golf fees, tournament entry, team prizes and special

events, welcome refreshments and a post golf prizegiving buffet, along with 18 holes with their favourite EPGA professional. Early reservation is important to secure a place. For further information please contact Gerard Bent at EGF on 010 0050435; David Mc Mullen on 019 1000358; Pro-Am series project manager Doriana McMullen (mobile) – 019 0750913 or e-mail: egypt_pga@hotmail.com

Issa abou El Ela Earns placE to rEprEsEnt Egypt In thE JunIor brItIsh opEn

TALENTED youngster Issa Abou El Ela has earned the opportunity of a lifetime by winning a place at the 2010 Junior British Open by winning the EGF Junior Order Of Merit in emphatic style. Issa has reduced his handicap from nine down to five this season and won a number of events along the way – the most recent event being The Egyptian Junior Open Championship when he broke par for the first time in competitive golf in his first round. Issa will now have the chance to tee up alongside other junior champions from around the globe in the Junior British Open that takes place in July. The event is hosted by Lundin Links Club on Scotland’s famed Fife coast close to St Andrews.

soPhie issa wins egyPtian ladies oPen

KATAMEYA member Sophie Issa won the 2010 Egyptian ladies Open over the Championship course at Dreamland Golf Resort with a 36 hole total of 159 for a six-stroke victory over Catherine Clark. Clark took the runner-up spot with a 164 while Maha El Senoussi finished third with 166. Issa also sealed the Player of the Year title with the victory and will be acknowledged at the season-ending CLEO CUP. The net Champion was Dreamland member Mary Monaghan with 138 as she beat Nadine Delavanis by five strokes with Beth Brown finishing third on 146.

Julius bÄr advisory lend their suPPort to egF

THE Egyptian Golf Federation have announced that Swiss private banking organisation, Julius Bär Advisory, is to support all EGF related golf events for the 2010/2011 golf season.

Fa r a g , i s M a i l a n d g h a n n a M win sPots in teaM egyPt

THE Mercedes Trophy witnessed a hotly contested final at Stella Di Mare Golf Club with three Egyptians claiming their right to join Team Egypt in a once in a lifetime experience at the World Final in Stuttgart, Germany, next September. The top Egyptian golfers in the three divisions are from three different clubs. Katameya Heights’ Ron Farag (hcp 6) won Division ‘A’ with 40 Stableford points; young Shams Ismail (hcp 17) from Mirage City topped Division ‘B’ with 42 points; and Golf City’s Khaled Ghannam (hcp 24) won Division ‘C’ with 37 points.

issa abou el ela wins the inaugural Mirage Junior oPen

MIRAGE City hosted its first ever junior open tournament in April and it was a great success as more than 40 juniors from seven different clubs took part in various age categories set by the EGF. Alexandria’s Issa Abou El Ela shot an excellent round of 74 to win the 18and-under gross category while the 15-and-under gross division was won by Katameya’s Hassan Said with Maged Abdel Taweb from Dreamland coming second. Abdel Aziz Said won the prize for Best Boy following an excellent 38 in the 11-and-under category while Soraya Scarello won Best Girl with a score of 40.

K ata M e ya ta K e s i z e a b l e l e a d i n egF ladies golF league

THE Katameya ladies, guided by Captain Nadia Ziwar, won round four of the EGF Ladies Golf League that took place at Alexandria Sporting Club in April. With a 142 Stableford total from their five scores, they secured a nine-point victory over second placed Dreamland Ladies.

www.wwgolf.biz

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InternatIonal PaIrs announces 2010-11 schedule International Pairs UAE is pleased to announce that after an overwhelming response from all the golf clubs in the UAE, we are able to publish the 2010-11 calendar. Please note that there will be a Qualifying event for the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) handicap members who will be notified once details have been finalised. The first club qualifying event of the inaugural series will take place on Saturday 16th October, 2010, at The Address Montgomerie Dubai, culminating with the Palm Sports Resort in Al Ain on Friday 6th May, 2011. The National Final date and venue will be announced in the next issue of Worldwide Golf.

2010-11 InternatIonal PaIrs Uae Calendar Saturday 16th October 2010 Saturday 30th October 2010 Saturday 6th November 2010 Friday 12th November 2010 Friday 14th January 2011 Friday 28th January 2011 Saturday 19th February 2011 Saturday 12th March 2011 Friday 18th March 2011 Saturday 19th March 2011 Friday 25th March 2011 Saturday 9th April 2011 Thursday 14th April 2011 Saturday 16th April 2011 Friday 29th April 2011 Friday 6th May 2011

The Address Montgomerie Dubai Arabian Ranches Golf Club Abu Dhabi Golf Club Abu Dhabi City Golf Club Sharjah Wanderers Golf Club Al Ghazal Golf Club Jumeirah Golf Estates The Els Club Al Badia Golf Club Emirates Golf Club Yas Links Golf Club Al Hamra Golf Club Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club Tower Links Golf Club Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Palm Sports Resort, Al Ain

For more information on International Pairs, please visit www.internationalpairs.com or email cturlik@internationalpairs.com

www.wwgolf.biz

Golf Society League Final Standings SAIF ZoNE LEAguE

PLAyEd

WoN

LoSt

tIEd

PoINtS

Gulf Rock

Etihad Pilot Golf Society

Mott MacDonald Golf Society

Filipino Golf Society

UAE-Nepalese Society (Est. 1987)

Singapore Community Club

WoN

LoSt

BMW LEAguE

PLAyEd

tIEd

PoINtS

Indian Golf Society

KEGS

Filipino Golfers in the Middle East

The Dubai Welsh Society

Jebel Ali Golf Society

DAGS

WorLdWIdE goLF LEAguE

PLAyEd

WoN

LoSt

tIEd

PoINtS

Wadi Gators

BIGS

Black Stallions

Sharjah Golfing Buddies (SGB)

Dubai Petroleum Golf Society

DUBAL

WoN

LoSt

SgSC LEAguE

PLAyEd

tIEd

PoINtS

Lebanese Golf Society

Halcrow Golf Society

Darjeeling Golf Society

DAPS

MBB Golf Society

COGS

Schedule of Matches

The semi finals on June 5th will be as follows:

SEMI-FINAL 1

Gulf Rock v Wadi Gators

The Grand Final is to be played on June 26th at 1.30pm 72

www.wwgolf.biz

SEMI-FINAL 2

Indian Golf Society v Lebanese Golf Society

GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE

Four top teaMS throuGh to SeMi-FinaL knockout THREE of the four teams who led their leagues heading into the final stage of group matches held on to their top spots to claim a place in the semi-finals. The Indian Golf Society topped the pile in the BMW League, the Wadi Gators claimed the Worldwide Golf League and the Lebanese Golf Society took the spoils in the Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club League. However, in the Saif Zone league the Etihad Pilots Society lost out on a place in the semi-finals as the Gulf Rock team overtook them after a dramatic day. On the final day’s play all six teams in the Worldwide Golf League had a chance to qualify, but the bottom three teams required a complex succession of results if they were to progress. League leaders the Wadi Gators faced bottom placed DUBAL whose only chance of taking top spot was to win both their matches. But the Wadi Gators’ teams of Mohammed Firdaus (18) and Meng Chan Shu (16) and the pair of Ganesan Ponniah (18) and Andrew Say (11) were too strong on the day, winning 6&5 and 2&1 respectively to seal their league title. In the SGSC league Lebanese captain George Khairallah (2) enjoyed a relaxed game against a Halcrow team of Shane Grooves (24) and Adrian Manning (24) safe in the knowledge that his team had an unassailable lead and would be in the semi final. The BMW and SAIF - Zone leagues could not have endured a more exciting final round climax. The SAIF - Zone saw first place play second place and third play fourth with all four societies still in with a chance of topping the league. The Etihad Pilots Society (TEPS) were in control as league leaders, knowing that one slip would mean all the other three

teams had a chance to qualify. In the fixture between TEPS and Gulf Rock both matches went down the final hole. Gulf Rock came out on top with a 1-up win in one match and an all-square result in the second match. This meant that the door was open for Mott McDonald (third place) and The Filipino Golfers Society (TFGS – fourth place) for either side to win the league if either team could win both their matches. Their matches were tight and with two holes to play they were both all square. All players were aware of all the other matches’ status, courtesy of the mobile leaderboards but unfortunately for both teams the spoils were halved with one win each, meaning Gulf Rock’s heroics against TEPS on the final hole proved just enough. The BMW league had become a two horse race between the Indian Golf Society (IGS) and the KEGS. The KEGS sat five points behind IGS so a whitewash was their only option if they were to make the semifinals. To the amazement of all involved IGS’s second team withdrew at the last minute gifting the KEGS three of the six points they needed. In the remaining match the KEGS got of to a flyer going 3 up through four holes. The IGS team were not fazed and fought back to square the tie through 14 holes but the KEGS then won the penultimate hole meaning a half on the last would secure qualification. However, nerves got the better of KEGS pairing Peter Vanwkye (9) and Neil Baun (20) as they both found the trees on the right side of hole 15. IGS captain Ahmed Pateria (13) managed to keep his cool, playing the stoke index 1 hole in regulation and – with him receiving a shot – his net 4 proved untouchable and secured them top spot in the league.

Left: The Wadi Gators and Lebanese Golf Societies celebrate their league triumphs. Below: Teams from the Indian Golf Society and Gulf Rock are within touching distance of the final.

www.wwgolf.biz

DUBAI CREEK golf & YaCHt CluB

Waheed is finally a Winner AFTER eight years as a playing member Arshad Waheed stepped into the winner’s circle for the first time last month after taking the top spot in the BMW Monthly Medal with a net 69. In the men’s Division ‘A’ Shahin Khodjasteh topped the pile by virtue of his better back nine from John Fellingham after both players carded a net 69. Trish Shaw won the ladies division with a fantastic net 70 while Maureen Platt was runner-up for the second month running. The overall lowest gross score for the day was a 1-over-par 72 by Paul King which made it backto-back gross wins for the scratch handicapper.

J u d g e a n d Pa n t d o m i n at e g r a n d f i n a l VIKRAM Judge and Alok Pant reigned supreme in the grand finals of the Carpetland Monthly Open Series after carding a net 65 and net 76 respectively in the pairs combined strokeplay format for a 141 total. Judge carded a gross 2-under and Pant followed with a consistent performance for an emphatic nine-shot victory over the rest of the field. Runner-up with a net 150 was David Gowens and Joy Lirio while the father and daughter combination of Mitesh and Shloka Desai finished third, one stroke further back.

Shahriar Khodjasteh, Group Marketing Director for Aqili Furnishings said: “It was a fantastic finish to the series and a thank you must go to all the players who play each and every month and make it such an enjoyable day to be a part of. Thank you to Dubai Creek for their continued support and we look forward to announcing the next series once the details have been finalised. I look forward to incorporating more of a charity theme to the next series and help raise much needed money for cancer research.” Phillip Westphal and Jason Ashley won the

regular May Carpetland Monthly Open that was played alongside the grand final. The duo carded a superb betterball score of 5-under-par 66 and won by virtue of a better last six holes from Stuart and Kharmina Deeson. Finishing in third place with a net 69 was Rowley Brown and Afshin Khiabani. Warren Panting won the Nearest the Pin challenge on hole 8 with a wonderful iron shot to several feet while Marceline Van Der Ree won the Longest Drive on the 18th hole. The lucky raffle winner of the Carpetland Rug was Miland Nadkarni.

Below: Shahriar Khodjasteh (r), Group Marketing Director for Aqili Furnishings and David Gray (l), Golf Operations Executive at Dubai Creek present Phillip Westphal and Jason Ashley with their trophies for winning the May Carpetland Open.

Above: Grand final champions Vikram Judge and Alok Pant collect their prizes from Shahriar Khodjasteh (r), Group Marketing Director for Aqili Furnishings and David Gray (l), Golf Operations Executive at Dubai Creek.

dulsCo Provides ComPetitive worKout for uPComing Juniors

ArAbiAn Golf Location: deira, opposite deira City Centre. contact: tel : + 9714 295 6000 dcgyc@dubaigolf.com Book online tee times at www.dubaigolf.com

DULSCO’s Junior Par-3 Classic took place recently as 72 upcoming juniors from various Academies across Dubai competed for honours in a four-player Gross Texas Scramble format. The team of Amelia McKee, Rahan Thomas, Aryan Chordia and Chiang Cheng Kim won outright by two strokes after posting a 6-under-par 21. Two teams were tied in second place on 4-under-par and

it was the foursome of Aryaan Kumar, Dhruv and Rishi Nair and Rishad Lakdawala who took second place by virtue of their better last six holes. John Neale, Managing Director, Dulsco, said: “There are so many aspiring junior golf players in the UAE and it has always been Dulsco’s commitment to be pro-actively involved in developing the potential of youth through various activities such as junior golf tournaments.”

lohr takes legacy life open

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.

saaB wins 2010 BaCK to BlaCK JAMAL Saab won the inaugural Dubai Creek Men’s Open Back to Black competition last month with a gross 7-over-par 78 over the testing layout. Playing from the very back tees and with tough pin positions and a stiff breeze, 3-handicapper Saab negotiated his way around solidly, beating the Dubai Creek Senior Open champion Ivan Lawson by one stroke. Xander De Wet finished alone in third place with a gross 80. Dubai Creek junior member Paul Saad (11) took home the net prize with a fine gross 83 for a net 72.

Left to right: David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at Dubai Creek, May’s Winner Armin Lohr and Jason Ashley, Sales Director, Legacy Life. ARMIN Lohr won the May Legacy Life Open Challenge with a superb 36 Stableford points from a ¾ handicap allowance. The Dubai Creek member used his local knowledge to post a great front nine score of 20 points and negotiated the back nine in 16 points – despite having three double bogeys – to win by one point. Sashi Raghavan finished alone in the runner-up spot with a solid 35 points and showed great consistency by scoring on every hole. Vivian Albertyne finished third with 33 points by virtue of his better last six holes from Christoph Kunz. The best gross score for the day was awarded to Francisco Giles with a great 32 gross Stableford points while Joy Lirio won the ladies division for the third time in the series with 29 points and Parth Goel won the junior division with the same score. Shreyans Khemka won the Nearest the Pin prize on hole 5 with a sweetly struck iron shot to two feet while a superb tee shot down the middle of the 12th fairway from Adhip Shankar won the Longest Drive prize.

Left to right: Runner-up Ivan Lawson, David Gray of Dubai Creek, overall winner Jamal Saab, Net champion Paul Saad and third placed Xander De Wet.

Horan’s triumPH GEORGE Horan won the overall Dubai Irish Golf Society (DIGS) Captain’s Day in late April. Horan is flanked by current DIGS Captain Paul McCabe (left), and 2009-2010 Captain Kevin Dunleavy.

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AL GHAZAL GOLF CLUB

PaULine jeynes says a FOnd FareweLL with a FUn sCramBLe LADY Captain Pauline Jeynes hosted an end-of-season bash with a twist last month with an event split into two shotgun starts – one at 7.30am for the early birds and one at 2.00pm for the night owls. The competition format was a team Texas Scramble and each team was issued with a dice which they had to roll after each drive to decide whose shot was taken. However, if a team got lucky and rolled a 5 or 6 then they got the luxury of choosing their best shot. The leading team in the early bird shotgun event were Bernie Blanchard, Peter Comber and Charlie Anderson after they shot a 62.3 with Dennis Cox, Chaya Kinder, Anton Dekker and Geovanni in second place on 63.8. The afternoon’s night owls had to contend with a little more wind but

this did not prevent a sub 60 round from the team of Bob Malone, Abdul Rahman and Johann and Jan Friedmann as they shot a 59.5 to take the honours. The team of Mark Hayman, Asaad, Chris De Beaufort and Richard Wrigley shot a superb round of 61.6 to take second place. As is customary for any Captain’s Day, the Captain is obliged to give out some other fun prizes and Pauline played her part, handing out a Nearest the Pin prize to Herman Groenewald for his close approach to hole 3 and two ‘booby’ prizes to Richard Whiteside and Vice Captain Juma Mussa in preparation for him taking over as Captain in September. Both were awarded the ‘Wooden Spoon’.

Al Ghazal Golf Club Lady Captain, Pauline Jeynes, pictured with all the day’s winners in the end of season two-session Texas Scramble.

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB

EmiratEs rEtain thE invitational scratch lEaguE EMIRATES Golf Club retained the Invitational Golf Scratch League title for the third consecutive year after defeating the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in a sudden death play off at The Els Club recently. In a year that saw the welcome inclusion of both Al Badia Golf Club and The Els Club into the Scratch League, the Emirates Golf Club and the Dubai Creek emerged from the league phase in first position in the two respective leagues. Sharjah Wanderers Golf Club and the Arabian Ranches also advanced to the semi finals by finishing as the runners-up in the two leagues. In the first semi final the Dubai Creek defeated Arabian Ranches three matches to one, with credit going to all the players for agreeing to play the match on the sand course at Sharjah Wanderers. The second semi final saw the Emirates Golf Club emphatically defeat Sharjah Wanderers Golf Club by four matches to nil. The first two matches of the final at The Els Club were won by Joel Neale and partner Khalid Yousuf and Kouroche Achtari and Ed Hesson to give the Emirates Golf Club a two – nil lead. However, the Dubai Creek teams fought back with Peter Shaw and David Gowans winning their match 5&4 and Miki Mirza with Paul King finishing 1up to get the scores level.

The Emirates Golf Club winning team The match was plunged into a play off with Neale and Yousuf pitting their wits against Mirza and King. The first hole was halved in four but Yousuf holed a birdie putt on the next to win the title for Emirates Golf Club.

ArAbiAn Golf LOCATION emirates hills, interchange 5 sheikh Zayed road, opposite the hard rock Café CONTACT (04) 380 2222 egc@dubaigolf.com Book online tee times at www.dubaigolf.com INFO majlis Course – 1988 Faldo Course – 1996, re-designed in 2006 COURSES majlis – 18 holes, Par 72, 7,211 yards, Championship course Faldo Course – 18 holes, Par 72, 7,433 yards DESIgNERS: majlis Course – Karl Litten Faldo course – sir nick Faldo

Champion Joel Neale collects his prize from Zafar Yaqoob (Product Manager Gulf News).

nEalE DEfEnDs thE Black tEE challEngE JOEL Neale birdied the third hole of a sudden-death play-off to win his second successive Emirates Black Tee Challenge. The defending champion posted a level par 73 over the Faldo course to take a two shot lead into the final round over Ed Hesson and Ahmed Al Musharrekh. On the second day over the Majlis Neale carded a level par outward nine, but was struggling to hold on to the lead as Nick Brewaeys posted four birdies in his opening 13 holes to get to level par for the championship. He further improved his score but bogeyed the final hole to post the clubhouse lead at level-par 145. Hesson’s challenge ended on the

third hole after he shot a disastrous quadruple bogey from which he never recovered. Neale and Al Musharrrekh played great golf under pressure on the back nine and posted rounds of 72 and 70 respectively to force a three-way playoff with Brewaeys. The trio recorded pars on the 332-yard 17th hole taking them to the famous finishing hole,

the par-5 18th. Brewaeys found the trees on the left and suffered a bogey six while Neale and Musharrekh both made pars. However, the players went back to the 17th and Neale clinched the title with a superb birdie. In the Net Division Greg Mann defeated Ed Hesson on a card countback to take the honours after the pair came home with a 142 total.

Gross 1st 2nd 3rd

Joel Neale Ahmed Al Musharrekh Nick Brewaeys

73 & 72 75 & 70 77 & 68

145 145 145

Net 1st 2nd 3rd

Greg Mann Ed Hesson Ivan Lawson

70 & 72 69 & 73 76 & 69

142 142 145

sim and hansOn KeeP their COOL in hanKOOK GreensOmes MIKE Sim and Elise Hanson held their nerve to make par on the 18th hole of the Majlis course to triumph in the Hankook Greensomes Championship. After the first round over the Faldo course the pair held a half shot lead over their closest rivals Daniel and Nicolette Van Dyk and they held on to that advantage right up to the 18th tee on the following day. In front of a large crowd Sim produced a spectacular approach from the trees to leave Hanson a 6-foot birdie putt from below the hole. With their opponents in for par Hanson missed the birdie putt which left Sim in the spotlight, but he comfortably held the return putt for the title. The victorious duo followed their opening 64.5 with a 66 for a 130.5 tally, 14.5-under-par total. Third place went to Jim and Maria Carrigy after rounds of 68.5 and 64 while David Gowans and Jocelyn Lirio from Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club took fourth with a 12.5-under-par total. Daniel Hendry and Nanna Nielsen shot the best two-day gross score, Winners Elise Hanson and Mike Sim are flanked by (L) Mike Tracey coming home with a 3-under-par 142 total. and Martha Wong and (R) B.H Kim, General Manager Hankook

Tyres, and Mr Kandhari of the Al Dobowi Group.

hessOn shines in Bmw medaL ED Hesson recorded a superb 72 over the Majlis course to take home the best gross prize in the BMW May Monthly Medal over the Majlis course. His performance also earned him top place in Division ‘A’ (hcp 0-12), as his net 62 was three shots clear of his closest rival Manoj Kapur with Jignesh Sangani claiming third place with a net 67. Carlos Sabugueiro came out on top in Division ‘B’ (hcp 13-23) with a 3-under-par 69 for a two-stroke victory over Brian Edwards. Nigel Hopkins recorded the best score of the day and won Division ‘C’ (hcp 24-34) with a 12under par 60. Steinar Bratland was well behind in second place after recording a level-par total with Suresh Shewakramani finishing third on 74.

Ed Hesson celebrates his win

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ArAbiAn Golf

ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB

Abu DhAbi Golf Club honoreD in poll

THE Peter Harradine-designed course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club has been named one of World Golf’s top 100 golf courses in a recent feature dedicated to the finest layouts in the world. “We are delighted to receive such recognition from Golf World and their Top 100 ranking panel. The golf course has matured immeasurably and is one of the finest conditioned golf courses you will find anywhere in the region,” said Ken Kosak, General Manager, Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The

course, carved seamlessly out of the desert, is situated only 20 minutes from the city centre and features the 18-hole Championship golf course and a 9-hole course. Combined, they occupy 162 hectares and feature undulating terrain meandering through pockets of palms and ornamental trees, shrubs and seven saltwater lakes. The impressive Falcon clubhouse has become one of the most iconic landmarks in world golf.

sUe HenDersOn BeaTs sana TUFaiL TO win LaDies OPen CHamPiOnsHiP in a PLay-OFF SUE Henderson defeated youngster Sana Tufail to be crowned this year’s Ladies Open Champion. After 36 holes the both finished on159 so a play-off was needed to separate the pair. Henderson’s experience paid dividends and although she bogeyed the first extra hole it was still good enough to take home the title. In the net Silver Division Pascale Michel had an outstanding day, finishing with rounds of net 66 and 68 for a 134 total to top the list ahead of Be Williams and Judy Kong. Marianne Rudd captured the net Bronze Division with a great day of golf scoring 138, ahead of April Holmes and Martha Wong.

Berry GOOD PerFOrmanCe in POwerPLayGOLF COmPeTiTiOn FIONA Berry won a special PowerPlayGolf competition which was played in conjunction with the second quarterly Member’s Mixer in late April. Played over just nine holes Fiona topped the pile ahead of second placed Sue Henderson with Aart Lehmkuhl finishing in third place.

April wins in MAy APRIL Holmes claimed the Ladies Division in the May Monthly Stableford with a superb 34 points total for a one-point victory over Joan McGuinness. Livo Hubar defeated Charles Katsuyoshi for the Men’s ‘A’ Division title on a card countback after the pair had finished with an outstanding score of 41 points. Rob Ballatyne picked up third place with a 39 points haul. First place in the Men’s ‘B’ Division went to Mazen Ali on 43 points, who was narrowly ahead of Derek Purdy and Mohamed Mounib who finished with 42 and 40 points respectively.

ContaCt: Tel : +9712 558 8990 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 seven 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.

ArAbiAn Golf

ArABIAn rAncHes GOLF CLUB

Mills AnD rAjAlekhA ClinCh MeDAl honours in ChAllenGinG ConDitions JOHN Mills (+1) returned a gross 2-over-par 74 to win the May Rivoli Monthly Medal supported by ECCO. Mills swept aside the competition with a brilliant performance in difficult conditions as strong winds tested the resolve of everyone on the course. The Champion was consistent from tee to green and with his putter behaving on well on the greens he proved too hot to handle. Mills continued his rivalry with eventual runner-up Tony Azoulay who posted a gross 75. “We appreciate the support from Rivoli for making this the premier event for the Members to compete in every month,” said Mills. “The back nine was tricky in the windy conditions but, luckily, I had a few shots to spare.” The Division “A” Net title belonged to Doug McLennan (8) who posted a brilliant net 68 to edge out the previous month’s winner Daryl Blanchard by one shot while in Division “B” John Onuonga (19) posted the round of the day as he scored a gross 79 for a net 60 to top the list by seven shots. Onuonga was rightfully ecstatic and a deserved

winner thanks to achieving his best ever performance at Arabian Ranches. In the Ladies division, Junior Member M.R. Rajalekha won the Gross title with a brilliant 79 while the Ladies Net title went to Ksenia Grayling with a 71, narrowly defeating Kun Son Kwon on a back nine countback.

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.

105 POinT HaUL wins ParasOL GarDen sHamBLes THE four-player team consisting of Karen Evans (28), Mark Evans (18), Nigel Fenwick (21) and Jonathan Skittrall (15) returned a score of 105 Stableford points to win the Parasol Garden Furniture Shambles Team event last month. The winning team posted an outward half of 52 and an inward half of 53 for their total to win by four from Andy Burrow, Daryl Blanchard and Graham and Sheila Alban. Results 1st Karen Evans Mark Evans Jonathan Skittrall Nigel Fenwick

105 points

2nd Graham Alban Sheila Alban Andy Burrow Daryl Blanchard

101 points

Mark Sault of Parasol Garden Furniture pictured with the winning team.

Owen miLLs anD GraHam wOOD win CHiLDren OF THe mOUnTain awareness Day THE team of Owen Mills and Graham Wood were crowned Two-Player Strokeplay Scramble Champions last month in a special event in partnership with the Children of the Mountain charity. Mills and Wood used a combined handicap allowance of 3.9 for this event and they made the most of their opportunities on a day when everything seemed to go their way. They combined for 11 gross birdies to give them an outward half of 30 and an inward half of 32 for a gross 62 – net 58.1 and a 0.9 shot victory over Sandy Gammie and Nigel Fenwick. In the Ladies/Mixed Division Club Captain John Hainey teamed up with Sheila Alban to claim a narrow victory over Tony and Ksenia Grayling after posting a net 60.3 to win by 0.7.

Graham Wood and Owen Mills with Club Captain John Hainey and Sheila Alban. www.wwgolf.biz

ABU DHABI city GOLF cLUB Abu DhAbi City Golf Club hosts Group of strAnDeD Golfers A GROUP of keen golfers got stuck on their way from Dubai to St Andrews via Spain as flights were all cancelled due to the volcanic ash cloud coming out of Iceland. Mike Salmon, Daniel Rowe and Malcolm Gibbins hatched a plan five years ago in Spain to meet up and head off on their own world tour, finishing at the home of golf, St Andrews in Scotland. The ‘Rodrigos’, as they call themselves, saw long-term bookings for hotels and teetimes disappear before their eyes as one by one their flights were cancelled. However, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club jumped to their rescue by inviting the lively group for a round of night golf after hearing about their story on the radio. “Many of our members consider our facility their own ‘home of golf’, so we thought that it would be only suitable to invite the guys and show them that being stuck here also has its upside,” said Rhian Lobo, Club Manager. Salmon and his friends remain positive and aim to re-schedule their tour for 2011. “Being a community golf course, we try to be hands-on in our approach,” continued Lobo. “Mike’s story was just something that made us take action right away.”

‘The Rodrigos’ stranded golfers, Mike Salmon, Daniel Rowe and Malcolm Gibbins, make the most of their situation with a round at Abu Dhabi City Golf Club.

First twO-tiered drivinG ranGe in the Uae Gets a ‘sOFt’ OpeninG WITH the hotter months approaching, golf practise in a shaded area is just what the doctor ordered and less than a year from breaking ground on the project, Abu Dhabi City Golf Club have given their two-tiered driving range a ‘soft opening’. Manager Rhian Lobo is excited that the testrun of the driving range is now starting. “We have been waiting for this day and we’re delighted to offer our customers something different,” he said. There are still the final touches to be applied and Lobo confirmed that the upper level will open towards the end of the year. Head Professional Steve Johns and his team of coaches are equally thrilled to start using the state of the art swing room located in the new building. The diving range is open to members and visitors alike.

ArAbiAn Golf DOHA golf club

Location: close to west bay lagoon, 8km north of central doha.

SWAN’S ON SONg STEPHEN Swan was in excellent form during the April Monthly Medal at Doha Golf Club as he shot an awesome gross 71 for a net 63 to take the honours in Flight ‘A’. Rick McGovern took second place with a net 64 while in Flight ‘B’ 2009 Young Player of the Year Faisal Mir topped the pile with a net 64, one shot ahead of Warren Dance. The Ladies Division was won by Jeong Sook Lee (16) with a net 66.

contact: +974 483 2338 info@dohagolfclub.com info: 18-hole 7,374-yard par-72 championship course accompanied by a floodlit 9-hole academy course with spectacular views of the west bay lagoon. designed by peter harradine.

Left: Stephen Swan in action

Muffleh and Mcgovern crowned club chaMpions Kelly McGovern poses with her prize.

Ali Muffleh collects the trophy. THERE was a competitive mood in the air at Doha Golf Club recently as 57 of the club’s top players took to the fairways to battle it out for the title of 2010 Club Champion. The format was strokeplay contested over two days with the player returning the lowest gross aggregate score crowned the champion. The Men’s Division went to Qatar Golf

Association Junior Member Ali Muffleh after returning scores of 79 and 77 for a 156 total with Ian McInerney taking second place with 78 and 82 respectively. Junior member Kelly McGovern was the overall ladies champion with a gross 162 after rounds of 80 and 82. Asa Heiden finished two shots behind to take second place with Anne

Marie Mathiesen taking third place on 180. The ladies also competed in a two round net event which saw Taddy Dance (hcp 16) take the spoils by returning the lowest net score of 137. Second place went to Annette Hansen (hcp 19) with 147 on countback from Paula Martin (hcp 24) who came third on the same score after carding a poorer back nine.

s aw e r s ta k e s i n t e r c o n t i n e n ta l M u g DESPITE the hot weather conditions May’s InterContinental Monthly Mug saw 109 eager participants take to the fairways and it was Tom Sawers who claimed the top spot in Flight ‘A’ with a 40 point Stableford haul. In Flight ‘B’ first and second place had to be settled by a countback as both Wagas Ahmed and Lai Chee Cheong finished with 42 points and it was Ahmed who was crowned the winner by virtue of his better back nine. Vice Captain Lindsay Milner took first place in the Ladies Division with 39 points.

low scores i n b a s f d ay THE team of Padraig Mulvey, David Bowyer, Ian Bettie and Adan Brown were crowned the champions of the fourth BASF sponsored Golf Day after a five-stroke victory over Hisham Al Rashid, Fazal Kazi, Stephen Jones and Jean Dominique Lucas. The winning team recorded a sensational score of net 54 to take the title while the team of Jon Brooks, Stuart Banks, Brian McDonald and Jan Kalkueler took third place with a net 63.

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ArAbiAn Golf Location: Just off e 11, 12 miles south of ras al khaimah contact: Tel : +971 7 244 7474 Fax : +971 7 244 7423 info: Built along the arabian Gulf, the course is complimented by a large open lagoon with four inter-connected lagoons.

AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB TOwer Links keep a Firm Grip On inTerCLUB TiTLe THE second annual interclub match between Al Hamra and Tower Links took place over two consecutive days and saw 24 golfers from each club battle it out over the two courses. Unfortunately, in the first leg at Al Hamra the results did not go in the home team’s favour as Tower Links won six out of the last eight matches on the course to give them a threepoint lead heading into the second day. Day two at Tower Links was always going to be an uphill struggle for the Al Hamra team on unfamiliar ground but

despite the testing conditions they made some early headway into the deficit. However, after some close fought contests in most of the matches out on the course Tower Links ended up as runaway winners with a victory margin of 8 ½ – 3 ½ on the day, giving them the overall title by eight points. The Al Hamra members now have to wait another year to try and get their hands on the Northern Emirate Interclub title.

course: 7,267 yard, par 72 18 hole course with additional par3 academy Course. Designer: peter Harradine

Marriots set New records iN Mixed opeN Victory THE fourth annual RAK Mixed Open took centre stage at Al Hamra Golf Club on the first weekend in May. Fantastic weather greeted the players as some of the finest men and women golfers in the region battled it out over the links. The format was Betterball Strokeplay with the team who carded the best overall net score being crowned the 2010 Champions. The three previous Mixed Opens had been won by Al Hamra team pairings but this run was ended by the close of play on the second day as Paul and Annie Marriot romped to a four-stroke victory. Following on from a 62 net on day one the former Al Hamra members repeated the feat on day two for an outstanding net 124 over the two days which easily eclipsed any previous winning scores in the RAK Mixed Open. Upon claiming the Mixed Open trophy

Paul said: “The golf course was in incredible condition – the best I have personally seen it – and for that great credit must go to Blair Smith and his team.” Al Hamra pairing Donnie and Cindy Rials finished second with a 128 total while two teams had to have a countback to decide third place. Victor Husband and Angel Kammer and Kelly and Susie Dagless both finished level on 129 points but it was the Dagless duo who came out with third place. In the Gross Division Craig McGuire and Leslie Mullen battled hard over the two days to record two rounds of 74 and 73 for a 147 total and a 10-stroke victory ahead of their closest rivals. Eric Engelbrecht and Rita Hicks finished runnerup for the second year running with a 157 total while Karen and Phil Mallinson shot two consistent rounds for a 163 total and third place.

Green and CHOpra GO LOw in JUniOr Open TOM Green and Diya Chopra produced some superb golf as they both won their respective Gross and Net Divisions in the third RAK Junior Open. Green returned a fantastic gross score of 2-under-par 70 to take the Gross Division by three shots ahead of Daniel Hendry while the Net Division was secured in empathic style by Chopra whose 3-under net 69 saw her finish two shots ahead of her nearest rival Aryaan Kumar.

THree Years OF sUCCess AL Hamra Golf Club celebrated its three year anniversary recently and to mark the occasion a Fourball Texas Scramble was staged where the members took on the club’s professionals. The Al Hamra Pro team, comprising of Andrew Pilfold, Ross McArthur, Simon Mees and Alasdair Danson-Webster laid down the challenge of complimentary drinks for any team who beat them and fortunately for them their score of 60 was unbeaten. The winning amateur team of Ian Broom and Paul and Robert Hoban finished with a net score of 63.8.

tHe AddRess MontgoMeRie dUBai

(L-R) Bryan Moulds of TNT, The Hermes Datacomms team of David Russell, Kevin Thorley, Richard Smith and Raja Flora with Ed Edwards, General Manager, The Address Montgomerie.

ArAbiAn Golf 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

H e r m e s d aTa C O m m s T e a m s e C U r e TnT OiL and Gas Open ViCTOrY THE inaugural TNT Industry Series kicked off at The Address Montgomerie Dubai last month with the 2010 Oil and Gas Open. This spectacular affair saw a full field of 20 teams featuring players from various sectors within the Oil and Gas industry and there was some excellent scoring in the four-person scramble. The team representing Hermes Datacomms; Kevin Thorley, Raj Flora, David Russel and

Richard Smith were the winners on the day as they shot an excellent net 56.2. Finishing in second place was the team from Nimr Oil, featuring Marjan van Wijk, Steve Kelly, Malcolm McPherson and Robert van Wijk as they came in with a net 56.9. In third place with a score of 57.6 were the players representing National Oilwell Varco; Dirk Montgomerie, Syed Redzal, Suhaumuu Shamsudi, and Ramli.

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

New captaiN wiNs May stableford WITH conditions gradually getting warmer The Montgomerie, Dubai still boasted a full field for the May BMW Stableford which marked the final event for the season. In the Men’s ‘B’ division three players tied with the score of 44 points but after countback Gurbax Singh took home the spoils ahead of Julian Price and Gail Norstrom. In The Men’s ‘A’ Division Club Captain Richard Smith scored an excellent 45 points to secure a two-shot victory. In the Ladies ‘A’ division Debbie Murray had a two-shot win over Angela Lee while Valerie Saeed took home the ‘B’ Division.

wiTH an end COmes a new BeGinninG THE 2010 Captain’s Trophy marked the end of one captaincy and the beginning of the next and the day began with the new Men’s Captain Richard Smith and new Ladies’ Captain Jane Gray hitting shots over the lake to the famed 18th hole. The format of the event changes every year depending on the Captain’s selection and this year a four person Stableford competition was selected. After a lovely day of golf the outgoing Men’s and Ladies’ Captains welcomed the new Captains and invited them to announce the winners and hand out the prizes. The winning team with a total of 126 was Tom Gohil, Martin Lambert, John Ewing, and Mark Watson as they secured a two-shot victory over Rita Walker, Val Saeed, Francis Milne, and Kerry Fitzpatrick. Malcolm Gray and Francis Milne took home the Longest Drive and Nearest the Pin prizes respectively while Mark Watson also ended up a winner as he took home the Nearest the Water prize on the par-3 sixth hole.

Left: All the winners pictured after play. www.wwgolf.biz

Jebel Ali Golf ResoRt & spa

The Lord’s Taverners swap baTs for cLubs THE 2010 Annual Lord’s Taverners Cricket Tour of Dubai opened with the customary Charity Golf Day hosted and sponsored for the second successive year by Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa . The social but highly competitive fourball teams playing for the Taverner’s Stableford Championship were made up of celebrities from UK cricket and television together with invited guests. The winning team, ably led by former England Cricket Captain and International hockey player Rachel Heyhoe-Flint,

demonstrated that they were more than handy on the golf course, romping home to take the trophy with 85 Stableford points. Rachel’s Team included Gary Talbot and former test cricketers Martyn Ball and Gus Mackay. Ex-England all-rounder and present coach of Surrey Cricket Club Chris Adams also shone on the course taking the individual prize with a swashbuckling 43 points with other notable winners Neil Smith and former England wicket keeper Geraint Jones collecting the Nearest the Pin and Long Drive prizes respectively.

Below: Participants line up at The Lord’s Taverners Team Golf Championships at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa.

l e G e n d Va n s t R a at e n l e a d s t h e pa c k A HARD fought rugby match between South African Legends and the British and Ireland Lions the evening before didn’t deter former test fly half Braam Van Straaten from leading his four-man team to victory in the following day’s golf tournament at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa. A total of 26 teams, all featuring a former Springbok or British Lion, competed in the four-man Stableford golf competition as part of the South African Freedom Day celebrations. Van Straaten showed he was no slouch on the course as he led from the front with playing partners Francois Claasen, Johan Trichardt and Christo Trichardt all contributing to a very impressive winning team score of 92 points. Former British Lion and Scottish International Scott Hastings together with Dutco team members Corrin Dougall, Ricky Low and Alistair McMillan finished a creditable but distant second place with 85 points. Long hitter of the day Ricky Dominguez and the ever colourful PJ Marriott won the Long Drive and Nearest to the Pin prizes respectively to cap a memorable day.

The winning team of Braam Van Straaten , Francois Claasen, Johan Trichardt and Christo Trichardt with the CEO of the South African Legends and former test player Jon Allen (centre) together with PJ Marriott (far left) and Director of Golf at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa James Williams (far right).

k e l ly ’ s lifetime achieVement CHRIS Kelly celebrated his first ever hole in one recently with a 7-iron on hole 8 at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa. Chris received a Mont Blanc Pen provided by sponsors Rivoli and a hole-in-one certificate from Director of Golf James Williams and Golf Operations Manager Stuart McMurdo together with his regular playing partners Tom Boags , Trevor Arkle and Kieren Fisher.

ArAbiAn Golf

ShArJAh Golf & shootinG club

Location: 2km from tasjeel auto Village behind emirates Road. a five minute drive from university city.

boTha and GrIp rIp IT ThrouGh The bacK nIne

contact: tel: +971 6 548 7777 info@golfandshootingshj.com

THE May the BMW Members and Guest Social was played over 18 holes with teams of two playing a two-man Texas Scramble over the front nine and a Betterball Medal over the back nine. Playing off a 他 handicap the South African duo of Pieter Botha (9) and Ben Grip (13) stormed around the back nine in 28 to take the honours while Mike Siddaway (17) and Richard Firth (17) won the Texas Scramble competition with a net 33.3. Grip was in the prizes again after winning the Nearest the Pin prize at the par-3 17th while bighitting Leroy Durward won the Longest Drive prize after a scorching drive on the par-4 seventh which was close to the 300-yard mark.

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.

Left to right: Richard Firth, Mike Siddaway, Leroy Durward, Ben Grip and Pieter Botha collect their prizes.

liu stoRms to oRdeR of meRit VictoRy

Left to Right: Tuan Omar (Malaysia Tourist Board), Mike Siddaway, George Liu, Mel Stewart and Imsany Hasrat (Malaysia Tourist Board) line up at the prize presentation ceremony.

AFTER eight monthly medals counting towards the Orient Travel Order of Merit supported by Malaysia Truly Asia there had to be one winner, and with over 55 golfers playing in the competition throughout the season the event went down to the final day. Before play, four players were still hoping to secure a top three finish but it was George Liu (6) who was crowned the eventual winner after he played in all eight competitions, winning the February and March editions, to win the overall Order of Merit by a commanding margin. Liu amassed 158.5 points to win from second-placed Mike Siddaway (17) who played in seven medals and hauled 123 points. Siddaway knew first prize was out of his reach on the final day but still wanted to secure second place and did so with ease as Mel Stewart (15) finished third place with 116.5 points after playing eight events. Stewart did not win a medal this season but just went quietly about his business by picking up points in every event he played in. Going into the final event Ramsey Yassin (3) knew he needed a victory and Stewart to falter to stand any chance of pipping Stewart to third place. Yassin started in fine form but Stewart was just too good on the day.

choi Wins on debut

bRoWn seals VictoRy

KOREAN Jae Woo Choi (21) played his first competition at SGSC and made it a memorable day by winning the Travel Thai Airways May Monthly Medal with a net 70. Choi had five gross pars in his round and nine gross bogeys to set up his maiden victory. Pieter Botha (11) finished a stroke further back to take the runner-up spot. Botha has been in fine form of late with victories and runner-up finishes in his last few competitions. Last month he was left ruing one that got away after scoring sevens on holes 4, 5 and 11. George Liu (6) finished in third place with a net 72 which included gross birdies on holes 3 and 12 while the best gross prize was taken by 2009 Summer Open Champion Ramsey Yassin (3) with a 78.

MAKING his first appearance of the season, Marty Brown stormed round the back nine and collected 23 Stableford points to win the May Coral Beach Record Monthly Stableford competition. Net birdies on holes 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9 saw him cruise to a two-point victory over Filipino golfer Eric Tanghal (15). Tanghal, who plays five times a week, played some fantastic golf with the highlight of his round a net eagle at the 536-yard par-5 fourth. K.K. Singh (14) finished in third place with 20 points.

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

TOWER LINKS GOLF CLUB

contact: Tel : +971 7 2279939 (Reservations Desk) golf@towerlinks.com info: First Open: May 2004 18 holes Championship course. Floodlit back-nine holes. DESiGnER: Gerald Williams

Zenia edges out simon on countback WITH a tremendous net 68, Zenia Wivou took the honours in Division ‘A’ of the May Monthly Medal after a countback victory over Simon Tyldsley. Not to be outdone, Tyldsley put that disappointment behind him by taking the overall gross prize with an 81. Nekka Painio claimed the honours in Division ‘B’ with a fine 1-underpar 71 while second and third place was decided on a countback as Yuki Pellerine pipped Manilyne Buxmann to the runner-up spot after both shot a 71.

R e i D A n D pA i n i O D O M i n AT e MARK Reid and Risto Painio ran away with their respective divisions in the March Medal after two excellent performances. Reid’s win was a culmination of some solid displays and he capped off an impressive run of form with a net 66 to win by two strokes from Mark Wilcock. Matt Jones rounded out the podium places in Division ‘A’ with a net 70 for third place but did win the overall gross prize with his 73. Painio played simply outstanding golf for a five-stroke victory over Richard Summerfield in Division ‘B’. Summerfield posted his best score of the season with a net 69 and as a result saw his handicap of 28 reduced.

Jones holds on while Parry makes it three MATT Jones and Liezel Parry were crowned the 2010 Tower Links Club Champions in April after two superb performances over two days. Jones opened up a three-stroke lead after an opening round 2-over-par 74 and held on to his lead on a tense final day after a late charge from Roger Floyd. Welshman Floyd stood over an eagle putt on the final green to match Jones’ tally but it came up just short leaving Jones in the winner’s circle. Parry, who has won the last two Ladies titles, was tied with Zenia Wivou with gross 85 after the opening round but pulled away on the second day to win by six strokes. In the net categories Johan and Manilyn Buxmann won their respective divisions. Johan finished with a net 10-under-par 134 to be crowned the men’s champion while his wife Manilyn shot a 133 to win the ladies division.

nOn MeMBeR MULLen MOps Up LESLEY Mullen wrapped up the May Social Individual Stableford competition with a haul of 22 points for a one-point win over Zenia Wivou who in turn defeated Troy Richardson to claim the runner-up spot. Ajay Kotwal returned from a three-week absence to take home the Nearest the Pin prize on hole 12 while Chris Parry knocked it stiff to pick up the prize at the 16th. In the other on-course prizes Ashutosh Shukla struck the Straightest Drive down the 12th fairway and Paul Williams knocked it Closest in Three on the 18th.

JOLIE VILLE GOLF & ResORT

GEt inVoLVED in tHE JoLiE ViLLE cUP anD takE a bREak FRiDAy GOLF TOURnAMenT – inCReDiBLe pRizes On OFFeR JOLIE Ville Golf & Resort is inviting golfers to enter their weekly Jolie Ville Cup which takes place every Friday and gives players the chance to win a complimentary one night stay for two in either the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort or the Maritim Jolie Ville Royal Peninsula Hotel & Resort. Played in an 18-hole Stableford format with golfers receiving their full handicap allowance, the tournaments are open to both men and women with weekly winners entered into the Grand Final. If the winner of the Grand Final has played in at least three previous events they will receive the wonderful prize of a week’s stay for two in the Maritim Jolie Ville Golf & Resort plus a week’s stay in the Maritim Jolie Ville Royal Peninsula Hotel & Resort and 10 free rounds of golf! There is a prizegiving ceremony after each event at 5.00pm and the winner must be present to receive the prize!

For more information or to obtain a tournament entry form please contact: golfreservations@sgr-maritim-jolieville.com

Daily acaDemy One full hour of golf instruction especially tailored for beginners. It gives a comprehensive introduction to the game. The programmes include all the basic shot techniques as well as the most familiar rules and etiquette of the game. FriDay TournamenT You can join in the weekly Stableford tournament, and in addition to receiving great prizes you will also receive the opportunity to play in the “Grand Final”. Free GolF lessons For those who want to have a go, but haven’t yet built up the courage to book a lesson! Why not come along and join the instructors for a fun one hour introduction to the game. All equipment is supplied and sessions are on a Monday between 10.00am and 11.00am. Please call the golf shop to make your reservation! Green fee – Prices in EURo Jolie Ville Golf & Resort incLUSiVE of GoLf caR Royal Peninsula

Jolie Ville Resort & casino

other Hotels

Guests 9 Holes 18 Holes 3 x 18 Holes 5 x 18 Holes

50.00 75.00 205.00 340.00

60.00 85.00 255.00 425.00

70.00 115.00 345.00 575.00

practice Facilities 1 Basket x 50 balls Rental Clubs – 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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# 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.

ArAbiAn Golf

Katameya heights golf & Tennis club

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

Rasmussen Wins medal GRand Final TOM Rasmussen not only secured Division ‘B’ but was also crowned the Overall Net Medal Grand Final Champion with a superb net 69 recently at Katameya Heights. Rasmussen secured the Overall Net prize with a countback win over Division ‘A’ winner Taymour Abou El Kheir and topped Division ‘B’ with a countback win over Orlando Morales. Abou El Kheir returned a net 69 to finish three shots clear of Catherine Clark in Division ‘A’ and also took home the Best Gross prize after his 72. Division ‘C’ winner was Paul Watson who returned a net 76 for a five-shot win over Naqui CamelToueg.

Morrison nAMed Junior golfer of THe MonTH CALLUM Morrison was awarded the April Junior Golfer of the Month by the PGA Golf Professionals at Katameya after showing increased dedication and enthusiasm for the game and improvements in his practice and tournament results during the month. Morrison has performed very consistently over the last few months and has been knocking on the door several times for a breakthrough victory but was pipped at the post. He has managed several top-5 finishes so far this season and he is currently lying in seventh place in the junior order of merit.

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

Overall winner Tom Rasmussen accepts his prize.

TeAM scoTlAnd Wins 2 0 1 0 n AT i o n s c u p

sHeArdoWns Win pArenT And cHild golf evenT

GARY Pyott, Grant McKenzie and Michael Rees of Team Scotland have been crowned the 2010 Nations Cup Champions after a dominant display of golf. The Nations Cup event took place over two days in late April with 13 nations being represented and a total of 70 players participated. With the event being a gross team event it favoured the lower figure handicappers and the windy conditions played into Team Scotland’s hands as they set the pace after day one before quietly going about their business on day two to end up convincing champions.

MAY 1 was the date for the final event of the ever-popular Parent and Child Series and winners on the day was the father and son combination of Ronald and Ryan Sheardown. The duo gelled well and produced some spectacular golf in the nine hole Greensomes Stableford format, coming home with 25 points to win after a countback with Herb Worley and Ali Lemmon. Third place went to Iby and Timi Obatoyinbo who finished two points further back.

loW scoring in Junior series THE seventh event of the Katameya Junior Series took place in April and the Category 1 winner was the man in form, Naqui CamelToueg, who returned a net 70 to beat Katherine Spangenberg by nine shots. Category 2 players played nine holes and it was Callum Gibson who produced the lowest round with a net 29. Callum Morrison took the runner-up spot with a net 30 and third place went to Abdel Aziz Said who also returned a net 30 but lost out on a countback. Like the Category 2 players, the Katameya Kids Category also produced some great gross scores but this time across six holes. Top scorer was Zein Abou El Kheir who took home his first victory at Katameya Heights with a gross 29 after defeating Justine Repond on a countback with Saurabh Josi collecting third place with a gross 31.

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YAS LINKS GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

Henderson takes maiden Yas Links Ladies open SUE Henderson of Abu Dhabi Golf Club triumphed in the inaugural Yas Links Ladies Open with a superb gross 81, defeating home club member Judy Kong by three strokes. In the net competition Gunda Lampescheider took first place after posting a net 66 with Wilma Curley narrowly losing out after a card countback. The winners all commented on the superb condition of the course and Nick Oakley, Director of Golf at Yas Links said: “We were really pleased with the size of the competition for the Ladies Open. To host these events so close to our opening is a real credit to the green keeping team as the course is in fantastic condition. The course can play tough if you don’t hit it straight but the ladies showed us that if you keep it on the fairways you can post some low scores. “ Yas Links will open the back nine holes during the first two weeks in June following the opening of the front nine back in April. The floodlit Par-3 academy course will also open at the same time.

mILLS ChARGES TO mEN’S OpEN TITLE JOHN Mills overcame a tough field to become the first Men’s Open champion at Yas Links. The Arabian Ranches member shot a superb 77 to win the gross title by three shots from Henry Kim with Alex Charawani taking third with an 81. “It’s quite an honour to win the first open here at Yas Links,” said Mills. “I am a huge fan of links golf and absolutely loved this course. Considering the fact it’s only been open a month or so the course was in superb condition. “It was so different to everything else in the region; it offers a real challenge and constantly

keeps you thinking about your game.” In the net competition Harold Shim was crowned the winner after an unbelievable net 58 with second place going to Emanuel Ostojic – 11 strokes further back. A delighted Shim said: “I must admit I am surprised to have won the net event, I really haven’t been hitting the ball well recently. “I have changed a few elements of my swing after working closely with Steven Morgan the Pro and it just seemed to come together which helped me post such a low score out there.”

ROYAL GOLf cLub RIFFA VIEWS axteLL and HobdaY win tigHt mixed open

BAhRAIN jUNIORS WIN pLACES IN C A L L A W AY W O R L d C h A m p I O N S h I p S

DAVID Axtell and Sarah Hobday stormed up the leaderboard on the final day of the Royal Golf Club’s Mixed Open to clinch the 2010 Championship. A great score of 42 points over the last 18 holes in addition to their impressive 38 on the first day saw the pair to claim the crown by one point from Lady Captain Dena Wales and husband David. Phil and Julie Dixon also scored 79 points but settled for third place after a card countback. Golf Events Key Account Manager John Wilson said: “The Club’s Mixed Open seems to just grow year on year and more than 70 players battled hard over 36 holes on our Montgomerie championship course this year.”

ROYAL Golf Club junior members Dhari Al Borshaid and Sam Hobday have successfully secured places in the 2010 Callaway Junior World Championships to be held in San Diego, USA. The four-round tournament which begins on July 12 will see competitors from Europe, Asia and Latin America battle it out in various different age categories. Seventeen-year old Bahraini Al Borshaid and 16-year old Brit Hobday are familiar with the pressures of competing at the highest club level having both won local and regional events previously. “I have seen both youngsters perform to a very high standard this year and this international event will be their biggest test to date by far,” commented Phil Jones, the Royal Golf Club’s Director of Golf. “Sam and Dhari are currently working hard on perfecting their games and I wish them both the very best of luck.”

BD3500 is needed to cover the pairs’ expenses for the tournament. To help raise the funds the Royal Golf Club will host a fundraising event on Friday, June 4 when Dhari and Sam will take on the other competitors in a betterball format. Anyone interested in making a donation to support Dhari and Sam’s trip to the Callaway Junior World Championships is invited to contact Phil Jones at the Royal Golf Club on e-mail p.jones@ theroyalgolfclub.com

DIRAb GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB

good scores in roYaL air maroc scrambLe ROYAL Air Maroc continued their support of Dirab Golf & Country Club in the form of the 2010 Royal Air Maroc Ladies Texas Scramble and the top honours went to the team of Susan Skold, Madele Burger, Gudrun Barnden and Rita Dadzis. Six teams teed it up for the fourball Texas Scramble with the winning team prevailing on a countback over the quartet of Paromita Mukherjee, Carina Bergstrand, Evelyn Jensen and

Joan Moran after both teams tied with a net 63. Third place went to Yurika Hoshono, Roselyne de Parcevaux and Lena Henriksson who combined for 64 off a gross of 78. Theresa Walker claimed the top raffle prize of a return ticket to Casablanca courtesy of Abdelkader Boujdoun. Ladies Captain Flore Bouzann thanked event sponsor Royal Air Maroc for their continued support.

Location: Nestled in the picturesque dirab Valley below the Tuwaiq escarpment, just 30 minutes drive from the diplomatic quarters of Riyadh, take the makkah national road and turn left to dirab. The golf course is situated just off the dirab Road. contact: Tel : +966 1 498 0017/8 dirabgolf@yahoo.com info: Opened in 1991, dirab GC is the only grassed Championship golf course in Saudi Arabia with 9 of the 18 holes floodlit for night golf. course: 7,420 yards par 72 Championship Course with driving range and practice facilities. Green fees: 18-holes (peak): 18-holes (off-peak): 9-holes (peak): 9-holes (off-peak):

Above Abdelkader Boujdoun of Royal Air Maroc and Bouchaib El Jadiani of Dirab Golf and Country Club are pictured will all the winners.

SR300 SR200 SR200 SR150

*Peak times – Thu/Fri Off-Peak times – Sun-Wed

kIm IS 2010 FUChS ChAmpION KOREAN MS Kim used his wealth of experience to clinch Best Gross honours in the 2010 Fuchs Golf Championship last month while Yurika Hushino also stepped into the limelight by winning the Best Net crown for his first ever victory at Dirab. The First Division (0-9 hcp) saw Omar Khan win on countback from Saudi National Team Player Fahad Al Mansour after they shot matching rounds of 70 while Dirab regular Richard Gaas of Saudi Oger finished third with a 73 and saw his handicap cut to two. Rak Gi Lee (13) returned a 68 to win the Second Division, defeating Saudi junior Faisal Salhab and Tariq Sardar into second and third place after card countbacks. Third Divison was topped by Tariq Javed with a 65 from a gross 86, with Tariq Parvez and Kurshid Ahmed second and third on countback one stroke further back. The Ladies Division saw Ganet Bertha back at her best with 73, followed by Liz Kennedy on 75 with Myungok Hwangboo finishing third on 92.

Pictured left to right: Naseer Uddin Siddiqui (Dirab Committee Chairman), Fahad Abunayyan, 2010 winner MS Kim, Masood Ali Khan (Fuchs Regional Manager) and Ayman Darandary, Fuchs Deputy GM Marketing.

All the winners from the recent Sanad Charity Golf Tournament.

m C I L R OY A N d G R A h A m W I N 2 0 1 0 S A N A d C h A R I T Y d AY DIRAB regular Alastair McIlroy partnered Finlay Graham to produce to an almost flawless performance to win the 2010 Sanad Charity Golf Tournament, a charity event organised to raise funds for the Sanad Children’s Cancer Society. McIlroy and Graham clinched the title in the Texas Scramble two ball betterball format on a countback from the New Zealand double act of Julian Bennett and John Palalagi after both sides carded a 58. Saudi National Team member Fahad Al Mansour, who won last year’s Sanad event, partnered promising junior Faisal Salhab to finish third with a net 60 from their gross 63. Dennis O’Rourke and Eric Liquigan claimed fourth on countback from Ray Chaplow and Ganet Bertha after both teams had identical handicaps of six and net scores of 61. Nearest to the Pin prizes were awarded on all the par 3s and the winners were Finlay Graham, Richard Hare, David Bartlett and Andrew McKechnie, while the Longest Drive awards went to Eric Liquigan and Paromita Mukherje. Khaled Abunayyan, president of the Saudi Golf Federation thanked Sanad Children’s Cancer Support Society under the patronage of Princess Adelah bint Abdullah for giving Dirab Golf & Country Club the opportunity to raise funds and host the tournament. Dirab Golf & Country Club were pleased to handover a total of 169,000sr to Sanad Children’s Cancer Support Society and would like to thank the event sponsors and players alike for their contribution to this worthy charity. www.wwgolf.biz

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

DRUH BELTs & BUCKLEs THE ever-popular Druh Belts & Buckles have produced a range of eye catching designs for 2010. The new line includes diamante ‘db’ buckles and belts that feature diamond shaped patterns. There is also the ‘John Daly Lion Buckle’ range, featuring Daly’s iconic emblem. Many tour players now sport Druh Belts & Buckles with Robert Karlsson, Paul McGinley and David Howell among the brand’s ambassadors. All the belts are handmade and they come in a range of classic and modern styles with customers able to mix and match belts and buckles according to their taste. www.druhbeltsandbuckles.com

INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED PENFOLD DUAL IDs BRITISH based Penfold Golf has turned back the clock by reintroducing its individually wrapped golf balls first launched in the 1930s and last seen in the 1960s. Penfold shot to fame when James Bond used a Penfold Heart in 1964’s Goldfinger and the company is still going strong. The Dual iD ball uses a 4-layer dual core construction which delivers exceptional speed giving greater distance and reduced spin off the tee as well as increased control and spin into and around the green. www.penfoldgolf.com

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PERFECT PUTT PERFECT Putt is a great little product from new company 27 Putts. You simply clip the small mirror to the shaft of the putter as close to the face as possible, following the provided instructions to make sure the angle is correct. When you are lined up properly with your eyes directly over the ball the cup will appear straight in the middle of the mirror, if you’re not positioned properly it will appear to slope to the left or right. When you make your putting stroke the cup should stay in the centre of the mirror. By practicing this drill you will teach yourself to stay on the correct putting line. Simple! www.27putts.com

HOMEDICs MAssAGERs THESE HoMedics massagers are the perfect remedy for achy muscles after a gruelling day on the course. The HoMedics Quads and Atoms are small enough to keep in your golf bag or locker and provide instant relief during or immediately after play, while the Compact Percussion Massager is slightly bigger but has four settings for more comprehensive treatment. www.homedics.co.uk

sNOOPER sHOTsAVER s320 RANGEFINDER AS featured on pg12 the Snooper Shotsaver S320 Rangefinder is one of the most comprehensive golf GPS units on the market. It comes with over 3,500 courses already mapped and if any you want aren’t on there you simply contact the company through their website and they will have it done within 14 days providing the club in question cooperates. Get yours at: www.snooperuk.com

HERE’s YOUR ONE sHOT TO TRY PRO GOLF IQ ABsOLUTELY FREE ARE you sick of slicing it out of bounds, or always hooking it in that water? Are mental demons still your toughest opponent out on the golf course? Do you want to learn how the pros think and ‘shut off’ before every shot and play consistently? Well, now you can. As featured in the April issue of Worldwide Golf, Pro Golf IQ is a mental training programme that is currently taking the world by storm with users drastically reducing their handicaps after undergoing the five-week course. For this month only the boys at Pro Golf IQ are literally giving their product away to Worldwide Golf readers, offering you the luxury to ‘try before you buy’. Grab the opportunity with two hands and add your name to the growing army of Pro Golf IQ success stories.

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DKnY Love from new YorK women’s eau De parfum A light a floral fragrance that is based on soft hints of water lily and freesia offset by a sharp citrus twist. Technical jargon: Top notes – water lily and freesia. Heart notes – magnolia, white lily and violet leaves. Base notes – blonde woods, apricot and blackcurrant.

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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 Steven Morgan Golf Professional Yas links Golf Club, abu Dhabi

Q&A Q: What makes Yas Links Golf Academy different? A: in our lessons it is very important to realise that it is a ‘player and coach’ relationship which is focused on understanding your swing more fully. if you are able to understand your swing you are able to repeat the correct movements when practicing on your own which can help make practice sessions more productive. Q: What famous people have you worked with? A: i was very lucky to have been able to coach Morgan freeman in south africa. he is possibly one of the nicest guys i’ve met and very down to earth. one of my favourite movies of all time is The shawshank redemption so it was great to speak with him about that film and to hear how much he enjoyed making it. Q: Name one course you have never played but would like to? A: it has to be augusta. i have been told that you never really appreciate how severe the slopes are on television and would love the challenge of trying to one putt any of the greens. Q: What’s the lowest score you’ve shot in a competitive round? A: a 66 at last year’s sunshine Tour Qualifying school. it was a great feeling as i knew i had to go out on the last day shoot a low score and managed to do it. Q: Tell us your favourite golf quote and why? A: “resolve never to quit, never to give up, no matter what the situation.”– Jack nicklaus. i believe golf is a game that can at times beat you up no matter who you are. Q: Name one idea that has been with you since you started playing? A: You will only ever become what you think of yourself. if you want to become the best golfer you can you must firstly begin to think the way good golfers do. Q: If there was a secret to the game of golf what do you think it is? A: Confidence. The player with the best technique in the world and 0% confidence would not play to the level they are capable of. however, the player who is 100% confident in themselves regardless of their technical ability would have a better chance of scoring lower. a lot of people believe they can’t influence their confidence but they’re wrong! 96

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DRIVER: FAIRWAY WOOD(3,5): IRONS (3-PW): WEDGES: PUTTER: BALL:

Nike VR 440 Tour 10.5° (Aldila NV 55 Shaft) Nike SQ Machspeed (Aldila NV 55 Shafts) Nike VR Split Cavity (Rifle 6.0 shafts) Nike VR Forged 52° and 58° Nike Method No 1 Putter Nike One Tour

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