worldwide golf april 2013
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Official golf magazine to the European Tour in the Middle East, Arab and Emirates Golf Federatons and established in 1999. Worldwide Golf is the Number One golf magazine in the Middle East and the UAE. Blending regional and international golf news along with exclusive features and tips from the leading professionals to help improve you game.TRANSCRIPT
ISBN 978-9948-15-427-3
Lee Westwood moved to America to better his Major chances but how is he settling in to the new way of life as he prepares for the Masters?
M I D D L E E A S T ’ S N o . 1 G O L F M A G A Z I N E
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OH yes, oh yes, it’s Masters time again and there’s not a buzz in golf quite like this one.
We all feel it - them and us. Not just because it’s the first Major of the year and the place
where the season really moves into top gear. Not just because the list of past winners is
a Who’s Who of just about every bona fide legend ever to play this beautifully frustrating
game we all love. And not just because the super-tough qualifying criteria and
relatively small field guarantee players of the highest caliber playing golf that is at times
bewitching in its quality and creativity. But because the return of this great event to the
same venue every year since its inception in 1934 means that golfers and golf fans alike
have iconic images of the picture book setting that is Augusta etched into their mind’s
eye more vividly than those of any other course in the world. The perfectly manicured fairways and maze-like greens; pine trees and blooming
azaleas; Magnolia Lane; the old plantation clubhouse; the Crow’s Nest; The Big Oak Tree;
Rae’s Creek; Amen Corner; caddies in white boiler suits; Jack, Arnie and Player on the first
tee…
Yes, this is more than just a Major. This is the Masters.
THE MASTERSPREVIEW
Tiger’s got his distance control back and Rory ‘s confidence with his clubs is on the up but this year it could be anyone’s!
EYES ON AUGUSTA
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WITH the 77th Masters
Tournament capturing
everyone’s imagination right
now the attention has shifted away from
the incident of Rory McIlroy walking off
the PGA National course at the Honda
Classic in Palm Beach, complaining of a
wisdom tooth problem, having hit his
second shot into the water to go to 7-over
on Day Two.
At least Rory had the good grace
to apologise for his actions, saying: “I
regret what I did. It was not good for the
tournament, not good for the kids and the
fans who were out there watching me – it
was not the right thing to do. No matter
how badly I was playing I should have
stayed out there. I should have taken my
drop, chipped it on the green and tried to
make five and play my hardest on the back
nine, even if I shot 85.
“I’ve got to remember that I started to
play golf because I love the game and
I know I should go out there and enjoy
myself. I’ve been putting too much pressure
on myself and I need to put the smile back
on my face.”
It’s never good to walk off the golf course
but we tend to forget that Rory is still only
23 years old and a lot has happened in his
career over the last few seasons. He’s got to
learn to live with the pressure and I’m sure
he will.
But he’s quite right not to blame his golf
clubs for his drop in form. Since doing the
treble last season of winning the DP World
Tour Championship, The Race to Dubai and
the US PGA Tour Money List and changing
his clubs he effectively missed the cut in
his following three events, starting with the
Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, where
PlayerINTRODUCTION Worldwide Golf Executive Editor Since 1999
The 9-time Major Champion and 9-time Senior Major Champion who has witnessed and been a part of some of the most historic and memorable golfing occasions reflects on the game today
g greflects on theeeeeee y
Gary
I mentioned in my column last month that there are professionals around the world who can drive the ball well over 400 yards. We’ll soon be seeing big, strong golf Tour athletes regularly hitting it 400 yards plus. It wasn’t that long ago when we thought that 300 yards would be beyond the reach of even the most powerful of the Tour players. Nowadays, it’s commonplace for the big-hitters to get it over 300 yards.
he and Tiger Woods both failed to make it
to the weekend. It can take time to adjust
to different golf clubs and different golf
balls but it’s not a serious problem for a
player of Rory’s talent.
He showed at Doral that he’s beginning
to find his form with a final round seven-
under 65 to raise him up to a share of
eighth place. I’m sure he’ll soon be playing
like the World No.1 he is. It would be good
to see him get back on track before the
Masters to show the world just how good
he can be. That would put a smile on his
and everybody’s face. With Tiger Woods
winning the WGC-Cadillac Championship
in style it could be an intriguing battle
between Rory and Tiger at the top of the
World Ranking.
Talking about new golf clubs I’m
amazed at these new X-hot Callaway clubs.
They are magnificent. They send the ball
so far it’s absolutely scary. It’s frightening.
They’re a huge help to the amateurs but for
the Tour players they can create enormous
problems for the future of the game. I really
don’t know where it will all end.
I mentioned in my Column last month
that there are professionals around the
world who can drive the ball well over
400 yards. We’ll soon be seeing big, strong
golf Tour athletes regularly hitting it 400
yards plus. It wasn’t that long ago when we
thought that 300 yards would be beyond
the reach of even the most powerful of the
Tour players. Nowadays, it’s commonplace
for the big-hitters to get it over 300 yards.
Hitting the ball those distances is not
compatible with the golf courses around
the world that stage the big events. They
weren’t designed to accommodate 300
yards-plus tee shots and 250 yard iron
shots. We’ll soon see Tour players built like
LeBron James treating the first hole on the
Old Course at St Andrews in The Open like
a par-3 and carrying the green.
The other downside of the new
technology is that some players will be
leaving the driver in the bag for fear of
hitting the ball too far. So the spectators
will be denied the pleasure of seeing some
of the big-hitters booming the ball off the
tee. Tiger Woods has played tournaments
in the last few seasons where he didn’t
once use his driver throughout the four
days of a Tour event.
I’ve said it for many years now but it’s
getting to the point where it’s almost too
late for the governing bodies to act to limit
the distances the ball will travel.
Many great golf courses that host Tour
events have had to take the tee boxes
backwards to create extra length and re-
position bunkers to make them a threat
but there’s only so far they can go without
changing the whole character of the
course completely.
At the WGC-Cadillac Championship
at Doral Nicolas Colsaerts cut the corner
off the dogleg left 362 yards par-4 16th
hole with a tee shot that carried 346 yards,
bounced once and ended up at the back
of the green. Bubba Watson and Sergio
Garcia also took the same direct route
and carried their tee shots 324 yards.
The bunkers positioned to catch the
conventional drive were totally redundant.
Where will it all end?
The R&A and the USGA have come out
against the long-handled anchored putter,
perhaps they will also take steps to prevent
the ball travelling any further than it already
does.
Nicolas Colsaerts (above) is leading the driving distance stats on the US PGA Tour with an average of 308 yards. That average takes into consideration every drive he hits and Nicolas sometimes uses a three wood or an iron instead of a driver!
ISSUE No. 147, APRIL, 2013Published by:Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd+44 1663 719926
Published in Dubai by:Prografix, PO Box 24677,Dubai, UAE (Tel) +9714 340 3785
Printed by:Raidy, Dubai
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.
THE first Major of 2013 is just around the corner
and it’s the big one that always gets everyone
talking. Each year pundits pore over the form guide,
analysing past performances and statistics to justify
their picks. But the great thing with this game is –
anything can happen, particularly at the Masters.
Tiger Woods, back on top of the World Ranking,
will no doubt start as favourite and after winning
three tournaments in the last two months – and six
times in 19 starts – it’s hard to argue with the logic in
that. He’s regained his distance control and his razor
sharp short game finally looks to be back as well. In
wrapping up his 17th WGC and his seventh Cadillac
Championship victory Woods took just 100 putts
over the four rounds – that’s fewer than at any other
event in his career. The return of his distance control
with his irons has seen him bag more birdies this
season but he’s still not killing off tournaments as
ruthlessly as the Tiger of old. He stumbled over the
line with two bogeys in the last three holes in the
Cadillac and Ricky Fowler’s late collapse at Bay Hill
made that win much easier than it might have been.
One thing’s for sure, if he’s leading after three rounds
at Augusta you’d be mad not to back him – he’s
converted an astonishing 53 third round leads and
21 of his last 22!
One player who was looking good at Bay Hill was
runner-up Justin Rose and it was the Englishman’s
swing that influenced Tiger to work with Justin’s
coach Sean Foley. Rose maintains such consistent
angles in his swing that even his bad shots are
respectable. That’s why he’s always going to be
knocking on the door come Sunday and if he
can close out those short putts I think he’ll be the
highest placed European at the Masters.
Rory will be many people’s favourite and you
can’t beat battling it out with the world’s best over
the weekend to prepare you for the first Major of
the year. His final round 65 at Doral showed his
confidence with his new Nike clubs is there and
he looked far more comfortable than at any point
this year. But he should have played a few more
competitive rounds before Augusta to build on that
momentum.
I’ve not gone with Tiger, Rory or Justin at Augusta,
even though they’ll be up there. I’m going with
Adam Scott. Let’s put what happened at The Open
last year aside and look at his form going into the
Masters. He’s leading the par- 5 scoring averages on
the US PGA Tour and that’s the key to getting fitted
with the Green Jacket. The one thing that could
upset my pick is for one of the many fearless rookie
PGA Tour players to rock up and take the spoils –
wondering what all the fuss was about.
FEATURES
CONTENTSMY MASTERS SHOUT IS SCOTT
Lee Westwood speaks exclusively to Worldwide Golf about the US move he hopes will seal his Major dream.
MAJOR MOVER30
40TRAVISWILSON
Alex GallemoreEditor
35MASTERS PREVIEW
A look ahead to Augusta as we run the rule over the likely candidates for the Green Jacket.
The veteran caddie talks about life on the bag of the new Women’s World No.1.
Editor-in-Chief: Mike GallemoreExecutive Editor: Gary PlayerEditor: Alex Gallemore
Publisher: Mike Gallemore
Senior Editor: Richard Bevan
Editors: Todd Staszko, James Reeves, Tabitha FlorencePlaying Editor: Joel NealeDesign Manager: Joanna EardleyTechnical Manager: Mark Collinge
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COLUMNISTS
top-10 Masters moments and Sandy Lyle’s memories of his bunker magic in 1988.
INSTRUCTION
air their views on the state of the game.
ARABIAN GOLF
from the leading clubs in the Middle East.
Joel Neale catches up with UAE Junior Team coach Jason Froggatt and team member Ahmed Skaik.
STYLE
all under the spotlight.
TOP GEAR
Worldwide Golf readers test the latest fairway-busting drivers.
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VIEW FROM THE FIRST TEE 1ST AUGUSTA NATIONAL (TEA OLIVE)
PAR 4 – 445 YARDS
FEW of us who love the game of golf will ever get the chance to too see this spine-tingling view in the flesh – the one that greets players as they stand on the first tee at Augusta National.
It’s the starting point from which the greatest golfers in the
history of the game have plotted their way towards the
famous Green Jacket to cement their legacy forever. From
Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson and Sam Snead to Arnold Palmer
(pictured), Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson through
to Seve, Langer, Faldo and then Woods… the biggest names
in the game have won the Masters and that’s why when
players tee it up at Tea Olive, the heart skips that little bit faster.
Unlike the other Majors which rotate venues, the familiarity
of Augusta – the sights, smells and sounds – breeds an even
greater sense of excitement as players set out to follow in
these hallowed footsteps for one of greatest prizes in golf. It’s
the first Major of the season and it’s when things start getting
really serious, so settling the nerves is paramount as players
look for a good tee shot down this long par 4. An elevated
tee, next to the famous Oak Tree at the back of the clubhouse,
plays to a fairly narrow fairway with a slight dogleg right.
There’s a big nasty fairway bunker to the right that needs to
be avoided but the big bombers can carry this with a drive of
320 yards. The second shot is brutal, playing onto a very tricky
elevated, multi-tiered green, with another huge bunker front
left waiting to swallow up any wayward approaches. It’s really
tough to get the ball close to the pin and par is a great score
for players to open their Masters challenge.
The Augusta National course was designed by famous architect Alister Mackenzie in collaboration with the legendary Bobby Jones (pictured in action above) who would hit shots from different spots to help Mackenzie (pictured right of Jones) calibrate the layout.
THE Golf Club formally opened in January 1933 whereupon Jones and co-founder Clifford Roberts immediately started talking about hosting an event in order to promote membership and improve Augusta National’s financial stability. The first ‘Augusta National Invitation Tournament’ was held in March 1934. Sadly, Mackenzie never got to witness it having passed away two months earlier. Prior to the second staging of the event the following year the decision was made to switch the nines, with the original front nine becoming what is now the back nine and vice versa. The tournament officially became known as ‘the Masters’ in 1939 with the name having been used unofficially for several years.
1932
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THE STARTER
1 Jack Nicklaus was written off as a spent force when he arrived at Augusta for the 1986 Masters aged 46. It was six years since he’d won his 17th Major at the US PGA
Championship at Oak Hill Country Club and two years since his last Tour victory of any description. Asked if he thought Nicklaus could win the Masters that year, Tom Kite, one of the stars of the day, said, ‘I don’t think he can win any tournament.’ Opening rounds of 74 and 71 seemed to confirm that theory but the Golden Bear showed his enduring class with a third round 69 to move to within four strokes of leaders Greg Norman and Seve Ballesteros before a scintillating final round of 65, which included a back nine of 30 saw him edge Kite and Norman by one. The image of Jack raising his putter to the air as his decisive 18-foot birdie putt on 17 drops is, in our opinion, the standout Masters moment in the history of the event.
Top 10 Masters Moments
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2 In 1997 a 21-year-old named Tiger Woods signalled his arrival on the world stage in astonishing fashion, winning his first Major
by a whopping 12 shots and setting records for the youngest winner, biggest winning margin and lowest aggregate score (270). Golf would never be the same again.
3 In 1980 Seve Ballesteros became the first European and at 23 years and four days old, the youngest ever winner of the Masters (Tiger Woods later broke the record in 1997) when he claimed the first of two Green Jackets by four strokes from Gibby Gilbert and Jack Newton.
4 In 1978 Gary Player was 42 and seven shots behind Hubert Green going into the final round. His last Major victory, the eighth of
his career had come four years earlier at The Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes and his final Grand Slam triumph was to prove the most unlikely and spectacular of them all. Playing along-side a 21-year-old Seve Ballesteros The Black Knight shot an outrageous back nine of 30 and birdied seven of the last 10 holes, including a 15-footer at the last, to win by one.
5 Tiger Woods was leading by one in 2005 when he pitched his second shot on the par 3 16th well above the hole before golf fans around the world watched the ball trickle slowly down towards the hole and then teeter for an eternity on the edge of the cup before dropping in. He bogeyed the next two holes
and fell into a play-off with Chris DiMarco, which he won to collect his fourth Green Jacket.
6 The most famous shot ever made at the Masters happened in 1935 when Gene Sarazen holed a four-wood approach from
235 yards out for an albatross on the par-five 15th hole.
7 Greg Norman, six shots clear of the field after the third round, is left heartbroken after a final round meltdown sees him close with a 78 as
the ultra-consistent Sir Nick Faldo shoots 67 to win by five shots in 1996.
8 Sandy Lyle in 1988 played one of the most iconic shots in Masters history when he struck a perfect seven iron out of a fairway bunker
on the 18th which landed just a few feet from the pin to set up a winning birdie for a one stroke win over Mark Calcavecchia.
9 In 1942 Byron Nelson triumphed in an 18-hole play-off considered one of the best of all time, beating Ben Hogan 69-70.
10 Phil Mickelson finally shed his ‘nearly man’ tag in 2004 when, in his 13th year on the US PGA Tour, he claimed
his first Major in his 12th appearance at the M asters. After a storming back nine of 31 he became only the fourth player in Masters history to win the title with the final putt when he sank an 18-footer on the 72nd hole to edge out Ernie Els by one.
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THE STARTER
The Masters is played in April for the first
time in 1940. Having been inaugurated by
Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts six years
earlier the tournament is initially played in
March but moves to the first week in April
in 1940 as Jimmy Demaret beats Lloyd
Mangrum by four strokes.
1940 APRIL MASTERS
THIS MONTH IN HISTORY
SANDY’S SUBLIME MOMENT IN THE SANDThe Scotsman recounts the unforgettable shot that won him the second of his two Majors at the 1988 Masters.
“I was just trying to hold it together. I’d had a bit of a letdown at the 11th and 12th holes, losing the lead to Mark Calcavecchia, and then failed to make birdies on both of the back nine’s par 5s, the 13th and 15th, when I’d had good chances but didn’t convert them. I was getting a little desperate by then. I thought, ‘Well that’s it, you’ve had your chance at 13 and 15 and you’ve not taken it.’ With the 16th, 17th and 18th coming up I thought if I could finish them in par I’d be doing quite nicely but little did I know I’d make a good putt on 16 from behind the hole for birdie and then the one on 18 that everyone remembers.”
Lyle is in the fairway bunker off the tee on 18
“Seven iron was the chosen weapon which was going to land probably past the pin, which it did, remarkably well. It landed past the pin by about six or seven yards and stayed on the bank there for what seemed like minutes. I was waiting for some sort of reaction from the crowd but nothing was happening and I thought, ‘Well it’s probably gone big at the back of the green somewhere.’ But then the crowd got more and more excited so I thought, ‘Well this is looking really good now.’ I imagined that the ball had run up cozy to about a foot from the hole and I could just walk up to the green, pull the pin out, tap it in and keep moving! But that wasn’t the case – I still had a fairly long putt to make but luckily I managed to knock it in.”
– Sandy Lyle
– Sandy Lyle
Bobby Jones (right) with Jimmy Demaret at the 1940
Masters presentation.
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OFFICIAL 2013 RACE TO DUBAI
THE 2013 RACE TO DUBAI RANKING AS AT MARCH 25, 2013
1 Richard STERNE RSA 6 €607,803
2 Charl SCHWARTZEL RSA 5 €593,015
3 Sergio GARCIA ESP 4 €572,344
4 Scott JAMIESON SCO 8 €525,497
5 Graeme MCDOWELL NIR 2 €521,517
6 Louis OOSTHUIZEN RSA 5 €489,645
7 Jamie DONALDSON WAL 5 €455,067
8 Kiradech APHIBARNRAT THA 2 €440,410
9 Thorbjørn OLESEN DEN 6 €433,918
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12 Chris WOOD ENG 6 €409,664
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15 Justin ROSE ENG 4 €394,999
16 George COETZEE RSA 7 €371,037
17 Branden GRACE RSA 8 €311,363
18 Alexander NOREN SWE 6 €310,212
19 Ricardo SANTOS POR 8 €284,050
20 Steve WEBSTER ENG 8 €272,028
21 Padraig HARRINGTON IRL 5 €269,954
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www wwgolf.biz 2www.wwgolf.biz 21
The Race to Dubai is a season-long competition spanning a minimum of 45 tournaments in 24 countries and all five continents on The 2013 European Tour
International Schedule. The Race to Dubai winner receives The Harry Vardon Trophy (first awarded in 1937), and a seven year European Tour Card exemption. The
winner of The Race to Dubai will secure Category 1 Membership of The European Tour similar to the winners of The Open Championship, the US Open, the US PGA
Championship and the Masters Tournament. The Bonus Pool will count as Official Money on the final Race to Dubai standings.
E X P L A N AT I O N O F T H E E U R O P E A N TO U R R A C E TO D U B A I 2 0 1 3
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I’M really looking forward to the Masters in a
couple of weeks’ time. This must be one of the
most intriguing Masters for many years and it’s
almost impossible to predict the winner. Mind
you I would never venture to say who I thought
would win the Masters.
Apart from the fact that there are a host of players
who have the ability to win the title, there is also ‘The
Masters Factor’ that has to be taken into account.
There’s something magical about the Masters. It’s a
tournament like no other. It has a special atmosphere
that is quite unique. Players seem to raise their game
when they get to Augusta, which means that their
form in the weeks before the tournament is no guide
whatsoever.
It’s hard to define why the ambience is so different
but it certainly has an amazing effect on the players.
They seem to rise to the occasion. When the bell rings
at Augusta you come out fighting.
Standing on the first tee at Augusta on Day One
you suddenly feel your spirits lift. I remember playing
in the 1978 Masters. Prior to Augusta I’d been playing
at Greensboro and one of the newspapers carried an
article headlined: ‘Gary Player is a Fading Star.’
My form had not been particularly good on the
run-up to the first Major of the season but the moment the bell rang and
I hit my first shot I came out fighting. I managed to beat Hubert Green,
Tom Watson and Rod Funseth by a single shot. It was my third Masters
title which came 17 years after my first Green Jacket. I don’t know what
that newspaper’s interpretation of a ‘Fading Star’ was but this so-called
‘fading star’ was shining bright, I set them alight, and I could tell them I
was quite right – Mohammed Ali couldn’t have put it any better.
Jack (Nicklaus) was a perfect example of a sportsman able to up his
game when it mattered most. He was a superstar who had that special
ingredient. He could hit the ball all over the place on the driving range
before a big tournament and then go and shoot the lights out when the
real action started. I often saw him do that. You can’t define what it is that
gives a player that special ‘IT’ but Jack had ‘IT.’
When I won the second of my three Open Championships, at
Carnoustie in 1968, I was missing something in my game. The night
before the tournament I was out on the driving range until ten in the
evening hitting balls when suddenly something clicked and I was back in
control.
When the bell went the next day at the start of the first round I came
out fighting, determined to win another Open and another Major – and I
beat my good friends Jack Nicklaus and Bob Charles by two shots. That’s
all down to the ‘IT’ factor.
At this month’s Masters, obviously, I’d love to see last year’s winner
Bubba Watson helping one of the South Africans put on the Green Jacket
on April 14. It would be ironic if the winner is Louis Oosthuizen, who
lost to Bubba on the second extra hole of a sudden-death play-off at
last year’s tournament with Watson’s amazing ‘banana’ rescue shot onto
the green. We’ve got a strong contingent of South Africans competing
with Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Charl Schwartzel, the
2011 Masters winner, 2008 Masters winner Trevor
Immelman, Richard Sterne, Brandon Grace and
George Coetzee all in contention.
R&A and USGA STAND STRONGI’M proud of the R&A and the USGA for sticking to
their guns with their proposed prohibition of long-
handled anchored putters – and I’m equally proud of
The European Tour for backing them.
The R&A and the USGA are responsible for
formulating and administering the Rules of Golf
and their role in the game should be respected by
everyone involved.
I’m shocked at the response of the US PGA Tour and
some of their members who believe that it should
be up to the individual player to decide what putter
he uses and not the Rules of the governing bodies of
golf.
Whichever way you want to look at it, the fact
is the same – using an anchored putter takes the
wrist action and the nerves out of the game and
diminishes the necessity of mind control. It’s a
tragedy that some of the players cannot accept the
importance the mind plays in golf.
I’ve seen all sorts of statistics about whether players using long-
handled anchored putters hole more putts than they did by using a
conventional putter. What is fundamentally wrong is that the anchored
long stick is the biggest helper there is to those players who don’t have
the nerve and mind control to putt consistently.
CAN I SHOOT 20 BELOW MY AGE IN SWITZERLANDI’M looking forward to playing the Bad Ragaz PGA Seniors Open in
Switzerland in July on the European Senior Tour. I’m aiming on shooting
below my age by 20 and beating the 15 I achieved last year. I guess it’s
true that the older I get, the easier it becomes. Golf Club Bad Ragaz is in a
spectacular setting in the Swiss Alps and it will be good to meet up with
so many good friends on the Senior Tour.
I appreciate that tournament sponsorship is tight for all the tours these
days but I don’t think that prospective sponsors of the Senior Tours are
fully aware of the enormous benefits they receive by supporting a Senior
event.
The standard of play is almost as high as the regular tours and Senior
Tour players are much more amenable than players on the regular Tours
and they certainly know how to look after the sponsors. The Senior
players are happy to play in the Pro-Ams and have a laugh and a joke
with the sponsors, help them with their game and generally create an
enjoyable, memorable atmosphere for them.
They’ll have breakfast and dinner with them and make the whole
experience a special occasion. If I wanted to look after my customers and
clients I’d certainly choose to sponsor a Senior event.
GARY PLAYER
Tom Watson, the 1977 Masters champion, pictured with Gary Player at the 1978 Masters presentation,
after helping Gary on with the Green Jacket. Watson, Green and Funseth shared second place.
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HELPING HAND BACK HOMEIT’S an exciting time for me at home on the farm in South Africa at
the moment. The horses are doing well and there are a lot of new
developments going on. I had a wonderful experience last month when
a young man came to see me on his way back home from playing in a
tournament at Fancourt.
He was distraught with his game, having shot a final round 78. He
spent the entire day with me. I helped him with his game and I changed
his golf swing and his attitude. He played in a tournament the following
week and he earned 1.2million rand in prizemoney. He couldn’t have
been more pleased. He rang me to tell me what had happened and his
father also rang me to thank me for what I had done to help. I got a real
kick out of that.
VOLVO SHOWCASE ONE OF MY GREATEST DESIGNS THRACIAN CLIFFS Golf and Beach Resort at Kavarna, Bulgaria, will be an
excellent venue for this year’s Volvo World Match Play Championship on
May 16-19.
I have a soft spot for the World Match Play, having won the
Championship five times in the 1960s and ‘70s when it was played at the
Wentworth Club in Surrey – my home from home in England. That set the
record until Ernie Els went on to win it seven times.
Thracian Cliffs is one of the finest golf courses I have designed. It’s in a
magnificent, spectacular setting overlooking the Black Sea and an event
as prestigious as the Volvo World Match Play Championship will certainly
put the Resort on the world golf map.
At this month’s Masters, obviously, I’d love to see last year’s winner Bubba Watson helping one of the South Africans put on the Green Jacket on April 14. It would be ironic if the winner is Louis Oosthuizen, who lost to Bubba on the second extra hole of a sudden-death play-off at last year’s tournament with that amazing ‘banana’ rescue shot onto the green.
South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel led the way by winning the Masters in 2011 and the number of world class players in the field this year
has never been stronger.
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GREG NORMANLAST month, I had the pleasure of
travelling to China to announce my
role as the Advisory Coach for the
China Golf Association as part of
their bid to have China represented at the
Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
In many ways, the invitation for me to play
this role is the culmination of my 35 year
career in golf. Not only am I able to draw from
my experiences as a Touring Professional, but
also my experience in junior development.
My golf foundation in Australia dates back
to the late 1980s and my more recent
development of the Greg Norman Champions
Golf Academy here in the United States has
given me a great deal of experience.
Like many things, the gestation period
on this partnership has taken some time,
but the conversations with Minister Xaio
Tian and Zhang Xiaoning of the China Golf
Association really started to take shape last
September when I met with them to discuss
China’s National Golf Team and their current
development programme.
As we all know, China is fully committed
to the Olympic movement and their
commitment to golf is equally impressive.
In a relatively short period of time, they’ve
made great strides, but in my initial
meetings, we both identified some areas for
improvement, in particular with hands-on,
practical Tournament experience. As part
of my role, I’ll be evaluating and improving
upon their programmes and dropping in
several instructors from the United States and
Australia. I’ve been given the latitude to make
some meaningful contributions, which I look
forward to.
Not many people fully understand the
criteria for Olympic qualification. In fact, the
International Olympic Committee will be
voting on the final criteria towards the end
of this year. But, in essence, it’s an individual
competition, over 72 holes, with qualifiers
coming off the World Ranking.
The field size for both the men’s and
women’s competition will be 60, starting
with the top 15 players in the world, with no
more than two or three from any one country.
While this qualifying system is being fine-
tuned, I think it does a good job of featuring
the best players in the world, together with
geographic diversity. At present, China is on
the bubble with one qualifier for the men’s
competition. Interestingly enough, China has
greater depth for the women’s competition.
Over the next year or two I’ll be working
with the China National Team on a broad-
based programme, but as the Olympic
criteria becomes better defined and we see
what players show the greatest potential for
qualifying through the World Ranking, I will
then shift gears to work more closely with
the players who have the best chance of
qualifying.
Of course, all of this is a strong
endorsement for China as an emerging
golf market. As I’ve said, the East may well
take over the West, which we’ve already
witnessed in recent years on the LPGA
Tour. As an industry, it’s important that we
nurture emerging markets for our sport
and I’m one of many who see this as a
wonderful opportunity to grow the game of
golf. I’m honoured to have been given this
opportunity to play a small role in the creation
of what I’m sure will be a very sustainable and
vibrant golf market.
Not many people fully understand the criteria for Olympic qualification. In fact, the International Olympic Committee will be voting on the final criteria towards the end of this year. But, in essence, it’s an individual competition, over 72 holes, with qualifiers coming off the World Ranking.
www.wwgolf.biz 27
AS the second week in April fast approaches, I can’t wait for the
first Major of the year. I’m heading to Augusta where I will be
working with some of my corporate partners for a few days and
I look forward to spending some time there.
This year has already produced some great winners on the US
PGA Tour, including Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Dustin Johnson
and Brandt Snedeker. So far, every event on the US PGA Tour up
through the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship at
Doral has been won by an American.
Given Tiger’s victory there, and his win earlier this year at the
Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, you would have to
count him as an early favourite to win the Masters. I also like Phil
Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker’s chances as they both have
incredible short games and they have both shown good form so
far this year.
If Rory can carry the momentum of his final round 65 at Doral
through to his next start at the Houston Open and he plays well
there, then he jumps right back into the picture and we may see
our first non-American winner on the US PGA Tour this year. While
Rory hasn’t quite gotten off to the start he would like, his closing
round in the WGC-Cadillac Championship indicates to me that his
game might be peaking at just the right time. And as we all know,
that is the key to winning Majors.
My two dark horses to win would be Adam Scott and
Charl Schwartzel. Adam came so close last year at The Open
Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes and I firmly believe
that he is ready to take the next step and win his first Major. I
believe it’s just a matter of time.
Charl has been playing much better recently and he has proven
that he can win at Augusta so he has a level of comfort there. As
I have said before, the Masters is special, it’s just pure golf. There
are no corporate tents. It’s not a commercial event and the golf
course is hallowed ground. As usual, it should shape up to be a
very exciting tournament.
Given Tiger’s victory there (Doral), and his victory earlier this year at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, you would have to count him as an early favourite to win The Masters. I also like Phil Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker’s chances as they both have incredible short games and have both shown good form this year.
It’s hard to believe that Tiger last put on the
Green Jacket in 2005. But his form leading into the Masters shows he’s focused on getting his
hands on another.
2004 Masters champion Phil Mickelson helps Tiger on with his
fourth Green Jacket in 2005.
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PETE COWENA lot of people ask me why certain smaller guys can hit the ball further than some bigger, more muscular players. Rory McIlroy can hit the ball a long way but he’s only 11 stone or more wet through and around 5 ft 9 inches tall. It depends entirely how a player uses his muscle mass. A muscle can be very quick for a little guy and not as quick for a bigger player.
WITH almost all my players now playing
in the States I’m having to spend
more and more time over there
working with them. Sadly, there aren’t
enough big tournaments in Europe at the
moment to entice the players to come over here
to play. Yet if I were a player I’d be playing on The
European Tour because it’s a lot easier to get into
the top 50 in the World Ranking by playing The
European Tour than playing the US PGA Tour.
The other downside for the Europeans is that
because the Americans have played on the US
PGA Tour year in, year out, they know the golf
courses like the back of their hand. That gives
them a big advantage over our boys. Our
guys haven’t learned their way round many of
the courses and it might take them a couple
of years or so before they get to know the
courses well enough to be able to compete on
equal terms with the Americans.
The competition on the US PGA Tour is fierce.
They’ve got so many good players coming to
the fore that it’s tougher than ever for our boys to
win in the States. Like it or not, the US PGA Tour
has got prominence over The European Tour right
now.
I fully appreciate why the big name European
players have moved to the States. It’s where all the
action is. I’d do the same as my players have done
and move to America but my wife wouldn’t hear of
it. I was offered a good position over in the States
many years ago but the family wouldn’t move. That
was the end of it. I know when I can win but I wasn’t
going to win that argument.
I’ve been working with GMAC and he played
really well at Doral but his putting let him down.
He told me he’d have won it if his putting had been
better. He missed out on the money and the World
Ranking points. That double bogey six at the last was
very costly for him, although he did the right thing
in going for birdie, which would
have given him a share of second
place with Steve Stricker. There’s
more to be gained by going for
birdie than by settling for bogey. In
the end he had to take a tie for third
place and a big drop in money and
Ranking points.
A lot of people ask me why certain smaller
guys can hit the ball further than some bigger,
more muscular players. Obviously, a lot of players are
hitting the ball further than ever before but not all of
them can work it as well as they should.
Rory McIlroy can hit the ball a long way but he’s only
around 11 stone or more wet through and about 5 ft 9 inches
tall. It depends entirely how a player uses his muscle mass. A
muscle can be very quick for a little guy and not as quick for a
bigger player.
It’s a bit like a boxer. It’s not the fact that he can punch harder
because he’s got huge muscle mass it’s because his muscles can
move faster, delivering more power. It’s the same with golfers.
They can hit the ball further simply because their muscles can
move quicker and the speed gets greater and greater. It’s all
to do with the physiology. The speed of the muscle mass is
what matters, not the muscle mass itself.
THE MASTERSI’ve always believed that the secret of a player’s success
at the Masters is to play to your strengths. You don’t have
to be a big hitter and turn all the par-5s into par-4s to
succeed. When Mike Weir won the Masters in 2003 he laid
up on all the par-5s and wherever he thought it necessary.
He put his trust in his wedge play.
You’ve got to understand exactly what your strengths
are and play to them to do well at Augusta National. If you
can do that you’ve got a chance of being in contention.
If you hit it well and putt well then you’ll do all right. Great
chippers always seem to succeed at Augusta. If you look back
at the Masters winners over the past 30 years or so you won’t
find one who’s not a good chipper - they’re all good chippers.
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As far as who is going to win this month’s Masters, Rory McIlroy won’t
be far away. You’ve got to remember, he’s only played a handful of
tournaments so far this season and it takes playing competitive golf to
get you tournament sharp.
In Rory’s case he’s also got to get confident with his new
equipment. It can take a while. Some players get a result straight away,
others take a little longer. If you don’t get confident with your new
clubs immediately the Press are always going to say you’re not playing
well because you’ve got a problem with your equipment change. It’s
not the equipment that’s the problem, it’s getting the confidence of
using it. If Rory can shoot 65 round Doral, as he did in the final round,
then he knows there really can’t be much wrong with getting used to
his new equipment.
After my players, one guy I’d like to see win the Masters is Adam
Scott. He deserves it. He was runner-up with fellow Australian Jason
Day behind Charl Schwartzel in the 2011 Masters. He’s leading the par-
5 stats on the US PGA Tour and I think he’s got a really good chance
this time. Geoff Ogilvie is another Aussie who is showing some good
form and could be an outside chance.
Charl is playing well, too, but I expect the favourite has to be Tiger
Woods, along with Steve Stricker, who is limiting the number of
tournaments he plays.
I had four players in the top 12 at last year’s Masters – Louis
Oosthuizen, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Lee
Westwood – and they’ve all got a good chance of winning, although
Lee is no longer one of my boys. Louis is good enough to win any
tournament. But right now he’s got a lot on his plate. He and his wife
have got two youngsters and another child is on the way. He’s decided
to spend more time in the United States and they’ve just moved into
a house in West Palm Beach. It’s difficult when you’ve got so much
going on off the course to keep your focus on the course.
Apart from the big names it could be a lesser known US PGA Tour
player who walks away in the Green Jacket. There are so many up-
and-coming players who are making their mark. They’re fearless and
they won’t be frightened by the aura of Augusta. Don’t be surprised if
you’ve never even heard of this year’s Masters winner.
One of the least desirable aspects of our game is that so many guys
follow the money. Sometimes they can’t see the bigger picture. They
tend to go where the money takes them.
If a player I’m coaching tells me he’s just in it for the money that’s
one thing. If a player tells me they want to be the best in the world
that’s something else. Some players just can’t resist the opportunity to
go for big money tournaments instead of thinking of the progression
and improvement of their career. Certainly, their management
companies are not going to persuade their players to turn it down.
Management companies take 20 per cent of their players’ earnings
so, obviously, they’re going to encourage them to go where the
money is. But money isn’t everything in this game. If a player is able
to concentrate on becoming a better player long-term then he’s
more likely to succeed than a player who can only see the short-term
financial gains. Overall, it’s the player who wants to be the best who
usually ends up winning the most money anyway.
I’ve been working with GMAC and he played really well at Doral but his putting let him down. He told me he’d have won it if his putting had been better. He missed out on the money and the World Ranking points. That double bogey six at the last was very costly for him, although he did the right thing in going for birdie, which would have given him a share of second place with Steve Stricker. There’s more to be gained by going for birdie than by settling for bogey.
www.wwgolf.biz 31
Major change
LEE WESTWOOD talks exclusively to Richard Bevan about his move to the United States which he hopes will pay dividends in his search for that long overdue Major title starting with this month’s Masters Tournament. AS a down to earth no-nonsense
Englishman Lee Westwood isn’t someone
you’d traditionally associate with change.
He knows what he likes and he likes what
he knows. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. You
get the picture…
FOR practically his entire professional career
Lee has been guided by the larger than life
Chubby Chandler and his International Sports
Management company. The responsibility
of honing his much-admired swing had
long been the task of Pete Cowen. While
increasingly outrageous sums of money
dangled in front of them many of his peers
have jumped ship from one equipment
manufacturer to another, but Westy has
steadfastly stayed loyal to Ping since day one.
Such consistency has served him well as
37 international tournament victories, two
European money list titles, eight Ryder Cup
appearances and a six month stint as World
No.1 bear testament to his long-term success.
Sure, he’s had his dark periods. After ending
Colin Montgomerie’s seven-year reign at the
top of the European Tour Order of Merit in
2000, Westwood suffered a two-year slump
of epic proportions, dropping outside the
top 200 in the World Rankings. Then, after a
mini-revival, there was another dip in 2004
and 2006, before he turned it around again
and rose to win the inaugural Race to Dubai
and DP World Tour Championship in 2009,
before knocking Tiger Woods off the top of
the World Ranking the following year. But
whenever times have been tough, rather than
making dramatic changes, Westwood has
taken solace from the familiarity of those ever-
presents in his career. Whether it be words of
comfort and encouragement from Chubby,
back to swing basics with Pete or the support
of his family and friends in Worksop, Lee has
gained strength from having this same solid,
dependable and trusted team of people
around him.
So it came as something of a surprise to
many in the game when the 39-year-old
opted to up sticks and move with wife Laurae
and kids Sam and Poppy, to Palm Beach in
Florida. Despite achieving more than most
golfers of his generation Westwood is yet to
claim the Major his talent so richly deserves.
He’s had several near misses and the next
five years are crucial for a player very much
into his prime. So the move is geared towards
putting that right. He finished runner-up
in the Masters two years ago and with the
benefit of a full winter practicing in the sun at
Old Palm Beach Golf Club under his belt, he’s
relishing a return to Augusta this month.
WWG: How are you enjoying living in the
states and how has the move benefited your
game?
LW: To be honest, the entire family is loving
it, particularly as we’re guaranteed mostly
excellent weather for pretty much the
whole year. The thing I’ve benefitted most
from is being able to practice whenever I
want and not to have to don eight layers of
clothing before going out.
WWG: What prompted you to move after so
long in the UK?
LW: It was one of those things we’d
been thinking about for quite some time.
Eventually, it just seemed the right move at
the right time for all of us so we made the
commitment and we haven’t looked back
since. I knew that it was the right move
for my career and once I knew the family
were on board with it, too, it was full steam
ahead.
WWG: While the move will obviously benefit
you on American courses is there a danger
of it hampering you on European and links
courses?
LW: I wouldn’t think so. I’ve played on
European Tour courses all over the world
long enough and often enough. As Seve
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although I’m a big Knicks fan, I like
watching all the best players.
WWG: How is your game feeling at the
moment ahead of the Masters and are you
confident? Have you been working on
anything in particular?
LW: I’m relatively happy with the way
I’m swinging so it’s just a case of keeping
everything up to speed. The better
weather has definitely helped my short
game so hopefully everything will come
together as we head for Augusta.
WWG: What is the key to success at the
Masters and how do you prepare your
game for that tournament?
LW: The key to Augusta is much the same
as anywhere else – keep it in the fairway
and find the greens and hope your short
game is up to it because you definitely
need a good short game at Augusta.
once said: ‘A golfer has to be able to play
on any course, eat at any table and sleep
in any bed.’
WWG: You’re a down to earth Englishman,
how do you find the ‘super polite’ customer
service in the US – do you like it or does it
get on your nerves?
LW: I haven’t found anything that’s got
on my nerves too much so far and the
service in America is second to none.
There isn’t much in Palm Beach you can’t
get.
WWG: Ian Poulter has settled into the
American way of life quite well as far as
following local sports teams etc – have you
and your kids done the same?
LW: I’ve followed a variety of American
sport for many years and not just since
I’ve moved to America. Basketball is
probably my favourite US sport and
WWG: How does the Masters differ from
the other US Majors and is it one you feel
your game is suited to?
LW: I think my game suits most courses,
but Augusta is unique. It’s such a special
place and a much more undulating
course than you normally find in America.
The greens are also very tricky, especially
if you’re on the wrong side of the flag. It
does test every aspect of your game.
WWG: Does the ‘best player never to have
won a Major’ tag create extra pressure for
you when you tee it up in a Major or is it
something you pay no attention to?
LW: It’s something I don’t think too much
about and I know there are plenty of
contenders for that title anyway. There’s
always pressure whatever the event so it’s
important not to make too much of the
ones that have a Major title to them. You
just hope to have your best game with
you and let the rest take care of itself.
WWG: Where does your win at the
inaugural Dubai World Championship rate
among your career achievements?
LW: It was a very special tournament
and an extra special win given that it
sealed everything on The Race to Dubai.
I have many happy memories of Dubai
and that was probably the biggest.
WWG: Rory McIlroy’s move to Nike has
attracted a great deal of attention lately,
why have you stuck with Ping for so long
when so many of the big name players
have switched manufacturers?
LW: Ping have been very good to me
throughout my career. I like their product
and I’ve never seen any reason to switch.
WWG: What advice can you give amateurs
who are struggling for distance off the tee?
LW: Concentrate more on swinging
smoothly than trying to knock the case
off the ball and you’ll be surprised how
much further you hit it.
WWG: What do you miss most about not
living in the UK?
LW: My parents, cricket and the Daily
Mail crossword.
Lee Westwood
Lee pictured with his wife, Laurae, and children Sam and Poppy during the Par 3 Contest prior to the 2011 Masters.
Despite ending Colin Montgomerie’s seven-year
reign at the top of the Order of Merit with six victories on
The European Tour, Westy struggles at Augusta and
misses the cut.
Lee Westwood takes on the daunting challenge of the18th tee shot at Augusta National during the practice round at the Masters Tournament last year.
After a solid season in 1996
Tour title Westwood makes his Masters debut in 1997 and
Misses the Masters after taking a break from the game following the birth of son Samuel Bevan.
Having fallen down the World Ranking, eventually
dropping outside the top 200, Westy is ineligible for
the Masters.
Posts his best result in the tournament by taking the runner-up spot, three shots behind winner Phil Mickelson.
Finishes two shots back from winner Bubba
Watson and runner-up Louis Oosthuizen in a
share of third place.
1997 2000 2001 2003 2010 2010
OH yes, it’s april and it’s Masters time again. There’s no bigger buzz in golf quite like this one. We all feel it – players and fans alike. Not just because it’s the first Major of the year and the time and place where the season really moves into top gear. Not just because the list of past winners is a Who’s Who of just about every bona fide legend ever to play this beautifully frustrating game we all love. Not just because the super-tough qualifying criteria and relatively small field guarantee players of the highest calibre playing golf that is, at times, bewitching in its quality and creativity. But because the return of this great event to the same venue every year since its inception in 1934 means that golfers and golf fans alike have iconic images of the picture book setting that is Augusta National etched into their mind’s eye more vividly than those of any other course in the world. The perfectly manicured fairways and maze-like greens; tall Georgia pine trees and blooming azaleas; Magnolia Lane; the old plantation clubhouse; the Crow’s Nest; The Big Oak Tree; Rae’s Creek; Amen Corner; caddies in white boiler suits; The Big Three – Jack, Arnie and Player on the first tee…
Yes, this is more than just a Major. This is the Masters.
THE MASTERSPREVIEW
TIGER WOODSTHERE’S no denying it – he’s got the smile back on his face, helped in no small part by a certain Olympic champion skier no doubt, and with victories on the sprawling layouts of Torrey Pines and Doral’s Blue Monster already under his belt this season the World No.2 is back in business and perfectly poised for an assault on his fifth Green Jacket and his first since 2005.
Pros: Woods is that rare breed who has great length off the tee and a sub-lime short game to go with it, which is why he’s won this tournament more than any other player in the modern era and is second, along with Arnold Palmer, only to the great Jack Nicklaus (six) in the all time victories list with four.
Cons: He’s not won a Major since 2008 and despite having memories from 14 previous Grand Slam wins to help him through, the pressure could derail the former World No.1 if things start getting tough.
RORY McILROYHis performance in the WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral and in particular his scintillating closing round of 65 that fired him into the top 10 hinted that the first green shoots of recovery were starting to show in his game as he comes to terms with the pressure of being World No.1 and golf’s new super-power as well his multi-million dollar equipment switch.
Pros: Like Woods, his power and short game precision as well as his shot shaping are perfectly suited to Augusta and he showed in 2011, for 54 holes at least, that he has the eye to plot his way around the course perfectly.
Cons: Woeful start to the season – two missed cuts and a mid-tournament walk-off prior to Doral means the jury is still out on whether he’s comfortable with his game. The bright light of the spotlight could burn him especially with the spectre of his collapse two years ago lurking in the shadows.
JUSTIN ROSERose is playing the best golf of his career right now and looks to have picked up where he left off last season, with some great results already under his belt on both The European Tour and US PGA Tour. He’s fully deserving of his World No.5 ranking having finally established himself as the world-class performer we all thought he’d become last year. He’s never missed a cut in the Masters and was eighth last year, with his best result a fifth place finish in 2007.
Pros: He’s got the ability to do well at Augusta and his performance at last year’s Ryder Cup proved he also now has the confidence and ‘big game’ temperament’ to withstand the pressure cooker.
Con: Not really been tested in the heat of the battle for a Major on Sunday and it remains to be seen if his putting will hold up.
LUKE DONALDAn unrivalled short game makes up for Donald’s lack of length at Augusta, as does his wonderful golfing brain, although he needs to be in the finest fettle as he’ll be playing longer irons into the lightening quick greens making it tougher to hold the ball on the dance floor. The lack of a Major on the former World No.1’s CV is as baffling to him as it is to everyone else but surely it’s just a matter of time before he puts that right?
Pros: He’s Mr. Calm under pressure and has the short game to contend with Augusta’s difficult greens.
Cons: Oddly enough, Donald hasn’t ever really contended on the final day of a Major and the Masters tournament can see even the coolest players wilt under the pressure. Also Luke’s lack of length off the tee could count against him if his short game isn’t 100 per cent accurate..
THE common notion is that in order to triumph on Augusta National’s 7,435 yards you have to be a big hitter and while there are some
notable exceptions to that view – Larry Mize, Gary Player, Mark O’Meara, José Maria Olazábal, Mike Weir, Zach Johnson – it’s true that the
vast majority of Masters Champions have been able to pack a hearty punch off the tee. But with ludicrously quick, tricky, multi-tiered greens
and some devilish pin positions, a top notch short game is what really counts and while a longer drive will leave players a better chance of
a birdie with a shorter iron onto the dance floor cute course management is also required if players are to get the better of this teasing risk
and reward course. As Rory McIlroy found out in 2011 Augusta will eat you up if you push too hard at the wrong time.
Who’d look good in green?
THE MASTERS PREVIEW
BRANDT SNEDEKERHis career has been on an upward trajectory since winning the US PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Award in 2007. Pulled up trees last year, winning the Farmers Insurance Open and the Tour Championship to win the FedExCup. Started in the same vein this season, winning at Pebble Beach and racking up three top threes before a rib injury forced him to take a five-week lay-off. Was the undisputed ‘hottest player on Tour’ in the US before Woods stole the title in his absence.
Pros: Probably the best putter in the world right now which will be crucial at Augusta, especially for someone who isn’t the longest off the tee and will be playing longer irons into the greens.
Cons: In the two previous occasions that he’s been in contention heading into Sunday at a Major he’s failed to deliver when it counts, shooting a 77 in the 2008 Masters and a 74 in last year’s Open Championship.
ADAM SCOTTProbably the most consistent player the world in the Majors over the past couple of years and one of the bigger hitters on Tour, Augusta was the first place Scott re-ally contended on a Grand Slam Sunday when he signed for a 67 in 2011 but then watched as Charl Schwartzel birdied the last four holes to win by two. Famously had The Open Championship in his grasp last year until a horrific collapse handed it to Ernie Els. Scott’s short game is looking strong, helped by his controversial use of the anchored long-handled putter, and he’s in good form with two top 10s including a share of third place at Doral where he shot 68-64 over the weekend.
Pros: One of the best score builders in the game, his excellent course management will be crucial at Augusta. He’s also leading the par-5 scoring charts on Tour this year, which as our stat boffins have shown, could be the key to victory.
Cons: As Rory knows all too well, Augusta is no place to be when in contention on Sunday if there’s even the slightest doubt in your mind as the demons of last year’s Open Championship meltdown could prove too strong.
PHIL MICKELSONBig Phil and Augusta go together like bacon and egg. It was the scene of his long-overdue first Major triumph in 2004 and he looked mighty comfortable slipping into two more Green Jackets since then (2006, 2010). He knows how to play the course, he’s got the creativity and vision to get out of trouble (remember that audacious shot from the trees in 2010?) and his legendary short game is tailor-made for this tournament. Lefty’s in great form with a tied thrid finish at Doral and victory in Phoenix already under his belt.
Pros: Augusta is his home away from home and he’s cracked the code of how to succeed there. As for his short game…need we say more?
Cons: He does have a habit of going from the sublime to the ridiculous – they don’t call him Phil The Thrill for nothing and inconsistency could prove his Achilles heel again.
LOUIS OOSTHUIZENProbably only second to Rory McIlroy as the most naturally gifted player of the current crop of rising superstars in the world game, Louis produced one of the classic Masters moments with the first albatross ever recorded on the second hole in last year’s final round. Would have been the man of the moment had it not been for winner Bubba Watson’s flabbergasting antics in the play-off.
Pros: Showed he’s got the game and the temperament for the biggest of stages by winning The 2010 Open Championship at a canter before narrowly missing out at Augusta last year to a moment of Bubba brilliance.
Cons: Like Westwood he’s recently moved his young family to the US and has plenty of distractions around his game at the moment which has been reflected by some patchy form since winning the Volvo Golf Champions in January.
FIVE STAR QUALITYThe four par-5s at Augusta are crucial to a player’s chances of donning the Green Jacket come Sunday. Bobby Jones and Alistair McKenzie designed the 575-yard second, the 570-yard eighth, the 510-yard 13th and the 530-yard 15th as classic risk-reward holes. The opportunity for birdie is there on all of them but if you push too hard, they can eat you up. “Augusta National definitely has the best risk-reward of any set of par-5 holes,” said four-time winner Tiger Woods. “There’s no other group of par-5s where you can make a three or, just as easily, a seven.”
The ability to outsmart their opponents on these holes has proved a decisive feature of a startling number of Masters champions. In the 70 tournaments from which statistics are available the winner has led the par-5 scoring table on 18 occasions and been in the top five 27 times, including last year’s champion, Bubba Watson, who shared third place on the long holes with nine birdies over the four rounds. Only 10 times has the victor finished outside the top 15 on the par-5s.
PHIL MICKELSONI love the Masters because…“It’s the most exciting week of the year. It’s what I’ve dreamed of ever since I was a kid. It gives us players something to strive for – an event that we’re ex-cited just to be in the field. Augusta National is a course that I’ve just come to love and appreciate and a course where I’ve played some of my best golf at. It’s a golf course that I feel I don’t have to be perfect on and can still salvage pars and even make some birdies. It requires the ability to decide when to go for it and when not to. There are opportunities on every hole to make birdie and there are opportunities to make double or worse. Being able to pick your spots on which holes to attack and which holes to play to a certain spot where you can get up and down and make par is I think the biggest part of winning the Masters.”
The Green JacketTHE tradition of the Green Jacket began in 1937 when members of Augusta National Golf Club were encouraged to wear them so that spectators at the early Masters Tournaments could easily recognise the players. The jackets soon became a symbol of membership at the exclusive club but it wasn’t until Sam Snead won the first of his three Masters titles in 1949 that the tradition of presenting the Green Jacket to the winner began. Champions are allowed to take the jacket home for the first year after their victory, after which it must be returned to the club for them to wear whenever they visit. Organisers have several jackets of different sizes ready in anticipation of the winner on the Sunday and after close of play, measurements of the champion are rushed to the pro-shop where one is made to their exact specifications.
Tip: Luke Donald is going about this season
under the radar but I think he’s coming into
some good form so he’s who I’m hoping will
break his Major duck.
Outsider choice. The South Africans are
playing well so I’ll go for George Coetzee.
Alan WhiteWorldwide Golf Reader
Tip: Phil Mickelson. He is playing well, and
putting better. Butch has him ready.
Outside choice. I’d like to see Fred Couples up
there in one of the last 3 groups on Sunday.
Mark ChapleskiArea Managing Director/
Vice-President
Troon Golf Middle East
Tip: Tiger’s confidence is returning and it is
almost 5 years since his last Major win,which
is a long time for a player of Tiger’s ability…
the law of averages says he has to win one
again soon!
Outside choice. Ian Poulter has a good
record at Augusta and confidence is never
an issue!
Christopher MayDubai Golf Chief Executive Officer
Tip: Snedeker – seems to be the all-round
package. Back from 5 week layoff due to
injury but recent winner of ATT at Pebble.
Tied 19th last year, tied 15th 2011 – Fed
ExCup winner and due a Green Jacket.
Outside choice. Branden Grace – first
Masters, an exciting talent who would love
to follow in Schwartzel and Immelmen’s
footsteps.
Chris WhiteGeneral Manager
Yas Links / Aldar Golf
Tip: Justin Rose has three top ten finishes
already this year; never missed a cut at
Augusta and has finished in the top 10 the
last two years.
Outside choice. Fred Couples. He’s has also
finished in the top 20 the last three years
at The Masters.
D. J. FlandersGeneral Manager, The Royal
Golf Club, Bahrain
Tip: Tiger Woods…in form and really
understands how to play well and win at
Augusta.
Outside choice. Thorbjorn Olessen – long,
good short game and fearless!
Wayne JohnsonDirector of Instruction PGA,
Jumeirah Golf Estates
TOP TIPS
www.wwgolf.biz40
Caddies Who Carry the Can
TRAVIS WILSONTRAVIS WILSON has got to be one of the most laid back, easy-going caddies in the game. His modest personality belies the fact
that he has helped his ‘player’ Stacy Lewis all the way to the No.1 spot on the LPGA Tour with recent victories at the HSBC Women’s
Champions in Singapore and the LPGA Founders Cup in Arizona. His efforts brought him the well deserved accolade of HSBC
Women’s Champions Caddy of the Year and there could not have been a more popular winner. Lewis, a four-time winner on the
LPGA Tour in the 2012 season and the only American and non-Asian player after Cristie Kerr to top the World Ranking, commented:
“I think Travis is a pretty good caddie and when you find a good one you just don’t let him go.”
Mike Gallemore talks to the likeable Travis about his bizarre introduction into becoming a caddie and the remarkable success he has
enjoyed since.
WWG: How did you first get into golf?
TW: I started playing at our local course at
Perry County CC, in Ohio, when I was 8 years
old. My whole family played golf and I thought
that everybody else in the world did, too! I still
live only a few miles from there now. Just
about everyone in the family played. My
grandfather, Joe Wilson, taught me so much
about the game. My father, Dave, and
uncle, Mike, were both good players who won
multiple club championships, along with my
mother, Toni.
WWG: Did you have any desires to be a
professional golfer when you were growing
up?
TW: Not really – I knew that wasn’t going to
happen. Playing in college was the highest I
went. A handicap of around 12 or maybe a bit
better was the lowest I got. I can shoot even
par when I get off the road and play a round
with my buddies every now and then but
I never really track the handicap. I just play for
fun.
WWG: How did you get into caddying?
TW: It was through my mother’s sister, Tammie
Green, who played professionally on the Tour. It
was kind of weird. I took off for a summer break
after my first year at college and she needed
someone to fill in as a bagman for a week. It
was only meant to be one week. We drove up
to New York and met with her coach and she
told me what I had to do out there. I’d caddied
for my dad and stuff like that but only for fun -
it wasn’t at the same level.
WWG: How did it work out, caddying in a
Tour event?
TW: At the tournament I learned a few things
about her swing from her coach – basic sort of
set up stuff. Then my aunt said: ‘I’ve gotta go
get some yardage books, just hang around
here by the putting green.’ She comes back out
www.wwgolf.biz 41
and I’ve got the putter out, smashing balls
across the green. She said, ‘What are you trying
to do, get me fined on your first day as a
caddie?’ I said, ‘Ah, well, I was just seeing how
fast the greens are rolling!’ Somehow we ended
up finishing seventh in that event.
WWG: Where did you go from there?
TW: After the tournament her usual caddie
wasn’t happy about getting the week off so he
quit. Tammie said she needed a caddie for the
following week in Michigan so I said, ‘Yeah I
guess I can do that one, too!’ We came in
second there. She was desperate to get
another caddie for the LPGA Championship (a
Major) that was coming up but she couldn’t
find one. So I did that, too, and we finished
fourth. She asked me to do the next week
in Rochester as well - and we won! It kind of
just went from there.
WWG: Was it then that you were resigned to
becoming a full time caddie?
TW: When we’d won I’d pretty much got the
grass between my toes at that point. I really
didn’t understand it all but it just kind of
happened. I remember coming up the
18th about to win that first tournament. I must
have had a pretty serious look on my face and
my aunt said, ‘Hey, smile and enjoy this,
it doesn’t happen every week!’ I guess at the
age of 20 I was kind of naïve. In my head I was
thinking, ‘Well you’ve won this week, why
doesn’t it happen every week – it should!’ I
thought it was easy! Fourteen of the first 18
starts we had were top 10s. It wasn’t because I
was a great caddie. It was because she was a
great a player. It was because I was so new to
being a caddie, it made her concentrate more
on what she was doing in the process of hitting
shots.
WWG: What sort of caddie-player
relationship did you have with your aunt?
TW: It was a very natural, easy-going
relationship. We knew from day one we could
always count on one another. When I first
started as her caddie she had to think more! I
reckon that’s what made it click – that and the
fact that we were very close. We were really
tight growing up. She was the youngest of my
aunts and uncles and I was the oldest of the
grandkids so we were only like 11 years apart.
She used to babysit me and I remember really
looking forward to her coming back to the
farm because my family all live within about
two miles of each other. Tammie taught me so
much about pro golf and how to play
tournaments. I managed to get two educations
– college and caddying.
WWG: Did she acknowledge the role you
played in that early success?
TW: Yes, of course. But I was just out there
carrying the bag and cracking jokes – I didn’t
really do a whole lot. I mean, I could read putts
OK – I remember doing that right from the start
– but I didn’t do that much. Whatever I did
definitely worked. We were together 12 years
and to be with someone for that long is saying
something.
WWG: Did you look for another player after
your Aunt retired?
TW: When Tammie finished, I worked for
Kelli Kuehne and Rachel Hetherington for
a couple of years. It was an eye-opener
because with Tammie, we never really
practiced that much – she had been out there
for about six or seven years before I came
along. She knew the courses, and we’d play
practice rounds sometimes but basically we
just got out there and played it then went
home. It wasn’t a big deal. After she retired, I
had to learn how to work practice rounds and
try to prepare my players for the upcoming
tournament. I was kind of used to showing up
Monday, walking the course and meeting an
hour before the Pro-Am on Wednesday. You
have to adapt the way you work to each player
because they’re all different and they all require
different things from you. There was one time I
was caddying for this girl and she said, ‘I need
someone to pump me up and be like a
cheerleader for me.’ I was like, ‘Are you kidding
me?’ I couldn’t really adapt to that one!
WWG: How long have you been with Stacy?
TW: I met Stacy when she was an amateur. Her
dad used to caddie for her. We both came from
Ohio and when we saw each other at an event
we used to chat about stuff like that. I said if
she ever needed any help, she should give me
a shout and her agent did. This is our fifth year.
Since she turned pro I’m the only caddie she’s
had. She’s funny about that fact! She had a few
events at the end of 2008 and we had a top 10
in the second week out. I could really see a lot
of game there.
WWG: You’ve obviously struck up a good
relationship to still be together?
TW: Yeah, we get along really well. We see a lot
of the same shots, and agree on strategies very
easily. When she first came out, she was a little
bit shy but she’s changed so much, even with
stuff like giving interviews and speeches and
that sort of thing she’d struggle with. But like
anything she does, she worked hard to get
better and she’s really good at it now. I’m
really proud of the way she
has progressed both personally and
professionally. She’s an amazing person with an
amazing talent and a great future.
WWG: What were your other players like
before Stacy?
TW: Rachel Hetherington is an Australian and
pretty laid back like me so she gradually fitted
in with what I was used to. But she was on the
verge of getting married and starting a family
so it was in a period where I was looking for the
next job. Some of my friends had moved over
to the men’s tour and I was considering some
openings there for me until I got the call. I
figured I could help Stacy more than a guy
purely because I knew the courses and that she
was going to play so much better. As a rookie
coming out on Tour, it’s such a big
transformation because you’re used to playing
your home course at college and some shorter
tourneys. Whereas on Tour it’s week in and
week out, and it’s quite a big change for the
players.
WWG: The Asian players have dominated
the LPGA Tour in recent years. How do you
feel about Stacy flying the flag for the US
players at the top of the World Ranking?
TW: I’m proud of her, of course. Stacy is a great
ambassador for the game, a model of what
hard work and determination can do. Give
credit to the Asian players for changing the
game. When they came on the scene in the
mid-to-late 1990s their practice and work ethic
really was quite rare in the existing crop of
players. It certainly made everybody start
working harder. I guess the same thing
happened in the men’s game when Tiger
Woods came along. Everybody realised they
needed to get into better physical condition in
order to compete. That was happening at the
same time in the ladies game and it kind of
changed the face of golf. It made people
appreciate they needed to up their game.
WWG: What’s the funniest thing you’ve
seen at a golf tournament?
TW: I see funny stuff all the time. Just the other
day in a pro-am there was a segway tour going
on in the desert around the 17th and I saw
www.wwgolf.biz 43
Caddies Who Carry the Can
somebody wipe out. There’s always something
going on. I saw an amazing shot by an amateur
who was teeing off on an elevated tee. He
topped his drive down this bank and the ball
actually ended up in a bird house! I once saw a
guy shank it and the ball hit a cart tyre and
went whizzing back over his left ear! Going
back to my first week, during a practice round I
was told to keep an eye on the bag and don’t
let anyone mess around with the clubs or bag. I
had to go to the bathroom and when I came
out there was an older gentlemen lifting up the
bag and checking out the irons. Somewhat
surprised, I said, ‘Can I help you?’ He said, ‘I’m
just checking out the clubs.’ I thought, ‘I’ve got a
job to do and here’s this guy messing around
with the clubs, great!’ It turned out that the guy
was the astronaut Neil Armstrong.
WWG: What’s been the best moment of
your career so far?
TW: Last year one of my best friends out on
Tour, Adam Woodward, was caddying for Sun
Young Yoo when she won the Kraft Nabisco
Championship, and I was standing on the
bridge and watched him jump in the water.
That came a year after he’d watched me do the
same thing when Stacy won the same
tournament, so that was a good moment.
Being on the bag for Stacy when she won it
was a great moment, too. I passed on the same
advice to her that my aunt Tammie had given
to me during at that first win I had with her.
Stacy was looking kind of annoyed as she
walked up the 18th as she wasn’t happy with
her approach shot. I caught up with her and
said, ‘Hey, pick your head up and put a smile on
your face and enjoy it because this doesn’t
happen to everybody.’ She always mentions
that in interviews. Sometimes you’ve got to
take them out of that moment when they’re
nervous. Celebrating Stacy’s victory in the LPGA
Founders Cup last month that took her to No.1
in the world was definitely a high point.
WWG: What are your recollections of Stacy’s
Major win?
TW: It was a funny old week because I hadn’t
been in that position for a while either. Walking
up 13 I was thinking, ‘How am I going to jump
in the lake? What kind of dive am I going to do?’
Within three more steps I grabbed hold of
myself and said, ‘Don’t even think about that,
pull yourself in and do what you do, and just
take it shot by shot – you’ve got to do all the
little things right to make the victory happen.’ I
knew all that from previous experience yet I let
myself get away for a few seconds – but I
pulled myself back in and we got it over the
line.
WWG: You’re a pretty laid back character,
but do you ever get nervous at those
crunch moments?
TW: Not really. I think that’s a kind of a good
attribute to have because the player would
feed off it if they knew I was nervous. I used to
get nervous just being in front of big crowds
when I first started at the age of 20. But now I
think the cooler I can be under pressure, the
better it is because it feeds into the player. The
beauty of being a caddie is that it’s not me who
has to putt!
WWG: How important is it to have a sense
of humour and a thick skin if you’re a caddie?
TW: It’s weird but in the 12 years I worked for
Tammie, we had only two arguments and in
the five years I’ve worked for Stacy we’ve had
none. I know it’s rare because I watch the other
guys getting their ears chewed off every other
hole! If we make a mistake we’ll talk about it
and reason it out. Instead of going the other
way and unravelling it all, she learns from it.
She’s one of those people who would be
successful whatever she did because she
continually learns from her mistakes. It’s scary
what she’s capable of achieving.
WWG: How good do you think Stacy can
be?
TW: Well, she’s World No.1 but I don’t think
there’s any limit. She just keeps on learning and
working on her game, which I think is
an impressive attribute. She’s so grounded, too,
so she’s not going to get caught up in all the
hype. She’s not going to change. She’ll find a
way of coping with all her success. I’ve got no
worries about that for a second. She’s not like
the typical player who has come out at age 18,
who’s been pushed into the game too quickly.
Stacy stayed at college and got two degrees –
finance and accounting – so she’s good with
numbers and stuff like that. She’s non-typical.
She’s logical in everything she does and she
can reason things out – which is rare for a
golfer!
WWG: Who would be in your dream four-
ball?
TW: Just some of my friends from home, to just
play and have a couple of beers on the course.
WWG: What do you like most about being a
caddie?
TW: The camaraderie that exists with the other
caddies. We’re a pretty tight group. It’s a little
different on the LPGA Tour than on the other
tours. We all travel together and we all know
each other. I went to the bar the other night for
a beer and there were 25 other caddies all
standing at the bar chatting – I don’t think it’s
like that on other tours. The LPGA has more of a
family-type atmosphere. Everybody knows
everybody else’s business and if someone
needs something, the others are quick to help
out. One of the girls was having trouble with
her putting the other day and I saw one of her
competitors helping her after the round – that’s
what it’s like. If it ever changes I’ll be
disappointed. They’re a great bunch of people.
The travel element has changed a lot since I
first started. Back then we pretty much played
solely in the US and Canada but now we’re all
over the world so it’s pretty cool to get out
there and see all these places first hand. Stacy is
now sponsored by Omega so I’m looking
forward to going to the UAE towards the end
of the year for the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters
at Emirates Golf Club. Jump for joy: Travis Wilson (far left), Stacy Lewis (second from left), Stacy’s sister Janet Lewis (C), mother Carol Lewis
(second from right) and father Dale Lewis take the traditional jump into the pond after Lewis won the Kraft Nabisco
Championship in 2011.
www.wwgolf.biz 45
INSTRUCTION
ON THE RANGE WITH LEE WESTWOOD
Arguably one of the best ball strikers in the game Lee talks you through hitting better drives and working out the correct yardages.
To watch Lee’s video tips go to Facebook/WorldwideGolf and go to the video section.
Learn to work with your scoring data to help you in-point the areas that need work and lower your score.
Master the knockdown shot and enjoy controling the ball in blustry conditions.
Brought to you by
VIDEO TIPS
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PETE COWENPGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL and coach to the stars, such as McDowell, Harrington, Kaymer, Stenson ... if Pete doesn’t know
it, it isn’t worth knowing!
FREE-FLOWING PHIL MICKELSON
THE ACADEMY AT EMIRATES GOLF CLUB in Association with PETE COWEN
7 8 9
1 2 3
Swing
Phil Mickelson has worked hard with Butch Harmon over the years to shorten his swing but he will always be an arm-dominant player as you will see in this sequence. His powers of recovery are second to none, as he’s one of the best manipulators of the ball and just a joy for the crowds to watch. Phil is brilliant at what he does and you can’t knock someone who’s won as many Majors and tournmants as he has.
1. Phil’s posture is fine but a little strong in the left side, which means he needs to rotate his upper body hard. This can been seen cleary in frame 2. where he’s trying to maintain width.
The body rotaion means he’s very late in setting his wrists which can been seen in frames 3. and even in frame 4. he’s still not set his wrists hard.
The over-rotation of the body stops in frame 5. and then he sets his wrists, which causes the over- swing.
www.wwgolf.biz 47
Pete Cowen checks out the swing that won the 2010 Masters
10 11 12
4 5 6
4. The wrists haven’t been set and there’s a lot of body movement.
5.The body movement means he loses control in his shoulders as he over-turns the body.
6. Here he pulls hard with the body in the change of direction. This causes his left arm to fall out of position which you can see in frames 6. to 8. As a result, the left armis in what we call a stuck position .
9. Phil is a great manipulator of the club which can be seen in this frame. Here the left arm and shoulder are chasing down the line. The best players are brilliant at doing this and you don’t get any better than Phil.
10. The hips are clearly too level and shoulders too angled in this frame which means he’s crushing his lower back. I know this through my own experince and have suffered a bad back by doing just the same move in the swing. Instead, the
left hip should be lower down to match the shoulder angle.
11 In the followthrough his body stops and his arms continue, as it will always be an arm-dominant swing.
Being late in setting his wrists Phil generates his distance through arm speed. He pulls the arms down hard and throws them at the ball. He’s a big guy and he’s always managed to make this work for him.
Improve your game with The Academy at Emirates Golf Club
Stephen Deane Head Academy Professional The Academy at Emirates GOLF CLUB
INSTRUCTION
Control The
Turn! With driver in hand it’s very
tempting to over rotate the
shoulders in an effort to hit that
big drive as shown in picture right.
From this position you can see my
left shoulder has become way to
high resulting in a loss of posture
and club head control. My weight
has shifted to the right but my
upper and lower half have swayed
away from the ball rather than
rotate. This action requires a lot of
unnecessary movement resulting
in a less efficient swing and a major
loss of speed and power.
ofessional The Academy at Emirates GOLF CLUB
Follow this simple tip and watch your drives not only fly further but consistently straighter.
BY- Bryan Smyth, Golf Professional at Emirates Golf Club
This image shows a controlled turn. My left shoulder
is lower than the right as we reach the top, therefore
good posture and club head control is maintained. You
can see my lower half is much quieter and my entire
body has stayed more with the ball rather than swaying
unnecessary away. From here simplicity and efficiency
are maximized with less wasted movement. My shoulders
have loaded nicely, ready to drive down and around into
a powerful impact position.
Follow this simple tip and watchyour drives not only fly further butconsistently straighter.
This image shows a controlled turn. My left shoulder
is lower than the right as we reach the top, therefore
good posture and club head control is maintained. You
can see my lower half is much quieter and my entire
body has stayed more with the ball rather than swaying
unnecessary away. From here simplicity and efficiency
are maximized with less wasted movement. My shoulders
have loaded nicely, ready to drive down and around into
a powerful impact position.
www.wwgolf.biz 53
TOP GEAR
FootJoy have launched their
new M:PROJECT shoe, taking a
revolutionary step in golf footwear.
The M:PROJECT is a lightweight shoe
created from years of research and is based
around the philosophy that ‘Minimum
Construction’ delivers ‘Maximum Feel’ during
all phases of the golf swing.
This athletic-infused shoe is available in
both cleated and spikeless versions, along
with a variety of fresh and vibrant colour
options to suit the tastes of the modern,
dynamic golfer. The M:PROJECT has already
been worn in competition by a number of FJ
brand ambassadors, including Hunter Mahan.
Precision constructed from proprietary
M:SPEC lightweight leather by Pittards of
England, this cutting-edge shoe has been
designed to deliver a full range of motion,
while getting the golfer as close to the
ground as possible.
A host of technologies include an
MP:627 last that allows for a generous
forefoot shape so toes can easily spread and
maintain grip, a ProTekt toe guard which
provides additional abrasion resistance in
key wear areas and an industry-first Laser
Thin Duramax rubber compound that acts
as a low-profile and a highly flexible conduit
from ground to feet.
The shoes also feature an exclusive
new Stealth cleat by Softspikes that when
attached delivers the ultimate in low-profile
performance.
“M:PROJECT is an exciting new category
for FootJoy and the result of years of in-
depth testing and research to deliver an
incredibly lightweight and athletic shoe
that gives golfers maximum feel and
flexibility when they step out onto the
golf course,” commented Russell Lawes,
European Marketing Manager for FootJoy.
“With an array of contemporary colour
options and both a cleated and spikeless
version, feedback from retailers has been
extremely encouraging towards what
I believe will be a game-changing golf
shoe.”
M:PROJECTFOOTJOY
Lightweight, excellent feel and flexibility.
Callaway XHot drivers and Hex balls deliver scorching distance.
Titleist 913 Hybrid gains extra yardage and reduces spin to reel in those long par4s and 5s.
Bushnell delivers pinpoint accuracy with slope adjustment with the new V3 Tour model.
White/Black; White/Lime;
White/Orange, Black/
Charcoal & White/Charcoal
(cleated); White/White;
White/Navy; Charcoal/
Black; White/Silver as well
as a mesh version in Blue/
Grey (spikeless).
Colours:
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XHot and XHot Pro
ADD EXTRA BANG
LIGHTER WEIGHT AND OPTIMISED CG WITH ULTRA THIN WALL CASTING TECHNOLOGY, FAST BALL SPEED FOR MAXIMUM DISTANCE WITH SPEED FRAME FACE – A COMBINATION OF VFT AND HYPERBOLIC FACE TECHNOLOGY, CREATING A LARGER SWEET SPOT AND MAXIMISING BALL SPEED.
THE CALLAWAY X HOT DRIVER OFFERS
CALLAWAY
TOP GEAR
MOST major equipment companies offer at
least two drivers in their new product line-
ups. There’s usually a larger, more forgiving model
aimed at average golfers and a more compact
model with lower-spin characteristics for players
who have more swing speed.
Along with Callaway’s RAZR Fit Xtreme driver,
Callaway has released the X Hot and X Hot Tour
drivers for this season which take individualisation
a step further. Not only was each head made
specifically for a certain type of player but each loft
was engineered with a specific player in mind as
well.
The X Hot is the most forgiving driver of the pair.
At 460cc, it is 20cc larger than the Pro version. It’s
also 14 grams lighter than the Pro, which could
allow slower swing-speed players to increase
clubhead speed. Dr. Alan Hocknell, Vice President of
R&D for Callaway, said data from Callaway’s fit bays
across the country showed that most golfers who
need more loft also need more draw bias, which is
why the X Hot and X Hot Pro drivers have a centre
of gravity that moves toward the heel as the lofts
increase, helping golfers square the club at impact.
That draw bias is more severe in the X Hot driver
line than it is in the X Hot Pro drivers, which are
aimed at players who need less help squaring up
the clubface.
The X Hot Pro driver features a smaller head
(440cc), with a deeper face that helps golfers reduce
the spin on their tee shots. Unlike the X Hot, the
X Hot Pro driver does not have any alignment
markings on the crown, providing a clean dark grey
matt finish.
HEX HOT
BALL TECHNOLOGY HOTS UP
CALLAWAY
BRING on the heat with every swing. HEX Hot provides all-out distance with scorching hot ball
speeds and re-engineered HEX Aerodynamics. Its 3-piece construction features a Trionomer
Cover that’s built for maximized speed and low driver spin. Its Tech Mantle converts energy into
distance to help the ball fly off the clubface. HEX Hot redefines the word “LONG”.
The mantle is designed to help the golf ball jump off the face and convert the impact energy
for more distance. It’s highly resilient and built to be the perfect intermediate layer between the
high technology core and the resilient Trionomer Cover.
The Trionomer Cover is a unique cover blend of three ionomers that maximizes ball speed
and promotes low driver spin for longer, straighter drives.
Callaway’s proprietary surface pattern has been re-engineered to produce even better
low-speed lift for more distance while maintaining the stable, penetrating ball flight that’s a
trademark of HEX Aerodynamics.
www.wwgolf.biz 55
THE Niion line blends striking fluorescent
colours with innovative new textures and
unique patterns to deliver unmatched feel
and moisture channelling performance,
and is sure to set golfers apart from the rest
of their foursomes.
Niion features five uniquely vibrant
colour combinations (Blue/Neon Yellow,
Bright Orange/White, Lime Green/White,
White/Neon Green and Bright Yellow/Blue)
all constructed from a firm, tacky rubber
compound suitable for both serious and
recreational players. In fact, Niion has the
distinction of being Golf Pride’s firmest
and most durable all rubber grip, thanks to
the proprietary newly developed rubber
curing process used in its production.
The new line also utilises an advanced
tri-texture surface pattern to deliver superb
traction and all-weather control.
In addition, the proprietary Hexagon
technology pattern provides increased
stability and torsion control throughout
the swing, leading to one of Golf Pride’s
most responsive and easy to control grips
ever produced.
THE Titleist 913H hybrid takes over from the popular 910H model,
and is designed to offer longer distances with outstanding
ground contact and ball flight.
A slightly more rounded 117cc (112cc in the 27 degree
model) head shape has been designed by Titleist to offer a
more appealing view at address. Additionally, the SureFit hosel,
allowing independant loft and lie adjustments, is lighter and
more tapered than before, which allows more weight to be
redistributed to create an optimal centre of gravity, creating
higher ball speeds with less spin.
The entire range of 913H clubs, offering lofts of 17, 19, 21, 24
and 27, have been designed individually to deliver the proper
distance and forgiveness. Progressive loft, centre of gravity and
offset designs mean that each club will be specifically suited to
the shot it is required to hit.
The shafts offered with the Titleist 913H will include the
Fujikura HB, along with 5 stock shafts: Mitsubishi White (D) and
Blue (S), Aldila RIP Alpha and RIP Phenom and the Bassara W shaft.
Titleist have developed a lower spinning 913Hd model, but for
now that model is for Tour players only.
913 Hybrid
MORE FAIRWAY DISTANCE
TITLEIST
H b id
TITLEIST
mpound sui
reational players. In fact, Niion ha
RANGE FINDER V3 TOUR
DIAL IN THE EXACT YARDAGE
BUSHNELL
WITH its new ergonomic design and its award-winning PinSeeker with JOLT
Technology, the Tour V3 sets the standard for being the complete laser rangefinder
package – design, performance and feel. It features Bushnell’s patented Slope
Technology that provides the golfer with compensated swing yardage depending
on the degree of incline or decline.
ADD COLOUR TO YOUR GAME
NEW RANGE OF NIION GRIPS
GOLF PRIDE
www.wwgolf.biz 57
TIME TO UNLEASH THE ‘BIG DOGS’
TEST PILOTSTHE recent line-up of fairway-busting drivers has got
everyone talking, as the leading manufacturers continue
to push the research and development limits to give both
the touring pros and club golfers more control and length.
The materials used in construction haven’t changed but
ty in which the user can adjust the
individual setting.
Making sure the shaft and loft are paired to your swing
characteristics and data is half the battle to better control and
distance. Once that process has been done, you can work
on the face alignment to counteract any unwanted hooks or
slices. But, taking all the science and engineering aside you
still can’t beat good old looks and feel f e. The
computer might say a certain one is for you but if it’s hard on
the eye and feels lifeless at impact you will struggle to part
with your hard earned cash.
This is where the big names battle for your a ection. In
this test we’ve taken the hottest drivers on Tour that are also
geared for the retail market and put them in the capable hands
of our test pilots, a group of amateur golfers with the same
desires – more distance and more control.
The testers are regular golfers and solid ball strickers but it
was interesting to hear their feedback on each club, which
proves that we are not all the same and that tastes do di er.
Turn over the page to see how they got on and how the big
brands designed their clubs in the battle to be the ‘top dog.’
CallawayXHOT$407/ AED 1495
PINGG 25$538/AED 1975
TaylorMade R1$503/
AED 1845
Titleist913 D2$598/
AED 2195
NG25
TaTT ylorMade R1$503/
tleist3 D2
598/
ED 2195
CallawayXHOT$
CallawayRAZR XTREME$543/AED 1995
Golf House is the leading golf retailer in the Middle East
in associationwith
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TEST PILOTS: DRIVERS
913D2TECHNOLOGYACUSHNET’S engineers created the face using a Forged Variable Thickness Insert with a central thick portion combined with thinner, variable tapered thickness. The new forged face is 2 grams lighter than previous models and increases ball speeds on off-centre hits by up to 2mph. There is an 11% increase in the maximum ball speed area versus the 910 driver.
Very long, amazing feel and workability for the lower handicap players. Classic looks.
Some generated too much spin and found the club too dark and plain. Not the easiest to set up.
TITLEIST
R1
TAYLORMADE
TECHNOLOGY
THE TaylorMade R1 driver can be tuned 168 different ways, including 12 loft settings and 7 face-angle settings, designed to allow you to find the perfect fit to optimise distance and accuracy. A key aspect of the adjustability in the R1 is that loft and face angle can now be adjusted independently of one another.
Very forgiving and easy to adjust the wide range of settings. Workability and solid strike.
Too much choice and the graphic on the head wasn’t to everyone’s liking.
CALLAWAY
Distance, feel and forgiveness with off-centre strikes. What more can you want?
Some found the club too light and the matt grey head was far from exciting.
CALLAWAY
CALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAYAA
CALLAWAYAA
TECHNOLOGYBILLED as the longest fully adjustable driver the company has ever tested the face of the driver features a new Speed Frame Face that optimises stiffness and stress distribution across the face. By removing weight on the crown, the R&D team were able to lower the Centre of Gravity (CG) on the club to further promote higher ball speeds and less spin.
Traditional look, great distance and 440cc head inspires shot making. Easy to adjust and set up.
More of a Tour driver than a game improver. Low spin and launch means it’s geared towards the players with high ball and swing speeds.
RazrXtreme
TECHNOLOGYTHE hot new face technology promotes more consistent distance and forgiveness. By decoupling the face from the clubhead, Callaway’s R&D team were able to boost ball speed off the face without impacting the clubhead or sacrificing optimum trajectory. The Speed Frame Face saves weight and transfers energy to the ball more efficiently by optimising stiffness and stress over the entire face.
X HOT
Golf House is the leading golf retailer in the Middle East
www.wwgolf.biz 59
www.themontgomerie.com
G25TECHNOLOGYTHE Ping G25 driver has a 460cc head with a larger profile design. The ultra-thin crown and aerodynamic design redistributes weight along the perimeter of the clubhead, moving the CG (Centre of Gravity) farther back and lower than any previous Ping driver. This new CG position increases the club’s MOI (Moment of Interia) and makes it extremely forgiving.
Very, very long! Strong ball flight – it’s just a rocket launcher. Easy adjustments.
Some found it too bland to look at and the clubface didn’t give as much feedback and feel as some of the others.
PING
G25TECHNOLOGYTHE Ping G25 driver has a
TEST PILOTS’ VERDICT
NAME: Gavin ReedHANDICAP: 14CURRENT DRIVER: TaylorMade R9
OPTION: They are all great clubs but I’d have to go with the Callaway XHot. It’s a little longer than the R1 and I manage to carry the ball farther than any of the clubs on test. It’s also the best value for money.
NAME: Peter StapletonHANDICAP: 12CURRENT DRIVER: TaylorMade R11
OPTION: I’m a big fan of it’s flexibility and how simple it is to set up. If it’s a windy day I can just crank the loft down and know how the club will perform. It’s ideal for playing at the Creek.
NAME: Duayne De Waal HANDICAP: 7CURRENT DRIVER: TaylorMade RBZ
OPTION: I was torn between this and the 913, but the G25 is just so long! The carry and overall distance is noticably longer than the rest and it’s just so well balanced.
NAME: Kaamil Hussain HANDICAP: 10CURRENT DRIVER: Titleist 910 D2 - 9.5o Stiff
OPTION: The R1 is the most consistent and even when I don’t strike it right the distance is still good. It has a strong ball flight and it looks amazing. I just love the white clubhead and the decals just finish it off.
NAME: Vaughn ReedHANDICAP: 8CURRENT DRIVER: Cobra AMP
OPTION: Being left handed I couldn’t test all the clubs on the day. I was instantly drawn to the Callaways by their looks but the Razr Xtreme was too hard alhough the design was one of the best. But the XHot had it all. I’d be tempted to swap my Cobra for one.
he ut the e best.one.
Worldwide Golf would like to thanks The Address Montgomerie Dubai for use of the facilities for the driver test.
www.wwgolf.biz60
FINDING THE RIGHT SET UP
GET FITTED
RICHARD TEMPLE, Titleist European Golf Club Product and Fitting Manager, talks about the importance of getting your clubs properly fitted and explains some of the mumbo jumbo terminology associated with your weapons of choice.
WWG: With the driver limited to 460cc by the R&A would you say that
driver technology is at the limit or is there plenty of scope left?
RT: Driver technology has by no means reached its limit and we will no doubt
continue to see advancement in this product category. Titleist continues to
deliver significant improvements with each new generation of driver product.
The new 913 driver is a great example of how we are able to continually
innovate and develop our designs to deliver more performance for the
golfer. The 913 offers more speed across a wider area of the face than its
predecessor, the 910, as well as its enhanced distance through an improved
rear weight screw that delivers optimum launch and spin characteristics.
WWG: Matching your shaft and loft is an essential pairing – so how does
your system help the customer achieve the best results, considering the
vast range of shafts on the market?
RT: Titleist 913 metals feature patented SureFit Tour hosel technology which
is designed to allow the club fitter to deliver a truly precise fit – we like to call
it our ‘Tour van in a hosel’. SureFit Tour allows the fitter to easily interchange
heads and shafts to help identify the most appropriate combination
for the player. This technology also allows the fitter to
independently adjust the loft and lie of each 913
clubhead. Loft can be adjusted to tune launch,
spin and trajectory whilst lie can be adjusted to
tune ball flight for more, or less, fade or draw.
Simply put, the SureFit Tour hosel allows a fitter
to dial in the precise 913 specification to deliver
optimum performance for the player.
WWG: What do Centre of Gravity (CG), COR and
Moment of Inertia mean and how do they relate to
and benefit the club golfer?
RT: Adjusting the centre of gravity (CG) position within
the driver head will have a profound effect on the launch
conditions offered by that clubhead. With the new 913 driver
we have made significant improvements to the CG location by
utilising a new rear weight screw that places more weight low
and deep within the driver head. The result is optimum launch
and spin conditions for longer distance.
COR is effectively a measurement of how fast the ball comes
off the clubface and this is obviously something that is regulated
by the rules of golf. Titleist, like all other equipment
manufacturers, has been conforming to this rule
since its inception and if we look at the centre of the
driver face it has already attained the maximum COR
allowable under the Rules of Golf. With that said, one of
the key developments in the 913 drivers is a new forged
face insert which delivers more speed over a larger area of
the face. In essence, the COR value is closer to the maximum
across a larger area, which makes the driver significantly
longer on off-centre hits.
Moment of Inertia (MOI) in relation to golf club design is
generally used to convey the stability of the golf club. Drivers with
higher MOI properties are generally more stable in promoting
a straighter ball flight but, as a result, they offer less workability
which maybe a disadvantage for those who like to shape the ball.
Both 913D2 and 913D3 drivers are very forgiving on off-centre
hits thanks to the aforementioned forged face insert, but each has
tter to
3
r
and
elate to
n within
he launch
ew 913 driver
CG location by
ore weight low
ptimum launch
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www.wwgolf.biz 61
different MOI properties that deliver varying performance characteristics. The
460cc 913D2 has the higher MOI to provide greater stability and an inherent
draw bias, whilst the smaller 445cc profile of the 913D3 delivers a more
neutral set-up for greater workability.
WWG: What’s the best advice in terms of club fitting for a mid-
handicapper amateur looking to add more distance off the tee?
RT: Whilst it’s true to say that technical and physical improvements are ways
for amateur players to gain more distance, there can also be significant
distance gains achieved by having a proper driver fitting.
If you are playing a driver which does not compliment your technique and
that doesn’t offer you the appropriate launch conditions, you are unlikely
to be maximising your distance potential. However, a driver fitting not only
has the potential to offer distance gains but also improvements in ball flight,
consistency and accuracy. When we fit a player, regardless of ability, we are
looking for the complete package and a driver that will offer improvements in
all of these areas.
WWG: How does the process of fitting a Titleist driver for a club golfer
differ from fitting a Titleist staff player, such as Adam Scott?
RT: The process of fitting a Titleist Ambassador for a driver is largely the same
as that which can be experienced by the club golfer. The ultimate goal of the
fitting remains unchanged – finding a driver which will provide the player
with optimum performance. In addition, there is no difference between the
913 driver heads you see on Tour versus those available at retail so SureFit
Tour technology is utilised in exactly the same fashion for both the Tour player
and the club golfer. We firmly believe that every player, regardless of ability,
will benefit greatly from a driver fitting.
WWG: What’s around the corner for the Titleist driver? Anything
revolutionary?
The future for the Titleist driver is one of further development and continued
innovation. Our goal with any new product introduction is to deliver a
product that is truly better than the last, and this goal will continue to drive us
to design products that push performance to the next level.
ALAN WHITE, our Titleist 913 Facebook winner, spent some quality time with the Titleist club fitting team at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club:
WWG: After absorbing all the data, what were you needing to adjust? AW: Lowering the spin rate was a big factor that caused me to lose distance and the shaft needed to be a bit lighter also.
WWG: From the basic starting point how did you change the spec of the club to improve both performance and consistency?AW: Went from a 10.5 to a 9.5 degree head to achieve more consistency.
WWG: What did you find was the best characteristic of the 913?AW: It faces up to the ball well and feels very comfortable all the way through the swing.
WWG: What were you using before and how does it compare to your new 913?AW: I was using a Ping G20 which I still think is a good club but the performance of the 913 just feels that much better.
www.wwgolf.biz 65
April’s selection of local news
ARABIANGOLF
HARRADINE WINS THE INAUGURAL MEYDAN GOLF MEN’S OPENMICHAEL Harradine clinched the first ever Meydan Golf
Men’s Open title at The Track but he insists he did not
have an advantage in the competition because the course
was designed by his father, Peter.
“It was designed by the company in collaboration with
Meydan, but I don’t think it helped me,” smied Harradine,
who is a third generation golfer in a family synonymous
with the sport following his grandfather, Donald, who
launched the Harradine Golf company in 1929 and his
father Peter who is one of the most respected course
architects in golf.
Michael, whose win in the Meydan Open means he now
tops the Emirates Golf Federation Order of Merit, has only
played The Track twice, but had built up some knowledge of
the course during its construction. He admits, however, that
familiarity may have lulled him into a false sense of security.
“I thought it would be easier than it was because I walked
around it plenty of times when it was being built,” he said.
“I remember thinking that the fairways were wide and it
wouldn’t be too much of a challenge, so I was surprised
how tough it was. If I’m honest, I didn’t think I’d win,
because I played fairly poorly. Fortunately, everyone had a
shocker.”
Harradine carded a gross 156 over two rounds but won
by a remarkable seven strokes from Craig Forrest with Ricky
Dominguez third with a 164 total.
“I was eight over after the first round and then four over
after the second so I didn’t think I’d even be in the top
three,” laughed Harradine.
In the net category Nicolas Reincke topped the pile with
a superb two-day score of 148 which saw him complete a
huge 15-stroke win over Alban Des Brest. There were two
Nerest the Pin competitions – one during each round –
and they were won by Alistair Purves and overall winner
Harradine on days one and two respectively.
LOCAL NEWS
67 JOEL NEALE COLUMN
68 THE TRACK, MEYDAN
70 INTERNATIONAL PAIRS UAE
71 MENA TOUR
72 SHARJAH GOLF & SHOOTING CLUB
73 ‘PIC ‘ GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE SHARJAH
74 EMIRATES GOLF CLUB
75 THE ELS CLUB
76 DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB
77 AL BADIA GOLF CLUB
78 JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES
78 AL AIN EQUESTRIAN SHOOTING & GOLF CLUB
79 ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB
79 THE ADDRESS MONTGOMERIE DUBAI
80 ABU DHABI CITY GOLF CLUB
81 YAS LINKS GOLF CLUB
83 ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB
83 SAADIYAT BEACH GOLF CLUB
84 AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB
85 TOWER LINKS GOLF CLUB
85 AL GHAZAL GOLF CLUB
86 MUSCAT HILLS GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB
87 ALMOUJ GOLF, THE WAVE, MUSCAT, OMAN
87 THE ROYAL GOLF CLUB BAHRAIN
88 DOHA GOLF CLUB
88 BANYAN GOLF CLUB
89 DIRAB GOLF CLUB
Michael Harradine celebrates becoming the first winner of
the Meydan Golf Men’s Open last month.
LAST month saw some of the
UAE’s best amateur golfers battle
it out in the two qualifying rounds
and one national final round of
the world renowned 2013 BMW
Golf Cup International.
The UAE edition was organised
by AGMC, the BMW Group importer
in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern
Emirates.
Held at three different Golf clubs
in Dubai – the Els Club, Jumeirah
Golf Estates and Dubai Creek
Golf &Yacht Club – a total of 100
players participated in the 18-hole
Individual Stableford events.
Shahin Khojasteh took the spoils
in the Men’s Category ‘A’ and he also
achieved a hole-in-one on at the
Els Club on his way to victory, while
taking the Ladies Category was
Naema Maya.
Both winners were duly flown
out to South Africa to take part
in the BMW World Final and after
three rounds Khojasteh finished
in a share of 30th place while Maya
finished in a share of 20th.
RECORDBREAKING RESULTS IN BMW GOLF CUP
MAHMOOD Skaik was crowned
the overal winner of the Emirates
Golf Federation’s Ajyal Golf Cham-
pionship after he won Division ‘A’
of the fifth and final event of the
series at Yas Links.
Taking the spoils in Division ‘B’
was Ahmed Al Marzouqi, while the
Girl’s Division winner on the night
was Tara Al Marzouqi.
MAHMOOD SKAIK WRAPS UP THE AJYAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Mahmood Skaik is pictured with EGF Board
Member Darwish Al Qubaisi after his victory.
www.wwgolf.biz 71
LOCAL NEWS
MENA GOLF TOUR
ZANE Scotland got his 2013 MENA Tour
campaign off to a flying start with a superb
wire-to-wire victory in the season-opening
Royal Dar Es Salam Open in Morocco last
month.
The Englishman closed with an excellent
4-under-par 69 to finish with a 10-under-par total and
a five-stroke victory over home favourite Younes El
Hassani. Welshman Stephen Dodd shared the
overnight lead with Scotland but fell away, carding a
3-over-par final round to finish in a share of third
place on 3-under alongside Ian Keenan of England
and Kenya’s Greg Snow. Scotland’s win means he’s
now won the opening event on each of the three
Mena Tour seasons to date.
“I entered the tournament with no expectations in
terms of results since it was my first competitive
event after the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. I played
with a free mind and that probably was the key to my
success,” said Scotland. “I knew I had won the opening
tournament in both previous editions of the MENA
Tour but I tried not to think about it when I teed off in
the morning. The thinking was to remain relaxed and
that did the trick. “Obviously, I’m pretty delighted with
my efforts and hope to keep the momentum going.”
Much was expected of Dodd, but the three-time
winner on the European Tour failed to find the
rhythm he showed a day earlier when he shot a
second-round 68. “I played badly, it’s as simple as that,”
said Dodd. “I drove badly and putted even worse.
Nothing clicked for me. This is golf, you can have days
like this when anything can happen.”
Morocco’s El Hassani was pleased with his
runner-up finish which was his best ever finish on the
MENA Tour. “I think I played really well and could have
scored even better but I made some mistakes out
there,” he said, after carding a 1-under 72 in the final
round.
The home nation had more reason to celebrate as
young Ahmed Marjan took home the best amateur
title thanks to his 1-under-par 218 total – an
impressive effort which saw him card a top-10 finish
in a Tour event for the first time.
Zane Scotland is pictured with Saeed Muhayer, Al Ketbi of UAE Consulate in Rabat, Mustapha Zine, Chairman of the Moroccan Golf Federation, Bouftas, President of Royal Golf Dar Es Salam and Mohamed Juma Buamaim, Chairman of the MENA Golf Tour.
ZANE SCOTLAND WINS MENA TOUR OPENER IN RABAT
DODD BOUNCES BACK TO WIN IN MOHAMMEDIAREIGNING Mena Tour Champion Stephen
Dodd bounced back after a poor final round
performance in the opening event of the
season to win the Royal Golf D’Anfa Open in
Mohammedia with a play-off victory over the
English pair of Zane Scotland and Ian Keenan.
The Welshman, who won three times on The
European Tour, rolled in a 10-footer for birdie on
the first extra hole to seal a wire-to-wire victory.
Scotland pushed his birdie putt inches wide and
had to settle for a par while Keenan, who closed
with a brilliant 66 – the tournament’s best score –
to get into the playoff, left his approach too short
and ended up with a bogey.
“It feels nice to get the job done,” said Dodd, who
finished regulation play on 6-under level alongside
Keenan and Scotland.
Starting the day three shots ahead, Dodd failed
to keep his momentum going and squandered his
advantage by the 12th hole when Scotland drew
level with him.
Keenan, who was five shots off the pace going
into the final round, made a stunning charge up
the leaderboard when he eagled the 16th to get
into contention. Keenan then set the clubhouse
lead on 6-under and both Dodd and Scotland
came home in pars to leave a three-way tie at the
top.
“Obviously, I can’t complain after winning the
tournament,” said the Dodd, who fell away the
week before to finish third behind Scotland in
Rabat. “The course was in great condition despite
some inclement weather. There are plenty of good
players on the tour who are potential winners so I
am returning home with some fond memories of
Morocco.”
Scotland’s Duncan Stewart closed with
back-to-back 70s to finish fourth on 3-under 213,
one shot ahead of Wales’ Matthew Dearden while
Morocco’s Ahmed Marjan comfortably kept up his
dominance in the Amateur Division with rounds of
73, 73 and 70. “I am really pleased with my
performance over last three days,” said Marjan. “I
struck the ball beautifully and rolled in some nice
putt. It feels great to win back-to-back titles in my
the Amateur Division.”
Winner Stephen Dodd is pictured with Fettah Mohamed, President of Royal Golf D’Anfa-Mohammedia, Mustapha Zine, Chairman of the Moroccan Golf Federation, Abderrahmane Boufetas, President of Dar Es Salam Golf Club and Mohamed Juma Buamaim, Chairman of MENA Golf Tour.
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SHARJAH GOLF AND SHOOTING CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 6 548 7777
E-mail: [email protected]
www.golfandshootingshj.com Sharjah-Golf-Shooting-Club
SGSC CELEBRATES ITS 5TH ANNIVERSARY IN STYLE
THOMSON IN CHARGE
Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club’s golf
course crossed its five-year
milestone on March 1st and the day
was celebrated in unique style.
Almost 100 golfers, comprising of
mostly current and former
members, participated in an event
which included nine holes of team
golf, shooting, archery, a quiz on
the first five years of golf at SGSC, a
three-stage skills test and a crazy
golf event!
The day was more about the
occasion and the company than the
competition but the 20 teams made
their way from event to event with
winners announced for the six
disciplines as well as the overall winner.
The Jean Pierre Simon team (named
after SGSC’s next Men’s Club Captain)
proved eventual winners and they
were represented by Peter Gutteridge,
James Brown, Rory Thomson, Arun Tuli
and Gil Nam Yang. Worldwide Golf
Editor Alex Gallemore and his
team-mates got in on the action by
ENGLISHMAN Rory
Thomson shot a net
31 at the recent
Centro Sharjah
midweek medal to
win by one from G.N
Yang and Ajit Bagga.
A countback was
needed to separate
second and third
place and the play-off
went the way of the
Korean as Yang took
the runner-up spot.
Fellow Korean
member Y.D Kim
continued his great
form to produce an
extremely steady nine
holes of 3-under net
33 and claim the
Division ‘1’ prize.
winning....the crazy golf event!
The main event of the evening was
undoubtedly the dinner attended by
His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin
Mohammed Al Thani, SGSC Chairman,
His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Bin
Abdullah Al Thani, Mel and Jacqui
Stewart, SGSC’s first Golf Club Captains
and Golf Course designer Peter
Harradine.
Sheikh Mohammed was the first
official to address the 100 plus
delegation as he commented on the
combined efforts of so many people
over the last seven years that made the
SGSC Golf Course a reality.
Sheikh Mohammed and his father
Sheikh Abdullah then presented long
service awards to eight SGSC staff
members who have been at the club
for over five years before then
presenting the 23 people who have
been Members over the five years with
their new Silver Membership status.
Their final act was to the present Golf
Club Captains Mel and Jacqui Stewart
H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani (L) and H. E. Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani (R) present the Stewart Trophy
to Mel and Jacqui Stewart.
BOYLAN AND GILLIAM TOO STRONG IN SOCIALPETER Boylan and his close friend
Anthony Gilliam proved the best
partnership at the BMW Members and
Guests Social held last month as they
came out on top with a great net score
of 65.1.
Salim Shaikh and Omer Safi scooped the
prize for the best front 9, which was played
over the Texas Scramble format, as their net
33.6 was good enough to win by one
stroke. The back nine better-ball medal was
a much tighter affair as two teams were
tied in first place on net 30.
Coming out on top after a countback
were long-standing Sharjah members
Vivien Verma and Sanjoy Das.
The day also included Longest Drive and
Nearest The Pin awards which went to
Simon Mmutle and Ove Pedersen
respectively.
with their Gold Membership status and
to also present to the couple the
Captain’s Day trophy which will be
played for, for the first time in May and
will be forever named the Stewart
Trophy.
The two Captains then presented the
day’s awards before Golf Course
designer Peter Harradine ended
proceedings with his own subtle views
on golf, golf in the UAE, the history of
golf in the UAE and in particular the
history of the golf course at SGSC.
Director of Golf Martin Duff closed
proceedings by thanking everyone for
their support of the club on the day,
over the past five years and for making
this special pioneering club what it has
become today and will become
tomorrow.
AKHTAR EDGES OUT DASPAKISTANI ace Imran Akhtar picked up last
month’s ERL Stableford by the smallest of
margins after he overcame Sanjoy Das in a
scorecard countback after both had posted 41
points for their rounds.
A fabulous round of golf saw Akhtar par an
incredible 16 holes – a great effort and after a
long stint on the academy the hard work has
finally paid off. Das was disappointed not to
topple Akhtar in what would have been his first
win individually on Sharjah soil, however he
managed to pick up the prize for winning
Division ‘1’.
The Division ‘2’ prize went to hard-working
Korean golfer J.J Kim who finished one clear of
Peter Gaskin with a haul of 40 points.
The gross prize went to Ian Plant after he
downed Hassan Yazdi on a countback after both
players finished with a gross 32 Stableford points.
www.wwgolf.biz 73
LOCAL NEWS
PIC GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE SUPPORTED BY SNTTA TRAVEL, BMW AND WWG
www.golfandshootingshj.com
THE Dubai ExPutts are set to
defend their Professional
Investment Consultants Golf
Society League title on April 20th
after they won a truly epic semi
final against The Indian Expat Golf
Society last month.
The two societies finished with a
win each after the regulation
matches. Vivien Verma and Praveen
Sharma won their match 5&4 while
Mark Edwards and Mark
Cunningham mounted a historic
comeback from 3-down with six to
play to win on the final hole.
The tied match meant Captains
Phil Sharpe and Vivien Verma had to
nominate two players from either
side to play-off. Phil Sharpe
nominated Mark Cunningham and
Mark Edwards, who clearly had
momentum, while Verma selected
himself and A. E. Ravi over his earlier
partner Sharma.
The play-off proved to be the
longest in the event’s history as
seven extra holes were required to
decide a winner. Dozens of
spectators watched as the first and
second holes were halved in pars.
The third hole was then halved in
birdies from the talented pair before
holes 4, 5 and 6 were again halved in
par. Finally, on the seventh hole, it
was the Dubai Exputts who
prevailed with a tap-in par after
Ravi’s lengthy par save attempt
missed.
Both teams and their captains
were exhausted but thrilled with the
excitement as play finished at
around 7pm under the floodlights.
Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club Golf
Professional Joe Marshal, who was
officiating for the event, said: “That
was a thrilling evening’s golf. Seven
holes of sudden death golf is almost
DUBAI EXPUTTS AND MASSIN 1 TO FACE OFF IN FINAL
unheard of – you could see how
much it meant to all the players
when the winning putt was sunk.
They all deserve full credit as the
event was played in the best of
spirits and in the fairest of manners.”
In the other semi final MasSin 1
overcame Rimausinga also by the
narrowest of margins. One up and all
square results meant MasSin 1 have
the chance to follow in their
compatriots MasSin 2’s footsteps and
place their name on the converted
trophy. The Dubai Exputts 1 and the
Indian Expats had both safely
navigated through their quarter-final
matches with the Dubai Irish Golf
Society and the Sharjah Golfing
Buddies respectively while the
Massin 1 team downed the Sport360
team and Rimusinga clinched their
quarter-final tie with the Al
Naboodah Golf Society to progress
to the semi-finals.
KASHWANI STEALS THE SHOW AT RECENT JDP MEETMANSOUR Kashwani scooped the prize
in the youngsters tournament at last
month’s Junior Development
Programme meeting after beating off
eight of his young counterparts.
The Academy Course’s 5-hole
tournament winners were Frazer Hall (nine
years and older) and Maxwell Hill (eight
years and under) as both players posted
rounds of 20 strokes.
The elder and more experienced juniors
had to wait until the evening to get their
turn and over 30 juniors were out in force
to try and lay their hands on the winning
trophy played over four holes on the
Championship Course. With four different
teeing grounds staggered based on the
golfer’s driving distances the competition
was to be as fair as possible.
Coming out on top was Welsh whiz-kid
Max Hibbert who held his nerve with
some impressive short game shots to post
a score of 21 and defeat young German
Alex Beisenwenger on a countback.
Australian all-round sports girl Genevieve
Hall finished in third spot with Dominic
Manning picking up fourth place for the
second consecutive session.
www.wwgolf.biz74
EMIRATES GOLF CLUBwww.dubaigolf.com EmiratesGolfClub
AFTER two rounds of tense competition over
first the Faldo and then the Majlis course,
Cathrine Clark sealed the 2013 Ladies Club
Championship thanks to a gross total of 165
(86, 79).
The competition was hotting up as players
made their way down the stretch on the final
day but Clark forced her way up the leaderboard
with a superb birdie, par, birdie, par finish to win
by four strokes ahead of Najla Bartette.
Taking third place with consistent rounds of
85 over both courses was Rosemary Turlik.
The Net prizes were divided into Divisions and
finishing top of the Silver Division (0-20 hcp)
was Veronica Elias with a net 146 (64, 79) while
the Bronze Division was clinched by Gillian Black
with a 147 total (76, 71).
As in previous years a prize is given to the
player who makes the most improvement over
the two days and taking the honour this year
was Sandra Chia who improved her score by 22
shots.
CATHRINE CLARK WINS THE LADIES CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP IN FINE STYLE
Ladies Club Champion Cathrine Clark receives her prize from the Lady Captain, Glynis Hendry.
Left to right: Christopher D’abreo (Group Manager Rivoli Group), Jacklyn Quadras (Marketing & PR Manager Omega), Michael Saunders (Champion) and Club Captain Moshe Kohli.
SAUNDERS TRIUMPHS IN OMEGA EMIRATES AMATEUR OPENMICHAEL Saunders from Dartford
Golf Club in England put in a fine
display to triumph in the Omega
Emirates Amateur Open by a
four-shot margin.
Saunders shared the overnight lead
with Ashley Rees (East Sussex National)
after they both fired a gross 74
(2-over-par) over the Faldo course.
Their closest rivals going in to the final
round over the Majlis were Bal Arnaud
(Rinkven Golf Club, Belguim), Sami Hajri
(Yas Links GC) and Ryan Riley (EGF)
who were all on the 3-over-par mark.
Saunders handled the pressure of the
final round well as he made nine
straight pars and he started the inward
half with a birdie on the par five 10th.
He suffered his first dropped shots on
the difficult 12th and the 16th holes
but by the 16th his challengers had
faded and he found himself with a
healthy lead going in to the final two
holes. He finished in style with a terrific
birdie on the famous closing hole to
claim the prestigious title with a 4-over-
par total. Rounds of 74 and 74 gave
him a final score of 148 and he
followed in the footsteps of European
Tour winners Michael Hoey and Peter
Hanson as champions of this event.
Sam Towler, representing Woburn
Golf Club, followed his opening 79
with a much-improved 74 to claim
second place while one of the stories
of the final round involved 12-year old
Jakub Hrinda from Doha GC as he
produced the best round of the
championship with a level par 72 to
claim third place overall on 10-over-
par.
The best net score of the
championship went to Bal Arnaud
(Royal GC, Bahrain) after he signed for
rounds of 72 and 76 and a two-stroke
victory over Mark Davin (Ashton On
Mersey GC, England) with Bilel Belaid
(Abu Dhabi) taking third place.
“As one of the most highly
anticipated golf events of the year that
attracts the top amateur players from
across the world we are delighted to
have been associated with this
tournament at Emirates Golf Club,” said
OMEGA Vice President and
International Sales Director Raynald
Aeschlimann. “We are confident that
the event will continue to grow in
stature over the years on the
international golf scene.
“Having been title sponsors for the
OMEGA Dubai Ladies Masters and
OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic, it is
befitting for us to now be supporting
the largest amateur open in the region
with 123 competitors.”
SANDRA Chia and David Formas produced a stunning
score of 58.4 over the Majlis course to triumph in the
Wentworth Invitational event and win a prize that
includes rounds of golf on the West, East and
Edinburgh courses at Wentworth Club in England.
It was the sixth edition of the popular mixed members
event and over 108 players took to the course with their
eyes on the prize. Chia and Formas were comfortable
winners ahead of Ashish Nanda and Shravan Khanna who
fired a net 60.1 for second place.
Nina Larm and Pentti Tahvanainen claimed third place
with a 61.3 and along with Nanda and Khanna won club
house hospitality at The European Tour’s flagship event – the
BMW Championship in May courtesy of Wentworth Club.
CHIA AND FORMAS SEAL TRIP TO WENTWORTH
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THE ELS CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 4 425 1010
E-mail: [email protected]
www.elsclubdubai.com TheElsClubDubai
LOCAL NEWS
CONTACT:Tel : +9714 380 2222
E-mail: [email protected]
KEEGAN FIRES LOW TO WIN THE MARCH MEDAL
SANA Tufail dealt with high winds
and quick greens in consummate
fashion as she recorded a gross
70 to easily retain her Els Club
Ladies Open title last month.
Along with winning the title for the
third time in her short career, Tufail
also went home with the Nearest the
Pin prize on hole 4 and the Longest
Drive challenge on hole 13.
In the Net prizes Julia Alheoud took
the spoils with a net 70, one clear of
Monina Gudaca with Anastacia Bakal
third on 72.
TUFAIL DEFENDS HER LADIES OPEN CROWN
HUTCHINSON CLAIMS THE LADIES BLIND HOLESA RECENT ‘Blind Holes’ event was
played over the Faldo course by Lady
members at EGC and after
competitors completed their 18 holes
the 12 holes from which players’
scores were take were revealed.
With points accumulated on holes
1,3,4,6,8,9,10,12,14,16,17,18 added
together to form a total it was Chris
Hutchinson who took the spoils with
a haul of 32 points.
In the Silver Division (hcp 0-23) Mimi
Hoskin took the honours with a card
play-off over Annette Carstnajen with
both players locked on 27 points.
Sue Hopwood sealed the Bronze
Division (hcp 24-42) with a score of
25 points.
Overall winner Chris Hutchinson receives her
prize from the Lady Captain, Glynis Hendry.
CONNOR Keegan recorded the
best gross and best net scores of
the day to win the second event of
the Mashreq Medal Championship
in association with BMW.
The youngster, who plays off 5,
carded a superb gross 73 over the
Majlis for a net 68 and clinch the
title.
Mathys Oberholster continued his
excellent run of form with a 3-under
par net 69 to take the runner-up spot
in Division ‘A’, followed by Nawaf
Fawaz with a 71.
Kish Bandopadhyay returned his
best effort in a monthly medal to
triumph in Division ‘B’ (hcp 11-20)
with a 2-under tally of 70, one clear of
Haris Michaelidis with Iain
Everingham third on 72. Amr Salem
won Division ‘C’ (hcp 21-34) with a
2-under par 70.
Mashreq Bank is the title sponsor for
the 2013 Monthly Medals Series that
will be held across both Emirates Golf
Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht
Club.
Over a 12-month period there will
be a total of 22 monthly medals
across the two Dubai Golf managed
clubs. During the months of July and
August there will also be joint medals
where by Dubai Creek members
compete against Emirates members
and vice versa. Both clubs will run
separate Order of Merits and the top
36 players in both Order of Merits will
win a place in the Grand Final.
Amr Salem is leading the Emirates
Golf Club Order of Merit following
two events with a tally of 147 points,
seven clear of Connor Keegan.
Farhad Irani (Head of Retail Banking Group), Moshe Kohli (Club Captain), Connor Keegan (Champion) and Caetano Fernandes (Head of Mashreq Gold).
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EMIRATES GOLF CLUBCONTACT:Tel : +971 4 295 6000
E-mail: [email protected]
DUBAI CREEK GOLF AND YACHT CLUB
www.dubaigolf.com DubaiCreekGolf dubaicreekgolfandyachtclub
LAST year’s Lady Captain Mego
Han was presented a trophy by
current Lady Captain Maureen
Platt as a token of appreciation for
all the hard work Han does in and
around the club throughout the
year.
The competition saw regular
contender Harini White take the
spoils with a fine net 70 with Platt
and Swati Singh finishing in second
and third respectively after a
countback with both players locked
on 72. Najla Bartette finished one
shot back in fourth place with a net
73.
After being presented her prize
Harini commented: “I am happy to
have won today after I played very
well. I would like to thank our past
Captain, Mego Han and also our new
Captain, Maureen Platt for all their
effort and hard work with our events.”
After conducting the prize giving
Professional Craig Waddell
commented: “Once again a huge
thank you to all of you ladies for
making these events such a success
and it’s great to see them become
more and more popular. A special
thank you goes to Mego Han for all
of the hard work that she did in her
captaincy year and without her these
events wouldn’t be what they are
today.
“I know that Maureen will carry on
that success as new Lady Captain
and I look forward to seeing these
events grow throughout this year.”
BAKAL SEALS THE CREEK LADIES AMATEUR OPEN
PAST CAPTAIN THANKED AT LADIES MEDAL
Past Lady Captain Mego Hann and new Lady Captain Maureen Platt with Dubai Creek Professional, Craig Waddell.
TEENAGER Anastasia Bakal took
the spoils in the 2013 Dubai Creek
Ladies Amateur Open sponsored
by ProSports recently thanks to a
superb gross 6-over-par 77 to deny
the two-time defending champion
Sana Tufail a hat-trick of titles
“I’m delighted to have won such a
prestigious EGF Order of Merit title,”
smiled Bakal after lifting the trophy. “I
would like to thank Dubai Creek for
putting on such a great event and all
of the players who took part.
“In addition, thanks to my playing
partners today for all of their support
that helped me secure the win.” Tufail,
winner in 2011 and 2012, had to
settle for second place, two shots
back on 79.
Yuko Tsukiori came out on top in
the Silver Division thanks to a fantastic
net 67 while Serifa D’Souza finished
with a level-par 71 to take second
spot.
D’Souza shot a gross 79 and missed
out on second place in the overall
prize to Tufail who defeated her on a
countback.
In the Bronze Division H.H Choi
clinched the top spot with a
1-under-par net 70, one clear of
Emirates Golf Club member Gillian
Black.
After conducting the prize giving
Dubai Creek’s Head Golf Professional,
Stephen Hubner said: “It really has
been a wonderful day of golf and we
are delighted to welcome so many
players from around the UAE and
some from abroad.
“Congratulations to Anastasia on a
great performance and of course our
thanks go to Pro Sports International
for their kind sponsorship of the
giveaways and excellent prize table.”
Anastasia Bakal is pictured with Dubai Creek Lady Captain Maureen Platt.
PATRICK Morrow timed his return to form
impeccably as he sealed the honours in last month’s
Mashreq Medal in association with BMW with a net
67.
“I’m glad to be back in form having fallen a bit by the
wayside in recent months,” smiled Morrow after
collecting the trophy. “The course, tee to green, is in
truly great shape and along with the perfect weather it
made the win even more enjoyable.”
Rami Safadi took the Men’s Division ‘A’ title with a
countback win over Mark Joliffe after both players
returned a solid 1-under par net 70.
Ajay Goel also put on a great display as he clinched
the Men’s Division ‘B’ title with a net 67 having lost out
on a countback to Morrow for the main prize.
Vanessa North secured her second win of the series as
she took the Ladies title with a level par net 71 while
Ryan Riley was almost without fault as he fired a superb
72 to take the best gross prize. Two juniors – Adam
Savage and Rishi Nair – played extremely well and both
finished with score of net 67. However, it was Nair who
narrowly beat Savage on a better inward half to take the
Junior Division title.
MORROW MARCHES TO VICTORY
Head Golf Pro Stephen Hubner and Vice Captain Tejan Fadlu-Dean congratulate winner Patrick Morrow on his victory.
www.wwgolf.biz78
BILBO Perrot put the
disappointment of finishing third
at the 2012 Men’s Amateur Open
behind him by going two better
and winning this year’s event
thanks to gross rounds of 77 and
74.
Playing off a +3 handicap, Perrot
began day two in second place after
his opening 74 over the Fire course,
three shots behind his good friend
Martin Fernandez. Conditions
worsened during day two on the
Earth course and Perrot’s outward
tally of 40 looked to have cost him a
BILBO’S BRILLIANCE WINS OPEN
JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES CONTACT:Tel : +971 4 375 999
www.jumeirahgolfestates.com Jumeirah-Golf-Estates
AL AIN EQUESTRIAN SHOOTING AND GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 3 702 6400
E-mail: [email protected]
www.aesgc.com Golfin Alain
CUNNIFFE CLINCHES THE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPEOIN Cunniffe ran away with the Men’s
Club Championship last month with a
solid performance over two rounds that
left the chasing pack clutching at thin air.
A fine level par 71 on day one left him eight
shots clear of his nearest rivals and a
3-over-par 74 on day two saw him cruise to
victory with a 145 total, nine clear of Edwin
Scheepers. Scheepers’ score of 154 was
matched by Jason Neese but Scheepers took
second place outright after winning a
countback.
The net event was equally as one sided as
Eddie Garbutt shot two rounds of net 65 to
win by ten from Alex Tinson with Russell
Cash third. Gerard Dixon had the lead after a
64 on day one but couldn’t maintain his
momentum and tumbled down the
leaderboard on day two.
The Ladies Championship threatened to be
another event dominated by one player as
Michelle Sandford shot a 76 to lead by ten
shots from Sara Donovan and Marja Kohn
going into day two. However, a faltering front
nine on day two saw her lead slip and by the
time she teed off on the 18th her lead was
just one stroke ahead of Donovan. Sandford
held her nerve and clinched the title with a
par with Donovan also making a par to stay
in second place with Khon third.
Although Donovan missed out on the
Gross prize with her fantastic second round
score of 76 for a net 65 saw her take home
the net trophy.
Left to right: Michelle Sandford, Ladies Champion, Eoin Cunniffe, Men’s Champion, Shoaib Farooqui of Emirates, Eddie Garbutt, Men’s Net Champion-and Sara Donovan, Ladies Net Champion.
Bilbo Perrot is crowned the BMW AGMC sponsored 2013 JGE Mens Amateur Open Champion by Mark Bull, JGE Golf Operations Supervisor.
SHANKAR Majrekar saved his best
for last as he compiled 37 points in
the Grand Final of the JGE Yas Cup to
win by three points from t
ournament leader Paul Schwartz.
Schwartz held a two-point lead over
Martin Fernandez while Majrekar was
three back at the start of play. Under
normal circumstances an effort of 31
points would have been good enough
for Schwartz to etch his name on the
trophy, however it wasn’t to be as
Majrekar burst through the pack.
Finishing in third was Tania Gelasini
as her three-round total of 89 points
highlighted her consistency.
Majrekar also had the honour of taking
home a Nearest the Pin prize on hole 13
while the other NTP prizes went to Nhoot
Thongde, Nigel Pinto, and John Parsons
on holes 4, 8 and 17 respectively.
PAIR OF ACES
MARCH proved to be an excellent
month for the rarest shot in golf as
two aces were struck – one on the
Fire course and one on the Earth
course.
Lucas Carletti from Argentina
became the first junior to record a
hole-in-one at Jumeirah Golf Estates,
on the Earth course. He struck a superb
7-iron to the 13th and his ball nestled
in the cup for his most memorable
moment on a golf course to date
Gerald Harper is pictured with Golf Operations Supervisor Mark Bull after achieving his Hole-in-One on the Fire course.
Lucas Carletti is congratulated on his achievement by PGA Golf Professional Alasdair Danson-Webster.
SHANKAR COMES FROM BEHIND TO WIN JGE YAS CUP
shot at redemption. However, as
Fernandez also struggled Perrot
seized the initiative and played out
the final five holes in 2-under-par to
come home in 37 for a 151 total and
win by one from Paul Moir and the
up-and-coming youngster Rayhan
Thomas. Fernandez dropped out of
the podium places after a costly back
nine.
In the Net Division Michael Pearce
took the title with rounds of 72 and 70
for a 36 hole total score of 142. Barry
Cotter claimed second place, three
shots back, while Daood Ali Jaffal
finished third with a 147 total.
Shankar Majrekar is congratulated by Neal Graham, Acting General Manager Operations of Jumeirah Golf Estates.
Shortly after Carletti it was 84-year-old
Gerald Harper’s turn to bask in the
glory as he struck a fine 5-hybrid down
the throat of the par-3 eighth on the
Fire course and into the hole. It pitched
roughly ten yards short of the flag and
trundled up to the hole before
disappearing from view.
www.wwgolf.biz 79
LOCAL NEWS
SAQIB Mahmood and Florence Corgini were crowned Champions
in their respective divisions at last month’s Ecco Individual
Stableford as a field of 72 players battled it out in the third staging
of the event.
Mahmood (pictured right with Golf Pro Scott Clelland) dominated the
Men’s division when he posted his best score to date at Arabian
Ranches as he gross 78 was worth 48 points which saw him complete a
masterful nine-point win over Bryan Banner.
In the Ladies Division Corgini (pictured far right) returned a
well-balanced card of 38 despite scoring no points on three holes
during her round. Finishing runner-up on 35 points was Kaeren Evans.
MAHMOOD AND CORGINI WALTZ TO STABLEFORD VICTORY
ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 4 366 3000
E-mail: [email protected]
www.arabianranchesgolfclubdubai.com ArabianRanchesGolf1 arabianranchesgolfclub
MURPHY AND MCKELVEY SEAL THE MARCH RIVOLI MEDAL HONOURS IN PERFECT CONDITIONSRON Murphy returned a gross 1-under
par 71 to win the March Rivoli Monthly
Medal supported by Speed Cleaning
but only after a narrow countback win
over Max Burrow.
Murphy, one of the club’s Scratch
League players, had a steady round and
got the job done on a day perfect for
scoring.
Having started on hole 10 he posted
nines of 36 and 35 and it was his back
nine of 35 that was the difference
between first and second place.
“I’m happy with my performance today,
it is a special event to win,” said Murphy
after his round. “My thanks go out to the
sponsors for their support and
congratulations to all today’s winners.”
The best net round of the day in the
Men’s division belonged to Division A
Champion Carl Night who posted a net 67
while Adele McKelvey pipped Kim Chiang
to the title on a countback after both
players signed for a gross 80.
Ladies Best Net went to Emma Rooms
with a net 68 leaving Beatrice Galeppini in
the runners up spot for the second
consecutive event.
Men’s winner Ron Murphy is pictured with Lady Club Captain Anne Hainey.
Ladies winner Adele McKelvey accepts her prize from Anne Hainey.
THE ADDRESS MONTGOMERIE DUBAI CONTACT:Tel : +971 4 390 5600
www.themontgomerie.com theaddressmontgomeriedubai
PITMAN PUTS IN PEERLESS DISPLAY TO
CLAIM BMW CITIZEN’S STABLEFORD
PAUL Pitman scored 40 points to
win last month’s BMW Citizen’s
Stableford by just one point from
Mike Roberts while Salil Dungawarl
blew away the competition in
Division ‘B’ as a haul of 44 points
gave him a five-point win over
Valeriy Zabrodin.
The Ladies Division ‘A’ winner was
Ji Won Bae as she secured 40 points
for a two-stroke win over Jo Higgins
while Sam Salem scored 45 points
to win the Ladies’ Division ‘B’ by two
from Jane Gray.
Kerry Fitzpatrick won both the
Ladies Longest Drive and Nearest
the Pin prizes while the men’s
Nearest the Pin on hole 13 went to
Davil Millar and Charlie Simpson
boomed the men’s Longest Drive.
PHILMORE SHINES IN ECCO MEDALPAUL Philmore won last month’s Ecco Monthly Medal after a superb gross
77 gave him a one-stroke victory over John Millar while Angela Calvert
won the ladies gross prize after her 87 saw her win by one from Jo Higgins.
In the Men’s Division ‘A’ David Russell compiled a net 75 and topped the pile
after a countback victory over Russell Yeomans with Richard Taylor third on 77.
The Men’s Division ‘B’ was topped by Myoung Kyu Shin with an excellent 65 for a
three-stroke win over Valeriy Zabrodin with James Haupt third.
The Ladies net prize went to Elsie Bruce after she shot a 68 for a five-stroke win
over Fiona Linn.
www.wwgolf.biz80
ABU DHABI CITY GOLF CLUBwww.adcitygolf.com adcitygolf@adcitygolf
CLUB Captain Tim Munnerlyn
wrapped up an historic victory in
the 2013 Men’s Open last month
after shooting a gross 80 to win
by three shots from Sergio
D’Souza, Martin Smith and Sim
Kyo Lee.
The event was the first staging of a
Men’s Open at the Club and
Munnerlyn duly stepped up to win
in impressive fashion.
The Net Champion was Jamal
Sahl after he recovered from a
shaky start to post a gross 88 for a
net 67. His score was matched by
Quintana Martin, who shot a 95 for
his net 67, but he had to settle for
second place after losing the back
nine countback with Sahl. Sahl’s
superior inward tally of 31 strokes
saw him take the title.
Despite missing out on the
overall Net prize Martin was
crowned champion of Division ‘B’
with his net 67 as he edged out
Yashvant Chavan by one stroke.
In Division ‘A’ Alan Thomson shot
a steady gross 86 off his 16
handicap for a net 70 to seal a
one-stroke victory over Daniel Van
Dyke who in turn pipped Elie
Chiha to the runner-up spot on a
countback.
The Scoring was tough but fair
with only three Players breaking
the Par of 70 all day but despite
the tough but firm conditions
MUNNERLYN SEALS THE FIRST CHIVAS MEN’S OPEN AT ABU DHABI CITY GOLF CLUB
Champion Tim Munnerlyn (centre) is presented with his prizes by Adam Pomeroy, Chivas representative
and Account Manager (left) and ADCGC General Manager Rhian Lobo (right).
many players – some of which who
were playing the couse for the first
time – left with positive views. An
oversubscribed field of 98 players
took to the course and after play
everyone was treated to a
prize-giving dinner at the Pavilion
Terrace.
Speaking at the prize giving
ceremony, ADCGC General
Manager Rhian Lobo said: “It has
been a pleasure hosting you all
here today and this evening and
we sincerely hope that you have
enjoyed yourselves as much as we
have. Our Golf Course is playing
beautifully and our Greens
Superintendant, Jojie Cruz, and his
team deserves huge credit.
“Thanks to our sponsors GMP and
Chivas for a truly memorable day
and well done to Tim Munnerlyn
and Jamal Sahl for being our Men’s
Open inaugural winners.”
A representative from Gray
Mackenzie and Partners on behalf
of Chivas, Adam Pomeroy went on
to say: “Today has been a very
special occasion for ADCGC and
Chivas are delighted to have been
a part of it. We have thoroughly
enjoyed seeing so many of you
here at this wonderful facility,
making time to enjoy each others’
company with Chivas throughout
the day.”
www.wwgolf.biz 81
CONTACT:Tel : +971 2 445 9600
Fax : +971 2 443 225
GOLF HOUSE TEAMS UP WITH ABU DHABI CITY GOLF CLUB
PROGOLF International LLC has continued
the expansion of its retail arm, Golf House,
by adding the proshop at Abu Dhabi City
Golf Club to its portfolio.
“Golf House is a golfer’s paradise. Whether
you are a scratch golfer or someone looking
to get into the game for the first time, we
offer the best selection of the biggest brands
in a truly unique environment,” said Scott
Sullivan Progolf International’s GM. “Today’s
hi-tech clubs offer more features than ever
like adjustable loft and shot shape options.
Our Sponsored Pro’s at Abu Dhabi City Golf
club are experts in helping golfers of all skill
levels find the right gear for their game.”
The new Golf House store will carry a variety
of equipment and apparel brands such as
Callaway, Cobra, Taylormade, Mizuno,
Cleveland, Srixon, Wilson, Puma, C&B, SWAGG,
and Annika
“Abu Dhabi is a growing market and one
where we don’t have much retail presence,”
continued Sullivan.
“Other than a small shop in Mushrif Mall,
this will be our first stand alone store in many
a year.
“Our store supervisor Sandy, along with his
team, and our retail manager Johan du Bruyn
who is also a PGA professional will provide
plenty of experience, support and knowledge
to all golfers looking to better their game or
in need for some friendly advice.
“Along with Abu Dhabi City GC we want to
help grow the game of golf by offering
custom fitting with re-shafting and repair
options coming in the near future.”
With nine stores currently in the UAE, Golf
House will be bringing over 15 years of golf
retail experience into the Abu Dhabi region.
The deal is over a three-year span bringing
many new golfing brands and experience into
the region.
The new store is part of a continued growth
strategy by Progolf that is bucking an industry
trend of golf store closures in many parts of
the world. The Dubai-based golf retailer will
continue its expansion in 2013 with three
planned stores across the UAE.
YAS LINKS GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 2 810 7777
E-mail: [email protected]
www.yaslinks.com YasLinksGC YasLinksGolfClub
PAUL Prince fired a net 70 and won a back-six
countback with Lincoln Mardel to win last month’s
Cadillac Medal. Competition was fierce and
finishing third with a net 71 was John Thompson
while the gross winner was Kang Ho Rho with a 79.
Second place in the gross category went to
youngster Ronan Hall who shot an 85 with Ryan
Hunter taking third after losing out to Hall on a
countback.
PRINCE CROWNED KING IN CADILLAC MEDAL
Champion Paul Prince is pictured with PGA Pro Victoria Hassett.
BURNELL SEALS THE MARCH ETIHAD OPEN STABLEFORDSTEPHEN Paul Burnell clinched the honours
in Division ‘B’ of last month’s Etihad Open
Stableford as his haul of 35 points gave him
a two-point win over Chris Archibald.
Archibald came in with 33 points and he
sealed second place outright ahead of Tiina
Vuorenmaa after a countback.
Taking the honours in Division ‘A’ with a
countback win was Ahmed AlMazrui as he
defeated Jonathan Craig with both players
locked on 39 points.
LOVES SUPREME IN ECCO CHALLENGE
NICK and Anita Love proved too hot to
handle on a scorching day at Yas Links as
they won the Ecco Challenge with a
39-point haul ahead of Willian Royce and
Gareth Denninson on a card countback.
Winner Stephen Paul Burnell (centre) is congratulated after his win.
www.wwgolf.biz 83
ABU DHABI GOLF CLUBwww.adgolfclub.com abudhabigolfclub
MICHAEL Harradine held his nerve in the
final round of the ninth annual Abu
Dhabi Men’s Open, sponsored by Titleist,
to clinch the top spot on the National
Course which designed by his father,
Peter Harradine.
After a steady round of 71 on the first day,
Michael ‘scrambled’ through the second in 74
blows to take this year’s title with a one-shot
victory from PGA professional Gary Knight.
“I played very solid on the first day but
couldn’t really convert the solid play into a
good score which I was slightly disappointed
with,” said Michael. “It isn’t every day you give
yourself a lot of birdie chances and only to
convert a few of them was frustrating.
“On the second day I didn’t play anywhere
near as well and scrambled a lot to try and
keep things going whilst dropping a few shots
here and there. Luckily Gary Knight, who was
only one or two shots behind me at certain
points, made some errors too so it was enough
to stay ahead.”
The overall best gross score was won by
Clemens Dolinar who beat a high-class field
with a 6-over par total of 150.
Last year’s Champion Dino Varkey took
second place with a score of 152 closely
followed by Bayhaan Lakdawala who narrowly
lost out on second place on a countback.
In the Net Division, John Millar took first place
with steady rounds of 75 and 71 for a 146 total
to beat his closest rival Ian McDowall by just
two shots.
Third place went to Coner Keegan with a
total score of 149 over the two days.
HARRADINE CROWNED MEN’S OPEN CHAMPION
CONTACT:Tel : +971 2 558 8990
E-mail: [email protected]
@ADGolfClub
STEVE Martin scored an impressive
net 76 to win last month’s
Rosewood Bowl by one shot from
Colin Mann. Martin put his turn of
good fortune into his recent golf
lesson and said afterwards: “It’s
been a very long time since I won
anything, perhaps that golf lesson
was worth it after all!”
Mann is a two-time Rosewood
Bowl winner alongside Ken
Johnstone and both are battling it
out to become the first three-time
winners of the event.
MARTIN CLINCHES THE MARCH ROSEWOOD BOWL
SAADIYAT BEACH GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 2 557 8000
Email: [email protected]
www.sbgolfclub.ae Saadiyat-Beach-Golf-ClubSaadiyatBeach
Champion Michael Harradine is pictured with Club Captain Ken Graham
after his victory.
TROON GOLF LAUNCHES INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME UK COLLEGE
ABU Dhabi Golf Club has launched a competitive
internship programme in partnership with
Myerscough College in the UK which sees three
students spend a full term working at the golf
club in a range of roles.
Spearheaded by Phil Waine, a former Myerscough
student himself, the programme offers talented
students the opportunity to gain real, hands-on
experience whilst adding the prestige of the Troon
Golf brand to their CVs. In conjunction with Troon
Golf, internationally recognised as the world’s leading
golf course management company, Abu Dhabi Golf
Club is providing the students with accommodation,
catered meals and an allowance for the duration of
their internship.
“The industry is becoming more and more
competitive, and it is challenging to get that first job
without vital experience on your CV,” said Waine, Golf
Operations Manager at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. “We are
committed to growing talent, not just at a regional
level, but internationally too. The initiative aims to
give talented youngsters the chance to learn about
working in a golf club from the inside out,
experiencing roles in retail, operations and events.”
Currently interning are Simon Borley, Steven
Hewitt and Scott Wood, who will finish in May to
return to their studies in the UK. Hewitt, 23, said:
“The move to the Middle East could not have
come at a better time for me and I can honestly
say it’s the place to be.”
Three current interns Simon Borley, Steven Hewitt and Scott Wood are
pictured with Golf Operations Manager Phil Waine (right).
Hole 5 Top Tip Martin Robinson, Head Teaching Professional.
The visually stunning par-4 requires a well placed tee shot due to a well protected fairway. Once on the fairway a confident swing to the right side of the green will ensure a birdie putt. Be careful though, as the green slopes towards the water on the left hand side. The ‘Dolphin Hole’ is amongst the most beautiful in the UAE with Turquoise Ocean views and stunning surrounds.
www.wwgolf.biz84
AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 7 244 7474
E-mail: [email protected]
www.alhamragolf.com AlHamraGolfClub AlHamraGolfClub
MAKI-PETAJA AND ENGELBRECT CROWNED CLUB CHAMPIONSJAKE Maki-Petaja secured the Men’s Club Championship title by a stunning
14-shot margin after a gross 150 after two days of play. Maki-Petaja shot an
opening 76 and followed it with a 74 for his two-round total, well ahead of
second-placed Steve Rayment with third place going to Simon Williams on 165.
Wrapping up the Ladies Championship was the impressive Rita Englebrect as she
won her third Club Championship in succession with a 172 total with second
placed Ma Li Min second on 202.
Andy Spavin won the Men’s Net Division with a two round total of 147 after
beating Paul Tipping in a card play-off while the Ladies Net champion was Paula
Svensson with a 151 tally and a two-stroke win over Rabab Al Haj.
YOON STORMS TO CLASSIC VICTORYDAE Young Yoon clinched the RAK
Seniors Classic last month with a
come-from-behind victory over
overnight leader Sergio D’Souza.
After day one at Al Hamra Golf Club
D’Souza held a one-stroke lead over
Yoon thanks to a gross 77 but on day
two at Tower Links Golf Club Yoon
came to the fore, shooting a superb 72
to turn a one-stroke deficit into a
five-stroke victory.
In the Net category Jimmy Miller
proved untouchable as he fired rounds
of 66 and 70 for an 8-under-par total
and a ten-stroke win over Eric Eric
Engelbrecht.
The Ladies champion was Yuki
Pellerine as she followed an opening
89 with a 96 to finish on 185 and win
the gross prize while the Net champion
was Sheila Alban as her rounds of 76
and 81 gave her a 157 total.
In the Super Seniors (over 60s) Steve
Rayment posted rounds of 80 and 83
to win the gross title while Chris Redley
was crowned the Net champion wth a
144 total.
Bob Messham of sponsors Gulf Coast
Engineering said: “I’ve had a fantastic
weekend of golf. The competition was
a huge success as I hope it would be
and everyone seemed to enjoy every
part of the competition. I’m already
excited for next year when hopefully I
will have the opportunity to Support
another fantastic event.”
MAKI-PETAJA AND AL HAMOUD SEAL VICTORY IN STYLEAFTER Two days of play over at Al Hamra
Golf Club and Tower Links Golf Club the
Black and White Tee Challenge was
decided with Julia Al Hamoud winning
the Ladies White Challenge and Jake
Maki-Petaja clinching the Men’s Black Tee
Challenge.
Al Hamoud won the ladies’ gross with a
171 total while the net winner was Rita
Engelbrecht with a 167.
Maki-Petaja shot a gross total of 160 to
win by a stunning 13 strokes from Douglas
Gemmell while in the net competition
Zhendong Tan secured the title with a 143
total, four clear of Derek Fisher.
SUPERB SU WINS HIS FIRST MEDALZI HAO Su won his first Monthly Medal
at Al Hamra by recording a 79 to finish
with a two-stroke winning margin ahead
of Paul Tipping with Jake Maki-Petaja
finishing third place a shot further back.
Sealing the Net Division was Rabab Al
Haj who followed a 1-under front nine
with a level-par back nine to win by one
from Annie Marriot with Zhendong
Tan taking third a shot further back.
NO STOPPING DARWISHMOHAMMED Darwish continued his
dazzling form by wrapping up the
recent Open Stableford with 38 points,
one clear of Simon Sinclair. Darwish
compiled nines of 20 and 18 for his
total which included six net birdies.
Sinclair unfortunately blew his winning
chances by not recording any points
on the difficult 18th after he had earlier
posted two net eagles and six net birdies.
Finishing two points behind Sinclair
on 35 points was Dave Hoggins, who
had to beat fellow competitors Bill
Grosser and Sekhar Thodla in a card to
clinch third place outright.
www.wwgolf.biz 85
LOCAL NEWS
BILL Buchanan could not have
started life as a Tower Links Member
in better fashion after he cruised to
victory in the weekly Wednesday
social competition.
Partnering Simon Payne in the two
player scramble format was just the
way be introduced to golf in Ras Al
Khaimah and after starting from hole
10 the pair made five consecutive
birdies and two birdies by Buchanan
on their final two holes saw them sign
for a gross 29 and a net 28.73.
Roger Floyd and Yuki Pellerine were
hot on their heels but came up just
shot while Mark Regan and Greg Maddox
took third place with a solid net 31.90.
Finishing last and taking home the
wooden spoon were Par Mottershead
and Rick Wilson on net 38.45. Jeff Glasgow
and Roger Floyd won the Nearest the Pin
prizes on holes 12 and 16 respectively.
RAMPAGING REGAN AT IT AGAINMARK Regan is fast becoming a Social Specialist as he triumphed in the
midweek Stableford recently with a stunning 20-point haul.
Regan has formed some formidable partnerships of late in the pairs competitions
but with this result he proved that he is more than capable of flying solo
when needed.
S.P. Hong goes about his business with minimal fuss, finding fairways and
greens with supreme regularity and he was rewarded on the night with a
second place finish after scoring 19 points.
Four players finished with 17 points and taking third place outright after the
countback was Pat Mottershead as her last three hole score of eight points
clinched her the last place on the podium.
SEAN Quinn and Greg Maddox decimated the field in the recent Wednesday
Social 2 Player Daytona with a wonderful score of 342. The Daytona format
had never been played before over the Links and turned out to be very
enjoyable – once the players got their heads around the scoring.
Second place went to Tobias Fernstrom and Steve Finn with a score of 352 with
Ajay and Anupma Kotwal finishing third with a 361 score. Maddox took home the
Nearest the Pin prize on hole 16 with Young Nam Chang winning the same
prize on hole 12.
TOWER LINKS GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 7 227 939
Email: [email protected]
www.towerlinks.com towerlinksgc
BRILLIANT BUCHANAN WINS ON HIS DEBUT
MUNRO WINS THE 40TH ABU DHABI OPEN GOLF CHAMPION
AL GHAZAL GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 2 575 5044
E-mail: [email protected]
www.alghazalgolf.com Al-Ghazal-Golf-Club
Abdullah Al Shamsi [NBAD] is pictured with overall winner Steve Munro and Club Captain Rupert Evans.
LAST month’s Abu Dhabi Open sponsored by the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD)
celebrated 40 years of sand golf in the UAE’s Capitol and after two spectacular days of
play coming out on top was Steven Munro after he downed Simon Dunn in a tense
play-off.
Munro posted a first round score of 78 and was in third place behind Mark Ireland
with 77 and Dunn who led with a 75.
After nine holes on day two Munro had picked up two shots with a one under 34 against
Dunn’s 36 and a final birdie 3 on hole 10 saw him pull level with the struggling Dunn. Dunn
faltered down the stretch, dropping shots on holes 11, 13, 14 and 15 to fall behind but a
birdie on the 17th pulled him level with Munro. Both players closed with a par to force a
play-off on the 10th hole which was presided over by Al Ghazal Club Captain Rupert Evans.
Munro hooked his drive and from the rough he found the back of the brown, 20 feet past
the pin. Dunn, who was in the middle of the fairway, stuck his approach to 18 feet. Munro
was to putt first and his attempt rolled down the bank, took the break and nestled firmly in
the cup for a superb birdie – worthy of winning any tournament. With the pressure on Dunn
gave his birdie putt a firm strike but it proved too firm as it lipped out, handing Munro the
championship.
Rob Jennings won the Amateur Gross Divition with a 152 total, two clear of Jonathan
Jeffrey with past winner Alex Charawani in third.
The Overall Best Net went to Faris Al Azzawi on 150 with Kevin Darroch in second, one shot
back after being Bernie Blanchard on a countback.
MADDOX AND QUINN DOMINATE WITH EASE
www.wwgolf.biz86
SACHIN Bawa won the Men’s Club
Championship after a stellar performance
while Sanjoli Singh won the Ladies
Championship for the third successive year
after another supreme two-day’s play.
After day one Vikas Dixit was leading the way in
the Men’s event but Bawa proved too strong on
day two as he followed a 79 with an 81 to win by
one from Humayun Kabir with Dixit falling out of
contention. Kabir was forced to settle for the
runner-up spot in the main event but he did win
the overall Net prize thanks to a 145 total.
Singh dominated proceedings in the Ladies
event, winning by a staggering 24 strokes while in
the Ladies Net Category Sarah Whitelaw took the
spoils with a 152 total.
BAWA AND SINGH CROWNED CLUB CHAMPIONS
MUSCAT HILLS GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +968 245 14080
E-mail: [email protected]
www.muscathillsgolf.com MuscatHills Muscat-Hills-Golf-Country-Club
OVER 100 GATHER FOR MEMORIAL GOLF DAYTHE second annual Memorial Golf
Event for HH Kais bin Tarik Al Said
took centre stage with over 100
golfers taking to the course to pay
their respects to the avid golfer
and former member of the Royal
Family who passed away two
years ago.
His son HH Rawi Al Said, now CEO
of Muscat Hills Golf Project LLC,
gathered Muscat Hills’ members and
special invitees to honour his father’s
memory with a golf event which has
now become an annual tradition.
His Highness Kais bin Tarik al Said,
one of the pivotal visionaries of golf
in Oman, pioneered the Muscat Hills
Golf project which became the first
Green Golf Course in the country.
His hard work and dedication of
the project now allows the Oman
golf community to play a fantastic
golf course 365 days a year.
The event was played in teams of
four and taking the top spot with a
haul of 117 points was the team of
Bob Whitelaw, Sarah Whitelaw,
Jordan Whitelaw and Carl Tular as
they edged out Anchum Melina,
Flora Rabar, Peter Salleh and Monica
Jugah by one point. Finishing third
after losing out on a countback for
second place was the foursome of
Khalil Al Wahaibi, Mohammed
Khawar, Talal Al Balushi and Eddy
Mawali.
PRESCOTTS VICTORIOUS AT 2013 AUDI QUATTRO CUPTHE Oman edition of the Audi Quattro Cup ended with plenty of
action and a crowd-pleasing result as partners John and Shirley
Prescott clinched first place in the competition.
During the prize giving ceremony Abdel Karim Awwad, National Sales
and Marketing Manager for Audi Oman, congratulated the winning duo
for their outstanding achievement and thanked all the other participants
in the tournament.
“On behalf of Wattayah Motors – the official dealer for Audi in Oman, it is
my pleasure to congratulate the winning team on having proven
themselves as champion amateur golfers,“ he said. “The concept of the
Audi Quattro Cup is to help raise the profile of golf in Oman and to
recognise the finest golfers in the Sultanate – and today we have done just
that.
“We wish John and Shirley Prescott the best of luck for the World Final at
Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles later this year.”
After winning the Muscat tournament the Prescott proceed directly to
the World Final at Trump National Golf Club, Los Angeles, USA from
October 7th –11th, 2013, where golfers from over 50 different countries
will compete for the title of overall Audi Quattro Cup winner.
“The Audi quattro Cup is a globally renowned amateur tournament,“ said
John. “We were keen to participate, but it was such an achievement to
actually win the tournament!”
Shirley added: “We really enjoyed the atmosphere of the tournament and
are grateful to Audi Oman, Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club and Oman
Golf Committee for organising this tournament.
“It raises the profile of the sport here. To be travelling to the World Finals
in Los Angeles is a dream come true and we’re both stoked to be
competing in this international competition.”
www.wwgolf.biz 87
ALMOUJ GOLF CONTACT:Tel : +968 2200 5990
E-mail: [email protected]
www.almoujgolf.com almoujgolf
ALMOUJ Golf helped raise over OMR 2,500 at
the inaugural Al Fair Charity Golf Day with all
the money being split between the J9
Foundation and a local charity based in
Oman.
The J9 Foundation was formed by the
legendary South African rugby player Joost van
der Westhuizen, who was diagnosed with Motor
Neuron Disease in 2011, a degenerative disorder
which effects normal muscle activity. Currently
there is no known cure for MND and the J9
Foundation not only supports MND patients and
their families financially and emotionally, but also
teaches them how to live a quality life.
The format of the day was a Texas Scramble 4
ball for OGC Handicap holders and coming out
on top with a score of 67 was Nicky Charlton’s
team.
Fay D’Abo achieved success with the ladies’
Nearest the Pin prize on the penultimate hole
whilst Tenzin Tsarong won the men’s Nearest the
Pin title on the second hole.
”We are delighted to host the Al Fair Charity Golf
Day,” said Simon Duffield, General Manager of
Almouj Golf. “We are always keen to support good
causes and this event gave us and our members
the opportunity to take part in a successful
golfing event in support of a great charity. It is an
important cause and we hope events like these
help to raise awareness for such illnesses in
Oman.”
Commercial Manager of Al Fair, Marthinus
Hendrikse said: “The course was in peak condition
and everyone enjoyed the inaugural Al Fair
Charity Golf Day. We got great support from our
suppliers and partners here in Oman and
together we raised just over OMR 2,500. 50% of
the proceeds will be donated to the J9
Foundation, which will make a big difference in
the lives of MND sufferers. The other 50% will be
donated to a charity based in Oman.”runner-up
on 35 points was Kaeren Evans.
OVER OMR 2,500 RAISED AT AL FAIR CHARITY GOLF DAY
RENIHAN RUNS AWAY WITH IT IN CHEDI MONTHLY MEDALHOT on the heels of the 17th GCC Championships,
the links course at Almouj Golf was in pristine
condition for last month’s edition of The Chedi
Muscat Monthly Medal.
The greens were running a little quicker than
normal and taking full advantage was Danny Renihan
as he was out in the first group and set a net target of
76 which was not net bettered by the rest of the field.
Renihan’s round was steady with halves of 48 and 45
giving him a gross total of 93 for his net 76. The gross
title was more a case of attrition rather than
spectacular golf. The wind had increased in strength
throughout the morning meaning every group on
the course had to meet the challenge at some point.
Ultimately it was 5-handicapper Aaron O’Hara who
kept his head and took the title with a gutsy 88.
Joining the winner’s enclosure for the first time this
season in the Ladies Division was Ladies Captain Kim
Davis after she scored a net 77 for a one-stroke win
over Sarah Morris. Kim Davis and Danny Renihan with their trophies.
THE ROYAL GOLF CLUBwww.theroyalgolfclub.com royalgolfclub theroyalgolfclub
CONTACT:Tel : +973 1 775 0777
PROFESSIONALS EASE OUT THE MEMBERS
THE Royal Golf Club’s team of PGA
Professionals continued their winning
streak at the annual Professionals’
Challenge with a great 11-under-par
score of 61.
The team, consisting of General Manager
DJ Flanders, Senior Teaching Professional
Tim Backhouse and teaching professionals
Chris McDonnell and Craig Brown got off to
a slow start after only birdieing four out of
the first nine holes. Nevertheless, they
made up for it on the final nine holes with a
superb seven birdies to ease to a
comfortable victory.
The Texas Scramble tournament attracted
a field of 100 players and saw competitors
trying to better the Pros’ team score. Out of
the 25 teams that took part in the
challenge, the Pros managed to beat 21
teams, only losing to four.
The winning amateur team was the DHL
team represented by Ed Daly, Adrian
Morgan, Gary Owen and Andy Love, who
scored a net 59.7.
Professional Tim Backhouse (second from right) with the DHL team of (left to right)
Gary Owen, Adrian Morgan, Andy Love and Ed Daly.
www.wwgolf.biz88
THE inaugural Brookfield Multiplex Charity Golf
Day took place last month with all the money
raised during the day going to a local cancer
charity.
Prior to play competitors bought mulligans
and raffle tickets which went into the charity
pot and after play an auction was held where
electrical goods, barbeques and signed Qatar
Masters memorabilia was sold to the highest
bidder. On the course the prizes went to the
team of Anton Barry, Wade Dann, Mark Hervey
and Zamri Salim as they shot a superb net 56 to
win by one from the team of Brookfield General
Manager Reiner Breitenbach, Michael Izzy, Terry
Martin and Jon Brooks.
MONEY RAISED FOR CHARITY AT BROOKFIELD MULTIPLEX GOLF DAY
LOW SCORES IN RASGAS MEMBERS DAYLAST month’s RasGas Members Golf Event was split into two shotguns
as over 175 players took to the course in a quest for honours.
Taking the spoils in Flight ‘A’ was James Corby as he fired a gross 71 for a net
65 while in Flight ‘B’ where the format was Stableford Ali Sager won with a
score of 34 points. Flight ‘C’ was also contested in Stableford and winning with
35 points was Brian Woodward while the Junior champion was Faisal Mir with
34 points and Annette Hansen won the Ladies Division with the same score.
BANYAN TO INTRODUCE GOLF CARTSSINCE its soft opening in October 2008 Banyan Golf
Club has welcomed thousands of golfers from across
the globe and to celebrate its fifth year of operation
next year the management have decided to make golf
carts optional from May this year.
“In general we believe our industry requires golf
courses to be affordable, accessible, economical and
sustainable,” said Golf Club Manager Stacey Walton. “Golf
facilities need to be financially viable as the investment
made in a golf course is significant. Also, members and
regular golfers will appreciate the change at Banyan Golf
Club as they can now play our course with their playing
partners more comfortably should they all decide to walk
the golf course or rent golf carts.”
Players that rent a golf cart can enjoy the GPS system
which is installed in them and it will be the only golf
course in Thailand to provide this technology.
BANYAN GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +66 (32) 616 200
email: [email protected]
www.banyanthailand.com Banyan-Golf-Club-Hua-Hin
DOHA GOLF CLUBwww.dohagolfclub.com Doha-Golf-Club
CONTACT:Tel : +971 4 295 2277
SANG-ORN SECURES MARCH GUARDIAN WEALTH MEDAL
SOMPOSCH Sang-Orn captured last
month’s Guardian Wealth Medal
with a net 72 from his gross 79.
Sang-Orn had a tough start and
went out in 41 blows but he fought
back on the inward nine and came
home in 38 to post his victorious total.
In Flight ‘B’ Yushiro Ishige triumphed
with a net 68 from his gross 83 while
Flight ‘C’ was topped by Gerry Price as
he shot a gross 91 for a net 70. The
Ladies Division was won by the
upcoming junior Kimberley Stiegler as
she shot a net 73.
.biz 89
I was recently playing in Mediclinic Middle East's Golf Day. A day out of the office playing golf is always going to be a great day, but this particular round was made even better by the company - my buggy partners, Peter, Sean and Richard. Thank you one and all.
It was Around The Turn that the topic of conversation became Rory McIlroy's recent on-course dental problems, and his urgent need to abandon his round and his playing partners. The consensus was that this was pretty poor form; walking off mid round, unless injured, is unprofessional, irrespective of how bad you are playing. All his fans were very disappointed. I am sure his management team from now on will have a dentist travelling with them for all future events.I think this serves to demonstrate the differences between golf for fun and golf for a living. We "amateurs" are never going to earn our living playing golf and so are unshackled from the burden of having to win, win, win and can enjoy the game for itself. The "big boys and ladies" will only ever enjoy it when they are winning or earning well. If we ever storm off the golf course with "toothache" we should be sent straight back to the office, to our work! Mark Twain famously said that golf was "a good walk spoilt". But we know better, don't we?
So what about our teeth? There are well known and established links between our oral health and our bodily health. The biggest cause of losing your teeth is not tooth decay but gum disease. My dentist, Ian, has a great poster on the wall of his surgery. It shows a young boy asking if he has to brush all of his teeth every day, to which the dentist replies, "No, just the one you wish to keep". Many diseases can manifest themselves in the oral cavity and all good dentists examine the whole mouth and throat thoroughly as part of your routine dental check up and will often spot things which may be of concern, long before you would consider going to you doctor. Finally, there is good evidence that brushing your teeth twice each day in association with the regular use of interdental brushes (little brushes which go in between the teeth and clean the gums, reducing the bacterial load in the mouth) reduces your risk of heart disease significantly. How does it do that, you may well ask? Catch me on the course and I'll tell you.
Top Tip: Regular trips to your dentist catch problems early and may improve your golf.
BUGGY TALKAROUNDTHE TURN
www.mediclinic.ae
By Dr. Andrew Devine
DIRAB GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +966 1 812 6671
E-mail: [email protected]
www.dirabgolf.com
THE annual Ambassador Cup took place recently and coming out on top
with a gross 65 for a net 55 was the team of Mujb Minhas, Byung Nyun
Kim, Rami Alsaihati and Susan Tessier. Finishing second, two strokes back
with a net 57, was the team of Mursidi Setia, Ralf Schiffer, Roedy Roetuin
Ahmad and Budi Atmoko as they shot a gross 68 for their net tally.
Rounding out the podium places was the team of Ibrahim Zailon,
Muhamed Fakhri Taib and Khasan Syukur as they compiled a net 60 from
a gross 71 while Shahid Rabbani won both the Nearest the Pin and Long
Drive prizes and Susan Tessier won the Ladies Long Drive challenge.
SUPERB SCORES RECORDED IN AMBASSADOR OPEN
WRIGHT AND DICKINSON THE WAY IN MARRIOTT MONTHLY MEDALCAROLINE Wright and Barbara Dickenson emerged as the big winners in
the recent Marriott Ladies Monthly Medal with Wright taking the overall
gross spoils with an 88 and Dickenson taking the net prize with a 68.
In Division ‘A’ Mi Jung Yoo took the spoils with a five-stroke win over
Claire Watter after signing for a 70 while in Division ‘B’ Susan Tessier also
scored a 70 to record a four-stroke win over Monika Schiffer.
The Omega Division was won by Christy Roe with a 91 with Chris
Buchner taking second, two strokes back.
Hole 10 Top Tip By Bouchiab El Jadiani, Golf Professional.
A long and straight drive is what is needed to take advantage on this this par-4. Should your drive pull up short of the fairway bunker you’ll be left with a 150-yard approach to a narrow, kidney-shaped green that slops from left to right into the fattest portion. Any approach that misses short right will find the sand leaving a tough up-and-down. If you find the green in regulation look back and enjoy the view back to the tee and beyond knowing only a three-putt can spoil it!
www.wwgolf.biz 91
STYLEActor Bill Murray on how a job as a caddie in his teens
gave him the taste for what has been a life-long hobby.
Dubai Duty Free give you the chance to win a 600hp McLaren MP4-12C. Weird name – amazing supercar!
LPGA star Morgan Pressel gets a grilling from WWG on her hobbies, favourite foods and her charitable endevours.
www.wwgolf.biz 93
Your brother Brian co-wrote
Caddyshack, your time working as
caddies must’ve provided some
inspiration?
BM: Brian knew that they needed a
character to be the balance between
the members and the caddies, and he
asked me to come down and do the
character that became Carl Spackler. It
was supposed to be a small role—
pretty much the scene with the head
greens keeper telling me that we have
to deal with the gopher. It became a
lot more.
You were at The Ryder Cup with the
US team all week last year, what are
your reflections now that the dust
has settled?
BM: It was in my home town so I was
proud of the city, the city did a great
job. It’s a beautiful city and I think the
players had a great time. You know,
when you come from that far behind
to win, like Europe did, it’s an epic day.
Even though I root for the Americans I
know a lot of the European players
and they’re good men so I couldn’t
root against them. It was something to
watch – a moment in golf that will last
a long time.
When did you first get hooked on
the game of golf?
BM: When I caddied as a kid. My
brothers and I worked at this club
where we grew up. We caddied
barefoot back in the old days. We didn’t
know there were pesticides on the
grass! I just loved the peace and quiet,
being outside. I fell in love with the early
and the late—being out early in the
morning with dew on the grass, or late
afternoons with the sun going down,
beautiful light, birds all around. It’s a
nice way to live.
You must have had some fun
caddying?
BM: It was my first glimpse of comedy.
When you see grown men near to tears
because they’ve missed hitting a little
white ball into a hole from three feet, it
makes you laugh.
What was the funniest thing you
saw?
BM: I guess I can tell you this, because
he’s long gone. I caddied for a guy who
had really bad gas. The gas was so bad,
there were colours coming out. I mean
actual colours. I haven’t seen anything
like it since. Extraordinary.
You’ve got some moves on the golf
course, what do you play off?
BM: I don’t really play very well. I played
off 5 at last year’s Dunhill Links
Championship but I didn’t get
anywhere close to that. I can’t play
anywhere near that any more.
What’s the strongest part of your
game?
BM: When I’m playing a lot, I can drive
the ball really well and hit it far and
where I want to hit it. But when my
swing is queer, I struggle with balance.
So I’ll hit 5-irons until I get right. I’ll say,
“OK, 5-irons off the tee from now on.”
It’s a good lesson—you learn it’s not
too damaging [to your score] to hit
5-irons, if you hit them straight. And I
can get them out there pretty good.
What about the weakest part?
MB: Long irons. I’m late to the
hybrid-club craze. I still carry long irons.
I’ll reach a long par-3, look at the card,
and you’re like, “Geez, I don’t have this
club. I’m gonna have trouble.” It’s
frustrating because I haven’t played
enough to really spank a 3-, 4-iron. And
if you hit a knock-down wood, you
have no idea where it’s going.
What makes you laugh when you’re
playing golf?
BM: I try not to laugh at other people. I
love playing with my friends.
Something happens on a golf course.
You’re able to talk about things you
can’t speak about at other times with
other people. You feel free. You can
open up a big can of something that’s
been shut off inside you – things
you’ve been keeping inside. Secrets
come out.
SOMETIMES you need a good sense of humour to play golf otherwise you’d cry and Bill Murray is probably the best
The 62-year-old American has been around golf his whole life and spent much of his teens caddying for rich
WWG STYLE
Murray Movie ClassicsCaddyshack (top)
Ghostbusters (midde)
Little Shop of Horrors
She’s Having a Baby
Scrooged
Groundhog Day
Rushmore
The Royal Tenenbaums
Lost in Translation
Zombieland
The Life Aquatic (bottom)
96 www.wwgolf.biz
WWG STYLE
WWG: What would you like to do for a living
if you are not a pro golfer?
MP: Work in fashion or something similar
where I can be creative.
WWG: Is there anything you’re addicted to?
Or can’t live without?
MP: Online shopping and retail in general!
WWG: Is there anything you won’t eat?
MP: That is an extensive list, and it begins
with seafood!
WWG: What do you feel is your biggest
accomplishment to date?
MP: Raising money for breast cancer in
honour of my mother and creating a
foundation.
WWG: What is your favorite activity you do
when you want to relax?
MP: Read a book or magazine.
WWG: What is your favourite time of year?
MP: Winter – when I’m home in Florida with
my family.
WWG: What beauty product can you not
live without?
MP: Bobbi Brown long wear eyeliner.
WWG: What invention do you wish you had
thought of?
MP: The Hair Tie!
WWG: What’s your favourite movie of all
time?
MP: My Fair Lady.
MorganPresselwhen in 2007 she became, at 18 years, 10 months and 9 days, the youngest player
on to add the Kapalu Classic the following
cancer at the age of 15 Morgan hosts the
DID YOU KNOW?
If Morgan could choose to be on a television
show it would be either Gossip Girl because she
loves fashion, or Glee because she loves music.
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