Worldwide Golf January 2021

T H E 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

EST

1999

Worldwide Golf

MIDDLE EAST SWING

JANUARY

2021

BALL BREAKER

THE LOWDOWN ON THE BIG THREE EVENTS WITH HUGE MONEY AND POINTS ON OFFER

ARE MODERN BALLS REALLY THE C SSIC COURSE KILLER?

VIKTOR H

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READY FOR RYDER RUMBLE

FEATURE

FOCUS

IAN POULTER

THE POSTMAN TALKS ABOUT THE RYDER CUP AND HIS LOVE OF THE MIDDLE EAST

TONY FINAU

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO MAJOR CONTENDER

+ HOW TO PLAY THE MAJLIS 18TH + GRIP IT AND CHIP IT + COBRA RADSPEED DRIVER CT_Logo_Port_4C_OnLight.AW

Worldwide Golf is the Official Media partner to the European Tour in the Middle East and the official magazine of the Emirates Golf Federation

IT’S

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Gary Player: The future looks stronger for the professional game.

Stay positive to beat the pandemic The European Tour and the PGA Tour’s Strategic Alliance is paving the way to future success for both Tours

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HIS has been the most extraordinary year in living memory due to the global pandemic.

Virtually every sport has been seriously affected in one way or another and we have had to accept change and adapt accordingly. Golf has had to embrace the challenges in every way possible.

The world’s economy seems to have been brought almost to a standstill but we still have to keep a positive approach. As Britain’s Wartime Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, said: ‘Change is the price of success.’ People are too eager to criticise those who are genuinely trying to improve the situation. We can’t just wait for times to change, we’ve got to make whatever changes we can for the better.

We all owe a great debt to the game of golf and all aspects of the global golf industry, from players, manufacturers, golf courses, real estate, media and broadcasters and a multitude of connected industries from which many of the sponsors of tournaments come.

I was very happy when I saw the announcement from Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, and Jay Monahan, PGA Tour Commissioner, that there is to be a Strategic Alliance to further collaborate on scheduling and other opportunities between both

Tours. They’ve got to give it a try. I believe it’s the future of the sport at that level and is the way forward. Clearly, a lot of work has gone into the negotiations over many months. I think it will work for both Tours and believe it’s in the best interests of golf globally.

I’m also very pleased with the progress of women’s golf, which has steadily increased over recent months all around the world, and particularly in the Middle East. The standard of the women’s game is increasing month on month and there is now far more interest all-round with the involvement of players all over the world.

Last month I enjoyed competing with one of my grandsons, James Throssell, in the PNC Championship. We finished 16th on 15-under-par after rounds of 66 and 63 in the scramble format. I think 16th is a respectable result, but the winner’s score was 25-under. It was a treasured moment to be with my son and two grandsons and enjoy a wonderful weekend together. Family is one of the greatest gifts we have.

I’d like to wish all the readers of Worldwide Golf a Happy New Year and let’s hope that 2021 will be a better place for golfers everywhere. ■

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CONTENTS 26

COLUMN

COLUMN

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COLUMN

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Starter

Pete Cowen

David Howell

Adri Arnaus

All the latest news from around the global game and a quick tip for more length off the tee from Xander Schauffele.

Master PGA Professional Pete Cowen on his hopes for 2021 after an up-and-down year for his players in 2020.

European Tour stalwart David Howell gives his insight to the epic end of a memorable season on the European Tour.

The Dubai-based Spanish ace is looking to pick up where he left off and make a fast start to 2021 in the Middle East.

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Ian Poulter As forthright and engaging as ever, we sat down with Ian Poulter to get his views on 2020 and what he has planned for 2021 with both The Ryder Cup and the Olympics on the horizon.

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Viktor Hovland

Tony Finau

Tour News

One of the game’s rising stars, Viktor Hovland has got his sights set on more glory in 2021 after the young Norwegian won two times on the PGA Tour last year.

From humble beginnings to a Major contender, we chart the rise of Tony Finau as he makes his Middle East debut this year on his quest to become a more global player.

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With the 2020 season coming to close with a doubleheader in Dubai, the European Tour announced their 2021 schedule with six events in the Middle East and four strategically placed Rolex Series events.

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The 2021 Desert Swing previews Some of the best players in the world are set to tee it up in the region to kick off their 2021 season as the three events – which start in Abu Dhabi before heading to Dubai and Saudi Arabia – take centre stage.

GEAR 46

INSTRUCTION

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GOLF HACK – MYTH OR FACT A new series of product reviews where we put golf technology to the test to see if evolution has worked out for the best or whether the ‘old school’ still rules.

First up – the golf ball...

How to play the 18th on the Majlis at Emirates Golf Club Jonathan Craddock, PGA Professional at Dubai Golf Programme Development, gives us a step by step breakdown of how best to navigate the famous closing hole at Emirates Golf Club.

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Cobra’s ‘RAD’ new driver The new RADSPEED driver from Cobra has a catchy name – but its radial weighting technology can cater for all swing speeds as we investigate its three new models.

Switch The Grip Andy Carter, Senior Teaching Professional at Jumeirah Golf Estates, talks us through how a simple change in your grip can improve the quality of chip shots from around the green.

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ALEX GALLEMORE

EDITOR’S LETTER

Is too much money burning out players?

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OLF is one of the only sports to have an annual schedule.

Starting in January and ending in December, it’s prime viewing for television audiences and golf fans throughout the world, but are we running the risk of burning the players out?

Fingers crossed, we will have one of the most action-packed seasons in 2021, starting with the Masters in April followed by the other Majors; hopefully, the Olympics; and The Ryder Cup. Throw in the Race to Dubai and FedEx Cup Series and huge purses are up for grabs, so you can see how players are enticed to take on too much.

Recent leading players who were on top of the World Rankings, such as Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and even Justin Rose, have slipped down the ladder and are either struggling to find form or battling against injuries.

All other sports give their athletes time to recover and protect them from burn-out. On the Tours, players are given a minimum number of events they must enter and then it’s down to them to manage their schedule accordingly. For many players, gaining a Tour card is merely the start of things to come, but the main focus is to get inside the top 100, and then the top 50. These are the golden numbers to make sure you are eligible to enter the premium events on international schedules worldwide, although there is a bigger picture going on behind the scenes.

$2 MILLION NEEDED

Many players get invites, appearance money based on their current Official World Ranking status, and lucrative sponsorship deals.

So, players can’t really relax and plan a full year in advance with scheduled breaks. If you drop out of the key sectors in the ranking, the bank balance is going to take a huge hit.

It’s rumoured that it costs top-flight Tour players $2million to play a full season. That’s taking into consideration premium travel costs, hotels, caddies, coaches – the full works. Some players’ lifestyles are much higher than that, depending on their how they live away from the course. Let’s not even talk about John Daly’s off-course expenses!

This new high-pressure, huge-money environment entices golfers to fall in line with modern day sports stars and athletes in terms of the length of their careers. A player these days with a modern highswing speed and power game will be likely to have burnt themselves out by their mid-30s. Very few are able to continue the pace going into their 40s.

Lee Westwood has recently proved it can be done, but I doubt you will ever see Jason Day tee it up on the Champions Tour, as his body continues to break down due to excess wear and tear of life on Tour.

It will be interesting to see if the European Tour will offer its players a revised pension in line with that of the PGA Tour, given the recent aligning with the two associations. For many players who don’t make millions each year, the chance to top up their pension via the over-50s Champions Tour and the Staysure Tour (now known as the Legends Tour), was a crucial life-line.

APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY

StaySure insurance has now formed the Legends Tour and it’s great to see its Chairman Ryan Howsam secure a 2021 schedule and a valuable lifeline for so many pros who appreciate the opportunity to showcase their game and keep their bank manager quiet.

One senior pro I’ve got to know very well over the last 20 years is Pete Cowen, and he will be having no issues with his bank manager after Matt Fitzpatrick won the DP World Tour Championship last month.

BALL BREAKER

For countless years I’ve listened to Pete and Gary Player championing the cause that something needs to be done about the ball to prevent many of the legendary courses becoming pitch and putts. So, in this issue I met up with Pete and his son Adam at their academy in Rotherham, Yorkshire to find out once and for all if the ball or club development is the cause of the problem.

Read the full story and test on page 46… you will be blown away with the outcome!

ISSUE No.231 JANUARY 2021 • Published by: Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd • Published in Dubai by: Prografix • PO Box 24677 • Dubai, UAE (Tel) +9714 340 3785 Editor-in-Chief: Mike Gallemore • Executive Editor: Gary Player • Editor: Alex Gallemore (alex@wspglobal.com) Publisher: Mike Gallemore (mike@wspglobal.com) • General Manager Dubai: Richard Bevan (rick@wspglobal.com) • Editors: Todd Staszko, Thomas Wragg, Ashraf Ahmed • Production/Design Editor: Thameem Rayyan • Editorial Panel: Gary Player, Mike Gallemore, Alex Gallemore, Richard Bevan, Todd Staszko • Photography: Getty Images • June 2009 SSN 1- 46805671 • Approval UAE National Media Council: Ref.816 30/5/2007 Trade Licence No. 1/104375/15280 • Worldwide Golf specifies that post-press changes may occur to any information given in this publication and takes no responsibility for goods or services advertised.

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ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB THE OPENING VENUE FOR THE 2021 DESERT SWING The National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club is primed and ready to host the 16th staging of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and as one of the European Tour’s elite Rolex Series events for the third year in succession.

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ESIGNED by Peter Harradine and opening in 2000, Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s 7,583-yard par-72 National Course is a long examination, and the combination of huge, glassy putting surfaces, plentiful bunkers, water hazards and the desert heat can make the course as much of a test of stamina as well as golfing skill. Water comes into play on more holes than not, so

players have to have their A-Game with them if they are to score well.

The signature par-3 12th hole – with a lengthy carry over water to a large, sloping green – is a test for any standard of golfer.

Spread across 162-hectares, there are 27 championshipstandard holes, with 18 of them making up the National Course, home of the Abu Dhabi HSBC

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Championship since 2006. Also on site is the floodlit 9-hole Garden Course. The iconic Falcon Clubhouse casts a striking presence over the par-5 closing hole, which has always provided a dramatic finishing scene.

The inaugural professional event held at Abu Dhabi Golf Club came shortly after it opened when the final of the European Senior Tour (now Legends Tour) rolled into town.

MCILROY AND THOMAS HEADLINE STELLAR FIELD

DESERT SWING

Big Names for 2021: Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy were the first players to announce their participation and they will be joined by the likes of defending champion and reigning Race to Dubai winner Lee Westwood and past winners Martin Kaymer, Shane Lowry and Tommy Fleetwood at the first Rolex Series event of 2021.

RYDER CUP REMATCH

“I’m excited to play for the first time in Abu Dhabi. I’ve heard really great things about the course and with it being the first Rolex Series tournament of the year, I’m sure it’s going to deliver a strong field. I enjoy new challenges, such as playing different golf courses around the world, and competing against the best players in the game, so of course I have my eye on trying to take home the Falcon Trophy.”

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Thomas and McIlroy faced off in the opening singles match in Paris just over two years ago. The American got the better of a tense battle with a 1-up victory.

Key Holes:

The easiest hole for the last five years of the tournament, the 18th (main image) has yielded more birdies than pars after four rounds of play in three of the last five years and the number of pars and birdies was equal (179) in 2016.

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“I’m looking forward to coming back to Abu Dhabi. It’s always a great event for the players and it’s the perfect place for me to start the 2021 season. Abu Dhabi Golf Club is a world-class golf course, one that I have come close to winning on several times over the years, so, hopefully, I can do well again and be right up there contending come Sunday.”

This stretch provides a stern test midway through the outward nine. Last year all three holes averaged slightly over par, with the 468-

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yard par-4 sixth ranked the third hardest hole overall, seeing only 38 birdies all week and 72 bogeys or worse.

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The front half concludes on a tough note, with the 456-yard par-4 ranking either hardest or second hardest three times since 2016. Twenty three double bogeys and 84 bogeys last year speaks for itself.

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WHAT: Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship WHEN: Jan 21-24 WHERE: Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE

DESERT SWING

PAST HIGHLIGHTS: Fleetwood defends in style (2018) HAVING won in Abu Dhabi for the first time a year earlier en route to topping the Race to Dubai, Tommy Fleetwood underlined his status as one of the European Tour’s star performers with a superb defence of his title in his first start of 2018. Two behind the leaders Thomas Pieters and Ross Fisher and one behind Rory McIlroy, Fleetwood stormed home with a closing 65 to win by two strokes from Fisher on 22-under-par.

Robert Rock holds off Woods and McIlroy (2012) BEGINNING the final round level alongside Tiger Woods, and with Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell also in contention, not many would have fancied Robert Rock’s chances of emerging victorious. At that point in his career, Woods had held or shared 62 third round leads and converted 55 of them, but he was out of sorts on that Sunday, finding just five greens in regulation in a level par 72 as Rock fired a 2-under 70 for his second career title. McIlroy finished runner-up, one stroke clear of Woods who was third alongside McDowell and Thomas Bjørn.

Kaymer takes home the first of three (2008) AS 2007’s rookie of the year, Martin Kaymer underlined his potential with a remarkable four-stroke win over veterans Henrik Stenson and Lee Westwood in 2008. Having missed the cut in his first career start at the venue a year earlier, Kaymer opened with rounds of 66-65-68 to create a six-shot lead and he afforded himself a final round 74 and still won by a comfortable margin. His love affair with the tournament continued with back-toback victories in 2010 and 2011.

Strong past winners’ pedigree THE best players usually rise to the top in Abu Dhabi, with the likes of Paul Casey, Martin Kaymer, Rickie Fowler, Tommy Fleetwood, Lee Westwood and Shane Lowry all getting their hands on the famous trophy.

There have been a few surprises, as shown in 2015 when France’s Gary Stal, ranked 357th in the world, won by one shot ahead of the then World No.1 Rory McIlroy.

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THE LOWDOWN: WITH thick rough, its fair share of long par-4s and lightning fast greens, the layout at Abu Dhabi is usually referred to as one of the toughest tracks on the European Tour. However, the scoring doesn’t always reflect that, as the last time the winning tally was anything less than 15-under was 2014, when Pablo Larrazabal won on 14-under.

THE MAJLIS Scoring habits:

OVER the last five years, scoring has been harder on the opening nine holes, with birdies more readily available on the homeward stretch. Last year, seven of the front nine averaged over par for the week, with only the 351-yard par-4 second and 568-yard par-5 third holes yielding an under-par average.

The OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic is the oldest tournament in the region and the longest running European Tour event to be held outside of Europe having started in 1989.

“I LOVE coming to Dubai and, obviously, having won there I have great memories to look back on. It’s one of my favourite events. The course is always presented beautifully and is a fair test.

I’m proud to be a part of the tournament’s rich history and would love to create a little bit more by becoming a twotime winner.” – Sergio Garcia

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DESERT SWING

The Jewel in the Desert AS THE FIRST all-grass golf course in the Middle East, Emirates Golf Course is one of the most iconic courses in the world.

Designed by American architect Karl Litten and opened in 1988, the original 18 holes were built in and around the dunes of a natural site to the south of the city of Dubai, which was donated by His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who gave specific instructions that the desert flora was maintained in its natural state.

The course features hundreds of indigenous species of flora and fauna, which intertwine with the winding fairways, natural sandy areas and seven fresh and saltwater lakes. As Dubai has grown in the intervening years, so too has the reputation of the club and the course, which acts as a standard-bearer for all grass championship courses in the region.

Litten believes his creation to be the pinnacle of his work – for

both its design and playability, including the way the course is managed amid a growing number of courses in the city and beyond.

“I’d say Emirates Golf Club is right up there as No.1 because of the maintenance and the fame it has gained,” said Litten.

“They have spent a lot of money on the proper equipment and on having good golf course superintendents. It was my first golf course in the region and I wanted it to be the best.

“There were people who laughed at us when they heard we were building a golf course in the middle of the desert. I didn’t want them to keep laughing after we had finished it.”

In 2012, an irrigation system renovation was completed, which now sees the use of over 8,800 metres of mainline piping and 33,500 metres of lateral piping deliver water savings by ensuring increased distribution efficiency throughout the course.

A new state-of-the-art pump station allows up to 6,500 gallons of Treated Sewage Effluent (TFE) water per minute to travel throughout the network, significantly reducing the course’s water consumption.

BIG NAMES FOR 2021 Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio Garcia and Lucas Herbert have all confirmed their participation, with reigning US PGA Champion Morikawa making his debut at the event.

Rose returns to the tournament for the first time since his runner-up finish in 2009 while Fleetwood is making his 10th consecutive start on the Majlis course. Hatton missed last year’s tournament having undergone wrist surgery and Garcia is a past winner, having triumphed in 2017 before going on to win that year’s Masters Tournament.

“I always look forward to starting my season in the Middle East, and Dubai with its history is a popular tournament in the Middle East Swing.

There are so many great winners of the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic and I would love to be one of them one day.” – Tommy Fleetwood Worldwide GOLF 19

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WHAT: OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic WHEN: Jan 28 - 31 WHERE: Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE

DESERT SWING

PAST HIGHLIGHTS:

1996 LEGENDARY WINNERS:

Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Seve Ballesteros, Rory McIlroy, Colin Montgomerie and Fred Couples are just a few of the big names to have won the Dallah Trophy.

Recent winners include Major champions Danny Willett (2016), Sergio Garcia (2017) and Bryson DeChambeau (2019) and leading Chinese player Haotong Li (2018).

Australia’s Lucas Herbert is the defending champion after he won his maiden European Tour title with a gritty play-off win over Christiaan Bezuidenhout 12 months ago.

Monty’s driver off the deck STANDING in the middle of the fairway with a one-shot lead over playing partner Miguel Angel Jiménez in the final group, Monty closed the door in emphatic fashion by finding the green with a crisp strike that was later crowned ‘European Tour Shot of the Year.’ “Under that kind of pressure, that was the best shot I’ve ever hit on the European Tour,” said the Scot.

McIlroy’s maiden win FRESH-FACED 19-year-old Rory McIlroy recovered from three back-nine bogeys to win his first professional title in Dubai by one stroke ahead of Justin Rose, with Henrik Stenson third. “I still have a lot of years to progress and I just want to keep improving and, hopefully, one day I’ll be able to compete with Tiger,” said McIlroy after taking ownership of the Dallah Trophy for the first time. He would win the title again in 2015.

2009

1994

2002

2005

ELS rolled in a 20-foot eagle putt on the 18th green to win by one shot ELS AT ERNIE ahead of Stephen Dodd and Miguel Angel Jiménez and become the event’s first THE three time winner in 2005. Els was the only player to eagle the final hole all day.

TREBLE In addition to his three wins, Els also finished runner-up on three occasions.

THE LOWDOWN: Of the 31 past events there have been six play-offs and 12 victories by one-shot.

Bryson DeChambeau’s 7-shot winning margin two years ago is a tournament record, as is his 24-under-par score.

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ROYAL APPROVAL Royal Greens Golf & Country Club

Now in its third year, the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers has established itself as one of the must-play events as the big names from around the world flock to tee it up and compete in the Kingdom THE Championship course at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club was designed

by European Golf Design to test both the world’s leading players and amateurs alike, with multiple teeing options on every hole. Off the tips the course plays to a par 70 at 7,010 yards, with only two par-5s, the 569-yards fourth hole and the 607-yards 18th.

The Red Sea is a hop-skip-and-a-jump from the 16th green and the course

offers spectacular views across the blue expanse, while also utilising some elements from the most world-renowned courses for strategic purposes.

Numerous bunkers enhance the challenge while the routing offers some risk/reward choices which could make or break a player’s chances of success.

The wadi and lakes add drama while the well-maintained native areas are ready to cause headaches for anyone

wayward in their play. Major research was undertaken in choosing the particular grasses and the layout of the irrigation system to try and offset the harsh conditions that come during the peak summer sun. Genetically modified grass grown in Georgia, which is heat resistant, was sourced, while the irrigation system provides efficient application of water in order to minimise any waste.

THE LOWDOWN Risk/Reward Three of the par-4s on the course (holes 1, 10 and 17) are shorter than 375 yards, so with a favourable wind the chances of finding the green – or leaving a short pitch to set-up a birdie putt – are high. Haotong Li demonstrated this in emphatic fashion in the inaugural event of 2019, making eagles on those three reachable par-4s.

For the third year in succession the event will carry a $3.5m prize fund and this year there will be 4,250 Race to Dubai points up for grabs. Plus, with the strength of the field it will likely carry more Official World Golf Ranking points than the Waste Management Phoenix Open, which is held during the same week on the PGA Tour.

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DESERT SWING

EPIC CAST OF PLAYERS FOR THIRD SAUDI INTERNATIONAL TAKE A DEEP BREATH, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Phil Mickelson, Tony Finau, Viktor Hovland, Graeme McDowell, Shane Lowry, Sergio Garcia, Justin Rose, Henrik Stenson, Rafa Cabrera-Bello, Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood are all headed for King Abdullah Economic City.

PAST HIGHLIGHTS: DUSTIN JOHNSON won the inaugural edition in 2019, defeating China’s Haotong Li in a final round tussle. Li had fired a stunning 8-under-par 62 to launch himself into a share of the lead with Johnson, but he couldn’t repeat his heroics as Johnson’s final round 67 saw him win by two strokes.

“Any time you can win a professional golf tournament, no matter where it is in the world, it’s a big win. I’m honoured to be the champion,” said Johnson. “I’m really looking forward to returning to Saudi Arabia for a third consecutive year. I’ve really enjoyed both of my visits and I love the golf course, as evidenced by my win and runner-up finish. The scuba diving experiences I’ve had in the Red Sea have also been amazing.

It’s been pretty neat to witness the growth of golf in the Kingdom and it’s definitely one of the reasons I like to play in Saudi Arabia. Golf has been such an important part of my life, so it’s nice to get the chance to play a part in introducing it to a new audience. In just the past two years you can see the interest level rising in Saudi, especially amongst the juniors.”

The 2020 winner was Graeme McDowell, who took home his first piece of European Tour silverware since 2014 after defeating Johnson by two strokes. McDowell was in protection mode as the wind picked up as the final round went on, and he shot a level par 70 to fend off the defending champion, with Phil Mickelson in a share of third place, alongside Thomas Pieters and Gavin Green.

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WHAT: Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers WHEN: Feb 04 - 07 WHERE: Royal Greens G&CC, King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia

DESERT SWING

THEY SAID WHAT?

“I really enjoyed the tournament in 2020 and am psyched to be returning again. The course sets up for my game rather nicely so I was pretty frustrated to only finish in the top 20 and will certainly be aiming to finish rather higher up the leader board this year. It’s a fantastic Championship course with some really amazing vistas and I also like the fact that we get to play a part in introducing golf to a whole new audience in a new region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

– Ian Poulter “This is my third time playing in the Saudi International Powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers and I am genuinely excited to return to see all the kids at The World Academy and find out how they are getting on with their golf. They have been so generous in their welcome and support in previous years and I look forward to seeing how everything is progressing, as Golf Saudi works so hard to grow the game and provide the children with so many inspiring golf opportunities.”

– Patrick Reed

“From the high of winning the 2020 Saudi International in February against such an amazing field we very quickly had to contend with all that COVID-19 has thrown at us since, so I think I was lucky to be able to hold onto that awesome winning feeling through the darker parts of lockdown. I don’t think I have ever seen a tournament establish itself so quickly on the player’s schedules as the Saudi International has. The Royal Greens Golf & Country Club is a great Championship course and huge credit to the Saudi Golf Federation for gathering such a world class field as they look to inspire a new generation of golfers in the Kingdom.”

– Graeme McDowell

“I have undergone a lot of changes since I last visited the Kingdom as I work to fulfil my golf potential, and I think you can say the same about golf in Saudi as it continues to develop as Golf Saudi endeavour to grow the game,” – Bryson DeChambeau

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STARTER

KIM DELIGHT AT DEBUT US OPEN VICTORY

QUICK Hits

Facts and Figures from around the world of golf ▲

Annika Sorenstam named next President of the IGF

Swedish legend Annika Sorenstam has been elected as the new President of the International Golf Federation after Peter Dawson decided not to seek re-appointment following the end of his latest two-year term. Dawson served as president since 2010 and led the campaign to bring golf back to the Olympic Games in 2016.

“Peter did a great job over the last 10 years and I am honored to succeed him,” Sorenstam said.

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Future Open venues announced The Open in 2023 will be played at Royal Liverpool and the 2024 edition at Royal Troon, the R&A have revealed. Rory McIlroy was the last victor at the Wirral venue back in 2014 while Troon was the setting for the epic duel between Henrik Stenson (left) and Phil Mickelson in 2016, with the Swede coming out on top with a new tournament record of 20-under-par.

Making her first career appearance in a Major, A Lim Kim, birdied the last three holes to win the US Women’s Open in Houston.

Medinah CC gets Presidents Cup call

The 2026 Presidents Cup will no longer take place at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, instead the Chicago’s Medinah CC will take the honour as the Californian venue has committed to hosting a new, full-time PGA Tour event hosted by NBA star Steph Curry.

Michelle Wie-West aiming for 2021 return ▲

on the 17th to tie for the lead, and she closed with a pitching wedge to just inside 10 feet which she duly holed to post the clubhouse lead.

Ko couldn’t catch Kim and by the time she birdied the 18th it was too little too late while Olson, who learned of the sudden passing of her father-in-law on the Saturday evening, held her own during her personal turmoil with a 1-over final round for her career best finish in a Major. “I felt very weak and helpless the last couple days, and probably today on the golf course too,” an emotional Olson said. “It just makes you realize how much bigger life is than golf. But pleased with my finish overall and my performance.”

The next Major on the LPGA Tour is the ANA Inspiration in California, set to be held April 1 - 4, 2021.

▲

World No.94 A Lim Kim became the lowest ranked player since the Rolex Rankings were introduced in 2006 to win the US Women’s Open after a stunning Monday finish at Champions Golf Club in Texas.

After a weatherhit weekend, play resumed on Monday with barely any progress made on Sunday. Kim began the final round five shots behind leader Hinako Shibuno of Japan - winner of last year’s Women’s British Open at Woburn in similar fairytale fasion.

However, there was to be no second Major title for Shibuno as Kim produced some sensational approach play to set up birdies on the final three holes for a 4-under-par 67 and a one-stroke win over Amy Olson (inset) and World No.1 Jin Young Ko. On hole 16 Kim struck a 5-iron to 4 feet and rolled that in. She hit an 8-iron to tap-in length

Former Women’s US Open winner Michelle WieWest is looking to return to action on the LPGA Tour next year having taken time off after the birth of her first daughter, Makenna, in June. Wie had entered to play last month’s US Women’s Open in Texas, but didn’t feel comfortable flying amid recent spikes in Covid-19 cases across America.

Tiger & Charlie steal the show The PNC Championship might have been won by Justin Thomas and his father Mike, but all the talk before, during and after the event revovled around Tiger Woods and his son Charlie, who finished seventh in the ‘Father & Son’ exhibition in Florida. At the age of 11, Charlie became the youngest competitor in the tournament’s 25-year history, and he showed off his potential – and mental strength – with

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an excellent ball striking display alongside Tiger.

“I don’t think words can describe it,” said 15-time major winner Woods, 44.

“Just the fact that we were able to have this experience together, Charlie and I, those are memories we will have for our entire lives.”

STARTER By four-times PGA Tour winner Xander Schauffele

HOW TO SQUEEZE MORE DISTANCE OUT OF YOUR DRIVER “Sometimes on a par-5, or if you’re on a par-4 and coming off a bogey, you might want to throw a little ‘extra’ on the golf ball and my way of doing that is a simple step-out drill. It helps me feel the ground a little bit more and feel the weight transfer into the left side, and feel everything come down into the ball.”

“For right handers - with your feet close together, begin a relaxed backswing and as you start to get the club towards the top, step out with your left foot to it’s normal position and complete the swing. It’s an easy way for me to pick up some ball speed and some carry – it’s my version of how to give it a little extra.

You’ve seen Padraig Harrington do it – in competition – in recent years, and it started off as a drill for me to get my body in sequence. I’d start making practice swings of me just ‘stepping out’ in a way to help me feel everything come into sync.

In tournaments I lift my left heel all the time, it gives me that pronounced feeling of when to start down on the ball.

One way I take this to the course is through a heel lift. In tournaments I lift my left heel all the time, it gives me that pronounced feeling of when to start down on the ball.

My dad has been the only swing coach I’ve ever had and he’s always trying to bring other sports and other motions into golf, to try and help me and inject something new into the golf swing.

When throwing a ball, he said the planting of the left foot was the initiation the action, and in golf it’s similar, and when I plant that foot from having raised my heel, it starts the chain reaction in my body to unload everything into the ball.”

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Tour News

FITZPATRICK AND WESTWOOD SIGN OFF IN STYLE WITH DUBAI FLOURISH

M

att Fitzpatrick ended a two-year wait for a European Tour title with victory at the DP World Tour Championship while runner-up Lee Westwood vaulted to Race to Dubai glory for the third time in his career.

Twenty years after lifting the Harry Vardon Trophy for the first time, Westwood birdied two of the last three holes to set the clubhouse target but looked on as Fitzpatrick pipped him with a matching final round 68. However, that disappointment would turn to joy for Westwood as he was confirmed the Race to Dubai winner, leapfrogging leader Patrick Reed who had finished the tournament in a share of third place alongside debutant Viktor Hovland.

“This won’t sink in for a while,” said Westwood. “Order of Merits and Race to Dubais are tough to win – you’ve got to play well all year to win them. Any time you can stick around longer than people might expect you to – I mean who would have thought that Lee Westwood would win the Race to Dubai in 2020, at 47 years of age?”

Meanwhile Fitzpatrick joined some elite

company – Westwood, Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Jon Rahm – as two-time winners of the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

“I’m just trying to improve every year,” said the 26-year-old from Sheffield. “I really set high standards of myself and I am honestly very hard on myself and my team will all tell you the same thing.”

Finland’s Sami Välimäki finished in a share of fourth place alongside England’s Laurie Canter, and the Oman Open winner was duly crowned the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year.

“I had a dream start to my season really, by winning so early in Oman and then the season was put on hold just a few weeks later,” said the Finn. “I am really proud of how I performed after the return to golf and some of the results I had, especially my performance at the DP World Tour Championship. Winning a tournament was a target for me and to win this award is amazing.

“To be the first player from Finland to get this award is really special.”

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ROZNER CLOSER TO GOALS AFTER DUBAI BREAKTHROUGH French Challenge Tour graduate Antoine Rozner sealed his first title in fine style, romping home with a final round 64 at the inaugural Golf in Dubai Championship presented by DP World at Jumeirah Golf Estates. “It was the greatest feeling and just to get it done in such a good fashion was amazing,” said Rozner. “Now, if I can get into that top 100 in the World, and then look at again progressing again into the top 50, that will get me into the bigger tournaments and the Majors. That’s the key to building a solid career. The goal of every player is to be the best and you have to take it step by step.”

EUROPEAN TOUR 2021 SCHEDULE The 2021 European Tour season will feature a minimum of 42 tournaments in 24 countries, as golf’s global Tour resumes a full international programme. Running from January to November, the schedule also features 18 returning tournaments, which were either postponed or cancelled in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Jan 21 - 24 Jan 28 - 31

Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic

Abu Dhabi GC, Abu Dhabi, UAE Emirates GC, Dubai, UAE

USD 8,000,000 TBC

8,000 TBC

Feb 04 - 07 Feb 25 - 28

Saudi International powered by SBIA WGC - Mexico Championship

Royal Greens G&CC, KAEC, Saudi Arabia Chapultepec GC, Mexico City, Mexico

USD 3,500,000 USD 10,500,000

4,250 8,000

Mar 04 - 07 Mar 11 - 14 Mar 18 - 21 Mar 24 - 28

Oman Open Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Magical Kenya Open WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play

Al Mouj Golf, Muscat, Oman Education City GC, Doha, Qatar Karen CC, Nairobi, Kenya Austin CC, Austin, Texas, USA

USD 1,500,000 USD 1,500,000 EUR 1,000,000 USD 10,500,000

2,000 2,000 2,000 8,000

Apr 08 - 11 Apr 15 - 18 Apr 22 - 25 Apr 29 - May 02

THE MASTERS Tenerife Open Gran Canaria Open Portugal Masters

Augusta National GC, Augusta, Georgia, USA Golf Costa Adeje, Tenerife, Spain TBC, TBC, Spain Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course, Vilamoura, Portugal

TBC EUR 1,500,000 EUR 1,500,000 EUR 1,500,000

10,000 TBC TBC TBC

May 06 - 09 May 12 - 15 May 20 - 23 May 27 - 30

European Event Confirmed Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett US PGA CHAMPIONSHIP Made in HimmerLand presented by FREJA

TBA The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield, England Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA HimmerLand, Farsø, Denmark

TBC EUR 2,000,000 TBC EUR 1,500,000

TBC TBC 10,000 TBC

Jun 03 - 06 Jun 10 - 13 Jun 17 - 20 Jun 24 - 27

Porsche European Open Scandinavian Mixed Hosted by Henrik & Annik US OPEN BMW International Open

Green Eagle Golf Courses, Hamburg, Germany Vallda G&CC, Kungsbacka, Gothenburg, Sweden Torrey Pines GC, La Jolla, California, USA Golfclub München Eichenried, Munich, Germany

EUR 1,200,000 EUR 1,000,000 TBC

2,000 2,000 10,000

Jul 01 - 04 Jul 08 - 11 Jul 15 - 18 Jul 22 - 25 Jul 29 - Aug 01 Jul 29 - Aug 01

Dubai Duty Free Irish Open Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open THE 149TH OPEN Wales Open UK Event Confirmed Olympic Men’s Golf Competition

Mount Juliet Estate, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, Ireland The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland Royal St George’s GC, Sandwich, Kent, England The Celtic Manor Resort, City of Newport, Wales TBA Kasumigaseki CC, Saitama, Japan

EUR 3,000,000 USD 8,000,000 TBC TBC TBA N/A

TBC 8,000 10,000 TBC TBA N/A

Aug 05 - 08 Aug 05 - 08 Aug 12 - 15 Aug 19 - 22 Aug 26 - 29

Hero Open WGC - FedEx St. Jude Invitational English Open D+D Real Czech Masters Omega European Masters

Fairmont St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tennessee, USA TBA, England Albatross Golf Resort, Prague, Czech Republic Crans-sur-Sierre GC, Crans Montana, Switzerland

TBC USD 10,500,000 TBC EUR 1,000,000 EUR 2,000,000

TBC 8,000 TBC 2,000 TBC

Sep 02 - 05 Sep 09 - 12 Sep 16 - 19 Sep 24 - 26 Sep 30 - Oct 03

Italian Open BMW PGA Championship KLM Open The 2020 Ryder Cup Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Marco Simone GC, Rome, Italy Wentworth Golf Club, Virginia Water, Surrey, England Bernardus Golf, Cromvoirt, Netherlands Whistling Straits GC, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA Old Course St. Andrews, Carnoustie & Kingsbarns, Scotland

EUR 3,000,000 USD 8,000,000 EUR 1,000,000

TBC 8,000 2,000

USD 5,000,000

5,500

Oct 07 - 10 Oct 14 - 17 Oct 21 - 24 Oct 28 - 31 Oct 28 - 31

Open de España Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters Trophee Hassan II Hero Indian Open WGC - HSBC Champions

Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, Madrid, Spain Real Club Valderrama, Sotogrande, Spain Royal Golf Dar Es Salam, Rabat, Morocco TBC, India Sheshan International GC, Shanghai, China

EUR 1,500,000 EUR 3,000,000 USD 2,500,000 TBC USD 10,500,000

TBC TBC 3,500 TBC 8,000

Nov 04 - 07 Nov 11 - 14 Nov 18 - 21

Volvo China Open Nedbank Golf Challenge Hosted by Gary Player DP World Tour Championship, Dubai

Genzon GC, Shenzhen, China Gary Player CC, Sun City, South Africa Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, UAE

CNY 20,000,000 TBC USD 9,000,000

TBC TBC 12,000

*denotes Rolex Series event

“We are very pleased to announce such a strong schedule of tournaments in these challenging times. The climax will be once again the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai with an increased prize fund. The support from Dubai and other Middle East countries and the many sponsors from this region continue to enhance the Tour Schedule. It is not only the financial support but the climate, superb golf courses and quality of the infrastructure that makes these tournaments so attractive to the players and the fans alike. Abu Dhabi and Dubai will host two of the newly enhanced Rolex Series events in 2021 – to start and finish the season.”

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European Tour Chief Operating Officer – Keith Waters.

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IAN POULTER

I A N P O U LT E R

IN HIS OWN Never one to mince his words, Ian Poulter has been one of the most forthright and engaging players Europe has produced in the last 20 years. We caught up with the entertaining Englishman just prior to last month’s DP World Tour Championship and discussed a number of matters...

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ON 2020:

It goes without saying that 2020 has been a strange year and I think everyone is looking forward to 2021, but if you look at the back end of what 2020 gave us – it presented us with an opportunity to play golf, and globally, golf has come back very strong.

Rounds of recreational golf are up around the world and the younger generation of golfers are picking up the game. So, even though we’re still currently dealing with the ongoing nature of the pandemic and still go through all the necessary protocols to play golf, I do feel that the game has done a good job, on a global level, in continuing to grow the game.

ON THE STRATEGIC ALLIANCE OF THE PGA TOUR AND THE EUROPEAN TOUR:

I think it’s a great partnership. I think, as we look back over the years at the two tours, it hasn’t always been aligned very well. The PGA TOUR has always been very, very strong and the European Tour, from a Ryder Cup perspective, has been amazingly strong.

The different challenges that the European Tour faced this year have been difficult to deal with the multitude of restrictions and government guidelines in all the countries they visit. I know that’s been a huge challenge. So, the partnership between the two Tours can only strengthen things going forward. There will be more alignment with schedules, and it will maintain that if golfers want to continue to play around the world, we don’t have very big tournaments clashing. So, I feel it’s going to be very good and I’m pleased that the PGA TOUR and the European Tour are strengthening their relationship.

ON HIS CHANCES OF REPRESENTING TEAM GB AT THE OLYMPICS:

When you look at it, I’m in and around the late 40s in the World Ranking, and that’s going to need to improve considerably if I’m to qualify for the Olympics, so for me, it’s going to be a very busy year. I’m focused on increasing my Ryder Cup points when it all re-starts, so I’m going to be playing a busy schedule. Now, if that means I’m in a position to be in the top 16 in the rankings by the time the Olympics comes around – great. Obviously, I will go and compete for Team GB. But having said that, I turn 45 in January and is the Olympics the be-all and end-all of my career? No. Is it doable? Yes. Can I get back into that top 16 in the world?

Yes. It’s a goal, but I have to look at the season as a whole and see how the year pans out. I base my schedule around the Majors and the World Golf Championships and, hopefully, I’ll be fresh and ready to compete in those events. If there’s the addition of The Olympics in there as well – great.

ON DUBAI:

I’ve always thought Dubai was a great place to begin my season since I first started

coming to Dubai in the very late 90s and early 2000s to play competitively – and now it’s also a great end to the European Tour season, too.

I think that sport in general in Dubai has continued to grow, and that’s exciting from the standpoint of any sports fan, and also from a travel perspective. After getting to know people in Dubai, I realise that sport plays a very big part of what Dubai is and has become. For me, it’s a kind of home-from-home because I’m so familiar with the place, having played so many tournaments here and in the region. I’ve built up lots of friends and I always have a good time when I come to Dubai. You think of the hotels, the restaurants, the shopping facilities, the sporting experiences that I’ve had – on a personal level – there are not many places you can go in the world which ticks all of those boxes. It’s a region in the world where all of us golfers enjoy coming to play. We’ve taken our families with us, we’ve had parents come out to visit us and watch us play, and we’ve always have a great level of support – and, in turn, so have the tournaments.

ON THE OFF-SEASON:

This year I was planning on spending the winter back in the UK and enjoying some frosty mornings, but during December there is still some form of a lockdown, so it’s going to be an Orlando-based holiday season this year. I will be having some great family time, working on my fitness and I’ll be doing all my errands and chores that I left to one side that I probably should have done over the last 6-7 months. I’m just enjoying the end of December and New Year period for what it

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is. It’s a great month to spend with the kids.

Joshua, my youngest, is eight so there’ll be plenty of ‘Elf on the Shelf’! For me, it’s exciting. It’s also a good time to practice because the weather is perfect in Florida.

There’ll be a few chilly days, but that’s fine because it will still be warmer than the UK. By the time you read this I should be feeling refreshed and getting ready to start 2021 back in the Middle East – that’s the plan anyway!

ON WORKING WITH TOP UAE AMATEUR AHMAD SKAIK IN A MENTORSHIP SCHEME CREATED

BY DP WORLD:

It’s been extremely rewarding from the perspective of having a close relationship with Ahmad over the last few months. He’s a great home-grown talent, which is exciting for the UAE to have someone who is in the development stage and on their way to becoming a great golfer. I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know him and his personality, and how he’s taken to the pressures that come with items like playing the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last year, his process into playing in this year’s Golf in Dubai Championship. So, it’s been rewarding to work one-on-one with him from a personal level, because it’s something which doesn’t always happen. It’s good to be able to have a personal relationship and, obviously, with DP World’s involvement in that, it’s great to help someone along their journey. It’s never easy. But if I can give him one piece of advice, to take forward – whether it’s for one specific week or any upcoming amateur tournaments - and it helps him in his process, then that’s great.

IAN POULTER

ON THE RYDER CUP:

I think it will be a slightly different Team Europe in 2021 – it will be three years since Paris don’t forget. The USA team is also going to be a younger team, and so it’s always interesting trying to piece together what you think a top-class Ryder Cup team might look like 9-12 months in advance, because there are always surprises come September. Europe are always in with a chance, even if we will be labelled underdogs by some people within the game. That’s something we’re extremely proud of as Europeans – because we’ve normally done very well in The Ryder Cup, whether we’re considered favourites or not.

POULTER’S RYDER CUP HIGHS: 2010 – PREDICTING HIS OWN WIN “I will deliver a point,” proclaimed a confident Poulter to the SkySports cameras as he warmed up ahead of his singles fixture against an undefeated Matt Kuchar at Celtic Manor.

In the fifth game out, Poulter did just that, steamrollering the American to a 5&4 win.

2012 – THE SATURDAY SPARK With the team in free-fall, 10-4 down with two late afternoon fourball matches still to finish, Europe needed to win both available points in order to have any hope of successfully retaining the trophy. Luke Donald and Sergio Garcia earned their first point of the week with a gutsy 1up win over Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker, then it was Poulter’s time to shine. Playing alongside Rory McIlroy against Zach Johnson and Jason Dufner, the Englishman birdied the final five holes in a supreme display of clutch putting to win the tie 1up – and those intense celebrations on the final green in front of his team mates and captains provided the spark and belief for what was to come the following day...

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2018–DEFEATING WORLD NO.1 IN PARIS In what could be Poulter’s last Ryder Cup appearance on home soil, the self-proclaimed ‘postman’ delivered once again when it mattered against the then World No.1 Dustin Johnson in the Sunday singles. Poulter moved 1-up after 14 holes and won the 18th in fine style for a 2-up victory to take Europe to within a point of an outright win.

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VIKTOR HOVLAND

VIK KING

ON THE FAST TRACK TO SUCCESS

By wrapping up his second PGA Tour title at the Mayakoba Golf Classic in Mexico last month, Viktor Hovland broke the ‘curse of the Puerto Rico Open.’

The Norwegian won his first title in Puerto Rico earlier in 2020, and he has now done something that all 10 previous winners of the event, including R yder Cup star Tony Finau, have failed to do – win a title elsewhere on Tour.

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VIKTOR HOVLAND

W

HILE bizarre ‘curses’ exist throughout sports, they, like records, are there to be broken, and now the 23-year-old is hoping it is not too long before he wraps up his first win on the European Tour, having already stamped his mark on the PGA Tour less than two years into his professional career.

Hovland made a promising debut at the DP World Tour Championship in December, finishing third, having arrived in Dubai a little jetlagged following his triumph in Mexico the previous week. With a truncated first full year as a pro under his belt, he’s keen to keep his momentum rolling and collect more silverware along the way.

“Obviously, with two wins, that’s very special,” said Hovland reflecting on his 2020 season, “but the biggest positive I can see is just looking at how my game has improved since the beginning of the year, or even 2019, and even further back. I feel like I’ve taken a step in the right direction. Hopefully, I can keep on progressing in my game – I’m really excited about the future.”

HIGH ON MY AGENDA

Hovland began last season with appearances at the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and he’s back in the region again this year making his debut in the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers.

“As a European, trying to get my first European Tour victory will definitely be high on my agenda for 2021 and, of course, trying to win my place on the European Ryder Cup Team,” he said. “I’ve only played in about six European Tour events in total, so I’m excited about adding some more into my schedule and the Saudi International powered by Softbank Investment Advisers has the most impressive field of players already confirmed, so I think it’s going to be a huge week.”

Hovland has been on a rapid rise since he broke into the golfing public’s eye at the 2018 US Amateur, winning at Pebble Beach in emphatic fashion, 6&5 over Devon Bling. The following year, while still in the amateur ranks, Hovland impressed at Augusta National and again at the

iconic Californian venue as it held the US Open.

He won the low amateur honours at both events, and finished 12th at Pebble Beach with a score of 280 – the lowest 72-hole score by an amateur in the US Open since 1960 when Jack Nicklaus set the previous record of 282.

“That week was still before I turned pro, and I guess it gave me a lot of confidence in competing at that level,” reflected Hovland.

“Playing Pebble Beach, I always had good memories from winning the US Amateur the year before, but it just gave me boost, knowing that I could compete with the best in the world.”

Now his eyes are firmly set on making Padraig Harrington’s Ryder Cup side in September, and as the current World No.14 he’s guaranteed a

“As a European, trying to get my first European Tour victory will definitely be high on my agenda for 2021 and, of course, trying to win my place on the European Ryder Cup Team” start in all the Majors and WGCs this year. Not bad for a shy kid from Oslo who only started to take golf seriously after deciding that football and other sports were not for him.

“When I was younger, I played soccer and did Taekwondo, as well as golf,” he said. “When I was in or around 8th grade I quit soccer and taekwondo, and I just wanted to play golf during the winter. I wanted to hit balls inside, because I would normally just take a break from the game for four or five months. I started getting more and more friends to play golf, and that’s just what I liked to do and it naturally became what it is.”

Golf is clearly not as popular as other sports in Norway, but could a successful outing at this year’s Olympics change all that and bring the sport to more people?

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“I think it definitely helped in Sweden last time because Henrik Stenson did so well in getting the Silver Medal,” said Hovland.

“Obviously, we need to get there and, hopefully, do well, and maybe that would do something to boost golf in Norway.

“I know that because it’s an Olympic sport now, golf is higher up on the sporting agenda in Norway and they have to spend more money on golf to kind of help us improve, and encourage juniors who are coming behind us, to help them improve. But other than that, I’m not really sure of the consequences of it all. We’ll just wait and see. Hopefully, we’ll do as well as we can, and yeah, it can help.

SHY PERSON

“I would say that I’m naturally a shy person, but quite often it kind of depends on the situation. Sometimes I find I can play well when there are no people around – and I can also play good golf when there’s a lot of people there.

“I think it’s more fun if you perform well in front of a bunch of people – it gives you an extra spring in your step. I don’t really know what I prefer because I do really like it low key, but sometimes when you get to iconic places like Augusta or the other Majors then it’s not the same without the fans.”

Either way, wherever Hovland tees it up in the world, he’s usually going to be on the look out for a nice plate of curry after his round – a dish he discovered on a trip to Britain early on in his career.

“I can remember my second international event that I played as a junior. I was in Scotland and I played in the European Boys’ Team Championships at Murcar Links in Aberdeen,” he said. “It was 2013, and we weren’t too big on normal British pub food, and because there are lots of Indian restaurants in England and Scotland, we decided to go to a certain place and it was the best thing I’ve ever had.

“Now, every time I’m in Scotland or England, or anywhere, we’re looking for an Indian place.”

With an appetite for curry as strong as it is for success, Viktor Hovland is well on his way to eating up more titles as he continues his rise to becoming one of the best players in the game. ■

FINAU

ALL FIRED UP

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TONY FINAU

A

MERICAN Ryder Cup star Tony Finau is hoping to make up for lost time having cut a largely frustrated figure once golf resumed after lockdown for the second half of 2020.

The results were solid enough – T4 at the US PGA Championship, T8 at the US Open and four additional top tens, but Finau is still in search of a second career title having won his first back in 2016. He currently holds the unenviable record of the most top tens in a four-year stretch without a victory (34). But that isn’t deterring the American, who remains one of the fiercest – and most consistent - competitors in the game, and he’s pumped up about what 2021 has in store, with making a second successive Ryder Cup side one of his goals.

“It’s extremely important to me to make the next Ryder Cup Team, more so because I was there when all the Europeans were celebrating in front of us in Paris,” said Finau, who was one of the brighter performers for Team USA in 2018 with two points from three matches, including a stunning 6&4 singles takedown of Tommy Fleetwood. “That’s a feeling I won’t forget as a member of a losing team, so as a competitor, I want to get back in the winning side celebrating on the 18th green and not a losing team.

“There’s a lot of motivation to make that team.

Once you’re a part of the side you don’t want to miss one, and I feel like I’m in the peak of my career so I’m very motivated to make the team.”

The 31-year-old had an introduction to the game unlike many of today’s other top stars, hitting balls into a mattress in his garage at home because his dad couldn’t afford either lessons or balls to hit at the local range.

“I come from pretty humble beginnings,” said Finau. “My dad got me and my brother involved in the game at a super young age. But when my dad went to the nearest golf course, he recognised that the game wasn’t cheap – and he knew he wasn’t going to be paying $7 per bucket of balls for us to hit while we learned how to play.

“So he figured out a way for us to practice. He had this idea of putting a mattress in our garage against a wall for us to learn how to make full swings and hit the ball. That’s how we learned how to play, and eventually, once a week we would go out to the golf course with the range and my dad would pay the $7 and we would then get to see how the ball would fly. But for the most part, most of the swings I made from the time I started – which is when I was eight – to when I was about 12, were indoor.”

It’s safe to say he’s been on quite a journey from growing up in Salt Lake City, Utah, one that would lead him to Augusta National and The Masters – the tournament that inspired him to start playing golf.

Finau finished T10 in his Masters debut in 2018 and was in contention to win two years ago. The American was in the final group, alongside Francesco Molinari and Tiger Woods, and had a front row seat to witness Woods’ 15th

“That’s a feeling I won’t forget as a member of a losing team, so as a competitor, I want to get back on that Team and be on a winning side, celebrating on the 18th green and not a losing side.”

“I wouldn’t be playing golf if I didn’t see Tiger Woods win the 1997 Masters. I started playing that summer, a few months after he won.”

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Major title after his own chances of winning were sunk at the 12th.

“I wouldn’t be playing golf if I didn’t see Tiger Woods win the 1997 Masters,” said Finau. “I started playing that summer, a few months after he won. There he was, looking amazing in red and black, and hearing the commentators talk about Augusta National, it seemed so cool to me.

So, to finally have the opportunity to play in 2018, and then having a chance to win a Green Jacket in 2019 – and walking with Tiger, looking back it seems like a dream. But it was a lot of fun to be a part of it and I was happy for Tiger.

Once I knew I wasn’t going to win, I was really happy for Tiger.”

Last year Finau was due to play in the Saudi International for the first time as part of a globetrotting month. However, he withdrew prior to the event to see to family business back home where he now resides in Arizona. He has committed to playing the 2021 edition next month and is excited about mixing it with the stars at what is the third edition of the event.

“I was unable to make my debut in 2020, so I’m really looking forward to playing alongside a really world-class field in February,” he said.

“I’ve heard nothing but positive things from my fellow players about their experiences at the tournament and their visit to the Kingdom. It should be a great week and I am excited to go.” ■

HOW TO PLAY THE

18 Hole th

MAJLIS COURSE EMIRATES GOLF CLUB BY

JONATHAN CRADDOCK

PGA GOLF PROFESSIONAL DG PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT golfcoachjc

“IF

you don’t know where you are going, you will end up someplace else.” - Yogi Berra. This quote rings true for many things in life but I think it’s very apt when out on the golf course as you must always have a plan for a hole and play to your strengths.

The Majlis really does reward solid golf, and if you can hit your ball long and straight from the tee you can take the course on. That said, if you have great distance control with your wedges, your plan may differ with the idea to leave a perfect yardage and wedge it close to leave some birdie putts. The 18th is one of many holes on the Majlis that will reward a wellexecuted plan.

Over the years, the final stretch of the Majlis has created a fine spectacle with the 18th offering a potential big swing amongst the leaders. In 2017 the 18th tee was moved to the right for the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic to offer players the ability to play different shapes into a fairway that slopes away from the landing point towards the water.

This new tee offers more of a left-to-right sloped landing angle. The hole doglegs from

right-to-left with wind often dictating how much of the corner players may choose to take off.

Wind in the area differs from the morning to afternoon, with the afternoon usually playing into the wind and therefore the later groups can face a tougher task. Following your drive, you will be left with a decision to go for the green or lay-up, and it’s always tempting to go for the green when you see Colin Montgomerie’s plaque in the fairway acknowledging his glorious driver off the deck in the final round of 1996 to win the event.

The question here is always to evaluate the risk and reward situation, and if you have a wedge number you are confident to lay up to, then quite often playing the percentages is the best bet. Having the correctly gapped wedges and working on your numbers is something you should be doing on a consistent basis to help reduce your score.

Upon approaching the green, which slopes from back right to front left, it is always nice to leave yourself a small uphill putt to enjoy the view of the city and reflect on the memories of playing the historic Majlis course.

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INSTRUCTION

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@dpwtc

Congratulations to Ma hew Fitzpatrick, winner of the 2020 DP World Tour Championship The European Tour and its players would like to thank all tournament sponsors and Government of Dubai authorities including the Supreme Commi ee for Crisis and Disaster Management, Dubai Health Authority, Ambulance Services, Civil Defence, Dubai Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Roads and Traffic Authority, Security and Health and Safety Officers, Trakhees, Dubai Spo s Council, Dubai Tourism and Emirates Golf Federation for making the 2020 DP World Tour Championship a success.

#dpwtc

COLUMN

PETE COWEN Thank goodness for the DP World Tour Championship.

I hope 2021 isn’t a re-run of 2020!

Matthew Fitzpatrick put the gloss on an otherwise poor year for my players with his win at the DP World Tour Championship. Here’s hoping the Desert Swing can bring some early joy to 2021.

W

ITH the upheaval of the schedules causing a lot of head scratching, 2020 was a poor year on the golf course from my point of view, regarding the players I coach. I was only allowed to work at two tournaments in Europe – the Scottish Open and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. So, it was difficult for me to get to the players. It’s a confidence matter and a lot of players get a boost just from me being around.

Matthew Fitzpatrick is pretty independent but he’s got a strong team around him now. Mike Walker has done a great job with his swing, not just recenty but over the years he’s been there along with myself for Matt. Steve Robinson and Edoardo Molinari are working with him on a statistical level and he’s getting something out of that in terms of identifying what his strengths and weaknesses are out on the course. He’s a great putter and Phil Kenyon does a good job for him with the short stick, and he’s got his fitness guys with him a lot, too.

Also having Billy Foster on the bag is a massive benefit. The pair have been together now for 18 months and the two have certainly clicked. The DP World Tour Championship was the first win they’ve had together – and it was a big one. To play the last hole as he would have wanted to, with a one-shot lead, was quite impressive. Although you don’t want to leave a tricky three-foot putt to win a tournament, Matt was not the least bit phased as his mind is one of his biggest assets.

They allowed around 1,500 or so corporate guests into the event, which made the atmosphere a little bit better, rather than it just being the dignitaries, players and caddies, which, being honest, has been horrible to see all year.

From the American side of things, both Gary Woodland and Brooks Koepka were injured for most of the campaign, so those two haven’t played well. Henrik Stenson took a lot of time off and only played 9 or 10 times all year; Ian Poulter played reasonably well on the occasions he played. So, it’s been an indifferent season, but the players who will go to the Middle East this month will all be looking forward to playing. There’ll be a different feel to the events with no fans and no stands. Certainly, playing the 18th

on the Majlis, looking straight towards the clubhouse, will be a different experience for everyone. The three big tournaments that kick off 2021 in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Saudi Arabia also mark the re-start of Ryder Cup qualification, so players will be aiming to make a fast start. With the strength of the fields, a win for any European player would put them right in the mix to make the Team – especially Abu Dhabi where there are more Race to Dubai points available with it being a Rolex Series event.

NO CROWDS AT THE MASTERS

The Masters in November was difficult to gauge in any historical context because the course was so soft and the greens were very receptive, so despite them tucking some pins away, the scoring was still very low. In April we will see massively different conditions, so it’ll be strange for players to go from how it played in November to then tee it up in the next Major championship on the same course, just a few months later and have the course play considerably differently.

I think the tournament I’m looking forward to the most this year will be the DP World Tour Championship. Matt winning the event last month certainly saved our season, as it was the equivalent of three wins in one. The tournament’s prizemoney has increased further in 2021, so I can imagine it will attract all the big names. I just hope one of my lads can lift the trophy and bank that $3 million first prize.

TOUR ALLIANCE CHANGES

The ‘Strategic Alliance’ between the European and PGA Tours will be interesting to follow but I don’t think there’ll be much to go off in 2021. I think that by 2022 they intend to have perhaps 3 or 4 of the European Tour events carrying PGA Tour FedExCup points, which will help the European Tour massively. It might not attract a lot of the Americans over to Europe and beyond – some will play, for sure, depending on the scheduling, but the top Europeans on the PGA Tour will play in order to give their standings on that Tour a boost without having to commit to playing another week somewhere in the States. ■

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COLUMN

DAVID HOWELL The DP World Tour Championship once again provides a stunning finish.

Oscar-worthy climax in Dubai DAVID HOWELL describes the drama of the strangest final Sunday of all seasons.

G

OLF is a slow burner of a game. It’s a marathon with no guarantee of a sprint to the finishing line. Sometimes, the front runner can slow down to a jog and lap-up the applause, but sometimes, as it was at the 2020 DP World Tour Championship on the final Sunday of this strangest of all seasons, the nail-biting went right down to the very last putt. In those circumstances, when you can sense it building up you to a real cliffhanger, golf is as good a watch as any sport on the planet.

If you play the game, and if you care about your game, then you know exactly what goes through your mind during those final few shots (trust me, the pros have just the same thoughts as any golfer). So, when I watched Matt Fitzpatrick, Lee Westwood and Patrick Reed go hammer and tongs at one another on the superbly-conditioned Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates I was on the edge of my seat, which means that it must have been a serious thriller because, normally, I’m just jealous, or bitter, that it’s not me battling it out there.

It truly was a superb end to the most tumultuous of golfing years, and the plot continued to thicken right to the very last moment, not so much a ‘whodunnit’ but a ‘who’s going to do it.’

Patrick Reed, the one American who has shown great respect and support to the European Tour over the last few seasons, had the upper hand all week, but his long game was not where he needed it to be, so did he bow out gracefully then? Not Patrick. ‘Captain America’ is made of sterner stuff than most. Teflon some might say. So instead, he turned himself into a magician, one of such quality that the only question was how many more rabbits could he pull out of his baseball cap. Three was to be the answer. Chip-ins that is, not rabbits, of course, on the final nineholes of the climax of the year. Somehow, he produced three beautiful, perfect chip shots, that could not have dropped into the hole any sweeter than the purest of putts.

Alas, he fell one trick short and, in the end, the crowd could only applaud generously whilst acknowledging that it would be another who would deliver the final bow. Would it be Westwood, the father of the house, or ‘Fitzy’, the young pretender who would take the spoils? Only Westwood had the destiny of both trophies in his own hands, and victory in one would bring the other. I couldn’t help thinking of the fable about the Hare and the Tortoise as Westy slowly, but sure-footedly, made his way around the back-nine. With destiny still within his grasp he did what he has always done best – hitting great drives and laser-like iron shots.

This time, he bucked his own trend and found perfect putts just when he needed them most.

Rightly so, he looked utterly proud of himself when he had finished his task, ready to become the most interested of spectators. With a camera clocking his every facial expression he might well have been grateful for his face mask covering, so relaxed and intently interested was his body language, sitting on the edge of his seat with an unbecoming look for one so grounded in European Tour history. So, Lee looked on with the rest of

us, as we followed the most unlikely of cast members.

Laurie Canter, an Englishman, (one I happen to know a little, I should add) whose credits to date at the age of 31 could only be described as non-speaking, bit-parts in a series of ‘B’ list movies, took centre stage.

With many of the Tour’s main cast staying away early in this covid-struck year, Canter found himself on the big stage, grasping the opportunity with both hands.

Bouyed by his performance in the Italian Open, where Ross McGowan literally stole the loot from under his nose, Canter has started acting like the performer everyone else has always thought him to be. No longer the stars’ stand-in, no longer Eddie Pepperell’s old amateur buddy, but now a player who has seen enough of the rest of the cast, realising that his skills far outweigh most of the current crop. As long as anyone off the tee, with the striking ability of all but a few others, his career has just taken off. So, it was, with just two holes to go he held everyone else at gunpoint.

Ahead of Westwood by one shot, just where Lee couldn’t afford him to be, and with Fitzpatrick firmly in his sights, just one ahead, it was all there for him to triumph.

EARTH COURSE PROVIDES DRAMA

Fitzpatrick stumbled first, a poor chip on 17 that barely crept up the bank, leaving the saloon doors firmly ajar, could the ‘new boy in town’ inflict the crucial blow? He may well have, had he only been filled with doubt instead of confidence. What a decidedly mean and annoying game golf can be. Had Canter doubted himself enough not to want to take the opportunity and chip into the grain-lie that the 17th at JGE always throws at you, then history might have taken a different turn. Instead, his chip was caught one millimetre heavy, causing the ball to return down the bank to its starting position, in its divot at its starting postion.

Westwood shuffled in his chair.

Fitzpatrick then wobbled himself, as a decidedly un-Matthew-like putt from 20 feet slipped five feet past the hole. My heart started to race.

Goodness only knows what he was doing, but then, it all became clear.

Fitzy gave himself a good talking to, took a deep breath and gathered himself together, in the moment of a crisis, then he could cope with anything.

In it went from five feet into the hole, as brave a putt as you would likely see, and victory was his for the taking. Westwood took comfort from Canter’s double-bogey and the plot had become clear at last. The two lads who hail from the outskirts of Sheffield would likely do the double, the young lad winning the sprint, and the town’s Mayor, the marathon.

And that, ladies and gentleman, was the perfect way to end the most horrible of years. At one point, it felt like a Western, then in the blink of an eye, it turned into a feel-good movie just before Christmas. Thank goodness for that. Matthew Fitzpatrick, now a two-time DP World Tour Championship winner, and three-times Race to Dubai Champion Lee Westwood, I thank you. That was truly Oscar-worthy stuff. ■

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COLUMN

y r a i D r u o

A D R I

A R N A U S

T

Adri Arnaus has risen through the ranks of tour golf at sensational speed. He won the Alps Tour Order of Merit in 2017, while still an amateur, after two victories including the tour’s season-ending grand final. He then repeated the feat by winning the Challenge Tour finale in Ras Al Khaimah in 2018 to take second place on the Rankings and gain promotion to the European Tour. His maiden campaign on the Race to Dubai was also a success after he secured a place at the seasonending DP World Tour Championship following three runner-up finishes throughout 2019.

T

HE DP World Tour Championship is such a cool week to finish the year and I’m pleased that I bounced back from a missed cut the week before with a good performance and a top ten finish.

My caddie came back from South Africa and we were so tired for the Golf in Dubai Championship on the Fire course.

Missing the cut gave us an extra few days to disconnect and we came back with a lot of good energy and we put some good work on the Earth course and the whole thing came together. We enjoyed being at the golf course, had some good laughs together and when can you do that, you are able to play some good golf.

I had a serious chance to win, being one shot behind after three rounds, but we were not able to maintain the same level of play during the final round. It was important to give it our all – and we did that, we gave it 100% and I believe if we do that then, then we can compete with the best players in the world.

There are a few things that we can take from this week that will allow us to set a pattern going forward and I am looking forward to doing more of that next year, and using the back-to-back events in Dubai last month as an example as we start the season in the UAE this month. There are a few things that we learned and some other things that we want to repeat and keep doing that will help us.

I believe all that will pay off in the long run and I feel like I managed to put myself in that position quite often, even though last year was been tricky for me. Overall I am happy

that I experienced a few Sundays of being up there, in Italy, South Africa and Dubai. It was a positive season and I just need to keep up the good work and we will be able to challenge at the top of leaderboards again for sure.

One of the things we will take going forward is getting to the course earlier in the morning which frees us up more in the afternoon. In Dubai I put in place the aim-point technique of reading putts and that keeps it very structured and I’m looking to continue that this year.

I feel like the European Tour have done a really good job with the schedule for the players in 2021 and I am glad to see that. At some point I thought we are going to have a very reduced schedule but that won’t be the case. We are lucky to be able to play in a very competitive schedule and starting in Abu Dhabi is always great. I like the idea of finishing the season in the desert and then starting again in the desert – and it makes a lot of sense for me as I reside in Dubai.

I feel like 2021 is going to be a very exciting year for me. I’ve been on something of an upward trend, learning a lot and going through many experiences in my first two years on the European Tour and I am maturing as a person and as a player, so I want to keep doing that and learn more. And I want to experience bigger stages. I want to play in as many Majors as I can and I have the target to get into the Olympics, that would be a dream come true and that’s why this off season I will really focus on doing all I can to be ready for next season.

Most importantly, I want to keep enjoying myself on the golf course which will then help my results.■

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NEW GOLF HACK

GOLF HACK – a new series of product reviews where we put golf technology to the test to see if evolution has worked out for the best or whether the ‘old school’ still rules.

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Ball F

OR many years I’ve had Pete Cowen telling me that the way to resurrect and save great courses, and to prevent St Andrews from becoming merely a pitch and putt layout for the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, we were to use a high-spinning ball that was uniform for all Tour players. It seemed like a logical idea at the time.

I can personally remember caddying for my local pro at events long ago when we had to change the highspinning balata ball on every hole, as it was so soft it deformed after two solid hits.

Even a well-struck wedge would peel the cover off due to the fact that they were so fragile. More importantly, they didn’t travel any great distance.

Before the rules changed, you could tee-off with a one-piece distance ball and play your approach shots with a balata.

I recently travelled to the Peter Cowen Golf Academy in rainy Rotherham to see if Pete’s philosophy on the high-spinning ball would be the distance saviour everyone seems to be going on about.

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BY ALEX GALLEMORE

Breaker MYTH OR FACT?

HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED!

THE TESTER

THE TEST

TO CONDUCT THE TEST accurately you would need an Iron Byron Machine in a still environment with all balls unform according to their models. We were not looking for this test to be machine-accurate to the nearest yard or rpm but merely gauge whether the balls would be dramatically different in terms of spin, carry and overall distance.

Adam Cowen – Handicap 5 Average Swing Speed 110 Coach – Dad (Pete Cowen)

THE BALLS

1. Callaway Chrome Soft - 2020 model 2. Titleist Balata 90 - The ball of the 1980s 3. Dunlop 65 - First produced in 1935

TEST RULES

Each club would record the best two-shot average, recorded using TrackMan. The initial tests were done in the normalised setting, but for consistency we selected the optimised setting. The readings were not wildly dissimilar but certain strikes were not recorded in the normalised setting.

THE KEY THE CLUBS

Callaway Mavrik – 50g regular shaft – 9 Degrees, Callaway ERC – 50g firm shaft – 9 Degrees.

Jack Nicklaus Persimmon – owned by Jack Nicklaus and given to Pete

by Jack himself. The same club The Golden Bear used to drive the 18th at St Andrews back in the 1970s!

A - Swing Speed (MPH).

B - Ball Spin Rate (RPM).

C - Club Speed (MPH) D - Carry (Yards).

E - Total Distance (Yards).

F - Smash Factor (Quality of Strike).

UP FIRST – JACK NICKLAUS’S PERSIMMON

With a 43” shaft and 200cc head, this was always going to be a challenge to find the sweet spot. Adam managed to hit two perfect strikes all the same, but the noticeable figure was his swing speed, which was only averaging 102mph, a good 8 mph down on his normal swing.

1 2 3

A 102.8 102.4 101.7

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B 2070 2476 2862

C 152.5 148.9 145.8

D 251 247.6 242.5

E 280.9 277.4 259.2

F 1.48 1.45 1.44

PETE COWEN

UP SECOND – CALLAWAY ERC II

I opted for this club, as it’s more than 20 years old, but it was controversial for not conforming to the COR ruling set by the R&A and the USGA at the time. It was certainly hot off the face and I thought it would be interesting to see how it performed against its modern-day but- egal brother.

At address it’s a great looking club and has aged far better than I have over the last two decades.

Even in the warm-up strikes, Adam was pounding it hard and the ball just jumped off the face. What was astonishing was that the smash readings were higher than anything I’ve seen for a good while.

1 2 3

A 111 109.8 108.7

B 2022 2012 2400

C 168.7 167 163.5

D 280.8 275.2 274

E 311.6 307 298

LAST BUT NOT LEAST – CALLAWAY MAVRIK

F 1.52 1.52 1.50

Given that Adam’s swing speed, we would have gone a lot heavier and stronger with the shaft but we wanted to keep all three clubs as close to each other as possible.

This setting was not optimised for Adam but that was not the purpose of this test. Again, from the warm-ups you could see that it was long,

but compared to the other two, especially Jack Nicklaus’s Persimmon, the dispersion was much tighter.

1 2 3

A 110.5 107.2 108.6

B 1831 2529 1906

C 167 160 163

D 287.5 267 279.9

E 315 291.3 307

F 1.51 1.48 1.49

OLD VERSUS NEW

Not the outcome anyone was expecting. When an amateur with a swing speed of 108.6mph can carry 280 yards with a 60-year-old ball and roll out to 307 yards, you know the distance challenge isn’t linked to the ball, but to the drivers.

Jack’s Persimmon driver wasn’t able to top a swing speed of 103mph but the spin rate was 2,862rpm. The same ball struck with the Callaway Mavrik was 47 yards longer. If we had optimised Adam for the Mavrik driver, that number would have been even greater.

CONCLUSION

To save the courses and make things more challenging for Tour players, you need to focus on limiting the driver technology NOT the ball.

MIND BLOWING

Jack Nicklaus drove the 18th green four times at The Open in 1970 with the same Persimmon driver we tested. That was 358 yards, and one of those drives went through the back of the green. Forget Bryson and Tiger, and just imagine how far Jack would drive today if he were in his prime, with a modern driver.

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COBRA RADSPEED

B

Y CALLING it ‘RADSPEED’ Cobra have certainly branded their latest driver with the younger generation in mind. With Bryson DeChambeau and Rickie Fowler as their two leading brand ambassadors you can see how Cobra’s marketing team is thinking. They probably skateboard to work and surf at the weekend after 18 holes in the morning. But hold that thought – because here RAD stands for RADIAL, as this new model is all about radial weighting. Now hang on, because it also doubles up by offering RADICAL distance.

Though there is nothing wrong with being down with the kids, and a youthful bag makes for a youthful player… well at least that’s what I’m going with.

On a more serious note, I liked how Cobra have turned their brand around in recent years and aren’t at all scared to implement new technology into their clubs. The CNCmilled face in the King F8 has one of the best feelings of a driver face to this day, and I’m delighted that they have kept it to the latest RADSPEED model.

Before we get into the technical differences

By Alex Gallemore

between the models, I need to point out that in the UAE they will be retailed at AED1,995. This is why I’m so keen on this brand. They pack a punch well above their weight when it comes to the price and they don’t skimp on the tech spec.

The Cobra Speedzone driver in the hands of DeChambeau in 2020 certainly demolished a few courses and broke some records along the way, and the Speedzone Xtreme helped make fairways wider and holes shorter for many amateurs. So how have things evolved with the RADSPEED?

UNDERSTANDING THE MODELS

When you weight a club at the face you drop the spin rate and therefore enhance distance (as long as you launch it correctly).

The down side is that this makes the club unforgiving. If you weight the club all the way back in the head, this increases the spin and supercharges forgiveness.

Additionally, you can redistribute the weight around the head with internal configurations to stabilise the club and play around with the weighting.

THE CHALLENGE

● Too much spin and the ball just hangs like a kite. ● Too little spin and it will just fall out of the air the moment it leaves the tee. ● Depending on clubhead speed and dispersion, you will need to match the weights in a driver’s head to optimise your numbers.

Previously, if you wanted more distance and less spin you would have gone with the Speedzone. Players with a slightly lower swing speed wanting more distance and control would have opted for the Xtreme model.

RADICAL COLOURS

In true Cobra style their 2021 colours are certainly eye-catching and in the UAE you have two colour options: Black and Turbo Yellow or Peacoat/Arsenal Red. Don’t bother trying to order from Europe as only the Black and Turbo Yellow are available.

SO WHAT IS RADICALLY DIFFERENT FOR 2021?

There are three models in the RADSPEED family and all feature a lightweight polywrap carbon crown and the CNC-milled face. The main difference between the models is in the RADIAL WEIGHTING. The RADSPEED is targeting the fast swing player who needs to reduce the spin rate to optimise carry and overall distance. With a 28g weight at the face and 10g positioned in the rear of the head it is balanced accordingly.

The RADSPEED XB is the higher-spinning and more forgiving head. With 8g in the face and 20g in the rear it is balanced to maximise your ball speed and be more forgiving with off-centre strikes.

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The RADSPEED XD (the D stands for ‘Draw).

Instead of there being one single weight in the rear of the head they split the weights to encourage the toe to rotate faster than the neck, minimising the open face that causes a slice or unwanted fade. A 14g weight is located in the rear of the head with an additional 10g weight centred on the inside edge, back from the neck. If you slice the ball or struggle to hit a draw, this head would be worth testing first.

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GEAR

NEW YEAR’S

RESOLUTION: PLAY MORE GOLF WITH GOLF SUPERSTORE

W

E SAT DOWN WITH ROBBIE MCCARTHY, THE IN-STORE GOLF PROFESSIONAL AND STORE MANAGER AT GOLF SUPERSTORE TO GET THE LOWDOWN ABOUT FORTHCOMING PRODUCTS IN 2021. GOLF BECAME A FANTASTIC OUTLET FOR PEOPLE IN 2020 WITH ALL THE ISSUES SURROUNDING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, AND AFTER A RESURGENCE IN NUMBERS OF ROUNDS AND LESSONS, PEOPLE WITHIN THE GAME ARE LOOKING TO KICK ON IN 2021, AND GET MORE PEOPLE OUT ONTO THE COURSE.

WWG: How can Golf Superstore help the keen golfer get the best out of their game?

ROBBIE MCCARTHY: In all our locations we offer the best-in-class product along with the best in class service. You can get great deals on New Product and also see great price point offers to help ease the cost of starting the game.

WWG: What products suit beginners?

RM: In addition to the newest lines of

are really excited to see how these perform for our customers. We will keep everyone updated on social media and by email on the launch dates for all the hottest product and also keep our website updated with upcoming launch events.

We are also really excited to see so many new golfers going into the New Year. It’s been great helping people in the journey to learn golf in 2020 and hopefully this continues to grow into 2021.

equipment, Golf Superstore has a fantastic range of box sets and ex-rental clubs to purchase. All are well priced to help a new golfer grow into the game at an affordable pace.

WWG: What products do you stock for the more experienced golfer?

RM: At the moment we are very excited about the TSI Titleist Driver and Fairways, which recently won the driver count at the DP World Tour Championship. We allow golfers to try all the latest products from all the biggest brands in Golf. This allows everyone to make a decision themselves once they see the improvement in consistency or distance on Trackman. We currently have two Professionals at the main store at Umm Sequeim and in addition, new locations of Golf Superstore have opened up at Arabian Ranches and Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club, enhancing accessibility to the latest golf stock. So whether you’re a beginner golfer or a weekend warrior on the fairways Golf Superstore has everything for you and our Pros will help you select the correct product and help in your golfing journey.

The Titleist TSI drivers are some of the hottest products on the racks at the moment.

Race to Dubai winner Lee Westwood had the new Ping G425 driver in play at the DP World Tour Championship last month.

WWG: Who is releasing new product in 2021?

RM: I believe we are going to see some fantastic launches from Ping, TaylorMade and Callaway. We have seen glimpses of some of the new products being played on Tour and we

The new Golf Superstore location at Arabian Ranches.

For more information please contact: robbie@golfsuperstore.ae / www.prosports.ae Tel: +971 58 164 7567

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SWITCH UP THE GRIP

O

ver the years, golf coaches and players have often talked about changing the grip to help shape shots or add/decrease loft to manipulate the ball – but not many talk about changing the grip for a chip shot.

BY

ANDY CARTER

SENIOR TEACHING PROFESSIONAL JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES carters_golf

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INSTRUCTION

WEAK GRIP

The majority of golfers that I have coached have strong grips which is often from the lead hand – in this case I’m demonstrating it as the left hand for a right-handed golfer. This grip position causes a lot of manipulation through the hands during the swing, which will cause inconsistency in the strike, which on a chip/ pitch shot can be hugely detrimental to the accuracy.

I like my players to have a weaker left hand

STRONG GRIP

so it can straighten the angle between wrist and forearm, and therefore reduce hand manipulation during the swing. This reduction of hand movement of the golf club will help control the swing path and stabilise the clubface throughout the swing – and more importantly through impact.

What we’ve also seen from this grip adjustment is a better outcome for mishits, as the more stable clubface will allow the

Please watch or come visit The Peter Cowen Academy Dubai for further insights and improvement. Also keep an eye out for our new online coaching platform called VIYA Academy powered by SwingIndex. An exciting new remote platform that can help you improve your game any place anytime.

bounce to be used rather than the leading edge, which we see with a lot of poor pitchers/ chippers.

It is a well-known fact that we as golfers want to use our bodies more throughout the swing as the bigger muscles deliver more consistency through the hitting zone, however it is important to have clubface stabilisation and be in control of the path throughout, and this grip change certainly benefits this theory.

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TROON ABU DHABI

AL AI N – AE S GC

S H ARJAH GOL F & S H OOT ING CLU B

Berg and Scheepers team up for National Day title Stefan Berg and Albeet Scheepers completed a countback win over Larry Benson and Scott Cotter to win the National Day Greensomes after both pairs returned scores of net 72.2. Finishing third with a score of 72.8 was Todd Stelck and Nathan Hunt while the gross winners on the day were Nic Poisat and Tiann Labuschagne with a 76.

Hill fires 63 for Club Championship win Troon Abu Dhabi associates complete 72-holes in one day for charity Three teams of Troon associates and two member teams completed every single hole of golf in the Troon Abu Dhabi portfolio in one day to raise money and awareness for Prostate Cancer & Men’s Health. To date, the team have raised AED 10,947 for the chosen charity – Friends of Cancer Patients & Shanab. The FOCP was founded under the directives and patronage of Her Highness Sheika Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi and is committed to helping cancer patients and their families get through the long and arduous journey of cancer treatment irrespective of their nationality, gender, age, religion or ethnicity. The fifteen golfers completed rounds at the three Abu Dhabi championship venues Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Yas Links Abu Dhabi and for the final 18 they twice played the 9-hole ‘Garden Course’ at Abu Dhabi Golf club, taking advantage of its floodlights to finish under darkness.

Y AS LIN KS A B U DHA B I

Mines plots his way to Medal win Ian Mines hit the target on numerous occasions during last month’s Medal as he carded an excellent gross 82 for a net 67 to top the pile in Division B, three ahead of Jeev Gill and Rob Rudling. The best gross tally on the day came from Peter Whittaker with a 74 while in Division A Edwin Sheepers fired a gross 81 for a net 73 to take the spoils ahead of Nic Poisat and Justin Jones. In Division C, Todd ‘Tetley’ Stelck returned to the winner’s circle after a long absence with a solid net 72, one clear of Antoine Khoury with Richard Hillard in third.

Josh Hill fired a sensational second round 63 to come from behind and win the 13th staging of the SGSC Men’s Open. Toby Bishop put up an excellent defence of the title, finishing second, eight shot behind Hill, with David Guinee taking third.

The net title was won by club member Mohan GC with a one-stroke win over Steve Duque with Saad Attiq in third.

Experience shines through in the medal

Kings rule the Handicap Day Husband and wife tandem Kenny and Tara King won Divisions A and C respectively in last month’s Handicap Day. Kenny compiled a score of net 67 to win ahead of Tiaan Labuschagne while Tara secured the top spot in her Division with an impressive net 69. In Division B Shahid Zaheer took first place with a 70, one clear of Larry Benson while the overall gross winner on the day was Sakura Kawakami with a 71.

Club member Shaheen Butt used his course knowledge to good effect and fire a net 71 to win the recent Orient Travel Monthly Medal. Butt dropped just two strokes and picked up three net birdies in a solid round which saw him win on a countback ahead of Ramli Sulaiman and Rory Thomson. In the gross section, Zi Ang Xu shot a 74 to win by one ahead of Adam Smith.

DUBAI CR E E K GOL F & Y AC H T C LU B

Bolton top of the pile in Medal

Club Champions crowned after two tense rounds After two days of fierce competition, Erica Broadhead and Ricus Lehmkuhl were crowned the Ladies and Men’s Club Champions respectively for 2020. With the course presented in superb condition and the wind picking up in places, scoring was higher than normal, with Broadhead at her consistent best as she followed an 84 with an 83 to win the title for the third time in four years with a 167 total. Lehmkuhl emerged victories in the Men’s section in a play-off.

Leo Bolton shot an impressive 4-under-par 67 to win the recent OMA Emirates Monthly Medal while the best gross score on the day went to Nathan Seldon with a 68. The Men’s Division A prize went to Will Page with a 70 while Muhammad Siddiqi won a countback over Tomohito Hirabayashi in Division B after both players signed for a 69. The Ladies Division was won by the ever-steady Janet Kim with a 67.

Seasonal Fun at the Festive Scramble The ever-popular festive scramble supported by Golf Superstore Sharjah was held late last month and coming out on top with a superb score of 54 was the team of Ramli Sulaiman, Rory Thomson, Zubair and Mohammad Firdaus. Finishing second with 56 was Ali Tiwana, Mohan GC, Aadil Khan and Christofer Bagge and in third on the same score after losing a countback were Humayun Kaleem, Asim Khan, Maruf Khan and Magroob Khan.

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ARABIAN GOLF AB U DHA B I C ITY GO L F CLUB

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB

Great scoring in Heritage Trophy

Team Scotland on top in National Day tournament Members and guests compiled themselves into 15 different teams representing their respective nations for the annual UAE National Day tournament and coming out on top was the team of John Ewing, Robert Smith, Iain Bell and Mark McDonagh, representing Scotland, with 98 points.

Team Lebenon, consisting of George Khalil, Aly Khalil Bernard, Khalil Khoury and Charbel Abi Akl, scored 97 points and won a countback over another Scotland team of Billy Gibb, James Forsyth, Kenny Macaulay and John Milne to take second place.

Burke impresses in Medalford win Westley Burke fired an excellent net 65 to top Division A of last month’s OMA Emirates Monthly Medalford competition, five clear of runner-up Rajinder Razdan with Anders Kron in third on 73. Sekhar Reddy topped the pile in Division B with a net 71, three ahead of Faheem Janjua with Naresh Handa in third after losing a countback to Janjua. In Division C Steven Ross fired a 71 to win by two from David Waite while in the Stableford competition Arman Singh won the men’s section and Delaney Leigh won the ladies.

T RU MP INT E RNAT IONAL GC , D U B A I

Hill hits top gear in Club Championship defence

T HE E LS C LUB

De Carli turns it on in Club Championship win Adam De Carli won the Men’s Club Championship for the second time in three years after overturning Michael Herb’s round one lead with a superb second round 72 for a two-stroke victory. In the Ladies section, defending champion Grace Groves would follow her opening round of 76 with a second round 79 to successfully retain the title while in the handicap section Toni Wirz followed a 72 with a 66 to take the spoils. Cariane Hoffie recorded a personal best 66 on day two after an opening round of 82 to win the Ladies Handicap Cup.

A two-round event held over two weeks on both the Majlis and the Faldo course, the 2020 Heritage Trophy saw 62 Ladies tee it up in a quest for honours, and coming out on top with a 36-hole Stableford tally of 76 was Christiane Sprunck.

Yulia Golubeva finished second with a haul of 70, defeating Avani Shah on a countback thanks to her excellent back nine score of 22 on the Majlis.

The prize for the best round 1 score (Faldo) went to Carolina Hibberd, who managed an impressive 38 points, while top scoring in round 2 (Majlis) was Amarjeet Radia, also with 38.

Fun for all in Ladies Christmas Scramble The recent Ladies Christmas Scramble saw 65 players take to the Faldo course and coming out on top with a score of net 55 was the team of Sabine Choudry, Victoria Johnson and Christiane Verhaagen. One stroke further back were Jennifer Bang, Eunshim Heo, Seung Min Lee and Wonjeong Lee while finishing in third was Maria Arias, Monica Palao, Maribel Xammar and Gemma Blanco with a 58.

Josh Hill twice equaled his own course record as two rounds of 65 saw him win the Club Championship for the second successive year with a 12-under-par score of 130. Hill went bogey tree on day one to open up a one-stroke lead and he closed out a four-stroke win over Craig Vance, who shot a second round 65 to leap above Toby Bishop and Arjun Gupta who took third and fourth place respectively. In the Ladies section, Natalii Gupta blitzed the field with an opening 68 and then on day two bested her own course record with a 67 to romp to an easy win with a 7-under-par 135 total.

TRUMP I N T E RNAT IONAL GC , DU B AI

R A S AL HA M R A G C

Al Harthy wins Club Championship from behind Trailing by five after day one, Rashad Al Harthy showed fine resolve to shoot a second day 77 and win the Mens Club Championship while Jameela Daud continued to dominate the Ladies title, winning for the eighth time by 11 strokes.

Gupta lands another big one Natalli Gupta continued her fine run in club’s major events by winning the Ladies Open, to follow on from her Club Championship victory.

Gupta needed a birdie on the last to break the course record and she dually delivered, driving the green from the tee on the 271 yard par 4 and two-putting down the hill for a 5-under 66. In the net division, home course knowledge played advantageous as Stacy Murtagh stormed home with a 67.

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Arjun clinches it from the tips Arjun Gupta shot a level par 71 to romp to a fourstroke win over Dave Guinee and Tom Hoban in the annual Black Tee Challenge.

Michael Bacon claimed the net division prize on a countback with a better back nine against Adrian Sime after both compiled a 69. Sheldon Ritchie finished one shot further back on net 70. The Ladies winner was D.G O’Brien with an 85 while a 74 saw Lucy Woods take home the net title.

(L-R) Emirates Golf Federation Vice Chairman Adel Zarouni, Ahmad Skaik and Ahmad’s father, Akram Skaik, prior to the youngster hitting the first tee-shot on UAE National Day during the first round of the Golf in Dubai Championship on the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates – venue for the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships.

Countdown begins to the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships in the United Arab Emirates

W

ith the World Amateur Team Championships (WATC) coming to Dubai for the first time in 2023, the Emirates Golf Federation have officially begun the countdown to the World’s finest amateurs coming to the Fire course at Jumeriah Golf Estates to battle it out.

The WATC is conducted by the IGF, where the IGF members (World National Golf Federations) enter one women’s team and one men’s team, made up of three amateur golfers, to compete for the Espirito Santo Trophy (Ladies Championship) and the Eisenhower Trophy (Men’s Championship).

The championships will bring worldwide attention to Dubai while generating a significant economic impact to the country. Over 70 different countries with more than 350 competitors will be making the UAE their home for a couple of weeks. Let the countdown begin.

“It is an honor to be hosting the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships in the UAE,” said His Excellency Shaikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi – Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation.

“Being selected by our fellow members of the International Golf Federation is a major responsibility and the Emirates Golf Federation is looking forward to welcoming all delegations, governing bodies, and players to the UAE.

International Golf Federation, the world’s golf federations and out local partners in order to make the 2023 WATC a victory for all in amateur golf.”

The Emirates Golf Federation, in collaboration with The R&A, has seen golf in the UAE rapidly transform and develop since the founding of the EGF in 1995. From hosting The R&A at sanctioned golf referee schools and seminars, to working together on junior golf initiatives, and teaming up on amateur events, The R&A has always had a major influence on the EGF and UAE Golf Development.

Over the past six years the EGF and UAE’s golf

development has hit full stride as the National Junior Development Program (NJDP) is proving to be a success. The NJDP is aimed to identify and develop young UAE National golfers while building good character through the structure of the rules from the game of golf. The EGF works closely with Ministry of Education in order to reach local schools and physical education programs to push awareness for the NJDP. By developing a golf PE curriculum in UAE schools and bringing young students to the UAE golf courses the EGF feels that interest in the sport and golf skills can be developed at an early age. Having a successful

DEVELOPMENT “Hosting the championships in the UAE and the Middle East shows the development of golf within the region. This is not only an accomplishment for the EGF but also for our brothers and sisters within the Arab Golf Community. Collaborating with the Arab Golf Federation we hope that this championship gives the Middle East the platform to showcase the regions successes and developments.

“We are looking forward to working with the

Danish brothers Nicolai and Rasmus Højgaard – now professionals on the European Tour – celebrate winning the 2018 World Amateur Team Championship.

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ARABIAN GOLF development program will transfer to a successful UAE National Team.

With golf growing in the UAE and having the opportunity to host events like the World Amateur Team Championships this will provide a stage for greater development in the region. Hard work, proper training and repeated exposure to international tournaments such as the WATC will be the main ingredients to making successful golfers. In 2020 the EGF introduced the game of golf to 30 different schools and PE curriculums, utilised eight different golf clubs across the entire UAE in order to run this program, the EGF saw over 500 students in just over six months.

#FOREeveryone Women’s Golf in the UAE continues to be on the top of the Emirates Golf Federation’s agenda and following in line with The R&A’s ‘Women In Golf’ and #FOREeveryone initiatives the EGF is proud of the movements made in the area of the game.

The EGF has found that women’s sports can sometimes take a back seat but the EGF is proud to a be frontrunner in developing ladies golf within the region. In 2019, the EGF hired a fulltime Ladies National Team Coach and since then the program has tripled in size. Using the National Junior Development Program as a foundation to introduce the game of golf to young ladies has been successful.

This program is introducing the game to the younger female generation while giving some girls the opportunity to play sport for the first time. Unfortunately, the UAE has not had a lady’s team compete for the WATC - Espirito Santo Trophy but by having the opportunity to host the championship the EGF has a new goal to reach. Producing a lady’s team to compete in the 2023 championship will be a great accomplishment. The EGF is optimistic that by holding the championship in the Middle East it will inspire other Arab nations to make goals

Reigning US PGA Champion Collin Morikawa made up part of the United States team that finished second in 2018. within their own lady programs and ‘Women in Golf’ initiatives.

“The IGF is very excited about the prospect of holding the World Amateur Team Championships in the United Arab Emirates and the potential impact this will have on men’s and women’s golf throughout the Middle East region,” said IGF Executive Director Antony Scanlon. “We already have seen tremendous strides being made in the introduction and growth of the game through the diligent efforts of the Emirates Golf Federation and the opportunity to further this development by hosting the WATC really resonated with our member organisations.

“The Fire Course at Jumeriah Golf Estates is an outstanding venue that I know the competitors will truly enjoy. We look forward to working with the EGF to deliver a memorable event and experience for the athletes in 2023.”

Regional golf bodies, Arab Golf Federation and GCC Golf Committee have actively promoted competitive golf by hosting annual

The UAE Team pictured prior to the 2015 Nomura Cup, held at Yas Links Abu Dhabi.

golf championships for member countries - 39 editions of Arab Golf Championships and 23 editions of GCC Championships has been the foundation of competition for the Middle East.

Prominent UAE National Golfers that paved the way started with Ismail Sharif, Khalid Al Halyan, Rashid & Mohammed Al Abbar, Mohammed Juma Buamim, Walid Al Attar, Abdulla Obaidulla amongst others. Following these footsteps, the first UAE golfer to turn professional was Ahmed Al Musharrekh. Now leading the way for the UAE National Golf Teams are Khalid Yousuf, Ahmad Skaik, Saif Thabet, for the men’s team, and Reema Al Heloo and Alia Al Emadi for the lady’s team.

Khalid Yousuf holds the World Amateur Team Championship record with the most appearances.

MAJOR SUCCESS In addition to seeing local player development, the Resident UAE amateurs have seen some major success. Leading the way is Sebastian Heisele who is a regular on the European Tour and last year finished fourth at the Italian Open for his fourth career top-ten finish on the circuit. Additional pros include Ross Bain, Simon Dunn, and Matt Turner. Matt, a product of EGF’s Junior Development Program (JDP), was the first amateur to make the cut in Dubai Desert Classic (2009). Rayhan Thomas, another JDP prodigy, repeated the feat by making the cut in 2017 and is currently playing college golf at Oklahoma State University.

Current young amateurs showing talent include Josh Hill, Toby Bishop and Arjun Gupta. On the lady’s side, Alison Muirhead played her junior golf in the UAE and enjoyed her rookie season on the Ladies European Tour in 2020, while Natalii Gupta and Hyeonji Kang are the young amateurs making their names known. ■

A DESTINATION WELL SUITED TO HOSTING WORLD CLASS GOLF EVENTS PROFESSIONAL EVENTS IN THE UAE

AMATEUR EVENTS

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ●

DP World Tour Championship OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open Golf in Dubai Championship presented by DP World Ras Al Khaimah Challenge Tour Grand Final Sharjah Senior Golf Masters presented by Shurooq Dubai Festival City Challenge Tour Grand Final

● ● ● ●

Faldo Series Championship EGF Order of Merit Championship Abu Dhabi Amateur Championship 2015 Nomura Cup – Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Team Championship Pan Arab Golf Championship (2009) Junior & Ladies Pan Arab Golf Championship (2004, 2015) GCC Golf Championship (1996, 1999, 2004, 2012) Junior GCC Golf Championship (2004, 2012)

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WORLDWIDE GOLF

TRAVEL

A place unlike any other in southern Europe, Quinta do Lago is nestled in the heart of the Algarve and offers three championship standard golf courses among a host of real estate options.

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EUROPEAN TOUR DESTINATIONS

VENUES

LE GOLF NATIONAL PARIS, FRANCE DIAMOND COUNTRY CLUB VIENNA, AUSTRIA PGA CATALUNYA RESORT BARCELONA, SPAIN JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES LIGHTHOUSE GOLF & SPA RESORT CAPE KALIAKRA, BULGARIA SAUJANA GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA LONDON GOLF CLUB LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM TERRE BLANCHE HOTEL SPA GOLF RESORT***** PROVENCE, FRANCE GOLF CLUB ST. LEON-ROT HEIDELBERG, GERMANY THE DUTCH AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS BLACK MOUNTAIN GOLF CLUB & RESORT HUA HIN, THAILAND ALBATROSS GOLF RESORT PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC BOM SUCESSO OBIDOS, PORTUGAL CONSTANCE BELLE MARE PLAGE POSTE DE FLACQ, MAURITIUS MARCO SIMONE GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB ROME, ITALY VERDURA RESORT SICILY, ITALY FINCA CORTESIN HOTEL GOLF & SPA MARBELLA, SPAIN VILLAVERDE HOTEL & RESORT VENICE, ITALY QUINTA DO LAGO ALGARVE, PORTUGAL LINNA GOLF HÄMEENLINNA, FINLAND GOLF SON MUNTANER PALMA, SPAIN TBILISI HILLS TBILISI, GEORGIA ESTONIAN GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB TALLINN, ESTONIA PIRIN GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB SOFIA, BULGARIA CONSTANCE LEMURIA PRASLIN, SEYCHELLES DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB DUBAI, UAE EMIRATES GOLF CLUB DUBAI, UAE GENZON GOLF CLUB SHENZHEN, CHINA

UNDER DEVELOPMENT:

ROSSINGTON HALL DONCASTER, UNITED KINGDOM SPARBEN GOLF RESORT BORDEAUX, FRANCE

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BOOK GOLF & CLOSE YOUR GAME !

Now available on the EGF App & Website

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GOLF TRAVEL

L

ocated just 15km from Faro Airport on the south coast of Portugal, Quinta do Lago has been at the forefront of European golf resorts since its creation in the early 1970s.

This exclusive golf and residential resort of nearly 2,000 acres is synonymous with elegance and privacy and borders both the Atlantic ocean and the picturesque Ria Formosa Natural Park. Today, the resort’s three golf courses are rated among Europe’s best and are enhanced by world-class golf facilities such as the Paul McGinley Golf Academy and southern Europe’s only TaylorMade Performance Centre.

The quality of the three courses are underlined by the long list of awards they boast, with the South Course winning the ‘Best Golf Course in Portugal’ accolade at the 2019 World Golf Awards while the resort itself was voted fifth in a recent ‘Top 100 Resorts in Continental Europe’ poll.

The South Course is set to re-open this month after a €7m investment into improving the course, which was done in collaboration with GEO Foundation, to ensure sustainability and reduce environmental impact. The resort opened in 1972 with the South Course, designed by William Mitchell, opening for play two years later. Acclaim for the South Course grew in time as it hosted the European Tour’s Open de Portugal on eight occasions, with the last coming in 2001.

In addition to the fantastic golf facilities, Quinta do Lago features award-winning real estate, a boutique hotel, a golden sanded beach, superb restaurants and a premier sports hub, which all provide the idyllic backdrop for a fulfilling experience among the beauty of Portugal’s south coast. The real estate discreetly borders the golf courses, some enjoying stunning sea views. Currently for sale are plots of varying sizes with golf views. ■

For more information: www.quintadolago.com

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Celebrity We ask the European Tour’s top golfers how their dream dinner party would unfold. Players must choose three celebrities to accompany them, one band or artist to provide the music, what would be on the menu and tell us their favourite party trick! Next in the hotseat is Thai star Kiradech Aphibarnrat

KIRADECH APHIBARNRAT

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER I’m a big fan of Formula 1 and I wish him all the best.

Music

BRUNO MARS

He has a lot of good songs

MICHAEL JORDAN

He is very popular in Asia. I always see him on the Jordan shoes so it would be great to meet him in person

MENU CRISTIANO RONALDO

I love football and it would be great to see him back at Manchester United.

PARTY TRICK

I’D LIKE TO JUMP IN THE POOL WITH 100 PEOPLE AT THE SAME TIME.

- Starter -

SOUP

- Main -

THAI GREEN CURRY - Dessert -

MANGO STICKY RICE

THERE’S A NEW GAME IN TOWN

hello dubai

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