Worldwide Golf - Tiger Woods is back!

CONTENTS Issue 102, March 2009

TIPS GEAR STYLE PROPERTY FASHION TRAVEL

WORLDWIDE

Golf

MAKING HIS MARK COLIN Montgomerie, who has dominated European Golf for nearly 20 years, winning the Order of Merit eight times and topping the Tour career earnings with €23,625,692, talks to Mike Gallemore about his forthcoming Captaincy of Europe’s 2010 Ryder Cup Team and his remaining ambitions as a player and as a golf course designer.

Est:1999

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Ryder Cup, Colin Montgomerie

Pain free, this Tiger is hungry and ready to pounce on the golfing world once more.

Look who’s back!

Golfers

Good Good Food Food Guide Guide

Worldwide Golf is pleased to introduce our Golfers Good Food Guide which not only highlights some of Golf’s finest 19th holes, which have been at the forefront of gourmet dining in Dubai for many years, but also other restaurants that have become popular with golfers and other diners. We begin our series with Le Classique at Emirates Golf Club and St Maxim’s at The Mall of the Emirates.

Middle East’s No.1 Golf Magazine

Le Classique celebrates its return with a Launch Party

O

Chef Francois Porte : “Here’s to another great 20 years.”

Below: The new Champagne Bar and the newly refurbished Le Classique restaurant at Emirates Golf Club.

For reservations please telephone: 04 380 2222.

ne of Dubai’s most established and revered French fine dining restaurants, Le Classique at Emirates Golf Club, celebrates its re-opening with a Launch Party on Sunday, March 15.

Chef Francois is back with the love of his life, as the Le Classique reopens its doors after a seven-month absence undergoing an extensive refurbishment.

“Absence has definitely made the heart grow fonder,” says Francois Porte from the kitchen of Le Classique where the irrepressible charm and ingenious palate of Chef’s cuisine is created.

“Its been a 20-year love affair, which has transcended my affection for preparing fine French cuisine, and is really all about the connection with the people, both our

team members and most importantly our dedicated clientele.”

The renewed excitement of a new restaurant environment with a 20-year pedigree, is making Francois determined to put Le Classique back on its pedestal as a special culinary experience for members of Emirates Golf Club and visitors from outside the Club.

Le Classique has garnered numerous accolades over its 20-year history, including being the What’s On Chef’s Choice Restaurant Winner in 2004 and 2007, and a finalist on three other occasions. Chef Francois’s genius was recognized in 2003 when he was awarded Restaurant Chef of the Year by Grumpy Gourmet.

Chef Francois has three words that he

would like someone to use when describing his dishes: Sensational, Balanced, Consistent. He is also proud of the fact that Le Classique also gives excellent value for money.

The proof is in always in the pudding and Francois is happy to put his claims to the test with a four course menu that can be enjoyed for as little as AED 240, offering guests a choice of starters, intermediaries, main courses and desserts.

“We have built Le Classique’s reputation over many years and upheld the original concept and tradition, while moving forward in terms of our interiors with the re-launch. Here’s to another great 20 years as we continue to set the benchmark for traditional French cuisine.”

EXCLUSIVE MONTY INTERVIEW ELS●PLAYER●NORMAN●FISHER●NEWS & VIEWS Official Publication of The Emirates Golf Federation & The Arab Golf Federation

Cover: Tiger Woods is back 66

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Golfers Good Food Guide BETTER THAN

EVER

LEADBETTER – IMG

Mike Gallemore talks to Chris Myers, Event Manager of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters and General Manager of Doha Golf Club, on the continuing success of the tournament which this year attracted the strongest field ever assembled in the Middle East.

T

HE Commercialbank Qatar Masters continues to create its own problems – how do you keep improving on a tournament that has become one of the best events on The European Tour?

“I suppose if you keep on raising the bar year after year, ultimately there’s a limit to how much higher you can go but we believe that you can’t

“But we didn’t deliberately set out to make this year’s the strongest ever field. We were hoping for maybe five of the world’s top-20 players but we work hard at trying to look after the players and I think that our efforts are paying off. The word seems to have got around that this is a great tournament to play, where you will be well looked after.

rest on your laurels, you’ve just got to keep getting better,” says Event Manager Chris Myers.

Chris should know, more than most, having been in Qatar for the past 16 years, seven of which he’s spent at Doha Golf Club as General Manager.

“In its earlier years the tournament struggled to make a name for itself,” says Chris, “but once

“It was a huge boost to have Boo Weekley and Brandt Snedeker come over from America to compete. That helps us promote the event and Qatar to the Unites States market. Boo is a real entertainer who’s suddenly become one of the biggest crowd pleasers in the game. It was good for us that Alvaro Quiros won our tournament

Commercialbank took up the title sponsorship it just took off. Finding sponsorships was difficult but once Andrew Stevens, Group CEO of Commercialbank, got involved, everything changed. I’ve got to take my hat off

so convincingly. I believe that Alvaro has all the qualities to become The European Tour’s answer to Boo over the next few years.”

One of the outstanding features of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters is the lavish, strategically-

to Commercialbank for what they’ve achieved. Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that the tournament would become the event it is today but this last Masters has reached new heights.”

In fact, the 2009 Commercialbank Qatar

positioned hospitality boxes.

I’ve reported on most of the biggest tournaments in world golf over the years and I have never seen a better hospitality set-up than Doha Golf Club.

“When Commercialbank came on board

people, including the Qatar Olympic Committee, Hassan Al Nuami, President of the Qatar Golf Association, and all our staff at Doha Golf Club

Masters, attracted one of the strongest fields on The European Tour in recent years and the bestever in the Middle East. Eight of the world’s top-20 ranked players competed for prize money of $2,500,000 with Spain’s Alvaro Quiros taking the $416,660 winner’s cheque.

“With the enthusiasm and commitment of the Qatar Golf Association, Commercialbank and everyone involved, we have elevated the tournament and made it an event the players love

it was obvious that they would take a handson role. Andrew Stevens and I went to The European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, to see how they look after the spectators and the hospitality guests.

“We’ve used that experience and taken the best from other tournaments to make ours the best we possibly can. The work of Sponsorship Manager John Anthony and Title Sponsor Representative

that has propelled the tournament and Qatar as rightful contenders on the world stage.

“Qatar is fast building a reputation for staging world-class events like the Asian Games, the Qatar Exxon Mobil Tennis Open, The Sony Ericsson Tennis Championships, The Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar and the Commercialbank Qatar Masters.

“Qatar is all about building relationships, supporting and staging global sporting events –

to play – which is one reason why we had such a good field.

Rania El Khoury has also made a huge difference.

It’s a combined performance by a great many

and they’re far from frivolous with their money.

“It’s difficult for us in having only one golf

‘With the enthusiasm and commitment of everyone involved we have elevated the tournament and made it an event the players love to play,’ – CHRIS MYERS

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DIVOTS

DAVID

Mike Gallemore talks to internationally renowned golf coach David Leadbetter, whose teachings have revolutionised the game over many years, and whose network of David Leadbetter Golf Academies are owned, organised and managed by parent company IMG – another arm of IMG’s global sports empire.

D

avid Leadbetter is probably the most recognised golf instructor in the game. His list of clients reads like a Who’s Who of leading golfers stretching back to the days of six-times Major winner Nick Faldo in the late eighties and nineties to reigning Masters Champion Trevor Immelman.

Leadbetter, from Worthing in Sussex, England, who now lives with his wife, Kelly, and their son, James and daughter, Hally, close to IMG sports academy HQ in Bradenton, Florida, started his golf career as a player on The European Tour and South African Tour.

He soon came to the realisation that his talents lay in coaching rather than playing.

He quickly found that the combination of his understanding of the game, and a natural ability to communicate with his students made him a man much in demand from the outset.

He’s personally coached four World No.1 players – Faldo, Nick Price, Ernie Els and Greg Norman, along with Immelman, Ian Poulter, Bernhard Langer, Mark McNulty, Jesper Parnevik, Justin Rose, Nick Dougherty, Charles Howell III and Aaron Baddeley.

He’s also coached Paula Creamer (who is now coached by David Whelan, Director of Golf at DLGA, IMG Academies, Bradenton), currently third on the Rolex World Rankings, and Michelle Wie, who has relaunched her career with a runner-up finish at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay on the LPGA Tour.

Paula speaks highly of her time at Bradenton as a youngster. “I was there from age 14 to 18 although I didn’t really move until I was 21. It was one of the best decisions my family and I ever made to go to the Academy. It was a wonderful place to be around so many great athletes.”

Leadbetter has made regular appearances on global television, written

Chris Myers checks all is in order at the presenttation ceremony of the 2009 Commercialbank Qatar Master.

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six best-selling books and produced numerous DVDs and videos. He’s also the senior instructional editor for various golf publications.

According to Leadbetter, golf tuition should not be an ordeal. “My primary objective is to develop the student’s game with the emphasis of making the learning process fun,” he says.

“It’s got to be enjoyable and not overly technical. A vital part of all our instructors’ fault-finding technique is to detect and then eliminate the original and most destructive fault in the swing. When this is achieved the other related faults can be rectified. The benefits and improvement gained from a programme continue long after its completion.”

The David Leadbetter Golf Academies (DLGA) today has a string of 26 international facilities in Europe, Asia, the USA and Africa, teaching students of all ages and all levels, from beginners to some of the biggest names in the game.

“Our philosophy is simple,” says Leadbetter. “The same proven techniques that we teach to top professionals can be applied to golfers at all levels – from complete beginners to seasoned pros.

Whatever the handicap, whatever age or ability, the principles we teach will improve their game.

“Excellence and consistency in instruction and service is our corporate mandate. I personally oversee the training of my world class instructors to communicate our golfing philosophy.”

Leadbetter and his Worldwide Director of Certification Kevin Smeltz personally supervise the 60-strong international team of hand-picked instructors, who have to reapply each year for re-certification, which guarantees the same uncompromising level of teaching and service throughout David Leadbetter shares some advice and a joke with LPGA the global network of academies.

Tour player Michelle Wie. Instruction programmes range from www.wwgolf.biz

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Seve upbeat on recovery SEVE Ballesteros has begun a second course of chemotherapy as he continues his recovery from brain surgery last October. “Despite a slow recovery I am on the right track and my spirit and determination are still unshakeable,” said the 51-year-old on his official website. “The physiotherapists are doing a great job on me as I feel better day after day. I am very motivated and working hard, although I am aware that my recovery will be slow and therefore I need to be patient and have a lot of determination.”

Harwood to make Senior bow Harrington undergoes eye surgery PADRAIG Harrington has had corrective eye surgery on his right eye ahead of finalising his schedule in America. The Irishman is looking to win his third Major in succession and has admitted he is likely to skip the WGC-CA Championship at Doral to focus solely on The Masters. “Usually I peak in my third week, so I look to put the Majors the third week,” he said. “I’d love to play all the best tournaments but you’ve got to schedule these things for what works best to help you peak when you need to.”

FIVE-time European Tour winner Mike Harwood will make his Seniors Tour debut later this month at the Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters. The Australian returns to full-time golf after a break of over a decade and is looking forward to getting back into the game. “My thoughts for this season are only excitement,” he said. “Having so many years off has been very difficult but also very rewarding to be with my family. My target this year is to finish in the Senior Tour’s top 20.”

Wie comes close MICHELLE Wie, who earned her 2009 LPGA Tour Card in November, finished second behind Angela Stanford in the first event of the LPGA season as she searches for her first professional win. Wie finished on 7-under-par at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, three strokes behind Stanford.

Woods welcomes second child TIGER Woods and his wife Elin celebrated the birth of their second child last month as Charlie Axel Woods was welcomed as a younger brother to Sam Alexis who was born in June 2007.

Woods later announced that he will make his return to competitive golf at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, where he is the defending champion.

Youngsters make history in Australia THE 12-year-old pair of Oh Su-Hyun and Chi YoungMin became the youngest players ever to compete in the Ladies Australian Open last month.

Former world number one Karrie Webb partnered Oh and said: “I’d been a pro for two years before they were born, that’s amazing.”

However, the duo are not the youngest ever to play in tournament golf as Ariya Jutanukarn was 11 when she competed on the LPGA tour in 2007.

Manuel’s shoots low despite handicap MANUEL De Los Santos lost his leg in a traffic accident but still manages to play golf off a 2.9 handicap. In 2008 De Los Santos competed against able-bodied golfers from around the world and he’s causing a furore in the golfing world with his performance, spirit and ambition.

He will tee it up at the second edition of ‘Tee Off Against Poverty!’ on March 25 on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club, Dubai.

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Chris Myers Event Manager

Thinking about putting may put you off SCIENTISTS in Scotland have concluded that overanalysis of your technique as you walk between shots could seriously affect your performance. St Andrews University and U.S. based scientists said they established that thinking too much about the previous shot can disrupt performance. The experiment involved 80 golfers who were given shots to practise until they got it right – those who discussed their putting between strokes took twice as long.

Famous coach David Leadbetter

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Divots

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Rory Mcilroy

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WORLDWIDE GOLF COLUMNISTS Ernie Els is the most successful South African golfer of his generation. Els, nicknamed ‘The Big Easy’ due to his easy-looking swing, has won three Majors and seven World Match Play Championships during a career that spans close on two decades. Els has two U.S. Opens to his name and won The Open Championship in 2002.

ERNIE

ELS

S

when our decision to spend more time at this U.S. base is vindicated. While most of southern England, including our house at Wentworth, was covered in a blanket of snow and ice, I was in Florida playing golf almost every day and working hard on my golf game.

That makes a huge difference, obviously. It means I’ll always be able to keep my game pretty sharp between tournaments.

Most of February may have been quiet on the tournament front, but the next four weeks will be anything but that. I’m scheduled to play four weeks straight, including two World Golf Championship events, and I’ll also be defending my title in the Honda Classic at PGA National. It’s a really good stretch – an opportunity to find my competitive rhythm, as it were, and hit a bit of form going into the spring and summer months.

Anyway, before I sign off for this month I want to tell you about some really good news from the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation. George Harvey, our golf coach, has been nominated South Africa PGA Teacher of the Year at the Compleat Golfer Annual Awards 2009. This honour is thoroughly deserved.

George does a fantastic job for the kids and I know

how much his efforts are appreciated. He’s already collected his award at a suitably fancy dinner in South Africa. Well done to him. Next time I’m in Fancourt I look forward to buying him a drink!

Also, one of our former Foundation members has been doing really well. James Kamte took the trophy at the recent Asian Tour International in Bangkok.

It was his first event on this year’s Asian Tour since securing his playing privileges with a fourth-place finish at the Qualifying School.

I couldn’t be happier for James. He’s really making his mark now. When he won last season’s Dimension Data Pro-Am at Sun City he became the first South African player of colour to win on the so-called ‘summer swing’ of the 40-year-old Sunshine Tour. And until last month’s win in Bangkok no South African player of colour had ever triumphed on the Asian Tour.

James did it in style with rounds of 70, 63, 68 and 66. There is little doubt that he will be an inspiration to many in South Africa.

It just goes to show what is possible when you give kids an opportunity and they put in the hard work. It can be quite a potent combination. ■

NORMAN I

PLAYER

JAMES FLIES THE FLAG FOR SOUTH AFRICA ince I wrote last month’s column it has been a pretty quiet little stretch on the tournament front. I’ve played just once, the Dubai Desert Classic, and to miss the cut there was obviously extremely disappointing.

It’s one of my favourite tournaments of the year and as a three times winner of the Classic (1994, 2002, 2005) you can imagine an early flight out of there was not part of my plans, even if it did allow me to refuel the plane in Manchester and watch my beloved Manchester United beat Everton 1–0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Now they’re well clear at the top of the table! A bit of the old silver lining, as they say, but not where I wanted to be on Saturday.

Believe me, I’m extremely motivated and I’m working my tail off to turn things around to basically start getting the results that actually reflect the way I’m playing at the moment. I mean, seriously, from tee to green I’m very close to hitting it as well as I did in 2002 and 2003 when I won 13 tournaments in the space of 20 months. I just need to stay patient.

Still, we had some good stuff happening elsewhere in Dubai last month. Dubai Sports City and ‘golf in DUBAi’, one of my sponsors, joined forces to raise $90,000 for autism charities and a local Dubai golf charity at the Els Club Charity Challenge. We had nine amateur golfers, each representing a local sponsor, challenging me over one hole on The Els Club course, which is looking absolutely incredible right now.

Butch Harmon was there, too. He opened his own Butch Harmon School of Golf at Dubai Sports City, which is operated by his son Claude, another renowned golf coach carrying on the Harmon family tradition. Butch also provided tuition to the amateurs who were taking part in the challenge match, including Khalid Yousuf, one of the brightest national prospects in the UAE. All in all, it was a good day.

Also, while we were in Dubai I was told The Els Club had won some more awards. The prestigious Links magazine in America recently voted it ‘best new international golf course’ and it was also selected as a finalist in the ‘International Courses’ category of the 2008 Golf Inc. Development of the Year contest. This type of recognition establishes The Els Club Dubai as one of the leading new golf courses worldwide.

It’s very gratifying, not just for me but for everyone involved in this great project.

After Dubai I had a couple of weeks at the house in West Palm Beach. I find it is at times like that

GREG

GARY

Gary Player is a true legend of the game. The South African is one of only five players to have won a career Grand Slam of all four Majors.

He has won a total of nine Majors and nine Senior Majors, among 167 Tour events worldwide. This year he broke the appearance record at The Masters Tournament when he made his 51st start.

T’S a good feeling to be playing competitive golf on Tour right now but whether I can emulate my performances of last season remains to be seen. Since my three-week spell last summer when I had three top-five finishes in successive Majors I’ve had a lot of fun playing golf.

Having led the field by two shots going into the final day, it was very satisfying to finish tied for third with Henrik Stenson at last year’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale behind the runnerup Ian Poulter and the winner Padraig Harrington.

The following week I shared fifth place in The Senior Open Championship at Royal Troon with Tom Watson and Gene Jones, behind winner Bruce Vaughan, who beat John Cook in a play-off.

The next week I finished fourth in the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor Golf Club at Colorado Springs, six shots behind Eduardo Romero.

I had a pretty good run-up to those three Majors, finishing tied sixth in the Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, just three strokes behind winner Jay Haas, and then came runner-up in the TELUS World Skins Game.

If I turn up to play a golf tournament, I’m not just there to play and make up the numbers, I’m there to give it my best shot. Sometimes you miss the cut and sometimes you do very well. As long as I know I’m giving it 101 percent, which I always do, then I’m happy. Having reached the age of 54 last

MONTY CAPTAINCY GREAT NEWS FOR EUROPE

I

’D like to congratulate Colin Montgomerie on being appointed Europe’s Ryder Cup Captain for 2010. Monty’s a controversial character but he’s a good leader. He’s also got a very sharp mind and he’ll be a smart Captain.

It’s a fitting compliment to a fine golfer and it’s a well-deserved honour. He’s topped the Order of Merit on The European Tour eight times – seven in succession between 1993 and 1999 – and finished in the top 10 no less than 15 times. He’s won close on £20 million in a Tour career that began in 1988, topping the £1 million mark for single season earnings 11 times.

The only item missing from Monty’s record is a Major victory. He’s come so close so many times – runner up in the U.S. Open three times, and runner up in The Open and the U.S. PGA Championship.

It’s sad that he hasn’t had that Major win but there’s still time. There are a lot of players who have won Majors in their forties. I won my last Major at the age of 42 and Jack Nicklaus won his last Major at 46.

Monty’s won 31 titles on The European Tour, represented Scotland in the World Cup 10 times, winning with Marc Warren in 2007 and taking the individual title in 1997.

His Ryder Cup record is nothing short of exemplary. Up until Valhalla last year Monty had been an ever-present in the European Team since making his debut in 1991 at Kiawah Island. He made eight successive appearances and was on the winning side five times.

He’s become something of a talisman for The European Ryder Cup Team and I believe he’ll do a wonderful job as captain.

It’s interesting that Monty has said he’s considering having an extra Captain’s pick. Paul Azinger opted to have four Captain’s picks at Valhalla. I don’t understand why there should be one rule for one team and another rule for the 44

Ernie Els

other. I think the same rule should apply to both teams and that they should be allowed two picks apiece. That means that 10 players have earned their place in the team on merit and the Captain has the right to choose two more players who have shown solid late form, or who can be relied upon to deliver the goods when the pressure’s on.

I said after last year’s Ryder Cup that it was a good result for the event that the Americans managed to halt the run of success of the Europeans. Domination by either team is bad for The Ryder Cup. So it will be interesting to see if Monty can lead his men to victory in Wales and bring the Cup back to Europe.

Wonder Kids I’m looking forward to seeing how the four current wonderkids of golf, Camilo Villegas, Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim and Ryo Ishikawa go on in The Masters next month. Camilo Villegas showed tremendous form to win the BMW Championship and The Tour Championship on his way to a second-placed finish in last year’s PGA Tour Play-offs for the FedExCup, proving that he’s got the talent to back up all the hype. He also did well in the Majors with top 10s at the U.S. Open and the U.S. PGA Championship and if he carries on the way he’s been playing I don’t think it will be long before he wins one of the Grand Slam events.

Rory McIlroy produced an impressive performance last month to win his first European Tour title at the Dubai Desert Classic after a number of runner-up finishes. He’s a former Amateur World No.1 and it will be interesting to see how his ‘grip it and rip it’ style goes down at Augusta National. Mark O’Meara reckons Rory is better than Tiger was at 19.

It was a nice gesture for Tiger to invite Rory to play a practice round with him at The Masters.

All American eyes will be on 23-year-old Anthony

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Kim at Augusta. He’s been in and around the top 10 in the World Ranking for a good while now and he really captured everyone’s attention at Valhalla with his confident, swashbuckling Ryder Cup performance, beating Sergio Garcia in the opening singles match on the Sunday to give the United States the momentum they needed.

Ryo Ishikawa, the 17-year-old Japanese, is turning everyone’s heads and has earned a special invitation for The Masters. In May 2007 he became the youngest winner of a men’s tournament on the Japan Golf Tour at the age of 15. He turned professional last year and won his first tournament at the Mynavi ABC Championship. He’s already received invitations to play in three PGA Tour events in the run-up to The Masters.

WWG COLUMNIST

BACK ON COURSE FOR ANOTHER FINE SEASON

month it would be remarkable if I could reproduce that sort of form this season. But, whatever happens, I’ve always believed that age is really nothing but a number, as long as you keep yourself in good shape.

After those memorable three weeks last July I had not played a Tour event until I recently returned to my homeland for the first time since 2006 to play the Johnnie Walker Classic at the Vines Resort and Country Club in Perth.

I played the ADT Skills Challenge in November with my son Gregory, where we placed first. Then Gregory and I played the Del Webb Father and Sons Challenge, shooting 62-67 as a team.

The following week Camilo Villegas and I joined forces to play our Merrill Lynch Shootout and came in third. In January I partnered with Jay Haas at the Wendy’s Skins Game and we finished runners-up.

So the Johnnie Walker Classic was my first competitive Tour event for six months and I chose to return to the fray against a really tough field that included Camilo, Anthony Kim, Lee Westwood and the defending champion, Kiwi Mark Brown.

I won the tournament back in 1994 at Phuket in Thailand when it was known as the Johnnie Walker Asian Classic. Now it’s a co-sponsored Australasian Tour event with the Asian Tour and The European Tour, it’s also a qualifying tournament for The Race to Dubai for the Dubai World Championship to be played on our Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in November. I planned to play the Johnnie Walker as part of the build up for my 23rd visit

to The Masters, having been honoured with an invitation to Augusta following my form at The Open last July. I’m also planning on playing the Shell Houston Open the week before The Masters.

But I always make a point of focusing on the here and now. I’ll take it one event at a time. If I start thinking about what’s going to happen in five weeks from now or six weeks, then I’m not preparing myself properly.

I was pleased to play the first two rounds of the Johnnie Walker with Camilo and Lee, and I actually felt pretty good, although I putted terribly. My congratulations to Danny Lee who won in the most impressive manner imaginable, producing birdies on four of the last six holes to win by one shot from Felipe Aguilar, Ross McGowan and Hiroyuki Fujita, at 17-under par 271 and become the youngest ever winner of a European Tour event at 18 years 213 days. Danny first burst into the limelight last year when he became the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur – beating the record previously held by Tiger Woods.

Danny was born in South Korea but moved to New Zealand with his family when he was eight and later joined New Zealand Golf’s highperformance unit. He took out Kiwi citizenship last year and is planning to return home to play the New Zealand PGA and New Zealand Open before heading to the U.S. for The Masters. He’s a huge talent and I wish him the very best of luck for the future. ■

ROSS

FISHER

BRING ON TIGER AND THE WGCs!

I

’M about to fly out to America where I’m really looking forward to another milestone in my career when I play in my first World Golf ChampionshipsAccenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. I always set out to improve and move forward each year so it’s going to be another new experience that I’m relishing.

The news that Tiger is going to make his comeback in the event is fantastic – I think it’s a great boost for the game of golf, particularly in the current climate.

His presence always adds an extra bit of spice to a tournament. I’d love to be paired against him, but obviously I’ve got to win some of my matches and he’s got to win some of his for that to happen.

First and foremost I’ve got to look to my first match and then take it one step at a time but if it does come up, then great. I certainly wouldn’t be overawed by the experience – I’ve played with him

Qatar’s setting the pace I was pleased to see what a great event the Commercialbank Qatar Masters has become. This year’s tournament attracted the strongest-ever field in a European Tour event in the Middle East and it has grown into one of the most prestigious Tour events of the season. I was in Qatar to host the tournament in 2003 when two young South Africans, Darren Fichardt and James Kingston, battled it out in a play-off, with Darren emerging as the winner.

I met a lot of lovely people, including the Emir of Qatar, H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and it was a real pleasure to be there. Hassan Nasser Al Naimi, President of the Qatar Golf Association, was the first man to give me a copy of the Koran and I was struck with how very similar it is to the Bible.

It was clear to me back then that Qatar was a place that believed in doing things properly and that it was a country that was going places. It will be fascinating to see how Qatar continues to put itself on the world golf map. ■ www.wwgolf.biz

WWG COLUMNIST

ROSS Fisher is one of the hottest young stars on The European Tour.

Having only joined the Tour in 2006 he already has two titles under his belt, including the 2008 European Open. He is currently 38th on the Official World Ranking.

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Gary Player

before and always loved it. It would be very difficult but it’d be a challenge that I’d relish. Whether he’ll be at the top of his game I don’t know, but I’d be surprised if he was that far off it – put it that way!

To be able to play a different format is great. I love match play and as an amateur I played it a lot but I’ve not had the chance much as a pro. I played in the World Cup with Ian Poulter in November which was slightly different as it was fourballs and foursomes but, hopefully, I can still take some of the experience into the Accenture.

My game’s in good shape and I’m raring to go. I’ve had three weeks off since I last played, at the Dubai Desert Classic, which has actually been pretty frustrating.

I was quite pleased to finish tied 13th on 11-under-par in Dubai – my best result of the season so far – but just as everything was starting to come together I got back to England to a snow storm and couldn’t

play for week! I should have stayed in Dubai! The next week I got some practice in on the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday then took my wife, Jo, to Paris for the weekend to celebrate St. Valentines Day. That was great – we saw all the sights and did the usual tourist stuff.

I’ve slowly got myself back into things, getting some rounds in around Wentworth and Sunningdale and shooting some really good scores. I’ve also done some great work with Mark Roe on my short game – just tuning everything up and making sure I’m sharp for the exciting period ahead.

I’ll be staying out in the States after the Match Play and playing my second WGCCA Championship. I did all right at Doral last year. I got off to a good start with a 68 in the first round but unfortunately couldn’t keep it going and shot 73-70-72 to finish tied 34th on 5-under. But I’ve got some good memories and experiences to draw on from playing that tournament and I’m really looking forward to getting back to the Blue Monster and, hopefully, doing better this time around.

When I’m away at these tournaments I just try to keep everything as normal as possible. Even at the international events there’s always a few players who you know from The European Tour. So I might grab dinner with them and then maybe go back to my hotel room and chill out, perhaps watch a DVD or play some computer games. I don’t really get nervous for the big events. I might feel a slight twinge on the first tee because you want to get off to a good start, but after that I just relax into it and get on with it.

The World Golf Championships have taken on even greater significance with The Race to Dubai. Half to three quarters of The European Tour players won’t get in them, so if I can perform well and get a lot of money on the board it’s going to kick me right up the table and give me a chance of getting into the Dubai World Championships. ■

Above: Ross Fisher tees off on the eighth hole during the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic where he finished tied 13th on 11-under-par.

“If I can perform well now in the World Golf Championships it will give me a chance of getting into the Dubai World Championship,” says Ross.

45 31

Greg Norman

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Ross Fisher

Claude Harmon III

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THE English Golf Union (EGU) has announced SkyCaddie as their Official Rangefinder just a few weeks after allowing distance measuring devices in all their Championships.

Having signed a three-year agreement, SkyCaddie will this year provide SkyCaddie GPS units at 18 Championships and supply SkyCaddies for use by the EGU’s England squads.

Jackie Hitchcock, SkyCaddie UK managing director, said: “We are delighted to be working so closely with the EGU, especially as they have such strong links to the amateur game at elite, county and club level.

“Any club which was unsure whether or not to allow rangefinders in their own competitions now has a clear pointer from the EGU. And by appointing us as their Official Rangefinder, the EGU has demonstrated how confident they are with our technology and the way we map courses.”

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THE UAE team of Khalid Yousuf, Abdullah and Ahmed Al Musharrekh and Ismail Sharif are hopeful of winning the 29th Arab Golf Championships at Al Hamra Golf Club in Ras Al Khaimah. Fifteen teams will battle it out over the Al Hamra links from February 28th – March 5th alongside defending champions Lebanon who took the title at Dirab Golf Club in Riyadh last January.

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Email your answers to: win@sportingpublications.com

Q. When did you first start playing golf and where?

A. I can’t remember exactly, but I know I was young. I was out on Tour two weeks after I was born as my dad was playing. My dad also has three brothers, Craig, Dick, and Billy and they are all golf pros and great teachers. My Grandfather Claude Harmon Sr. won The Masters in 1948, so I have been in golf all my life.

Q. How long have you been in Dubai?

A. I moved here from Los Angeles in July 2008. I was working at Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles and moved here to start the Butch Harmon School of Golf at Dubai Sports City.

Q. What’s your favorite memory of your time spent in Dubai so far?

A. Taking a helicopter tour of Dubai with my dad during his recent visit. We took him on an aerial tour of the whole city and it was simply amazing.

Q. What was your first set of clubs?

A. Ping Copper Eye 2 Copper Beryllium Irons. You were really cool back-in-the-day if you rocked the Copper Berylliums!

Q. Who is your golfing hero and why?

A. My dad. I have been so lucky to grow up in the family that I did. Since I was about 16-years-old, my dad has worked with the best players of the modern generation. And I have gotten to see that work up-close. His golf eye is the best in the business. I am always amazed at how much he can see from watching just one swing. He has forgotten more about golf instruction than I will ever know.

Q. If you were head of the R&A, what rule would you change?

A. I would actually ask them to come up with a rule to make people play faster!

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39

Worldwide Golf’s Executive Editor

PLAYER

GARY

PLAYER INTRODUCTION

BRING IT ON! I ’VE started my 2009 campaign on the U.S. Champions Tour by running my equivalent of the 4-minute mile.

At the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai Golf Course, Hawaii, I beat my age in all three rounds.

I scored 70-71-71 for a three-round total of 4-under-par 212 – not bad for a 73-year-old. It used to be the case that Champions Tour events were played on courses of around 6,600-6,800 yards to suit the Seniors. But nowadays they’re played on courses above 7,000 yards, which is tough for all but the big-hitters.

The Hualalai course is 7,100 yards and all three rounds were played in breezy conditions, which made my 212 total even more meaningful.

It was also a great thrill that my 16-year-old grandson, James, caddied for me. He’s a good golfer and he’s aiming on becoming a pro. I was able to introduce him to many of my colleagues who were competing in the tournament.

It’s not as easy for youngsters to make the grade as a professional golfer these days because life is so much easier for them than it was in my youth.

They don’t need to have the same hunger and desire to succeed as I had when I was trying to make my way in the game. It was that same drive that pushed me to get as fit as

I could for the 2009 season. During my Christmas and New Year break I was up every morning at five, I worked out and played some golf with my grandchildren so when I went to Hawaii I was fit and raring to go.

The tournament was won by Bernhard Langer, who was voted Player of the Year on the Champions Tour in 2008, topping the money list with $2,035,073.

What also gave me a real kick was that I had players of the calibre Eduardo Romero, Bruce Lietzke and Bruce Vaughan, winner of the 2008 Senior Open Championship, two shots behind me.

I’m playing in the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf tournament at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa next month in the Demaret over-70s Division with my old friend Bob Charles.

He’s one player who knew how to make the right move at the right time when he joined the Champions Tour in 1986 and in his first 11 years won 23 tournaments and more than $6 million. In his Champions Tour career he’s earned more than $9 million in prize money.

I’ve told him he’s got to practice and make sure he’s fully fit for the tournament – or I’ll drop him from our team. www.wwgolf.biz

1

Ernie Els is the most successful South African golfer of his generation. Els, nicknamed ‘The Big Easy’ due to his easy-looking swing, has won three Majors and seven World Match Play Championships during a career that spans close on two decades. Els has two U.S. Opens to his name and won The Open Championship in 2002.

ERNIE

ELS

JAMES FLIES THE FLAG FOR SOUTH AFRICA

S

ince I wrote last month’s column it has been a pretty quiet little stretch on the tournament front. I’ve played just once, the Dubai Desert Classic, and to miss the cut there was obviously extremely disappointing.

It’s one of my favourite tournaments of the year and as a three times winner of the Classic (1994, 2002, 2005) you can imagine an early flight out of there was not part of my plans, even if it did allow me to refuel the plane in Manchester and watch my beloved Manchester United beat Everton 1–0 at Old Trafford in the Premier League. Now they’re well clear at the top of the table! A bit of the old silver lining, as they say, but not where I wanted to be on Saturday.

Believe me, I’m extremely motivated and I’m working my tail off to turn things around to basically start getting the results that actually reflect the way I’m playing at the moment. I mean, seriously, from tee to green I’m very close to hitting it as well as I did in 2002 and 2003 when I won 13 tournaments in the space of 20 months. I just need to stay patient.

Still, we had some good stuff happening elsewhere in Dubai last month. Dubai Sports City and ‘golf in DUBAi’, one of my sponsors, joined forces to raise $90,000 for autism charities and a local Dubai golf charity at the Els Club Charity Challenge. We had nine amateur golfers, each representing a local sponsor, challenging me over one hole on The Els Club course, which is looking absolutely incredible right now.

Butch Harmon was there, too. He opened his own Butch Harmon School of Golf at Dubai Sports City, which is operated by his son Claude, another renowned golf coach carrying on the Harmon family tradition. Butch also provided tuition to the amateurs who were taking part in the challenge match, including Khalid Yousuf, one of the brightest national prospects in the UAE. All in all, it was a good day.

Also, while we were in Dubai I was told The Els Club had won some more awards. The prestigious Links magazine in America recently voted it ‘best new international golf course’ and it was also selected as a finalist in the ‘International Courses’ category of the 2008 Golf Inc. Development of the Year contest. This type of recognition establishes The Els Club Dubai as one of the leading new golf courses worldwide.

It’s very gratifying, not just for me but for everyone involved in this great project.

After Dubai I had a couple of weeks at the house in West Palm Beach. I find it is at times like that

when our decision to spend more time at this U.S. base is vindicated. While most of southern England, including our house at Wentworth, was covered in a blanket of snow and ice, I was in Florida playing golf almost every day and working hard on my golf game.

That makes a huge difference, obviously. It means I’ll always be able to keep my game pretty sharp between tournaments.

Most of February may have been quiet on the tournament front, but the next four weeks will be anything but that. I’m scheduled to play four weeks straight, including two World Golf Championship events, and I’ll also be defending my title in the Honda Classic at PGA National. It’s a really good stretch – an opportunity to find my competitive rhythm, as it were, and hit a bit of form going into the spring and summer months.

Anyway, before I sign off for this month I want to tell you about some really good news from the Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation. George Harvey, our golf coach, has been nominated South Africa PGA Teacher of the Year at the Compleat Golfer Annual Awards 2009. This honour is thoroughly deserved.

George does a fantastic job for the kids and I know

how much his efforts are appreciated. He’s already collected his award at a suitably fancy dinner in South Africa. Well done to him. Next time I’m in Fancourt I look forward to buying him a drink!

Also, one of our former Foundation members has been doing really well. James Kamte took the trophy at the recent Asian Tour International in Bangkok.

It was his first event on this year’s Asian Tour since securing his playing privileges with a fourth-place finish at the Qualifying School.

I couldn’t be happier for James. He’s really making his mark now. When he won last season’s Dimension Data Pro-Am at Sun City he became the first South African player of colour to win on the so-called ‘summer swing’ of the 40-year-old Sunshine Tour. And until last month’s win in Bangkok no South African player of colour had ever triumphed on the Asian Tour.

James did it in style with rounds of 70, 63, 68 and 66. There is little doubt that he will be an inspiration to many in South Africa.

It just goes to show what is possible when you give kids an opportunity and they put in the hard work. It can be quite a potent combination. ■

WWG COLUMNIST

James Kamte, an Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation member, won his first event on the Asian Tour at the Asian Tour International in Bangkok.

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7

Gary Player is a true legend of the game. The South African is one of only five players to have won a career Grand Slam of all four Majors.

He has won a total of nine Majors and nine Senior Majors, among 167 Tour events worldwide. This year he broke the appearance record at The Masters Tournament when he made his 51st start.

GARY

PLAYER

MONTY CAPTAINCY GREAT NEWS FOR EUROPE

I

’D like to congratulate Colin Montgomerie on being appointed Europe’s Ryder Cup Captain for 2010. Monty’s a controversial character but he’s a good leader. He’s also got a very sharp mind and he’ll be a smart Captain.

It’s a fitting compliment to a fine golfer and it’s a well-deserved honour. He’s topped the Order of Merit on The European Tour eight times – seven in succession between 1993 and 1999 – and finished in the top 10 no less than 15 times. He’s won close on £20 million in a Tour career that began in 1988, topping the £1 million mark for single season earnings 11 times.

The only item missing from Monty’s record is a Major victory. He’s come so close so many times – runner up in the U.S. Open three times, and runner up in The Open and the U.S. PGA Championship.

It’s sad that he hasn’t had that Major win but there’s still time. There are a lot of players who have won Majors in their forties. I won my last Major at the age of 42 and Jack Nicklaus won his last Major at 46.

Monty’s won 31 titles on The European Tour, represented Scotland in the World Cup 10 times, winning with Marc Warren in 2007 and taking the individual title in 1997.

His Ryder Cup record is nothing short of exemplary. Up until Valhalla last year Monty had been an ever-present in the European Team since making his debut in 1991 at Kiawah Island. He made eight successive appearances and was on the winning side five times.

He’s become something of a talisman for The European Ryder Cup Team and I believe he’ll do a wonderful job as captain.

It’s interesting that Monty has said he’s considering having an extra Captain’s pick. Paul Azinger opted to have four Captain’s picks at Valhalla. I don’t understand why there should be one rule for one team and another rule for the 44

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other. I think the same rule should apply to both teams and that they should be allowed two picks apiece. That means that 10 players have earned their place in the team on merit and the Captain has the right to choose two more players who have shown solid late form, or who can be relied upon to deliver the goods when the pressure’s on.

I said after last year’s Ryder Cup that it was a good result for the event that the Americans managed to halt the run of success of the Europeans. Domination by either team is bad for The Ryder Cup. So it will be interesting to see if Monty can lead his men to victory in Wales and bring the Cup back to Europe.

Wonder Kids I’m looking forward to seeing how the four current wonderkids of golf, Camilo Villegas, Rory McIlroy, Anthony Kim and Ryo Ishikawa go on in The Masters next month. Camilo Villegas showed tremendous form to win the BMW Championship and The Tour Championship on his way to a second-placed finish in last year’s PGA Tour Play-offs for the FedExCup, proving that he’s got the talent to back up all the hype. He also did well in the Majors with top 10s at the U.S. Open and the U.S. PGA Championship and if he carries on the way he’s been playing I don’t think it will be long before he wins one of the Grand Slam events.

Rory McIlroy produced an impressive performance last month to win his first European Tour title at the Dubai Desert Classic after a number of runner-up finishes. He’s a former Amateur World No.1 and it will be interesting to see how his ‘grip it and rip it’ style goes down at Augusta National. Mark O’Meara reckons Rory is better than Tiger was at 19.

It was a nice gesture for Tiger to invite Rory to play a practice round with him at The Masters.

All American eyes will be on 23-year-old Anthony

Kim at Augusta. He’s been in and around the top 10 in the World Ranking for a good while now and he really captured everyone’s attention at Valhalla with his confident, swashbuckling Ryder Cup performance, beating Sergio Garcia in the opening singles match on the Sunday to give the United States the momentum they needed.

Ryo Ishikawa, the 17-year-old Japanese, is turning everyone’s heads and has earned a special invitation for The Masters. In May 2007 he became the youngest winner of a men’s tournament on the Japan Golf Tour at the age of 15. He turned professional last year and won his first tournament at the Mynavi ABC Championship. He’s already received invitations to play in three PGA Tour events in the run-up to The Masters.

Qatar’s setting the pace I was pleased to see what a great event the Commercialbank Qatar Masters has become. This year’s tournament attracted the strongest-ever field in a European Tour event in the Middle East and it has grown into one of the most prestigious Tour events of the season. I was in Qatar to host the tournament in 2003 when two young South Africans, Darren Fichardt and James Kingston, battled it out in a play-off, with Darren emerging as the winner.

I met a lot of lovely people, including the Emir of Qatar, H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and it was a real pleasure to be there. Hassan Nasser Al Naimi, President of the Qatar Golf Association, was the first man to give me a copy of the Koran and I was struck with how very similar it is to the Bible.

It was clear to me back then that Qatar was a place that believed in doing things properly and that it was a country that was going places. It will be fascinating to see how Qatar continues to put itself on the world golf map. ■

WWG COLUMNIST

“He’s become something of a talisman for The European Ryder Cup Team and I believe he’ll do a wonderful job as captain,” – Gary Player

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45 45

Golf legend Greg Norman is the finest Australian golfer of his generation. He won two Open Championships among 84 tournaments worldwide spanning three decades and is now Chairman of Great White Shark Enterprises. One of the most recognisable men in the game.

GREG

NORMAN I T’S a good feeling to be playing competitive golf on Tour right now but whether I can emulate my performances of last season remains to be seen. Since my three-week spell last summer when I had three top-five finishes in successive Majors I’ve had a lot of fun playing golf.

Having led the field by two shots going into the final day, it was very satisfying to finish tied for third with Henrik Stenson at last year’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale behind the runnerup Ian Poulter and the winner Padraig Harrington.

The following week I shared fifth place in The Senior Open Championship at Royal Troon with Tom Watson and Gene Jones, behind winner Bruce Vaughan, who beat John Cook in a play-off.

The next week I finished fourth in the U.S. Senior Open at The Broadmoor Golf Club at Colorado Springs, six shots behind Eduardo Romero.

I had a pretty good run-up to those three Majors, finishing tied sixth in the Senior PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, just three strokes behind winner Jay Haas, and then came runner-up in the TELUS World Skins Game.

If I turn up to play a golf tournament, I’m not just there to play and make up the numbers, I’m there to give it my best shot. Sometimes you miss the cut and sometimes you do very well. As long as I know I’m giving it 101 percent, which I always do, then I’m happy. Having reached the age of 54 last

WWG COLUMNIST

BACK ON COURSE FOR ANOTHER FINE SEASON

month it would be remarkable if I could reproduce that sort of form this season. But, whatever happens, I’ve always believed that age is really nothing but a number, as long as you keep yourself in good shape.

After those memorable three weeks last July I had not played a Tour event until I recently returned to my homeland for the first time since 2006 to play the Johnnie Walker Classic at the Vines Resort and Country Club in Perth.

I played the ADT Skills Challenge in November with my son Gregory, where we placed first. Then Gregory and I played the Del Webb Father and Sons Challenge, shooting 62-67 as a team.

The following week Camilo Villegas and I joined forces to play our Merrill Lynch Shootout and came in third. In January I partnered with Jay Haas at the Wendy’s Skins Game and we finished runners-up.

So the Johnnie Walker Classic was my first competitive Tour event for six months and I chose to return to the fray against a really tough field that included Camilo, Anthony Kim, Lee Westwood and the defending champion, Kiwi Mark Brown.

I won the tournament back in 1994 at Phuket in Thailand when it was known as the Johnnie Walker Asian Classic. Now it’s a co-sponsored Australasian Tour event with the Asian Tour and The European Tour, it’s also a qualifying tournament for The Race to Dubai for the Dubai World Championship to be played on our Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in November. I planned to play the Johnnie Walker as part of the build up for my 23rd visit

to The Masters, having been honoured with an invitation to Augusta following my form at The Open last July. I’m also planning on playing the Shell Houston Open the week before The Masters.

But I always make a point of focusing on the here and now. I’ll take it one event at a time. If I start thinking about what’s going to happen in five weeks from now or six weeks, then I’m not preparing myself properly.

I was pleased to play the first two rounds of the Johnnie Walker with Camilo and Lee, and I actually felt pretty good, although I putted terribly. My congratulations to Danny Lee who won in the most impressive manner imaginable, producing birdies on four of the last six holes to win by one shot from Felipe Aguilar, Ross McGowan and Hiroyuki Fujita, at 17-under par 271 and become the youngest ever winner of a European Tour event at 18 years 213 days. Danny first burst into the limelight last year when he became the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur – beating the record previously held by Tiger Woods.

Danny was born in South Korea but moved to New Zealand with his family when he was eight and later joined New Zealand Golf’s highperformance unit. He took out Kiwi citizenship last year and is planning to return home to play the New Zealand PGA and New Zealand Open before heading to the U.S. for The Masters. He’s a huge talent and I wish him the very best of luck for the future. ■

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31

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WWG COLUMNIST

ROSS Fisher is one of the hottest young stars on The European Tour.

Having only joined the Tour in 2006 he already has two titles under his belt, including the 2008 European Open. He is currently 38th on the Official World Ranking.

ROSS

FISHER

BRING ON TIGER AND THE WGCs!

I

’M about to fly out to America where I’m really looking forward to another milestone in my career when I play in my first World Golf ChampionshipsAccenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. I always set out to improve and move forward each year so it’s going to be another new experience that I’m relishing.

The news that Tiger is going to make his comeback in the event is fantastic – I think it’s a great boost for the game of golf, particularly in the current climate.

His presence always adds an extra bit of spice to a tournament. I’d love to be paired against him, but obviously I’ve got to win some of my matches and he’s got to win some of his for that to happen.

First and foremost I’ve got to look to my first match and then take it one step at a time but if it does come up, then great. I certainly wouldn’t be overawed by the experience – I’ve played with him

before and always loved it. It would be very difficult but it’d be a challenge that I’d relish. Whether he’ll be at the top of his game I don’t know, but I’d be surprised if he was that far off it – put it that way!

To be able to play a different format is great. I love match play and as an amateur I played it a lot but I’ve not had the chance much as a pro. I played in the World Cup with Ian Poulter in November which was slightly different as it was fourballs and foursomes but, hopefully, I can still take some of the experience into the Accenture.

My game’s in good shape and I’m raring to go. I’ve had three weeks off since I last played, at the Dubai Desert Classic, which has actually been pretty frustrating.

I was quite pleased to finish tied 13th on 11-under-par in Dubai – my best result of the season so far – but just as everything was starting to come together I got back to England to a snow storm and couldn’t

Above: Ross Fisher tees off on the eighth hole during the final round of the Dubai Desert Classic where he finished tied 13th on 11-under-par.

“If I can perform well now in the World Golf Championships it will give me a chance of getting into the Dubai World Championship,” says Ross.

play for week! I should have stayed in Dubai! The next week I got some practice in on the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday then took my wife, Jo, to Paris for the weekend to celebrate St. Valentines Day. That was great – we saw all the sights and did the usual tourist stuff.

I’ve slowly got myself back into things, getting some rounds in around Wentworth and Sunningdale and shooting some really good scores. I’ve also done some great work with Mark Roe on my short game – just tuning everything up and making sure I’m sharp for the exciting period ahead.

I’ll be staying out in the States after the Match Play and playing my second WGCCA Championship. I did all right at Doral last year. I got off to a good start with a 68 in the first round but unfortunately couldn’t keep it going and shot 73-70-72 to finish tied 34th on 5-under. But I’ve got some good memories and experiences to draw on from playing that tournament and I’m really looking forward to getting back to the Blue Monster and, hopefully, doing better this time around.

When I’m away at these tournaments I just try to keep everything as normal as possible. Even at the international events there’s always a few players who you know from The European Tour. So I might grab dinner with them and then maybe go back to my hotel room and chill out, perhaps watch a DVD or play some computer games. I don’t really get nervous for the big events. I might feel a slight twinge on the first tee because you want to get off to a good start, but after that I just relax into it and get on with it.

The World Golf Championships have taken on even greater significance with The Race to Dubai. Half to three quarters of The European Tour players won’t get in them, so if I can perform well and get a lot of money on the board it’s going to kick me right up the table and give me a chance of getting into the Dubai World Championships. ■ www.wwgolf.biz

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TIGER READY TO ROAR! “I’M NOW READY TO PLAY AGAIN.” It was concise and understated but those six little words signalled the biggest news in golf this year – the world No.1 is ready to return to action. Eight months since he winced his way around Torrey Pines on one leg to beat Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole play-off for the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods used his website to quietly make the announcement that immediately reverberated around the golfing world. Since taking time out to recover from reconstructive knee surgery Woods has missed two Majors, The Ryder Cup and the PGA Tour Play-offs for the FedEx Cup. He’s also watched wife Elin give birth to their second child, Charlie Axel. But his return to the game couldn’t be better timed as the 2009 season gathers pace with the start of the World Golf Championships and the Majors. First up is Woods’ defence of his WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship crown as he bids for a record fourth victory in the event and while a few cobwebs would be understandable, you wouldn’t bet against him marking his comeback with a win.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back, getting out there and competing again,” he said. “It’s been a long time. Everything’s been great on the home front. Charlie’s doing fantastic. Elin’s recovering –it couldn’t be any better than it is at home, so now’s the time for me to get out there and start playing again.” Despite being unsure of how his game or his body will hold up in a competitive environment, Woods isn’t travelling to Tucson merely to get in the swing of playing again. His expectations are the same as ever. “Nothing changes – every time I enter a tournament it’s to win,” he said. “That’s my intent, to go there and win.

Feeling the adrenaline and the rush of competing and playing again – I haven’t done that in a while.

Hopefully, I can get into the flow very quickly. It helps that it is match play, and that each hole is basically an individual match. It pays to get off to a quick start in match play and that’s what I aim to do.”

The current economic climate gives added significance to Woods’ return in what he brings to the appeal of golf worldwide and his comeback was immediately greeted by a deluge of welcome messages from his fellow players and golf’s administrators. But for the man himself, it’s all about what happens on the golf course.

“The only thing I can control is, obviously, my play,” he said. “We as a collective on the PGA Tour have to do a better job of making sure we appreciate all the fans and sponsors for what they do for us in allowing us to have the opportunity to compete and play for a living. In these these times everyone’s well aware of how important that is. Over the years we may have taken that for granted but certainly now is a time that reality has checked in.”

Tiger admitted that it was his fight to return to full fitness that kept him motivated during his absence from the game.

“I had to find competition in different ways so I focussed on my rehab. It was my own personal competition each day.”

Now fully recovered he says he’s swinging a club without pain for “the first time in years”, which is terrifying news for his rivals but great news for all fans of the game.

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TIGER WOODS

Patrick Bowers joins Tiger Woods Dubai “

PATRICK Bowers has joined The Tiger Woods Dubai as General Manager to manage all aspects of the Al Ruwaya Golf Club, including its pre-opening, clubhouse operations, golf course operations, Membership programme and major golf tournament procurement.

With 20 years experience of operating in the international golf industry, Patrick heads a team of professionals on behalf of IMG Golf Course Management, Al Ruwaya Golf Club’s operators.

He joins the organisation following his time as Vice President - Golf at Dubai Event Management Corporation. It marks his second tenure with IMG, having spent eight years as Vice President, Golf Course Services responsible for their global golf club management business.

Abdulla Al Gurg, Project Director, The Tiger Woods Dubai, said: “Bowers brings his rich industry experience to Al Ruwaya Golf Club and will be instrumental in establishing Tatweer’s vision of excellence. I am confident that IMG and Patrick will deliver the outstanding golfing experience that our sophisticated membership and high profile guests would expect.”

IMG Vice President, Paul Burley said: “Patrick is the ideal candidate for this high profile position and we are thrilled to welcome him back to the team.”

Bowers who was instrumental in IMG’s original successful negotiations for the management contract said: “I’m honoured to accept this position and I have a full understanding of the significance of being awarded the responsibility of opening the first golf course to be designed by Tiger Woods Design. The vision for Al Ruwaya Golf Club is clear, and therefore so is mine – to provide a unique and aspirational golf experience delivered in a sophisticated, world class environment.”

Al Ruwaya is a 7,800 yard, par 72, 18-hole championship course that will be a test for golfers of all skill levels with six tees on each hole. Dramatic elevation changes, lush landscaping, and stunning water elements will create an aesthetic experience unlike any other in the region.

The Tiger Woods Dubai is fast taking shape as an exclusive golf community encompassing a golf academy; a 139,000 sq. ft. clubhouse with premium amenities and spa; 22 palaces; 75 mansions, and 100 luxury villas. A truly exclusive address, this private golfing community will occupy an area of 55 million sq. ft. only 30 minutes’ drive from Dubai’s city centre and Dubai International Airport. www.wwgolf.biz

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w w w. s p o r t n f i t n e s s m e . c o m

Sport&Fitness Middle East In association with

Issue 1 Dhs 10

MAKING HIS MARK COLIN Montgomerie, who has dominated European Golf for nearly 20 years, winning the Order of Merit eight times and topping the Tour career earnings with ₏23,625,692, talks to Mike Gallemore about his forthcoming Captaincy of Europe’s 2010 Ryder Cup Team and his remaining ambitions as a player and as a golf course designer.

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Right: (l-r) Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman of ‘golf in DUBAi’; George O’Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour; Colin Montgomerie; Thomas Björn, Chairman of the Players Committee; and Richard Hills, Ryder Cup Director meet the press to announce Monty’s appointment as European Ryder Cup Captain.

Q: You’ve had so many highlights throughout your career – describe your emotions at being named Ryder Cup Captain and how it ranks among your other achievements?

A: Being invited to be European Captain is the proudest moment of my career. I have enjoyed some wonderful times, not least of all playing in eight Ryder Cups and winning eight Harry Vardon trophies, but to be named The European Team Ryder Cup Captain is something to cherish.

My wife, Gaynor, and I are absolutely delighted.

After playing in eight successive matches it is difficult to explain how much I missed not being part of The Ryder Cup in 2008. Now I have the opportunity to captain a European Team seeking to regain the trophy and I am very pleased to be doing so at The Celtic Manor Resort, a venue with which I have a great affinity.

Q: You’ve mentioned that the players were behind your decision to take the Captaincy for 2010 – what kind of things did they say to you?

A: That’s between me and them – but it’s no secret that they played a big part in making me think that 2010 would be a good time for me to be Captain. I really hadn’t thought about it as an option until the players started discussing it.

Q: How much more special does it make it for you knowing that the whole thing has been driven effectively by your playing colleagues on the Tour – to know how wanted you are by potential members of the European Team?

A: It’s lovely to feel the support of my European Tour colleagues and it gives me a lot of confidence – but as the Players Committee plays such a large part in selecting the captain, hopefully the decision is always going to be representative of the majority of players’ wishes.

Q: How much did what happened in Valhalla and the fact that there is extra pressure and responsibility on the shoulders of the 2010 captain to win the Cup back, prompt you to accept the job?

A: As I wasn’t in Valhalla, I wouldn’t like to comment on anything that went on there as I wasn’t there to experience it first hand. What I would say is that having lost the last Ryder Cup in Valhalla, it is important that we do everything that we can to claim back The Ryder Cup in Wales in 2010.

Q: It’s been said that the team needs to rediscover its unity and team spirit and perhaps get the fun factor back. How do you intend to achieve this and how much will the fact that you are still playing regularly with the prospective team members help?

A: I think unity and team spirit has always been a strength of the European team and it will certainly be an element I focus on. I think it is very important that I know the players and am competing with them regularly – you can wait too long to become Captain and lose touch. I did not want that to happen and this opportunity has ensured it will not.

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“BEING INVITED TO BE EUROPEAN CAPTAIN IS THE PROUDEST MOMENT OF MY CAREER.” – COLIN MONTGOMERIE

CAPTAIN MONTGOMERIE

Q: You’ve mentioned that you’d rather contribute as a Captain rather than perhaps qualify in one of the lower ranking positions but in 2004 you joined the team as a Captain’s pick, contributed three points out of four and sank the winning putt. You’re famous for rising to the occasion in the Ryder Cup – could this not have been the case again?

A: I really think at this stage I am best placed to contribute as a Captain rather than as a player, as perhaps that is where I am needed more. I love the Ryder Cup and I really would be willing to take any role that might help us win it back, and for 2010 my colleagues think that is as Captain.

We have a huge number of players who could make the

team at this point, both experienced and rookies, and we certainly don’t lack strength and depth whether I could play or not!

Q: You’ve been the rock of the European Ryder Cup Team and its talisman for so many years. By switching to the captaincy, does the Team now need one of the leading players to step up and fill that role?

A: There are any number of players experienced enough to do so. I will certainly be looking for the likes of Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia to play a big part. 4 www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

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CAPTAIN MONTGOMERIE

Colin Montgomerie is greeted by a surprise welcome party at The Montgomerie Dubai, organised by his wife Gaynor and General Manager Ray Metz as the gathering of close friends and staff at The Montgomerie Dubai start the celebrations of his appointment as Europe’s Ryder Cup Captain for Wales 2010.

Q: You’d made clear previously your desire to take the job at Gleneagles. It was felt with the responsibility of the task of winning back the Cup after Valhalla meant that you were the right man for the job this time around – but if it goes well, is it still your intention to put yourself forward for the job in 2014?

A: You have to be invited to be Captain, you don’t really put yourself forward but, of course, I would love to be considered for 2014 at Gleneagles. It would be an amazing honour to Captain the Ryder Cp team in Scotland. We’ll see how I do in Wales first – that’s my focus for the next two years Q: Your Ryder Cup legacy is there for all to see.

Can you pick out a few of the highlights from your eight appearances in the competition?

A: There are so many. The Ryder Cup has been a huge part of my life. I remember everything from my debut at Kiawah Island in 1991, especially coming back from four down with four to play against Mark Calcavecchia in my first singles match to gain a half (Montgomerie also contributed a point when he partnered Bernhard Langer to beat Steve Pate and Corey Pavin in the fourballs), to leading the singles line-up out on the Sunday under Sam Torrance’s captaincy at the Belfry in 2002.

(Montgomerie beat Scott Hoch 5 and 4 to take his tally to 4.5 points in Europe’s 15.5-12.5 victory).

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Q: You’ve played under six captains. What tips have you picked up from them that you will be looking to utilise in your own captaincy. If you had to pick one, whose captaincy impressed you the most from the six?

A: I’ve enjoyed the thrill of playing under six superb Captains – Bernard Gallacher, Seve Ballesteros, Mark James, Sam Torrance, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam – and every one brought something new to the table and contributed so much.

Q: You’ve said you may follow Sam Torrance’s example and talk to Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson – what would you hope to pick up from a conversation with Fergie regarding leadership?

A: The secret to his success would be a great start!

Q: Do you think The Race to Dubai will have a positive affect as far as The European Team is concerned – the fact that the fields are getting stronger and many of the tournaments have taken on added significance?

A: I think The European Tour is as strong as it has ever been and, of course, that will stand us in good stead.

Q: You’ve obviously got strong connections with Celtic Manor having your own course there.

Will this help your captaincy; what are your thoughts on Celtic Manor as a Ryder Cup venue and how would you describe your relationship with Welsh golf fans?

A: It’s also going to be a very special experience playing The 2010 Ryder Cup on a course which is the first in history to be built to host the match.

It’s set up to challenge the best and being a course with a whole host of tempting options and punishing hazards there will be drama every step of the way. It is going to be an extraordinary week for everyone especially, of course, Sir Terry Matthews, the visionary behind not only the development and continued success of The Celtic Manor Resort but also the Wales Ryder Cup bid. I have always enjoyed playing in front of the Welsh fans and I think they will play a big part in the match.

Q: What about the qualification format. You mentioned you might want one more captain’s pick – have there been any developments on this? Do you think that the rules concerning captains’ picks should be the same for both teams?

A: We will discuss the format at the next committee meeting but I don’t necessarily believe qualification criteria should be the same for both teams as it has traditionally been quite different. 4

Memberships Available for 2009 Golf and Social Sign up today - 04 3905600 citizenship@themontgomerie.ae

At The Montgomerie, Dubai, you are never just a visitor.

We pride ourselves on providing our Members with a seamless 5-star experience, whether it be playing our Colin Montgomerie-designed championship golf course, staying in our stylish 21-room boutique hotel, dining in our award winning restaurant, enjoying a private golf clinic, or luxuriating in the Angsana Spa. We make it our responsibility to ensure that you want for nothing from the moment you arrive.

CREATING EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES

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

CAPTAIN MONTGOMERIE

Below: Monty takes his tee shot at the fourth hole of the Riffa Views Invitational, held to celebrate the opening of the Montgomerie Course at The Royal Golf Club, Riffa Views in Bahrain.

Q: With the acclaim of your golf course design at the Royal Golf Course, Riffa Views, is golf course design becoming a more and more important part of your life – and what are your design ambitions?

A: I really enjoy the course design side of my business and so far, it has been a great success. It is certainly an area I will look to develop and grow in future years when I shift my focus more from on course commitments – but don’t write me off. I plan to be competing on The European Tour for quite a while yet!

Q: There’s obviously a huge undertaking in terms of the preparation required and the responsibility of winning back the Cup. How do you think this will this affect your golf game?

A: I want to make it clear that I’ve accepted the captaincy with the knowledge that I do not think my days of winning are over. Everyone who knows me will understand that commitment has always been a key word in my vocabulary and I am still focused on winning tournaments. But I’ve also made the commitment to Captain The 2010 European Ryder Cup Team and not to play in it.

I’ll be focusing on getting everything right for our arrival at The Celtic Manor Resort.

Q: Things didn’t go as you would have liked in the Majors last year and obviously missing out on The Masters must have hurt. How deeply do disappointments like that still affect you after everything you’ve achieved in the game and how much of a realistic ambition do still hold of winning a Major?

A: My first goal is to get back in the top 50 so I start getting into the Majors again to give myself the chance. I would still love to win a Major and will be disappointed if I don’t. I don’t think it is unrealistic, however, although I appreciate that I have had a fantastic career up to this point and I feel very lucky and fortunate to have had so much success playing a game I love so much.

Q: How is married life treating you? What was Gaynor’s reaction to the announcement of your Ryder Cup captaincy and how important will she be in terms of support?

A: She is delighted and was out in Dubai with me for the announcement. She will play a very important part in supporting me and helping with our preparations. ■

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RORY McILROY

RORYQ&A McILROY Belfast Boy fast becoming The Man

AT just 19 years of age Belfast born Rory McIlroy already walks the walk and talks the talk like a seasoned pro. His maiden European Tour win at the Dubai Desert Classic, where he led from pillar-to-post to record a one-stroke triumph over England’s Justin Rose, showed just why Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts put their faith in the youngster with a lucrative sponsorship deal. In Part One of our exclusive interview, the rising star reflects on the greatest moment of his burgeoning career.

WWG: Winning in Dubai was the perfect way to repay your sponsorship with Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, what was their reaction to the victory?

Rory McIlroy: We had a party afterwards. They had a hospitality unit behind the 18th green and we had a party in there – everyone was there, which was great. They had a big celebration with champagne, cake and everything.

WWG: You mentioned after the win in Dubai that you had your eye on a nice car that you were thinking of spending some of your prize money on – have you done that?

Rory McIlroy: No I haven’t bought it and I probably won’t do now. I’ve got a very nice car already. It was something that I had my eye on and I said to myself that I would buy it if I won but it’s not very practical so I’m going to leave it for a couple of years and hopefully I’ll get another chance to buy it in the future.

WWG: You spend quite a lot of time in Dubai. How has that helped you with your game?

Rory McIlroy: I spend a fair amount of time in Dubai, especially when I’m off in the winter when the weather’s not very good in Britain. I come over to Dubai so that I can practice. It’s nice because a lot of the events on The European Tour are in Asia now so it’s a good halfway spot between the two. It’s great to be able to fly from home to Dubai and spend a few days getting some practice in and then fly on to China, Singapore, Hong Kong or wherever we’re going. Dubai is a nice to place to base yourself and I know a few players on The European Tour who have made their base in Dubai because it’s such a great place to practice.

WWG: You’ve got a lot of fans in Dubai, how do you enjoy the reception you get here?

Rory McIlroy: It’s great. That was my fourth Desert Classic and I’ve got to know quite a lot of people in Dubai over the last few years. It was great to be able to win in front of my sponsors and friends and my Mum and Dad were there as well – so it was great.

WWG: How would it feel to be able to top your achievement in Dubai by going back and winning the first ever Dubai World Championship at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in November?

Rory McIlroy: It would be a nice little double, that’s for sure! But it’s a long way off and I’m concentrating on the next few events that I’ve got coming up. But it would be great to come back and have a chance of winning The Race to Dubai and the Dubai World Championship.

WWG: You’re an only child – tell us about your parents and what sacrifices they made to ensure that you had every chance of making it as a golfer How much of your success do you attribute to them?

Rory McIlroy: I owe nearly all of it to them. Mum and Dad have been great.

They were very supportive when I started playing golf at a very early age.

Mum worked night shifts and Dad took on an extra job to fund my junior and amateur golf. They’ve been the best parents in the world. I’ve achieved quite a lot and it’s nice to be able to repay them in some way. I’m bringing them to the States for a few weeks and they’re getting to go to The Masters. They’re going to travel to all of the major events and it’s great for me to be able to do that for them. They’ve been fantastic for me over the last 12-15 years and it’s nice to be able to pay them back in some way. They weren’t pushy in any way but they wanted me to succeed so it’s nice for them to be able to see what all of their hard work has done.

WWG: What jobs did they do to fund your golf?

Rory McIlroy: Dad was a bar manager at Holywood Golf Club, but also he would work during the day at another bar in Holywood. Mum worked at a local factory that made floppy discs, software, tape and boxes and all that stuff.

Rory McIlroy celebrates on the 18th green at the Emirates Golf Club with his father, Gerry, and his mother, Rosie, after winning the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic. www.wwgolf.biz

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DIVOTS Thinking about putting may put you off

Seve upbeat on recovery

SCIENTISTS in Scotland have concluded that overanalysis of your technique as you walk between shots could seriously affect your performance. St Andrews University and U.S. based scientists said they established that thinking too much about the previous shot can disrupt performance. The experiment involved 80 golfers who were given shots to practise until they got it right – those who discussed their putting between strokes took twice as long.

SEVE Ballesteros has begun a second course of chemotherapy as he continues his recovery from brain surgery last October. “Despite a slow recovery I am on the right track and my spirit and determination are still unshakeable,” said the 51-year-old on his official website. “The physiotherapists are doing a great job on me as I feel better day after day. I am very motivated and working hard, although I am aware that my recovery will be slow and therefore I need to be patient and have a lot of determination.”

Harwood to make Senior bow Harrington undergoes eye surgery PADRAIG Harrington has had corrective eye surgery on his right eye ahead of finalising his schedule in America. The Irishman is looking to win his third Major in succession and has admitted he is likely to skip the WGC-CA Championship at Doral to focus solely on The Masters. “Usually I peak in my third week, so I look to put the Majors the third week,” he said. “I’d love to play all the best tournaments but you’ve got to schedule these things for what works best to help you peak when you need to.”

FIVE-time European Tour winner Mike Harwood will make his Seniors Tour debut later this month at the Aberdeen Brunei Senior Masters. The Australian returns to full-time golf after a break of over a decade and is looking forward to getting back into the game. “My thoughts for this season are only excitement,” he said. “Having so many years off has been very difficult but also very rewarding to be with my family. My target this year is to finish in the Senior Tour’s top 20.”

Wie comes close MICHELLE Wie, who earned her 2009 LPGA Tour Card in November, finished second behind Angela Stanford in the first event of the LPGA season as she searches for her first professional win. Wie finished on 7-under-par at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay, three strokes behind Stanford.

Woods welcomes second child TIGER Woods and his wife Elin celebrated the birth of their second child last month as Charlie Axel Woods was welcomed as a younger brother to Sam Alexis who was born in June 2007.

Woods later announced that he will make his return to competitive golf at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, where he is the defending champion.

Youngsters make history in Australia THE 12-year-old pair of Oh Su-Hyun and Chi YoungMin became the youngest players ever to compete in the Ladies Australian Open last month.

Former world number one Karrie Webb partnered Oh and said: “I’d been a pro for two years before they were born, that’s amazing.”

However, the duo are not the youngest ever to play in tournament golf as Ariya Jutanukarn was 11 when she competed on the LPGA tour in 2007.

Manuel’s shoots low despite handicap MANUEL De Los Santos lost his leg in a traffic accident but still manages to play golf off a 2.9 handicap. In 2008 De Los Santos competed against able-bodied golfers from around the world and he’s causing a furore in the golfing world with his performance, spirit and ambition.

He will tee it up at the second edition of ‘Tee Off Against Poverty!’ on March 25 on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club, Dubai.

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NEWS SNIPPETS FROM AROUND THE GOLFING GLOBE

TRIO SECURE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP BIRTH JEREMY Kavanagh, Jaco Ahlers and Marc Cayeux will all tee it up at The Open Championship at Turnberry this summer after successfully qualifying through an International Final Qualifying event in South Africa. Cayeux and Kavanagh – both Englishmen – finished first and second respectively while South African Ahlers finished third.

Round of the Month:

Statmaster:

DANNY Lee’s final-round 67 came just at the right time for the young amateur as he carded four birdies in his last six holes to win the Johnnie Walker Championship.

SEVENTEEN of Phil Mickelson’s 35 PGA TOUR victories have come on the West Coast of the USA. His latest came at the Northern Trust Open in California.

Shot of the Month: NICK Watney drained a raking 40-footer on the 16th green for birdie which swung the Buick Invitational heavily in his favour.

Weighted to perfection, the ball just caught the left lip and dropped in, much to the American’s delight.

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CLUBHOUSE QUICKIES

WORD

Praying for good golf

OF THE MONTH...

Golden Ferret The term used for holing out directly from a bunker.

od you o g w o get ter h No matu can alwaysxciting are yo – that s the e better Tiger Woods part. –

new

7/11/07

DID 3:00 PM

Page 34

YOU KNOW...

Playing with a balata ball on a cold winter morning (0º) could reduce the carry of the ball by anywhere between 10-15 yards compared to a warm day.

A young man is playing golf with a priest. At a short hole the priest asks, “What are you going to use on this hole son?”

The young man says: “An 8-iron, father. How about you?”

The priest says, “I’m going to hit a soft seven and pray.”

The young man hits 8- iron and puts the ball on the green. The priest tops his 7-iron and the ball dribbles a few yards off the tee box.

The young man says: “I don’t know about you father, but in my church when we pray, we keep our head down.”

The difference between a sand trap and water is the difference between a car crash and an airplane crash – you have a chance from recovering from a car crash – Bobby Jones NUGGETS OF TRUTH? The most important inches in golf are not those between the ears, they are the ones between your ball and the hole on the fourth putt.

E NO FRE E TEE TIM In the 1927 Shawnee Open, Tommy Armour took 23 strokes at the 17th hole. One week earlier he had won the US Open.

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The club secretary was apologetic.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we have no time open on the course today.”

“Now just a minute,” the member said. “What if I told you Prince Andrew and partner wanted a game.

Could you find a starting time for them?”

“Yes, of course I would,” she replied.

“Well, I happen to know that he’s out of the country at the moment, so we’ll take his time!”

Justin Rose does the funky chicken

The only shots you can be dea sure of are tho d se you’ve had already. – Byro n Nelson

Turnberry, Scotland

Turnberry, Scotland

In July 2009 The Open Championship returns to Scotland, The Home of Golf and to the mighty Turnberry, Turnberry, Scotland universally renowned as one of golf’s greatest challenges. So what better way to celebrate Scotland’s year of Homecoming than to experience the drama and excitement that only The Open in The Home of Golf can deliver.

In Julyover 2009 The Open to Championship to Scotland, Thenever Home Golfaand to the mighty Turnberry, With 550 courses choose from returns across Scotland you’re faroffrom course that’s perfect for you. From universally renowned as one of golf’s greatest challenges.

So what better way to celebrate Scotland’s of visit hidden gems to legendary links you’ll always find somewhere you want to play at a time that suits. So year why not Homecoming than to experience the drama and excitement that only The Open in The Home of Golf can deliver.

Scotland in 2009 and join the celebrations in The Home of Golf. We’ll see you on the tee!

With over 550 courses to choose from across Scotland you’re never far from a course that’s perfect for you. From For further information visit homecomingscotland2009.com hidden gems to legendary links you’ll always find somewhere you want to play at a time that suits. So why not visit For further visit Scotland in information 2009 and join thehomecomingscotland2009.com celebrations in The Home of Golf. We’ll see you on the tee!

For further information visit homecomingscotland2009.com

GOLF IN FIFE

S

COTLAND’S Kingdom of Fife has a wide range of golf courses to suit all levels of golfers and all budgets, with the greatest attraction being the historic town of St Andrews, the Home of Golf itself.

St Andrews is the Cradle of Golf, the geographic and cultural centre, where the game has developed over centuries, where its laws and conventions are made and preserved and somewhere everyone who plays the game wants to visit at least once in their golfing lifetime. Its world famous Old Course is at the heart of the historic game but is just one of many fantastic courses available in the area, amid scenic splendour that only Scotland can offer.

The Old Course at St Andrews is the most famous course in world golf and the Mecca to which every golfer aspires to play – the spiritual home of the game. This classic course has no great sand dunes, the fairways are wide and the double greens immense, with the bunkers the key to survival on this unique and mystical links.

St Andrews ‘New’ course was laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1895 and originally intended as a relief course for the Old, which was by then struggling to keep pace with demand. It runs alongside the Old Course and were it not for its close proximity to the most famous course in the world the New Course would warrant a much bigger international reputation than it already owns. Tight fairways lined by thick gorse and whin, subtle greens and four of the most testing par-3 holes in golf are its hallmarks.

Offering majestic and memorable views of the sea surging against a rugged and rocky coastline, Kingsbarns Links, which opened in 2000, has become known as one of the world’s outstanding courses. For more than half the course, the sea is

directly in the player’s view, providing stunning panoramic vistas throughout the round.

Spectacular coastline views are also the draw of Fife’s Anstruther course. Founded in 1890 it has seen many changes, with the seven-hole course having to accommodate trenches through the middle and poles scattered over the greens, to stop gliders landing during the War. In more peaceful times this has developed into a magnificent ninehole course that is both a pleasure and a challenge to play. Stretched along the shoreline between Pittenweem and Anstruther, the coastline adds to the complexity of the round.

Fairmont St Andrews, Torrance Course, designed by the late Gene Sarazen and winning Ryder Cup Captain, Sam Torrance, is a fantastic par 72 course that sweeps its way around the coastal edge. The natural contours of the land and the dramatic setting are combined with innovative greenkeeping and the expertise of Torrance. The round begins by testing the golfer with challenging bunkers, undulating fairways and greens, and the occasional meandering stream, making precision and club selection paramount, all framed against the powerful canvass of the St Andrews skyline.

Homecoming Scotland 2009 Golf in Scotland is set to benefit hugely this year as the country celebrates its Year of Homecoming – with golf forming a key theme of the year-long celebrations.

Inspired by the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, Homecoming Scotland 2009 will encourage people of Scottish descent, Scots, and those who simply love Scotland, to come home in 2009 and take part in an inspirational celebration of Scottish culture, heritage and, of course, some of the

The Old Course, St Andrews, Scotland

many great contributions Scotland has given the world: Burns himself, Golf, Whisky, Great Scottish Minds and Innovations. To help facilitate this, Visit Scotland have called upon the expertise of Kaleem Akbar, Evolution Golf Scotland’s Middle East representative, to assist in measuring the region’s appetite for Scottish Golf Vacations.

Highlight of the Year The Golfing highlight of the year will undoubtedly be the return of The Open Championship to Turnberry – the venue famous for the 1977 ‘Duel in the Sun’ between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson. Scotland is rightly recognised as The Home of Golf throughout the world and the staging of the 138th Open Championship, golf’s oldest Major, is a triumphant highlight of the Homecoming Scotland 2009 calendar.

Off the greens, A Whole in One Golf Exhibition, to coincide with The Open, will feature a wide range of iconic artefacts such as the Claret Jug and the Challenge Belt, as part of an exploration of the story of golf and its impact on fashion, tourism, social history and – the great game itself.

From The Open Championship to The Barclays Scottish Open at Loch Lomond and, of course, the Johnnie Walker Championship at Gleneagles, and everything in-between, 2009 will be an unmissable year for golfers to return to where it all began.

For information on VisitScotland – www. visitscotland.org. For business tourism information – www.conventionscotland.com. For visitor information – www.visitscotland.com or call 0845 22 55 121. Homecoming Scotland 2009: A celebratory programme of events across Scotland until 30 November 2009. Spread the word and join our celebrations in 2009 –www. homecomingscotland2009.com www.wwgolf.biz

25

GOLF COMPETITION OF A LIFETIME

WIN THE HOLIDAY OF A LIFETIME FOR TWO GOLFERS TO SCOTLAND AND THE KINGDOM OF FIFE – THE HOME OF GOLF ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Return flights from Dubai to Glasgow; Self-Drive rental car; 2 nights accommodation in Gleneagles; One round on the Kings Course at Gleneagles; 4 nights accommodation at St Andrews Old Course Hotel; One round at Kingsbarns Golf Club, Fife; One round at the Dukes Course at St Andrews; One round at St Andrews New Course; One round at Carnoustie Golf Links.

QUESTION:

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE GOLFER WHO HAS RECENTLY RETURNED TO THE GAME, WHO WON THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP AT ST ANDREWS IN 2005?

Send you answer by e-mail to: WIN@sportingpublications.com Subject: VisitScotland/Evolution golf Scotland Competition.

Normal Worldwide Sporting Publications rules apply. Entries must be received by Monday, May 11, 2009. Winners will be announced in the June issue of Worldwide Golf.

HERE’S your chance to win the trip of a lifetime, courtesy of VisitScotland and Evolution Golf Scotland. Return flights from Dubai International Airport to Glasgow International Airport with accommodation at Gleneagles and St Andrews plus self-drive car hire, are all on offer along with the opportunity to play rounds at the Kings Course at Gleneagles, Kingsbarns, St Andrews New Course and Dukes Course, and Carnoustie. Two nights accommodation in Gleneagles are followed by four nights at the St Andrews Old Course Hotel in a week you’ll never forget.

Unique golf courses are round every bend in the Kingdom of Fife and amidst breathtaking scenery there are hidden gems like Crail and Lundin Links which can be just as fascinating and challenging as the revered Old Course at St Andrews. A clutch of some of the most celebrated golf courses in the world lie within the Kingdom of Fife – the ideal destination for golf purists and historians alike.

Evolution Golf Scotland specialise in providing a tailor-made experience in Scottish Golf Vacations due to our personal expertise of Scottish golf and an unrivalled quality of service. Whether it’s the venues of past and future Open Championships like Carnoustie or St Andrews that you desire or the parkland beauty of Gleneagles, Evolution Golf Scotland can provide the right package, perfectly custom-fitted for you, the individual.

Visit www.evolutiongolfscotland.com; www.visitscotland.org; www.conventionscotland.com; www.visitscotland.com.

Evolution Golf Scotland: Head Office, 41 Owendale Avenue, Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Scotland ML4 1NS. UK telephone: +44 141 416 3298; UK Mobile: +44 7980 225559; Kuwait Mobile: +965 66039646.

Kingsbarns Golf Club, Fife, Scotland.

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27

BETTER THAN

EVER Mike Gallemore talks to Chris Myers, Event Manager of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters and General Manager of Doha Golf Club, on the continuing success of the tournament which this year attracted the strongest field ever assembled in the Middle East.

T

HE Commercialbank Qatar Masters continues to create its own problems – how do you keep improving on a tournament that has become one of the best events on The European Tour?

“I suppose if you keep on raising the bar year after year, ultimately there’s a limit to how much higher you can go but we believe that you can’t rest on your laurels, you’ve just got to keep getting better,” says Event Manager Chris Myers.

Chris should know, more than most, having been in Qatar for the past 16 years, seven of which he’s spent at Doha Golf Club as General Manager.

“In its earlier years the tournament struggled to make a name for itself,” says Chris, “but once Commercialbank took up the title sponsorship it just took off. Finding sponsorships was difficult but once Andrew Stevens, Group CEO of Commercialbank, got involved, everything changed. I’ve got to take my hat off to Commercialbank for what they’ve achieved. Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that the tournament would become the event it is today but this last Masters has reached new heights.”

In fact, the 2009 Commercialbank Qatar Masters, attracted one of the strongest fields on The European Tour in recent years and the bestever in the Middle East. Eight of the world’s top-20 ranked players competed for prize money of $2,500,000 with Spain’s Alvaro Quiros taking the $416,660 winner’s cheque.

“With the enthusiasm and commitment of the Qatar Golf Association, Commercialbank and everyone involved, we have elevated the tournament and made it an event the players love to play – which is one reason why we had such a good field.

“But we didn’t deliberately set out to make this year’s the strongest ever field. We were hoping for maybe five of the world’s top-20 players but we work hard at trying to look after the players and I think that our efforts are paying off. The word seems to have got around that this is a great tournament to play, where you will be well looked after.

“It was a huge boost to have Boo Weekley and Brandt Snedeker come over from America to compete. That helps us promote the event and Qatar to the Unites States market. Boo is a real entertainer who’s suddenly become one of the biggest crowd pleasers in the game. It was good for us that Alvaro Quiros won our tournament so convincingly. I believe that Alvaro has all the qualities to become The European Tour’s answer to Boo over the next few years.”

One of the outstanding features of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters is the lavish, strategicallypositioned hospitality boxes.

I’ve reported on most of the biggest tournaments in world golf over the years and I have never seen a better hospitality set-up than Doha Golf Club.

“When Commercialbank came on board it was obvious that they would take a handson role. Andrew Stevens and I went to The European Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, to see how they look after the spectators and the hospitality guests.

“We’ve used that experience and taken the best from other tournaments to make ours the best we possibly can. The work of Sponsorship Manager John Anthony and Title Sponsor Representative Rania El Khoury has also made a huge difference.

It’s a combined performance by a great many

‘With the enthusiasm and commitment of everyone involved we have elevated the tournament and made it an event the players love to play,’ – CHRIS MYERS

32

www.wwgolf.biz

Chris Myers checks all is in order at the presenttation ceremony of the 2009 Commercialbank Qatar Master.

people, including the Qatar Olympic Committee, Hassan Al Nuami, President of the Qatar Golf Association, and all our staff at Doha Golf Club that has propelled the tournament and Qatar as rightful contenders on the world stage.

“Qatar is fast building a reputation for staging world-class events like the Asian Games, the Qatar Exxon Mobil Tennis Open, The Sony Ericsson Tennis Championships, The Commercialbank Grand Prix of Qatar and the Commercialbank Qatar Masters.

“Qatar is all about building relationships, supporting and staging global sporting events – and they’re far from frivolous with their money.

“It’s difficult for us in having only one golf

INSIDE GOLF

course in Qatar, and Doha Golf Club membership is hugely over-subscribed. But through the success of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters people are beginning to understand the underlying benefits that golf can bring to a country, in terms of exposure and business.

“I can see that four years from now there will be three or four new golf courses in Qatar and I believe that the world will soon know a lot more about Qatar.

“Meanwhile, we need to keep on improving and find ways of bringing more and more spectators to the tournament and keeping people’s interest in the event all year round. We work very closely with the high-end hotels in Doha and we are well aware of the value more golf courses will add to their business. We hope that there will be several more 5-star hotels open in time for next year’s tournament.

“But we can promise that the 2010 Commercialbank Qatar Masters will be even bigger and better than ever before – watch this space!”

The 2008 tournament was a tough enough act to follow but the Commecialbank Qatar Masters team managed to pull it off this year and with such a track record I don’t doubt that the 2010 event will be something extra special. ■

The considerable galleries and the guests in the sumptuous VIP hospitlaity suites applaud the winner of the 2009 Commercialbank Qatar Masters, Spain’s Alvaro Quiros, pictured above with Abdullah Al Kuwari, Commercialbank of Qatar Group CEO Andrew Stevens and Chris Myers. www.wwgolf.biz

33

DAVID

LEADBETTER – IMG Mike Gallemore talks to internationally renowned golf coach David Leadbetter, whose teachings have revolutionised the game over many years, and whose network of David Leadbetter Golf Academies are owned, organised and managed by parent company IMG – another arm of IMG’s global sports empire.

D

avid Leadbetter is probably the most recognised golf instructor in the game. His list of clients reads like a Who’s Who of leading golfers stretching back to the days of six-times Major winner Nick Faldo in the late eighties and nineties to reigning Masters Champion Trevor Immelman.

Leadbetter, from Worthing in Sussex, England, who now lives with his wife, Kelly, and their son, James and daughter, Hally, close to IMG sports academy HQ in Bradenton, Florida, started his golf career as a player on The European Tour and South African Tour.

He soon came to the realisation that his talents lay in coaching rather than playing.

He quickly found that the combination of his understanding of the game, and a natural ability to communicate with his students made him a man much in demand from the outset.

He’s personally coached four World No.1 players – Faldo, Nick Price, Ernie Els and Greg Norman, along with Immelman, Ian Poulter, Bernhard Langer, Mark McNulty, Jesper Parnevik, Justin Rose, Nick Dougherty, Charles Howell III and Aaron Baddeley.

He’s also coached Paula Creamer (who is now coached by David Whelan, Director of Golf at DLGA, IMG Academies, Bradenton), currently third on the Rolex World Rankings, and Michelle Wie, who has relaunched her career with a runner-up finish at the SBS Open at Turtle Bay on the LPGA Tour.

Paula speaks highly of her time at Bradenton as a youngster. “I was there from age 14 to 18 although I didn’t really move until I was 21. It was one of the best decisions my family and I ever made to go to the Academy. It was a wonderful place to be around so many great athletes.”

Leadbetter has made regular appearances on global television, written 34

www.wwgolf.biz

six best-selling books and produced numerous DVDs and videos. He’s also the senior instructional editor for various golf publications.

According to Leadbetter, golf tuition should not be an ordeal. “My primary objective is to develop the student’s game with the emphasis of making the learning process fun,” he says.

“It’s got to be enjoyable and not overly technical. A vital part of all our instructors’ fault-finding technique is to detect and then eliminate the original and most destructive fault in the swing. When this is achieved the other related faults can be rectified. The benefits and improvement gained from a programme continue long after its completion.”

The David Leadbetter Golf Academies (DLGA) today has a string of 26 international facilities in Europe, Asia, the USA and Africa, teaching students of all ages and all levels, from beginners to some of the biggest names in the game.

“Our philosophy is simple,” says Leadbetter. “The same proven techniques that we teach to top professionals can be applied to golfers at all levels – from complete beginners to seasoned pros.

Whatever the handicap, whatever age or ability, the principles we teach will improve their game.

“Excellence and consistency in instruction and service is our corporate mandate. I personally oversee the training of my world class instructors to communicate our golfing philosophy.”

Leadbetter and his Worldwide Director of Certification Kevin Smeltz personally supervise the 60-strong international team of hand-picked instructors, who have to reapply each year for re-certification, which guarantees the same uncompromising level of teaching and service throughout David Leadbetter shares some advice and a joke with LPGA the global network of academies.

Tour player Michelle Wie. Instruction programmes range from

INSIDE GOLF David Leadbetter works with (main) Australian legend and WWG columnist Greg Norman and (below) Trevor Immelman.

“The same proven techniques that we teach to top professionals can be applied to golfers at all levels – from complete beginners to seasoned pros. Whatever the handicap, whatever age or ability, the principles we teach will improve their game.”

– DAVID LEADBETTER individual one-hour lessons, to 5-day courses in small groups. In addition to the permanent academies, DLGA also provide an entirely mobile service where they can transport their instructors, along with their teaching and video equipment to almost any location in the world.

They can also transform a traditional corporate golf day into a much wider experience with high-tech golf swing analysis and expert tuition. They provide hundreds of golf days, tours and corporate clinics for businesses of all types and sizes, from one-day clinics to multi-day outings or tailor-made events, to the ultimate prestige occasion.

“Clients will always recall a golf day and that a certain corporation invited them,” says Leadbetter. “Make no mistake, if, as a result, your golf game improves, you remember exactly who helped you.”

Corporate events can also be combined with attendance at a top Tour championship, and pro-ams hosted by Tour pros, personally attended by David Leadbetter. They also have a proven successful track record in providing golf instruction at trade shows and exhibitions, attracting huge audiences and producing valuable networking opportunities.

Among DLGA’s prestigious client base are BMW, Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Credit Suisse and FedEx. Sponsors can benefit from an association with DLGA with branding, distribution, hospitality, marketing and promotional services. Ecco, one of the world’s largest shoe brands, is DLGA’s Europe and Asia Official Shoe Supplier and Yash is their International Official Clothing Partner.

Junior Golf is a vitally important part of DLGA’s work worldwide. The academies offer varied programmes designed specially for youngsters ranging from age 8-18 with group lessons, summer camps and full-time residential courses.

“Clients will always recall a golf day and that a certain corporation invited them,” says Leadbetter. “Make no mistake, if, as a result, your golf game improves, you remember exactly who helped you.” – DAVID LEADBETTER The programmes not only teach the youngsters how to develop their game but also how to deal with the pressures at competition level, equipping them with the self-discipline and self-esteem to succeed at the highest level both on and off the course.

The list of girls and boys who have made the grade through DLGA is impressive.

At the end of the day, David Leadbetter, known as ‘the master of the art of teaching the golf swing’ says: “It’s all down to practice, practice, practice.” ■

www.wwgolf.biz

35

Great ts Momen lf o g in

This Month in History

MARCH

Highlights from yesteryear

1934

First Masters

The Masters is held for the first time at Augusta National in Georgia and Horton Smith wins the inaugural tournament with a 284 total.

1958

Woosie Welcomed Ian Woosnam is born on March 3rd and goes on to become one of the ‘Big Five’ of European golf in the 1980s. Among his many achievements Woosie wins The Masters in 1991 and Captains the 2006 European Ryder Cup team in Ireland guiding the team to a second consecutive 18.5–9.5 victory.

1969

Whitworth’s Hatrick Kathy Whitworth wins three consecutive times on the LPGA Tour. She takes the Orange Blossom Open on March 17th, the Port Charlotte Golf Invitational on the 23rd and the Port Malabar Golf Invitational on the 30th.

1965

Jesper is born Jesper Parnevik is born on March 7th. The three-time Ryder Cup star, famous for his up-turned peak on his cap, becomes renowned for his on-course style and off-course humour. “You know you’ve been playing badly when you forget where the media tents are at all these tournaments.” – just one of his many quips.

1997

The Elk Tames Sawgrass Steve Elkington claims his second PLAYERS Championship at Sawgrass thanks to a convincing wire-to-wire seven-stroke win over Scott Hoch.

2004

Parry Holes Out Craig Parry holes his approach shot for an eagle to win the Ford Championship at Doral at the first extra hole of a play-off with Scott Verplank.

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29

A Daimler Brand

www.mercedes-benz.com/masters

Mercedes-Benz is proud to be partner of the 2009 Masters in Augusta.

Two sporting legends finally met.

11.02.2009 10:26:31 Uhr

DRIVING

RANGE

WWG WHEELS

NEW MERCEDES S CLASS Styling and Technology >>

THE MERCEDES S350 AMG IS UNIQUE TO THE MIDDLE EAST

M E R C E D E S

420x297 Zipfel_09_engl_gel.indd 1

S350 AMG

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39

DRIVING THE MERCEDES S350 AMG IS UNIQUE TO THE MIDDLE EAST

Mercedes-Benz S350 AMG THE Mercedes Benz S350 with AMG Specs – only available in the Middle East – is an executive’s dream. As with previous generations of the S Class, the body of the car is sleek with imposing angles, while striking lines help disguise the car’s size. In actual fact, it’s only 10cm shorter than a Bentley Flying Spur.

The car’s interior is luxurious – all the switchgear has been revamped from previous models to create a bespoke feel and quality and all the finer touches have definitely put this wonderful machine out there in a class of its own.

Attention to detail is obvious throughout and the lavish leather interior, multi-contour seats and climate control with 18 different settings make the cabin an inviting place to be, ensuring driver and passengers arrive at their destination relaxed and ready for action.

WWG took this car for a long drive over to the East Coast where, in most cars, you feel every speed bump or pothole but with its suspension and wheelbase, the S350 AMG cornered and controlled itself like a dream.

The long distance drive through the mountains and the Red Dunes is where the S350 AMG excelled, and only when pushed did it start to feel heavy. But with acceleration from 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds, the S350 slithered up to speed with consummate ease.

Last but by no means least – the S350 AMG’s boot capacity of 560 litres means there’s enough space to take three golf bags so you’ll never have a problem getting you and your buddies to and from the course.

S350 AMG

Vital Stats: No. of cylinders – 6/V Bore/stroke (mm) – 92.9/86.0 Total displacement (cc) – 3498 Rated output² (kW at rpm) – 200/6000 Rate torque² (Nm at rpm) – 350/ 2400-5000 Compression ration – 10.7:1 Alternation (V/A) – 12/180 Acceleration – 0-100km/h (s) – 7.3 Top speed, approx (km/h) - 250 Tyre size: front – 235/55 R17 rear – 235/55 R17 Fuel consumption (1/100km): Urban: (long-wheelbase version) – 14.5-14.7 (14.5-14.7) Extra-urban: (long-wheelbase version) – 7.7-7.9 (7.7-7.9) Combined (long-wheelbase version) – 10.1-10.3 (10.1-10.3)

Co² emmisions³ (g/km) combined (longwheelbase version): – 242-247 (242-247) Tank capacity (l)/incl. Approx reserve – 90/11 Turning circle diameter (m) (long-wheelbase version) – 11.8 (12.2) Boot capacity (l) - 560 Kerb weight (long-wheelbase version) – 1880 (1925) Perm. GVW (kg) (long-wheelbase version) – 2475 (2505)

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41

=\\c% =`e\$kle\[% The new iWi™ Putter Series puts customization in your hands. Instead of changing putters, just change the weight to your desired feel. Want more mass towards the heel or toe to match your stroke? Insert a 20- or 28-gram tungsten weight. In all, there are nine weight combinations when you choose the optional weight kit* (sold separately). Each putter in the iWi line comes standard with two 12-gram stainless steel weights and a two-piece 304 stainless steel/urethane insert to give you the feel and performance found in PING putters for nearly 50 years. Available in six popular designs. Visit pinggolf.com.

Š 2008 PING P.O. BOX 82000 PHOENIX, AZ 85071 *Weight kit, which is sold separately, includes two 20-gram weights, two 28-gram weights, wrench and protective case. Ask your retailer for more information.

OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKING A R O U N D T H E W O R L D O N T H E U. S . P G A T O U R & E U R O P E A N T O U R AS OF FEBRUARY 23, 2009 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Tiger Woods Sergio Garcia Phil Mickelson Padraig Harrington Vijay Singh Henrik Stenson Robert Karlsson Geoff Ogilvy Kenny Perry Camilo Villegas Anthony Kim Lee Westwood Steve Stricker Ernie Els Jim Furyk Justin Rose Rory McIlroy Adam Scott Mike Weir K.J. Choi Martin Kaymer Stewart Cink Paul Casey Miguel A Jimenez Alvaro Quiros Trevor Immelman Zach Johnson Justin Leonard Ben Curtis Robert Allenby Luke Donald Andres Romero Tim Clark Ian Poulter Jeev Milkha Singh Retief Goosen Rory Sabbatini Ross Fisher Graeme McDowell Dustin Johnson Shingo Katayama Stephen Ames Aaron Baddeley Richard Sterne Oliver Wilson Stuart Appleby Louis Oosthuizen Hunter Mahan Anders Hansen Sean O’Hair

USA Esp USA Irl Fji Swe Swe Aus USA Col USA Eng USA Saf USA Eng Nir Aus Can Kor Deu USA Eng Esp Esp Saf USA USA USA Aus Eng Arg Saf Eng Ind Saf Saf Eng Nir USA Jpn Can Aus Saf Eng Aus Saf USA Dnk USA

Pts. Avg 9.61 7.87 7.39 6.25 6.13 5.11 5.08 5.00 4.74 4.71 4.45 4.40 4.23 4.13 3.88 3.82 3.78 3.77 3.72 3.69 3.46 3.45 3.43 3.32 3.14 3.10 3.02 3.00 2.93 2.93 2.90 2.90 2.84 2.82 2.72 2.71 2.70 2.67 2.64 2.57 2.57 2.52 2.51 2.40 2.33 2.33 2.30 2.27 2.25 2.25

Tot. Pts 384.40 393.58 347.21 318.51 312.72 255.62 254.24 234.83 246.69 235.26 222.45 233.00 190.52 226.97 178.61 164.05 158.70 169.77 186.03 188.18 190.34 162.18 168.17 176.01 128.73 158.34 144.77 161.93 132.01 169.95 116.18 147.75 156.20 143.97 198.67 151.49 137.66 141.48 142.58 102.92 141.19 113.40 118.11 117.57 128.14 125.59 117.18 122.39 112.42 121.30

Events 40 50 47 51 51 50 50 47 52 50 50 53 45 55 46 43 42 45 50 51 55 47 49 53 41 51 48 54 45 58 40 51 55 51 73 56 51 53 54 40 55 45 47 49 55 54 51 54 50 54

Pts. Gained 0.00 22.15 63.31 12.34 2.16 47.80 14.75 52.49 71.60 20.24 24.80 9.55 50.62 12.64 3.65 31.20 63.41 28.41 38.80 27.30 39.07 4.13 64.83 20.07 61.57 3.95 57.15 10.56 3.10 8.34 22.46 21.33 18.49 1.92 13.10 41.52 20.06 8.26 4.40 62.67 1.63 6.24 13.80 4.77 6.02 0.00 66.79 10.99 50.43 25.37

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

Boo Weekley Prayad Marksaeng Søren Hansen Lin Wen-Tang Angel Cabrera Rod Pampling Kevin Sutherland Davis Love-III Mathew Goggin Peter Hanson Soren Kjeldsen Pat Perez Charl Schwartzel Brendan Jones David Toms D.J. Trahan Richard Green Ryo Ishikawa Dudley Hart Chad Campbell Carl Pettersson Woody Austin Ryuji Imada Darren Clarke J.B. Holmes Gonzalo Fdez-Castano James Kingston Nick Watney Azuma Yano Brandt Snedeker Hiroyuki Fujita Francesco Molinari Anthony Wall Scott Verplank Gareth Maybin Rocco Mediate Fredrik Jacobson Thongchai Jaidee Hideto Tanihara Brian Gay Alexander Noren Hennie Otto David Smail Nick Dougherty Ken Duke Bart Bryant Ben Crane Shintaro Kai Charley Hoffman Jeff Quinney

USA Tha Dnk Twn Arg Aus USA USA Aus Swe Dnk USA Saf Aus USA USA Aus Jpn USA USA Swe USA Jpn Nir USA Esp Saf USA Jpn USA Jpn Ita Eng USA Nir USA Swe Tha Jpn USA Swe Saf NZl Eng USA USA USA Jpn USA USA

2.23 2.18 2.18 2.17 2.15 2.14 2.14 2.12 2.12 2.10 2.05 2.05 2.03 2.02 1.97 1.96 1.96 1.95 1.94 1.89 1.89 1.85 1.83 1.79 1.78 1.74 1.73 1.73 1.70 1.69 1.68 1.65 1.64 1.64 1.62 1.62 1.55 1.55 1.55 1.54 1.50 1.50 1.49 1.47 1.46 1.45 1.42 1.42 1.38 1.38

Tot. Pts 113.70 141.97 115.43 86.61 109.72 124.25 109.26 91.34 125.06 117.53 117.01 110.74 113.83 88.71 80.71 115.54 86.09 78.09 77.72 100.05 111.33 107.07 108.15 100.19 92.39 92.41 93.55 91.74 85.22 99.88 80.79 93.84 98.20 76.90 64.80 77.75 72.76 89.71 78.85 96.99 82.69 59.84 73.08 79.16 90.66 66.62 56.74 60.93 84.28 80.01

Events Pts. Gained 51 65 53 40 51 58 51 43 59 56 57 54 56 44 41 59 44 40 40 53 59 58 59 56 52 53 54 53 50 59 48 57 60 47 40 48 47 58 51 63 55 40 49 54 62 46 40 43 61 58

10.23 12.75 8.15 0.00 8.65 11.16 9.12 25.95 10.85 11.05 0.00 37.25 20.13 0.00 38.09 26.90 8.78 0.00 0.00 6.43 7.69 5.77 9.64 6.93 14.70 11.98 5.28 53.40 1.24 1.31 13.87 11.97 26.90 0.00 7.21 3.83 0.00 7.75 1.47 24.35 12.42 7.71 1.34 8.14 0.00 3.09 6.93 0.00 47.72 5.43

Over 100 destinations worldwide

RACE TO DUBAI As of February 23, 2009

THE EUROPEAN TOUR R ACE TO DUBAI 2009 Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

Name Sergio GARCIA Rory MCILROY Oliver WILSON Louis OOSTHUIZEN Henrik STENSON Alvaro QUIROS Richard STERNE Paul CASEY Wen-tang LIN Peter HANSON Martin KAYMER Anthony KANG Anders HANSEN Francesco MOLINARI Charl SCHWARTZEL Johan EDFORS Geoff OGILVY Justin ROSE Gareth MAYBIN Andrew MCLARDY Ross McGOWAN Prayad MARKSAENG Damien MCGRANE Felipe AGUILAR Rodney PAMPLING David HORSEY Jyoti RANDHAWA Anthony WALL Robert KARLSSON Adam SCOTT Miguel Angel JIMÉNEZ Lee WESTWOOD Jeev Milkha SINGH Pablo LARRAZÁBAL Alexander NOREN Padraig HARRINGTON Marcus FRASER Peter LAWRIE Wen-chong LIANG Raphaël JACQUELIN Simon DYSON Maarten LAFEBER Miles TUNNICLIFF Graeme MCDOWELL Robert ROCK Hennie OTTO David DRYSDALE Scott STRANGE Danny WILLETT Rafael CABRERA BELLO

Country

Tournaments Played

Prize Money

Rank

ESP NIR ENG RSA SWE ESP RSA ENG TPE SWE GER USA DEN ITA RSA SWE AUS ENG NIR RSA ENG THA IRL CHI AUS ENG IND ENG SWE AUS ESP ENG IND ESP SWE IRL AUS IRL CHN FRA ENG NED ENG NIR ENG RSA SCO AUS ENG ESP

4 6 5 9 5 4 5 5 2 6 4 3 5 6 6 8 1 3 7 5 7 4 8 4 3 7 5 5 3 2 4 5 5 5 6 2 4 6 5 6 7 6 6 3 5 7 4 8 5 5

€763,481 €609,410 €525,870 €467,332 €459,303 €436,205 €429,523 €422,583 €327,384 €311,583 €270,034 €265,958 €255,946 €240,387 €234,906 €222,189 €219,708 €218,624 €213,536 €208,759 €208,499 €195,939 €185,003 €179,365 €165,244 €161,862 €158,328 €155,076 €153,596 €147,298 €140,111 €138,248 €132,889 €130,172 €126,171 €120,081 €113,360 €109,506 €108,581 €106,108 €105,538 €105,341 €103,450 €103,420 €102,866 €95,271 €95,048 €94,613 €93,920 €92,391

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

Name

Country

Bradley DREDGE Richard FINCH Gonzalo FDEZ-CASTAÑO Chapchai NIRAT David DIXON Colin MONTGOMERIE John BICKERTON Ian POULTER Adam BLYTH Robert ALLENBY Thomas LEVET Thomas AIKEN Thongchai JAIDEE Ross FISHER Ernie ELS Robert-Jan DERKSEN David GLEESON Martin ERLANDSSON Mikael LUNDBERG Andrew COLTART Nick DOUGHERTY Pelle EDBERG Seung-yul NOH Brett RUMFORD Trevor IMMELMAN Søren HANSEN Retief GOOSEN Jean-François LUCQUIN Marc CAYEUX Phillip ARCHER Bernhard LANGER Iain STEEL Gary MURPHY Mark FOSTER Graeme STORM James KAMTE Michael JONZON Mark BROWN Oliver FISHER Richard GREEN Paul LAWRIE Mikko ILONEN Tony CAROLAN Camilo VILLEGAS Alan MCLEAN Niclas FASTH Chris WOOD David FROST Ignacio GARRIDO Jarmo SANDELIN

WAL ENG ESP THA ENG SCO ENG ENG AUS AUS FRA RSA THA ENG RSA NED AUS SWE SWE SCO ENG SWE KOR AUS RSA DEN RSA FRA ZIM ENG GER MAS IRL ENG ENG RSA SWE NZL ENG AUS SCO FIN AUS COL SCO SWE ENG RSA ESP SWE

Tournaments Played

Prize Money

4 8 4 6 8 5 6 2 4 2 4 3 5 4 3 5 5 7 5 6 5 8 3 5 3 4 3 7 4 8 1 3 7 8 5 6 8 7 7 4 4 6 4 2 3 6 4 6 5 8

€90,736 €90,494 €89,163 €88,944 €88,283 €82,346 €81,176 €74,954 €73,561 €72,457 €72,358 €70,051 €68,685 €68,381 €68,103 €67,139 €66,222 €64,098 €64,059 €63,674 €63,309 €62,906 €62,124 €61,579 €61,561 €60,719 €59,463 €54,505 €52,896 €52,489 €52,016 €52,016 €51,863 €51,327 €51,140 €51,092 €50,887 €49,272 €49,119 €48,303 €47,019 €45,933 €45,273 €44,956 €43,900 €43,649 €42,763 €42,578 €41,880 €41,678

E X P L A N AT I O N O F T H E E U R O P E A N T O U R R A C E T O D U B A I 2 0 0 9

The Race to Dubai is a $10 million season-long competition for the world’s leading golfers, which culminates in the world’s richest golf tournament, the Dubai World Championship at The Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, UAE, November 19-22. Players will be ranked according to their earnings from all events on The European Tour International Schedule, including the Major Championships and the World Golf Championships, ensuring the cream of world golf will qualify. No.s 1-60 players in The Race to Dubai at the conclusion of the previous tournament compete in the season’s climax, the $10 million Dubai World Championship. Following the Championship, the season’s 15 top-ranked players by earnings share a Bonus Pool of $10 million. The No.1 player will receive $2,000,000, the runner-up $1,500,000 and the third-placed player $1,000,000, with prizes down to the 15th player, who will earn $250,000. The winner of The Race to Dubai will receive a seven-year European Tour Card exemption. From 2010 The Race to Dubai will commence in January and the Dubai World Championship will complete the season in November.

THE RACE TO DUBAI BONUS POOL BREAKDOWN 1 US$ 2,000,000 2 US$ 1,500,000 3 US$ 1,000,000 4 US$ 800,000 5 US$ 700,000

6 US$ 600,000 7 US$ 550,000 8 US$ 500,000 9 US$ 450,000 10 US$ 400,000

11 US$ 350,000 12 US$ 325,000 13 US$ 300,000 14 US$ 275,000 15 US$ 250,000

Date: 05 – 08 Feb 2009

Tournament: Buick Invitational Venue: Torrey Pines (South Course), San Diego, California

NICK Watney secured his second PGA TOUR title at the Buick Invitational after coming from three strokes off the lead with five to play to win by one from John Rollins.

“I knew it wasn’t over,” said Watney after sealing the win on the 18th green. “My uncle always said that, he always told me that winning was never easy – winning a golf tournament is never easy.

I knew we had some good holes to play, and I definitely didn’t want to give up. I just tried to keep my head down and give myself chances, and I was able to make some putts.”

Watney birdied two of his last three holes and didn’t drop a shot down the home stretch as he closed with a 4-under 68.

“I’ll take a lot from this,” admitted Watney. “Coming down the stretch, Camilo (Villegas) has been hot for a year now, and John obviously shot 64 earlier this week, so he’s playing well. To come out on top, I’ll definitely take a lot from this.”

Rollins, who led by five shots from Watney overnight, started badly with two bogeys on his first two holes. He birdied the sixth, reaching the turn 1-over before he sandwiched an eagle on the 13th with bogeys on 12 and 14. Another bogey on the 16th coupled with Watney’s birdie saw a two-shot swing and the pair headed into the final holes level on 10-under.

Both players made par on the 17th which effectively made it sudden death between the pair down the closing par-5. Rollins’ wayward second shot into a bunker meant he had his work cut out and after he failed to get up-and-down for birdie Watney punished him with a two-putt for a four from 50 feet.

Camilo Villegas finished in a share of third place with Lucas Glover on 9-under. Australian Matt Jones shot a best-of-the-day 64 for fifth place while England’s Luke Donald finished in a tie for seventh place on 5-under with Bubba Watson, Ben Crane and Charley Hoffman.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG

Driver: Shaft: 3-wood: Shaft: Hybrid: Irons (3-9): Wedge: Putter: Ball:

Titleist 909D2 10.5° Mitsubishi Diamana White Board 83-gram Titleist 909F2 15.5° Fujikura ZCOM Pro95 for Titleist Titleist 909H 21° Titleist AP2 Titleist Vokey Design 48°, 56°, 60° Scotty Cameron by Titleist Newport Tour Titleist Pro V1x (2007)

Date: 12 – 15 Feb 2009

R: EY NE N IN AT W KW C NI

WATNEY SECURES BUICK TITLE

FACT FILE: Since 1998, all except one winner of the Buick Invitational were born in California.

Nick Watney, Tiger Woods, John Daly, Phil Mickelson and Scott Simpson were all born on the West Coast – the only winner not from the ‘Golden State’ was 2002 Champion Jose Maria Olazábal.

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

$954,000

WINNING SCORE: 11-UNDER-PAR – 277 (69, 69, 71, 68) RUNNER-UP: JOHN ROLLINS – 278

Tournament: Maybank Malaysian Open Venue: Saujana Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

KANG WINS MAYBANK MALAYSIAN OPEN

R: NG NE KA IN Y W ON TH AN

AMERICAN Anthony Kang won the Maybank Malaysian Open after a one-stroke victory over David Horsey, Prayas Marksaeng, Jyoti Randhawa and Miles Tunnicliff in Kuala Lumpur.

Kang rolled in a birdie putt on the final green to elevate him to 17-under-par ahead of the tightly packed leaderboard.

“It’s wonderful,” smiled the Asian Tour player.

“I’ve been playing in Malaysia since 1996 or 1997 so to finally win this event, I’m speechless. This feels like where I started to play golf so to win here is just beyond beautiful.”

The 36-year-old started the final day two shots behind Australian Adam Blyth but made good ground on the outward nine with three birdies.

Two birdies after the turn saw him take the lead

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

€259,164

before a bogey on the 15th saw his advantage cut to one shot. After two pars he arrived at the par-5 18th tee in a tie for the lead but launched two huge shots to reach the green in two and leave himself a 70-foot eagle putt. Kang left his putt just short and after watching Marksaeng miss his birdie attempt he calmly tapped in to avoid a five-man play-off and pick up his first victory in eight years.

“The last three rounds is probably the best golf I’ve played so far,” he said. “I think I made only one bogey which was on the 15th hole.”

Northern Ireland’s Gareth Maybin fired a finalround 66 to finish alone in sixth place on 15-under with Liang Wen-chong, Alexander Noren and Louis Oosthuizen finishing a shot further back.

WORLD ROUNDUPS Date: 12 – 15 Feb 2009

Tournament: AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Venue: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California

DUSTIN Johnson claimed the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am after the tournament was cut short following the third round.

Play on both Sunday and Monday was washed out by rain and heavy winds leaving Johnson to collect his second PGA TOUR title thanks to his four-shot lead over Mike Weir.

“I prepared myself that we were going to play today,” Johnson said.

“I did everything normal like we were going to play. I still went to have breakfast, and that’s when I found out that we weren’t going to play. I found out from another player who actually called me and congratulated me. And I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’”

The victory saw Johnson move up to 45th in the Official World Golf Ranking and earned him his first trip to The Masters in April.

The 24-year-old was philosophical about his win. “You could play the best golf you’ve ever played and someone else could play their best golf they’ve ever played and beat you,” he said. “I was

fortunate enough to play really well this week over the first three days, and then unfortunately we got rained out on Sunday and Monday.

I’m pretty speechless.”

Johnson began the week with an opening 7-under 65 and followed it with a 69 and a 67 to get to 15under 201.

Canadian Weir shot a third-round 69 to lie in second place on 11under while Retief Goosen carded a 2-over 74 and was placed on 10-under while Bob Estes and Mark Calcavecchia were both in a tie for fourth place on 9-under.

With the wind whipping the sea over the cliffs and onto the golf course the maintenance staff found it impossible to clear pools of water from the greens and fairways.

No play was possible on Sunday and the same situation occurred the following day so tournament officials handed the win Johnson.

It was the first PGA TOUR event to be decided over three rounds since 2005 when Phil Mickelson clinched the BellSouth Classic.

INTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAGINTHEBAG Driver: TaylorMade Burner 10.5° Shaft: Fujikura Rombax TP 4-wood: TaylorMade V steel 16.5° Hybrid: TaylorMade Rescue TP 21° Irons (3-9): TaylorMade Tour Preferred Wedge: TaylorMade rac MB 48° Wedge: TaylorMade rac 54° Wedge: Titleist Vokey Spin Milled 60° Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport Ball: TaylorMade TP Red LDP

Date: 19 – 22 Feb 2009

R: SON NE N IN H W IN JO ST DU

JOHNSON WINS AT SHORTENED PEBBLE BEACH

FACT FILE: With his victory, Dustin Johnson joins Anthony Kim as the only players under 25 with two PGA TOUR victories.

Johnson claimed the Turning Stone Resort Championship towards the end of last season and won his second just ten events later.

WINNER’S CHEQUE:

$1,080,000

WINNING SCORE: 15-UNDER-PAR – 201 (65, 69, 67) RUNNER-UP: MIKE WEIR – 205 Tournament: Johnnie Walker Classic Venue: The Vines Resort & Country Club, Perth, Australia

TEENAGER LEE MAKES HISTORY AT JOHNNIE WALKER CLASSIC

R: E NE E IN Y L W NN DA

NEW Zealand teenage amateur Danny Lee became the youngest-ever winner on The European Tour after a sensational back-nine performance gave him a one-stroke victory at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth.

Lee shot four birdies in his last six holes for a 5-under 67 and a one-shot win over Felipe Aguilar, Hiroyuki Fujita and Ross McGowan. However, the Kiwi couldn’t take home the first-prize money for winning which meant the trio in second place shared his winnings amongst themselves.

“My English is not 100 per cent and I get really nervous when I’m doing the media stuff. It doesn’t mean I hate it because I like it,” said Lee, who was born in South Korea but moved to New Zealand at the age of eight. “It feels like I’m dreaming. All I

wanted to do was make the cut and play well and get in the top 20 but I played extremely well today and won it.”

At 18 years and 213 days, Lee is 77 days younger than South African Dale Hayes was when he won the Spanish Open in 1971.

Lee, who previously eclipsed Tiger Woods as the youngest U.S. Amateur champion, will turn professional after The Masters and he’s already set himself some lofty ambitions.

“I can’t compare to Tiger because he’s the greatest player in the world,” he said. “All I want to do is just break what he’s done... (and be) the next Tiger Woods. Obviously I can’t win three US Amateurs in a row but I’ll try to break his records on the PGA TOUR.”

GEAR PLAYER TECHNOLOGY HARDWEAR FOOTWEAR APPAREL BALLS

Callaway FT-IQ Driver CALLAWAY Golf have created the longest and straightest driver in their history in the futuristic shape of the FT-IQ. Using the latest technology found in Stealth Bombers and Formula 1 racing cars, the Callaway FT-IQ driver sees mathematics and engineering combine to create Callaway’s highest-ever ball speeds as well as raising the moment of inertia for increased accuracy off the tee.

Strategically placed weighting in the rear corners allow standard lofts to have ‘draw’ weighting to help golfers minimise fades and slices. Tour lofts will have neutral weighting for players that already have a straight flight and want a lower, more penetrating trajectory.

SkyCaddie gets English backing THE English Golf Union (EGU) has announced SkyCaddie as their Official Rangefinder just a few weeks after allowing distance measuring devices in all their Championships.

Having signed a three-year agreement, SkyCaddie will this year provide SkyCaddie GPS units at 18 Championships and supply SkyCaddies for use by the EGU’s England squads.

Jackie Hitchcock, SkyCaddie UK managing director, said: “We are delighted to be working so closely with the EGU, especially as they have such strong links to the amateur game at elite, county and club level.

“Any club which was unsure whether or not to allow rangefinders in their own competitions now has a clear pointer from the EGU. And by appointing us as their Official Rangefinder, the EGU has demonstrated how confident they are with our technology and the way we map courses.”

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Next Month We review the TaylorMade Burner 09 Irons>>

WWG STYLE

Heavy Putter C2 Deep Face WE’VE been seriously impressed with Heavy Putters since first being introduced to them several months ago. After various trips out on the course we’re happy to report that this is a company with big ideas.

THE Heavy Putter has an off-putting name, but don’t let that put you off!

The head of the Heavy Putter is only 100-150g heavier than a conventional putter’s head (depending on model), the difference lies in the added weight in the top of the shaft in the grip. This allows the larger muscles in the shoulders, biceps and upper back to do the work, which in turn allows the hands and wrists to remain steady.

At first the club felt strange, having been so accustomed to putters being of a ‘normal’ weight it took a while to get used to. However, after a few hours on the putting green and a quick nine holes we were hooked.

The take-away became a steady, fluid movement, the follow through composed, and every connection felt solid and convincing. Its weight inspired confidence in the putting stroke.

The Heavy Putter, pioneered by Boccieri Golf, has a balance point 75% higher than conventional putters which removes the hands and wrists from the putting stroke.

The new Deep Face series offers golfers new technology which raises the centre of gravity by combining innovative design elements with a ¼ inch increase in the height of the putter face. By raising the centre of gravity, the sweet spot on the face is more closely aligned to the equator of the ball, which means purer roll. www.heavyputter.com

New Nike shoes for young and old NIKE Golf have prevented any internal family disputes erupting in golf loving households by releasing new shoes for both kids and oldies.

For the grown ups we have the Nike Air Zoom Vapor, which is being marketed as ‘the lightest shoe in golf’. Weighing in at just 375 grams and with a Zoom Air unit in the heel, the Air Zoom Vapor certainly makes you feel very light on your feet. The danger with jettisoning so much material in order to keep weight down is that you end up sacrificing performance but Nike have utilised their heritage and expertise to get around this. The shoe is inspired by the Mercurial Vapor footy boot and is made with a one-piece microfibre upper that is incredibly strong as well as being lightweight, waterproof and breathable. The shoe is also very comfortable and stable underfoot, using an innovative Power Platform Ultra to aid weight transfer and balance control. As with most of Nike Golf’s shoes, it also looks the business. And let’s not forget about the kids. The new Tiger Woods Jr 09 is packed with all of the technology you’d expect from a top-class golf shoe…just smaller! www.nike.com/nikegolf

Bridgestone increase their ‘e’ range

BRIDGESTONE have introduced the e5+ to reduce sidespin and help golfers who hook or slice, keeping their waywardness to a minimum. The e6+ was made to help golfers who hit it too low achieve a higher trajectory and more carry. The new e7+, on the other hand, has been introduced to help golfers who feel they launch the ball too high achieve a more penetrating, lower trajectory. It’s a three-piece ball with a surlyn cover and 330 seamless dimple design for a solid feel and a piercing trajectory – even in windy conditions.

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53 53

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Brought to you by

Claude Harmon III

Pro swing analyist >>

SWING

PRO LOOK

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

VIJAY SINGH LAST YEAR’S FEDEXCUP CHAMPION AVERAGED 280.6 YARDS OFF THE TEE ON THE PGA TOUR AND WAS 61ST IN THE STANDINGS FOR DRIVING ACCURACY. THE 46-YEAR-OLD IS STILL ONE OF THE WORLD’S BEST AND HERE’S THE SECRET TO HIS WINNING HABIT.

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

2

1

Vijay is a huge guy and spends hours in the gym, sometimes taking two sessions a day. Here you can see all of his gym work paying off as he makes a huge move off the ball. His takeaway is very much a one-piece move. Vijay sets his wrists quite late in his backswing so the move off the ball is dominated by his big muscles â&#x20AC;&#x201C; his legs, arms and shoulders.

If you want to hit the ball further, try to create more width in your takeaway.

Vijay is easily one of the best players of the Tiger Era. With over $60 million in career prize money and three Majors on his CV, Vijay is one of the greats and one key reason for his superb play is his work ethic. Very few players, if any, log more hours on the range hitting balls than Vijay. His swing is one that is borne out of hours hitting ball after ball.

5

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The club here tends to get a bit on the closed side as the downswing starts.

As a result, Vijay almost exclusively hits the golf ball with a fade. As he swings the club down, the path of the downswing is from out to in, and he basically keeps his hands very passive and just turns through. Think you need to hit draws to get more distance? Well think again!

6 Because Vijay sets his wrists so late in his backswing, he is able to keep them hinged long into his downswing. The wrists here are still hinged as he approaches impact. This means he has stored a huge amount of power both on his backswing and his downswing. All the long hitters have a lot of wrist lag in their downswing. Try to delay the release of your wrists for more power in your swing.

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3

4

Notice how the wrists here are yet to set (hinge). Vijay tries to create a huge arc as he swings his club off the ball. As his shoulders turn, the plane of his left arm is matching the angle of his shoulders. I see too many players get their left arm either working too steep or too flat. Vijay makes a practice swing with a seriously heavy weighted club to help him have the strength to get into this position.

Very much an ‘old school’ move here at the top of the back swing. High hands, lots of leg action, the club swinging back a bit too long at times.

The modern swing is more compact and tight. But not Vijay. He has a big backswing and at 46 is still one of the longest hitters around. If you have a similar move, you better hit a ton of golf balls because it takes seriously good timing and natural rhythm to play from this position.

8

7 I love how the head here is starting to follow the flight of the golf ball. As the arms swing past the body, the hips and chest turn toward the target and the head starts to come up naturally and follow the flight of the ball. One surefire way to lose power is to keep your head down for too long during your follow through.

As mentioned in picture 5, Vijay fights the clubface getting too closed. So as a fader, he must keep his hands passive and not let the toe of the club close over. If your clubface is closed, you need to feel as if you hold off its release through impact. Notice the position of Vijay’s right wrist.

There is no real bend to the wrist in this position. This is the classic follow through for the power fade!

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© 2008 PING P.O. BOX 82000 PHOENIX, AZ 85071

TUTORIAL CUTTING OUT THE FAT Chris Brown | Director of Golf | The Els Club | Dubai Sports City

The Fat Shot This is a shot in which the club hits the ground before it makes contact with the ball. A fat shot can occur with varying degrees of severity. Good amateurs/professionals will hit some fat shots during their round, but only marginally, so it is actually very difficult to detect. In these cases the ball will probably land 5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10 yards short of the flag but to the average club golfer it goes unnoticed. When a club golfer hits a fat shot it tends to be pretty obvious and in extreme cases the divot may travel further than the ball! At the very least, a fat shot will travel only a fraction of the required distance.

Set-up: Good fundamentals At address the weight should be evenly distributed with 50% on the left leg and 50% on the right leg. The hands should be opposite the inside of your left leg thus starting with your hands slightly ahead of the ball.

These will seem very obvious to most but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing how many golfers neglect to check that these positions are maintained. The two most common faults that lead to producing a fat shot are having too much weight on the left leg and the hands being behind the ball at address. These faults begin a chain reaction of movements throughout the swing which ultimately lead to the ground being hit before the ball.

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Figure 1 shows the typical backswing position of someone who had too much weight favouring the left leg at address. This has caused the hips to move laterally but the weight remains on the left leg (reverse pivot). The downswing, figure 2, shows that the weight has transferred onto the right leg in an attempt to get the ball airborne and the clubhead is extremely low to the ground producing a sweeping action. These positions are catastrophic and will most probably see the divot racing past the ball.

1

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2

PRO LOOK

3 Figure 3 shows an excellent drill that will not only improve your weight shift prior to impact but also help the club work on a steeper angle of attack, ultimately squeezing the ball between the clubface and the ground. This will allow the ball to run up the angle of the clubface sending it into the air with the correct trajectory based on the loft of the club. Place a headcover 12 inches behind the ball and move into your address position with the weight evenly distributed.

Once you are in a comfortable position lift the club off the ground to avoid hitting the headcover on the backswing. In order to hit the ball you will be forced to transfer weight onto the left leg and bring the club into the back of the ball with a steep angle of attack.

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WAYNE JOHNSON – INSIDE THE ROPES WAYNE JOHNSON is our correspondent for The Race to Dubai. Heavily involved in the planning and promotion of The Race to Dubai and the Dubai World Championship, Wayne is able to give a unique insight into the progress of the competitions and a behind-the-scenes (and ‘inside the ropes!’) look into The Race to Dubai – as well as giving us his views on the latest happenings in golf.

W

ITH the young guns taking care of business on the course and several names already engraved on trophies in Asia, Australia, and the Middle East, The Race to Dubai is really starting to gather pace.

With all the fanfare and excitement surrounding this new era for the game, Leisurecorp has slowly got on with the business of developing Jumeirah Golf Estates and fulfilling a number of commitments we have as part of our partnership with The European Tour.

It’s a little known fact that this partnership has resulted in a number of initiatives which have been introduced to support the sport as a whole.

Leisurecorp is fundamentally a golf company and I believe that one of the reasons we have been accepted as a partner so quickly is that we are seen not only as safe custodians, but also as a company that really gets the game.

These initiatives include The Race to Dubai physio truck – an unsung hero of The European Tour which provided a service for more than 8,000 players during the 2008 season and will easily surpass this in 2009. Another initiative, and a primary focus of mine over the coming months, is The European Tour Performance Institute (ETPI), the world-class facility which is currently under development for European

Tour members on-site at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

The ETPI is a custom-built training facility that has been designed specifically to enhance the performance of Tour members. For those learning the game or wishing to access similar facilities to the Pros, the adjoining Tour Academy will be open to residents and the public. I have no doubt that these facilities will be one of the finest in the world. offering an unrivalled teaching and practice experience. It will also give amateur golfers a unique opportunity to ‘rub shoulders’ with the top players in the game.

I showed one of our ambassadors, Jeev Milkha Singh, around Jumeirah Golf Estates recently, giving him a first hand look at the progress being made on the golf courses and player facilities, since he recently bought a home here.

Jeev actually told me his decision to buy was partly fueled by these world-class facilities that will be located right on his doorstep. I know of several more big names who will also be basing themselves at Jumeirah Golf Estates in the future to take advantage of these facilities as well as a year-round access to the Earth course – not to mention the sunshine in Dubai!

As Thomas Björn, Chairman of The European Tour Players Committee, said when he visited last year, the ETPI is like nothing that has ever been created before

and players will be “blown away” when we let them loose on the facility. Thomas told me that if someone asked the players what they would want this kind of facility to be, the ETPI is exactly what they would come up with.

European Tour players can practice their swing in one of the bio-mechanic swing studios with interactive video technology, before honing their skills in the putting ‘lab’. Dedicated short game holes, practice fairways and teeing greens, bunker practice greens and a contoured putting green, will provide the pros access to work on every aspect of their game, both on and off the course and all under the watchful eye of some of the game’s top coaches.

From the beginner who can’t tell a driver from a 9-iron, through to the experienced golfer who wants to improve his handicap, we’ve tried to cover absolutely every aspect of the game. Whether you want to work on your bunker play, swing, or golf fitness, a team of world-class instructors will be on hand to draw the very best from each and every student.

Alongside the unrivalled training programmes, cutting edge technology and first-class spa facilities, perhaps the best thing about the ETPI is its location at one of the most exciting golf developments in the world. ■

Wayne Johnson shows European Tour star Jeev Milkha Singh around the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

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INSIDE GOLF

‘WIE SHALL SEE’

by Clare Lipsombe

M

ICHELLE Wie’s meteoric rise in the golf world had come crashing down by the time the LPGA’s final qualifying tournament had arrived in December last year.

Towards the end of the season, Michelle still hadn’t fully recovered from her disastrous 2007 campaign after numerous injuries and many swing changes.

Being disqualified in her first professional event and then accused of faking an injury to avoid carding an 88 were just some of the setbacks that this young player has had to deal with.

Would Qualifying School prove to be the making or the breaking of Michelle Wie? By right she successfully qualified for the LPGA Tour after grinding it out at the final qualifying tournament and finishing tied 7th.

Now no one can criticise her in any way about playing in LPGA events. She has earned her right by simply playing good golf and she deserves to be out there.

As one champion bows out, women’s golf will need a new star. She has even been hailed as the player most likely to match Annika Sorenstam’s haul of ten Majors. Not only is she a great talent, she is a tournament sponsor’s dream and will definitely be able to draw in the crowds. Perhaps one day she may even consider coming to the UAE. With an LPGA card in hand, Wie is all about the future. She is a truly talented golfer and I, like most women golfers, will be watching her performances this season with great interest. I wish her all the very best for 2009!

Staying In Shape for Golf with Sandy Meyer

M

ANY ladies we teach often ask us what type of exercise is suitable for golf. This is a good question as staying fit for golf is very beneficial. However, you have to be aware that some exercise is good for the golf swing and some types of exercise can be detrimental. The most important facet you must understand before you proceed with any training for golf, is that flexibility has to be on the top of the list.

Your “core”, the muscles of your back and mid-section, are among the most important muscles to target as this helps with your rotational power, posture and balance. Types of training that are extremely beneficial for golf are “Yoga” and “Pilates”. These types of training focus on stretching and flexibility and they really work all your “core” muscles. Some “Yoga” classes are golf specific and if you can try and get yourself into one of these classes you will not only enjoy the experience of getting fit, but your golf will improve dramatically.

Be careful of weight training with very heavy weights. Building muscle, especially in the upper body, can drastically reduce flexibility

and can contribute to swing problems. Remember the bigger the muscle the shorter the muscle fibre, so the “stretch” is reduced.

Here are the muscles to target when stretching; ■ Hamstrings – tight hamstrings can cause imbalance that strains your lower back; ■ Shoulder Stretches; ■ Back stretches – focusing on the Lateral Muscles of the back; ■ Stomach Muscles (Abs) – upper and lower; ■ Triceps; ■ Bicep Curls – with light weights are beneficial for wrists and forearms, muscles that are vital for the short game.

Aerobic training is important for stamina and overall fitness.

So if you are aiming to improve your golf – improve your golf fitness. It’s almost as important as a good swing technique as it enables the body to move into the correct positions throughout the golf swing. If you are keen to join “Yoga for Golfers”, Arabian Ranches Golf Club holds classes for woman golfers.

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65

olfers G

Good Good Food Food Guide Guide

Worldwide Golf is pleased to introduce our Golfers Good Food Guide which not only highlights some of Golf’s finest 19th holes, which have been at the forefront of gourmet dining in Dubai for many years, but also other restaurants that have become popular with golfers and other diners. We begin our series with Le Classique at Emirates Golf Club and St Maxim’s at The Mall of the Emirates.

Le Classique celebrates its return with a Launch Party

O

Chef Francois Porte : “Here’s to another great 20 years.”

Below: The new Champagne Bar and the newly refurbished Le Classique restaurant at Emirates Golf Club.

For reservations please telephone: 04 380 2222.

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www.wwgolf.biz

ne of Dubai’s most established and revered French fine dining restaurants, Le Classique at Emirates Golf Club, celebrates its re-opening with a Launch Party on Sunday, March 15.

Chef Francois is back with the love of his life, as the Le Classique reopens its doors after a seven-month absence undergoing an extensive refurbishment.

“Absence has definitely made the heart grow fonder,” says Francois Porte from the kitchen of Le Classique where the irrepressible charm and ingenious palate of Chef’s cuisine is created.

“Its been a 20-year love affair, which has transcended my affection for preparing fine French cuisine, and is really all about the connection with the people, both our

team members and most importantly our dedicated clientele.”

The renewed excitement of a new restaurant environment with a 20-year pedigree, is making Francois determined to put Le Classique back on its pedestal as a special culinary experience for members of Emirates Golf Club and visitors from outside the Club.

Le Classique has garnered numerous accolades over its 20-year history, including being the What’s On Chef’s Choice Restaurant Winner in 2004 and 2007, and a finalist on three other occasions. Chef Francois’s genius was recognized in 2003 when he was awarded Restaurant Chef of the Year by Grumpy Gourmet.

Chef Francois has three words that he

would like someone to use when describing his dishes: Sensational, Balanced, Consistent. He is also proud of the fact that Le Classique also gives excellent value for money.

The proof is in always in the pudding and Francois is happy to put his claims to the test with a four course menu that can be enjoyed for as little as AED 240, offering guests a choice of starters, intermediaries, main courses and desserts.

“We have built Le Classique’s reputation over many years and upheld the original concept and tradition, while moving forward in terms of our interiors with the re-launch. Here’s to another great 20 years as we continue to set the benchmark for traditional French cuisine.”

GOOD FOOD GUIDE

For reservations please telephone: 04 341 3415 stmaxims@chi.ae

St. Maxim’s – fine steakhouse with a French accent

Y

OU wouldn’t expect to find an artificial ski-slope in the middle of a shopping mall but on the same level above the Kempinski Hotel at The Mall of the Emirates there’s another surprise in store, just around the corner, St. Maxim’s.

Here you can step into the Gallic surroundings of an authentic French restaurant – in the tradition of the nearby upmarket French shops of Louis Vuitton and Cartier – where the fare is not only snails, frogs’ legs, foie gras, duck breast and tart tatin but also that presented by one of the finest licensed steakhouses in town.

St. Maxim’s is really a steakhouse with a French accent. Through time and the growing demand for top quality steaks in Dubai, St. Maxim’s has adapted its menu

and adopted one of the most popular trends in today’s dining, “Stonegrill.”

The Stonegrill concept enables diners to cook their dish at their table precisely how they wish, using a hot stone of 400 degrees. Gone are the days where you often had to argue the finer points of what is medium well done and what is rare. You can cut your steak into whatever size you wish and merely place it on the Stonegrill and cook it to your own personal satisfaction.

Stonegrill never fails to provide those who dare to try it with a memorable dining experience and is definitely a steak diner like no other in Dubai.

Boasting some of the “best steaks in town” with Prime Beef from New Zealand and Greg Norman’s signature Wagyu from

Australia, it is little wonder that St. Maxim’s growing reputation as a fine French restaurant and steakhouse has become even more popular among Dubai’s demanding local carnivores.

To make matters even more memorable there is live jazz and blues played every night in the adjoining licensed lounge by “Big Joe” who serenades diners with his sensational piano riffs and silky-smooth Nat King Cole-like tones, while the highly attentative staff glide efficiently around the tables.

St Maxim’s is a wonderful, relaxing, dining experience that is all things to all people – ideal for business lunches, a quick stop to refuel before embarking on a shopping spree or that special family or company celebration.

It’s also surprisingly affordable with all the dishes on its extensive menu providing excellent value for money.

There’s also a luxurious private dining room, which is ideal for a business lunch or dinner or for an intimate evening occasion.

The restaurant is in a convenient location with free valet parking, which is a huge benefit with the constant parking battle at the Mall of the Emirates. As a frequent diner at St Maxim’s I have no hesitation in recommending one of my world favourite restaurants.

Mike Gallemore

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67

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W W G LO C A L F O C U S

ARABIAN THE UAE team of Khalid Yousuf, Abdullah and Ahmed Al Musharrekh and Ismail Sharif are hopeful of winning the 29th Arab Golf Championships at Al Hamra Golf Club in Ras Al Khaimah. Fifteen teams will battle it out over the Al Hamra links from February 28th – March 5th alongside defending champions Lebanon who took the title at Dirab Golf Club in Riyadh last January.

EGF – MENS AMATEUR ORDER OF MERIT 1 2 3 4 5 T6 T6 T6 9 10 11 12

MATTHEW TURNER KHALID YOUSUF JOEL NEALE SOO CHUL SHIN DINO VARKEY VIKRAM JUDGE JOHN FELLINGHAM STEVE KELLY PAUL KING AHMED AL MUSHARREKH JAY VARKEY SEBASTIAN HEISELE

EGC EGC EGC DCGYC DCGYC DCGYC DCGYC EGC DCGYC SGSC DCGYC EGC

Dinner for two and a bottle of house wine at Le Classique, Emirates Golf Club.

65 59 42 40 37.5 30 30 30 27.8 24 23 22

Clubs Abu Dhabi Golf Club Abu Dhabi Golf & Equestrian Al Ghazal Golf Club Al Hamra Golf Club Arabian Ranches Golf Club Arab Golf Championships Dirab Golf Club Doha Golf Club Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Emirates Golf Club Esnaad Golf Day Four Seasons Golf Club Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa Katameya Heights Golf & Tennis Club Palm Sports Resort Al Ain Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club Sharjah Wanderers The Els Club The Montgomerie, Dubai The Royal Golf Club, Riffa Views

What award did Chef Francois receive in 2003?

Dinner for two and a bottle of house wine at St Maxims.

What is the new dining concept at St Maxims?

Email your answers to: win@sportingpublications.com

E M I R AT E S G O L F F E D E R AT I O N

UAE to host 29th Arab Championship AL HAMRA Golf Club in Ras Al Khaimah will host the 29th Arab Golf Championship from February 28th – March 5th as 16 Arab countries battle for honours around the first links course in the region.

Host nation the UAE will be spearheaded by Khalid Yousuf who recently competed in the Dubai Desert Classic and he will be joined by the Al Musharrekh brothers Ahmed and Abdullah and the experienced Ismail Sharif.

Last year in Australia a Yousuf-led UAE team finished top of the pile of all the Arabian teams contesting the Eisenhower Trophy and they are

Confirmed Countries Algeria Bahrain Egypt Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon (Defending Champion) Libya Morocco Oman Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Tunis UAE (Host country) Ahmed Al Musharrekh (right) and Khalid Yousuf (left) hope to help the UAE team to victory in the 29th Arab Golf Championship with a blend of youth and experience.

confident ahead of this year’s Arab Championship on home soil.

“We have the talent to win the championship,” said Sharif, a seven-time UAE National Champion. “All we need is to stay focussed on the job in hand. It won’t be easy since the competition is going to be very tough, but we have to keep faith in our abilities.”

Secretary General of the Emirates Golf Federation Adel Zarouni said: “We are delighted to host the Arab Golf Championship and we hope all the players will relish the experience of playing on the challenging layout of the par-72 Championship Golf Course at Al Hamra.

“This Championship will showcase to the Arab world the giant strides that have been made in the UAE with our golfing infrastructures of international standards.

We will try and ensure all the players and their delegations have a comfortable stay in the UAE and they return home with good memories of the Championship.”

Lebanon took the title last year as they completed a wire-to-wire victory at Dirab Golf Club in Riyadh but Zarouni is hopeful the UAE team will prevail this year. “We have selected the best available talent,” he said. “The team has an ideal blend of youth and experience and I am sure their extensive local knowledge will come in handy. May the best team win.”

UAE PGA

ARABIAN GOLF

Stuart Fee’s sublime 68 nets him deserved win STUART Fee collected the winner’s cheque of AED3,000 with a superb 4-under 68 at the eighth UAE PGA Order of Merit event of the season last month at Four Seasons Golf Club.

Fee, from Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, was in solid form as he found 10 fairways and 16 greens and made a total of five birdies on the day. He bogeyed the tough par-3 third hole but bounced back with birdies on holes 4 and 8 to make the turn in 35. Fee played the back nine perfectly with birdies on the 11th and 12th and a closing four to finish on the signature par-5 18th.

That gave him a three-shot victory over Dubai Creek’s David Gray and last season’s Order of Merit champion Simon Payne who shared second place with 1-under par 71.

After the event Fee said: “I was delighted with my ball striking today and it is great to get my second Order of Merit victory of the season. I felt that I could have gone even lower today as I missed six times from inside 12 feet for birdies, but luckily 4-under was enough to win. The course was in great shape as always, I can’t blame the greens, but hopefully I can sort out my putting before the next event at Arabian Ranches.”

Last year’s PGA Match Play champion Gray had a blistering front nine of 32 with birdies on holes 2, 5, 8 and 9 but some slack shots on the inward half meant he could only manage a 71. “My short game was rusty today and cost me a few shots,” said Gray. “But considering I have not played much recently second place was a pleasant surprise.”

Current Order of Merit leader Richard Sheridan, who is based at Four Seasons Golf Club, ended well with three straight birdies to finish fourth with a 1-over par 73. He produced some of his best golf of the season but struggled on the greens. Sheridan’s strong finish meant his lead at the top of the OOM is now 200 points over Emirates professional Jamie Wood who recently competed in both the Abu Dhabi Championship and the Dubai Desert Classic. “I am very happy with my form and am looking forward to the second half of the season,” said Sheridan. “I plan on playing a full schedule this year, so hopefully I can come out on top at the end.”

Order of Merit standings after eight events Name 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Richard Sheridan Jamie Wood Steve Chambers Stuart Fee David Gray James Bowring Greg Holmes Ross McArthur Simon Payne Stephen Hubner

No. Events 8 6 7 5 6 7 6 4 7 3

Total Points 1084.58 883.5 668.5 627.5 550 528.13 503.5 495 489.88 442.5

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71 71

E M I R AT E S G O L F C L U B

ARABIAN GOLF

Williams defends Emirates Open crown MAX Williams recorded a final-round 71 for a two-round total of 145 to retain his Emirates Amateur Open title. Despite starting the day four shots adrift of Christopher Keightley (East Clase Golf Club, Ireland), Williams produced a stunning performance over the Dubai Desert Classic layout to seal a three-stroke victory.

Williams, from Cuddington Golf Club, England, made it a Desert Swing double having clinched the Doha Amateur Championship earlier in the season. Consistency was the key to his triumph, managing to par 15 holes plus a pair of birdies on holes 6 and 13 with his only dropped shot coming on the 459-yard eighth.

Overnight leader Keightley slipped back to sixth place overall following a disappointing 81.

Some Emirates Golf members featured high up on the leaderboard with Steve Kelly taking the runner-up position with a 4-over 148 total.

The Dubai Desert Classic duo of Khalid Yousuf and Matthew Turner took third and fourth place respectively with 36-hole totals of 150 and 151.

Nasser Yacoob S.Mubarak from Bahrain went home with fifth place also on a 151 tally after a countback with Turner.

Dan Hendry (EGC) continued his fine run of form by taking the best net prize with rounds of 74 and 75 for a 149 total. Ronan O’Reilly (The Els Club) took second place in the net category followed by Paul King (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club). It was the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Emirates Amateur Open and it hosted its largest field yet with 141 golfers representing over 41 golf clubs worldwide.

LOCATION Emirates Hills, Interchange 5 Sheikh Zayed Road, opposite Hard Rock Café CONTACT (04) 380 2222 egc@dubaigolf.com Book online tee times at www.dubaigolf.com INFO Majlis Course – 1988 Wadi by Faldo Course – 1996, redesigned in 2006 COURSES Majlis – 18 holes, Par 72, 7211 yards, championship course Wadi by Faldo Course – 18 holes, Par 72, 7433 yards Designer: Majlis Course – Karl Litten WINTER RATES Wadi by Faldo : 18 holes EGC Majlis: 18 holes Par 3: 9 holes

RACK RATE WINTER PEAK WINTER OFF PEAK

995 995

795 100 695 100

875 875

625 100 535 100

645 645

490 100 490 100

UGA WINTER PEAK WINTER OFF PEAK JUNIOR WINTER PEAK WINTER OFF PEAK

Champion Max Williams with Club Captain Surender Kandhari

Barry finds form in Westar Medal JACQUI Barry fired a gross 79 (net 74) to triumph in the February Ladies Monthly Medal sponsored by Westar Properties. Her round included birdies on holes 3, 12 and 18 and her 7-over-par tally gifted her the best gross score for the day and top prize in Silver ‘A’ Division (handicap 0-12). Viv Caley signed for a net 75 to finish in the runner-up position.

Nova Matheson clinched back-to-back medal victories with a net 74 in Silver ‘B’ Division (handicap 13-20) closely pursued by Yong Bok Chun with a net 75.

The best net score of the day came in Bronze Division (handicap 21-36) with Shirin Dowlatshahi posting a net 72 to give her a four-stroke victory over Anne-Britt Mercer.

Jacqui Barry With Captain Elise Hanson

WINTER HIRE RATES Price (Dhs.) Club Hire 170 Practice Balls (per 50 balls) 30 Shoe Hire 65 Trolley Hire 30

Fredriksson holds on in Emirates Club Championship PONTUS Fredriksson held on to his overnight lead to triumph in the Men’s Club Championship with a 1-under-par tally for the 36-hole tournament.

Fredriksson blitzed the Faldo course during round one with a magnificent 6-under-par 67. His immaculate card consisted of 12 pars and six birdies playing both nines in 3-under-par on route to a four-shot lead over his closest rival Joel Neale.

The four-shot margin soon evaporated over the front nine of the Majlis course as Neale carded 37 to Fredriksson’s 41 strokes.

Both contenders were nervous over the front nine with the turning point coming on the 440-yard ninth with a three-shot swing going in Neale’s favour after a superb birdie three.

Fredriksson returned to his form from the previous day over the inward stretch picking up birdies on holes 10 and 13 to give him a two-

Champion Pontus Fredrikssonn with Club Captain Surender Kandhari shot cushion coming up the famous 18th. His bogey six was good enough to post a winning tally of 144, as Neale recorded a par five to finish one shot back.

Sean Thornberry claimed third place after a second-round 74 gave him a 154 total.

The best net score of the weekend went to another promising junior golfer, Matthew Curtis, as he signed for rounds of 71 and 69 to give him a 5-under-par total for the tournament. www.wwgolf.biz

73

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

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From the performance of the premium Pittards ® Taction™ APL ™ Cabretta leather to the incredible feel, breathability and grip, the best players in the world know that FootJoy gloves are the most technically advanced and highest quality gloves available. To discover for yourself why the world’s best count on FootJoy, visit footjoy.co.uk/gloves.

Source: Darrell Survey (US) Sports Marketing Surveys Ltd (Europe). Pro Sports International, PO Box 26723, Dubai, UAE footjoy.co.uk Available from: Abu Dhabi Golf & Equestrian Club, Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Al Badia, Al Ghazal, Dirab Golf Club, Doha Golf Club, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, Dubai Duty Free, Emirates Golf Club, Golf House Super Store, Golf Shop Direct, Katameya Heights, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mirage Golf Resort, Nad Al Sheba Club, Riffa Golf Club,The Montgomerie Dubai, Sports Mart Doha, ME Golf Kuwait.

JEBEL ALI GOLF RESORT & SPA

ARABIAN GOLF

HARRADINE DOES IT AGAIN! Annie Marriott Winner (34 Stableford points) with Peter Harradine.

Golf Course Architects Since 1929

(l-r) Martin Massueger from SwissAir, Daryl Livesey, David Burns, and Peter Harradine.

LOCATION The resort course is situated within the idyllic grounds of Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, approx. 40 minuets away from Dubai city centre, exit 13 on Sheikh Zayed highway.

CONTACT Phone +971 4 8836000 Fax +971 4 8837084 golf.teetimes@jaihotels.com INFO First opened 1997 Course: Championship standard 9-hole par 36 Designer: Peter Harradine RATES Valid from 1st Oct 2008 until 31st May 2009 WEEKLY RATES 9 hole green fee (Off Peak) UGA-Member – AED 155 Non-Resident – AED 170 9 hole green fee (Peak) UGA-Member – AED 175 Non-Resident – AED 190 18 hole green fee (Off Peak) UGA-Member – AED 280 Non-Resident – AED 310 18 hole green fee (Peak) UGA-Member –AED 310 Non-Resident – AED 345

Above: David Latimer (left) one of the winners picking up tickets to Above: Bjorn Heinrich (left), the other winner of the Rugby World the Rugby World Cup Sevens with James Williams.

Cup Sevens tickets.

THE incomparable and irrepressible Peter Harradine put on another fabulous golf day at Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa last month, and in the great tradition of the annual event an enjoyable day was had by all.

It was inevitable that Peter would give the assembled guests another no-holds-barred broadside of his outspoken views on life in general and golf course design in particular. But as one of the most respected and accomplished golf course designers in the businesshis opinions are valid.

He always has the interests of the ordinary golfer at heart and he has the impeccable credentials of having created some of the finest courses in the region, including Jebel Ali, the National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Doha Golf Club in Qatar – which host two of the three events of the Middle East Swing on The European Tour.

The Peter Harradine Golf Day hosted 52 enthusiastic guests who enjoyed the banter and

camaraderie that always accompanies this fun day out. Annie Marriott emerged the winner of the individual net Stableford competition with 34 points.

In second place was Robbie Greenfield, one point further back, and Anthony Hodgson came in third with 32 points.

In the on-course competitions Mike Cudby and Peter Disher claimed the Nearest the Pin prizes in their respective handicap divisions of 16-28 and 0-15 during the morning session while David Latimer and Mel Stewart took the same accolades in the afternoon.

Disher was again in the prizes as he won the 0-15 handicap Longest Drive prize in the morning while Frank Naughton struck the Longest Drive in the 16-28-handicap section. The afternoon Longest Drives were won by Mauricio Camacho and Daryl Fox in the 0-15 and 16-28 handicap sections respectively.

Alex Gallemore www.wwgolf.biz

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ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB

ARABIAN GOLF

Wyk, Schoeman, Hage, Chedotal and Freed star in Rivoli Monthly Medal PIETER Van Wyk (6), Jo Schoeman (5), Rania Hage (30), Jessie Chedotal (8) and Steve Freed (19) won their respective Divisional Rivoli Medals at Arabian Ranches Golf Club last month.

A full field of 89 players competed in almost perfect scoring conditions and the play reflected this as the CSS for Men and Ladies declared at 73 – the lowest for sometime.

Freed returned the lowest net score of the day with a 64 and he caught the eye of the handicap committee as this followed his net score of 65 in the January Rivoli Medal.

Hage continued her fine form as she returned a net 67 to win the Ladies Net Division despite a nine at the par-5 third hole.

Van Wyk returned a gross 77 to take the lowest gross

score of the day in the Men’s Division while Schoeman added another Rivoli Medal to her ever-building collection with an 8-over-par 80 for the Ladies lowest gross score.

Jessie Chedotal – Junior Champion in 2008 – returned back to the competitive scene and took the Net Medal in Division ‘A’ (hcp 0–12).

Elliott Gray said: “We have witnessed some fabulous scoring today, especially from Steve. Our Rivoli Monthly Medal is always well attended and with our Division ‘A’ now playing in fourballs and Division ‘B’ in threeballs we can accommodate more for this flagship strokeplay event. Our thanks to everyone at the Rivoli Group for their generous sponsorship of the 2009 events and to the team at Men-u Products for their support sponsorship of the event.”

CONTACT Tel: 04-366-3000 Fax: 04-366-3355 INFO Course: 18-hole championship course Designer: Ian Baker-Finch Winter Guest Room Rates Rates Applicable 1st October - 31st December, 2008 Guest Room Rates from: Visitors Dhs 695 RATE IS PER ROOM, PER NIGHT PLUS 10% MUNICIPALITY FEE AND 10% SERVICE CHARGE Winter 18 Hole Golf Rates Rates Applicable 1st October - 31st December, 2008 WEEKLY RATES Visitors Dhs 510 UGA Members Dhs 395 WEEKEND RATES Visitors Dhs 600 UGA Members Dhs 470

Club Captain Bob Fletcher with all the Rivoli Medal Winners.

RANGE BALLS Inclusive in rates BUGGY HIRE: Dhs 55

THE MONTGOMERIE, DUBAI

Pitman pips the Vice Captain BMW’s February Citizens Stableford competition attracted a field of over 60 who all competed for the prizes provided by AGMC, the exclusive importer of BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce in Dubai, Sharjah and the Northern Emirates.

Paul Pitman took the Division ‘A’ title ahead of Vice Captain David Russell by a margin of only two points.

In Division ‘B’ a countback was needed to confirm a victor and Mukti Rai edged it ahead of John Millar.

The highest haul of points came in Division ‘C’ where Nikhil Nanda scored 42 to win from runner-up Avinash Panharkar.

The Ladies Division ‘A’ saw Kathleeen Done had an amazing day taking the Nearest the Pin prize on hole 17 and then claiming the title ahead of Joan Wortley-Hunt.

In Division ‘B’ Jane grey saw off the competition to take first place from Linda Mahoney while individual prizes went to Sheena Holtkamp and Keith Stacey who smashed the Longest Drives while Andrew Costelow took the Nearest the Pin title.

(l-r) Mukti Rai, David Russell, Joan Wortley-Hunt, Jane Gray and Kate Done.

Rob Holtkamp, Richard Done, Mukti Rai (red shirt), Keith Stacey, Sheena Holtkamp, Paul Pitman, Kate Done, Richard Smith, Fiona Linn, Angela Lee and Heena from Ecco.

Pitman does it again in Ecco Medal PAUL Pitman claimed his second title of the month with a fantastic gross 77 to beat Richard Smith in the Men’s Division ‘A’ of the February Ecco Medal.

Keith Stacy was the winner of the Net Division ahead of runner-up Rob Holtkamp.

In the Mens Division ‘B’ Mukti Rai was the winner with a net score of 65 ahead of runner-up Alex Anderarakis while in Division ‘C’ Aman Nanda took the title ahead of Naresh Bhambhaney with just two shots separating them.

In the Ladies Division ‘A’ Jackie Allinson took the title in a close fought battle with a gross 87 ahead of Sheena Holtkamp by one shot.

The Net title went to Angela Lee with Kate Done as runner-up. In Division ‘B’ Fiona Linn took the Net title ahead of Valerie Seed.

In the individual prizes the Longest Drives went to Richard Done and Sheena Holtkamp in the men’s and ladies’ divisions respectively and the Nearest the Pin prizes went to Bob Linn and Sonal Gandhi. www.wwgolf.biz

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E S N A A D G O L F D AY

ESNAAD’S ESNAAD’s third Annual Golf Tournament, held at Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s National Course on Saturday February 14th, was another hugely successful and much-enjoyed event, following the tradition of the first two tournaments.

Played as a 4-ball betterball Stableford competition the team of Nozomi Fujita, Andrew Palmer, Louay Jeroudi and Rick Lloyd emerged victorious with 88 points, one point ahead of the team of Teruhisa Osaki, Hussam El-Sayed, Takahiko Shingai and Lafayatte Dunn.

Nearest the Pin winner for the ladies on Hole 4 was Jean Heycock, and for the men, Abdulla Al-Marzooki took the prize on Hole 7. Sigrid Hoffmeyer-Aziz won the Longest Drive in the ladies competition for Hole 6, and Abdulla Al Qasem won the Longest Drive on Hole 17 in the men’s division.

The bad weather over the previous few days had cleared up and the dedicated field of 92 golfers

Winning Team: Nozomi Fujita, Louay Jeroudi, Andrew Palmer, Rick Lloyd.

THE ELS CLUB

$90,000 raised at Els Club in January JANUARY was certainly a very busy month for those at The Els Club with the opening of the Butch Harmon School of Golf and the Charity Challenge event featuring Ernie Els. A marvelous $90,000 was raised for autism, which is an amazing effort and we hope to go even higher next year.

Els was delighted with the progress of the facility and was quoted as saying that the course condition is as good as anywhere in

the world. He was also very happy with the plans for the permanent clubhouse which is due to be fully operational by September.

Plenty of members participated in the inaugural Club Championships and Handicap Cup competitions.

Ronan O’Reilly and Kyung Sook Kim took the Club Championship titles while Dirk Mohrmann and Madhu Bhatia won the Handicap Cup events.

Butch Harmon School of Golf THE Butch Harmon School of Golf offers golfers the opportunity to improve their game at the most technologically advanced teaching facilities in the Middle East.

Three air-conditioned swing studios provide students with wall-mounted cameras linked to the latest V1 Video Swing Analysis system. There is also a SamPuttLab to give precise scientific feedback on all parameters of the putting stroke, a BalanceLab to accurately record weight distribution throughout the swing and a Trackman Launch Monitor – a radar based device ideal for monitoring ball flight.

The fourth and largest studio offers the AMM electro-magnetic 3D motion capture body swing analysis system allowing players to receive an “MRI” of their golf swing plus the very latest state-of-the-art Technogym Kinesis.

The Butch Harmon School of Golf also showcases the latest Titleist products and provide specialist custom club-fitting.

Call the club on 425 1040 to discuss the various packages on offer.

ARABIAN GOLF

HAT-TRICK OF SUCCESS began arriving at 6.30am for a 7.30am start. After enjoying a light breakfast, group photos were taken before play began.

Many of the guests, including the UAE National Team, had travelled from Dubai for the event while other guests and clients, had come from all over the Middle East to participate in the tournament.

So, under clear blue skies, and with a light breeze and warm sunshine beckoning, the enthusiastic field took to the course and enjoyed a day filled with good humour, great camaraderie and, of course, good golf!

The day was concluded after lunch with the prize giving for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners, special events and a lucky draw.

ESNAAD General Manager, Darwish Al-Qubaisi, extended his sincere thanks to everyone who made the effort to get up early that morning to come and join in the fun.

Winning Team: Louay Jeroudi, Nozomi Fujita, Andrew Palmer, Rick Lloyd.

2009 Esnaad Golf Tournament Results: 1st place – 88 Betterball Stableford points Nozomi Fujita Andrew Palmer Louay Jeroudi Rick Lloyd 2nd place – 87 Betterball Stableford points Teruhisa Osaki Hussam El-Sayed Takahiko Shingai Lafayette Dunn 3rd place – 85 Betterball Stableford points Emanuel Ostojic Jamilla Al-Nasser Chung-Yong Chil Hanif Hamid

Sigrid Aziz (right) receives her prize from ESNAAD General Manager Darwish Al-Qubaisi.

4th place – 85 Betterball Stableford points Abdulla Al-Marzooqi Ahmed Al-Mesharrekh Christian Koch Ahmed Al-Suwaidi

Third-place winners Emanuel Ostojic, Jamilla Al-Nasser, Chung-Yong Chil, Hanif Hamid.

Abdulla Al-Marzooqi (right) receives his prize from ESNAAD General Manager Darwish Al-Qubaisi. www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

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Award-winning French cuisine

For

Reservations: t. +971 4 380 2222 e. egcdining@dubaigolf.com www.dubaigolf.com

D U B A I C R E E K G O L F & YA C H T C L U B

Kim returns to form

ARABIAN GOLF LOCATION Deira, opposite Deira City Centre

K.S KIM returned to some sparkling form to shoot a gross 4-over par net 70 to narrowly win February’s Monthly Medal.

An extremely consistent round that included 14 pars and four bogeys fended off three other players who all finished with a net 71.

Kim was also the clear winner in the Ladies Division by six shots from Serifa D’Souza’s net 76 who finished alone in second place.

The Men’s Division ‘A’ witnessed a well-deserved win for Tariq Al Sowadi who carded a net 71 – which included an almost disastrous triple bogey on the first hole. Al Sowadi has a place on the UAE National Team firmly in his sights and having his handicap cut to 9.5 has put him agonisingly close to the required nine handicap for being able to try and qualify for the elite squad.

Runner-up was Stephen Clarke on net 74 who managed to push the new Captain Francisco Giles out of the prizes by virtue of a better back nine.

In the Men’s Division ‘B’ Viney Mehra and Luiz Bertoul were tied on net 71 and after his first-ever medal score breaking gross 90, Mehra won by virtue of his better back nine.

Overall winner K.S Kim receives her BMW trophy from DCGYC

Captain Francisco Giles and David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at Dubai Creek.

Shahriar Khodjasteh, Group Marketing Director of Aqili Furnishings and David Gray, Golf Operations Executive at DCGYC presenting Peter Shaw and Paul King with their trophies.

assisted his length while Nabugh Nasr won Nearest the Pin on hole 5 hole with a superb iron shot inside five feet. In the off-course prizes Shahriar Khodjasteh drew the raffle for the monthly Carpetland Rug giveaway and to his amazement it went to his good friend Steven Jeppeson.

Van Wyk and Kumar win the 2009 Dulsco Classic SOME of the finest amateur golfers in the region participated in the Dulsco Classic, which saw players play in both individual and team events.

Playing on 3/4 handicaps, the format was a team of four players, with the two best scores on each hole counting towards the total.

A total of 90 golfers teed off in the 1pm shotgun start and in the individual category Pieter Van Wyk and Dileep Kumar took the honors in their respective divisions.

Van Wyk took first place on 34 points with some wonderful golf in the Division ‘A’ (handicap 0-14) ahead of Babu Subramanian, who finished four points behind, while Wayne Sheridan walked away with third prize, scoring 29 points. Kumar won first

INFO First Open 1993, redesigned in 2005 Course: 18 holes, Par 71, 6,857 yards, championship course Design Originally: Karl Litten Redesign: European Golf Design in association with Thomas Björn

RATES The Shoulder Rates below are valid from 1st October 2008 until 15th November 2008, and from 1st April 2009 until 31st May 2009 Winter rates Dubai Creek Course: 18 holes Par-3 course: 9 holes

King and Shaw wrap up Carpetland Open PETER Shaw and Paul King won the Carpetland Monthly Open in mid February by virtue of a superb back nine of 4-under 32. The low handicappers, who play off 5 and 3 respectively, gelled extremely well and Shaw even surprised himself by shooting a superb gross 1-under 70. The pair’s betterball strokeplay total was 8-under 63, which nudged Luiz and Noemy Betuol into second place by two shots.

Finishing in third place by virtue of a better back nine was Ramli Sulaiman and Norhandi Allias with 6-under 65, which pushed Vinay Mehra and Suneel Aggarwal out of the prizes.

Longest Drive was won by a fortunate shot from Saybine Frayburger on the 12th hole where the cart path

C0NTACT (04) 295 6000 dcgyc@dubaigolf.com Book online tee times at www. dubaigolf.com

place in the Division ‘B’ (handicap 15-36) with 39 points, followed by runner-up Robin Roddricks with 33 points and Qamar Rasheed in third place with 30.

The team of Rajeev Lal, Dileep Kumar, Arvind Kittur and Pritpal S. Thethy took first place in the team event, scoring 78 points.

In second place, one point behind, were James Binns, Wayne Sheridan, Ali Al Shabibi and Qamar Rasheed while the team of Darryl Peterson, Pieter Van Wyk, Robin Roddricks and Aseem Aziz finished third with 76 points.

Van Wyk picked up three prizes – Nearest The Pin (hole 8), first place in the Individual category Division ‘A’ (handicap of 0-14) scoring 34 points and was also on the second placed team in the team championship.

Rack Rate 18 Shoulder Peak 695 Shoulder Off Peak 595 Winter Peak 795 Winter Off Peak 695

9 75 75 75 75

UGA Shoulder Peak 625 Shoulder Off Peak 535 Winter Peak 715 Winter Off Peak 625

75 75 75 75

Junior Shoulder Peak 490 Shoulder Off Peak 490 Winter Peak 560 Winter Off Peak 560

55 55 55 55

WINTER HIRE RATES Price (Dhs.) Club Hire Practice Balls (per bucket of 50 balls) Shoe Hire Trolley Hire

170 30 65 25

Peter Van Wyk holds his trophy.

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MIDWEEK GOLF PROMOTION AED 350 per person incl. 10% discount on Food & Beverage and 10% discount on Merchandise products in the Pro Shop from Sunday to Thursday Visit www.adgolfclub.com to download the promotion voucher Valid until 31st of March 2009. Not applicable with any other promotion or public holidays. Must hold a valid UAE driving license or UAE residency visa.

www.troongolf.com Abu Dhabi Golf Club P.O. Box 51234 Abu Dhabi, UAE T: +971 2 558 8990 F: +971 2 558 5005 E: info@adgolfclub.com W: www.adgolfclub.com

ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB

ARABIAN GOLF

Tim Mahoney Visits Abu Dhabi Golf Club CONTACT (02) 558 8990 INFO: The 27 hole championship course, managed by the worldrenowned Troon Golf, weaves through undulating terrain that features palms, ornamental trees and shrubs, as well as nine spectacular saltwater lakes.

The experience provides a toughbut-fair challenge, with lush fairways, strategically placed bunkers and generous greens.

Designed by Peter Harradine, planting had begun way back in 1992, accounting for the well-established look the Club presented even on the day of its inauguration.

OFF PEAK RATES: National Course Non Member AED 325 EGF Member AED 260 WEEKEND RATES Non Member AED 390 EGF Member AED 320 Buggy Hire & Range Balls included in the above rates.

THE Golf Institute by Troon Golf at Abu Dhabi Golf Club received a visit from Tim Mahoney, Head of Education for Troon Golf recently as he gave coaching seminars and two days of golf schools.

Mahoney has been presented with many prestigious coaching awards and his presence at Abu Dhabi caused quite a stir.

The first day of his visit was a unique experience for Troon Golf PGA Associates in the UAE. Golf Professionals from Abu Dhabi Golf Club, The Montgomerie Dubai, and The Els Club, were treated to an all day coaching seminar to further enhance their teaching skills.

The first half of the day was spent inside discussing the latest teaching techniques, theories, drills and teaching aids.

The afternoon moved out to the driving range for some training with lessons. All of the professionals found the session extremely informative and felt grateful to learn from one of the best in the industry.

Mahoney’s visit was also a special treat for members and guests of ADGC as he conducted two days of golf schools. Each student was given the opportunity of spending eight hours with the highly respected instructor.

Students covered a vast subject range such as short game, putting, bunkers, full swing and drives. The students thoroughly enjoyed their two days of instruction and all look forward to their handicaps dropping very quickly!

Mahoney is planning on making a return visit to the Middle East in late 2009, or early 2010.

Tim Mahoney puts students through their paces during two days of golf schools at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Beat the pros challenge JUST two weeks after the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, Abu Dhabi Golf Club members had their chance to play ‘Where the Pros Play’.

The four-person team scramble male participants played from the championship tees and the ladies played the men’s white tees.

The flags were also set up to the exact pin positions that were used during the final round of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship where England’s Paul Casey was victorious.

Although the rough wasn’t quite as long as it was during the Championship, conditions were very tough.

Seventy two competitors played against the Abu Dhabi Golf Club team of professionals. Taking 10 percent of the member team’s combined handicap, nine of the 18 teams ended up beating the pro score of 66.

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ARABIAN GOLF Al Mansour turns on the style DIRAB GOLF CLUB

Participants in the Al Salam Aircraft 2009 Golf Championship.

SAUDI junior Abdulrahman Al Mansour played the best round of his life to clinch the overall Best Net title in the 2009 Al Salam Aircraft Golf Championship held recently.

The youngster shot a net 65 in ideal playing conditions as a record 120-plus participants took part in the annual tournament.

Bahraini Hamad Salem beat Eric Liquigan for the overall Best Gross crown. Salem fired a 4-over 76 to pip Liquigan by one shot in the 18-hole full handicap stroke play tournament. Liquigan did, however,

take the First Division title with a net 70 over his old pal Richard Gaas on 71 while Julian Bennett took third on 73.

With net 70, Finlay Graham won the Second Division ahead of John Freel and Nadeem Mirza by one stroke. Freel took second place after a countback.

Roslyne de Parcevaux carded the second best net score of 68 to win the Ladies Division with Chan Hwi Lee behind on 71 and Flore Bouzann with 73.

Dirab and Riyadh Road Runners launch Sanad Charity fundraising events The runners begin the half marathon.

CONTINUING with the their long-running Sanad Charity Event fundraisers, Riyadh Road Runners kicked off 2009 with the their half marathon in late January.

Staged on a course inside the extensive Dirab Golf Club grounds, the half marathon attracted the crème de la crème of expatriate and Saudi runners. With its largest turnout to date, the race kicked off at

7.30 am and it was Riadh Louhaichi who crossed the finish-line first.

The full marathon is scheduled for March 6 and Riyadh Road Runners and Dirab Golf Club expect an even bigger turnout. With an excellent lunch sponsored by Radisson SAS and drinks by Almarai, Pepsi Cola and Gatorade another excellent day is guaranteed at Dirab Golf Club.

Duda is the Champion of the Champions

Participants and winners pose after the day’s play.

MARK Duda scored a gross 75 to claim the annual Mansour Al Mansour Champion of Champions Cup after a battle between all the tournament winners of the 2008 season.

Leaving his permanent mark on Dirab, Duda checked in with nines of 38 and 37 to win by five shots from Fahad Al Mansour and seven shots from M.S. Kim. Best Net went to D.S Kang with a total of 70, who won a trophy and Callaway stand bag for his efforts. Mohamed Benamar– a Dirab stalwart – claimed second place after a countback from Ejas Hussein as they both came in with 72.

Mitsuyo Saito shot a fabulous hole-in-one on hole 4 on her way to a net score of 68 to give her Ladies Division title. Mami Tsukuda and Chan Hwi Lee compiled respective scores of net 76 and 83 to follow in second and third place. www.wwgolf.biz

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K ATA M E YA H E I G H T S G O L F & T E N N I S C L U B

Second Sofitel Golf Cup THE Second Sofitel Golf Cup took place in February at Katameya Heights and the team of Farid Isaa, Sophie Issa, Essam Badawi and John Hendrix took the title after scoring a net scramble score of 56.6. Second place went to the team of Omar El Geddawy, Raymond Cham and Emmanual and Pascale Le Masson who scored 56.8 while third place went to Taymour Abou El Kheir, Hide Nishihira and Maha Senoussi with 59.36.

Vodafone January Junior Team Gauld win the third event in the Parent Golfer of the Month and Child Golf Series SIXTY players competed in the third event of the ever-popular Parent and Child Golf Series. The winning team of Forbes and Blair Gauld produced some spectacular golf in the nine-hole scramble format over the New Nine Course as they returned a net 30.8 and beat the runner-up duo of Iby and Timi Obatoyinbo with net 31.8.

The third placed team of Catriona and Euan Morrison came in with a net 33.4.

ABDEL Aziz Said (Zizo) was crowned the Vodafone January Junior Golfer of the Month by all the PGA Golf Professionals at Katameya after it was decided he was the junior who has shown dedication, enthusiasm for the game and improvement through their practice and tournament results during the month.

Zizo – as his friends know him – has had two victories in the last few months and has been a model of consistency throughout the season so far.

Zizo has been working extensively with Head Golf Professional Steven Burton and he said: “It’s hard to believe that Zizo is only eight years old and already he is showing signs of being a true champion. His level of enthusiasm, dedication, practice is phenomenal, he just loves golf.”

Zizo has been seen practicing in his own time on all aspects of his game and for his dedication and hard work he won a pro shop voucher and a nine-hole playing lesson with the PGA Professional of his choice.

Junior team east to victory Fourth event of the Katameya THIS year’s annual match between the Katameya Junior team Junior Golf Series and Katameya Ladies team was played in very tough conditions – although with the performance that the junior team put on you would not think so.

The juniors dominated all but one game and secured a dominating 5-1 victory to take the lead 2 ½ -1 ½ in the annual series. Junior Team Captain Forbes Gauld was presented the trophy from Ladies Captain Nadia Ziwar, who was as gracious in defeat as her opposite number was in victory.

EVENT four of the 2008-2009 Katameya Junior Series took place in late January with a total of 45 juniors competing in three different categories.

The Category ‘1’ golfers competed over the championship course and found scoring difficult but Katherine Spangenberg narrowly beat Hassan Said on a countback to take first prize after they both shot a net 70.

Category ‘2’ players competed over nine holes – a Stableford format on the New Nine – and they seemed to find the scoring slightly easier. The champion golfer was Jose Phillips, who produced a very solid nine holes to give him 25 Stableford points. Phillips’ closest rival and runner-up was Pier Cappetti, who returned 24

Stableford points, and third place went to Harry Butterworth with 22 Stableford points.

The Katameya Kids Category, who competed over six shortened holes on the New Nine, produced some magnificent scores and it was Abdel Aziz Said who returned a gross 23 to win by three shots. Dirk Cappetti finished second while third place went to Misha Murdoch.

Category 2 Champion Jose Phillips (left).

PALM SPORTS RESORT AL AIN

ARABIAN GOLF LOCATION: The Palm Sports Resort is situated to the south of the road between Tawam Hospital roundabout and the Maqam Palace traffic lights, on the site of the old Equestrian Centre.

CONTACT Tel: + 971 3 7026 400 golf@palsportsresort.com INFO: Opened in 2007, a 9 hole grass golf course with 9 newly rebuilt greens Weekend rates 18 holes include shared golf cart and driving range.

Bedouins and Eunuchs share the points TWENTY-two of Abu Dhabi’s finest golfers made the short trip to the Palm Sports Resort in the first ever meeting between the two sides and it couldn’t have been closer with the result tied at 5.5-5.5.

The Abu Dhabi Eunuchs, led by Roger Sutton, and the Palm Sports Bedouins, led by Jenny Brown, split into 11 separate matches playing the format of betterball match play.

There was a positive buzz around the away team as a number of their players went away with happy memories from previous visits to Palm Sports, but little did they know the hours of preparation that had been put in by the home team’s Jenny Brown and her trusty vice captain Dane

Sandford. The 1pm shotgun saw the players make their way to the course and the early signs signaled that it was going to be a close affair.

Four hours of battle later and the results started to filter in – the first four matches in the clubhouse all recorded victories of one-hole advantages, two in the favor of the Eunuchs and two for the Bedouins. Then the pairing of Walter Hall and Julia Simpson got the first full point on the board for the away side with their 5&4 victory over Dave Matear and Debbie Noble. However, overall honours were even again as Michaela Hlouskova and Michelle Sandford took a point from the pairing of Tom Jones and Tony Merriman.

Two of the last five matches ended

WEEKEND RATES: 18 holes: UGA – 280AED Non UGA – 300AED

up as halves while the pairing of Richard Brown and Jeff Glasgow Junior and Carrol Duhon and Tim Langford both took a point for the Bedouins and Eunuchs respectively, leaving the two teams stood at five each – with one game out on the course.

The final match saw the heavyweights from the Bedouins in the form of Jim Muirhead and Scott Cotter take on the course specialist and the Captain from the Eunuchs, Sharon Hall and Roger Sutton.

The match result came in and it was another halved game, giving a final score of five and a half points per side.

The usual golfing banter followed in the clubhouse afterwards and the date for the rematch was arranged.

9 holes: UGA – 170AED Non UGA – 190AED WEEKDAY RATES: 18 holes: UGA – 230AED Non UGA – 250AED 9 holes: UGA – 140AED Non UGA – 160AED CLUB RATES: 9-hole – 90AED 18-hole – 140AED

Lyndon on top in tight Thursday Social LYNDON Chalmers wasted no time in getting his round off to a great start with a birdie at his first hole – the long par-5 sixth as he claimed the top spot in Division ‘A’ on a countback during the Thursday Social.

Chalmer’s 37 gross saw him record 19 Stableford points to win from David Laird and Carol Nolte with the pair also recording totals of 19 points. Laird continued his hot run of form with a fine gross 40 but lost out to Chalmers over the last six holes and had to settle for the runner-up spot. However, Laird did manage to beat Nolte with a countback being used on both players’ totals over holes 7, 8 and 9.

Division ‘B’ was also a close affair even though the scoring was not quite as impressive as their Division ‘A’

counterparts. Masroor Noor Hussein ran out the victor with his 51 gross for 14 points. A steady round of golf was put together by the 28 handicapper who managed to score points on eight of the nine holes – the highlight being the four points he made on hole 1. A countback again was called upon to split George Carruthers and Eoin Cunniffe with both players returning with 13 points.

Carruthers managed to push Cunniffe in to third spot in the Division and take the runner-up spot for himself after his higher points tally over the last six holes.

David Laird was again called up in the prize giving to collect the Nearest the Pin prize after his approach to hole 7. www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

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FOUR SEASONS GOLF CLUB

Bhatia wins February Medal ANISH Bhatia led a strong field to top the podium with a very respectable net 72, at February’s Monthly Medal.

Bandi Rao held a firm grasp on Division ‘A’ and – after a countback – edged Simon Bateman into second place as they both carded a net 79.

Division ‘B’ was won by Rabih Sfeila with a net 73 with Derek Kirton securing second place two stokes further back.

Nadeem Masud’s attention to detail secured him the on course competitions of Nearest the Pin on hole 3 and the Straightest Drive on hole 9.

Dr Nawal Fawaz claimed hole 13’s Nearest the Pin with Claire Kirton driving for victory on hole 4’s Longest Drive.

Madhu Pillai scored a brilliant 82 to claim the title of Gross Winner.

Bateman on top in Stableford THE inclement weather at the beginning of the year conveniently dissipated for a few glorious hours during the first Stableford competition of the year for members of Four Seasons Golf Club and it was Simon Bateman who took advantage.

Bateman was crowned the overall winner after his haul of 38 points, while in Division ‘A’ Anish Bhatia claimed the top spot with 34 points. Bandi Rao finished two points back in second place. In

Overall Winner Simon Bateman (l) with Golf Services Manager Craig Skimming.

Division ‘B’ Rabih Sfeila and Ahmed Hamza both scored 33 points but, after a card countback, Sfeila was crowned the winner.

Victors of the on-course competitions were Simon Bateman and Nico Ekendahl on the Nearest the Pin challenges on holes 3 and 11 respectively. Dr Nawaf Fawaz and Simon Bateman struck the Straightest Drives on holes 9 and 12 respectively.

Division ‘A’ Winner Anish Bhatia (l) with Craig Skimming.

ABU DHABI GOLF & EQUESTRIAN CLUB

Novack and Co. shine

A BEAUTIFUL day in late January provided the perfect opportunity to host the busiest Rotana Junior League event of the season so far as over 115 young golfers participated in the fourth round of the series.

In the 18-hole event Jack Novack claimed the trophy with an outstanding net 70 from his 22-handicap.

The 10-hole event saw nine-yearold Darren Hall blitz the field with an outstanding score of 28 Stableford points while the three-hole event was a hugely tight affair which witnessed a tie for first place as Saif Arar and Phillip Efstatiou

both came home in 12 Shots.

In the ‘nippers’ two-hole event Hamish Smith was victorious for the Boys, taking 15 shots to cover the two holes, while Maha Sattar took the Girls trophy with an impressive 12 shots.

The overall gross prize went to Sana Tufail who returned a wonderfully steady round of 86.

In the coaches’ picks for the month’s most improved players, Jackson Spindle and Sarah Will were the deserving recipients as they collected their prizes from ADGEC’s Golf Professionals and Donna Kenyon of Beach Rotana.

Steady scoring in windy Novotel Medal

ON a cool and blustery day in January a full field of 88 players took part in their quest for honours at the Novotel Monthly Medal.

Scoring conditions were tough due to the wind but Division ‘A’ was won by a solid score from Mark Hardeman as the 7-handicapper produced a score of net 72 to top the pile.

In Division ‘B’ Tony Merriman blitzed the field with a bestof-the-day net 67 while George Malouf claimed the Division ‘C’ top spot with a net 68.

The Gross Division was won by Rob Smith who continued his excellent form and overall dominance by firing a steady 75 while in the Ladies Division it was Lady Captain Sharon Hall who edged home with a net 70 from her 11-handicap.

SHARJAH WANDERERS

ARABIAN GOLF

Like father, like son

The winners accept their prizes alongside sponsor Lars Liden and Captain Chris Scott.

GRAHAM Ellis won the annual Gulf Rock Tournament to match his son, who is a previous past winner.

Ellis did not have things all his own way, eventually winning on a countback from David Lea over the last six holes in an event that continues to attract a large field of members and guests.

It was a family affair in the guest division with sponsor Lars Liden’s son Wilhelm taking the honours by two clear shots.

At the prize presentation Captain Chris Scott thanked Liden for his superb support for the tournament, which continues to be one of the highlights of the annual calendar.

TENNANT OVERPOWERS FIELD MALCOLM Tennant again proved he was the best golfer at Sharjah Wanderers Golf Club by beating Paul Macbeth into second place with a magnificent gross 71 in the February Chivas Monthly Mug. At the prize presentation Vice

Captain Gary Falk offered his sincere congratulations to Tenant on his exceptional performance, particularly in light of his own performance, which produced a score 24 shots worse than the winning 71, leaving him in last place!

Gary Falk – Vice Captain (l), Malcolm Tennant (c) and Paul O’Rourke, MMI sponsors representative (r).

LOCATION 2km from Tasjeel Auto Village behind Emirates Road. A five minute drive from University City.

CONTACT +971 6 548 7777 info@golfandshootingshj.com INFO A 9-hole fully floodlit course designed by Peter Harradine.

Played twice results in a par-72 layout in excess of 7,300 yards.

RATES ON PEAK 18 HOLES: Guest – 275DHS EGF – 245DHS OFF PEAK 18 HOLES: Guest – 220DHS EGF – 200DHS ON PEAK 9 HOLES: Guest – 165DHS EGF – 150DHS OFF PEAK 9 HOLES: Guest – 135DHS EGF – 120DHS HIRE RATES Golf cart – 18 holes: 60AED Full club set – 18 holes 150AED Golf shoes – 50AED Golf trolley – 20AED

SHARJAH GOLF & SHOOTING CLUB

Air Arabia Match Buchanan and Green claim Plays Round-Up Club Championships THE second round of the Air Arabia Match Plays have now been completed. Summer Matchplay runner-up Oliver Godart (5) continued his fine form in the winter series by defeating Jacqui Stewart (17) and Godart’s next opponent will be Mohammed Al Musharrekh (9) who beat Pannu Hardesh (36).

Bill Buchanan (5) produced a level-par 16-hole total to beat SGSC Head Teaching Professional David Condon (0) 3&2. This sets the Scotsman up for a quarter-final match against Ian Roberts (13) after he beat Marty Brown (14) over 18 holes.

Fifteen-year-old Hassan Al Musharrekh (9) continued his relentless form by defeating SGSC Golf Professional Tom Hartley (0) 3&2 and will now face George Liu (6) in their semi-final clash.

In the gross competition regular playing partners Liu and Buchanan will face each other in the quarter-finals after Lui beat Johannes Louw (9) in the second round.

Tony Andrews (21) and Martin Duff (0) face Marty Brown (14) and S.V Reddy (20) in the next round of the doubles after they both successfully negotiated their quarter-final rounds.

THE first annual Men’s and Ladies Club Championships was a 36-hole stroke play tournament and the ever-present member Bill Buchanan (5) returned an aggregate score of 156 over the two days to take the top prize. He shot a 77 on day one and a 79 under the pressure of day two to beat playing partner Abdullah Al Musharrekh (4) by three.

Abdullah shot 77 in his first round but struggled on day two to a second round 82.

Finishing one shot further behind, in third place, was George Liu (6). His total of 160 included an opening round of 78 and a second round of 82.

Liu’s undoing proved to be a costly seven at the par-3 17th when at the time he was only a stroke behind Buchanan.

Roy Holmes (8) won the best net over the two

days with 149, which included a best-of-the-day net 73 on day two. Tony Andrews (21) finished four shots behind to take second place with 153 as he fired two consistent rounds of net 77 and 76. Third place went to Ian Roberts (13) who had mixed results over the two days starting with a net 80 but finished in fine style with a net 74.

Experienced golfer Carol Green (13) won the Ladies Club Championships with an aggregate score of 195. Green started day one with a gross 98 to tie with Jacquie Stewart. Green’s secondround 97 gave her the edge and a four-stroke winning margin.

Ever-improving Zina Butzova, who has only been playing golf over the past 18 months (36), won the best net with 157 after two steady rounds of net 78 and 79.

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R OYA L G O L F C L U B AT R I F FA V I E W S

Seef Dental Monthly Medal Series gets underway supports Ladies Golf SEEF Dental have confirmed sponsorship of a series of ladies-only golf competitions to be held at the Royal Golf Club. The tournaments will take place on the last Wednesday of every month and will be open to both club members and to guests.

“We are very excited about the forthcoming Seef Dental Ladies Golf Series,” said Dr Sameh Shaheen of Seef Dental. “There will be fantastic prizes on offer every month and because each tournament will be played in a different format, everyone will have a chance to win. We are pleased to play a part in encouraging and supporting women’s health through the sport of golf.”

Dr. Sameh Shaheen (l) of Seef Dental with Michael Braidwood, General Manager of the Royal Golf Club

ROB Lane and Andrew Nelson were the overall winners of their respective categories in the first match of the Royal Golf Club’s Members’ Monthly Medal Series. Lane clinched first place in the 0–12 handicap section with a net 75 while Nelson was victorious in the 13–28 section, also with a net 75.

Nearly 70 of the club’s members took part in the January qualifier. The leading three players from each handicap section each month will go on to compete in a Grand Final in December.

FINAL RESULTS:

0–12 Handicap Section: 1st Rob Lane (net 75), 2nd Alistair Ellerby (net 75 c/b), 3rd Aidan McNulty (net 78) 13 – 28 Handicap Section (36 for Ladies): 1st Andrew Nelson (net 75), 2nd Rene Dupont (net 76), 3rd Stan Kwik (net 79 c/b)

Lady Captain’s Drive-In THE husband and wife team of Des Prunty and Verleen Burkinshaw were the overall winners of the Lady Captain’s DriveIn competition in February.

Nearly 60 competitors turned out to watch the opening tee shot of the season for Lady Captain Sara Thompson as Prunty and Burkinshaw emerged as champions with a very respectable net 72. Prunty also managed to scoop the prize for Longest Drive. Finishing in second place in the mixed greensomes tournament were Tony James and Evelyn Hug with net 74.5.

During the prize presentation which followed, Thompson thanked everyone for their generosity to the Lady Captain’s charity and for welcoming her as the Royal Golf Club’s 2009 Lady Captain.

DOHA GOLF CLUB

Byrne Ladies Valentines Greensome

All players line up before the Byrne Ladies Valentines Greensome.

COLLEEN Lerubino and Chom Rum Sariowan won the Byrne Ladies’ Valentines Greensome competition last month after an excellent score of net 78. In second place, two shots further back, was the duo of Ellen Dissevelt and Yvonna Smitskamp.

Marissa Agaceta made the Longest Drive on hole 9 while Annette Hansen boomed the Longest Drive down hole 10. The Nearest the Pin challenge was won by Linda Bealassio on hole 8 while Agaceta added to her individual haul on hole 17’s Nearest the Pin.

Juniors wrap up Mixed Open THE Eighth InterContinental Doha Mixed Open once again proved to be one of the highlights of Doha Golf Club’s golfing calendar as participants took to the fairways for three compelling days of golf.

Junior members Husam Al Hashimi and Kelly McGovern were crowned the winners after their 148 net and they were awarded a three-

month family membership at the InterContinental Bay Club.

Taking second place, a shot further back, was the husband and wife team of Harris and Sharon Swartz, who won themselves a two-night stay in a luxurious suite at the InterContinental Doha. Michael and Mary Winners Husam Al Hashimi (middle) and Kelly Jensen scooped third place McGovern (right) with Andy Nightingale (left), Sales with150 net on countback. & Marketing Director of InterContinental Doha.

AL GHAZAL GOLF CLUB

ARABIAN GOLF

Rene and Mike sneak to victory

CONTACT Tel: + 971 2 575 8040 Fax: + 971 2 575 8041

(l-r)– Club Captain Will Low, Chaya Kinder, Lady Captain Gill Sibson, Derek Sibson, Wafa Abu Sadah, Sponsor Hany Abdelnour, Paul Carrahar, Emily and Eddie Brown. with 81. Derek and Lady Captain Gill Sibson emulated last year’s position to take third spot on 78 points.

The Nearest the Pin prizes went to Chaya Kinder in the Ladies section and Club Captain Will Low in the Men’s category. The Longest Drives were struck

by Penny Milligan and In Ki Kim. Captain Will Low announced the winners and Sponsor Hany Abdelnour presented all the winners with their prizes.

THE final of the Slim n Lite Mixed Open was a close call for Rene Valencia and Mike Guzon as they pipped Eddie Brown and Paul Carrahar into second place after a one point victory. Guzon and Valencia were made to sweat after a first round haul of 43 points saw them sit one point behind Brown and Carrahar at the halfway point.

However, a second-round 38 saw them overtake Brown and Carrahar, who scored 36 on day two, to win by one

ABDUL RAHMAN TAKES HILL INTERNATIONAL MEDAL THE Hill International February Monthly Medal saw some new faces taking the top spots after a hugely competitive day out on the course.

The best score of the day was claimed by 5-handicapper Rene Valencia who scored a 2-underpar 69 to secure the top spot in Division ‘1’ and earn a handicap cut to 4. In second place was Vinod Arya on 72 after he beat Phil Wilkes on a countback.

James Rowan won Division ‘2’ with 75 points as he pipped Joe D’Souza and Peter Comber by one shot.

Division ‘3’ saw newcomer Abdul Rahman take the honours with a 73, followed by James McVeigh on 75.

The ladies section Silver Division was won by Emily Gordon on 74 as he played out a five-stroke win over

Alena Low. The Bronze Division result was no surprise with Sharon Yang scoring an impressive 70 to win by nine strokes from Evelyn Wrigley.

The International Paints Golfer of The Year standings after the February Hill International Medal sees Will Low in control of the men’s ranking with 72 points with nearest rivals Ken Ritzel and Rob Jennings lagging behind on 57 and 49 points respectively.

The ladies table is much closer than the men’s as Sharon Yang is leading the field with 63 points with nearest challenger Anina Bester following on 54.

Only four events are left to determine the winner of the IP golfer of the year for the 2008 / 2009 season.

INFO: Opened in 1997, an 18-hole sand course with specifically treated ‘browns’ which offer a true putting surface.

WEEKDAY RATES: 18 holes: UGA – DHS80 Non UGA – 100 9 holes: UGA – DHS 60 Non UGA – DHS 70 WEEKEND RATES: 18 holes: UGA – DHS100 Non UGA – DHS120 9 holes: UGA – DHS75 Non UGA – DHS90 CLUB HIRE: 9-hole – DHS40 18-hole – DHS60 TROLLEY HIRE: Pull trolley - DHS10 / DHS15 Electric trolly - DHS20 CART HIRE: 9 holes – 20 18 holes – 30

(l-r) Club Captain Will Low, Emily Gordon, Rene Valencia, Evelyn Wrigley, Abdul Rahman, Alena Low, James Rowan, Sharon Yang, Tony and Vinod Arya.

AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB

First win for de Roose and another top finish for Moremon

FLOODLIT CHALLENGE PROVING POPULAR AS NUMBERS INCREASE

SARAH de Roose won her first competition since taking up the game as she claimed the honours in the Net Division of the February Medal thanks to her score of net 76.

Rita Hicks took the top spot in the Gross Division with a respectable 83, while Steve Moremon continued his fine form to take the title in the men’s Net Division. Ben Constance produced a fine 80 to win the Gross Division.

Various winners collect their prizes on the Al Hamra links.

THURSDAY night’s ‘Floodlit Challenge’ from holes 1-7 and 17 and 18 are proving everpopular as numbers increase from week to week and a different format each Thursday continually produces new winners.

Recent winners include the ever-consistent

Steve Moremon, Phil Mallinson and Greg Smith whilst competing in the singles bogey format while Donnie Rials and Sarah de Roose won a foursomes floodlit .

The event is open to members and nonmembers – tee times from 5pm. www.wwgolf.biz www.wwgolf.biz

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LOCKER ROOM GYRO SWING AS Bruce Lee famously said in Enter The Dragon, “Don’t think…feel.” That’s exactly the philosophy behind this ingenious swing trainer. There is so much to think about when trying to produce the perfect golf swing that you often mess it up purely because you’re over-analysing on your way through and henceforth lose the natural feel of the swing.

The Gyro Swing takes the thinking out of your swing. It works by way of a gyroscope in the clubhead, which spins at 20,000 rpm forcing the club onto the correct swing path with a perfect arc. If any element of your swing is wrong, the gyroscope will resist and force you back on path. You’ll soon be trained into producing the correct backswing, downswing, weight shift, impact and release – if all of these elements are correct you will feel nothing, but make a mistake and the gyroscope will let you know all about it. www.gyroswing.com

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Roberts DAB Revival Radio THIS nostalgic 1950s style radio is just like those that were popular in the days of rock n roll except for one key feature – it’s a digital. It looks magnificent and brings to mind a time when everything was simpler with its rotary tuning and volume controls, leather casing and carry handle.

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Ecco Glide Sneaker THE ECCO Glide is a great sneaker with a retro look and a fashionable finish. Made from oiled suede, leather, nubuck and washed suede, it offers great durability and flexibility.

Aspinal of London Classic Ladies Gloves ASPINAL of London are well known for their exquisite gentleman’s products but what many people don’t realise is that they also have a wonderful line of ladies’ items.

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A F T E R A L O N G D AY O N T H E C O U R S E , I T ’ S A LW AY S G O O D T O TA K E T I M E O U T T O F R E S H E N U P YIN YANG SKIN CLEANSER VERSACE POUR HOMME EAU DE TOILETTE

OLE HENRIKSEN AFRICAN RED TEA BODY COCKTAIL SET

A deeply fougere fragrance, Versace Pour Homme is an aromatic scent which is fresh and vibrant.

Technical jargon: Top notes – bergamot, neroli, bitter orange leaves. Heart notes – geranium, clary sage, blue hyacinth. Base notes – cedar, mineral amber, tonka beans and musk.

This Skin Cleanser from Ying Yang features coconut oil, witch hazel, apple cider vinegar and spring water to cleanse without the need for soap or detergents. Applied to cotton wool, it removes dead skin cells and impurities, leaving the skin clean, smooth, gently exfoliated and moisturised.

212 MEN ON ICE BY CAROLINA HERRERA Packaged as if it’s in a block of ice, 212 Men On Ice is a zesty fragrance, refreshing and ideal for the hotter climate.

Technical jargon: Top notes – citrus. Heart notes – green spices. Base notes – woody musk.

A luxurious set of three body pampering products. The Exotic Body Scrub exfoliates and detoxifies the skin.

The Firming Body Mask renews and soothes the skin to maximise age defence benefits. The Self-Heating Body Soufflé stimulates circulation while deeply penetrating muscle tissue to relax the body and soften the skin.

AMERICAN CREW MATTE PLIABLE STYLING CREAM

Groom Room

This Matte Pliable Styling Cream by American Crew enhances the hair’s body and texture and provides effortless styling all lengths. Leaves hair carefully moulded and non-shiny.

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D R I V E R - F A I R W AY- H Y B R I D - I R O N S - W E D G E S - P U T T E R - B A L L

INTHE

CLAUDE HARMON DIRECTOR OF INSTRUCTION BUTCH HARMON SCHOOL OF GOLF, DUBAI SPORTS CITY Driver: Titleist D2 10.5º Aldila Voodoo S Shaft 3 Wood: Titleist 909F2 15.5º Aldila VS proto 85-S Shaft Hybrid: Titleist 909H 17º Aldila VS proto 85-S Shaft Irons: Titleist 3-PW AP1 Project X 5.5 Shafts Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design TVD 56.08º (bent to 55º), 58.04º (bent to 60º) Dynamic Gold Tour issue shafts Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport Squareback P330 Experimental Prototype

Q&A: Q. When did you first start playing golf and where?

A. I can’t remember exactly, but I know I was young. I was out on Tour two weeks after I was born as my dad was playing. My dad also has three brothers, Craig, Dick, and Billy and they are all golf pros and great teachers. My Grandfather Claude Harmon Sr. won The Masters in 1948, so I have been in golf all my life.

Q. How long have you been in Dubai?

A. I moved here from Los Angeles in July 2008. I was working at Trump National Golf Club in Los Angeles and moved here to start the Butch Harmon School of Golf at Dubai Sports City.

Q. What’s your favorite memory of your time spent in Dubai so far?

A. Taking a helicopter tour of Dubai with my dad during his recent visit. We took him on an aerial tour of the whole city and it was simply amazing.

Q. What was your first set of clubs?

A. Ping Copper Eye 2 Copper Beryllium Irons. You were really cool back-in-the-day if you rocked the Copper Berylliums!

Q. Who is your golfing hero and why?

A. My dad. I have been so lucky to grow up in the family that I did. Since I was about 16-years-old, my dad has worked with the best players of the modern generation. And I have gotten to see that work up-close. His golf eye is the best in the business. I am always amazed at how much he can see from watching just one swing. He has forgotten more about golf instruction than I will ever know.

Q. If you were head of the R&A, what rule would you change?

A. I would actually ask them to come up with a rule to make people play faster!

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Dubai - ECCO Shops - Mall of the Emirates, Deira City Centre, The Dubai Mall. Abu Dhabi - ECCO Shop - Marina Mall Also available at leading golf culbs in UAE, Qatar, Bahrain & Egypt For Sales & Distribution: ECCO Middle East, Tel:+971-4-299 3885 Ext-101 & 403 Fax: +971-4-299 3886 P.O. Box 293878, Dubai. Email: ae.golf@ecco.com. visit:ecco.com/golf