Worldwide Golf February issue 156

MIDDLE EAST’S NUMBER ONE GOLF MAGAZINE. EST T.. 1 9 9 9

Worldwide

Official Media Partner to the European Tour in the Middle East

FEBRUARY FEBR FE BRUA U RY UA RY 201 2014, 014, 4, ISS ISSUE S UE UE 1 156 56 6

PLUS OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC HISTORIC MOMENT

HOW TO RIP IT

MILES

HENRIK H ENRIK S STENSON TENSON A AND ND P PETE ETE COWEN C OWEN S SHOW HOW Y YOU OU H HOW OW T TO O UNLEASH U NLEASH T THE HE Y YARDS ARDS WITH WITH THE THE NEW N EW C CALLAWAY ALLAWAY BIG BIG G BERTHA BER RTHA A

ARABIAN GOLF NEWS FROM THE REGION’S LEADING CLUBS

Official magazine of the EGF & the Arab Golf Federation

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS PABLO

LARRAZABAL JOHN

DALY MATTEO

MANASSERO

GOLF STYLE From the latest must-have items to celebrities on course

DOMINIC

FOOS

ISBN 978-9948-15-427-3

INTRODUCTION Worldwide Golf Executive Editor Since 1999

The 9-time Major Champion and 9-time Senior Major Champion p who has witnessed and been a part of some of the most historic a and memorable go golfing occasions refl reflects on the game toda today

Player Gary

I’m so happy that Sergio won but I’m sorry for Ilonen

I

was absolutely delighted to see Sergio Garcia’s magnificent victory in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters last month at Doha Golf Club. I watched the tournament on television and we were all so thrilled to see him win. His bunker shot on the second play-off hole where he got his ball to within a foot of the pin was fantastic.

Sergio is such a nice man and he’s so good for the game. It’s good to see him winning a big event again like the Qatar Masters. The game needs him as a personality and he needs to be up there competing with the best.

I’m so happy that Sergio won but it was a shame for Finland’s Mikko Ilonen who had chances to win in the play-off but had to settle for second place. I always feel sorry for anyone who loses in a play-off.

In my view, if two or more players finish with the same score after 72 holes of golf, then they should share first place and the prizemoney. It’s only fair.

They shouldn’t have to play extra holes to determine the winner.

Worth watching for the future If two or more horses pass the finishing post together in the Epsom Derby or the Kentucky Derby they don’t ask them to then compete in a 50 yard dash – they call it a dead heat and split the spoils between them. That’s justice and that’s how it should be in golf.

I also saw the performance of the 16-year-old German boy, Dominic Foos, in the Qatar Masters. It’s so good for German golf and for him to finish ahead of players of the calibre of his fellow countrymen Martin Kaymer and Marcel Siem. It must have given his confidence a huge boost. Dominic is a rare talent and I’m sure that if he gets the right support and coaching he’ll be a player worth watching for the future. We have to be very careful that the ability of young rising stars is nurtured in an understanding way.

The Rory McIlroy incident at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship was unfortunate. There are so

2 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

many Rules in our game it’s almost impossible to know them all and with the Rules changing so often you shouldn’t really do anything with your ball without checking first with a Rules official.

Look at Tiger in the Masters, for instance. You could pick out incidents throughout golf’s history where players have fallen foul of the Rules and been unfairly penalised.

In an ideal world the interpretation of the Rules should be that a penalty should only be inflicted on a player if he or she is gaining an advantage from the infringement. Whoever set the Rules wasn’t very smart.

You can hit a ball 300 yards down one side of the fairway, your ball hits a sprinkler head and bounces out of bounds by a quarter of an inch, and you have to play three off the tee. His playing partner has the worst shot in golf with a complete miss and he plays two off the tee. Where is the logic in that?

Surely, the man who goes out of bounds should play two off the tee and the other man who missed the ball altogether should play three.

If you’re playing out of a fairway bunker and you touch the sand going back you get a two-shot penalty. How can touching the sand like that possibly give you a two-shot advantage? So many of the Rules of Golf don’t make any sense at all.

I remember Tom Weiskopf playing at Hilton Head after the Masters, taking a penalty in a similar situation to Rory’s when his foot was just touching the line of the path. That was unfair and he gained no advantage whatsoever. I ’m not surprised to see the new Big Bertha driver being used by more and more leading players on Tour. The driver is phenomenal and the new Callaway irons are magnificent. They’re amazing. If we’d had these clubs in our youth we’d never have hit the ball off the fairway.

It was nice to receive the award as the All-Time US PGA Tour Fittest Player. When you’ve exercised like I have done over the last 63 years I guess it’s good to be recognised. But we should remember that eating the right healthy food has to go hand in hand with taking the correct exercise. Q

CONTENTS

Over 100 destinations worldwide

PETE COWEN

PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL

Use muscles not mass to gain distance Creating power in the golf swing is all about using the muscles to move the mass rather than just moving mass.

You can see all the way through this sequence with Henrik that his muscles from the ground are coiling up to the top and loading.

Push and Pull For anybody to get more power they’ve got to use more up and down force, not lateral force and rotation. It’s about pushing into the ground as you’re pulling up and at the same time loading all your muscles, particularly your shoulder muscles.

Remember: Turn back and turn through the ball means nothing unless you load the muscles.

Ball position is only relevant if you’ve got good mechanics otherwise you need a ball position just to compensate the poor mechanics. It’s the same with grips – a good grip is only relevant if you have good mechanics. You can have whatever grip you want if you’ve got good mechanics – if you’ve got poor mechanics you need a grip to compensate.

If you’re a slicer, you can strengthen the grip. If you’re a hooker you can weaken the grip.

That’s a compensation for poor mechanics.

18

25 26 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

Gallagher’s Dubai Double

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FEATURES

25 The return of the Big Bertha

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41 Matteo Manassero

The Golf in Abu Dhabi Ambassador discusses his meteoric rise to fame and his fondness of golf in the Middle East

52 Dominic Foos

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88 Rafa Nadal

56 Keep your head to master your swing

90 International Golf Property

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The Grand Slam Spanish tennis star swaps racquet for clubs and talks golf and what it takes to be a champion.

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6 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 27

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22 Golf Property Dubai

The Tulip villas at Sienna Lakes and Olive Point at Jumeirah Golf Estates continue to welcome more happy homeowners

This images shows Henrik in a fully loaded position. The shoulders are loaded, his legs are pushing down as his torso is pulling upwards.

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Worldwide Golf

Contents

Gallacher’s got what it takes to star in The Ryder Cup

T

HIS year’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic was one of the best. It was a classic of a Desert Classic to line up all 25 of the past Champions once more.

Like many others I thought the 2009 Champion, Rory McIlroy, would lift it again, especially after his opening round of 63. But, this game writes its own history and Stephen Gallacher managed to do what many past Major Champions and World No.1s haven’t managed to do – and that’s to successfully defend the Omega Dubai Desert Classic Crown.

Stephen has been working hard on his game over the winter months with the burning desire to play his way into The Ryder Cup in his homeland at Gleneagles in October.

The 39 year old Scotsman’s

unbelieveable record-breaking third round back nine of 28 showed his game is more than capable of mixing it with the best, particularly when the World No.1 Tiger Woods was finding it tough going.

Even with a two shot advantage over Rory going into the final round I still thought McIlroy would pull something out of the bag and Gallacher would crack under the pressure.

After the defending champion bogeyed the first two holes and dropped shots on the sixth and eighth to go from two up to two down I thought my prediction would come true and in a way I did - but I got it the wrong way round. Gallacher steadied the ship as others floundered and Rory continued to go for broke but struggled to find his rhythm.

Ryder Cup captain, Paul McGinley, must have been delighted to see the Gallacher hold his nerve. McGinley needs this sort of character who can battle their way back into contention after losing momentum – particularly a Scot who can harness the home support from the galleries, needed to help Europe retain the Ryder Cup. The other main headline-maker in the game recently has been Callaway’s relaunch of their Big Bertha and their staff players have taken an instant like to it, especially Pablo Larrazzabal, who drove to victory with it at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Next month we’ll be able to see what all the fuss is all about as we tee it up on the TrackMan system against the other leading drivers.

During the Desert Swing it was also

ISSUE No. 156, FEBRUARY, 2014 Published by: Worldwide Sporting Publications Ltd +44 1663 719926

Editor-in-Chief: Mike Gallemore Executive Editor: Gary Player Editor: Alex Gallemore Publisher: Mike Gallemore

Editors: Todd Staszko, James Reeves, Tabitha Florence Design Manager: Joanna Eardley Technical Manager: Mark Collinge

Published in Dubai by: Prografix, PO Box 24677, Dubai, UAE (Tel) +9714 340 3785

Senior Editor: Richard Bevan

Editorial Panel: Gary Player, Mike Gallemore, Alex Gallemore, Richard Bevan, Todd Staszko

Printed by: Raidy, Dubai

fun to catch up with John Daly in Doha as he’s always got time for a chat, especially about music. But the big surprise at the Commerical Bank Qatar Masters was Dominic Foos who we featured at the start of last year.

The 16-year-old now plays off plus six and after shooting a final round 68 –closing with an eagle – to finish tied 16th and showed the golfing word that he’s got the game and mindset to mix it with the best in the business.

Advertising & Marketing Director: Rasha Siriani rasha@wspdubai.com Designer: Sarah B. Mahmood

Alex Gallemore Editor June 2009 SSN 1- 46805671 Approval UAE National Media Council: Ref.816 30/5/2007 Trade Licence No. 1/104375/15280

Worldwide Golf specifies that post-press changes may occur to any information given in this publication and takes no responsibility for goods or services advertised.

8 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

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MIND THE SPIKES THE golf season is really starting to hot up now. The Middle East Swing has swung and the Tour’s top players are heading to the desert of Arizona for the first World Golf Championships event of the season – the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Crafted by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, the 27 holes at The Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Tuscon are as striking and distinctive in appearance as they are challenging. The world’s top 64 available players will go head-to-head on a composite course comprised of the nine-hole Saguaro and Tortolita layouts. The courses are named after the prominent features of the landscape in which they're set – the towering Tortolita Mountains and the majestic, sprawling Saguaro cactus forest.

There are a multitude of hazards for the players to overcome but it’s the Saguaro cacti that really stand out. These noble plants stood proud in the High Sonoran Desert long before Nicklaus and land owner David Mehl collaborated to build a golf course. The Saguaro is a protected species and many of the cacti are over 100 years old. There are hundreds (perhaps thousands) of them dotted throughout the Dove Mountain courses, with the 27 holes having been sympathetically created, for the most part, around these indigenous inhabitants.

“The saguaro cacti weren’t really an environmental issue, but we did try to work around them whenever possible,” said Chet Williams, Nicklaus’ former Senior Design Associate. “The ones which had to be removed for golf play were replanted in new areas on the course or in other areas of the development.”

The result is a golf course that is truly unique in appearance and playability and more than a few balls will find new homes among the Saguaro during the WGC.

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 13

STENSON’S EARTH MOVING SHOT TOPS 2013 VOTE HENRIK Stenson’s spectacular approach into the 18th green of the Earth course to close out his DP World Tour Championship and Race to Dubai victories has been voted by fans as The European Tour Shot of the Year 2013.

The perfectly struck 260-yard 3-wood left the Swede with a tap-in for eagle and a six-stroke victory, signing off a dream year that saw him become the first player to win both US PGA Tour’s FedExCup and The Race to Dubai. In also winning the Tour championships of both Tours, Stenson completed an unprecedented 'double-double'. His majestic shot at Jumeirah Golf Estates was the runaway winner of the Shot of the Year competition with a massive 62.63 percent of the vote, ahead of Justin Rose’s magnificent approach to the 72nd hole of the US Open at Merion in a distant second with 9.58 percent.

“The 3-wood to the 18th in Dubai was a very fitting way to cap the best season of my career so it’s great that it has been named Shot of the Year,” said Stenson who was also named European Tour Golfer of the Year.

“To land that close on the final hole of the season, in front of a packed grandstand, to win both titles (Race to Dubai and DP World Tour Championship) – you really could not have directed it any better. Even making par there would

have been a nice way to finish, but the stars seemed to align and that shot was the icing on the cake of an amazing year.

“Thank you to all the fans who voted for the shot on europeantour.com.

It’s very special to win both Golfer of the Year and Shot of the Year, as well as three Golfer of the Month awards, and 2013 will go down as the greatest year of my career to date.”

RUNNING THE RULE –MCILROY IN THE HEAT OF ANOTHER RULES DEBATE IN ABU DHABI

By Stuart McMurdo, Golf Operations Manager, Jebel Ali Golf Resort TWELVE months after the Tiger Woods penalty and this time it's Rory McIlroy who is in the headlines in Abu Dhabi for another breach of the rules which cost him a two-shot penalty and a potential victory.

During McIlroy’s third round, he found his ball on the second hole inside a spectator walkway in the rough. Under European Tour local rules walkways are defined with white lines and deemed to be Ground under repair (Rule 25- 1). This allows the player to get a free drop away from path if he wishes. There is also the option to play from where it lies.

In this case McIlroy decided to take a free drop and get a better lie within one club length of the nearest point of relief. As there was no TV evidence he took his drop and his playing partner's caddie saw that his left foot was over the white line which defined the walkway.

He was told of the situation before he marked his scorecard therefore under advice from the tournament referee he was handed a two-shot penalty for not taking full relief, i.e. his foot was still in the area he was dropping away from. This may seem to most as a pedantic little rule but the game needs to be defined and criteria needs to be in place to make the game what it is.

14 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

McIlroy should know this basic rule from his experience. Going back to his actual process of dropping –I feel this is where most amateurs and professionals go wrong. If you

"MCILROY SHOULD KNOW THIS BASIC RULE FROM HIS EXPERIENCE." stick to the guidelines of correct dropping McIlroy would have noticed his glaring error.

When determining his nearest point of relief he needs to take a club that is reasonable to play the intended shot and take a stance where he is not touching the line with his feet or swing. A tee peg should be placed where the ball would be in your stance, where there

is no interference. You can then take any club and measure a club length away from the tee and drop within that margin.

In this case McIlroy has a wide arc-shaped area to drop in where he can look for the best lie. McIlroy must have dropped his ball and it rolled closer to the hole than the tee peg. He surely must have seen the ball go closer to the hole but didn't realise he was too close to the line. He surely must also have noticed his foot was over the line when playing the shot?

Evidently not and sadly for him it cost him the tournament.

STARTER

SCHWARTZEL VOLVO GOLF CHAMPIONS WONDER-SHOT

THE RACE IS ON! FOUR of The European Tour’s ‘top guns’ took up an unexpected driving challenge at Yas Marina Circuit, home to the annual F1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, prior to the start of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, Paul Casey and Matteo Manassero raced into the unique circuit looking for bragging rights in the inaugural ‘Yas Run Trophy’.

But while the world famous circuit is accustomed to hosting Formula 1 stars racing in cars capable of electrifying speeds of 200mph, our boys went up against one another in….golf carts!

“When the golf carts chugged out from the pit lanes, I couldn’t help but laugh as we were about to race round a track accustomed to F1 cars, rather than carts that max out at 15mph!” said Manassero. “Having visited the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix before, I had a vague idea of the circuit – but it’s a bit different when you’re actually down there on the track.”

Coming out on top was Englishman Donald, who crept over the line ahead of fellow countryman Casey.

Following his victory, Donald said: I’m so proud, humbled and excited. What a race, what a day. I think I had the weight advantage – the other guys eat too much!

“Hopefully this is the start of many good things to come.”

HENRIK Stenson’s epic approach to the 18th at the DP World Tour Championship may have won the 2013 European Tour Shot of the Year Award but less than two weeks into 2014 Charl Schwartzel produced a serious contender for this year’s winner.

The South African found his ball on a tarmac cart path well to the right of the fairway on the par-4 16th hole at Durban Country Club in the final round of the Volvo Golf Champions. Not only that, he had a thick covering of trees to play over just to get back on the fairway, but he went one better by playing an audacious draw that found the green and almost went in the hole, stopping agonisingly close. “I'm sure Seve would have been very proud of it,” he said.

Ironically, with the hard work done, he went on to miss the easy birdie putt!

CLUBHOUSE QUICKIES MURPHY AND TOM

LOST BALLS

Murphy comes home after his regular Saturday golf game and his wife Fiona asks why he doesn't include Tom O'Brien in the games anymore.

Murphy asks, "Would you want to play with a guy who regularly cheats, swears up a storm over everything, lies about his score, and has nothing good to say about anyone else on the course?"

"Of course I wouldn't," replies Fiona.

"Well," says Murphy, "Neither would Tom O'Brien."

One day, a Scotsman went playing golf.

After standing a while on the tee he asked the boy standing beside him: "You are my caddie for today?"

"Yes," answered the boy.

"You are good in finding lost balls?"

"Oh yes, I find every lost ball!"

"Okay, boy, then run and search for one, then we can start!"

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 15

STARTER

THE CLUBS THAT CHANGED THE GAME THE club manufacturing race has been in overdrive for the past few decades with all the big names constantly trying to outdo each other with the latest technological or design breakthrough.

But very few clubs have genuinely changed the golfing landscape. Here’s a few that did…

1902: SCHENECTADY PUTTER

1966: PING ANSER PUTTER

1984: DAVE PELZ THREE-BALL PUTTER

Walter Travis became the first American to win the British Amateur in 1904 and he did it using an aluminium centre-shafted mallet putter designed by Arthur F Knight. Travis wasn’t exactly humble in victory and the R&A weren’t amused. Whether as a reaction to his victory or not is a matter of conjecture but in 1910 the R&A banned centre shafted clubs while the USGA deemed them legal thus sparking a series of differing rule interpretations that was to run for decades between the game’s two main governing bodies.

The R&A eventually reversed their ban in 1952.

In 1966 Karsten Solheim invented the club that would be become the blueprint for all modern day putters. Called ‘Anser’ because the original name ‘Answer’ wouldn’t fit on the putter, the new club featured heel and toe weighting to greatly increase the ‘sweet spot’ as well as a slotted sole and an offset ‘plumbers’ neck. The Anser has won more golf events than any other putter in history.

Dave Pelz’s original three-ball putter designs aimed at improving alignment were deemed non-conforming but you can’t keep a good idea down and in 2002 Odyssey licenced the idea from him and introduced their two-ball variation which became the most popular putter in golf.

1932: SARAZEN SAND IRON Prior to Gene Sarazen unveiling his innovative ‘sand iron’ at the 1932 British Open, which he won, players had used a ‘niblick’, to take bunker shots. The club was thin bladed, similar to a 9-iron and was wholly unsuitable for the job at hand.

Solutions such as concave faced clubs had been banned but Gene Sarazen cracked it when he soldered extra lead to the sole of niblick to create what is now known as ‘bounce’ which allowed the club to cut through and lift out of the sand better. He also adjusted the loft angle to 10 degrees and the sand wedge was born.

16 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

1979: TAYLORMADE PITTSBURGH PERSIMMON DRIVER

1985: MATZIE SLIM JIM LONG PUTTER

Although metal headed drivers had been around for some time it wasn’t until Gary Adams unveiled the Pittsburgh Permsimmon that they really took off.

Along with the introduction of graphite shafts the new style club signalled a complete sea change in the world of drivers and also opened the flood gates to a new era of non-stop technological tinkering and constant upgrading. Before the Pittsburgh Persimmon players would usually pick a driver and it would stay in their bag for years.

Conceived by Senior Tour Player Charlie Owens (right), the Slim Jim was made by Matzie and was 46 inches long with a small, heavy brass head.

The idea was a revelation and other manufacturers were soon bringing out multiple variations of long ‘broomhandle’ and belly putters which have been used to great success around the world. They were deemed illegal last year and will be phased out from 2016.

1982: PING EYE2 IRONS

1991: CALLAWAY BIG BERTHA DRIVER

The Karsten I-IV and the Ping Eye introduced cavity backs and colourcoded lie angles but it was the Ping Eye2 irons that really showcased them at their fullest.

The Eye2 has since inspired countless cavity back irons.

The Big Bertha kicked off the ‘size race’ where driver club heads are concerned.

Tiny by today’s standard’s the original Big Bertha had a super-forgiving 190cc head which was huge at the time and the club quickly became the most popular in the world. A subsequent model moved things forward again by using titanium.

Game of two halves The back nine proved to be the launching pad for Gallacher’s successful defence of his Omega Dubai Desert Classic title.

Throughout the week the Scot played the front nine in 1-over par, but for the back nine he was 17-under-par.

Gallacher’s Classic Double Weekend back nines of 9-under and 4-under steer the Scot to back-to-back Omega Dubai Desert Classics

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TEPHEN Gallacher made it a weekend to remember when he produced a second sensational back-nine to become the first player to successfully defend the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

The 39 year old Scotsman followed his European Tour record-equalling home

18 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

stretch of 28 on Saturday with another battling second half finish to retain his title with a one-stroke victory over Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo.

It’s the mark of a true Champion when he can get back on track after falling behind – and that’s exactly what Gallacher achieved, having gone from two up, to two behind.

Courtesy of his heroic back nine on Saturday Gallacher started the final round with a two shot lead over Rory McIlroy, but immediately handed the initiative back to his playing partner with bogeys at the first two holes, then dropping further shots on the sixth and eighth to fall two off the pace.

But Gallacher finds the back nine at Emirates Golf Club very much to his liking and he birdied the 11th, 13th, 16th and 17th to finish with a closing level-par 72 and a 16 under total 272.

It may not have been as spectacular as Saturday’s 63, but was just enough to earn him the win. “I never do anything easy, I’m afraid,” said Gallacher on moving into the top 40 of the Official World Golf

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Ranking for the ďŹ rst time. “What a day – my emotions are gone. “I never really played the front nine that well all week. I don’t know why, it was almost a carbon copy of yesterday apart from the fact that I holed a couple of putts for par and got a bit lucky yesterday but today I was in the bushes, in the trees and all that sort of stu. “I just kept saying to myself, ‘stay patient’. I played the back nine well and no one was really running away with it at the time. To win the Classic on the 25th anniversary with such a good ďŹ eld with all the champions playing, makes it even more special.â€?

Gallacher is eyeing a Masters and Ryder Cup debut after being embraced by his children Jack and Ellie on the 18th green after sealing victory. His recent record in the event now reads 10th; 2nd; 1st; 1st – “I wish I could play it every week� he joked. “That (world’s top 50) was my goal at the start of the year,� Gallacher added. “I knew I was only a win away from getting into events like the WGC Match Play, The Masters and the US Open and if you have aspirations of getting into the Ryder Cup team then you have got to be in them, so I am delighted with that.� Q

Gallacher’s Omega Gift ALONG with the iconic Championship trophy and cheque, Stephen Gallacher was also awarded with an Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Annual Calendar.

On behalf of Omega, Raynald Aeschlimann, Vice President and International Sales Director said: “We congratulate Stephen for his consistent performance through this indeed classic and historic tournament. This 25th edition of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic clearly demonstrated the extent to which golf in Dubai has become a truly global sport with the presence of the tournament’s 21 winners over the past 25 editions and the sport’s top talent battling it out till the end.�

6JKU [GCT VJG Ć’GNF KPENWFGF VYQ 1OGIC golf ambassadors, Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy and S.Y. Noh from South Korea, who was making his second appearance. in the Classic Omega is a long-standing sponsor and supporter of golf in Dubai and has been a sponsor of the Dubai Desert Classic held at the Emirates Golf Club and twice at the Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club since its inception in 1989 and a title sponsor for eight years. Omega has also sponsored VJG &WDCK .CFKGU /CUVGTU HQT VJG RCUV Ć’XG years.

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 19

TOUR NEWS Date: 16 – 19 Jan Event: Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship Venue: Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Winner’s Cheque: €328,779

LARRAZABAL HOLDS OFF McILROY AND MICKELSON IN ABU DHABI PABLO Larrazabal denied the illustrious pair of Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship to wrap up his third European Tour title. The Spaniard, who won the French Open in 2008 and the BMW International in 2011, birdied the last to post the clubhouse target of 14-under-par which was good enough to take the spoils. American Mickelson needed to eagle the last to force a play-off and he gave himself a chance by reaching the green in two but his putt stayed high and he had to settle for a birdie and second alongside McIlroy who also finished on 13-underpar having endured a two-shot penalty in the third round.

“I beat two of the three most talented guys in my era. I have worked so hard for the last two years and over the winter break.

To beat these guys is an incredible feeling.”

Pos. Name

Country To Par R1 R2 R3 R4 Total

1 Pablo Larrazabal T2 Rory McIlroy Phil Mickelson T4 George Coetzee Rafa Cabrera-Bello

Date: 03 – 06 Jan Event: Hyundai Tournament of Champions Venue: Plantation course at Kapalua, Maui, Hawaii Winner’s Cheque: $1,140,000

“Getting the ball in the fairway and giving my wedges a chance was crucial.

It was about plotting my way, putting myself in a yardage spot that I know is going to give me an opportunity.”

1 2 T3

Zach Johnson Jordan Spieth Kevin Streelman Webb Simpson

USA USA USA USA

To Par -19 -18 -17 -17

R1 R2 R3 R4 67 66 67 66

69 70 73 68 67

70 67 70 70 68

68 70 63 72 73

67 68 69 66 68

274 275 275 276 276

OOSTHUIZEN DOUBLES UP IN STYLE

ZACH Johnson was one of the hot favourites coming into the year-opening Tournament of Champions having won in December at Tiger’s Challenge in California and he duly delivered as a final round 66 gave him a one-stroke victory over young starlet Jordan Spieth. Johnson admitted he ‘picked apart’ the lengthy Plantation course by leaving himself in spots where he could attack the pin with his wedges.

Country

-14 -13 -13 -12 -12

Date: 09 – 12 Jan Event: Volvo Golf Champions Venue: Durban Country Club, Durban, South Africa Winner’s Cheque: €507,655

JOHNSON ON FIRE TO WIN THE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

Pos. Name

ESP NIR USA RSA ESP

66 70 71 71

20 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

74 69 70 68

66 69 67 70

LOUIS Oosthuizen defended his Volvo Golf Champions title in some style with a one-shot victory over past champion Branden Grace in Durban. The 2010 Open Champion carded a superb final round 68 to post a 12-under total, one clear of Grace with Tommy Fleetwood and Joost Luiten finishing in a share of third place on 10-under-par.

Al oYk f]jn]%ojY[caf_ Zml A Úfak`]\ kljgf_dq Yf\ A e bmkl `Yhhq l`Yl A _gl al \gf]& Al k Yf Yo]kge] klYjl ^gj l`] q]Yj& A \a\f l j]Yddq hdYq o]dd dYkl q]Yj Z][Ymk] A `Y\ Y ^]o fa__daf_ afbmja]k kg `gh]^mddq A [Yf Zmad\ ^jge `]j]&

Total

Pos. Name

273 274 275 275

1 2 T3

Louis Oosthuizen Branden Grace Joost Luiten Tommy Fleetwood

Country RSA RSA NED ENG

To Par

R1 R2 R3 R4

Total

-12 -11 -10 -10

68 74 70 70

276 277 278 278

69 67 67 67

71 68 70 69

68 68 71 72

Date: 22 – 25 Jan Event: Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Venue: Doha Golf Club, Doha, Qatar Winner’s Cheque: €305,232

GARCIA TAKES HOME THE PEARL FROM QATAR

AFTER years of trying, Sergio Garcia finally got his hands on the famous Pearl trophy after a stunning final round comeback and then a play-off victory over Finland’s Mikko Ilonen at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters. Garcia carded a superb final round 65 to post the clubhouse lead at 16-under-par. He watched as the in-form Ilonen birdied holes 16 and 18 to haul himself level alongside the Spaniard.

Both players birdied the 18th on the first two trips down the 18th but Ilonen couldn’t get up-and-down from a greenside bunker on the third trip down the closing hole to leave Garcia with a tap-in for victory.

A `Yn] YdoYqk kYa\ l`Yl <g`Y ak Y _gd^ [gmjk] l`Yl A ]fbgq Yf\ A Ye n]jq hd]Yk]\ lg ÚfYddq Z] YZd] lg _]l eq `Yf\k gf l`] ljgh`q& A n] Z]]f [geaf_ `]j] ^gj ]a_`l q]Yjk Yf\ `Yn] Z]]f imal] [dgk] lg oaffaf_ Z]^gj]& Al k Z]]f Yf YeYraf_ o]]c& Pos. Name

Country To Par R1 R2 R3 R4 Total

1 Sergio Garcia 2 Mikko Ilonen T3 Thorbjørn Olesen Rafa Cabrera-Bello

Date: 09 – 12 Jan Event: Sony Open in Hawaii Venue: Wailalae CC, Honolulu, Hawaii Winner’s Cheque: $1,008,000

SPA FIN DEN SPA

-16 -16 -15 -15

71 68 68 66

67 67 69 65

69 71 68 73

65 66 68 69

272 272 273 273

Date: 16 – 19 Jan Event: Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation Venue: PGA West, La Quinta, California, USA Winner’s Cheque: $1,026,000

REED MAKING WAVES ON THE PGA TOUR

WALKER GOES LOW IN PARADISE JIMMY Walker wrapped up his second US PGA Tour title in sublime fashion as he fired a closing 7-under-par 63 to win the Sony Open in Hawaii by one stroke from Chris Kirk. Walker posted a 17-under-par total to win while veteran Jerry Kelly, who won the event in 2002, finished in third place after posting four rounds in the 60s.

Fourth place on 14-under-par went to Harris English, who won twice on the PGA Tour last year.

PATRICK Reed joined Rory McIlroy and Harris English as the only current US PGA Tour players under the age of 25 with multiple wins thanks to a confident twostroke victory over Ryan Palmer at the Humana Challenge.

Reed, who won last year’s Wyndham Championship, opened up a massive sevenstroke lead heading into the final day after three consecutive rounds of 63. He then posted a final round 71 to win by two from Palmer with the in-form Zach Johnson finishing in a share of third alongside Justin Leonard.

A ^]dl n]jq [Yde Yf\ [gfljgdd]\& L`Yl k o`Yl qgm n] _gl lg ^]]d Yf\ hml al aflg hjY[lak] o`]f al k lae] lg oaf& Al k ]Ykq lg kYq$ `Yj\ lg \g& :ml lg\Yq oYk awesome. I played some really cool golf.”

L`] ÚfYd jgmf\ oYk lgm_`]j l`Yf l`] Újkl l`j]] jgmf\k& Eq kh]]\ oYk g^^& Al k]]e]\ dac] l`] Újkl l`j]] \Yqk l`] ZYdd oYk bmkl lja[cdaf_ gn]j l`] ^jgfl ]\_]$ and today it seemed like they came to a screeching halt.”

Pos. Name 1 2 3 4

Jimmy Walker Chris Kirk Jerry Kelly Harris English

Country USA USA USA USA

To Par

R1 R2 R3 R4

Total

Pos. Name

-17 -16 -15 -14

66 64 67 66

263 264 265 266

1 2 T3

67 69 67 66

67 65 66 67

63 66 65 67

Patrick Reed Ryan Palmer Zach Johnson Justin Leonard

Country USA USA USA USA

To Par

R1 R2 R3 R4

Total

-28 -26 -25 -25

63 64 65 66

260 262 263 263

63 65 68 67

63 70 68 65

71 63 62 65

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 21

GOLF PROPERTY DUBAI AT JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES

‘It’s an ideal home and also a sound Property Developer MASOUD SANGI: “When it comes to the sales of the villas at our projects, Olive Point and Sienna Lakes, we believe that the major factor in selling, is the quality of the build and the unique location at the iconic Greg Norman-designed Earth course and Fire course. We are targeting investors who appreciate the outstanding all-round quality of the villas and the much sought-after lifestyle that the Jumeirah Golf Estates golf community offers them. The residences at Olive Point and Sienna Lakes have all the advantages and facilities required by investors who understand the value of the state-of-the-art construction and the exceptional quality of the interior finishings of the villas.

T

HE popularity of the Tulip Business Developers’ project at Sienna Lakes and Olive Point at Jumeirah Golf Estates is gathering pace as homeowners continue to move in. Worldwide Golf asked them what attracted them to their new homes: Alec Emmerson, with his wife Miko, pictured right, commented: “We were attracted to living in a golf community with two excellent courses and high-end villas. Now that the estate connects easily to Al Khail and SMBZ Road (formerly Emirates Road) there is easy access and it’s now positioned at the right end of Dubai for the EXPO 2020 developments and the new Dubai World Central Airport.

“The Earth and Fire courses are both fantastic lay-outs by Greg Norman and now the Earth course is known around the world for hosting the DP World Tour Championship, The Race to Dubai’s final tournament each year. The Championship is a great attraction for visitors and residents to enjoy.

“Olive Point where we are, is adjacent to the Earth course and only five minutes to the Clubhouse. We’re both golfers. Miko is much better than me, although we both enjoy it a lot. I started to play just before moving to Dubai 15 years ago while Miko has played for longer.

“We have really adopted this special game here and have met lots of people through playing golf. It’s so enjoyable to be in a green oasis in the desert! Living at

22 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

the long-term home of one of the biggest golf tournaments in the world is also special! We particularly like the design of our villa and the space of the communal landscape areas around it.

“The villas are high quality with unique features with their own pools and cctv security cameras and sound systems.

“We bought our villa as a home to enjoy, with the garden and swimming pool, having friends round to sit out in the garden and have barbeques and dinners outside in the glorious weather. I’m sure we’ll enjoy living here at Olive Point for many years to come.

“As people move in and other subdevelopments are completed, and when the permanent clubhouse is opened, people will appreciate the quality and ambience of the development even more, which should make it an even better investment. In the future we might consider it a good investment but first and foremost it’s our home in Dubai.”

Karl Michael French, Director of a Dubaibased company, commented: “The most important reason for being here was the quality of the build and the style in which the villas are fitted out, plus the location.

But the peace and quiet and the thought of a cool drink while watching the sunset was also a factor.

“I don’t play golf, although I do like to watch world-class golf. I’m well aware that the stature of the golf tournament will add value to the property.

“Originally, I bought the villa as a

future home but a change in personal circumstances means it’s held as an investment for the future.”

Pavlos Christodoulou, Chief Executive Officer of Kendal & Co, and his wife, Natalie, Office Manager of Denovo Corporate Advisors, said they were first attracted by the external design of the

investment’

www.olivepoint.ae / www.siennalakes.ae villas: “The geographic location was a bonus but the exterior design, combined with the high-end interior finishes, was the perfect combination for my wife and I. “The community will be quite an enclave within a stone’s throw from the bustling city and the fact that all of the communities are small will help keep the development

tranquil and peaceful. “The quality throughout our Sienna Lakes villa is very pleasing. Many developers in Dubai seem to skimp it when it comes to quality finish and high-end appliances. A major part of our decision to buy the villa was that Jumeirah Golf Estates is a long-term host to one of the biggest events in golf. We don’t

play golf but I can see my wife and I taking up the sport as we live only minutes away from the clubhouse.

“Buying the villa was because it’s an ideal home and also a sound investment and I can see my wife and I bringing up our daughter in this community for many years to come.” Q

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 23

THE MOST COVETED ADDRESS IN GOLF

Hamilton Grand st andrews, scotland, uk Only 26 apartments available

for sale or lease With an unparalleled location set by the 18th Green and fairway of the world’s most famous Golf Course, Hamilton Grand has been sensitively restored with an “Art Deco” interior. Offering a truly exhilarating and uniquely Scottish experience.

This is a unique real estate opportunity for those who want to own a home in the birthplace of golf and in a premier destination that is rich in history.

Managed and serviced by Old Course Hotel Ltd

ADD MORE

BOOM The latest Big Berthas from Callaway have already made a huge impact on Tour – no wonder Henrik is all smiles off the tee.

PETE COWEN

PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL

The Big Bertha Alpha with its Gravity Core Technology has given players an additional tool to reduce spin and optimise the launch and flight.

Henrik has put the Alpha in his bag and is averaging around 320 yards with it. By getting the spin down and the launch up he’s not only hitting it further but straighter too.

“I did some testing with the Big Bertha Alpha in Dubai leading up to the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and got some really good readings, so it went straight in the bag.

I used a Callaway driver back in the day but with the Alpha I’ve been able to carry a good distance while I’ve also gained a bit more length on the ground, which never hurts.”

– Henrik Stenson

Pete Cowen explains how to gain extra yards ... get the mass moving WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 25

PETE COWEN

PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL

Use muscles not mass to gain distance Creating power in the golf swing is all about using the muscles to move the mass rather than just moving mass.

You can see all the way through this sequence with Henrik that his muscles from the ground are coiling up to the top and loading.

Ball position is only relevant if you’ve got good mechanics otherwise you need a ball position just to compensate the poor mechanics. It’s the same with grips – a good grip is only relevant if you have good mechanics. You can have whatever grip you want if you’ve got good mechanics – if you’ve got poor mechanics you need a grip to compensate.

If you’re a slicer, you can strengthen the grip. If you’re a hooker you can weaken the grip.

That’s a compensation for poor mechanics.

26 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

Push and Pull For anybody to get more power they’ve got to use more up and down force, not lateral force and rotation. It’s about pushing into the ground as you’re pulling up and at the same time loading all your muscles, particularly your shoulder muscles.

Remember: Turn back and turn through the ball means nothing unless you load the muscles.

This images shows Henrik in a fully loaded position. The shoulders are loaded, his legs are pushing down as his torso is pulling upwards.

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 27

Move like a boxer PETE COWEN

PGA MASTER PROFESSIONAL

A boxer doesn’t box with mass, he actually moves his mass as a consequence of loading his muscles. That’s why he can knock you out with a one-inch punch. You couldn’t knock somebody out with a one-inch movement of mass.

It’s the same in the golf swing. Loading the muscles gets all the levers working together and that’s why Henrik Stenson gets so much extension, it’s happening by harnessing natural force.

The muscles in his shoulders are loading and then on the downswing his muscles are working so that they can hold the power until the crucial last minute.

You can see how taut and loaded the body is. When you’re as strong as Henrik is you can hold that position and then use the muscles whenever you want to actually fire.

28 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

25% more power Henrik is using natural forces to work for him, rather than against him, through good positioning, whereas most people are not using natural forces, they’re fighting them.

So they’re always going to be 25% down on power. I guarantee that people who are just using mass, rather than their muscles to move mass would gain that 25% improvement in no time if they started loading properly.

Henrik’s left knee is flexed through impact. It’s stretching as he’s actually moving. His mass is moving out of the way as a consequence of the muscles pushing though position.

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 29

When n you u rel elau aunc nch h a le lege g nd ge nd, d to ma make ke sur u e yyo ou ge get it you need ht.. But, I was was al alwa w ys wa y surp prrissed righ at Callla away neve verr kept the Big tha ha name al aliive. ive. So, why the e Berrth it?? big wait

1795AED 17 1 795AE ED PER CLUB PER ER C LU UB B

710AED 71 7 10AE AED PER PER CLUB PE CL CL LUB UB U B

WORDS: ALEX GALLEMORE

Big Bertha’s back

Big Bertha bounces back

30 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

The original Big Bertha announced Callaway as a golf manufacturing heavyweight, so in relaunching the iconic club after a lengthy absence from the market place they’d better be sure that the new incarnation delivers a punch like it’s predecessor did 23 years ago.

In two decades drivers have changed dramatically and are pretty much unrecognisable from those used in 1991. The original Big Bertha had a 190cc head, compared to the 460cc monsters of today. Back then, custom weighting was a piece of lead tape that was positioned to the back of the head to counteract the spin influenced at the neck and the toe of the club.

The sliding weight technology of today is a more accurate calibration of that primitive system and has become

one of the key selling points for a number of manufacturers in recent years. Face angle and loft can also be altered by adjustable hosel technology and again many manufacturers have found their own way to market this feature.

PRODUCT LAUNCH 2014 Big Bertha Lofts: 9.0; 10.5; 13.5 - available in left and right hand CC: 460 Shafts & Flex: Mitsubishi Rayon Light, Regular and Stiff 2014 Big Bertha Alpha Lofts: 9.0- available in left and right hand CC: 460 Shafts & Flex: Mitsubishi Rayon Light, Regular, Stiff & X Stiff

“We didn n’t bring g the e nam me ba back k out of some mis i gu uid i ed d sen nse of no nosta algia. ughtt it back k to adva ance e the e science e of o hittti t ng g the e balll furrthe er. Th he goal We brou er de esig gn att Calllaw way is to o indiv ivid idua ualise e perrform man nce optim i issatio on of drive olfe er, giiving g them the besst chanc ce to o op ptim mise drivving g disstance. for every go nova ative e Big g Be ertha a Alp pha Dr D ivver e is th the ultim mate e rep pressenttatio on of this The inn ophyy.” . – Dr Alan Hocknell, Vice President of Innovation and Design, Callaway philoso The R&A and USGA have been policing technology more intensely over recent years to stop driver and ball development changing the game.

Callaway nearly got their ERC driver under the radar in 2001 but that brought about a ruling to monitor the ‘spring-like effect off the face’. So, with every development angle covered and with every conceivable rule in place, what has suddenly happened for Callaway to throw off the Big Bertha dust-sheets and build th their 2014 campaign around the legendary name?

Firstly, they not no only decided to launch o one driver, but two. The Big Bertha and the Big Bertha Alpha. The Bert Big Bertha comes in at a RRP of $399 and is a direct rival to the TaylorMade SLDR. Big Bertha benefits: The Hyperspeed Face Technology increases distance; Adjustable Perimeter Weighting gives a 20% increase in MOI and a wider range of draw and fade bias options to help straighten those tee shots; Advanced Hosel Adjustment can increase or decrease the loft by one degrees to optimize the launch angle; Forged Composite Crown weighing only eight grams to give a deeper centre of gravity for more forgiveness and less spin.

Bi Big Bertha Verdict Lik Like a Swiss Army Knife, it’s go got every conceivable gadget go going but there’s nothing new.

It’s a well packaged driver with pe performance and adjustability to ge get the most out of your game.

So how does the Big Bertha Al Alpha differ?

Well for a start it’s $100 more! But this club has one more ingredient.

Something new! GRAVITY CORE ADJUSTABILITY. Until now, to get the ball airborne you need loft. But loftt increases spin and too much spin pin reduces distance. This has been en a problem for professionals and amateurs with high swing speeds. eds. Some players have been known own to use as little as 7 degree drivers rivers to reach the optimum spin pin rate but this makes the club unforgiving nforgiving as loft also adds control..

The Gravity Core sits within the club head in a carbon tube that connects the crown and sole. It has a tungsten end, weighing 10.5g, and a glass fibre reinforced body, weighing just 1.5g. The gravity core can be inserted into the club head two different ways, which allows golfers to change the vertical centre of gravity and alter the spin rates based on how it is positioned.

the lower centre of gravity, which a creates a flatter, more penetrating trajectory accompanied by more roll out.

For those looking for a more controlled and workable ball flight and less roll out, the mid CG position is recommended. Player testing has shown as much as a 600rpm spin differential between the two Gravity Core settings without a change in loft.

When the tungsten end is closest to the sole, it will create a lower centre of gravity and lower backspin. When the tungsten end is inserted first and therefore closer to the crown, it creates more of a mid-CG position.

Generally, players with above average head speeds or those who are trying to prevent excessive spin will benefit from

The Big Bertha Alpha’s’s Gravity Core lets golfers adjust st spin independently of launch nch angle.

This adjustability breaks aks the fixed relationship between n launch angle and backspin for or the first time, a key tool to help lp players optimise their driver performance and consistency.

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 31

HAT-TRICK HERO Pablo Larrazabal, reckons his previous two wins on The European Tour, at the 2008 French Open, and at the 2011 BMW International Open, have been down to ’Talent’ and ‘Belief’ and that his victory at the 2014 Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship was all down to ‘Hard Work.’ Here he talks to Worldwide Golf about his game, The European Tour and golf in the Middle East

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

By Richard Bevan

Pablo’s Catch of the Day

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 33

PABLO LARRAZABAL PABLO LARRAZABAL has come a long way from his days working on the family fish farm near Santander in his native Spain, where his father made him work to appreciate the value of money before becoming a pro golfer in 2004.

The experience has helped the 30-year-old keep his feet on the ground as he’s gone on to accumulate almost €5 million in his six years on The European Tour, including the cheque for €328,779 he picked up for beating Rory McIlroy to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship title last month. It was his third Tour title and a victory that proved the former Rookie of the Year’s world-beating credentials.

WWG: Give us your thoughts on winning the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship ahead of the likes of Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson?

It’s unbelievable. I’ve been working so hard for the last two years and throughout the winter. They always say that hard work pays off, but it’s tough to believe it, and you know, it was very special, to fight against Rory and Phil, top 5 in the world, both of them, and come out on top.

WWG: All three of your wins on The European Tour have been different – you led from the front to win the 2008 French Open; you won in a play-off against Sergio Garcia in the 2011 BMW International Open and you came from behind in Abu Dhabi last month. It must be pleasing to know you can win in these different circumstances?

My brother always says my first win in France was the win of the talent. I could have won any golf tournament that week – a hundred putts in 72 holes, not even the best, Tiger, could catch me that week. The second one was the win of belief in Munich.

I believed in myself in the play-off. I

ABOVE Pablo Larrazabal plays his second VKRW WR WKH SDUI ƩYH 18th hole during WKH ƩQDO URXQG RI the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

RIGHT Larrazabal celebrates making a birdie four on the 18th hole to win the tournament as fellow countryman and playing partner Miguel Angel Jiménez congratulates him with Rory McIlroy in the background.

34 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

was hitting that 3-wood straight to the middle of the green, and after Sergio was hitting, I was hitting again, making birdies everywhere, making great shots. I would say the win in Abu Dhabi was the win of hard work and the win of teamwork. I have a big team, and first of all, the Callaway guys. Callaway bring out the best driver, the Big Bertha Alpha – the best driver we can hit out there. I never hit that long and that straight before.

WWG: What are your thoughts on the Middle East Swing as a trio of events to get your season going at the start of the year?

As a Spaniard I love the hot weather. I love the sunshine but I don’t like the rain or the cold, so to come here is great. When we play down in the south of Spain the weather is similar – it’s hot, with a little bit of a breeze but it’s a hot breeze. I’m kind of used to it. It feels like playing in the south of Spain.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

the weekend here is Friday and Saturday so Sunday can be a problem sometimes for people to take the day oďŹ&#x20AC; but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always great to see people coming out to the region to watch some great events. You get people ďŹ&#x201A;ying over from all over Europe to watch these golf tournaments and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something special.

ABOVE Larrazabal with his Big Bertha Alpha. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have

D ELJ WHDP DQG ĆŠUVW of all, the Callaway guys. Callaway bring out the best driver, the Big Bertha Alpha â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the best driver we can hit out there. I never hit that long and that straight EHIRUH Ĺ&#x17E;b

WWG: Obviously, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve now won over the Abu Dhabi course but do you feel the other courses in the Middle East are a good fit for you?

I really do like most of them.

Obviously, Abu Dhabi suits my game very well and I think the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates also suits me. The Doha course at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters always seems to be played in windy conditionsso I like to play and compete in that one. But the Emirates course is a draw golf course â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you have to draw it most of the time so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the best one for me. But the other three, I love.

BELOW Pablo Larrazabal proudly holds the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year trophy he was awarded in 2009.

WWG: How have you noticed the game in the region develop over the years?

The big thing growing in Dubai is the city! But the golf is growing a lot, too.

At the same time as weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have a Chinese player in the top 50 in the world weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have a UAE National playing on The European Tour before too long. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working on it and I know theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re taking care of the kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; development in the region. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure it will happen.

WWG: You mentioned the changes youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve noticed in Dubai, can you expand on that?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been coming over for the last six years. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a long time but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen a lot of changes. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve watched the Classic for the last 20 years and what about that! It was like a little oasis in the middle of the desert and now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the middle of the city! Dubai changes very quickly.

WWG: Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the son of a fisherman and had a fairly modest upbringing in comparison to some of your colleagues on The European Tour. Does that help you to keep your feet on the ground?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always had my feet ďŹ rmly on the ground. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good to compete around the world, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good to compete with all of these great players and I feel I have taken my place on the Tour. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recognise me as just another Spaniard, they know who I am and I like it. But, you know, for the ďŹ rst two years on Tour itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diďŹ&#x20AC;erent. But now the hotels, the ranges, the courses on The European Tour â&#x20AC;&#x201C; I spend more time here than I do at home. This is my home, this where I want to be every week so I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel like a stranger. It makes me feel good. We have a lot of luck as players and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very well looked after. Having our hobby as our profession is something not many people can say. Maybe 5-7% of people in the world work doing what they love and we do - so I feel lucky about that. But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve worked as hard as anyone here to arrive where I am today so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m proud of that as well.

WWG: You mentioned your satisfaction with the new Big Bertha driver â&#x20AC;&#x201C; how do you find Callaway as a company to work with in general?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m loving working with them. They have great people working for Callaway and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve treated me very well from the ďŹ rst day. I enjoy the team and Dec 31st last year marked two years that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been with them. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be more proud to be a member of the Callaway team. It was a big change for me to move to Callaway and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very happy to be there.

WWG: How do you find the overall tournament experience of golf here in the Middle East?

The tournaments we play here in the Middle East are very big. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very well organised and always have great ďŹ elds and good crowds over the weekend. Obviously,

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 35

36 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

Wild Thing

The ups and downs of

O

NE of the star attractions at last month’s Commercial Bank Qatar Masters was America’s John Daly. He’s still one of the biggest draws in the game, but like his nickname, Daly’s scorecard in Qatar was something of a ‘Wild Thing.’ In typical fashion, there was the good, the bad and the downright ugly. Having started the week on a high by winning the Pro-Am with his team-mates, former footballers Gordon Strachan, Andy Gray and Chris Coleman, he was right in the mix at the halfway stage of the tournament after impressive rounds of 67 and 69. What’s more, his Spongebob Square Pants trousers were causing quite a stir on the sartorial scene. But down the back nine in the third round is where it all fell apart as Daly came home in 41 blows to sign for a 77 which effectively ended his challenge.

It was the perfect illustration of the enigma that is John Patrick Daly – dazzling one minute, woeful the next. Winning Major championships one minute, losing his US PGA Tour card the next. Incredibly, for a man who won the 1991 US PGA Championship and the 1995 Open Championship, Daly has now gone nearly 10 years without a win anywhere in the world. But he’s a big fan of The European Tour and the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, as he revealed exclusively to Worldwide Golf’s Richard Bevan in Doha. Hopefully, we might just be seeing a bit more of him this season.

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 37

Wild Thing on Song

RB: Are you still writing songs and have you got any plans to release any new material?

JD: I’ve got about 14 or 15 new songs that I’ve written. I co-wrote a few songs with with some guys so when the fans start asking me to come out with another album I’ll probably do it but I need a lot of help because I’m not very good. It’s more of a hobby. I recently put a studio in my golf course for a lot of my country buddies and rock ‘n roll buddies to use if they’re coming through town. If they want to put some tracks down, I can do a whole album and master it for them in my studio, I’ve got all the equipment to do it. I just love it, it’s a great hobby. So many of my friends are big time stars and sometimes they just want to get away from it all. When they record at my studio, if they’re getting frustrated with a song, they just jump in a golf buggy and go play golf. I’m passionate about music but I don’t think I’ll ever be that good at it. It’s just so much fun to write a song and put it down – when you put the Pro Tools on it you can make anyone sound good, you know what I mean?

38 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH

JOHN DALY

WWG: You recently played the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters for the third time in four years. What is it about that tournament that keeps you coming back?

JD: It’s the golf course and the people.

It’s such a great place, everybody is laid back and relaxed which makes it great fun to play there. Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Dubai, they’re all great but I just love the golf course in Doha.

WWG: What do you think is the key to playing the Doha Golf Club course?

JD: I think you’ve got to hit your driver well. I mean, we have to putt well on every course we play out on Tour so that goes without saying but the Doha course is so long and it doesn’t roll at all, so you really have to hit it long and keep it in play because they grow the rough up, too.

WWG: You won The Open in 1995 and the Doha course is renowned for its windy conditions. Does that suit your game?

JD: I’ve never been a guy who didn’t like to play in the wind. I’ve always loved playing in the wind so it doesn’t bother me when it’s blowing 20 or 30mph. That’s when pars are really good to get and any time you shoot under par on a really windy day, you know you’re going to be up there.

WWG: How do you find the experience of playing on The European Tour as compared to the US PGA Tour?

JD: I think the pace of the pro-ams and the general play is 10 times faster over here. All the guys are pretty cool on both Tours but I think that’s the main difference – the play is so much faster and the rules officials don’t care if you’re Tiger Woods or whoever, they’re going to tell you to speed up and that’s what I love about this Tour.

WWG: What’s your schedule looking like for this year – are you going to play more events on The European Tour?

JD: I play Dubai then I’m going to go home and play a couple and then hopefully play Puerto Rico and Innisbrook – after that we’ll see what happens. I’m looking forward to playing the BMW in Cologne and hopefully the Irish Open as well, so I’ll get a few in.

ABOVE John Daly powered his way to the 1991 US PGA Championship and followed it up with his second Major four years laters at the Open Championship at St Andrews.

WWG: We’d love to see you play enough events to get into the DP World Tour Championship at the end of the season. Is that something you’ve considered?

JD: Yeah I would love to – it just depends which tournaments I can get into. But I would love to play over here just as much as in the States this year.

If I can get 13-17 starts here and 13-17 at home I’ll be happy and, hopefully, playing well.

WWG: You’ve released two albums and your songs are very open and honest – is that something that your fans like about you as a player.

You lay it on the line, warts and all, whether it’s good or bad. Is it important to you to be that way?

JD: Pat McGee, Darius Rucker, Johnny Lee, Kid Rock, all my buddies who I play golf with and write songs with all say , “the reason we love writing with you is that everything is from the heart. It’s something that has happened in your life. You’re not writing about some past relationship you had when you were 12 years old.

You’re writing about true things that are happening in your life. Do you know Kid Rock’s ‘Rock ‘n Roll Jesus’ album? I kinda named that. There were a couple of things I did to help out on that album. I didn’t really know what

I was doing but Kid said that because it was from the heart it helped him.

We have a blast hanging out and playing golf but I think the guys like to hear what comes from the heart sometimes. It’s hard for me to write if I don’t talk about something that’s happened in my life, whether it’s positive or negative.

WWG: How is your game going into the rest of the season?

JD: I feel really good. I’m starting to putt better. I just need to hit more fairways. If I can do that I can, hopefully, get it around because I’ve got a lot more confidence in the putter than I’ve had for a long time.

WWG: You played with former football players Gordon Strachan, Andy Gray and Chris Coleman in the Qatar Masters Pro-Am and won. Was that a fun experience?

JD: It was great. We all had a great time. If we’d been teeing off first we’d probably have had to wait for the guys who teed off on the back nine! We had a blast, they’re all great guys.

WWG: Hopefully you can get a win under your belt soon and celebrate with one of your own brand ‘Sip it and Rip It’ drinks.

JD: (laughing) It’ll be a nice Diet Coke!

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 39

MATTEO MANASERRO

STAR WWG: If you weren’t a golfer, what would you be doing right now?

MM: I would probably be studying with the aim of going into something financial or a career in economics. Finance always attracted me when I was at school and although I wasn’t there very much because of my golf commitments I always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with maths and could imagine going into a job that involved figures. Aside from that, I would have tried to play football for a living, but in all honesty, I don’t think I would have made a name for myself doing that.

Images by

40 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

WORLDWIDE GOLF

IT’S hard to believe that Golf in Abu Dhabi Ambassador Matteo Manassero is still only 20 years of age.

He’s already got a collection of titles that many players would be proud to have amassed by the end of their careers, never mind just four years in. The Italian young gun has been re-writing the record book ever since he exploded onto the golfing scene, winning the 2010 Castello Masters Costa Azahar and becoming, at just 17 years and 188 days, the youngest ever winner on The European Tour.

Since then it’s been pretty much a

title and a new record or two every year as the former Amateur World No.1 has continued to belie his tender age with performances of vintage quality, none more so than the one he delivered to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Seve Ballesteros, in winning the prestigious BMW PGA Championship – his fourth win in four years. He’s the latest big name player to join the ranks of Callaway for the 2014 season and with The Ryder Cup looming, you wouldn’t put it past this rapidly rising star to fire his way into Paul McGinley’s Team.

Record-breaking Highlights .

2009 Youngest winner of the British Amateur Championship, age 16.

2009 Youngest winner of the Silver Medal as leading amateur at The Open Championship.

2010 Youngest player to make the cut at The Masters, age 16 years, 11 months, 22 days.

2011 Youngest winner of the Malaysian Open, and first and second youngest European Tour winner at 17 years, 363 years.

2012 First teenager to win three European Tour titles when he was victorious in the Barclays Singapore Open 2013 Youngest winner of the BMW PGA Championship, age 20 years, 37 days.

Images by Getty

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 41

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WORLDWIDE GOLF TALKS TO

MATTEO MANASERRO

WWG: How have you found your experiences of playing in the Middle East over the years?

MM: I always enjoy playing in the Middle East and I love seeing how much golf has grown year-on-year out here. Every time that I visit there seems to be something new on the skyline and it’s fascinating to see how the place is evolving.

The fans in the Middle East are always fantastic and support the tournament very well and that is something that us players really appreciate.

WWG: How did you spend the winter break – are you good at putting the clubs down for a while or do you tend to spend all your spare time practicing?

MM: I spent much of my time in the off season playing and practicing in Abu Dhabi because the climate enabled me to get the most out of my days and similarly to last year, I was working quite a bit in the gym as Christmas is the only period where I can commit to a an intense gym regime.

WWG: You had another great campaign last year, obviously highlighted by the superb victory at The European Tour’s flagship event at Wentworth – a fourth win in four years – what are you goals for the 2014 season?

MM: It was an amazing feeling to win at Wentworth because it was a really strong field and I felt honoured to join some of the famous names on that trophy such as my idol, Seve Ballesteros. When I got my European Tour card four years ago I don’t think I could have imagined that I would win a title every year but now I am on that run, I would like to keep it going. My other goals include making he Ryder Cup Team as it is something that I always said I would love to be part of and I will put every effort into trying to make it a happen.

WWG: What is it like to see your name on the BMW PGA Championship’s roll of honour, alongside the likes of Seve, Olazabal, Langer, Faldo, Woosnam, Montgomerie and many other legends of the game?

MM: To have my name amongst such a fantastic roll of honour makes me so proud and happy that I was able to come through that four-hole play-off at Wentworth. To follow in the footsteps of some of the biggest legends of the game is truly humbling and I hope I can go on to achieve even half of what they did.

WWG: As an ambassador for ‘Golf in Abu Dhabi’, what do you feel are the emirate’s merits as a golfing destination and how important is the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in your schedule?

MM: I’ve always looked forward to playing in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship ever since I was given support from the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority to compete back in 2010. It is always such a well run and enjoyable event and this year’s event was no different. The players and fans help to showcase the delights of Abu Dhabi to the world of golf. The weather is always fantastic in January and the course is consistently in magnificent shape, so along with the remarkable setting of the city around the course Abu Dhabi is truly a fantastic golfing destination.

WWG: How much did you enjoy the last two editions of the Seve Trophy and is The Ryder Cup something that is on your radar for this season?

MM: I thoroughly enjoyed the last two Seve Trophy events and they were such great experiences for me.

José Maria is a fantastic man and a great captain with a lot of Ryder Cup experience so to play for him and help Team Europe to victory was very memorable for me. To play alongside a European legend like Miguel Angel Jiménez in the foursomes was also an amazing experience because he is so easy to play with and we had a lot of fun together. Miguel has been playing on Tour longer than I’ve been alive and he never seems to miss any shots. In terms of The Ryder Cup, of course I will be trying my hardest to make the Team but I know I just need to keep playing my own game week-in-week-out and if I am in the qualification spots at the end, I will be very happy.

MM: I grew up playing a lot of amateur golf with Andrea and I am pleased to see him bounce back on to The European Tour so quickly. He played magnificently all year on the Challenge Tour in 2013 and I hope he can continue that form this year in Europe. It’s great to see Italian golf grow and it’s testament to the Italian Golf Union for all the hard work they put in when we were developing as amateur golfers.

WWG: You’re a Rolex Ambassador, what is it about the brand you like and have you found them a good company to work with?

MM: What I like about Rolex is the elegant, exclusive look that the brand and the watches have, the company themselves are also so elegant and that’s what I have found working with them. There are many young guys in the golf department and all of them are very smart and classy people, and they respect perfectly the look that Rolex has.

WWG: You’ve switched club manufacturers to Callaway this season, what was the reason behind the move?

MM: After testing lots of different products, I am very happy to be joining Callaway and I am really excited to use their whole range of equipment. I’m really impressed with everything so far and the Callaway Team has been fantastic.

WWG: Andrea Pavan showed the strength of Italian golf by winning the 2013 Challenge Tour. How pleasing is it to see so much success for Italy in the game?

TOP COURSES What are your three favourite golf courses across the globe?

MM: I have four favourites - Augusta National, Le National in Paris, TPC Sawgrass and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club (pictured) in Abu Dhabi.

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 43

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WORLDWIDE GOLF COLUMNIST <<

Greg

NORMAN

BACK WITH THE COBRA BRAND WHERE I FIRST BEGAN

I

n late January, I attended the PGA Merchandise show where I met with some of my corporate partners, including Club Car, GPS Industries, Greg Norman Eyewear, Greg Norman Collection and my newest partner, COBRA Golf. I was encouraged by the traffic at the Show and, hopefully, things are trending up for the golf industry in general.

During the show we announced my new relationship with COBRA to the golf trade and I took part in a ‘fireside chat’ on the main stage with the President of COBRA, Bob Phillion, and Golf Channel’s Holly Sonders who also happens to be an ambassador for COBRA. As I said in my column last month, I’m really looking forward to returning to the brand where it all started for me. I have a lot of great history with COBRA, both inside the ropes and in the boardroom. COBRA was founded by a fellow Australian, Tom Crow, and the company’s genesis was in my home country of Australia.

I worked with Tom Crow to help design COBRA’s first set of forged irons. I won my second British Open using COBRA equipment and was with COBRA when they became the industry leader in game improvement golf clubs. So I really have a lot of great memories with COBRA. During my first stint with COBRA, they were really pushing the envelope on technology. In 1994 the King COBRA Oversized Irons became golf’s best-selling irons, essentially starting a whole new product category.

Most people probably don’t know it, but COBRA was also one of the first companies to offer stock graphite shafts in their drivers and irons. Needless to say, I’m excited about helping COBRA regain their position on top of the game improvement golf club marketplace and I’m very impressed with the current clubs in their Bio Cell lineup.

I had the opportunity to go through the Bio Cell fitting process and have had the clubs in my bag since the first of the year. They look and feel great and I really like the ease of adjustability on their new Bio Cell driver.

Apparently, I am not the only one who was impressed as the COBRA booth was buzzing with excitement and it was standing room only at their booth when I was at the show. It also became apparent to me that COBRA is making a concerted effort to bring FUN back in to the game of golf. This is something I heard Bob Phillion say and I really support wholeheartedly.

Making golf fun will help ensure the growth of the game for generations to come.

While my current relationship with COBRA Golf is not quite as involved as my former relationship with them, it’s good to come home to the brand where I enjoyed a great deal of my success on the golf course and I am excited to help COBRA realise their full potential and regain the top spot in the golf equipment marketplace. .” Q Feherty Show On Wednesday of the Merchandise Show I had the pleasure of joining David Feherty on his live broadcast of the Feherty Show. If you would like to watch the show, visit www.shark.com. Until next month, follow me on Twitter@SharkGregNorman and #Attacklife

WorldwideGolf - February 2013 | 47

WORLDWIDE GOLF COLUMNIST <<

David

Howell

I’M NOT TAKING ANYTHING FOR GRANTED

J

ust when you think things can’t get any worse, something else jumps up and smacks you slap, bang in the middle of the face. Actually, I’m exaggerating. It wasn’t in the centre of the face, but just below the left eye and to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t the recipient of the fearsome blow, but the deliverer.

Not that I’m blaming myself. I’m perfectly innocent, but if my caddie Bro wants to stand too close when I’m taking a practice swing then what does he expect, apart from assault and battering. Well, he certainly didn’t expect blood-letting during the first round of the 25th Omega Dubai Desert Classic, but that’s exactly what he got when my sand wedge made contact with his flesh and bone. Now he looks as if he’s had five rounds with the Klitschko brothers.

At least he lived to tell the tale, but although he didn’t see it coming he should have done. He’s always been an accident waiting to happen. Take the time when he flew all the way to Thailand to caddie for me and instead of meeting me on the first tee I had to go meet him in A & E – a mystery bug making it dangerous for him to stray more than two paces from the nearest point of relief. Sadly, he never made it to the golf course. It’s a long way to travel to go to the toilet.

It was going to happen one day I’ve never been able to understand people who are accident prone. I’ve managed to negotiate my way through the mine fields of life with nothing more than three sprained ankles, four wrist injuries, a broken this and the other, a bad back, front and side and any number of other minor calamities. Hitting someone who came within striking distance was obviously going to happen one day… and it did.

At least Bro could see well enough through his other eye to complete the tournament this time.

Now we’re looking forward to an accident-free future… as long as we both keep out of harm’s way.

It’s also been a bit hit and miss on the course in golfing terms recently, but I certainly didn’t expect to miss the cut in Qatar. I can’t explain why I hit it so poorly off the tee early in the week and I didn’t putt well, but even though I rallied in the second round it wasn’t a big enough comeback to get me inside the cut line. It was a case of scoring two goals late on when you’re three goals down. Not much consolation there. I didn’t expect to miss the cut in Dubai either but I’m sure I’ll get back on track before long.

At least golf in general is booming in the Middle East and as I write this on the balcony of our 10th

floor family apartment overlooking Emirates Hills it’s in the knowledge that there are still plenty of sponsors in this area happy to give their welcome and much appreciated backing to The European Tour on several fronts.

There are so many different sports vying for sponsorship so it’s good that Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar have stayed loyal to their golfing partners. Overseeing all these developments and, hopefully, a strengthening of our position now is top businessman David Williams, the new Chairman of The European Tour, who does not have a golfing background. I don’t necessarily believe that somebody in this position needs one. I don’t see that as any bad thing. In the 38 years that Neil Coles did a good job as Chairman, the Tour has gone from relatively humble beginnings to a huge global

business with a colossal turnover. It makes perfect sense to me to have someone from the world of business heading up the Board. We already have a strong representation of golfers on the Board so we’ll always have plenty of input from that perspective.

It’s going to be a busy bedding in period for that David, but the next two months will be a quiet one for this David. At most, I’ll play four tournaments in the next nine or ten weeks. I’m hoping it will be a bit of a recharging period for me because once we get into May it’s going to be full throttle until September and then the Final Series. I’m hoping I’ll have a good second half of the year, but I need to be getting some good results by then and not hitting too many bad shots… or caddies. Q WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 49

Sergio Garcia 2014 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Champion

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WORLDWIDE GOLF COLUMNIST <<

Pete

COWEN

IT’S CRUCIAL TO RECHARGE THE BATTERIES

I

T’S so important that players take the right amount of rest so that when they compete, they’re able to play at the top of their ability.

Henrik Stenson didn’t have a good enough break after his achievements last year.

He needs a break to recharge the batteries, which he’s not done.

If you’re not fit enough to maintain your position you’re going to get a reaction, there’s no doubt about that. But as long as he can find a couple of weeks to recharge, he’ll be OK and he’ll be able to focus on trying to maintain the standards he set last year.

The first thing to go when you’re tired is that you lose control of the ground and if you do that, you lose control of everything. When you’re not gripping the ground properly you start manipulating your swing and manipulation by definition is inconsistent. I hope Henrik plays less this year than he did last year that’s for sure.

Towards the end of last year it was almost like 20 weeks straight. It seemed as if he played every week and that’s going to take its toll on anyone.

Technically he’s the great model I thought Sergio Garcia’s win in Qatar was brilliant. I could see it coming. He played well in Thailand when he won there at the end of last year and with someone as talented as him, if he gets reasonably hot – not even red hot – he’s going to win golf tournaments. Sergio is probably one of the best ball strikers in the world – certainly in the top five – and technically he’s the great model for what I try to get players to replicate in their swing. His technique allows him to create massive power and push his irons out a lot further.

The young amateur Dominic Foos also had a very good tournament in Qatar, finishing tied 16th on 10-under-par. I looked at him in the Pro-Am at the DP World Tour Championship last year and noticed that he had started putting more pressure on the ball than when I first saw him a couple of years ago. For a young lad of 16 to do what he did in Qatar shows he’s obviously got talent. In the company that he was in, with some of the best players in the world, and finishing it off with a final round 68 – that’s a good performance in anybody’s book.

There’s been a lot of talk about Tiger Woods’ form after he missed the cut at Torrey Pines before playing in the Dubai Desert Classic. But what you need to remember is that Tiger is only focussing on four golf tournaments each year. The Majors are all he’s thinking about and everything is geared towards them so it’s a bit too soon to judge where his game is. Q

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 51

WORLDWIDE GOLF

Interview Sam Foos Coach, mentor, manager and, more importantly, Dad!

DOMINIC

Young Gun Makes His Mark

D

OMINIC Foos is a young man with a big future. The 16-yearold amateur was acclaimed throughout the golfing world last month when he finished tied 16th at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters ahead of the likes of European No.1 Henrik Stenson, former World No.1s Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer, four-time Major champion Ernie Els and current US PGA Champion Jason Dufner.

Displaying a composure that belied his youth Foos outplayed his esteemed colleagues with three rounds of 70 followed by a hugely impressive closing 68 to finish 10-under for the tournament.

A familiar face in Dubai, having visited the emirate for the past few years to practice during the winter months when the climate is considerably warmer than in his native Germany, Foos is currently the No.1 ranked under 17 player in the world. Coached by his father, Sam, he’s already achieved great things in a sparkling amateur career, becoming the youngest winner of a string of titles, including the German International Boys, French International Boys, German Match Play Trophy and German Junior.

A former Jr Ryder Cup player, Dominic has been selected for the Europe v Asia and Pacific Michael Bonallack Trophy for 2014 as the youngest ever European Player. Foos considers the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters winner Sergio Garcia a friend and mentor and with many more performances like the one he produced at Doha Golf Club it surely won’t be long before he’s joining the Spaniard on The European Tour winners’ podium.

52 | Worldwide Golf - February 2014

QuickFire WWG: How old were you when \RX ͤUVW EURNH SDU" DF: Off the men’s tees I was 11 years old.

WWG: How old were you when \RX ͤUVW KLW D JROI EDOO" DF: I believe it was in summer 2000 and I was 2 years and 10 months. ::* :KDW 0DMRU ZRXOG \RX PRVW OLNH WR ZLQ ͤUVW" DF: The Masters ::* :KLFK ͤOP PRVW PDNHV \RX ODXJK" DF: The Other Guys with Mark Wahlberg ::* &DGG\VKDFN RU +DSS\ *LOPRUH" DF:Happy Gilmore.

0

Worldwide Golf - February 2014 | 53

WORLDWIDE GOLF

Interview WWG: What did it mean to you to finish ahead of Stenson, Els, Donald and Dufner in Qatar?

DF : It was a great moment for me. Every player has good and bad weeks and the result in Qatar has shown me that I have the potential to compete on a high level on Tour.

WWG: What did you learn from your result and playing at Doha Golf Club?

DF : I learned a lot but I would say the most important thing I learned was that hard work pays off!

WWG: When will you look to turn professional and has the performance and result in Qatar influenced that?

DF : It will probably be in a year or two.

It was a great week in Qatar and showed me that I am on the right track, but the plans have not changed!

WWG: Did the Doha Golf Club track suit your strengths or have you learnt to adjust to different courses?

DF : My game is actually in a good balance, so I feel comfortable enough to adjust my game to play all different types of courses.

WWG: How does your finish in Qatar compare to other great moments in your career?

DF : I’ve had some amazing moments but that was the best so far. It was a great feeling closing with an eagle on the last hole and I’m really proud to finish in such a strong tournament in 16th position.

WWG: While Sergio was waiting for the play-off to commence in Qatar the TV showed you chatting with him and having fun. You seemed quite close – how well do you know him?

DF : We’ve been friends for a while and Sergio helps me a lot with tips on and off the course. I look up to him and he’s a role model for me. I also like his family and the people around him. We had dinner together several times during the tournament and it was a great spending time with him.

WWG: What do you like most about Sergio?

DF : I like many things about him as a player and how he handles certain things, but I really like his infectious passion and love for the game.

54 | Worldwide Golf - February 2014

::* <RX̵YH SOD\HG DQG SUDFWLFHG DOO RYHU WKH ZRUOG EXW KRZ KDV 'XEDL LQͥXHQFHG \RXU SURJUHVV RYHU WKH ODVW IHZ \HDUV" DF : Dubai is a really fantastic place for a golfer. I love to come here during the winter to practice, especially at Jumeirah Golf Estates and also at The Els Club. It’s amazing to wake up every morning and know the sun is UJKPKPI 6JG RTCEVKEG FWTKPI VJG YKPVGT VKOG KPǡ&WDCK JCU been such an essential factor in developing my game.

Dominic Foos with the magnificent trophy after winning the German International Boys Championship.

SERGIO WWG: What kind of advice does Sergio give you?

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PHOTO: DGV/Stbl

WWG: When you practice, do you have a set routine and how long do you spend on the range, in the gym and playing during the course of the day?

DF : It depends on the time of the year.

During the winter I hit more balls on the range than in the summer. But generally I spend more time on my short game.

My dad makes the training plans and we work to them accordingly.

WWG: How has technology enabled you to improve your game?

DF : Technology is great! I’m working with my dad a lot using the Trackman which helps me to understand my swing better.

WWG: What’s the best tip or piece of advice you could give juniors who are

working on their game in the hope of being able to turn professional?

DF : First of all they need to have a passion for the game. Then hard work and commitment are the key to success.

WWG: You’ve played in the Pro-Am and been a member of the winning Am-Am team at the DP World Tour Championship but do you now feel your game is in a place where you could confidently compete with the top 60 on The Race to Dubai at Jumeirah Golf Estates?

DF : I have practiced a lot during the last few years and especially the last few months after finishing school. I feel really comfortable with my game, so it is getting more rounded. I believe I have the potential to compete at a high level but only time will tell what´s possible. I

Dominic Foos in action at The European Tour Performance Institute at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

still have the time before turning pro to improve my game.

WWG: There are bound to be comparisons between yourself and other young headline makers like Rory McIlroy and Matteo Manassero.

But which professional golfer has inspired you the most and why?

DF : Rory and Matteo both turned pro at a pretty young age and won, so they’ve shown that it’s possible to be young and compete on the Tour. I would say I was mostly inspired by Tiger, Sergio and Rory.

WWG: You are still so young, how do you manage to have fun away from the course and relax?

DF : I love golf, so every time I practice or play I’m always enjoying myself. To relax I like to chill out, listen to music or go the cinema and I love to play table tennis and billiards as well.

WWG: How crucial has your dad, Sam, been in nurturing your game, protecting you from the ruthless side of the industry and, most importantly, keeping the father and son relationship so strong?

DF : My dad has played the biggest role in nurturing my game since I was a little kid. Our relationship is something special. It’s very strong and we really enjoy travelling around together. Q www.dominicfoos.com

Worldwide Golf - February 2014 | 55

INSTRUCTION JONATHAN CRADDOCK PGA PROFESSIONAL EMIRATES GOLF CLUB

1

KEEP YOUR HEAD TO MASTER YOUR SWING I will explain how to efficiently rotate during your golf swing to improve both accuracy and power.

Balance in the golf swing is the key to power and consistency. Maintaining balanced lines will help you master your swing.

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Balance has a massive impact on your swingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accuracy, consistency and power. One of the biggest problems I see is people tilting instead of rotating in their swing. Before learning how to rotate we need to ďŹ rst improve our static and dynamic posture.

For good static posture as seen in picture 1, tilt from your hips, not your waist then let the weight fall forwards lifting your heels, moving the weight to the balls of your feet, allow your knees to ďŹ&#x201A;ex slightly. Finally, let your hands fall beneath your shoulders. I see many people over-ďŹ&#x201A;exing their knees and placing too much weight towards the back of their feet.

Improving your static posture prepares you for improved dynamic posture at impact. Maintaining these lines through the move will enable you to keep your spine angle and therefore your balance.

2

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INSTRUCTION JONATHAN CRADDOCK EMIRATES GOLF CLUB

How to rotate the shoulders in the right way depending on the club you use: I use a simple spirit level analogy. From a swing perspective each club we select has a different length and therefore the tilt from the hips (spine angle) will be slightly different.

A simple drill I use is to face a mirror in five iron posture. Arms crossed with hands on shoulders. (Use an alignment rod or golf club to check rotation).

Note: These drills create a consistent move to build into the golf swing. When hitting golf balls the move would be more dynamic.

1

2

3

4

Imagine your head is the bubble inside the spirit level. The task during the swing is to rotate around the spine on the correct axis.

If you take a look at the pictures 1 and 3, the correct position shows the chin parallel to the ground and the line through the centre of the face, perpendicular to the ground. For a right-handed golfer, rotate your left shoulder towards the right knee (backswing).

To find the correct axis of rotation and maintain it throughout the swing, keep the line central on your face (imagine this creates a centred bubble in the spirit level).

If you dip beneath the line with your chin, or the line through the face moves into an angled position, then the axis has been changed creating too steep a shoulder plane (tilt the spirit level and the bubble moves). Tilting, rather than rotating, will lead to compensatory moves and will negatively affect the balance of the swing.

4

In picture number 4 the spine is tilting away from the target and the shoulder plane has become too steep. This would lead to the hands being used in a rotational manner through impact as a compensatory move. There could be a number of reasons for this. One is an inability to separate the upper body from the lower body which would affect how the shoulders can rotate around the spine without altering the core musculature.

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 59

INSTRUCTION Rhys Beecher Director of Instruction The Academy by Troon Golf at The Address Montgomerie Dubai

On the wonderfully challenging ninth hole at The Address Montgomerie Dubai, I have covered some key ‘strategies’ to help improve the ability to turn three into two!

SHORT GAME STRATEGIES One of the most important stats on the PGA Tour is ‘Scrambling’ – getting up and down for par from off the green. Tour players don’t hit every green in regulation, in fact it might surprise you that the Tour average is just 64% (11.5/18 greens).

What this tells us is that on average Tour players will rely on their recovery skills over six times in every round, making good scrambling crucial to scoring well.

Reducing the number of short shots hit in a round of golf is the easiest way to reduce your score. Turning three into two from around the green will ensure you maintain the momentum in your round and will often make you feel more positive about the following hole.

Green Side Bunker Shot One of the most important aspects to remember is to maintain your posture as you swing through the sand. Bunkers can often tempt golfers to straighten up their bodies as the club enters the sand in the hopes of lifting the ball onto the green.

If you don’t maintain your posture, you’ll have a hard time sliding the clubface under the ball. To maintain your posture, set up a little lower to the ground than normal and focus on keeping your knees bent throughout the swing.

Keep in mind the following strategy for Bunker Play: ACCELERATE TO A FULL FINISH! Accelerating will produce better results than decelerating in a bunker.

BY- Bryan Smyth, Golf Professional at Emirates Golf Club

Chip and Run Shot I see a lot of golfers take a sand or lob wedge for shots around the green and come up well short of the hole. Using a lob wedge might be fine if the pin is up front and you need to stop the ball quickly, but if the pin is deeper onto the green, use a less-lofted club.

Here I have opted for an 8-iron which has landed at the front of the green and will roll the length of the green. This is a much more consistent approach as the smaller swing and closer landing area increases your accuracy.

Keep in mind the following strategic rule for Chipping: USE A FIRMWRISTED SWING, AND LET YOUR BODY TURN. This will help in moving the bottom of the swing forward so you can catch the ball slightly on the downswing.

Pitch Shot Most of the same fundamentals apply to pitching as they do full swings. This certainly includes keeping your body turning toward the target through impact. It is important for our upper and lower body to turn in sync and effectively ‘stay connected’.

A high percentage of pitching errors occur from reduced body turn which results in getting ‘handsy’ in the delivery of the club to the ball. This movement makes consistent club-ball contact a problem and therefore, in turn, distance control. Effective pitching should be controlled by big muscles such as shoulders, chest, hips and thighs. This will reduce the hand action and produce a more consistent strike.

Keep in mind the following strategic rule for Pitching: KEEP YOUR BODY ROTATING TO THE TARGET. This will ensure use of the ‘big muscles’ and reduce the amount of hand action in these shots.

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 61

SHARJAH Dubai Creek EGF’s Presidents Cup ROBERT FIALA Men’s Amateur Open SCRATCH TROPHY

EGF UAE

Saif Thabet wins the Championship with more than 55 Emiratis competing over two days at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

Page 65

The new Membership Sales and Marketing Manager talks about his golf experience in the USA and his hopes for golf in the UAE.

Page 66

Paul Saad shot impressive rounds of 74 and 76 to win the Omega Dubai Creek Men’s Amateur Open by one stroke from Bayhaan Lakdawala.

Page 72

THE team of Sharjah Professionals took home the trophy for the fourth successive time in the annual Pros versus Members Scratch Trophy.

Page 82

December

Arabian Golf Page 68

The Royal Golf Club BAHRAIN THE Royal Golf Club Bahrain has deservedly received the prestigious Troon Golf Facility of the Year Award for 2013, chosen from 200 golf clubs globally managed by Troon Golf.

2014 Emirates Golf Federation Membership Offer 2014 Membership Rates

* Affiliate membership must be renewed as EGF Direct in second year.

Your EGF membership entitles you to a vast range of benefits including: -

An official USGA handicap recognized worldwide Ability to enter in club events and competitions requiring an official handicap An online handicap management system - Golferscard.ae Discounted green fees at UAE Golf Clubs - for the full list of rates please visit our website at http://emiratesgolffederation.com/Contents/Rates.aspx Membership Benefits Program with special offers from partners of the EGF, for the full list of offers please visit our website at http://emiratesgolffederation.com/Membership/Benefits.aspx Golferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Insurance - all members are covered by third party and property damage insurance EGF bag tag Insider volunteer opportunities and special ticket offers at Professional Golf Tournaments held in the UAE.

EMIRATES GOLF FEDERATION www.emiratesgolffederation.com

emiratesgolffederation

@EGFuaegolf

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UAE PRESIDENTS CUP GROWS YEAR ON YEAR THE Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) played host to one of the most well represented Emirati golf tournaments in the UAE at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club last month as more than 55 local Emiratis took to the course to compete in the 2014 UAE Presidents Cup. This was the second staging of the UAE Presidents Cup since it was re-named from the UAE’s National Golf Championship two years ago and competition has grown year on year.

Taking the spoils in this year’s event was Saif Thabet after he put together rounds of 79 and 71 for a 150 total and a seven shot victory over Khalid Yousuf.

“This tournament is a great way to represent our country,” said Thabet. “The Presidents Cup is a grand event but to see so many UAE Nationals playing and the number of players increasing every year really means a lot. I think this is a fantastic event and to be amongst it all – and especially to win it – is a great honour for me.”

Khalid Yousuf, who won the title in 2013, again

The junior competitors are pictured before play.

found himself in contention after a fine opening round 74 but he struggled to a second round 83 as Thabet produced his sensational second round to win the Cup in fine style. Taking the final place on the podium was Abdulla Al Musharrekh with rounds of 74 and 84 to finish a shot behind Yousuf.

The overall net winner of the event was Saif’s father Omar as he carded a 77 and then a stunning 64 to win with a 141 total. The Ladies champion was Rabab Al Haj, who shot 102 and 94 to win on 196.

During day two of the event there was a 9-hole competition held for juniors aged between 10 and 13 over the tough back nine and coming out on top with 47 blows was Tara Al Marzooqi. In addition, there was a Par-3 Challenge for children aged between 3 and 13 and it was split into two divisions – girls and boys. In both divisions a score of 22 was good enough for victory as Alia Al Emadi won the girls title and Khalil Al Kashwani won the boys.

The 2014 Presidents Cup sponsored by HSBC was another significant example of UAE golf being represented at a high level. With strong scores,

different events based on skills levels, and a variety of different ages and genders being embodied, it is easy to see why the game of golf is increasing in popularity.

The awards ceremony was graced with the presence of HH Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the Minister of Culture, Youth, and Social Development, along with other dignitaries including EGF Board Members.

Above: Winner Saif Thabet proudly poses with the trophy.

Pictured above: Tara Al Marzooqi is presewnted with the girls’ prize in the Junior nine-hole competition

ArabianGolf - February 2014 | 65

EMIRATES GOLF FEDERATION www.dubaigolf.com

EmiratesGolfClub

PHOTOS: HELEN SHIPPEY

ON THE TEE – EGF’S ROBERT FIALA ROBERT FIALA is the newly appointed Membership Sales and Marketing Manager of the Emirates Golf Federation based at Yas Links Golf Club, Abu Dhabi. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, but raised in Miami, Florida. His earliest memories of golf were at a young age watching golf on TV with his family. “I remember thinking that it is incredible how these players have so much focus and patience to deliver such precision.”

Facebook: Emirates Golf Federation; Twitter: @EGFuaegolf; Linkedin: Emirates Golf Federation.

66 | ArabianGolf - February 2014

www.emiratesgolffederation.com

WWG: Do you have a family – have you and they been to the Middle East before?

RF: I do not have a wife and children. I travelled to the UAE once before, about four years ago.

I thought at the time that I could see myself working here and making a career in the UAE. I just never thought it would happen.

WWG: What is your background within the golfing industry?

RF: Before moving to the UAE, I worked with the International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) and the Hank Haney International Junior Golf Academy (HHIJGA) on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina in the United States. While working there I was the Player Services Assistant and Tournament Operation Manager. This was an incredible experience as it gave me the opportunity to travel to some of the most prestigious golfing venues in the USA. During my time with the IJGT and HHIJA I worked closely with the Director of Marketing and Communications where we created a strong product for junior golf.

WWG: What are your greatest memories of golf either playing or watching?

RF: My greatest memory of playing golf was at TPC Sawgrass on the Stadium Course at Ponte Vedra, Florida. I had the chance to play the course and the famous par 3, 17th hole. I hit an 8 iron to about 5 feet on the Island Hole and sank the putt for a birdie 2. I don’t want to talk about the other holes, but those two strokes were perfect. I was happy to settle for that.

WWG: What are your earliest memories of the game?

RF: I love playing golf, although I only started playing about five years ago. But I’ve followed the US PGA Tour my entire life. My earliest memories of playing golf would have to be during my senior year of college. Growing up I played baseball. I received a scholarship to play for the Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania baseball team. In my senior year I injured my knee. To help get back into shape and to pass the time away I played golf four or five times a week. I knew then I had a new love.

WWG: Who are your golfing heroes – and why – and what would be your perfect fourball?

RF: I wouldn’t say that I have any real golf heroes, but I do have golf mentors. At my past positions with the IJGT and HHIJGA I had two individuals who taught me a lot about Golf Administration and Operations. These two gentlemen were great friends and colleagues who pushed me down the right path in golf.

My perfect fourball would have to be Tiger Woods, Rory Mcllroy, Phil Mickelson, and, of course, myself. I would want my father and brother there, too, so maybe they could carry our bags. Then I’d like to have Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer commentating. If you’re going to dream, dream big!

Robert Fiala pictured at the Emirates Golf Federation display booth at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club.

WWG: Do you have any other hobbies or past-times?

RF: Having grown up in the States playing baseball as my main sport, I still keep up my traditional past-time by playing on an International Tournament Softball Team (The Shockers) based out of Dubai, but I love doing anything outdoors. Over the past few years I have kind of turned into a health nut and I enjoy my daily workout, although I try not to take it too seriously.

WWG: What are your goals and targets for the EGF? RF: My goals for the EGF are to expand, expose, and endorse. Let me explain: I want to expand the membership base of the EGF, by producing a product that will be beneficial and worthwhile for all UAE golfers. I want to expose the EGF brand to all golfers, golf clubs, and media outlets in the UAE. I want to declare the UAE’s pubic approval and support for the EGF. As the governing body of UAE amateur golf I feel that all three of these aspects are important.

WWG: Do you have any ideas for creating more EGF members?

RF: I have a list of ideas on how to increase the number of members for the EGF, but the idea that I want to work on first and foremost and which I think will have the most effect, is making membership more beneficial for our members. I believe that if we connect with dedicated partners in the retail, hospitality, and travel industries to provide discounts and incentives, then this will be an added bonus to the EGF membership and therefor create more members.

WWG: Yas Links is regarded as one of the gems of Middle East Golf courses – what’s is it like to be based at Yas? RF: Working with the EGF and being based out of Yas Links gives me the opportunity to have the best of both worlds. With the type of influence that Yas Links provides the Middle East I think that working out of their facilities will benefit me with reaching my goals at the EGF. WWG: What is the funniest thing you have seen on a golf course?

RF: When I was playing at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, my friend and I were teeing off on the 5th hole of our Academy Course and I striped one down the fairway. My friend duck hooked his drive about 30 yards into the forest on the left. All in one motion he took his driver and snapped it over his knee then proceeded to throw his club after the ball. Due to his anger and actions, I was laughing so hard that I was rolling around on the tee box. His club literally went further than his ball. (As we know, this is not the way to act. Working as rules officials at the time, it made it that much funnier and I had to give him a stroke penalty.)

WWG: Do you think that golf in the Middle East is priced too highly, which is why there are so many golfers whom are not members of golf clubs?

RF: Golf is expensive in this part of the world, largely due to the considerable maintenance costs. However, by having an EGF Membership, reduced rates become so beneficial. You don’t have to be a member of a particular club but you will receive discounted rates at all UAE golf courses, as well as being provided with a Professional Handicap that can be used globally.

ArabianGolf - February 2014 | 67

“BEST OF THE BEST”

Royal Golf Club Troon Golf Facility of the Year 2013

To book online visit www.theroyalgolfclub.com

Award winner

The Royal Golf Club Reigns Supreme THE Royal Golf Club Bahrain has deservedly received the prestigious Troon Golf Facility of the Year Award for 2013. From 200 golf clubs worldwide managed by Troon Golf, the industry’s leader in upscale golf course management, development and marketing, the Royal Golf Club reigns supreme as the best of the best.

T

DJ Flanders, General Manager of the Royal Golf Club Bahrain pictured with the prestigious trophy for the Troon Golf Facility of the Year Award for 2013.

he Troon Golf Facility Award was made Bahrain International Golf Course Company who own at their traditional annual Conference the Royal Golf Club commented: “I’m proud of our at its home in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, golf club being awarded the Facility of the Year for last month. Five golf clubs were shortlisted for the Troon Golf portfolio for 2013. The award shows Troon’s top Award, including Troon’s flagship the dedication and hard work of the management property in Arizona, Troon North. and staff. I would also like to thank the Members, “This award is a huge accolade and a tribute to the Troon Golf Management, Board Members and hard work of our dedicated team and supportive Shareholders for their support. This award puts our Membership,” said a delighted golf club alongside a select group of DJ Flanders, General Manager of golf facilities from around the world.” the Royal Golf Club. “This is the Bruce Glasco, Senior Vice-President first time a club has received the and Managing Director, Troon award in the first year of coming International Operations, added: under Troon’s management, “This award not only recognises the so it’s a great achievement. hard work and effort by the whole Receiving such a prestigious team at the Royal Golf Club but also award will bring the Club and the unflinching support of the Board Bahrain as a whole, to the of Directors. For the winner of this attention of the world’s golfing award to come from the International community.”

Division not only demonstrates the The criteria considered way in which our programmes can included the results of annual be adapted to work in every part of member, guest, owner and the world but also the way they are associates’ satisfaction surveys embraced by our Associates to deliver as well as the Club’s financial for all our Members and Guests.” results, with the Royal Golf Last year’s Men’s Captain, Ebrahim Club reducing its operating Esbai, added: “This prestigious award costs substantially while makes us all proud. To all of us – significantly improving its GOP in management, members and guests implementing Troon standards.

– well done!”

– COLIN MONTGOMERIE The Club’s remarkable financial The 2013 Lady Captain, Hanne turnaround showed 109 percent growth in net Hansen, said: “Congratulations to the Club, the operating profit in one year, when their Annual members and all the staff on this amazing award.

Members’ Satisfaction Survey showed its ‘Net I’m very proud to be a member. I think we have Promoter Score’ went from a negative 49 percent to a something unique here. Golf for me has always been positive 42 per cent in the year. about having fun and we certainly do here at the Sheikh Rashid Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Royal Golf Club.” Q

“I’m delighted that the Royal Golf Club has won this prestigious award. I’m very proud that the course has my name attached to it and pleased that all the hard work everyone has put into the Club over the last few years has been recognised.

Congratulations to everyone at the Club,”

Arabian Golf - February 2014 | 69

EMIRATES GOLF CLUB www.dubaigolf.com

EmiratesGolfClub

ALAN THE MAIN MASHREQ MAN ALAN Main scooped the honours in Division ‘A’ of the first Mashreq Medal of the new year after pipping Dalip Tripathi on a countback with both players locked at the top with a net 70.

Third place in Division ‘A’ went to David Waite with a 72 while Rayhan

Thomas carded a gross 72 to win the day’s gross prize.

Division ‘B’ saw Tej Chabra clinch the win with a superb net 69, one shot clear of Nawaf Fawaz with third place going to Kishalay Bandopadhyay while in Division ‘C’ an excellent net 68 saw Suvansh Arora take the spoils.

Lady Captain Barbara Head with winners Maura Duggan, Maggie Neil, winner Viv Caley and Catherine Clark.

CALEY SCOOPS DUAL PRIZES

Winner Alan Main collects his prize from Club Captain Dick Purchase (right).

VIV Caley shot a gross 80 for a net 72 to win both the Best Gross and the Silver ‘A’ Division prizes in last month’s Ladies Monthly Medal. Caley topped the net Division narrowly ahead of Catherine Clarke who also shot a 72.

However, despite Clarke’s best efforts she was denied on the countback by Caley’s stronger finish.

In the Silver ‘B’ Division Han-Soon Shin took the spoils with a 72, two shots clear of Muara Duggan, while in the Bronze Division ‘C’ Maggie Neil took the spoils with a superb net 69.

FULL FESTIVE TURNOUT FOR MIXED SCRAMBLE

EGC Head Professional Stephen Deane and Club Captain Dick Purchase are pictured with the third-placed team of Kish Bandopadhyay, Rekha Bandopadhyay, Amresh Sangani and Tanya Sangani.

GREAT SCORING IN NEW YEAR’S DAY SCRAMBLE THE New Year was seen in with 82 eager competitors taking part in the New Year’s Day Scramble with some excellent scoring across the board.

Emerging victorious with an incredible net score of 60.3 was the team of Mitsuko Emmerson, Alec Emmerson, Yasuyuki Fujitani and Yoshiko Fujitani.

The group notched four birdies and an eagle on their way to victory while finishing second with a 60.8 were Eric Koeman, Margaret Neil,

70 | ArabianGolf - February 2014

Daniel Yanchus and Mark Yanchus thanks in no small part to seven birdies.

Completing the podium positions in third place was the team of Kish Bandopadhyay, Rekha Bandopadhyay, Amresh Sangani and Tanya Sangani with a score of 60.9.

Matthew Baxter hit an outstanding tee shot on the eighth hole to win the Nearest the Pin prize for the men while Soumaya Salem won the ladies prize after her accurate approach on the 12th hole.

A FULL field of 116 teed it up for the Mixed Christmas Scramble and coming out on top with an impressive score of 61.5 was the team of Kish Bandopadhyay, Rekha Badopadhyay, Vipen Sethi and Rena Sethi.

They took on the Faldo course and five birdies propelled them to top spot. All gifts were sponsored

by PING and the winning quartet went home with a golf bag each.

The team of Maura Duggan, Frank Duggan, Paul Byrne and Saeed Fahim finished second with a net 62.5 and they all took home a Ping pitching wedge for their efforts while third place went to Micky Brigg, Steve McConnachie, Peter Jamieson and Yana Jamieson.

The Ladies Nearest the Pin prizes went to Soumaya Salem on hole 8 and Jenny Ayres on hole 17 while the Men’s Nearest the Pin prizes were secured by Dave Formas and Ian McDonald on holes 2 and 12 respectively. The two Longest Drive prizes on offer were won by Catherine Clarke and Ross Barry.

CONTACT: Tel : +9714 380 2222 E-mail: info@dubaigolf.com

TURLIK LEADS THE WAY ROSEMARY Turlik stole the show in the December Monthly Medal after she won the gross award for her 81 and also took the honours in Division ‘A’ with a net 74.

Taking second place, just one stroke back in Division A was Carolyn Thompson while the Division ‘B’ spoils went to Sue Hopwood with her net 75, two clear of Chris Dyball.

Sandra Chia triumphed in Division ‘C’ thanks to her best-of-the-day tally of net 70.

RAZDAN DAZZLES WITH FINE DISPLAY

Lady Captain Barbara Head presents Rosemary Turlik with her prizes.

RAJINDER Razdan topped the pile in Division ‘A’ of the final Mashreq Medal of 2013 thanks to an impressive score of net 67.

One shot adrift in second place was Qamar Rasheed while third place went to David Waite with a 71. The Division ‘B’ honours went to Kuttan Malattiri with a best-of-the-day net 66 which was good enough to see off Pascal de Garrigues by a stroke with Sung Woo Lee taking third place. In Division ‘C’ Chanshik Shim emerged victorious with a net

68 while the overall gross prize on the day went to Pontus Fredriksson with a 74.

After 11 events the Order of Merit was finalised and taking the top spot with a tally of 404 points from 10 out of the 11 events was Jignesh Sangani.

The winner of the Mashreq Gold Cup was Tony Azoulay with a magnificent 281 points over the course of April, May, September and November after he carded consistent rounds of net 72, 70, 74 and 76 respectively.

CONTACT: Tel : +971 2 445 9600 Fax : +971 2 443 225

ABU DHABI CITY GOLF CLUB www.adcitygolf.com

@adcitygolf

adcitygolf

YOUNGSTERS CONTINUE TO IMPRESS A TOTAL of 64 budding golfers played in the third event of the Beach Rotana Junior League and coming out on top were Daun Jung and Advay Mohindra in the Girls and Boys sections respectively.

JONES LEADS THE WAY IAN Jones wrapped up the seventh event of the Peugeot Order of Merit recently thanks to a superb haul of 39 Stableford points. The win takes Jones to the top of the standings with just one event remaining – the Grand Final later this month.

ArabianGolf - February 2014 | 71

DUBAI CREEK GOLF AND YACHT CLUB www.dubaigolf.com www.dubaigolf.com

EmiratesGolfClub DubaiCreekGolf

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SAAD RETURNS TO WIN THE MEN’S AMATEUR OPEN FORMER Dubai Creek member Paul Saad shot rounds of 74 and 76 for an 8-over-par total of 150 to win the Omega Dubai Creek Men’s Amateur Open last month.

“It was really a blessing to be able to come back for a vacation and to be able to compete with everyone I had grown up with, it really made the entire experience enjoyable and very interesting,” said Saad after receiving the trophy.

“Having lived in Texas for one year and played in difficult conditions similar to those we faced in the tournament I knew that a good score depended more on maneuvering safely around the course rather than hitting brilliant golf shots.”

After a windy opening day Saad held a one-shot lead over Max Burrow with Montgomerie member Chris Alderman two back and past winners Miki Mirza and Bayhaan Lakdawala three shots off the pace.

The wind died down a little for the final round

Stephen Hubner (Head Golf Professional, Dubai Creek), Jacklyn Qaudras (Marketing Manager, Swatchgroup), Paul Saad (Champion), Christopher D’Abero (Rivoli Group Manager) Alan Mackenzie (Director of Golf, Dubai Creek).

and Saad maintained his lead throughout, increasing it to three shots with just one hole to play.

With victory in sight Saad almost fluffed his lines as he drove into a sandy waste ground and then hit his third shot 40 feet short of the pin. He overhit his first putt almost into the bunker behind the green and from there he had a nervy two-putt for double bogey and the victory. He showed his steel by knocking it up to tap in distance and promptly

knocked it in for the win. Lakdawal had to settle for second place after rounds of 77 and 74 while the 2013 winner Chris Cornwall finished third with a 155 total.

Creek member Michael Nielsen took the overall net prize with a two-day total of three-over par 145. Adhip Shankar took the second place after rounds of 70 and 79 while a two day total of 151 was enough for Jean Hendrickx to claim third place.

Left to right: Head Golf Pro Stephen Hubner, Dubai Duty Free Project Supervisor Andy Reyes, champion Kabir Nanda, Dubai Duty Free President George Horan and Dubai Creek Golf Experience Manager Rashid Hamood.

NO STOPPING NANDA

Left to right: General Manager, Dubai Creek Golf Club Mustafa Al Hashimi, Ara Nakhnikian of sponsors Prosports, George Horan, President Dubai Duty Free and Dubai Creek Club Captain, winners Peter Dunbar and Mark Williams and Lady Captain Maureen Platt.

KABIR Nanda got his year off to the perfect start after he won the January Dubai Duty Free Junior Medal with a net 32, narrowly edging Shyam Kakar to the title by just 0.5 of a stroke.

Kakar missed out on the overall title but did win the Boy’s Division by the same margin ahead of Punya Khanna while the best gross prize went to Jai Bhalla with a solid 2-over-par 37. Khanna and Aryan Hrodia also picked up the Nearest the Pin prizes for their accurate tee shots on holes 5 and 8 respectively. ”It has been a pleasure to see such enthusiasm from all of the junior’s in light of this event,” said Dubai Creek’s Golf Experience Manager Rashid Hamood. “Many thanks to Dubai Duty Free for their continued support. It has been a great success since the very start and we look forward to continued success in the future.”

WILLIAMS AND DUNBAR SHOOT THE LIGHTS OUT

72 | ArabianGolf - February 2014

MARK Williams and Peter Dunbar stormed to victory in the Captain’s Day recently with a pairs betterball shambles strokeplay score of 13-under-par net 58.

“It was a great day for us,” said Williams. “We started very strongly and even though things slowed up a little during the middle of the round we kept giving ourselves chances and seemed to take advantage of them. We would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved and also the Captains for all of

their efforts during their terms this year.”

Taking second place with a superb 10-under-par net 61 were Naema Maya and Martha Wong while third place went to Edward Fearn and Tobias Parkin thanks to their 62. The Nearest the Pin prizes went to Wong, Joseph Ghossoub, K.P Sahadevan, Aashka Desai, for their efforts on holes 5, 8, 14 and 16 respectively.

Both of the Captains were present on stage to present the

cheque for the money raised towards the junior staff fund in 2013. The staff fund initiative was started three years ago by then Captain Joseph Andrade to recognise the fantastic job that all of the junior staff do at the club on a daily basis. This year, thanks to many successful events and kind donations a staggering 155,000 AED was raised for this fund and captains George Horan and Maureen Platt happily presented this to junior staff from various club departments.

CONTACT: Tel : +9714 380 2222 E-mail: info@dubaigolf.com

TEAM CREEK SEAL THE INAUGURAL BANIYAS TROPHY THE team representing Dubai Creek took full advantage of their familiar surroundings as they downed the team from Al Badia in the first ever staging of the Baniyas Trophy.

The event will consist of two annual challenge matches between members from the neighbouring creek-side golf clubs with one leg taking place at

each club. The format for the event is a pairs better ball match play with a win being worth one point for your club’s team. The twenty players on each side took to the course and after the scores were totted up it was the Creek who emerged victorious with a score of 9.5 – 5.5. The return leg is set to be held in March. “It’s great to see such a positive start to what I

hope will become a very established and successful event,” said Dubai Creek’s Head Golf Professional Stephen Hubner. “Many thanks to Tony Billingham and all of the team from Al Badia for partaking in the event. We are looking forward the return leg at Al Badia and also to the event’s continued success in the future.”

TURNER AND TANIUCHI TURN IT ON KATE Turner and Kiyono Taniuchi shot a sublime 48 points to win the individual team prize in a Captain vs Vice Captain event while the overall team prize went to Vice Captain Paula Savage’s team.

Taking second place with 46 points were Reiko Tanaka and Yumiko Taniuchi while in third place with 43 points were Savage and her partner Harrini White.

“It’s great to have won the overall prize today but really the fun is in spending the time with all our lovely ladies from Dubai Creek,” said Savage.

“We look forward to this event each year and we again thank all the staff for making it such a special day.”

Picking up on course prizes were Kate Turner, Jenny Ayres, Maureen Platt, Haide Wright, Glory Xavier, Berthe Reinke and Martha Wong.

YOUNG OVERCOMES OLD AT THE INAUGURAL GENERATIONS DAY TOURNAMENT THE inaugural Generations Day tournament was a battle of young and old as two teams were formed according to age to battle for honours.

Both teams felt confident of a win but after the scores were totted up there was a clear winner as the Youth Team romped to victory by 12 points to five.

In addition to the main trophy, and the bragging rights, there were a host of on-course prizes on offer for players across both teams. The Nearest the Pin prize on hole 5 went to Seraj Merchant while the same prizes on holes 8, 14 and 16 went to Nick Clayson, Anish Bhatia and Ashok Kumar respectively.

ArabianGolf - February 2014 | 73

ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB www.arabianranchesgolf.com

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CONTACT: Tel : +971 4 366 3000 E-mail: info@arabianranchesgolf.ae

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SUPERB SCORING FROM RAMAGE AND MCLENNAN TO USHER IN NEW YEAR

MURPHY AND MCKELVEY SHOW THEIR CLASS WITH FINE DISPLAY

THE team of Eddie Ramage and Doug McLennan combined to hole six birdies and an eagle as they romped to the gross prize in the annual New Year’s Day Scramble with an impressive score of 64.

A field of 56 players took to the course and the format of the event saw both players in each team tee off, select the best positioned ball and then both play from the selected position until the ball was holed out.

The top prize in the Men’s Net division went to Graham Tickell and Mark Keneghan as they posted a gross 70 for a net 64 with their combined handicap allowance of 6.0.

There was also a Ladies/Mixed Team Division and the gross prize was easily won by Mark Evans and Adele McKelvey as they posted a 65 to win by five while the net prize went to Robert and Deirdre Tinkhof with a fantastic 60.4.

RON Murphy returned a 5-over-par gross 77 to win the January Rivoli Monthly Medal supported by Speed Cleaning while Adele McKelvey shot an 82 to win the Ladies Division and continue her domination of the event.

Murphy’s round was very steady, with few mistakes except for the tricky fourth hole where he carded a double bogey which took the shine off what was otherwise a superb round of golf. Junior golfer Erik Hartzuiker also posted a 77 however Murphy had the better back nine which sealed the win on a countback. The spoils in the Men’s Divisions ‘A’ and ‘B’ were also both settled by a countback with the top score in both a net 72. Markus Hacker downed Hakan Karlsson to top Division ‘A’ while in Division ‘B’ Gerard Eustace won from Nigel Fenwick.

Catherine Hut topped the pile in the Ladies Net Division with a net 72, two strokes clear of Pauline Wallace.

SECOND JUNIOR INVITATIONAL PROVES A ROARING SUCCESS AN enthusiastic field of junior golfers took to the academy for the second annual JTS Medical Center Arabian Ranches Junior Invitational and leading the way were the dynamic duo of Joshua Hill and Zubair Firdaus.

The pair returned a combined score of 9-under 45 thanks to birdies on six of the final nine holes which ultimately propelled them to victory. Finishing in second place, four strokes further back, was the pairing of Daniel and Peter Whittaker while the Nearest the Pin prizes were won by Zubair Firdaus and Tanishq Lalvani on holes 3 and 18 respectively.

“We’re delighted to see this event be such a success for the second year running,” said Malcolm Young, Senior Professional at Arabian Ranches. “Our sincere thanks go to our sponsor JTS Medical Center for supporting our initiative for junior golf which has had great support from the clubs and the juniors again this year.”

The event also saw teams from Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club travel to Dubai to take part and Young added: “Being part of a team is a great experience for juniors and a great way to interact and learn, we certainly hope

The winning Butch Harmon School of Golf team is pictured alongside Marlon Pereira from the JTS Medical Center and Golf Professional Malcolm Young. the juniors who played here have walked away with more motivation for the development of their game in 2014.”

There was some excellent scoring in the team event and coming out on top for the second year running was the Butch Harmon School of Golf team.

Their three pairs of Joshua Hill and Zubair Firdaus (45), Toby Bishop and Josh Bibby (53) and Kate Bibby and Arden D’aniello (59) combined to score a 157 to win by four strokes ahead of the team from Emirates Golf Club with the team from Dubai Creek in third with on 177.

CONTACT: Tel : +971 7 244 7474 E-mail: enquiries@alhamragolf.com

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JAKE AND NIILO CLAIM TOP HONOURS IN MONTHLY MEDAL THE Father and son duo of Jake and Niilo Maki-Petaja collected the honours in the Gross and Net Divisions respectively in the first Monthly Medal of 2014.

Niilo blitzed both nines, recording 32 and 33 for a blistering 65 and a six-shot winning margin from his nearest rivals Ma Li Min and Shawqi Sajwani. Li Min eventually took second place over Shawqi after having the best back nine score of 34, four better than Shawqi’s 38.

In the gross division Jake posted nines of 41 and 39 for a solid 80 to finish four clear of Mohammed Darwish and Oscar Lindh who also had to be separated by a countback. Taking second place outright was Lindh thanks to his better back nine.

The victory meant that Jake leads the Gross Order of Merit standings at the half way point on 600 points with his nearest rival, Mohammed Darwish, 100 points back on 500. With back-to-back maximum points for Niilo it has now meant he has worked himself up to second in the Net Order of Merit standings on a points total of 400 – still 158.33 points behind leader Dan Blomstrand.

ALHEMOUD DEFENDS HER LADIES OPEN CROWN

VIJAYESH VICTORIOUS IN THE NEW YEARS CUP VIJAYESH Haridas started 2014 in fine style with a landslide victory in Al Hamra’s first competition of the year – the New Years Cup. Haridas compiled a jaw-dropping 45-point haul to win by five from promising junior Niilo Maki-Petaja, who, in turn, recorded his best ever round in competitive play. The little lefty produced matching nines of 20 points with only one blip on the card which came on hole 8. This fine score proved to be a double whammy as he beat his father, Jake, who had to settle for third place with a total of 37 points.

Champion Haridas started his round strongly

with an outward nine of 23 points which included four points for a net eagle on hole 6.

Not much changed on the back nine as he continued to fire on all cylinders, collecting a whopping 16 points between holes 10 to 15. His only slip up came on hole 16 where he failed to pick up any points.

The two special events on the day were picked up by Haridas Kondath for his Nearest the Pin effort on hole 7 while the same prize on hole 15 was split between Ma Li Min and Otto Hoefer as both players finished exactly the same distance away from the hole.

JULIA Alhemoud made it back to back victories in the annual RAK Ladies Amateur Open last month after a gross 77 gave her a two-stroke victory over former two-time winner Sana Tufail.

The Net Division turned into a battle between Al Hamra members Rita Engelbrecht and Diana Brown as both shot level-par rounds of 72 with fellow member Annie Robin just one shot back on 73. A countback was needed to find a winner and prevailing, thanks to a stronger closing nine score of 34, was Engelbrecht. Brown had started very well but, unfortunately for her, a back nine of 37 cost her dearly.

CONTACT: Tel : +971 4 375 999

JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES www.jumeirahgolfestates.com

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SUB 60 WIN THE MEMBERS AND GUEST DAY

WHYTE IN CONTROL TO WIN THE SERIES DON Whyte shot a net 70 to be crowned the Champion of Champions in the recent Rivoli Medal Finals which saw all the Medal winners of 2013 battle it out over the Fire Course.

Whyte, who won the October medal, lit up the course on the back nine as he fired a gross 1-under 35 (net 33) which propelled him to victory.

In Division ‘A’ Shankar Majrekar downed Dean Stothard on a countback to top the pile after both players returned a net 71.

Majrekar had a birdie putt on the 18th

that would have won him the overall title ahead of Whyte that narrowly slid by, as a result he had to settle for the prize in Division ‘A’. Martin Fernandez finished the year strongly by taking the gross prize with a 73, one clear of his close friend Bilbo Perrot while in Division ‘B’ Aqeel Noorali shot a 74 to take the spoils.

In the Ladies Division both Tania Gelasini and Michelle Walsh posted scored of level-par net 72 but after a card countback it was Gelasini who took the spoils.

THE ADDRESS MONTGOMERIE DUBAI www.themontgomerie.com

THE team of Nick Lloyd, James Ashbridge, Stephen Watson and Annie Browne broke 60 on their way to clinching the December Members and Guest event which was played in a Texas Scramble format.

The team dominated the Earth course and came home with a gross score of 61 for their net total of 59.2 Narrowly missing out with a 60.4 was the team of Patrick Walton, Gareth Bacon, Christian Stinson and David Jenkins while in third place,

just 0.1 shots back, were Marco Debenedictis, Nick Brown, Oliver Baillie and Rowan Powell-Corbett.

A special mention goes to Anne Bauer who had obviously been working hard on the range before teeing off as she hit a hole-in-one with her first swing of the competition.

Starting on the par-3 sixth in the shotgun she hit a crisp 7-iron which sailed onto the putting surface and gently rolled into the cup.

ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB

CONTACT: Tel :+9714 390 5600 info@themontgomerie.ae

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SPINKS NARROWLY CLINCHES THE TITLE

MILLAR ROMPS TO MEDAL VICTORY JOHN Millar signed for a gross 75 to win the Men’s Division in the recent Ecco Medal by four strokes from Richard Barron. The net prize in Division ‘A’ went to Nathan Gardner with a 70 while Alan Salem shot the same score to take the honours in Division ‘B’. The Ladies gross prize went to Jo Higgins as she sealed a four-stroke win over Ji Won Bae with an 84 while the net prize was sealed by Juangok Youn with a 68.

THE final Rivoli Member’s Stableford of 2013 saw 36 players take to the course to battle for honours and to raise money for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan and coming out on top in the Men’s 0-14 Handicap Division was Paul Spinks as he downed Donovan Joseph with a countback with both players locked on 38 points.

The 15+ Handicap Division saw Pierre Zbinden take the spoils with a 34, one point clear of John Gay while the Ladies Division was won by Noy Phintham with a haul of 33 points, four ahead of Lina Tyson. The event successfully raised AED 2,550 for the Typhoon Haiyan Victims Fund.

CONTACT ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB: Tel : +971 2 558 8990 E-mail: info@adgolfclub.com

ArabianGolf - February 2014 | 77

CONTACT: Tel : +971 2 810 7777 E-mail: info@yaslinks.com

YAS LINKS GOLF CLUB www.yaslinks.com

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HUNTER AND JENICKOVA CROWNED JUNIOR OPEN CHAMPIONS RYAN Hunter complied a show-stopping gross 72 to win the Boys Junior Open while Teresa Jenickova carded a 79 to win the Girls prize. The Net prize went to Aleksander Jakobson who shot an excellent 66 while the Nearest the Pin prize on hole 8 went to Tristian Prince and the Longest Drive challenge on hole 12 went to Hunter.

Winners Ryan Hunter and Teresa Jenickova collect their trophies from Yas Links General Manager Chris White.

TOWNSEND SHOOTS 50 TO WIN OVER 100 players teed off in a quest for honours in last month’s Etihad Open and Scott Townsend top scored on the day with a massive 50 Stableford points to take the spoils in Division ‘B’ . Townsend won by nine points from Maroun Yazbeck with Hassan Al Suwaidi in third on 38 points.

In Division ‘A’ it was home member Sami Al Zarooni who took the spoils as he downed Craig Bruce on a countback after both players had compiled 39 points.

Division ‘B’ winner Scott Townsend collects his prize.

HOME ADVANTAGE GOOD FOR THE YAS LINKS LADIES Yas Links played host to a highly anticipated Ladies Interclub Match with 10 lady members from Yas Links, Dubai Creek, Abu Dhabi City GC and Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club took to the links in a best eight from 10 Stableford format.

Coming out on top – clearly taking advantage of their familiar surroundings – was the Yas Links team with an impressive score of 254. Finishing second, 13 points off the top spot, was the team from Dubai Creek with Sharjah taking third just one point further back. The team from Abu Dhabi City GC propped up the pile with a haul of 216 points.

The best individual score of the day was by Sharjahs’ Kerry Smeda who finished with a fantastic 38 points while the Nearest the Pin prizes went to Pat Morrershead (Sharjah) on hole 13 and Fun Ying Hoong (Yas Links) on hole 4.

AL BADIA GOLF CLUB www.albadiagolfclub.ae

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Yas Links member Fun Ying Hoong collects her prize for winning the Nearest the Pin competition on hole 4.

The Longest Drive prize went to Veronique Rosset (Dubai Creek) on hole 12 while the Straightest Drive was awarded to Andrea Hartley (Yas Links).

CONTACT: Tel : +971 4 601 0101

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CAPTAINS LEAD THEIR TEAM TO VICTORY NEW Club Captains Richard Kim and Liz Batson were welcomed into office last month as they played the hosts at the Captain’s Drive In tournament. After both Kim and Batson hit their ceremonial drives there was a Captain vs Professionals team competition and the Captains’ team prevailed with an 11-8 victory.

Left to right: Vice Captain Colin Cordery, Lady Captain Liz Batson, Lady Vice Captain Yoshiko Kawakami and Men’s Captain Richard Kim.

78 | ArabianGolf - February 2014

CONTACT: Tel : +973 17 750777

THE ROYAL GOLF CLUB www.theroyalgolfclub.com www.dubaigolf.com

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EXCELLENT SCORES IN THE ANNUAL DRIVE IN THE father and son duo of Barry and Sam Hobday and their playing partners Todd Gillespie and Ronan Armstrong clinched first place in the recent Captains’ Drive In tournament with a superb net team score of 58.9.

Youngsters Taimur Malik, Faris Brough, Saud Al Sharif and Mohamed Al Sayed teamed up to take second place with a net score of 61.1 in the Texas Scramble tournament while Zoyeb Mohamed, Bijan Majidi, Depriest Daniels and Murtuz Zamanly came third with a 62.5.

Over 60 members took part in the traditional tournament which is held annually to mark the official start of the new tenure of the Club’s Captains.

This year Stephen Wagstaff will take the reigns as the Men’s Captain while Dena Wales will represent the ladies. Both Captains will act as a liaison between the Club management and the members and will also stage fund-raising events throughout the year for their chosen charities, the Bahrain Down Syndrome Society and RIA respectively.

The two captains made their official drives off the 10th tee and competitors had the chance to buy a flag in advance and use it to mark where they

New Captains Stephen Wagstaff and Dena Wales are pictured with the winning team of Sam Hobday, Ronan Armstrong, Barry Hobday and Todd Gillespie. thought the Captains’ drives would land. The money raised from the flag sales will go to the Captain’s charities.

“I am greatly looking forward to working with both the club and the members in 2014,” commented Wagstaff, who hails from Manchester, England.

New Lady Captain Wales, who is from London, England, said: “I am very honoured to be Lady Captain for 2014.

One of my main areas of focus will be helping lady golfers increase their knowledge of the game, rules and etiquette whilst having fun at the same time.”

New Captains Stephen Wagstaff and Dena Wales prepare for their Captain’s drive.

WIESER ON TOP IN NEW SERIES

THE VOLVO WORLD GOLF CHALLENGE COMES TO BAHRAIN THE first of six qualifying events in the Bahrain Volvo World Golf Challenge took place last month with a chance to play alongside a European Tour professional up for grabs.

Qualifiers from each of the events will play a Final in December and the winners of that will receive a complementary invitation to fly off to the 36-hole,

two-day World Final which is an unforgettable golfing occasion held each January in an exotic location offering the opportunity of a lifetime to play with the professionals.

The World Final is run in conjunction with and alongside one of Volvo’s major professional titles, the Volvo Golf Champions on The European Tour.

THE 2014 BAHRAIN VOLVO WORLD GOLF CHALLENGE Friday Saturday Friday Friday Saturday

28.02.14 29.02.14 26.09.14 31.10.14 29.11.14

Saturday

5.12.14

Qualifier Qualifier Qualifier Qualifier Wildcard Qualifier Final

Final Volvo World Golf Challenge – date and location to be confirmed (2015)

ANDREAS Wieser narrowly won the opening event of the 2014 Euro Motors BMW Monthly Medal Series with a net score of 72.

Wieser didn’t have it all his own way as Ronan Armstrong also shot a 72 but after a countback it was Wieser who prevailed thanks to his stronger finish.

Robert Addison claimed top spot in Division ‘2’ with a net score of 69, narrowly beating Wayne Giles while in Division ‘3’ Darius Ngo won with a net 74, two shots clear of Tony Meakin.

All six players will progress on to the Euro Motors BMW Grand Final which will take place at the Royal Golf Club in December 2014.

ArabianGolf - February 2014 | 79

THE ELS CLUB www.elsclubdubai.com

CONTACT: Tel : +971 4 425 1010 E-mail: golf@elsclubdubai.com

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MEMBERS PLAY OUT THEIR MAJOR IN STYLE A TOTAL of 68 avid competitors teed it up in the annual Toshiba Members Major recently and taking the top honours were Michael Fournie and Louise Adams in their respective Mens and Ladies Divisions.

Fournie scored 76 to finish top of the pile in

the Men’s section while Adams carded an 88 to come out on top in the Ladies.

The tournament was also opened up to students who are honing their skills at the Butch Harmon School of Golf and winning the Students’ prize was Andy McLean as he pipped

Manish Joshi to the title in a hard fought contest. .

The net winner on the day was Yves Buchard as he finished clear of Keith Smith while the Ladies net winner was Mercedes Sheen and Nick Matthews won the day’s Nearest the Prize.

Above: Ladies Gross winner Louise Adams is pictured with The Els Club’s Richard Ryba (left) and Shyam Iyer from Toshiba.

Left: Andy McLean celebrates winning the student prize.

Gross winner Michael Fournie with Toshiba’s Hermie Cunanan.

BIG WINNERS AT THE MEMBER-GUEST DAY DEAN Cheesley and Darren King took the spoils in the recent Member-Guest tournament and with it they won a round of golf at The Grove, the golf resort on the outskirts of London which once hosted a World Golf Championships event.

Thirty eight players battled it out in teams of two and General Manager Chris Brown was pleased with how the day went. “The Invitational Member-Guest Day was a huge success. It exceeded everyone’s expectations and will now become an annual event,” he said. “It has not only been a superb occasion for all those who took part and for our sponsors but it has also proved to be a great way to showcase all that we have to offer at The Els Club.”

Winners Darren King (left) and Dean Cheesley are pictured after their victory.

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RECORD-BREAKING HARRADINE WINS THE OPEN MICHAEL Harradine prepared for his assault on Asian Tour Qualifying School in stunning fashion as he broke the course record with a second round 68 to seal the sixth staging of the Men’s Open last month.

Harradine led after an opening round 1-under 71 and went on to destroy the field with a second round that included five birdies and a solitary bogey. Finishing six strokes back in second spot was youngster Rayhan Thomas who returned rounds of 73 and 72 for a 145 total.

The 14-year-old was praised by his fellow competitors after his display, which was one stroke better than Sharjah Professional Trevor Marshall.

Harradine’s second round bettered the previous Amateur course record which was held by Nathan Fisher and Harradine’s 36-hole total of 139 bettered the winning tally by one, a record previously held by Andrew Marshall in 2008.

AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST TEAM READY FOR BATTLE OF THE CONTINENTS GRAND FINAL THE African and Middle Eastern team is all set for the Battle of the Continents Grand Final on Friday January 17 after their recent qualifier at Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club. With only eight spots on the team there was a strong turnout and tough competition for places.

After surprising the other continents in last year’s inaugural Battle of the Continents Grand Final where Team Africa & Middle East were just pipped to the title by a strong Asian team they are keen to try and go one better this time around and pick up the trophy.

Team Captain Leroy Durward was in high spirits after the eight qualifiers were announced with quality in both the gross and net divisions of his team.

With all four continents having had their respective qualifiers the stage is set for another epic NMT Battle of the Continents Grand Final. With live scoring also available via the SGSC Facebook page all members will have the opportunity to keep abreast of all the current standings in all of the matches, making the event all the more interactive.

Africa & Middle East Gross Qualifiers: Hassan Yazdi – 29 Pieter Van Wyk – 27 Salim Shaikh – 26 Gross Reserve – Roy Homes - 22

OSMAN ON FIRE IN BOGEY COMP DAUD Osman produced some scintillating golf in the recent Coral Beach Resorts Midweek 9 Hole Bogey competition as he finished 5up against the course to take the overall title.

Three pars and no scores worse than bogey proved critically important as he sealed the win by one from Rizal Ibrahim. Despite losing out on the overall prize Ibrahim did take home the honours in Division ‘2’ with Saifulnizam Saion finishing second – his first time on the winner’s podium at Sharjah. In Division ‘1’ Alastair MacGregor topped the pile with a score that was par to the course with Alban De Brest second, 1 down to the course.

Africa & Middle East Net Qualifiers: Simon Mmutle – 34 Jet Milford – 34 Leon Gifford – 31 Hanief Sallie – 31 Mohammad Shafiq – 30

TULI TOO GOOD ARUN Tuli sealed last month’s Unitechnik Monthly Stableford tournament thanks to a return of 37 points.

Taking the spoils in Division ‘1’ was Ramli Sulaiman with a 36 points haul, one clear of his Malaysian counterpart Firdaus Bin Idris while in Division ‘2’ Gil Nam Yang also scored 36 points to finish top of the pile.

Despite missing out on the Division ‘1’ prize, Bin Idris didn’t walk away empty handed as he scooped the Best Gross prize.

ArabianGolf - January 2014ÉQÉo¥

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PROS CONTINUE THEIR DOMINANCE THE team of Sharjah Professionals took home the trophy for the fourth successive time in the annual Pros versus Members Scratch Trophy.

The Members’ team was the strongest one ever assembled with the highest handicapper on their side clocking in at just 1.8 so the standard of play was at an all-time high. However, it wasn’t to be and the members were left to lick their wounds again.

After the morning Fourballs and Foursomes the professional team took a healthy 4-1 lead into the afternoon’s singles matches. The highlight of the morning came from Martin Duff and Steve Chambers dispatched Mike Robson and Hassan Yazdi by a record 7&6 margin.

Pros Derbyshire and Andrews fought back from being 3dn through nine to fire five birdies on the back nine and clinch victory on the last hole with a superb 10 foot putt.

The extremely strong amateur partnership of Paul Nightingale and Nathan Fisher proved to much for professionals J.H Lee and Dipak Neupane as they clinched victory by a 3&1 margin which gave the members hope going into the afternoon.

With a fast start needed from the members, Scratch Team Captain Mark Dupree decided to top-load their singles line-up with the form players to try and put pressure on the professionals.

DUPREE CLAIMS THE STABLEFORD MARK Dupree produced a scintillating performance in the recent Unitechnik Monthly Stableford with a two-point victory over Praveen Sharma.

Dupree, who was in top form, signed for a superb score of 40 points thanks to a round that contained one gross birdie and 11 pars.

Sharma took second place outright with his score of 38 and later commented that he played his best ever golf as he came home with a back nine haul of 23 points. Despite missing out on the top prize Sharma took the spoils in Division ‘2’ while in Division ‘1’ Sharma’s friend Vivian Verma scored 36 points to take the spoils.

The gross prize turned into a shootout between S.S Son and Tim Sephton and emerging victorious thanks to a birdie at the last was Sephton.

82 | ArabianGolf - February 2014

Nightingale got things off to a flying start as he beat professional Joe Marshall 4&3 with some superb golf and Fisher continued the fight back for the members as he produced some great golf over the final three holes to scrape a half point after being dormie 3dn against Scott Graham.

Nepalese Pro Dipak Neupane steadied the ship for his team as he took down Korean member S.S Son 3&1 but after heavy wins for members Chris Cornwall, John Gould and Charlie Wilcox the scores were level.

However, the professionals proved just too strong in the later matches with Purna Sharma, Ben Derbyshire, Andy Andrews and Trevor Marshall all returning winning scores to run out overall winners 9.5 to 5.5.

TEAM ASIA DEFEND THEIR TITLE CAPTAIN Vivian Verma led Team Asia to their second successive triumph in the second edition of the NMT Battle of the Continents Grand Final last month.

Team Asia dominated from the start. They opened up a three-point lead after nine holes and went on to complete a stunning eight-shot win over second placed Europe.

Englishman Gary Langthorne captained Team Europe and they took second place outright by one point ahead of Africa & Middle East and America & Australia with a countback needed to settle third and fourth place. The final standings were settled with Africa & Middle East taking the final place on the podium leaving America & Australia to wallow in last position.

2nd NMT Battle of the Continents Grand Final Results:

Pos

Continent

Points

1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Asia Europe Africa & Middle East America & Australasia

29 21 20 20

CONTACT: Tel : +971 6 548 7777 E-mail: info@golfandshootingshj.com

THOMAS AT THE DOUBLE RAYHAN Thomas successfully defended his Petrofac Junior Open title last month after a superb 20-foot birdie putt gave him a play-off victory over close friend Dhruv Nair. Both players finished with a gross tally of 35 points after 18 holes and so a play-off was needed for the first time in the event’s five-year history.

Thomas and Nair halved the first hole of sudden death – the tricky 18th – in pars but when both players returned back down the closing hole for a second time it was Thomas who landed the killer blow, draining a 20-footer for birdie to deny Nair the title.

Taking third place was Aryan Chordia with a countback win over Matthew Baxter while the Girls’ Gross winner was Alkyione Ahandis with an eight-point win over Aashaka Desai. The Net Champion of the day was Michael Beisenwenger as he thrived off playing alongside Rayhan Thomas to produce his best ever score around Sharjah, returning with an impressive 10-under-par 46 net points. It almost wasn’t enough for

victory as Suvansh Arora also scored 46 but Beisenwenger’s better inward nine saw him take the title. The Girls’ Net winner was local player Georgina Liu as she scored a level-par 36 points.

RAVI GOES LOW IN MEDAL WIN A.E RAVI played one of the best rounds of his season so far in last month’s Orient Travel – Thai Airways Monthly Medal as he won the Overall title with a net 68.

Ravi was the only player on the day to break 70 and he topped the pile in both the Overall category and the morning shotgun. Taking second place in the morning section was Westley Burke with a 76 with Brian Murphy taking third on 78. The best gross in the morning went

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to Sharjah scratch team member George Liu with a 78.

The afternoon winner was Korean golfer and last year’s Order of Merit winner B.J Kim who fired a two under net 70.

The runner-up was ever-ready Nepalese golfer Mukti Rai who was one shot adrift on 71 while ex Club Captain Mel Stewart finishing in third spot. The afternoon’s gross prize went to Singaporean golfer Ramli Sulaiman who also picked up

some vital Order of Merit points as he pushes into the top three positions in the standings at the halfway stage.

Bernie Benavidez still leads the net Tourism Authority of Thailand Order Of Merit at the half-way stage but the top five positions are separated by just eight points, whilst George Liu has cemented his position at the top of the Gross standings as he now leads by 27 points from John Houlston.

CONTACT: Tel : +9717 227 8555 Email: membership@towerlinks.com

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KOTWAL EDGES SOCIAL STABLEFORD ANUPMA Kotwal clinched a recently weekly Social Stableford by virtue of a countback victory after three players tied with 19 points.

Kotwal tied with her husband Ajay and Yuki Pellerine but after the cards were compared Anupma took the spoils with Ajay in second and Pellerine taking third place.

Pellerine won the Nearest the Pin prize on hole 12 with J.I Park winning the same prize on the 16th. Taking home the wooden spoon with a mere three points was Justin Wardle.

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Worldwide

CONARES GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE www.golfandshootingshj.com

PENULTIMATE FIXTURE LEAVES THE LEAGUE WIDE OPEN AFTER the fourth round of this season’s Conares Golf Society League, the top five societies in the Conares Steel League stand extremely close to each other with only four points separating the top five positions.

Mott Macdonald still hold onto the top position but they had their worst week so far with no win recorded from their two matches. They lead on 14

Conares League Mott MacDonald Al Naboodah Sultans of Swings Al Laith SGB MasSin Golf Society RimauSinga

points by one from Al Naboodah with the Sultans of Swings, Al Laith SGB and MasSin Golf Society all within touching distance with one round of fixtures remaining.

In the BMW League the day’s golf produced some superb performances which left the group wide open with Emirates Golf Society taking the lead outright with 18 points thanks to two victories

Played

Won

Lost

Tied

Points

8 8 8 8 8 8

4 4 4 3 3 2

2 3 4 3 4 4

2 1 0 2 1 2

14 13 12 11 10 8

BMW League Emirates Golf Society Plowman Golf Society Sport 360° K.E.G.S Emirates Pilots Club M.T.D

against Sport 360. The Plowman Golf Society moved into second place on 15 points with Sport 360 and K.E.G.S back in a share of third place on 12 points. Barring something truly remarkable happening in the final round of fixtures the Emirates Golf Society have almost certainly booked their spot in the quarter-final but any one from the four teams below them can still qualify.

Played

Won

Lost

Tied

Points

8 8 8 8 8 8

6 5 4 4 3 1

2 3 4 4 4 6

0 0 0 0 1 1

18 15 12 12 10 4

LAST ROUND TO DECIDE THE QUARTER FINAL PLACES THE results of the fourth round of fixtures in both the Worldwide Golf and SNTTA Travel Leagues left the standings wide open with any number of teams still able to qualify for the knockout stages with just one fixture remaining.

While the Dubai Irish Golf Society maintained their position at the top of the Worldwide Golf SNTTA Travel League Gulf Rock Woestyn Boere Hackers Dubai Exputts Indian Expats South African Golf Society Lloyd’s Register

League with 20 points, the next four societies down the table all share an equal chance of joining them in the quarter-finals.

After winning six points from both their matches, the Sport 2 Business Society jumped into second position followed by Dubai Duffers and Dubai Divots with 12 points each and the Taiwan Golf

Played

Won

Lost

Tied

Points

8 8 8 8 8 8

6 5 5 4 2 1

2 3 3 4 5 6

0 0 0 0 1 1

18 15 15 12 7 4

Worldwide Golf League DIGS Sport 2 Business Dubai Duffers Dubai Divots Taiwan Golf Society Darjeeling Golf Society

Society with 11 points. Meanwhile in the SNTTA Travel League the Gulf Rock team continued to lead the way on 18 points, three clear of the Dubai ExPutts and the Woestyn Boere Hackers with the Indian Expats in fourth place on 12 points. The scene is set for an epic final round with all four societies with equal chance of progressing.

Played

Won

Lost

Tied

Points

8 8 8 8 8 8

6

0 2 4 4 3 8

2 2 0 0 2 0

20 14 12 12 11 0

4 Worldwide 4 4 3 0

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GOLF

MARIAJO UR RIBE The Columbian hotshot loves to paraglide but her main aim is to fly high on the LPGA Tour.

DRIVING RANGE Win an Audi Q7 with Dubai Duty Free.

Rafa Nadal The 13-time Grand Slam champion reveals that having mastered every surface in tennis his sights are firmly set on sharpening his skills on the golf course.

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STAR ATTRACTION

Rafa Nadal FROM COURT TO COURSE Rafa Nadal is one of the greatest tennis players the game has ever seen. With a record eight French Open titles he is known as the ‘King of Clay’ but he’s proved himself a master of all surfaces, having won one Australian Open, two Wimbledon titles and two US Opens to take his Grand Slam total to 13. After Andre Agassi he is only the second player ever to win the ‘Career Golden Slam’ of all four Grand Slam titles along with the Olympic tennis gold medal.

The current World No.1 likes to relax off the court by taking to the golf course. He plays off a handicap of around 11 but, as you would imagine with such a fierce competitor, he’s making plans to get that down once he retires from tennis!

Is the golf course somewhere that you’re serious and competitive or is it somewhere that you like to relax and have fun?

RN: I always like to play well, I like to win.

But I think at the same time golf is relaxing for me. I’m a very hyperactive guy so when I’m on the golf course I can relax for a few hours.

Are you able to switch your mind off from the job and not think about tennis when you’re on the course?

RN: The tennis is not a job, but it’s close to one! When I play golf, I play golf – I don’t think about tennis or other things.

When you stop playing tennis will you play more golf and try to improve your game?

RN: I’ll try! Not to play golf like a professional but I’ll try to improve for sure.

Tennis is instinctively a slightly defensive game but how do you go about your game when you play golf? Do you attack the course or are you a cautious and patient player?

RN: It depends whether I’m playing well or badly! At my level of golf the most 88 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

important thing is not to make any big mistakes.

So you don’t mind being a little bit boring – hit the fairway, hit the green, two-putt and take your par?

RN: (Laughing) For me that’s not boring, that’s fantastic!

In your book you talk about still getting really nervous – for instance, when you were serving for the US Open against Novak Djokovic?

RN: I worked a lot my whole life to get to these moments, playing for these big tournaments. When you get there and you can feel how close it is, it’s normal to feel like that. That’s the beautiful thing about sport. When I don’t feel nerves, which isn’t very often, it’s because something isn’t working as well as it should be.

You’ve won every Grand Slam title in the game, but have also lost a few finals – how often do you think about the ones that got away?

RN: Not very often. I’m a good loser. When I lose I accept it and I accept that the opponent played better.

WORLDWIDE GOLF

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 89

2ZQ D SLHFH RI Č?ROĂŽQČ? KLVWRU\ GOLF PROPERTY

Hamilton Grand

St Andrews H

amilton Grand, a collection of 26 private residences overlooking the 18th hole on the St Andrewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Old Course and adjacent to the revered 255-yearold Royal & Ancient Golf Club, offers the most coveted addresses in the world of golf.  With its distinctive bell-shaped dome, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the most photographed building in golf, after the neighbouring R&A headquarters, and has provided the backdrop to the closing stages of many Open Championships as well as

making an appearance in the iconic Oscar-winning movie, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Chariots of Fireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Middle East property investers are being offered the opportunity to purchase their own slice of golfing history in this iconic development.

With 50% of the apartments already sold, and the first purchasers having moved in, interested parties need to move quickly.

Golfers in the UAE love traditional Scottish links-style courses and Dubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Leisurecorp Group owns the famous Turnberry Resort in Ayrshire.

For many years, Middle Eastern

90 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

As vistas go it would EH KDUG WR ĆŠQG D EHWWHU YLHZ WKDQ WKH RQH RƨHUHG WR UHVLGHQWV RI +DPLOWRQ *UDQG Ĺ&#x2DC; WKH WK KROH RI the Old Course at St $QGUHZV

investors have been intersted in Highland sporting estates and golf residences as they appreciate they offer value for money and, with direct flights from the UAE, it is a convenient option for a second home. Currently, foreign investment into Scotland is at its highest in more than a decade, strengthening its competitive positioning within the UK, according to Ernst and Youngâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest annual UK â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;attractiveness survey.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Helen Parker, Director of Resort Sales, Marketing and

WORLDWIDE GOLF

Residents of Hamilton Grand also have the additional perk of a golf concierge, able to arrange tee times at no fewer than 11 courses within a 15 minute drive of the town.

Real Estate at Hamilton Grand, comments: “Located in iconic St Andrews, an hour’s drive from Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh, the luxury apartments at Hamilton Grand have attracted a lot of attention since coming to market due to its sporting attraction and heritage.

“Below the windows of Hamilton Grand, a living portrait unfolds with panoramic views of the Old Course, medieval ruins and the North Sea. “It›s a place to experience luxury and the finest lifestyle. We are excited about the interest in the project from Middle Eastern purchasers as the ultimate asset for golf connoisseurs.”

Hamilton Grand offers 26 luxury apartments, including a penthouse with a private balcony boasting 180-degree views across St Andrews, the Old Course and the coastline. All the apartments feature individual characteristics painstakingly preserved from the original 19th century building. Each apartment has a “white box finish” where the owner can be responsible for

their own interior design for a fully bespoke finish. For the last word in luxury living, Hamilton Grand offers a 24 hour butler service, plus access to the amenities at the award-winning five red star Old Course Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa, including its own Championship Duke’s Golf Course, Kohler Water Spa and four diverse dining experiences.

Hamilton Grand features an inhouse grill restaurant, for residents to soak up the atmosphere afforded by the 19th hole, along with a member’s library and courtyard garden.

Residents also have the additional benefit of a golf concierge, who can arrange tee times at no fewer than 11 courses within a 15 minute drive of the town. For non-golf enthusiasts, popular activities nearby include kite surfing and horseback riding along West Sands Beach. There are historic tours to discover the 600 year old University of St Andrews, the town’s Castle and Cathedral ruins – and shopping along St Andrews High Street combines antique hunting with unusual gifts as well as high-end fashion boutiques. Q

APARTMENTS FOR SALE Sizes of apartment available (Prices vary from £1.26M – £7.58M GBP): 2 bed x 22, 1,214 – 1,322 sq ft 3 bed x 1 – 2,249 sq ft 4 bed x 3 – 2,244 – 2,772 sq ft.

For more information visit: www.HamiltonGrand.co.uk

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POWER & PRECISION

DRIVING RANGE

92 | WorldwideGolf - February 2014

Audi Q7 The Audi Q7 is a luxury crossover that focuses on comfortable seating for the whole family, as well as its on-road manners.

Not that you’re likely to need much in the way of off-road capability, anyway, of course.

On-road, the quattro all-wheel drive will tackle harsh conditions with grace. Don’t let the extra size of the Audi Q7 compared to the related Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne fool you; if anything, the extra wheelbase improves ride quality and composure while maintaining (most of) the relative nimbleness for a large SUV. From the curb, the Audi Q7 is an attractive, elegant vehicle, without any of the rockcrawling, safari-driving pretensions you’ll find elsewhere. Crisp lines and smooth surfaces combine for a look that’s adult and sophisticated with being stodgy. Inside, you’ll find one of the best interiors in the class, with rich leather, suede, and wood creating a warm and refined environment. The controls are largely sleek and uncluttered, though the climate and audio controls can be a bit daunting at first glance.

While you might not rate handling as a top consideration for a full-size SUV, the sevenpassenger/three-row Q7 is very capable. A firm but comfortable ride comes from a four-wheel independent suspension and careful tuning, plus an air ride system that allows the driver to dial in sport, comfort, and automatic modes to suit the conditions. Tow ratings up to 6,600 pounds are available with the right equipment, making it easy to tow the boat or jet skis to the lake as well.

Inside the Q7’s cabin, the well-designed and beautifully appointed interior isn’t just pretty – it’s comfortable, too. The front seats are well-suited to longer-legged occupants, with plenty of thigh support, and the second row is adult-sized as well. A large panoramic sunroof brightens the interior, keeping the rear of the Q7 from inducing claustrophobia. The third row is best-suited to children, though, with less leg room than you’ll find elsewhere in the SUV. Both the second and third rows fold down, opening up a total of 88 cubic feet in cargo space, accessed by a power-operated tailgate.

The one caveat of the large load space is the relatively high cargo floor.

WorldwideGolf - February 2014 | 93

WORLDWIDE GOLF

SPOTLIGHT Twenty three year old Mariajo Uribe from Columbia became, in 2007, the first player from Latin America to win the US Amateur, before finishing tied 10th, while still an amateur at the US Women’s Open the following year. She joined the LPGA Tour in 2010 and her best result so far is tied seventh at the 2012 Lotte Championship.

Which part of your game do you most like to practice and what is your basic routine?

MU: I love to practice putting and do some speed drills. At the end, I always like to play games to keep me motivated.

If you could trade places with anyone for a day, who would it be?

MU: Lady Gaga.

Do you have any nicknames?

MU: Maj, Majo.

Mariajo Uribe

What is your favourite sport to watch apart from golf?

MU: Soccer.

What’s been the most memorable moment in your career?

MU: Winning the HSBC Brazil Cup. What would we find in your golf bag besides clubs?

MU: My putting tutor, tissues, sunscreen, lip balm, amino acid powder and protein bars.

Do you have a favourite golf club in your bag?

MU: My Scotty Cameron putter.

What is your favourite meal off the course?

MU: Sushi or arepas.

What’s your favourite way to stay in shape?

MU: Pilates or dance classes.

If you could do another job for a day, what would you do?

MU: Social worker.

What is your most hated interview question?

MU: What is the best part of your game?

How do you relax and unwind at home?

MU: Paragliding, doing my nails, getting a massage, dancing Salsa, doing some pottery classes and scuba diving.

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WORLDWIDE GOLF

STYLE TRENDYGOLF AND THORNTON IN EUROPEAN TOUR

FashionFirst

European Tour pro Simon Thornton has signed a ground-breaking clothing deal for 2014 with the leading multi-brand, online golf fashion retailer Trendy Golf.

Unlike his fellow professionals who are committed to wearing the same label every day, Yorkshire-born Irishman Thornton, 36, will work with Trendy Golf on a weekly basis to determine the best outfit, from a number of leading golf fashion brands, to reflect his look, mood and location.

The 2012 St Omer Open winner debuted pieces from Trendy Golf’s new spring/summer 2014 collection at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, mixing styles between a range of brands including J Lindeberg, RLX Ralph Lauren, Aquascutum, Hugo Boss, Puma Lux, Lyle & Scott and Peak Performance, mirroring an agreement already in place with James Driscoll on the PGA Tour in the US. Thornton said: “This is a fabulous opportunity for me to wear a wide range of golf fashion apparel and not be pigeon-holed with one style or label. I imagine I will get a few envious looks from my fellow pros when I turn up wearing a completely different brand on day two than I was on day one.

“We believe it’s a first for the European Tour and it gives me the freedom to choose a personal look with a perfect fit. We will also be interacting with Trendy Golf fans and customers on social media who can ask how I felt in the gear and can get my opinion on it. There’s no other arrangement like this in operation on our tour.” www.trendygolf.com

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