World Amateur Match Race Official Tournament Magazine / ISSUE 1 _2022

JANUARY 2022 | ISSUE 1

TOP 20 COUNTRIES NEW REGISTRATION JANUARY 2022

2022 SCHEDULE NOW RELEASED

MEMORIES FROM WORLD FINAL DUBAI 2021

PLAYER PROFILE OF THE MONTH Ben Whiteside & Ocean Check Country: Canada

IN THIS ISSUE 4 NEW TOURNAMENT SEASON

12 TEAM PLAYER PROFILE

6 DEFENDING CHAMPIONS

14 TOP 20 COUNTRIES 2022

8 MEMORIES FINAL 2021

16 SCHEDULE 2022

Second editon of World Amateur Match Race

James O´brien & Cormac Browne from Ireland

A magical golfing experience and a great time in lovely Dubai

Ben Whiteside & Ocean Check from Canada

See which countries have the most registrations for the 2022 season.

Match schedule for this year's tournament

The World Amateur Match Race Official Tournament Magazine is published by Happy Software Sport Organizer DMCC. PUBLISHER: HAAKAN. AAKERLUND / EMAIL: HAKAN@HAPPYTECHGROUP.COM ADVERTISING & CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP: MARTIN JENSEN / EMAIL: MARTIN@HAPPYTECHGROUP.COM

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"Thomas Hoejberg and Rune Grahn from Denmark at the fairway hole 18 on the final round day 1 at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth course"

JANUARY 2022 | ISSUE 1

We recently had a magical world finale in Dubai for the 2021 participants in the World Amateur Match Race. All finalists agreed it was the best competition they have experienced at a golf tournament and are now ambassadors for the 2022 competition which is now open for registration.

"It's a great feeling to see BIG interest in participation levels for the World Amateur Match Race.

As the game of golf continues to grow, we experienced over 6,000 global registrations in 2021 despite the ongoing pandemic. This level of commitment is a testament & exciting indicator that amateur golf is in a great place."

2022 will mark our second year of hosting the World Amateur Match Race in which our goal is to create the world's largest amateur golf tournament. We are striving to have over 100,000 participants worldwide before 2025. As registration continues to grow, each team will have the same chance of qualifying for the world finale. The more teams that sign up from each country, the more playoff groups we can build, which will result in more teams qualifying for the world Finale. Our core focus is based on the importance of being happy & having fun. We give each player an unforgettable experience and the opportunity to compete in the sport we all love.

Welcome to this year's edition of the World Amateur Match Race.

We look forward to seeing all the winners in Dubai in November!

Sten Haakan Aakerlund Tournament Director World Amateur Match Race www.worldamateurmatchrace.com

WWW.WORLDAMATEURMATCHRACE.COM

WORLDAMATEURMATCHRACE.COM - TOURNAMENT MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2022

Cormac Browne from Donadea, a member of Edenderry Golf Club, and James O’Brien from Caragh, a member of Rathcore Golf Club, took the inaugural World title by overcoming an international field of 16 teams played the World Final in Dubai in November 2021.

Day 1 of the world final took place on the Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth course, home to the DP World Tour Championship, the culmination of The Race to Dubai and European Tour Season.

Team Ireland finished day 1 at (-6) after an opening round 66. Day 2 we witnessed a historic performance at Dubai Creek Golf Club where the irishmen posted a a stunning score of 60 (-11) to claim the title at (-17) finishing ahead of team Germany (-14) and England (-14).

After the win, Cormac Browne said: “This is the stuff of dreams. Coming here was the trip of a lifetime, and I can’t put into words how it feels to have won. James O’Brien added: “It’s unbelievable! We’ve had the trip of our lives, and now we’ll get to relive it all over again next year.

The competition was unique, and the organisers made us feel like pros since we got off the plane.

The young golfers will return to Dubai in 2022 to defend their title as part of their win. O’Brien and Browne received an additional trophy, a Swarovski-encrusted golf club on the final green, which will don their names until they return to the venue next year.

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"If you love the game of golf, it's hard not to have this week as the best of 2021."

"My team and I have done everything in our power to give players a magical golf experience and a great time in lovely Dubai.

Though the players are all amateurs, we wanted to treat them like the pros on The Professional Tour."

Thank you all… the best experience ever.

Casper Nielsen, Denmark

An experience like from another planet.

Felix Wiese and Steffen Benoit, Germany

"Memories that we will never forget!"

"32 competitors to start the week, 32 friends at the end! We are already looking forward to seeing all the previous and new finalists back in Dubai this year!"

Sten Haakan Aakerlund Tournament Director World Amateur Match Race

Thank you for some wonderful memories, and I feel I now have many new friends. Martin and team, you have smashed it out of the park with flawless organizing and perfect venues.

John Aspinall, England

RESULTS

TOTAL

R1

R2

1

James O'Brien & Cormac Browne

-17

66

60

2

Martin Eder & David Albrech

-14

68

61

3

James Voce & John Aspinall

-14

66

63

4

Kitan Gbadebo & Ben Dowell

-13

66

64

5

Ole G Svendsen & Mads B Rasmussen

-10

68

65

6

Dirk Wagner & Arne Wagner

-10

68

65

7

Casper Nielsen & Michael Theilmann

-10

68

65

8

Patrik Hogland & Mario Persi

-7

73

73

9

Claes Lundstroem & Bastian Geissler

-6

68

79

10

Ben Whiteside & Ocean Check

-5

72

66

11 12

Rune Grahn & Thomas Hoejberg

-3 -2

74 70

66 71

13

Akram Skaik & Masoud Subati

+2

76

79

14

Max Schmolke & Stephan Schill

+2

75

70

15

Casper Jensen & Kasper Brido

+5

76

72

16

John von Hofsten & Peter Irinarchos

+9

77

75

Felix Wiese & Steffen Benoit

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NET SCORES

"Martin Eder from Germany at the Tee on the final round day 1 at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth course"

Ben Whiteside & Ocean Check Team: Canada East INTERVIEW BY MARTIN JENSEN

Ocean Check

Ben Whiteside

You qualified for the Final 2021!

Which Hcp do you have in the team?

Ben: My handicap is 1 and Ocean plays off a 22. I think having a mix of a low + high handicap is a great combination for the tournament format. The special thing about this event is it allows players of all skill, age, & gender to compete at a high level. It was by far the best golfing experience of my life.

Were there more teams from Canada that qualified for the World Finale in Dubai?

"Carl Aakerlund at the airport to welcome team Canada to Dubai"

Yes! Ben Dowell hcp 7 & Kitan Gbadebo hcp 11 of Canada West also qualified. It will be exciting to watch more teams from each country go to the finale each year as participation continues to grow. As more teams participate, more spots will be available at the world finale.

One of the highlights was spending time with our fellow countrymen (Ben & Kitan) who quickly became dear friends. The fellow players & tournament staff made this week unforgettable.

How many matches did you play locally in Canada to reach the final in Dubai?

We won all 6 of our matches in Canada to qualify for the World Finale. (2 & 1, 1UP, 2 & 1, 1UP, 3 & 2, 1UP). The Canada West team lost their first match in round 3 but then won their remaining matches and qualified for the playoffs, which they then won and qualified for the final in Dubai.

Its a great format given the fact you can lose a round robin match yet still qualify for the playoffs.

What do you like most about the tournament concept?

I think it starts with the details. The entire staff & tournament is first class - every aspect of it. The team makes every minute of the event an unforgettable experience on & off the course. Players & families are treated like professional athletes, and the tournament format (best ball) yields great competition.

Digital scoring, on course officials, and world class venues resulted in an A+ event.

"Ocean Check and Ben Whiteside at the 1st tee on the final round at Dubai Creek Golf Club."

The final in Dubai, was it the experience you expected?

I have been very fortunate to compete & play golf around the world. This experience in Dubai was by far the best golf experience of my life. The people, the golf, the competition - it exceeded the already high expectations we had going into the event.

Simply an unforgettable week!

We finished the World Finale in 10th place. We had so much fun and felt fortunate to share the experience with so many other passionate golfers.

Each team felt like a winner and I will cherish the memories that were made with such a special group.

Canada is a big country. Were there long journeys to play your matches?

There were no long journeys. Our group of 16 teams were all local & we competed against some great players who are now friends.

Will you participate in this year's tournament?

We have already signed up for 2022! We hope our fellow Canadians will join us in this fantastic tournament. It was a privilege to represent Canada in the 2021 final & we cant wait to meet more competitors this season.

Even during playoffs, we did not have to travel far.

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PLAY LOCALLY IN YOUR COUNTRY FROM MAY-OCTOBER 2022

WIN A PLACE AT THE DUBAI FINAL 2022 SIGN-UP NOW

WWW.WORLDAMATEURMATCHRACE.COM

Top 3 sign-ups January

New countries

We exceeded our targets

The top 3 countries with the most sign-ups are Germany, Canada and England, which account for 54,3% of all sign-ups worldwide this month.

More countries will join and participate in 2022. We welcome India, Norway, Finland, Spain, Italy, Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

We saw an overwhelming interest in signing up for the 2022 tournament in January. We have already reached our February target for new sign-ups.

January

TOP 20 COUNTRIES REGISTRATION JANUARY 2022 Rank:

% World Wide

Month

Rank:

% World Wide

Month

Rank:

% World Wide

Month

1.

27,4%

2.

Rank: % World Wide

Month

100%

6.

4,8%

100%

11.

2,2%

100%

16.

1,6%

100%

17,2%

100%

7.

4,3%

100%

12.

2,2%

100%

17.

1,1%

100%

3.

9,7%

100%

8.

4,3%

100%

13.

2,2%

100%

18.

0,5%

100%

4.

7,0%

100%

9.

2,7%

100%

14.

2,2%

100%

19.

0,5%

100%

5.

5,4%

100%

10.

2,7%

100%

15.

1,6%

100%

20.

0,5%

100%

"Akram Skaik - General Director of Emirates Golf Federation and Masoud Sobati - Sponsor of the Swarovskiencrusted golf club trophy for 2021 final in Dubai."

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JANUARY 2022 | ISSUE 1

MATCH 2

Team 4

MATCH 3

Team 6

MATCH 4 MATCH 5

Team 9

Team 8

Team 10

W- Match 9

MATCH 6

Team 12

MATCH 7

Team 14

MATCH 8

Team 16

W- Match 21

Round 2

MATCH 17

W- Match 23

Round 1 L- Match 1 L- Match 2

MATCH 23

W- Match 10 W- Match 25

W- Match 10

Advance to the Playoffs 1st

W- Match 4 MATCH 27

MATCH 25

W- Match 18

W- Match 27

L- Match 22

W- Match 25

W- Match 11

W- Match 22

W- Match 7

W- Match 19

MATCH 28

W- Match 24

W- Match 12 W- Match 26

MATCH 26

W- Match 20

MATCH 20

L- Match 13

W- Match 8 L- Match 27

1 May - 14 May

(14 days)

Round 2:

15 May - 28 May (14 days)

Round 3:

29 May - 25 Jun

(28 days)

WB Final:

26 Jun - 23 Jul

(28 days)

Loser Bracket Round 1:

15 May - 28 May (14 days)

Round 2:

29 May - 11 Jun

(14 days)

Round 3:

12 Jun - 25 Jun

(14 days)

Round 4:

26 Jun - 9 Jul

(14 days)

Round 5:

10 Jul - 23 Jul

(14 days)

LB Final:

24 Jul - 6 Aug

(14 days)

L- Match 6

MATCH 19

MATCH 24

MATCH 29

W- Match 12

Round 1:

L- Match 5

L- Match 14

Advance to the Playoffs 2nd W- Match 29

Winner Bracket

L- Match 4

MATCH 18

W- Match 11

W- Match 6

L- Match 3

L- Match 15

W- Match 5

MATCH 16

Team 15

W- Match 17

W- Match 3

MATCH 22

Team 13

Round 3

L- Match 16

MATCH 15

Team 11

Round 4

W- Match 2

MATCH 14

Team 7

Round 5

W- Match 9

MATCH 21

Team 5

Final LB

W- Match 1 MATCH 13

Team 3

Final WB

MATCH 10

Team 2

Round 3

MATCH 11

Team 1

Round 2

L- Match 21

L- Match 7 L- Match 8

MATCH 12

MATCH 1

Round 1

Loser Bracket

MATCH 9

Winner Bracket (All teams start here)

JANUARY 2022 | ISSUE 1 Winners play the World Final in Dubai November - December 2022 For all teams that win their group playoffs, a magical golfing experience awaits in Dubai, where flight, hotel and golf courses are paid for.

Here you will, as an amateur player, feel and be treated like the pros on “The Tour.”

Playoff Bracket (Winners from 8 local Group Race)

MATCH 1

1th - Group 1

MATCH 2

27 Aug - 11 Sep (16 days)

1th - Group 3

MATCH 3

Quarter Finals

7 Aug - 26 Aug (20 days)

1th - Group 5

MATCH 4

Round of 16

1th - Group 7

2nd - Group 2

12 Sep - 30 Sep (19 days)

Winner match 2

MATCH 5

1th - Group 2

MATCH 6

1th - Group 4

2nd - Group 1

Winner match 10

Winner match 4 MATCH 15

Winner match 11

Winner match 6

MATCH 7

MATCH 14

1th - Group 6 2nd - Group 5

MATCH 8

2nd - Group 7

2nd - Group 7

Winner match 14

Winner match 7 MATCH 12

1th - Group 8

Winner match 15

Winner match 5 MATCH 11

2nd - Group 3

Winner match 13

Winner match 3 MATCH 10

2nd - Group 8

1 Oct - 16 Oct (16 days)

Winner match 9

MATCH 13

2nd - Group 6

Playoff Final

Winner match 1 MATCH 9

2nd - Group 4

Semi Finals

Winner match 12

Winner match 8

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We are excited to announce that the World Amateur Match Race World Final 2022 will return to Dubai and host three Championship Golf Courses.

The 2021 champions from Ireland, James O'Brien & Cormac Browne, has automatically qualified for defending their trophy.

The same goes for the three Australien teams, who managed to qualify for the Dubai 2021 final, but due to Covid-19 restrictions, could not travel abroad to Dubai. They are, of course, now directly qualified for the Dubai Final 2022.

In New Zealand, the teams are currently in the process to finish the playoff from 2021. The winners will qualify for this year's final 2022 in Dubai.

We look forward to welcoming all of you!

Qualfied teams World Amateur Match Race World Final 2022 so far: James O'Brien & Cormac Browne / Defending Champions 2021 Tom Trimnell & Dino Capelli / Final qualified Australia 2021 Jason Jamieson & Piero Fragomeli/ Final qualified Australia 2021 Paul Brown & Kelvin Oconnell/ Final qualified Australia 2021 Winner ongoing Playoff New Zeland 2021

"Jason Jamieson & Piero Fragomeli" 18/ WORLDAMATEURMATCHRACE.COM - OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2022

"Paul Brown & Kelvin Oconnell"

"Ben Dowell and Kitan Gbadebo from Canada West together with Claes Lundstroem and Bastian Geissler from Sweden at the Tee on hole 17 on the final round day 1 at Jumeirah Golf Estates’ Earth course"

WORLDAMATEURMATCHRACE.COM - OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT MAGAZINE | ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2022