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IVE been predicting all season that I believed that Rory McIlroy would win a Major this year and he did it in some style. Its one thing winning your rst Major but its tougher to win your second. I also said that I thought that Rorys preparation for a Major championship was all wrong.

Instead of playing competitive golf prior to the Majors, Rory had been taking a break from the game in the belief that he would be fresh for the big event. As Ive said before, it doesnt work like that. Youve got to practice hard and play tournaments going into a Major to nd your best game.

I thrived on competition and practising and I think its the only way to keep your form to give yourself a chance to win a Major.

Well, hes now learned how to do it. In the run-up to the US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Rory played in the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Akron, Ohio and scored

GARY PLAYERWorldwide Golf Executive Editor Since 1999

The nine time Major Champion who has witnessed and been a part of some of the most historic and memorable golng occasions reects on the game today

www.wwgolf.biz 03

70-67-67-68 for an 8-under-par total to take a share of fth place with Justin Rose, ve shots behind the winner, Keegan Bradley.

Grand SlamThe following week he was right on his game

from the outset on the Ocean Course, shooting a 13-under par total of 275 with rounds of 67-75-67-66. His eight-shot winning margin over Englands David Lynn was the same as his eight-shot margin in winning his rst Major at the US Open at Congressional last year and the win also propelled him to the No.1 spot in both the World Ranking and The Race to Dubai.

His eight-shot US PGA Championship victory beat Jacks (Nicklauss) previous record and in becoming the youngest player since Seve to win two Majors Rory has started on the road to greatness. I have no qualms in forecasting that the 23-year-old Northern Irishman will be the next player to complete the Grand Slam of all four Majors.

Rory really is that good. Ive said it many times but in my view hes the most naturally talented player I have seen for many years. Hes taken on board the experience of throwing away the 2011 Masters tournament and hes gradually learning the biggest lesson of all in golf how to win tournaments, and particularly Majors.

Its little wonder the he has become the hero of the galleries wherever he plays. Hes a very likeable personality. Hes got great humility and his parents make sure that his feet stay rmly on the ground. He appreciates the position hes in and hes developing the strength of character to cope with the adulation that is being heaped upon him in increasing measures.

His maturity is there for all to see. Hes honest, hes modest and hes an unbelievable talent. I suspect if he applies himself properly he will go from strength to strength and he could well dominate the world game for a number of years to come. Q

His eight shot US PGA Championship victory beat Jacks (Nicklauss) previous record and in becoming the youngest player since Seve to win two Majors Rory has started on the road to greatness.

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WWW.WWGOLF.BIZRORY McILROY

THE sharks had begun to circle around the 23-year-old when failure to make the weekend in the defence of his US Open title at the Olympic Club in San Francisco in June marked a fourth missed cut in five events and the continuation of a disappointing run in the Majors since his breakthrough at Congressional last year.

Too much too soon! they cried, and, its all gone to his head, and hes spending too much time helping Caroline Wozniacki perfect her ground strokes.

But after winning the second Major of his young career, breaking a string of records in the process and usurping Luke Donald at the top of World Ranking, McIlroy moved into pole position on The Race to Dubai and the Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts-sponsored player would dearly love to end another block-rocking season by wrapping up the money list with a good showing at the DP World Tour Championship in November.

There are so many benets to winning the US PGA Championship and going to the top of The Race to Dubai is denitely one of them, said McIlroy after his 1,190,937 cheque at Kiawah Island took him 437,334 ahead of Justin Rose at with a season total of 2,813,962.

There is a lot of golf still to play this season and I think that once we get past The Ryder Cup then I will be able to really focus on the end of The European Tour

season and trying to win The Race to Dubai and The Harry Vardon Trophy.

That is something that every player wants to have on their CV at the end of their careers its a great reward and I dont think there has been a single player who has won it who has not fully deserved it.

It is the ultimate sign of consistency and performance over the course of a full year. I suppose its a bit like a football team winning the league. You have to play well over a long period of time to win it and I am certainly trying to achieve that.

It would be an amazing way to end the season. I have been going to Dubai for many years now and I love playing there, so to win The Race to Dubai would be the perfect way to end what has been a really great season for me.

OLYMPIC GAMESHis latest game-changing Major triumph

has certainly set him up nicely to do just that. On the very night that the 2012 Olympics drew to a close McIlroy enjoyed his own golden moment when he romped to victory on the Ocean Course by a Usain Bolt-like record winning margin.

Perhaps taking inspiration from the stunning achievements of Team GB in The Games the Northern Irishman, dressed in Tiger red, turned on the burners and roared over the line much like the famous Jamaican sprinter did in the 200m nal to

QAfter winning the US PGA Championship Rory McIlroy returned to the top spot on the Ocial World Golf Ranking and became the youngest European player since Seve Ballesteros (above) to win two Majors.

After Luke Donald became the rst player to top The European Tour and US PGA Tour money lists last season, Rory McIlroy is on his way to achieving the same accomplishment but he also wants to top o the 2012 season by winning The Race to Dubai and clinching the DP World Tour Championship.

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ROSE RACES TO RIVAL RORY

WWW.WWGOLF.BIZmJUSTIN ROSE

NOW that Rory has the seasons final Major championship trophy safely under lock and key the coming months will see The European Tour boys focus on securing their places in the end-of-season big money bonanza that is the DP World Tour Championship.

To be staged from November 22-25, the event, held on the Greg Norman-designed Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, will feature The European Tours top 60 players and boast $8 million in prize money as well as The Race to Dubai bonus pool of a further $3.75 million.

But its not the money thats the main attraction for the players its the chance to make history by winning The Harry Vardon Trophy for topping The Race to Dubai.

One man who has already enjoyed the mantle of being European Number One, in 2007, is Englands Justin Rose. Despite being overtaken by McIlroy at the top of The Race to Dubai standings, Rose is looking forward to returning to Dubai after missing the 2011 event because of family responsibilities.

Winning The Race to Dubai has been a

real priority of mine since I won the WGC Cadillac Championship at Doral, said Rose.

I had to miss out on Dubai last year because my wife Katie was about to give birth to our daughter, Charlotte, so there is a little extra incentive to get back to the emirate and it would be very special to go back and win The Race overall.

Doral was such a big win for me for so many reasons, and it really made the chance of winning a second Harry Vardon Trophy a reality. There arent too many players who have won The Harry Vardon Trophy twice in their careers and it would be a real honour for me to do that.

CONSISTENCYAlthough he has yet to add to his classy

one stroke victory over Bubba Watson at Doral, Rose has been, for the most part, a model of consistency, racking up a string of top results.

He had top 10s in the Masters, the Volvo World Match Play Championship and the Open de France; was runner up in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and tied

third behind McIlroy and David Lynn at in the US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. With some lucrative events still to come before the Dubai showstopper, which oers over 1million for the winner, Rose is determined to claw back the 437,334 gap that McIlroy opened up at the top of the table following his win in South Carolina.

Theres a lot of golf to play but Im very focused on trying to win it, he said. There are still a lot of big tournaments on The European Tour after The Ryder Cup and I will be playing quite a few going into the DP World Tour Championship in November.

STAGE SET FOR SHOWDOWNWith less than three months to go, work is

already well underway to get the Earth course in the best condition possible as it welcomes the cream of The European Tour for the fourth consecutive year.

The team at Jumeirah Golf Estates who host the DP World Tour Championship will ensure we have a venue tting for such an occasion, said Nick Tarratt, Director of The European Tour International Dubai Oce.

The action at the top of The Race to Dubai leaderboard is certainly heating up following Rory McIlroys Major win and the tournament will once again feature many of the biggest names in golf with Rory, Justin, Erne Els, Louis Oosthuizen, Graeme McDowell, Francesco Molinari, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood all in the current top 10.

With such a line-up, its important we have the course in immaculate condition and in September both David Garland, Director of Tour Operations, European Tour, and Graeme MacNiven, Deputy Director of Tour Agronomy, will visit Jumeirah Golf Estates to assess where we stand as we count down to the opening round on November 22. Q

Justin Rose is currently in second place in The Race to Dubai but the Englishman hasnt given up hope of catching Rory McIlroy. The ultra-consistent Rose won The Harry Vardon Trophy for topping the Order of Merit in 2007 and hes aiming to go at out to win The Race and join the elite group of multiple winners.

I HAD TO MISS OUT ON DUBAI LAST YEAR BECAUSE MY WIFE KATIE WAS ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH TO OUR DAUGHTER, CHARLOTTE, SO THERE IS A LITTLE EXTRA INCENTIVE TO GET BACK TO THE EMIRATE AND IT WOULD BE VERY SPECIAL TO GO BACK AND WIN THE RACE OVERALL. JUSTIN ROSE

Prior to winning the WGC-CA Championship at the Blue Monster course at Doral, Justin Rose last won a European Tour event back in 2007 at the Volvo Masters.

STAT ATTACK:Rose v McIlroyRose leads the PGA Tour Greens in Regulation stats with 70.88 per cent while McIlroy is way down the list in 73rd with 65.20 per cent.

Both are tied 4th on Top 10 nishes but McIlroy has the edge on Scoring Average and currently stands in 2nd place with 68.91 compared to Rose in 6th with 69.36.

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50 www.wwgolf.biz

GREG NORMANWORLDWIDE GOLFCOLUMNIST

AS THE summer winds down, my company, Great White Shark Enterprises, is heading into an exciting period of time with a number of business activities coming together. I was proud to open the new headquarters for the Greg Norman Champions Golf Academy at Barefoot Resort and Golf in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina last month.

The gestation period for these types of projects is quite lengthy and this one involved creating a purpose-built facility which, Im told, is now the second largest purpose-built golf academy in the United States. A lot of people had been waiting for this day since 2010 and a lot of time, eort and energy has gone into the project. Were all condent that we will develop and grow other academies and satellite academies

My partner Jose Fernandez and our lead instructor Scott Shobe have done a tremendous job getting the new Academy up and running. This new state of the art facility should attract students from all over the world who would like to push their golf game to the next level. I am really excited about mentoring these talented students and watching them mature as golfers and people. It was very rewarding to see students like Adam Scott and Karrie Webb come out of my Foundation in Australia and I am looking forward to seeing similar things from my students at the Academy.

Theres so much information Ive gathered from my experiences of playing the game of golf, of going through life and understanding business, and Id like to pass that knowledge on. I certainly picked the brains of legends like Jack Nicklaus, Raymond Floyd, Tom Watson and Lee Trevino and Ive also done it with Presidents and CEOs.

Weve got a team of good coaches at the Academy who know exactly the ABCs of the physical execution of swinging a golf club but the coaches havent had the benet of the experience Ive garnered and I hope to be able to give that back to the students enrolled at my Academy.

Were looking at extending the academies around the world to Asia, Europe, Central America, South America, Mexico, Canada and the East and West coasts of the United States. We just need to make sure that we get them in the right places from the oers weve got coming across our table. I look forward to our continued success and Im grateful for the involvement of my partners TaylorMade and Cybex tness equipment in creating custom-tailored programmes that will serve as valuable tools to our sta at the Academy. For more information on the Academy you can visit our website at www.gncga.com

Proud to see newstars shine

PACIFIC LINKS TAKING OFFIN ONE of my previous columns in Worldwide Golf I reported on an exciting new relationship with Mr. Du Sha of Pacic Links, an organisation that has acquired numerous golf course properties in the United States as part of a membership programme targeting wealthy Chinese golf enthusiasts. The Pacic Links team, including Bruce Simmonds, Bing Yang and Richelle Nemeth have done an excellent job in structuring the membership programme which will launch in September at the rst annual Pacic Links Championship, a new tour and a much-needed date for the Champions Tour on a golf course owned and operated by Pacic Links. From there, we go to China to do a corresponding launch for the Pacic Links membership.

HONOURARY MEMBERSHIP OF TURNBERRYI WAS very grateful to receive Honourary Membership of Turnberry Resort in Ayrshire, Scotland, when I went over there for the 26th Senior Open Championship. I always get excited when I come to a links course and Turnberry is certainly one of my favourite golf courses in the world. I set the course record with a 63 at Turnberry when I won The 1986 Open Championship, the rst of my two Majors.

www.wwgolf.biz 51

OLYMPIC GAMES GOLDEN MOMENTI THOROUGHLY enjoyed the Olympic Games and being a guest at OMEGA House in Londons Soho along with LPGA star Michelle Wie. It was good to talk to Omegas President Stephen Urquhart about their involvement in the global growth of golf and the forthcoming Olympics in Rio in 2016 where golf will take its place as an Olympic sport for the rst time since 1904.

WORLDWIDE WHIRLWIND TOURSEPTEMBER is a beautiful month for golf in Scotland and Ill have the pleasure of playing the Gleneagles resort, home of the 2014 Ryder Cup as part of my participation in my annual nal for the Johnnie Walker Blue Label Trophy.

From there, I play the Omega European Masters in what to me is one of the most beautiful golf course settings at Crans-sur-Sierre in Crans Montana, Switzerland.

Omega and I have worked closely together this year. Its been a big year for Omega with their involvement with the London Olympics, the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup.

Im pleased that Ive been able to work with them on each of these

properties. At the end of September Im heading for Almouj Golf at The Wave, Muscat, Oman. I cant wait to see how well the course has matured and to see how the Par-3 course is settling in. I still maintain that The Wave Oman is one of the most spectacular golf courses I have ever designed, anywhere in the world.

NEW CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP WITH DOWIts been an enjoyable summer of golf on all the major tours, weve seen some great winners and Im very much enjoying my ability to stay current with the game through a mix of play and corporate partnership events.

While at the Olympics, I had the good fortune to announce a new corporate partnership with Dow Chemical. Dow has been a big supporter of golf and as an Olympic partner is looking for input regarding the intersection of golf with the Olympics.

There are some clear synergies between Great White Shark Enterprises and Dow insofar as we do business in emerging markets as well as an alignment with their Ag Sciences Division and golf course design not to mention Dows involvement with some of my other corporate partners. I look forward to the coming years to work with Dow as we head towards the 2016 Olympic Games.Q

52 www.wwgolf.biz

GARY PLAYERWORLDWIDE GOLFCOLUMNIST

Player for player, on ability they are reasonably evenly matched but I think the backing of the Medinah galleries will give the United States home advantage and enable them to take the Cup back to the US like they did in 2008 under Paul Azingers leadership.

www.wwgolf.biz 53

My heart wants Europe but my head says USA

WHAT a prospect weve got to look forward to with The Ryder Cup at Medinah towards the end of the month. When I was a young man there was virtually no interest in The Ryder Cup. It was viewed by most people as a series of exhibition matches performed by the Americans.Such was the dominance of the United

States Team the result was always regarded as a foregone conclusion. That all changed in 1983 under the Captaincy of Tony Jacklin. Although the European Team were defeated by just one point it was a total turnaround from Walton Heath in Surrey, England in 1981 when the United States cruised to a 18.5-9.5 victory. In 1985 at The Belfry Tony led Europe to a 16.5-11.5 win and two years later at Muireld Village in Ohio Europe ran out comfortable 15-13 winners.Since those days Europe have had the

edge over the United States but the recent encounters have been thrilling, close-fought battles that have captured the imagination of the sporting public worldwide. The Ryder Cup today is one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

Europe currently hold the Cup, courtesy of a one-point victory at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales but they will have their work cut out to hold on to their title at Medinah, where the fanatical, vociferous US crowd will make the Welsh galleries seem like whisperers.

The one aspect of The Ryder Cup which I am totally opposed to is that US Captain Davis Love III is entitled to four Captains Picks to add to his eight players who got in through automatic qualication, whereas Europes Captain, Jose Maria Olazbal, is only allowed two Captains Picks with his team of ten qualiers.

How can it be acceptable to have one set of rules for one Team and another set of rules for the other Team? Theres a big advantage in having four Captains Picks. Some players may have got into the team due their good results

earlier in the season and have since seen their form desert them, while other players may have started the year badly but run into form late in the season but too late to qualify automatically.

To win The Ryder Cup you want all your players at the top of their form. I know from being Captain of the International Team in The Presidents Cup on several occasions, just how important that is.

It doesnt matter what the preference of the two Captains is or if it was their choice. The Rules are the Rules and should apply to both Teams without question.On balance I think the Europeans are a

strong, experienced team with players like Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Paul Lawrie and Graeme McDowell plus the in-form Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy. The Americans have the experience of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickleson and Zach Johnson but they have a bunch of youngsters who are right on form and all regular tournament winners.

LeadershipPlayer for player, on ability they are

reasonably evenly matched but I think the backing of the Medinah galleries will give the United States home advantage and enable them to take the Cup back to the US like they did in 2008 under Paul Azingers leadership.

Either way, Im sure it will be a great, well-contested event. Its probably the nest showcase for the game of golf worldwide and Id like to see the true spirit of sportsmanship at the forefront of the tournament and that the 39th Ryder Cup is another wonderful advertisement for the game.

Decision on anchoringI understand that the USGA and the R&A will

soon be coming to a decision on the eligibility of the long-handled putter. Im sure they will come to the correct decision and ban it, although I believe the ban would not come into force until 2016. Q

TUTORIALSecond ShotAcknowledging the many hazards facing him, such as fairway bunkers, long rough, severe run-os and water, Andrew selects a club that will leave him with his favourite yardage to the pin for his third shot 110 yards.

Following her great drive, Ornella was faced with the ultimate par 5 decision lay up or go for glory. With a well-struck fairway wood sent towards the green she catches one of the many devilish contours and nds the strategically placed greenside bunker.

Following Jahlis bravery playing from the reds he needs two solid 5 irons to get within greenside range.

Approach / GreensideFirst to play is Andrew and from his favourite yardage of 110 he hits a fully committed pitching wedge that takes the lurking water behind the green out of play and puts it 10 feet from the pin. When in a situation where danger is behind your target, it is best to opt for a club that will enable you to hit a full shot to reduce the chances of overshooting into a hazard.

Faced with a 30 yard bunker shot towards the glimmering water Ornella comes up slightly short of a ridge running across the green. She now faces a rollercoaster putt for birdie.

Following his approach play Jahli has the option of playing the chip and run down the undulating green or ying all the way to the pin avoiding the steep ridge that cuts through the green.

PuttingOrnella lines up a good three foot putt right of the hole and navigates the ridge to perfection, her ball nishes within gimmie range.

Following an audacious op shot over the ridge, Jahlis shot nishes inches short of the hazard. He successfully two putts for a solid 6 on this demanding par 5.

Now time for the cautious old man. Despite taunting from his playing partners Andrew makes a condent putting stroke with his ball hitting the back of the cup.

J

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www.wwgolf.biz 61

A R A B I A NLOCALNEWS

THE most anticipated golf event of the year gets underway later this month at Medinah Country Club outside of Chicago and by way of celebration The Track, Meydan Golf is oering local golfers a chance to create some of their own Ryder Cup glory.

The 18-hole Meydan Ryder Cup will take place on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 September, coinciding with the rst two days of The Ryder Cup. A total of 12 teams per day will play in either red or blue colours and prior to play each

day will select a two-ball pairing from The Ryder Cup to supplement their score.

The format of the event will be a team scramble with additional team points available if your chosen two-ball in Medinah manages a victory.

Play will get underway at 12pm with a prize giving, post tournament food and drink being served at Qube Sports Bar afterwards where players can watch each days thrilling live action between Europe and America unfold.

GET YOUR PIECE OF RYDER CUP ACTION AT THE TRACKMeydan Golf to host two-day Meydan Ryder Cup event

Q: How long have you been playing golf?A: Ten months.

Q: Who is your favourite golfer?A: Tiger Woods.

Q: Whats your favourite movie?A: Despicable Me.

Q: Away from golf, what other activities do you like to do? A: Ice Skating.

Q: If you could have your pick of any car what would it be?A: A Ferrari.

Q: If you could have just one super power what would it be?A: To be able to y.

Q: Whats your favourite subject at school?A: Physical Education.

MEZNA AL SHEHHI From: Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club

62 www.wwgolf.biz

PGA Professional Ed Chapman reveals his plans for the Golf Academy at Al Badia and who and what inspired him to take up the game as a sport mad teenager.

Tiger Woods blows away the eld at the 2000 US Open at Pebble Beach.

Q: Where were you born and brought up? A: I was born and brought up in Northampton, middle England. I came to golf as a teenager due to commitments in other sports not allowing golf to cross my mind. My earliest memory of golf is watching Tiger Woods win by 15 shots at the US Open at Pebble Beach in 2000 which really got me intrigued with the game.

Q: Where have you worked prior to coming to Dubai? A: My last job was working at a prestigious private members golf club, Northamptonshire County (where King George V of England is a past Club Captain and whose daughter is the current Queen of England), where I was based for ve years which included two years coaching a College Golf Academy Team. Q: What were your impressions of Dubai and how do you regard the future for golf in the UAE? A: My rst impression was denitely of how big everything is! Nothing is done in

half measures in Dubai. Even now, the Burj Khalifa still amazes me every time I drive past it just because of how enormous it is. I think that the future for golf here is fantastic. With it being such a transient place the key will always be to get new golfers into the sport. With such great weather and great golf courses this is one of the best places in the world to take up golf or rekindle a passion lost. Q: Did you have any previous knowledge of Dubai? A: My friend and colleague at Al Badia, Mathew Parker, gave me quite a bit of information about Dubai before I moved here and I bought a couple of books on living in the UAE but before that I didnt have a great deal of knowledge. Q: What are your most memorable moments of either playing or watching golf? A: The two hole-in-ones that I have had are my most memorable moments playing golf, with the most recent one coming last summer. In terms of watching golf I was

lucky enough to go the 2006 Ryder Cup at The K Club in Ireland and was in the right place at the right time for almost every key moment during the three days. Q: Who are your golng heroes and why? A: I have two golng heroes. The rst one is Tiger Woods. When I started getting into golf in 2000 Tiger was dominating almost every tournament he played. He changed the way we approached playing golf by making golfers need to be athletes to perform at the highest level. His ability to hit some of the most incredible golf shots ever seen inspired me to want a career in golf. My second golng hero is a PGA Professional like myself, called Brian Mudge. Brian was both my rst golf coach and the rst professional I worked for. He inspired me to coach golf and taught me everything a person needs to know to be the most upstanding PGA Professional Coach there is. Q: Do you have any other hobbies or pastimes? A: Snowboarding, tennis (and now also

PAVING THE WAY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

EDCHAPMAN

Q&A

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I was lucky enough to go the 2006 Ryder Cup at The K Club in Ireland and was in the right place at the right time for almost every key moment.

table-tennis), cooking, reading, dining out and travel! Q: Are you married? A: I got married in England in April this year before my wife, Carla, then moved out to Dubai in June and started working at Fitness First. Q: What are your goals and aims for your personal future and for the future of golf in the UAE? A: My immediate aim is to build the Golf Academy at Al Badia Golf Club to be at the forefront of golf instruction in the Middle East and to increase golf participation levels throughout the UAE, especially getting kids more involved and out on the course playing. I will also be continuing to build my knowledge its paramount for a golf coach to keep up with new discoveries through science and research in the golng world. Q: What is your view of the golng scene here? A: The UAE has the chance of being one of the top golng destinations in the world. We have the quality of golf courses, the championship-hosting pedigree and so many things to do when not playing golf plus guaranteed sunshine. There are a lot of golfers in Dubai and this number will only keep growing as the popularity of the sport increases here. Q: Do you have any ideas for creating more golfers in Dubai or attracting more golng tourists? A: Creating awareness about how easy golf is to access in Dubai would be key to turning more people into golfers. Having

structured programmes for beginners is also important, as we do with our Three Stage Beginner Learning Programme, to take people through all the basics that they will need to play golf. Not just the technical skills but also the rules and etiquette of playing golf. Q: Whats the funniest thing youve seen on the golf course and whats the funniest thing that has happened to you playing golf? A: The funniest thing Ive seen happened in my first job. A member was teeing off on the first hole and hit a massive slice into the car park. He came into the pro shop as he thought hed hit a car so I went round with him to find out that not only had his golf ball smashed a car windscreen but that the car was his! It was a struggle to contain my laughter! The funniest thing that happened to me playing golf was when I was a junior. I was playing in torrential rain and my clubs were getting quite slippery. On one hole after impact the club flew out my hands and ended up lodged in a tree. I tried throwing another club up to try and dislodge it only for it to get stuck as well, which meant I had to climb up the tree to retrieve both clubs! Q: Do you think its possible for a golf club to be viable without including a hotel, real estate, or both? A: It certainly would be extremely dicult and the only two ways around it would be to be an exclusive private members club or to host a major tournament regularly. Were fortunate at Al Badia to be run under the InterContinental umbrella and be linked to three of the best hotels in Dubai.

Q: If you could give just one tip to a golfer what would it be? A: Take golf lessons! Rather than just struggling with your golf, get professional help. But before just booking in with any golf coach take the time to speak to them personally and nd out what they are going to do for you. Make sure you get the most out of the lessons and that their personality matches yours. You will get more from the lessons if it does. Q: Whats your favourite golf club in your bag? A: I have two my driver and my putter. I love standing up on the tee and bombing a tee shot or taking on the green on a short par-4. Also, I nd theres nothing more satisfying than seeing a 20 foot putt disappear into the cup. Q: Whats the best golf course in the world you have played or would like to play? A: The best course in the world that I have played is the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Florida. Q: Do you think that in times of recession the prizemoney Tour players play for is too high? A: Perhaps it is a bit top heavy but compared to other sports where players are paid huge sums regardless of how well or badly they play, I think golfers and tennis players deserve to be rewarded because they only earn what their performance warrants. Plus the amount each tournament puts into the local economy and the amount of charity funds the players and the Tours generate more than compensates for the high levels of prize money.

Chapmans aim is to establish the Golf Academy at Al Badia as one of the leading golf instructional facilities in the UAE.

Prosports International - sales@prosports.ae - Tel: +971 4 3477737titleist.co.uk

For years, Bob Vokey has learned from the best. Hes walked with the worlds best

players on courses and practice areas of nearly every PGA Tour stop. He watches

their short games, evaluates bunker technique, gathers feedback and enhances

wedge performance for those finesse scoring shots that can decide a tournament

or even a major. Bob uses this depth of experience to develop wedges that perform

for every shot-making style and course condition and to help all players build

confidence and shoot lower scores. Every wedge that Bob grinds and shapes must

be a precision scoring tool for his name to be engraved on it. To learn more about

Vokey Design wedges, visit Vokey.com and find out which are best for your game.

I HAVE ALWAYS SAID I HAVE THE BEST R&D FACILITY IN THE WORLD THE PGA TOUR.MASTER CRAFTSMAN

WorldWideGolf_TitleistVokeyLeadership_Page.indd 1 09/11/2011 11:16

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MENA GOLF TOUR ENTRIES PICK UP STEAM golf in DUBAi

Entries are pouring in thick and fast for the forthcoming MENA Golf Tour, promising a great contest when the second edition of the tour gets underway in September.

There is still time left for the deadline to expire, but already 332 players, representing 42 countries, have signed up for the tour which features six back-to-back events, including one in Saudi Arabia.

A new initiative of the Shaikh Maktoum Golf Foundation, the tour boasts a combined prize fund of $325,000. The maximum starting eld for each event will comprise 100 players of which 60 will be professionals and the rest amateurs.

In the event of a tournament being oversubscribed, which seems likely to be the case, the rst 90 (50 professionals and 40 amateurs) entries will automatically be accepted and the balance will compete in a pre-tournament qualifying event for the remaining 10 places (ve professionals and ve amateurs).

Global lookWhile the traditional golf powerhouses like the

UK, USA and Australia are well represented in the early list of entries, players from as far aeld as Iceland, Gibraltar, Senegal and Uganda have also signed up, giving the tour truly a global look.

Players from the United Kingdom lead the list of early entries with a whopping count of 71, followed by 64 UAE-based professionals and amateurs from dierent nationalities. There are 14 golfers from Morocco, 12 from Bahrain, ve from Qatar and three from Saudi Arabia entering the fray.

The tour has created ripples among golfers from the sub-continent with as many as 27 players from Pakistan and 18 from India signing up online. Last year only one golfer from India had registered for the tour while there were about 10 from Pakistan.

We are absolutely delighted with the early response to the MENA Golf Tour events and look forward to welcoming the players, said Mohamed

Juma Buamaim, chairman of the MENA Golf Tour. Its great to see many new players from countries like Iceland, Finland, Singapore, Turkey and Uganda coming over to play the events.

Last year, 25 countries were represented in the tour events and this year the number has already gone up to 42 which shows how well the tour has been received by golfers.

With a little over one month to go before the rst event gets started, all our preparations are well on course for what we believe will be exciting events.

The six-stop MENA Golf Tour, which is supported by Omega and Mercedes-Benz, kicks o at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club on September 24, 2012 while the season-ending MENA Tour Championship will be held at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club from October 29 31.

The top three professionals and the leading amateur from their respective Orders of Merit will receive special invitations to compete in the 2013 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and, possibly, other European Tour events in the region.

The 2012 MENA Golf Tour Schedule:

September 24 26Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club Open

October 1 3 Abu Dhabi Golf Citizen Open at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club

October 8 10Dirab Golf and Country Club, Saudi Arabia

October 15 17Ras Al Khaimah Classic at Tower Links Golf Club

October 22 24Shaikh Maktoum Dubai Open at Al Badia Golf Club

October 29 31MENA Tour Championship at Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club

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WWGPLAYINGEDITOR

GETTING BACK IN ACTION

If you think of the golf swing, where you wind up one way all the time moving across dierent planes of motion, this isnt a natural movement that your body is designed to do. Nor is it symmetric. Therefore they are going to create imbalances in the muscles in the body.

As soon as this starts to occur over time, you become less exible in opposing sides of your body, causing all types of problems which can lead to various types of back injuries.Q

tness level to a peak. Golf tness plays a vital role in getting results. With the likes of Tiger Woods setting the standard and everyone following suit, were all well aware that physical strength and conditioning makes a big dierence to your golf.

Its not just the dynamic strength training that you have to put in such as squats, lunges and dead lifts, which are all part of core stability but the injury-preventative training which is now necessary to prolong golng careers.

I HOPE most of you have been able to get away for a few weeks this summer as I have been fortunate enough to do. I managed to have a three-week break going back to the UK to visit family and friends.

It was good to meet up with people I havent seen in quite a while. Amazingly, we had some relatively decent weather for the UK mainly dry with sunny spells. However, Ive now dusted o the clubs and started to get back in action.

I was in Thailand for a couple of weeks until the rst week of September, playing and practising and gearing up for the start of the MENA Tour which starts later this month with Dubai Creek hosting the rst event in the six tournament schedule on September 24-26.

Im really looking forward to playing again, especially at the two new additions to the calendar at the Creek and at Dirab Golf and Country Club in Saudi.

Ive been following the progress of some of the guys who are playing on the Asian Development Tour (ADT). Peter Richardson, who I got to know playing on the MENA Tour last season where he nished runner-up, is currently third on the ADT Order of Merit. There are still a few ADT tournaments to go before the end of the season so Peter could nish in an even higher position. I wish him the very best of luck.

TOP AMATEUR Daniel Owen is another Middle East

based professional who narrowly missed out on the top amateur spot on the MENA Tour last year. At the end of last years MENA Tour Daniel decided to turn professional in time for the Asian Q-School in January this year. He missed out on gaining his mainstream Asian Tour card but obtained his playing rights on the ADT. He is currently lying 40th on the Order of Merit not too bad for his rst season on Tour as a professional!

It will be interesting to see how well last years MENA Tour stars get on this season with the additional entries the Tour has received. With the likes of Zane Scotland, Jake Shepard, Peter Richardson, Sean McNamara and Ross Canavan you can expect some high end golf and tough competition!

I know that to have any chance of being successful this season I need to get my

JOEL NEALERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Tiger Woods raised the tness bar for budding golfers over a decade ago.

70 www.wwgolf.biz

WWG: Having won on the MENA Tour last year, how do you feel coming into this season? RC: I played very consistently on the Mena Tour last year. I didnt do anything spectacular but was more of a Steady Eddy as us golfers might say. Im excited because I feel Ive grown into a far more mature player and have the ability to achieve bigger goals.

WWG: Do you think being based in Bangkok has helped you deal with the humidity and heat in the Middle East? RC: Having been based in Bangkok as well as playing throughout Asia has denitely helped me adjust to severe weather conditions like the baking heat of the Middle East! Ill be moving back to London in March of 2013 and genuinely look forward to that and to focusing on Europe.

WWG: You qualied to play your rst European Tour event, the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this year how did you feel going into that with the likes of Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood playing?RC: Playing in the Desert Classic this year was a magical experience and gave me an idea of exactly

what I need to do to take my game to the next level. Competing with the best like McIlroy and Westwood was simply a bonus and something I have been striving to accomplish for a few years now.

WWG: In your opinion do you think that the initiative behind the MENA Tour, for providing a playing platform for talented locals, will be a success? RC: The initiative behind the MENA Tour has denitely been a success in attracting more locals throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa and around the world. Even places like Senegal which is wonderful as I know a player from Senegal and he made me aware that there isnt even a golf resort

there! So to have the opportunity to go and play in competitive tournaments and possibly get a chance to play in something like the Dubai Desert Classic is truly amazing.

WWG: Do you have any short-term goals?RC: My short term goals for the next few months are to get to my European Tour card at Qualifying School as well as having a successful run on the Mena Tour again. I had an injury that put me out for six weeks at the beginning of this year so I have some higher expectations for the second half of this year.

WWG: What would you say your ultimate goal is? RC: My ultimate goal is to get my European Tour card this year.

WWG: What event do you look forward to playing in most and why?RC: Im looking forward to playing Dubai Creek for three days as I thoroughly enjoy the layout and Im equally excited about getting the opportunity to defend the title I won last year in Ras Al Khaimah.

WWG: To you, what is the most dicult aspect about life on Tour? RC: I would say the most dicult thing is the time away from family and the endless travelling. Ive been to 21 countries in the last two years and with that comes much sacrice. I havent asked a girl out on a date in two years because I believe that is part of the sacrice. Until you get to a place where you can pick your own schedule and have full status on a Tour it is tough to live a normal life. There are denitely many upsides to the travel and life of a Tour player though.

WWG: When did you turn professional? RC: I turned professional two years ago in January 2010.

WWG: Other than golf, what other hobbies and interests do you have? RC: Ive always played other sports and nd the beauty in just about all of them, but I am an avid Arsenal FC supporter and try never to miss a game on the TV!

SCENEEnglishman Ross Canavan picked up his rst trophy as a professional at last years Ras Al Khaimah Classic on the MENA Golf Tour. Starting the nal day six shots o the pace he carded a 3-under 69 to win by one from Moroccan Faycal Serghini. Based in Thailand, Canavan returns to the UAE for a second stab at the MENA Tour later this month and WWGs Joel Neale caught up with him to access his form.

LOCALBROUGHT TO YOU BY:

www.wwgolf.biz 71

What is your most memorable moment on Tour?Most memorial moment on Tour had to be my win. It was a goal last year to get a win as that is what we all strive for, to nish at the top of the leaderboard. Its a truly great feeling.

Whats the most ridiculous thing that has happened or youve seen on a golf course? I fell in a lake once trying to play a shot o a side-hill lie. That was funny enough, but what really capped it o was going on to sink the 40ft putt for birdie whilst I was dripping wet!

If you could be a superhero, who would you be?I would probably have to be THOR for the power o the tee Id have. Even though my good friend Joel Neale might have that reputation wrapped up (youre too kind. Ed.).

Favourite Course?I had the pleasure of playing Cypress Point in California and, to date, that is my favourite course.

Lowest round, where and when?I have shot 62 twice but only one of them tied a course record at Morgan Run in San Diego, California.

WWG: Do you ever get mistaken for German Tour player Marcel Siem? RC: Once when I went to practice at Duabi Creek the guys in the cart barn thought I was Marcel Siem because of the blonde ponytail. I know when I played the Classic and met fellow players the rst thing they would say is oh...so youre the guy everyone is saying is Marcels twin brother! I would just laugh.

ROSSCANAVAN

Q&A

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EMIRATES GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel: +971 4 380 2222 www.dubaigolf.com EmiratesGolfClub

Will it be lucky number 13 for the Amateurs in the 2012 Dubai Golf Trophy?THE new golng season marks the return of one of the most hotly anticipated local golng events of the season as the Dubai Golf Trophy returns to the Faldo Course at the Emirates Golf Club on September 29 with the nal played at the stunning championship course at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club the following day.

Over two days of intense competition the 16 leading UAE based PGA Professionals and the leading 16 Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) Amateur golfers will go head to head in a Ryder Cup style showdown in a bid to be crowned champions in the 13th edition of the Dubai Golf Trophy.

The event originally started as a social season-ending tournament in 2000 at Dubai Creek. Since then it has grown in popularity and prestige and is now one of the highlights of the local golng calendar for professionals and amateurs alike.

After an incredibly hard fought competition the Professionals once again showed their dominance when they claimed victory in the 2011 competition, which means that theyve now taken home the past four trophies. This brings the total victories for the professionals to 10 wins against the Amateurs two, having claimed victory in 2005 and 2007.

Dino Varkey, the 2012 Amateur Captain, is only too well aware that the statistics are heavily in favour of the Professionals. But he has a feeling that 2012 can be his teams year.

As Amateurs, we do not get many opportunities to participate in events with as much intensity and sportsmanship as the Dubai Golf Trophy, said Varkey. For many amateurs, this is the pinnacle of the golng calendar and winning as a team denitely brings a greater sense of accomplishment and camaraderie, than anything any one of us may have achieved individually within the game. Although the Pros have been on a winning run of late, it is time for the Amateurs to rediscover that winning feeling.

The Professionals captain for 2012 is Dubai Creeks Stephen Hubner, who said: I have played in the last ve Dubai Golf Trophy matches and have relished every moment. It is a wonderful platform for the countrys best professional and amateur golfers to compete against one another. Although over the years the professionals have had the upper hand, the matches are almost always tight, and with the ever-improving amateur presence in the UAE a victory will be by no means easy.

I am extremely proud to have been appointed as Captain of such a ne group of golfers. All of the team are very excited about the event and of course defending our title means a great deal to all of us. Myself and Vice-captain Greg Holmes have arranged for practice matches at Dubai Creek and the Faldo course at Emirates so that the players can get together as a team and refresh their memories of the courses.

Christopher May, General Manager of Dubai Golf, has been involved with the event since it started in 2000. The Dubai Golf Trophy is always a very popular event which is guaranteed to provide some interesting competition and results, he said. The Professionals really have dominated in recent years, however the Amateur team looks very strong this year and I know that they will be more than ready to challenge for the title.

Naturally there is a very competitive spirit between the two teams and qualifying to play in the event is always an honour for the golfers involved, however the key purpose of the event is really to raise the prole of golf in the region and to bring players from clubs all over the UAE together.

Captains Stephen Hubner (left) and Dino Varkey (right) pose with Dubai Golf ?]f]jYdEYfY_]j;`jaklgh`]jEYqY`]Y\g^l`akq]Yjkgglbgq&

www.wwgolf.biz 75

Marshal seals the Summer OpenTREVOR Marshall, a Club Professional at Sharjah Golf Club, red a superb gross 1-under-par 70 to take the honours in the Summer Open at Dubai Creek recently.

Ryan Riley nished just two shots behind Marshall to take the runner-up spot with a very respectable 1-over par gross 72 while the Net Division came down to a countback between Creek member Khalil Jamal and EGF member Simon Mmutle. Both players shot a solid 1-under net 70 but in the end it was Mmutle who was awarded the top spot on a countback over the last six holes. Dubai Creek member Joy Lirio continued her dominant run to take the spoils in the Ladies Division with a superb net 69, while Harini White carded a net 76 to take the runner-up spot.

The junior division was very much a family aair between brothers Dhruv and Rishi Nair. Rishi, the younger of the two, stormed to rst place with a fantastic net 66 while Dhruv nished with a level par net 71 to nish runner-up. David Gowans showed arrow-like accuracy on the par-3 8th to take the Nearest the Pin prize while Maurice Murphy followed suit on the 16th.

Stephen Hubner (Head Golf Professional, Dubai Creek), Trevor Marshall (Winner), Rashid Hamood (Asst. Golf Experience Manager, Dubai Creek).

DUBAI CREEK GOLF & YACHT CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 4 295 6000 e-mail: dcgyc@dubai.comwww.dubaigolf.com DubaiCreekGolf dubaicreekgolfandyachtclub

Desai wins the August MedalMEMBERS from both Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club competed together in the recent BMW-Rivoli Dubai Golf Medal and it was Creek member Mitesh Desai who took the spoils with a tremendous net 67.

Emirates GC member Andrew Robinson topped the Mens Division A with a net 71 as he pipped Gary Chapman to the title by one shot while Ashok Ahuja secured a comfortable victory in the Mens Division B,

six clear of George Varghese after a net 70.Youngster Shloka Desai triumphed in the

Ladies category thanks to an excellent score of net 70 which was a nice way for her to end her seasonal holiday in Dubai before she returns to her studies in the USA.

Pontus Fredriksson showed that he still has a game to be reckoned with after not playing as much golf as usual over the last year due to family commitments as he won the prize for the Best gross score of the day.

Alan MacKenzie (Director of Golf Operations at DCGYC) is pictured with the winner Mitesh Desai.

THE ADDRESS MONTGOMERIE DUBAI CONTACT:Tel : 971 4 390 5600 Fax: 971 4 360 8981www.themontgomerie.com theaddressmontgomeriedubai

Brash and Pitman team up to win

Joon bites back in August Medal

JOHN Brash and Paul Pitman dovetailed perfectly to secure the title in the August Members Betterball Stableford. The duo scored 43 points and thanks to their superior nish they took the title on a countback from Mike Ryan and Malcolm Gray with Tej Ghuldu and Masoud Sobati third with 42 points.

In Division B an excellent score of 46 points gave Valerie Zabrodin and Juan Pujana the victory ahead of Calvin Jung and Joon Eun won 45 points, with Peter Christopherson and Stephen Freshwater nishing third one point further back.

JOON Eun put the disappointment of nishing runner-up at the July Medal behind him by going one better and winning the August Medal ahead of second placed John Millar.

In Division A Masoud Sobati took the spoils ahead of Steve Pyle while in Division B Sandeep Singh won from Wayne Connor.

www.wwgolf.biz 77

ARABIAN RANCHES GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel: +971 4 366 3000 Tel: +971 4 366 3355www.arabianranchesgolfdubai.com ArabianRanchesG arabianranchesgolfclub

MAX Burrow and Pat McSherey put in two sterling performances to win the respective Gross and Net titles in the ninth Ramadan Golf Challenge last month.

Burrow scored a solid 70 gross which was sealed with nines of 33 and 37 to beat Ron Murphy by one stroke with Douglas McLennan taking third a further four strokes back.

McSherey scored a superb 66 to seal the Net title by three shots from Matthew Derrick with John Parsons nishing third with a net 70.

We thank all the competitors for their continued support of the Ramadan Golf Challenge and other events on our domestic calendar, said Club Captain Andy Scanlan. This event was the last of our four Majors on the 2012 calendar.

BURROW AND MCSHEFFREY CROWNED RAMADAN CHAMPIONS

ONE of the largest elds of the summer congregated for the Open Championship Member & Guests Betterball Stableford on the Fire course as 42 teams gathered in testing conditions to battle it out.Finishing on top of the pile with a stellar score of 45 Stableford points were Marc Edwards and Mark Cunningham, one clear of Travis

Cowgill and Paul Sackley who had to settle for second place for the second consecutive year in the event.Jordan Davies and Mike Leighton combined well to score 43 points and take third place while the on-course prizes went to Stuart Cameron, Brad Wylie, Mike Leighton and Tony Staord for their Nearest the Pin shots on holes 2, 8, 11 and 14 respectively.

Marc and Mark come out on top

Gross winner Max Burrow Net winner Pat McSheffrey

EDDIE Ramage returned a gross 4-over par 75 to win the August Rivoli Monthly Medal while Karen Evans sealed the Ladies Gross title with an 80.

Ramage swept aside the competition with a brilliant performance in perfect summer conditions as consistent nines of 36 and 39 helped him win by three shots from runner-up Kevin Barrett.

The Division A Net title and round of the day belonged to a Tony Grayling who posted a brilliant Net 69 to top the pile from Andy Barker by two shots while in Division B Paul Baxter signed for an impressive 66 to win by eight from Aryaan Kumar.

Evans sealed the Gross title in the Ladies Division while Ksenia Grayling secured the net honours with a 64 from a gross 86.

Ramage and Evans clinch the August Medal

LOW scoring was the order of the day in the recent US PGA Members and Guests event on the Earth course as two teams were tied at the top with fantastic net 58s.

A nervy card countback was required and coming home with the honours were the team of Nadir Mohammadi, Ayaz Afridi, Jehanzeb Awan and Avinash Pangarkar thanks to their net 28 on the back nine.

Settling for second place was the quartet of Mike Talbot, Ernie Barratt, David Haswell and Alan Burke while nishing in third place, one shot further back, were Michelle Walsh, Jonathan Hall, Craig Finlayson and Craig McInnes.

As a consolation, Mike, Ernie, David and Alan picked up rst place in the side US PGA contest with their professional Zach Johnson.

Sublime scores in Members & Guests US PGA Texas Scramble

All the winners on the day with Jack Sparkes of JGE.

JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES CONTACT:Tel : +971 4 390 3333 Fax: +971 4 367 9584www.jumeirahgolfestates.com Jumeirah-Golf-Estates

AL BADIA GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 (0) 4 601 0101 Fax: +971 (0) 4 601 0102www.albadiagolfclub.ae AlBadiaGolfClub AlBadiaGolfClub

Email: albadiagolf@ichdfc.ae

THE highly-anticipated two-day Ramadan Open at Al Badia Golf Club saw players from across the Middle East compete in the pairs event and taking the honours with two superb performances were Max Burrow and Tobias Parkin.

The husband and wife

partnership of Louise and Edward Daly took home second place thanks to a second round 66 while the on course prizes on day two went to Caroline Lamb and Noel Connolly as they won the Nearest the Pin and Long Drive challenges respectively.

BURROW AND PARKIN CROWNED RAMADAN OPEN CHAMPIONS

THE ELS CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 44 25 1010 golf@elsclubdubai.comwww.elsclubdubai.com TheElsClubDubai

THE recent Open Invitation saw 38 pairings take to the course in a quest for honours and coming out on top was the mother and son combination of Su Zi Hao and Xu Xiao Xia with a net 67.

The partnership was in top form as they managed to secure four birdies and ve pars on their back nine to complete a very impressive round.

Rabhi Sfelia took home the Nearest the Pin prize on the 15th while Tom Ellis launched the Longest Drive down the fourth fairway.

Mother and Son Play Su Well to win

MARK Hosking set the course alight as he stormed to a four-point victory in the Ramadan Open recently.

Hosking compiled 39 points in tough conditions to win from Neil Fosters who tallied 35 points.

Taking third place with 33 points was Gerhardt Pretorius while Simon Howells and Bernardete Futschik won the Nearest the Pin prizes in the mens and ladies categories respectively. Mike Robson

boomed the mens Longest Drive and Sandra Grenet struck the ladies Longest Drive.

Hosking seals the Ramadan Open

Ramadan Open winner Mark Hosking is pictured with Francisco David (TEC Membership & Events Manager)

Stewart pips Moir in the StablefordPAUL Moir had an excellent day at the August Stableford but was pipped to the overall title by Brian Stewart after a card countback.

Moir won both the Nearest the Pin and the Long Drive prizes and thought his tally of 39 points was good enough for the title. However, Stewarts better back nine saw him lift the trophy ahead of Moir with Dean Cheesley in third on 35 points.

www.alhamragolf.com

AL HAMRA GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel: +971 7 244 7474 AlHamraGolfClub Al-Hamra-Golf-Clubwww.alhamragolf.com

BURKES UNBELIEVABLE RAMADAN WINWESTELY Burke couldnt believe how well he played as he romped to victory in the 2012 RAK Ramadan Open.The tournament took place on the rst weekend of Ramadan over both Championship Golf courses in Ras Al Khaimah Al Hamra Golf Club and Tower Links Golf Club.

Taking the honours after two days of exceptional play, Burke carded 46 Stableford points at Al Hamra and then closed with 35 at Tower Links for a sensational 81-point haul.

Finishing in second place was Mark Atack who scored 77 points from rounds of 41 and 36 while in third was Robert Davies after he secured a countback victory over Rashid Hamood. Both Davies and Hamood carded 71 points but it was Davies better score at Tower Links that saw him secure the bronze medal position.

I cant believe my rst round score, beamed Burke. To play that well around Al Hamra was a real thrill. Its the best golf Ive ever played everything just seemed to click. To follow it up with another solid score at Tower Links just made the weekend.

The two nearest the pin prizes for day one were picked up by Pat Mottershead on hole 4 and Nick Chittenden on hole 16 while on day two Jean Henrix shot closest on hole 4 and Robert De Laaf took the spoilts on hole 11.

SHARJAH GOLF & SHOOTING CLUB CONTACT:Tel: +971 6 548 7777 info@golfandshootingshj.comwww.golfandshootingshj.com Sharjah-Golf-Shooting-Club

WITH Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club entering its fth year the club has announced its rst Club Captains for the 2012/2013 season.

Mel and Jacqui Stewart have been welcomed by the members as their new Captains and Director of Golf Martin Du was pleased to welcome the pair into their new roles.

The time is denitely right to introduce the rst Golf Club Captains, he said. We now have a very stable, loyal and supportive membership and to be able to honour the most dedicated members in such a way is certainly appropriate. It is also healthy

for the membership to introduce a title for them to aspire to.

Mel and Jacquis one-year tenure will ocially begin on October 1 and they were obvious choices. Both are founder members of the Golf Club as well as being highly respected and long standing members of the Sharjah expat community.

From next season there will be some exciting highlights to the clubs domestic calendar with the new Captains hosting a season opener each October, they will also host a Captains day scheduled for May 2013 and they will be organising a Captains trip at

some point throughout the season. At the announcement Mel Stewart

addressed the members, saying: Myself and Jacqui are indeed honoured not only to be Captains, but to be the rst makes it even more special.

We know we are in for a busy year but we are both excited and fully committed towards making it a successful and memorable one.

Vice Captains for this upcoming season will be long-standing members Jean Pierre Simon and Susie Cottam and they will undertake their respective Captaincies from October 2013.

STEWARTS TO BE FIRST CLUB CAPTAINS

ROMAN Weidlich of the EGF won the third edition of the Centro Sharjah by Rotana Ramadan Open recently with a 43 points Stableford tally for a commanding four-point victory.

Slovakian Weidlich produced an extremely steady scorecard, scoring on every hole and making only two net bogeys which were comfortably oset by three net eagles.

The eld of 56 golfers was split into three further divisions and it was Adrian Adams of

the Els Club who won Division A by virtue of a back nine countback ahead of Y. D. Kim (SGSC) and Sergy DSouza (EGF) who also managed 34 points.

K. J. Lee (SGSC) returned 39 points to win Division B, also on countback over home golfer Haneef Sallie while in the Ladies Division it was Dubai Creeks Serifa DSouza who took the spoils with a 32 point tally. Two-handicapper S.S Son returned the lowest gross on the day.

WEIDLICH WINS CENTRO SHARJAH RAMADAN OPEN

The days winners with Overall Champion Roman Weildich (left centre) and Centro Sharjah General Manager David Jamieson (right centre).

www.wwgolf.biz 81

THE Golf Society League, supported by SNTTA, BMW and Worldwide Golf is on countdown to the beginning of its fourth season.

The opening xtures have been announced as October 6 for the BMW and SGSC leagues, with the Worldwide Golf and SNTTA leagues commencing the following Saturday on October 13.

The Golf Society League (GSL) accommodates a maximum of 24 Societies. These 24 Societies, who are committed to providing four players per monthly xture, are pooled into four leagues of six with the draw for the leagues due to take place the rst week in October.

The six teams all play each other on one designated Saturday (1.00pm shotgun start) each month (Oct Feb). The two leading teams from each league then progress to the Quarter Final stage in March, which is a knockout format.

The season climaxes with the nal (and 3rd/4th place play-o ) which is scheduled for Saturday 20 April 2013. Previous

champions include the Indian Golf Society, Massin Golf Society and Dubai Ex-Putts Golf Society. All are expected to compete again this coming season.

We and all our established Societies are once again looking forward to the coming GSL season, said Claire Badger, Golf Business Development and Sales Manager at SGSC.

The previous three have been extremely competitive and well supported due to the events Match Play format, excellent value and also provides extensive networking opportunities and brand exposure.

Societies, be them social or corporate, enjoy seven months of high prole exposure at the events and coverage in the Middle Easts leading golf magazine Worldwide Golf.

Unfortunately due to SGSC being a nine hole course we are limited to a maximum of 24 Societies. The rst three editions were all over subscribed and we recommend interested parties contact us as soon as possible.

GOLF SOCIETY LEAGUE READY FOR SEASON FOUR

KIM LANDS THE T.A.T. TITLEGOLDEN Kim added a second Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club major domestic honour to his resume by winning the 2011/12 Tourism Authority of Thailand Order of Merit supported by Thai Airways.

Going into the eighth and nal round only Kims wife, Normita Demesa, has a realistic chance to overtake him as she trailed by two points.

Equally exciting was the race for third spot with only 8.7 points separating Mohammed Firdus and the defending Order of Merit champion Hassan Yazdi in third and fourth places respectively. The top four played together with Kim and Demesa locked in a personal duel for the title and Firdus and

Yazdi concentrating on making the top three. The pressure clearly showed on the top

two with both of them returning net 84s to take tied 19th spot on the day and the minimum number of points. However, because Kim didnt nish lower than Demesa he triumphed with a points tally of 120.5.

Yazdi, who had a lesson with coach Dong Lee the week previous and had spent the week between on the driving range, returned a solid net 73 to take an overall tie for third on the day which saw him overtake Firdus on the Order of Merit table and seal third place. Firdus, who had been in third place on the OOM for most of the season, shot a 79.

QSGSC will also be hosting a curtain raiser to the Golf Society League in the form of the one day Golf Society Cup on Saturday September 29th (1.00pm shotgun). This one day event is pairs, 18 hole Betterball Medal with an entry fee of AED 195 per player which includes green fees, cart, range balls, prizes and dinner (AED 175 for NESLP holders).

QFor further information on the Golf Society League contact Claire Badger on 06 5487777, golfsales@golfandshootingshj.com or visit the SGSC website on www.golfandshootingshj.com.

Last seasons Golf Society League winners the Dubai Ex-Putts are pictured with the trophy.

Champion Golden Kim (left center) with Henry Boutros of Thai Airways (right), Normita Demesa and Hassan Yazdi.

SOLID SALLIE SEALS STABLEFORD CROWNHANIEF Sallie compiled a solid score of 21 Stableford points over nine holes to win the recent Coral Beach Resorts Midweek Stableford by one point from Robert Scott.

Three gross pars and a superb gross birdie on the par-3 third helped Sallie on his way to denying Scott the top spot in the overall section. However, Scott did take the honours in Division 2 while Y.D Kim took the spoils in Division 1 with a 19-point tally.

ROY Holmes and Mutki Rai put in a ne performance to win Augusts BMW Members and Guest Social with a net 61 11-under-par for the course.

In addition to the main prizes there were front and back nine competitions and winning over the opening nine was the father and son combination of Gurbax and Randeep Singh with a betterball score 6-under net 26.

The toughest format of the day was over the back nine with all the pairs trying to produce some consistent golf in the Ryder Cup styled foursomes format.

Winners of that format were Ian Wilson and Glen Norrie who continue to be a formidable partnership in these monthly BMW events while other the winners on the day were Alastair Macgregor and Simon Mmutle who picked up the Nearest the Pin and Longest Drive awards respectively.

Holmes and Rai in ne form

Champion Hanief Sallie.

ABU DHABI GOLF CLUBwww.adgolfclub.com Abu-Dhabi-Golf-Club

ROBERT Montagu-Williams compiled the best score of the day as his 39-point Stableford haul helped him win the Mixed B Division in last months August Rivoli Medal. Wanni Jeerson took second place behind Montagu-Williams on 36 points while in Division A Colin Mann scored 38 points to pip Donovan Joseph to the title by one point.

MONTAGUWILLIAMS SEALS THE AUGUST RIVOLI

SAADIYAT BEACH GOLF CLUBCONTACT: +971 2 557 8000www.sbgolfclub.ae Saadiyat Beach Golf Club

A LATE dash for the title saw Ty Dincer and Ryan Barrack take the spoils in the 2012 Ramadan Open with a Stableford total of 83 points over 18 holes at Saadiyat Beach and 18 holes at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

After the opening days play on the links at Saadiyat Beach Dincer and Barrack were four points o the lead held by Gareth Dennison and Stuart Morgan.

Dennison and Morgan combined well to sign for a 44-point tally with Michael Conneely and David Lawlor and Matthew

Boucher and Guy Simpson three back with 41 points and in a share of second place.

However, despite starting the nal day in arrears Dincer and Barrack surged to victory with an impressive 43-point haul over the Championship Course at Abu Dhabi to win by one from overnight leaders Dennison and Morgan.

Conneely and Lawlor settled for third place with a second round score of 39 points and a combined score of 80 points.

RAMADAN OPEN GLORY AFTER LATE SURGE FROM DINCER AND BARRACK

CONTACT: +971 2 558 8990

YAS LINKS GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +971 2 810 7777 info@yaslinks.comwww.yaslinks.com YasLinksGolfClubYasLinksGC

HAWCZAK LEADS HIS CHARGES TO VICTORYROMAN Hawczak led his team of Henry Kim, Emanuel Ostojic and William Royce to victory in the Ecco Challenge last month after a combined score of net 60.4 gave them a 1.1 shot victory over Alan Sheepwash, Andy Thorpe, Derren Sanders and Neil Heywood.

Left to right: Emanuel Ostojic, William Royce, Yas Links PGA Professional Liam Cregan, Roman Hawczak and Henry Kim.

GOOD SCORING IN THE AUGUST STABLEFORDROMAN Hawczak shot a superb gross 71 to score 38 points and seal the Division A honours in the Etihad Open Stableford last month.

Hawczaks victory wasnt plain sailing, as he had to win via a better back-nine countback from Henry Kim while Alan

Sheepwash scored 36 points to take third.

In Division B Stephanie Wilson was in great form as she compiled 39 points to secure a superb nine-point victory over Sidong Tian with Stephen Burnell taking third on 29 points.

Some of the lady participants are pictured before play.

DIRAB GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +966 1 812 6671 Email: info@dirabgolf.comwww.dirabgolf.com

ANN Quintino and Monika Schier emerged victorious in the recent Makarim Riyadh Ladies Two-Ball Texas Scramble with a 66, two shots clear of second placed Caroline Wright and Susan Tessier.

Third place went to Georgia Coughlin and Kazuko Nagaya with a 70 while Coughlin also picked up the Nearest the Pin prize with May Biswas striking the Longest Drive.

At the close of play there was a ceremony where Sile McIlroy was presented with the Sportswoman of the Year award while Coughlin was the hands down winner of the Lowest Gross of the Year accolade and Schier romped o with the Lowest Net of the Year award.

Quintino and Schier the dream team

DOHA GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel: +974 4496 0777 info@dohagolfclub.comwww.dohagolfclub.com Doha-Golf-Club

Georgia Coughlin is presented with the Lowest Gross of the Year prize.

Mead wins the inaugural SGBS eventTHE Saudi Golf Business Society (SGBS) took the rst step toward its goal of helping grow the game of golf in the country by hosting a tournament recently which was won by Morgan Mead.

SGBS President Abdullah Masoud wants to create a link between Saudi businessmen and the expatriate community and hopes to attract more Saudis to take up the game and make it is easier for them to play since they now have a community to join. Captain Fahad Almansour, Vice President Riyadh Abo Ahah and PR Manager Fady Le Jreij attended the event which was won by Mead with scores of 71 and 64 respectively. Mead also won the Nearest the Pin prize while Masoud and Anne Quintino took home the Mens and Ladies Long Drive prizes respectively.

Kim captures the MedalJUNIOR Jung Bin Kim scored a superb gross 76 from two nines of 38 for a net 69 to win Flight A of the recent Guardian Wealth Monthly Medal.

Byron Clancey won Flight B after returning a net score of 68 while in Flight C a net 72 from a gross 92 saw John Wallace take the spoil. In the Ladies Division Melany Chong secured the title with a net 73.

Prizes announced for Air Miles Summer LeagueWITH just four rounds left the competitors in the Air Miles Summer League will be looking to up their games after the prizes were announced recently.

A total prize pot of 1,350,000 Air Miles is on offer with the Overall Mens Order of Merit winner taking 500,000 Air Miles, the runner up winning 350,000 and the third place Mens and the Overall Ladies winner each receiving 250,000 Air Miles.

Speaking about the prizes, Air Miles CEO, Mark Mortimer-Davies, said: This is among the biggest pot of Air Miles we have put up for any tournament, but the prizes should reflect the huge interest there has been in this competition and the high level of commitment shown by all the juniors, men and ladies taking part.

The prizes for the inaugural Air Miles Summer League, which began on June 15, will be awarded on September 27, during the members evening at Doha Golf Club.

The sporting series has so far seen well over 100 ladies and gents participating during each of the six days of golf despite the challenging climate.

Phil Wright, Golf Operations Manager at Doha Golf Club, added:

We are just over halfway through the league now and the Mens Order of Merit leader, Takakazu Morimoto, has a slight advantage.

The next three players are all tied for second place so every shot will count over the next four events. The Ladies Order of Merit is equally close.

AL AIN EQUESTRIAN SHOOTING & GOLF CLUBwww.aesgc.ae Goln Alain

CONTACT:Tel: +971 3 702 6400 Fax: +971 3 768 3331 golf@aesgc.ae

MARTINE Garbutt took home both the Nearest the Pin prizes and secured the honours in Division C in the recent Night Golf event with a score of 19 Stableford points, one clear of Paul Ashford in second place.

Division B witnessed the best score of the evening as Kim Stammers tallied 22 points to win by three from Chris Emmerson while in Division A Floris Brand scored 20 to win by two from Stephen Garbutt.

Kids enjoy the Summer Camp

Garbutt dialed-in at Night Golf event

ABU Dhabi City Golf Club have announced the schedule for the upcoming Junior Golf School at the club for the new season.

Classes are run on a weekly basis with children having a dedicated class and coach. All areas of the game of golf will be covered long game, short game, rules and etiquette and even diet and tness suggestions.

Regular junior golf tournaments are also held in the form of the Beach Rotana Junior League, enabling children to practice their skills and compete for prizes.

It is the only junior golf school in Abu Dhabi that has dedicated classes for children of similar ages and abilities.

The ADCGC Junior Golf School schedule is as follows:t Session 1: Monday, 24th September Saturday 17th Novembert Session 2(pt. 1): Monday, 19th November Saturday, 15th Decembert Session 2(pt. 2): Monday, 7th January 2013 Saturday, 2nd Februaryt Session 3: Monday, 4th February Saturday 30th Marcht Session 4: Monday, 1st April Saturday 25th May

For more details on how to sign up for the Junior School, timings and pricing information contact the club on at 02 445 9600, email: academy@adcitygolf.ae or see us at the Abu Dhabi City Golf Academy Reception.

ABU DHABI CITY GOLF CLUB

CONTACT:Tel : +9712 445 960

www.adcitygolf.ae Abu-Dhabi-City-Golf-Club

Junior Season set to kick o

NEARLY 50 children aged up to the age of 16 enjoyed a six-week summer golf camp at Al Ain with many dierent activities available for the kids to partake in. The camp was a perfect opportunity to introduce golf to local children and give them a good grounding should they wish to continue to participate in the game.

Meanwhile two new events have been added to the Al Ain Calendar this season including the After Summer Open supported by Emirates Airlines and a challenge match between Al Ain and members at Tower Links in Ras Al Khaimah.

BANYAN GOLF CLUB CONTACT:Tel : +66 (32) 616 200email: reservations@banyanthailand.comwww.banyanthailand.com facebook.com/Banyan-Golf-Club-Hua-Hin

TRACY Carter shot a sizzling net 60 to win the GOLF CITIZEN Open tournament, organised by golf in DUBAi, at Banyan Golf Club recently.

Playing o a 21 handicap, Carter did well to keep the ball in play at the demanding course to take the honours, a good ve shots clear of Sam Sheri.

The fully-subscribed tournament was part of golf in DUBAis drive to increase golfs popularity and accessibility all around the world through GOLF CITIZEN, a new golf reservation website.

The winner of the event won an all-expenses-paid two-day stay at Banyan Resort with two complimentary golf rounds over the weekend while the runner-up was awarded a Banyan Pro Shop voucher worth THB.10,000 and third place THB.5,000.

Launched by golf in DUBAi last year, the

website (golfcitizen.com) aims to promote golf courses on its network.

We are encouraging members of the EGF to book rounds through the GOLF CITIZEN network as part of our drive to collectively promote all the clubs, said Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of golf in DUBAi.

The members can sign up to GOLF CITIZEN for free and book rounds at courses of their choice. They can easily browse the site and all the options available are easily found with the click of a mouse.

The fast-expanding network of GOLF CITIZEN includes all major courses in the UAE and more are being added from Thailand and Vietnam.

Our aim is to have every single golf course in the UAE, Thailand and across the region join the GOLF CITIZEN booking engine where one can

book multiple tee times in one go, concluded Buamaim.

Stacey Walton, Banyan Golf Clubs General Manager thanked golf in DUBAi and GOLF CITIZEN for their support in what will be one of Hua Hins most popular annual golf tournaments.

All participants in the GOLF CITIZEN Open registered as a GOLF CITIZEN member and entered the event on line through the website, he said. This is denitely a great way to secure pre-paid golf reservations and has created a new booking channel to increase our golf rounds.

The exibility and control we have over the booking system and revenue management is what I like most from a club managers perspective and the convenience to view and book a tee time instantly is a great advantage for our members and visitors.

CARTER SIZZLES IN GOLF CITIZEN OPEN

NARATRAM SEALS THE HYATT OPENTHANACHAI Naratram etched his name on to the Hyatt Open Claret Jug after winning a countback over Raymond Lim at this years event.

Both players signed for a net 139 in their respective divisions but it was Naratram who took the spoils after their cards were compared.

Lim topped Division A with his score while Naratram came out on top in Division C. The winner of Division B with a net 142 was Luca Maria Martini.

Now in its third year, the Hyatt Open has become known as one of the best amateur golf events in South East Asia. Golfers are travelling from as far away as Europe to participate in the two day event and a full eld of 136 players competed for honours this year. Players were welcomed on day one by caddies with bibs featuring their names and the GPU units on the eet of golf carts at Banyan Golf Club showed a live tournament leaderboard throughout the two days of competition.

We are of course delighted that the Hyatt Open 2012 was once again held on our golf course, said Banyan Club General Manager Stacey Walton. The Hyatt Open has become one of the signature annual events for Banyan Golf Club and is growing each year.

More and more international players are attending each year which shows the reach of this event. It is wonderful to be working together with the Hyatt properties on putting this event together. The teams delivered a great event for which we are very proud.

Thanachai Naratram proudly hoists the Hyatt Open Claret Jug after winning this years Hyatt Open.

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CONTACT:Tel : +968 245 14080 Fax: +968 245 10277MUSCAT HILLS GOLF CLUB

www.muscathillsgolf.com MuscatHills Muscat-Hills-Golf-Country-Club

Email: booking@muscatgolf.com www.muscathillsgolf.com

ALMOUJ Golf opened their Academy nine-hole course last month and it will feature highly on Omans golng landscape as the only oodlit course in the country.

The Academy Par 3 Course is ideal for golfers of all levels and because of the oodlights it oers a play option for those that want some evening practice.

Chris May, Acting General Manager at Almouj Golf, said: The opening of the Par 3 Course at Almouj adds signicantly to the options available to golfers in Muscat and beyond. The course will

appeal to golfers seeking to try out Almouj for the rst time, learn more about the sport at The Academy or enjoy a quick practice round in the evening when the course is oodlit.

With a series of tournaments and events planned, I am looking forward to this latest addition to the Almouj oering being a popular choice for members and visitors.

For the less experienced golfer the shorter distances found on the Academy Par 3 Course make their rst steps into the game far less

intimidating than the full length course. The holes are all of varying lengths, allowing new golfers to develop an understanding of using the dierent clubs.

For the more experienced golfer the Academy Par 3 Course places emphasis on the short game, which is widely accepted as being one