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Issue No.1 – January 2022

Issue No.2 – April 2022

Issue No.3 – August 2022

Issue No.4 – October 2022

Issue No.5 – January 2023

Issue No.6 – April 2023

Issue No.7 – August 2023

Issue No.8 – October 2023

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Given his fair complexion, Sepp Straka would never pass a Hollywood audition for the part of “tall dark stranger”. But there is no doubt the 30-year-old Austrian is, at least within the team room, the least known member of the European Ryder Cup side that will attempt to wrest the trophy from American hands later this month.

While much has been made of other Ryder Cup rookies such as Ludvig Aberg and Nicolai Hojgaard since captain Luke Donald added Straka and five others to the six automatic qualifiers, the University of Georgia graduate — hence the southern twang — has gone pretty much under the radar. But, as he was at pains to confirm after completing an opening two-under 70 at Wentworth in the BMW PGA Championship, he definitely does not feel in any way neglected.

And there is certainly nothing approaching resentment from his teammates with regard to where Straka played most of his golf. This week marks just the 20th DP World Tour start in his professional career.

“I do spend the majority of my time on the PGA Tour,” Straka acknowledged. “But if the team wanted to have the best players, I am one of those. So there has never really been any issues. To make the team, you just have to make sure you’re one of the 12 best players. And I felt like I did that.”

Apart from anything else, Straka made his desire to be part of the biennial match known early in the qualifying process. In January, he made the epic trip from Hawaii to Abu Dhabi to be part of the Continental Europe team that would defeat their Great Britain & Ireland counterparts in the Hero Cup. Straka emerged from that victory with a 2-2-0 record that included a final day 5&4 victory in singles.

The following two weeks at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic were less successful — Straka missed the cut in both. But he had made his intentions clear with regard to the Ryder Cup: he wanted in. Eventually anyway. Sitting in the plane halfway between departure and arrival in the UAE, a little doubt did creep in.

“Two days into the trip, I was thinking, why am I doing this?” he says. “But then when I got there it was a lot of fun. It was great. We don’t get to play that type of golf very much. Not in a team environment, playing foursomes and four-balls. Plus, I thought it was invaluable for me to get some people to know me. At that point I was I was kind of on the outskirts of the radar. But it was so early. Really, I was just trying to get to know some guys.”

If they didn’t know him then, they surely do now. And ever since Donald made his picks, no one’s come close to questioning the two-time PGA Tour winner’s claims for inclusion. Not with a victory at the John Deere Classic, a runner-up spot in the Open Championship and a T-7 finish at the PGA Championship on his recent résumé.

“Sepp gets along great with everyone,” says European assistant captain Nicolas Colsaerts. “He gels into the group really easily. And he’s a ball-striking machine. Who wouldn’t want to play with Sepp Straka? I know there will be a lot of guys putting their hands up to be paired with him.”

In that regard, it would seem logical and likely, as Colsearts hinted, that Straka will feature in both foursomes sessions, the “alternate shot” format a good fit with his consistency tee-to-green. Plus, back in his amateur days he represented his country in European Team Championships, both events featuring foursomes play.

“My game does seem to fit in foursomes,” Straka said. “I’ve always felt pretty comfortable in that format. We do like a little Ryder Cup style match in Birmingham with all the pros. And I’ve always felt at ease in foursomes there. It’s just a very comfortable environment for me.”

Straka’s ball-striking prowess makes him well-suited to compete in foursomes later this month at the Ryder Cup. Richard Heathcote

Helping Straka in that department is caddie Duane Bock, who switched from his long-time employer, Kevin Kisner, to join the Vienna native back in July. In preparation for the matches, the American-born Bock has already dispensed with the patriotic red-white-and-blue cover on his yardage book.

“It was a great move for me,” Straka said. “First it was just supposed to be temporary. But we quickly realized we had something going. He’s one of the best caddies out there and he’s really helped my game a lot.”

That trend will likely have to continue this week the DP World Tour’s flagship event. By mid-afternoon on a day made for golf, Straka’s 70 was six shots off the pace set by Denmark’s Marcus Helligkilde.

“I’m very happy with the way I hit the ball,” was Straka’s initial verdict. “And very happy with the way I played overall. But my chipping was terrible today. I don’t know that I got a single ball up and down. So I left a lot out there.”

Still, no matter. Whatever happens, this week and next and especially the week after that, Straka is clearly going to have bigger things on his mind.

The post Long-haul trip to UAE helped Sepp Straka book that spot on Ryder Cup team — despite American twang appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Back in January 2022, of course, Stenson was merely the most prominent candidate looking to succeed Padraig Harrington as skipper of the 2023 European team. This time, he stood in place as the deposed captain, having been given the job then asked to leave when he made his decision to play on the LIV Golf League.

RELATED: Poulter rages at Sweden’s dumping of Stenson
Stenson comes out swinging at LIV Golf Chicago

He hasn’t lost his renowned sense of humour though. The former Open champion had a good laugh at the opening question: “So last year you shot 65. Today, you shot 66. What has gone wrong in the last year?”

More seriously, Stenson discussed his week in the UAE, what was also his first trip back to the DP World Tour since the Genesis Scottish Open last July. Two weeks after that, he was stripped of the captaincy, having committed what many on the DP World Tour see as a heinous betrayal.

“It’s been fun to catch up with a lot of the other players and people on this tour,” said Stenson, who finished in a tie for 20th, 10-under par and eight shots back of winner Victor Perez. “I’ve played and lived in this region for so many years. I know a lot of people and hadn’t seen many of them since last summer. No one has stepped up to my face and told me they have a problem with me.

“I actually wasn’t worried about that,” he continued. “I’ve been on good terms with most people for a long time. They might have different opinions, but if that difference is going to get in the way of friendships or relationships then so be it. I like to think I can still sit down and have a chat with anyone. If that changes, it’s not really my worry. There are enough people in the phone book if I need to find someone to have a chat with. So if someone has an issue with me, fine. But it’s not on me.”

Neither is the result of the arbitration case next month that will decide whether or not Stenson and his fellow LIV players will be allowed to compete on the DP World Tour going forward.

“I’ll be watching the arbitration case with interest,” he admitted. “I’m not going to guess on the result. But it will be interesting to see what comes after it. I still want to play on this tour. In my mind, nothing has changed from when I started playing on multiple tours. I’ve always supported Europe. It’s been a big part of my career. Nothing will ever change that. In fact, I could see me playing here more often than in past years if it turns out I can. It’s all a tangle at the moment though.”

And the Ryder Cup? How is he going to feel siting home watching on television, knowing that it could have been him, not Luke Donald, leading Europe into battle?

“I’ve watched Ryder Cups before, those I haven’t played in,” he said. “And, of course, there will be some emotions involved for me this year. But if I go out and win the Open Championship again and do well elsewhere, I might qualify. It’s not impossible. And it would certainly be the irony of ironies. But until we know exactly what is happening, no one can say what the situation is going to be. I’m not a guy who wants to guess.”

The post Henrik Stenson had on ‘fun’ in his DP World Tour return in Abu Dhabi, but waits anxiously to see if LIV Golfers can play much longer appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Step forward Victor Perez.

Leading the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship by one shot with two holes to play on a breezy Yas Links, the Frenchman based in Scotland found sand with his tee shot on the 204-yard par-3 17th. Meanwhile, Perez’s playing partner and closest challenger, Sebastian Soderberg, was putting for birdie from maybe 20 feet.

It was time to step up. And Perez did, with a little good fortune thrown in. Clearly struck a little thin, his attempted recovery landed a few feet past the pin and spun back into the cup.

The shot of his life!@v_perez2 leads by two with one to play.#ADGolfChamps | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/D9NGAuyBLv

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 22, 2023

When Soderberg missed and, minutes later, Min Woo Lee dropped a shot on his penultimate hole, the previously doubtful destination of the $1.53 million first-place check looked assured.

Not quite though.

A “necked” drive from Perez off the 18th tee found a fairway bunker and an awkward lie. Bad enough, but worse was to follow. The now three-time DP World Tour champion’s attempted recovery flew left and finished on a steep slope a few feet into the penalty area bordering the circuitous fairway on the 646-yard par 5. From there, a hack-out and an eventual bogey 6 at last brought about a predictable end to Perez’s closing round of 66. And by one shot from Soderberg and Lee — whose chip for a tying eagle on 18 finished inches from the cup — Perez’s 18-under-par 270 good enough.

“It wasn’t actually such a difficult shot,” said Perez of his sand shot on 17, what was surely the ultimate turning point in a final round that began with 19 players within four shots of the lead held by Shane Lowry, Lee and Francesco Molinari. “It was downhill to the hole, flat at the hole and into the wind. I was basically trying to fly it all the way. If I did hit it a little heavy, it was maybe going to release down there. But at the back of my mind, I was thinking Seb was going to make 2. And it was a ‘3½’ par from where I was. So I was just hoping to make a three and be, at worst, tied with one hole to go. I’m not going to lie, the contact between club and ball was maybe a little ‘skinny’. Then it spun back and went in. It was probably the greatest shot I’ve ever hit.”

Perez’s victory was the third of his career on the DP World Tour and the most lucrative with a first-place prize money payout of $1.53 million. Luke Walker

Which is not a testimonial he will apply to at least the first three shots he hit on the final hole. The 6 that went on Perez’s card could have been anything up to 8 or 9 had his second from the sand tumbled a few more yards and disappeared down the steep cliff face.

“The wind was off the left and the tee had been moved up, so it was disappointing to end up in the bunker on the 18th,” said the 30-year-old who makes his home in Dundee, only a few miles from St Andrews. “It was just a horrible lie. If I hit it square, I’d maybe chunk it up there and have a really long third shot. But we thought I could maybe make some sort of decent contact and have the ball get over the ridge up ahead. That would take the water out of play and make the third shot a lot easier to deal with.”

But the ball went straight left. “It was a giant fortune that it didn’t bounce down into the hazard,” Perez said. “Then I’d have to drop in the rough and be playing 4, which would have put the whole thing back on the table. I hit a great 7-iron in though. And there is nothing better than an eight-inch putt to finish.”

All of which represents the good news. Less chuffed at the end of the proceedings were a host of challengers who, at various times and with differing levels of incompetence or inadequacy, slunk from contention. Lowry was perhaps the most dramatic in so doing. With five holes to play, the former Open champion was 15-under for the week and surely maintaining at least a vague hope of duplicating his 2019 victory in this event.

Oh, but that didn’t last long. A run of bogey/bogey/triple-bogey/bogey saw Lowry tumble down the leaderboard into an eventual tie for 28th.

The other 54-hole leader, Molinari, unsurprisingly fared better and avoided such a catastrophic sequence of events, albeit his closing 71 was marked by an almost complete inability to hole a putt from almost any distance. In the end, he finished T-5 alongside Alex Noren.

Perhaps only Padraig Harrington is exempt from such criticism. In his quest to become the oldest player to win a DP World Tour event, the three-time major champion made seven birdies en route to a five-under 67 that saw him pull up alone in fourth place, two shots behind Perez.

On the eve of the final round, Harrington had talked of his wish to at least be competitive over the closing 18 holes, a feat he clearly achieved. So it will be interesting to see if any desire to claim that “oldest winner” title from Miguel Angel Jimenez and, along the way, make an outrageous return to the Ryder Cup as a player, means he spends more time with what he calls “the juniors” going forward.

“Me winning might mean a lot more to my fellow Champions Tour players,” Harrington said on Saturday evening. “I could see myself chasing my tail all year and trying to get a win on the regular tour. It’s an interesting place I’m at. I believe I’m better than I’ve ever been but that doesn’t mean it’s a fact or true. We’ll see. I’m not going to put myself under too much stress but it’s nice. I think it would mean an awful lot to me to become the oldest winner. It would mean I am actually competitive.”

Which he was. But just not quite good enough on a day when Victor Perez lived up to his first name and hit the shot that really mattered. At just the right time too.

The post WATCH: ‘The greatest shot I’ve ever hit’ propels Perez to victory at DP World Tour Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

So it would make sense that a golfer looking for some short-game advice would turn to Alex Noren. Even a fellow Ryder Cupper like Thomas Pieters. Noren is a 10-time DP World Tour winner, and he’s capable of pulling off shots around the green that would even impress Phil Mickelson.

Ahead of this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, Pieters approached Noren for some pitching tips. And boy, is he thankful that he did.

Check it out as Noren offers some hands-on instruction, then watches as Pieters instantly turns into a short-game wizard by hitting a pitch to within inches of the hole. You love to see golf tips click right away like this:

 

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A post shared by Thomas Pieters (@thomaspietersgolf)

Pretty snazzy. And pretty kind of Noren to help out a competitor on the eve of the first big DP World Tour event of the year. If Noren ever needs help on snapping golf clubs, there’s a big Belgian who owes him now.

The post WATCH: Thomas Pieters gets pitching lesson from Alex Noren in Abu Dhabi, immediately turns into short-game wizard appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Almost three decades later, much has changed, both for golf and for Westwood. His meagre first cheque was the forerunner of DP World Tour earnings that today sit at almost €35 million. En route, 25 victories, 171 top-10s and 102 missed cuts have been recorded and 11 Ryder Cups have been played in.

RELATED: 30 things to mark 30 years on tour for Westwood
The rise of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

Throw in his worldwide travels over the years and Westwood has finished first in 44 events, seeing off the likes of Tiger Woods and Greg Norman down various late-Sunday stretches. So the now 49-year-old from Worksop has done rather well, both for himself and, one has to think, for the tour he still calls home.

“There have been so many highlights,” says Westwood, who has long-ago caddie, Mick Doran, back on his bag this week. “Hey, Mick, the late 1990s were good weren’t they? I won eight tournaments in a year twice. Six on the tour both times. To be honest, it’s a bit of a blur to me as well. Winning was just a habit. It was the fearlessness of youth. Mick says that when I was on the leaderboard, I won. It was like for that for Monty and, of course, Tiger. Their names went up on the leaderboard and guys would say: ‘Oh no it’s him’ and back off. Made it easier.

“Beating Tiger in Germany was special,” he continued. “But beating Tiger anytime is special isn’t it? I won around that course twice. One year there I wasn’t really in it until I shot an 11-under 61 on the Saturday morning and flew into contention. Then I shot 66 on the final day and won. That’s how it was back then. Great days.”

Lee Westwood in action at Liv Golf

At this stage then, Westwood should be something of a revered statesman on the DP World Tour. But he isn’t, of course. His lucrative switch to LIV Golf last summer has, perhaps forever, soured what should be a relationship founded on mutual admiration and respect. This week at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship — what will be Westwood’s 588th start on the DP World Tour — he is in the field but has been confined to after-thought status. He did not have a spot in Wednesday’s pro-am and is part of a non-descript three-ball group with Ross Fisher and Victor Dubuisson.

“Why not let us [LIV players] tee-up in the pro-am this week? Why would you not have, for instance, me and Poults [Ian Poulter] playing. That doesn’t do the sponsors much good. Why with the [arbitration between LIV and DP World Tours] hearing coming along would you change the routine? Why not treat us the same until there’s a decision?”

That snub, however, wasn’t what is energising Westwood’s mind most when the subject inevitably turns to the DP World Tour in 2023.

“I’m not sure where the European Tour is now,” he says. “If you’d have told me that I’d be playing in a $9 million tournament on tour I’d struggle to believe you. But then if you also told me there would only be one member of the world’s top-20 in the field, I’d think you were mad.

“I’ve had a lot of people come up to me here this week and saying: ‘Thanks for playing this week and giving us your support,’” he continued. “But the PGA Tour is forcing the hands of the top players. The FedEx Cup is structured around making every player play every week, which doesn’t leave much left for any other tour. And with the World Rankings as they are now, it’s a double whammy.”

Things may be a little clearer after the five-day arbitration hearing (February 6-10) that will determine whether Westwood and his fellow LIV players can continue to play on the DP World Tour.

“With the hearing, there is going to be some sort of line drawn in the sand,” Westwood said. “There will be clarity, although whether there is as much clarity as everyone is saying, well let’s see.

“If I do get banned, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. I’m not going to play a guessing game. I love the European Tour. I’ve played on it for 30 years and like to think that I’ve supported it more than anybody. When I had the chance to take up my PGA Tour card in 1998 and again in 2010, I didn’t. I’ve only taken up my American card sporadically, when it became obvious that was the only way to protect my ranking. But even when I was a member of both tours I’d always say that I was a member of the European Tour first and foremost. I don’t want that to change.”

The post Lee Westwood’s status at DP World Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship can’t keep him from remembering some of the good times appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Happily, Harrington was at his thought-provoking best over the course of a half-hour chat two days before he tees-up in this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. This will be Harrington’s 467th DP World Tour start, the first of five “young guys” events the US Senior Open champion is using as preparation for the PGA Tour Champions campaign to come. As ever, his responses to any and all questions travelled far and wide, his stream of consciousness providing a fascinating insight into one of the game’s most active minds.

At the age of 51, what is motivating you these days?
My motivation hasn’t changed. It’s the same as always: to win. If I win now, I’ll be the oldest guy ever to win on the European Tour. If I win a major, I’d be the oldest guy ever to win a major. That would be significant. Winning in Europe would be, too, but winning a major would be bigger.
I was playing well before I turned 50. But the Champions Tour has sharpened my game no end. Mentally that is. All the way through the bag, from driving to short game. Which is not to say I didn’t reach a point in my career when the game became hard. This is starting to change, but every golfer, and I might be among the last of them, gets 20 years of competitive play. You have a few years of building, a dozen years where you are really competitive, then maybe three or four on the end where, although the public wouldn’t know, you are there but not really there. You get 20 years before you burn out.
I was definitely burnt out around 2016. But even then I believe that every player gets an “extra” tournament. Jack Nicklaus won the 1986 Masters when he was basically retired. Maybe mine was the Honda Classic I won in 2015. I’m hoping that’s not the case though. I was worried in 2008 when I was up against Greg Norman in the final round of the Open. I was worried that the golfing gods were going to give Greg one more win. It’s amazing, but the great players nearly all get one more chance late on in their careers.
Every player also gets about 18 months at their absolute peak. That’s every player. One might make the Ryder Cup team. Another might move up 50 places in the rankings. And another might win a major. Or get to No. 1. In my case, at least in terms of my performance, my 18 months spanned 2007 and 2008. But I know I played better golf in 2009 and 2010, although I didn’t win a major.

OK, let’s say your peak is 10-out-of-10. Where are you now?
Physically I’m capable. I’m long enough. I’m sharp because I was in contention so often on the Champions Tour in 2022. Early last year I played in regular tour events and finished between 15th and 20th. People were congratulating me. That was frustrating. I wasn’t there to finish 20th. It meant I was usually between six and eight shots behind the winner. And the only way to bridge the gap is to hit the ball better. You have to make your technique better.
So here’s the difference between then and now. On the Champions Tour, I know I’m going to be in contention with nine holes to play. If I haven’t had a great week, I might need a big last nine holes. If I’ve had a great week, I’m ahead. But either way I’m in with a chance. So at the end of every week, I sit back and bemoan one tee-shot or one putt. It’s not a question of me thinking I’m not good enough. It’s always, I slipped up somewhere. And the reason is always mental.
When you are two shots off the lead, the reason you didn’t win is mental. When you are six shots off the pace, the reason is physical. So I’ve had a lot of weeks where I’ve thought any issue has to be mental, which was also the case around 2006. By that time I was going into events preparing for Sunday, not Thursday. I knew I was going to be in contention so I wanted to be as mentally strong as I could be.
I would be in tournaments back then and never look around. It would be wrong of me to say I didn’t take a sneaky look to see where Tiger was. I’d be hoping that my good week didn’t coincide with his. But besides that, I felt like I was good enough to win on my own. I didn’t need help from anyone else. I didn’t need any breaks.

So the PGA Tour Champions has made you a better player at 51 than you were at, say, 45?
I’m saying that going to the Champions Tour showed me something I was talking about but not actually doing. The only reason I wasn’t winning was myself. It wasn’t physical. I wasn’t doing the right stuff mentally. But I was paying lip service to what I thought I was doing.
Last year I competed in a few regular tour events. I was playing well going into those, but I panicked. I went into a couple of major thinking I was playing well. I’m not here this week thinking that, if I don’t win, I’m not what I think I am. I’m giving myself time by playing five young guys events early this year. So if I finish 10th will I chase my tail trying to get a win on the regular tour? Or will I go back to the Champions Tour?
Burning out to me is trying too hard. But that’s my nature. Now I know I can’t go at the same pace in the gym or on the range. I just can’t. The eye-opener for me was missing the FedEx Cup playoffs in 2016. I came home and played in the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and England. Five events. All my Irish friends were playing in those, too. So I was out for dinner every night and had a whale of a time. I had so much fun and enjoyed the lifestyle, even though my golf was no better.
I realised then that, if I was going to continue playing, I couldn’t be the old Padraig Harrington. If the lads had told him they were going to dinner at 8pm, he might have said he was going to be in the gym at that time. Now, I change my plans and go to dinner at 8. I’m looking for enjoyment. I know I can enjoy professional golf in a different way. I love going out with the lads.

Imagine LIV Golf came along 20 years ago and they made you an offer. Would you have gone?
I think LIV can be good for some players. Like the Champions Tour, it’s 54 holes, no cut and a limited field. So if you’re any good you’ll be in contention a lot. Sweating it out on the cut-line every week kills players.
But the majors are it for me. So anything that would have harmed my ability to contend in and win those, I wouldn’t have done. I joined the PGA Tour because I didn’t want it to be like playing in Europe, where I stop and chat for five minutes with almost everyone. Those minutes add up. And that’s what it was like for me when I went to a major in the States. When I was just a European Tour member, I would meet all sorts of people I hadn’t seen for months. They would all be at the majors, and I would feel obliged to talk to them.
If I played on the PGA Tour more often, I would have seen nearly all of those people very recently. So I could give them a wave and go about my business. It all became more familiar just by me playing in the States. It was a big thing. I had to make sure I could prepare properly for the biggest events.

4 Aces’ Dustin Johnson and Pat Perez. LIV Golf

So you’re OK with LIV and all its implications?
Whether you like the concept of team golf or not, or the source of the LIV money, whatever, to some extent we should just let them have a go at it. If you don’t like it and think it will fail, leave them alone and let them fail. Let them see what they can do.
Most people who don’t like what LIV is doing think it’s just a bad idea. To be fair, I did watch one round last year, when Dustin Johnson holed a great putt to win. I enjoyed the flipping back and forth between all the players. I thought that was fabulous. But when I told that to someone, they responded by saying they didn’t know what was going on. I did because I’m a player. I don’t like the fact that, where you’re not in contention, you don’t get shown. But LIV shows everyone. I like that. That’s why LIV have gone to the smaller fields. They can show everyone. Plus, like the Champions Tour, it’s pretty predictable. If Dustin Johnson isn’t in the top-five at the end of a LIV event, he’s had a terrible week. But put him in a PGA Tour field with 155 other players and there are no guarantees. That’s a problem for golf. You can’t always depend on the biggest names being in contention on Sunday. It’s hard to tell who is going to be on the leaderboard.

What about the World Ranking? There is lots of talk about them at the moment. Some think it now favours PGA Tour players too much. Where do you stand on that?
I actually have a bee in my bonnet about the World Rankings. A good player in Europe can often ruin his game by going to the States a little too early. He gets an invitation to play in one event. He goes to a course they have never seen. And he plays like it is the final round of tour school. It is all such a big deal to him.
Here’s the bigger thing though. In the States, he gets the worst draw. He plays with two guys who are struggling to keep their cards. All very different from home, where he gets TV draws alongside the best players in the field and gets treated like a star. In Europe his game is hyped-up and he plays like that. But in the States no one knows who he is and he shoots two 75s. And those 75s are used to judge the 150 European Tour players who stayed at home. All because our guy is a fish out of water.
It works the other way, too. When an American comes to play in Europe, he gets a great draw. He gets the penthouse suite and feels like a star. So he shoots two 65s. So if it was up to me, I’d adjust the World Ranking points. About 40 per cent of every field should actually get them every week. You should never be last and get points. If there are only 20 guys in the field, only eight get points. I’d say the same about LIV events. Give points to 40 per cent of the field. And if it’s only three rounds, cut that to 75 per cent of what a 72-hole event gets. Fair enough.
It’s a travesty that winning smaller events is devalued. If you win on the Asian Tour, you might get only four points. But winning is the big thing for me. First, second and third should get the vast majority of the points. Finishing 20th in a PGA Tour event is not better than winning a tournament. It’s just not, even if it’s a win on the Alps Tour. I know that’s a hard sell, but winning is how we should be judging players.
Having said that, everyone who makes the cut in a major should get a 10-point bonus. There’s not enough points in the majors. Making the cut in a major is a big deal.

The post Q&A: Padraig Harrington on what LIV got right, the World Ranking problem and what senior golf has taught him appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

This week, the English star begins his 30th year as a professional golfer as he tees it up at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, site of his most recent triumph. Then in April, he’ll turn 50 years old, his birthday coming the Monday after LIV Golf Adelaide as he continues to battle as one of the linchpins for Majesticks in the 2023 LIV Golf League.

RELATED: Westy’s son makes pro debut
Westwood’s take on PGA Tour’s moves

Westwood’s essential numbers are impressive: 44 pro wins, 11 Ryder Cup appearances, four Golfer of the Year awards, three Harry Vardon Trophies, two different stints as World No. 1 and career earnings that rank him second on the DP World Tour’s all-time list.

But those statistics alone don’t do him justice.

To celebrate his 30th season, here are 30 things you should know about Westwood’s professional career.

• Of his first 29 years as a pro, he’s posted at least one victory in 15 of them. His most wins in a single year is seven, which he has achieved twice – 1998 and 2000.
• He’s won 42 individual stroke-play events, one matchplay event (2000 World Match Play at Wentworth) and one two-man team event – the 2003 Nelson Mandela Invitational two-round charity tournament with South Africa’s Simon Hobday.
• He’s one of a handful of pro golfers to win on five different continents – Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and Australia. And he’s won on six different golf tours.
• His 25 career wins on the DP World Tour puts him eighth on the all-time list. The seven golfers ahead of him are in the Hall of Fame, as is the No. 9 player on the list, José María Olazábal with 23 wins.
• His 44 career wins have come in 20 different countries. The breakdown:
5 South Africa
4 England, Japan
3 Germany, Indonesia, Sweden
2 Belgium, Ireland, Malaysia, Scotland, Spain, Thailand, UAE, USA
1 Australia, Macau, Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland

Westwood celebrates with girlfriend/caddie Helen Storey are he closes out his win at the 2018 Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa. Warren Little

• He has celebrated victories on 33 different courses, multiple times on seven of them – four wins at Gary Player CC (South Africa), three at Taiheiyo (Japan) and Royal Jakarta (Indonesia), two wins on Royal Zoute (Belgium), Gut Kaden (Germany), The K Club (Ireland) and Amata Spring (Thailand).
Asked a few years ago why he’s played so well on the Gary Player course, Westwood said: “I’ve always enjoyed putting on these greens. There is a lot of imagination on them. Sometimes you get some big breaking putts. It reminds me in a little way of Augusta the way you have to tackle it. It just suits a lot of aspects of my game and I feel comfortable.”
• He won 24 times in his 20s, 15 times in his 30s and has five wins so far in his 40s.
• He’s won tournaments in four different decades.
The breakdown:
1990s 17
2000s 14
2010s 12
2020s 1
• His first professional start was the 1994 Madeira Island Open in mid-January. He finished tied for 19th, shooting 72-69-75 in the three-round event to finish 10 strokes behind winner Mats Lanner of Sweden.
• His first professional win was the 1996 Volvo Scandinavian Masters. He was two shots behind Thomas Bjorn entering the final round but shot a 68 to make the three-man playoff with Paul Broadhurst and Russell Claydon. Westwood won with a birdie on the second extra hole.

Westwood in action at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship

• His most recent win, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2020, was his first pro victory in the month of January. That completed a sweep of winning pro events in all 12 months.
• Four of his first six victories came in November, including the 1997 Australian Open, which ended on the last day of November. In all, he’s won nine times in November, his most in any given month. Wins by month:
January 1
February 1
March 1
April 6
May 3
June 5
July 3
August 4
September 4
October 3
November 9
December 4
• His largest margin of victory was by eight strokes at the 2010 Nedbank Golf Challenge as he shot 17-under. His closest pursuer was Tim Clark.
• He’s won seven stroke-play events via playoff, including the first two wins of his career in 1996. His career playoff record is 7-10, and he’s been in playoffs on seven different tours/circuits.
• One of his playoff wins came against current LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman at the 1997 Australian Open. Westwood won with a par on the fourth playoff hole. He recalled the win a few years ago: “I had been playing very well in the lead-up to the 1997 Australian Open and to beat Greg in a playoff on his home soil was a very special feeling.”
• The runners-up in his wins have come from 20 different countries. Nine different players from England have finished second to Westwood, including current Majesticks teammate Ian Poulter. No player has finished runner-up more times to Westwood than Northern Ireland’s Darren Clarke (three times).

• Westwood has won on back-to-back weeks four times. He did it on two separate occasions in 1998. In 2000, he won in back-to-back starts with a week off in between.
• Margins of victory in his 42 individual stroke-play wins:
Playoff 7 times
1 stroke 7
2 strokes 9
3 strokes 10
4 strokes 2
5 strokes 3
6 strokes 1
7 strokes 2
8 strokes 1
• Westwood has played in 91 majors, making the cut 70 times, with 19 top-10 finishes. His best results are two solo seconds in 2010 (three shots behind Phil Mickelson at The Masters, seven shots behind Louis Oosthuizen at the Open Championship), and a tie for second in 2016 (three shots behind Danny Willett at The Masters).
• His most impressive major run came during a 12-start stretch between 2008-12, as Westwood finished solo second twice and tied for third an additional four times.
• Westwood ended two legendary career streaks of Hall of Fame golfers in 2010. He finished atop the European Tour’s Order of Merit, ending Colin Montgomerie’s streak of seven consecutive crowns. And on October 31, he moved to No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking, ending Tiger Woods’ streak of 281 consecutive weeks as the world’s top-ranked golfer.
• He did two stints at No. 1 — 17 weeks from October 31, 2010 to February 20, 2011, and another five weeks from April 24 to May 22 in 2011. His 22 weeks as No. 1 is the 16th most of the 25 golfers who have held the designation.
• it is estimated that Westwood has made around 765 starts and 2,600 career rounds.
• His lowest career round is the 12-under 60 shot in the opening round of the 2011 Thailand Golf Championship at Amata Spring. Westwood had 10 birdies and one eagle in setting an Asian Tour record for lowest score. His first five holes consisted of birdie-eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie.
He told Sky Sports: “I just wanted to get off to a quick start and I did that. I made a dream start and you start thinking about 59, I guess. I came close but not close enough. I guess 59 is one of those numbers where if it is meant to be it is meant to be.”
Westy’s matchplay record:
Singles 40-39-2
Pairs 31-17-7
Total 71-56-9
• During his professional career, Westwood has represented his country or his region/continent in 21 different team competitions. The most are his 11 appearances for Europe in the Ryder Cup. He’s appeared in a European record 47 Ryder Cup matches.
• Westwood was the 118th different player to represent Europe in the Ryder Cup upon his debut in 1997. He’s been teamates with 55 different European players.
• His 24 points (21-20-6 record) as a Ryder Cupper ties for the third most of any player from Europe, behind only fellow LIV Golf member Sergio Garcia (28.5) and fellow Englishman Nick Faldo (25). No European player has been on more winning Ryder Cup teams than Westwood’s seven.
• His most frequent Ryder Cup partner is his good friend Darren Clarke. They’ve played eight matches together, winning six points. His next most frequent partner is Sergio Garcia with seven matches (five points).
• In 2012, Westwood was appointed OBE (Order of the British Empire) for services to golf. He received the honour from Queen Elizabeth during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. He told the BBC: “I can’t quite believe it. You don’t imagine, when you start playing the sport you love, that you will end up receiving an award for it. It’s amazing, really.”

The post 30 things to know about Lee Westwood’s 30-year career appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Well, OK, maybe not yesterday, but certainly does not feel like 18 years since Chris DiMarco held off Henrik Stenson to claim the now-famous Falcon Trophy and the $330,000 top prize from the $2 million pot.

Now the DP World Tour Rolex Series event returns to its new home at Yas Links, with a record $9 million on the line.

While that inaugural field included icons whose best days are behind them, such as Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Vijay Singh, Gordon Brand Jr and John Daly, the longevity of athletes in the game of golf is clear to see when you consider how many (Garcia, Poulter et al) are still competing at the top level of the game.

Di Marco may not be among them, but there will be a hatful of former champs on show on Yas Island from January 19 to 22, including two-time winner Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Tyrell Hatton and defending champion Thomas Pieters, who defeated Rafa Cabrera-Bello and Shubhankar Sharma by a stroke last January, when the event took place at Yas Links for the first time after relocating from Abu Dhabi Golf Club’s National Course.

Englishman Hatton, who won his fourth Rolex Series title when he secured the Falcon Trophy in 2021, is keen to get back on course after a less than ideal title defence last year  — and being less than impressed with the set-up on the 18th hole at Yas Links. (“I would love for a bomb to drop on it and blow it up to oblivion, to be honest,” he said.)

A year on, he seems to have cooled his temper and warmed to the course. “I am looking forward to returning, it’s a tournament I have a good record in,” he said. “The win in 2021 is one of my greatest memories and it is always an enjoyable experience to begin the year with such a big event in Abu Dhabi.”

Fleetwood, the 2017 and 2018 champ, added: “I’ve always enjoyed starting the year in Abu Dhabi at this prestigious tournament. I’ve based myself in the UAE, it’s a brilliant part of the world, and a place I’ve been successful on the golf course, so it will be nice to play in front of family and friends to begin my DP World Tour season. Yas Links was a new challenge and look forward to coming back.”

Irishman Lowry, who claimed the crown in 2019, concurred. “The HSBC is always a great tournament and the perfect start to the 2023 season,” he said.

“Coming back as a past champion is always nice and Yas Island is a world-class destination for sport, plus you add in the amazing fans, and it makes for a winning atmosphere.”

Lowry’s fellow Irishman Séamus Power had a breakout season in 2022, winning the Bermuda Championship in October for only his second elite tour title at the age of 35, and now he is set for his Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship debut.

“I have heard great things about the event and I am relishing the chance to take part in it,” he said. “I’ve played well on the PGA Tour recently so hopefully I can bring my game to Abu Dhabi and take a step closer to that [Ryder Cup] team at Marco Simone in September.”

Three-time DP World Tour winner Ryan Fox, 2018 Open Champion Francesco Molinari and rising star Sepp Straka are also confirmed in the field.

New Zealand’s Fox enjoyed a career-best year in 2022, when he twice won on the DP World Tour — including in Ras Al Khaimah — and finished the season No. 2 in the DPWT Rankings.

“The events in the Middle East at the start of the year are always great fun, so I can’t wait to get on Yas Links in January,” he said. “I’ve played some really good golf over the last 12 months so hopefully I can continue that.”

Molinari, who will return to the event for the first time in nine years, added:  “I haven’t played in Abu Dhabi for a long time so I’m looking forward to getting back there and trying out a new venue. I’ve got a pretty good record in the event so I’m hoping to resurrect some good memories.”

The post Banking on a winner with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

But now he’s back.

Stenson, along with 11 other players who have teed-up at least once on the LIV Golf tour (a list that includes Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Patrick Reed, Bernd Wiesberger and Adrian Otaegui), appear on the entry list for the upcoming Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The $9 million tournament, set for January 19-22 and one of the DP World Tour’s big-money Rolex Series events, is where the tour begins its 2023 season. Somewhat ironically, Stenson’s replacement as Ryder Cup captain, former World No. 1 Luke Donald, also will take his place at Yas Links in the UAE capital.

RELATED: Stenson offers to take lie-detector test

All of which will take place exactly 12 months after Stenson was coy in talking to Golf Digest at this same event about the possibility of even being offered the Ryder Cup captaincy.

“It’s good to be in the mix as a potential captain,” he said then. “I’ll have to wait and see though. I haven’t had any discussions with those making the decision. But I think it is important that anyone in contention for the job knows what he is signing up for. You have to know how many days, weeks and months are involved. There is so much that goes with the captaincy. It’s not just showing up in Rome to kiss the Ryder Cup for a few days.”

Just two months after making those comments, the five-time Ryder Cup player was named captain after his assurance that he would not move to LIV Golf. When he did just that after the Open Championship at St Andrews, DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley acted swiftly to remove him from the non-playing role at the Marco Simone Country Club in Italy this September.

When Donald’s appointment was announced, the Englishman had this to say: “I will live up to my word and see it through. I will not do a Henrik.”

So it will be the presence of the former Open champion in Abu Dhabi in two weeks’ time will provoke the most interest and, in turn, most controversy. Again though, Stenson’s return to his former fold is perhaps not too much of a shock. One week after the Abu Dhabi event the DP World Tour will make the short hop to Dubai for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic (no entry field has been listed yet for that event). And one week after that there is every chance that the Swede (and many of his fellow LIV players) will join Open champion Cam Smith in Saudi Arabia for the Saudi International, not an official LIV event but part of the Asian Tour that has close financial connections with the new circuit.

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