Rickie Folwer delves deep, with his coach Butch Harmon, into how he found his swing again. Have a big rundown of everything that happened at the DP World Tour Championship where Rory McIlroy and Nicolai Højgaard both came away with silverware. We have prepped the ultimate golfers trip to Ireland, which includes three of the best championship golf courses on the Emerald Isle. If you are looking at getting fitted for a new set of golf clubs, Club Lab Golf in JLT is the newest state-of-the-art facility in Dubai. LIV Golf is landing in Abu Dhabi with some big names lined up and we grab an exclusive ‘Quick 9’ with The Godfather of Dubai Duty Free, Colm McLoughlin.

All this and much, much more in the December 2023 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

The post Get the December 2023 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here today! appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

With two scores counting among three players in each round, Korea had a 72-hole total of 22-under, and that was four strokes better than Chinese Taipei, who shot 140 in the final round. Spain, the 54-hole leaders, shot even-par on Saturday and were five strokes back.

The US tied for sixth with Australia with a 15-under total. Anna Davis, the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion, led the Americans with a four-day total of six-under 282. Rachel Kuehn and reigning US Women’s Amateur champ Megan Schofill each finished at 284. The US last won the team title in 2018.

Although there is no official recognition, Chinese Taipei’s Huai-Chien Hsu was the low individual scorer at 13-under 275.

South Korea’s Kim, the World Amateur No. 4 and runner-up in the 2023 Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific, made back-to-back birdies on the par-5 second and par-4 third holes, and again on the eighth and ninth as South Korea moved to the top of the leaderboard and stayed there.

“I was focused on my play,” said Kim. “I didn’t putt as aggressively as the first three rounds. I was more relaxed and just tried to make par and some became birdies.”

Spain managed to get within two shots of South Korea with two holes to play, but all three players bogeyed the par-5 18th hole to drop the team from silver position to bronze.

“It’s really disappointing,” said Spain Captain Mar Ruiz de la Torre. “Last year we were in the same situation, and this year again. It’s really a pity because they played well. We just didn’t have too much luck with the putts.”

Korea will hold the Espirito Santo Trophy until the 2025 World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore.

Main image: South Korea’s players celebrate. Steven Gibbons

The post South Korea win fifth Women’s Amateur Team title in Abu Dhabi appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Brooks picked up around $8 million on Sunday for claiming the title at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on Sunday — and finishing third in the season-long Individual Championship points race.

Chase’s future is not so bright. He finished last in the field in Jeddah and accrued only one point all season. He is now relegated out of the league along with Jed Morgan, James Piot and Sihwan Kim. The younger Koepka posted just one top-25 finish in 13 starts this season.

However, there is a way back. The Promotions event in Abu Dhabi allows the four relegated players to compete against the best from the Asian Tour and beyond, with three spots up for grabs in Abu Dhabi at the National Course.

The International Series winner — which looks like Andy Ogletree as we stand — earns an automatic spot, while a huge field will fight for the three remaining spots. Players from the Asian Tour will be joined by the top 200 eligible in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), and the top 20 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, the amateur champions from the United States, Great Britain, Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Are all expected to line up in Abu Dhabi. In addition, players ranked sixth through 32nd on the International Series Order of Merit will compete for the three-round, winner-takes-all event.

After the first round, there will be a cut so that only the top 20 and ties will play on Saturday in Abu Dhabi. They will be joined by the four LIV Golf bottom guys, Koepka, Morgan, Piot and Kim.

On Sunday, the final round will be played over 36 holes and cut to the top 16 players. While Ogletree looks like a shoo-in, everything else is up for grabs. The only four safe names for the showdown are Morgan, Koepka, Kim and Piot. But there are many more knocking on the door, with stars-in-waiting like South African Christo Lamprecht and Spain’s Jose Luis Ballester waiting to make their mark.

One thing is for sure — there is a lot on this one!

Main image.: Abu Dhabi Golf Club. DP World Tour

The post 2024 LIV Golf roster to be decided in Abu Dhabi this December appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

>>>

Viya have been operating in Abu Dhabi for 12 months now at three marvellous golf courses. How has the journey been — personally and for the company — over the past year and how was such a move made possible to further help promote the UAE capital as a global destination for both tourists and sports?

The expansion of our business into Abu Dhabi, under the brand of Viya Golf (a subsidiary of Dubai Golf), was an instrumental move that sets out the future direction of our growth strategy, which is to expand management operations of leading world-class golf and leisure facilities, as well as our proprietary Viya application, to support these operations commercially. It is also the first time we have operated outside of Dubai, within the UAE, and to have the opportunity to partner with Aldar and manage some of the most iconic golf facilities in the region, was a true privilege.

Yas Links Abu Dhabi. Image supplied

As the capital’s leadership continues to accelerate its Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 plan, our move to Abu Dhabi clearly came at an exciting time. We had an opportunity to not only work alongside key government stakeholders to contribute to their collective goals, but we also played a key role in driving new golfers and tourism into the capital.

For me personally, I am loving life in Abu Dhabi. After spending 25 years in Dubai, it came at a great time in my career and I feel that with my experience and the support of our great team, we can really make a difference to the overall golf proposition. We are grateful that Abu Dhabi had a great base to build on, and our mission over the next few years is to raise the bar in terms of facilities, which takes investment in infrastructure, and in customer service, which is an investment in people.

>>>

There was the major, and exciting, news recently that the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will move from its traditional January slot after 17 years to form part of a season-ending playoff with the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. What does this move mean?

This announcement was incredible for Abu Dhabi and for Yas Links, as it means that the best of the best on the DP World Tour will now participate in the penultimate event on the season long Race To Dubai order of merit. This will undoubtedly get more eyeballs on Abu Dhabi and attract greater numbers of tourists to the capital, not only for the event, but also to play the Abu Dhabi courses through the popular winter months. It was also great recognition to our agronomy team, ably led by Corey Finn, who continues to deliver a masterpiece of a Kyle Philips-designed golf course. 

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. Image supplied

>>>

And a collective $19 million prize fund for the two-event finale is pretty helpful too!

I know right! They say in life that it’s never too late. I’m really enjoying playing amateur golf again after nearly 30 years as a PGA Professional, however with this kind of money, I may have to think about turning pro again and having a crack at the Seniors Tour! Joking aside, the prize purses of the last two play-off events of the 2024 season will undoubtedly attract the best golfers in the world, which can only be positive for the growth of golf in the UAE.

>>>

So the future is looking bright. Where does Viya go from here to sustain and enhance this success to ensure maintained growth and engagement with golfers of all ages?

For the future sustainability of golf in Abu Dhabi, it’s essential that we grow the number of golfers. This can only come from expatriate residents and UAE nationals. We are working closely with the Emirates Golf Federation and the R&A to initiate exciting programmes that will attract new golfers to this incredible sport, from five-year-olds all the way to retirement age. Golf is a sport for all ages and I’ll highly recommend anyone to give it a try.

Yas Acres Golf & Country Club. Image supplied

>>>

The three clubs in Abu Dhabi, how will they take it from here — both on and off the course — to stay at the top of the game?

The next few years is all about reinvestment into the facilities and our people, to continue to raise the bar on these amazing facilities and to improve the overall customer experience. We want to position Abu Dhabi as a truly inspiring place to come to play and learn golf, and with the support of our partner Aldar, and key government stakeholders, we believe we can achieve amazing things. 

>>>

Do you take personal pride in how far Viya Golf and its partners have taken the game or, like on the course in some places these days, is this a team success?

Viya Golf is a subsidiary of Dubai Golf, and we are essentially one company. Dubai Golf have led the development of golf, leisure and hospitality in the region for decades and I feel incredibly proud to be a part of such a dynamic and diverse team. Since the first Dubai Desert Classic back in 1988, we now proudly host three Rolex Series events and a new DP World Tour event inaugurating at Dubai Creek in 2024. The future looks bright and I’m excited to see where it will lead.

Main image: supplied

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Maya Palanza Gaudin is seriously well travelled and has made a serious mark on the game of golf, with victories in Abu Dhabi, India, Scotland, Boston and at the famous Augusta National in Georgia to name a few.

Oh, and she’s 13.

In a tale that reads like a fanciful work of fi ction from the mind of a Hollywood feel good scriptwriter, Maya’s journey already has more twists and turns than a drive up Jebel Hafeet, and — even with victory at the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta during Masters week in April — this is a trip that still has miles to go.

While Abu Dhabi-based Maya is one of the latest products to come off the conveyor belt of young UAE-based golfing talent, it is amazing that she even made it this far at all.

Maya was in serious danger when her biological mother died shortly after childbirth in her South Ethiopian village near the Kenyan border. With no one to breastfeed the baby, her father and uncles carried Maya the 55 miles to the nearest hospital. Once Maya was safe, her father gave her one more gift for the best shot at a good life by putting her up for adoption.

Maya was taken in by a Bostonian couple based in Abu Dhabi — Stephen Gaudin, a former overseas FBI agent, and his wife Cassandra, who works in the American embassy in the UAE capital. The golf-loving pair introduced Maya to the game at the age of fi ve and enrolled her in the Emirates Golf Federation’s Future Falcons National Junior Development Programme.

“The way I see it, Maya’s birth mother gave her life and her birth father saved her life, and our job since has been to love, nurture and provide every opportunity to Maya to embrace her life including this wonderful gift for the game of golf,” Cassandra explained on the Masters website.

Under Stephen’s guidance, a young Maya became an EGF Future Falcon and was already showing talent well beyond her years with a victory in India before she won the 2021 Ladies Championship in the Yas Links Abu Dhabi sunshine. That was followed up in somewhat diff erent conditions at the US Kids European Championship (12yo Category) at The Glen Golf Club, North Berwick, in the permanently wet, cold and breezy Scottish weather, to win by four strokes.

Maya Palanza Gaudin reacts to her putt on the 18th green in the Drive, Chip and Putt. David Cannon

“I got to play at St Andrews afterwards,” a smiling Maya said. “We drove up there. It’s my close-second favourite now I have seen Augusta.”

Boston was next on the calendar and Maya was just getting warmed up. “The golf ball doesn’t care who you are, or where you were born,” the wisebeyond-her-years youngster said after her victory booked her spot in the Augusta fi eld. “The golf ball doesn’t care how much money you may have or about what your father and grandfather did for a job. The golf ball doesn’t care about the colour of your skin, or how tall, skinny, heavy or popular you are. The golf ball doesn’t care about what school you go to. The golf ball only cares about one thing and only one thing: how you swing the club. That’s what I love about golf — it’s just about you and the golf ball.”

Through the connection with Yas Links, Maya has some head-turning friends, too. She has teed it up with Rory McIlroy in DP World Tour proams, as well as Thomas Pieters, Tommy Fleetwood and Robert MacIntyre.

Maya Palanza Gaudin and family with Rory Mcilroy. David Cannon

The pros know Maya so well by now that, when her parents were searching for her at Yas Links this January during the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, McIlroy told Stephen and Cassandra: “I just saw her. She’s inside.’”

“He’s so nice to me,” Maya said of four-time major winner McIlroy. “He’s very kind. I get to see him almost every time when he comes to Abu Dhabi tournaments.”

Maya’s appearance at the National Finals was no easy feat and it was something she had been trying to achieve for half of her short lifetime.

“Six times [I tried to qualify], but it would’ve been seven with the COVID year,” Maya said after her famous win that received a congratulatory tweet from McIlroy.

At the Drive, Chip and Putt, participants compete in three skills (unsurprisingly driving distance, and chipping and putting accuracy), with three shots per skill going towards a final score. With 26 points, Maya won the Girls 12-13 years category by four points from joint runners-up Narah Hope Kim, from Georgia, and Ruihan Kendria Wang, from Washington.

“It probably wasn’t supposed to happen, but it did and it’s surreal,” an emotional Maya said refl ecting on her journey. “I don’t really have any words for it. Very surreal. I can’t believe it. Just coming here was surreal and then winning is on a whole other level.”

Maya’s next mission? More US junior golf tournaments. Each summer, Maya and her parents travel to the US from Abu Dhabi and she tees up in New England PGA junior tournaments. She has tried to qualify for the US Girls’ Junior three times.

In golf timing is everything, and Maya’s jaunt to the Augusta Masters this year linked in nicely with Ramadan, allowing her to take a little time off school. She dreams of competing in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and was watching on this year ahead of the Masters as Rose Zhang triumphed.

“It was very exciting. Congratulations to Rose,” Maya said. “The last two holes were nail-biting for me. I can’t imagine how it was for Rose. I would love to play in that tournament.” With her tenacious perseverance, there is no reason why she herself cannot be teeing it up in Georgia once again.

A young(er) Maya in Abu Dhabi. Supplied

Following her own success, Maya and her family stayed on to witness Jon Rahm’s famous victory at a stormy Augusta before enjoying some well-earned time with her extended family in Boston, while her friends and mentors looked on from the UAE.

“It is a great accomplishment for Maya and UAE golf to compete and win the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta on the Sunday before The Masters,” Abdullah Alhashmi, ViceChariman of the Emirates Golf Club, told Golf Digest Middle East. “Maya is a graduate of the Future Falcons Programme where her golf journey started, and is another great example of talent that we have here in the UAE.

“Congratulations to Maya and her family. All of their hard work is paying off .”

Already an inspiration for others, Maya has some sage advice for those looking to follow in her footsteps: “Never stop trying. You can do it!”

While normal life may return with a bump with the school bell beckoning back in Abu Dhabi, Maya knows there will be plenty more tournaments and twists on this amazing trip.

Who knows where the journey will end up…

The post The UAE’s Maya Palanza Gaudin Masters new heights appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Maximilian Rottluff held his nerve to secure a maiden European Challenge Tour victory at the UAE Challenge at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

The German, making his first start on the Challenge Tour this season, carded a round of 70 to reach 14-under and finish one shot clear of Road to Mallorca No. 1 Ugo Coussaud.

The story of a dramatic final day at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club ?#UAEChallenge pic.twitter.com/xo1QoNfhDg

— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) May 7, 2023

The 30-year-old, who climbed the leaderboard on moving day with a course-record 63, was delighted to claim a memorable win in Abu Dhabi.

“It means everything,” he said. “I’m speechless really. There were times this winter where I wasn’t sure whether or not I would keep playing or not, but here I am.

“I saw the leaderboard on the 17th for the first time and figured it was going to be a close call.

“I had some good targets which is one of the things you need on this golf course as it always plays hard. There’s not an easy golf shot out here, but I felt confident. It’s stressful to win a golf tournament though, especially on a golf course like this.

“There’s a lot of work and a lot of people that help me behind the scenes and I’m extremely grateful for those people.”

Rottluff started his final round two shots back from overnight leader Manuel Elvira, and after bogeying his opening hole and the par four eighth, he looked to be out of contention, however his round changed as he reached the turn.

Rottluff birdied five of his next seven holes from the ninth to join Coussaud at the top of the leaderboard, only for the Frenchman to bogey the 17th, giving Rottluff the outright lead.

Rottluff catapults to 14th on the Road to Mallorca Rankings and ensures his playing rights on the Challenge Tour for the remainder of the season.

“It changes everything for me,” he said. “The last two weeks I was checking if I was in the tournament or not probably five times a day and now I know I can play in every tournament I want on the Challenge Tour.

“Now I can plan and maybe I’ll rent a bigger van for the rest of the season, so it’s phenomenal for me.

“I’m excited to get home, to see my little one and my friends.”

Coussaud finished in second place on 13-under par, one shot ahead of Scotland’s Craig Howie and Dutchman Lars van Meijel who shared third.

Spaniard Ivan Cantero Gutirrez finished tied fifth alongside James Allan from England on 11-under, with Italian Matteo Manassero one shot further back in sixth.

Coussaud extends his lead at the top of the Road to Mallorca Rankings with 909 points, South African JJ Senekal remains in second on 446 points and Adam Blomme from Sweden stays third on 424 points.

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Golf Digest Middle East’s Play & Stay competition is back — and this time we are heading to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi to offer one of the finest golfing experiences the capital has to offer. 

Following the successful inaugural edition in Dubai, GDME Play & Stay — in association with Viya Golf — returns bigger and better. 

For just AED 1,295, you and a friend (twin share or double) can enjoy a two-day staycation on Yas Island with one playing spot in each round at Yas Links Abu Dhabi and Yas Acres Golf & Country Club, either side of a luxury pampering at Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi – Yas Island on June 9 and 10. Non-golfers can chill at Crowne Plaza’s Cyan Beach or pool and enjoy discounted offers at the Crowne Fitness spa and sauna.

It’s no problem if you’re a couple that golf together or a pair of golfing pals looking for an epic weekend away either. A second spot in either tournament can be booked for AED 150 (Yas Acres) and AED 290 (Yas Links).

Registered players will arrive at the hotel on Yas Island on Friday for a reception, followed a short jaunt for an early evening nine-hole showdown over Yas Acres’ stunning course. 

Following a luxurious night at Crowne Plaza, including a Friday night brunch with house beverages at Stills, and Saturday breakfast at Jing Asia, guests will head to the famous Yas Links to blow away the cobwebs in an 18-hole shotgun competition on the coast of the windswept Arabian Gulf.

THE PLAY

Yas Acres Golf & Country Club
First up on early Friday evening is the UAE’s newest arrival on the golfing scene. Yas Acres Golf & Country Club opened last year to a great reception from local golfers and visitors from abroad, and it continues to grow in popularity, having been added to Viya Golf’s growing portfolio of clubs across the UAE. 

The nine/18-hole set-up is perfect for experienced golfers, budding youngsters, weekend warriors and those who just like to relax and let the others do the hard work.

The par-36 track will test golfers with long holes, spanning 130 acres, across challenging contours and a low ridgeline that runs through the centre of the course. Some massive bunkers add to the experience and, while the fairways are generous, water is in play on four of the holes to keep you on your toes. 

On top on the fully floodlit Fry/Straka-designed nine-hole course — stretching from 2,554 yards to a challenging 3,700 yards from five different tee boxes — Yas Acres has a lot more to offer in the heart of Yas Island.

Away from the course, golfers of all levels can work on their game at the world-class floodlit practice facilities, including two chipping greens, with practice bunkers, USGA-approved putting greens — and the longest driving range in the UAE.

The club also offers a gymnasium, padel tennis, swimming pool, plus three restaurants with views over the course.

YAS LINKS abu dhabi
Saturday’s tournament will be a day to remember regardless of your score as competitiors will follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s greatest golfers at the famous Yas Links. This is a true links golf course, located on the western shores of Yas Island with views of the Arabian Gulf and is home to the DP World Tour Rolex Series Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. 

Designed by American Kyle Phillips of Kingsbarns, Scotland, fame, Yas Links forms the heart of the island’s massive entertainment complex. 

As the name suggestions, Phillips fashioned this as a warm-weather links, using two million cubic yards of sand dredged from an adjacent marina to create the shape and contours of the masterpiece, before covering everything with salt-tolerant Paspalum turf. 

Amateurs lucky enough to call the UAE home and international visitors in the know have been smitten for years with one of the region’s most popular tracks, which has been home to the HSBC Championship since 2022, when it switched from Abu Dhabi Golf Club after 16 editions. Being a links set-up, the course offers new challenges with the famous Arabian Gulf breezes wafting in over the mangroves and the undulating layout. 

Beware the stunningly difficult three-hole closing stretch which has been the scene of many amateur-hour meltdowns.

THE STAY

Crowne Plaza
Friday night will be spent in style at one of Abu Dhabi’s most stylish hotels — the What’s On award-winning Crowne Plaza on Yas Island. Located in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s top destination island, the hotel resort overlooks Yas Links and has its own private Cyan Beach on the shores of the Arabian Gulf — perfect for sundowners and beautiful sunsets.

As well as all the entertainment venues on the hotel’s doorstep — including F1 racetrack, Ferrari World, Warner Bros and Yas Waterworld, Yas Mall is also only a stone’s throw away for those in need of retail therapy. For Golf Digest Middle East Play & Stay non-golfers who fancy the luxury life without straying too far, the hotel offers an outdoor pool, fitness centre, kids club, dining outlets and a shisha garden. Non-golfing guests can continue to use facilities on Saturday, with late-check-out  available.

Signup

The post A capital staycation with style: Golf Digest Middle East’s Play & Stay returns — this time at the top venues on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A host of the UAE’s homegrown players are set to feature in one of the strongest Challenge Tour fields in recent history when the Abu Dhabi Challenge gets under way on Thursday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Nineteen former DP World Tour winners with a combined 46 top tier wins between them will tee it up this week, including Stephen Gallacher, David Howell and Alvaro Quiros.

They will go head-to-head with the UAE’s No.1 golfer Ahmad Skaik, several members of the UAE National Team and a number of UAE residents.

“That’s the beauty of the Challenge Tour, it gives local players the chance to rub shoulders with the latest crop coming through,” said Gallacher, two-time winner of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, who is looking to regain his full playing privileges on the DP World Tour after losing his card last season.

“It can give them a bit of hope and the impetuous to work as hard as they can to try and get out on the circuit. This is obviously a stepping stone to get onto the DP World Tour, so hopefully this event can give them that drive to work hard and emulate what we are doing.”

The Abu Dhabi Challenge is the seventh tournament on this year’s global 2023 Road to Mallorca schedule, which features a record overall prize fund and a minimum of 29 tournaments, staged across three continents in 18 different countries.

Ugo Coussaud currently leads the way in the Rankings after picking up his first Challenge Tour title last month at The Challenge in Bangalore, India.

“It feels good to be here, the weather is great and the course is in good condition with a perfect layout,” said the Frenchman.

“The game feels good right now, let’s see what happens over the next two weeks.”

The return of the Challenge Tour to the UAE for the first time since 2018 is part of the long-term partnership between the European Tour group and Emirates Golf Federation, where 30 spots have been allocated to the EGF to provide a pathway for both Emirati golfers and residents of the UAE.

Leading the way for the UAE will be Skaik, who has competed in numerous events on the DP World Tour schedule in recent years.

The Emirati comes into the tournament full of confidence after returning from a long-term injury lay-off to successfully defend the Presidents Cup at this week’s host venue in March.

“I’m very excited, the game is looking good.” said Skaik, who begins his first round at 8.05am alongside Coussaud and Casey Jarvis.

“The likes of Ugo are the guys I want to be playing with on a regular basis, so I can learn from them and take my game to the next level. It’s an honour to be paired with him, I’ll be watching him closely while I’m out there the first two rounds and learning as much as I can.”

Joining Skaik in the field will be his brother Mohammad, as well as fellow UAE Nationals Khalfa Al Masaood, Rashid Al Jassmy, Rashed Al Emadi, Rashed Al Naqbi and the UAE’s first ever professional golfer Ahmed Al Musharrekh.

In addition to this, a number of UAE residents will also be competing against the global stars of the future including local golf coach Louis Gaughan, who will be making his Challenge Tour debut.

The Scotsman, who resides in Abu Dhabi, won the Emirates PGA Championship last week to secure his place in the Abu Dhabi Challenge and he is now looking to take full advantage of the opportunity.

“It’s amazing, I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s the first time I’d have played in such a big event. I’ve got no expectations. I’d normally be at work, teaching golf, so to be out playing is a nice change.”

Entry from tomorrow until Sunday at Abu Dhabi Golf Club is free of charge, with no ticket required.

The post UAE’s homegrown players set to battle Challenge Tour stars in Abu Dhabi appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

But way back in the noughties, the golf world was abuzz with talk of another hot new talent that had burst on to the scene and smashed a host of records on the way.

A fresh-faced Italian by the name of Matteo Manassero, at the age of 16, became the youngest-ever winner of the British Amateur Championship in 2009, before winning the Open Championship Silver Medal with a T13 finish.

He went on to become youngest player ever to make the cut at the Masters, and he still holds the mark as the youngest golfer to win on the DP World Tour thanks to his triumph in the Castelló Masters in Valencia, Spain.

Everything was set for a glorious career, the Italian looking to following the footsteps of Constantino Rocca and the Molinari brothers as one of Italy’s finest golfing exports. By 2013, Manassero had five wins on what was then the European Tour, entered the top 30 in the world rankings and has the world at his feet.

Matteo Manassero won the BMW PGA Championship in 2013

However, that was when things started to go wrong for the still-teenaged Italian.

After collecting a fourth-place at the 2014 Scottish Open — as is often the case with young golfers — Manassero’s form deserted him, making only six cuts in 22 competitive outings in 2015, leading to a downward spiral that saw him lose his European Tour card and forced him back to the drawing board and on to the lower-tier Challenge Tour.

“Simply put, I didn’t perform well,” Manassero told Golf Digest Middle East. “Golf is hard and sometimes it goes like that. Your technique goes the wrong way and then that creeps into the mental side and it can be a vicious circle, which is difficult to get out of.

“If your form goes — there are only 110 or so guys who keep their DPWT card and they are all really good — then it is so hard to stay at the top.”

Thankfully, at 29, Manassero still has time on his side to get back to golf’s top table — an opportunity he is ready to grab with both hands, starting with the upcoming Challenge Tour double-header in the UAE capital: the Abu Dhabi Challenge at Abu Dhabi Golf Club (April 27-30), and the UAE Challenge at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club (May 4-7).

With a revamped game and a thirst for more success, Manassero is firing on all cylinders once again and he has his sights set on regaining his DP World Tour card in the Challenge Tour’s Race To Mallorca season-long rankings race.

Matteo Manassero has resdicovered his form on the Challenge Tour

“I started to think I could get back after Covid — well during Covid, actually,” he said. “I did a lot of mental work with professional help as we could not do much more out on the course, so I worked on how I spoke to myself, working closely with my mental coach, and then I got to work on my technique.

“After Covid, I got back into playing properly, and I had a lot of dust to shake of around 2021. I knew I could play better now and it began to show, both on the course and how I regarded things from outside the ropes.

“I was enjoying it again. I went very close in 2021 to getting my card back and this year … the Challenge Tour can be quite funny in that, if you have one great week and win, that can set you up for the season and keep you right up there in the Race standings. So, say, if I win in Abu Dhabi — just one good week — that should have me in a position come the end of the season. The competition is very high on the Challenge Tour but I am optimistic once again and with a bit of consistency I know I will be back up there.

“I am 29 now, and thankfully, I still have a lot of golf ahead of me, so I am ready to start the second part of my career, I have been on tour for a long time already and now I feel like I want to do things properly.”

Still on the right side of 30, Manassero sure has been around for a long time already, and he is more than happy to act as an inspiration for all those young golfers who are keen to make it on their own.

“More and more boys and girls are starting earlier in golf there days — it can be thanks to the access to facilities, especially here in the UAE, and to the top coaches who can guide them from day one,” he said. “Then there are people like me, who they can look at as an example to see others have done it before, so that can give them confidence that they can make it, too.”

Matteo Manassero focused on his mental strengths to help his game during Covid

Manassero has also played many times in the UAE over his career (“I have lost count how many times I have been here,” he admits), and he is relishing yet another return.

“This place is fantastic with so many championship courses and top-level facilities,” he said. “From Abu Dhabi [HSBC Championship] in 2009, I have been coming out here for tournaments and for practice and warm-weather training. It is heaven for us golfers in Europe where the winter temperatures can drop well below zero. The UAE is a perfect spot for us this time of year.”

While a spot on Luke Donald’s team is a dream too far this year, Manassero is thrilled to see the Ryder Cup coming to Italy later this year, when Europe take on the US at Marco Simone Golf Club in September, and he is confident it will inspire a future generation of golfers to thrive in the country.

“We saw what happened in Spain when it hosted the Ryder Cup at Valderrama [in 1997] and the legacy it left for Spanish golf, with the likes of Jon Rahm and Carlota Ciganda making it right to the very top,” he said. “The power of the Ryder Cup can do the same in Italy this year and can really launch the sport across the country. I would have been unthinkable for Italy to host the Ryder Cup a while ago and this is such a fantastic opportunity to show what we have to offer and also help inspire the future generation and unearth some more talent.”

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The Irishman has lived in the United States for many years since playing college golf at East Tennessee State University and won his second PGA Tour title at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in October.

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A Hero’s welcome in Abu Dhabi

He joined the DP World Tour as an affiliate member last season and secured two top 10 finishes as he looks to establish himself more on his home continent, and this week is surrounded by 19 of the Tour’s best at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Power and his nine Great Britain & Ireland teammates will go up against 10 players representing Continental Europe in five sets of four-balls, 10 sets of foursomes and 10 singles matches, with every player competing in every session across three days.

The relaxed build up has meant the 35-year-old has got to spend time with both his own team and those from the continent, and he is happy to build relationships as he aims for a Ryder Cup debut later this year.

“I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “We don’t play much (matchplay) obviously anymore. A lot of the stuff we played growing up was matchplay and it’s a different game. Everything just feels a little different.

“It is my first time being part of a team for a long time so really looking forward to the experience. Even the last day has been a lot of fun, getting to meet fellas I wouldn’t have known particularly well. It’s been great so far and looking forward to the week.

“The team-room set-up has been fantastic. Last night was a little different. Both teams were together. Today we have been kind of separate all day. It’s been good, though. I know some of the guys but getting to know some of the other guys.

“It really is good. We don’t really get many opportunities like this in golf. You’re always playing for yourself. So something like this, it’s going to be totally different.”

Power’s countryman and teammate this week Shane Lowry made his Ryder Cup debut in the last contest at Whistling Straits and is delighted to see a host of Europe’s rising stars try to make an impression this week.

“The two best players in the world are European players at the minute I feel with Jon (Rahm) and Rory (McIlroy). It’s up to us, the rest of the lads to get our game to a level where we are good enough to win the Ryder Cup at the end of the year.

“It’s great for the younger lads that are here this week to be around the likes of Francesco (Molinari) and Tommy (Fleetwood) and myself and Tyrrell (Hatton) and lads like that.

“I feel like we have the bonds of a very strong team come September and I hope that we all step up when it comes to it.

“One of my main goals this year is to win the Ryder Cup and I hope to be a part of that team and hoping to there and hopefully win it back.”

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