Lane was one of the tour’s most renowned and respected professionals and made 693 starts on Tour, fourth on the all-time appearance list, and was an eight-time Legends Tour winner.

Reacting to the announcement of Lane’s death on New Year’s Day, four-time European Ryder Cup Captain Tony Jacklin described the Englishman as “a prince of a guy”.

Barry Lane was a Prince of a guy.He will be missed.R.I.P.

— Tony Jacklin CBE (@jacklin_tony) January 1, 2023

Lane’s first Tour victory came in the 1988 Scottish Open at Gleneagles and was followed by further triumphs at the 1992 German Masters, 1993 European Masters, 1994 Turespaña Open de Baleares and 2004 British Masters.

He was one of four rookies in Bernard Gallacher’s side at the Ryder Cup in 1993 at The Belfry.

Colin Montgomerie and Ian Woosnam both called Lane’s death “very very sad news”.

Very very sad news at the passing of Barry Lane, a colleague and a good friend. My thoughts are with Camilla and his family.

— Colin Montgomerie (@montgomeriefdn) January 1, 2023

Lane was in Mauritius in December for the 2022 Legends Tour season-ending MCB Tour Championship, where he presented the renamed Barry Lane Rookie of the Year Trophy to Brazil’s Adilson Da Silva.

2014 European Ryder Cup Captain Paul McGinley wrote on Twitter: “Sweetest guy to the very end and coming all the way to Mauritius a few weeks ago, despite very ill health, to say goodbye to all his Tour family says a lot to his bravery & to the close kinship & friendships we all form on Tour.”

What an absolute true champion & nicest guys in every way!! Opened up to me always & became close friends! Going to miss ya Baz ..gone too soon! Rest easy my friend ? https://t.co/QKs5AAHsrf

— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) January 1, 2023

John Daly, who won The Open at St Andrew’s in 1995, described Lane as an “absolute true champion”.

The post Tributes paid to ‘prince of a guy’ Barry Lane appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Englishman, who competed more than 690 times on the old European Tour, passed away after a short illness.

RELATED: Kathy Whitworth tribute

He won five times on tour, including the Scottish Open and European Open, plus featuring on Bernard Gallacher’s European side that lost to the United States at the Belfry.

Barry Lane has passed away at the age of 62.

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 1, 2023

Keith Pelley, the European Tour Group Chief Executive, said: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Barry Lane. The thoughts of everyone at the European Tour group are with his wife Camilla, the Lane family and his many friends throughout the golfing world.”

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By Golf Digest Middle East
Ayla Golf Club has become the first venue in the Middle East to sign the R&A’s Women in Golf Charter.

Unveiled by The R&A in May 2018, the Women in Golf Charter has been introduced to help foster a more inclusive culture within the game of golf and to ensure that women across the world are afforded equal opportunities to maximise their potential, both on the course and within the golf industry.

Spanish Ladies European Tour player Carmen Alonso, Saudi’s first professional golfer Othman Almulla and former Ryder Cup player Barry Lane were all on hand in Aqaba as Ayla’s Director of Operations, Chris White, confirmed the club’s support for the principles of the Charter.

It came on the eve of the inaugural Jordan Mixed Open Presented by Ayla which started Thursday. The event, the world’s first mixed open, a pioneering event that will see men and women go head-to-head over the same course, for a single prize purse and trophy, is a key part of the club’s gender equality drive.

You can watch the promo video here:

“As Jordan’s first championship course we believe that it is extremely important that we demonstrate that golf is a game that can be played by everyone, regardless of age or gender,” said White. 

“We intend for the Jordan Mixed Open to act as a catalyst to develop the sport locally and will build upon the success of the event, and the participation programmes already in place at the club, to continue to work towards growing the women’s game at the club and providing equal opportunities as an organisation.”

Ladies European Tour player Carmen Alonso, aspiring young Ayla Golf Club-member Pera Demirsoy and Chris White, the Director of Operations at Ayla Oasis, at Wednesday’s official announcement.

The ground-breaking Jordan Mixed Open will not only promote gender equality on a global stage but is also intended to empower local women and will encompass a series of talks from inspirational Jordanians who have overcome gender barriers to success in their respective fields.

Ayla’s Managing Director, Sahl Dudin, underscored that Ayla has a longstanding legacy of supporting sustainable development in Jordan, of which the promotion of gender equality is a key pillar.

“For Ayla, encouraging and supporting the participation of women in sports and other key areas of development is a crucial element in accelerating positive transformation on a grand scale, and Ayla will support all endeavours geared toward such objective,” he commented. 

R&A Chief Executive Martin Slumbers hailed Ayla’s efforts to grow female participation.

“It is important that we continue to highlight the progress being made to promote greater diversity, accessibility and inclusion within golf. Ayla Golf Club has demonstrated its commitment to supporting these aims by becoming the first venue in the Middle East region to sign up to the Women in Golf Charter as well as hosting the world’s first ever mixed professional event this week.

“Hopefully it will inspire other golf clubs to embrace the opportunities that encouraging more women and girls into the sport can bring.”

The post Ahead of pioneering Jordan Mixed Open, host club Ayla double down on women’s golf drive appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

That’s just one of the tasty little battles within the battle in Aqaba where Ladies European Tour (LET) stars will compete against the whippersnappers of the European Challenge and several former Ryder Cuppers from the Staysure (senior) Tour on the same course for a single prize fund from Thursday. 

Related: White confident of gender-neutral Ayla Golf Club set-up for Jordan Mixed Open

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll have some sort of wager running throughout the tournament,” Scott told the European Tour. “It will probably involve household chores.”

We’ll keep tabs on the Henry’s battle for domestic bliss but beforehand revert to the push for pre-tournament coverage. Normally a tournament would need to be quite novel for publicity cut-through but the team in Jordan have let the venue and nearby surrounds do all the heavy lifting.

Check out the video of the LET’s Olivia Cowan, Challenge Tour competitor Borja Virto and the former Ryder Cupper Barry Lane taking in the sights of Petra, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, and Wadi Rum:

History isn’t made everyday, but when it is, it’s worth celebrating. Star golfers @OliviaCowan, @BorjaVirto and @BazLane recently joined us to do just that. Here we share their journey through Jordan… Behind-the-scenes coming soon, stay tuned! #WeShareTheSameDrive pic.twitter.com/r6fOhum8et

— Ayla Oasis (@AylaOasis) March 28, 2019

We’re still coming to terms with Lane’s attempt at the floss and look forward to the impending bloopers cut.

Beforehand, enjoy the publicity shots from Petra and Wadi Rum, an increasingly dramatic collection of red sandstone mountains which has served as the backdrop to films such as Lawrence of Arabia and more recently scenes from The Martian and the latest Star Wars blockbuster, Rogue One.

Barry Lane, Olivia Cowan and Borja Virto at Petra.

Olivia Cowan lets one rip into the stunning vastness of Wadi Rum.

Meanwhile, Ayla Golf Club course designer Greg Norman has lent his support to the event.

‘’Any initiative that sets to break down the barriers that prevent people from taking up the sport and that looks to change the narrative regarding women and girls in sport must be encouraged,” said the Great White Shark.

“To construct a format in which women and men compete together over the same course is an impressive feat and there is no doubt that events that showcase golfing talent regardless of gender, such as the Jordan Mixed Open presented by Ayla, are the future of the game.’’

Norman’s sentiments were have been echoed by LET star Carly Booth and Staysure Tour member Phillip Price.

“I am delighted to be taking part in this unique event in Jordan,” said Booth. “I’ve always believed that we are all equal and creating environments where that can be celebrated can only be a good thing for our sport and also for our communities. It’s a great concept and I can’t wait to get going.”

Three-time European Tour winner and member of the victorious 2002 Ryder Cup squad, Price is also keen to see how the tournament plays out. The layout has been specifically set-up to ensure competitors from each circuit can compete over an equal playing field, with bunkering and hazards, alongside tee placement, taken into consideration.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity, not only to compete with the female players but also to test my game against the up-and-coming players on the Challenge Tour,” the Welshman commented. “Playing golf in Jordan and competing against the Ladies European Tour professionals are both new and exciting experiences and it’s going to be really interesting to see how the format works in practice.”

The post Pioneering Jordan Mixed Open a PR dream appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Lane goes in search of his sixth Staysure Tour title when the circuit formerly known as European Senior Tour makes its 2018 bow at the Sharjah Senior Golf Masters on Thursday. It will be English pro’s ninth seniors campaign and he’s still tinkering away, trying to be the best he can be to add to a CV that included five premier European Tour wins and the 1995 Anderson Consulting World Championship of Golf, a precursor to the current WGC events.

But with the tinkering comes inevitable creeks caused by those advancing years.

“I’ve been trying to work on a couple of different swing moves and it’s caused a little bit of an issue with my back – sadly I’m not 25 years old anymore,” said Lane after guiding Golf Digest Middle East in Wednesday’s Pro-Am at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club.

The official Pro-Am day has arrived! Tune in for more of the action on https://t.co/F9rJGDtdil #SharjahSGM #SharjahGolf #Shurooq pic.twitter.com/jX4JQLxZog

— Sharjah Senior Golf Masters (@SharjahSGM) March 7, 2018

“But I’m always thinking about the game, even at 57. I’m always trying to improve. It’s an on-going thing with me, trying to do some stretching work so my body can do what my brain wants it to do. That’s half the battle when you reach my age. The mind wants you to do it, but the body is saying ‘hang on, you’re not a young man anymore!’

Lane finished 29th at the inaugural Sharjah Senior Golf Masters last March and went on to win the Willow Senior Golf Classic at Hanbury Manor in Hertfordshire in August. He finished seventh in the order of merit – he’s only ever finished outside the top-5 three times and no worse than 20th in his rookie year of 2010 – and wants more success.

Maybe even the John Jacobs Trophy for money-list honours? He’s finished runner-up twice and third twice as well, so, why not?

“I certainly want to win at least once every year. But I’m getting older, and you’ve got to compete with the younger guys are coming through. I suppose with some of the guys, the older they get, the greater the chance that they might lose some motivation. But I don’t seem to have lost it yet. I turn 58 this year and I absolutely love the competitiveness and I miss it when I don’t have it.”

So much so the 1993 Ryder Cupper spent much of last month in the U.S. warming up for Sharjah.

From 27 C to -1 C.
Feels a little Chilly pic.twitter.com/yc8Rkecv5x

— Barry Lane (@BazLane) February 20, 2018

“It’s been a while since last year’s final event in Mauritius in December [he was defending champion after winning the MCB Tour Championship in 2016] so I kept myself busy by heading over to America for three weeks in February to play some golf. I escaped the cold weather in England and managed to qualify for the Chubb Classic on the PGA Tour Champions and played well for the last two rounds there shooting 68-67. I literally played golf every day while I was in the States so when I came back to England I made sure I got plenty of rest before heading to Sharjah.”

“It’s a lovely golf course [in Sharjah] and the facilities are fantastic. Last year the course itself was in great condition and it was a really enjoyable week. I got off to a good start but gave some shots back on the back nine of the second day and fell out of contention. I’m looking forward to playing the course again and I hope to play better this time around.”

Entry to this year’s Sharjah Senior Golf Masters is free of charge.

Winning titles ?
Playing in the @rydercup ?
Having a shot at 5⃣9⃣

We caught up with @BazLane https://t.co/6xIGeldmPv

— Staysure Tour (@StaysureTour) February 23, 2018

The post Plugging away in a slightly slower Lane appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 56-year-old Englishman is one of the early favourites for the Sharjah Senior Golf Masters presented by Shurooq, the European Senior Tour’s $425,000, 57-player, 54-hole season-opening event.

Lane is impressed with the Peter Harradine-designed layout and is predicting a stiff test.

“It’s a lovely course, a proper nine-hole course, and it will make a tough 18-hole course,” the 1993 Ryder Cupper said.

“I’m not quite sure what the final score will be to be honest. It’s difficult to get close to the flags and some of the greens are tricky to read, it has been set up really nicely for a tournament. We play from different tees on the par threes and par fives, which I think is very sensible.

“I think the hardest challenge will be forgetting what you had done the first time you played the hole and refocusing. It will be different for us, but anything different is good.”

Lane, a five time winner on both the main and senior European Tours, enters Sharjah as the most recent senior tour winner after clinching last year’s MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius.

“The game seems to still be there and I’m really looking forward to this season,” said Lane who collected €128,760 for finishing fifth on last season’s moneylist, the fifth time in six years that he has finished inside the order of merit’s top 5.

“I had six second-place finishes and a few thirds since the last time I won on the Senior Tour in 2012. I hadn’t realised it had been so many years between wins.

“I played well from September onwards and carried it through. I feel like I’m playing as well, if not better, than I was in Mauritius. I went over to America at the start of the year and practiced and played a lot.”

With so many forced carries over water, Lane’s length off the tee is set to be an asset in Sharjah where reigning Senior Open champion Paul Broadhurst, last season’s order of merit champion and another long baller, is the firm favourite. The tournament, like most, will ultimately be decided on the greens though. While smooth and true and likely to be sped up for the start of the tournament on Thursday, they were running on the slow-ish side in Tuesday’s Pro-Am which will take the field some time to adjust to.

As the only player to play the first 25 Dubai Desert Classics, Lane is familiar with desert conditions and ready for the challenge of playing in Sharjah for the first time.

“I have played well in the Emirates over the years, I finished third in Dubai twice and sixth four times.

“I like coming here, and at this time of year the weather is perfect. It’s a shock to the system coming to 30 degrees, I live in Gothenburg in Sweden and it has been minus 15 over there.”

Entry to the Sharjah Senior Masters, which begins at 7am Thursday, is free.

The post Barry’s trip down memory Lane won’t linger on Sharjah’s tees appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Des Smyth, Ronan Rafferty, Jose Rivero, Gordon J Brand, Steven Richardson, Gordon Brand Jnr, Philip Walton, Costantino Rocca and Barry Lane are all confirmed for the opening event of the 2017 European Senior Tour season at Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club from March 16-18.

Another former European Ryder Cupper, reigning Senior Open champion and senior tour order of merit champion Paul Broadhurst, is also expected to compete for the $63,750 winners’ cheque in a field set to include the top 20 from last season’s money list.

Also confirmed are two-time senior major champion Roger Chapman, former moneylist winners Peter Fowler and Paul Wesselingh and Welshman Stephen Dodd, who won the 2005 World Cup of Golf.

“We are all very excited about the inaugural Sharjah Senior Golf Masters and would like to extend our grateful thanks to Shurooq for enabling our very first event in Sharjah to see the light of day,” said European Senior Tour chief David MacLaren.

“We believe that this may be the very first time that a full European Tour event of any description has been played over a nine-hole layout and this is sure to add a different and exciting dimension to a tournament that we would urge all local golf fans to support.”

Joining the elite European Senior Tour stars are Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club’s Ramli Sulaiman and Rene Larsen of Jumeirah Golf Estates who triumphed in a recent “Amateur and Professional Qualifier”, along with another local player, John Mills.

The post Nine Ryder Cuppers <br> set for inaugural <br> Sharjah Senior Masters appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 51-year-old Englishman will be joined by three other Ryder Cup blasts from the past – Mark James, Ronan Rafferty and Barry Lane – at the European Senior Tour event at Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club from March 16-18.

“I am greatly looking forward to starting my defence of the John Jacobs Trophy [order of merit title] in Sharjah in March,” said Broadhurst who won his first senior major at Carnoustie in July by two shots from American Scott McCarron before going on to capture the US Champion Tour’s Pure Insurance Championship in September.

“I have always enjoyed playing in the United Arab Emirates, and it’s great that the Senior Tour golfers now have a chance to return to a country where a number of us will have very fond memories.”

Broadhurst, who finished second at the Wales Senior Open, WINSTONgolf Senior Open and the season-ending MCB Tour Championship and had two other two 10s, easily captured the the 2016 order of merit title with €399, 285 from nine events. Swede Magnus P Atlevi, tied third with Miguel Angel Jimenez at Carnoustie, was second with €211,557 to tie up rookie of the year honours.

Atlevi will also tee it up in Sharjah which is one of five European Tour events scheduled for the UAE in 2017 alongside the this month’s main tour Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, February’s Tiger Woods-headlined Omega Dubai Desert Classic, November’s DP World Tour Championship and the Challenge Tour’s Ras-Al Khaimah Golf Challenge in October.

It’s the first Senior Tour event in the region since 2000 but a first professional tournament for Sharjah and the emirate’s Peter Harradine-designed nine-hole course.

James, a former Ryder Cup captain and two-time Senior Tour winner, won the inaugural Dubai Desert Classic in 1989, the very first European Tour event held in the UAE.

Northern Ireland’s Rafferty, winner of the European Tour Order of Merit in 1989, will go in search of a maiden Senior Tour title, adding to the seven he won on main tour between 1989 and 1993.

Lane will land in Sharjah fresh from winning the MCB Tour Championship.

Former Desert Classic champion Eamonn Darcy, a hero of Europe’s 15-13 Ryder Cup win in 1987, fellow Irishman and two-time Ryder Cupper Des Smyth and five-time Senior Tour winner and 2011 OOM winner Peter Fowler (Australia) have also been linked with to the Sharjah bow.

Photo – Getty Images

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