By Kent Gray
One of Middle East golf’s better kept secrets is finally out with the Butch Harmon School of Golf at The Els Club Dubai set for a significant rebrand. But fans of the world renowned Harmon method of instruction needn’t fret.

From January 1, the academy will be overseen by Butch’s son Claude Harmon III and be known as the Claude Harmon ③ Performance Golf Academy Dubai.

The shake-up follows the departure of U.S.-bound Justin Parsons after he initially helped Claude open the BHSG Dubai 10 years ago. Parsons has been replaced as Director of Instruction by his deputy Jamie McConnell while Claude Harmon will spend at least a week at The Els Club annually hosting member only events, VIP clinics, Q&A’s and tournaments as well as working with his team of instructors.

Claude and Butch Harmon with Justin Parsons at The Open.

It’s a coup in a region that already boasts the Peter Cowen academies at Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Golf sister property Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and the recently opened David Leadbetter academy at JA The Resort, more commonly known as Jebel Ali.

Claude Harmon, who was based in Dubai for several years before he made a move back to his native USA, has long since stepped out of the shadow of his famous pop with Dustin Johnson,  Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler among his stable of star players.

Jamie McConnell has succeeded Justin Parsons as Director of Instruction at the newly Claude Harmon academy.

McConnell has been mentored by Parsons during his near five years in Dubai and has already succeeded Parsons who starts a new role at prestigious Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island in Georgia in February.

Irishman McConnell is an AA PGA and TPI Level 2 professional and has helped the BHSG Dubai become a production line for top amateurs, along with a beacon for touring professionals. Toby Bishop, who just won the Faldo Series European Grand Final, was McConnell’s very first lesson when he joined the BHSC in 2013. 

An artists impression of the new leisure facilities at The Els Club Dubai.

Meanwhile, work on a new state-of-the-art leisure facility will begin at The Els Club Dubai, early next year. The Troon International managed facility is set to benefit from a gymnasium, large resort-style swimming pool, a swim-up pool bar, a children’s play area and an additional restaurant. It is hoped it will be operational by September 2019.

“We could not be more excited about this incredible development to our club and cannot wait for the changes to be made and for golfers to enjoy next year,” said Els Club general manager Karl Whitehead.

“This is a fantastic addition to the membership offering at The Els Club Dubai and we are confident of the success that it will bring to our property and the wider community.”

Mark Chapleski, the Dubai-based president of Troon International, applauded the developments at The Els Club Dubai.

“The Troon properties in the Middle East are of exceptional quality and we are delighted to be working alongside one of the region’s leading clubs on this expansion,” Chapleski said.

“It is a progressive move and one we wholeheartedly support. We are also delighted for Jamie, who has been exceptional over several years already. I’m confident he, and the new Claude Harmon ③ Performance Golf Academy Dubai, will thrive at The Els Club Dubai.”

The post From Butch to Claude III; The Els Club Dubai remains a Harmon haven for improvement hungry golfers appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Howells, formerly of the Butch Harmon School of Golf at the Els Club in Dubai, commended Thomas for his golf, noting 17 under through 54 holes at The Royal Golf Club was impressive given the Bahrain course’s sometimes “quirky” nature. He followed up with a question for which he already knew the answer: “So I’m guessing the putting is working?”

Thomas’ retort? “Putting was solid son, still needs work though”.

Related: Dubai prodigy Rayhan Thomas wins second pro title in Bahrain

Having just turned 19, Thomas has every right to over hype his five storke victory at the 11th King Hamad Trophy, a sensational follow up to his Dubai Creek triumph on the MENA Tour two seasons ago. A professional career, after a stint at one of collegiate golf’s ultimate finishing schools, Rickie Fowler’s old Oklahoma State University, beckons but Thomas is able to put the win into longer term context, as excited as he inevitably was in the moment.

“I’m not sure people know how hard he works but it really is something special about the kid,” Howells told GolfDigestme.com afterwards.

“He’s always looking to improve and it [the WhatsApp exchange] just gives you a nice insight into his mind. Credit to his Mum and Dad [Neena and John] and to [his swing coach] Justin [Parsons].

“He’s going places that guy. His attitude is brilliant.”

The past 12 months have been topsy-turvy results wise for Thomas but he’d dedication to improving has never waned. But for a slow start to October’s 10th Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, a four-over 74, he could have won invites to next year’s Masters and Open at Royal Portrush but was still quietly chuffed with his second placing in Singapore. His game was coming back, as it was there for all to see in Bahrain in what he described as a “very clinical” display.   

“The last win was at the Creek in the MENA Tour so it’s been a while since the last big win. I’m just proud of myself that I was able to keep a very clean and crisp job over the last three days,” Thomas said.

“I had two bogeys all week and both in the first round, I was bogey free the last two rounds so just very clean, very tight, I didn’t really make many mistakes which is essential.

“The only way anybody was going to beat me is if they caught up to me. I just felt if I kept doing what I was doing, keep it clean, it was going to be very hard for anybody else. So very happy with the way I played and it’s good to see my game is progressing nicely.”

Thomas’ victory is further validation for the Middle East’s very own finishing school, the MENA Tour which will resume in the New Year after a 15-month restructuring hiatus. Yas Links-atached Luke Joy, a regular contender on the regional development circuit, won the King Hamad Trophy last year and finished his defence T-19 on -2, 14 shots adrift on Thomas, while the MENA Tour’s first life member, 10-time winner Zane Scotland, earned a share of 15th place alongside former European Tour player Jamie Elson on -3.

Thomas was toying with teeing it up in the Indian Amateur Championship but is now unlikely to do so as he knuckles down to his studies in the final year of correspondence school. He will play as many of the new MENA Tour events as possible before heading to college in the United States next summer.

“Hopefully I can keep this form up and take it into the next events, probably next year. I’m not too sure what I’m in playing next, probably won’t be playing anything for a while.

“So a lot of prep work, keep this form going and hopefully keep winning.”

There are no guarantees in golf but as Howells points out, it certainly won’t be for the lack of effort.

The post Text exchange after Thomas’ King Hamad Trophy triumph gives insight into the teen’s steely focus on the future appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
The UAE’s highest profile teaching professional has accepted a plum role at a prestigious club in the United States that boasts five PGA Tour players, including major champions David Love III and Zach Johnson, among its membership.

Justin Parsons will join Sea Island Golf Club on St. Simons Island in Georgia in February after establishing himself as one of the game’s most promising teaching talents during 14 years in Dubai.

The 42-year-old Northern Irishman will finish up as Director of Instruction at the Butch Harmon School of Golf, Dubai at The Els Club on Nov. 30 after opening the facility with Claude Harmon III in 2008-09.

RELATED: The rise and rise of Justin Parsons

The move will allow him more regular access to major champions Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel and star-in-waiting Peter Uihlein. Parsons is currently working with the trio at the CJ Cup @ Nine Bridges, the latest PGA Tour stop in Korea. He will also continue working with leading Dubai amateur Rayhan Thomas who is headed to Oklahoma State University next year, as well as European Tour Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera.

Parsons announced the appointment, a long held secret among the UAE golf industry, on Twitter Thursday:

I am thrilled to announce that I will be joining the instruction team at The Sea Island Golf Performance Center in 2019. @seaislandgpc @SeaIslandResort pic.twitter.com/DMriKJNQay

— Justin Parsons (@JParsonsGolf) October 18, 2018

Bryan Harman and Patton Kizzire, both two-time winners on the PGA Tour, and Keith Mitchell, 67th in last season’s FedEx Cup standings, are also attached to Sea Island G.C., where Love’s father, Davis Milton Love Jr, was one of the first teaching professionals.

Love III boasts the 1997 PGA Championship and two Players Championships among his 21 PGA Tour wins while Johnson won the 2007 Masters and 2015 Open.

That Parsons is an indirect replacement at Sea Island for Billy Horschel’s coach Todd Anderson speaks volumes of the Dubai instructor’s growing reputation in the U.S.

Anderson reportedly departed the Sea Island Golf Performance Centre team in 2016 and Sea Island have waited for the right fit as a replacement. Parsons was alerted to the potential opportunity via a Titleist contact and after initially meeting Titleist Performance Institute co-founder and golf fitness guru Randy Myers, flew to Georgia with his wife Cheryl for an interview learning centre manager Craig Allan just before the U.S. Open in July.    

“It’s a very, very tough decision to leave Dubai,” Parsons told Golf Digest Middle East from chilly Jeju Island in South Korea. “It’s been our home, a wonderful place to raise our family and has given me the opportunity to grow and do things that I could never have done anywhere else and I’ll be forever grateful for that. 

“But having made the amounts of trips I’ve made this year as my career has kind of progressed to the PGA Tour, I was looking for something that would allow me to maintain that growth and also give me a base to work from.

“The guys at Sea Island have certainly said that’s what they want. They want somebody who is a good full swing golf coach who can try and get close to what Todd had done there as well as travelling on the PGA Tour and representing what is a very prestigious facility.”

Parsons, who got his break in Dubai at The Address Montgomerie Dubai, admitted leaving the high-profile Harmon network was a massive call. His replacement at The Els Club, Dubai training centre has yet to be formally unveiled but is understood to be a coach with a global profile.

“Obviously I opened up with Claude in 2008 [at the Els Club, Dubai], in 2009 we opened the Golf School [Butch Harmon School of Golf, Dubai], so I’ve been there since the inception,” Parsons said.

“So although I’m not with the Harmon family anymore, I’ll always be part of the Harmon family and their framework.

“Career wise it allows me to continue to develop my own instruction on the PGA Tour. I’m getting more use to what the players need, I’m getting more use to the pressures they have to deal with and how to assist them day to day, not only with their swing but the linkage with their physical therapists, their medical teams, their caddies. I’m becoming better at being able to do all of that.

“I’m really thankful for the opportunity Dubai has given me to grow and obviously this ongoing opportunity.”

We are excited to announce that Justin Parsons @JParsonsGolf is joining our Instruction team in 2019.
A native of Northern Ireland, Justin will bring the skills and knowledge he shares with students such as @CA_Schwartzel @Louis57TM @PeterUihlein @SeaIslandResort pic.twitter.com/rH3fEjC6tw

— Sea Island GPC (@seaislandgpc) October 18, 2018

The post UPDATED: Parsons lured to prestigious Georgia club where Davis Love III launched his World Golf Hall of Fame worthy career appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

That the Dubai-domiciled 14-year-old would represent his country again was inevitable after such an notable international debut  and we now have confirmation of when that will be courtesy of Hill’s father, Russell:

WATCH: Josh Hill makes winning start to England career at Boys Home Internationals

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Another little outing to look forward to!

A post shared by Russell (@russellhill19) on Oct 7, 2018 at 5:07am PDT

Hill will line up for the England against Ireland in a two-day, U-16s match at Limerick on October 13-14 that will also include each country’s top six girls.

It comes after the Butch Harmon School of Golf Dubai player finished T-11 at the 84th Singa Thailand Amateur Open earlier this month to open his season, despite some frustrations as another Instagram post from Dad hinted:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I think that was a really good bad day!?it started very positively, ? the first, missed 6footer to ?the second, ?the third?, then had a 10 footer to bird 4, then it was quite steady from there till 9 I don’t know what it was (heat, travel fatigue, slowness of play etc) but something switched off and greens were missed and when hot he only had 60-90 footers from the wrong side of the slope. Ended the day 3 over! (Could have been far worse if he hadn’t drain a bunch of 20+ foot putts) From my part watching a 5 1/2 hr round and some of the worst course etiquette was a struggle (hitting from the next tee when people were putting out on the last hole, walking half way up the fairway when one is still driving, it was unbelievable and they still managed to get it in in 5 1/2 hours). Today’s another day and another experience! Good Luck Josh!

A post shared by Russell (@russellhill19) on Oct 2, 2018 at 5:10pm PDT

The Jumeirah Golf Estates member is eyeing a tilt at the MENA Tour this year as looks to ramp up his golfing education and will no doubt be inspired by the news that the Emirates Golf Federation order of merit series now has a World Amateur Golf Ranking lure.

RELATED: The EGF Order of Merit decider secures WAGR status

Hill is the reigning EGF Open Men’s OOM champion after a breakout 2017-18 campaign during which he won six open men’s titles and created course records of 65 and 68 at Trump Dubai and the Track respectively.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

What a great week playing for @england.golf in the home internationals getting the W aswell as having such a fun time ???

A post shared by Josh Hill (@j.hill_golf) on Aug 10, 2018 at 9:42am PDT

The post Limerick set to be the next chapter in Josh Hill’s England career appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 14-year-old Jumeriah Golf Estates star signed for an even par 72 at Portstewart G.C. on Tuesday to earn a share of 11th place in the 252-strong field after the opening round of the U-18 event, rivalled only by the U.S. Junior Am in terms of age-group prestige.

Hill, five shots off the pace set Joesph Pagdin after the Englishman produced a 67 at Portstewart, tees it up in his second round at nearby Royal Portrush at 12.56am (3.56pm UAE time) on Wednesday. He’s well positioned to make the top 64 and matchplay phase which will also be held at Portrush, next year’s Open Championship venue.

Picture courtesy The R&A.

It’s the last event of Hill’s UK summer campaign highlighted by his three from a possible four point contribution as England secured a rare Boys Home Internationals three-peat at Royal Dornoch last week.

Hills only loss came in a foursomes match with teammate Max Hopkins although he more than made amends by finishing five under and two under respectively as he overpowered Welshman Dylan Thomas 5&4 and Ireland’s Charlie Denvir 3&2 for critical singles points.

It’s all over! England sneaked home with a win 8-7! Josh won his match 4&2 (I know it officially said 3&2 but as one can see the last hole was conceded). He was deadly focused and pretty clinical and only produced one mistake! I would consider this a fairly successful week with 3 out of four points won. What a great experience thanks to @england.golf for showing faith in a pretty unknown and untried player and thanks to the whole england management team and players for making @j.hill_golf feel so at home and creating such a memorable experience! @bhsgdubai @jgegolf @jmarshallgolf @faldoseries

A post shared by Russell (@russellhill19) on Aug 9, 2018 at 9:49pm PDT

“It is such a great feeling to win with all the team. Afterwards we had dinner and walked around town [Dornoch] a long time, you know having a laugh and having fun and it was such a good event to win,” Hill told Golf Digest Middle East.

“It was a great event, one of the best events I’ve ever played, so well set up. They treated you amazingly, it was as if you were playing a pro event. To me the people on the England team, they were so nice, so fun to be around and really funny.

“I felt like we should have won that match [foursomes v Wales] easily but other than that I felt like I played fairly well. It was great to win, especially on my debut.”

The post Hill makes fast start to British Boys Amateur Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Welcome to the first edition of The Sand Trap, where we scour the worldwide inter-web for the Middle East’s best golf news before expertly splashing it out with absolutely no (okay, sometimes a little) spin. Call it old school polishing (reporting) of today’s social media overload, a light-hearted take on everything that is great about golf in the game’s hottest destination.

We’re unapologetically Middle East centric – our colleagues at Golf Digest H.Q. in New York will continue to update you on the best global goings on via ‘The Grind’ and the ‘Dew Sweeper’ – so if it has even a tenuous link to the game here, we’ll be all over it.

If you win a title and your club does the needful online, check in here – you might just feature (remember to smile and share!) alongside the region’s more high profile players. Don’t be shy to share that viral worthy post either. A trick shot or a laughter educing whiff from one of your golfing pals perhaps? Simply tag us @GolfDigestME and we’ll do the rest. Who knows, you really could go global with the assistance of Golf Digest.

With that, enjoy this, your first escape from with the Sand Trap, which we coincidently launch just as the year’s final major is about to take the starter’s orders in St. Louis. Enjoy.

THIS WEEK IN THE INCREDIBLE RISE AND RISE OF JUNIOR PHENOM JOSH HILL

Before we head to Bellerive Country Club for the 100th staging of the U.S. PGA Championship, divert your attention, Dear Sand Trappers, to Royal Dornoch where they’ve apparently been golfing since 1616. That’s 402 years ago according the abacus at Media One Towers, or 388 years since Josh Hill was born right here in Dubai. The drawn out connection here is that Hill is set to tee it up at Dornoch on Tuesday as England opens the defence of its Boys Home Internationals title. And that’s as stunning as the fabled Scottish highlands links land hosting the matchplay event where each team faces the other over three days in five morning foursomes and 10 afternoon singles matches each day.

Hill’s selection to the U-18 England team – remember he’s 14! – continues a meteoric rise. It wasn’t that long ago he was posing with Ryder Cuppers Andy Sullivan and Rory McIlroy as a wide-eyed 12-year-old having just played the DP World Tour Championship Pro-Am at JGE, coinsidently where he trains.

That was late 2016. Fast-forward to early 2018 and Hill marked himself as the hottest prospect in UAE golf since the emergence of Rayhan Thomas, courtesy of eight wins in a magical three month stretch to April. It will be fascinating to see how Hill fares in the pressure-filled matches against Scotland, Wales and Ireland as England aim for a title three-peat. Whatever happens at Dornach, Dubai looks to have unearthed a genuine gem. Best wishes to Josh and kudos to his supportive parents Russell and Jo and Butch Harmon School of Golf Dubai instructor Joe Marshall. All can be justifiably proud of the unexpected international call-up.

JP ON THE ROAD (AGAIN) TO THE 100th PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Talking of the BHSG Dubai, the stock of the Els Club Dubai-based academy’s Director of Instruction, Justin Parsons, continues to rise. ‘JP’ has been criss-crossing the globe recently working with former major champions Charl Schwartzel and Louis Oosthuizen who are now firmly ensconced in a stable that also includes Peter Uihlein, Frenchman Mike Lorenzo-Vera and the aforementioned Rayhan Thomas. The Northern Irishman was in Akron last week and departed for the PGA Championship thoroughly encouraged by Schwartzel’s storming finish to the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, a 63 at Firestone Country Club propelling the former Masters champion up to a share of 31st with, among others, Tiger Woods.

Great to watch @charlschwartzel get it going today- 63 to finish the week strong. Firestone is a great venue and will be missed, glad I saw the last one. On to the @pgachampionship

A post shared by Justin Parsons (@jparsonsgolf) on Aug 5, 2018 at 1:07pm PDT

Here’s more of JP’s recent handiwork (scroll through the Insta post to see Oosty and Schwartzel in practice at Firestone).

Great to be in Akron for the WGC!!

A post shared by Justin Parsons (@jparsonsgolf) on Jul 31, 2018 at 6:12pm PDT

Parsons was headed to Bellerive (Schwartzel, Oosthuizen, Uihlein and Lorenzo-Vera are all in the field) overnight via a road trip with International Sport Management (think Chubby Chandler’s company) player manager Louis Martin in an RV.  (FYI, Oosthuizen and Uihlein are ISM clients).

So the NFL Hall of Fame is here, flights are full. This legend and I are taking a road trip from Akron-St Louis in an RV. Story to follow- seems like a good idea ????? @ Firestone Country… https://t.co/PtJyDK0xQT

— Justin Parsons (@JParsonsGolf) August 5, 2018

It’s a pretty epic sounding trip – all 900km of it – and we do hope JP shares some footage as promised. What we can guarantee, cough, cough, splutter, splutter, is that it’s not the final destination for the UAE’s best known coach. Again, watch this space.

Related: Woods, Rory and WGC-Bridgestone champion Thomas paired for PGA

TALKING OF GLOBE-TROTTING UAE PROS

With the mercury at sizzling point and the UAE’s driving ranges relatively empty as a result, it’s an ideal time for the UAE’s hard working PGA teaching professionals to grab some well-deserved R&R. And some, like Trump International Dubai head pro Sven Nielsen, are doing it better than most as these epic pictures from Scotland highlands illustrate.

Some breathtaking views at @carnegielinks with the guys yesterday!! Great to play in 20 degrees again. #summergolf #golf #golfer #greatgolfcourse #views #unreal

A post shared by Sven Nielsen (@svennielsenpga) on Aug 3, 2018 at 11:17am PDT

The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle is a private club “offering limited tee times to non-residents”. As a former pro at Trump Turnberry, we’re guessing Nielsen didn’t have too much trouble getting on. He certainly had little trouble playing his Tiger-esque stinger:

Little 2-iron stinger here!!! ???? Amazing day at @carnegielinks with @msweenie_golf @rob.satterley.golf and @calsatterley what a phenomenal golf course and experience!! Thanks for having us!!! #golf #golfer #golflesson #golfcoach #greatcourse #greatgolfcourse

A post shared by Sven Nielsen (@svennielsenpga) on Aug 2, 2018 at 4:55pm PDT

Nice shot, Sven. But perhaps not quite as flush as your recent ace at Trump.

?HOLE IN ONE? today for me while playing with one of my clients. 145yards PW. ???? #golf #golfer #holeinone #golfcoach #golflesson @trumpgolf @trumpgolfdubai

A post shared by Sven Nielsen (@svennielsenpga) on Jul 20, 2018 at 11:52pm PDT

We’re genuinely happy for the hard-working South African but won’t be so generous if the Springboks show as much class in the upcoming Rugby Championship. Did we mention the team behind the Sand Trap are ardent supporters of the All Blacks?

LUKE’S PRO V1 JOY

Just like the mighty All Blacks, we love golf swag at the Sand Trap, especially swag of the, well, you know, free kind. Check out the booty MENA Tour player Luke Joy has just recieved from a couple of well-known sponsors.

Huge thanks to @GOLFPRINCIPLES @callawaygolf @Callaway_Mat for all the help with getting the new X- Forged irons set up ?Awesome service and superb product come as standard! Many thanks guys?#golfprinciples #lukejoygolf #callaway #rogue #trackman pic.twitter.com/erN0cnP3Nj

— Luke Joy (@JoyBoy59) July 28, 2018

Always great to get a delivery from @titleistukireland / Africa Thanks @titleist for keeping me stocked up… I use the Pro V1 X Ball and Players glove?. #1 #1ballingolf #prov1x #golf #titleist #golfball #lukejoygolf

A post shared by Luke Joy – ‎ليوك (@lukejoygolf) on Aug 3, 2018 at 10:48am PDT

Nice. We’re guessing these shiny new spheres will travel a little further than the tee shot of Joy’s brother Ollie during a recent social round.

So bit of social golf today with my Bro @ollie_joy85 and Cousin at Queens Park GC… Both didn’t make it past the ladies tee… Rules are Rules ? #queenspark #sunshine #pantsdown #golf #keepingitfun #ladiestee #familygolf #family #priceless #bournemouth #england #funinthesun #chef #aussie #lukejoygolf

A post shared by Luke Joy – ‎ليوك (@lukejoygolf) on Aug 2, 2018 at 1:55pm PDT

Rules are rules but enough of those shenanigans. The Yas Links-attached Englishman is just back from a steady 12th place finish in last week’s Sunshine Tour stop in Kenya, an encouraging bounce-back after playing like a complete plonker – his words, not ours – in Open Championship qualifying. 

Joy still has designs on a European Tour card via Q-School ahead of a series of starts on the Sunshine and Asian Tours towards the end of 2018 “with the end goal of punching a ticket to secure European Tour status or at least have some events with a full playing category on the Challenge Tour”.

“I’m working hard with Matt Parker down at Yas so all seems to be working towards the ET for the coming years.”

Here’s hoping, although don’t be surprised if you see more off the course action on JoyBoy59’s twitter feed in the coming weeks; the 30-year-old Dorset pro is getting married at the end of the month. We’re sure fiancée Lauren-Leanne Bellows wouldn’t mind a prolonged honeymoon following hubby to some of the European Tour’s more exotic locales.

To be fair, Joy will need to keep winning to continue to afford experiences like this watching his beloved England in the World Cup.

Thanks for an amazing few weeks @England … You got a whole nation believing, dreaming and singing! Gutted yes, but the future looks very promising for this young side ???????#threeloins pic.twitter.com/BarrHQw8br

— Luke Joy (@JoyBoy59) July 11, 2018

JoyBoy indeed!

FRIENDLY REMINDER #1

It’s not long now until the climax of the European Tour season at JGE. In fact, it’s 99-days until the DP World Tour Championship. Follow the prompt for free tickets, Sand Trappers.

Only #100daystogo until the #greatestplayersonearth return to @JumeirahGolfEst for the #dpwtc. Register for free general admission now #racetodubai pic.twitter.com/MOX8le3aOw

— DP World Tour Championship (@DPWTC) August 5, 2018

DUBAI TROPHY BLAST FROM THE PAST

Former head pro Malcolm Young is clearly in a nostalgic space as he packs up after 10½ years at Arabian Ranches to take up a new posting in Hong Kong. Or perhaps he just found this picture as he was clearing out some clutter.

Either way, it’s a cool rewind to the 2010 Dubai Golf Trophy which the professionals snuck by a solitary point. The Pros will miss Young’s talents next winter as they try to avert a fourth straight loss to the EGF’s best amateurs, but not half as much as the quietly spoken Scot’s old clientele at Ranches. Dubai’s loss is the Jack Nicklaus Academy of Golf’s gain. Yup, that’s how highly rated Young is.

ANOTHER SAD FOND FAREWELL

There are leaving dos and then there’s the way Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club do the leaving do. Stick with us here.

How about honouring New Zealand-bound course superintendent Marty Brown with his own golf tournament.

Marty Brown, our Golf Course superintendent is leaving (after 12 years service). Come down and join us on his farewell golf day on 10 August.#golf #sharjah #sharjahgolf #golfindubai #farewellgolf pic.twitter.com/KpYl2d4qRF

— Sharjah Golf & SClub (@SharjahGolf) August 2, 2018

A classy move from a club that is making a habit of doing classy things and best of all, there’s still time to farewell Brown by entering the event.  The Kiwi leaves huge steel-capped boots to fill after presenting SGSC in pristine condition for the last two Staysure Tour (formerly European Senior Tour) Sharjah Senior Golf Masters events. Go well Marty. Oh, and I’m sure you’ll join us in wishing the Mighty All Blacks all the best as well. We did warn you!

TODAY’S TEAR-JERKER

Okay, here’s the Sand Trap’s first tenuous Middle East link. Sure Justin Thomas hasn’t played in the Desert Swing yet – perhaps the American will be the star draw at January’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship or even the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic? – but we just couldn’t ignore his win in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational overnight. More to the point, we loved that JT’s grandparents were on hand to see his third win of the season at Firestone.

What a day for the family

A post shared by Justin Thomas (@justinthomas34) on Aug 5, 2018 at 7:59pm PDT

What a keepsake that pic will be. And now on to Bellerive with Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy set to push Thomas all the way in his defence of the Wanamaker Trophy. Golf is deep. Really, really deep as this 72nd hole drive from JT shows. And to think McIlroy hit a 400+ yarder in the final round at Firestone.

JT’s 394 yards drive at the 18th is the second longest drive ever hit on the final hole at Firestone (396, Tiger in 2003). ・・・ #WGCBridgestone Repost #europeantour

A post shared by Golf Digest Middle East (@golfdigestme) on Aug 5, 2018 at 9:54pm PDT

GEORGIA ON OUR MINDS

The newly-minted Ricoh Women’s British Open champion has been a perennial contender at the OMEGA Dubai Ladies Classic is recent years so there’s a genuine Middle East link to this snippet.

Stunning moment @RICOHWomensBrit #champion @georgiahall96 and a crowd of very #excited youngsters just shows what a young #homegrown #talent can do for #golf #congratulations #georgiahall @ricoheurope @CallawayGolfEU @goodwood_golf #berenberg @RandA @GettySport pic.twitter.com/gw0NORULmW

— David Cannon (@Cannonball63) August 5, 2018

And these stunning pictures are from our favourite golf photographer too, UAE regular David Cannon. Enjoy.

David Cannon

David Cannon

David Cannon

David Cannon

THE GULF CLUB

How about the play of David Baldwin and Leighton Johnson in capturing the EGF’s Summer Pairs Open sponsored by Golf Superstore. Check out all the action in his post from Al Ain Equestrian Shooting and Golf Club:

Looks like they were having fun in the sun (okay, blistering heat) at Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club too in annual Troon Executive Card Summer Series.

We had fantastic TEC Summer Series over the weekend at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. Thank you all for your participation and congratulations to the winners! #playgolf #troongolf

A post shared by Saadiyat Beach Golf Club (@saadiyatbeachgolfclub) on Aug 5, 2018 at 4:58am PDT

We had fantastic TEC Summer Series over the weekend at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club. Thank you all for your participation and congratulations to the winners! #playgolf #troongolf

A post shared by Abu Dhabi Golf Club (@abudhabigolfclub) on Aug 5, 2018 at 5:01am PDT

The winners were grinners in the fourth round of the Summer BMW X5 Series Open Social at Sharjah Golf & Shooting Club too.

Aurn & Vivian win. The fourth round of the Summer BMW X5 Series Open Social was hosted on the 4th August 2018. The format was Betterball medal on the front nine and a Texas Scramble Medal on the back nine. The duo returned net 35 (1 under par) in the betterball & net 30 (6 under par) in the nine hole Texas Scramble format. Giving the pair a combined score of 65, 7 under par. Congratulation to both! @bmwmiddleeast #golf #sharjahgolf #sharjah #greatprizes #summergolf #winners

A post shared by Sharjah Golf (@sharjahgolf) on Aug 5, 2018 at 5:38am PDT

WE. CAN’T. STOP. WATCHING.

Finally, if you’re not already following us on Instagram, here’s a couple of recent posts that should entice you to sign-up at golfdigestme:

Father and son weekend goals. ?‍?

A post shared by Golf Digest Middle East (@golfdigestme) on Aug 2, 2018 at 1:38pm PDT

Talk about father-son goals.

And then there is this in the latest installment of Phil Being Phil, just in case you missed it (quite how that is possible is beyond us).

In My Philings ???

A post shared by Golf Digest Middle East (@golfdigestme) on Aug 2, 2018 at 9:35pm PDT

We don’t know what Lefty’s Dad dance is so weirdly alluring. But… We. Can’t. Stop. Watching. At least it was better than his running putt in the U.S. Open. But lets move on, maybe by watching again. Until next time…Wow Phil. Just wow.

The post Welcome to the ‘Sand Trap’, a social media take on all things Middle East golf appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Al Ain might be the home of the Faldo Series’ Middle East Championship but you can bet there will be a gaggle of proud Jumeirah Golf Estates members following Thursday’s final round action 150km away in Dubai, not to mention three very interested Butch Harmon School of Golf instructors in nearby Dubai Sports City.

That’s because JGE clubmates Josh Hill, Arjun Gupta and Toby Bishop are locked in a fascinating battle for not only the U-16 title but the overall crown at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club in the first event of the 22nd season of Sir Nick Faldo’s global junior series.

A day after shooting 69 on his 14th birthday, +3 handicapper Hill signed for a best of the week 65 Wednesday to move to -6 for the championship. The Englishman will take a two-stroke advantage into the final round over Bishop (Wales) and Gupta (India) who fired 66s in the second round of the 54-hole event.

Hill plays one of his 65 strokes at AESGC in the second round.

Denmark’s Mikkel Mathieson, the overnight co-leader with Hill, is fourth on even par after a one-over 71 but leads the U-18 division by four strokes over Italian Sasha Sparacino.

Hill’s prowess has come to the fore in recent weeks after his Emirates Golf Federation Open men’s heroics at Trump International Golf Club Dubai and a runner-up finish at the Faldo Series Asian Grand Final in Vietnam.

Related: Josh Hill, just 13, fires Trump course record en-route to third successive EGF title

Gupta, playing off a +1 handicap, is another rising star. In fact, he was part of the “Constellation Clinic” during January’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic where he received a lesson (and a shiny new set of TaylorMade clubs) from Rory McIlroy and rubbed shoulders with boy band golfer Niall Horan and golf’s social media queen Paige Spiranac.

Related: 7 takeaways from the Desert Swing

Getty Images
Rory McIlroy watches Gupta during the Constellation Clinic.

Gupta is coached by Justin Parsons. The Butch Harmon School of Golf Director of Golf, currently in Texas working with PGA Tour rookie Peter Uihlein at the Houston Open, speaks highly of the young Indian lad, indeed all three front-runners; Bishop (+ 0.9 handicap) and Hill are coached by Parson’s BHSG Dubai colleagues Jamie McConnell and Joe Marshall respectively.

“We’ve worked with young Arjan at the golf school for three or four years now, an incredibly talented young player,” said Parsons.

Arjun Gupta’s sister Natalii is in contention in the under-16 girls division. Some family!

“He works at the golf school most days. I’ve been personally working with him coming up two years now and he shows an awful lot of promise and potential. We’ve got a great crop there with obviously Josh Hill, Spencer Goodin and young Toby Bishop. There’s Krishiv Tekchandani too who is one of the lads in our high school programme. We’re excited about all those young lads.”

Toby Bishop

Elsewhere, a second round 73 sees India’s Arkesh Bhatia lead the U-21 men’s division with a +7 aggregate, three shots clear of UAE national team player Abdullah Al Qubaisi who slipped with a Wednesday 76.

A single shot separates England’s Billie-Jo Smit (74-73) and Kenyan Kellie Gachaga (74-74) in the U-21 girls championship while South Korean Hyeonji Kang (73-73) takes a three shot buffer into the final round of the U-16 girls division over Natalii Gupta (76-74), Arjun’s sister.

The post JGE teen trio Hill, Gupta and Bishop set up epic Faldo Series finale at Al Ain appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Peter Uihlein has played The Masters once before courtesy of winning the 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship on his 21st birthday but is currently on the outside looking in on the year’s first major at Augusta National.

He’s running out of time to make a second trip up Magnola Lane but it won’t surprise the PGA Tour rookie’s Dubai-based coach Justin Parsons if Uihlein punches his ticket in the next fortnight. The now 28-year-old certainly made an encouraging start to his late bid for a tilt at the green jacket with a 2&1 upset of Rory McIlroy, fresh from his sensational Arnold Palmer Invitational win, on the opening day of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Championship at Austin Country Club on Wednesday.

“Obviously Pete’s game is in good shape,” said Parsons, the Director of Instruction at the Els Dubai-based Butch Harmon School of Golf, of Uihlein who had been dormie five.

Related: Peter Uihlein: The European Tour wasn’t a “stepping stone” to the PGA Tour

“The new pressures of being a rookie on the PGA Tour have probably kept him a little more conservative so it was great to see him go out in the match play last night and against Rory and be a little more aggressive and show people the type of game he has.

“Understandably maybe Rory wasn’t just at his sharpest but he threw a few birdies at him near the end and Pete showed he is in good command of both his game and his mental game as well.”

Uihlein has fallen from a world ranking of 52 at the end of 2017 to 63rd entering the third WGC-event of the season and will need more magic in Texas and at next week’s Houston Open to sneak inside the top-50 to punch his ticket to Augusta.

Related: Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson among big names to struggle on first day at WGC-Match Play

“It was a great confidence boost for Pete,” said Parsons who stayed up to 2am to watch Uihlein shake hands with McIlroy on the 17th. “I think the big thing for him is once he secures his playing rights for 2019 he’ll grow in confidence through the rest of the season.

“He played well in Houston last year [T-23 at -5,  15 strokes behind winner Russell Henley] so I’m looking forward to going out there on Sunday to see him. He tends to play well in the middle of the summer so I expect him to havg a good summer going forward and a couple of good weeks and he might get the chance to play in Augusta, but he’s not in just yet.”

Related: Five minutes with Peter Uihlein

Uihlein will look to go 2-0 in group 6 when he faces Brian Harman, who halved his opening match with Jhonattan Vegas on Wednesday, in tonight’s second round from 12.15pm (9.15pm UAE time). He’ll undoubtedly take a lot of confidence into the match after nailing McIlroy’s scalp

“I made him earn it at least. I made the score line a little more respectable,” said McIlroy who did well not to be beaten on the 15th.

? @PeterUihlein fends off @APInv winner Rory McIlroy @DellMatchPlay. pic.twitter.com/B2nHTkd32w

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 21, 2018

“I just came away a little flat. I didn’t really necessarily play badly. He played pretty well. It was a few under through 9, and got down early and he didn’t make a bogey all day. So it was — it was hard to sort of claw my way back.”

For the record, Uihlein missed the cut in his Masters debut as an amateur.

[divider] [/divider]

TV Coverage
OSN Sports 3 HD will carry live coverage on Thursday and Friday from 10pm UAE time. They’ll also carry coverage on Saturday and Sunday from 6pm UAE.

Thursday Tee Times (NOTE: The UAE is nine hours ahead of the stated Texas tee times):
Group 13
9:30 a.m. (6.30pm UAE time)  — Alex Noren (1-0) vs. Thomas Pieters (0-1)
9:41 a.m. — Tony Finau (1-0) vs. Kevin Na (0-1)

Group 4
9:52 a.m. — Jordan Spieth (1-0) vs. HaoTong Li (0-1)
10:03 a.m. — Patrick Reed (1-0) vs. Charl Schwartzel (0-1)

Group 9
10:14 a.m. — Tommy Fleetwood (0-1) vs. Kevin Chappell (1-0)
10:25 a.m. — Daniel Berger (0-1) vs. Ian Poulter (1-0)

Group 8
10:36 a.m. — Jason Day (1-0) vs. Jason Dufner (0-1)
10:47 a.m. — Louis Oosthuizen (1-0) vs. James Hahn (0-1)

Group 16
10:58 a.m. — Matt Kuchar (0-0-1) vs. Yuta Ikeda (1-0)
11:09 a.m. — Ross Fisher (0-1) vs. Zach Johnson (0-0-1)

Group 1
11:20 a.m. — Dustin Johnson (0-1) vs. Adam Hadwin (0-0-1)
11:31 a.m. — Kevin Kisner (1-0) vs. Bernd Wiesberger (1-0)

Group 11
11:42 a.m. — Marc Leishman (0-1) vs. Bubba Watson (1-0)
11:53 a.m. — Branden Grace (0-1) vs. Julian Suri (1-0)

Group 6
12:04 p.m. — Rory McIlroy (0-1) vs. Jhonattan Vegas (44)
12:15 p.m. — Brian Harman (18) vs. Peter Uihlein (1-0)

Group 14
12:26 p.m. — Phil Mickelson (14) vs. Satoshi Kodaira (40)
12:37 p.m. — Rafa Cabrera Bello (17) vs. Charles Howell III (59)

Group 3
12:48 p.m. — Jon Rahm (0-0-1) vs. Chez Reavie (0-1)
12:59 p.m. — Kiradech Aphibarnrat (1-0) vs. Keegan Bradley (0-0-1)

Group 10
1:10 p.m. — Paul Casey (10) vs. Kyle Stanley (45)
1:21 p.m. — Matthew Fitzpatrick (31) vs. Russell Henley (51)

Group 7
1:32 p.m. — Sergio Garcia (7) vs. Dylan Frittelli (41)
1:43 p.m. — Xander Schauffele (20) vs. Shubhankar Sharma (62)

Group 15
1:54 p.m. — Pat Perez (0-0-1) vs. Webb Simpson (0-0-1)
2:05 p.m. — Gary Woodland (0-0-1) vs. Si Woo Kim (0-0-1)

Group 2
2:16 p.m. — Justin Thomas (1-0) vs. Patton Kizzire (0-1)
2:27 p.m. — Francesco Molinari (1-0) vs. Luke List (0-1)

Group 12
2:38 p.m. — Tyrrell Hatton (1-0) vs. Brendan Steele (1-0)
2:49 p.m. — Charley Hoffman (0-1) vs. Alexander Levy (0-1)

Group 5
3 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama (1-0) vs. Cameron Smith (1-0)
3:11 p.m. — Patrick Cantlay (0-1) vs. Yusaku Miyazato (0-1)

The post Parsons pleased to see a “more aggressive” Uihlein rewarded with McIlroy scalp appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Peter Uihlein has Boston in his blood. A Red Sox baseball fan first and foremost, he loves his New England Patriots as well and doesn’t mind admitting to a wee man crush on superstar quarterback Tom Brady. The Boston Celtics’ current run to the NBA playoffs is exciting too.

It makes the sports-mad 28-year-old, well, an All-American kind of guy, matching the status of his collegiate career at Oklahoma State University. Yet Uihlein isn’t your typical American, at least not your normal U.S. touring professional that is.

He may hail from New Bedford, Massachusetts, and now reside in Jupiter, Florida, but Uihlein is acutely aware of where he’s come from and it’s not just the privileged upbringing afforded the son of recently retired Acushnet (Titleist/Footjoy) CEO Wally Uihlein.

Uihlein has seemed destined for the PGA Tour since his Oklahoma State University days where he won the Ben Hogan award as the country’s best player in his junior year and spent 52 weeks as the world’s top ranked amateur after winning the U.S. Amateur on his 21st birthday.

Related: Five minutes with PGA Tour rookie Peter Uihlein

He’s there now, of course, plying his trade on the world’s richest circuit courtesy of winning the first of last season’s finals events on the secondary Web.com Tour. He doing okay too, 56th in the FedEx Cup standings as we went to press with a T-10 at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia and breakout T-5 at the WGC-HSBC Championship in Shanghai before Christmas contributing chiefly to the $615,000 he’d banked in eight starts, even with three missed cuts.

But he’s competed primarily on the Europe Tour since turning professional in 2012 and will never forget or forego his status.

“I don’t like when people say is the European Tour a stepping stone for the PGA Tour because it’s not,” said Uihlein on the sidelines of the Audemars Piguet Invitational at The Els Club, Dubai the day after he’d earned a share of 10th place at the DP World Tour Championship to finish 17th in season-long the Race to Dubai standings.

“It’s a great tour, you play great courses, you play great events. In my mind it’s not a stepping stone, it’s a great place to come out, hone your craft and be ready when you go to the PGA Tour and be ready to go out and compete and win.

“I don’t think I’d have been able to do that just staying in America and just turning pro. I mean I was so immature, I was in a bubble, I had no idea what I was doing and to be able to come over to Europe, play on the Challenge Tour and then play a few years on the European Tour and get my feet wet, just grow as a person, and as a player, was something I don’t know if I could have been able to do on the PGA Tour.

“There’s no way I could have been able just to keep my card, let alone contend, I wouldn’t have been anywhere ready enough. I still want to continue to support the tour because they’ve been great to me throughout the years. It’s been fantastic.”

Indeed. Uihlein finished 13th in the 2013 Race to Dubai standings after capturing the Madeira Islands Open, an event co-sanctioned by the Challenge and European Tours. The win earned Uihlein full status on the main tour and he cashed in by clinching Rookie-of-the-Year honours that year.

Last season wasn’t bad either, especially considering the circumstances. There were six top-10s including a runner-up finish (by a shot) to eventual Race to Dubai champion Tommy Fleetwood at the HNA Open de France which netted his largest European Tour payday of €693,879 en-route to a season haul of €1.63 million.

Uihlein was playing on a medical exemption after a wrist injury curtailed his 2016 campaign to just 14 events in Europe. It necessitated a swing revamp which the 1.85m-tall American entrusted to Justin Parsons. Uihlein has known the Dubai-based Northern Irishman since he turned professional after a recommendation from the famed Harmon family with whom he’d worked as an amateur.

Audemars Piguet Ambassadors (left to right) Tyrrell Hatton, Andy Sullivan, Branden Grace, Danny Willett, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Peter Uihlein, Darren Clarke, Bernd Wiesberger

“The thing that I like about JP is he strikes me as a guy who is always learning, he’s always trying to get better himself from a teaching standpoint…he doesn’t teach a method,” Uihlein said. “So for me when I was coming back from the wrist surgery and I had an idea in my mind of what I wanted to do, I felt like he was going to be the best possibility for me because he would help grow with me as well as give me a different perspective of things I was doing prior. He’s been great, it’s been a very good relationship.”

Parsons worked on turning Uihlein’s natural draw into a power fade, which has taken some time to get used to.

“It was more just visually; I guess from a comfort point of view. You stand on a tee and you’re just used to hitting a draw and then you stand up and you hit a fade, it just changes sight lines. Getting over that, playing your home courses and playing with your buddies gave me confidence to go into a tournament and feel good about were my game was at and where it could go.”

Uihlein hopes it leads to a major and maybe even a Ryder Cup appearance. So what will it take to achieve those career dreams?

“For me personally, I think it’s more like a technical thing where I’ve just got to get a little more consistent with my technique and the way my body structure moves and things like that. That’s just all part of the process of where we want to get to and I know I keep saying it, [2017] was obviously a very good year, but it was just a step in the right direction of where I want to get too. It was the first time I felt like I haven’t taken two steps back to get to one step forward if that makes sense.

“I’m a perfectionist so I get kind of uptight a little bit, a little too high strung and that kind of beats me up a little more than it should. So just learning ‘water off a ducks back’. DJ’s a great example, he never seems flustered even if he’s going the wrong way. So just keep trying to build on things like that is probably where I need to improve the most.”

I’m a perfectionist and that kind of beats me up more than it should.

Talking of Dustin Johnson and pals like Brooks Koepka, the Ryder Cup is obviously a lure but all part of that one-step-at-a-time process.

“The U.S. team is very deep, there’s a lot of really, really, really good American players right now so if you make that team it’s very impressive. So yeah, I’d love to make it obviously and it’s definitely a goal but I got to kind of get my feet wet, get my feet through the door on the PGA Tour first and then worry about that kind of thing.”

The journey, originating from Boston and continually detouring via Europe, continues.

The post The Big Interview: Meet Euro honed PGA Tour rookie Peter Uihlein appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.