By Kent Gray
Dubai-based Scottish teaching professional David Laing captured his maiden UAE PGA Tour title on Tuesday and couldn’t have timed the feat any better.

With a three-under 69 at Al Hamra G.C., the Address Montgomerie Dubai academy instructor scored himself a start in the European Challenge Tour’s penultimate event of 2017, the Ras Al Khaimah 2017 Golf Challenge from Oct. 25-28.

Related: Muscat event added to 2018 European Tour schedule as Desert Swing split in two

Laing won the dual UAE PGA Order-of-Merit (OOM) event-RAK Golf Challenge qualifier by two strokes from Jumeirah Golf Estates’ (JGE) Gavin Sutherland, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club’s Cennydd Mills and Mikeal Gartner (CV Sports Group) who shared second place with 71s.

Mills earned the RAK Golf Challenge spot last year and went on to finish 100th in the 105-strong field with rounds of 77-74. Englishman Jordan Smith was eventually crowned RAK champion to seal the Challenge Tour OOM title and has gone on to win his maiden European Tour title, the Porche European Open in July, to be a lock for next month’s Race to Dubai decider, the DP World Tour Championship at JGE.

Related: Jordan Smith tries his hand at ‘PaddleGolf’ ahead of 2017 RAK Golf Challenge

Laing, who hails from Craigielaw Golf Club, one of a collection of gems on Scotland’s “Golf Coast” of East Lothian, will be hoping to better Mills’ effort by making the cut at Al Hamra later this month.

Before then he has the UAE PGA Tour’s next event to look forward to, the Dubai Creek UAE PGA Pro-Am next Monday. Amateurs have until tomorrow to enter the tour’s answer to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Related: It’s Dubai’s answer to the Alfred Dunhill Links and you can play!

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By John Huggan

Plans have been proposed to “recapture the long-lost heritage” of one of golf’s most historic sites, the Musselburgh Links in East Lothian.

It was there in 1567 that Mary Queen of Scots fell foul of the authorities when she was accused of playing the game a few days before her surrender to the Confederate Lords. Much later, the former home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (now based at Muirfield) hosted the Open Championship six times between 1874 and 1889.

The “Honest Toun” also produced five Open champions, including the first-ever, Willie Park Sr., in 1860. And if you have ever wondered why a hole measure 4¼ inches across, it is because that was the diameter the men of Musselburgh came up with back in the 19th century.

More recently, the nine-hole course, with several holes settled inside a horse-racing track, has fallen into something close to disrepair, its present configuration a long way from that on which the game’s oldest championship was played. Many mistakes have been made over the years. By way of example, two nonsensical and wholly inappropriate bunkers were added behind the fifth green within the last 15 years.

A golfer hits his drive over the horseracing track on the sixth tee box at Musselburgh Golf Links. Photo: Andrew Hetherington

Now, however, Edinburgh-based Blue Thistle Ltd., an investment firm, wants to spend £10 million over the next seven years restoring the course to “Open Championship condition” and refurbish its accompanying facilities. Proposals for the plans have been submitted to the course custodians, East Lothian Council.

“The Musselburgh Links Course has an immensely important role in the history and development of the game Scotland gave to the world, and it is our wish that be recognized and returned to its former glory,” says Robin McGregor, director of Blue Thistle. “The investment is in place to launch this project, and our shareholders remain satisfied the business plan is well positioned to give them a good return on investment over the medium to long term. Essentially, we wish to make Musselburgh great again.”

To that end, Blue Thistle have consulted with architects Tom Mackenzie and Martin Ebert (the men behind the recently redesigned Ailsa course at Turnberry).

“We want to re-imagine parts of the course, re-specifying a host of iconic features that were in play at the time of the late 19th century Open Championships, such as the famous ‘Pandy Bunker’ on the sixth hole which have been lost through time and due to the expansion of the adjoining Musselburgh racecourse,” McGregor said. “The course will be a challenge for the modern golfer using today’s clubs and equally for the traditionalist and historical golfer who play with hickory-shafted clubs.

“Moreover, some new tees and greens will be built, new practice facilities created and we shall spearhead a major campaign to establish and grow a ‘grassroots’ program to encourage local juniors to take up the game on a course which replicates a genuine Open Championship course of yesteryear.”

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