Group Director of European Tour venue Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Ladies European Tour stop Saadiyat Beach Golf Club since May 2018, de Lancastre David has just been promoted to Cluster General Manager of the three Abu Dhabi clubs owned by Aldar Investments.

“I am extremely excited with the opportunity that our ownership group and Troon have extended to me,” de Lancastre David said. “I understand the responsibility that this role carries, and I am looking forward to delivering the vision that we have set for all three clubs.”

The addition of Yas Links – rated No. 44 in Golf Digest’s most recent Top 100 courses ranking – takes Troon International’s Middle East portfolio to 17 venues. Globally-honed expertise in areas such as course conditioning, food and beverage and recruitment will help de Lancastre David lead the push to sell the trio of Abu Dhabi courses to a wider audience.

RELATED: Troon International to manage Middle East “flagship venue” Yas Links

“Our main short-term goal is to consolidate operations at all three clubs and ensure that members and guests start benefiting straight away from the synergies created by this,” he said.

The 9th at Yas Links is framed by the club’s stunning clubhouse

“Longer-term we want to increase the visibility that golf in Abu Dhabi has on the international stage and drive up visitor numbers, by providing extraordinary guest and member experiences and by having a passionate dedication to quality, financial performance and development of our associates.”

Troon International President Mark Chapleski said de Lancastre David’s success at Abu Dhabi G.C. and Saadiyat Beach G.C., and before that at venues including The Els Club, Dubai, led to the promotion to the newly created cluster role.

“The addition of Yas Links to our portfolio is a testament to the quality of work that Troon has done in Abu Dhabi in recent years. With three of the top clubs in the region now under one ownership group, our primary goal is to make sure they are running as efficiently as possible and at the same time work with Aldar’s hotels to create amazing golf packages that drive Abu Dhabi as a must play destination for golfers from around the world,” Chapleski said.

“In order to maximise productivity across the three clubs, we have promoted Francisco de Lancastre David to the role of Cluster General Manager due to his proven success at both Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and prior industry experience at clubs such as The Els Club Dubai and Finca Cortesin Golf Club in Spain.”

The post Francisco de Lancastre David promoted to manage Troon’s three Abu Dhabi clubs appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Charley Hull will never forget the Christmas of 2018 after fiancé Ozzie Smith slipped a diamond ring on her engagement finger. It’s fair to say the magic hasn’t waned any early into the New Year.

With a brilliant sand save from beyond the 18th green at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, the 22-year-old Englishwoman claimed a wire-to-wire victory in the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open on Saturday.

Hull signed for a closing 69 to go with earlier rounds of 67 and 72 to edge Marianne Skarpnord by a shot after the Norwegian has earlier set the clubhouse target at seven under with a final round 68.

WHAT. A. SHOT ????@HullCharley plays a superb bunker shot on the 18th & will have a putt for the @FBMLadiesOpen ?#FBMLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/h0gVdUT7yD

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) January 12, 2019

England’s Jodi Ewart Shadoff, a shot adrift of Hull entering the final round of the Ladies Euriopean Tour season-opener, finished with a 73 to slip into a share of third on -3 alongside Swede Caroline Hedwall (67) Dutchwoman Anne Van Dam (68), Dane Nicole Broch Larsen (71), Spain’s Luna Sobron (72).

It was a second LET title for Hull and a third worldwide after she captured the  LPGA’s season-ending CME Globe in 2016.

“I’ve practised really, really hard over the winter and it feels great to win back on the LET, especially since I had my first pro win in Morocco five years ago,” Hull told the LET.

“Hopefully I can get a few more wins this year and I’ve been practising really hard so it shows that my hard work is paying off.”

A message to the fans from the champion @HullCharley ?? #FBMLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/WM7nowK6wQ

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) January 12, 2019

The LET’s 2013 Rookie of the Year in 2013 and 2014 Order of Merit champion extended her 36-hole lead to two strokes with a second hole birdie but dropped a shot on the short 3rd after getting stuck down a steep slope to the right of the green.

Hull made another solid eight-footer, this time for birdie, on the 6th green but then dropped a shot on hole 10. An eagle on the par-5 11th, where she stuck a  6-iron to 15 feet, put her two clear of Skarpnord. She then holed another birdie putt from 10 feet on the 14th to reach eight-under-par and held firm in the breeze.

“I’m very happy with my round. I left a lot of putts out there today, but it’s hard to putt when it’s windy like this,” she said.

“It was windy all three days really and especially on the second day. Today the wind got up in the end and it was a tricky finish, especially the 18th hole, because you can’t hit more than a 5-iron off that tee to be short of the bunkers, or you go with the driver, and go over it all, and that’s a risky shot. With that back right pin it was a good finish and I hit a 5-iron, over the green, had a 35 yard bunker shot and I stiffed it. It was quite tricky and I made the putt, so it feels really good to be back in the winner’s circle again.”

Hull received the iconic gazelle trophy from the golf course designer, Gary Player, whom she said she said she had looked up to her entire career and whom she thanked for designing “such a great course.”

A thumbs up & congratulations from @garyplayer to @HullCharley for winning the @FBMLadiesOpen ???#FBMLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/91TZUoof8l

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) January 12, 2019

Skarpnord, who last won on the LET in 2013, said that her 68 for solo second was “a big step in the right direction.”

“Every time I was in contention last year, top three, five, ten, I shot over par on the last round. I kind of had a goal today that I was going to shoot under par and if I did that, then I’d be very happy,” she said.

“I holed a couple of putts on the back nine and played pretty good, but Charley plays good golf and I heard she had a very tricky bunker shot on the last and got up and down to win. She hits those shots and you probably need to be one ahead to beat her.” – With reporting from ladieseuropeantour.com

.@HullCharley is the 2019 @FBMLadiesOpen Champion. Let the celebrations begin ???#FBMLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/InSLJKxIsa

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) January 12, 2019

Final @FBMLadiesOpen leaderboard

-8 @HullCharley ???????
-7 @MSkarpnord ??
-3 Hedwall ??
-3 @Annevandam ??
-3 @broch_nicole ??
-3 @Lunasobron ??
-3 @Jodi_Ewart ???????
-2 @aditigolf ??
-2 @JennyHaglund ??
-2 @KoerstzMadsen ??

All scores: https://t.co/dsehj6h7BU~#FBMLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/NEGpEEKh1q

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) January 12, 2019

The post Hull goes wire-to-wire in Abu Dhabi for second LET win appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Charley Hull has a second Ladies European Tour (LET) and third worldwide title within her sights entering the final round of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open.

The 22-year-old Englishwoman will take a one stroke lead over fellow English Solheim Cupper Jodi Ewart Shadoff into Saturday’s final round of the 54-hole LET season opener at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.

Hull negotiated a breezy Friday in Abu Dhabi to sign for a level par 72 after her opening 67 to be -5 for the championship through 36 holes.

Shadoff, meanwhile, nabbed two birdies in her last three holes for a two-under 70, matching her opening round score and tying the best round of the day with just three other players.

A stroke further back in a share of third are Marianne Skarpnord, who posted a 70, Cajsa Persson, who had a 71 and Luna Sobron, who carded a 72, on a day when only 11 players managed to break par.

Hull played the front nine in level par after making her first birdie on the par-5 2nd hole, but bogeyed the 6th and 8th, before making another birdie on the long ninth.

She dropped into a share of the lead with Sobron after another bogey on 13, but regained her lead with a gutsy birdie on the par-3 17th, rolling in her 15-foot putt after finding the green despite gusty 25mph winds blowing in across the Arabian Gulf.

“It was really tough out there today,” said Hull.

“To give you an example, I flushed a 7-iron 118 yards on hole 17. The pin was 120 yards and I still came up short. I usually hit that club 165-170 yards, so that is a ridiculous wind.

“It was lucky that we had Tifdwarf Bermuda grass on the greens, because in the UK the ball would have been oscillating. “

Hull won the LET’s Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco in 2014 and the LPGA’s season-ending CME Globe in Florida two years later but knows Saturday won’t be easy.

“I’ve still got loads to work on for tomorrow’s round but I feel good with where my game’s at. Hopefully it’s not as windy, because my new irons are going super spinny, so it’s not ideal in this wind.”

Shadoff is chasing a maiden professional win. The 30-year-old from Northallerton admits she is not a fan of linksy golf so was thilled with her Friday performance.

“Shooting 70 today definitely felt much lower than the previous day. It was brutal and I hit 16 greens, which was really solid for these conditions. I hit two good putts on 16 and 17 which really helps,” she said.

“I had a 7-iron into 16 from about 129 yards, straight into the wind and I holed about a 15 footer. On 17, it was about the same yardage and same size putt, so two decent putt lengths.”

Sobron, 24, from Mallorca is another serious contender, looking for her first Ladies European Tour win. She carded the course record of 10-under-par 62 in the tournament’s last staging and grew up playing in the wind.

Norwegian Skarpnord is a three-time winner on the LET but hasn’t won on the tour since the rain-hit South African Women’s Open in 2013, although she did win the 2015 Vic Open on a links course.

Sweden’s Persson teamed up with Linda Wessberg to win a gold medal in the European Team Golf Championships at Gleneagles in July, but is looking for her first individual title.

The other players rounding out the top 10 are Nanna Koerstz Madsen, Sarah Kemp and Nicole Broch Larsen in joint sixth on two-under, Rebecca Artis in ninth on one-under and Amy Boulden in 10thposition on level par.

The post Hull takes one-stroke lead into Saturday’s final round of LET season-opener at Saadiyat Beach appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Abu Dhabi’s three major golf tournaments have been bundled together in a win-win fortnight for golf fans, charity fundraising and the emirate’s wider sports calendar.

The 3rd edition of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club will kickstart the two-week bonanza after being shifted from its traditional November time-slot to January 10-12.

As well as being contested in a new, shortened 54-hole Pro-Am format similar to the remodelled Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic, the FBMLO will also open the 2019 Ladies European Tour season.

The FBMLO will also now be a forerunner to the Gary Player Invitational a day later at Saadiyat Beach on January 13, with the 18-hole charity event, in turn, preceding the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship presented by EGA.

In arguably the most significant change of all, the Desert Swing opener at Abu Dhabi Golf Club will be played from Wednesday-Saturday Jan. 16-19, starting and finishing a day earlier than traditional tour events to accommodate football’s 2019 Asian Cup being staged in the UAE from Jan. 5-Feb. 1.

Getty Images
Tommy Fleetwood will chase a hat-trick of Falcon Trophy wins at the rescheduled Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Gary Player has led a chorus of support for the changes unveiled by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council on Tuesday.

The new date for the 4th Gary Player Invitational, between the women’s and men’s tour events, means a bolstered field of pros for the charity which will again raise funds for the Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special  Needs.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes to the game throughout my over 60-year career and I think two of the most important have been the growth and evolution of the women’s game and also the game’s ability to raise money and awareness for a variety of wonderful charitable causes,” said Player.

“While the ladies tour schedule has faced challenges in recent times due to a number of factors, it is essential to find more support for the game, and so, I commend Abu Dhabi and its leadership for introducing this new format for the continued staging of the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open.

“We welcome the event as a forerunner to the 2019 Gary Player Invitational, which thanks to these changes, is set to be our most successful to date.”

The top 15 pairs will survive a 36-hole cut to play the final round while the 56 professionals will continue to battle it out for the FBMLO title, won by Scotland-based American Beth Allen in 2016 and Indian teen Aditi Ashok last year.

Aditi Ashok

“The game of golf continues to evolve globally and given Abu Dhabi’s heritage of innovation in sport, we are continuously seeking ways to encourage and engage both sport fans and participants while at the same time, ensure the longevity of our events,” said His Excellency Aref Hamad Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

“The new date and format mean that the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open will now offer an unparalleled experience for amateur golfers and a novel new tournament for the professionals.

“The event will also be a spectacular celebration of golf, with the Gary Player Invitational and the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship presented by EGA scheduled in close proximity. Aside from the operational efficiencies, there are many cross-promotional opportunities that will appeal to more fans of the game than ever before.”

LET chairman Mark Lichtenhein said: “We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council into this new era. The new date and format will undoubtedly help shine a strong spotlight onto women’s golf in the Emirate and bring a different sponsor and spectator experience to the LET tournament.”

For more information, visit fbmladiesopen.com  and garyplayer.com/invitational

The post LET event, Gary Player Invitational and Desert Swing opener to dovetail as Abu Dhabi realigns golf portfolio appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Troon sister clubs Adu Dhabi Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club are offering a four month ‘Summer Pass’ that allows single players, couples and even families a feast of golf and more at one club or both beginning May 15. Benefits include seven-day access to the golf and leisure facilities (the latter at Abu Dhabi Golf Club), discounts on dining and retail and much more.

ABU DHABI GOLF CLUB
Here’s the deal at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, host of the European Tour’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship each January:

Membership fee: AED 6250 (single), AED 7250 (couple), AED 8250 (family).
To take advantage of the Abu Dhabi Golf Club deal, call +971 (0)2 885 3555, email membership@adgolfclub.ae or visit adgolfclub.com.

SAADIYAT BEACH GOLF CLUB
The offering at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, home of the Ladies European Tour’s Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open, is equally enticing:

Membership fee: AED 4950 (single), AED 5950 (couple), AED 6950 (family).
For the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club deal, call +971 (02) 499 8100, email membership@sbgolfclub.ae or visit sbgolfclub.ae

Better still, you can take advantage of these great joint membership rates at both clubs from AED 7450 (single) AED 8450 (couple) or AED 9450 (family).

The deals run from May 15 to September 15 and are inclusive of 5 percent VAT.

The post ‘Summer Pass’ offers sizzling golf deals at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club – or both appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

While there are strict terms and conditions around how you play (e.g. we take no responsibility for that life long slice and nervy chipping action), we can guarantee securing a tee time at the Troon Golf sister properties has become a much more user friendly experience.

The back end capability on the club’s respective websites – sbgolfclub.ae and adgolfclub.com – has been updated, meaning the online booking process is now an easy three-step process: simply click on your preferred link above (why not both?), search ‘Book a Tee Time’ and then follow the prompts from ‘Search Tee Time’.

Saadiyat Beach G.C.

It really is that simple to play the ‘Home of Champions’ where Tommy Fleetwood vindicated his 2017 Race to Dubai win by defending the famed Falcon Trophy at last month’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. You might prefer to experience the ‘Island Life’ at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club where Aditi Ashok won the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open title last November and Gary Player’s beachfront location remains in pristine condition.

Best of all, you’ll receive a AED 50 gift voucher to spend in the Golf Shop with every online booking.

The offer is valid until February 28 and is available on both mid week and weekend bookings. Maybe cash your voucher in on a sleeve of balls if you really are struggling with a slice and they can even arrange a post-round lesson if you have a hook that simply won’t listen.

What is guaranteed is a fun day of world class golf at the best available online prices. So what are you waiting for? Get clicking!

The post Booking made easier at Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray

The combined US$1 million prize fund for its new four-event Australian Swing in February falls short of the purses the Ladies European Tour (LET) covets but is a start down the tour’s “more flexible” road to recovery, executive chairman Mark Lictenhein says.

The 2018 LET season will again open at the Oates Victorian Open (Feb. 1-4) before new stops at the Actewagl Canberra Classic (Feb. 9-11) and two smaller, yet to be confirmed events in New South Wales.

They are part of a co-sanctioned agreement with the Australian Ladies Professional Golf Association (ALPG) as the embattled LET strives to bolster this season’s disrupted calendar, culled by five events to 15, to at least 20 events in 2018.

Related: LPGA and European Tour talks on-going but merger would be ‘extremely complex’ says new LET boss

Lictenhein said the LET aimed for “at least €300,000” purses at events in Europe which means the Australian swing events fall nearly $50,000 short of that target. But the LET needed to consolidate playing opportunities first and foremost which was achievable given the “great tailwind now behind women’s sport in general and golf in particular.”

“I think when it comes to co sanctioned events and we’re being invited to somebody else’s event, it’s a little bit rude to be dictating terms on that,” Lictenhein said at a media roundtable with LET Player President Helen Alfredsson during this week’s $500,000 (€425,000) Omega Dubai Ladies Classic.

“Again, it’s a question of working together to grow them. We’ve got $1 million U.S., at play in Australia over four weeks. As Helen says, they are a bit imbalanced at the moment, but I think that’s something we can work with the Australians to improve.”

With the purse for the Victorian Open €350,000 last season, it means the prize fund for the NSW events is likely to be less attractive for players although Alfredsson believes the LET’s membership will be simply grateful for a run tournaments in the same territory. 

“Even though two of them are a little smaller, there’s one long trip and they get to play four events during that time. And some of them are only a little [travel] in between, so they won’t spend a lot of money,” said Alfredsson.

“Even on the LPGA, you go one week to Europe and then back; and then you go one week to China and then you go back. These are very big expenses. So if we can put more effort into having Australia and maybe South Africa, maybe Scandinavia three events, then in the beginning, we don’t have to have huge purses, but at least we know they don’t have these huge expenses just to go there.”

Alfredsson said the players were all for swings like Australia to negate travelling expenses.

The retired Swedish pro, who won the 1993 ANA Inspiration among her seven LPGA and 11 LET titles, revealed she budgeted about $2000 per week in her playing days which covered her caddy and swing coach on an hourly rate. She said today’s players may need to cut their cloth to the current market conditions by rethinking all the mental, swing, short game and physical coaches who were “all taking a bunch of money.”

Lictenhein said the LET was open to playing the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open at Saadiyat Beach and the Dubai Ladies Classic back-to-back in 2018 –  like the men’s European Tour will do with Abu Dhabi and Dubai for the first time next month – “if that’s what we want to do.” 

He said there was enough “political will” to believe the Qatar Ladies Open would return to the 2018 schedule and acknowledged “discussions with other gulf states” that he hopes will eventuate into events from 2019 onwards. 

Alfredsson admitted 2017 had been “hard for really anybody” especially lower ranking members who hadn’t qualified for the lucrative majors on the LET schedule, the British Open and the Evian Championship.

Players had been forced to take part-time jobs and “then you can’t really practice so it becomes sort of this bad cycle. “

But while she “completely understands the [player’s] frustration” she now has a greater appreciation of the political challenges, sponsorship issues and even regional conflicts facing the game after sitting on the LET Board.

“I just want to make a point that, and I said this to the girls, that it was [similar to when former LPGA commissioner] Carolyn Bivens had left and it was really a crisis in the States, as well. Mike [current commissioner Mike Whan] actually had a tournament in Phoenix, the Founders Cup, that he introduced for no prize fund, and I said to the girls, not that we should not play for money, I understand that. 

“That’s how desperate it was just to be able to [establish] a relationship and showcase what it is to have a tournament. But what that has now grown into now is because of, as Mark is saying, creating relationships [like] in Australia….it’s a process.” 

Lictenhein said rebuilding relationships with national federations was key to rebuilding the lost European part of the LET schedule which had seen the Spanish and German Opens along with Scandinavia events fail.

He acknowledged the former LET leadership had become too rigid in setting out its framework for events, including the costly prerequisite for television coverage. 

“I think we’d kind of developed a one one size fits all proposition, which was heavily predicated on live television, even for new events.

“So we need to be more flexible in terms of what it takes to have an LET event, because clearly, once you have live TV, budgets quickly get over a million dollars, and that’s not necessarily the right starting point for everybody.

“You have to customise the product to what the local market needs, and that might not involve live television, or it might.  It depends on what it is.

“If people haven’t got enough money for the prize fund to start with, then we can work together to find solutions to address that or to grow the event as we go forward.”

Lictenhein said that could mean novel formats in countries where live TV was not the sponsor’s main motivation.

“There are a lot of events particularly in smaller countries where there’s no tourism aspects. If you’ve got a sponsor that is much more focused on customer entertainment, where the Pro Am is the most important part of what they are doing; maybe they want two Pro Ams before the tournament, two Pro Ams and a three day event, for example; or they want a lot of hospitality, and they are really not so concerned about the media side to it. “

“We can’t dictate terms. The promoters are the key, the lifeblood to the tour, and we are not Formula I, we are not going around just bringing a machine and the circus comes to town. We are heavily reliant on commercial partnerships but other people are taking the commercial risk. They understand the local market much better than we do, and can make it happen.“

On both the sponsorship and media front, Lictenhein said LET had to “get away from us competing with men’s golf on men’s terms” to attract new sponsors and become commercially viable.

“The reasons why girls play sport is different from the reasons that men play sport. UEFA has done research on this and I’ve been working with them in Europe on this because I think we can show to sponsors that we actually can be a different kind of product, a more lifestyle component, fashion, conduit for the next generation. A lot of things where the men probably aren’t able to compete.

“I’m absolutely fine with us being on the Golf Channel, SKY Sports Golf, I think that’s important, but we need to be in other places, as well. We need to be in places that are attractive to women, to young girls, to families, and that’s where social media channels become so important.”

The post Aussie swing start of “great tailwind” building behind LET says new chief Lictenhein appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 32-year-old LPGA Tour star joins reigning Women’s British Open champion In-Kyung Kim, recent Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open winner Aditi Ashok and Norwegian star Suzann Pettersen for the Dec. 6-9 Ladies European Tour season-ender at Emirates Golf Club. Nicknamed “Bam Bam” for her power off the tee – including an official 369 yard bomb on the LPGA Tour – Lincicome is a seven time winner on the U.S. circuit and has made six Solheim Cup appearances.

Related: British Open champion I.K. Kim fizzing for Omega Dubai Ladies Classic return

She’ll arrive in Dubai fresh from winning the Pure Silk Bahamas LPGA Classic and finishing 27th in the season-long CME Rankings with $579,061. The world No. 52, who won the 2009 Kraft Nabisco Championship and 2015 ANA Inspiration, has career earnings of $8.15 million.

“I am extremely delighted by the opportunity to compete in Dubai,” said Lincicome. “It will be fun playing at The Majlis, a course that I have seen on TV many times. I am happy with my game, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Will take things as they come, step by step.

Related: Pettersen on her Dubai return: “I show up to win tournaments”

“I have a great respect for players on the LET and their competitiveness is second to none. I’ll have to be at the top of my game since the tournament attracts a top-class field every year.”

Visit omegadubailadiesclassic.com to register online for free season tickets. Daily Clubhouse Terrace Hospitality tickets are available for AED 275 while a season Clubhouse pass is available for AED 1100.

The post Brittany “Bam Bam” Lincicome confirmed for Omega Dubai Ladies Classic debut appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Ashok was a popular winner of the $550,000 event which drew repeated praise throughout the week as one of the Ladies European Tour’s favourite stops of the year courtesy of the Troon club’s family-friendly organisation and the condition of Gary Player’s beautiful beachfront creation.

 While the Indian teen and her colleagues have departed for the business end of the LET campaign, the championship course remains in pristine shape for UAE visitors as the weather cools and Middle East golf season heats up.

The 19-year-old laid down a serious marker for amateurs – male and female – looking to test their games, her winning 18-under-par total made up of four sub 70 circuits that illuminated her undoubted talent but also the presentation of the 7806 yard, par 72 layout.

There was an inexplicable four-putt on the penultimate hole which nearly cost Ashok her third LET title but even she admitted that scary blip had nothing to do with the greens which are putting as pure as anything in the region. Indeed, the scoring was exceptional all week – thanks in no small measure to Saadiyat Bech Golf Club’s agronomy team. First South African Lee-Anne Pace opened with a 66 before the 23-year-old Spaniard eclipsed the previous course record of 64 with a eight-under 62 in the second round.

While other courses in the region ramp up their preparations for upcoming European Tour events, there has never been a better time to experience the “Island Life”. Saadiyat Beach has never been in better condition. 

Book online today at www.sbgolfclub.ae to experience the pristine condition and for the best daily rates to play ‘the home of the FBMLO”. Saadiyat Beach Golf Club also welcome membership enquiries – enquire via email at membership@sbgolfclub.ae. As Ashok will attest, the Abu Dhabi gem is a welcoming oasis in the desert all year round.

The post Play the home of the FBMLO appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
An inexplicable four-putt on the penultimate hole made it tighter than it needed to be but Aditi Ashok held her nerve to clinch the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open on Saturday.

A clutch par on 18 at Saadiyat Beach G.C. saw the 19-year-old Indian close with a 69 to edge Englishwoman Georgia Hall by a stoke to bank €70,787 for her third Ladies European Tour title in just her second season as a professional.

Ashok enjoyed a three shot lead standing on the 17th tee even after Hall had birdied the par 3 in the group ahead. But the Bangalore teen somehow conspired to four putt for a double bogey. It meant she needed to par the testing 72nd hole to hold onto her (two stroke)overnight lead and she duly delivered.

Here’s the shot the sealed the deal on a drama-filled day in Abu Dhabi:

What a time to play a shot like this from @aditigolf on the 18th @FBMLadiesOpen pic.twitter.com/dJqoqKAKxk

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) November 4, 2017

“It wasn’t really nerves,” Ashok said of the potentially disastrous blip on 17. “I think I just lapsed for a bit and made a four-putt. I was playing okay all day, but didn’t make as many birdie putts as I wanted to. I’m just glad I came out on top.”

After back-to-back wins in Indian and Qatar to seal the LET Rookie of the Year title last season, Ashok’s first year on the LPGA Tour in the U.S. has been a steep learning curve with just one top-10 and seven missed cuts in 20 starts.

But her talent is undeniable as shots like this during the final round highlight:

Seriously, how good is this from @aditigolf @FBMLadiesOpen ?????? pic.twitter.com/8Vio0L41YG

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) November 4, 2017

There was also wedge play like this as Ashok rattled off four rounds in the 60s – 67-66-68-69 – to finish -18:

.@aditigolf wedge game @FBMLadiesOpen ?????? pic.twitter.com/Zg0vKx8pCN

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) November 4, 2017

Here’s the final standings:

Final @FBMLadiesOpen leaderboard.

All scores: https://t.co/1jQAQYoA0Z pic.twitter.com/H6Xf3t1aly

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) November 4, 2017

“I had my game plan and wasn’t too aggressive,” Ashok said. “I just kept giving myself birdie putts and that was the plan on 17 as well. I don’t know how I ended up four-putting and I did the same on 18, gave myself a birdie putt and it didn’t go in, so I guess that was the story of my putting today, but the birdies in the middle helped.”

It was the second successive year Hall, who closed with a flawless six-under 66, has had to settle for second after the Solheim Cupper finished three behind Beth Allen at the inaugural FBMLO.

“I’m a little bit disappointed because I thought I needed an eight-under today and I was ticking the shots off in my head. I hit the ball great all week, but I putted poorly and didn’t hole anything today…All my birdie chances were inside 10 feet,” Hall told the LET.

“Aditi played great again and managed to get a par on the last, so well done to her.”

Hall was unaware of the drama unfolding behind her and it ultimately played into Ashok’s hands down the last as the Englishwoman over-cooked her approach to set up this chip she needed to hole to force a likely playoff:

This for @georgiahall96 to level with @aditigolf on -18 @FBMLadiesOpen …. pic.twitter.com/mx17EHYnLj

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) November 4, 2017

“I played one of the best long games I have played all year but the putts weren’t going in and I was in between clubs on the last hole and went for the longer one. Maybe a bit of adrenaline went through me and I hit it too long but I made a good up and down.

“As far as I knew, I thought Aditi was 20-under so I was three behind going down the last, so I didn’t think I had a chance. If I had known, then maybe things would have been different.”

Swede Camilla Lennarth signed for a 67 to finish third on -16, a shot ahead of Cheyenne Woods who closed with a two-under 70.

.@aditigolf wins the 2017 @FBMLadiesOpen on -18 & lands her third LET title. Another extremely impressive display ?????? pic.twitter.com/ytyZwiwpW2

— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) November 4, 2017

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