By Alex Myers
Rory McIlroy may not be entering the 2020 PGA Championship on form, but he certainly remains on brand. At least, in regards to one of his top sponsors.

McIlroy produced a funny—albeit, slightly awkward—moment during his pre-tournament press conference at TPC Harding Park on Wednesday when he was asked about buying a watch to celebrate a big win years ago. Here was his (business) savvy response:

“It was a nice watch,” McIlroy said with a grin. “Obviously being partnered with OMEGA, I don’t really want to say the other brand. It was a nice watch.”

That’s why OMEGA pays Rory the big bucks! And seemingly runs that awful “Standing in the Hall of Fame!” commerical on loop during this tournament. Fingers crossed the watch company had enough bucks left over after paying Rory those big bucks to make another ad this year.

But seriously, that’s some strong pitchman work right there. Even Phil Mickelson would be proud.

The post Rory McIlroy expertly sidesteps reporter’s question to protect one of his sponsors appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
It’s a brand synonymous with professional golf in Dubai and now Omega have put their long-standing support of the game behind a new amateur series.

Set to be launched at the Address Montgomerie Dubai on April 5, the 2018 Nations Golf Tour presented by Omega is a five-event pairs competition offering a big carrot to UAE amateurs – Pro-Am spots in December’s Omega Dubai Ladies Classic and January’s 30th Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

The brainchild of luxury lifestyle retailer and Omega distributors the Rivoli Group, the series will be played in a novel pairs aggregate stableford format. The top-10 teams from each of the Montgomerie (April 5), Trump International Golf Club, Dubai (April 19), Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club (Oct.4) and Jebel Ali Golf Resort (Oct. 25) will qualify for the grand final at Emirates Golf Club in November.

Better still, the winning pair of each qualifier will win spots in either the Ladies European Tour or European Tour Omega Dubai Classics Pro-Ams. Entrance fees vary across the golf clubs with special rates for members and include green fees, range balls, cart and BBQ dinner.

Well-known Dubai golf identity Tom Luig, who already runs the popular Senior Amateur Golf Tour, has been appointed Tour Director.

“Rivoli are already my partner on the Senior Amateur Tour and when they had new plans to do something in golf outside of the LET and European Tour events, to do something in the local community, I knew it would be special,” said Luig.

“It’s a big brand in the local golf market and I hope a lot of UAE players like it and compete for the super prizes and to qualify for the grand final at the Emirates G.C. which will be a great decider. I think it’s never happened before in the local marker, you play four qualifiers and altogether you can win eight pro am spots.“

While the event encourages pairs to play under one country’s flag, friends from different nations can still enter while mixed gender teams are also welcomed.

There will trophies for the top three finishers at each event plus on course prizes including the traditional nearest the pin and longest drive prizes for men and women.

Visit omeganationstour.com for entry details.

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Falcon Golf, the most exciting if worst-kept industry secret since golf first met grass in the emirate nearly three decades ago, was finally unveiled Wednesday with Dawson as its high-profile and globally-networked chairman.

As well as enhancing the emirate’s world-class golf tourism offering, promoting grass roots participation and using the sport as a platform to tell Dubai’s remarkable growth story overseas, Falcon Golf will oversee two of Dubai’s three professional tournaments – the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.

Sergio Garcia teeing off at the 28th Omega Dubai Desert Classic (Photo: Getty Images)

Management of the events will transfer to Falcon Golf from ‘golf in DUBAi’ on April 1. Mohamed Juma Buamaim has accepted the role of Honorary President of the two Emirates Golf Club tournaments while ‘golf in DUBAi’ – under a yet to be announced new moniker – will continue to administer the MENA Golf Tour.

In Dawson, Falcon Golf have headhunted one of the most influential powerbrokers in golf. As well as serving as R&A chief executive for 16 years, the 68-year-old Scotsman is a former Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and was instrumental in securing golf’s reintroduction to the Olympic Games after a 112-year hiatus as President of the International Golf Federation, a position he still holds.

His pulling power is illustrated by this interview with Tiger Woods, shot during last week’s Desert Classic before the former world No.1 withdrew citing back spasms following his opening round of 77.

Dawson said he was “delighted” to have been chosen for this “special role” and motivated to promote Dubai “through the lens of golf,” as well as boost the emirate’s reputation as one of the world’s leading golf destinations.

“Dubai has a fantastic golf offering and, combined with the emirate’s forward-thinking approach, I believe there is a real opportunity to develop it further,” he said.

“Dubai’s investment in its golfing credentials, including its relationship with the European Tour, has proved to be very successful and I look forward to working with all of our stakeholders as we look to the future.

“Mohamed Juma Buamaim and the team at ‘golf in DUBAi’ have done an outstanding job and I look forward to building on the strong foundations they have laid.”

One of Dawson’s first and most stiffest challenges will be the bringing together of a various local stakeholders, not all of whom have been keen to collaborate previously, to maximise international opportunities. Promisingly, Falcon Golf appears to have widespread support.

“Golf has been played in the UAE for more than 40 years. In Dubai, as recently highlighted in a Deloitte report, it has grown into an industry worth $270 million. In Falcon Golf, we now have an entity that is responsible for the growth of the game,” said Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the Emirates Golf Federation.

Buamaim, chairman and CEO of ‘golf in DUBAi’, added: “These are very energising times for Dubai and its golf offering and I am excited to see the industry being convened in this way.

“I am honoured to have been able to contribute to the success of Dubai’s growth through golf over the last two decades and look forward to my continued involvement, guiding the success of the two tournaments that are so close to my heart.”

Dubai Sports Council Secretary General, His Excellency Saeed Hareb, said Dubai had “long recognised the potential of both golf’s contribution to the sport economy and the platform it provides to tell our story to the world”.

“[Falcon Golf] will bring together the emirate’s fantastic golf assets and ensure that these continue to deliver for Dubai. This is great news for the continued development of the game in this part of the world,” Hareb said.

“With world-class facilities and courses, a number of professional golfers calling Dubai home, including Rory McIlroy and Rafael Cabrera Bello, as well as new courses coming to the market, we see a clear opportunity for future growth.”

Falcon Golf Management Ltd, established late last year, is a subsidiary of Falcon and Associates FZ-LLC which is an independent strategic advisory company working on behalf of the Dubai leadership to enhance the emirate’s position as a global hub for finance, business and tourism.

Dawson and his team certainly have a solid platform to build from. Deloitte’s ‘2015 Economic Impact of Sport in Dubai’ report found that golf generates US$270m in gross expenditure each year with $131m coming from overseas (economic impact). The three professional tournaments account for 61% of golf’s direct economic impact in Dubai while the emirate’s nine clubs and 11 courses (Al Badia has since shut its doors but will soon be replaced by Trump International GC Dubai) contribute an additional $120m of the total spend on golf in Dubai.

17th hole of the Trump International Golf Club Dubai (Photo: Kevin Murray)

A key target area for Falcon Golf will be tourism which pumps in excess of $38m into the economy annually. The Deloitte report found 16,000 golfers visit Dubai, annually, each staying an average of five nights, playing 2.5 rounds of golf and spending around $410 a day.

Golf employs around 1800 people in Dubai and is enjoyed by around 6000 resident golfers who collectively play approximately 400,000 rounds a year.

The post Former R&A chief Peter Dawson charged with taking Dubai golf to the world appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The world No.4 and three-time defending champion sat down with Golf Digest Middle East to discuss her Rio “Rose Gold” medal, the increasing influence of social media on the women’s game, Dubai’s glam shopping and about feeling old at just 27.

You started 2016 slowly but have roared back into form on the back of your Rio Olympic Games bronze medal with back-to-back wins in Malaysia and Japan. How do you sum up the year?
“Before the Olympics my best finish on the LGPA was only fifth so going to the Olympics I didn’t set any goals. I told myself I have to smile, it doesn’t matter if I play well or not, I would just smile. And because of that I was more patient and actually learned how to be Shanshan again, to bring back my consistent ball striking and I got my bronze medal and after that I picked up my confidence again. After the Olympics I finished fourth at the Evian [major championship], fourth in China, second in Taiwan and third in Korea and then I won back to back in Malaysia and Japan. My world ranking has gone from 14^th to No.4 again and I finished top 5 on the LPGA money list so it’s been a good year.”

What do you put the slow start down to?
“I would say the first reason is this is the Olympic year so maybe it was a more stressful year. I’m going for the next Games in Tokyo but nobody knows, [Rio] might have been my last one so I really wanted to play well there. I think I was giving myself too much pressure.”

You’ve also eluded to all these big hitting teens and your efforts to keep up with them?
“Maybe [world No.1] Lydia Ko is not so long, but the others hit it really long, like 20 or 30 yards longer than me. I’m always the first one to hit, you know, like every hole and it just makes me feel old. So even though I’m more experienced, it’s kind of hard to keep up with them. So I actually lost my own game, forgot how to be Shanshan, I was trying to compare with them, belt the balls hard, so I actually started to play not very well.”

You’ve carried your Rio bronze medal to Dubai. You must be very proud of that?
“I told people, this is not a bronze medal. This is a rose gold Medal! I think all three of us, we all captured gold medals. I got the rose gold medal, Lydia got the white gold medal and Inbee [Park] got the real gold medal. I think all three of us, we were winners because it was the first time golf was back in the Olympics after over 100 years, and we were really proud that we were born in the right time and that we could represent our country and compete in the first Olympics after that long time.”

Would you rather win another major to go with your 2012 LPGA Championship or the Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020?
“We have 20 chances in four years to win a major but only one chance every four years to win a gold medal. So if I have to choose, of course I will go for the gold medal.”

“I do have my own character. I’m actually more like a silly, silly, funny girl, I do describe myself like that. It’s good to let people know that we’re not only stars on the television, but we are also real person and we’re actually very fun…” – Shanshan Feng

We hear you love Dubai and particularly it’s shopping?
“We are staying at the Jebel Ali resort which is really, really nice. In our rooms we can see the ocean, the beach and we actually have Peacocks walking just outside our doors, so that’s really neat, unique. Also I go to the shopping mall…I mean Dubai is a great place for shopping because they have all different brands from all over the world and all the latest editions. This is just a place to make people feel more laid back, relaxed. Every time I’m here, I feel like I’m on holidays but also making money for the holiday.”

It must be amazing to have a brand like Omega behind you?
“I was very surprised when Omega came to me in 2012 which was before I won the major. Of course, I was really honoured to sign the contract with Omega and straight after that I won my first major so I would say Omega really gave me good luck. After that I won four times more worldwide. Omega is one of the top brands in the world for watches but Omega always want to be better so that pushes me to try to be better also.“

The organisers of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters have been open about the fact they have offered sponsor’s invites to players whose influence on social media is as strong, if not stronger, than their golf. As a three-time champion, are you comfortable with that?
“Of course. That is going to bring more attention into the tournament so I mean that must be a good thing. People have followers and are famous for a reason so I believe that they are famous because they have something. It might be a good chance that we can bring everything together at a tournament to let maybe her fans, those power bloggers, to bring those fans to watch a golf tournament and to bring golf fans to watch them, so I think it’s a great thing.”

How important is social media as the women’s game strives to build its audience globally?
“I know that on the social media part, I think the LPGA’s increase is like over 100 percent every year. It’s improving much faster, even compared to the [US men’s] PGA Tour, we’re actually doing a lot better. I think that’s because girls are actually more willing to reach the fans. And actually, a lot of people actually think girls are more friendly, like less distance between us and the fans. I think that’s going to bring us a lot more fans. I think it’s also a good chance to show off our personality off the course, because on the course, even me, you look at me on the course, I have a poker face.

You talk about playing with a “poker face” but you’re not afraid to let down your guard for the fans are you?
“Off the course, every player has [their] own personality, and I would say that I do have my own character. I’m actually more like a silly, silly funny girl, I do describe myself like that. It’s good to let people know that we’re not only stars on the television, but we are also real person and we’re actually very fun. We have,to let them to know a lot more about us, I think is great.”

And your own efforts to promote the game in China wouldn’t be half as successful without the online influence would they?
“I only play two to three times a year in China so most of the times when I’m overseas, how can my fans see me? They can watch me on TV playing but they can only get to know me through my social media accounts. I think it’s good I can let my fans know what I’m doing on the course and off the course so they don’t have to worry about me [laughs] and also get to know more about me It’s very important I think.”

How does the Omega Dubal Ladies Masters rate globally?
“Well, I’ve played all kinds of tournaments in my career and I think this event is one of the best in my life. Not only because I have a good record here, but because how the tournament is set up, like everything in Dubai it’s just been great. I would say this is the major of the Ladies European Tour…this is the tournament the girls that maybe don’t play on the LET regularly want to come to. That’s why I brought a Chinese amateur this time [16-year-old Muni He] because I wanted her to experience it.”

What’s your favourite Omega timepiece?
“If you were with me when I was at the Omega shops – I can actually go to the stores and pick the watches I like – and every time I’m there it is so stressful, I’m like ‘I like this one, I like that one’ but I can’t take everything’ [laughs]. So it’s always about making hard choices. Omega has watches to go with everything: some are more sporty like the one I’m wearing now with the leather strap and also they have ones with metal straps but more sparkling , more bling, bling which go well with dresses. I mean they are just so good.”

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