With early morning fog delaying play by 30 minutes, a decision was made to amend the format of the Challenge Match to a Texas scramble format with Team Hull going up against Team Rafa.

Team Hull, led by 3-time Ladies European Tour winner and 5-time European Solheim Cup player Charley Hull from the UK, shot an impressive 14-under par to take the win. Joining Hull was 2010 US Open Champion and 2021 European Ryder Cup vice-captain Graeme McDowell from Northern Ireland; and Asian Tour player and one of Pakistan’s leading professionals, Humza Amin.

Team Rafa, led by 2021 Spanish Open winner and 4-time DP World Tour winner Rafa Cabrera Bello from Spain, trailed by just 2 shots. Cabrera Bello’s teammates included 17-year-old amateur, Humna Amjed – one of Pakistan’s most promising female golfers; and PAK Pro Tour #2 ranked player, Ahmed Baig also from Pakistan.

Flanked by a large crowd of fans, the players made their way around Sir Nick Faldo’s latest architectural masterpiece, with fireworks coming early on in the 7,533-yard, par-72 RUMANZA course.

“We got off to a fast start with an eagle on Two. We were very fortunate to have Charley driving the ball extremely well, allowing us to go into some par-5’s with short irons. Team Rafa and his crew kept it close, and it was nice to come up the last with a 1-shot lead to see what we could do. It was a lot of fun.” commented Graeme McDowell.

 The RUMANZA Inaugural trophy made of stunning blue pottery unique to Multan was presented to the winning team by representatives from event sponsors ZAHID Mahmood (Zonal Manager at Bank Al Habib), Mohsin Ali (Regional Business Head of Bank Alfalah), Sohaib Bodla (CEO of Bodla Builders) and Iqbal Khokhar (Project Manager at HRL).

 The RUMANZA Golf & Country Club, developed by the DHA Multan, marks Sir Nick Faldo’s first venture in South Asia and the most ambitious course construction project in Pakistan’s history. The international players shared their thoughts on the course during a post-event press conference.

Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello said: “It’s a great course – everyone is very impressed. It’s fairly forgiving off the tee, but makes you think a lot on the second shot in. The greens have lots of movement. Some really deep links-style bunkers around the greens protect some hidden pins. Nick has always been a fantastic strategist and the beauty of this course is that he makes you think about every single shot you hit.”

McDowell added: “This golf course has certainly not disappointed us this week – congrats to DHA Multan and team Faldo on what they’ve produced. It’s a world-class facility – beautiful driving range, beautiful practice facility, and the golf course is fantastic.”

A key objective of the RUMANZA development is to provide the facilities and expertise required to develop and nuture local talent. Alongside the 18-hole Championship course, the RUMANZA Golf and Country Club has a double-sided driving range and a short-game practice area with putting greens, chipping greens, and eco bunkers. These state-of-the-art facilities are a first for golf in Pakistan.

Hamza Amin, one of Pakistan’s leading pro golfers with 8 pro tour wins under his belt, talked about the importance of facilities such as RUMANZA: “I’ve been a pro for 10 years, and there’s been a lot of progress in Pakistan during that time. The PAK Pro Tour now hosts 20 to 25 events each year, prize money is increasing, and the player fields are growing. Adding facilities like the RUMANZA Golf course to the existing infrastructure here in Pakistan can only add to that progression. I’m excited to see the development of the next generation of Pakistani golfers.”

McDowell added: “One of things I’ve felt this week is the passion and the intensity for wanting success in Pakistan golf. What DHA Multan has done in creating the first world-class facility here in Pakistan is that it gives these players the opportunity to play on the type of course that they can expect to see on the Tours. Having had the chance to spend time with the young talent here in Pakistan, it’s only a matter of time until these guys move to the next level.”

Charley Hull, who is the youngest ever Solheim Cup player, spoke about 17-year-old Pakistani amateur Humna Amjed’s potential: “Humna putted really well and hit some great chips. She’s a very good player and so young – there’s a lot of potential there.”

RUMANZA is located in Pakistan’s 5th largest city, Multan, famed for its rich culture, heritage, history and stature. Speaking about the warm welcome of the city, McDowell said: “As golfers we go to some beautiful places around the world, but we don’t often get the time to sample the culture. Sport is a great way to bring people to Pakistan and really show them what a country like this has to offer. We didn’t have time to sample much of Multan this weekend outside of the course, but we certainly sampled some great food and hospitality, and I can’t wait to come back.”

The RUMANZA Inaugural weekend was jam-packed with action, both on and off the golf course. Day 1, Friday 25 February, included a Gala Dinner evening complete with a fireside Q&A, a live musical performance from world-famous Pakistani singer, Atif Aslam, while awe-inspiring fireworks lit up the course.

On Day 2, Saturday 26 February, the action moved to the brand-new RUMANZA Golf Course – following a ceremonial opening tee shot by course designer and 6-time Major winner Sir Nick Faldo – a field of 60 players, split across 15 teams, took to the course for the Pro-Am competition. Sir Nick’s wife, Lady Lindsay Faldo took the win with her team of Pakistani professionals Khalid Khan and Shahid Javed Khan, and amateur player Mr. Usman Akram, carding a score of 51 points.

Saturday afternoon saw the star players take part in clinics, open to spectators, with the weekend wrapping up on Sunday 27 February with the star player Challenge Match.

RUMANZA is the centre-piece of the aspirational DHA Multan residential community which includes high-end apartments and villas, a five-star hotel, commercial retail space, multiple sports and lifestyle facilities, state-of-the-art education facilities, health care services and extensive F&B outlets. It is one of Pakistan’s most advanced residential developments.

Project Director DHA MULTAN Brigadier Shoeb Anwar Kayani, SI(M) closed the event by saying: “What a cherish-able and fantastic weekend, to officially launch the RUMANZA Signature Golf & Country Club onto the global golfing scene. The interest in the event from players, media and sponsors alike, indicates the tremendous potential of RUMANZA & DHA MULTAN project would have on Pakistan’s Economy, Sports Tourism and talent development. Welcome to a new era of Golfing Excellence here in Pakistan!”

The post Hull, McDowell partner Pakistani pro Hamza Amin to victory in RUMANZA Inaugural Challenge Match appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

How does Collin Morikawa make golf look so easy, and how has he become such a cold-blooded competitor? We discover how in the February edition of Golf Digest Middle East with a deep dive into the extraordinary life and times of America’s top-ranked player.

We also enjoy a first look at Sir Nick Faldo’s latest design, Rumanza Golf & Country Club in Pakistan, and launch our exhaustive annual club test, the Hot List. This month it’s the best drivers of 2022.

All this and much more in the Feb. 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East. 

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

The post Get the February 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here today!  appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Welcome to Pakistan’s first championship signature course – and one of Sir Nick Faldo’s most exciting design challenges yet

By Kent Gray
Any course with Sir Nick Faldo’s signature on it rouses serious curiosity and especially so a new layout imagined into life in an emerging golf nation.

Welcome, then, to Rumanza Golf & Country Club, Pakistan’s first signature championship course located on the outskirts of Multan, the country’s fifth largest city in the southern confines of the Punjab region.

Featuring four lakes, 49 “eco” bunkers with revetted faces and desert, wetland and woodland zones, the 7533-yard, par-72 layout is the centrepiece of the new Defense Housing Authority (DHA) Multan residential and lifestyle community.

The region’s first pure sand course is on point ecologically and proudly so with the build undertaken with 100 percent local materials. The native sand has been dressed with Platinum TE paspalum grass to “ensure speed and precision”, trademarks of Faldo’s “hard and fast running” links upbringing and contemporary design ethos. It is has been carefully routed around mango and orange orchards and indigenous Deras – vernacular mud brick dwellings surrounded by walls which form a courtyard.

Well-travelled GM of Golf, Sam Clayton

“These local touches make it a truly unique playing experience,” says Sam Clayton, Rumanza Golf & Country Club’s Director Operations. 

“I have no doubt it will become a must-visit for avid golf tourists.” 

Faldo, who is set to officially attend the soft opening of the course on 25 – 26 February before it’s official opening to the public this month, concurs.

“I think we’ve created something very unique and very special. Hopefully people will want to come from far and wide to see it and play it and experience it and enjoy themselves.  That’s the most important thing,” the English Knight said.

Fellow major champion Graeme McDowell, four-time DP World Tour winner Rafa Cabrera Bello and LET/LPGA Tour stars Charley Hull and Mel Reid are also scheduled to tee it up in the Rumanza Inaugural on Feb. 25-26, a tournament designed to herald Pakistan’s arrival as a serious golf tourism destination.

 “The course and its facilities are state-of-the-art and modern but they also incorporate the natural charm of Pakistan and the enchanting surroundings of Multan. It’s a truly unique experience that can’t be found elsewhere in the world.”

The gate to a luxury golf lifestyle. Photo by Sam Clayton

Quite aside from Faldo’s globally recognised portfolio of courses, Clayton agreed having a six-time major champion put his name to the Multan project undoubtedly helps sell the sizzle. Rumanza is set to become one of Pakistan’s most advanced, smart, eco-friendly and aesthetically designed residential communities. It will eventually include high-end apartments and villas, a five-star hotel, commercial retail space, multiple sports and lifestyle facilities, a mosque, education facilities, health care services and extensive F&B outlets.  

At the heart of it all though is the Faldo layout.

There are ample hazards in Faldo’s latest design as the 14th illustrates. Photo by Sam Clayton

“As a country that is starting out in the world of golf, Sir Nick Faldo undoubtedly adds a huge amount of credibility to Rumanza, both as a six-time major winner and as the designer of world-class courses across five continents and 20 countries,” Clayton said. “In Faldo’s own words ‘Pakistan belongs on the world golf map’. The Rumanza Golf & Country Club development will play a pivotal role in spring boarding the country onto the global golf scene.”

Faldo put ink to the Multan contract in 2018 and personally broke ground on the project that November. Sir Nick has been a regular visitor since despite the challenges of the pandemic and is pleased with the finished product.

The former world No.1 has had to walk the tightrope between strategic challenge – protecting the course from advances in club and ball technology long term – while keeping playability at the forefront of his thinking. As such, the layout will feature multiple teeing options to suit all abilities.

Water and sand everywhere. Photo by Sam Clayton

“My design philosophy has a couple of important points. First of all, of course, [is] playability,” said Faldo. “We quite possibly will have golfers playing their very first round of golf at Rumanza so I would strongly suggest a lesson or two and maybe a little bit of practice will help set you up for the day. But the important thing is the golf course will be very accessible for any level of golfer.

“The better golfers, we want to teach them the importance of strategy and choice-making on the golf course. And then [secondly], there’s memorability. Each hole will have its own design, its own style and maybe its own character and if you’ve played a couple of them really well, hopefully you leave with some great memories.”

Faldo is content he’s ticked the memorability column from a visual standpoint. UAE golfers familiar with the Faldo layout at Emirates Golf Club can assume pleasing variety from hole to hole – and ample challenge – will come standard too. 

“We have some fantastic, especially designed eco bunkers that will look amazing at sunrise and at sunset and we have four large lakes that will feature a gradually revealing peninsula. I do feel our landscape artwork in creating these lakes really will add to your visual enjoyment of the golf course.”

For Clayton, who has spent more than 25 years in the golf construction and club management industry in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Fiji, Australia, Cambodia, Vietnam and now Pakistan, there isn’t a signature hole “per se”. “Every hole is world-class,” he insists.

Time your round for just before dusk or just after dawn and holes like the 15th will reveal their true character. Photo by Sam Clayton

Press a little harder, though, and Clayton gives up a couple of personal favourites, the par-3 12th, a tester at 243-yards off the tips, and the 558-yard par-5 16th which is already shaping up as Rumanza’s stroke index 1.

“Hole 12 is one of the most memorable on the course. Rumanza has four unique design features – revetted bunker faces, desert waste areas, fruit orchards and Dera walls – and this hole showcases all of them beautifully,” he said.

“The 16th is our toughest hole. It predominantly has a headwind and features an aggressive [driving] line over a revetted bunker wall, set at 278 yards to clear from the back tee. If successful, the green is reachable in two shots. If unsuccessful, the golfer will ultimately be playing backwards or sideways. 

The penultimate hole stretches from 115 to 202 yards from the tips. Photo by Sam Clayton

“One of the key objectives of developing this course is to get future generations of Pakistani golfers accustomed to elite golf courses. This hole will certainly do that.”

Rumanza’s game development ethos extends beyond the clubhouse and 18-hole course to a double-ended driving range with 30 bays, short game area and golf academy. Holes 1 – 9 are lit by MUSCO golf for play at night, while the driving range and shortgame area are also floodlit. They’re all key tenets in the overarching strategy to grow the game in Pakistan as well as announcing the country’s arrival on the global golf map.

“Introducing more Pakistanis to golf and developing and nurturing the local talent is certainly a key objective of Rumanza. Pakistan is currently a relatively untapped market when it comes to golf and we’re keen to change that,” said Clayton.

Hole 18. Photo by Sam Clayton

Longer term, a regular tour event is part of the strategy to continually inspire the new generation of Pakistani golfers and to expose Multan as a desirable golf holiday destination.

“Hosting a tour event in the near future is a clear goal for Rumanza Golf & Country Club. The facilities, stunning location and warm hospitality of the Pakistani people will make it a fantastic venue to welcome the world’s best golfers,” Clayton continued.

Rumanza Golf & Country Club is an affiliate member of International Management Group. IMG Prestige is an elite international network of courses that covers over 200 clubs around the world. Rumanza members will get privileged access to these clubs and can enjoy several benefits such as preferred access, special green fee rates, club discounts and many other privileges offered by clubs and resorts
in network.

BE AT 1 SERIES:
Tame ‘Sea View’, stroke index 1 at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at The Els Club Dubai
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Tower Links Golf Club
Tame the 15th, stroke index 1, at Yas Links Abu Dhabi
Tame the 7th, stroke index 1, at Dubai Hills Golf Club
Tame the 12th, stroke index 1, at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club
Tame the 13th, stroke index 1, at Al Zorah Golf Club
Tame the 10th, stroke index 1, at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Abu Dhabi Golf Club
Tame the 5th, stroke index 1, at Arabian Ranches Golf Club

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The post FIRST LOOK: Rumanza Golf & Country Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.