Bolton shot rounds of 65, 70 and a final round of four under par 66, tournament total nine under, to win by an impressive seven shots in Al Ain.

China’s Nguyen Anh Minh finished in solo second, as the trio of Teddy Hall, Daniel Tolf and Jamie Roslyn Camero finished in a tie for third overall at level par.

Hall battled through a playoff to also claim the Male 18 and Under Division title as Jamie Roslyn Camero was the highest placed Female in the 21 and Under Division while Mahreen Bhatia took the 16 and Under Female Division.

Sir Nick Faldo, Jamie Roslyn Camero and Robert Fiala Operations and Marketing Manager Emirates Golf Federation – Faldo Series

Sir Nick Faldo, tournament host commented on the week: “It’s great to be back in the UAE at Al Ain Equestrian Shooting & Golf Club for the 27th edition of the Faldo Junior Tour Europe Grand Final.

“The quality of golf is improving each year and we are proud of all our players’ achievements both previous qualifiers as well as this year’s class of 2023.

“It is particularly rewarding to see the local UAE participation against a high quality international field as the Arab world is now becoming an important golf development region,” added Faldo, a six-time Major winner.

Images: Faldo Series

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Daniel Hillier produced a barnstorming finish to claim his maiden DP World Tour title at the 2023 Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.

After reaching the turn in 35 courtesy of two birdies and a single bogey on the front nine, European Challenge Tour graduate Hillier finished his round with a flourish, going eagle-birdie-eagle from the 15th to open up a two-shot lead.

The New Zealander suffered a late scare when he cleared the green at the tricky 18th, but he managed to save par there with a nerveless eight-foot putt to finish the tournament on ten under par.

With the final group several holes behind him, Hillier had to wait around an hour before finally being able to celebrate a stunning two-shot victory.

American Gunner Wiebe and Englishman Oliver Wilson were Hillier’s nearest challengers on eight under, with the trio booking their spots at the 151st Open at Royal Liverpool Golf Club.

Englishman Justin Rose and Scottish pair Calum Hill and Ewen Ferguson were then in a tie for fourth on seven under, one ahead of Dane Niklas Nørgaard.

Starting the day three shots off the lead, Hillier came agonisingly close to holing his 22-foot eagle putt at the par-five third but instead had to settle for a tap-in birdie.

The 24-year-old gave the shot back after finding water at the sixth but did well to limit the damage to just a bogey.

He bounced back with a five-foot birdie on the ninth before parring each of the next five holes to remain some way off the pace.

But that suddenly changed at the long 15th as Hillier drained his 40-foot eagle effort to jump to seven under par.

And he followed that up with a stunning fairway bunker shot on the 16th to set up a close-range birdie, which earned him a share of the lead.

Hillier kept his foot on the gas at the par-five 17th, launching his second shot to six feet before tapping in the putt for his second eagle of the day.

Heading down the 18th with a two-shot lead, Hillier sent his second shot from the rough over the back of the enormous green – landing his ball alongside the trophy.

Knowing he still had work to do to avoid running up a big number, the New Zealander played a well-judged third before saving par from eight feet to give the chasing pack no realistic chance of catching him.

Hillier, who also recorded recent top-five finishes at the KLM Open and BMW International Open, was thrilled to enter the winner’s circle.

He said: “I’m over the moon and a bit lost for words.

“Those last few holes are going to take a while to process I think.

“The 15th – that tee shot’s been troubling me all week. It was nice to get one semi-in-play. A bit of an awkward lie for my second shot but managed to have a good five wood in there to 40 feet.

“The putt was racing but I managed to hit the back of the hole so that was a nice little bonus.

“And then a bit of a miscue on the 16th. Put it in that fairway trap but actually had a nice number in so it was a nice full wedge in there and I managed to get a nice little bounce off that slope.

“And then the 17th was a bit lucky. I just carried that trap and managed to make the most of that good break. 

“Then just held on for dear life down the last. I felt pretty good over (the final putt). I felt as comfortable as you can over a putt of that magnitude.

“And I just had to tell myself to put a good stroke on it.”

Hillier follows in the footsteps of countryman Bob Charles, who won this event in 1972, and he was thrilled to be in such illustrious company.

He added: “That’s pretty amazing. Obviously, he’s New Zealand’s golfing hero so it’s pretty cool to be on the same trophy as him.”

The post Daniel Hillier wins maiden DP World Tour title at The Belfry appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo is the ninth event in The Open Qualifying Series and will be played from 29 June-2 July at The Belfry.

Players in the field at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo who are already exempt for The 151st Open:
Adri Arnaus
Romain Langasque
David Micheluzzi
Shubhankar Sharma
Alexander Bjork
Thriston Lawrence
Guido Migliozzi
Callum Shinkwin
Dan Bradbury
Min Woo Lee
Thorbjorn Olesen
Marcel Siem
Jorge Campillo
Hurley Long
Yannik Paul
Jordan Smith
Ewen Ferguson
Joost Luiten
Victor Perez
Ockie Strydom
Kazuki Higa
Robert MacIntyre
Richie Ramsay
Connor Syme
Rikuya Hoshino
Adrian Meronk
Justin Rose
Sami Valimaki 

In the event of a tie for a qualifying place, the player with the higher ranking in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) at the beginning of the week commencing 26 June will be awarded a place in The 151st Open.

The post Three places in the 151st Open on offer at The Betfred British Masters hosted by Sir Nick Faldo   appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

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.

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.

By Kent Gray
When Sir Nick Faldo is the artist and Vietnam’s stunning central coast is the six-time major champion’s canvas, it’s a given the golf will be compelling. But Laguna Golf Lăng Cô, as recently as 2019 the country’s top-rated course, is more than just an alluring mix of links-style golf where ocean surf meets rocky mountainscape. With two award-winning hotels, this is a holiday destination within itself, not that you’ll want to bypass any of Vietnam’s other golfing gems. They do things right at Laguna Golf Lăng Cô with the club home to the Asian final of the global Faldo (junior) Series, as well as to a herd of water buffalo which help manage the seven hectares of rice fields located in the middle of the course. The “bio mowers” helped Laguna Golf Lăng Cô harvest a record 28 tonnes of rice last year which was donated to the local community. With its own water bottling plant to allow the resort to completely eliminate plastic water bottles, the club sealed an EarthCheck Gold certification in 2019, just one of three clubs worldwide to achieve the accreditation.

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The post QUICKSHOT: Laguna Golf Lăng Cô appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Daniel Rapaport
Nick Faldo said he’d never known the rule in his 40-plus years as a professional golfer. Then it happened on back-to-back holes.

An obscure match-play rule came up twice during the Sunday’s semifinals match between Matt Kuchar and Scottie Scheffler at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. The first instance happened on Austin Country Club’s par-5 12th, where water guards the left side of the putting surface. Scheffler played first from the fairway and pulled his approach left into the drink, meaning he’d have to drop where his ball entered the hazard before playing his fourth.

Kuchar played next from the left rough and managed to find the front-right portion of the putting surface. Shotlink had his ball at 87 feet, eight inches from the cup, leaving a lengthy eagle putt. Scheffler then took his drop and had 77 yards in for his fourth.

That’s where things got a little funky: Kuchar played first, despite his ball being a good 50 yards closer to the hole.

Huh? One of the first rules of match-play golf is the player further from the hole plays first. So what happened here?

The answer lies in Rule 6.4b(1), which details the order of play when a player has a choice to play the ball as it lies or take relief. Scheffler technically fell into this camp, despite his ball lying at the bottom of lake. Theoretically, he could play his ball—as opposed to his ball being out of bounds, where he would be forbidden from playing it—or take relief from the hazard, which of course was the obvious choice.

The rule states, “the player’s order of play is based on the spot where the original ball lies [which if not known must be estimated].” So, where Scheffler’s ball lied after his drop is irrelevant to the order of play. Only the position of the original ball. Both players determined that Scheffler’s ball, although being at the bottom of the lake, was actually closer to the hole than Kuchar’s ball on the very front of the putting surface.

Kuchar, knowing the advantage that comes with hitting your ball close and putting pressure on your opponent to match that, promptly cosied his ball up within three feet. Scheffler hit a clunker and conceded the hole shortly thereafter.

The situation fascinated/puzzled Golf Channel broadcasters, and required further explanation by the resident rules expert, Steve Rintoul of the PGA Tour.

And then it happened again the very next hole.

A similar situation played out, this time on the drivable par-4 13th. Kuchar played first and hit his ball well right of the green, on dry land. Then Scheffler hit his ball right on line with the flag, but it flew about two yards too short and found water again. But again, Scheffler’s original ball lied closer to the hole than Kuchar’s, so Kuchar played his second from 30 yards before Scheffler played his third from 159 yards.

Just when you think you know everything about this game.

The post An obscure rule stumped the announcers twice during the Matt Kuchar-Scottie Scheffler match appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
Rickie Fowler’s slump has been one of the sport’s chief wonders this season. Despite the struggle, Fowler has continued to grind and maintain a positive disposition, even to the barbs thrown in his direction.

Earlier this month six-time major winner and CBS Sports analyst Nick Faldo took a shot at Fowler regarding Fowler’s prospects of not receiving an invite to Augusta National. “Good news is if he misses the Masters he can shoot another six commercials that week!” Faldo wrote on Twitter, evoking a popular criticism of Fowler’s portfolio of endorsement deals. Faldo somewhat walked back the statement a few days later, saying he was trying to “motivate” Fowler and that it was all in good fun. Though some felt Faldo fell short of a proper mea culpa, Fowler says he didn’t think twice on the comments.

“No, I know where Nick was trying to come from on that and it’s like competitor to competitor, you’re trying to needle each other and get each other going type of thing,” Fowler said Friday at the Honda Classic. “I am fortunate to have some great partners and make some great commercials, and it’s been fun to be able to do that. I would much rather be playing the week of the Masters than working. But it’s all part of it.

“I’m going to keep kicking down the door, if we’re able to do something special in the next few weeks before Augusta, we’ll be there. If not, we’ll keep grinding and we’ll be back in the winner’s circle soon.”

For his part, that mentality was on display Friday at PGA National. Hovering at the cut line through eight holes, the former Players champ answered and answered with vigor, birdieing four of his final 10 holes to safely make it into Saturday. Granted, Fowler’s a player judged by more than simply making it to the weekend, but when mired in a slump, something as simple as getting more swings is a win.

At the moment Fowler, ranked 81st in the world, remains on the outside looking in at the Masters. It would be the first Masters the 32-year-old has missed since 2010, and his major streak extends to the 2010 Open Championship. However, should he not win this week at the Honda, he’ll get one more crack at earning an invitation when he plays in the the Valero Texas Open the week before the Masters, as Fowler committed to the final tour stop before Augusta on Thursday.

The post Rickie Fowler responds to Nick Faldo’s Masters/commercial dig appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
If you prefer your holiday golf with a hearty dollop of culture, chalk up Vattanac Golf Resort in Cambodia as a potential getaway. The Troon International-managed club in Phnom Penh, recently named the country’s best in the annual World Golf Awards, has just opened a second course. Like the existing East course, the new West layout is designed by six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo.

The two courses provide a spectacular setting around famous cultural expressions that include scale models of Khmer historical architectural sites such as Angkor Wat, Preah Vihear and Bayon. Positioned on the 7th hole of the new course, a statue pays homage to King Jayavarman VII from the Angkor period. With former Els Club Dubai GM Karl Whitehead now fulfilling the same role at Vattanac, a friendly welcome is guaranteed alongside the memorable golf.

vattanacgolfresort.com

The post QUICKSHOT: Vattanac Golf Resort appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
Just three months short of his 90th birthday—“level fives” in his language—Peter Alliss passed away overnight. Born in Berlin on Feb. 28, 1931 (he was, at the time, the biggest baby in Europe, weighing in at 14 pounds 12 ounces), the doyen of golf commentating died peacefully in his sleep at home in England.

Eight times a Ryder Cup player and the winner of more than 20 events around the world, Alliss ended his distinguished playing career in the early 1970s and quickly made himself an almost indispensable part of tournament coverage on television the world over. No one in that business knew the game better; few were as quick-witted or humorous talking about what the man himself never forgot was just a game. As well as commentating regularly for the BBC, he also worked for ESPN and ABC Sports along with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

RELATED: Golf Digest Middle East’s 2014 conversation with the ‘voice of golf’

Alliss came from a distinguished golfing family. His father, Percy, played four times for Great Britain & Ireland in the Ryder Cup and was a consistent tournament winner in the two decades preceding World War II.

“I never really saw my father play,” said the younger Alliss. “But he was a lovely golfer, the Luke Donald of his day, or a Gene Littler. He had a perfectly balanced swing and was a superb driver of the ball. His putting was a bit shaky, but if you look at the greens back then they were worse than my lawn. I got a hand-written letter from Henry Cotton when I won the Assistants Championship in 1951 or ’52. Dear Peter, many congratulations on your first victory. Your father was the sweetest swinger I’ve ever seen. What a beautiful player. Sincerely, Henry Cotton.”

First through his father and later through his own exploits, Peter spent a lifetime knowing just about everyone of consequence in the game. One of his proudest claims was that, apart from maybe 15 of them, he had met, played with or known every Open champion since 1900.

“I came home one day from school to find a few of my father’s friends sitting at the kitchen table having a cup of tea and a chat,” he said. “Round that table were Reg Whitcombe [1938 Open champion], Ernest Whitcombe [1924 Open runner-up], Alf Padgham [1936 Open champion], Alf Perry [1935 Open champion], Dick Burton [1939 Open champion] and my father. It was summer time and I remember Ernest saying he had to go. He had to get back to the club—on the bus—because he had a couple of lessons that evening. Changed days indeed.”

Photo by Mrs Dulce R Stuart
Peter Alliss (left) stands next to his father Percy, circa 1961.

The young Alliss also made the acquaintance of Bobby Jones, caddying

for the great amateur in what was surely Jones’ last round of golf in the United Kingdom. It was just after the World War II at Parkstone Golf Club outside Bournemouth on England’s south coast. Jones, wearing his colonel’s uniform and with his tie tucked into his shirt, played with Alliss senior and Reg Whitcombe.

What often gets overlooked as he became more and more famous for his work with a microphone in hand was how good a player Peter Alliss was. Renowned for the smoothness and elegance of his full swing—and, later, terrible putting (the number plate on his car read ‘PUT3’) marked by a dreadful bout of the yips that, he claimed, began on the 11th green at Augusta National during a Masters—he twice played Arnold Palmer in Ryder Cup singles and finished unbeaten.

“I have a very good Ryder Cup record, mostly because of my fear of losing,” said Alliss, who went 10-15-5 on teams that went just 1-6-1. “I always had the attitude that ‘you weren’t going to beat me.’ I believe you play the man, not the course. I played Arnold three times when he was at his peak and the only one I lost was a foursome. I beat him once and halved with him in singles. I also beat Billy Casper, Gay Brewer and Ken Venturi at various times, and halved with Tony Lema.”

There was more to Alliss than a formidable match-play record, of course. In stroke play he had his moments, although—as it was for his father—not winning an Open Championship was a lingering regret (he had five top-10 finishes in 25 appearances).

R&A Championships
Peter Alliss plays a shot during the 1967 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

“Looking back, I was a good player,” he said modestly. “I was the best player in Europe in the 1960s, without ever winning the Open. I won my first tournament as far back as 1954, the Daks event at Little Aston, and my 21st and last in 1969. So I averaged more than one per year. There are only a handful of British players who have ever won more than I did. I’m certainly in the top 10. And my total prize money didn’t come to £30,000.

“I was a very good ball-striker in my time. And, despite my reputation, I could putt, too. You don’t win 20-odd times if you can’t putt. I would, over the course of a round, hole four or five putts of at least 20 feet. But I’d occasionally miss from no more than 15 inches. And I never knew why. I’ve seen film of myself in the mid-60s and I had hardly any backswing at all.”

Later, with all of the above behind him, Alliss’ shrewd observations on all aspects of the game were just part of his appeal as a commentator and author (he wrote 20 books on golf, from golf history to instruction to memoir). Unashamedly “un-PC,” he was unapologetically a product of his upbringing in the post-war years.

“I hate to see things going to waste,” he said. “I still go round switching lights off. I can’t bear to throw food away. I’m a relic of what influenced me when I was young. Courtesies and manners are very important to me. These days, people think you’re a dinosaur if you stand up when a lady enters the room, or if you write thank-you notes. I know it’s all progress, but it’s a different world from the one I grew up in.”

That view of modern life did occasionally get Alliss into trouble. He was, for example, not one who viewed golf in the 21st century as being necessarily superior to what had gone before.

“I do believe that the most skillful golfers were those who played between 1900 and 1920,” he said, his tongue only slightly in his cheek. “Look at the scores they did. JH Taylor won the Open at Deal around that time with scores averaging 73.5 or whatever. Look at the clubs they used. The balls weren’t round and didn’t go anywhere. The bunkers were never raked. The course was only 300 yards shorter than it is today. And the wind blew and the rain was still wet. I reckon you could take the best 20 players of today, give them the old balls and clubs in a goodish wind and they wouldn’t do what JH and his mates did.”

And he wasn’t above speaking his mind on what he sees today. A part of his character that was known to irritate a few of today’s stars.

David Cannon/Getty Images
Alliss, seen and heard by American golf fans on ABC and ESPN, served as the “Voice of Golf” at the BBC for more than 50 years.

“I watch a lot of golf on television these days,” he said not long ago. “Mostly because I don’t want the players to think I don’t know what is going on. Which is rather conceited of me. And sometimes I don’t believe what I am seeing. In Dubai recently I saw a player hit a shot from behind a tree, from rough, over a pond from about 180 yards out. Sure enough, he didn’t even get halfway across the bloody water. That sort of situation happens time and again. No wonder guys like that are also-rans; they don’t have any golfing brains. They don’t know how to play.”

Despite his long relationship with the biennial contest, the Ryder Cup was not immune either. Nor was another of the game’s sacred cows, the Masters.

“The Ryder Cup has taken on a little bit of a false persona, a bit like Augusta and the Masters,” said. “Just as Augusta National is supposed to be the greatest place in the world—it isn’t—the Ryder Cup is supposed to be the greatest golf event in the world—it isn’t either. But, because of the excitement each has generated over the years—the “War on the Shore” and all that other bollocks—it has become something it was never meant to be. Take the whole team-qualifying thing. I think the captains should just pick 12 men each and forget the rankings. It is too hurtful for someone to play quite well, finish 11th and not get picked.”

That ability to verbalize what many others think but never say was perhaps Alliss’ biggest skill during his career as a commentator. Of course, he learned at the feet of the master, former Sunday Times columnist, Henry Longhurst, who was the first journalist to transition successfully into broadcasting.

“I refused to do anything different when commentating in America,” Alliss said. “I certainly refused to say, ‘back side.’ I remember one commentator saying, ‘And here is Faldo at 14, with wind gusting from his rear.’ I thought no, I’m not saying that. For me, it was always a bunker rather than a sand trap. I always tried to do what Longhurst told me: ‘Imagine you are sitting talking to a friend with one program between you.’ If there is nothing to say, it is better to do just that. The one thing I rarely do is take my eyes off the screen. Many people do, which I liken to someone turning to look at you as he drives the car.”

In addition to his TV commentary, Alliss authored 20 books on golf.

He could do it live, too. Towards the end of his life, Alliss toured Great Britain doing a one-man show that involved nothing more than him talking to the audience and answering questions. It was a rousing success, playing to packed houses all over the country.

All of which was good for the Alliss ego, to the point where he turned down an honor from Queen Elizabeth. An OBE (Order of the British Empire) was, he felt, beneath a man of his stature and achievement.

“Yes, I turned down an OBE,” he said. “‘Other Buggers Efforts’ I called it. I was asked if I would accept it for ‘services to golf.’ Which I thought was odd. Why should I get an OBE for doing my job? Now, if it were for all the work I have done with the wheelchair charity I have been involved with, we have raised about £7 million over the years, I could have seen the point. Even then, I just contribute my name and some time. Other people do all the real work. But not for bloody golf! So I said, ‘No.’

“If I was offered a knighthood, I think I would accept. I’d have more fun with it than ‘Sir Nick Faldo’ seems to do. He has that on his golf bag for goodness sake. It would sound better if it was ‘Sir Nicholas Faldo’ but once a Nick, always a Nick.”

David Cannon/Getty Images
Peter Alliss at home with his wife Jackie and their 12 Weimaraner puppies in 2016.

Still, within it all there was a healthy dose of perspective. Life wasn’t always kind to Alliss and his wife, Jackie.

“Our daughter, Victoria, died when she was 10 years old,” he said. “She was very severely handicapped, having no central nervous system. She looked like a doll and hardly made a sound. That changed me. I used to get upset by little things and wonder why someone didn’t say hello for example. But, having had Victoria, I realised that the person who walks past without speaking might have problems I don’t know about. So all those things I used to worry about were eliminated from my life.”

And through his nearly four score years and 10, through the good, the bad and everything else in-between, Alliss was never above a bit of self-deprecation.

“I have no other talents really,” he once said. “I’ve only read about 10 books in my life. My father used to play the guitar and I played the drums until I was about 17. I dreamed of having a little band.”

Maybe in the next life. RIP.

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