Hennie Otto set a new course record at the Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate

Hennie Otto set a new course record at the Serengeti Golf & Wildlife Estate on what is likely to be his final day as the reigning SA Open Champion.

The 2011 victor had failed to replicate last season’s title winning form this time out as he barely made the cut before dropping a shot on four successive holes in yesterday’s 75.

But the South African produced a scintillating 62 this morning, bettering fellow countryman George Coetzee’s 63 yesterday, to ensure he finished on eight under par for the tournament.

Charl Schwartzel, who took the green jacket at the 2011 Masters Tournament, also recovered well from a disappointing third round with a positive start to his last 18.

Schwartzel, competing in his 11th national championship, recorded two double-bogeys yesterday but three birdies in the first six holes left him sitting in a tie for fifth.

Henrik Stenson led the field after the penultimate round from Swedish compatriot Magnus Carlsson and Coetzee.

Just months into his career as the UAE’s first professional golfer

Just months into his career as the UAE’s first professional golfer, Ahmed Al Musharrekh will rub shoulders with many of the biggest names in world golf when he becomes the first Arab golf pro to play in the Rolex Pro-Am at next week’s DP World Tour Championship.

To be staged on 20 November on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the Rolex Pro-Am will see Al Musharrekh as pro captain for the Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) team in a line-up that features the top 60 players on The European Tour, including the 2012 Race to Dubai Champion Rory McIlroy during the annual curtain raiser for the $8 million tournament.

The 22 year-old won the UAE National Championship in 2008 as has tasted gold medal success at both the Arab Games and the GCC Championships but this will be the biggest test of his professional career as he plays alongside the elite players who have qualified for the final round of The Race to Dubai.

“Ahmed has moved up into the ranks of professional golf so we are delighted to be able to invite him to play – as a pro – in the Rolex Pro-Am at the DP World Tour Championship,” said Nick Tarratt, European Tour International Director, Dubai Office. “He won’t be an amateur enjoying a day out with his friends in the company of a tour pro – he will be the pro playing off the Championship tees and the man responsible for the performance of his team.

“This is a great boost not only for the Emirates Golf Federation who do a magnificent job in encouraging golf at grass roots level here in the UAE but also for Arab golf in the Middle East region. I am sure Ahmed will learn a lot from it and enjoy the experience of mixing with Major winners and Ryder Cup stars both past and present.”

Al Musharrekh is in no doubt as to the challenge that lies ahead in his professional career and is grateful for the opportunity to play in the Rolex Pro-Am.

“It’s a great honour to be invited to play alongside the best of The European Tour,” he said. “I’ve played in a few Pro-Ams over the years as an amateur so this is an exciting step up for me. But I always like to push and challenge myself so I am looking forward to it and to helping the EGF team do well in the Pro-Am.

“It has always been my dream to play professional golf and while I know it won’t be easy I am willing to work hard and commit myself to being the best player I can. Of course, it will be a challenge with the likes of Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood captaining their teams in the Pro-Am but it’s a great opportunity to gain even more experience and I want to thank everyone for their faith in me and for inviting me to take part.”

The Rolex Pro-Am is seen as the traditional opener to the DP World Tour Championship as event sponsors and supporters are invited to enter a team of three amateurs to join forces with one of the top 60 players

Competing in the Rolex Pro-Am alongside World Number One McIlroy will be all 11 of his victorious Ryder Cup team-mates including Ian Poulter, Luke Donald, Justin Rose and Lee Westwood. 

The Rolex Pro-Am gives the pros the opportunity to get to grips with the Earth course in full championship mode before the tournament itself starts on Thursday (22 November) with $8 million in prize money and a Race to Dubai Bonus Pool of $3.75 million at stake. Free season tickets for the tournament can be obtained by registering online at www.dpwtc.com.

A global audience of 850 million households

A global audience of 850 million households will tune in to Jumeirah Golf Estates this week when Dubai welcomes the top 60 players on The European Tour for the DP World Tour Championship.

The final leg of the season-long Race to Dubai, the DP World Tour Championship will be televised live by Tour Productions and broadcast on satellite channels around the world. And for the first time in the history of the event, viewers in the UAE will be able to enjoy 20 hours of live coverage on Dubai Sports Channel 1.

Getting underway on Thursday (Nov 22) from the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, the four-day, $8 million tournament will see World Number One and Race to Dubai winner Rory McIlroy aim to end the season in style at the final event on The European Tour’s 45-date calendar.

“As the finale to the season, the DP World Tour Championship will see the world tuning in to ‘Earth’,” said Nick Tarratt, European Tour International Director, Dubai Office. “Tour Productions will do their customary excellent job of broadcasting the action worldwide, while we are delighted Dubai Sports Channel will also show the action live for the first time.”

To broadcast the tournament to a global audience, Tour Productions will lay 60km of cable alongside the fairways and greens of the Greg Norman-designed Earth course, while 87 tonnes of equipment – including cabling, trucks and broadcasting technology – will be used throughout the event.

In addition, over 100 TV crew will ensure viewers don’t miss any of the action with their number increased by 18 locally recruited scorers and spotters.

As well as TV personnel, over 150 local and international media representatives will cover the tournament, while the event’s Official Media Partners CNN and Dubai Eye 103.8 will both play key roles as the players fight it out for the title. Dubai Eye 103.8 will broadcast live from the Earth course with player interviews, event news and information throughout the tournament.

Regular updates will also appear on the tournament website as well as on The European Tour’s official site, while the event’s Twitter and Facebook social media outlets will also provide news and information relating to play on the Earth course as well as the events and entertainment in the Championship Village.

“Obviously with free season tickets for the tournament, the best way to watch the players in action is by coming along to Jumeirah Golf Estates for what we believe is the Greatest Weekend on Earth,” added Tarratt. “But for those who can’t make it in person, there will be a wide variety of media sources providing excellent coverage as we celebrate the climax of The European Tour season.”

Free season tickets for the 2012 DP World Tour Championship are available online by registering at the official website www.dpwtc.com

Whilst The European Tour’s presence in Hong Kong is focused

Whilst The European Tour’s presence in Hong Kong is focused primarily on staging the UBS Hong Kong Open, a secondary aim is to leave a lasting legacy by working alongside the Hong Kong Golf Association (HKGA) in developing its burgeoning Elite Junior Programme.

Since The European Tour began promoting the US$2million tournament in 2010, the programme has benefitted hugely from a percentage of the substantial sanction fee received by the HKGA through its partnership with the Tour.

The programme is run free of charge by the HGKA and is attended by approximately 80 local youngsters, who are coached and mentored by former Asian Tour member Brad Schadewitz.

Schadewitz oversees the juniors’ fitness training programme and accompanies them to international amateur tournaments, including the Eisenhower Trophy.

The scheme has been a resounding success, with three of the junior girls having recently been offered scholarships by universities in America.   

Peter Aherne, President of the Hong Kong Golf Association, said: “We’d like to thank The European Tour for their help and support over the past three years. Their commitment to growing the game in Hong Kong is very much appreciated by everyone at the Hong Kong Golf Association, and we look forward to working alongside them in the years to come.”  

Keith Waters, Chief Operating Officer of The European Tour, said: “The Hong Kong Golf Association does a superb job in running its Elite Junior Programme, and we are fully committed to supporting the development of the game in Hong Kong. The sanction fee the HGKA received from the Tour this year and for the past two years will assist in its efforts to produce talented young golfers, and we are already seeing the fruits of their labour.”  

In addition to the Elite Junior Programme, the promotional budget also enabled The European Tour and the HKGA to run the ‘Golf in the City’ initiative, which included the junior golf clinic conducted on Wednesday afternoon by American John Daly, Spaniard Miguel Angel Jiménez and Italian Matteo Manassero, who passed on their wealth of experience to 140 local schoolchildren.

Jointly organised by the HKGA and The European Tour and sponsored by Mega Events Fund, ‘Golf in the City’ aimed to increase awareness and interest in both the tournament and the game in general.

A series of fun golf-related games and challenges for the general public were run free of charge last week at Chater Garden, in the city’s Central District, where the Urban Golf Challenge was also held.

A level par 71 was good enough for England’s Luke Donald

A level par 71 was good enough for England’s Luke Donald to retain his four shot advantage at the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan.

The World Number Three could not reproduce the sparkling form that had taken him to 13 under par at Phoenix Country Club, mixing three birdies with three bogeys.

The rest of the field failed to take advantage, however, with first round co-leader Brendan Jones 67 to move into a share of second with Shunsuke Sonoda the day’s most significant move.

If Donald can complete the job on Sunday it will be his first victory since successfully defending his BMW PGA Championship title at Wentworth Club back in May.

Spain’s Alvaro Quiros moved into the top ten with a two under par 69, although the long hitter is eight behind Donald.

Quiros’ compatriot Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño advanced to two under par, but Ryder Cup star Nicolas Colsaerts dropped back to one under with a 72.

Singapore storms threaten McIlroy's money bid

SINGAPORE: Tropical thunderstorms threw the $6 million Barclays Singapore Open into chaos on Friday and threatened Rory McIlroy's bid to seal the European money title this weekend.

After a rain-hit first day, play was suspended twice before finally being abandoned for the day as forked lightning streaked the skies and heavy downpours hit par-71 Sentosa Golf Club.

Thailand's Chapchai Nirat and Simon Dyson held the joint lead midway through their second rounds, with half the field yet to take the course and more rain forecast for the weekend.

Organisers said more delays could force them to slash the event from 72 to 54 holes or to complete the fourth round on Monday. Last year, it was cut to 54 holes and still only finished on the Monday morning.

"At present, our aim is still to complete 72 holes, weather permitting," said tournament director Jose Maria Zamora.

"However, if we do suffer more delays we would then decide, in consultation with the sponsor and promoter, whether to reduce the tournament to 54 holes or complete the fourth round on Monday," he added.

Reducing the tournament could be inconvenient for world number one McIlroy, who was tied for 29th after 12 holes of his second round and needing a high finish to confirm himself as Europe's top prize money-winner this year.

The 23-year-old, bidding to become only the second man to seal the money titles on both sides of the Atlantic in the same year, completed his first round five shots off the pace and went straight back out for round two.

Watched by tennis star girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki but suffering from a cold, McIlroy made a wretched start to his second round with bogey and double bogey in his first four holes.

But some razor-sharp iron shots got him back to one-under-par for the tournament before he was hauled off the course for the second time, in a golf buggy with Wozniacki sitting cosily on his lap.

"Nearly 12 hours at the golf course already today!" McIlroy tweeted, with a picture of Wozniacki asleep on a desk. "@CaroWozniacki really enjoying her holiday this week... Not!! #ratherbeonabeach."

Chapchai was a first-round leader at the 2005 Singapore Open, and in 2009 he set a world 72-hole scoring record with a staggering total of 32-under-par 256 to win India's SAIL Open.

However, the victories have since dried up and after only one top-10 finish this year, he said he had taken his father's advice to lose some weight and had been visiting a Buddhist monastery to improve his temperament.

"I've been going there a lot to calm myself. I used to be very hot-tempered and I get frustrated easily especially at such a young age," said Chapchai, 29.

"My parents sent me to the monastery and I became a monk for a while. My temper is better now but I still try to go back to the monastery once in a while."

Ryder Cup star Francesco Molinari, his fellow Italian Matteo Manassero and Denmark's Thomas Bjorn were a shot back from Chapchai and Dyson at five-under-par during their second rounds.

Last year's runner-up, Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines, hit the shot of the day with a 161-yard hole-in-one on the par-three second - the second ace of the tournament, after Edoardo Molinari's on day one.

Organisers of the event, sometimes referred to as "Asia's Major", have admitted they are keen to move it to a different time of year to avoid the notorious storm delays.
Leading incomplete scores during round two of the Singapore Open:

-6 - Simon Dyson (ENG), Chapchai Nirat (THA)
-5 - Matteo Manassero (ITA), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Thomas Bjorn (DEN)
-4 - George Coetzee (RSA), Chris Wood (ENG), Simon Khan (ENG), Chinnarat Phadungsil (THA), Pablo Martin (ESP)
-3 - Chan Yih-Shin (TPE), Rikard Karlberg (SWE), Pablo Larrazabal (ESP), Paul Casey (ENG), Y.E. Yang (KOR), Kwanchai Tannin (THA)
-2 Anirban Lahiri (IND), Berry Henson (USA), Anders Hansen (DEN), S.S.P. Chowrasia (IND), Choo Tze Huang (SIN), David Howell (ENG), Himmat Rai (IND), Jyoti Randhawa (IND), Richard Green (AUS), Hennie Otto (RSA), Garth Mulroy (RSA), Gunn Charoenkul (THA)

Selected:

-1 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
Even - Louis Oosthuizen (RSA), Adam Scott (AUS)

Chinese teen wins Asia-Pacific, spot in Masters

Guan Tianlang is an eighth-grader from China who barely weighs 125 pounds and doesn't hit the golf ball far enough to reach some par 4s. The next stop for the 14-year-old prodigy will be the Masters, where he will tee it up with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Bubba Watson at Augusta National.

Guan completed a wire-to-wire victory Sunday in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, making a 5-foot par putt on the final hole at Amata Spring Country Club for a one-shot win that earned him an invitation to the Masters.

"I'm really excited about it," Guan said after closing with a 1-under 71. "I will be training maybe a little bit harder and got some more power for that because I'm still growing right now. So it will be great fun."

He is believed to be the youngest male to play in a major championship. Andy Zhang of China, who trained at a golf academy in Florida, was 14 years, 6 months when he qualified for the U.S. Open last summer at The Olympic Club. Guan would be about a month younger.

Woods could have seen this coming.

Just two years ago, Woods was playing in the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions pro-am at Sheshan International in Shanghai when Guan was in a group of juniors who played with him on the par-3 17th hole. Woods was amazed that day, not only at the polished swing of a 12-year-old, but the poise Guan showed at performing on such a stage -- more than a thousand people in the gallery, an audience that included Woods, a 14-time major champion.

Even with a spot in the Masters on the line, Guan didn't flinch.

Pan Cheng-tsung of Taiwan, the second-ranked amateur in Asia, made par on the 18th hole for a 65 that left him one shot behind. Guan, the youngest player at the Asia-Pacific Amateur, hits the ball only about 250 yards off the tee, and even a 3-wood for his second shot left him short of the green. Guan had made bogey twice on the 18th during the tournament.

"I think about it a little bit at the last hole, but I'm trying not to get it in my mind," Guan said, referring to the Masters invitation. "So just want to focus on my game. I got a little bit nervous on the last putt because that's the winning putt. But I just do my own routine and everything is good."

He rolled in the final stroke with a belly putter, which he began using in June because he feels more stable over the putts.

Guan's choice of putter is sure to draw more attention to the debate over the club, which is anchored to the body. The USGA and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club are close to announcing a decision on whether to ban such a putting stroke.

For now, it's another amazing feat for the eighth-grader at Zhi Xin Middle School in Guangzhou.

Guan started playing when he was 4, going to the golf course with his parents. He goes to California for about three months during the year, staying with relatives in Los Angeles and San Diego to train. He first got attention last year at the Junior World Golf Championships in San Diego when he won his age division (11-12) by 11 shots.

He was invited to play in the China Open in April, making him the youngest competitor in a European Tour-sanctioned event. Guan missed the cut.

"I feel pretty comfortable with that," Guan said. "I didn't do pretty well, but it's still a great experience for me. I think it's going to help me in the Masters."

Guan said he has been watching the Masters every year since 2005, when Woods hit a chip from behind the green on the par-3 16th that hung on the lip for a second before it took one last turn and dropped for birdie, carrying him to a playoff win and his fourth Green Jacket.

Woods is his favorite player. Along with hitting a tee shot with him on the 17th hole during the HSBC Champions pro-am in Shanghai, he met Woods again during a Nike clinic at Mission Hills a year later.

I think he has a strong mind and a strong heart, so I think that's why he's so great, a good player," Guan said. "I played the hole each time with Tiger, and he knows me the second time," Guan said. "We talk a little bit and I just really like him."

Guan would like to play a practice round with Woods at the Masters "or anyone else, because the guys that go to Augusta are all fantastic players."

He became the first Chinese player to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur, which was created by Augusta National and the Royal & Ancient to help inspire growth in the emerging golf nations of Asia. This was the fourth year for the tournament.

Along with getting into the Masters, Guan earns a spot in the final stage of qualifying for the British Open. Pan, the runner-up, also gets a spot in the British Open qualifier.

Guan, who opened with rounds of 66-64 to build a five-shot lead, finished at 15-under 273. He felt the pressure toward the end of the final round after a bogey on the 16th hole. But he handled the island-green 17th with a par, and then clipped a 60-degree sand wedge for his 5-foot par putt and the win.

Oliver Goss of Australia, a quarterfinalist at the U.S. Amateur, closed with a 72 to finish third. Hideki Matsuyama, Asia's No. 1 amateur who was going for his third straight Asia-Pacific Amateur title, shot 68 and was five shots behind. Matsuyama made the cut at the Masters the last two years.

"I'm so excited," Guan said. "I'm really happy to become the youngest player at the Masters and looking forward to going there. I don't know what's going to happen there, but I know I just want to do well."

Guan added to what already has been an historic year at Augusta National, which in August invited Darla Moore and Condoleezza Rice to become the first female members in its 80-year history. In April, there will be two women in green jackets, and an eighth-grader from China trying to win a Green Jacket.

Sergio Garcia to make his comeback from eye surger

Sergio Garcia will make his comeback from eye surgery at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

The Spaniard, who has not played since helping Europe to victory over the United States at the Ryder Cup in Medinah, underwent an operation to correct an astigmatism. He was the only one of the 12 victorious team members to miss last week’s BMW Masters in Shanghai.

Garcia will now return at the European Tour's season-ending event, which gets underway at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in the United Arab Emirates on Nov. 22.

"I had the surgery, but everything went very well," the world No. 21 said. "I will have three tournaments towards the end of the year. I hope I can play good, finish on a high note and get ready for next year."

The 32-year-old will then head for the Asian Tour in December after confirming his place in the field for the Thailand Golf Championship, as well as the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia.

"I really like Thailand, I have been there for holiday and I really enjoyed the country," said Garcia, who finished tied for 24th in the event last year. "The tournament is very well organized, and I think it is a very nice tournament; everyone does a great job there."

Hunter Mahan will also be at the Amata Spring Country Club from Dec. 6-9 for the Thailand Golf Championship, the penultimate event on this year's Asian Tour calendar.

The American is added to a stellar field that already included former world No. 1 Lee Westwood and major winners Darren Clarke, Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Bubba Watson.

"My wife, Kandi, and I went on a vacation in Thailand a couple of years ago," Mahan said. "We love to travel and it was definitely one of our favorite trips.

"The beaches were beautiful, the food was great -- we had a really good time so I thought it was a great place for me to play, a great place for me to see and to show Thailand what kind of golfer I am."

Rory McIlroy and Titleist Will Part Ways in December

The rumors have been circulating for weeks, but this morning it finally became official, Rory McIlroy and Titleist will part ways this December.

McIlroy has been playing Titleist equipment since turning pro five years ago, but after two major championship victories in the past two years, McIlroy clearly feels that it is time to pursue what could very well wind up being the biggest payday of his career and one of the most lucrative equipment contracts the game has ever seen.

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are now entering the twilight of their careers, and despite an abundance of young talent on the PGA Tour, McIlory has been the only player to really step up and assert himself as the game’s next big star. So, if you’re a golf equipment company looking to lock up golf’s next household name for the foreseeable future, you really only have one choice: Rory McIlroy.   

It has been rumored that Nike is contemplating offering McIlroy a 10-year deal, worth as much as $250 million.

A budding “bromance” has developed between Woods (who also plays Nike equipment) and McIlroy over the past six months. Most thought this to be a genuine friendship based on mutual respect of each other’s games, but perhaps this “bromance” was actually just a matter of Woods courting McIlroy and steering him towards Nike Golf all along.

Woods essentially built Nike golf from the ground up after he signed with the company back in 1996 and would undoubtedly benefit financially from any spike in equipment and apparel sales that could come as a result of McIlroy signing on with the company.

Nike may have gotten in early with McIlroy, but there is bound to be a fierce competition amongst all of the major golf manufacturers over the coming weeks, because after all, it’s not every day that golf equipment companies have the opportunity to sign a 23-year-old World No. 1 with two major championships already under his belt.

Expect to see McIlroy’s name within the Top 10 on Forbes 2013 list of the world’s highest paid athletes.

Vo Van Pelt holes a 60 foot putt to take lead

Bo Van Pelt holed a 60 foot birdie putt on the final green to take a one shot lead into the final round of the ISPS HANDA Perth International.

Four behind Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo overnight, American Van Pelt turned five shots adrift but came home in 32 for a 67 and 12 under par total.

His compatriot and World Number Ten Jason Dufner matched Van Pelt’s five under par round to sit second on 11 under, while Grillo three-putted the last for a 73 and third place on ten under.

The 20 year old Grillo initially stretched his advantage when he holed a 12 footer at the sixth and got down in two from a fairway bunker at the ninth to turn in 34.

It was Dufner who initially began applying pressure, The Ryder Cup star chipping in at the seventh to start a run of five birdies in six holes.

Grillo dropped shots at the tenth and 11th, responded with a birdie at the short next, but bogeyed the 16th and 18th for a costly inward 37 as the Qualifying School graduate looks to cement his place in the top 115 on The Race to Dubai – he currently lies 112th.

Van Pelt curled in a ten footer at the first for birdie but gave the shot back at the sixth after a poor bunker shot.

The World Number 24 two-putted the long seventh and 11th for birdies, holed from 12 feet at the next and chipped to two feet at the 15th before his spectacular finish.

“Once in a while a hole just gets in the way,” said Van Pelt. “I felt like I hit a pretty good second shot, just carried about five yards further. I was just trying to get the ball down there and two-putt and get out of there, and lo and behold, it goes in the hole.

“There's still a lot of golf to be played. It was just nice to finish with a birdie like that and hopefully take that into tomorrow.

“Jason is a great player, Grillo is playing well and he's probably going to come out and probably shoot a low one tomorrow. You've got to drive the ball straight and then put the ball in position on the greens, because they have a lot of slope and they are getting firm and they are getting fast.”

Dufner parred his way in from the 13th, and the highest-ranked player in the field was delighted to have given himself a chance going into Sunday.

“It was a nice day to get a good score and move up and have a realistic chance of not having to do anything crazy tomorrow and being in contention to try to win the tournament,” he said.

“Sometimes in the middle of a round, something happens that spurs you to some better play, and I got a little bit of a tough break on seven on my tee ball. Thought it would be in the fairway but hung up in the rough, which put me a good way back and I ended up getting into a bunker 70 yards or so and hit it over the back and then chipped in.

“So not really thinking that you're going to make birdie; in your mind you're almost feeling like maybe bogey might come on a pretty easy hole. Chipped in there and then hit one stone on nine and birdied ten, 11, 12.”

Fourth place is shared by Spain’s Alejandro Cañizares and England’s David Howell, and although the pair are five shots off the lead both have plenty to play for.

Currently 70th and 71st on The Race to Dubai, both need a big finish to force their way into the top 60 who will make the trip to Jumeirah Golf Estates next month.