Drama at La Manga - A 6 Way Playoff Decides LET Q-School

Ladies European Tour Class of 2012

When the grueling "Q-School grind" (as it's known across tours and around the world) finally came to an end today on the pastoral fairways of La Manga Golf Club, thirty golfers from 15 countries had won full playing rights on the Ladies European Tour for the 2012 season.

England’s Jodi Ewart, who earned her LPGA card in December, claimed a two stroke victory, with Swiss amateur Anais Maggetti and Spain’s Carlota Ciganda taking second and third, but the real nail-biter... with so much is at stake... was the six-player playoff for the last two cards.

As it turns out, final card was won... with a six-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole... by Sharmila Nicolette, the talented Bangalore beauty we wrote about earlier this week.  The LET website has all the dramatic details.

Sophie Sandolo Posts Best Golf Job Ever on Facebook

"Looking for a Caddy for the Ladies French Open at Paris International from Thursday thru Sunday... Anyone available? Thanks :)"

When Sophie Sandolo... the gorgeous global golf star known for both her achievements on the Ladies European Tour (including 18 top 10 finishes) and her elegantly erotic calendars... was in suddenly in need of a caddy in Paris for the upcoming Lacoste Ladies French Open, she took a modern, practical approach and updated her facebook status with the above.

Needless to say, the response was enthusiastic and voluminous.  Within the space an hour the job had been filled... and one lucky caddy will be spending a long autumnal weekend on a splendid Jack Nicklaus course just outside of Paris... with one of the sexiest women in golf.

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy reading: 
Enviable Assets - Sophie Sandolo's Golf & Glamour
Sophie Sandolo Speaks Out

Matteo Manassero: A Second Win & Still Seventeen

I heard more than one golf fan lamenting the absence of Matteo Manassero at the Masters last week.

After all, a year ago he'd been the youngest ever to make the cut in Augusta.  He followed that up with a win at the Castello Masters in October and became the youngest ever to win on the European Tour.
 
Those accomplishments weren't enough to get him into this year's Masters however.  Though he'd gotten down to 55 in the world rankings, as a professional, he needed to be in the top 50 to make the field at the season's first major.

Happily, those legions of Manassero fans needn't lament any longer. Matteo won the Maybank Malaysian Open today, and is now well within within the numbers... at 35th in the world... for the three remaining majors. He accomplished his win in style too, narrowly defeating Gregory Bourdy and Rory McIlroy, despite valiant challenges from both.

Paying tribute to Seve Ballesteros, who he described as "the kind of player I wanted to be" Matty kissed the massive, beribboned cup and went off to celebrate his 18th birthday.

April 16, 2011 - Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images AsiaPac

Promising Woods-Garcia Pairing Ends in Mutual Meltdown

 Going into the final round of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, anything seemed possible.

Golf fans pondered potential outcomes and social networks buzzed with hopeful speculation... on one pairing in particular.  

Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia have a shared history. Theirs is a rivalry that began at the PGA Championship in 1999 and, though it never quite played the way golf fans would have wished,  certainly made the sport more compelling during the first decade of this century. 

As we all know, the past couple of years haven't been kind to either of these men: injuries and personal issues have plagued both... to the extent that when their final round pairing was announced yesterday, many saw the possibility of a come-back battle between the beleaguered champions.  In my mind I naively took the narrative even further, imagining a brilliant duel in the desert sun, possibly ending in a playoff.  And no matter which of the two won,  a resurgence of the Woods-Garcia rivalry would ensue, and the 2011 season would be a series of thrilling, fourth round face-offs.

Ultimately, my little fantasy was just that: a fairytale that went awry when both players flamed out in the final round.  Golf.com contributor Paul Manhoney who followed the pairing at Emirates Golf Club, described a joyless round where certain elements of the old rivalry may have actually played a part in the day's disappointing results from Tiger and Sergio.

However, there definitely was a silver lining,  a rather big silver lining, and it came in the form of 6ft. 3in. Alvaro Quiros.  The quixotic Señor Quiros kept excitement at peak levels as he battled with Denmark's Anders Hansen, losing and regaining the lead more than once, while he wove together a nerve-racking round featuring an eagle, an ace and a triple bogey.  Fans on Twitter were clearly energized by the volatile contest.  A number of spectators on the scene were tweeting the action as it happened, which was great for those of us who couldn't watch it live.

In the end it was a great tournament and judging from the Twitter buzz, it generated a lot of interest in the UAE as a golf destination.  What ever one thinks of Tiger or Sergio I'm quite sure most golf fans would like to see them winning again.  In the meantime, the Dubai Desert Classic has a charismatic champion in Alvaro Quiros.

HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship - Lessons with Rory

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Rory Mcilroy is known for his classic swing, jovial style and meteoric rise into golf's upper echelons.

The 21-year-old Ulsterman, whose impish looks belie a steely will, has already chalked up a victory on both the European and the PGA Tour, and was recently part of Europe's winning team at the 2010 Ryder Cup.

As we've been reminded so often of late, golf is a global game, and the talented Mr. Mcilroy, a seasoned world traveler who's strutted his impressive swing in dozens of countries... and on multiple continents... personifies this. He seems to fit in everywhere, and adapt quickly to the cultural nuances of new places.

Now it seems Rory's gone one step further. In anticipation of the upcoming HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship he appears to have been studying more than the desert greens and newly fortified bunkers of the National Course at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

Rors, as he's affectionately known, has actually picked up some Arabic, and he demonstrates it in this video:



The clip is actually part of a contest taking place on the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship facebook page: for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the 2011 championship you're invited to comment on the video, stating what you think Rory is saying and how you rate his Arabic skills. Some amusing reactions to the bi-lingual boy wonder have already been registered.

The tournament takes place from January 20th - 23rd. With the stellar field and awesome venue it promises to be ultra-exciting. There'll be lots of compelling content on the Facebook page too... so it's well worth liking.  You can also follow the tournament... and Rory... on Twitter.  Who knows, we may even see him tweeting in Arabic.

(Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images Europe - January 22, 2010)

(Video via the Abu Dhabi Championship Facebook page)

Pablo Martin: Dunhill Defense & Race to Dubai Redux

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Pablo Martin 2009/2010
Alfred Dunhill Championship

Exactly one year ago upon winning the 2009/2010 Alfred Dunhill Championship, Pablo Martin proudly cradled the regal looking bronze leopard trophy.

His down to the wire, one-stroke victory over Charl Schwartzel at Leopard Creek Country Club  had earned him the impressive trophy and made him the first golfer to win on the European tour as both an amateur and a professional.  It also earned him a short-lived lead in the 2010 Race to Dubai.

Pablo Martin 2010/2011
Alfred Dunhill Championship

Flash forward 365 days and the picture is practically identical:  Same young man (he's only 24-years-old)... same beautiful course... same stately sculpted leopard.   There was even another nail-biting finish.  The only major difference being that with his  2010/2011 Alfred Dunhill Championship win the Spaniard becomes the first man to retain a Euro Tour title since Padraig Harrington won a second straight British Open in 2008.

And in what's been a banner year for athletes from Spain, Pablo Martin's successful title defense is one more reason for Spanish sports fans to celebrate. ¡Claro que si! Felicitaciones a Pablo y a España.

December 12, 2009 - Photos by Warren Little/Getty Images Europe

The Dubai World Championship Golf Shoe Statement

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Hip, street-inspired footwear like PUMA's Cell Fusion Golf Shoes and Ecco's Golf Streets have been infiltrating the sea of traditional saddle shoes for a while now,  however when the affable Oliver Wilson appeared in his glove shoes at the Dubai World Championship, there was considerable curiosity...  and some consternation from the media.

Golf 24 Seven called them "horrible" while The Press Association suggested that they were "probably the strangest golf shoes ever seen".  

What the former Ryder Cup player had on his feet were Vibram FiveFingers and they do in fact resemble gloves... for the feet... as each toe has its own individual pocket.  The resulting look is slightly reptilian... with a cartoonish quality. More whimsical than horrible in my opinion.   

Addressing questions about his curious kicks, Wilson explained that he'd been wearing the FiveFingers for about three weeks, inspired by his coach.  "I practice barefoot sometimes and swing it better... he revealed.  FiveFingers are said to allow the "sensation and freedom of going barefoot."

The engaging Englishman tweeted on Friday evening that he "had to resort back to the monkey shoes" ... and on Saturday he carded an impressive 68.

Personally, I'm quite intrigued with the barefooting concept.  Not necessarily for golf,  but definitely for kayaking and sailing, maybe the gym too.

In any case Oliver Wilson's Vibram FiveFingers will almost certainly be the strongest style statement to come out of the 2010 Dubai World Championship.

Photo: Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images Europe
Photo: Vibramfivefingers.com

Laura Davies Shines in a Thrilling Indian Open Win

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2010 has turned out to be quite the year for Laura Davies.

In early September we saw her win the UNIQUA Open in Wiener Neustadt, Austria, becoming the oldest female player to win a professional tournament. On any tour, ever... then a couple of weeks later she broke her own record at the Open de España, her 76th career win... and this week, at the DLF Golf and Country Club, she proved what many golf fans suspected: that those September wins would by no means be her last.
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An electrifying eagle on the final hole put Ms. Davies into a four-way playoff at the HERO HONDA Women's Indian Open yesterday, which she won at the first hole. The duel involved Thailand's Nontaya Srisawang, South Africa's Tandi Cuningham and Sweden's Louise Friberg  and was described succinctly in India's Deccan Herald: 

Davies was two-on on the par-five 18th and two-putted for a birdie that gave her the title. Incidentally it was the same hole that resurrected her title hopes during regulation play when she eagled to keep herself afloat.


Nontaya was three-on and two putted for a par while the two other players Cuningham and Friberg hit their ball into the water.

The win came after a roller coaster week that toyed with the English champion in a number of ways.  From clubs that went AWOL en route to an ensuing customs conundrum and subsequent mad dash to make her opening tee time.  It an unsettling series of events and Davies' - 7 on Friday followed by a + 6 on Saturday seemingly reflected that.  The fact that she was able to pull together the goods to get into Sunday's playoff what makes her Laura Davies... and an inspiration to fans and aspiring golfers everywhere.

This is particularly true in India, where Davies played for the first time almost three years ago in the EMAAR-MGF Ladies Masters.  Prior that the tournament she teamed up with one of India's rising stars Sharmila Nicollet... only 16 at the time... for a challenge match, which they won.  Back then the young Indian player spoke about how inspiring it was to play with the iconic English champion.

Yesterday in New Delhi, a more mature Nicollet returned a three-under 69, the best score of the day, to emerge as the best Indian player with a tied-23 finish.

Photo: via gulfnews.com - Laura Davies and Sharmilla Nicollet at the EMAAR-MGF Ladies Masters in December 2007

Francesco Molinari's Cool Tramples Italian Stereotypes

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The stereotypes are well known, thanks to myriad films and a host of television shows.  

They suggest that Italians are overly-emotional, ultra-demonstrative and flamboyantly melodramatic; likely to celebrate the smallest victory with a conspicuous show of bravado... and just as likely to melt down at the mere hint of defeat.

Francesco Molinari didn't get much of chance to disprove the cliche about defeat at WGC-HSBC Championship... he spent the entire weekend in the lead, culminating in a bogey-free final round yesterday.  However,  he sure put a dent in the myth of the Italian drama llama. 

The younger Molinari brother... today's his 28th birthday... won the tournament in an amazing battle with world number one,  Lee Westwood,  and he did so without so much as a vigorous fist pump.

Westwood kept the pressure on throughout, too... till the bitter end... matching Molinari's score yesterday, with a bogey-free 67 of his own.  But the Italian hardly seemed to notice as he pressed on calmly.  Not everyone appreciated the supreme Molinari cool.  At the par four 13th hole on Saturday,   he used his seven-iron from 155 yards out and ended up in the hole for an eagle two.  His reaction to the feat was understated to say the least, provoking Shane Bacon, (one of my all-time favorite golf writers to tweet), "Does no PGA Tour player celebrate hole outs anymore? Francesco Molinari just looked like someone gave him a toothpick, not an eagle." 

Then there was the post at sports betting blog, SportsUntapped.com, entitled Success for Francesco Molinari is Bad for Golf.  There the premise was that Molinari's lack of visible emotion made his spectacular game quite dull, and added to golf's reputation as a most boring sport.  The day's trophy winner was then equated with a zombie.

Of course Mr. Molinari isn't the first golf champion to be criticized for not being responsive enough.  I've heard people say Cristie Kerr is "too focused" ... and prior to his scandal, Tiger Woods was often described as boring and robotic. But they're not Italian.

Italian golf champion Constantino Rocca's awesome celebration of the 65-foot birdie put that forced an Open Championship play off with John Daly in 1995 is remembered as one of the most memorable displays of emotion in golf history,  and perhaps there was an expectation that Mr. Molinari's "Italian demonstrativeness" would light up the course as he battled towards his first European Tour win since the 2006 Italian Open.  Instead his superlative golf that did... without so much as a double fist pump, a high five or a "Boom Baby" to mark the high points.

Stereotypes, one must remember, are just standardized, simplified generalizations about certain groups of people, based on prior assumptions.  In the same way Irish aren't all big drinkers, Blondes aren't uniformly dumb and cops don't always like doughnuts,  Italians can be very reserved on the golf course.  Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing the understated Mr. Molinari win again soon.

Photos: Getty Images

MAJ, Molinari, Manassero - The Sexiest Golf Video Ever

A Slow Week at the Omega European Masters is a four minute video brought to you by the European Tour... and as you will see, it takes SFW golf porn to a whole new level.

I fully realize that "sexy"... more than most things in life... is subjective. However, in this particular case I'm quite sure most will agree with my assessment.

After all, the leading man in this elegant court métrage is the only golfer I know of to be described as "resembling a porn star"... albeit a retired one. And his co-stars are both Italian. So OK, enough said about the cast.

The setting is nothing short of spectacular. It's filmed entirely on location at Switzerland's Golf-Club Crans-sur-Sierre ...against a breathtaking backdrop of snow-covered mountain peaks... where the sensual alpine sun casts shadows on voluptuous valleys and pleasing plateaus.

Admittedly there's not much of a narrative here, but let's face it, we don't watch this genre for clever dialog and complicated plot lines. We watch it for the awesomely implausible, slowmo golf swings... and in that department
A Slow Week at the Omega European Masters delivers. ~ Over and over again.

September 4, 2010 - Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images Europe

Maria Verchenova's Awesome Facebook Profile Photo

She's a professional golfer and a fashion designer. Her favorite golf course is in South Africa, and when it comes to cuisine she favors Italian.

Maria Verchenova is the epitome of a global golfer... and judging from her current facebook profile photo, she's pretty resourceful when if comes to air travel. Maria's got a fanpage too... and a website.

If you're very intrepid, you can try to keep up with her.

Golf Just Got Sexier - Poodle at the Tenerife Ladies Open

There's no shortage of sizzle in Tenerife this weekend.

The ruggedly beautiful Spanish Island... which lies off the coast of Africa... has long been a popular tourist destination for Northern Europeans in search of sunshine, and for the past several days it's played host to the LET's Tenerife Ladies Open.

Buenavista golf course where the tournament is taking place designed by Seve Ballesteros and features amazing Atlantic ocean vistas backed by the dramatic peaks of the Tenos mountains.

The final round is set to begin in just a few hours, with eight-time Solheim Cup player, Trish Johnson leading by three. The thing that I always find amazing when I look at an LET leaderboard is how many different nationalities are represented and this tournament is no exception. I counted 19 different flags on today's board.

Unique golf apparel designer Poodle, is a sponsor at this year's Tenerife Ladies Open and has outfitted several of the players in awesomely eye catching outfits. Frédérique Seeholzer, Nathalie David-Mila and Anastasia Kostina are wearing Poodle's sexy, athletic chic styles.

Poodle, I found out, is as "global" as the Ladies European Tour. Based in Amsterdam, they partner with exciting golf events and initiatives all over Europe, their designs reflect global influences as well. ... and I was amazed to find out that founder Wendy Byrne grew up in New Milford (about 10 minutes from where I live) and often caddied for her dad in tournaments at Candlewood Valley Country Club, where I play all the time.

Below is a short clip featuring Frédérique, Nathalie and Anastasia wearing Poodle in Tenerife. It'll give you an glimpse of how uniquely stylish the Poodle line is. I also put in a photo of American player (and BigBreak Ka'annapali winner) Kim Welsh, who's also playing in the tournament. To find out more about Poodle and see additional styles check out their Website, Facebook and Flickr pages. And... you can follow them on Twitter.

If you like unique globally influenced golf fashion you'll definitely want to keep up with Poodle.