The Golf Poet Pens Panegyrical Prose for Michelle Wie

It was almost three years ago that I first came upon Golf Poet a delightful golf poetry/golf history blog that always lifts my spirits.

The editor is Leon White, a true Renaissance man with a passion for golf and a love of poetry... and the generosity to share both in frequent, cleverly-crafted posts on his enchanting blog.

Almost a year ago, in April 2011, the Golf Poet released Golf Course of Rhymes - Links between Golf and Poetry Through the Ages a wonderfully rich and engaging book, based on his blog. 

Last week I received an email from Mr. White.  The multi-faceted scribe had just written a poem for Michelle Wie in honor of her upcoming graduation from Stanford University... and he remembered my well documented years as a Wie Warrior.

"I thought she deserved poetic recognition for her achievements and best wishes for a great post-graduate career in golf and otherwise."

That's the way the golf poet puts it on his blog and the resulting poem is... to use an over-used word... awesome.  Read For Michelle Wie here.

The Dubai Ladies Masters and "golf in DUBAi"

.
Always a fun tournament to watch, The Dubai Ladies Masters turned five this year.  To that end I've chosen five of the many awesome stories to come out of the LET's 2010 season ending event.

Iben Tinning - As far as career endings go, they don't get better than Iben Tinning's win yesterday at the the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters. A 20-foot birdie on the final hole allowed the her to win what she'd decided would be the final tournament of her 15 year LET career.

It was a particularly meaningful win for the 36-year-old Dane, a six time Ladies European Tour winner.  Tinning... whose husband Lasse was caddying for her...was the first Danish women to top the money list on any major international tour when she won the Order of Merit in 2005, however she hadn't won a tournament since.  Until yesterday... when she sealed the deal on a course she sites as one of her favorites in one of her favorite destinations in the world.  “Winning in Dubai had been my main goal", she said, "and that has been accomplished".

Christina Kim - Playing in the Dubai Ladies Masters for the second time this year Christina Kim finished in a tie for fourth.  Her top five finish... along with her distinctively colorful style and open, engaging personality... reinforced her reputation as one of the most entertaining players in women's golf and once again brought individuality,  excellence and excitement to an international audience of golf fans.  Kim is also an enthusiastic evangelist for global travel, and particularly for the unique experiences that await those who visit Dubai.

Michelle Wie - Michelle Wie's  fantastic final round 5-under 67 was the lowest of the day yesterday,  and gave her a share of sixth place for the tournament.

This allowed her to finish 2010 on a high note. The popular player revealed that she's getting physical therapy for her back issues.  Issues that have sidelined her the past few weeks.  Wie assured fans that she'll be resting and rebab-ing her problematic back and feels she'll be stronger by next year.

Lee Ann Pace - Player of the Year - Despite disappointing results in Dubai this week, South Africa's Lee Ann Pace finished a stellar LET season on Saturday, winning both the Henderson Money List and Player of the Year... as well as numerous heartfelt accolades from around the world.

Having turned professional in 2005, Pace played on the Duramed Futures Tour in 2006 before qualifying for the LPGA at QSchool in 2007.   She lost her LPGA card at the end of 2007, she qualified for the Ladies European Tour for 2008... again via Q-school... and her first win came just this past June at the Deutsche Bank Ladies Swiss Open, and she followed that up with a phenomenal four wins in rapid succession.

The Growth of Golf in the Middle East - 'golf inDUBAi' was created in 2005 to promote Dubai as one of the world's leading golfing destinations and to display Dubai's other international attractions to a worldwide audience.

The Dubai Ladies Masters and the Dubai Desert Classic... the two premier events promoted and organized by 'golf in DUBAi'... have showcased the emirate's vibrant golfing scene to a worldwide audience for a number of years. Their fields include the top professional golfers in the world and these international stars consistently praise the experience of playing... and spending time... in Dubai. 

Mohamed Juma Buamaim,  the Vice Chairman and CEO of 'golf in DUBAi' has a clear passion for the sport but has always been sensitive to the fact that until quite recently, golf was unknown to most UAE nationals. Several years ago he explained it this way: "We all grew up playing or watching football --- the sight of chasing that white tiny dimpled ball was something totally alien to the social fabric of our society".

That's clearly changed over the past decade and Boumaim... along with his counterparts in the golf federation that works under the title of Middle East and North Africa (Mena)... are planning to launch a new Middle East golf tour for the region's leading amateur and professional players. William Johnson, writing for The National, Abu Dhabi Media company's fine English-language publication, reports that the tour is likely to be launched either next year or in 2012, and could involve as many as six tournaments for the region's leading amateur and professional players. The main aim is to improve the standard of golf in the region starting at the amateur level and give aspiring Emirati professionals and those from the host of other nationalities who play the game in the Gulf Region, a platform from which to take the first step towards the paid ranks.

Awesome Alpine Golf - The 2010 Evian Masters

There's not a more breathtaking venue on any golf tour than Evian Les Bains. On the southern shore of Lake Geneva, its verdant landscape is backed the towering snow capped French Alps.

There's a tree-lined lakeside promenade, lined with trees and elegant gardens, and there are numerous chateaus and spas. I spent a week in Evian almost 10 years ago when I lived in Paris, and was charmed by the fairytale scenery and alpine architecture. Unfortunately, this was before I'd ever picked up a golf club so I didn't even visit the Evian Masters Golf Club. It's a beautiful woodland course situated between the lake shore and the mountains and host to the Evian Masters tournament, that begins this week.

The Evian Masters is a major on the European Tour and one of the most universally loved stops. Ai Miyiazato is the defending champion and Americans Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer and Julie Inkster have won in recent years.

Television Coverage in the US is not what it could be, and there have been a number of complaints about that:

Jul 22 6:30-8:30 PM ET GC ~ ~ Jul 23 6:30-8:30 PM ET GC
Jul 24 1:00-4:00 PM ET GC ~ ~ Jul 25 1:00-4:00 PM ET GC

The tournament however, does a number of awesome things to share the action with fans and viewers... like live segments on their website, and continually updated photo galleries... as well as interactive guestbooks were you can leave messages for favorite players. You can follow the Evian Masters on Twitter and facebook too. And this year there's a new iPhone app especially for the Evian Masters that brings yet another kind of coverage.

There'll be activities going on all week too. In fact, the EMJC 2010 junior tournament took place over the past couple of days, and today Michelle Wie presented a trophy to the 2010 winning team: Team France. How perfect is that?