Golf, by TourMiss

Al Badia is one of the newest clubs in Dubai. It is a very challenging 18-hole par 72 course linked with the Intercontinental Hotel and located in Dubai’s Festival City. The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones and where water comes into play on some 14 holes. I joined Stuart Adams from www.golftourimages.com and Eoin Clarke from www.golffile.ie last Saturday, and ahead of the third round in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, in tackling the course. We were first out at 6.40am and ...

Scotland have ended a run of two straight loses to win the annual Test against South Africa at the Leopard Creek Country Club. The Scottish Golf Union side was handed the The Leopard Trophy after extending their overnight 6½-4½ lead to four points and winning all three morning foursomes. For a second day running, Fraser McKenna combined with Scott Crichton to win, this time beating Brandon Stone and Shaun Smith 2 and 1. Brian Soutar and James White also stayed on a winning course by downing ...

Thank you to all those who submitted captions to the picture of SKY’s Tim Barter about to interview Tiger Woods during the recent Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. Now that the Desert Swing has wound up we’re looking through the numerous entries and we’ll ask Tim to choose a winner. So once Tim has chosen a winning caption we can get in contact with our winner and send out a nice prize. In the meantime, thank you so much to all those who took the trouble to enter.    

Darren Clarke will look to steady a decline in his game in arranging Phil ‘Wobbly’ Morbey to work as the Northern Irishman’s caddy. Clarke has not had one top-10 since last July’s Open Championship success at Royal St. George’s. And he reacted to this poor form, as most professional golfers do, by sacking his Open Championship winning caddy, John Mulrooney. Clarke approached England’s Danny Willett to ‘borrow’ Morbey for a three-week run of events in the States ...

Rory McIlroy has won four times in his professional career but here’s an interesting statistic. Since breaking through to capture a maiden professional victory in the 2009 Dubai Desert Classic the Northern Irishman has teed-up 23 occasions on a Sunday in a European Tour counting event either leading or lying within five strokes of the lead. But on just two occasions, and that was last year’s U.S. Open and UBS Hong Kong Open, has McIlroy tasted success. This week’s Omega Dubai ...

Could Saudi Arabia one day be a new European Tour destination? The likelihood the country with the world’s second largest oil reserves hosting a Race to Dubai event was boosted with news Saudi Arabia has agreed to stage a MENA (Middle East North Africa) Tour event later this year. It is believed to be the first time the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has hosted an international golf tournament. Saudi Arabia has a population of some 28 million and also is the second largest Arab nation after Algeria. But ...

Some eight months into their relationship and Rory McIlroy’s seemingly already ‘under the thumb’ of tennis ace, Caroline Wozinacki and declaring he’s happy to be the Dane’s ball boy. The World No. 2 moved into contention for a second Omega Dubai Desert Classic success with a day two 65 to be tied for the lead at 13-under par on the Emirates course. Joining McIlroy late in the day was Dane Thomas Bjorn who produced a similar 65 after birding his closing two holes.  Both McIlroy ...