Golf, by TourMiss

The sight of Matteo Manassero’s name atop the leaderboard on day one of the Saudi International brings back many fond memories of this most affable of Italian golfers. Manassero’s eight-under-par 62 matches a career-low for the now 28-year-old Verona-born golfer, and a score he first shot in the final round in securing a share of second in the 2010 co-sanctioned UBS Hong Kong Open. His bogey-free score along the stunning Red Sea shoreline was capped by five birdies from the seventh to 12th holes ...

EXCLUSIVE … Graeme McDowell admits his dream of captaining the European Ryder Cup on Irish soil is fading as he realizes Lee Westwood may now be likely to be handed the Adare Manor team reins in 2027. McDowell was being strongly suggested to be handed the honour of captaining Europe in five years time, and ever since fellow Irishman Padraig Harrington appointed him a vice-captain for last year’s Ryder Cup.  McDowell has been a part of four successive Europe Ryder Cup teams from 2008 to ...

Dustin Johnson will look for a third Saudi International victory in four appearances as a springboard in returning to the top of the official World Rankings. Johnson returns to defend his Saudi International title at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club laid out on the Red Sea shoreline. ‘DJ’ was No. 3 in the world in capturing the inaugural 2019 Saudi International and then No. 2 in the world in finishing runner-up to Graeme McDowell in 2020 but was atop of the rankings a year ago ...

….. Fatiha Betscher, Al Hamra GC, RAK  There has been strong praise for this week’s inaugural Ras Al Khaimah Championship host course at Al Hamra. The Al Hamra course, laid out very close to the Arabian Sea shoreline, is no stranger to top golf having hosted some years back the final event of the secondary Challenge Tour. A large number of players who competed here in 2018 have returned including the Scottish duo of Robert MacIntyre and Grant Forrest who earned their European Tour cards ...

……. Saudi Arabia  Greg Norman’s fractured relationship with the R & A will continue with the double Open Champion declaring he will not be attending celebrations centered around this year’s 150th Open Championship. Norman has not been sighted at an Open since the then 54-year-old missed the cut in 2009 Open at Turnberry, and where in 1986 he strode triumphantly to a first of two Claret Jugs. Golf’s Great White Shark has refused all requests to return to golf’s oldest ...

… Saudi Arabia Olympic Games gold medal-winning Xander Schauffele has a problem. He can’t get his Japan victory medal off his parents – Father Stefan and mum Ping. The champion American is on a maiden visit to Saudi Arabia having flown from Los Angeles into Dubai for the nearly three-hour flight to Jeddah and was asked if his gold medal traveled with him. “I do not (have the medal with me)”, he said.  “I can’t get it off my parents (smiling)”. Though while the gold medal ...

The disappointment was obvious but Wade Ormsby bravely took it on the chin the decision by the R & A to strip the Asian Tour of the reward of the yearly end-of-season No. 1 ranked player earning an automatic spot into the Open Championship. Ormsby was heading to the tail of 2021 leading the Asian Tour Order of Merit, and on track to earn an exemption into his first Open Championship, to be staged this year on the famed Old Course at the Home of Golf. All the 41-year-old Adelaide golfer had to ...