Posts Tagged ‘Golf’

Abu Dhabi Golf Championship 2010 – Paul Lawrie in the swing

Abu Dhabi Golf Championship 2010 Masters Odds: PAUL LAWRIE had fierce family rivalry to thank for his scorching start at the Abu Dhabi Championship yesterday.

The Scot soared to just a shot off the lead with a flawless six-under 66 – his best opening round for more than two years.

And Lawrie put his stunning show down to having spent the last fortnight locked in battle with his two golf-mad sons on a nine-hole course in Dubai.

That preparation helped the 1999 Open champ reel off six birdies on the National course yesterday to sit among nine players in a share of fourth, while Ian Poulter tops the board on seven under with fellow Englishman Richard Bland and South Africa’s Keith Horne.

Lawrie said: “We were over in Dubai with the kids for nearly two weeks and they have a nine-hole course at Jebel Ali so I played a lot of golf over the festive break.

“I didn’t practise and just warmed up playing nine holes each day with Craig and Michael – they are both extremely keen.

“Craig is 14 and plays off eight and Michael, who’s 11, is down to 14-handicap so they are both very handy. It’s tough to beat them but I did!

“So I’m not surprised to have made a great start because I have played a lot of golf with my two boys and hit the ball really well. It’s just nice to be back.”

Lawrie’s score was his lowest first-round tally since he began the 2007 Dunhill Links Championship with a 66.

And the highlight came with a great escape at the par-five eighth, which he was playing as the 17th.

Lawrie found a fairway bunker with his tee shot then slipped while playing his three wood out of the sand. The ball veered far right into a waste area from where he managed to get up and down for birdie.

Joint leader Poulter saved the best for last with a brilliant 70-foot downhill putt on 18.

He said: “I hit it probably 10 feet too hard but it was on line and lucky enough it hit the back of the hole then popped up and dropped.

“I wasn’t expecting to come out quite as fast as that after a five-week break but I will certainly take it.”

Alongside Lawrie on six under are Alvaro Quiros and Sergio Garcia plus world No. 10 Rory McIlroy.

Check out the leader board and full rankings list at Golf Masters Betting

The Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi

The Saadiyat Beach Golf Club was officially launched on 28th January 2010 in with a host of golfing stars and celebraties from the world of sport.

The launch was hosted by golfing legend Gary Player, one of the greatest golfers of all time who hit was the first to tee off on the stunning 1st hole.

The event was a hotly contested affair, with Northern Ireland’s young prodigy, Rory McIlroy, leading the charge with a combined team score of 27 under par to win the debut Classic.

And with a wealth of golf’s future stars playing the lush fairways and sweeping greens at Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Gary Player was optimistic about the future of the sport. The 18-time Major winner tipped McIlroy as the next possible world number one. “He has a great team behind him, bags of talent and one of the best swings in golf. If he continues the way he is going, I have no doubt Rory has the potential to be the next number one,” said Player.

McIlroy, last years European Number 2 and the current world number 11, was full of praise for the Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and its role in helping establish the emirate as a world-class golf destination.

McIlroy said “We start our season in Abu Dhabi and have a three week ‘swing’ in the Middle East. The UAE has become a great destination and with facilities like Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, I can only see more and more golfers coming to play here. It’s ideal for practising and the facilities are world-class”. McIlroy finished third in January’s Abu Dhabi Golf Championship.

A wealth of up-and-coming talent on display — in the form of Melissa Reid, Maria Verchenova and Henrietta Zuel, the Ladies’ European Tour rising stars, and England’s Oliver Fisher — showed the watching crowds why they were widely-regarded as the future of the sport with an impressive on-course display. And the quartet was full of praise for Abu Dhabi’s newest golfing centre of excellence.

“It has been wonderful to come and meet up again with my friends from the Gary Player Group. Mr Player has designed many great courses but this surely has to be one of the most spectacular. I’m looking forward to spending a few more days here in Abu Dhabi,” said Verchenova.

Come to Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and book apartments in Abu Dhabi.

2010 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship

There will be a field of the world’s top 10 golfers who will battle it out at January’s 2010 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship giving the fans a fantastic four days.

England’s Paul Casey who is number four in the World and two-time winner of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship will again be a firm favourite, behind Lee Westwood and Rory Mcilroy.

Another popular player who will be competing is the fiery Spaniard and world number eight – Sergio Garcia.

This years event will be the 5th annual Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, and is popular with the spectators who get up close to see the action. In true UAE style, the 2010 event will see improved hospitality and public viewing areas, which will provide best-in-class facilities to ensure you get the best out of your day.

Whether it’s business or pleasure there’s nothing quite like watching outstanding players hitting their final approach shots towards the breathtaking falcon-shaped clubhouse.

In 2009, the events issue free FM radios to the spectators allowing them to tune in and listen to the Championship Radio service commentary. We expect the service will be offered again.

As usual, Spectator Village is promised to return this year even bigger and better than ever providing a host of new interactive elements for golfing enthusiasts. For those who like to party after the golf, the event will be providing entertainment such as Jazz Under The Stars, which keeps the action going long into the night.

Watch the world’s best golfers battle it out over four days in Abu Dhabi. Get yourself organized and book apartments in Abu Dhabi or holiday rentals in Dubai which is only 1 hours drive away.

Abu Dhabi Golf Championship 2010 Odds – 2010 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship

Abu Dhabi Golf Championship 2010 @ Golf Betting: The Abu Dhabi Golf Championship 2010 event is taking place at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club from January 21-24.

For the 4th year in a row, Emirates Palace is the Diamond sponsor of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship 2010 as part of its engagement and commitment to the golf sport community.

This will be the fifth renewal of the Abu Dhabi Championship; an event which has risen in stature with every year. This line-up is one of the very strongest we’ll see on the European Tour throughout 2010 and is emblematic of the shift in power towards the Middle East. All four previous winners were top-class, or about to become so. Paul Casey has won twice, along with Chris DiMarco and Martin Kaymer in what was the German’s breakthrough title. Each year, the places have been packed with world-class names. Of the 25 players to have registered a top-five finish, only six started the event at 100/1 or bigger.

”By sponsoring this event, the Emirates Palace has actively demonstrated its commitment and support to cultural and sports events the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is hosting. The sponsorship of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship underlines the Palace’s tireless efforts to raising the profile of the emirate as a major destination for world top class golf championships,” General Manager of Emirates Palace Hans Olbertz said.

One of the key elements of the Masters Odds Championship is its depth of field. Year after year, organiser Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority looks to attract a wide-diversity of golfing greats.

And with 120 internationally assembled players eyeing a total prize pot of US$2million, the Championship looks set to continue evolving as the Middle East becomes an increasingly top-of-mind stop of the sport.

The 126 man field for the 5th annual Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, taking place at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, is one of the strongest in the series’ history.

Check out the 2010 Abu Dhabi Golf Championship 2010 at Golf Betting