Ahead of its opening in October of this year, golfers can now enjoy a tantalising glimpse of the new golf course at Sicily’s Verdura Resort, part of Rocco Forte Hotels.
Viewers can plot their way along the spectacular new par-four hole – and you can almost smell the ocean breeze along the coastline.
The new signature ninth hole on the East Course is part of the major renovation project – scheduled for completion in October with nine of the holes ready for play in August – as world-renowned golf architect Kyle Phillips returned to the site of his original design in Sicily to work his magic again.
The result is a remarkable success with the new hole offering those trademark, incredible views across the Mediterranean, while asking some serious questions of accuracy, strategy and distance control with a slight dogleg design.
The tee shot demands careful placement to avoid water on the left and right, while a fairway bunker lurks on the right side. Once that is safely negotiated, an undulating green is guarded by two bunkers, which requires an approach shot with enough loft to clear more water and hold the green – and all with the beach and the lapping waves just a few steps away.
Phillips said: “The drama of the coastline has been improved, so we have made the most of it.
“That ninth hole is an example of what happened and how we have managed to make a fantastic new hole out of it. We have certainly made the most out of what was available to us and we’re proud of what has been achieved.”
The extensive renovation will see a number of new features and modification of the course route, so some of the hole numbers have been adjusted. But this has allowed for the restoration of previous favourites and also some exciting new additions.
Phillips said: “One of the things that we didn’t have before – but we have now – is a double green, a bit like some of those huge greens at St Andrews. It will be the new eighth hole (par five) and the new 10th hole (par four) which will share a green.
“It was something I had pondered at one time before. But Sir Rocco is a golfer, we were out there walking one day and talked about doing it and he was excited about it.
“The green is absolutely massive and could be very interesting if you are putting on the wrong part of it!”
He added: “It is new, fresh, the result is great and I think it will be really well-received. I expected it to turn out well but it’s definitely reached the level we were striving for.”
The resort – home of the European Tour’s Rocco Forte Sicilian Open – boasts a wealth of exclusive luxury facilities that have helped establish the venue as one of the world’s elite golf and lifestyle destinations and is nestled in 230 hectares of stunning Mediterranean landscape on Sicily’s southern coast.
A member of the exclusive European Tour Destinations network, the resort is famous for offering guests an unforgettable five-star golf experience in one of the most beautiful settings in world golf, and was recently named as a recipient of Golf Digest magazine’s coveted ‘2020 Editors’ Choice Award for the Best Resorts in Continental Europe’ for the fifth year in a row.
Verdura Resort features 203 rooms and suites, all with a sea view, which offer a perfect solution for family holiday. In addition, the venue is set to add to its luxury accommodation portfolio with 20 new modern and spacious private Rocco Forte Private Villas open on May 13, each with its own private swimming pool and affording unparalled panoramic views of the Sicilian coast and Mediterranean.
Away from golf, guests can enjoy an extensive array of other luxury sports and lifestyle facilities, as well as the opportunity to sample a wide variety of gastronomy, wine, history and culture.
Guests can also take advantage of the Unlimited Golf package until November 21, 2021, which includes an unlimited number of rounds, daily full breakfast, and €100 F&B credit per stay. Complimentary additions also include shared buggies, use of the driving range and spa facilities.
I know I’ll probably be alienating not-so-small part of the golf community with this take. But it’s about time that we give a voice to those who can’t stand seeing golf bags lined up in front of the clubhouse you see an array of cute little creatures covering up the drivers, fairway woods and putters and you start to wonder.
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!
Guys that drive up the club in a Maserati, that claim to hit their driver 270 yards and have three grown up kids pulling plush toys over their toughest clubs? Why not, I guess. It’s a free world after all.
But there are plenty of good alternatives out there, whether you’re looking for simplicity, elegance, bright colours, luxury or anything in between.
We’ve checked some of the brands that focus on head covers and found some real beauties.
Cayce – HIT BOMBS! Driver & Fairway Woods Cover
There’s nothing more satisfying than hitting a bomb straight off the tee. And you won’t manage it if you’re mind is distracted. So, to keep yourself in the right frame of mind and focus on what to do next when you’re pulling out the big gun, Cayce has this little helper to remind you what it’s all about.
I’m a big fan of the Cayce head covers, especially those made of DURA+, making them fully water resistant. Also available as fairway wood cover. $ 64.99 or $ 59.99 (for the FW) on caycegolf.com
(Photo: caycegolf.com)
Bobby Golf – Respect Blade Head Cover
Stylistically Bobby Golf isn’t always the most confident, but this one showing Hideki Matsuyama’s caddie, Shota Hayafuji, respectfully removing his hat and taking a bow after returning the pin at the 2021 Masters, is right on point. What Cayce’s Hit Bombs head cover might be for your driver, the Respect cover is for your putter. Get yourself in a winner’s state of mind. Available for $ 85 at bobbygolf.com
(Photo: bobbygolf.com)
Reinland Golf – Shibori Head Cover
Not a misspelling of the German river region, Rhineland, Reinland Golf is the head cover brand of the Reinlands, a golf-crazed family whose son, Maxton Reinland, was seeking quality head covers for his golf label Muni Kids. His mother Marti spent hours and hours developing and sewing them and soon, Reinland Golf Company was born.
This one is a nice canvas/ fleece two-colour tie-dye version for all the hippies at heart.
Available as driver, wood and hybrid versions for $44.95 or $49.95 on reinlandgolfco.com
(Photo: reinlandgolfco.com)
Headgear – Electrified Red Styling Edition Covers
Headgear Golf, another US-based company that specialises in head covers, are producing the finest leather goods for your woods and putters. Aside from their usual elegant collection, they offer the option for customisation. They come with a no-pill blizzard fleece lining and will be sure to keep your clubs lint-free. This Electrified Red Styling Edition is really good if you’re looking for something to match your brand-new red Ferrari. Get it for $ 50 (woods) to $ 60 (driver) on headgeargolf.com
Photo: headgeargolf.com)
Desired Line Co. – Barber Pole Cover
Take some fresh colour, add a touch of graphic minimalism and a heavyweight polyester canvas with UV, and you’ll get this weather-proof Nano fabric protection head cover that is 100% made in Australia.
It’s got a sort of vintage touch, as it brings to mind the old-fashioned barbers poles.
Wood/ hybrid $ 54.95, driver $59.95 at desiredline.co
(Photo: desiredline.co)
Golf Team Clothing – Arnold Driver & Fairway Wood Head Covers
Now it’s time for one from Europe. Golf Team Clothing specialise in personalised/ branded clothing for your team, friends, club, tournament or golf academy.
Aside from the customised/ personalised designs, they also feature a wide range of very nice head covers like this one in golf’s greatest colour variation, the Arnie umbrella colours.
Truth be told, I’m just one click away from ordering one for my own hybrid. You can also choose from various colours for the inside fleece lining.
Get driver and wood covers for €52 each at golfteamclothing.com
(Photo: golfteamclothing.com)
Seamus – Pride Rainbow Head Cover
With golf still being stuck with one foot in ancient times, it’s good to see some brands moving forward, with both feet in the 21st century.
“As a tribute to our friends and customers from all different backgrounds, ethnicities and genders, we are proud to introduce our peace and pride golf head cover”, say Seamus on their page.
Why not show off your LGBT+ pride on the course?
It’s not the cheapest option out there. It’s sewn together from six colourful Cardura pieces, red inner lining and an embroidered peace sign on top. All things considered, it’s still a reasonable price for the craftsmanship you get. If you fancy, you can also add a personalised leather label for an additional $10. Fairway for $85, driver for $95 on seamusgolf.com
(Photo: seamusgolf.com)
Rawhide – Splattered Neon! Covers
Let’s keep it colourful with this one. Ok, it’s not an original Jackson Pollock but still one for the Pop Art lovers.
Rawhide hand cut, embroider and sew all their high quality leather products at their Vancouver facility and also give you the chance to create a custom design. T
his splatter design isn’t printed but splattered manually, so each cover is a one of a kind product.
Hybrid, fairway, driver for $110, $120 and $130 via rawhidegolf.com
(Photo: rawhidegolf.com)
Stymie – Fabric no. 22
This piece by Stymie is made put of finest imported wool in an elegant navy and Carolina blue hound’s-tooth pattern with a fleece lining on the inside. Add some style to your bag!
Putter and hybrid covers cost $50, woods cost $55 and driver covers cost $65 at stymiegolfsupply.com
(Photo: stymiegolfsupply.com)
Fillibegs – Tweed Yellow
Now one from my home country, Germany. Fillibegs makes head covers made from tartan and tweed fabrics that are purchased at traditional woollen mills in Scotland and England.
All covers for drivers, woods, putters are manufactured in Germany and come in a very quintessentially British style.
These patterns are available for all clubs, even irons, ranging from €44 to €74 on fillibegs.de
(Photo: fillibegs.de)
Big Dog Golf – OG White & Tan
Big Dog Golf make genuine leather (as well as some woollen) head covers which are beautifully constructed and handcrafted by a family of third generation leather-smiths from Melbourne, Australia.
All very clean, minimalistic, mostly unicolor or duotone with quiet embroideries and a branded leather patch, these covers are just what they’re supposed to be: quality covers to protect your clubs.
And that’s what they do- with style. Hybrid/ wood $ 85, driver $ 95 at bigdoggolfco.com
(Photo: bigdoggolfco.com)
Cody Golf Co. – Granite Fairway Cover
Cody Golf, a brand from Utah, started by the two friends, Cole and Brody (combined Cody), make some of the most timeless and classic head covers around.
Simple, functional, effective in a design language that can be best described as understatement. There are no gimmicks with these ones, just elegant covers in the classic sock and barrel design that will be sure to stand the test of time. They offer a relatively limited range of just five different colours.
Fairway covers cost $44.99 and driver covers cost $ 59.99 on codygolf.com
(Photo: codygolf.com)
Western Gales – Express Send
Western Gales is a division of State Apparel which makes head covers from up-cycled sails, handmade in San Francisco.
I’m a big fan of the idea of using old sails for head covers. It’s not just a good way to save materials, it’s also worth pointing out that sails tend to be very durable and weather proof.
On top of that, each piece is absolutely unique, a one of a kind cut out of a larger piece.
The best piece in their collection probably is this FedEx one. I like to thnk of it as using the FedEx cover to help “send” your ball to its destination.
From $60 (hybrid) to $68 (driver) at stateapparel.com
(Photo: stateapparel.com)
Flush – Nose Candy Putter Cover
Remember that Uma Thurman scene in Pulp Fiction where she takes a bump of cocaine in the ladies rest rooms before getting on the dance floor with John Travolta?
Whether you’ve seen it or not, you’ll definitely find the right “line” with this putter cover from Flush.
Available for blade and mallet putters for $65 via rflushgolfco.com
(Photo: rflushgolfco.com)
Golden Soul Golf – The Iceberg Putter Cover
Last but not least we it’s another simple and elegant cover. Golden Soul’s Iceberg putter cover is available as mallet and blade putter cover. With its maritime and/or festival look, I can’t help but imagine a putting green aboard a yacht somewhere in the Aegean Sea. That said, I bet it would work out well on any real course anywhere else too.
Thomas Bjørn, the 2018 Ryder Cup winning captain and 15-time European Tour winner, will make his Legends Tour debut at the Farmfoods European Legends Links Championship hosted by Ian Woosnam at Trevose Golf & Country Club from June 18-20, 2021.
The most successful Danish golfer of all-time turned 50 earlier this year and will make his Legends Tour bow in the first event on European soil since the Tour rebranded in 2020.
The three-time Ryder Cup winning player will be joined in Cornwall by tournament host and 1991 Masters Champion Ian Woosnam and 1999 Open Champion Paul Lawrie.
Bjørn is entering the next phase of his career on the Legends Tour after competing on the European Tour for 25 consecutive seasons, since earning his card by winning the 1995 Challenge Tour Rankings.
“I am really looking forward to making my Legends Tour debut,” he said. “I have known many of these guys for a long time, so I am excited to be able to catch up and spend some time with them again.
“The guys are still incredibly competitive, and the standard of golf will be very high, so I know I will need to be razor sharp in order to compete where I want to be at the top of leaderboards.
“I think it is a really exciting time to be involved with the Legends Tour following the changes over the last 12 months and I am intrigued to see what the future holds.”
Legends Tour Ambassador Lawrie, who won his maiden over-50s title at the Scottish Senior Open en route to being named Rookie of the Year in 2019, is looking forward to teeing it up on the links once more after his first visit to Trevose did not quite go to plan.
“I absolutely love links golf, it’s what I am used to living in Scotland, and hopefully I’ll have a better experience than last time I was down there.
“I got disqualified for playing the wrong ball in 2019. It was just one of those things that happens and you learn from. Although the week didn’t go as I planned, I was able to appreciate the beauty of the venue and also the quality of the golf course.
In every sports fan’s life, there comes the devastating, disconcerting moment when you realise that you’re past it. Players half your age start making their debuts. Competitors ten years your junior win titles. You are forced to confront the reality that in fact, you probably won’t make it onto the tour, into the side, or through qualifying. No matter that you never consciously or logically dreamed of ‘making it’, it is still a bitter pill to swallow.
Fortunately, there is much more to sport than the professional ranks, and, at risk of lapsing into cliché, it is true that it is never too late to get into or stay in sport. Naturally, certain sports lend themselves to longer participation than others. The R&A, the custodian of the rules of golf, actively promotes the game as being “A sport for life, which can be played and enjoyed by people of all ages, backgrounds and levels of ability.”
But sports can only be ‘for life’ as long as they are practiced safely. Many sports have made massive recent strides in this respect. In extreme sports from climbing to skiing, protection, in the form of helmets, for example, is second nature. Cricketers wear pads and boxes and helmets to protect themselves from impact. Rugby players wear mouthguards as standard. Concussion protocols are being constantly reviewed across multiple sports. What’s often much harder is to convince people to protect themselves from less obvious, less visible risks.
Recent research conducted by SMS on behalf of the Melanoma Fund revealed a concerning carelessness among UK golfers when it comes to the risk of skin cancer and precautions that can help protect their skin. Only 42% of surveyed golfers use sunscreen when the weather demands it, and nearly 30% admitted that they actively avoid sun protection in favour of a tan.
With melanoma rates doubling in the UK in the last thirty years and poised to reach nearly half a million global cases by 2040, it has never been more important to understand and protect against the risk. It is a cause that Slip! Slap! Swing! has been set up to champion. Richard Payne, SMS Director, is an ambassador for the charity, which aims to change golfer behaviour on an individual level as well as encourage golf courses to get Sun Protection Accredited.
Reflecting on the vital importance of the campaign, Richard commented: “Often, sadly, it has taken a public tragedy to provoke change in sport. The death of Natasha Richardson transformed the conversation about ski helmets. The death of Philip Hughes has led to prototype helmet designs in an attempt to ensure nobody else suffers in the same way. Golf has fortunately escaped this so far, although numerous players, including Justin Thomas and Adam Scott, have had scares. The challenge is to convince golfers to individually and collectively change their attitude to sun protection before a high- profile tragedy kickstarts the conversation.”
Done right, sport can not only extend life, but enhance it. Whether on the fairways or on the court or on the waves, a life with sport can be significantly richer than a life without it. Protecting yourself to ensure that your sports career and your life are as long as possible comes with no drawbacks and many benefits. (Text: Sports Marketing Surveys)
The Legends Tour today launched the innovative Celebrity Series and confirmed its first five Celebrity Ambassadors, who will be joined by other stars of sport and screen to compete for a spot in the Grand Final, which will take place in the Indian Ocean at the end of the year.
There will be four Celebrity Series qualifying events in 2021, taking place in the days prior to tournaments on the Legends Tour International Schedule, culminating in the Celebrity Series Grand Final in the Indian Ocean.
Harry Redknapp, Georgie Bingham, Glen Johnson, Sir AP McCoy and Dan Walker, all highly-respected figures in their chosen fields, have signed up to be Celebrity Ambassadors and will be the face of Celebrity Series.
The Celebrity Series events will take place prior to the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Formby Golf Club, the Irish Legends presented by the McGinley Foundation at Rosapenna Golf Club, the Senior Scottish Open hosted by Paul Lawrie at Royal Aberdeen, and at an additional European venue to be announced.
The Series finale will take place in the Indian Ocean at the end of the year, where the five ambassadors will be joined by the five highest-ranked celebrities on the Order of Merit.
Sir AP McCoy, the 20-time Champion jump jockey, winner of two Cheltenham Gold Cups, the Grand National and BBC Sports Personality of the Year, will play in Celebrity Series events at Formby Golf Club and at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club.
He said: “I think the new Legends Tour events will be brilliant, not only for the pros playing but for people like myself who want to try and do something competitive on an Order of Merit.
“I think it’ll help the game of golf but I also think it will help those who rarely have the opportunity to be involved in sport. I think it will be great for former sportspeople like myself to keep competitive.”
Harry Redknapp, FA Cup winning manager, ex-footballer and TV personality, said: “I had a great day playing at Wentworth at the launch of the Legends Tour and I really am delighted to be signed up as a Celebrity Ambassador.
“I played in lots of Pro-Ams now and it’s nerve-wracking. When you stand on that first tee and you get an audience there and you’re playing with a professional golfer, you’re out of your comfort zone. When you hit a good shot or you sink a good putt, it’s so satisfying. The buzz you get is amazing.”
Dan Walker, journalist and TV presenter, said: “I love golf and when the opportunity to compete in the Legends Tour Celebrity Series arose, I knew I had to go for it.
“I have been fortunate enough to play alongside some of the world’s best players in Pro-Ams over the years but this is something really special.
“I grew up watching the likes of Woosie win the Masters and so many Legends Tour players competing in Ryder Cups and I am delighted to now have the chance to spend some time with them in the Legends Tour Celebrity Series.”
Georgie Bingham, the TV and radio presenter best-known for hosting shows on talkSPORT, ESPN and Sky, said: “I am over the moon to have been asked to be a Celebrity Ambassador for the Legends Tour and I can’t wait to get out on the course.
“I have been lucky enough to play in many Pro-Ams and I can honestly say they are so much fun. Being able to play golf with Legends of the game is so appealing and I am sure the Celebrity Series will be a great success.”
Glen Johnson, ex-Liverpool and England international footballer, Premier League winner with Chelsea and FA Cup winner with Portsmouth, will play in three of the four Celebrity Series events, said: “After retiring from professional football, golf became my sporting passion and being involved with the Legends Tour is a dream come true.
“It is a great initiative by the Legends Tour to launch this series and I am sure it will be hugely popular and will attract more people to the sport.
“It will be amazing to tee it up with my fellow Celebrity Ambassadors and the pros on the Legends Tour, many of whom I have watched on TV over the years winning Majors and Ryder Cups.”
Ryan Howsam, CEO of the Legends Tour, said: “When I took over as CEO of the Legends Tour, launching a Celebrity Pro-Am Series was something I was really eager to do and therefore today is a very proud day.
“Bringing together the Legends of golf with some of the biggest celebrity names is a winning combination and I’m excited to see these guys tee it up throughout the year. I have admired all five ambassadors for a number of years as they have excelled in their respective fields and it is wonderful to welcome them to the Legends Tour.”
Lee Westwood recieves Seve Ballesteros award. (Photo: Getty)
Lee Westwood has been named the winner of the Seve Ballesteros Award as the 2020 European Tour Players’ Player of the Year following a remarkable season which culminated in the 48-year-old topping the Race to Dubai Rankings presented by Rolex and being crowned European Tour Number One for the third time in his storied career.
The announcement coincides with the ten year anniversary of the passing of the Spanish legend Ballesteros, who died on May 7, 2011 following a battle with cancer. Westwood’s first of ten Ryder Cup appearances came in 1997 under Ballesteros, who captained Europe to a famous win at Valderrama.
The Englishman had long ago secured his status alongside the late Ballesteros as one of the European Tour’s greatest ever players, but a memorable 2020 campaign has earned him another accolade after his fellow European Tour Members voted him the Players’ Player of the Year.
It was a season bookended by two of his most impressive performances. In his first appearance of the season, Westwood claimed his second Rolex Series title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, overcoming his fellow Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick and Tommy Fleetwood as well as France’s Victor Perez.
He capped off his season on a high too, his runner-up finish behind Fitzpatrick at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai earning him the title of 2020 Race to Dubai Champion.
In a disrupted campaign due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Westwood’s consistency was something to behold – in 15 appearances he missed just one cut and produced eight top 20 finishes.
On top of that, Westwood continued to give back to the game and to the European Tour through hosting the 2020 Betfred British Masters at Close House, which marked the first of six events in the UK Swing and was won by Italian Renato Paratore.
“It means a lot that it is voted for by my fellow players, the guys I play with week-in week-out,” said Westwood. “Awards like this are always very special because I feel like they as players know what you have to go through.
“I played a lot of good golf under pressure when I needed to in 2020. The win in Abu Dhabi at the start of the year and then to have a chance to play so well in the final event at the DP World in Dubai, I was really pleased with those two tournaments, but I was also consistent and that was important to me. It was a very difficult year with the pandemic for everyone, and we were very fortunate to play golf during this time.
“Seve was an icon of the game, and still is. When I started playing golf, I was looking at the Europeans and Seve’s name was at the top of that list as somebody to aspire to. The first tournaments I ever went to watch were Ryder Cups in 1989 and 1993, and Seve’s name is synonymous with the Ryder Cup.
“I remember looking at these guys like Seve and Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Bernhard Langer and Ian Woosnam wanting to be like them. Then in 1997 I am in a Ryder Cup team captained by Seve Ballesteros, so it was a very short gap between looking and watching and learning from my heroes to actually being amongst them trying to win points in a Ryder Cup. That for me was really one of those pinch yourself moments, like is this really happening to me. Seve was a huge part of that and inspirational in the team room, and just a phenomenal and very calming presence.”
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive Officer at the European Tour, said: “I don’t think it is any surprise that Lee Westwood has won the Seve Ballesteros Award after such a tremendous season. At 48 years of age he is an icon, a former World Number One, our most recent Race to Dubai winner and like Seve, Lee is a true champion. He has an unwavering will to succeed, and he has proven that over and over again in his career.
“Lee is one of the few remaining European Tour players to have competed alongside Seve and to have had the honour to call him a friend. They are two players who will be long remembered in the pantheon of European Tour and Ryder Cup greats.”
Javier Ballesteros, Seve’s oldest son, added: “I am personally very happy Lee Westwood is the winner of the Seve Ballesteros Award for his incredible season. Lee is playing some great golf, I think he is physically in great shape and when you enjoy not only golf but life away from the game, things go well for you, and that has shown in how he has played not only last year but over the past few years around the world.”
David Howell, European Tour Tournament Committee Chairman, said: “It’s obviously not the first time Lee has won the Race to Dubai, and last year was of course a strange year, but it seems fitting that whenever something slightly different comes along Lee Westwood is there to remind us that things are normal.
“Whilst Seve was a worldwide player, a Major winner and one of the biggest stars in the game, you always felt that his heart was with the European Tour. I think that came out with his Ryder Cup heroics and you just knew Seve cared deeply about the growth of the European Tour, and similarly with Lee, while he has been at the top of the tree for many years you just know his heart is with us and he has always supported the European Tour where possible. He has been one of the biggest names for over two decades now and it is great to see someone so loyal to our Tour coming up trumps again last year.”
Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele and Tyrrell Hatton. (Foto: Getty)
Press Release
Three of the world’s highest ranked players have confirmed their participation in the 2021 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, with American stars Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele set to tee it up alongside multiple Rolex Series winner Tyrrell Hatton at the Renaissance Club from July 8-11, 2021.
World Number Six Morikawa, who burst onto the world stage with a maiden Major Championship victory at the 2020 US PGA Championship, and World Number Four and four-time PGA Tour winner Schauffele, who finished third at The Masters last month, are set to make their debuts at Scotland’s National Open.
They will be joined by World Number Eight Hatton as the Englishman goes in search of a record fifth Rolex Series title and his second this season, following his success at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January.
Morikawa and Schauffele will bid to follow in the footsteps of compatriots Rickie Fowler and Phil Mickelson by finding success in Scotland, the Home of Golf, as the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open once again takes its place in the week before The Open at Royal St George’s.
“I’m excited to play in Scotland for the first time,” said Morikawa. “I’m looking forward to making my debut in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and playing in the Home of Golf. I’ve heard a lot about the tournament, and it will be a lot of fun to tee it up on the European Tour again.”
Schauffele will be making his first appearance in Scotland since The Open at Carnoustie in 2018, where he finished in a share of second place behind Italy’s Francesco Molinari.
“I have great memories of playing in Scotland a few years ago at Carnoustie, so I hope to rekindle some of that form and find myself in contention at the Renaissance Club,” said Schauffele. “It’s a tournament with a proud history and I’d love to add my name to the list of great champions as I prepare to tee it up at The Open again.”
First European Tour title in Scotland for Tyrrell Hatton
Hatton started the 2021 Race to Dubai with victory in Abu Dhabi, adding to the Rolex Series titles he won at the 2017 Italian Open, 2019 Turkish Airlines Open and the BMW PGA Championship last season.
The 29-year-old is no stranger to success in Scotland, recording his first European Tour win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in 2016 and then successfully defending his title the following year. He also finished second behind Sweden’s Alex Noren at the 2016 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at Castle Stuart.
“Winning my first European Tour title in Scotland was a huge milestone and something I will always remember. It would be special to add the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open title to my achievements in the Home of Golf.
“I’ve had chances at the Scottish Open before, so I’m looking forward to playing at the Renaissance Club again and hopefully I can find myself in position to win another title that week.”
The European Tour is cautiously optimistic that a certain level of spectator attendance will be permitted at the 2021 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open, with details to be confirmed in due course.
To be the first to hear ticket and event news, fans can register interest at ET.GOLF/ASISO2021
The Marco Simone Golf & County Club in Rome, where the Ryder Cup will be held next year. (Photo: Marco Simone Golf & Country Club)
Plenty of adrenalin early in the morning
Around eight o’clock in the morning, we start out of town in our rental car near the famous Villa Borghese. The extremely fast, offensive driving style of the Roman road users takes some getting used to for us, but after a short time it works fine. If you wait, you will not reach your destination in time. We get the impression that traffic signs and traffic lights are seen more as a recommendation. Unharmed and happy, we reach the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club on the north-eastern outskirts of the Italian metropolis a good half hour later.
Thumbs up (Photo Jürgen Linnenbürger)
Here in Guidonia Montecelio, the 44th edition of the Europe : USA golf competition will take place in September 2023, one year late. After 1997 in Valderrama and 2018 in Paris, it will be only the third Ryder Cup on continental European soil.
The biggest green skirt ever designed
World-renowned fashion and perfume designer Laura Biagiotti and her daughter Lavinia Biagiotti Cigna, thanks to the Italian Golf Federation, the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) and to the support of national and local institutions, brought the Ryder Cup to her club in 2015, which she founded in 1971. Since her death in 2017, Lavinia Biagiotti Cigna has continued the project and now heads the club as President.
Lavinia quotes her mother as saying “My mother used to say this is the biggest green skirt I have ever designed”.
Originally designed by Jim Fazio, the course has been completely redesigned as of 2018. This task was successfully taken on by European Golf Design, together with Jim’s son Tom Fazio II.
On an area of 150 hectares, a par-72 stadium course has been created, which is perfectly integrated into the open, partly quite hilly terrain. It is a course designed not only for players but also for the up to fifty thousand spectators expected daily. On both sides of the fairways, the terrain often rises, so that from these elevated places, the game action can be followed not only on one fairway, but on several at once.
Plenty of space on the course (Photo Marco Simone Golf & Country Club)
The paths are very well maintained and asphalted, the distances between greens and tees are pleasantly short. The course is fair and a pleasure to play. It is a real match play course and allows a good score for all HCP classes, provided you hit the right spots on the greens. If you do not, you get penalised.
The tee-offs are less challenging. But the ones into the green are, some of which can be hit blind.
We particularly like the two par-5s at the end of the front nine and the 16, a 322 m long par-4. For us, it is the most beautiful hole on the course. If you do not resist the temptation to attack the green with your steep descent tee shot here, you run the risk of experiencing your damp miracle. We are already curious to see how many balls will disappear here in 2023 during the Ryder Cup.
Fantastic 16th hole (Photo Marco Simone Golf & Country Club)
Construction of the new driving range has already begun. The clubhouse will also be renovated before the Ryder Cup.
A successful creation
I take up Laura Biagiotti’s comparison of the course with a skirt and describe it as if it were such a garment: We really like the motifs on the green skirt. On its front, the 11th-century Marco Simone Castle, now Lavinia’s home, attracts our gaze. Also the astronomer Galileo Galilei used to live here.
Marco Simone Castle is omnipresent (Photo Jürgen Linnenbürger)
On the back of the skirt, the hill town of Sant’Angelo Romana catches the eye, as does Rome’s silhouette with St. Peter’s Basilica in the distance.
Cleverly placed are its 18 mostly not too big, wavy and smooth green buttons. Real eye-catchers are the four large blue dots of colour, two on each side, and the blue zips that snake over part of the back.
The skirt comes in two versions. We are introduced to the spring version, where the green fringes located on its sides are kept short and blend seamlessly into the colour of the skirt. In the autumn version, these are much longer and denser, so that it is easy to get caught in them. Their shiny golden-brown colour is the ideal contrast to the otherwise rich green and another visual highlight.
Golden-brown deep rough in autumn (Photo Marco Simone Golf & Country Club)
The bright white linings of the numerous pockets are velvety soft. Their edges are perfectly finished. You can get out of them easily, even if they get wet. A special textile layer ensures that.
Perfect bunker conditions (Photo Marco Simone Golf & Country Club)
The smooth surface is very elastic and its material handles even large amounts of rain very well. There is nothing to complain about in terms of its high-quality workmanship. We particularly like the fact that great importance is attached to sustainability in its production.
The stylish unisex mini is available in four sizes for men and three for women. The XXL version is only 6.373 meters long. Usually it is not too tightly cut and offers plenty of freedom of movement in all variants. However, it can be made tighter for special occasions.
The brand and the high quality come at a price. For the use of the designer piece, one pays €180 on site. If you book online, you get a ten percent discount.
18th green in front of the clubhouse (Photo Jürgen Linnenbürger)
Sporty charming
With the 78th Italian Open being held in September 2021, the course has passed its sporting baptism of fire in the best possible way. The Dane Nicolai Hojgaard won with 13 under par and thus won his first tournament on today’s DP World Tour.
Stay and Play
Various hotels, including those outside Rome, offer attractive stay and play packages or green fee discounts. This also applies to the multiple award-winning, five-star Argentario Golf & Wellness Resort in Porto Ercole in the Maremma in southern Tuscany, where we will spend the next few days. I report on this in a separate article. Jürgen Linnenbürger April 2022
Robert MacIntyre will aim to end a more than 20 year wait for another Scottish victory at the Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett after confirming he will tee it up at The Belfry from May 12-15, 2021.
MacIntyre is riding the crest of a wave after encouraging debut performances at both the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, where he reached the Round of 16, and the Masters Tournament, finishing in a share of 12th and booking a return to Augusta National in 2022 in the process.
The 24-year-old finished joint runner up in the 2019 British Masters at Hillside – the first year of Betfred’s title sponsorship of the popular tournament which returned to the European Tour’s schedule in 2015 after an eight-year absence.
He is now hoping to go one better and follow in the footsteps of Bernard Gallacher, Sandy Lyle, Colin Montgomerie, Gary Orr and Sam Torrance as Scottish winners of the British Masters since the Tour’s inception in 1972, as he aims for a second European Tour victory, adding to the maiden title he won at the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown last November.
“I’m really excited to play at The Belfry for the first time in my career,” said MacIntyre, who moved inside the Top 50 in the World for the first time in February. “It’s an iconic venue and one that is steeped in history with its Ryder Cup and European Tour heritage.
“Some of the most iconic names in Scottish golf have won the British Masters and I’d love to add my name to that list. I came close to winning this event two years ago at Hillside and I feel as though I learned a lot from that experience of being in contention down the home stretch.”
Also joining MacIntyre and tournament host Danny Willett at The Belfry are British Ryder Cup players Jamie Donaldson, Stephen Gallacher, David Howell, Andy Sullivan, Oliver Wilson and Chris Wood.
Last year’s winner Renato Paratore, of Italy, will bid to defend the title he won last year at Close House as the Betfred British Masters marked the full resumption of the European Tour’s 2020 season following a three month pause due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
The 24-year-old finished three strokes ahead of nearest challenger Rasmus Højgaard at Close House as he produced a superb display of front-running to win his second European Tour title.
“I’m really looking forward to defending my British Masters title,” said Paratore. “I’m very proud of the way I played at Close House, especially after returning from the break in the middle of the season. I had worked really hard on my game last year and in the build up to the tournament, so it was very rewarding to see that pay off.”
The Betfred British Masters marks the next stage in European Ryder Cup Qualification where all points earned on the European and World Points Lists will be multiplied by two, as the race to be part of Captain Pádraig Harrington’s team continues. MacIntyre is currently just outside the automatic qualification spots as he bids for a debut Ryder Cup appearance at Whistling Straits in September.
Rafa Cabrera Bello is full of pride at returning home to Gran Canaria to play in and host the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open at Meloneras Golf by Lopesan.
The Ryder Cup star and four-time European Tour winner was born in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and despite going on to ply his trade all over the world, he remains passionate about developing golf across the Canary Islands.
After taking up the game at the age of six, the 36 year old went on to win the Spanish National Championship every year from under-7 to under-18 level. He then had a memorable European Tour debut as a 17 year old amateur, finishing tied fourth as his future Ryder Cup partner Sergio Garcia won the 2002 Canarias Open de España – the last time a European Tour event was staged in Gran Canaria.
In 2019 the 36 year old established the Circuito Juvenil Rafa Cabrera Bello, an annual series of tournaments for children and young golfers around the idyllic Canary Islands. The circuit will celebrate its third test this Saturday in Gran Canaria, as its founder aims to seal a first European Tour victory on home soil.
Meanwhile last week’s Austrian Golf Open winner John Catlin is aiming to draw on his experience of Spanish success in a bid to secure the Race to Dubai title. The American now has ten professional victories worldwide, including three on the European Tour, with the first of those coming after a battle with Major winner Martin Kaye just eight months ago at the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucia Masters.
Interview with Rafa Cabrera Bello
“It’s a really, really cool experience. As a kid you don’t really grow up dreaming about being a tournament host, but once you see the other guys who have had the opportunity and that huge honour, I thought it’d be cool to be host one day. We’ve come back to Gran Canaria, and I’m loving it this week. It’s a very nice feeling because you look back on your career and you think ‘maybe I’ve done one or two things right’. I have the opportunity and the honour to be host this week. It’s a huge pleasure.
“We have six Junior Circuit events throughout the year. We started three years ago, last year was a bit of a hiccup because it was a difficult year. Our goal is to become a nice junior ranking in all the Canary Islands. Golf has given me a lot, if I have a chance to give a little bit back to kids and try to get them to love the game as much as I do, and learn from the values of sports, in particularly the values that golf teaches all of us, that would be the only reward I need. It’s really cool when you see a smile on a kid, you don’t need anything else.
“Meloneras Golf is a beautiful course, the views you’ll see throughout the week are breath-taking. You can expect good scores – lots of birdies. The biggest trick about the course is if the wind does pick up. They can be very windy islands, and that’s the defence of the course. The back nine does have some daunting shots, both to the green and off the tee. You can also see one or two players get nervous and struggle a bit.”
