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Abu Dhabi World Sand Golf Championship 2004 |
February 22, 2004; Source: AnyoneForTee.comAbu Dhabi blows up a pro-golf sand storm with first World Championship! By AnyoneForTee's desert correspondent, Sandy Lie (AnyoneForTee is the unofficial alternative media for the event, bringing you hole by hole, or brown by brown, coverage.) |
ABU DHABI, UAE. As exclusively revealed by Anyone For Tee, March 8 in Abu Dhabi sees the first ever World Sand Golf Championship. And some of the world’s biggest golfing names – including AnyoneForTee – plan to be there. The unique tournament is being hosted by the Al Ghazal Golf Club at Abu Dhabi International Airport, which should cause some interesting moments with any skied drives. As a precaution, specially trained air-traffic controllers with golf-ball shaped radar screens have been drafted in for the duration of the tournament (left).The one-day pro-am event will take place in between two European PGA events, the Dubai Desert Classic and the Qatar Open. Big name players who ave already confirmed their attendance include Nick Faldo, Padraig Harrington, Ian Woosnam (who has threated to sack his caddy if he turns up without his sand wedge), Paul McGinley, Jean Van de Velde and Ian Poulter.  Van de Velde, famous for taking off his shoes to try to play his shot from the burn at the 18th at Carnoustie when leading the Open, told AnyoneForTee: "Abu Dhabi and his Excellency Sheikh Hamdan should be congratulated for this initiative. I've been told zat zere is no water at Al Ghazal on 18, which is a good plan as well! I am more used to ze water, of course, but maybe if I dig deep enough in ze sand, I will find some."  Faldo’s availability is a big coup for the organisers. The British star had been originally paired with Greg Norman. But the Great White Shark withdrew over fears that he would choke on the sand. More positively, Poulter’s notoriously colourful hairdo (pictured) is expected to be a big hit with local wild life, though fellow players may dismiss it as a mirage. The event will be played over the Al Ghazal Golf Club’s 18-hole, par-71 sand course, measuring 6,487 yards. Instead of 'greens' the course features 'browns'. These are created by compacting rolled and treated sand, and give an extremely true putting surface – provided you know how to read the grain. The front nine holes (par 35) are based around an archaeological site on what, thousands of years ago, was the original Abu Dhabi coastline; the back nine (par 36), have been constructed on flatter reclaimed land. In addition to the customary hazards of water and the rough, players must also contend with the numerous burrows dug by desert lizards (known as dhubs) and Colin Montgomery the last time he played the course and reacted badly to a mishit five iron.Instead of buggies, the players will play in LandRover 4 wheel drive vehicles. This explains Seve Ballesteros’s absence as, with his driving, the organisers were fearful he would end up in Riyadh.  "We will be bringing 26 European Tour players in addition to Faldo, Woosnam, Harrington, Poulter, McGinley & Van de Velde," said Mohamed Mounib, Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Airport Catering and Duty Free, which manages the Al Ghazal Golf Club, pictured at left with Nick Faldo. "The players are all very excited about this unique opportunity since most of them have not played sand golf before. The challenge for them will be getting used to the speed and feel of the browns more than anything else. The winner will probably have the best short game on the day." Or will it be the best sand game? To find out about the challenges posed by this unique course, Anyone For Tee’s regional correspondent Sandy Lie played the front nine last week week in the presence of former Ryder Cup player and golf commentator Ken Brown and Swedish star Jarmo Sand-elin (at right, demonstrating the 'sandglasses' which will be issued to all competitors).Exclusively for Anyone For Tee readers, here are Lie’s notes on his round.
   Editor's note:Sandy Lie filed this report live by satellite phone from his Land Rover before losing contact. This was the last picture taken of him, near Abu Dhabi's coastline border with Oman, showing clear signs of spatial disorientation, a common phenomenon in the desert. He has not been heard from since. You can also read our first report on the Abu Dhabi 2004 World Sand Golf Championship by clicking here. |
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This page © Copyright 2004 by DuffersGolf |
gets deeper and deeper. What’s this? An ancient looking coin… and some sort of Arabian trinket. Discover I have dug up the beginnings of an old archaeological site. Hope I haven’t caused any damage. Cover my tracks. Throw the ball onto the brown while Ken and Jarmo aren’t looking. They are. Look at me disdainfully. Disqualified for unsporting behaviour. Put myself down for a 2. So that’s round in 94. Not bad for a certified Duffer. Pity it was just the front 9.
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