martes, 20 de febrero de 2024

LET Golf: Todo preparado en Rabat para el Lalla Meryem Cup 2024

                    


 EL Royal  Club de Golf  Dar Es Salam acogerá en Rabat( Marruecos )  una edición más del Lalla Meryem Cup uno de los torneos más espectaculares de la temporada  en el  LET Golf.  Está  dotado con 450.000 euros tendrá en su línea de partida a once jugadoras españolas que lucharán por una victoria que no será fácil. En la nómina de participantes destacan  Anne van Dam, Chiara Noja, Manon de Roy o Kristyna Napoleova.

 En la presencia de la "Armada" estarán Ana Peláez, Nuria Iturrioz, Carmen Alonso, maría Hernández, Marta Sanz, Luna Sobrón, Fátima Fernández Cano, Teresa Toscano, Teresa Díaz Moliner, Paz Marfá y Marta Martín, que la semana pasada estaba como primera reserva del torneo y que finalmente ha entrado y que formará parte de la nómina de española que intentrán el triunfo en este torneo.

 El Lalla Meryem Cup, que ganó el año pasado la sueca Maja Stark, no contará con la sueca en esta ocasión aunque la presencia nordica será muy notable con la presencia de hasta siete jugadoras suecas.

Una cita que coincide con el anuncio por parte del LET de que la Escuela del LET se seguirá disputando en Marruecos durante los próximos tres años.

Las fechas de la Escuela de Clasificación Lalla Aicha de este año serán del 10 al 20 de diciembre de 2024. La Preclasificación se jugará en tres rondas del 10 al 12 de diciembre en cuatro sedes: Palm Golf Marrakech Ourika, Golf Club Rotana, Noria Golf Club y Samanah Golf diseñados por Jack Nicklaus. La final de la escuela se jugará a cinco rondas del 16 al 20 de diciembre en dos sedes: Royal Golf Marrakech y Al Maaden Golf Marrakech.

Ángel Cabrera vuelve al Champions Tour en el Trophee Hassan II, en Rabat

 Seis meses después de su salida de la cárcel, Ángel Cabrera retorna a la competición viajando hasta Marruecos para tomar parte en el Trophee Hassan II del Champions Tour, Circuito Senior del PGA; evento que arranca este jueves en el Royal Golf Dar Es Salam de Rabat.

Tras pasar 30 meses en prisión, el juez Cristóbal Laje Ros se encargaba de otorgarle la condicional al jugador argentino, tras someterse previamente a un examen psicológico. “Cabrera ha interiorizado todos los errores que ha cometido y se arrepiente de todo el daño causado”, informaba el propio jurista en unas declaraciones a una televisión local. “Es por ello que se ha adoptado la decisión de otorgarle la libertad condicional”, señalaba la misma fuente.

Según Golfweek, Cabrera también recibió una invitación para jugar en el Insperity Invitational, también del Champions Tour, en Texas a principios de mayo. Para ello, el golfista argentino, poseedor de dos Grandes, necesitará obtener un visado, lo que también podría ser un obstáculo para jugar en el Masters, que ganó en 2009, en abril como ex campeón. Cabrera no necesita visado para viajar a Marruecos y jugar allí. También se espera que la próxima semana dispute el 117 Argentina Open del Korn Ferry Tour, división de plata del PGA.

Ángel Cabrera disputó su primer evento profesional el pasado mes de diciembre desde que saliera de la cárcel el 4 de agosto tras cumplir más de dos años de condena por casos de violencia de género contra dos de sus exnovias. Cabrera terminó T-10 en el Abierto del Litoral, un torneo celebrado en su Argentina natal. 


                  


Dates confirmed for historic Hong Kong Open

                                                 


 

 The Hong Kong Open, the celebrated tournament at the core of the Asian golf calendar for over six decades, will be played from November 21-24 this year – at the fabled Hong Kong Golf Club (HKGC), Fanling.

 

Offering lucrative prizemoney of US$2 million, the event will play a pivotal role in shaping the conclusion of the Asian Tour season.

For the second year in succession, it will also form part of The International Series – 10 elevated events that are integrated into the Asian Tour schedule providing a pathway to the LIV Golf League.

 

 

“This year marks the 63rd staging of the Hong Kong Open, and the Hong Kong Golf Club is excited to see it once again positioned as one of the season-ending tournaments, when there is so much to play for,” said Andy Kwok, Captain, HKGC – who are celebrating their 135th anniversary this year.

 

“We are looking to build on last year’s successful tournament, boosting the event and the club’s stature in the game by welcoming back a wonderful selection of world-class golfers and fans from right across the Greater Bay Area and beyond.”

A world-class line up of players will return and will gradually be unveiled over the next few months, for a tournament that is one of only two events in the history of the game to be hosted at the same venue for over six decades - alongside The Masters Tournament at Augusta.

                                             


 

Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour said: “At the end of last year we were delighted to announce our initial schedule for 2024, which featured the Hong Kong Open – being able to confirm the dates today allows us to take a step another closer to completing the jigsaw.

 

“The Hong Kong Open and the Hong Kong Golf Club are woven into the fabric of the Asian Tour, and so it is always key to our success to have all aspects of the event confirmed early on. The Club’s iconic course was voted by our members as the joint best course of the year last season, and I am sure more accolades await this year. We thank the Club, their captain Andy Kwok and Ian Gardner the General Manager, plus the Golf Association of Hong Kong China for their ongoing support and commitment.”

 

New Zealander Ben Campbell raised the trophy last November after a gripping finish. He wrote his name into Hong Kong Open folklore with a gutsy victory, draining a 15-foot birdie putt on the final green to defeat playing partners Cam Smith from Australia and Thailand’s Phachara Khongwatmai. Campbell had not led at any stage of the tournament until that brilliant last putt.

The Asian Tour currently boasts 21 events visiting 13 countries with a significant number of important tournaments to be added.

Once finalised it is expected that the schedule will surpass last year– which saw 23 events staged with aggregate prize money of US$35 million.

 

 

Rick Shiels Golf Show reaches massive milestone of 250,000 subscribers on YouTube

 

The Rick Shiels Golf Show, which launched in November 2019 has now amassed more than a quarter of a million subscribers on YouTube.

 

Fronted by the world’s most watched online golf personality Rick Shiels - whose original YouTube channel has 2.75M subscribers - the eponymous podcast first aired on the video sharing platform in February 2020 and has subsequently received 33M views with 5.7M hours of content watched. 

 

Ranked by Chartable among the top 10 golf podcasts in 89 countries, including 36 where it is number one, fans of The Rick Shiels Golf Show have become accustomed to regular appearances from a world class guestlist. 

 

Among those to have graced the airwaves alongside Shiels and regular co-host Guy Charnock, are: multiple major-winners and Team Europe legends for the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup respectively, Sir Nick Faldo and Annika Sörenstam; plus global stars Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Ian Poulter and Adam Scott. 

 

Besides this golf royalty, the podcast has also welcomed those whose celebrity status extends beyond sport, with appearances from Angels singer and 18-time BRIT Awards winner Robbie Williams and former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond.  




 

 

After reaching the significant milestone, Shiels said: “There is an ever-increasing appetite for quality golf content, which we pride ourselves on.  

 

“We have been particularly successful capturing a youthful audience of under 35-year-olds which represents more than 50 per cent of our following. 

 

“I am tremendously grateful to every viewer and listener, all the brilliant guests we’ve had and the phenomenal team behind the scenes who are part of the Rick Shiels Media family that help ensure the ongoing success of all our channels.” 

 

Guy Charnock, Head of Brand and Content, said: "It’s incredible to think how much the podcast has grown since we started; especially when you start thinking about the number of downloads around the world too! We have to pinch ourselves sometimes. At the end of the day, it’s just Rick and I talking about golf but we’ve attracted some incredible guests and the world’s best fans!” 

 

Rick Shiels Media boasts an impressive audience of more than 5.8M across all platforms, receiving 50M views per month.  

 

The Rick Shiels Golf Show is available on YouTube and all major podcast streaming platforms, such as Spotify, with new episodes released weekly on Tuesday. 

 

For more information, visit: rickshiels.com 

Q-School graduate Broberg finally ready for the big time at International Series Oman

                                    


  Kristoffer Broberg makes his eagerly awaited debut on both The International Series and the Asian Tour this week after securing his card at the start of the season, and the Q-School graduate is relieved to be finally making things happen at the stunning Al Mouj Golf course in Oman after a minor delay to proceedings.

The Swede secured his card in January thanks to a sensational display at Springfield Royal Country Club in Hua Hin, Thailand, where three eagles on two, 12 and 18 helped him to a stunning victory and one of 35 cards on the Asian Tour for the season.

 

 

Family illness prevented the 35-year-old from making his debut last weekend at the IRS Prima Malaysian Open.

But he’s back and eager to take on a world-class field that features LIV Golf rising star David Puig, last week’s champion in Kuala Lumpur, and Joaquin Niemann, the Torque GC captain who fired an incredible 59 on his way to victory at the LIV Golf Mayakoba at the start of the season.

Other golfing heavyweights in the field this week include Major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, as well as Puig’s Spanish compatriot and Fireballs GC team-mate Eugenio Chacarra, a winner on The International Series at the St Andrews Bay Championship in Scotland last season.

Broberg is eager to get going after trading the long Swedish winter for some welcome Omani sun, despite having less than ideal preparation for his big debut.

A Swede, a winner on the BMW Masters in 2015 and the Dutch Open in 2021, explained: “I was supposed to play in Malaysia last weekend but my daughter got sick at Kindergarten, and I didn’t want to travel in case I was carrying the bug, so I waited at home.

“I have taken three days in Dubai trying to practice, but otherwise I have been indoors (in Sweden). I flew back the same night I won it (Q-School) and I haven’t been outdoors since! But my game felt pretty good.

“I don’t have any expectations. I will take it one shot at a time – golf is golf and you never know. You can hit bad shots and make a long putt, and hit some great shots and miss the easy putt.”

                                       


 

While Broberg is philosophical about his own game, he’s under no illusions about the strength of the field assembling for the first event on The International Series, the Asian Tour-sanctioned pathway onto the LIV Golf League.

The winner of this season’s rankings on The International Series will earn a direct spot on the LIV Golf League roster, following in the footsteps of 2022 and 2023 champions Scott Vincent and Andy Ogletree, who earned lucrative, life-changing spots on Iron Heads GC and HyFlyers GC respectively.

That carrot has attracted the cream of the Asian Tour, with Gaganjeet Bhullar, Ben Campbell and Sarit Suwannarut, all champions on The International Series last season, in the field vying for top spot on the 2024 rankings alongside reigning International Series Oman champion Takumi Kanaya.

Other Asian Tour favourites include Taichi Kho, Broberg’s fellow Q-School graduate John Catlin and Denwit Boriboonsub, a three-time winner at the end of last season. All three showed real promise last week in Malaysia.

Broberg said: “It’s great to see such a strong field - good for the Asian Tour to have all the best players compete. When you can play against top talent, you get to see where you stand on your level and it will be great to compete against those guys. I think it is amazing these guys have come to play.”

For more information on International Series Oman, click here.

 

 

 

domingo, 18 de febrero de 2024

Tavatanakit claims first win since 2021 Major, goes wire-to-wire at Aramco Saudi Ladies International Presented by PIF

                       


After Tavatanakit’s Major win in her 2021 rookie season caught the headlines, the road back to the top of the leaderboard has been one littered with hardships, with the freshly crowned champion speaking frankly about mental health challenges. 

“It's been really difficult, but those struggles gave me a lot of strength,” Tavanakit reflected.  

“I learned a lot, and I grew a lot from it as well - looking back, I’m grateful for all the moments, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”  

“You go down [mentally], and you're down there to go up one day, and that’s kind of true with golf and life. I'm definitely getting the highs this week, and then we'll see what the future holds.” 

“But today, I went out there like I came to play golf, and I had a lot of fun today. Regardless of the outcome I told myself to enjoy it, and I really did.” 


 

Esther Heinseleit of Germany followed up a blistering seven-under-par 65 on day three with a solid three-under-par on the final day, asserting herself in second place and earning $450k from the lucrative prize fund. 

There was a late charge for Japan’s Minami Katsu, the eight-time LPGA tour of Japan winner who recorded her first professional win at the age of just 15 in 2014. 

Katsu followed up a front nine of four-under-par, with a run of four birdies to begin her back nine, before finishing seven-under-par after a bogey on the 16th hole. 

 

Meanwhile, England’s Charley Hull was unable to capitalise on her 68 from day three, but a respectable two-under-par was enough to lock in a T3 finish ahead of a big year for Hull, with Olympic aspirations in mind. 

The prestigious tournament lived up to its much-anticipated billing in Saudi Arabia’s capital, with the history making tournament attracting thousands of locals to Riyadh Golf Club across the four days. 

To view the full final day leaderboard for the event, click here.  

sábado, 17 de febrero de 2024

Hotel room flood can't hold back Hull, as floodgates open for World No.8 in hunt for Tavatanakit

                            


At the top of the tree Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit remained calm and composed, as a solid round of three-under-par moved her one step closer to her first Aramco Saudi Ladies International Presented by PIF title, sitting four strokes clear at 11-under-par overall. 

The gravity of the opportunity for Tavatanakit to claim her first win since her Major victory at the 2021 ANA Championship is not lost on the Thai star – addressing the pressure of the moment head on. 

“Honestly, you have to think about [winning], right?”, said Tavatanakit. “You're thinking about it, so what are you going to do about those thoughts? 

“Tomorrow, all I want to do is make the right choices for each and every shot. Whatever it is that I'm going to face, I'm up for it.” 

 s

Elsewhere, it was a day to remember for two of the German players, as Alexandra Forsterling’s clinical five-under-par was later bested by her compatriot Esther Henselheit, who fired a blistering seven-under-par, with her score of 65 moving her firmly into contention in second place. 

Heinseleit commended her fiancé Reece Phillips for his impactful role, which extends beyond moral support. As her coach and caddie, the Englishman Phillips has played a significant role in the German’s development. 

“He’s certainly doing it all in one,” laughed Heinseleit at the unusual blend of roles. “He’s been helping me a lot with my swing over the last three years, and it looks completely different now. We have a good system now out there, and it’s good to have someone like that on the bag.” 

“I hit lots of fairways and then hit my irons really close – there were lots of short birdie putts for me, and I pretty much made all of them.”  


                    


 

Former Aramco Saudi Ladies International Presented by PIF champions Georgia Hall and Emily Pedersen also fought bravely to ascend the leaderboard, with Hall’s three-under-par bringing her into seventh place. 

2020 champion Pedersen, however, recorded a sizzling six-under-par to join Charley Hull tied for third place, and the Danish No.1 is keen to make the most of the opportunity she’s given herself. 

“It was special for me to win [in Saudi Arabia] five years ago, so it would mean a lot to win again and obviously, that's what I'm here for,” said Pedersen. 

“It's nice to be in contention as much as possible, it's where you feel you're alive and it's what all of the hard works comes down to.” 

The race for the largest prize-funded Ladies European Tour (LET) event outside of the Majors is approaching a pulsating climax, with a host of superb performances on day three setting up a grandstand finish. 

 

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LET Golf: Todo preparado en Rabat para el Lalla Meryem Cup 2024

                      EL Royal  Club de Golf  Dar Es Salam acogerá en Rabat( Marruecos )  una edición más del Lalla Meryem Cup uno de los to...