Riviera: Greats Who've Won There (and Two Who Haven't)

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RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB OFTEN APPEARS NEAR the top of best-courses lists. The 1926 George Thomas design and routing make Riviera the rare classic that's still a great test of golf for the modern player.

The site of this week's Northern Trust Open, Riviera is called "Hogan's Alley" because Ben Hogan won there three times in 1947 and 1948, collecting two L.A. Opens and winning a U.S. Open, his first of four national titles. He nearly won there again in 1950 after coming back from a near-fatal collision with a Greyhound bus on a foggy west Texas highway.

Who has won at Riviera? A lot of name players, actually.

The 18th hole at Riviera Country Club. (Dedhed972)

Riviera Winners
Byron Nelson
Ben Hogan
Sam Snead
Tom Watson
Johnny Miller
Hale Irwin
Ben Crenshaw
Nick Faldo
Fred Couples
Corey Pavin
Davis Love III
Ernie Els
Phil Mickelson

and ...

Riviera Non-Winners
Jack Nicklaus
Tiger Woods

Nicklaus came close. One example: He finished runner-up to Hal Sutton at the 1983 PGA Championship. The Golden Bear closed with a 66 but lost by a shot.

Tiger's chances of winning at Riviera are nil because he avoids the place like trouble-left.

As Karen Crouse wrote yesterday in the New York Times:

Before the tour stop at Torrey Pines, Woods was asked what it would take for him to play Riviera again. “I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll just see.”

What is Woods waiting for, a freakish storm to fell all the trees that place a premium on driving accuracy? A pesticide attack on the Kikuyu grass that swallows bump-and-run shots?

It is as if Woods has developed a fear of Riviera’s eucalyptus-lined fairways, postage-stamp-sized greens and catcher’s-mitt-shaped traps, and is avoiding his phobia rather than confronting it.

I wish Tiger would play Riviera once more so The Logo, Jerry West, could quit his public groveling. It's unbecoming. Frankly, I don't care. Should Tiger? I guess his answer is, “I don’t know. We’ll just see.”

Matt Kuchar is the first-round leader of the Northern Trust Open after firing a bogey-free 64.

John Merrick: 'Dream Come True'

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John Merrick

LONG BEACH RESIDENT AND UCLA GOLF product John Merrick won his first PGA Tour event close to home on a golf course that he used to play in college. Merrick outlasted Charlie Beljan in a two-hole sudden-death playoff to capture the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club.

Merrick was emotional, happy and relieved to get that first victory in front of a hometown crowd. The slender, 30-year-old tour player talked about how he held it together late on Sunday.

" ... I was just trying to do one shot at a time," Merrick said. "My caddie and I were talking, my heart was racing out there for sure, I was nervous. I was just trying to grind it out and be tough and do the best that I could and ... whatever happened, just move forward and try your best.

"To win a tournament in front of family and friends and in your hometown with people shouting out 'Bruins' and 'Long Beach,' to win a tournament in front of them, on the PGA Tour with this field and all the past champions and this golf course .... I can't even describe it. It's a dream come true."

Merrick's first PGA Tour win was five years in the making. He's had three top tens in majors, his best finishes a T6 at both the 2008 U.S. Open (Torrey Pines) and 2009 Masters.

"You can't force it," Merrick said. "You obviously want to win, but I think it just happens. You play well and you add them up at the end and sometimes you win and sometimes you don't. I try to just kind of take the pressure off myself and play. But for my career ... it has not sunk in yet. I know that I'm going to get in the Masters and Maui. It's just icing on the cake. I can't wait."

Runner-up Beljan was not a big fan of Riviera's 10th hole, a short par 4 with a tiny, diabolical putting surface. That's where the rangy 28-year-old missed a tricky four footer that would have extended the playoff.

"I think you could play here 10,000 times and still not know how to play No. 10," Beljan said.

"I just find it tough that we go to No. 10 .... I'm not knocking it, but it's just a tough hole to have a playoff on. We might as well go and put a windmill out there and hit some putts."

I'm guessing Beljan would have felt much better about the 10th had things gone differently for him. In fact, he probably would have felt like the winner, Merrick, who laughed when told by a reporter about Beljan's windmill comment.

No. 3 Seeds Dufner and Schwartzel Fall at Match Play

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Early exit for Jason Dufner. (Allison)

IT'S EARLY, VERY EARLY, BUT A PAIR of No. 3 seeds have fallen at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at wintry Dove Mountain near Tucson, Arizona. In the Bobby Jones bracket, Russell Henley knocked out Charl Schwartzel, 1-up. And in the Gary Player bracket, Richard Sterne sent Jason Dufner packing, also by a 1-up margin.

Sterne opened a big lead and then had trouble closing out Dufner.

"Match play is a strange game and it showed today," Sterne said at PGATour.com. "I was 4 up and then suddenly I was struggling to finish the match off. That just shows you a few birdies at the right time for somebody else can put a lot of pressure on."

Two days ago I picked Dufner to win it all. I thought Jason might be under the radar a bit, and I couldn't help but think about how impressive he was at the Ryder Cup. Last year I picked the winner, Hunter Mahan, BEFORE THE MATCHES STARTED. Yes, I was lucky. Not this year, though.

From the Bobby Jones bracket, other first-round winners are Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk and Jason Day, who ran away from Zach Johnson, winning 6 and 5. Hard to believe that margin since Johnson is such a solid match player, but anything can happen.

Defending champion Mahan also won his opener in the Gary Player bracket. Tim Clark, Ian Poulter, Bo Van Pelt and Thorbjorn Olesen won their matches in the Sam Snead bracket. Justin Rose, Nicolas Colsaerts, Sergio Garcia and Matt Kuchar advanced in the Ben Hogan bracket.

Most of the 32 matches are still in progress.

The Rules Geek: Snow and Ice on the Golf Course

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Editor’s note: The Rules Geek is an occasional feature at ARMCHAIR GOLF.

(Courtesy of The Massie Boy)

AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, THE OPENING round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship was suspended on Wednesday due to the unusual occurrence of snow in the Tuscon area. If you have ever encountered (or wondered about) snow or ice in the course of play, today the USGA published an explanation of options, according to the Rules of Golf.

"The Rules of Golf define snow and natural ice, other than frost, as either casual water or loose impediments, at the option of the player," wrote Mike Charrie, USGA Rules of Golf Associate.

The player needs to determine his or her best option: moving the snow or ice, or taking relief at the nearest point of relief.

Option 1, Rule 23-1:

USGA's Charrie: If a player wishes to remove the snow and natural ice, he would simply deem it as a loose impediment, and proceed under Rule 23-1 (Loose Impediments). Under this Rule, he is entitled to lift, move or remove the loose impediment(s) as he sees fit, as long as his ball does not move. This option would be beneficial to the player if he likes the lie of his ball, his line of play and distance to the hole (particularly on the putting green). However, if the ball and the snow or natural ice lie in the same bunker or water hazard, the player cannot move or remove the snow and ice without penalty.

Option 2, Rule 25-1:

USGA's Charrie: If a player has interference as defined by Rule 25-1 (Abnormal Ground Conditions), and he wishes to take relief from the snow and natural ice, he could simply deem it as casual water and proceed under this Rule. The player would determine his nearest point of relief, lift his ball and drop it within one club-length of his nearest point of relief, no closer to the hole, as described in Rule 25-1b. This option could be beneficial to the player if he does not like the position of his ball for the next stroke. Taking relief may give the player a better angle to the hole or a better line of play.

The Rules Geek realizes that most people don't play golf in snow or ice, or get caught in a freak winter storm while knocking it about. But if it happens to you, now you know the rules.

The Rules Geek sez rules were made to be followed. Got a rules-related tip or story? Send it to The Rules Geek at armchairgolfer@gmail.com.

More Rules Geek:
Keegan Bradley Isn't a Cheater
Decision 33-7/4.5 Overhauled for Video Age
Camilo Villegas and the Divot DQ
Bad Behavior Down Under?
Juli Inkster and the Donut DQ
Phil Mickelson and the Proper Drop
Abnormal Ground Conditions Aid Amateur
Hunter Mahan’s Driver Replacement

NOW here's jump pics!

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Sorry about that post yesterday evening.  I jumped the gun on posting jump pictures, and took them down.  But NOW I can post them.  Enjoy!  Many thanks to Holly Covey and to Rupert for sending them for your enjoyment.

Cute little pony jump.  CCI 3*

Hedges coming out of the Sunken Road.

The first jump for the 2* and the 3*, all dressed up in FHI's traditional yellow mums.

I'll be honest with you - I have no idea what this is supposed to be.  Go out and walk the course and let me know, could you?

Halloween!  CCI 2* jump.

The loons make a return visit to the water jump.

CUTEST darn jump ever.  Fear the Turtle!

Pigs in the Farm Yard.  CCI 3*

The Brad's Produce jump is the final jump for both the 2* and the 3*.

NOW here's jump pics!

To contact us Click HERE
Sorry about that post yesterday evening.  I jumped the gun on posting jump pictures, and took them down.  But NOW I can post them.  Enjoy!  Many thanks to Holly Covey and to Rupert for sending them for your enjoyment.

Cute little pony jump.  CCI 3*

Hedges coming out of the Sunken Road.

The first jump for the 2* and the 3*, all dressed up in FHI's traditional yellow mums.

I'll be honest with you - I have no idea what this is supposed to be.  Go out and walk the course and let me know, could you?

Halloween!  CCI 2* jump.

The loons make a return visit to the water jump.

CUTEST darn jump ever.  Fear the Turtle!

Pigs in the Farm Yard.  CCI 3*

The Brad's Produce jump is the final jump for both the 2* and the 3*.

Presidential Politics, Social Media and Mitt Romney's Icy Golf Adventure

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Ice Can be Awesome        photo credit: Kyle May via photopin cc

In many social media neighborhoods, tensions are running high this week.

With the US Presidential election down to the wire and polls indicating an ultra-close race, it's becoming increasingly difficult to stay above of the political fray.

Maintaining  a neutral stance can be particularly important for of those of us who use Twitter for business purposes.  However, strive as we may to refrain from commenting on politics, at this very visceral stage, such restraint can be difficult to practice

Live televised events... like golf tournaments, for example... are certainly more compelling when one watches with a group; exchanging ideas and opinions as the action unfolds. Twitter has proven a very effective platform for this kind of collective viewing... to the extent that each of the Presidential debates generated tens of millions of tweets as it aired.    So it should come as no surprise that numerous micro-blogging blunders  occurred when excessive zeal met bombastic bluster and some users seemed to forgot they were tweeting under the identity of their employer.

Thus far I've pretty much managed to keep my own political persuasions off of the social networks, and I fully intend to remain on the sidelines when it comes to online political opinionating.  However... there is a rather whimsical rumor involving one of the Presidential candidates that I'm admittedly curious about.   It has to do with Mitt Romney, a golf course and a big block of ice... and it may or may not include an arrest record.

On Ice   photo credit: ShaolinWorldwide via photopin cc

Typically, the legend has blossomed since it made its way to Twitter recently, however I found mentions of it going back more than a year.

Basically, it's alleged that Mitt Romney was once arrested for the following infraction: sliding down the fairways of a golf course on a big block of ice... covered in a towel?  Um... what?

I tried to imagine the perfectly-coiffed Governor taking a downhill par 5 at breakneck speed on an oversized ice cube ... with only a towel to cover his modesty.  And though the image I conjured up was extremely amusing, it made about as much sense to me as the average Fellini movie.  You see, I'm a born-and-bred New Englander,  I'd never heard of ice blocking.

Ice blocking... for my fellow Northeasterners...and others unfamiliar with the practice... is "a recreational activity in which individuals race to the bottom of a hill sitting on large blocks of ice". So says Wikipedia, before adding that, "in the United States ice blocking is thought to be regional, occurring in the West". 

Disappointingly, I also came to find out that the towel is to cover the ice block, not the person riding it.  That fact took the funniness level down a notch, but left me wondering what the aspiring Commander-in-Chief would have been charged with.  After all, fully clothed, ice blocking would seem to be a fairly benign activity, wouldn't it?

Actually, it was the choice of a golf course as his ice blocking venue that got candidate Romney into trouble.  The activity is quite damaging to turf, and consequently outlawed on most golf courses and in many parks.

Mitt Romney's ice blocking adventure supposedly took place in the mid-sixties, but details are sketchy and records are sealed, making it unlikely we'll hear much else about the story ...and I don't suppose we can count on any billionaire real estate moguls to help us out with a pledge to the Governor's favorite charity.  Oh well.  I had often sensed a bit of an aversion to golf on the Republican candidate's part, now I think I have an idea of where that an aversion might have originated.

In the end, the Romney camp might actually be wise to publicize the ice blocking incident. It seems to have softened the Governor's sometimes sanctimonious image... and earned him a new level of respect with a certain demographic.  Sounds like a political strategy to me.




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My Lady's Putt is so Cute - Antique Infographic Evokes Publishing's Past

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While The Babe may not have approved, I'm quite sure "My Lady's Putt"... the humorous illustration at left... provoked ample amusement in 1930 when it was published in Punch magazine's yearly Almanack.  After all, the British weekly was the era's go-to source for sophisticated satirical humor, and competitive golf for women was still... relatively speaking... in its infancy.

The illustration is comprised of a series of whimsical golf drawings by Frank Reynolds - a British artist who often focused on golf - and each sketch features an individual woman and her own... um... unique putting style.

One woman holds a cigarette in one hand while casually putting with the other, another more determined lady reads her putts on the ground, spidermanwoman style.  Golf fashions of the day are illustrated along with the idiosyncratic putting strokes.

One can easily imagine the laughter, as upper class men passed the popular magazine around in the cloistered drawing rooms of London's venerable gentlemen's clubs.  Though many of those men no doubt recognized their own putting style somewhere in the illustration, that wouldn't have been discussed in the security of those segregated bastions.



My Lady's Putt... a modern version of it... would be unlikely to be published anywhere today. Women's golf has become so widely played - on such a high professional level - that the drawing wouldn't have much of a point. In addition, with the demise of print media, humorous illustration is now something of a dying art.  Like narrative journalism and sports cartooning, it doesn't translate well to the backlit screens where new media resides, and the short deadlines and declining budgets that digital publishers work within make the detailed illustrations of the past an impossibility.  That, I'm afraid will be a great loss for future generations as a uniquely evocative kind of visual story telling disappears.

Dubai-based Designer's Multichromatic Golf Shoe Inspired by Snoop Dogg

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When it comes to golf shoes, the custom made wingtip is something of a relic.

As street style shoes have flooded the fairways of North America and rapidly made their way around the world, many recreational golfers seem to be opting for casual, comfortable sneaker-like footwear.

The majority of tour players though still wear more traditional golf shoes... as do many of the well-heeled members of exclusive private clubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  This is precisely the market Dubai-based Dutchman, Stephen Alexander, will be targeting with the line he'll be releasing in early February at the 2013 Dubai Desert Classic.

Crafted in Italy by iconic shoemaker Raimondi, the bespoke footwear hits a classic note, with perforations and contrasting leathers, however one unique pair of Steven Alexander golf shoes... made especially for one unique celebrity golfer... is anything but classic.

A pair of shiny red, green and yellow patent leather shoes has been made for the American singer-songwriter Snoop Dogg. The rapper's name is engraved on the heel and it seems he's delighted with the styling. So much so that he's ready to order several additional pairs. And that sounds like enough to make even Ian Poulter envious.

Talented Twelve-Year-Old Steals The Show in Dubai's Golf Citizen Open

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Kim Chiang - Photo via Emirates 24/7

The 2013 golf season is just getting underway;  however, an unassuming but ultra-talented young golfer is already grabbing headlines.

Her name is Kim Chiang and yesterday she won her division at Golf in Dubai's inaugural Golf Citizen Open... at age... 12. This champion is ultra - young.

The tournament took place this past weekend at Arabian Ranches Golf Club.  A distributed photo shows the precocious player flanked by Edoardo Galeppini, winner of the tournament's men's section, and Adrian Flaherty, the club's golf manager.  Though the men each appear to be a couple of feet taller than Chiang, she doesn't appear out-of-place or intimidated in any way, but rather brimming with confidence and pride... and it's no wonder, more that a year ago at the same venue, an eleven-year-old Kim Chiang won the club's Dougherty trophy in a formidable fashion.

Though she may still be smaller than most of her fellow competitors, one can be quite certain this talented twelve-year-old is already inspiring many golfers, young and old, in big ways.

The Golf Citizen Open is part of Golf in Dubai's effort to promote golfcitizen.com a comprehensive worldwide golf reservation site.

Ancona (Italy), 23-24.2.2013 –National Championships u20 and u18- (Indoor)

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Ancona (Italy), 23-24.2.2013–National Championships u20 and u18- (Indoor)Men60mh u20(0,99m) Lorenzo Perini 7.90; 60mh u18(0,91m) 1 Giuseppe Biondo 7.94; 2 Matteo Baria 7.99; HJ u20 Eugenio Meloni 2.15; LJu20 Lamont Marcel Jacobs 7.75; SPu18 (5 kg) 1 Sebastiano Bianchetti 17.58; 2 Leonardo Fabbri 17.30; 5 Kms Walk u20 Vito Minei 20:32.62Women1.500mu20 Federica Del Buono 4:23.91; HJu18 Erika Furlani 1.77; LJ u20 OttaviaCestonaro 6.14; LJ u18 BenedettaCuneo 6.16; 3 Kms Walk u20 Anna Clemente13:33.89

Dortmund (Germany), 23-24.2.2013 –Deutsche Meisterschaften- (Indoor)

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Dortmund (Germany), 23-24.2.2013–Deutsche Meisterschaften- (Indoor)Men60m 1 Julian Reus 6.56; 2 Lucas Jakubczyk6.70; 3 Martin Keller 6.74; 4 Maximilian Kessler 6.75; 5 Matthias Lindner 6.77;6 Alexander Pschera 6.83 (6.80 3s1 and 6.77 1h2); 7 Yannick Hoecker 6.84 (6.845s2); 8 Marius Broening 6.84 (6.84 4s2); in semis: Roy Schmidt 6.84 4s1 (6.843h2); Alexander Kosenkow 6.86 5s1; Alexander Hass 6.86 6s2; in heats: Stefan Schwab6.90 3h3; 400m heats David Gollnow47.84 1h1; Jonas Plass 47.85 1h2; Thomas Schneider 47.59 1h4; Miguel Rigau 47.741h5; 3.000m 1 Carsten Schlangen 7:55.37;2 Clemens Bleistein 8:01.55; 3 Nico Sonnenberg 8:01.96; 4 Simon Stützel 8:02.33;5 Marcel Fehr 8:03.07; 60mh 1 Eerik Balnuweit7.61; 2 Gregor Traber 7.68; 3 Matthias Bühler 7.69; 4 Marlon Odom 7.82; 5 Paul Dittmer7.90, 6 Helge Schwarzer 7.91 (7.73 1h2); in heats: Maximilian Bayer 7.88 3h2; LJ 1 Christian Reif 8.06; 2 Sebastian Bayer7.97; 3 Mario Kral 7.82; 4 Julian Howard 7.75; 5 Florian Oswald 7.63; 6 StephanHartmann 7.53; TJ Matthias Uhrig 16.15;SP 1 Ralf Bartels 20.08; 2 Marco Schmidt19.71; 3 Hendrik Müller 19.23; 4 Tobias Dahm 19.07; 5 Thomas Schmitt 18.91; 6 MaxBedewitz 18.52; 7 Christian Jagusch 18.36; 8 Leonid Ekimov 17.90, 9 Bodo Göder17.51Women60m 1 Verena Sailer 7.18; 2 Tatjana Pinto7.24; 3 Inna Weit 7.38; 4 Luise Hollender 7.39 (7.38 2s1); 5 Mareike Peters 7.48;6 Katharina Grompe 7.48 (7.46 3s2); 7 Rebekka Haase 7.52 (7.49 4s2); 8 Nadja Bahl7.55 (7.52 5s2); in semis: Carlotta Buckel 7.56 4s1 (7.52 2h3); Britta Tomkel 7.585s1; 400m heats Ruth Sophia Spelmeyer54.14 1h3; Julia Förster 54.41 1h4; 3.000m1 Corrina Harrer 9:04.21; 2 Maren Kock 9:19.93; 3 Carolin Aehling 9.22.93; 4 JannikaJohn 9:24.61; 60mh 1 Nadine Hildebrand8.07; 2 Cindy Roleder 8.11 (8.11 1h1); 3 Alexandra Burghardt 8.25; 4 Franziska Hofmann8.31 (8.25 1h2); 5 Pamela Dutkiewicz 8.32 (8.31 2h3); 6 Sabrina Lindenmayer 8.50(8.36 3h1); 7 Antonia Werner 8.53 (8.38 3h3); in heats: Jenna Pletsch 8.23 2h1;Miriam Hehl 8.47 3h2; Anne Marchewski 8.52 4h2; Amina Ferguen 8.44 4h3; ChristinaMuckentahler 8.46 5h3; PV 1 KristinaGadschiew 4.40; 2 Annika Roloff 4.35; 3 Joana Kraft 4.25; 4 Victoria Von Eynatten4.25; 5 Anjuli Knäsche 4.15; 6 Michael Donie 4.05; 7 Julia Ott 4.05; 8 Regine Kramer4.05; 9 Franziska Kappes 3.90; TJ 1Jenny Elbe 13.86; 2 Kristin Gierisch 13.78; SP 1 Christina Schwanitz 19.79; 2 Josephine Terlecki 17.69; 3 ShaniceCraft 17.66; 4 Sophie Kleeberg 16.98; 5 Lena Urbaniak 16.85; 6 Kristina Zaumsegel15.70; 7 Julia Mächtig 15.54; 8 Caroline Klöckner 15.36

Wien (Austria), 23.2.2013 –National Championships- (Indoor)

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Wien (Austria), 23.2.2013–National Championships- (Indoor)Men60m1 Marco Rangl 6.88; 2 Dominik Distelberger6.90; 3 Markus Fuchs (95) 6.94; in heats: Markus Meyer 6.88 1h2; 400m Andreas Rapatz 48.05; 1.500m Andreas Vojta 3:47.15; 60mh Manuel Prazak 7.92; in heats: DominikDistelberger 7.96 1h2; PV 1 Paul Kilbertus5.10; 2 Lukas Wirth (95) 5.10; LJ JamesBeckford (jam) 7.55; SP 1 Lukas Weisshaidinger19.28; 2 Martin Gratzer 18.04Women60m 1 Petra Urbankova 7.49; 2 Doris Röser 7.55;3 Roaslie Tschann (94) 7.64; 200m DorisRöser 24.27; 60mh 1 Beate Schrott 8.02(7.96 1h1); 2 Eva Wimberger 8.48; 3 Yvonne Zapfel 8.58; HJ Ekaterina Kuntsevich 1.83; PVKira Grünberg 4.05; LJ Marina Kraushofer6.14

Lucca (Italy), 23-24.2.2013 –Winter Throwing Championships- (Outdoor)

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Lucca (Italy), 23-24.2.2013–Winter Throwing Championships- (Outdoor)MenHT 1 Nicola Vizzoni 72.90;2 Simone Falloni 71.26; 3 Marco Lingua 71.11; 4 Gianlorenzo Ferretti 66.42; 5Pellegrino Delli Carri 65.26; HT u20Marco Bortolato 73.94; JT 1 LeonardoGottardo 72.18; 2 Norbert Bonvecchio 71.94; 3 Roberto Bertolini 71.88; 4 AntonioFent 71.64WomenHT 1 Elisa Magni 61.48;2 Micaela Mariani 59.58; 3 Elisa Palmieri 57.90; 4 Francesca Massobrio 57.77; JT 1 Zahra Bahni 51.93; 2 Sara Jemani 51.77;3 Madalena Purgato 49.20

Istanbul (Turkey), 23.2.2013 –Balkan Championships- (Indoor)

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Istanbul (Turkey), 23.2.2013–Balkan Championships- (Indoor)Men60m1 Efthymios Stergioulis (gre) 6.75; 2Denis Dimitrov (bul) (94) 6.76; 3 Volkan Cakan 6.79; 400m 1 Mateo Ruzic (cro) (94) 47.16; 2 Yavuz Can 47.29; 3 Petros Kyriakidis(gre) 47.30; 4 Mehmet Guzel 47.67; 5 Emir Bekric (srb) 47.70; 6 Sorin Vatamanu (rou)47.90; 1.500m 1 Ilham Tanui Ozbilen3:37.49; 2 Goran Nava (srb) 3:42.56; 3 Halil Akkas 3:43.60; 4 Ionut Zaizan (rou)3:46.10; 3.000m 1 Stanley Kiprotich(ken) (guest) 7:48.20; 2 Polat Kemboi Arikan 7:51.84; 60mh Konstadinos Douvalidis (gre) 7.80; HJ 1 Antonis Mastoras (gre) 2.26; 2 Andrei Miticov (mda) 2.18; 3 SerhatBirinci 2.18; 4 Alen Melon (cro) 2.18; PV1 Ivan Horvat (cro) 5.60; 2 Panayiotis Laskaris (gre) 5.20; 3 Dimitros Patsoukakis5.20; LJ 1 Dino Pervan (cro) 7.67; 2Anastasios Ganazoulas (gre) 7.64; TJ1 Vladimir Letnicov (mda) 16.59; 2 Rumen Dimitrov (bul) 16.37; 3 George Baciu (rou)16.24; SP 1 Asmir Kolasinac (srb)20.54; 2 Hamza Alic (bih) 19.87; 3 Georgi Ivanov (bul) 19.78; 4 Kemal Mesic (bih)19.76; 5 Huseyin Atici 19.50; 6 Michail Stamatogiannis (gre) 19.00; 7 Marin Premeru(cro) 18.64Women60m 1 Andreea Ograzeanu (rou) 7.39; 2 IvanaSpanovic (srb) 7.54; 3 Aksel Gurcan 7.56; 4 Gabriela Laleva (bul) 7.64; 400m 1 Angela Morosanu (rou) 52.68; 2Adelina Pastor (rou) 54.15; 3 Anita Banovic (cro) 54.40; 4 Teodora Kolarova(bul) 54.61; 1.500m 1 Luiza Gega(alb) 4:14.65; 2 Silviya Danekova (bul) 4:16.36; 3 Florina Pierdevara (rou) 4:19.68;4 Matea Motosevic (cro) 4.22.81; 5 Layes Abdullayeva (aze) 4:24.89; 3.000m 1 Dudu Karakaya 9:02.14; 2 AncutaBobocel 9:03.56; 3 Amela Terzic (srb) 9:06.38; 60mh 1 Nevin Yant 7.98; 2 Ivana Loncarek (cro) 8.29; 3 Ana Nesteriuk(rou) 8.63; HJ 1 Ana Simic (cro) 1.93;2 Daniela Stanciu (rou) and Venelina Veneva-Mateeva (bul) 1.91; 4 Sibel Cinar1.78; PV 1 Stella-Iro Ledaki (gre)4.45; 2 Lorela Manou (gre) 4.00; 3 Elmas Firtina (94) 3.90; 4 Lavinia Scurtu (rou)3.90; LJ 1 Ivana Spanovic (srb) 6.73;2 Cristina Sandu (rou) 6.43; 3 sevim Sinmez 6.34; 4 Alina Rotaru (rou) 6.29; TJ 1 Gita Dodova (bul) 13.98; 2 CristinaToma (rou) 13.64; 3 Sevim Sinmez 13.37; SP1 Anca Heltne (rou) 18.54; 2 Radoslava Mavrodieva (bul) 17.29; 3 Emel Dereli 17.04

Talented Twelve-Year-Old Steals The Show in Dubai's Golf Citizen Open

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Kim Chiang - Photo via Emirates 24/7

The 2013 golf season is just getting underway;  however, an unassuming but ultra-talented young golfer is already grabbing headlines.

Her name is Kim Chiang and yesterday she won her division at Golf in Dubai's inaugural Golf Citizen Open... at age... 12. This champion is ultra - young.

The tournament took place this past weekend at Arabian Ranches Golf Club.  A distributed photo shows the precocious player flanked by Edoardo Galeppini, winner of the tournament's men's section, and Adrian Flaherty, the club's golf manager.  Though the men each appear to be a couple of feet taller than Chiang, she doesn't appear out-of-place or intimidated in any way, but rather brimming with confidence and pride... and it's no wonder, more that a year ago at the same venue, an eleven-year-old Kim Chiang won the club's Dougherty trophy in a formidable fashion.

Though she may still be smaller than most of her fellow competitors, one can be quite certain this talented twelve-year-old is already inspiring many golfers, young and old, in big ways.

The Golf Citizen Open is part of Golf in Dubai's effort to promote golfcitizen.com a comprehensive worldwide golf reservation site.

Roodepoort (South Africa), 9.2.2013

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Roodepoort (South Africa), 9.2.2013 Men100m (nwi) 1 Hanno Engelbrecht 10.24; 2 ChoaroMotshoeneng 10.39; 3 David Okharedia 10.39; 4 Wellington Mukba 10.55; 100m u20 (nwi)Samkelo Sabela 10.52; 200m (nwi) 1 DanieVan Blerk 20.90; 2 David Okharedia 21.15; LJJoshua Diamond 7.77 (nwi); HT KristiaanBekker 64.58Women100m(nwi) 1 Claudine Van Rensburg 11.44; 2 Patience Ntshingila 11.71; 3 Bevin Smith11.74; 4 Chante Van Tonder 12.00; 200mChante Van Tonder 23.14? (probably 24.14); LJPatience Ntshingila 6.49 (0.0) 

Yalta (Ukraine), 19-21.2.2013 –Winter Throwing Championships-

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Yalta (Ukraine), 19-21.2.2013–Winter Throwing Championships-MenDT(21) 1 Oleksiy Semenov 61.13;2 VolodymyrKostyuchenko 58.44; 3 Serhiy Pruhlo 56.44; 4 Ivan Panasyuk 56.36; 5 StanislavNesterovskyy 56.12; 6 Mykyta Nesterenko 55.85; HT (20) 1 Yevhen Vynohradov 74.15; 2 Oleksyy Sokyrskyy 73.15; 3Dmytro Mikolaychuk 72.60; 4 Oleksandr Myahkyh 67.42; 5 Serhiy Reheda (95) 65.29;HT u20 (6 kg) (20) 1 Serhiy Reheda76.98; 2 Artem Poleshko 69.08; 3 Oleksiy Yushchenko 68.20; HT u18 (5 kg) 1 Vladymyr Myslyvchuk 73.81; 2 Hlib Piskunov 67.76; 3Konstyantyn Lytvynenko 65.40; 4 Andriy Kozyr 65.18; JT (21) 1 Oleksandr Nychyporchuk 80.05; 2 Mykola Shama 76.88; 3Rustem Dremdzhy 75.35; 4 Mykola Kalyush 69.43WomenDT (21) 1 Natalya Semenova 57.64; 2 YuliyaKurylo 57.38; 3 Viktoriya Klochko 53.79; HT(20) 1 Iryna Novozhylova 69.49; 2 Anna Skydan 68.44; 3 Nataliya Zolotuhina66.24; 4 Alyona Shamotina (95) 66.01; 5 Lidiya Provozina 61.03; 6 Iryna Klymets(94) 59.01; 7 Rymma Filimoshkina 57.57; HTu20 (20) 1 Alyona Shamotina 63.21; 2 Iryna Klymets 59.10; 3 Valeriya Semenkova57.31; HT u18 (3 kg) ValeriyaSemenkova 62.01; JT (20) 1 VyraRebryk 63.36; 2 Hanna Habina 60.98; 3 Kateryna Derun 55.10; 4 Hanna Hatsko54.88; JT u20 (20) Tetyana Fetiskina55.59

Stockholm (Sweden), 21.2.2013 –XL Galan- (Indoor)

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Stockholm (Sweden), 21.2.2013–XL Galan- (Indoor)Men400mrace A 1 Rabah Yousif (sud) 46.79; 2 LuguelinSantos (dom) 46.79; 3 Nils Duerinck (bel) 47.59; 400m race B 1 Pavel Maslak (cze) 46.34; 2 Richard Strachan (gbr) 46.69;3 Lalonde Gordon (tri) 47.19; 4 Nick Ekelund-Arenander (den) 47.36; 400m race C Trausti Stefansson (isl)48.37; 800m race A 1 Mohammed Aman (eth) (94) 1:45.05; 2 Adam Kszczot (pol) 1:46.62;2 Timothy Kitum (ken) 1:47.61; 4 Anthony Chemut (ken) 1:47.79; 5 Johan Rogestedt1:48.51; 6 Musaeb Balla (qat) 1:50.35; 7 Abubaker Kaki (sud) 1:50.47; 800m race B 1 Pierre-Antoine Balhan (bel)1:49.28; 2 Guy Learmonth (gbr) 1:49.33; 3 Andreas Bube (den) 1:49.53; 4 Jan Kubista(cze) 1:50.00; 5 Rickard Gunnarsson 1:50.27; 6 Jamal Hairane (qat) 1:50.82; 1.000m 1 Ayanleh Suleiman (dji) 2:17.05;2 Marcin Lewandowski (pol) 2:17.77; 3 Andrew Osagie (gbr) 2:18.78; 4 Andreas Vojta(aut) 2:19.20; 5 Michael Rimmer (gbr) 2:19.20; 6 Matthew Centrowitz (usa) 2:19.56;7 Mukhtar Mohammed (gbr) 2:21.13; 8 Lotfi Chebli (alg) 2:21.91; 3.000m 1 Galen Rupp (usa) 7:30.16; 2 CalebNdiku (ken) 7:31.66; 3 Abdelaati Iguider (mar) 7:34.92; 4 Paul Kipsiele Koech(ken) 7:38.35; 5 Hayle Ibrahimov (aze) 7:39.59; 6 Albert Rop (ken) (94) 7:40.16;7 Tesfaye Cheru (eth) 7:43.47; 8 Aman Wote (eth) 7:43.99; 9 Bouabdellah Tahri (fra)7:44.18; 10 Nacerddine Hallil (alg) 7:52.07; 11 Niclas Sandells (fin) 8:02.33; 12Olle Wällerang 8:05.98; 13 Johan hyden 8:09.23; 60mh race A 1 Orlando Ortega (cub) 7.62; 2 Xie Wenjun (chn) 7.68; 3Philip Nossmy 7.79; 4 Vladimir Vukicevic (nor) 7.80; 5 Gianni Frankis (gbr) 7.87;60mh race B 1 Yordan O’Farrill (cub) 7.76; 2 Jussi Kanervo (fin) 7.84; 3 AmirShaker 7.92; LJ 1 Michel Torneus (swe)8.20, 2 Godfrey Mokoena (rsa) 8.15; 3 Li Jinzhe (chn) 8.11; 4 Yeoryios Tsakounas(gre) 7.91; 5 Chris Tomlinson (gbr) 7.88; 6 Matthew Burton (gbr) 7.84; 7 PavelShalin (rus) 7.81; 8 Yun Zhiming (chn) 7.78; 9 Luis Felipe Méliz (esp) 7.67Women60m race A 1 Shelly-Ann Fraser (jam) 7.04; 2Mariya Ryemyen (ukr) 7.17; 3 Myriam Soumaré (fra) 7.22; 4 Irene Ekelund (97) 7.32;5 Nataliya Pohrebnyak (ukr) 7.41; 60mrace B Freja Jernstig 7.58; 400m raceA 1 Ebonie Floyd (usa) 52.40; 2 ZuzanaHejnová (cze) 52.42; 3 Moa Hjelmer 52.93; 4 Line Kloster (nor) 53.25; 400m race B 1 Denisa Rosolová (cze)52.57; 2 Josefine Magnusson 55.42; 3 Frida Persson 55.53; 4 Pernilla Tornemark55.64; 1.500m 1 Abeba Aregawi (eth) 3:58.40;2 Axumawit Embaye (eth) 4:09.11; 3 Rabab Arrafi (mar) 4:09.36; 4 Treniere Moser(usa) 4:12.09; 5 Mimi Belete (brn) 4:12.16; 6 Claire Tarple (irl) 4:13.16; 7 KatarzybaBronatiowska (pol) 4:14.15; 8 Charlotte Schönbeck 4:16.12; 9 Kristine Eikrem Engeset(nor) 4:17.99; 10 Alem Gebremariam (eth) 4:19.46; 3.000m 1 Genzebe Dibaba (eth) 8:26.57; 2 Eilish McColgan (gbr) 8:49.31;3 Almaz Ayana (eth) 8:50.10; 4 Siham Hilali (mar) 8:53.12; 5 Fionnuala Britton (irl)8:54.37; 6 Polina Jelizarova (lat) 8:56.06; 7 Gete Dima (eth) 9:00.88; 8 RoxanaBarca (rom) 9:02.35; 9 Charlotta Fougberg 9:07.94; 10 Johanna Lehtinen (fin) 9:09.90;11 Layes Abdulayeva (aze) 9:22.84; HJ1 Tia Hellebaut (bel) 1.95; 2 Emma Green-Tregaro (swe) 1.92; 3 Melanie Melfort(fra) 1.89; 4 Irina Gordeyeva (rus) 1.85; 5 Yevgeniya Kononova (rus) 1.85; 6 GreteUdras (est) and Sofie Skoog 1.85; 8 Yekaterina Kuntsevich (rus) and Alesya Paklina(kgz) 1.80; PV 1 Yarisley Silva (cub)4.78; 2 Anastasiya Savchenko (rus) 4.71; 3 Jirina Svobodová-Ptacniková (cze) 4.64;4 Minna Nikkanen (fin), Holly Bleasdale (gbr) and Angelica Bengtsson (swe) 4.45;7 Romana Malacová (cze) 4.25; 8 Cathrine Larsasen (nor) 4.00

Windsor (Canada), 21-22.2.2013 –OUA Championships- (Indoor)

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Windsor (Canada), 21-22.2.2013–OUA Championships- (Indoor)Men300m 1 Devin Biocchi 34.33; 2 Scott Hutchinson34.53; 60mh Matt Brisson 7.88; LJ Taylor Stewart 7.69; SP Tim Hendry 18.36; WT Daniel Novia 20.66Women300m 1 Alicia Brown 38.63; 2 Sarah Wells 38.84;60mh 1 Amilia Di Chiara 8.40; 2 HayleyWarren 8.43; 3 Devyani Biswal 8.56; PV1 Robin Bone 4.18; 2 Erika Fiedler 4.07; SPCeline Freeman-Gibb 15.34

2013 Masters: Dunbar Relishes Crow's Nest Stay

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By Brian Keogh
Special to ARMCHAIR GOLF

Brian Keogh is a golf correspondent for The Irish Sun and a contributor to The Irish Times, Golf Digest Ireland and other golf publications. The following excerpt from Brian’s Irish Golf Desk is used with permission.

BRITISH AMATEUR CHAMPION ALAN DUNBAR THOUGHT his place in the 2013 Masters was priceless. And it is.

But even though it turns out that it’s going to cost him $14 a day to stay in the famous Crow’s Nest at Augusta National, the 22-year old from Rathmore is happy to stay there for at least two days of what will be his final event before he can start playing for cash as a professional.

Managed by Chubby Chandler’s ISM stable thanks to a change in the Rules of Amateur Status in 2011, Dunbar said: “Augusta charge you $14 a day for your room and board but it’s going to be a once in a lifetime experience. You couldn’t put a price on a place in the Masters and I’m really looking forward to it.”

The amateur invitees get to stay in the attic dormitory at the world’s most exclusive club from April 8-14 and Dunbar is looking forward to following in the footsteps of Irish winners of the Amateur such as Joe Carr, Garth McGimpsey, Brian McElhinney and Michael Hoey as well as legends of the game such as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.

And while the Portrush native initially plans only to stay there the weekend before the Masters having taken on US Amateur champion Steven Fox in the traditional George Cup match at the Golf Club of Georgia the previous Friday, he’s not ruling out spending an entire week under the eves of the famous old clubhouse.

“I’ll stay at the Crow’s Nest the Saturday and Sunday before the Masters for sure and if it’s spot on I’ll stay the rest of the week,” he said. “I’ll definitely have a room at the ISM house if it doesn’t work out, so it’s all good.”

Dunbar revealed that he will turn professional straight after the Masters and confessed that he is not tempted to wait until after the US Open at Merion, for which he would have been exempt thanks to his win at Royal Troon.

Brian Keogh covers golf for The Irish Sun and contributes to a variety of golf publications. Pay him a visit at Irish Golf Desk.

Riviera: Greats Who've Won There (and Two Who Haven't)

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RIVIERA COUNTRY CLUB OFTEN APPEARS NEAR the top of best-courses lists. The 1926 George Thomas design and routing make Riviera the rare classic that's still a great test of golf for the modern player.

The site of this week's Northern Trust Open, Riviera is called "Hogan's Alley" because Ben Hogan won there three times in 1947 and 1948, collecting two L.A. Opens and winning a U.S. Open, his first of four national titles. He nearly won there again in 1950 after coming back from a near-fatal collision with a Greyhound bus on a foggy west Texas highway.

Who has won at Riviera? A lot of name players, actually.

The 18th hole at Riviera Country Club. (Dedhed972)

Riviera Winners
Byron Nelson
Ben Hogan
Sam Snead
Tom Watson
Johnny Miller
Hale Irwin
Ben Crenshaw
Nick Faldo
Fred Couples
Corey Pavin
Davis Love III
Ernie Els
Phil Mickelson

and ...

Riviera Non-Winners
Jack Nicklaus
Tiger Woods

Nicklaus came close. One example: He finished runner-up to Hal Sutton at the 1983 PGA Championship. The Golden Bear closed with a 66 but lost by a shot.

Tiger's chances of winning at Riviera are nil because he avoids the place like trouble-left.

As Karen Crouse wrote yesterday in the New York Times:

Before the tour stop at Torrey Pines, Woods was asked what it would take for him to play Riviera again. “I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll just see.”

What is Woods waiting for, a freakish storm to fell all the trees that place a premium on driving accuracy? A pesticide attack on the Kikuyu grass that swallows bump-and-run shots?

It is as if Woods has developed a fear of Riviera’s eucalyptus-lined fairways, postage-stamp-sized greens and catcher’s-mitt-shaped traps, and is avoiding his phobia rather than confronting it.

I wish Tiger would play Riviera once more so The Logo, Jerry West, could quit his public groveling. It's unbecoming. Frankly, I don't care. Should Tiger? I guess his answer is, “I don’t know. We’ll just see.”

Matt Kuchar is the first-round leader of the Northern Trust Open after firing a bogey-free 64.

John Merrick: 'Dream Come True'

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John Merrick

LONG BEACH RESIDENT AND UCLA GOLF product John Merrick won his first PGA Tour event close to home on a golf course that he used to play in college. Merrick outlasted Charlie Beljan in a two-hole sudden-death playoff to capture the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club.

Merrick was emotional, happy and relieved to get that first victory in front of a hometown crowd. The slender, 30-year-old tour player talked about how he held it together late on Sunday.

" ... I was just trying to do one shot at a time," Merrick said. "My caddie and I were talking, my heart was racing out there for sure, I was nervous. I was just trying to grind it out and be tough and do the best that I could and ... whatever happened, just move forward and try your best.

"To win a tournament in front of family and friends and in your hometown with people shouting out 'Bruins' and 'Long Beach,' to win a tournament in front of them, on the PGA Tour with this field and all the past champions and this golf course .... I can't even describe it. It's a dream come true."

Merrick's first PGA Tour win was five years in the making. He's had three top tens in majors, his best finishes a T6 at both the 2008 U.S. Open (Torrey Pines) and 2009 Masters.

"You can't force it," Merrick said. "You obviously want to win, but I think it just happens. You play well and you add them up at the end and sometimes you win and sometimes you don't. I try to just kind of take the pressure off myself and play. But for my career ... it has not sunk in yet. I know that I'm going to get in the Masters and Maui. It's just icing on the cake. I can't wait."

Runner-up Beljan was not a big fan of Riviera's 10th hole, a short par 4 with a tiny, diabolical putting surface. That's where the rangy 28-year-old missed a tricky four footer that would have extended the playoff.

"I think you could play here 10,000 times and still not know how to play No. 10," Beljan said.

"I just find it tough that we go to No. 10 .... I'm not knocking it, but it's just a tough hole to have a playoff on. We might as well go and put a windmill out there and hit some putts."

I'm guessing Beljan would have felt much better about the 10th had things gone differently for him. In fact, he probably would have felt like the winner, Merrick, who laughed when told by a reporter about Beljan's windmill comment.

Welcome to Bracketville, Population 64

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Hunter Mahan defends his title this week at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. (Allison)

THE 2013 WGC-ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP begins on Wednesday in the Arizona desert not far from Tucson. Sixty-four of the world’s finest golfers tee it up at Dove Mountain. By Sunday afternoon, it will be Lonesome Dove, with only one man left standing after six grueling matches.

Who will that man be?

Last year it was Hunter Mahan, who dispatched Rory McIlroy in the final. The year before it was Luke Donald, who not long after rose to No. 1 in the world. Donald is an ideal match player when you think about it. He putts like a dream. He could get it up and down from out of a cactus.

I like the match play. It’s full of surprises. I don’t care if the marquee players lose early. May the best man on that day win. I guess I’m a contrarion. But I don’t fill out the Bobby Jones, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Sam Snead brackets.

[2013 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship brackets]

Seriously, how do you do that? And how do you pick a winner?

I like what Geoff Shackelford said last year. “Predictions in golf are utterly useless.”

Especially in Bracketville.

As Geoff explained:

Who knows which player slept poorly? Got yelled at by his wife? Is thinking about firing his agent? Had a slight stomach reaction to the Chipotle he ate at the airport? Or all of the above, plus he secretly hates desert golf more than he lets on and can’t wait to get home so he can vegetate in front of his Playstation for two weeks?

My pick is Jason Dufner.

Accenture Match Play Brings Out Inner Golf Geek

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THE OPENING ROUND OF THE WGC-ACCENTURE Match Play Championship has been suspended due to snow. No, what? Yes, snow. Really? Really really.

The PGA Tour reported: "The decision was made at 3:05 p.m. ET with approximately an inch of snow on the ground. All but 10 matches had gotten under way but none were finished. Play will resume on Thursday. No start time has been determined yet."

If you're a golf geek, a match-play geek, a bracketologist, then the first day of the world's mightiest 64 golfers in the Arizona desert is your brand of stimulant. I'm of that ilk, although I'm not sure how much I'll actually see early on (because I'm supposed to be working on projects).

The Accenture Match Play isn't March Madness (nothing is), but it certainly can be compelling, at least from a golf standpoint. There's a ton of pressure on those high seeds in the early rounds, just like during March Madness.

Johnny Miller was asked about it yesterday in a media conference call. He gave an enthusiastic golf-geek response.

Q. What's it like, especially on Wednesday ... when you have 32 matches? Johnny, talk about that day and how exciting that day is to cover.

JOHNNY MILLER: I think it's just totally off the charts. Let's put it this way: Not too often in the middle of the week I'm going to be watching for several hours. Normally I wait until things progress, and focus in and listen to Brandel and keep up to speed.

But that first day is just off the charts great if you're a golf nut. If you look at matches tomorrow, Charles Howell against Tiger, that is no gimmie right there, I'll tell you that.

And then you have guys like Stricker and Stenson, and Watney and Toms. Els has to go against Jacobson, who is hot as can be right now; he's probably going to get jumped again. Then Furyk and Ryan Moore. That's a toss up, right? And Tim Scott and Adam Scott; Mahan against Manassero is no gimmie.

So you have a lot of the guys that you're talking about; Schwartzel versus Henley; if Henley putts anything like he did at Sony, I don't know what the odds are there. Schwartzel did not putt that great in L.A.

These are all things that if you're a golf nut, those are the matches when I went through them are ones that I think could go as if you call it upsets, guys that could get dumped that are seeds. Anybody can win in one day. You can't guarantee anything. But I'm looking forward to seeing those matches tomorrow all day long. That's a long day of a lot of fun stuff. (END)

Anybody can win in one day. You can't guarantee anything.

I think that pretty much sums it up, and is why this match-play scrum is worth watching.

Dubai-based Designer's Multichromatic Golf Shoe Inspired by Snoop Dogg

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When it comes to golf shoes, the custom made wingtip is something of a relic.

As street style shoes have flooded the fairways of North America and rapidly made their way around the world, many recreational golfers seem to be opting for casual, comfortable sneaker-like footwear.

The majority of tour players though still wear more traditional golf shoes... as do many of the well-heeled members of exclusive private clubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  This is precisely the market Dubai-based Dutchman, Stephen Alexander, will be targeting with the line he'll be releasing in early February at the 2013 Dubai Desert Classic.

Crafted in Italy by iconic shoemaker Raimondi, the bespoke footwear hits a classic note, with perforations and contrasting leathers, however one unique pair of Steven Alexander golf shoes... made especially for one unique celebrity golfer... is anything but classic.

A pair of shiny red, green and yellow patent leather shoes has been made for the American singer-songwriter Snoop Dogg. The rapper's name is engraved on the heel and it seems he's delighted with the styling. So much so that he's ready to order several additional pairs. And that sounds like enough to make even Ian Poulter envious.

Talented Twelve-Year-Old Steals The Show in Dubai's Golf Citizen Open

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Kim Chiang - Photo via Emirates 24/7

The 2013 golf season is just getting underway;  however, an unassuming but ultra-talented young golfer is already grabbing headlines.

Her name is Kim Chiang and yesterday she won her division at Golf in Dubai's inaugural Golf Citizen Open... at age... 12. This champion is ultra - young.

The tournament took place this past weekend at Arabian Ranches Golf Club.  A distributed photo shows the precocious player flanked by Edoardo Galeppini, winner of the tournament's men's section, and Adrian Flaherty, the club's golf manager.  Though the men each appear to be a couple of feet taller than Chiang, she doesn't appear out-of-place or intimidated in any way, but rather brimming with confidence and pride... and it's no wonder, more that a year ago at the same venue, an eleven-year-old Kim Chiang won the club's Dougherty trophy in a formidable fashion.

Though she may still be smaller than most of her fellow competitors, one can be quite certain this talented twelve-year-old is already inspiring many golfers, young and old, in big ways.

The Golf Citizen Open is part of Golf in Dubai's effort to promote golfcitizen.com a comprehensive worldwide golf reservation site.

The Top 10 Luxury Travel Trends... as They Apply to Golf Trippers

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Check-in with golf clubs                          © GolfGirlMedia

A couple of days ago, Business Insider published a list of Top 10 Luxury Travel Trends & Predictions for 2013.

Presented by luxury marketing veteran Christopher Parr, the list was put together by hotel booking team Mr. & Mrs. Smith.  I looked at the list from a golf traveler's point of view, and here I offer you my somewhat more golf-specific rendering of the suggested trends:

1. Local golf experiences through social media meandering
The first trend on the list is probably my favorite.  It's about playing golf in on lesser known courses in and around the more classic travel destinations...and doing it through contact with in-the-know locals you meet online, via Social Media.

In addition to well known social sites like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ which bring golfers together through groups, hashtags and circles, there are now numerous social networks specifically targeted at golfers. These sites allow recreational golfers to exchange ideas on equipment, and interact over tournaments. At their best they actually allow golfers from opposite ends of the globe to get together for a round on a real golf course.  I participated in this trend first hand last September when I welcomed a long-time social media golf buddy from Spain to my home course, Richter Park in Danbury, CT.  It's is a beautiful course he'd certainly never have played otherwise. The fact is, without social media our global golf get-together would never have taken place... but it did, and I'm definitely hoping for more in 2013.

Golf Tripping                    @ GolfGirlMedia

2. Golf is hard easy
I'm not talking about the game, because unfortunately, that'll never be easy. What is being made much more manageable however, is golf trip planning, and the logistics of a golf holiday. With "The Gathering on the Greens" Ireland's Aer Lingus Vacation Store is offering a collection of options that allow golf travelers to play five renowned Irish courses without worrying about a thing; air travel, golf, boutique accommodations, Irish breakfasts, and an experienced professional chauffeur... plus local taxes and service charges... are all taken care of.  That's the kind of high-end, all-inclusive stay & play package that's trending this year. From legendary US courses to exotic emerging golf venues, when it comes to all-inclusive golf trips, the planning and execution... if not the game itself... is being made much easier.

3. Golf heritage, made (somewhat) modern
This trend refers to the rising popularity of what are described as heritage/modern hotels, further described as "hotels that mingle original architecture and striking new spaces". ~ Golf, more than many sports or activities, has a hallowed heritage; a heritage that is a huge part of the culture of the game. Some might say there's too much tradition in golf, but I won't even go there because what we're talking about are the well-preserved, historical golf venues enhanced by tasteful touches of modern architecture and all the latest amenities. The Old Course Hotel, Golf Course & Spa in St. Andrews, Scotland would be a great example. Set as it is in the middle of the historic university town, overlooking the iconic Old Course in the Home of Golf, the hotel's interior is classically elegant and contemporary. ~ US resorts like the Breakers in Palm Beach also fit the heritage/modern trend to a tee, with its spectacular golden age architecture enhanced by light airy guest rooms and every modern convenience.

4. Gourmet golf - awesome and innovative eats
A hotdog at the turn, pub grub at the 19th hole... innovative cuisine and fine dining haven't traditionally been associated with golf.  However, today's luxury golf resorts are changing that perception. At Argentario Golf Resort & Spa, Dama Dama restaurant offers discerning golfers the contemporary Mediterranean cuisine of star chef Emiliano Lombardelli.  Closer to my neighborhood, the innovative epicurean style of Chef Joseph Brenner has created a culinary destination at The International Golf Club & Resort in Boston, MA.

5. Golf guy grooming
Another trend that has it's roots in the resort side of golf is the growing popularity of golf-related
spa services.  Specifically services geared towards men.  Resort spas are offering male guests everything from golf massage to manscaping... and gentlemen are indulging.  At Miami's Doral Golf Resort, the spa has a men's services menu that includes a sports facial and a black diamond exfoliation. Sports Bodywork is a deep tissue massage that's among the "Gentlemen's Favorites" at the Spa at Pebble Beach.

6. The golf concierge... gone digital
An increasing number of golf hotels, resorts, courses and pro shops are now equipped with electronic concierge kiosks that are assisting consumers with everything from information on hours and services... to directions and mapping.  In addition, numerous properties now have their own apps available that guests can download and use for booking stays and services. There are also myriad apps for booking tee times at thousands of golf courses across the US.

7. Golfers get high
This trend has nothing to do with illegal substances, nor is it in any way connected with golfer Robert Garrigus.  It refers to height, in the vertical sense. This upward trend in golf resort architecture, has everything to do with the development of golf in parts of the Middle East and Asia where land is scarce and people are used to... um... the high life.  Roof top putting greens are also raising the golf travel profile.

8. Fun family golf trips
I think it's safe to say that 2012 - with the industry wide introduction of Golf 2.0 - was instrumental in raising awareness of the need to strengthen, rebuild and grow the popularity of golf.  A big part of the effort is aimed at making the game more welcoming to families, in fact one of the effort's tag lines is "Friends, Family, Fun" ...and golf resorts have taken notice.  Marriott Hotels  take family golf very seriously, with programs that allow kids to learn and families to get onto the course together. Another golf destination that's  family golf is Myrtle Beach, though many think of it as a guy's golf playground, their KidsPlayFree initiative is a great way to promote family golf.

9. The Chinese and their growing golf obsession
Golf - like so many things - is booming in China, and despite an environmental ban on new construction the Chinese are building courses at an impressive pace.  They're also holding high profile tournaments and producing champions.  Though many in China still see golf as "a game of the rich"... and just a tiny percentage of the population play... the "China Calling" trend has clearly come to golf, and Chinese golf travelers are being actively courted by Northern Ireland, Scotland and the U.S, particularly Hawaii.

10. Golf's 2013 hot spots
Golf travel will often follow general luxury travel trends but there'll always be differences due to the the nature and availability of the sport. I know several US golfers who'll be venturing to Asia this year; to both Thailand and VietNam... and many Europeans I speak to are planning golf holidays in Dubai and other parts of the Middle East. Personally, I suspect 2013 might be a good year for golf in France. It's the world's most popular tourist destination but not often seen as a golf destination. This year however, the Evian Masters becomes The Evian Championship... the LPGA's fifth major... just as anticipation begins to build for the 2018 Ryder Cup at Le Golf National.  Golfers may very well be inspired to bring their clubs the next time they head to France