‘golf in DUBAi’ Ambassadors produce creditable performances at Irish Open
'golf in DUBAi' ambassadors Jeev Milkha Singh and Soren Hansen may have come up short of their intended target, but did well to leave their imprints on the just-concluded 2011 Irish Open with creditable performances at Killarney.
The duo outshone Ireland's four Major champions – Graeme McDowell (25th), Rory McIlroy (34th), Darren Clarke (83rd) and Padraig Harrington (107th) – and a host of other big names with Denmark's Hansen finishing tied fifth on 10-under-par 274 and Indian ace Singh settling for tied 11th on eight-under 276 after setting the early pace.
The 39-year-old Indian was out of the blocks on Thursday with the swagger of a Husain Bolt, ripping off an eagle and six birdies in his opening 63 to equal the lowest round of his career, but a disappointing 74 in the penultimate round blew his chances of adding a fourth European Tour title to his tally.
Former Ryder Cup star Hansen, who joined Singh at the top of the leaderboard as the second round neared its conclusion, closed with a tidy 69 to finish the tournament five shots behind the eventual winner, Simon Dyson of England. Singh matched Hansen's closing 69, but was left ruing a double-bogey on the par-4, 11th — the only blemish of his card which was studded with four birdies, two in each half.
For Singh, it was his third top-10 finish in 22 starts this year while Henson's tied fifth was his best showing this season in six tournaments. The Indian will take a fortnight off before playing in the Czech Open, starting on August 18.
"I played well this week and did most things right and I am delighted with the week as a whole because it gives me a confidence boost going forward," said Singh, who had to endure a long battle with shoulder and back injuries.
Hasen was equally pleased with his performance. "I played pretty good and had my chances, but didn't drive it that well on some holes and missed a couple of putts," said Hansen, a two-time winner of the European Tour.
Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of golf in DUBAi, hailed mental toughness of the both players, saying they played their heart out, but ran out of luck when it mattered most. Both Jeev and Soren are class players and it's a matter of time before they return to the victory podium.
"I wish them the best of luck for their future events and hope they will continue to keep the 'golf in DUBAi' logo visible in different parts of the world."
'golf in DUBAi' is backed by Omega as the title sponsor and Dubal (Dubai Aluminium) as the sponsor. The co-sponsors are: CNN, Emirates NBD, Gulf News, Jumeirah, Mercedes-Benz and wasl while Dubai Duty Free, Carpetland and Motivate are the Patrons in golf in DUBAi's drive to showcase the emirate's vibrant golfing scene to a worldwide audience.
