UAE Order of Merit an Opportunity missed but a new one on the horizon
Well, due to commitments beyond my control, I had to miss the second event in Sharjah
Hi Folks,
Well, due to commitments beyond my control, ok the wife, I had to miss the second event in Sharjah. I was gutted as I like a bit of sand golf and with my army game at the moment, left, right left, landing just outside would have been more beneficial as outside the tar lines there is more grass and a better lie!
This weekend sees the Shaikh Rashid Trophy, one of the premier events of the OOM, had an email confirming my inclusion which is always a good start as this is a popular event. I am sure the usual suspects will be on parade and with Michael Harradine looking for another win it is going to be pretty competitive, for those of you who do not know the format, its 54 holes, walking, could be a longer walk for me with the left to right game I have, so I had better lighten the load by taking out half the clubs. Maybe I will have to fill up with some more balls, don’t want to do a John Daly and run out! Well, I can’t afford to stick all the boys into the water on a whim.
There is a cut after 36 holes with the top 30 moving forward, that’s my aim this week, make the Saturday at Jebel Ali, but with Arabian Ranches and Els of the tips to do so is going to be tricky, but hey we love a challenge right.
So, preparation, I have played a few more times since Al Hamra’s debacle, a nice 77 round the Faldo with looks at Eagle on both the short 4th and par5, 5th was the highlight. Two resultant birdies and I finish level after a double bogey start, all in all pretty good ball striking and putting day. Obviously, I need to learn to read a book first because reading a green was not there either, but what to do, even shooting that, I lost money, but the competitive spirit is returning. This weekend is going to be a great event and to make things better I have 2 good friends coming over for a month, Lynn Brooky from the LET, I caddy for her on the Ladies Omega and her fella Ian Godleman, who is a PGA Coach, he once worked with the legend, Seve, so I am going to try and get some coaching with these guys.
Well, not long to the Shaikh Rashid Trophy tournament, so I will keep you posted about the scores as usual, but if you only get feedback on 2 rounds you know it’s because I was about as good as a flailing ballet dancer with a feather duster instead of a driver.
Cheers Mark
Main Photo: Dan Hendry winning the actual trophy