Former One Direction star Niall Horan in action during the pro-am event prior to the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club, in 2019. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

FORMER One Direction star Nial Horan is to lead a drive by The R&A to create new grassroots programmes aimed at inspiring more young people to play the game.

The new programmes will be launched later this year by Horan’s Modest! Golf company, and provide more opportunities for young people to be introduced to golf.

They will utilise fun and accessible formats of the sport that are more in tune with how today’s generation uses its leisure time

They will also be designed to encourage them to stay within the sport, the R&A said today.

The power of social media influencers from the sports and entertainment world will be used to present the sport in a more positive light to new audiences and challenge some of the more unhelpful perceptions that exist about golf.

R&A chief development officer Phil Anderton said, “Modest! Golf has a wealth of expertise and insight from the entertainment and sports industries.

“That will be combined with our experience of developing golf around the world to establish exciting new initiatives aimed at reaching new audiences and inspiring more young people into playing golf with their family and friends.

“Our relationship with Modest! Golf is built on a shared ambition for golf to be viewed as a fun, friendly and accessible sport that is inclusive of all people no matter their age, gender, ability or background.

Horan ‘hugely passionate about golf’

“We look forward to working together to broaden its appeal through our networks in golf and encourage young people to enjoy its many social and health benefits.”

Horan, who founded Modest! Golf in 2016, said, “I am so proud to work alongside The R&A in developing programmes to encourage and inspire more young people to play the game of golf.

“It is something my company Modest! Golf is hugely passionate about and I am honoured that chief executive Martin Slumbers, Phil Anderton and The R&A are entrusting my agency to help drive the game forward.

“The R&A has a long legacy within the game and I look forward to helping to create new and modern initiatives to showcase to the younger generation just what a great sport golf is.”

Modest! Golf evolved from entertainment agency Modest! Management and was founded by Horan and former Taylormade manager Mark McDonnell five years ago.

It is responsible for the management of professional golfers including BMW PGA Champion Tyrrell Hatton, Ireland’s former World Amateur No. 1 Leona Maguire, Scotland’s Connor Syme, Germany’s Olivia Cowan and Italy’s Guido Migliozzi as well as world top five disability golfer Brendan Lawlor.

Modest! also aims to promote inclusivity and opportunity through events like the ISPS Handa World Invitational, and the Horan & Rose charity tournament, which has raised over £2 million for children’s charities across the world, with Hampshire’s Justin Rose.

Tyrrell Hatton claimed the fourth Rolex Series win of his career by winning the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship, on Sunday – and his third since signing for Horan’s Modest! Golf.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Hatton flying with Horan’s team

NIAL HORAN, who played golf, football and gaelic football as a youngster, caddied for Rory McIlroy in the Par 3 Contest at the 2015 Augusta Masters.

The One Direction singer, who has had four UK No. 1s with 1D, has been a regular at the BMW PGA Pro-Am at Wentworth, where Hatton claimed his third Rolex Series win in October.

Hatton, who also won the first Rolex event series of 2021 in the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday, signed for Modest! Golf in 2019.

The Marlow golfer, who came through the B.B.&O. junior ranks, signed an extended deal in November, having secured his first PGA Tour win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March 2020.

Horan’s delight after capturing Hatton’s signature on a longer deal was clear. He said in November: “We are so proud to resign Tyrrell to the business.

“His golf this past 18 months has been incredible.

“To not only witness him make his breakthrough in America and win for the first time on the PGA Tour, but to also watch him win the European Tour’s flagship event at the BMW, was something really special.

“We’re just so delighted and proud to be on that journey with him.”

The 29-year-old’s four-shot victory in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, means Hatton’s place in Padraig Harrington’s European team to face the USA in September’s Ryder Cup, at Whistling Straits, is nailed on.

Hatton made his Ryder Cup debut in Europe’s record victory against America in Paris in 2018, earning one point for Thomas Bjorn’s side in his three matches.

Tyrrell Hatton after his first BMW PGA Championship win at Wentworth in October.
Picture by GETTY IMAGES

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Christiaan Bezuidenhout claimed three European Tour victories in 2020 – but his season begain with victory in the Dimension Data Pro-am on the Challenge Tour in February.
Picture by SUNSHINE TOUR

THE European Challenge Tour and the Sunshine Tour have confirmed the postponement of next month’s three co-sanctioned tournaments in South Africa, which will now be played later in the season.

Following thorough consultation with the medical teams from both Tours, it has been agreed to reschedule the three co-sanctioned events, that were due to take place in February, until later in the year.

The Challenge Tour’s South African Swing will now begin in the week of April 22-25.

An announcement will be made shortly regarding the tournament and its venue.

It will be followed by the Cape Town Open at Royal Cape Golf Club, from April 29-May 2, and then the Dimension Data Pro-Am at Fancourt Golf Estate, from May 6-9.

The spread of the more virulent strain of the COVID-19 virus in South Africa has forced the two tours’ hand – with a sizeable contingent of the field coming from the UK, which also has experienced a new strain of the coronavirus, which has killed nearly two million victims across the world.

Challenge Tour head Jamie Hodges said: “The decision to postpone these events follows consultation with all stakeholders – and was made with the health and well-being of all players and staff as our absolute priority.

“I want to express our thanks to the Sunshine Tour, and each of the tournament venues, sponsors and stakeholders for their flexibility and understanding of this situation.

“We greatly appreciate our partnership with our friends at the Sunshine Tour and look forward to co-sanctioning the three events later this year.”

Sunshine Tour commissioner Thomas Abt said: “In light of the current worldwide increase in COVID-19 cases – and after consultation with our own health experts and GolfRSA and its Risk Mitigation Strategy – we believe it is the most responsible course of action to postpone these tournaments.

“The safety of our members as well as our staff is our primary concern. I’d like to thank the Challenge Tour as well as our own Sunshine Tour Board of Directors and sponsors for their guidance, patience and understanding amidst what remains a very fluid situation for world golf.”

J C Ritchie won the first leg of the European Challenge Tour’s South African Swing last year with victory in the Limpopo Championship. Picture by SUNSHINE TOUR

Last year’s South Africa Swing on the Challenge Tour began with the Limpopo Championship, which was won by J C Ritchie.

Sunshine Tour regular Ritchie finished two shots of teenage prodigy Wilco Nienaber, who would make such a big impression on the European Tour later in the summer.

Sweden’s Anton Karlsson recorded his maiden win in Cape Town, with Hampshire’s former Amateur Champion Harry Ellis producing his best result of what would become a curtailed season, with a fourth place, just behind Sussex’s Toby Tree.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout announced his intentions for the year with victory in the Dimnesion Data Pro-am at Fancourt in the final leg of the Challenge Tour’s 2020 South African Swing.

The South African went on to win the Andalucia Masters, at Valderrama in June, before turning to his homeland to end 2020 with back-to-back victories in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, and then the South African Open, at Sun City.

Swede Anton Karlsson claimed his maiden Challenge Tour win in the 2020 Cape Town Open. Picture by SUNSHINE TOUR

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Golf courses across the UK have been told they must close immediately after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new national lockdown last night. Picture by ANDY HISEMAN

GOLF clubs have been told they must close with immediate effect after the UK Government announced a complete national lockdown on Monday night.

Golf clubs, golf facilities – both indoor and outdoor – and driving ranges will be required to close during the new full lockdown. Coaching will not be permitted the government has confirmed.

Golf retailers will be able to operate a click-and-collect service where goods are pre-ordered, and either collected off the premises – or delivered.

England Golf  – as part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Golf, along with other leading industry bodies – said today it was extremely disappointed by the news.

The group has made a strong case in recent months to keep golf open during the national lockdowns – and under the regional tier system introduced in the autumn.

An England Golf spokesman said: “It is with great regret that we share this news with you.

“But please be assured we will continue to make the case for golf to reopen whenever possible.

“England Golf’s website and social channels are being updated regularly, and we will communicate any new information as soon as it is available.” the spokesman added.

Full UK government guidance and details of the national lockdown in England can be found here.

The first lockdown which forced the UK’s near 2,000 golf clubs was announced at the end of March.

Clubs in England were allowed to re-open with certain restrictions in place, while clubs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland came back into play at later dates after the devolved governments in the Home Nations managed their restrictions differently.

*The All Party Parliamentary Group for Golf (APPGG) consists of MPs and Peers from any political party working with industry bodies during the COVID-19 crisis.

The group is chaired by North Warwickshire MP Craig Tracey. The industry is represented by: American Golf; The Belfry; British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGA); British Golf Industry Association; England Golf; Golf Club Managers’ Association; Golf Ireland; Golfing Union of Ireland; Irish Ladies’ Golf Union; IMG; Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA); Ping; The R&A; Scottish Golf; Syngenta; UK Golf Federation; Wales Golf.

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Royal Troon will welcome back the Open Championship in 2024 the R&A has announced today, having originally awarded the 2032 Major Championship to the Ayrshire links course

ROYAL Troon will miss out on plans to host the 151st Open Championship 100 years after the famous Ayrshire club first staged the world’s oldest Major championship.

The R&A announced in February that Royal Troon was to host the 152nd Open to mark the historic centenary – but the subsequent cancellation of the 149th Open at Royal St George’s in July has forced the game’s ruling body into a rethink.

With the 150th Open Championship originally due to be held at St Andrews in 2021, the R&A has decided to push its rota back by a year in each case of the venues already announced.

So with Sandwich set to stage The Open in July 2021, and preparations for the Home of Golf to welcome the world’s best players to St Andrews now being readied for 2022, Hoylake will host the event in 2023.

The R&A confirmed today that The 151^st Open will be played at Royal Liverpool, from July 20-23, in 2023, while The 152^nd Open will be played at Royal Troon from 14-21 July 18-21, in 2024.

The famous Claret Jug will be contested at the Kent links from July 15-18, in 2021.

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said, “We have been working closely with Royal Liverpool and Royal Troon – and the relevant local agencies – to reschedule the championships.

“We are grateful to everyone involved at the clubs and at our partner organisations for supporting our plans and showing flexibility to adapt their own schedules.

“We can now look forward to seeing the world’s best players competing at these outstanding links courses in 2023 and 2024.”

Royal Liverpool captain Michael Johnson said: “Without doubt the golfing world greatly anticipates the return of The Open after the hiatus of 2020, and Royal Liverpool Golf Club is delighted to fit into the revised schedule alongside our friends at Royal Troon.

“We must thank The R&A for its continued support and look forward to welcoming competitors and spectators alike to Hoylake in 2023.”

Royal Troon captain Desmond Bancewicz said: “Following the most unusual circumstances this year, affecting all our lives, Royal Troon Golf Club looks forward with eager anticipation in hosting The Open in 2024 for a 10th time – and sends their very best wishes to The R&A and Royal St George’s Golf Club for 2021.”

The famous Postage Stamp hole at Royal Troon, the shortest par three on the Open rota.

Hoylake ready for ‘lucky’ 13th Open

ROYAL Liverpool will host The Open for a 13^th time in 2023 – the first time since Rory McIlroy lifted the Claret Jug at Hoylake in 2014.

That was also the last of the four Majors won by the former World No. 1 from Northern Ireland, who turned 30 last year and become a father for the first time at the end of August.

There was a 40-year gap between Argentinian Roberto de Vincenzo’s victory at Hoylake and Tiger Woods’ memorable Royal Liverpool win in 2006 – and his emotional celebration followng the death of his father Earl earlier that summer.

The Open will return to Royal Troon for the 10^th time following Henrik Stenson’s memorable final round duel with Phil Mickelson before claiming victory in 2016.

The first winner of The Open at Troon was Arthur Havers – the Norwich-born pro who was the club pro at Moor Park and Sandy Lodge in Hertfordshire, and Coombe Hill, in Surrey – as well as spells at West Lancashire and Frinton, in Essex.

Havers, who would go on to play in three of the first four Ryder Cups, as well as the first unofficial match at Wentworth in 1926, beat the USA’s defending champion Walter Hagen by a shot.

Future venues:–

• The 149^th Open will be played at Royal St George’s from July 15-18, 2021
• The 150^th Open will be played at St Andrews from July 14-17, 2022
• The 151^st Open will be played at Royal Liverpool from July 20-23, 2023
• The 152^nd Open will be played at Royal Troon July 18-21, 2024
  

  The 2023 Open Championship will return to Hoylake’s links on the Wirral. Royal Liverpool hosted the 2006 Open won by Tiger Woods, while Rory McIlory lifted the trophy in 2014. Picture by The R&A

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The European Tour will work with the PGA on a global schedule, leading to playing opportunities for better prize funds, as well as collaborating on commercial opportunities

PLANS for a breakaway “super tour” appear to have heralded a major move to create a strategic alliance between the European Tour and the PGA Tour.

In a bid to fend off moves by the The Raine Group – reported to be backed by Saudi Arabian money – the European Tour and PGA have signed a partnership agreement.

And 2021 is set to see changes to the playing schedules on both sides of the Atlantic as a result.

The Tours said on Friday they will work in partnership on a number of areas including global scheduling, prize funds and playing opportunities for their respective members.

In today’s announcement, both tours have agreed to “explore all facets of collaboration, working together on strategic commercial opportunities including collaborating on global media rights in certain territories.”

The PGA Tour has already taken a minority stake in European Tour Productions (ETP), the media production company, which produces and distributes content internationally.

Further details on the other areas will be announced in due course, the European Tour said in a statement from its Wentworth HQ.

But the most likely outcome is FedEx Cup points will be available for American players – and those Europeans with status in the States – at the European Tour’s lucrative events between September and November.

Commissioner Jay joins ET board

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will take a seat on the European Tour board

The European Tour statement added: “One element of the partnership which can be confirmed is the fact that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will take a seat on the board of the European Tour.”

Before the European Tour launched the UK Swing in July – after a three-month break in tournaments because of the COVID-19 crisis – its head Keith Pelley warned players the days of large multi-million prize funds, and many of the players’ perks of a luxury lifestyle on Tour, were under serious threat from the economic effects of the pandemic.

Speculation has been rife since March that the Tour was short of cash, and may have been looking for an injection from, or possible merger with, the PGA Tour.

Without the cash generated by the Rolex Series, which was reduced from eight to just four events in 2020, this year’s prize funds represented a major step backwards, with a huge gulf between a winner’s cheque on the PGA Tour and a European one.

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley said: “This partnership is an historic moment for the game of golf, and is a fantastic opportunity for both the European Tour and the PGA Tour to explore ways to come together at the very pinnacle of our sport – and work in unison for the benefit of the men’s professional game.”

Mr Pelley added that the announcement was the formalisation of a closer working relationship between the two Tours in recent years.

He added: “It was one which was crystalised earlier this year when both Jay and I were part of the working group containing representatives of the four Majors and the LPGA, a group which helped shape the remainder of the golfing calendar for 2020 during unprecedented times.

“We shared the challenges of working through a year neither of us could have ever imagined and we found definite synergies in many areas of our respective Tours. That gave us the impetus to move forward together and arrive at this momentous announcement we are making today.”

Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR, said, “We are thrilled to announce this further strengthening of our partnership with the European Tour.

“We look forward to working together for the benefit of the men’s professional game and for golf fans around the world.”

Brooks Koepka has publicly distanced himself from plans for a breakaway Premier Golf League – reported to be backed by Saudi Arabian money. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

Why world’s top three declined PGL approach

EARLIER this year the world’s top three players all came out publicly to state they would not back plans for a Premier Golf League, reported to be touting for the world’s top 48 players to create a breakaway tour.

Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka all pledged their loyalty to both America’s PGA and European Tours – with McIlroy saying he was unhappy at the prospect of Saudi money being linked as a backer of the Raine Group plan.

Koepka, who rang Rory to discuss the move, also voiced fears that it was wrong to limit the highest and most lucrative level of the game to just 48 players.

Rory said in March: “I think one of the great things about golf is the fact that there are these story lines of the underdog – and the fact that anyone can really qualify for the US Open and have a great tournament, and have a chance to win.

“Those are the wonderful things about golf. For this league to sort of take that narrative away, and as Brooks said, he’d have a hard time looking at some of those guys in the eye that don’t make that top 48.

“The top players going to this other league it basically, not puts these other guys out of a job, but it definitely diminishes what they’re playing for and what they could earn on Tour.”

The new tie up also poses question marks over the future of the Ryder Cup.

The Ryder Cup is jointly owned by the European Tour and the PGA of America – the body of thousands of ordinary club professionals in the USA.

Any future merger between the PGA Tour and the European Tour would shift the power balance Stateside, and give it a share in sharing the spoils of the huge revenues the worldwide sporting event generates.

One seasoned golf industry executive said after the agreement was announced said: “If you’re the PGA Tour, why wouldn’t you want to flip those economics in your favour?”

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RICHARD Mansell claimed a share of the first-round lead at the Challenge Tour Grand Final after posting a five-under par round of 66 – despite having not played a practice round at T-Golf & Country Club.

The Staffordshire golfer only arrived in Mallorca on the eve of the tournament, having been in isolation following a positive Covid-19 test.

But the EuroPro Tour graduate showed no signs of rust as he joined Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren and Spain’s Santiago Tarrio at the top of the leaderboard.

Mansell, who is currently third on the Road to Mallorca rankings, admitted he could not have expected a better outcome after playing the course for the first time.

“I just really tried to control my golf ball,” Richard said. “I just tried to keep it below the hole all day.

“I had an awful warm-up. I was saying to a couple of guys, I have never been so nervous on the first tee.

“I didn’t think I was going to keep it on the golf course. But I hit a great drive – birdied the first, birdied the second and thought ‘oh, hang on’.

“I’ve still got three rounds to go,” said Mansell, who graduated from Nova Southeastern Florida University, where he played on the same national championship winning team as Surrey’s Ben Taylor, who is now playing on the PGA Tour in America.

The Sharks graduate, who is a member at Cannock’s Beau Desert GC, added: “I came into this week and I haven’t been able to do anything.

“But what I have done is tried to learn the course as much as I can in my hotel room, and just tried to do what I could, and trust that was enough.

“I’ve played enough rounds of golf to let me golfing ability take over instead of just trying to force it,” said Mansell.

“I really enjoyed it out there and it was good to have my caddie back and be out of the hotel room,” said 25-year-old Mansell, who won the Cobra Puma Championship last summer.

The course at T-Golf & Country Club is firm after a sustained period of warm weather.

And with high temperatures expected for the rest of the week, Mansell expects the greens to become harder and faster as the week goes on.

“The greens are firm and I think they’re just going to get firmer as the week goes on,” he said.

“I was in the last group out. I had a couple of putts towards the end that definitely ran out a little bit more.

“I was up by the green when Marcel Schneider hit a shot in and I heard it land and it was like it landed on concrete.

He added: “I think they’re just going to get more baked out as the week goes on, which emphasises having good ball control which tends to be my game.”

Mansell, Hellgren, who carded two eagles on his way to his five-under par 66, and Tarrio lead by one stroke.

The Englishman was runner-up on the 2019 EuroPro Order of Merit, after the Race to Desert Springs Tour Championship a year ago, earning one of five cards on the Challenge Tour.

Lancashire’s former European Boys champion Matthew Baldwin, Italian Enrico Di Nitto, American Tyler Koivisto and Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard MøllerEnrico Di Nitto, American Tyler Koivisto and Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard Møller are tied in fourth place on four-under.

Kent’s Road to Mallorca No. 4 Matt Ford, Sweden’s Christofer Blomstrand and Germany’s Alexander Knappe are a shot further back in a tie for eighth place on three-under.

The second round of the Challenge Tour Grand Final will begin at 8.30am Spanish on Friday, with the leading trio playing in the final group at 11.05am.

•Click here for second round scoring.

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The famous Turnberry lighthouse which was lit up in red to mark Remembrance Day

THE famous lighthouse at Turnberry was lit up to remember the fallen, adding extra poignance to the famous Scottish club’s Remembrance ceremony at the weekend.

The nearby Turnberry Airfield originally opened in 1917 – and Turnberry Hotel used as its headquarters.

It was a vital cog in the wheel of the war effort with several units dedicated to teaching the art of aerial gunnery and fighting.

The double Celtic Cross was erected in 1923 to honour those airmen stationed at Turnberry Airfield, who died during the First World War.

And in 1990, four sections were added to the base of the memorial bearing the names of those who died at Turnberry during World War Two.

Another 89 names were added earlier this year to the memorial – which is sited close to the 12th hole on the Ailsa Course.

Local historian and author Margaret Morrell discovered additional crewmen stationed at Turnberry – who were killed during training at the airfield – had not been listed individually.

After finding out the information during research for her book ,The, Mrs Morrell helped organise for the names to be added to the memorial.

A rededication ceremony will also take place in the future when COVID-19 restrictions allow.

Mrs Morrell said: “My initial aim was to find out a bit more about the names on the memorial.

“But when looking at the crash cards, I found that usually only the pilot was named, and the other airmen were just listed as ‘crew killed’. I wanted to give those men a name.

“This involved many enquiries of the Air Historical Branch, RAF, and finally I managed to identify a further 89 who were not commemorated.

“It was my quest to have the missing added to the roll of honour.”

The special Remembrance Day flag on the 12th green on the Ailsa Course close to the RAF Memorial at Turnberry, which now has an extra 89 names listed.

Ailsa flags fly to honour RAF dead

TURNBERRY, which has hosted The Open Championship four times has also played its part in the moving tribute.

As well as the iconic lighthouse being lit up red in honour, commemorative flags have been used on both the Ailsa and King Robert The Bruce courses.

They have given golfers the chance to pay their respects during their round this month.

Turnberry members also attended a socially-distanced gathering to observe the two-minutes’ silence on Remembrance Sunday.

Turnberry, which was bought by Donald Trump in 2014 – two years before he became US President – holds its place in Open history largely thanks to the infamous Duel in the Sun between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, in 1977.

Greg Norman’s first Claret Jug came on the Ayrshire coast in 1986, with Nick Price, becoming the first Zimbabwean to win the world’s oldest Major at Turnberry in 1994.

Stewart Cink denied Tom Watson a historic sixth Claret Jug when winning The Open at Turnberry in 2009, beating the 59-year-old in a play-off.

The Open has been played on the McKenzie Ross designed Ailsa Course.

The Trump Turnberry resort also boasts Donald Steel’s Kintyre Course, which opened in 2001, and the nine-hole Arran Course.

The Kintyre was renamed the King Robert the Bruce Course after LeisureCorp sold the resort to Trump for $60million.

The resort has undergone a multi-million revamp including changes to the Ailsa course by Martin Ebert from 2015-16.

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An emotional Robert MacIntyre broke through with his maiden European Tour win at the new format Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown, thanks to a brilliant 64 on Sunday. Pictures by GETTY IMAGES

SCOTLAND’S Robert MacIntyre claimed an emotional maiden European Tour title at the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown.

A seven-under par final round 64 earned the Scot a one-stroke victory in a thrilling finale to the European Tour’s ground-breaking shoot-out .

Tears welled up as the 14th different first-time winner of the 2020 European Tour season spoke to Sky’s Tim Barter.

He later revealed he had “struggled mentally” ever since the first lockdown brought the European Tour to a halt back in March.

An emotional MacIntyre said: “This is what I’ve been working for. It’s been a difficult few months for me.

“Only my family know what’s going on. I can’t believe it. My game is there, tee-to-green I’ve been absolutely brilliant the last two weeks.

“The putter has been cold, stone cold,” said Robert, who finished two shots outside of last week’s play-off in the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open, on the same course won by Hertfordshire’s Callum Shinkwin.

MacIntyre, from Oban, admitted it took a change in outlook to finally get over the line, playing in his 45th European Tour event – Colin Montgomerie took 57 events to claim his first victory.

The left-hander revealed: “I’ve done a lot of work in the last six months – not thinking about winning a golf tournament, just to play my golf.

“Last year, I was talking and thinking about winning golf tournaments when I was going down the back nine on a Sunday.

“But this year I’ve just tried to take my time and let it happen. What will happen will happen and it’s happened today.”

Robert MacIntyre plays his second shot into the 18th hole at Aphrodite Hills

Storm delay was chance to regroup

MacINTYRE had to put the metal to the floor to claim victory with a fast finish in Cyprus.

He was just a shot behind leaders Marcus Armitage, from Manchestter and Johannes Veerman, the American rookie looking for his breakthrough, win as he played the 12th, on three-under.

But as soon as he made a birdie three on the 13th, a storm moved in with the threat of lightning forcing the players off the course.

And when he returned less than an hour later, he missed a makeable putt on the driveable 14th for another three.

MacIntyre, who faced Conor Champ twice in the 2017 Walker Cup clash against an American team that also included PGA Champion Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler, revealed: “When the rain delay came in, I said to my caddie Mike: ‘It’s time to show up.’

“I hit a great iron shot into 15 and there it was. It turned up right at the right time. Mike did brilliantly too there.”

His tee shot on the 181-yard 17th came within inches of going in for an ace and minutes later he was celebrating victory on the 18th after a back-to-back birdie finish.

“It’s what I’ve dreamed of since being a wee kid watching Scottish Opens at Loch Lomond and to finally play on tour,” said MacIntyre, who lost the Amateur Championship final to Hampshire’s Scott Gregory in 2016.

MacIntyre, who turned pro after playing in the Walker Cup in Los Angeles three years ago, added: “I gave myself a lot of chances last year. This week’s format suited me and I took it.

“When that storm came in, I had good momentum. Then I missed a putt on 14th.

“But the seven-iron into 15 and the iron shot into 17 – I pulled it slightly but it was a perfect number and I just missed the hole.

“The 17th hole was huge, when I saw the scores.”

Runner-up Masahiro Kawamura recorded his best-ever finish on the European Tour at the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown

Kawamura’s fast finish was best yet on Tour

IT WAS just as well MacIntyre picked up three shots in his last four holes as Japan’s Masahiro Kawamura made four birdies on the back nine to post six-under as the clubhouse leader.

But 24-year-old MacIntyre carded eight birdies in the final showdown of the exciting new format, which saw all 19 players who had made it through to the final round start the day on level par in a sprint to the finish.

And with the lowest round of the day sealing victory, it was last year’s European Tour Rookie of the Year, who pocketed the cheque for €200,000.

It was a closely-fought contest until the final furlong but MacIntyre – who finished 11th place in last year’s Race to Dubai – almost holed a remarkable ace at the par three 17th.

He tapped in for birdie to take a share of the lead and then hit a fearless drive down the par five 18th.

Having hit the green – where Shinkwin made eagle to force a play-off on his way to his maiden win on the Mediterranean island seven days earlier, a simple two-putt earned MacIntyre his first victory as a professional.

The win elevated him from 57th to 24th in the 2020 Race to Dubai.

It also booked his ticket to next month’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, in Dubai – the fourth and final Rolex Series event of the campaign.

Kawamura earned the best European Tour finish of his career. The 2018 European Tour School graduate finished runner-up on six-under.

Spain’s Jorge Campillo finished in outright third sport on five-under thanks to an eagle on 18.

Armitage, who made seven on the last a week ago, made an expensive eight, which dropped him from a share of fourth down to 14th.

•Full results from the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown click here.

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The new World Handicap System gives every affiliated club member in Great Britain and Ireland a handicap index which combines with the course rating to work out the player’s handicap whichever course in the world they are playing at

THE World Handicap System (WHS) has come into effect for golfers in Great Britain and Ireland.

Developed by The R&A and USGA, in close collaboration with existing handicapping authorities, the WHS provides all golfers with a consistent measure of playing ability, with handicaps calculated in the same way wherever they are in the world.

Launched in January 2020 and now live in more than 65 countries, the WHS provides golfers with a unified and more inclusive handicapping system for the first time.

The WHS is implemented and administered at the local level by national and regional golf associations around the world with England Golf, Scottish Golf, Wales Golf and Golf Ireland taking on this significant responsibility within GB&I.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, restrictions on golf are currently in place in Wales and Ireland and are expected later this week in England.

WHS will be in operation from today (Monday, November 2) onwards, and as play resumes when restrictions are lifted.

The introduction of the WHS marks a considerable change for golfers in GB&I.

It will replace the previous Unified Handicapping System developed over many decades by the Council of National Golf Unions (CONGU).

While it may take golfers some time to get used to the new system, and for transition handicaps to settle down, the feedback received from elsewhere in the world strongly suggests the WHS will help them to enjoy their golf all the more.

For the first time, it will provide them with a handicap index which is a more responsive measure of their ability, and a course handicap which reflects the difficulty of the course being played.

The new system is designed to modernise handicapping by adapting to the way golfers now like to play and makes it easier for new golfers to participate.

It will also enable golfers who play all of their golf in GB&I to compete equitably against golfers from other clubs, as well as golfers from other countries, which is an important step forward for the sport.

The new World Handicap System incorporates elements from CONGU’s along with elements from all eight governing bodies worldwide. Picture by LEADERBOARD PHOTOGRAPHY

WHS’ key features were inspired by the best features of the six main handicap systems that previously existed around the world, including the CONGU system – so some will already be familiar to GB&I players.

The key features of the system include:–

• A course rating system which sets out a consistent method of evaluating the difficulty of a golf course from each set of tees, with a player’s handicap index being adjusted to take account of the difficulty of the course being played
• Flexibility in formats of play, allowing both competitive and recreational rounds to count for handicap purposes and ensuring that a handicap index reflects demonstrated ability
• A minimal number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap – with the number of scores needed to obtain a new handicap being 54 holes from any combination of 18-hole and nine-hole rounds. Some discretion is available for national or regional associations
• An average-based calculation of a handicap index, taken from the best eight out of the last 20 scores and factoring in memory of demonstrated ability for better responsiveness/control
• A calculation that considers the impact that abnormal course and weather conditions might have on golfers’ performance each day
• Timely handicap revisions
• A limit of nett double bogey on the maximum hole score – for handicapping purposes only
• A maximum handicap limit of 54, regardless of gender, to encourage more golfers to measure and track their performance, and so increase their enjoyment of the game

To learn more about the World Handicap System visit WHS.com.

For WHS information specific to a country, use the association finder for further information.

•A course handicap calculator is available at www.randa.org and materials specific for GB&I golfers can be found by clicking here.

How you calculate your new course handicap using the new handicap index system under the WHS system introduced by The R&A and USGA from November 2, 2020

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Callum Shinkwin paid tribute to caddy Sam Robertshawe after sealing his maiden European Tour win in the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open, beating Kalle Samooja in a play-off. Pictures by GETTY IMAGES

HERTFORDSHIRE’S Callum Shinkwin defeated Kalle Samooja in a play-off to win his first European Tour title after a dramatic final day at the 2020 Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open.

Shinkwin holed an incredible 54-foot putt for eagle on the 18th in regulation to get into a play-off as the three gave him the clubhouse lead on 20-under.

After his maiden European Tour win at the 112th attempt, Shinkwin paid tribute to his caddy Sam Robertshawe, a former Hampshire Junior Champion.

The Army GC member, who went on to win on the EuroPro Tour after missing out in the Hampshire County Championship final back in 2012, has made Shinkwin a better greens reader, he told Sky Sports’ Warren Humphreys.

Callum explained: “I try not to change caddies at all, really, but changed caddies this year to try to help me on the greens more.

“I’ve done that with Sam. He’s a great green reader with his own method.

“I’ve trusted him and he’s basically taught me how to read greens better.

“This week I think I’ve called on him eight times and I’ve holed seven putts from there and obviously holed a lot more reading myself as well, which is obviously really good.”

Shinkwin salutes his play-off win with caddie Sam Robertshawe at Aphrodite Hills

Victory makes up for Rafa heartache

SHINKWIN’S victory heralds a return to form for the 27-year-old, who lost his card in 2018 after the heartache of coming so close to a Rolex Series victory at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open.

He lost to Rafa Cabrera-Bello in a play-off when a par on the 72nd hole would have handed him the title.

In far happier scenes on TV, Shinkwin was able to see his wife and young son via a video link in an emotional reunion by the 18th green.

When asked what winning meant to him and his young family, Shinkwin said: “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and now I have. It’s been a bit of a shock, but it feels great.

“I’ve had to trust myself more than anything. I had to make a few changes and obviously it’s worked out for the best,” said Callum who first earned his European Tour card after finishing in the top 15 on the Challenge Tour in 2015.

“Dug deep in 2019 and got my card back, and this year obviously with what has gone on,” he added. “I’m happy to win.

“I felt relaxed all day. I felt great to be fair – 15 and 16 were playing me up all week,” said Shinkwin, who beat Matt Fitzpatrick in the final when winning the English Amateur Championship at Frilford Heath, in 2013.

The new champion speaking to his young son after winning the Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Open

Shinkwin admits to nerves over closing holes

“I was more nervous playing those two holes just to get through them than in the play-off or on the 18th,” Shinkwin said. “I managed to get through them really well and I felt great.”

The pro attached to Moor Park GC was two shots behind the Finn as he stood on the 17th tee.

And while a birdie there edged him closer, his chances of victory looked slim when he found rough off the tee at the par five last.

His second shot over the water took him to the edge of the putting surface to set up his miraculous eagle to force a play-off with the Finn, after shooting a course record 63.

Samooja left himself an eagle chance from almost exactly the same spot.

But a two-putt birdie meant the European Tour’s first-ever visit to Cyprus ended in extra holes at Aphrodite Hills Resort.

Shinkwin found the greenside bunker with his second shot at the first trip back up the last, with the approach over the intimidating water skirting the length of the last hole at Cyprus’ PGA National course.

The boys from Bushey, who won the Carris Trophy in 2010 and played in the Walker Cup three years later, got up-and-down for a birdie, with Samooja’s three-putt from the fringe sealing Shinkwin’s first win.

Welshman Jamie Donaldson, South African Garrick Higgo and Scot Robert MacIntyre finished two shots out of the play-off places on 18-under.

The trio were one clear of Australian Jason Scrivener, Finn Sami Välimäki and Essex’s Dale Whitnell, who enjoyed his best finish since the Betfred British Masters at Close House, in July.

Kalle Samooja lines up his birdie putt on the 18th which forced the play-off with Shinkwin

•To see the final scores at Aphrodite Hills click here.

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