Jules eating guide to Malaysia & beyond: Abu Dhabi Golf Championship

Friday, January 22, 2010

Abu Dhabi Golf Championship - Day 2

My 125 AED one day ticket for the Championship ;-) My first golf tournament, ever!

Welcome to Day 2 of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship!
Venue: Abu Dhabi Golf Club PO Box: 51234, Sas Al Nakl, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Tel: +971 2 5588990
Prize Money: US $2,200,000
Official Sanctioning Bodies: PGA European Tour

Player Field: 112 members from the European Tour and 8 specially invited players to produce a starting field of 120 players.
Format of Play: The Championship is played over 72 holes (4 rounds) of stroke play. After 36 holes the field was cut to the leading 65 players plus ties.

Sob, strictly no cameras, but I brought in my Blackberry Javelin, and managed a few piccies ;-)
I had many special memories from the day, here are just a couple ... (1) Sergio Garcia standing next to me, taking a drop after smacking a wild shot into the grandstand!

Me at my first golf tourny, nupe Aunty C, I wasn't playing there!

Memory no. (2) Sergio Garcia taking DRIVER from the fairway :-) BANG!

Here's the "super group" ... Henrik Stenson, Rory McIlroy, and Sergio Garcia

Camilo Villegas' caddy ;-) And ... a shot for the gals, Camilo himself! Yes, it was an amazing field ...

It was sooooooooooo hot, 30c and it was winter here! So, we stopped for some breakfast, my Steak Pie (30 AED) and really refreshing Czech lager, Pilsner Urquell (25 AED, a bargain!).

OK ... back to golf. Here's the monster 600 Yards, Par 5 second hole ...

I came to see AK, and he didn't dissapoint ... Anthony Kim rocks!

Memory (3) ... AK throwing a ball at a little boy next to me, he was so happy :-)

Hmmm ... memory (4) ... Following the other "super group" of Geoff Ogilvy, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey, that's 2 Major winners in that group!

I like The Mechanic too, this is Miguel Angel Jiminez. Where's his cigar!?

Finally, memory (5) ... Thongjai Jaidee just putted for a birdie, and as he walked past me, I said "Chuk dee, khap" to him, and he smiled and said "Khop khun khap" back.