Eurasia Cup 2016 : An emphatic victory for Team Europe.

Having tied Team Europe in 2014, it's no wonder Team Asia had a quiet confidence that they would be able to pull a surprise in 2016. But sadly that was not to be. Darren Clarke and his European team rolled into town and put on a stunning display. 

By the end of the day 1, Team Europe had established a solid start notching an early lead 4.5 : 1.5. By day 2, the Europeans extended that lead to 9 : 3. In the end, the men in blue put on quite a display in the singles matches to cap off a fine victory for Team Europe and highlight the disparity between the two teams. 

Team Asia gave it a good shot but Team Europe were simply a class above, which to an extent is a cause for concern. Here's hoping that Team Asia will catch up in two years when the Eurasia Cup returns in 2018.

Team Europe were simply the better team and for that they fully deserve their fine victory. 

Was at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club on Sunday and was volunteering during the final day singles. I was match captain for match 3 (Andy Sullivan v. Thongchai Jaidee) and it was good fun. Thongchai started off brightly but eventually lost to a very solid Andy Sullivan, 4&3.

Managed to catch up with Ian Poulter after the prize giving ceremony and got his autograph. He played brilliantly all three days notching 3 points (4&3, 3&2 and 4&3) 

Before things went under way on Sunday, Team Europe / Asia Captains, Darren Clarke and Jeev Milkha Singh made a surprise appearance and were met with thunderous applause, at the volunteer's village to say thank you to all the volunteers. Terrific stuff and classy of them to take the time to drop by.

Andy Sullivan speaking with reporters after his fine victory over Thongchai Jaidee. 

It was certainly a very 'blue' day (on the scoreboard) with Team Europe ending the day 18.5 : 5.5

Certainly a good work out for Team Europe during a Ryder Cup year and Captain Darren Clarke would have learnt plenty more about his team members. 

Till we meet again at the Eurasia Cup 2018.

For honour, for pride, for the team!

If you haven't heard, the Eurasia Cup 2016 is underway at the Glenmarie Golf and Country Club, Kuala Lumpur. 

After the first foursome session yesterday, Team Europe started off very brightly earning 4.5 points to Team Asia's 1.5 points. Not the start Team Asia would have wanted but there is plenty of golf to be played.

Day 2 is underway so if you re in town, make sure to drop by to catch the action.

I will be volunteering on Sunday for the singles matches and if team Asia make up ground today, it will make for a very interesting final day.

Farewell 2015

In a short few hours we will bid 2015 farewell. So, in keeping with tradition, here's a post to recollect a couple of the golfing highlights in 2015.

1. Earlier in February, I attended the Maybank Malaysian Open 2015 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club, catching the stars from the European Tour, Asian Tour and our Local pros in action. Anirban Lahiri played superbly on the last day to bag his biggest win. 

http://www.kaki-golf.blogspot.my/2015/02/maybank-malaysian-open-2015.html

2. In May, the PGM / Asian Development Tour rolled into town for the PGM MNRB Sarawak Championship, where I caught up with my mate Chris and met ADT players, Nick and Greg. Good times.

http://www.kaki-golf.blogspot.my/2015/05/my-week-with-pros.html

3. Then the Kaki - Golf crew embarked on our yearly golfing trip. This time, we headed to Bandung!

http://www.kaki-golf.blogspot.my/2015_07_01_archive.html

4. In August, I participated in the Kuching leg of the BMW International Golf Cup 2015 at the Samarahan Country Club and managed 1st runner up in the nett - guest category. My first time winning something in a golf tournament! (well there was that wooden spoon one time..)

http://www.kaki-golf.blogspot.my/2015/08/bmw-golf-cup-international-2015-its-go.html

5. October was a literally golf month and we start off with the Sime Darby LPGA 2015. Attended for the first time and it was really fun seeing the stars of the LPGA in action. Jessica Korda, snapped a winless streak with some superb golf over the four days.

http://www.kaki-golf.blogspot.my/2015/10/the-sime-darby-lpga-malaysia-2015.html

6. At the end of October came the biggest Malaysian golfing event in 2015. The CIMB Classic. I have attended twice as a spectator and this year, I volunteered and had an absolutely smashing time. Met with some of the biggest stars in the game and saw the action up close from behind the ropes. I am looking forward to CIMB Classic 2016 already!

http://www.kaki-golf.blogspot.my/2015/10/cimb-classic-2015-here-we-go.html

Needless to say it's been a really fantastic golfing year for me and I am very thankful. 

Looking forward to 2016 and am hoping for more of the same. I hope 2015 has been kind to you, thank you for visiting my humble blog and have a safe and happy new year!

GMac returns to the winner's circle!

Fantastic to see Graeme McDowell overcome the slump with a bang in Mexico. 

First he nailed a tricky par putt on the 72nd hole to force a playoff. Then on the 1st playoff hole, he hit his second shot (205yard - 5 iron) to 2.5 feet for birdie to clinch his 3rd and much needed PGA victory.

With this victory, GMac earns an Invitation to the 2016 Masters and a very nice two-year exemption on the PGA Tour. Oh and there's the winner's cheque of US$1,116,000.00 too.

 

Caught GMac at the Maybank Malaysian Open earlier this year and you couldn't support a nicer guy. You could tell he was having a tough time in the heat, but in between he was fantastic with the fan and very appreciative of the support.

 

Congratulations once again GMac! 

 

In other news, it's been rather busy at work (yes, I do have a day job) but it's off to Miri in a couple of days where I will take on the highly rated Eastwood Valley Couse. Pics and updates when I come back!

CIMB Classic 2015 : here we go!

Day 1 of the CIMB Classic 2015 begins tomorrow and the first flight will tee off at 7.45am. Here we go! 

Won't be blogging too much as I will be on the course for pretty much the whole day. So follow me on instagram : gordonkakigolf for pictures and videos from the CIMB Classic!

The CIMB CLASSIC 2015

If you haven't noticed the countdown timer on the right side of the blog, let me just remind you that it's less then a week to the CIMB Classic 2015!

The complete field has been updated! Check here. Notable mentions with rankings - Henrik Stenson (6), Adam Scott (16), Sergio Garcia (11), Hideki Matsuyama (15), Patrick Reed (20), Kevin Na (24), Keegan Bradley (58), Luke Donald (66), Defending Champion, Ryan Moore (52) and local boys Ben Leong and Danny Chia (who are both in fine form this season) make up part of the 78 player field for the prestigious PGA event (co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour) but we could see a couple more names by the end of the week.

A lack of star power perhaps, but with 6 of the top 25 and a good number of PGA Tour / Major Winners, I would say it's a pretty good looking field. 

 

Cimb Classic 2014

 

The CIMB classic is a 4 day, no cut event and will see the players compete for the coveted trophy and a share of the hefty $7 million purse ($1.26 mil to the winner), oh! and don't forget, there are 500 Fed-ex cup points up for grabs too. KLGCC has been a good hunting ground for defending champion Ryan Moore who has won the event twice now. Can he make it a hat trick?

 CIMB Classic 2014

I have been to the CIMB Classic twice so far ('13 and '14). I will be heading over again this year, but this time it's going to be a whole lot different.

CIMB Classic 2014

This year, I will be volunteering! Yeap! This time I am going to be behind the ropes and from what I hear it's going to be an awesome experience. I can't wait. Seriously can't wait! 

Volunteer sign up has closed I believe, but if you want to know more about it, check here.

I will be updating pictures on Instagram so please feel free to follow "Gordon McCloud" for pictures and updates!

The Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2015

What a weekend it's been!

Managed to catch days 3 and 4 of the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia Tournament at the KLGCC and man was it a good experience.

In the end, it was Jessica Korda, who clinched Victory on the East Course to win by 4 strokes. Played 4 really solid rounds of golf and thoroughly deserved the win. Followed Jessica's flight on day 3 for a while (together with Lydia Ko and Haru Nomura) and she can hit it really long!

Congratulations once again Jessica! 

Watching the stars of the LPGA in action up close was a real treat and the cherry on top? getting autographs and 'wefies' with some of these talented and friendly ladies. Always ready with a smile and happy to oblige for autographs.

With the tournament extended for a further 3 years, you bet I will be back next year. 

LPGA, see why it's different out here!

To the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia we go!

With day 2 of the SDLPGA under way it looks like things are good to go. 

I suppose there was some good news in the rain delay during yesterday's first round. The sky is clearing steadily and I am hoping for a good one this weekend. Would have liked to be there during the first two days where the crowd is considerably lesser. 

But what I don't get is the poor attendance across the board (Maybank Malaysian Open, SDLPGA and even the Cimb Classic). Sure the crowds pick up during the weekends but based on the number of golfers we have in Malaysia, the place should be packed! 

I have said it a thousand times and I will say it again. Watching these professional athletes play live is entirely different from watching it on the telly, trust me! 

Anyways, I am flying over today to catch days 3 and 4 so there's still plenty of golf left to be played. 

If you're heading to the course this weekend, have a good one and keep the ball in play!

Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2015

October is here and that means it's time for the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2015 (9-11.10.2015) and the CIMB Classic 2015 (29.10-1.11) at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club.

A couple of weeks ago, I won weekend passes to the Sime Darby LPGA tournament from MST's facebook contest and I am looking forward to watching it for the first time.

However, there's the elephant in the room that we need to address. This bloody HAZE!!

At this rate, it doesn't look like the Haze is going anywhere and with the Sime Darby LPGA starting on Thursday (4 days ) time, the Tournament Committee have issued a statement.

In short, if the Haze doesn't improve.. there's a big chance the tournament won't go on.. =((((

So I am definitely hoping.. that the Haze magically disappears this week. It would be a huge shame if such a big tournament doesn't go on. 

Fingers and toes crossed!

2015 U.S Open. Pulsating final round.

The 2015 U.S Open at Chambers Bay has been anything but a traditional U.S Open. 

But what a final round it was and was it eventful! It all came down to the Par 5 18th and when it mattered, Dustin Johnson who had an eagle putt to win and a birdie butt to force an 18 hole Monday morning playoff, ended up 3 putting for Par to finish tied second. 

It was painful to watch.

I am not a huge supporter of DJ but even for the layman, it was painful to see him lead the tournament, lose his momentum (3 bogeys over four holes), tie for the lead and then ultimately miss a 4 footer to lose. Some quarters think DJ winning this major would validate his redemption and comeback but considering the circumstances (including that long self imposed break) I think he's done marvelously so far this season.

But what about the man of the hour, young Jordan Spieth, the 2015 U.S Open champion. How he rallied from the late double bogey on the par 3, 17th and to play the par 5, 18th like he did (his 2nd from 274 yards with his three wood, giving him a good look at eagle to seal the deal) was nothing short of spectacular. 

Amazing stuff. 

In other news, would this vault him to the no.1 spot over Rory? Side bar hasn't updated so I am not sure.

PGM MNRB Sarawak Championship @ Kelab Golf Sarawak

At the rate I am posting about tournaments, I would make a sucky golf reporter. So apologies for the lack of 'up-to-date' reports. Perhaps I should just update my Twitter feed in future. 

Anyway, if you haven't heard, the PGM MNRB Sarawak Championship came to a close on Saturday and what a finish it was. 

For starters, let me just say how impressed I was with the course conditions (particularly the greens) at KGS. The Matang - Santubong greens were in superb conditions. Green and quick!

Good enough to rival premium courses in KL? You bet.

Janne Kaske, carded a superb 65 (-14 total) on the final day to storm to overtake the leaders and clinch his first professional victory. For his efforts, he took home the 1st prize of RM35,000.00 and now sits in 3rd spot on the ADT Order of Merit.

Back at the clubhouse, it looked like things were headed for a playoff with the leaders tied at 8 under through the 15th. But it was to be Janne's day and he certainly won in style.

Here's a look at his round 4 scorecard. Except for the lone bogey on the front 9, Janne raced to the finish with 8 birdies to win by 4 strokes. Congratulations Janne!

That's alot of red. 

I was following Greg Moss's flight (Get to know more about Greg who is currently 7th on the ADT order of merit, here.), who was playing with Thai player Poom Saksansin and Malaysian golfer Lam Yu Shuen. 

It's great seeing the pros in action. Watching them drive the ball for miles, hit their irons with precision and go pin hunting was very inspiring. 

The cherry on the top? Being able to interact with the pros during the round. You definitely won't get that watching the telly.

It's been a great week of golf at the KGS, but my highlight of the week? getting to hang out with Pros Nick Pugh, Greg Moss and my mate Chris who was caddying for Nick off the course. Had a great time, but more on that next time!

In the meantime, the ADT now moves on to Taiwan for the Ambassador ADT at the Hsin Feng golf and country club. 

Day 2 : PGM MNRB Sarawak Championship @ Kelab Golf Sarawak

It's day 2 of the PGM MNRB Sarawak Championship and there's plenty more golf to play. Scoreboards are being updated here.

So far Day 1 co-leader, Malaysia Pro Airil Rizman Zahari has the clubhouse lead of 8 under after carding a fine 69 (5 birdies against 2 bogies) to extend his lead. While defending champion Pavit Tangkamolprasert couldn't follow his 69 on day 1 and ended day 2 with a 73. Still at 2 under so he should still be in the hunt entering day 3.

Nice to see a Malaysian atop the leader board but I am also cheering for ADT Pros, Nick Pugh (+3 after day 1) and Greg Moss (even par after day 1) who are still out on the course. The latter of whom is currently 4th on the ADT order of merit.

The cut line looks to be anywhere between +1 - +3 at the moment so let's see what the afternoon brings.

Bushnell Neo XS GPS watch unboxing and introduction.

I will be posting about the Bushnell Neo XS GPS watch in three posts. 

1. The unboxing

2. On course review

3. Comparison with the Voice Caddie T1 Hybrid GPS watch.

Let's get started!

So why did I get another GPS watch? 

If you have been following the blog you would have come across this post about the Voice Caddie T1 Hybrid watch and since then I have had several rounds with it and I can honestly say that even though it serves it's purpose, I am not entirely satisfied by it.

So, apart from the fact that I am a gadget junkie, I decided to check out other options. 

Step in, the Bushnell Neo XS GPS watch. Bushnell has a market leader in sport optics equipment and have been around for years. Full range of their products here. Known for it's high quality products, reliability and accuracy, Bushnell have also ventured into the Golf arena with their laser range finders and GPS watches.

So this is what you get out of the box.

The watch (which is also available in charcoal and black).

Inside the box are the manuals and charging cable. I checked online and it seems I was missing a brush (to brush the charging connector points) but no issue.

Don't mind the blur face. It's just a sticker which I didn't peel after switching the watch on. First impressions were good and the design, very appealing. But more on that to come.

In the meantime, the PGM MNRB Sarawak Championship begins on Wednesday (13th May) at the Kelab Golf Sarawak and will see a healthy field of 112 players from the Asian Development Tour, our Malaysian tour and even a few fellow Kuching amateurs competing in the RM200,000.00 event. 

It's not everyday we get quality tournaments in town so I am excited am hoping to catch at least some of the action this week.

Met up with my friend Chris who's caddying for ADT Pro Nick Pugh and caught him in action on the range. It's always cool getting to see the pros in action, so if you happen to be in Kuching, make your way to KGS in the next few days.

Taking care of business

I have stopped subscribing to the Golf Channel (no thanks to you Astro!) and so have to rely on golf channel app. on my phone for updates on results etc.

Just days after being voted "most overrated player" Rickie Fowler took care of business and won The Players Championship, his 2nd PGA tournament after a playoff with Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner. The way he got into the playoff though, is what will stand out for years to come. 

Rickie was 1 over on his round and five shots back through 12 holes. He played the last 6 holes (13 - 18) 6 under, including an eagle on the Par 5 16th. 

He then birdied No. 17 (the iconic island green) again in the playoff – twice. 

For a player that enjoys such popularity with players and fans alike, I found it odd that he tied with Ian Poulter for the title of "most over rated player" in a recent anonymous poll. I don't care for anonymous polls (namely because there are no parameters spelt out, so the integrity of the poll comes into question) and I thought Rickie enjoyed a great year in 2014. No wins, but 4 top 5's in all the majors certainly has to count for something.

This was a huge victory ($1.8 mil paycheck ain't too shabby either) referred to as the unofficial 5th major so I am hoping this will spur him on to greater things.  

Overrated? I think not. And that's how you take care of business.

In other news, I have 'invested' in yet another golf GPS watch. The Bushnell Neo XS. More on that next.

Quick one!

For those of us who don't have the luxury of the Golf Channel on Astro (I know it's only RM10.00 but it's the principle of having to pay for a 'sports' channel when I already subscribe to the sports package), fear not!

The Masters 2015 at Augusta is being broadcast on Fox sports! Check out the programming schedule here.

Jordan Spieth started his Masters bid with an almost flawless round of 64 (-8 and the one lone bogey) to open up a 3 stroke lead at the top. Fearless and confident this young man. Plenty of golf left to be played and a number of players who can conjure up magic heading into round 2. Nice to see Tiger back in action and on a day when his long game was rather awry, it was his short game that kept him in it.

Lack of Etiquette

Now this interesting article on Golf Digest caught my eye.

It seems, the Swedish Golf Federation ("SGF") has banned a Swedish Golfer from playing golf, on any course in Sweden for ... 12 months! That's a whole year without golf! 

The reason for the ban? The golfer in question "hit a shot that struck someone's hand in the group in front of him." 

The golfer in appealing his sentence, reasoned that he had waited until the green had cleared before hitting the shot but the SGF upheld the penalty anyway. 

Curious just how far away the injured golfer was from the green, but serves the offender right all the same if you ask me. 

Well, there's always the driving range, simulators or playing abroad I suppose Hyuk hyuk.

Can you imagine though if such a thing happened in Malaysia? Pandemonium would erupt! 

Do you think the ban was too harsh a punishment?

Maybank Malaysian Open 2015

It's been a while since my last post but I just got back from a short trip to Kuala Lumpur, so there will be a number of updates soon!

I will start off with some of the action from the Maybank Malaysian Open 2015 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. 

The Malaysian Open 2015 (Sponsored now by Maybank) started in 1962 and was sanctioned by the European Tour in 1999. Since it's inception, the tournament has seen some of Golf's biggest name win. Past winners include, Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen, Vijay Singh, Thongcai Jaidee to name a few. Tournament fact sheet here.

Sanctioned by the European Tour and the Asian Tour, this years edition of the Maybank Malaysian Open saw a field of 156 players from the European and Asian Tour (headlined by defending champion Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Paul McGinley, past winner Thongcai Jaidee and perhaps the coolest man in golf, Miguel Angel Jimenez) compete for the coveted trophy and a share of the increased purse of $3,000,000.

22 Malaysians also made the field led by Danny Chia as highest ranked Malaysian.

I will be honest. The field wasn't impressive and that's why I wasn't encouraged initially. But as it turned out, I needed to be in Kuala Lumpur at the time and tickets weren't expensive. So why not? 

It might have lacked the glamour of the PGA sanctioned CIMB Classic ($7 million purse) but there was still plenty of fantastic golf to be played. With a lesser crowd, it was easier to get around too and (knowing me) I managed to get a few autographs and pictures with the stars.

The yellow cap was signed by Paul McGinley, Tommy Fleetwood, Miguel Jimenez and past winner Matteo Mannesero

  

Miguel Angel Jimenez warming up, with a cigar no less.

I had seen Lee Westwood in action during the CIMB Classic so I decided to follow Graeme McDowell, who I have to say is the consummate professional. I have seen him in interviews on the telly and he seemed like a really approachable and all round nice guy. 

 Lee Westwood at the driving range

Scott Hend, Miguel Jimenez and G.Mac on day 1

So it was great to actually get to meet him in person and he was friendly and super obliging when it came to pleasing the fans. People would catch him when he was warming up or practicing and I didn't see him turn anyone away. 

On day 2, he stepped off the practice green to get to the first tee-box and he was stopped by a fan who asked for a picture. He actually stopped to have his picture taken right before his tee-off time! 

He was well within reason to say "No, sorry. I will get you later after the game." but he didn't. 

Oh, just G.Mac and me (I need to lose some weight...) 

There was hardly anyone at the scoring zone after Day 1 and those who waited got autographs and pictures with G.Mac. As I mentioned previously, Day 1 is always the best time to meet the players.

The Par 3, 15th - 4 aces during the 4 days.

Unfortunately, he didn't do very well after day 1. Might have been the scorching heat (and it was HOTTT!) but even then, he kept grinding and still responded when fans cheered him on.

View from the 9th tee box.

G.Mac teeing off

The Voice Caddie T1 watch has a function that measures your shot and I was curious to see how far G.Mac hit his hybrid on the 9th tee.

So I decided to track it on day 1 and voila!~ The watch showed "213 meters". But I had to factor in the fact that I was standing at least 10 meters in front of the tee box and slightly behind his ball in the above pic. So give and take, I would say G.Mac hit his hybrid a whopping 220 meters (I am assuming he was gaming the Adams a7 - 22*). 

The green at the 14th 

What about our local boys? you ask. There's Danny Chia who's had a great start to the season and future pro, Gavin Green. Both finished respectfully tied for 25th place. Looking forward to see how Gavin performs when he eventually turns pro.

I recognized a few other faces who feature on the local PGM circuit (R. Nachimuthu, Kamerol Baharin, Khor Kheng Hwai to name a few). Nachi (as he is fondly called) looked really happy to be there and you could tell he was appreciative of the support. 

Caught Kamerol (above pic) crossing over to the 1st tee box and struck up a brief conversation about his game and course conditions prior to his tee - off. Very pleasant chap as well. Shook his hand and wished him good luck before he teed off and when he did, he was certainly giving his  Asian / European Tour flight mates a run for their money with the big stick! 

Wasn't there for Day 4 but managed to catch the live updates and subsequent highlights and it was Anirban Lahiri (5 time Asian Tour winner) who pulled off an unexpected and stunning win. (What about that lengthy birdie putt from off the green on the 17th to grab the outright lead?) 

Anirban stormed into contention after carding a scintillating 62 (-10) and started the final day 5 strokes behind leader Bernd Weisberger. 

The European Tour Rookie closed with a 68 (-4) to earn a 1 stroke victory (-16 total), to bag his biggest win to date. ($500,000.00 in prize money and an invitation to the Masters - not too shabby hey)

Glad I caught him before his round on Day 3 for a quick autograph. Congratulations once more to Anirban!

Also managed to play some night golf at Monterez, took on the limestone mountains at Templer Park and had a taste of perfection at Palm IOI. Those posts next!