Abu Dhabi spreads its influence.. again

As the sound of cork on willow can be heard across the desert and big bucks are earned at the HSBC Golf Championship this week, Abu Dhabi is the place to be, and indeed the place to compete. It's now well known to most sports fans that the Gulf has grown into a major hub of events; an annual visit to Dubai or Abu Dhabi for a professional sportsman is now routine.

Abu Dhabi has undoubtedly grown under the radar. Dubai was once the capital of business in this region but since the influx of sports events and incredible infrastructure in Abu Dhabi, Dubai has lost lost in lustre (in relative terms).

It's no mean feat to bag the rights to 3 European Tour events in a year, especially if it's mainly tourists that play the championship courses. You only have to look at the the kind of golfers attracted to this tournament to see the weight it has on tour. Even Tiger Woods is playing this year. It's an exciting place, there's no question, but is it not a little unfair that the UAE hosts 3 tournaments and England only hosts 1? I think that's a debate for another time.

Cricket has now become a major feature in Abu Dhabi. International and domestic teams flock there to play one-off matches, host pre-season tours, or in Pakistan's case use it as a home ground. The main catalyst of this presence is of course the heavy infrastructure and investment. And this investment can be exemplified by the building of the Ya Marina Circuit, the annual host of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

It is also no surprise that Manchester City football club have a lucrative partnership with Abu Dhabi, a partnership that extends its influence all over the world.

Abu Dhabi and the UAE in general, whether you like it or not, is the hub of the sporting world and is at the forefront of infrastructure and technological advances. It may go against sporting traditionalism but there is no doubt this hidden area of the world will influence global sport for a long time to come.

A high price to pay

The question of price in golf is a common one. In the past it was a game of those only that had the spare cash in their pockets, now its a much more accessible game and infinitely better for it. But for me the cost of a annual membership at a golf club, especially in these scarce times, is untenable. Yes, people still play golf in a recession but it is much more difficult and if clubs don't adjust to accommodate the average golfer then they're stuck in the past. People are going to the driving range rather than fork out for a round of golf.

As a student I try embarrassingly hard to get value for my money and although I would love to be a playing member at my local club I just can't afford it. I know for a fact this particular club doesn't have many junior or under-25 members and it is detrimental to the young people that enjoy their golf and desperately want to improve but can't afford the steep prices. A gap in the golf market is clearly there but it seems no one wants to fill it!

The Wonders of ESPN Classic

After coming home from university in early December I sat down and simply watched the most entertaining rugby union match I'd ever seen, it was the Barbarians v New Zealand at Cardiff in 1973. I'd sampled the delights of ESPN Classic before, enjoying the likes of Bob Willis bowling at the Australians and Muhammad Ali fighting Joe Frazier but I had never seen anything like this before. If anyone has seen this match you'd know what I'm talking about.

Swashbuckling, daring, fearless; those are the words I'd use to describe both sides as these amateur players scythed through defenses. Forget Quade Cooper, if you really want to know how to sidestep watch this. Did I mention the first Barbarians try is widely regarded as the best try ever?
I don't want to go on about it but basically if you're a fan of rugby this game is a must-see!

I've attached the link just to be nice, enjoy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwCbG4I0QyA&feature=player_embedded

Great end to a great year

Great final performances from Woods and Quiros but an Englishman dominates going into 2012.

Firstly, a win for Tiger Woods. His first win in over two years, his 83rd worldwide, a win that could turn out to be the most important of his career. At his own tournament, the Chevron World Challenge, he finally performed to his ability and pulled it out bag. It was a long, long dry spell for one of the best players of all time but I think he's back and professional golf is about to get a whole lot more exciting.

The European Tour ends with the Dubai World Championship at the moment and will host the last event another 3 years. With a purse of no less than $7.5 million, the championship is a massive game changer in terms of the European money list/Race to Dubai. This year's championship was won by the effervescent Alvaro Quiros, the fiery Spaniard is nicely racking up his number of European tour wins. Quiros led going into the final day by 2 shots and during the final round Paul Lawrie put immense pressure on him but his attack dwindled towards the end. Quiros reached the 18th a shot clear of Lawrie and on the par 5 18th played an outrageous 3-wood approach to the green whilst everyone else was laying up; apparently there's no word for lay-up in Spanish. He eventually sunk his birdie putt and came away as champion, and $1.2 million richer.

Through all the extravagance of Dubai and middle-eastern hype, one man shone among others, and that was Luke Donald. The pressure was on 4 days ago when he was on the cusp of becoming the first man to come top of both money lists either side of the Atlantic. Rory McIlroy stood in his way but unfortunately for McIlroy a unknown virus had taken hold and he just didn't have the energy to compete.

It was absolutely typical of Donald to perform like he did in Dubai; staying in the hunt in the first 2 rounds then moving into the weekend with 2 awesome rounds of 66 to push him into contention, or at least into the top 10. He finished in 3rd in the championship and clearly number 1 everywhere else.

His consistency has been the key and even though he hasn't bagged his first major yet he is at last showing signs of the mentality of champions, the mentality so pivotal to great golfers. No one else has come close during 2011 and its incredible that he is the first man ever to come top on both tours. Now all that's left this year is the Sports Personality of the Year award, if Luke doesn't win i'll eat my Titleist beanie!