It’s extremely disappointing to have to start this week’s report with news of my withdrawal from the Thailand Golf Championship due to an ankle injury.
It’s one of those situations where you can’t afford to take any chances. The important thing now is to get the right treatment and be 100 per cent ready for the start of the new season in January. Of course, I was really looking forward to playing in Thailand this week. It is considered the Asian Tour’s flagship tournament and I think the combination of a strong international line up – guys like Bubba, Sergio, Martin Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Victor Dubuisson – alongside Asia’s finest young and established players, makes for an enticing, competitive week. You can see a few battles from this year’s EurAsia Cup perhaps being re-joined! The course looks amazing, too. Amata Spring CC has been voted the Asian Tour’s venue of the year for three successive seasons and there’s no doubt the players and the fans are in for a real treat. I send them all my best wishes.
The same is true of the Asian Tour’s Dubai Open Golf Championship, which we’re excited to say is being played at The Els Club Dubai next week. It’s been our goal to host a professional tour event at The Els Club Dubai ever since the course first opened for play in 2008 and it now becomes the fourth golf course in the Ernie Els Design portfolio to do so, after The Els Club Copperleaf (Tshwane Open), Anahita Four Seasons Golf Resort (Mauritius Golf Masters) and Wentworth West Course (BMW PGA Championship). As we referenced in my blog last month, we’ll be looking to increase that number to five by bringing an Asian Tour event to The Els Club Teluk Datai, hopefully in the not-too-distant future.
Anyway, the guys in Dubai have kept the course in great shape every year and they are so ready for this golf tournament. This is our chance to show the world what a fantastic facility this is and we couldn’t be more proud. If you’re in Dubai next week with plans to attend the tournament, do also pay a visit to the Championship Village, which is open on Friday and Saturday (19th and 20th). It will feature various fun sporting challenges, kids’ zones, DJs, food from around the world, a well-stocked bar, many retail opportunities and a grand raffle. It’s free entry for all, with a concert and ‘picnic in the park’ on Saturday from 7.30pm.
For me, last week was pretty quiet aside from a couple of sponsors’ engagements, both of which took place here at The Bear’s Club. First off we shot a commercial for ECCO golf shoes. Thanks to Jesper Thuen and the rest of the team for making that such an enjoyable day. We then spent some time with the guys at Breitling USA, which was a lot of fun and included meeting Mark Kelly, Space Shuttle Commander of four space missions. He’s a great guy and it was fascinating talking to him.
With me missing the Thailand Golf Championship, the off-season starts properly this week and, as usual, it’ll be a time for relaxing, spending time with the family and working on my fitness and conditioning. That bit in particular has added significance with this recent ankle injury, so we’ll be getting some more advice on that and making sure that my rehab is as swift and effective as possible.
Just one more thing before signing off and that’s to say thanks to everyone who supported Els for Autism through last week’s #GivingTuesday campaign. As always, we’re so grateful to everyone out there who does their bit for this worthy cause, which is so close to our hearts and is helping so many people on the autism spectrum.
That’s it for now. Follow me on Twitter @TheBig_Easy
