Texas Scramble challenge match

A star-studded team of Graeme McDowell, Charley Hull and Hamza Amin reigned victorious at today’s RUMANZA Inaugural Challenge Match – celebrating the opening of Pakistan’s 1st signature golf course, the Rumanza Golf & Country Club – and a new era of golfing excellence in Pakistan.

Result

We witnessed an extraordinary Texas Scramble challenge match earlier today with Team Hull (Charley Hull, Graeme McDowell and Humza Amin) shooting an impressive 14-under par to take the win ahead of Team Rafa (Rafa Cabrera Bello, Ahmed Baig and Humna Amjed).

Flanked by a large crowd of fans, the players made their way around Sir Nick Faldo’s latest architectural masterpiece, with fireworks coming early on in the 7,533-yard, par-72 RUMANZA course.

“We got off to a fast start with an eagle on Two. We were very fortunate to have Charley driving the ball extremely well, allowing us to go into some par-5’s with short irons. Team Rafa and his crew kept it close, and it was nice to come up the last with a 1-shot lead to see what we could do. It was a lot of fun.” commented Graeme McDowell

Pro-Am

The action on-course teed off with a shotgun start Pro-Am competition featuring 60 players – the first tournament ever played at the RUMANZA Golf and Country Club.

Reigning victorious was the four-ball led by professionals Khalid Khan and Shahid Javed Khan and made up of Mr. Usman Akram and Mrs. Lindsay Lady Faldo who carded a score of 51 points.

About

The Rumanza Golf Course was opened up for golfing action over the weekend through an exciting international event labelled as the Rumanza Inaugural and the international stars who illuminated the golf course with their presence included six times major winner Sir Nick Faldo and also there was 2010 United States Open champion and four times PGA Tour winner Graeme Mcdowell from Northern Ireland. Another celebrity golfer competing alongside was 2021 Spanish Open winner and European Ryder Cup star Rafa Cabrera from Spain. To add feminine colour was the six times European Tour winner Charlie Hull whose mere presence on the golf course was an athletic site and she turned out to be an inspiration for the golfing fans and in particular golf playing women of Pakistan, many of whom were there for coaching tips and intimate closeness.

Graeme added: “One of things I’ve felt this week is the passion and the intensity for wanting success in Pakistan golf. What DHA Multan has done in creating the first world-class facility here in Pakistan is that it gives these players the opportunity to play on the type of course that they can expect to see on the Tours. Having had the chance to spend time with the young talent here in Pakistan, it’s only a matter of time until these guys move to the next level.”

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Result
Graeme up his opening three-under 68 with a three-over 74 that left him on level par and not enough to make the -2 cut.

Graeme holed one of the longest putts of his career on Day 1 — a monster 88-footer on the short par four 17th, which left him with a three-under 68 that left him tied 18th, just three shots off the lead.

“I mean, obviously watching it on TV, heard the guys talking about it, this is a quite the show here, quite the party and quite the atmosphere,” Graeme said when explaining why he’s returned to the event. “I mean, we played early this morning, so I got to see 16 fairly benign. We’ll play it tomorrow afternoon a little later on when I’m sure there will be a few beverages starting to flow, and the atmosphere should be a lot of fun.

“But the golf course is sensational. I’m not sure I’ve seen a better-conditioned golf course than this one and it’s playing firm and fast, which kind of suits my game a little bit. The greens are fantastic and it’s been one of those weeks where I’m trying to wonder why it’s been 16 years since I’ve been here.”

The 2010 US Open champion made his first birdie of the day when he knocked in a 12-footer in the amphitheatre that is the par-three 16th, which was well below its 20,000 capacity at 10.30am.

But he was soon whipping up a storm at the driveable 348-yard 17th, where he drove into a fairway bunker, splashed out to 88 feet and holed the unlikely birdie putt – his longest on record on the PGA Tour since he made one from 75 feet in the first round of the 2014 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

“This might be the most ridiculous three I ever made in my life,” Graeme said. “I drove it in the right-hand fairway bunker, and I mean this putt is just greased lightning. It’s a marble staircase down there.

“I would have probably paid you about a thousand bucks for a four out of that right bunker after my tee shot, but three is outrageous. A lot of fun though.

“And to birdie 16 and 17, 16 my first time playing it in the kind of stadium like that was fun and, like I say, I look forward to getting back out tomorrow.”

Graeme bogeyed the 18th but then hit a 193-yard approach to five feet at the first to get back to two-under before two-putting for another birdie at the par-five third.

Ranked 358th in the world, he’s missed 26 of 41 cuts (63 per cent) since he won the Saudi International in 2020 and he’s trying to ease the pressure on his shoulders as he is exempt for winning the 2019 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship runs out at the end of this season.

“For me it’s just day by day at the minute,” Graeme said. “I’m just really trying to layer good days on good days. And it’s been a really tough 18 months, and I’m really just trying to keep things simple, just work hard, have good days, hopefully, those will add up to being in contention, and I’ll give myself some chances to win.

“That’s really just the goal at the minute is just to try and be as patient as I can.”

“This is a quite the show here, quite the party and quite the atmosphere.”

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Result
Graeme missed the cut at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, near Jeddah with rounds of 73 and 73 leaving him off the pace with a score of +6.

Earlier in the week Graeme visited The World Academy in King Abdullah Economic City and treated students to a lesson. Golf Saudi utilises the scheme ‘Starting New at Golf’ certification programme which includes all the basics of golf, helping to teach beginners and build-up their skills.

Graeme said: “It’s exciting to come back to Saudi Arabia, a country that’s investing so much in golf and is constantly trying make the game accessible to kids of all ages. In some countries we visit, golf is part of the culture and in some countries, it’s just not part of the culture at all. Everything Golf Saudi is doing here to try to grow the game in the Kingdom has been impressive and the small part what we play coming here and playing and competing at this great tournament is an important part of that kind of growth in the culture.

“It was a really important victory for me back in 2020. It got me where I want to be in the sport. It’s always great to come back to a place and play where you had good memories. It’s really inspiring.”

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Result
Graeme finished in a tie for 40th place at the Pete Dye Stadium Course, CA.

He got off to a great start with a 66 followed by a 69 to comfortably make the weekend, five shots back of the lead on nine-under overall. A 3rd round of 73 dropped Graeme back but he rallied on the final day with a 70 to finish with a respectable score.

Speaking after Day 1:

“I’m just continuing to build,” McDowell said after another promising day with the putter. “It’s obviously difficult coming to these courses for the first time (since 2003) and some of these nuances that we don’t know, but the wind kicked up for the last hour and a half, which made that back nine playing a little more difficult coming in.

“After that innocuous little double on the eighth hole— which is a short part three which had a really evil little pin position — to shake that off and still make six birdies was pleasing. So I’m happy enough and looking forward to getting back at it tomorrow.”

Graeme is playing in Palm Springs for the first time since 2003 before heading to Saudi Arabia in a fortnight for the Saudi International, and he’s hoping to build some confidence.

“The Middle East with Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, it’s always a good place to start the year,” said the Portrush man, who started his season with some good golf in last week’s Sony Open in Hawaii, despite eventually missing the cut by one stroke.

“It’s always a nice place to go start the year, but this is like the desert swing PGA Tour-style. And to be honest with you, I really really like it here. It won’t be 18 years before I come back.

“The golf courses allow you to make birdies if you play well and you can get some confidence rolling early in the season, which is very important for a guy like me right now where confidence is key.”

With the top 70 and ties after tomorrow’s third round qualifying for the final round on the Stadium Course, Graeme does not mind facing the tougher of the three venues on moving day.

“I was a bit disappointed that I was going to have the toughest golf course on the toughest day, but in a funny way, when there is so much scoring to be done this week, do you mind tough and tough?” he asked. “Or do you want one of the easier courses playing tough?

“Obviously, we’ve all got to play the three rounds, and it’s just the luck of the draw, but I am looking forward to being out there on the Stadium Course, flighting the ball around and hitting some three-quarter control type irons.”

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Result
Graeme misses the cut in his 2022 Season opener at the Sony Open in Hawaii with rounds of 70 and 66 and a score of -4. The cut line was set at -2.

Speak after his 2nd round Graeme said: “It’s a very important year so I wanted to be ready out of the gates,” ,“It was disappointing to make six at two but I was really happy to come back and make six birdies in the next 16 holes.”

One of the game’s most admired journalists and original insiders was honored at the Sony Open this week, as PGA Tour players, caddies, officials and media members are wearing purple ribbons to pay tribute to the late Tim Rosaforte, who died on Tuesday due to complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 66 .

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Result
Graeme missed the cut at the RSM Classic as he closed out his year with a four-over 76 that left him six strokes outside the cut mark on two-over. In his first round, Graeme hit 13 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation, finishing at 2 under for the day.

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Result
After a solid first round of 68, Graeme shot a second round 75 which wasn’t enough to make the cut  at the Memorial Park Golf Club. After being the right side of the cut line his second round was halted by weather on the 12th, but two bogeys after he came back out ensured he finished on +3 overall, the cut was set at +1.

Stats
In his first round, Graeme hit 6 of 13 fairways and 12 of 18 greens in regulation, finishing at 2 under for the day tied for 17th at 2 under. In his second round he hit 7 of 13 fairways and 11 of 18 greens in regulation.

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Result

Graeme missed the cut at the El Camaleón Golf Club at Mayakoba with rounds of  70 and 71.

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Result
Graeme finished T12 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship with rounds of 70,67,67 and 70, going into the clubhouse with a score of -10.

“This is a really important four weeks for me,”

“We had very difficult conditions this week, obviously Thursday and today. But I really enjoyed the week, and it’s great prep for next week at Mayakoba, where I’ve won before.

“I really wanted to come in and start this little run off the right way, and I’ve done that. I’m disappointed that I couldn’t get out there and do better today, but it was very difficult conditions, and I was happy to hang in there and shoot one under.

“You still want you to be finishing with top tens and top 15’s out here even against weaker fields like this one because the standard on Tour is incredibly high.

“You have to be very focused and you have to have the right attitude. I had the right attitude this week and it gets this four-week run off to the right start for me and hopefully, I can continue to build.

“I need to be out there feeling a little bit under pressure and feeling the juices flowing a little bit. I’ve got a climb back up the ladder again. If that means feeling a little under pressure finishing top 15 here in Bermuda, that’s just a step in the right direction.”

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Result
Graeme finished in 71st Place at the Shriners Children’s Open on +1 with rounds of 70, 66, 74 and 75. The highlight was a blistering back nine on Day 2, with five birdies in seven holes between the 10th and 16th holes which ensured he would be around for the weekend.

Day 4
In his final round at the Shriners Children’s Open, Graeme McDowell hit 13 of 14 fairways and 10 of 18 greens in regulation, finishing at 1 over for the tournament. McDowell finished his day in 71st at 1 over; Sungjae Im is in 1st at 24 under; Matthew Wolff is in 2nd at 20 under; and Rory Sabbatini, Adam Schenk, and Marc Leishman are tied for 3rd at 19 under.

At the 469-yard par-4 second, McDowell got on in 2 and missed his par putt from 6 feet, finishing with a 3-putt bogey. This moved McDowell to 1 over for the round.

McDowell got a bogey on the 492-yard par-4 third, getting on the green in 3 and two putting, moving McDowell to 2 over for the round.

On the 430-yard par-4 sixth, McDowell had a double bogey after hitting the green in 4 and two putting, moving McDowell to 4 over for the round.

On the 239-yard par-3 eighth, McDowell’s tee shot went 236 yards to the left side of the fairway and his chip went 24 yards to the green where he rolled a two-putt for bogey. This moved him to 5 over for the round.

On the par-4 10th, McDowell’s 133 yard approach to 11 feet set himself up for the birdie on the hole. This moved McDowell to 4 over for the round.

McDowell got a bogey on the 448-yard par-4 11th, getting on the green in 3 and two putting, moving McDowell to 5 over for the round.

After a 285 yard drive on the 560-yard par-5 16th, McDowell chipped his third shot to 2 feet, which he rolled for one-putt birdie on the hole. This moved McDowell to 4 over for the round.

Day 3
Graeme McDowell hit 12 of 18 greens in regulation during his third round at the Shriners Children’s Open, finishing at 3 under for the tournament. McDowell finished his day tied for 70th at 3 under; Adam Schenk is in 1st at 18 under; Matthew Wolff is in 2nd at 17 under; and Chad Ramey, Sam Burns, and Andrew Putnam are tied for 3rd at 16 under.

After a drive to the left side of the fairway on the 408-yard par-4 first hole, McDowell had a 142 yard approach shot, setting himself up for the birdie. This moved McDowell to 1 under for the round.

At the 469-yard par-4 second, McDowell reached the green in 2 and rolled a 40-foot putt for birdie. This put McDowell at 2 under for the round.

On the 197-yard par-3 fifth, McDowell’s tee shot went 188 yards to the right side of the fairway and his chip went 15 yards to the green where he rolled a two-putt for bogey. This moved him to 1 under for the round.

After hitting his tee shot into the native area, McDowell hit his next to the left side of the fairway and reached the green on his fourth shot, rolling a one-putt bogey on the 430-yard par-4 sixth. This moved McDowell to even for the round.

On the 448-yard par-4 11th, McDowell had a bogey after hitting the green in 3 and two putting, moving McDowell to 1 over for the round.

On the 168-yard par-3 14th, McDowell’s tee shot went 178 yards to the right side of the fairway and his chip went 13 yards to the green where he rolled a two-putt for bogey. This moved him to 2 over for the round.

After a 275 yard drive on the 341-yard par-4 15th, McDowell chipped his second shot to 9 feet, which he rolled for one-putt birdie on the hole. This moved McDowell to 1 over for the round.

After a 272 yard drive on the 560-yard par-5 16th, McDowell chipped his third shot to 2 feet, which he rolled for one-putt birdie on the hole. This moved McDowell to even-par for the round.

After a tee shot at the 196-yard par-3 17th green, McDowell suffered from a tough three-putt after missing a putt from 6-feet for a par and finished with a bogey. This put McDowell at 1 over for the round.

Day 2
In his second round at the Shriners Children’s Open, Graeme McDowell hit 10 of 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation, finishing at 6 under for the tournament. McDowell finished his day tied for 42nd at 6 under; Chad Ramey and Sungjae Im are tied for 1st at 14 under; Sam Burns and Adam Schenk are tied for 3rd at 13 under; and Aaron Wise is in 5th at 12 under.

McDowell got a bogey on the 450-yard par-4 fourth, getting on the green in 4 and one putting, moving McDowell to 1 over for the round.

At the 382-yard par-4 seventh, McDowell reached the green in 2 and rolled a 35-foot putt for birdie. This put McDowell at even-par for the round.

On the par-4 10th, McDowell’s 133 yard approach to 15 feet set himself up for the birdie on the hole. This moved McDowell to 1 under for the round.

After a drive to the right side of the fairway on the 448-yard par-4 11th hole, McDowell had a 196 yard approach shot, setting himself up for the birdie. This moved McDowell to 2 under for the round.

On the 442-yard par-4 12th hole, McDowell reached the green in 2 and sunk a 18-foot putt for birdie. This was his 3rd under-par hole in a row and moved McDowell to 3 under for the round.

At the 341-yard par-4 15th, McDowell reached the green in 2 and rolled a 34-foot putt for birdie. This put McDowell at 4 under for the round.

After a 275 yard drive on the 560-yard par-5 16th, McDowell chipped his third shot to 8 feet, which he rolled for one-putt birdie on the hole. This moved McDowell to 5 under for the round.

Day 1
Graeme McDowell hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation during his first round at the Shriners Children’s Open, finishing at 1 under for the tournament. McDowell finished his day tied for 99th at 1 under; Sung Kang is in 1st at 10 under; Chad Ramey, Charley Hoffman, and Sungjae Im are tied for 2nd at 8 under; and Talor Gooch, Matt Jones, Adam Schenk, Chesson Hadley, and Matthew Wolff are tied for 5th at 7 under.

At the 420-yard par-4 10th, McDowell got on in 2 and missed his par putt from 8 feet, finishing with a 3-putt bogey. This moved McDowell to 1 over for the round.

After a drive to the left rough on the 606-yard par-5 13th hole, McDowell hit an approach shot from 94 yards to 9 feet, setting himself up for the birdie on the hole. This moved McDowell to even for the round.

On the 560-yard par-5 16th hole, McDowell reached the green in 3 and sunk a 15-inch putt for birdie. This moved McDowell to 1 under for the round.

On the 469-yard par-4 second hole, McDowell reached the green in 2 and sunk a 23-foot putt for birdie. This moved McDowell to 1 under for the round.

On the 197-yard par-3 fifth, McDowell’s tee shot went 218 yards to the right side of the fairway and his chip went 14 yards to the green where he rolled a two-putt for bogey. This moved him to even-par for the round.

On the 563-yard par-5 ninth hole, McDowell reached the green in 3 and sunk a 4-foot putt for birdie. This moved McDowell to 1 under for the round.

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