On Tuesday evening, I went to the 9 hole par 3 challenge ~ six of the top players were grouped together in groups of two. The players were putting on a short game clinic! It was nice to see them joking, interacting with the crowds, and just having a good time. There were not a lot of people, so we could get close to the tee boxes, and putting greens. As I was trying to find my way to the metro, I found that I was right in front of Tiger Woods - and I was star struck.
Chloe: Hi Tiger!
Tiger: Hey, hows it going?
Chloe: Oh not bad, yourself?
Tiger: Pretty good, thanks
Chloe: Good game out there
~ in hindsight, obviously I could have thought of something a little more clever, intelligent, meaningful, but it happened so suddenly that it was that or nothing...
The pro-am took place on Wednesday, and the real tourney began on Thursday from Sunday. The funny thing is that the weekend here is Friday and Saturday, so to see the end of the final day, many people had to ditch work (all in the name of networking of course). I went Thursday afternoon, and followed Lee Westwood, Martin Khamer, and Tiger Woods - the number 1, 2 and 3 ranked players in the world...what a grouping! Then, over the course of the next four days, I watched various groupings, but kept my focus on Tiger and Sergio Garcia. On Sunday, they were paired together - so it was quite the pairing!!!
Each day I went by myself, and did as I pleased, but I got to meet quite a few interesting people along the way. There were really not too many spectators so it was easy to get nice and close to the players - a few times I could smell their sweat. Considering there were plenty of signs saying no cell phones or cameras - it seemed every second person was either snapping a photo or using their cell phone, or both ! The caddies and golf staff were continuously telling people to stop...but it seemed the fans didnt care. A few times, you could see the players getting frustrated - and with reason. It made me think of the times that I was on the golf course, and someone on the course with me either talked, sneezed or moved while I was putting or in mid-swing; and, the small bit of frustration or twinge I felt at that moment...well, just image that but magnified by thousands...WOW! I do understand that the players get payed millions of dollars to play a sport they enjoy & excel in, but still - having people so close and always wanting a picture must be distracting. The pressure alone would be enough to drive some people mental...
Being at the tourney was almost like a mini-getaway. This golf course is rather amazing - it is right in the city, and from many views, you can see the tall skyscrapers in the background. Green grass, palm trees, shrubbery all in the middle of the desert ~ not the most ecofriendly haha. In addition, the course is fully lit at night and stays open quite late since it gets just too hot to play in midday in the summer. For some reason, the golf course reminded me of the times I would go golfing in Florida with Pepere, my parents and family ~ maybe the palm trees and smells ~ but it brought back beautiful memories.
To be honest, I thought Tiger was going to win - or at least, I really wanted him to. For most people that know me, you know that I don't care what he has done off the golf course because at the end of the day, he is still the best athlete my generation will ever see. I think it will be a long time before we see anyone rise to fame and be as successful and influential in any sport as Tiger has been...and at the end of the day, he has done so much for the game of golf, sports history, and given large amounts to various charities - that I can easily overlook his indiscretions (if thats what we'll call them...) Quite simply, to see him live was outstanding - he is much more impressive, athletic, handsome and fit in real life than you can imagine on tv or in the pictures. I will say that he did shine during some shots and moments on the course, but he seemed to lack that certain drive to win - that Tiger look in his eyes. He made a small surge to the top of the leaderboard, but could not manage to do anything with it - and was not able to pull through on Sunday, as he is so famous for. I wont soon forget seeing him smiling, interacting with the children, the classic fistpump on the 18th on the Saturday as he birdied, or watching him determined on Sunday in red.
Another aspect that was rather impressive was the amount of staff, volunteers and media people needed to capture this event. You never know who is going to hit an amazing shot, so there better be cameras every where taping just in case. For instance, the winner Quiroz had a hole in one on the 11th hole...All in all it was a fabulous event ~ money & time well spent ! For anyone who has not yet seen an event live that loves golf, I would highly recommend it...for those that arent into golf, there are always the beer stands ;)
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This week a Prophets birthday is today Valentine's Day so it is dry - no alcohol. Effectively, many places have postponed vday until tomorrow...but, Thursday we have a day off to celebrate ! yippee - happy birthday Mr. Prophet !
Tiesto is spinning in Abu Dhabi this weekend too for only $40CDN so I might go check that out...bring back The Life of the Party...uae styles...
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XOX <3 XOX
Hi Chloe,
ReplyDeleteGlad to see that you are having a great time and taking advantage of every opportunity to make your new career a go! How exciting the golf tournament sounds! And to actually have spoken to Tiger!!!