FALDO SAYS RORY IS TAKING A CHANCE IN CHANGING FROM TITLEIST TO NIKE CLUBS

FROM THE GOLF DIGEST.COM WEBSITE
By John Strege
News that Rory McIlroy will be changing equipment companies has resurrected an old debate about the wisdom of an elite player doing so while at the top of his game.

"I call it dangerous," Nick Faldo said on Golf Channel's "Morning Drive" when he heard the news.
 "I've changed clubs and changed equipment, and every manufacturer will say, 'We can copy your clubs, we can tweak the golf ball so it fits you.' But there's feel and sound as well, and there's confidence. You can't put a real value on that. It's priceless."

McIlroy, 23 and No. 1 in the World Ranking, announced today that he will not re-sign with the Acushnet Company, manufacturer of the Titleist equipment that he has used throughout his professional career.
"You have to be very, very careful," Faldo said. "You easily could go off and do this and it messes you up because it just doesn't quite feel the same."
The example of how things can go wrong often cited is the late Payne Stewart, who endured a season-long slump in 1994 after leaving Wilson and accepting a lucrative contract to play Spalding equipment.
He fell from sixth on the money list in '93 to 123rd in '94.
Other stars, meanwhile, have had no particular problem with the transition to a new equipment company.
Tiger Woods went from Mizuno irons as an amateur, to Titleist irons early in his professional career, and to Nike irons in late 2004 with no discernible effect.
Phil Mickelson has twice changed equipment companies, including his switch from Titleist to Callaway late in 2004. He won four times, including the US PGA Championship, in 2005.

GOLF IN PORTUGAL IS GOING TO GET MORE EXPENSIVE BECAUSE OF TAXES

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Colin@scottishgolfview.com 
(Who has just returned from a 14-day holiday on the Algarve).
Expect the green fees to be a good deal higher than they are at the moment when you return to Portugal's great golfing destination, the Algarve, next year.
When I was a cub reporter many moons ago, a senior journalist gave me two tips to follow on my golf travels.
One was to read noticeboards in the clubhouses I visit. Useful way to discover "stories" that deserve more prominence than within club membership.
The other was to read the sports pages of local newspapers when I was in different parts of the country.
Those habits have stayed with me over more than five decades of sports journalism.
So it was I discovered the following article in The Portugal News last Friday:

PORTUGUESE COURSE OWNERS FACE HUGE
TAX BILLS THEY WILL HAVE TO PASS ON 
 
Golf courses across the country (Portugal) are faced with enormous outstanding bills to the taxman due to their incorrect application of a perceived 17 per cent reduction in VAT which never was.   
Dozen of golf-course owners in Portugal are currently grappling with outstanding tax debts, estimated to stretch into millions of Euros.
In 2010, Portugal's then Socialist Government announced VAT would be increased from six to 23 per cent for the following year (2011).
Strenuous lobbying by golf associations had seeminly resulted in the imposition of a moratorium of the VAT hike, allowing course-owning bodies, many of whom were faced with fast depleting revenues from visitor green fees and strong competition from other Mediterranean golf holiday destinations, not to increase the cost of visitors' green fees.
Golf course owners were misled by Portugal's National Council for the Golf Industry who advised them to continue charging green fees at the rate of six per cent VAT.
It has since emerged that this was very bad advice - the VAT rate of 23 per cent should have been applied since 2011 on the green fees.
Now the cash-strapped Portuguese Government's Treasury is demanding that the unpaid tax be paid by the course owners sooner rather than later.
"i cannot see how the courses will manage to repay these unpaid tax debts," said Manuel Agrellos, chairman of the Portuguese Golf Federation.
"I cannot see a fiscal pardon being granted at this stage."
       
  

DODD AND HARROLD NECK AND NECK IN MENA TOUR FINALE

FROM THE MENA TOUR WEBSITE
Stephen Dodd once again turned in a dominant performance to move a step closer to winning the MENA Tour Championship at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club, Saudi Arabia today.
The experienced Welshman followed his course recording-breaking 64 on Monday with a six-under 65 to go 13-under and stay level with England's William Harrold as nothing could separate the two front-runners who went neck-and-neck till the 36th hole. Dodd, a three-time winner on the European Tour, had his chances to take solo lead, but a "silly" double bogey on the par-5 10th, undermined what would been a second bogey-free round on the trot like that of Harrold, his playing partner for the day.
'Local boy' Simon Dunn produced the best score of the day, a 64, to charge up the leaderboard at nine under, one ahead of Morocco's Faycal Serghini and two off Scotland's Duncan Stewart. 
Dodd, who is aiming to become the first back-to-back winner on the MENA Tour, said:
 "Again, I played some good golf and created plenty of scoring opportunities. After that double bogey on the 10th when I three-putted after pitching on to the green from a bunker, I did well finish with three birdies in a row – and that was certainly one of the highpoints of my game today." 
The 46-year-old Welshman is currently placed second on the MENA Tour Order of Merit standings.  
About the final round where he will go head-to-head with Harrold, Dodd said: 
"I have been into this situation before and know how to handle it. I am feeling confident, but still 18 holes are to be played. I will try and give off my best and see what happens."  
Harrold, a good 22 years junior of Dodd, said: "I may not have driven the ball that well as I usually do, but my short game was just solid. Once again, I hit a lot of fairways and holed putts when I needed to." 
Harrold, who played on the US college tour with some success, turned pro in February.
UAE-based Scots-born Dunn attributed his course-record equalling 64 to his ability to keep mistakes off the card. 
"I putted really well and that was the key," said Dunn, who won't be playing any golf for at least one year after this event due to work commitments. England's Daniel Owen produced the shot of the day when he aced the 170-yard, par-3 fourth with a nine iron.
"It was my fourth hole in one and the first since turning pro last year," said the Englishman whose second-round 65 also included eagle 2 on the 14th where he chipped in from 25 yards.
Meanwhile, Max William has brightened his chances of winning the title of the Leading Amateur after he signed off with back-to-back 70s to go two under for the tournament along with Morocco's Mustapha El Maouasi, one ahead of Michael Harradine and three of Tyler Hogarty.
The top three professionals and the leading amateur from their respective Orders of Merit will receive special invitations to compete in the 2013 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
SECOND-ROUND LEADERS
Par 142 (2x71) 
129 Stephen Dodd (Wales) 64 65, William Harrold (England) 64 65.
133 Simon Dunn (Scotland) 69 64.
134 Faycal Serghini (Morocco) 67 67.
135 Duncan Stewart (Scotland) 67 68.
136 Craig Smith (Wales) 65 71, Fredrik Quicker (Sweden) 69 67.
137 Callum Nicoll (Scotland) 67 70, Ian Keenan (England) 69 68.
138 James Housby (England) 72 66, Daniel Owen (England) 73 65, Alex Christie (England) 67 71, Gavin Dear (Scotland) 71 67, Zane Scotland (England) 72 66.

SELECTED SCORES
142 Greg Nicolson (Sco) 71 67, Tom Buchanan (Sco) 69 73 (T26)

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