CANADA LEAD ARGENTINA BY ONE IN COPA DE LAS AMERICAS

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
By JULIE WILLIAMS
DORAL, Florida – Jaime Lopez Rivarola is trying hard to stick to his captain’s gameplan. Santiago Garat, leading Argentina this week at the Copa de las Americas, told his players to concentrate on their own games. 
Seems logical enough, except that his message to Rivarola and team-mate Alejandro Tosti was slightly different than it was to female team members Maria Olivero and Delfina Acosta.
“The girls have a pretty solid game, and he knows that they can win it easily,” Rivarola said. “The difference is the guys. Alejandro shot a pretty solid round yesterday (72) and we know he can do as good as yesterday, so the key was just to concentrate on our game, not on the others.”
Rivarola didn’t sound the slightest bit offended, and maybe it’s because Garat seems to be on to something. By day’s end, Argentina trailed Canada by a single shot in the overall competition while the Argentine women were tied with Canada atop their respective division. 
The Argentine men were fourth. Still, Rivarola and Tosti made up serious ground on Friday at Doral’s Blue Monster. Rivarola posted the second-lowest score on the board, a 3-under 69.
“It was pretty much the same as yesterday, but I drove it way better,” he said. “... My irons were good and my putter was as solid as yesterday.”
Rivarola’s score is almost directly attributable to hitting more fairways on Friday. He hit six more than on Thursday, for a total of 10, and had four birdies. Tosti added a second-round 76 as Olivero shot 78 and Acosta had 75. 
The team is at 15-over 591. Argentina has never won this competition, but came close in 2010 when it was played on home turf at Olivos Golf Club in suburban Buenos Aires. Argentina finished second to the U.S., but the entire squad has since turned over.
All Rivarola, 17, can remember about the 2010 Copa de las Americas is that during that week, he was taking a vacation at the beach in Carilo, Argentina. The last few weeks, however, have been exactly opposite of vacation. Rivarola has been competing in South Florida for the previous two weeks, playing first the Doral-Publix Junior then the Junior Orange Bowl Championship. He was runner-up at the latter.
Not only would an Argentine victory be a first for this competition, but it would be the same story for any country not named Canada or the U.S. 
Canada won the inaugural two Copas, in 2003 and 2005, and the U.S. won the following two in 2007 and 2010.
On the shoulders of Albin Choi, a junior at North Carolina State, Canada rose from fifth on the leaderboard after Round 1 to first after Round 2. Choi’s 68 was the lowest round of the day on Friday.
“I didn’t too play well yesterday, so I just kind of cleared my head and came out and had a better day today,” Choi said of shaving eight shots from his first-round 76.
Scores rose across the board on Friday, but Choi couldn’t explain why. It was another postcard day at Doral, perhaps with trickier pins.
Choi knows the thrill of team golf from college and from two turns on Canada’s World Team Amateur squad. One of those came in September, when he and teammates Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Connors finished T-6 overall.
“It’s always exciting,” Choi said of team golf. “It’s a different game when you’re not just playing for yourself, you’re playing for your country. It makes you play harder.”
Canada’s lead led to a brief history lesson for Choi. Should Canada be able to hold its lead, it would become the winningest team in the event's history. It’s too early, though, for Choi to think about that.
“To be a part of that team would be great,” he said. “I definitely think we have a very good chance, just keep playing solid golf. There’s still two more days left, so we’ll see how it goes, but it would be exciting, just thinking about it.”

DAY 2 SCOREBOARD
Par-72 TPC Blue Monster Course at Doral Golf Resort and Spa, Miami. Yardage: Men 7,099; women 6,205
Overall Championship 590 (300-290): Canada (Albin Choi 76-68—144; Corey Conners 77-69—146; Brooke Mackenzie Henderson 71-77—148; Augusta James 76-76—152)
591 (293-298): Argentina (Jaime López Rivarola 74-69—143; Alejandro Tosti 72-76—148; María Olivero 72-78—150; Delfina Acosta 75-75—150)
592 (295-297): Colombia (Carlos Ernesto Rodriguez 71-71—142; Ricardo José Celia 70-75—145; Laura Blanco 75-70—145; Camila Serrano 79-81—160)
594 (298-296): Mexico (Carlos Ortiz 68-74—142; Gabriela López 73-71—144; Rodolfo Cazaubon 77-70—147; Fabiola Arriaga 80-81—161)
597 (295-302): USA (Chris Williams 71-75—146; Erynne Lee 73-75—148; Steven Fox 75-74—149; Lindy Duncan 76-78—154)
618 (312-306): Trinidad and Tobago (Matthew Marquez 72-79—151; Talin Rajendranath 80-73—153; Monifa Sealy 78-78—156; Kelsey Lou-Hing 82-76—158)
622 (311-311): Venezuela (Gustavo Morantes 73-73—146; Jorge Garcia 74-73—147; María Alejandra Merchán 82-82—164; Claudia de Antonio 82-83—165)
660 (335-325): Guatemala (Lucia Polo 76-77—153; Sebastian Barnoya 82-78—160; Rodrigo Olivero 81-82—163; Pilar Echeverría 96-88—184)

Men’s Championship
287 (141-146): Colombia (Carlos Ernesto Rodriguez 71-71—142; Ricardo José Celia 70-75—145)
289 (145-144): Mexico (Carlos Ortiz 68-74—142; Rodolfo Cazaubon 77-70—147)
290 (153-137): Canada (Albin Choi 76-68—144; Corey Conners 77-69—146)
291 (146-145): Argentina (Jaime López Rivarola 74-69—143; Alejandro Tosti 72-76—148)
293 (149-144): Puerto Rico (Erick Morales 74-71—145; Edward Figueroa 75-73—148)
293 (147-146): Venezuela (Gustavo Morantes 73-73—146; Jorge Garcia 74-73—147)
295 (146-149): USA (Chris Williams 71-75—146; Steven Fox 75-74—149)
301 (155-146): Peru (Joaquin Lolas 76-67—143; Miguel Tola 79-79—158)
304 (152-152): Trinidad and Tobago (Matthew Marquez 72-79—151; Talin Rajendranath 80-73—153)
305 (154-151): Panama (Omar Tejeira 74-74—148; Miguel Ordoñez 80-77—157)
323 (163-160): Guatemala (Sebastian Barnoya 82-78—160; Rodrigo Olivero 81-82—163)

Women’s Championship
300 (147-153): Argentina (María Olivero 72-78—150; Delfina Acosta 75-75—150)
300 (147-153): Canada (Brooke Mackenzie Henderson 71-77—148; Augusta James 76-76—152)
302 (149-153): USA (Erynne Lee 73-75—148; Lindy Duncan 76-78—154)
305 (154-151): Colombia (Laura Blanco 75-70—145; Camila Serrano 79-81—160)
305 (153-152): Mexico (Gabriela López 73-71—144; Fabiola Arriaga 80-81—161)
314 (160-154): Trinidad and Tobago (Monifa Sealy 78-78—156; Kelsey Lou-Hing 82-76—158)
329 (164-165): Venezuela (María Alejandra Merchán 82-82—164; Claudia de Antonio 82-83—165)
337 (172-165): Guatemala (Lucia Polo 76-77—153; Pilar Echeverría 96-88—184)

AMATEUR GOLFERS HEAD OFF TO UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

NEWS RELEASE

Nineteen amateur golfers - including four Scots - head off to the United Arab Emirates next week for the experience of a lifetime as they participate in the prestigious grand final of the 2012 League to Dubai (January 11-17).

The all-expenses-paid trip to the emirate is the golfers' reward for battling their way through local leagues and regional finals during 2012. The trip includes return flights; six nights' half-board accommodation at the five-star Grand Midwest Tower - Media City Hotel; gala dinner and presentation; and a competitive round of golf on each of three championship courses: the Wadi by Faldo Course at the Emirates Golf Club; Dubai Creek Golf Club; and the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Nine of the competitors will compete in the singles' competition with the remaining 10 playing as five teams in the pairs' event. 

The handicaps of the golfers range from a very respectable two to 24.

Singles finalists: 
Matthew Hazell (Malton and Norton, North Yorks) Stuart Wilson (Ardeer, Ayrshire)
Malcolm Gregg (Hallamshire, South Yorks)
Jon Balmforth (Ramsdale Park, Notts)
Phil Broadley (Deer Park, West Lothian)
Jeremy Platt (East Berkshire)
Andy Clements (Cottesmore, West Sussex)
Lee Myers (Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear)
Richard Harris (Cams Hall Estate, Hampshire). 

Pairs finalists:

Martin Derrick and Andy Gilbert (Dyke, East Sussex)

Malcolm Crowson (Wychwood Park, Cheshire) and Colin Peace (Willow Valley, West Yorks)

Darren Murray (Boat of Garten, Inverness) and Graeme Lawson (Grangemouth, Falkirk)

Chris Wall and Mark Green (Middlesbrough, Teesside)

John Woodward (Castle Combe, Wilts) and Gary Prescott (Kendleshire, Avon).

ARGENTINA SETS PACE IN COPA DE LAS AMERICAS AT DORAL

FROM THE USGA WEBSITE
By Christina Lance

Miami – Argentina holds an overall two-stroke lead over Colombia and the United States of America following Thursday’s opening round of the 2013 Copa de las Americas, being conducted on the par-72 TPC Blue Monster Course at Doral Golf Resort and Spa Miami.
The Argentines returned a four-person score of 5-over 293, with Colombia and the USA at 7-over 295. Mexico is fourth at 10-over 298, while Canada rounds out the top five at 12-over 300.
In the men’s competition, the Colombian team of Ricardo Jose Celia (70) and Carlos Ernesto Rodriguez (71) shot 3-under 141 and holds a four-stroke lead over Mexico and a five-stroke margin over Argentina and the USA.
On the women’s side, Argentina’s Maria Olivero (72) and Delfina Acosta (75) tied the Canadian contingent of Brooke Mackenzie Henderson (71) and Augusta James (76) atop the leader board with a total of 3-over 147, two strokes ahead of the USA and six ahead of Mexico.
The 2013 Copa de las Americas, conducted by the Americas Golf Association and hosted by the United States Golf Association, is a team event for amateurs in North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. It consists of three 72-hole stroke-play competitions – overall, men and women – that will conclude on Sunday.
Colombia’s Celia went to the par-3 ninth (his final hole of the day) at four under on his round, having carded four birdies in his first 10 holes. However, a double bogey reduced his team’s advantage to four.
“It was a good round, but I’m not happy because I made a double on the last,” said Celia, who attends Nova Southeastern University in nearby Fort Lauderdale but had never played the Blue Monster until this week.
However, Celia was able to look beyond the personal disappointment and enjoy the team experience.
“Playing as a team is one of the biggest honors, to represent our country in the United States,” said Celia. “We’re not representing ourselves. We’re playing for our home country.”
The day’s low individual score came from Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz, who shot 4-under 68, which ties him with three players for the second-lowest first-round score in Copa history.
“I hit a lot of greens,” said Ortiz, the Sun Belt Conference’s three-time player of the year at the University of North Texas. “I was hitting the ball pretty close, so I felt pretty comfortable.”
Also bolstering Ortiz’s confidence was his familiarity with the Blue Monster, which he was playing for an estimated seventh time. “Knowing the golf course makes it a little bit easier,” he said with a smile.
Ortiz was also at ease due to his teammate, Rodolfo Cazaubon, whom he has known for 10 years. Not only are they North Texas teammates, the pair joined with Sebastian Vasquez to take second place at last October’s World Amateur Team Championship in Antalya, Turkey.
“I’m used to playing with him, on the North Texas team and the Mexico team,” said Ortiz. “I feel pretty comfortable with him.”
Henderson, of Canada, was the lone female player to return a subpar score, 1-under 71.
“It’s a beautiful course and I just enjoyed playing it,” said the 15-year-old Henderson, who won on the Canadian Women’s Tour in 2012. “I was striking the ball well, which helped. I missed a few short putts, but overall, it was a great day.”
Henderson pointed to a 20-foot downhill birdie putt at the par-4 17th as the key moment of her round.
“I was just thinking get it in two and I’d be happy! So that helped my round,” she said.
Henderson, the second-youngest player in this week’s field, is 24 years younger than the 39-year-old Olivero, the oldest participant. 
 Olivero, a stay-at-home mother to two young children, is making the most of her third Copa appearance, opening with an even-par 72 to help propel her country to the front of the pack.
“To be able to represent my country, even though I am 39, it’s great,” said Olivero, who has played in 11 Women’s World Amateur Team Championships and is a nine-time Argentine Match Play and Stroke Play champion.
 “The thing is that when you get older, you can think better. It’s not the same head you had at 18.
“My priorities are different. My kids, my family, my house. I can take this with no pressure at all, so I can enjoy it.”
The USA Team struggled to find momentum in the brisk winds that buffeted the Blue Monster. World No. 1 Chris Williams returned the team’s low score at 1-under 71.
 Reigning U.S. Amateur champion Steven Fox shot 3-over 75. Erynne Lee, who reached the quarterfinals at the 2012 U.S. Women’s Amateur, stood at 1-over 73, while 2012 USA Curtis Cup Team member Lindy Duncan struggled to a 4-over 76.
Edward Figueroa, of Puerto Rico, made his fifth career hole-in-one at the 220-yard fourth hole. Figueroa, who attends Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, won the 2012 Puerto Rico Junior Open and earned a berth in the PGA Tour’s 2012 Puerto Rico Open.
Results from Thursday’s first day of stroke play at the 2013 Copa de las Americas, being conducted at the par-72 TPC Blue Monster Course at Doral Golf Resort & Spa Miami (men, 7,099 yards; women, 6,205 yards):

TEAM SCOREBOARD
 
293: Argentina (Alejandro Tosti 36-36–72; María Olivero 35-37–72; Jaime López Rivarola 35-39–74; Delfina Acosta 37-38—75)
295: Colombia (Ricardo José Celia 37-33–70; Carlos Ernesto Rodriguez 32-39–71; Laura Blanco 36-39–75; Camila Serrano 39-40—79)
295: USA (Chris Williams 35-36–71; Erynne Lee 36-37–73; Steven Fox 37-38–75; Lindy Duncan 38-38—76)
298: Mexico (Carlos Ortiz 33-35–68; Gabriela López 37-36–73; Rodolfo Cazaubon 37-40–77; Fabiola Arriaga 38-42—80)
300: Canada (Brooke Mackenzie Henderson 35-36–71; Albin Choi 38-38–76; Augusta James 38-38–76; Corey Conners 38-39—77)
311: Venezuela (Gustavo Morantes 38-35–73; Jorge Garcia 35-39–74; Claudia de Antonio 40-42–82; María Alejandra Merchán 43-39—82)
312: Trinidad and Tobago (Matthew Marquez 33-39–72; Monifa Sealy 40-38–78; Talin Rajendranath 39-41–80; Kelsey Lou-Hing 40-42—82)
335: Guatemala (Lucia Polo 38-38–76; Rodrigo Olivero 42-39–81; Sebastian Barnoya 40-42–82; Pilar Echeverría 43-53—96) 

Men’s Championship
141: Colombia (Ricardo José Celia 37-33–70; Carlos Ernesto Rodriguez 32-39–71)
145: Mexico (Carlos Ortiz 33-35–68; Rodolfo Cazaubon 37-40–77)
146: Argentina (Alejandro Tosti 36-36–72; Jaime López Rivarola 35-39–74)
146: USA (Chris Williams 35-36–71; Steven Fox 37-38–75)
147: Venezuela (Gustavo Morantes 38-35–73; Jorge Garcia 35-39–74)
149: Puerto Rico (Erick Morales 39-35–74; Edward Figueroa 37-38–75)
152: Trinidad and Tobago (Matthew Marquez 33-39–72; Talin Rajendranath 39-41–80)
153: Canada (Albin Choi 38-38–76; Corey Conners 38-39–77)
154: Panama (Omar Tejeira 37-37–74; Miguel Ordoñez 40-40–80)
155: Peru (Joaquin Lolas 36-40–76; Miguel Tola 42-37–79)
163: Guatemala (Rodrigo Olivero 42-39–81; Sebastian Barnoya 40-42—82)
Women’s Championship
147: Argentina (María Olivero 35-37–72; Delfina Acosta 37-38–75)
147: Canada (Brooke Mackenzie Henderson 35-36–71; Augusta James 38-38–76)
149: USA (Erynne Lee 36-37–73; Lindy Duncan 38-38–76)
153: Mexico (Gabriela López 37-36–73; Fabiola Arriaga 38-42–80)
154: Colombia (Laura Blanco 36-39–75; Camila Serrano 39-40–79)
160: Trinidad and Tobago (Monifa Sealy 40-38–78; Kelsey Lou-Hing 40-42–82)
164: Venezuela (Claudia de Antonio 40-42–82; María Alejandra Merchán 43-39–82)
172: Guatemala (Lucia Polo 38-38–76; Pilar Echeverría 43-53–96)

VALDERRAMA VISIONARY JIMMY ORTIZ-PATINO DIES AT 82

FROM THE GOLFWEEK WEBSITE
Jaime Ortiz-Patino, who landed the Ryder Cup for continental Europe in 1997 at his Valderrama course, Sotogrande in south-east Spain, died yesterday (January 3) in a hospital in Marbella, according to the European Tour. He was 82. No cause of death was disclosed.
Patino, known as "Jimmy," the owner and honorary president at Valderrama, was a revered figure in Spanish golf. 
In addition to the Ryder Cup, the European Tour played 16 of its season-ending Volvo Masters, two World Golf Championship events and two Andalucia Masters tournaments at Valderrama. 
Over the years, a who's-who of golf – Nick Faldo, Sergio Garcia, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle, Graeme McDowell, Colin Montgomerie, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose and Tiger Woods among them – won on the Robert Trent Jones-designed course, attesting to the greatest of the layout and Patino, its visionary.
“His foresight and dedication to the game through the Volvo Masters and, of course, The Ryder Cup, was legendary, as was his dedication to excellence in terms of the preparation of a golf course," said George O'Grady, chief executive of the European Tour. "Nobody had seen a golf course presented the way Valderrama was. He raised the bar in that respect. He was also a gentleman and he will be sadly missed.”
Spaniard Angel Gallardo, the tour's vice chairman and a former touring pro, called Patino "the soul of golf in Europe."
“He has done a lot not only for Spanish golf but also for European golf,” Gallardo said.
Countryman Jose Maria Olazabal said: “He was a man with a strong character who did not doubt when he wanted to get something done. He gave his all in everything he did; his full effort and energy to achieve his goals.
“Valderrama is his masterpiece, his legacy. He wanted to make it a very special place, a unique place, and he did it. He put Valderrama and that part of Andalucia on the golfing map. Through the Volvo Masters, the American Express Championship and The Ryder Cup, he presented Andalucia to the whole world as a great golfing destination.
“At the 1997 Ryder Cup he was close to the team, and he used to talk a lot with Seve (Ballesteros, the late Spanish star). He wanted every single detail to be precise, and he tried so hard to make everything perfect.
"He even used to get out of bed at 4:30 in the morning to work with the maintenance team and help cut the greens! Not many people would have done that, but it perfectly showed his character. We will miss him.”
Sergio Garcia, who won the 2011 Andalucia Masters at Valderrama, said: “This is a very sad day not just for Spain but for the whole of the golfing world.”
Patino took a lifelong interest in course maintenance and trained himself to the point where he oversaw day-to-day greenkeeping of Valderrama. In 1999, he received the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America's Old Tom Morris Award, the maintenance industry's highest honor.
Patino amassed an extensive collection of golf art and artifacts that captured the history of the game over the centuries. The collection of clubs, balls, prints, books and manuscripts, ceramics, photographs and paintings was auctioned at Christie's in London last year.
He is survived by his sons Felipe and Carlos and four grandchildren.

Born to Bolivian parents in Paris in 1930, Ortiz-Patiño found his passion for the game after a series of events, beginning in Italy when caddying for Dai Rees and receiving Ryder Cup tickets for the following year’s match in Lindrick, UK, in 1957.

It was that connection that led him many years later to create a vision for what would become Valderrama – increasing participation and busy courses led him and a group of associates to buy out the Los Aves course, which was subsequently remodelled by original designer Robert Trent Jones Snr, becoming Valderrama as we know it today.

Having created a masterpiece of the highest quality, it was not long before the course was hosting tournaments including 16 Volvo Masters, two World Golf Championship events and the Andalucía Masters.  But it was likely the Ryder Cup match’s move to Valderrama in 1997 that will ensure it remains in the history books as Ortiz-Patiño’s crowning glory.
 

PERSONAL MEMORIES OF A BENEVOLENT DICTATOR

By ALISTAIR TAIT (GolfWeek Staff Writer)

Jaime Ortiz-Patino liked to think of himself as a “benevolent dictator.” His words, not mine.

Patino was owner of Valderrama Golf Club in southern Spain. With a fortune made from tin mining in his native Bolivia, he had the money to spend on the course that became his true love.
No detail was overlooked in his quest to build the best course in Continental Europe. For 16 years, Patino’s layout hosted the European Tour’s season-ending Volvo Masters. It was the venue for the 1999 and 2000 WGC–American Express Championship. More recently, Valderrama was home to the Andalucia Masters.
However, his greatest triumph came in 1997 when Valderrama hosted the first Ryder Cup in Continental Europe.
Make no mistake about it: Patino used his vast fortune to buy the Ryder Cup, just as Michael Smurfit did in 2006 and Terry Matthews in 2010. However, unlike Smurfit and Matthews, Patino knew what was needed to maintain a golf course to tournament and Ryder Cup standard.
Patino was awarded the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America's Old Tom Morris Award in 1999. It was no honorary bauble, either.
Stories abound about how the lord and master of Valderrama would rise at 4:30 a.m. during the Ryder Cup to oversee course set-up. He not only did that in the Ryder Cup, but for any tournament at Valderrama. I know, because I witnessed him in action first-hand.
In the early 1990s, I managed to get Patino to agree to let me accompany him during his early morning preparations for the Volvo Masters. 
This meant meeting him at 4:30 a.m. in the Valderrama maintenance yard. I witnessed him swishing dew off the par-3, 12th green like one of his labourers.
I watched him meticulously direct the greenkeeper mowing the 13th green, making sure he did not stray off line with his cuts.
At the 10th green, I stood in horror as Patino took out a penknife to dig out a small triangle of sod to show me the root structure. Then he carefully reinserted the sod back into the green with all the love of a parent putting a child back to sleep.
It was obvious he had a love of the land and nature that was almost palpable. One of the criticisms of Valderrama is that the trees encroach too much onto the fairways, so that good tee shots often result in approach shots that have to be manufactured around encroaching branches and foliage.
“I hate cutting down trees,” Patino said. “I am advised to cut this tree or that tree, but most of the time I just can’t bear to cut them down.”
It was also obvious that morning that he was in his own personal kingdom.
“I have one golden rule here at Valderrama,” Patino said. “I have all the gold, so I make the rules. Think of me as a benevolent dictator.”
Englishman Michael Lovett worked as general manager of Valderrama for two spells, from 1989 to '92 and from 1994 to '95. He agrees with the "benevolent dictator" line. 
“Jimmy was the boss, no doubt about it,” Lovett said. “He once famously said: ‘I believe in odd-numbered boards, and three is too many.’
“He was a perfectionist. His attention to detail was amazing in everything he did. He always believed in having the best people around him, but he led from the front. His way was the only way.
“He was a visionary who changed and set the standard for the way tournaments should be run. For that, golf owes him a great deal.”
Aside from an immaculate golf course, Patino had one of the best collections of golf artifacts ever assembled. You couldn’t help but admire it, because it was on prominent display in the halls of the Valderrama clubhouse. The collection was auctioned last year at Christie’s in London.
Patino sold Valderrama to a group of private individuals last year.