Posted: 31 Jan 2011 10:51 AM PST

Golf can be a hard-enough sport for the two-legged crowd, but what if you've only got one leg to stand on? Well, for Manuel de los Santos, that's no problem at all.

Once an extremely promising baseball prospect in the Dominican Republic, de los Santos lost his left leg in a motorcycle accident and had to give up the sport for which he had so much talent and passion. Then, he happened to move to France, where he saw the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance, a period piece in which Will Smith caddies for Matt Damon. That flick, which flopped with critics and audiences alike, nevertheless inspired de los Santos to try golf. But because he was without a prosthetic, it meant he would have to basically stand/hop on one leg for every drive, pitch, and putt.

And yet, that hasn't stopped the determined de los Santos from lowering his golf handicap to just 3, incredible for anyone who took up golf as late he did in life.

Director Peter Montgomery first heard about de Los Santos in late 2009 and spent the next year filming this moving three-minute micro-documentary on who may be the world's most unique golfer.

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Dubai's downturn halts Tiger Woods golf course

Posted: 31 Jan 2011 08:49 AM PST

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Plans for a Tiger Woods signature golf estate, including a boutique hotel and sheik-style palaces, have been shelved as Dubai's financial downturn claimed another major project launched during the eye-popping boom years.

A statement Monday by the golf course developer — part of a conglomerate controlled by Dubai's debt-squeezed ruler — said "market conditions" were behind the decision to suspend work on The Tiger Woods Dubai on the city's desert outskirts.

The announcement — just before Woods is scheduled to play in the Dubai Desert Classic next week — shows that Dubai's property market is still wobbling from the severe credit crunch that hit last year and stalled many headline-grabbing projects, including an even larger version of the manmade palm-shaped island that helped put Dubai on the map.

"It's been put on hold for right now. A lot of projects are out there," Woods told The Associated Press on Sunday after he finished his season debut at Torrey Pines. "It's still there. We've got six completed holes and a few that were about to be grassed before construction was halted. Everything is on hold."

The golf course developer, part of Dubai Properties Group, left open the possibly that work could someday resume.

"These conditions will continue to be monitored," said a statement to the AP after questions about the status of the long-delayed golf complex. "A decision will be made in the future when to restart the project."

Only a few holes have been completed on the $1 billion course, planned as the centerpiece for a complex of 100 villas, 75 mansions, 22 palaces, a boutique hotel, a golf academy and 30,000 full-grown imported trees.

The first phase of the development had been promised by the end of 2009 — about the same time Dubai stunned world markets by announcing staggering debt for many of its state-linked companies.

The course is part of a far-larger leisure and living master plan known as Dubailand, which also has largely come to a standstill by Dubai's fiscal crunch. Officials had planned to open multiple theme parks including Universal Studios, Legoland and Six Flags — none of which has been built.

Dubai Properties Group is part of a conglomerate known as Dubai Holding, which is controlled by the city-state's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Like a number of government-linked Dubai companies, the conglomerate is deeply in debt and has been locked in talks with creditors to renegotiate the terms of its liabilities.

Dubai property prices plunged by roughly half from their peak in mid-2008 in less than a year. They have yet to recover.

Woods was among the sports personalities who frequented Dubai during its free-spending boom years. He won the Desert Classic in 2006 and 2008 and never finished lower than fifth since he started playing in the emirate in 2001.

He missed the 2009 tournament due to a knee injury and was absent last year amid the turmoil surrounding his extramarital affairs.

Dubai officials, however, have sought to maintain close ties with Woods even as sponsors dropped away. The course developer said it and Woods "will retain our commercial agreement together." Terms of that deal have not been disclosed.

An 18-hole course designed by Colin Montgomerie was launched in Dubai in 2006, and another by Ernie Els opened in 2008.

___

Murphy reported from Dubai; Schreck from Kabul, Afghanistan. AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson contributed from San Diego.

Golf-Monty backs European expansion in Middle East

Posted: 31 Jan 2011 01:01 AM PST

By Bernie McGuire

BAHRAIN, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Europe's victorious Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie has welcomed the possibility of the European Tour extending its "Desert Swing" to include new destinations in the Middle East.

"There is no reason why the European Tour cannot expand the Middle East swing to five or six events," Monty told Reuters.

"I've played before in an Egyptian Open and while there is trouble over there at present, we have to be talking of including Egypt, as well.

"To have these Middle East events all together is ideal because it's so easy once you are out in this part of the world to travel from say Abu Dhabi to Bahrain, and then Bahrain to Doha, and Doha to Dubai."

Representatives of the Saudi Arabia Golf Federation met with leading European Tour officials last week during the inaugural Volvo Golf Champions in Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia lies just across a causeway from Bahrain while it's less than a 45-minute flight from Bahrain to the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.

"We had a good meeting with the European Tour, and yes we said to them that we would welcome the European Tour in Saudi Arabia," vice-president of the Saudi Arabia Golf Federation Yusuf Eddiweesh said.

"We have one or two excellent venues in Riyadh that could host the event so we shall see what transpires."

The European Tour first ventured to the Middle East with the staging of the 1989 Dubai Desert Classic. In 1998, the Qatar Masters was added to the schedule before the first staging of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in 2006.

LITTLE TRAVELLING

Last week's Volvo Golf Champions boosted the early-season Desert Swing to four events and suggestions Saudi Arabia could be added to the tour schedule has excited Montgomerie, who designed the Bahrain event course.

"I believe it's only about 35 minutes flying time from Bahrain to Riyadh, while you could drive there in a few hours," the Scot said.

"So the good thing for all the players, the caddies and the officials is that it's all confined out here and there's not that much travelling involved.

"It's just fantastic, and the more we can play out here in this part of the world and give opportunity to our members to play golf, and to use our Ryder Cup success to promote our Tour in the Middle East is super," he added.

"I for one am all in favour of increasing the Middle East swing as I was for the Tour to come to Bahrain.

"Five to six events out in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia would be a fantastic asset for the European Tour and the big spin off is that it would open up the country as a golfing destination.

Montgomerie also sees any move to increase the number of events in the Middle East as an even bigger boost for the European Tour when compared to the PGA Tour's West Coast Swing."

"It was great to see Phil Mickelson out in Abu Dhabi because he finally saw what a first class European Tour tournament it is, and with HSBC support now they have ensured that tournament has gone from 4-star to 5-star," he added.

"We have got Tiger (Woods) coming back to Dubai and the likes of Phil and Tiger can only go home from those events thinking 'hang on, these events are something I really didn't know how good they were'.

"Then the Tour is in Qatar this week where the current number one (Briton Lee Westwood) and number two (German Martin Kaymer) in the world are competing, so once again that boosts the prestige of the European Tour for yet another week."

Bahrain winner Paul Casey echoed Montgomerie's positive view of the early season sojourn to the Middle East.

"The growth of golf in this region is obviously massive and I don't have to tell you that," the Briton said.

"It's something different. I've never been to Bahrain before so I was intrigued and I'm glad I came. I'm not playing Dubai but I'm going to play in Qatar this week and then head back to the States. So for me, it worked out brilliantly."

(Editing by John O'Brien; To comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

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“Video: One-Legged Golf Phenom Forges Own Path” plus 2 more

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