Claire Dowling was one of the best golfers of her generation, who won five Irish championships, a British title and was selected for four Curtis Cup teams. Now she’s at the forefront again, this time in the world of rules and refereeing. She’s Deputy Chair of The R&A Rules Committee and has been closely involved with the creation of the new rules which come into force next year. She’s also just refereed at The Open and is on duty again this week at the Ricoh Women’s British Open. Here’s her story.How did you get started?My father ran the John Jacobs Golf Centre at Leopardstown, Dublin. It was really a case of ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’. He was a very keen golfer, still playing off 12 at the age of 80. My mother worked with him and so, as an only child, I found myself spending every weekend at the golf centre doing odd jobs. Every now and again, out of complete boredom, I would pick up a club and a basket of balls and take myself off to hit them. I was anything but sporty and would far rather have had my head stuck in a book.I developed a sudden rush of enthusiasm for golf when this lovely looking chap started to practice at the golf centre, he was gorgeous. He was a keen golfer and practiced a lot so every time he appeared I would ‘casually’ go out to practice too! Sadly he was about ten years older than me, a lot when one is a young teenager, and he had a very glamorous girl-friend, but I hit a lot of golf balls that winter. We became and remained good friends until his untimely death aged 62.What do you love about golf?Tough question. It’s great fun at any level, and for those who are very competitive it is a great test of mental strength as well as skill. It is one of the few sports where players of any age and ability can play together and still have a reasonable game, because of the handicap system. I have been incredibly lucky to have played when I did, I travelled the world and made lots of friends, and in fact I still do, though through my rules involvement, rather than playing.How did your interest in the rules develop? Was it a natural progression from your playing days?Not really. When living in the Midlands I became involved in handicapping at my club and within the county due to the fact that I had worked at Wentworth as Competition and Handicap Administrator. In 2009 I was invited on to the EWGA (English Women’s Golf Association) Handicap Committee and when the committee needed another rules qualified person, I was sent to the R&A’s Referees and Rules School at St Andrews. A brilliant few days but a very daunting exam! My very first event as a rules official was the English Women’s Championship at Broadstone in 2010.What’s the appeal of the rules and refereeing?Like any volunteering in sport, you meet interesting people and make friends, you stay involved in the game, you see great golf, and occasionally you can help someone. Both Peter, my husband, and myself love doing junior events where you feel you really can help the youngsters, as opposed to senior events where the only thing we seem to do is try and deal with pace of play. It is also a mental challenge.Best refereeing moment?It wasn’t really a refereeing moment as such, but I did find it highly amusing when Simon Khan asked me if I carried a mirror while I was refereeing his game at the Open in 2011. He was having a problem with his contact lens.Worst refereeing moment?Making a mistake and getting it wrong! Happens to all of us because the rules are not simple. However we can still get the simple ones wrong! The first ruling I ever gave was relief for a ball on a sprinkler head beside a green. I made the player drop at the nearest point of relief and didn’t give her the extra club length because I got mixed up between Rule 24-2 (interference) and the local rule for intervention within two club lengths of a putting green. Fortunately it didn’t have any adverse effect as she was dropping just off the green and was able to putt. The extra club length would have made little or no difference to her line or lie.Over-riding memory of refereeing at The Open?Being so petrified on the first tee at Royal St George’s in 2011 I was incapable of speech. Once over that it is the most amazing experience walking down the fairways with the very best players in the world. Hearing the roars from the stands while walking up the 18th is quite extraordinary.Who did you referee at Carnoustie?I had an amazing week at the Open and refereed Ernie Els on Thursday, Sandy Lyle and Martin Kaymer on Friday, Rory McIlroy on Saturday and Adam Scott on Sunday. It was a nice connection having Ernie as I had refereed his nephew, Jovan Rebula, in the final of the Amateur Championship three weeks previously (Jovan became the first South African to win the title). Such a nice lad and a swing to die for. Sandy’s round was especially memorable because it was his last in the Open.What do you enjoy about refereeing at The Ricoh?Well, similarly to the Open it is marvellous to see the best players in the world close up. Women golfers now are true athletes; they are fit and strong and hit the ball superbly. I am hoping though for a better pace of play than last year. I think it is high time the women realised what a detrimental effect their slow play has on the image of the game, and that it makes very boring viewing for the paying public. Why do they take so long on the greens!!What does your role involve on the Rules Committee?The R&A Rules Committee is a large one due to the fact that there are representatives from various parts of the world: Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe, Japan. Also representatives from CONGU, the LET and the PGA European Tour.Our role has been primarily to review the various drafts of the new rules and to consider any issues that occur. A small group in collaboration with the USGA is responsible for drafting the rules which has been a huge job. It is a really interesting time to be on the Rules Committee. Every member of the Committee serves four years. The Chairman comes in as Chairman, and one member of the Committee is invited to be his Deputy and to support him. The Chairman, Deputy Chair, and a third member of the committee sit on a joint Rules Committee with the USGA. I was very surprised to be invited to be Deputy, and I had my first trip to the States in March, to Atlanta, as part of the JRC.What’s been your involvement in the creation of the new rules of golf?I was invited, along with another member of the committee, Roger Bathurst, to be part of a small working group dealing with the Decisions Book. First we mapped the current Decisions to the new rules, and in the process identified those Decisions that would no longer be needed because (a) they had been incorporated into the rules themselves, (b) the rules had changed or (c) the outcome would be different under the new rules. Following that the same group reviewed the drafts of the new publication which will not be called a Decisions Book but will be a new publication including the Rules, Interpretations on the Rules, draft Local Rules and Committee Procedures. It will be a one-stop shop for all committees, rules officials and competition administrators.What’s the best change in your opinion?I couldn’t pick any one rule change as being the best. However the entire process of making the rule book easier to read, in more modern language, and the rules generally simpler is great. Many outcomes will be fairer and more logical under the new rules. Also there is much greater consistency in terms of relief procedures. For example a player will be able to lift or move a loose impediment such as a leaf or twig anywhere on the golf course as long as they don’t move the ball. Many players have fallen foul of the current rule where they cannot touch or move a loose impediment in a bunker or water hazard. It can be a really harsh penalty particularly if it hasn’t improved the situation in the least for the shot they are about to play.I remember many years ago a player in the Irish Ladies’ Championship played a shot from a dry water hazard. As she walked in a small stone lodged in the sole of her shoe, so she casually picked it out and threw it away. She finished the round, signed her card and handed it in. Later someone commented on her action with the stone and it was decided that she had incurred a two stroke penalty for deliberately touching and moving it. She hadn’t realised this at the time and had therefore signed for a wrong score and was disqualified from the championship. Now that was really tough! Currently she wouldn’t be disqualified, that has already changed, but she would have the penalty added to her score. Next year there will be no penalty in such circumstances.Relief procedures will be more consistent and easier for players to understand. At present when a player is entitled to relief without penalty there are some situations when the ball must be dropped as close as possible to where it lay, eg embedded ball, or others where it is dropped within one club length of the nearest point of relief. Although this is ‘free relief’ if the player gets it wrong he will have played from a wrong place for which there is a two stroke penalty. Under the new Rules the player will always drop within a ‘relief area’ within one or two club lengths, depending on whether it is free relief or penalty relief.In terms of language too, the players’ edition will be written in the first person, so much more user friendly. A phrase such as, ‘through the green’, which people really struggled to understand, and which was impossible to translate in some languages has been put into simple language and will now be ‘general area’ The rules are translated into something like 35 different languages, so the words used need to be simple and straightforward.Golf seems to open doors! What would you say to encourage other women to play and get involved in volunteering?Primarily it is fun. Golf offers something for everyone. Whether you want to get to the top of the sport and play professionally, or whether you just want to go for a stroll and a bit of exercise and a chat with your best mate over 9 holes. Great thing about golf is that you can walk and talk. The chat only gets interrupted briefly while you hit the ball! Golf clubs are friendly places where you can make lots of new friends. It’s a fun way to get and stay fit and healthy whatever your age.Volunteering is great fun too. Golf relies on volunteers to look after juniors and beginners, to run competitions and social events at clubs, to run county competitions and look after county squads and teams, to act as rules officials, marshals, captains and so much more.My father said to me when I was young that golf would take me all over the world and I thought he was mad. He was absolutely right, and I imagine he is up there having a good laugh at where I am now.This year alone I have been to Atlanta for a JRC meeting, then to Bangkok and Melbourne doing, ‘Teach The Teachers’ rules seminars with the R&A. I am going to Korea in October to referee a women’s professional event, and I have been up to Scotland several times, not to mention all over England. It is fun!Inspired to Get into Golf? Visit www.getintogolf.org to find free or low cost beginner activities. 5 Aug 2018 Women and Girls’ Golf Week: Claire Dowling, a referee at the Ricoh Women’s British Open, was a top player and is now at the forefront in the word of golf rules. Here’s her story Tags: Get into golf, Girls, Women
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Mallard’s Team of the Week — Young Guns
The Young Guns, coached by Iain Harvey, stayed with Co-op throughout the contest, and with the score tied 6-6 in the final minutes, went ahead for good.Members of the winning Young Guns includes, back row, L-R, Erick Norberg, Luke Mori, Mitch Melanson, Iain Harvey, Kevin Lewis, Simon Sheppard and Andrew Woodward. Front, Louis Loeschnik, Russell Rae, Mitch Popadynetz and Ryan Lewis.The other teams in the running for the Mallard’s honour are:The Scornets, outlasting the Creamers in an upset to claim the Bridge Ladies Rec title; Neon Indians coming out on top of the Finley’s Co-Ed League with a 6-2 win over Marshmellow Conspiracy of Selkirk College and Bia Bora rallying back to defeat Abacus 6-3 in the Jackson’s Hole Masters Men’s Final. Staff and management at Mallard’s Source for Sports didn’t need to look far for potential entrants into this week’s winner of Team of the Week as Soccer Quest concluded the season with its Champions Weekend. No less than four winning teams were crowned this past weekend at Soccer Quest Indoor facility. But the judges went with the Young Guns after the squad knocked off defending champion Kootenay Co-op 8-6 in the final of the Finley’s Men’s Open.
DECKED OUT RALLIES TO WIN GRADE III, $150,000 PROVIDENCIA BY 2 ¾ LENGTHS; DESORMEAUX BROTHERS TEAM FOR 1 1/8 MILES WIN OVER ‘GOOD’ TURF IN 1:52.72
ARCADIA, Calif. (April 9, 2016)–Last early, a rejuvenated Decked Out rallied wide turning for home to register and emphatic 2 ¾ length win in Saturday’s Grade III, $150,000 Providencia Stakes, the first of six stakes events on Santa Anita Derby Day at The Great Race Place. Trained by Keith Desormeaux and ridden by his Hall of Fame brother, Kent, Decked Out negotiated 1 1/8 miles over a turf course listed as “good” in 1:52.72.“I wish I could say that I’ve done something different with her, but really, it’s just been the switch to turf that’s turned her around,” said Keith Desormeaux, when asked if he could explain his filly’s rapid improvement. “It only took us about eight races to figure out that we should try the grass, and really, that’s been the biggest reason.”Breaking from the rail in a field of nine 3-year-old fillies, Decked Out was hammered down to 3-1 off of a morning line of 8-1 and paid $8.60, $5.40 and $3.80. Owned by Gene Voss and Big Chief Racing, LLC, Decked Out, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Street Boss, picked up $90,000 for the win, increasing her earnings to $202,768. In garnering her stakes win, Decked Out improved her overall mark to 10-2-1-3.“She’s matured,” said Kent Desormeaux. “She’s letting me drive, instead of wanting to go all out…Now she can go a mile and an eighth. That’s just maturity and Keith’s training.”Irish-bred Jeremy’s Legacy traded punches on the front end with Do the Dance and wrested control mid-way around the far turn, opened up two length advantage approaching the furlong pole, but was inhaled by the winner approaching the sixteenth marker and finished second, a head in front of an on-coming Nodiac.Ridden by Mario Gutierrez, Jeremy’s Legacy was off at 19-1 and paid $17.40 and $10.00.Nodiac, who was also bred in Ireland, finished well under Rafael Bejarano at 7-2 and paid $3.60 to show.Lady Valeur, who was favored at 2-1 with Gary Stevens, was attentive to the early pace but flattened out late to finish fifth.With the temporary rail set at 20 feet, fractions on the race were 23.51, 49.17, 1:15.14 and 1:40.36.
Rookie Mauricio Dubón lives out a dream in a nightmare game for Giants
SAN FRANCISCO — When Mauricio Dubón left Honduras as a 15-year-old teenager, he brought a love of baseball and a dream of one day playing in the major leagues.Ten years later, Dubón’s love for the game is stronger than ever. His dream has been realized and now, the rest is what he makes of it.If Thursday’s performance is any indication of what’s to come, Dubón is going to make more than just memories. In the midst of dark night for the Giants (65-68) in a 5-3 loss to the Padres, Dubón was an …
Jignesh Mevani, others detained ahead of Ahmedabad rally
Gujarat police on Sunday detained Dalit activist and Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani as he was on his way to a rally in Ahmedabad to protest against the death of Dalit activist Bhanu Vankar.Protests intensified after Bhanu Vankar, who attempted self-immolation in Gujarat on February 15, succumbed to severe burn injuries late on February 16.Congress legislator and Dalit leader Naushad Solanki were also been detained by Ahmedabad cops. The police maintained that Mr. Mevani and others were taken into preventive custody to maintain law and order situation in the State.However, Mr. Mevani alleged that the police pulled him out of his car, broke his car keys and detained him on the way to the protest venue at Ahmedabad.“Jignesh Mevani was pulled out of the car in a very uncivilised manner, his car keys were broken and detained by the police while on the way to a peaceful protest at Ambedkar statue in Sarangpur, Ahmedabad. The protest was organised to meet the demands of deceased Bhanuji family,” Mr. Mevani posted on his official twitter handle.Jignesh Mevani was pulled out of the car in a very uncivilised manner , his car keys were broken and detained by the police while on the way to a peaceful protest at Ambedkar statue in Sarangpur, Ahmedabad. The protest was organised to meet the demands of deceased Bhanuji family— Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) February 18, 2018 Gujarat Dalit activist, who set himself ablaze, succumbs to burn injuries The State government has deployed Rapid Action Force (RAF) teams in Gandhinagar where Bhanu Vankar’s body is kept in a civil hospitalOn Saturday, the Gujarat government accepted the demands of family members of Bhanu Vankar who had refused to cremate him till their demands were accepted after it was brought for post-mortem to the Gandhinagar civil hospital.Angry members of the Dalit community heckled BJP legislator Karsan Solanki when he rushed to meet the victim’s kin. Across north Gujarat, highways were blocked as thousands of Dalits came out on the streets to protest Bhanu Vankar’s death. Mr. Mevani and other supporters of deceased Bhanu Vankar — who set himself ablaze in front of Collector Office in Patan, North Gujarat in protest over delay in allotment of a land piece to a Dalit family — had earlier called for the Ahmedabad bandh.Also Read Bhanu Vankar was part of Mr. Mevani’s Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch and he was fighting for Hemaben Vankar, a landless Dalit farm labourer, who had alleged that authorities were not allotting a plot to her family despite collecting ₹22,236 as fees in 2013.On Saturday, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, in a press statement, said that the main demand of land allotment was accepted in a special case while the State also agreed to set up an inquiry commission, headed by a former high court judge or a Special Investigation Team (SIT), to probe the matter and stressed that no one found guilty will be spared.Before the self-immolation bid at the Collector Office, Bhanu Vankar and the family he was fighting for had submitted a memorandum to the Collector a week ago, threatening self-immolation in case the land allotment matter was not sorted by the officials.However, despite deployment of police outside the Patan Collector Office, Bhanu Vankar managed to set himself ablaze while other members who also tried to storm into the premises were detained by the cops.
State of Origin award winners
Congratulations to the award winners at the 2014 State of Origin Series. Men’s Open Game 1 – NSW (10) def QLD (7)Game 2 – QLD (9) def NSW (6)Game 3 – NSW (3) def QLD (1)Player of the Series – Sam Brisby (NSW)Women’s OpenGame 1 – NSW (6) def QLD (5)Game 2 – QLD (8) def NSW (3)Game 3 – NSW (5) def QLD (3)Player of the Series – Louise Winchester (NSW)Mixed Open Game 1 – QLD (9) def NSW (8)Game 2 – NSW (10) def QLD (9)Game 3 – QLD (9) def NSW (8)Female Player of the Series – Justine Johnstone (NSW)Male Player of Series – Tim Glazebrook (QLD)Men’s 20’s Game 1 – QLD (6) def NSW (5)Game 2 – NSW (8) def QLD (7)Game 3 – QLD (6) def NSW (5)Player of the Series – Cormac Hoch (QLD)Women’s 20’s Game 1 – NSW (4) def QLD (3)Game 2 – QLD (8) def NSW (7)Game 3 – QLD (4) def NSW (3)Player of the Series – Ash Kearney (QLD)Men’s 30’s Game 1 – QLD (9) def NSW (4)Game 2 – NSW (3) def QLD (2)Game 3 – NSW (5) def QLD (3)Player of the Series – Manu Wakely (NSW)Women’s 30’s Game 1 – NSW (8) def QLD (6)Game 2 – NSW (6) def QLD (0)Game 3 – NSW (6) def QLD (0)Player of the Series – Belinda Grech (NSW)Men’s 35’s Game 1 – NSW (8) def QLD (5)Game 2 – NSW (9) def QLD (5)Game 3 – NSW (3) def QLD (0)Player of the Series – Dean Wilbow (NSW)Women’s 35’s Game 1 – QLD (7) def NSW (6)Game 2 – NSW (3) def QLD (2)Game 3 – QLD (3) def NSW (2)Player of the Series – Tracy Upton (QLD)Men’s 40’s Game 1 – NSW (8) def QLD (6)Game 2 – QLD (9) def NSW (7)Game 3 – NSW (6) def QLD (2)Player of the Series – Tony Eltakchi (NSW)Women’s 40’sGame 1 – QLD (6) def NSW (1)Game 2 – QLD (2) def NSW (1)Game 3 – NSW (3) def QLD (2)Player of the Series – Jennine Gyemore (QLD)Men’s 45’s Game 1 – NSW (5) def QLD (2)Game 2 – QLD (3) def NSW (2)Game 3 – NSW (3) def QLD (2)Player of the Series – Derek Duguid (NSW)Men’s 50’s Game 1 – NSW (4) def QLD (2)Game 2 – NSW (4) def QLD (2)Game 3 – NSW (4) def QLD (3)Player of the Series – Mark Hearnden (NSW)Men’s 55’s (Invitational)Game 1 – NSW (6) def QLD (3)Game 2 – QLD (3) def NSW (1)Game 3 – QLD (4) def NSW (2)Player of the Series – Terry Harrison (QLD)Congratulations to New South Wales who retained the State of Origin shield winning eight divisions to five. Related LinksSOO Award Winners
10 months agoTottenham boss Pochettino: No need to prioritise competitions
Tottenham boss Pochettino: No need to prioritise competitionsby Paul Vegas10 months agoSend to a friendShare the loveTottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino says they won’t prioritise competitions this season.Their current run of four successive victories equals their best of the campaign and their manager is keen for them to avoid any slip-ups which may interfere with that, starting at home to Bournemouth today.”Two seasons ago when we were fighting with Leicester we went to the end but the gap was so big (they finished 11 points behind in third),” he said.”It wasn’t enough. Now we are close but we need to be cautious, go step-by-step, game-by-game.”We need to be conscious about that, we need to fight a lot, and there is still a long way for work and to be consistent.”Being involved in four competitions will be tough but we are going to try.” About the authorPaul VegasShare the loveHave your say
Video: Cardale Jones Stinks At Softball
Cardale Jones Softball SwingUpdate: It turns out Joey Bosa doesn’t suck at softball. He hit a home run during the intra-team scrimmage.Earlier: Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones is a gifted athlete – that’s been made clear over the past five or six months. But he doesn’t seem to have much talent for hitting a softball. Friday, OSU’s Instagram account posted a funny video of Jones completely whiffing on a high-arc softball pitch. One of his teammates took footage of it, and even slowed it down to show how much he missed the ball by.Thankfully, Ohio State fans don’t really have to worry here. Whatever 35+ softball team he joins two decades from now might want to, though.
Computer giant working with Indian Brook school
APTN National NewsSome Mi’kmaq high school students put their skills and their robot to the test.The group recently competed at the world robotics championship in Michigan.As Trina Roache reports, they’re already planning bigger and better things for next year.
Mike Conely Has Humorous Reaction to People Implying His
pic.twitter.com/MH2ApgzuSx— Josh Sánchez (@jnsanchez) July 20, 2017 Gotta wake bruh up immediately!! pic.twitter.com/1TB3blRekV— Side Niggas Inc. ⚡️ (@AubryBe2raw) July 20, 2017While such a mockery may have left other people upset, Conley responded by humorously comparing the incident to an episode of “Maury,” where talk show guests learn the paternity of their children. Jokes aside, Conley also maintained Myles was indeed his son in a scrolling Instagram post Thursday, July 20. Mikey Conley has been married to his wife, Mary, since 2014.(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)Biracial children can be born with skin tones that are vastly different from their parents, but one group of Twitter users may not have been aware of that while crafting a post about the son of Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley.The Turf Talk Boys account posted a photo Tuesday, July 18, of Conley with his wife, Mary, and their toddler son, Myles Alex, claiming the child was born as a result of Mary cheating on her husband.Mr. Nice Guy Mike Conley at it again. He stayed with his wife after she cheated on him and had another man’s baby pic.twitter.com/OdgC5KgGSg— Turf Talk Boys (@Turf_Talk_Boys) July 18, 2017A flood of reactions buying into the tweet followed.that nigga tripping … hell nah— K A N E U S A (@CardoGotWings) July 19, 2017