{{ubiquityData.prevArticle.description}}
{{ubiquityData.nextArticle.description}}
Golf equipment sales boomed during the second half of 2020 following a period of massive disruption caused by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier in the year.
That is one of the conclusions reached by research giants Golf Datatech LLC and the Yano Research Institute in their latest joint global study into the near $14 billion equipment and apparel market.
The new World Golf Report 2021 study shows global golf equipment and apparel sales rose in 2020 despite a disastrous start to the year when sales in some of the major golf markets plummeted by 15 to 50 percent through May.
The bounce back was such that total sales grossed £13.93 billion for the full year, 3 percent more than in the previous year.
“It was a long, hard, painful first half of 2020 but the game, and the business of golf, quickly gained momentum during the late spring/early summer months,” confirmed John Krzynowek, a partner at Golf Datatech. “Golf courses were soon full and rounds played soared, including an influx of newcomers to the game, while many others who used to play decided to come back again.
“As a result, sales of golf equipment exploded, and even those countries that were severely impacted by the early 2020 shutdown enjoyed record months during the summer and continue to trend positively.
“Consumer demand for golf equipment was higher in the majority of countries around the globe. However, our data also shows a broad decline in apparel sales this year.”
The 2021 report confirmed the United States as the world’s top golf market followed by Japan, South Korea, Canada and the UK, with the US and the Japanese markets accounting for about two thirds of the world’s equipment sales. South Korean golfers spent more per capita on golf equipment and apparel than any other country, while Sweden was the fastest-growing country, up more than 50 percent during the year.
The Portugal Masters has become the latest European Tour event to fall victim to the ongoing travel difficulties caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The signs are it is unlikely to be the last.
The tournament was to be played 29 April-2 May at Dom Pedro Victoria Golf course at Vilamoura, but now will be replaced by the Tenerife Open at Golf Costa Adeje, which moves from 15-18 April. The tour intends to fill that slot on the calendar with another, as yet unnamed, event.
“We are obviously disappointed the ongoing challenges with international travel have led to the postponement of the Portugal Masters,” said European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley. “The change of date for the Tenerife Open, which will now take place the week after the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open, helps ease of travel across continental Europe prior to the Open de France. We are also finalising a replacement elsewhere in Europe for 15-18 April to continue to provide a full schedule and playing opportunities for our members.”
The tour is looking into the possibility of rescheduling the Portuguese event later in the year.
Sweden’s Linn Grant has closed the gap on Rose Zhang at the top of the World Amateur Golf Ranking after four victories in her past four starts on the US college circuit.
The world No 2 and second-year Arizona State University student started her run late last year when she won the Dr Donnis Thompson Invitational. She won the Sun Devil Winter Classic last month, before reeling off victories in the Bruin Wave Invitational and Clover Cup in consecutive weeks.
Grant bettered ASU teammate Olivia Mehaffey by one shot for her Clover Cup victory. Irish Curtis Cup player Mehaffey moved back inside the world top 20 with a six-ranking jump to 20th, and also tied sixth against professionals Sunday at a Symetra Tour event, the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic
Grant drew to within less than 15 points of world No 1 Zhang, although the 17-year-old American amateur reached a playoff in the Symetra event before falling to Ruixin Liu of China.
Former No 1 Pauline Roussin-Bouchard of France strengthened her grasp on the No 3 spot by winning the Valspar Augusta Invitational. The University of South Carolina student took the title by five shots.
Czech Republic amateur Sára Kousková returns to the top 60 with her victory in the Arizona Wildcat Invitational. The University of Texas student climbs 14 places to 56th.
Major winners Darren Clarke, Ernie Els and Jim Furyk are set to captain the European, World and American teams, respectively, in the World Champions Cup, which will debut in autumn 2022.
The three-day competition at a venue yet to be named will feature teams of six players, 50 and older, in match play.
The PGA Tour-sanctioned event “will be held at one of America’s great golf courses and will be contested across twice-daily, nine-hole matches featuring team formats and singles play, with points being earned for each hole won in each match,” according to a news release from sports media and marketing firm Intersport, the tournament’s creator and organiser. “When the three-day competition concludes, the team with the highest point total across all matches will be crowned the champion.”
Alex Fitzpatrick has achieved something in golf that evaded his more-illustrious brother Matt: a victory on the ultra-competitive American college circuit.
The younger Fitzpatrick, who attends Wake Forest University, Arnold Palmer’s alma mater, won the Valspar Collegiate in Palm City, Florida, by three shots. Rounds of 67, 66 and 68 gave him a 12-under 201 total. His bonus is a late-April start in the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship, where he may join his brother in the field, depending on the six-time European Tour winner’s schedule.
Wake Forest head coach Jerry Haas said: "It’s really cool for Alex, his first collegiate win and earned an exemption to the Valspar. So we’re very proud of him and happy to see his hard work pay off. ”
Matt Fitzpatrick spent three months at Northwestern University before deciding to return home and has played professionally since 2014.
The Ladies European Tour has confirmed 14 events on this year’s Access Series worth a combined €552,500, a €220,000 increase from 2020.
Sweden stages five tournaments with events also scheduled for the Czech Republic, France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and Spain. There are currently no events scheduled for Great Britain and Ireland.
The top six players on the 2021 LETAS Order of Merit earn membership on the 2022 LET, while those in the sixth to 20th spots earn exemptions to the final stage of the LET Q-School.
“The Swedish Golf Federation is looking forward to hosting five tournaments on the LETAS schedule in 2021,” confirmed Sofia Pettersson of the Swedish Golf Tour. “It means a great deal to Swedish players, especially young players in the beginning of their professional careers, to get the chance to play in international tournaments.”
Spain’s Eduard Rousaud Sabate, the No 2 player on the World Amateur Golf Ranking, has turned professional. The 20-year-old Barcelona native will use the Pro Spain Tour this year as a stepping stone to the European Tour.
Rousaud Sabate, who has represented Spain at every level of amateur golf, was a two-time winner in his homeland last year. He triumphed in the Copa Andalucía and Campeonato de Barcelona. His last six starts, however, have come in professional tournaments. Last year, he placed fifth in the Andalucía Challenge de Espana and fourth in the Andalucía Challenge de Cadiz on the European Challenge Tour.
He missed cuts in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and Saudi International on the European Tour in his most recent starts.
United States Walker Cup player John Pak is in pole position to take over the No 2 behind current No 1 Davis Thompson when the rankings are updated this week.
Women’s golf in India has several pairs of siblings waiting to play on bigger stages. The Bakshi sisters, Jahanvi and Hitaashee, might be the most promising. Both turned pro when the Hero Women’s Indian Tour returned in December 2020.
Since then, 18-year-old Jahanvi and Hitaashee, 18 months younger, have made seven starts and have one win apiece. They’ve seldom been out of the news.
Younger sister Hitaashee triumphed in just her second tour start. The victory came a week after Jahanvi finished third on her professional debut.
Last week, at the DLF Golf & Country Club just southwest of Delhi, Jahanvi broke through in her seventh start as Hitaashee finished third.
Both also have shown a remarkable degree of consistency since turning pro. Hitaashee has been runner-up twice, tied third once and placed sixth twice. Jahanvi has posted two T4 finishes and a fifth to go with her own victory.
“When Hitaashee won, I was inspired. I knew if she could win, I could win too,” Jahanvi said after claiming her maiden pro title.
There are three other sibling pairs on the Indian women’s tour – ex-Rollins College golfer Seher Atwal and sister Mehar, nieces of PGA Tour winner, Arjun Atwal; Gursimar and Gurjot Badwal, with Gursimar having multiple victories in India; and Astha and Nishtha Madan. Astha has had a few starts on Ladies European Tour, while Arizona-based Nishtha, who turned pro late last year, has two victories on the Cactus Tour.
Richard Dixon will retire from his role as Wales Golf chief executive this summer after 30 years at the top of the amateur game in Wales.
The popular Dixon, 64, a former scratch golfer who played boys’ golf with Ian Woosnam, joined the Welsh Golfing Union in 1991 before being appointed secretary the following year.
Following Wales’s successful bid for the 2010 Ryder Cup, and after playing a key role in merging the men’s and ladies’ golf unions, Dixon was appointed chief executive of the new Golf Union of Wales, now Wales Golf.
“I feel now is the right time to hand over the reins for a new era of progress, while I still have a chance to be involved in some special projects and enjoy the chance to step back,” Dixon said.
“I would never have imagined Wales would host the Ryder Cup during my tenure, and I would be fortunate enough to contribute to the bid committee. Hosting that event has done so much good for golf in Wales, including the founding of Golf Development Wales which is now fully integrated into Wales Golf.”
Colin Callander and Alistair Tait