Latest news with #TurkishAirlinesOpen
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Health
- Scotsman
Scottish golfer returns to DP World Tour action after being 'floored' by virus
Richie Ramsay opens up on being made to realise 'how important health is for you' Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Richie Ramsay returns to DP World Tour action this week in the KLM Open after being unable to even pick up a club for more than a fortnight as a virus left him feeling 'floored'. The four-time winner pulled out of the Turkish Airlines Open prior to the opening round in Belek a month ago before also being forced to miss both the Soudal Open in Belgium and last week's Austrian Alpine Open. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ramsay is now ready to get back to work and joins Ewen Ferguson, Calum Hill, Connor Syme, Grant Forrest and Scott Jamieson in flying the Saltire this week at The International in Amsterdam. Richie Ramsay pictured in action during the Hainan Classic last month |'I caught a virus coming back from China (where he played in both the Volvo China Open and Hainan Classic) and went to Turkey but didn't play as it just floored me,' said the 41-year-old. 'I was shivery, achy and, though I passed a Covid test, it felt very much like Covid. 'I just couldn't shake it off, so I didn't play Turkey, Belgium or Austria and only really picked up a club again at the end of last week. I feel like I have had three or four weeks out, two and a half of those weeks feeling not great at all. 'But I'm on the mend and feel quite fresh again. I've just got to get my legs back as the muscles were really sore from whatever I picked up. I need to get the strength back in them for walking 18 holes as that was a bit of a challenge to start off with, which I never really think about.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Focus is on 'big tournaments coming up' Ramsay, who has held a DP World Tour card for 17 successive seasons, sits 82nd in the Race to Dubai Rankings, having tied for fourth in the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship in February. 'Yeah, it was disappointing that I missed some tournaments, but I just need to focus on the ones I've got ahead,' added the Edinburgh-based Aberdonian. 'There's some big ones coming up and I will be aiming to push on from my good start to the year. 'Normally where I push on is from the middle of the summer, probably because we are playing on courses in Europe that suit me a bit more and then when I come home I can practice in similar conditions as the weather is better. Four-time winner 'feeling in quite a good place' 'All in all, I'm feeling in quite a good place. I know the season is long. It's a marathon, not a sprint. So there are lots of points up for grabs and I just need to get back on track. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'My main aim is to enjoy being back and, though it sounds funny, just being healthy. Something like that definitely knocks you for six and makes you realise how important health is to you.' This week marks the 105th edition of the KLM Open, with Dutch football legend and keen golfer Ruud Gullit involved as co-tournament director, taking on the role during Amsterdam's 750th anniversary celebrations.
Daily Record
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Ryder Cup star reveals anxiety and fear that left him being unable to face golf anymore
Former Ryder Cup star Chris Wood is finding form again after taking a break to his with struggles Candid Chris Wood has opened up on the struggles which forced him out of golf and his fight back from the anxiety which meant he simply couldn't face the game. The popular English star won the BMW PGA Championship nine years ago and also made a Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine. But Wood started having doubts about his game and that led him to step away from the sport two years ago. The 37-year-old has come back and returned to the Top 10 spots for the first time in almost seven years at the recent Turkish Airlines Open. Wood started this week's Soudal Open in Belgium with one-under par round of 70 to maintain his positive path and gave an insight into his troubles in a stunningly-honest DP World Tour Player Blog. He wrote: 'I started to feel my swing not becoming my swing towards the end of 2016. I had a year of playing the best golf of my career but I just felt it started to drift. 'In 2019 I was working with my coach and I started to develop some severely wide shots, particularly with my driver, to the point where I didn't carry a driver in the bag at Wentworth at the BMW PGA Championship in 2019, just three years after I'd won it, that's how quickly it got from one point to another. 'From then, I was just riddled with anxiety and fear and tension from the moment I left home for a tournament. It was 24/7 during tournament weeks, I was extremely anxious and not sleeping and it becomes a vicious cycle. 'You're constantly draining energy, but at that point, I was hitting balls like I needed to do it more to make my swing better. There's a saying with golfers: the secret's in the dirt, golf is practice until your hands bleed. But I was in a point where I was not really connected to myself in my swing. I was rightly trusting my coaches, but I wasn't questioning them. 'I hardly played during Covid, I couldn't face it. With the Tour freezing the categories, I didn't have to play and I was starting to recognise those feelings that I was getting in 2019: the anxiety, the fear, the tension and we weren't directly affected at home so we had a really good time. 'At home my wife Bethany and I had two young children, we've got four now, Jonah, Lottie, Toby and Kasper, but we had two at the time and every day when we'd go for our hour walk which we were allowed to do. Bethany would be the one who was the listener every single day. That was probably the first time I was really talking about how I was feeling about things which was obviously extremely hard for her to listen to and to hear. For someone who has always encouraged me to be playing and then for me to turn around and say I'm not going to be playing, I don't want to be playing and these are the reasons why, my wife has always been someone I tell everything so she has been in the picture the entire time. 'I can remember those walks incredibly well based on the strength of those conversations. I'd then do two hours of practice every afternoon and it was a good balance. But I was not really improving. I should have stopped there but I didn't realise what I was dealing with at that point. 'I kept going until I lost my card in 2022. But about six weeks before the end of the season, I sat down with DP World Tour doctor Tim Swan and just opened up and revealed I'd been struggling. From there the Tour medical team have been great, they put me in touch with the right people but then I played in South Africa on the HotelPlanner Tour in January 2023 and I just broke down while speaking to my parents on the phone and they just both said 'come home'. 'That was the point where I knew I could not face it any more and I knew I needed to step away and deal with it correctly. I then spent a lot of time working on the burnout I had suffered because of the cycle I had put myself in and then I started to deal with the anxiety. There was never once a part of me that thought that I was done, that the break that I took from the game in 2023 would be permanent. 'You have days where you're feeling severely down, there's no other word for it but depression. But the fire in my belly has never gone away. I've always believed that I've got the ability to play. I'm now starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel both mentally and with my game. My daughter wants a trophy party so she can wear a party dress. My children have not seen me win a tournament, so that's a huge motivator for me. 'I want to get my card back, that's my goal. The result in Turkey has obviously given me a nice few points. I've got a long way to go to be able to do it but that's the aim. Anything beyond that would be a bonus. I've been starting to talk a bit more about my struggles I've been through the last few years. I'm absolutely delighted to be able to feel like that because a few years ago being able to talk about my struggles felt a long way off. I now feel really comfortable with what's happened."
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
The life of a professional golfer is no laughing matter . . . just ask Robin Williams
Robin Williams and his dad Morné, who was on the bag last week, at the Turkish Airlines Open. Photo: ZAAHIER ADAMS Independent Media Image: ZAAHIER ADAMS Independent Media The late Robin Williams delivered an excellent set on the comedic absurdities of golf in his Grammy award-winning one-man show back in 2002. It had the Broadway audience in stitches and has since garnered over seven million views on YouTube. Even golfers appreciated Williams' spoof of their beloved game, with current Masters champion Rory McIlroy and South African legend Gary Player among those who sent heartfelt condolences upon Williams' death in 2014. This past week, I watched another Robin Williams closely at the Turkish Airlines Open — but this was no laughing matter. Here was a young man, just 23-years old, playing for his livelihood among some of golf's biggest names at the Regnum Carya Golf Club. The former Fortress Rookie of the Year on the Sunshine Tour in 2023 was coming off a hectic stretch, having played 44 tournaments last year — the most of any professional golfer on the circuit. However, prior to the Turkish Airlines Open, he had missed nine cuts in 14 starts since his promotion to the DP World Tour. In response, he opted to take a playing break to fine-tune his game ahead of the European season, after a few chinks had crept in. With his father on the bag — his regular caddie unable to obtain a Schengen visa in time — it became a family affair for a week in Antalya. Refreshed and revitalised, Williams delivered a credible performance that saw him in contention with just three holes to play in the final round. Although he ultimately fell away on the 16th, he closed with a level-par 71 to finish on 11-under in a share of seventh. He was projected to climb 32 places in the Race to Dubai rankings to 87th. But that wasn't what stood out for me. Coming from a world of professional cricket — where players travel business class, are shuttled from the airport to five-star hotels, receive meals, massages and allowances of up to $100 per day — the life of a professional golfer was a rude awakening. Williams was one of the fairytale stories of the Turkish Airlines Open, alongside eventual winner, the golden-locked 22-year-old Frenchman Martin Couvra. The youngsters had the Turkish public in raptures for four days, with young boys and girls waiting at the 18th hole for a signature or a selfie. Williams was particularly popular, with one boy screaming: 'You're my favourite Robbie!' It certainly felt like Robbie Williams mania in the Mediterranean for a few magical days. But as soon as he left the players' enclosure, there was his father, Morne, standing outside the clubhouse with clubs packed and suitcase in hand — ready to move on to the next tournament. No extra night's stay or celebratory drink. That's simply too costly. So, while Williams may have earned in excess of R1 million for the week's work, he still has to make up for the nine missed cuts earlier in the season. Next time you see a golfer's hand trembling as they line up a putt on the 18th, remember — there's far more than glory at stake. * Zaahier Adams attended the Turkish Airlines Open at the Regnum Carya Golf Club in Antalya, courtesy of Turkish Airlines.
USA Today
14-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
From Turkey to California: Golfer survives 35-hour trip to advance in U.S. Open qualifier
From Turkey to California: Golfer survives 35-hour trip to advance in U.S. Open qualifier The life of a pro golfer looking for status on any tour, and eager for places to play, was never more evident than Leon Acikalin's story Tuesday at a U.S. Open local qualifier at Ironwood Country Club in Palm Desert, California. 'Today was a bit funny, off the back of 35 hours of travelling, showing up to the first tee just completely knackered,' said Acikalin, who shook off a trip from Turkey to share medalist honors at the local qualifying event. Acikalin was one of five golfers who advanced out of the Ironwood event to reach final qualifying. But in keeping with his current status in professional golf, Acikalin doesn't really know where he will play the second stage of Open qualifying. 'London,' Acikalin said, with a bit of hesitation. 'I might change it to somewhere here. It just depends if I get into Belgium on the DP (World) tour the following week. We'll see. It's really more to do with the schedule. I don't really care where I play.' Acikalin's journey to the South Course at Ironwood began after he finished tied for 33rd in the Turkish Airlines Open on the DP World Tour on Sunday, earning $18,497. 'We were in the south of Turkey, so it was an hour and a half to Istanbul, then 15 hours to L.A., then two hours waiting for a bag, and three and a half hours to the hotel (in the desert),' Acikalin said. Tuesday's round on the par-72 South Course at Ironwood at least gives Acikalin something definitive on his schedule, though he doesn't really know where his schedule will let him play for a spot in the U.S. Open on June 12-15 at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. 'When you don't have full status anywhere, you just kind of get in where you can,' said the 25-year-old Acikalin, who lists Turkey as his home. He played college golf at schools in Arizona and speaks with a British accent. 'It's like, maybe I get into Belgium, maybe I don't.' The fatigue of the trip from Turkey didn't hurt Acikalin too much. Playing on a golf course he had played once before, Acikalin managed five birdies and one bogey while surviving the tough closing 17th and 18th holes in suddenly strong winds on the course. 'I played it before a couple of years ago. I remember the layout but didn't really remember how it plays too much,' Acikalin said. 'So I was happy. It was nice out there.' Acikalin's 68 tied him for medalist honors with Kyle Karazissis of Calabasas, who also is listed as playing out of The Palms Golf Club, had five birdies and one eagle but three bogeys. Maxwell Moldovan of Uniontown, Ohio, shot 69 to advance from the qualifier while Michael Drake of Riverside and Dalan Refioglu each shot 70 to close out the top five.
Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Golf star reduced to tears after finally ending six-year run "through hell"
Former Ryder Cup star Chris Wood has endured a rotten few years but finally appears to be on the comeback trail after appearing at the DP World Tour event the Turkish Airlines Open over the weekend Ex-Ryder Cup star Chris Wood has opened up on his journey 'through hell' after finally making his golf comeback. The 37-year-old has endured a very difficult few years after being blighted by chronic anxiety. Things got so bad for Wood in 2023 that he was forced to take a year away from the course. But he has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance over the past week. After being handed a rare sponsor's invite to play at the Turkish Airlines Open, he shone as he made his first DP World Tour cut in almost three years. A seven-under par 64 on Sunday lifted Wood into the top ten of a tournament for the first time since 2018. Speaking after his sensational second round, he struggled to choke back the tears live on TV. He said: 'It's been horrendous to be honest. Since 2019 I just feel like I've been going through hell. 'To put a score together is great but I wanted to feel like I know my game's there. Not just put a score together on one day and I genuinely feel like I'm starting to do that now. 'I've been working so hard at home just quietly with a great team. It's been a long old road to be honest but I never lost belief in myself. You have days where it feels harder than some but the fire in my belly has always been there. I'm relying on invites this year. I'm ready. I'm practicing so well at home. A call last minute isn't a problem. I'm ready to go. 'Even though I've felt like I've truly believed I've still had the game. The big thing is, I've seen the all shots, I know I can hit the shots, I've just not been able to hit them.' He added: 'My anxiety has been horrendous and the tour have been good. The medical team have really helped me. This is hopefully the first little step forward and anyone that wants me at their event, please pick up the phone because I need a few starts this year.' Wood is hoping that his outing in Antalya is just the start of what could be an eye-catching comeback. His top ten is set to secure him a place at the Soudal Open in Belgium in just under a fortnight's time. But he is just trying to stay focused. He said: 'I'm just trying to stay on my mental task really. I've had so much trauma and I don't want to go back there. If we can make the mental task the most important thing, you can shoot 75 or 65 and I can tick the box that I've done well. 'We're doing some good things but it's no good if I only play one more event. I need some starts. Hopefully this is putting my name there more and people remember. I need a bit of help, obviously.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
