A Small Tribute To Ankur

What a strange title for tonight's post from the desert?  What does it mean?  Is the heat getting to the old boy?  Is it the drink?  Well no actually, it isn't and I have had a particularly good day today although have put something of a dampener on it tonight by accidentally wiping off the photos that I had intended to upload!  Aaaaggghhhhh...!  A senior moment I'm afraid and these appear to be accelerating in their frequency and number!  Early onset dementia perhaps?  Stupidity actually.

Back to the story and the luck I had today in acting as scorer on the number one pairing of the day - a certain Rory Mcilroy and a feisty Yorkshireman, Danny Willett.  I had never previously scored a pairing of this stature, a pairing that is that also drew the largest crowds of the day.  

When you are scoring, you work with a partner in the form of a local student from a Dubai school who carries the mobile scoreboard, updating it after every hole.

I was rewarded today with a delightful young man by the name of Ankur.  The last time I had worked with a similar young man on this tournament, I turned around on one hole to find him sitting and resting in the middle of the fairway!  There was to be no such behaviour from Ankur, in fact absolutely the opposite but more of that shortly.

It wasn't long, in fact the third fairway, before Rory turned to me and said, "please will you call for a referee?"  He needed a ruling on a particular issue.  In my best Yorkshire accent I called control and asked for the referee.  No response?  I called once more and yet again the airwaves were silent.  With the eyes of the golfing world on me and panic starting to well, my earpiece burst into sound with the words, "on his way".  Phew!  I tried to very discreetly wipe the beads of perspiration from my forehead whilst at the same time keeping my confident and authoritative gait.  I think I failed.

I did have to call control only once more during the round and it took them a little by surprise.  You see these poor students have to carry what amounts to a scaffolding pole for nearly four hours in temperatures of 30C plus. It genuinely isn't easy and in Ankur's case, the result was a couple of extremely painful blisters!  He didn't grumble or take me up on my offer of getting a replacement but did accept my call to get some plasters sent out to the course.  They didn't ease the pain an awful lot but he battled through the remaining few holes, kept a smile on his face and gets my award today for showing true grit on the golf course.  Well done Ankur.

A great day with both Rory and Danny well in the mix at -4.  And that was achieved without either playing particularly well.  What might tomorrow bring for them?

I did take photos of Ankur's battered hands to post here tonight in order that you would understand his suffering.  Instead I am including a few which might give you a feel for the place and the tournament.