Davies So Close at Celtic Manor

A week ago I witnessed some of the best golf on the European Tour so far this season.  Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell shot 64/63 (15 under par) over the weekend and won the Wales Open by 3 shots from Welshman Rhys Davies.  On the last day of the tournament the 2 players conjured up rounds of 63 and 62 respectively over the 2010 Ryder Cup Course with 62 being the new course record.

I’m not taking anything away from Graeme McDowell’s fantastic weekend display, but the fact that Rhys Davies, a rookie who has just burst onto the scene with 5 top 3 finishes in the last 2 months, shot the course record in tough conditions on the final day of a major tour event, and on the Ryder Cup course is amazing!  This has put him in a great position to claim one of the places in the European Ryder Cup side when the golfing world converges on Celtic Manor in October.  There is no doubt about it; Rhys is ‘the form player’ on the European Tour right now and someone who I would certainly have in my team.  People have questioned if he is ready for the Ryder Cup as he is relatively inexperienced; however bear in mind that he had a glowing amateur career before turning pro and was in the Walker Cup team which was captained by one of PerryGolf’s founding directors, Colin Dalgleish.  I hope Rhys keeps up the excellent form which he has shown in the first half of the season and qualifies for the Ryder Cup in a few months time.  The fact that he is a Welshman will also help to draw some local fans which I’m sure will add to atmosphere.

By Gary Sheppard.  Gary has been with PerryGolf for over 4 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.

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PerryGolf’s Colin Dalgleish Honored with Inaugural Special Achievement Award from Golf Tourism Scotland.

Nick Hunter (left), Chairman of Golf Tourism Scotland presents Colin Dalgleish, Co Founding Director of PerryGolf, with the Special Achievement Award November 5, 2009 at Turnberry Resort.
Nick Hunter (left), Chairman of Golf Tourism Scotland presents Colin Dalgleish, Co Founding Director of PerryGolf, with the Special Achievement Award November 5, 2009 at Turnberry Resort.

Colin Dalgleish, one of the two Founding Directors of international golf tour operator PerryGolf, has been named by Golf Tourism Scotland as the inaugural recipient of its Special Achievement Award for significant contribution to the golf tourism industry. The award was presented on November 5 at the 2009 Gold Standards Awards Dinner held at the iconic Turnberry Hotel on the Ayrshire Coast of Scotland.

Colin Dalgleish and his brother Gordon founded PerryGolf in 1984, and over the past 25 years have established the business into one of the leading international golf and travel brands to a number of worldwide destinations including the British Isles, France, Spain, South Africa, New Zealand & Australia.

PerryGolf has played an important role in the development of golf tourism into Scotland. The company was one of the first to assemble a full-time staff of highly knowledgeable golf travel specialists who acted on behalf of clients to coordinate the many options from a carefully vetted collection of golf, hotel and local transportation partners. The concept of a single source provider quickly found favor as Scotland’s popularity grew amongst American golfers. A variety of golf travel innovations followed including the creation of the first fleet of luxury 8 passenger Mercedes VIP coaches designed specifically for golfers; privately chartered small-ship golf cruises; luxury rail charters aboard the Royal Scotsman; plus exclusive programs to the British Open and the Ryder Cup. PerryGolf, through a multi year contract, also offers its clients outstanding guaranteed access to the Old Course of St Andrews, the Home of Golf.

The Dalgleish brothers grew up in the town of Helensburgh on the west coast of Scotland near Loch Lomond, playing golf from an early age with each representing both Scotland and Great Britain & Ireland at junior level. Colin attended Ohio State University for two years where he played on the golf team alongside current PGA TOUR stars John Cook and Joey Sindelar before returning to Scotland to become the first Sports Bursar at the University of Stirling, graduating from there in 1984 with a BA in Accountancy. He was Scottish Amateur Champion in 1981, and a Walker Cup player the same year, before going on to Captain Scotland 1993-96, and most recently captain the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup Team against the United States at Royal County Down in 2007 and Merion in 2009. He served as a Board Member of Golf Tourism Scotland 2005-2006.

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