Faldo

Hello, my name is Pedro Costa Lima. I am from Brazil. I would like to share with you my great experience in China this month, where we played the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final.

Luckily I played my best golf at the Faldo Series Grand Final in Rio in October 2009 and qualified to compete in Mission Hills, China.

Getting to China

My trip started on March 5th, Friday night. I left home and took a long flight of 12 hours to London. As soon as I got there, I bought a warm jacket and had an amazing English lunch.

A few hours later I met Kerry McDonald of the Faldo Series and the four other winners of the European Grand Final. We had dinner together and we boarded another long flight to Hong Kong.

We arrived in Hong Kong 12 hours later and took a car through the China border to Shenzhen, where Mission Hills is located. For those who are not aware, Mission Hills is the world’s biggest golf complex with 12 golf courses designed by the greatest golfers and architects of all times. Definitely a place to visit if you are a golfer! At that moment it was Sunday evening, and when I looked at my watch I realized that my whole journey had taken 36 hours. Surprisingly I was feeling great, even good enough to play a round of golf.

Monday 8 March

Monday morning we woke up early for registration and with the purpose of getting used to the local time in China. Compared with the local time in Brazil, China was 11 hours ahead. It was a calm day to adapt ourselves to the time, climate and weather. We went to the golf club. We saw the practice facilities at the hotel and we played 9 holes at the great and challenging Nick Faldo Course. I had the pleasure to play with two players from Myanmar. We became quickly friends, and after nine holes we were sharing stories and laughs. 

Tuesday 9 March

Tuesday started early with the official practice round. We were scheduled to play at specific times and I had the pleasure to play with 3 great players from India. One of them, Khalin, was my roommate and he taught me about the Taj Mahal and Indian culture. We quickly became friends. Tuesday night we saw a presentation in the players’ lounge by Alpine Creations about how important it is to dress yourself properly and what we are trying to say with that image that we create. The presentation was important to young players who are looking to become professional athletes, especially because athletes build their images and their credibility through actions, costumes and attitudes.

Wednesday 10 March

Wednesday morning was the official first day of the tournament. It was still cold, but we could see the sun light shining bright onto the beautiful views of Nick Faldo`s course. The course was playing hard, long and wet. Players had to face the cold weather, the blow of the wind and the pressure. Playing smart wasn’t good enough. It was required to play clever, wise, and to trust in your shots. Wednesday night we had dinner at the players’ lounge and we saw an interesting presentation by Matt from Scoring Solutions about statistics in golf and how this attitude can help you to shape your game and perfect your performances on the course. At the end of the night we had the pleasure to meet Sir Nick Faldo. Nick told us about the importance of having a routine and how he prepares himself for tournaments during the tournament week.

Thursday 11 March

Thursday started early as well. It was the second round and we teed off from the 10th hole this time. It was a different situation because we faced the same holes that we did the first day but now with different order. Teeing off from the 10th can be positive or not, it depends how the player sees each half of the course, and which of them he prefers to start first. In the afternoon we went to the driving range for a clinic with Nick Faldo. We had a Q&A session with Nick and we saw how he hits the ball, we listened to the sound of his impact, and we heard from him how he would hit balls and warm up at the driving range during and outside of tournament weeks.

Final day

Friday and final round of the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final was a special day. All the players woke up early, packed up, had the last Chinese breakfast and checked out of Mission Hills before going directly to the golf course. The course was beautiful and challenging as it was all week, but there always is a different and amazing atmosphere of the last round. After the game, and the play off, we all dressed up properly for the Gala Dinner. At the dinner, there was in each table pencils and papers so we could ask our last question to Nick Faldo. We had our last Chinese meal, and after the meal we listened to Nick Faldo’s thoughts and his impressions of the week and his career.

After the trophy ceremony, each one of us started on our way back home. We all were very glad to have had the chance to compete with the best young players in the world, and very honored to have spent time with Sir Nick Faldo.

My experience in the Faldo Series was remarkable in my amateur golf career. I totally recommend it and wish the best of luck to those who participate in future Faldo Series events.