Tough and challenging

Despite one of the closest tournaments and a thrilling final day where, at one point five players shared the lead, the hot topic on many lips throughout the tournament were Ian Poulter's regular tweets, particularly in relation to the greens, claiming they were the worst he had played on in 30 years and that Monty, the course designer, should be embarrassed.

Other playing professionals tried to distance themselves from his remarks, clarifying that they were tough because of the gradient of the slope, the sheer size of some of the greens and the multiple tiers, adding, however, that they were fair, true and challenging.

Monty, meanwhile, expressed his 'delight' at the state of the course and claimed that there will always be players underperforming that are unhappy and looking for something or someone to blame.

Others attending the event, less generously, pointed out that Poulter had managed to miss the cut on the flat greens of Abu Dhabi the week before so was in no position to complain.

He only performed marginally better in Bahrain and seemed in a rush all the way through his final round. Some spectators seemed willing to help him on his way after his unfavourable comments!

The Volvo Golf Champions is unique in world golf, allowing amateurs for the first time, to play alongside professionals in the middle of a PGA event. Those I caught up with had a wonderful time, from the opportunity to play on His Majesty King Hamad's private course before having the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the greatest golfers.

Some players stood out with their willingness to help these amateurs who travelled the globe to be in Bahrain.

Paul Casey, Darren Clarke and Padraig Harrington were some who shone, with their willingness to engage with and help their amateur teammates, despite a much more valuable individual prize being at stake. Jose Maria Olazabal was also willing to provide helpful advice ... to his fellow professionals and not just the amateurs!

As this was the first time this format had been tried, there were worries about the impact on the pros, whose score also counted towards their four-day individual total. Todd Hamilton shot his best round of the week while playing alongside an amateur, while Casey, Matteo Manassero and Oliver Wilson also shot their lowest totals of the week.

All of the amateurs seemed to have enjoyed themselves, having been treated like stars while playing with the game's top men. Many have known for months that they would be visiting Bahrain although some have found it difficult to practice due to the poor weather in Europe, although one took a short holiday to Barbados to overcome that problem!

Of course, this was not the first occasion in Bahrain where amateurs played with the professionals. The traditional Wednesday Pro-Am saw some of Bahrain's more dedicated golfers join forces in teams with a pro. I managed to catch up with a few of the players for their thoughts:

Overall winner Rob Wakefield was impressed with Casey's distance off the tee and driving accuracy. Casey clearly likes playing with amateurs as he also won the Amateur-Pro title, not to mention the clean sweep of the Volvo Golf Champions Trophy.

Current club captains Debbie Lane and Ed Daly played with Mannasero, commented that he was 'a lovely chap' and 'very chatty', while golf operations director Phil Jones enjoyed 'great golf' with Jeev Singh.

Poulter, despite his tweets, did make some friends in Bahrain, delighting his playing partners with his wit, particularly relating to the 15th club in his bag - his 'kick wedge', employed when his ball landed on the desert scrubland. Not wanting to destroy his sponsored clubs he employed the 'kick' to bring the ball back onto the fairway!

Bahrain City Centre's Lori Cunningham was delighted to out-drive the PGA Tour's longest hitter, Alvaro Quiros, on one hole, while playing partner David Axtell 'found the advice and interaction invaluable' and 'the banter made it a fantastic day out, despite the driving rain'.

However, Miguel Angel Jimenez, proving himself to be a larger-than-life character, surpassed all others by sharing some of his favourite cigars with his teammates on the 14th hole, even managing to light them despite the downpour.

My other favourite stories from the week include the European Tour deciding that Bahrain had no sand, determining from the outset that there were no bunkers on the course, and Jiminez (again) securing three birdies with his lob-wedge having broken his putter.

Yet it was the overall success of this year's tournament, from the organisation of the tournament itself, the hospitality given to visitors, the sheer volume and willingness of the volunteers and the seamless integration of the amateurs into the tournament that have made this event so special.

Aside from the professional tournament, Saturday's play featured amateur players with each of the professional two balls in the inaugural Volvo Golf Champions Amateur-Pro Team Competition.

The unique stand-alone tournament provided more joy for joint leader Casey who, together with his playing partner Clarke and amateur Kevin Aherne, won the tournament on countback with a combined team score of 16 under par.

While Aherne picked up a specially-commissioned trophy from Kosta Boda, Casey and Clarke both collected the keys to a brand new Volvo S60 for their efforts.

Casey said: "Kevin was an absolute gentleman and he played wonderful golf and Clarkey and I really enjoyed ourselves."

It was a sentiment backed up by the Northern Irishman who said: "Kevin was fantastic. He was very nervous going to the first tee, but both Paul and myself hopefully made him feel very much at ease and he played very, very well. He's a good golfer, he's a four handicapper and when he calmed down a bit, he enjoyed himself."

For 53-year-old Englishman Aherne, a former computer operator who took early retirement last year, the day represented his best experience on a golf course. "It was just indescribable really," he said. "Paul and Darren are two fantastic golfers and they were as nice to me as my best friends. As an amateur golfer you can't describe what it is like to play alongside world class players, but it was just fantastic."

Casey and Clarke donating their winning Volvo to Aherne seemed to fit in with the whole ethos of the event.

Roll on 2012!

Also, spare a thought for Nasser Yacoub, Bahrain's sole representative, who found the going tough but demonstrated tremendous heart by shooting a second round 78 following on from a disappointing opening round.

However, as the best Arab golfer and one of the most consistent players in the region, this simply demonstrates the gulf in class and simply how good the world's leading golfers actually are.

QUIZ CONTEST WINNERS

The winners of last week's His & Hers golf shirt contest were Ron Clark and Jasmine Karani. They will also receive a Cobra cap signed by IJP Design. They correctly stated Ian Poulter's middle name as James. Their prizes are winging their way from the UK.