Miller magic confirms Blog bookmaker’s optimism

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Martin Moodie
Martin Moodie is the Founder & Chairman of The Moodie Report.

The Moodie Blog has decided to launch a bookmakers’ division after a Nostradamus-like prediction of the results of the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup, which concluded on Monday.

As exclusively predicted by The Moodie Blogmakers (as the division is to be known) husband and wife team Art and Nancy Miller topped the respective international golfing fields at the annual tournament held over two of the emirate’s great golf courses on Sunday and Monday.

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Art (pictured above accepting his prize from the Dubai Duty Free management team), the popular and respected Revlon travel retail supremo, shot a fine 75 stableford points over the 36-hole tournament while the delightful Nancy stormed in with 67 points to take the honours among international women visitors.

Here’s how the Blogmakers had sized up the Millers on the eve of the tournament:

Art Miller: Odds: 3-1: A previous winner here, though his form lately has been as streaky as a Revlon lipstick after the wearer has been kissed by King Kong. With his wife Nancy here to keep him on the straight and narrow, expect the affable American and Appalachian Country Club member to be high on the leaderboard come Monday afternoon.

Nancy Miller: Odds: 2-1: Could this be a double whammy for the Miller family with husband Art – the desert Rat – winning the men’s tournament and his gorgeous wife Nancy carrying off the ladies? We think so. Expect some hefty excess baggage charges on the Millers’ flight back to Singapore.

How about that then? We don’t like to say we told you so… but WE TOLD YOU SO…

The Moodie Blogmakers also proved uncannily accurate in some of their other predictions. Camus executive Richard Ferne lived up to our odds of 87 gazillion to a half despite a stupendously brave performance over the two days that saw him fall a tantalising 64 stableford points short of the winner.

“Phew, that was a close thing,” a generous Miller told the post-match press conference, “Fernie was making a real run at me for a while.”

Our unique collector’s edition picture further down this page shows Richard Ferne alongside fellow outsiders (confectionery executives Dan Kongsted and Patrick Dorais). Together the trio resembled collective odds of 87 gazillion, 75 trillion and 600 billion to one. Our picture below shows the closest that any of them got to a blitz of birdies over the 36 holes.

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One highly optimistic punter – who would have been able to buy World Duty Free with the proceeds – even backed the unholy trinity for a ‘trifecta’ (first, second and third places) but ended up losing his one dirham wager.

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Alas The Moodie Blogmaster himself also lived up to his billing of 3 million to 1, crashing back to (and below) earth after a promising 33 points in round one to a subterranean 13 in round two. 

However it should be pointed out that he was forced to play in the company of two of the field’s longest shots (odds rather than drives), TRT’s Ray Martin (73 million to 1) and GTR Sales’ David Spillane (1.5 million to 1).

“It was like being paired with a disorientated hammer thrower and an Irish hurling reject. How could I possibly keep my game together with swings like that happening all around me?” complained the crestfallen Antipodean after realising he had been outscored by both the lifetime longshots.

One man on whom we did not quote odds this year was Dubai Duty Free Managing Director Colm McLoughlin, a single-figure handicapper who was forced to miss the event due to his (rapid) recuperation from hip surgery.

During a tribute to Colm on the evening, Art Miller (who won the overall trophy in 2005) said: “Two years ago I said Colm didn’t have a single bad bone in his body… well unfortunately he did have one, and three weeks ago he had it removed.”

The Irishman though was in good form, describing himself as “bionic” and proudly displaying his new Callaway ‘crutch putter’ (pictured below). Colm’s adept technique with the new club alllied to an unexpectedly rapid recovery has forced The Moodie Blogmaker to slash his odds for next year’s tourament to 6-1. You heard it here first.

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  • Hi Martin

    Sorry to have missed the finale but a good result all round and I expect you to fix the pairings next year to protect your 1st round scores!