Opening Round Results

Svalbard, Norway 2nd - 3rd April 2004

The British contingents in The Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship were flying the flag proudly with pros Roger Beames, Steven Cowle and John Wells all in a tie for second place at six over par. Former European Tour Player Per Haugsrud leads the field following a course record 76.

Perhaps the surprise of the day is amateur golfer and two-time world curling champion Russ Howard from Canada. Russ has taken well to the ice golf course and is keeping pace with the leaders, with a fine round of 78. Tomorrow will see a tense finale with nine players less than five shots off the pace.

The weather was bright but cold but the last three holes saw the players experiencing blizzard conditions with winds of over 25mph. The blizzards are expected to continue throughout the final round of The Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship.

Although birdies were on the card for many of the talented professionals it didn’t stop them keeping one eye open for the polar bears which room free in this location. Fortunately polar bear spotters carrying shotguns are on hand should anything get out of control.

John Wells, Professional Golfer from the UK

“The Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship is the most surreal and one of the most amazing golf tournaments I’ve ever played in. It’s incredible that a golf course can survive such mad weather conditions. Walking on ice feels like walking on a tightrope when you’re about to fall off, it’s only the crampons that are keeping me upright. I’m really pleased with my performance today and am pretty confident about tomorrow’s final.”

Roger Beames Pro Golfer and 2002 Drambuie World Ice Golf Champion from the UK

“No birdies, no long put, no chip ins, lots of lost balls and three hours of blizzards in today’s first round of the chillingly cold Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship. I still fancy my chances of holding onto my Championship title if the conditions are the same tomorrow. “

Russ Howard, Professional World Curling Champion, Canada

“I’m really pleased at how well I’m doing as I’m right up there with the golf pros. There are far better players than me in this tournament but being used to extreme conditions has really helped me out. The hard part is having the imagination to assess the situation with the ever changing conditions -sometimes you need to chip softly then hard and sometimes putt slow then fast. The Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship is a phenomenal event, if a little frustrating, I get a bit of good luck then a bit of bad - but that’s what extreme golf is all about.”

Per Haugsrud, Professional Golfer, Norway

“It’s really important to be on the right side of the hole when putting in The Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship and I believe this has helped me in my lead today. The challenge and good humour at the Championship are the key highlights for me, as well as taking the lead. I’m going to give it my best shot tomorrow, but any of the top 10 could be crowned The 2004 Drambuie World Ice Golf Champion.”

Jean-Paul Herbert, Professional Golfer, USA

“Getting a good footing in the ground, holding some back on your swing and being creative around the greens by hitting bump and run shots is my key strategy in competing in the Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship. I played ok today even though the scores don’t sound good - but its tough out there. However playing in such a remote location on such as dramatic course is truly an experience of a lifetime, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow as it’s still anyone’s game.”

The 5th Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship is being staged on the remote Island of Svalbard, in the northernmost territory of Norway. This Arctic expanse is filled with fjords, wide river valleys, jutting peaks and sunning glaciers, covering 60% of the area.

The Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship is a 36-hole stroke - play event, played over two days but competed under some of the harshest and most extreme conditions in the world, where temperatures reach a staggering -30 degrees Celsius. The championship is played in accordance with the rules of golf, but with a few noticeable differences. The balls are orange, the greens are white, and course attire includes ski-goggles, balaclavas and snow mittens.

The Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship is now in its 5th year and moved location from Greenland, the original home of the tournament, to Svalbard in 2004.

Drambuie World Ice Golf updates will be posted on www.drambuie.com throughout the Championship. Visit www.drambuie.com to keep up to date with all the news, and be the first to find out who will be crowned The 2004 Drambuie World Ice Golf Champion.

Results

Pos Navn R1 R2 Huller Total

1 HAUGSRUD, Per (34) 76 (+4) 18 +4

T2 WELLS, John (33) 78 (+6) 18 +6

T2 COWLE, Steven (26) 78 (+6) 18 +6

T2 BEAMES, Roger (25) 78 (+6) 18 +6

T2 HOWARD, Russ (1) 78 (+6) 18 +6

T2 DAVIDSON, Graham (24) 78 (+6) 18 +6

7 HERBERT, Jean-Paul (31) 79 (+7) 18 +7

T8 WAINWRIGHT, Aran (30) 80 (+8) 18 +8

T8 AKSTRUP, Brian (28) 80 (+8) 18 +8

T8 COLE TANNER, Zachary (3) 80 (+8) 18 +8

T11 JAKOBSEN, Jahn Ivar (6) 82 (+10) 18 +10

T11 MATERNE, Nicole (29) 82 (+10) 18 +10

13 LE ROUX, Jonathan (32) 83 (+11) 18 +11

T14 SKOGLUND, Jan (11) 84 (+12) 18 +12

T14 KOMARC, Steven (27) 84 (+12) 18 +12

16 GARLAND, David (2) 85 (+13) 18 +13

17 SKOKIE JACKSON, David (5) 86 (+14) 18 +14

18 COX, Rodrick (7) 87 (+15) 18 +15

19 SÖRENSEN, Svein (4) 92 (+20) 18 +20

T20 SUELVES, Blanca (8) 93 (+21) 18 +21

T20 NOTARO, Tom (14) 93 (+21) 18 +21

22 SMITH, Douglas (9) 97 (+25) 18 +25

23 WEINGRAD, Jeff (13) 99 (+27) 18 +27

24 BROWN, Jonathan (17) 106 (+34) 18 +34

25 OSORIO, Juan Miguel (16) 107 (+35) 18 +35

26 M. ISACSON, Scott (19) 108 (+36) 18 +36

27 RICHARD, Robert Charles (12) 114 (+42) 18 +42

28 LLOYD, Chris (23) 116 (+44) 18 +44

29 NICHOLLS, Jason (10) 118 (+46) 18 +46

30 COTTO, Leo (20) 119 (+47) 18 +47

31 FEELEY, Sean (18) 120 (+48) 18 +48

32 BRUNI, Albert (15) 124 (+52) 18 +52

33 BLISS, Dominic (21) 125 (+53) 18 +53

34 REVERS, Mark William (22) 130 (+58) 18 +58

Drambuie On Ice

Drambuie, best drunk on ice, has been involved in the development of The Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship since its creation. Drambuie’s support has been crucial and the Scottish liqueur company has taken the tournament from strength to strength. For more information about Drambuie and The Drambuie World Ice Golf Championship please visit www.drambuie.com