Tag Archives: Long Drive

Long Drive

Long Drive – The Long Drivers European Tour announces the 2018 calendar

January 13, 2018 – The Long Drivers European Tour (LDET) presents the sixth season which will start next 7th and 8th April in France. The Hotel Golf Château de Chailly will host the first tournament of the LDET. Four of the nine countries – France, Belgium, Sweden and Italy – will return to the tour. One of the new events of the season will be the Nations Cup that for the first time of the Tour will have a long drive championship by teams next October.

“We are very proud to host the first LDET season event in France! We are committed to host major golf events at Hôtel Golf Château de Chailly like the LDET – in 2017 we started an annual golf pro-am and in our first event we had five players from the European Tour in our event including Gwladys Nocera and Raphaël Jacquelin. France and the French golfers will enjoy the spectacular Long Drivers European Tour by coming to our resort next April and watch the big hitters” said Tobias Yang, President of Hotel Golf Château de Chailly.

6 new venues: Amazing scenarios

Three weeks after the first bombings, the hitters will travel to Belgium (20th and 21st April) at Steenhoven Golf Club.

“We are very pleased to host this international event in our golf club. We will do our best to manage this competition and give a great time to the players and to the visitors believing that everybody will enjoy the show” said Arnaud, the Golf Manager.

Täby Golf Klub will welcome the circuit hosting the Swedish tournament the first weekend of May (4th & 5th). The Swedish player Sebastian Forslöf will have a big support because he will play at home: “Playing in my hometown will be an honor. Competing in the sport I love with my friends and family supporting me will be a highlight of the season and I will do my best to win”.

For the first time in the tour history, Russia will have a long drive tournament. The Long Drivers will visit the biggest European country next 2nd and 3rd June at PeterHof Golf Club near Saint Petersburg. “It is a big honor for Peterhof Golf Club and the city of Saint Petersburg to host a stage of LDET in Russia. All the team as well as the golfers are very much looking forward to what is going to be a great golf weekend with a ProAm and the most exciting show in Golf” Inar Kuramshin, Golf Manager of PeterHof Golf.

At the end of July (28th and 29th), the tour will stop in Germany (Munich) at the Münchener Golf Club. The hometown of “The German Bomber” Timo Petrasch “Having a LDET tournament in my city is great. I want to bring a lot of people and create an amazing atmosphere” said Timo.

Italy will host again one of the tournaments after being absent last year; it will the seventh event of the season and it will be near the capital of Rome next 26th & 27th August at Terre Dei Consoli.

Only 1 venue repeats from last season

Along with the new venues, only one resort will host again a LDET tournament: it will be Hungary, which will hold it for a third season in a row next 13th and 14th of July at Zala Springs Golf Resort, a course designed by the prestigious Robert Jones, one of the best golf course designers. 

New tournament: NATIONS CUP

This 2018 season, the tour will have for the first time, the NATIONS CUP. Players will represent their countries by teams in a long drive tournament. More info and the venue will be announced soon.

The last stop of the season will be the classic MASTERS LDET CUP. This final tournament will complete the ninth championships; the place will be confirmed very soon.

The European Champion Matt Nicolle is excited for the new season: “I am looking forward to the season ahead and can ́t wait to start competing again. I want to defend my European title”.

Volvik, Official golf ball

VOLVIK is the official ball sponsor of the Long Drivers European Tour since 2014. The VIVID XT is the current model used on the tour. During the last 6 years, the LDET has been in amazing places around Europe such as St. Andrews, Italy, France, UK, Estonia, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Sweden, Spain… 

“We will continue being the official ball of the tour for the new season. We are very proud to be part of the European Tour for the fifth consecutive season and growing the game in Europe. Our colour balls give more visibility to the long drive show and will be seen around the European sky” said Jason Stewart, Volvik European Marketing Manager.

The LDET consolidates year after year and Europe will live again the long drive show. The LDET also will continue to pursue the categories of amateur, junior and women in this new season.

Long Drive

Long Drive – The World Long Drive Association expands its partnership with Volvik

March 28, 2017 – The World Long Drive Association (WLDA) announced that it has expanded its partnership with Volvik, which will become the official title sponsor of the World Long Drive Championship (Aug. 31-Sept. 6).

In an additional display of brands aligning themselves with the increasingly popular segment of golf, Avis was named the official rental car of the Volvik World Long Drive Championship. And, in continuing its efforts to globalize, the World Long Drive Association has expanded its international presence through new sanctioned event partnerships in multiple countries.

“We had a huge reaction to being the official ball of the WLDA last year from those tuning in watching pink, green, yellow and orange Volvik golf balls going 430-plus yards in the Finals,” said Volvik USA President Don Shin. “With everything Golf Channel is doing to advance Long Drive and its exciting atmosphere, we wanted to get involved even more by becoming the title sponsor of the Volvik World Long Drive Championship, in addition to being the official ball of all sanctioned WLDA events.”

In addition to becoming the title sponsor of the Championship through a new multi-year agreement, Volvik will:

  • Continue as the official ball for all qualifying and sanctioned WLDA events, utilizing the new four-piece Volvik VIVID XT (Extreme) matte finish ball, specifically designed for players with faster swing speeds and available in five bright colours.
  • Receive signage at qualifying and sanctioned events, and be featured within Golf Channel’s WLDA telecasts.
  • Maintain its presence as the exclusive ball on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive program.

Long Drive

Long Drive – Krank Golf, official driver of the 2017 Long Drivers European Tour

March 17, 2017 – The Long Drivers European Tour has announced Krank Golf is the Official Driver of the Tour for the 2017 season. With this agreement, Krank Golf will have visibility in each event and will award the player with the “Longest Ball of the Day” of each tournament with a special driver.

“We at Krank Golf are very proud to announce our partnership as the Official Driver of the LDET for the 2017 season. Krank Golf is committed to the Sport of Long Drive worldwide with 20 World Long Drive Championships.”

“We believe the LDET is committed to expanding this amazing sport throughout Europe. We are 100% on board with that and looking forward to an amazing 2017 season”, said Lance Reader, Krank Golf President.

Krank Golf is unquestionably the authority in distance hitting with 20 World Long Drive Championships, including the 2010 (1st and 2nd), 2011(1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th) and 2012 (1st, 2nd and 3rd), 2013 (1st, 3rd and 4th), 2015 (1st, 2nd, and 8th) Open Division Championships. Also, Krank Golf Drivers have completely dominated the Sport of Long Drive Worldwide for over eight years winning more Professional Long Drive events than any golf company in history.

Long Drive

Long Drive – The spectacular Long Drive World Series starts at Jumeirah Golf Estates

March 12, 2017 – This March the world’s biggest hitters will go head to head on golf’s most exciting new battleground: The Long Drive World Series. Eight competitors, each a champion in their own right, have been hand-picked to play and will start their campaigns under the spectacular night lights of Dubai.

The World Series is made up of four events that will take place at iconic venues across three continents. Jumeirah Golf Estates, home to the DP World Tour Championship – the season-ending finale of The European Tour’s Race to Dubai, plays host to the first event on March 17th and the confirmed line-up reads like a who’s who of Long Drive. Those on the roster include the current World, U.K. and European Long Drive Champions. Expect glamour, spectacle, serious competition and some real surprises!

The event, which will be hosted by Sky’s Sarah Stirk, will be live streamed across the world. The pedigree of the competitors combined with the exotic venues is bound to attract a significant audience as Joe Miller, current and two times World Long Drive Champion remarks, “I am really excited to be competing in Dubai in the first Long Drive World Series; an amazing location with an elite field of proven winners from around the world. It’s going to be an exciting event and hopefully I can reign in the desert.”

The format has been designed to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. There is an Open wild card place at every event, an early exit for one person at the seeding round and the prospect of sudden-death knockouts in every round. Whilst each event has a significant Prize Fund, the ultimate aim is to win the entire World Series with league points being allocated according to where the players place at each of the four events.

Lucas Dornan, UK Long Drive Champion is excited to see the reaction to this inaugural event, “This event promises to inject some real glamour into the sport that I love and I am very proud to be lining up alongside these players – they really are the cream of the crop. We will we push each other to our limits and in the right conditions, I expect to see drives well in excess of 400 yards across the board.”

Julian Small, Managing Director, Club Operations, at Jumeirah Golf Estates, said: “Playing host to the inaugural Long Drive World Series event is hugely exciting. With our expertly designed championship golf courses and the Middle East’s only European Tour Performance Institute, Jumeirah Golf Estates is undoubtedly a natural host venue, and with less than three weeks to go, the countdown is well and truly on. We’re looking forward to welcoming competitors, spectators and our residents to watch some world-class talent and enjoy what is sure to be a great night of entertainment.”

After Dubai, the World Long Drive Series will arrive here in the U.K. with a phenomenal venue lined up to play host. The world’s biggest hitters then travel to Asia and finally on to the USA to complete the first World Series.

More information at www.longdriveworldseries.com.

THE 2017 LONG DRIVE WORLD SERIES LINE UP:

  • Britain’s Joe Miller: Current and Two times World Long Drive Champion
  • America’s Tim Burke: Two times World Long Drive Champion
  • America’s Maurice Allen: Two times European Long Drive Champion
  • Britain’s Lucas Dornan: 2016 UK Long Drive Champion
  • America’s Ryan Steenberg: Runner up at the 2016 World Long Drive Championship
  • Britain’s Brad Pearmain: 2016 Italian Long Drive Open winner
  • Serbia’s Ilija Djurdjevic: 2016 Portuguese Long Drive Champion
  • Sweden’s Emil Rosberg: 2016 Scandinavian Long Drive Champion
Colmar, Golf Apparel, Long Drive

Colmar – Official clothing sponsor of 2015 Long Drivers European Tour

LDET-Colmar-2015

February 14, 2015 – Colmar, the Italian brand for well-dressed golfers, has become the official supplier of the Long Drivers European Tour (LDET).

LDET has proudly announced a new partnership with Colmar, the Italian-based provider of Premium golfing apparel which already dresses players like Alejandro Cañizares, Edouardo Molinari, Andrea Pavan or Marco Crespi on the European Tour.

As the official clothing sponsor, Colmar will be providing custom golf apparel to the LDET staff for the entire year and will be one of the sponsors for the whole season.

The new sponsorship deal comes just one week after the LDET announced a spectacular 2015 calendar with nine events to play.

“It’s great to be dressing the LDET staff”, says Stefano Colombo, Marketing Manager of Colmar. “The LDET Tour means being part of a top environment with a collection that reflects the spirit of the players: sporty, fresh and cool. We are sure that our clothes and our collection will be appreciated by the LDET team thanks to the technical fabrics in every garment, and the Italian sense of style”.

“LDET staff will take on a striking new look this year. We are really proud to wear this fashionable Italian brand”, says Xavier Eusebio, the CEO and Founder of the LDET.

In the picture, the official poster of the first event, the Sweden LDET Championship, to be held from 10th to 11th of April at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club (Stockholm).

LDET-Sweden-Ch-2015

The LDET now has as official sponsors: Volvik (golf ball), Colmar (clothing), Hirzl (gloves), Krank (golf), SuperSpeed Golf (training system), Champ (tee), Hawkers (sunglasses), Players Towel (towel) and SportHG (termal t-shirt).

Long Drive

Long Drive – RE/MAX no longer main sponsor of World Long Drive Championship

RE-MAX-Long-Drive

December 20, 2014 – This season has been the last one for RE/MAX, the American international real estate company founded in 1973 by David and Gail Liniger in Denver (Colorado, U.S.), as the main sponsor of the World Long Drive Championship (WLDC). What has been a rumour during the latest weeks, has been confirmed by Art Sellinger, CEO and Owner of Long Drivers of America, in a letter addressed to the Long Drive Competitors and fans of this golf discipline.

The last Las Vegas 8 showdown featured a handful of elimination matches decided by a mere one yard and a championship match between Jeff Flagg and Jeff Crittenden that was settled, incredibly enough, by 13 inches. Simply amazing! And now with this excitement still in the memory of long hitters and fans, and the audience growing through the Golf Channel broadcast, the event has to start looking for another big sponsor to keep going in 2015.

“As you are aware, the 2014 WLDC marked the end of the RE/MAX title sponsorship of our marquee event”, says Art Sellinger, organizer of the event. “That sponsorship spanned two decades and elevated long drive to unprecedented success and recognition, both here and abroad.  The long drive community will be forever grateful to RE/MAX co-founders Dave and Gail Liniger, as well as RE/MAX executive vice president Mike Reagan, for their unstinting support and commitment.”

RE-MAX-Long-Drive-3

The immediate challenge LDA faces as we enter 2015 is to attract a new WLDC title sponsor. “To date, we have had exploratory, get-acquainted conversations with several interested parties, but it’s too early in the process to have anything concrete to report.  Based on the impressive metrics the championship has achieved in terms of Golf Channel viewership and overall media coverage, plus the enduring fascination with power golf, I am optimistic we will secure a title sponsor for 2015 and beyond.”

Long Drive, Others

Long Drive – Jake Hansen wins at 2014 International Champ with Hirzl and Mygolfcover

Jake-Hansen-Mygolfcover

December 8, 2018 – The final of the 2014 International Long Drive Championship (ILDC), held at the Los Mangos Golf Club in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, had a significant victory by Jake Hansen and his team, International Team 2, who defeated Canada Team 4 to win the entire event.

In his equipment we found two remarkable brands worthy of mention, the Hirzl Gloves and the Mygolfcover handmade golf headcovers. Hirzl, the Nº1 Long Drive Golf Glove with dozens of professional golf victories in the past three years, has collected another long drive title.

In the Dominican Republic, the uncomfortable heat and humidity challenged all the long drive professionals. According to Long Drive boomer Jake Hansen, “using Hirzl Gloves I became the 2014 ILDC Champion in the team division. They helped me battle the extreme heat and humidity.”

Jake-Hansen-Team-2

Hirzl‘s success in the sport of Long Drive can be attributed to their specialized Hirzl GRIPPP technology which ensures a maximum grip under all conditions which is critical for these elite long drive athletes who swing the driver up to 150mph with ball speeds of close to 220mph.

And to dress and protect his drivers was Mygolfcover, who also congratulated Jake Hansen’s success. Mygolfcover is a brand of original handmade golf headcovers, shipped worldwide, and as we can see in the pictures, this PGA pro has become a great fan.

Jake-Hansen-2

Jake Hansen is sponsored by names like Carts of Colorado, Tattoo Golf clothing, Pure Grips, True Linkswear, Tornado Tee, Hirzl Gloves and Mygolfcover.

Long Drive

Long Drive – The European Champion Joe Miller hopes to go even further in 2015

Joe-Miller-1-Foto-MyGolfWay

December 5, 2014 – The Englishman Joe Miller, European Long Drive Champion in 2014, has won in Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, France… every single tournament of the Long Drive European Tour (LDET) in which he has played this season. His incontestable superiority is a result of his exceptional physical strength, and his hard training for six days per week where he invests 3 to 4 hours daily with weights, cardio, endurance and body-building, focused on maximizing his long driver power. So he, with his golf ball, has become a regular visitor to the 400-and-many-more yards off the tee.

The only blot this year for the Brocket Hall Golf and Callaway Golf ambassador happened in the Finals of the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship in Las Vegas, where he lost in the semi-finals against the new world champion, the American Jeff Flagg, who was using the same driver model as his, a Callaway Golf X2 HOT. Miller was world champion in 2010, second in 2013, now third in 2014, and in 2015 he’ll try to repeat the feat of becoming the ‘bête noire’ of the Americans hitters with a new fight for the world championship belt, and the coveted check for $ 250,000.

Joe-Miller-2-Foto-Raquel Mateos

Not at all put out by this, we interviewed him for MyGolfWay.com at The Masters LDET Cup, the final round of the European Tour 2014, held last November in Lumine Golf (Tarragona), where he came to support the Tour, collect his trophy as European Champion and the corresponding prize – a cheque for 10,000 euros.

MYGOLFWAY: We’d like to know what you think about the 2014 season. You are European champion, but not World Champion… 

JOE MILLER: It’s been a great year for me. I’ve won 14 out of 14 competitions in the last two years in Europe. That means I’ve won every competition I’ve entered in Europe in the last two years. So, it’s been great.

The LDET tour has really grown this year, with some really good, big competitions. Obviously I’ve won the Order of Merit, which is great. So I’ve come here to Lumine Golf really just to support the guys and to take the trophy and the cheque.

The World Long Drive Championships in Las Vegas went ahead as planned. It’s a weird tournament when there’s a month gap between the qualifying round of the top eight, but it did work out. As long as I give myself a chance every year, that’s all I can ask for. But to be European Champion is really nice.

MGW: It looks like the level is increasing in the World Championship. More players are appearing who train hard to be at the top.

JM: There are always new guys in the Top-8, which is the weird thing. And like you say, every year there is someone new who is training hard and that is just the way this sport goes. There are always new guys turning up, competing and doing well. So the whole Long Drive thing is growing and doing well, and getting lots of publicity, thanks to guys like yourself, and magazines, etc. So it’s growing, and it’s good to see.

Joe-Miller-3-Foto-MyGolfWay

MGW: As the King of Europe in this golf discipline, how are you seen by your U.S. opponents? Are they fearful of you?

JM: Well, the guys over there are not as good as the guys over here, ha, ha… It’s just that there are a lot more of them. The standard here is as high but we are fewer. They know that when we go over there, we are trouble. Unfortunately this year didn’t work out, but next year we’ll get them!

MGW: And what about your plans for 2015?

JM: More of the same. Hopefully win again in Europe. Keep the good run going. To win like this for three years would be great. I also hope to go to the World Championships and try to do better there. But I’ll just continue to do what I do. I do lots of corporate activities, like with Callaway where there are new clubs coming out next year. So, basically more of the same, but hopefully bigger and better for the LDET tour and everyone else.

MGW: Are you going to change to the new Callaway driver then?

JM: It hasn’t been released yet, and I don’t know the specs to come out, but we are going to go with the Callaway XR, which is the new driver for next year. It’s going to be a lot better, it’s going to be longer. Obviously they have to take the information that we give them for the Long Drive equipment, and design a driver for that. The X2 HOT was the best driver by far this year, and the XR will be even better. So I’ll stick hopefully with the Callaway XR next year, and we’ll see what happens.

Joe-Miller-4-Foto-Raquel Mateos

MGW: Also in 2014 you are getting more social, I’ve seen you more often in the networks…

JM: Yes. It’s been a really good year for me. Media-wise, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter… getting a lot more recognition. And it’s thanks all we do, and thanks to Xavier Eusebio and the Long Drivers European Tour. Couldn’t ask for better. Shame about the World Championships, though.

Thanks, and we’ll keep watching you next year to see how far you can go beyond the 400 yards line!

Long Drive

Long Drive – CJ Hellström, champion of The Masters LDET Cup 2014

Adrian-Sanchez-LDET-Lumine-Foto-MyGolfWay

November 17, 2014 – CJ Hellström has proclaimed champion of The Masters LDET Cup after winning the Spanish Adrián Sánchez by 2 sets to 1 with a last blow of 352 yards, in the final of the last tournament of the Long Drivers European Tour, held at Lumine Golf on Saturday the 15th.

It was not the best shot of the Swedish this season, but it served to snatch the title from Sánchez’s hands that he seemed to touch. The absence of Joe Miller on the tee has paved the way to other big European hitters.

The competition take place in a special tee designed for this occasion in the 18th hole of Lumine Golf Resort. The skyline of Port Aventura was on the back and The Masters LDET Cup started punctually at 11 am, with a strong and crossed wind that conditioned the flight of the Volvik Vista golf balls, dressed in yellow and orange colours.

LDET-Lumine-Foto-©MyGolfWay

The first bombs of the day in Group 1 came from the English Scott Beaven and the Spanish Adrián Sánchez. Beaven was the best with the longest ball of the day with a shot of 376 yards, winning a prize of a luxury car driving experience sponsored by Rent Bull.Sánchez finished second with a mark of 372y. After the four rounds the best scores of the other players were for the Scottish amateur Martin Rogalski (362y) and the South African Dewald Lubbe (361y), all of them classified for Quarter Finals. The Spanish Sergio González (291y) and the Swedish Goran Hellström (290y) went out of next round.

The hitters had offered their best drives to entertain the spectators at the stand. In Group 2, came in action John McSloy, No.2 of LDET ranking. The Scottish was the third with a mark of 344y. Surprisingly, the first of the group was the Danish amateur long driver Frederik Frost with an incredible bomb of 374y. The other players who were qualified for Quarters were the Swedish CJ Hellström (352y) and the German Timo Petrasch (340y). The Spanish amateur Javier Romera (303y), winner of the Spanish Long Drive LDET Championship 2014 of his category, was eliminated.

The players could follow their swing and fly ball analysis thanks to TrackMan. One of the leader systems in golf stats has left marks as the ball speed. On the amateur category the European Long Drive Champion was the Danish Frederick Frost, who beats the Spanish Javier Romera in one set of six balls with a shot of 350y.

Adrian-Sanchez-Fotos-MyGolfWay

After lunch, the Quarter Finals played were: Scott Beaven vs. Timo Petrasch, CJ Hellström vs. Martin Rogalski, Frederik Frost vs. Dewald Lubbe and Adrián Sánchez vs. one of the front-runners, John McSloy.

In the semifinal, we saw two high voltage duels. In one of them, Hellström needed three sets to beat Beaven. And in the other, Adrián Sánchez, cheered on by a large group of supporters, got the spot to the final after winning Lubbe in three sets. In the fight for the third place, the English won.

Hellstrom-Lumine-Foto-LDET-Raquel-Mateos

The big final of the last tournament of the season was very exciting on the tee and on for the crowd. The wind slackened and CJ Hellström needed three sets to break the hopes of Adrian Sánchez.

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The English Joe Miller did not participated but he came to pick up the check of 10,000 € and the cup that crowns him as the European Long Drive Champion 2014, title already certified in France last month.

Long Drive

Long Drive – Jeff Flagg wins the 2014 RE/MAX World Championship by 13 inches

Jeff-Flagg-REMAX-WLDC-Champion-2014

November 5, 2014 – It was a night of inches, in which Jeff Flagg, 29 years old of Pelham (Alabama, U.S.), got the 13 extra he needed Tuesday to win the 2014 RE/MAX World Drive Championship, along with the coveted championship belt and winner-take-all $250,000.

Tied at 365 yards after their requisite six drives in the championship match, Flagg and 43-year-old Jeff Crittenden, the oldest competitor in the fieldcoming from Greensboro (North Caroline, U.S.), waited anxiously for an exact measurement to the inch that would break the tie and determine who would be the ultimate winner. With a Callaway Golf X2 HOT Driver Flagg’s drive bested Crittenden by a mere 13 inches, which proved to be the shortest margin of victory in the history of the RE/MAX World Drive Championship competition.

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Flagg and Crittenden advanced to the finals after eliminating Joe Miller and Adam Smith in the semifinals.

“I thought I had him,” said Jeff Flagg, “but if there’s anything I learned from baseball is that you can’t get to high or too low until it’s a done deal.” Flagg took up long driving after a baseball career at Mississippi State University (where he was teammates with fellow Las Vegas 8 competitor Connor Powers) and with the New York Mets organization.

Jeff-Flagg-REMAXWLDC-2014-2Speed and power were on display in front of a packed audience during the two-hour, live finale, which aired on Golf Channel from a custom-made competition set at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort.  Eight finalists – the Las Vegas 8 – competed in head-to-head matches requiring all to conquer the conditions in attempts to hit drives requiring both distance and accuracy.  Of the total seven head-to-head matches, five were decided by two yards or less.

Crosswinds and crisp temperatures created a challenging environment, making it difficult for all players to hit the grid or reach the distances to which they have become accustomed.

Headlining the field of eight heading into the night were returning former champions Joe Miller of London (England), and Jamie Sadlowski of St. Paul (Alberta, Canada), who faced off early in the telecast, with victory for the European.  The other competitors included:  Daniel Beckman, of Fresno (California, U.S.); Matt Hanger of Anaheim (California, U.S.); Connor Powers of Naperville (Illinois, U.S.), and Adam Smith of Tomball (Texas, U.S.).

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The RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship identifies the longest golfer on earth. Flagg said he was humbled by the experience and hopes to be an ambassador for the sport of Long Drive.  He celebrated with members of his family and girlfriend who travelled to Las Vegas for the competition.