El presidente has a go at Venezuela's golfers -DON'T expect president Hugo Chavez to announce the opening of a golf resort in Venezuela anytime soon – or ever, for that matter.

The Socialist leader, who draws support from Venezuela’s poor majority, singled out Caracas Country Club for his latest tirade against the “bourgeois” sport, which grew with the South American oil industry in the 20th century.

“I think it is a bourgeois sport and there’s no justification for having a golf course in the middle of a city where there is so much housing need for the people,” Chavez declared in the city of Maracay.

“Even though there are slums, you have 30 hectares so a little group of bourgeois and petit-bourgeois people can go and play golf . . . they are so lazy, they use carts,” he mocked.

The Venezuelan Golf Federation says they have lost seven courses in recent years and are down to 23.

“He (Chavez) is looking for an excuse to mess with the people he considers upper-class and elite,” said Alejandro Sequeira, a student member of Caracas Country Club. “But many of the people playing golf are businessmen with links to the government. So they’re just insulting themselves, really.”

Krajicek's foot-in-mouth fault

FORMER Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek isn’t the first top athlete to cross a sporting divide and on to the fairways, but as an 18-handicapper he is surely the first to offer swing advice to a professional plying his trade on tour.

Since retiring, Krajicek joined management group SP International, for whom he manages Challenge Tour player Wil Besseling. His golfing odyssey began when he decided to caddy for Besseling.

“Being on the bag was good as it gave us a chance to talk more and I could give Wil some advice,” said Krajicek. “I appreciate there is a difference between tennis and golf, but I help him in terms of the mental side and handling the pressure.

“I tried to give him some advice about some of his golf shots but he ignored that.”

Krajicek isn’t the first tennis player to make a foray into golf: former world number one Ivan Lendl has played five professional events.

And former F1 boss Eddie Jordan has caddied for Paul McGinley – though Jordan surely had the savvy to omit the swing advice.

Good sign for Mickelsons

PHIL Mickelson’s playing schedule has been on a week-to-week basis since taking time off to be with his wife, Amy, who is being treated for breast cancer, but things appear to be looking up for the Mickelsons.

Amy recently made her first appearance back in the golf world at the LPGA tournament at Torrey Pines, where she was on course to represent the Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation at a golf clinic.

Go a round with your heroes

A Bóthar fundraising initiative has been set up called Golf with Stars and offers the “opportunity to play 18 holes with your sporting hero while also raising valuable funds to support its projects in the developing world”.

Bóthar, the international development agency that specialises in the use of livestock, hopes to raise €300,000 to bring 500 dairy cows to struggling families in East Africa in time for Christmas.

A host of legendary personalities from the sporting world who will take part include, from Gaelic games, hurling All-Ireland winning Cork manager Donal O’Grady, Tipperary’s Eoin Kelly, Kerry footballers Colm Cooper and Kieran Donaghy, plus Munster rugby heroes Paul O’Connell, Peter Clohessy, Mick Galwey and Anthony Foley.

All have signed up to play in the inaugural Golf with Stars event which takes places at the K Club in Kildare on Friday, October 9th.

For further details and to enter the draw, log on to www.golfwithstars.com

Is Bernhard on Monty's radar?

SURELY Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie wouldn’t select Bernhard Langer as one of his wildcards for next year?

The matter was brought up in Cologne recently. Monty dodged the curve ball expertly by saying: “Bernhard is professionally perfect in everything he does and you could do a lot worse. He would be a great foursomes partner. He’s still very competitive and fit.”

The pair get on well and they forged a strong partnership during their Ryder Cup playing days, picking up 5½ points from seven.

At 52, Langer’s prowess is still evident on the Champions Tour where he won the order of merit last season and tops it this time. But the only way to make the team would be as a wildcard.

Why not, as has been suggested in some quarters, bring Langer in as a vice-captain. Now that makes more sense.