SATURDAY
JANUARY 30, 2021
ROUND 3
Belgian Thomas Detry has pole-position and the pressure of proven European Tour winners looming large in his rear-view mirror By Kent Gray – Editor, Golf Digest Middle East
Detry’s just peachy
Daily Draw Sheet & Course Map Navigate Emirates Golf Club with your guide to the third round groups.
PAGE 9-11
PATRON & OFFICIAL PUBLISHER
THOMAS DETRY has the halfway lead, Tyrrell Hatton seemingly the secret to golf - as fleeting as that rare sorcery always turns out to be. With fast Friday finisher Tommy Fleetwood among a gaggle of big names somewhere in between the Belgian and the enigmatic Englishman on a quality leaderboard, the 32nd OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic is set up for a fascinating Saturday. After a pair of 67s, Dubai resident-in waiting Detry enjoys pole-position at 10-under. He’ll take a one stroke lead over Scottish lefty Robert MacIntyre into the third round which is Pink Saturday at Emirates Golf Club in support of breast cancer research. On the evidence of the first 36-holes on the Majlis, expect a lot of red numbers to go with all the pretty polos. A final hole eagle propelled Fleetwood (68) into a share of third place at eightunder while Lee Westwood, despite a perplexing afternoon on the greens, produced a fighting 68 to join a cluster of six players at seven-under, Paul Casey (70) perhaps the biggest danger among them. But the story of the second round was
Hatton who started Friday in 115th place at four-over and ended it 92 places to the good at four-under, just six off Detry’s sizzling pace. The 29-year-old Englishman chipped in from the rough and holed out from a bunker, fluffed chips and rolled in unlikely putts, found unlucky lies and the full array of his anguished and disbelieving facial expressions. The eagle, birdies, bogeys and death stares eventually added up to a brilliant 64, a 12-shot improvement on the Abu Dhabi champion’s weary opening gambit Thursday. It would be extraordinary should Hatton recover from his opening 76 to go on and collect the Dallah trophy and back-to-back European Tour titles. Then again, he is the hottest player on the planet right now. Fellow Ryder Cuppers Martin Kaymer (70), Sergio Garcia (73) and Justin Rose (69), at six, five and four-under respectively, are also in the hunt. Even European captain Padraig Harrington (69), also at minus four, has a sniff. The European Tour season may be just six rounds old, and yet it is already so compelling. Roll on moving day. ◼
From Cut to Contender
Tyrrell Hatton’s brilliant 64 had it all, a full array of emotions included. PAGE 2
Welcome Home
Halfway leader Thomas Detry is already feeling right at home in Dubai. PAGE 3
Caddie Confidential
A fascinating insight from Ian Poulter’s bagman Terry Mundy. PAGE 12
@OmegaGolfDubai #MadeForGreatness #TimeToMakeHistory
OM E GA D U BA I D E S E RT C L A SS I C 28–31 JANUARY
NEWS
2
LEADERBOARD Rank Name
Country Par
1 DETRY, Thomas
BEL -10
2 MACINTYRE, Robert SCO -9 3 SAMOOJA, Kalle
FIN -8
FLEETWOOD, Tommy ENG -8 HARDING, Justin
RSA -8
6 STONE, Brandon
RSA -7
WESTWOOD, Lee
ENG -7
ARNAUS, Adri
ESP -7
CASEY, Paul
ENG -7
KITAYAMA, Kurt
USA -7
KORHONEN, Mikko FIN -7 Editor-in-Chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer Managing Partner & Group Editor Ian Fairservice Editor Kent Gray Correspondent Joy Chakravarty Art Director Clarkwin Cruz Images Getty Images, Supplied by Falcon Associates Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Milne Publisher David Burke General Manager – Production S. Sunil Kumar Assistant Production Manager Binu Purandaran
Head Office: Media One Tower, PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE; Tel +971 4 427 3000; Fax +971 4 428 2270 Dubai Media City: SD 2-94, 2nd Floor, Building 2, Dubai, UAE; Tel +971 4 390 3550; Fax +971 4 390 4845 Abu Dhabi: PO Box 43072, UAE; Tel +971 2 657 3493 London: Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER, UK; E-mail: motivateuk@motivate.ae Printed by Al Ghurair Printing Press
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Hatton “pretty happy” with epic 12 shot swing
F
or most, golf’s clichéd ‘moving day’ is reserved for Saturdays. Tyrrell Hatton clearly couldn’t wait that long. After an opening 76, the Englishman was in serious danger of missing the cut at the 32nd OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic in what would have been a sobering hangover from his heroics in Abu Dhabi last week. But with the help of an afternoon nap after Thursday morning’s disappointment and a good 7½ hours overnight to further top up his understandably flat batteries, the new world No.5 brought that other oft-used golf cliché into play on the Majlis Friday. Indeed, what a difference a day - and a little overnight sleep - can make. Sparked by an opening birdie and a chip-in eagle on the par-5 3rd, Hatton produced a brilliant 64 to roar from 115th place starting the second round to a share of 23rd, just six strokes shy of leader Thomas Detry, by the end of Friday. There were chip-ins from rough and hole-outs from the sand, unlikely putts holed from off the green and relative tiddlers missed with a scowl or a scoff depending on Hatton’s everchanging and always expressive mood. The Englishman would be a terrible poker play but that’s okay because he’s quite good at golf, arguably the best on the planet right now. At eight-under for his round through 13 holes, Hatton even eyed Ernie Els’ course record 61, an 11-under loop in the first round of the three-time champion’s maiden Dallah triumph in 1994. A plugged waste area lie found off the 14th tee put pay to that but Hatton quickly rebounded from a second bogey with a
“I think tomorrow is probably going to be an advantage going out a little earlier.”
birdie on the 16th that drew a glowing assessment from Ewen Murray up in the TV booth. “It is such a great privilege to watch a top player playing as well as this.” When Hatton knocked his pitch from the rough on the short par-4 17th close, Murray was at it again. “This is some player the European Tour has unearthed here,” Murray said. It mattered not that Hatton missed the putt, nor that he also had to settle for par on the 18th. He’d already done more than enough to get back into the conversation, “Yeah, it was nice to be 8-under through 13, got quite fortunate with especially the birdie on 13. Just a bit of a bonus that one going in,” Hatton said of his putt from the fringe via a fluffed chip from the rough on the par-5. “And then 14 was pretty tough to take. It was a poor tee shot. You don’t kind of expect to be plugged with a 3-wood but it is what it is, and a little bit disappointed I didn’t birdie 17 or 18, but I can’t really complain with 64. “Yeah, looking back I’m pretty happy with that round of golf to be honest. Going out today the goal was to try to make the cut after yesterday’s disappointing start. So I’m really happy that I’m going to be here for the weekend. Hoping that I can push on now and see where we go.” It will be some feat if he can come back from an opening 76 to win although it’s not as if that sort of epic comeback would be unprecedented. Finn Sami Välimäki is the last player to win after being T-100th or worse following the opening round, as recently as last year’s Oman Open en-route to Sir Henry Cotton Rookie-of-Year honours. “I think tomorrow is probably going to be an advantage going out a little earlier. The greens will be smoother. Having said that, I holed quite a few putts today,” Hatton said before reliving his Friday adventures on the greens. “To be honest I think it’s one of those days where you’re better off putting from 15, 20 feet rather than being in amongst the five, six feet range and closer, because at least then you can kind of give it a little bit of a roll and it’s got some momentum.” Momentum. There’s another fitting golf cliché. Roll on moving day indeed. –kent gray
3
DETRY EYES ‘HOME’ WIN A BOGEY-FREE ROUND at Emirates Golf Club this year is not an easy task. The rough is extremely juicy, the fairways have been narrowed and greens are firm, crusty and tricky. So, when someone has back-to-back bogey-free rounds and interrupts the pars with as many as 10 birdies, he deserves to be sitting right on top of the leaderboard. Which is exactly the position Thomas Detry is enjoying at the halfway stage of the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic. Perhaps you could say the Belgian, who is planning to shift his residence to Dubai next month, is already feeling right at home. The 28-year-old is considered one of the brightest talents in the game but hasn’t
been able to win any tournament at the elite level. All that could change on Sunday. After a round that included two birdies on the front nine and three on the back, Detry was asked how special a first win on the European Tour would be? “It would be extra special. I’m moving here in a couple weeks, as well, so this is my new residence. Winning at home would be amazing,” said the world No. 86, who finished runner-up in two ‘UK Swing’ events last year. Detry missed the cut in the seasonopening event in Abu Dhabi but hasn’t done anything wrong so far in Dubai. He leads by one from Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre heading into Saturday. “First thing that comes to my mind is
Winning at home would be extra special...amazing.”
that I am bogey-free. On this course, that’s a pretty good achievement,” he added. “I’ve been playing some really good golf, keeping it on the fairway and hitting nearly every single green and getting upand-down a couple good times. So I’m very pleased. “The course, it can bite you at any time. There’s some thick rough around the green and hazards come in to play
on tee shots, as well. Yeah, the key is knowing when to be hitting conservative shot and hitting aggressive shots. “I’m just going to take the exact same approach into the weekend. It’s been working really well. The front nine can be a bit tricky, but the back nine has plenty of birdie opportunities. So if I can keep it that way and take advantage of those par 5s, it will be pretty special.” –joy chakravarty
4
NEWS
Hot Scot
W
ith the incessant chatter of getting into the top-50 of the Official World Golf Ranking swirling around him, Robert MacIntyre has learned how to shut the “noise”. After signing for a bogey-free four-under par 68 to move to nine-under, the 24-year-old Scotsman will play in the final group Saturday with leader Thomas Detry (-10). “It’s been around for a long time now. It’s just noise and I am used to it now,” said the man from OBAN, a first-time European Tour winner at last year’s Aphrodite Hills Cyprus Showdown and a former MENA Tour champion. “It’s a goal of mine, but it’s all taken care of by good golf. And what I’m doing just now is I’m playing good golf and starting to find a stride with the irons. If I continue to do that, then that should hopefully take care of that.” MacIntyre rose up to No. 66 in the OWGR towards the end of 2019 before losing his way following a niggling wrist injury that forced him out of the 2020 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. He is now the highest ranked Scotsman in the world at No. 52. Surely MacIntyre has reset his goals now that he is so close to the top-50? “Top-50 is just a start. I want to get inside that, but the sky is the limit after that. I want to get inside the top-40 and then top-30 and eventually become a top-10 player. We all know what number you can try for once you are up there,” said the man who finished tied sixth at the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush. On Friday, even though it was a bogey-free round, MacIntyre said he did not play as well as he did in the first round. “It wasn’t as pretty or as solid as yesterday’s round, if I’m being honest. But that’s the way golf is. You can’t have a 72-hole tournament where you hit it absolutely perfectly,” he added. “Today, I felt I was out of rhythm early on. As a group itself, we just couldn’t get any momentum, which was difficult. “But I hung in there and I putted great. I made a 12-foot putt for par on my second hole (the par-3 11th) after hitting a terrible iron shot off the tee. And that kind of gives you some confidence early on. “And I think that was the most pleasing part of the round. I was mentally strong on a day when I wasn’t playing my best golf. October, 2017, the Putting is 80 per cent mental anyways.” day MacIntyre won Asked what would be the key to carrying on the momentum the MENA Tour’s of the first two rounds into the weekend, MacIntyre said: “I’m Sahara Kuwait sticking to what I’ve been doing the last two days or the last Championship by week and a half really and just try and enjoy myself. two strokes from “Mick (Thomson, his caddie) is doing a great job of keeping me Luke Joy. in check and keeping me from losing a bit of cool. So, just go and enjoy ourselves and see where we end up.” –joy chakravarty
18
5
Cut Machine Paul Casey’s sneaky good Majlis streak continues
M
aking his eighth appearance but playing for the first time since 2014, Paul Casey has extended his impressive record of never having missed a cut at Emirates Golf Club with rounds of 67-70. With just three bogeys through 36 holes, the 43-year-old Englishman is seven-under halfway through the 32nd OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic and right in the mix for the fabled Dallah trophy. We’ve crunched Casey’s Majlis mastery for your viewing pleasure.
OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC
8th
Appearance
0
Cuts missed
2
Top 10s highlighted by a T-4 finish in 2009
30* Rounds
83*
Under par
2,082* Combined shots
69.40
Combined stroke average. Thru 36 holes this week it is 68.50
€232,231
Casey’s prizemoney from his seven previous paydays at Emirates G.C. * These stats include Casey’s two rounds this week
CAREER STATS
14
European Tour wins
20
Victories worldwide
2020
Finished 17th in the Race to Dubai
2nd
to Padraig Harrington in the 2006 European Tour OOM
Best by Major Championship 2020 U.S. PGA - T2 at TPC Harding Park 2016 U.S. Masters - T4 at Augusta National 2010 The Open - T3 at St. Andrews (Old Course) 2006 U.S. Open - 15th at Winged Foot
PICTURE THIS
6 Collin Morikawa
Marcus Kinhult
Tyrrell Hatton
Justin Rose
Reflections from the 4th
7 Tommy Fleetwood
Martin Kaymer
Min Woo Lee
Kiradech Aphibarnrat
8
Legendary Enlightenment A HEART-TO-HEART with his legendary playing partner Ernie Els has given fellow former world No.1 Martin Kaymer some clarity as the struggling German continues to trend in the right direction. Winless since claiming the second of his two major championship titles at the 2014 U.S. Open, the 36-year-old kept in sight of the leaders at the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic with a two-under 70 on Friday. Kaymer was one-over after a double bogey on the 11th hole in his opening round, but battled back to finish on four-under par after making five birdies in his last six holes. On Friday, he continued his form to surge up the leaderboard with three early birdies, before a bogey on the par-4 8th hole pegged him back a bit. Still, at sixunder par, he is only four shots behind
leader Thomas Detry at the halfway stage. “I have always greatly admired Ernie. I have played several rounds with him and he knows me and my game well. More importantly, his experience and his status in the game is massive,” said Kaymer. “I spoke to him about finding a balance and asked him if he would be in my position being 36 years old, what would he do? The biggest takeaway for me was that he said to sharpen all parts of the game, so that even if I don’t have a great week, I finish in the top-15, top-20. “Those sharpness in little parts of the game is difficult to get if you keep playing all around the world, and that thing has sidetracked me a little bit. So, I guess I need to work a little bit more, but I enjoy the work.” –joy chakravarty
DRAW SHEET
9
Order of Play SATURDAY
JANUARY 30, 2021
Plan your day watching your favourite players with this guide to the groupings and tee times.
1. TIME 07:15 • HOLE 1 ◼ Sami VÄLIMÄKI (FIN)
2. TIME 07:24 • HOLE 1 ◼ Benjamin HEBERT (FRA) ◼ Collin MORIKAWA (USA)
3. TIME 07:33 • HOLE 1 ◼ George COETZEE (RSA) ◼ Rafa CABRERA BELLO (ESP)
4. TIME 07:42 • HOLE 1 ◼ Rasmus HØJGAARD (DEN) ◼ Jason SCRIVENER (AUS)
5. TIME 07:51 • HOLE 1 ◼ Renato PARATORE (ITA) ◼ Ashley CHESTERS (ENG)
6. TIME 08:00 • HOLE 1 ◼ Gavin GREEN (MAS) ◼ Jeff WINTHER (DEN)
7. TIME 08:09 • HOLE 1 ◼ Jordan SMITH (ENG) ◼ Miguel Ángel JIMÉNEZ (ESP)
8. TIME 08:23 • HOLE 1
◼ Christiaan BEZUIDENHOUT (RSA) ◼ Sean CROCKER (USA)
9. TIME 08:32 • HOLE 1 ◼ Thomas PIETERS (BEL) ◼ Dean BURMESTER (RSA)
10. TIME 08:41 • HOLE 1 ◼ Chris WOOD (ENG) ◼ Grant FORREST (SCO)
11. TIME 08:50 • HOLE 1 ◼ Nino BERTASIO (ITA) ◼ Joost LUITEN (NED)
12. TIME 08:59 • HOLE 1 ◼ Nicolas COLSAERTS (BEL) ◼ David LIPSKY (USA)
E
13. TIME 09:08 • HOLE 1 ◼ Jayden SCHAPER (RSA) ◼ Edoardo MOLINARI (ITA)
E E
14. TIME 09:17 • HOLE 1
E E
15. TIME 09:31 • HOLE 1
E E
16. TIME 09:40 • HOLE 1
E E
17. TIME 09:49 • HOLE 1
E E
18. TIME 09:58 • HOLE 1
E E
19. TIME 10:07 • HOLE 1
E E
20. TIME 10:16 • HOLE 1
E E
◼ Danny WILLETT (ENG) ◼ Richie RAMSAY (SCO)
◼ Pablo LARRAZÁBAL (ESP) ◼ Nacho ELVIRA (ESP) ◼ Ashun WU (CHN) ◼ Ryan FOX (NZL)
◼ Steven BROWN (ENG) ◼ Alexander BJÖRK (SWE) ◼ Andy SULLIVAN (ENG) ◼ Justin WALTERS (RSA) ◼ Matt WALLACE (ENG) ◼ Shane LOWRY (IRL)
◼ Ross FISHER (ENG) ◼ Marcus KINHULT (SWE)
21. TIME 10:25 • HOLE 1
◼ Adrian OTAEGUI (ESP) ◼ Scott JAMIESON (SCO)
E -1
22. TIME 10:34 • HOLE 1
-1 -1
23. TIME 10:48 • HOLE 1
-1 -1
◼ Antoine ROZNER (FRA) ◼ Bernd WIESBERGER (AUT)
◼ Matthew FITZPATRICK (ENG) ◼ Wade ORMSBY (AUS)
24. TIME 10:57 • HOLE 1
◼ Padraig HARRINGTON (IRL) ◼ Tyrrell HATTON (ENG)
-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3 -4 -4
25. TIME 11:06 • HOLE 1 ◼ Lucas HERBERT (AUS) ◼ Justin ROSE (ENG)
26. TIME 11:15 • HOLE 1 ◼ Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) ◼ Matthias SCHWAB (AUT)
27. TIME 11:24 • HOLE 1 ◼ Sergio GARCIA (ESP) ◼ Takumi KANAYA (JPN)
28. TIME 11:33 • HOLE 1 ◼ Laurie CANTER (ENG) ◼ Shubhankar SHARMA (IND)
29. TIME 11:42 • HOLE 1 ◼ Guido MIGLIOZZI (ITA) ◼ Fabrizio ZANOTTI (PAR)
30. TIME 11:56 • HOLE 1 ◼ Alexander LEVY (FRA) ◼ Richard STERNE (RSA)
31. TIME 12:05 • HOLE 1 ◼ Martin KAYMER (GER) ◼ Brandon STONE (RSA)
32. TIME 12:14 • HOLE 1 ◼ Adri ARNAUS (ESP) ◼ Lee WESTWOOD (ENG)
33. TIME 12:23 • HOLE 1 ◼ Paul CASEY (ENG) ◼ Kurt KITAYAMA (USA)
34. TIME 12:32 • HOLE 1 ◼ Mikko KORHONEN (FIN) ◼ Kalle SAMOOJA (FIN)
35. TIME 12:41 • HOLE 1 ◼ Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG) ◼ Justin HARDING (RSA)
36. TIME 12:50 • HOLE 1
◼ Robert MACINTYRE (SCO) ◼ Thomas DETRY (BEL)
-4 -4 -5 -5 -5 -5 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -7 -8 -8 -8 -9 -10
10
COURSE GUIDE
11
SPECTATOR GUIDELINES Please follow play by walking behind the ropes at all times and use the crossing places where indicated. Please stand still and be silent while players prepare to hit their shots. Please observe the requests of the Marshals. All handheld devices, including mobile phones, must be switched to silent.
SCORE CARD HOLE YARDS PAR 1
469
4
2
351
4
3
601
5
4
180
3
5
451
4
6
485
4
7
186
3
8
459
4
9
488
4
OUT 3670 35 10
549
5
11
169
3
12
476
4
13
550
5
14
434
4
15
190
3
16
436
4
17
359
4
18
564
5
IN
3754 37
TOTAL 7424 72
INSIDE THE ROPES
12
Caddie Confidential
Terry Mundy offers a fascinating insight into the highs and lows of looping for European Ryder Cup talisman Ian Poulter
I
t has been a frustrating couple of weeks, coming from Abu Dhabi we missed the cut there, played okay but didn’t really putt anywhere near as good as we both hoped and then we come here, we do a lot of work on the range and putting, then you get to the first round of the tournament and it doesn’t work out again (four over 76), you don’t get off to the greatest start and it becomes more and more difficult as it goes on. All you can do is to get back to the putting green and the driving range. It is one of those jobs that if things go well it’s pretty easy for the player and the caddie, you go out there, you shoot five-under, you come in, you get some lunch, you go back to the hotel and you come and do it again. But when it isn’t firing on all cylinders it’s hard work on the golf course and then you get in and it’s hard work again because you’ve got to work on putting it right. So this is the side of the job that isn’t so much fun but over a period of time it’s fine, the game doesn’t owe
THE POSTMAN
file
Ian Poulter has notched 12 European Tour victories since turning professional in 1994. Sadly the ‘Postman’ failed to deliver at this ODDC, missing the cut by one with rounds of 76-69
Ian or I anything, we have had our highs in it, it has looked after us well but it’s a little frustrating when it’s not going too well. The technical side of the job is the same every day, you come up with the correct yardage, you call where the wind is, you decide what that yardage is playing and you select a club accordingly, and for the most part that’s not the issue. The issue is when it isn’t working and you’re hitting it right and left, you’re not holing putts, then you have got a frustrated player and then it does become about the personalities and how you talk to each other and how you get through these times. I think it differs from time to time, there are times when a player needs a shoulder to cry on, there are times when he needs a good rev up. I have been with Ian a long time and we are mates so in that respect it’s easier for me because I know him so well that for the most part I know what to say, when to say it and how to deliver it but it’s not always easy because
everybody is desperate to do well all the time. So when things don’t go well we would look at everything again and we ask ourselves ‘is this good? What do we need to do? Do we need to sharpen that up? Are we working too hard? Are we not working hard enough? Is it going to help going on the range for three hours or are we just going to get worse?’ It’s a constant battle but in my experience you ...if Ian played well, putted it well, popped in a six-under, that could all change for the rest of the year, it is just getting that going again. You don’t want to struggle for too long, you want to get that fixed as quick as you can and turn it around. It is about personalities, and as a caddie, you wouldn’t perhaps do and say the same things to every player. You don’t caddie one way and you don’t say one thing to all the players. If you have one player who’s chilled and very relaxed he might need a kick, and you might have another one who is so highly strung, he would need the opposite.
13
So it’s your job as the caddie to decide what needs saying and what needs doing and how to do it and it’s never the same for two players. We changed the equipment a little bit and we are trying to recheck that is the right way to go or do we put back in what we know or do we stick with something that’s supposedly going to help long term. [Coach] Pete Cowen is involved in that process, we are just reaffirming stuff. When you have come in and you haven’t had a good score it’s nice to have him there to confirm whether the swing looks good or is there a problem that needs fixing, but yes, Pete said that the swing was pretty good but it becomes about commitment and being aggressive, when you’re not scoring well it’s hard to do that, it’s hard to attack.
You reflect on the things Ian has achieved in the past, such as the Ryder Cup performances, the WGC wins, matchplay wins, sometimes you need to be reminded that it’s not all that bad, you have done this and that, you’re capable, maybe not quite clicking today but we just need to get one good round in the bank and you just keep resetting, trying to go out there and be as positive as you can. We are in a bad position here, I think the cut is going to be level, one under par, we know we need to go out today and shoot five-under and we will do our best (he signed for a 69). At the end of the day there’s no panic button yet, we have had a couple of bad weeks but we will go out today and try to shoot five or six under and if it happens then we will build on that, so it’s just trying to keep pressing to find that one round to spark you off. ◼
“The game doesn’t owe Ian or I anything, we have had our highs in it, it has looked after us well but it’s a little frustrating when it’s not going too well.”
14
QUOTE, UNQUOTE
They said it... “The course, it can bite you at any time. There’s some thick rough around the green and hazards on tee shots, as well. Yeah, the key is knowing when to be hitting a conservative shot and when to hit aggressive shots.” – Leader THOMAS DETRY (-10)
“If you miss the fairways and you’re in that second cut of rough, it’s a lottery. Sometimes you can advance it 180 yards and sometimes you can only move it a hundred. It’s about finding fairways and greens and yeah, just try and hole some putts.” – ROBERT MACINTYRE (-9) “The course can be a bit challenging, especially in the afternoon. Greens get firm. So I’ll have to keep doing what I’m doing and hopefully roll in a few more putts and keep the bogeys off the card and see what that brings tomorrow and Sunday.” – JUSTIN HARDING (-8) “I didn’t hit a fairway today until the 10th hole and then didn’t miss one for the rest of the round. I think it’s probably the sign of a great golf course that people have different opinions and how you can play it and hit different shots off different tees. I like that about the course. It gives you options.” – TOMMY FLEETWOOD (-8) “I’d love to win it. I’ve come close a few times. Just seems like it’s eluded me. But all you can do is put yourself in with a chance coming into the weekend and I’ve done that over the first two days. Anything can happen at the weekend. I’m looking forward to it.” – Three-time runner-up LEE WESTWOOD (-7)
15
Think Pink The OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic is again turning pink to raise awareness for breast cancer research. Players, staff, volunteers and guests will wear pink during Saturday’s third round in what has become an annual campaign at Emirates Golf Club’s European Tour stop. The effort is in support of the Al Jalila Foundation and in particular the Brest Friends programme. Brest Friends relies on donations, sponsors and fund-raising activities to raise money for breast cancer treatment and research in the UAE. Tournament title sponsor OMEGA is set to host a lunch for eight members of the Brest Friends programme on Saturday. The Emirates G.C. agronomy team are also getting in on the act, adding pink florals to the course, along with JA Resorts & Hotels who are promising pink touches to the day’s F&B offering. ODDC promoters Falcon and Associates will make a donation to Al Jalila and Brest Friends on behalf of the tournament. Guests at Emirates G.C. and those watching at home are encouraged to watch out for links to the Al Jalila and Brest Friends donation page on the OMEGAGolfDubai social media feed. ◼
Al Jalila Foundation in partnership with Brest Friends aims to improve the lives of breast cancer patients through awareness, treatment and research programmes. Advances in research offer hope and healing to countless women diagnosed every year. 100% of proceeds fund life-saving medical research and treatment of patients with breast cancer in the UAE.
DONATE
SMS PINK to the following numbers:
4202 4206 4209 4409
AED 10 AED 50
AED 100 AED 500
To learn more visit www.aljalilafoundation.ae/brest-friends
16
STAT ATTACK
Majlis Memories All the key OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic facts and figures to enhance your viewing pleasure.
MOST WINS
3
Ernie Els1994, 2002, 2005
CHAMPIONS 1989 - Mark James 277 (-11) 1990 - Eamonn Darcy 276 (-12) 1992 - Seve Ballesteros 272 (-16) 1993 - Wayne Westner 274 (-14) 1994 - Ernie Els 268 (-20) 1995 - Fred Couples 268 (-20) 1996 - Colin Montgomerie 270 (-18) 1997 - Richard Green 272 (-16) 1998 - José Maria Olazábal 269 (-19) 1999 - David Howell 275 (-13) 2000 - José Coceres 274 (-14) 2001 - Thomas Bjørn 266 (-22) 2002 - Ernie Els 272 (-16) 2003 - Robert-Jan Derksen 271 (-17) 2004 - Mark O’Meara 271 (-17) 2005 - Ernie Els 269 (-19)
2006 - Tiger Woods 269 (-19) 2007 - Henrik Stenson 269 (-19) 2008 - Tiger Woods 274 (-14) 2009 - Rory McIlroy 269 (-19) 2010 - Miguel Angel Jiménez 277 (-11) 2011 - Alvaro Quiros 277 (-11) 2012 - Rafa Cabrera Bello 270 (-18) 2013 - Stephen Gallacher 266 (-22) 2014 - Stephen Gallacher 272 (-16) 2015 - Rory McIlroy 266 (-22) 2016 - Danny Willett 269 (-19) 2017 - Sergio Garcia 269 (-19) 2018 - Li Haotong 265 (-23) 2019 - Bryson DeChambeau 264 (-24) 2020 - Lucas Herbert 279 (-9)
CONSECUTIVE WINS Stephen Gallacher 2013 and 2014
WIRETO-WIRE WINNERS
Eamonn Darcy, 1990 Seve Ballesteros, 1992 Ernie Els, 1994; José Coceres, 2000 Rory McIlroy, 2009 Sergio Garcia, 2017
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PLAYOFFS
Lowest 18-hole score 61 (-11), Ernie Els, 1994
Lowest first 18-hole score
61 (-11), Ernie Els, 1994
Lowest first 36-hole score
195 (-21), Stephen Gallacher, 2013
Lowest 72-hole score
Miguel Angel Jiménez 4th Hole, Rnd 2, 1990 Chris Moody 11th Hole, Rnd 3, 1990
1989
Mark James beat Peter O’Malley
128 (-16), Tiger Woods, 2001
Lowest first 54-hole score
HOLESIN-ONE Mark McNulty 11th Hole, Rnd 3, 1990 José Coceres 7th Hole, Rnd 2, 1992
1992
Wayne Westner 7th Hole, Rnd 1, 1995
Seve Ballesteros beat Ronan Rafferty
264 (-24), Bryson DeChambeau, 2019
1997
Lowest under par winning score
Richard Green beat Greg Norman and Ian Woosnam
Lowest final round by a winner
Tiger Woods beat Ernie Els
264 (-24), Bryson DeChambeau, 2019
64 (-8), Bryson DeChambeau, 2019
139 149 LOW CUT (-5), 2018
José Coceres 4th Hole, Rnd 1, 1996
2006 2010
Miguel Angel Jiménez beat Lee Westwood
Roger Wessels 7th Hole, Rnd 2, 1996 Peter Hedblom 15th Hole, Rnd 2, 1996 Stuart Cage 8th Hole, Rnd 1, 1999
6 SHOTS
Biggest final round comeback by a winner: Lucas Herbert, 2020
2020
Henrik Bjornstad 7th Hole, Rnd 4, 2002 Brad Kennedy 4th Hole, Rnd 2, 2004 Yasin Ali 7th Hole, Rnd 1, 2005
Gonzalo Fernandez-Castaño 4th Hole, Rnd 2, 2007 Miguel Angel Jiménez 7th hole, Rnd 1, 2008 Louis Oosthuizen 11th hole, Rnd 2, 2009 David Howell 7th hole, Rnd 1, 2011 Keith Horne 4th hole, Rnd 2, 2011 Raphaël Jacquelin 7th hole, Rnd 3, 2011 Alvaro Quiros 11th hole, Rnd 4, 2011
YOUNGEST WINNER
Mark O’Meara, 47 years and 54 days, 2004
(Dubai Creek)
Stephen Gallacher 4th Hole, Rnd 4, 2005
(+5), 1989
OLDEST WINNER
Peter Downie 16th Hole, Rnd 1, 2000
Nobuhito Sato 15th Hole, Rnd 1, 2005
Lucas Herbert beat Christiaan Bezuidenhout
HIGH CUT
Rory McIlroy 19 years and 273 days, 2009
(Dubai Creek)
Stephen Gallacher 15th hole, Rnd 1, 2012 Martin Kaymer 7th hole, Rnd 2, 2012
LARGEST WINNING MARGIN 7 shots, Bryson DeChambeau, 2019
Alvaro Quiros 4th hole, Rnd 4, 2015 Grégory Bourdy 11th hole, Rnd 3, 2017 Matthew Southgate 7th hole, Rnd 2, 2018 Alexander Levy 5th hole, Rnd 3, 2018 Kristoffer Broberg 7th hole, Rnd 1, 2019 Nacho Elvira 11th hole, Rnd 1, 2021 *All at Emirates G.C. unless noted
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HOLE-IN-ONE
ACE ESCAPE
NACHO ELVIRA won’t suffer any anxiety deciding where to stay the next time he tees it up in Dubai or decides on an escape away from golf in the emirate. That decision was made for the 33-yearold Spaniard when he aced the 11th hole in the opening round of the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic. His perfect seven iron from
174-yards scored the four-time Challenge Tour winner a four night “ultra all-inclusive” stay at JA Palm Tree Court. Elvira’s hole-in-one was the 28th in the 32 year history of the $3.25 million European Tour event. “Congratulations Nacho on a superb tee shot on the 11th hole. The team at JA look forward
to welcoming you and your family to JA The Resort and celebrating this achievement with us. Wishing you every success for the rest of the tournament,” said William Harley-Fleming, JA Resorts & Hotels Cluster General Manager. Rounds of 71-72 left Elvira at one-under through 36 holes, two strokes inside the cut mark. ◼
Progress through innovation Emirates Global Aluminium is the world’s largest ‘premium aluminium’ company, and one of the most innovative. For over 25 years, we have focused on research and technology development to improve our aluminium smelting process. Our latest technology is amongst the most energy efficient in the world, reducing emissions and helping make our metal more sustainable for our customers. Innovation is one way we make modern life possible.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to thank the following for their invaluable support of the 2021 OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic, held at Emirates Golf Club from January 28 - 31
European Tour
Dubai Health Authority
Dubai Police
Dubai Golf
Roads and Transport Authority
Dubai Civil Aviation Authority
Dubai Sports Council
Dubai Civil Defence
Dubai Tourism & Commerce Marketing
19
omegawatches.com
OM E GA D U BA I D E S E RT C L A SS I C 28–31 JANUARY For the 11th consecutive year, OMEGA proudly resumes its title sponsorship of the event known as the “Major of the Middle East”. Who will claim the trophy? Time will tell, but one thing is for sure, the winner will be wearing an exceptional watch home: OMEGA’s Seamaster Aqua Terra 150M Co‑Axial Master Chronometer. An elegant 41mm timepiece in 18K Sedna™ gold with a sun‑brushed blue dial in a horizontal “teak” pattern, inspired by the wooden decks of luxury sailboats.