ROUND 3
FRIDAY
NOVEMBER 6, 2020
Crime sleuth scripts Moonlight thriller Leader Caroline Hedwall has a criminology essay to submit before she joins the gaggle of big names eyeing the heist of the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic’s coveted Dallah Trophy.
By Kent Gray – Editor, Golf Digest Middle East it would be fitting if evidence for the paper Caroline Hedwall had to submit overnight as part of her criminology degree was sourced from a suspenseful, real-life thriller. That certainly shapes as the genre of Friday when the Swede gets back to her day job, albeit after hours, at the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic. The 31-year-old, suddenly playing well after the mystery of eight missed cuts in her last nine starts, will take a one stroke buffer over England’s Meghan MacLaren into the final round of the $285,000 LET Pro-Am at Emirates Golf Club. With six LET titles on a résumé boasting 15 wins worldwide, and a 8 win-6 loss-1 half record in four Solheim Cup appearances, Hedwall is no stranger to winning, nor pressure. But the final round of the Moonlight, under The Faldo’s floodlights, is set up for a spinetingling finish courtesy of a classy and tightly-packed leaderboard. After a bogey-free second round 70 to move to -9, Hedwall will be out in the final three-ball alongside -8 MacLaren and -7 Minjee Lee. Lee’s presence in
particular will likely give Hedwall the chills after the Aussie made Thursday’s biggest move with a 65. At No.9 in the world ranking, Lee owns the tag as the Moonlight’s highest rated player and also has the experience of five LPGA Tour wins to bring to the 1st tee Friday. The trio immediately behind Hedwall and co., who will tee off five minutes ahead in group 1A in a quirk of the 5pm shotgun draw, won’t provide the 36-hole leader with much comfort either. Also at -7 and just two strokes back is Laura Fuenfstueck (70). The German will be joined by former world No.1 Lydia Ko (70) and French Solheim Cupper Celine Boutier (71) who shared fifth place with the Kiwi star on -6. Ominously, the trio of Lee, Ko and Bouiter bring a total of 21 LPGA Tour and eight LET wins to Friday’s title fight. After a quick turnaround from her opening night 65 which included a slam dunk hole-in-one, Hedwall had to rise early for her ultimately flawless but slightly frustrating second round. Turn to page 2
Lurking Ominously
Taking #TimeToShine
Rolling Along on The Faldo
Final Round Tee Times
Aussie world No.9 Minjee Lee roared into contention with a Thursday 65. PAGE 3
Meghan MacLaren has a third Ladies European Tour title in her sights. PAGE 4
Enjoy a selection of the best action pictures from the second round. PAGE 5
Plan your TV viewing pleasure with all the groups and tee times for Friday. PAGE 6
E M I R AT E S G O L F C LU B D U BA I
SPEEDMASTER 38 MM
4 – 6 N OV E M B E R , 2020
PATRON & OFFICIAL PUBLISHER
@OmegaGolfDubai #TimeToShine #MadeForGreatness
More information available at OMEGA Middle East, Emirates Towers, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 3300455
ISSUE 3
NEWS
2
LEADERBOARD
Rank 1 2 T3 T3 T5 T5 7 T8 T8 T8 T8
Name Caroline Hedwall Meghan MacLaren Minjee Lee Laura Fuenfstueck Celine Boutier Lydia Ko Kim Metraux Johanna Gustavsson Alison Lee Nuria Iturrioz Bronte Law
Country SWE ENG AUS GER FRA NZL SUI SWE USA ESP ENG
R1 65 69 72 67 67 68 69 70 72 69 70
R2 To Par 70 -9 67 -8 65 -7 70 -7 71 -6 70 -6 70 -5 70 -4 68 -4 71 -4 70 -4
Hopefully I'll be able to learn a few things from today.”- Lydia Ko
LEADING FINAL PRO-AM TEAMS Rank Name
Team
R1 R2 Par
1 Charley Hull EGA V Khalid Yousuf [+4] Abdalla Al Musharrekh [5] Robert Fiala [7]
122 117
-45
2 Marianne Skarpnor OMEGA I Beatrice Galeppini Salani [8] Edoardo Galeppini [0] Max Burrow [+2]
122 111
-44
3 Gabriella Cowley JA Resorts Natalii Gupta [+3] & Hotels IV Scott Flewellen [8] Peter Englund [8]
111 110
-43
4 Alison Lee ODMC VII Peter Finch [+2] Victoria Johnson [20] Nicsha Russouw [11]
125 124
-39
5 Minjee Lee OMEGA V Naima Maya [5] Martha Wong [13] Yana Jamieson [8]
131 120
-37 laura fuenfstueck
1
2
Emily Kristine Pedersen
499.35
Denmark
3
POINTS
Julia Engstrom
4
Manon De Roey Belgium
257.35 POINTS
Azahara Munoz Spain
367.00
Sweden
POINTS
5
209.63 POINTS
Amy Boulden Wales
POS
NAME
COUNTRY
POINTS
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Alice Hewson Stephanie Kyriacou Kylie Henry Sanna Nuutinen Celine Herbin Johanna Gustavsson Nanna Koerstz Madsen Christine Wolf Magdelena Simmermacher Kim Metraux
England Australia Scotland Finland France Sweden Denmark Austria Argentina Switzerland
165.60 161.53 149.50 147.78 129.99 104.71 100.50 100.40 92.69 92.51
168.50
POINTS
EVENTS
3 6 7 8 6 8 2 7 7 7
Rankings prior to the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic
See full Race to Costa del Sol Rankings here >>
Continued from cover page... “I have been playing very steady, hitting a lot of greens and I’ve been good within two metres of the hole. Today I had a lot of putts that didn’t drop so maybe five-under would have been a fair score. But I’m in a good position for tomorrow and I am happy with my game,” said Hedwall who finished T-5 in Dubai last year. “Today was so different. It was quite hot but … the turnaround was probably the hardest part, falling asleep yesterday and then having to be back up, I only had 6½ hours sleep. I have plenty of time to rest for tomorrow. I am going to try and get my energy up, relax and chill.” That was until Hedwall remembered her homework assignment waiting back in the players’ hotel. “I am actually studying criminology at the moment to try and get a degree. It is nice to have something to focus on when you are back in the room. It is stressful at times with 100 percent of the course completed remotely. I’ve been doing lots of essays and I have one to do tonight as the deadline is tomorrow.”
The only crime on Friday then? Perhaps that you forget to tune in on TV – Dubai Sports Channel in the UAE - to find out if Hedwall was the one, ahem, whodunit. It won’t be a surprise if MacLaren, Lee or Ko spoil Hedwall’s wire-to-wire attempt mind you. Ko finished with two birdies, including a chip-in from a hanging lie on the 16th, in her final three holes to keep herself in the tournament. But the Kiwi, who owns five LET titles to go with her 15 LPGA Tour wins, is having to learn how to putt the grainy Faldo greens at night on the job. “Ah, yes, my putting stats definitely agreed to that,” said Ko when asked if she was struggling on the greens. “I really had trouble with my distance control. It’s difficult because you see the dark and the light and I think your depth perception is a little off, even just with the length of the holes. I had one hole yesterday where I felt like I could get close to the green [off the tee] on the par-4 and today it felt like a par-5, it just shows you how different it is. “But it’s fun, it’s a unique format and definitely an interesting factor about this tournament. “Hopefully I’ll be able to learn a few things from today but in some ways, because it is dark, I think it eliminates some of the things you see and it makes you focus on the shot you want to hit. In some ways it really dials in your targets which is nice, especially on tricky driving holes.” Switzerland’s Kim Metraux is solo 7th on -5 while defending champion Nuria Iturrioz isn’t out of it in a quartet a shot further back. But Friday shapes as a battle between the final two three-balls. The scene of the great Dallah Trophy heist has been set. ◼
Editor-in-Chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer
Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Milne
Group Editor and Managing Partner Ian Fairservice
Publisher David Burke
Editor Kent Gray Art Director Clarkwin Cruz Images Tristan Jones/LET, Getty Images, Supplied by Falcon Associates
General Manager – Production S. Sunil Kumar Assistant Production Manager Binu Purandaran
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3
A second LET title in sight, Minjee Lee will focus first on some Netflix
I
t ’ s pe a k 2020 ,
all a bit topsy-turvy. About the time Minjee Lee tees it up in pursuit of her second LET title on Friday, she’d normally be thinking about what Netflix show to pop on after dinner. But with the 14th OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic to be decided under The Faldo’s bright LED floodlights, she’s planning to do the exact opposite. The 24-year-old Australian roared into contention with a seven-under second round 65 on Wednesday morning to get it to -7 for the $285,000 championship. The five-time LPGA Tour winner will start the final round's 5pm shotgun in the final group off the 1st tee, just two shots adrift of 36-hole leader Caroline Hedwall. It will be a unusually long wait to get going but Lee has a cunning plan. “I don’t mind being inside until tomorrow’s afternoon round because it is so hot out here and I’m just going to trust I’ve done enough practice last week before I came out here,” said Lee. “There are a few shows on my Netflix that aren’t available in America such as a few Korean dramas. I felt like I watched all of the American shows while we were in lockdown the first time.” The world No.9 is the highest ranked player this week and as such will enter Friday as a clear and present danger. Capitalising on three birdies in her opening four holes after teeing off from the 10th on Wednesday, Lee went out in 30 strokes, six-under. She then traded two birdies with a late bogey on the par-3 8th to eventually sign for an equal best of Wednesday 65.
“I got off to a pretty hot start. I wasn’t able to get many more [birdies] on the back nine, but I am pleased with my day. I feel like I had a look for birdie on every hole.” The Perth pro’s last win came at the LPGA’s LA Open in April last year. The former world amateur No.1 will be looking to emulate her brother Min Woo Lee as a 2020 winner after he secured his breakthrough on the European Tour at the Vic Open in February. “I have played night golf once in Korea but that was just for fun. This is my first time competitively and to play at night is something so different to the professional game, I think it will attract a lot of the younger generation,” said Lee who was third at the recent Women’s British Open before a T-7 finish at the ANA Inspiration. “I think during the day, it goes a bit further and rolls out and the greens are easier to read but at night time I think it is hard to see the ball land and judge the roll out. There’s a bit of adjustment to make.” But not before logging into Netflix for the biggest adjustment to her usual final round preparation. TV behind closed doors, almost like in lockdown. Peak 2020 indeed. ◼
4
READY & WILLING
MacLaren has a good Faldo feeling rolling
M
isn’t sure she’s figured out all of The Faldo’s night-time nuances but has her putter cooperating sufficiently to believe Emirates Golf Club could be the scene of a third LET win. A second round 67 to go with an opening 69 propelled the 26-year-old Englishwoman into contention at the $285,000 OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic. At -8, MacLaren will start Friday’s final round in the company of world No.9 Minjee Lee (-7) and just a stroke adrift of Caroline Hedwall, the Swedish pole-sitter who rounds out the event’s final three-ball. With Kiwi Lydia Ko also among those in hot pursuit, Friday won’t be easy. But Sir Nick Faldo’s desert re-design shapes as MacLaren’s toughest foe as she sets out in pursuit of the Dallah Trophy to go with her back-to-back Women’s NSW Open wins in 2018 and 2019. “It’s a strange course because it doesn’t look like a course you can score on,” MacLaren said. “Level par is a good place to be but once you get your rhythm you can get going.” MacLaren had just one bogey in her morning circuit on Wednesday. “I thought I’d find the greens easier today but to be honest I didn’t. I don’t know if I am overthinking it now but on the whole, I’ve been rolling it well eg h a n m ac l a r e n
Meghan MacLaren won women’s team bronze and a mixed team silver medal for England at the 2018 European Golf Teams Championship at Gleneagles in Scotland
all week. It’s the biggest improvement of my game and I feel that I can take advantage of my good play and make more out of my rounds.“ MacLaren has enjoyed just one LET top-10 in 2020 at the SA Women’s Open in March but has been trending with a pair of top-20s at the Swiss Ladies and Open de France en-route to Dubai. She also captured a Rose Ladies Series title at Moor Park in Hertfordshire after lockdown and will take the experience of last year in Dubai, where she finished a lowly T-38 after rounds of 71-73-77, into Friday. “I enjoy the conditions here, the good weather is a plus and it’s nice to come back somewhere you’ve been before. I’ve learnt from last year, it’s in great condition and you just have a look around, it’s a great place to be.” It could be an even better place late on Friday if her game, and The Faldo, continue to play ball. ◼
PICTURE ROUND-UP carly booth
5 a general view of play during day two
chiara noja
dame laura davies
bronte law a detailed view of the illuminated pin flag on the 17 th hole
amateur sophia hasnaoui playing for bmw group
defending champion nuria iturrios
6
FINAL ROUND TEE TIMES – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 1. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 1 ◼ Lydia Ko NZL -6 ◼ Celine Boutier FRA -6 ◼ Laura Fuenfstueck GER -7 2. TIME 17:05 • HOLE 1 ◼ Minjee Lee AUS -7 ◼ Meghan MacLaren ENG -8 ◼ Caroline Hedwall SWE -9 3. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 2 ◼ Chiara Noja (a) ENG +19 ◼ Lina Boqvist SWE +14 4. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 3 ◼ Carly Booth SCO +13 ◼ Hannah Burke ENG +12 ◼ Astha Madan IND +11 5. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 4 ◼ Emily Kristine Pedersen DEN +11 ◼ Olivia Jackson ENG +10 ◼ Inci Mehmet ENG +9 6. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 5 ◼ Esther Henseleit GER +9 ◼ Jenny Haglund SWE +9 ◼ Tonje Daffinrud NOR +8 7. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 6 ◼ Marianne Skarpnord NOR +7 ◼ Liz Young ENG +7 ◼ Magdalena Simmermacher ARG +7
8. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 7 ◼ Amy Boulden WAL +7 ◼ Emma Nilsson SWE +6 ◼ Tvesa Malik IND +6 9. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 8 ◼ Whitney Hillier AUS +6 ◼ Julia Engstrom SWE +5 ◼ Alice Hewson ENG +5 10. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 9 ◼ Lydia Hall WAL +5 ◼ Becky Morgan WAL +4 ◼ Manon De Roey BEL +4 11. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 10 ◼ Trish Johnson ENG +3 ◼ Maha Haddioui MAR +3 ◼ Kylie Henry SCO +3 12. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 11 ◼ Celine Herbin FRA +2 ◼ Beth Allen USA +2 ◼ Laura Davies ENG +2 13. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 12 ◼ Olivia Cowan GER +1 ◼ Georgia Hall ENG +1 ◼ Eleanor Givens ENG +1
14. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 13 ◼ Lucrezia Colombotto Rosso ITA +1 ◼ Gabriella Cowley ENG +1 ◼ Aditi Ashok IND E 15. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 14 ◼ Diksha Dagar IND E ◼ Christine Wolf AUT E ◼ Muni He CHN E 16. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 15 ◼ Charley Hull ENG E ◼ Emilie Paltrinieri (a) ITA -1 ◼ Alison Muirhead SCO -1 17. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 16 ◼ Stephanie Kyriacou AUS -2 ◼ Karolin Lampert GER -3 ◼ Kelsey Macdonald SCO -3 18. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 17 ◼ Sanna Nuutinen FIN -3 ◼ Bronte Law ENG -4 ◼ Nuria Iturrioz ESP -4 19. TIME 17:00 • HOLE 18 ◼ Alison Lee USA -4 ◼ Johanna Gustavsson SWE -4 ◼ Kim Metraux SUI -5
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7 7
OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic winner to be presented with the Speedmaster 38mm timepiece
F
or the Swiss watchmaker OMEGA, golf is a passion that stretches across the globe. In the Middle East, the brand has a particularly esteemed standing as the title sponsor of two popular tournaments: The OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic and the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic. Both tournaments attract some of the game’s most talented golfers and are a notable highlight on the annual sporting calendar. This November, all eyes are on the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic once again, as the 2nd edition of the LET event plays out. At its dramatic conclusion, OMEGA will present the winner with the exclusive Speedmaster 38mm timepiece, to go along with the championship cheque and trophy. The beautiful watch features a full 18K Sedna™ gold case with a “cappuccino” dial and a taupe-brown leather strap. The watch’s bezel features the Speedmaster’s famous tachymeter scale as well as a circle of sparkling diamonds. Just like the winner of the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic 2020, this captivating wristwatch performs with ultimate precision and flair.
E M I R AT E S G O L F C LU B D U BA I
SPEEDMASTER 38 MM
4 – 6 N OV E M B E R , 2020
More information available at OMEGA Middle East, Emirates Towers, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 3300455