4 minute read
Editor’s Letter
The grass is looking greener
Sustainability on and off the course is the aim of the game during a hectic month across the Middle East
By Matt Smith
EACH YEAR, I come away from the DP World Tour Desert Swing refreshed, impressed and surprised at how the brains behind the four-week golf-fest across the UAE manage to come up with innovative and original ways to keep things fresh, despite the region’s connection with top tournaments going back nearly 40 years.
Already this year we have witnessed another trump card in a strong hand as the inaugural Hero Cup delivered new-look entertainment in spades. With star players such as Rory McIroy, Jon Rahm and Viktor Hovland stepping aside, 20 Ryder Cup hopefuls attempted to impress onlooking Team Europe Captain Luke Donald at the matchplay event at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, where Francesco Molinari’s Continental Europe took on and defeated Tommy Fleetwood’s Great Britain & Ireland.
While the result was fairly immaterial, it allowed Donald to run the rule over prospective candidates for the showdown against the Americans in Rome this coming September, while also getting all involved familiar with team-play events and the bonding that is crucial to success. With Rory, Rahm and Hovland shoo-ins for the trip to Marco Simone in September, a number of new names certainly played their way into the reckoning. Now Donald’s challenge is whittling his squad down to the right 12.
Speaking of Rory, we are already sailing into 2023 at a fair clip and the new(ish) year brings the biggest golfi ng names to the region for one of the biggest dates on the sporting calendar as McIlroy resumes an elusive quest.
Yep, the DP World Tour’s Dubai Desert Classic is here once again — with a funky new look no less, thanks to new title partners Hero MotoCorp — as the world No. 1 seeks a third crown.
The 34th edition will be sure to deliver all the drama the fans will be after — along will plenty of kids’ entertainment and some late-night partying to boot.
As ever, sustainability will be a prominent factor at Emirates Golf Club, and you can play your part as the on-site entertainment zone — Tournament Town — takes on an environmental theme this year, hosting a series of hands-on workshops. As the DDC continues its mission to cut down on waste and protect biodiversity this year’s event will be the most sustainable yet. A series of environmental measures are being implemented — including the ongoing process of eliminating single-use plastic, installing water dispenser systems around the Majlis, and controlling waste. One new addition is the new-look media centre, where the roof will be covered with solar panels, plus two 100m solar panel systems will be installed at the venue.
The public can get hands-on by helping to plant 2,000 native Ghaf tree seeds in Tournament Town. That is one way to keep things green around the greens.
Keeping things even greener, if you are planning to visit the Desert Classic, be sure to pick up a copy of our Daily News publication at EGC or check it out online at GolfDigestME.com. The daily newsletter is PEFC Certifi ed, using sustainably managed forests and controlled sources, as is Golf Digest Middle East.
The February show rolls on into Saudi Arabia for the men’s and ladies’ Saudi International events at Royal Greens just outside Jeddah, with a collective $10 million on the table — equally divided across the two tournaments — for the men and women. Adding to a packed February in the Middle East is the Asian Tour’s expanded International Series, with Oman (Al Mouj Golf, February 9-12) and Qatar (Doha Golf Club, February 16-19) making a welcome bow.
Throw in the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, and world-class golfi ng entertainment is never far away.
editor-in-chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer
managing partner & group editor
Ian Fairservice
editor Matt Smith art director Clarkwin Cruz editorial assistant Londresa Flores instruction editors Luke Tidmarsh, Euan Bowden, Tom Ogilvie, Matthew Brookes, Lea Pouillard, Alex Riggs
chief commercial officer
Anthony Milne publisher David Burke
general manager - production
S. Sunil Kumar production manager Binu Purandaran
THE GOLF DIGEST PUBLICATIONS editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde
senior director, business development & partnerships
Greg Chatzinoff international editor Ju Kuang Tan
GOLF DIGEST USA editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde general manager Chris Reynolds editorial director Max Adler executive editor Peter Morrice art director Chloe Weiss Galkin managing editors Alan P. Pittman, Ryan Herrington (News) chief playing editor Tiger Woods playing editors Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Francesco Molinari, Bubba Watson, Tom Watson
head office
Media One Tower, PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 427 3000; Fax: +971 4 428 2266
dubai media city
SD 2-94, 2nd Floor, Building 2, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 390 3550; Fax +971 4 390 4845 Email: motivate@motivate.ae
abu dhabi
14th Floor, Offi ce 1406, Makeen Tower, 9th Street, Al Zahiyah, PO Box 43072, Abu Dhabi, UAE Tel: +971 2 677 2005; Fax: +971 2 657 3401 Email: motivate-adh@motivate.ae
saudi arabia
Offi ce 452, Regus Offi ces, 4th Floor, Al Hamad Tower, King Fahad Road, Al Olaya, Riyadh, KSA Tel: +966 11 834 3595 / +966 11 834 3596 Fax: +966 11 834 3501 Email: motivate@motivate.ae
london
Motivate Publishing Ltd, Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London, NW1 3ER, UK Email: motivateuk@motivate.ae
GOLF DIGEST and HOW TO PLAY, WHAT TO PLAY, WHERE TO PLAY are registered trademarks of Discovery Golf, Inc. Copyright © 2021 Discovery Golf, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Volume 72, Issue 2. GOLF DIGEST (ISSN 0017-176X) is published eight times a year by Discovery Golf, Inc. Principal office: Golf Digest, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y., 10036. Discovery Golf, Inc.: Alex Kaplan, President & GM; Gunnar Wiedenfels, Chief Financial Officer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices.
