HDDC23 Daily News Round 1

By Matt Smith – Editor, Golf Digest Middle East

The stage is set for the 34th Dubai Desert Classic, with a new sponsor and a record $9 million on the line for the DP World Tour’s flagship Middle East event.

As ever, the Rolex Series tournament — now sponsored by Hero MotoCorp — is attracting huge crowds and some of the biggest names in golf‚ and they do not come much bigger than Rory McIlroy. The world No. 1 is raring to go in his first start of 2023, following yet another stellar year that saw him claim top spots on both the Atlantic by winning the PGA Tour FedEx Cup and the DP World Tour season-long Rankings race.

Having taken a well-earned break over the festive season, now the Northern Irishman is back at Emirates Golf Club on a mission to claim a third Dubai Desert Classic title. But that will be much easier said than done as 2019 Open Champion Shane Lowry, plus DP World Tour stars Tommy Fleetwood, Ryan Fox and Tyrrell Hatton will be among those teeing up with their eyes on the prize, too.

Then there are surging stars like Adrian Meronk, Sepp Straka and newly crowned Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner Victor Perez, alongside the likes of recent Hero Cup stars Robert MacIntyre, Guido Migliozzi,

Matt Wallace, Thomas Detry, Alex Noren and Ewen Ferguson. The old boys have also served a bit of a wakeup call to the young pups in recent times, with veterans such as Padraig Harrington, Francesco Molinari, Richard Bland plus Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald rolling back the years as they rolled in the putts, reminding us all what they are still capable of.

The stars of the future are on show in the UAE too, with leading amateurs Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, Egypt’s Issa Abou El Ela and American Michael Thorbjornsen all set to rub shoulders with the big guns.

Add other major winners such as Henrik Stenson and Patrick Reed into the mix and the stage is set for another thriller, following the dramatic playoff victory for Norway’s Viktor Hovland in the fading light 12 months ago, as he held off McIlroy and Bland on a gripping Sunday for a famous win.

With the roll of honour on the Hero Dubai Desert Classic winners’ list including greats such as Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Fred Couples, José María Olazábal, Mark O’Meara, Tiger Woods, Stenson, McIlroy, and Sergio Garcia, enjoy the intrigue and the action to see who will add their name to that prestigious list.

Triple Threat

Home Comfort

Next Generation

Playing It Forward

COURSE

34th Hero Dubai Desert Classic gets under way at Emirates Golf Club as the cream of the DP World Tour battle it out for the Rolex Series event crown

Dear readers,

Hello and welcome to the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. It is my honour and privilege to be able to welcome everyone back to Emirates Golf Club and the greens and fairways of the Majlis Course for what I know will be another incredible event.

It is hard to believe the tournament is now more than 30 years old. From those early days, and much like Dubai itself, we have seen growth beyond our wildest expectations. From establishing ourselves as ‘The Major of the Middle East’, to the globally recognised, highly anticipated event we have today — there is a huge amount for us to be proud of. The hard work and dedication of an incredible number of people have got us to this point, and it is our duty to ensure we develop, nurture and grow, in the years to come.

Which brings us to today, and the 34th edition of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

The field is incredibly strong, with multiple major winners including world No. 1 Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and a whole host of DP World Tour stars such as Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Ryan Fox in action. We will also have a strong European Ryder Cup presence, with the last two captains Thomas Bjorn and Padraig Harrington teeing up, along with this year’s incumbent Luke Donald. It is a field of exceptional calibre, and one which will make for four thrilling days of excellence in sport.

Umbrellas and waterproofs could be required for all you golf fans this weekend as some wet weather is forecast. Rain is expected from Thursday, with showers continuing until Saturday, before clearing in time for the big finale on Sunday.

CORKILL

SIMON

Hero Dubai Desert Classic Executive Tournament Director

UNFINISHED

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy has returned to the scene of the, well, not crime, but calamity of 2022 with a score to settle.

The Northern Irishman was in contention to claim his third Dubai Desert Classic crown at Emirates Golf Club last year, only to send his approach on the last hole into the water on Sunday, handing the title to Viktor Hovland, after the Norwegian overcame Richard Bland in a playoff.

Now McIlroy is back to right that wrong and — hopefully — become the second man to win this coveted trophy for a third time after Ernie Els.

“It’s really nice to be back,” he said ahead of Thursday’s opening round, when he will go out with Tommy Fleetwood and Ryan Fox. “You know, I’ve had a lot of great memories here and success over the years at the Emirates but feel like I have a little bit of unfinished business with how the tournament ended for me last year here. Wasn’t quite the way I wanted to finish it off.”

While McIlroy missed out in Dubai, it was the start of a stellar 2022 that saw him claim the FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour as well as the DP World Tour season-long Rankings race before a welcome break at the end of the year.

“I went on from that week and played really well and had a great year,” he said.

“But it’s been nice to try to take a little bit of time away, and try to distance myself from the game of golf for at least a month or two, and recharge and reset. Now I will start 2023 with renewed optimism and a full tank, ready to go.

“I played with Tiger, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth at the start of December in ‘The Match’, then I put the clubs away for a few weeks after that. I was pretty mentally and physically drained after the year. So I didn’t pick the clubs up again until the new year.”

And with the new year comes the new challenge back in Dubai.

“I’ve been obviously practising at home and practising well but it’s always first tournament of the year, getting back on to the golf course,” McIlroy said. “I am just trying to get comfortable again with shots on the course and visuals and all that sort of stuff. I’m sure it will be a little bit of rust to start the week but hopefully I can shake that off. I’ve got a great record here, so I have great confidence in that.”

After that wet shot to finish the Dubai Desert Classic last time out, McIlroy insists he would attempt the same shot, should it arise this week.

“It wasn’t a bad decision,” he said. “It was just a bad swing. It was a bit of a hanging lie. The group in front of us were taking their time on the 18th green, and I had quite a bit of a wait, but that’s not an excuse. It was just a bad swing at the wrong time.

“I certainly would make the decision again. There’s so much room behind that green. There’s a backboard. Yeah, if those hospitality units were out-of-bounds posts, maybe I’d think about it differently or have a different decision to make. But you can literally walk it into the hospitality and take a drop and try to make your four that way. I hit a bad shot and mis-struck it. Obviously, the miss was long and I missed it short.”

Regardless of a near miss, McIlroy has one of the best records in Dubai and is ready to go again in pursuit of another crown.

“I first played this tournament in 2006. So I’ve been coming here for a long time, 17 years. I’ve got a level of comfort here. I like starting my year here. I have a lot of friends. I called this place home for four years.

“I get great support here with the crowds that come out, and just you start playing competitively around a golf course you have known for such a long time. It just feels automatic, where you hit your tee shots, where you remember certain things about certain shots and different putts and all those things play into it. Yeah, just a real level of comfort.”

If McIlroy goes away with another Coffee Pot trophy in the bag, this home from home will be all the more comfortable.

Bed of roses for Fleetwood

Tommy Fleetwood has spent the past 13 years travelling the world competing at the very top level in golf, so he knows not to pass up a great opportunity when it comes along — and that includes a long lie in his own bed at home during tournament week. That is the scenario at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic as the Englishman now calls the UAE home, having moved here with his family last year.

As he prepared to tee off at Emirates Golf Club on Thursday morning, the 32-year-old had a relaxed air about him.

“It’s a rare opportunity and a rare thing to get to spend a week at home while playing in a tournament,” he smiled. “I just love sleeping in my own bed. I love doing things in my own house. So it’s a bonus this week, it absolutely is. It just kind of makes things that little bit more novel and comfortable, and no matter how much traveling you do, there’s nothing quite like being in your own home.”

While being a resident is new, Fleetwood is no stranger to playing in the Middle East, having won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship back-to-back in 2017 and 2018, while also claiming the Race to Dubai in 2017, and he believes starting his season out here is the perfect beginning to the year.

“Like a lot of us, I think that the way that the season starts, where we get a chance to play in the Middle East, I think we get to play really good golf courses and really good conditions,” he said. “I love the attitude that people have at the start of the year and everybody starts out fresh and hungry and wanting to get off to a really good start.

“I think Emirates Golf Club in particular has become an iconic venue, an iconic tournament and I am at an age where I got to watch it a lot on TV as the tournament was building and building, with champions like Colin Montgomerie and Tiger Woods and Ernie Els. I’ve sort of grown up in that generation where this is like a dream tournament to play in and win. It’s always been great coming back, and like you said before, kind of a home event for me as well.”

The Majlis Course has undergone significant changes in recent years for the Dubai Desert Classic and Fleetwood has done his homework and knows what to expect.

“The main thing has been the firmness of the new greens, how they have set that up, and the rough is much higher,” he said. “So you put those two together, it makes it a very different challenge.

“Every par 5 they have now lengthened, but they are reachable normally. So without the rough, without the greens playing the way they are, that lends itself to really low scoring that we have seen in the past. In the last two or three years, you’ve seen that change. You’ve seen it be a much more difficult championship set-up. I’ve loved that it’s not directly in front of you, the golf course. There’s doglegs, there’s cutting of the corners ... but you always get rewarded for good golf shots and I’ve always enjoyed this golf course and I think definitely the last two, three years, I prefer it playing like that.

“I prefer it being tough. I prefer if you play poorly and you struggle, then you’re not really going to have a chance at the weekend, and you have to battle to get something out of the week. So I like that side of it. I much prefer it playing like that, and that’s how it’s been.

“We will see how it goes.”

English star enjoying a rare stay at home while on DP World Tour in Dubai

I prefer it being tough. I prefer if you play poorly and you struggle, then you’re not going to have a chance at the weekend

Tommy Fleetwood was in a chilled mood at Emirates Golf Club during the Hero Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am at Emirates Golf Club

Sweeping

It is tournament week for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, with pristine greens, rolling fairways and challenging rough awaiting the stars of the DP World Tour for the 34th time.

While everything looks picture perfect, the challenges of getting things in just the right condition is no easy task — just ask Emirates Golf Club Course Superintendant Matt Perry, who looks after the Majlis course with his 70-strong team.

“Preparation for this year’s event pretty much started straight away after the end of Viktor Hovland’s victory here last year,” he said.

“We speak to the DP World Tour and look at what works what can be improved: if there any potential for new tee positions, narrowing fairways ... this begins straight away.

“Then we prep the course a lot during the summer with this event in mind. It is a full-on project over the summer months — hard work in the heat — when we do a lot of our coring [a process for aerating the greens and fairways] and other projects around the course. Then once we have overseeded to promote growth of the grass, which

we did at the start of December, that’s when we move up a gear and go into real tournament preparation mode.”

Managing the grass on the course is a tricky task to ensure it is prime condition for the competition week, and Perry has it — almost — down to a fine art.

“It is important to get the grass just right, to get the rough up in time and to fertilise at the right time ... do everything to get the course up to the world-class standard that is expected for a tournament like this,” he said, explaining how the course was entirely revamped with new greens in 2021.

“We are a lot further on now than last year where the organic matter was pretty non-existent because they were very new greens — maybe only seven months old — when we held the Desert Classic last year,” Perry added. “So we have had a full summer of growth now. In grass terms, this is not even two years old and is meant to last more than 20 years, so it is in its infancy and will grow over time as we nurture it.”

With this growth comes some pains, especially for the players trying to read tricky putts.

“The grain — the direction the grass

grows — has not fully matured yet which the players may struggle with as they may not be sure which way the grass will push the ball,” said Perry. “That will get them thinking as we are not quite there yet with grain direction but it will give them a test.

“With more organic matter, the pitch marks are not exploding out with some turf like they did last year, so I hope the players can all see the improvements in these young greens, but they will still provide a good test.

“We are delighted with how the grass is performing and has recovered after a very busy season — in 2022 we were definitely up on our number of rounds as golf is still booming in the UAE. To get ready for a big tournament at such a busy golf course is a real balancing act as with deciding how much to push the course at certain times — with corporate tournaments and members’ days and the like.”

While the city has seen some gloomy days recently, that is a ray of sunshine to Perry and his team.

“Over the last few weeks, we have had some good rain which was really helpful with the rye grass and also with the greens, as it washes out the salty water and it has kicked on from there. The greens are a vibrant colour now, too, thanks to that extra rain water.”

So, what goes into the final touches just before the gates are open to the public?

“In the week before the competition we close the course to the public and I move my entire team onto the Majlis. We have around 70 in my team and a lot of them work on the Faldo [Course the sister course to the Majlis at EGC]. We move them over to support on the Majlis at this point, so that shows how much work and manpower goes into getting the course to the standard required.

“Now we add the finishing touches — pushing the greens to really get the speed up and have them in the perfect spot for the week.

“I just takes time but we think we have the course exactly where we want it to be.”

Such meticulous care also has its ecological rewards, with fauna and flora thriving at EGC. “We are regularly planting ghaf trees native to this area and I think the national tree of the UAE,” said Perry. “These trees have dotted the fairways since Emirates was first opened and some are pretty huge now. Given that they need very little in the way of water to thrive they really help with water consumption and our sustainability drive.

“There is also a growth over the years in wildlife with desert foxes, herons, cormorants easy to spot. We now get some flamingoes too so it is great to see the environment thrive.”

Matthew Perry explains the meticulous preparation that makes the Majlis a sight to behold at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic

PEREZ IS PITCHING IN

Abu Dhabi champion Victor ready to go once again after famous win at Yas Links

Starting the year on tour with a win is always something every golfer strives for, but Victor Perez comes into the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on a higher-thanusual high due to his tremendous — and now viral — route to victory in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship last week.

Leading by one at Yas Links, the Frenchman found the bunker with his tee shot on the par-3 17th. With playing partner and nearest challenger Sebastian Soderberg lurking, Perez produced a moment of magic from the sand, landing his delicious pitch a few feet past the pin and the ball spun back into the cup.

Despite a wobble and a bogey on the 18th, his two-stroke cushion kept him safe and the $1.53 million first-place cheque was assured.

Now it is onto that tricky second tournament at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic as Perez looks to keep up the momentum on the DP World Tour Desert Swing.

“It feels fantastic to sit here, a week into the season for me and it couldn’t have been a better start,” he said.

“I was feeling pretty good with my game after [Ryder Cup warm-up matchplay event] the Hero

Cup, but to be able to back it up in a 72-hole tournament is a completely different story, and I was just really happy to carry on that form and eventually get the victory but the next event is equally as big as the one you played.

“So you want to try to replicate that the following week, which is never easy.”

When asked how many times he has watched that bunker shot on Yas Island, which has become an instant hit on social media, Perez smirked and admitted: “A lot. A lot. We were just talking about how this shot is going to end up being the defining moment of the performance. But it was just one shot. It just so happened to be at that time in the 72 holes. There were other good shots along the way, but any time someone is going talk about Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship 2023, it will be: ‘Remember he holed that bunker shot.’ So yeah, I’ve seen it plenty of times now.”

It remains to be seen if Perez can repeat the trick in Dubai and make his start to 2023 all the more memorable.

Order of Play THURSDAY

JANUARY 26, 2023

Plan the day watching your favourite players with this guide to the groupings and tee times.

1. TIME 07:10 HOLE 1 ◼ Jeremy FREIBURGHAUS (SUI) ◼ Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) ◼ Lukas NEMECZ (AUT)

2. TIME 07:20 HOLE 1 ◼ Matthew JORDAN (ENG) ◼ Daniel GAVINS (ENG) ◼ Wil BESSELING (NED)

3. TIME 07:30 HOLE 1 ◼ Bernd WIESBERGER (AUT) ◼ Justin HARDING (RSA) ◼ Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN)

4. TIME 07:40 HOLE 1 ◼ Patrick REED (USA) ◼ Gavin GREEN (MAS) ◼ Scott JAMIESON (SCO)

5. TIME 07:50 HOLE 1 ◼ Callum SHINKWIN (ENG) ◼ Romain LANGASQUE (FRA) ◼ Dale WHITNELL (ENG)

6. TIME 08:00 HOLE 1 ◼ Shaun NORRIS (RSA) ◼ Lee WESTWOOD (ENG) ◼ Hurly LONG (GER)

7. TIME 08:10 HOLE 1 ◼ Mikko KORHONEN (FIN) ◼ Abraham ANCER (MEX) ◼ John CATLIN (USA)

8. TIME 08:20 HOLE 1

◼ Aaron COCKERILL (CAN)

◼ Julien GUERRIER (FRA)

◼ Connor SYME (SCO)

9. TIME 08:30 HOLE 1

◼ Paul WARING (ENG)

◼ Michael THORBJORNSEN (AM) (USA)

◼ Marcus ARMITAGE (ENG)

10. TIME 08:40 HOLE 1

◼ Andy SULLIVAN (ENG)

◼ Jamie DONALDSON (WAL)

◼ Alexander KNAPPE (GER)

11. TIME 08:50 HOLE 1

◼ Jack SENIOR (ENG) ◼ Jens DANTORP (SWE) ◼ Jeunghun WANG (KOR)

12. TIME 07:10 HOLE 10 ◼ Tom MCKIBBIN (NIR) ◼ Nicolai VON DELLINGSHAUSEN (GER) ◼ Matthew SOUTHGATE (ENG)

13. TIME 07:20 HOLE 10 ◼ Thomas BJØRN (DEN) ◼ Oliver WILSON (ENG) ◼ Richie RAMSAY (SCO)

14. TIME 07:30 HOLE 10

Miguel Ángel JIMÉNEZ (ESP) Robert MACINTYRE (SCO) Antoine ROZNER (FRA)

15. TIME 07:40 HOLE 10 ◼ Rory MCILROY (NIR) ◼ Ryan FOX (NZL) ◼ Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG)

16. TIME 07:50 HOLE 10 ◼ Victor PEREZ (FRA) ◼ Thomas PIETERS (BEL) ◼ Min Woo LEE (AUS)

17. TIME 08:00 HOLE 10 ◼ Padraig HARRINGTON (IRL) ◼ Eddie PEPPERELL (ENG)

Nicolai HØJGAARD (DEN) 18. TIME 08:10 HOLE 10

Nicolas COLSAERTS (BEL)

Pablo LARRAZÁBAL (ESP)

Matt WALLACE (ENG) 19. TIME 08:20 HOLE 10

Adri ARNAUS (ESP)

Guido MIGLIOZZI (ITA)

Stephen GALLACHER (SCO) 20. TIME 08:30 HOLE 10

Sami VÄLIMÄKI (FIN)

Yannik PAUL (GER)

Richard MANSELL (ENG) 21. TIME 08:40 HOLE 10

Joakim LAGERGREN (SWE)

David LAW (SCO)

Fabrizio ZANOTTI (PAR) 22. TIME 08:50 HOLE 10

Victor DUBUISSON (FRA)

Nacho ELVIRA (ESP)

Nathan KIMSEY (ENG)

23. TIME 11:30 HOLE 1 ◼ Chase HANNA (USA) ◼ Ockie STRYDOM (RSA) ◼ Julien BRUN (FRA )

24. TIME 11:40 HOLE 1 ◼ Edoardo MOLINARI (ITA) ◼ Ludvig ABERG (AM) (SWE) ◼ Matthieu PAVON (FRA )

25. TIME 11:50 HOLE 1 ◼ Luke DONALD (ENG) ◼ Jorge CAMPILLO (ESP) ◼ Sebastian SÖDERBERG (SWE )

26. TIME 12:00 HOLE 1 ◼ Tyrrell HATTON (ENG) ◼ Francesco MOLINARI (ITA) ◼ Shane LOWRY (IRL )

27. TIME 12:10 HOLE 1 ◼ Adrian MERONK (POL) ◼ Sepp STRAKA (AUT) ◼ Ewen FERGUSON (SCO )

28. TIME 12:20 HOLE 1 ◼ Jordan SMITH (ENG) ◼ Shubhankar SHARMA (IND) ◼ Thorbjørn OLESEN (DEN )

29. TIME 12:30 HOLE 1 ◼ Rasmus HØJGAARD (DEN) ◼ Rafa CABRERA BELLO (ESP) ◼ Lucas HERBERT (AUS )

30. TIME 12:40 HOLE 1 ◼ Dan BRADBURY (ENG) ◼ Thriston LAWRENCE (RSA) ◼ Grant FORREST (SCO )

31. TIME 12:50 HOLE 1 ◼ George COETZEE (RSA) ◼ Maximilian KIEFFER (GER) ◼ Alexander BJÖRK (SWE )

32. TIME 13:00 HOLE 1 ◼ James MORRISON (ENG)

Marcus KINHULT (SWE)

Justin WALTERS (RSA )

33. TIME 13:10 ♦ HOLE 1

Daniel HILLIER (NZL)

Tapio PULKKANEN (FIN)

Mikael LINDBERG (SWE)

34. TIME 11:30 HOLE 10 ◼ Marcel SCHNEIDER (GER) ◼ Angel HIDALGO (ESP) ◼ Marc WARREN (SCO )

35. TIME 11:40 HOLE 10 ◼ Oliver BEKKER (RSA) ◼ Ross FISHER (ENG) ◼ Marcus HELLIGKILDE (DEN )

36. TIME 11:50 HOLE 10 ◼ Zander LOMBARD (RSA) ◼ Adrian OTAEGUI (ESP) ◼ Hennie DU PLESSIS (RSA )

37. TIME 12:00 HOLE 10 ◼ Ashun WU (CHN) ◼ Sean CROCKER (USA) ◼ Henrik STENSON (SWE )

38. TIME 12:10 HOLE 10 ◼ Sam HORSFIELD (ENG) ◼ Kalle SAMOOJA (FIN) ◼ Jeff WINTHER (DEN )

39. TIME 12:20 HOLE 10 ◼ Alexander LEVY (FRA) ◼ Richard BLAND (ENG) ◼ Andrew JOHNSTON (ENG )

40. TIME 12:30 HOLE 10

◼ Jason SCRIVENER (AUS)

◼ Ian POULTER (ENG) ◼ Espen KOFSTAD (NOR )

41. TIME 12:40 HOLE 10 ◼ Calum HILL (SCO) ◼ Louis DE JAGER (RSA) ◼ VAN DRIEL, Darius (NED )

42. TIME 12:50 HOLE 10 ◼ Joost LUITEN (NED)

◼ Daan HUIZING (NED) ◼ Søren KJELDSEN (DEN )

43. TIME 13:00 HOLE 10

◼ Issa ABOU EL ELA (AM) (EGY)

◼ Niklas NØRGAARD (DEN)

◼ Santiago TARRIO (ESP )

44. TIME 13:10 ♦ HOLE 10 ◼ Jacques KRUYSWIJK (RSA) ◼ Johannes VEERMAN (USA) ◼ JC RITCHIE (RSA )

TEEN SPIRIT

It turned out that Joe Jones’ decision to come to the UAE for some winter training was an inspired one as the 18-yearold wrote a bit of history last week by claiming the inaugural Junior Dubai Desert Classic. The Welsh youngster entered the competition at Emirates Golf Club — played over the same competition-standard Majlis Course as this week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic — and came out on top with a one-under 143, twostroke victory from Adrian Larsson.

“It feels great, especially to be able to play here right before the Dubai Desert Classic,” Jones said after picking up the trophy from two-time Dubai Desert

Jones and Matieu sparkle at inaugural Junior Dubai Desert Classic

Joe Jones was the star of the inaugural Junior Dubai Desert Classic

“It is really special and the event has been run so well. That makes it even better.”

The Junior Dubai Desert Classic ensured there was plenty of excitement on the course and the tournament was open to both male and female players in a mixed field. “To get have a mixed event is great and it was a great effort to have everyone playing out there together and make it fair for all competing,” said Jones, who also claimed a spot at the Adidas Golf Junior 6s Tour event in Australia with his win.

While winning the Junior Dubai Desert Classic is one thing, Jones has aspirations of competing at the DP World Tour event proper in the future — even if the strapping 6ft-plus teenager insists he has a lot of work to do.

“It is definitely a dream to get back here at some point and compete in the Dubai Desert Classic, but in order to make the grade with these guys, I need to pretty much be better at everything in my game,” he said with a chuckle.

“That’s the way golf is going, isn’t it? You’ve got to go far and then figure it out from there. I am still growing, so when we get there we will see where we are.”

Jones has been playing since he was 11 years old, and was pretty content with his performance that saw him claim top spot with an under-par score on Sunday.

“I drove very well here,” the Welsh youngster said. “At the Majlis you need to hit the fairways if you want to contend and I managed to do that and that is why I got round in the score I did.

“I have actually played some competition-standard courses this year in qualifiers and I think that helped me coming here. I don’t think I played great, if I am honest, but on a course playing as tough as this, it was good.

“Tour golf is different to a ‘normal’ course, so getting round here is a different beast.”

Jones, who is a plus-5 handicap, plans to stay as an amateur for at least another year before making any decisions on his future, adding: “I think I will take a bit more time over the next 12 months and see where my game is at, and then think about turning pro.”

On that note: Will we expect to see the name Joe Jones on the Rolex Series leaderboards in the future?

“Give it a few years and, yeah, we will get there,” he signs off with a confident air that convinces you he just well might.

nca Matieu may only be 13 years old, but she certainly has some grand ambitions after claiming the leading female crown at the Junior Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club last week.

The Romanian youngster’s four-over 148 was enough to take home a Callaway golf bag and an invitation to play in an Adidas Golf Junior 6s Tour event in Australia.

Beaming with delight after her triumph, Matieu said: “It was a good experience. The course was good, the course was difficult and I feel I could have played better but it was a good exercise and worthwhile.

“I learnt a lot as all the best players were there and the standard compared to other competitions was much higher. It was like an elite squad of junior players here so it was special as none of the other competitions were like this and it was so well organised.”

One thing that proved toughest for the still diminutive teenager was the tournament-ready Majlis course.

“It was hard playing the competition-standard course,” she said. “I can say from my own experience that the rough was really thick and the greens were so fast, but everything was in such great condition. It was the best I have ever seen and the best I have ever played on so I am really glad I got to be a part of this.

“It is my dream to play golf as a professional, so hopefully I will get there. We will see. I train, practise every day before and after school. Nelly Korda is my hero so I would love to be able to follow her in the future.”

Anca Matieu with Simon Corkill, Dubai Desert Classic Executive Tournament Director, Waled Al Attar from the EGA, the EGF’s Akram Skaik and European Junior Ryder Cup captain Stephen Gallacher

Back to

to help offset carbon emissions and the planting of 2,000 native ghaf trees, which require little water to grow, at Emirates Golf Club.

“We are also working with the DP World Tour’s Rolex Series to offset our carbon emissions along with other projects around the world such as a safe-water programme in Mozambique and a UAE-based project to plant mangroves in Abu Dhabi which is very important to the environment.

“Another message we try to get across is encouraging the use of public transport. We actually have a metro station on the grounds of Emirates Golf Club — we think it is the only one in the world but we are not sure. There are clubs that have stations nearby but not actually on the property so we really encourage the fans to take public transport and come here and enjoy themselves.

“One final key initiative is Liquid for Life, where we provide water for everyone on-site and eliminate the use of single-use plastic water bottles. We have started to do that from a player point of view and with media and officials. We have eliminated plastic in these areas and now we hopefully will encourage the public to do the same as we go forward.”

By Matt Smith

While Rory McIlroy and the rest of the DP World Tour stars put on a show for the crowds this week at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, it is worth noting the lengths the organisers of such a big event go to minimise the impact thousands upon thousands of people — from spectators, staff and volunteers to caterers, players and their respective entourages — have on the environment locally and on a global scale.

To that end, tournament organisers Falcon & Associates have set out on a sustainability journey to reduce carbon emissions, water use, waste and plastic as part of their vision towards a greener future — on and off the course.

“It is vital for us as a tournament to push the sustainability story and actually act on it, too,” said Dubai Desert Classic Executive Tournament Director Simon

Corkill, who is working closely with the DP World Tour to ensure this freeto-attend event is bigger, better and greener than ever. “We have embarked on a three-year journey to become a GEO-Certified event with the GEO Foundation in St Andrews. Fingers crossed we are going to get there in year two but it is only a start.

“It is very important we work together with the DP World Tour and support their Green Drive initiative and their season-long version of sustainability initiatives.”

Following on from 2022’s initial push on raising awareness about helping the environment at the Dubai Desert Classic, Falcon are now pushing even further.

“There are a number of initiatives being implemented this year at Emirates Golf Club that we are adding in,” said Corkill. “Key ones include solar panels on the roof of the media centre

Alongside environmental visions for the future, the on-course action is also set for its latest chapter as some of the world’s best golfers battle it out in the $9 million Rolex Series event, with world No. 1 McIlroy the clear star of the show. Corkill agrees that the continued success of the Dubai Desert Classic hinges on its ability to attract some of the world’s best players, with the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Fred Couples, Jose Maria Olazábal, Mark O’Meara and Tiger Woods among those who have lifted the famous Dallah trophy.

“It is the 34th year and it is key to get the best players coming back,” said Corkill. “A lot of people have enjoyed this event over the years and a lot of my predecessors have created a great canvas for this tournament. But we have to keep improving and it is important for Dubai that we are up there. Dubai expects the best and hopefully we can deliver once again.

“So having Rory come here is fantastic He is the world No. 1, he has won here twice should have won last year and he is in fine form after some time off.

“But with Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood and the rest of the DP World stars it is going to be a tough week if you want to win.

In-keeping with the future theme, Corkill also oversaw the successful launch of the inaugural Junior Dubai Desert Classic, which took place on the tournament-ready Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Course on Sunday, with Welsh youngster Joe Jones held

off a high-quality mixed field featuring some of the globe’s best young male and female golfers to claim the title on one-under.

“It has been a plan of ours to get this event up and running for some time now but Covid-19 put paid to that for a couple of years,” said Corkill. “So to finally see such a field of this quality get out there and have a winner under par is amazing. We now have done the first one and we can grow from here.

“We have this opportunity at a great venue like Emirates Golf Club to allow these players to play under tournament conditions, which doesn’t happen very often, and also let them use all the players facilities. If they are going to go on and become professionals then this is a great experience to help them on that journey and whet their appetite for the future.

“We want to give the next generation every opportunity. We are working closely with the Emirates Golf Federation to help inspire UAE golfers as well and improve their game on a junior global scale. So to give them that opportunity is important and it is great to see so many players from different

Past champions Rory McIlroy, left, and Tiger Woods have left a lasting impression on fans of the Dubai Desert Classic, where excellence is delivered in a responsible, sustainable fashion

FIT-AGAIN BEEF BITES BACK

Andrew “Beef” Johnston was smiling again on Tuesday as he and his Falcon 3 team of ‘Good Good’ golfers Stephen Castaneda, Luke Kwon and Matt Scharff took the honours in the Pro-Am on the Emirates Golf Club Majlis Course. The English pro star, back in action after a prolonged hand injury, and his socialmedia-star teammates scored an impressive 36-under to take top spot.

“I was hoping to get back to the Beef of old last year,” Johnston said after his round. “I played some good golf at the back end of 2021 before the injury. I think I played six holes the whole year and now I hope I can get back to playing some good golf again. I am playing well so hopefully we will see the old Beef back, having fun and shooting some good scores.”

The ace in the pack

The big guns are only just teeing off, but the Hero Dubai Desert Classic has already witnessed a little bit of history as Dubai Golf’s Communications & Marketing Manager Will Tickell landed his first-ever holein-one, upstaging playing partner and Hero Cup star Antoine Rozner at Emirates Golf Club.

Playing in the Motivate Media Group team in the Tuesday Pro-Am alongside Rozner, Motivate’s David Fairservice and Golf Digest Middle East’s Oktoberfest champion Michael Harradine, Will’s magical moment occurred on the fourth hole (his 13th after teeing off from hole 10) — and Rozner called it all the way.

“It was pretty funny because David

hit his shot pretty close and was looking good for nearest-to-the-pin,” the Frenchman said. “Then Will shows up and as soon as he hit it I said: ‘Uhoh, maybe he’s gonna beat you. I think that is going in.’” Not feeling upstaged in the slightest, the world No. 147 added: “It was nice and he has given me a few ideas for the week.”

Still basking in his moment, Will described the ace.

“Fourth hole. Majlis Course. A bit into the wind at around 156 yards,” the 29-year-old, who has been playing golf for 15 years, said. “I kept changing between a six and seven iron and went with the six, which was a good decision in the end. It was funny when Antoine called it in the air and I thought they were having me on. But to get a first hole-in-one is fantastic. I have been playing long enough, so it is about time.

“I will be treasuring this ball. As is usually the case, it is not the best ball and has a few marks and scuffs on it, but it is a very special one now.”

David, who missed out on that nearest-the-pin prize, saw the funny side. “The weather was perfect, and we had a few surprises. I saw my first holein-one and typically it came to beat me closest to the pin,” he laughed. “I thought I had it, but there you go!”

“It is the first hole-in-one I have ever witnessed,” he said. “Antoine called it off the clubface and his caddie Patxi got the binoculars out just to check what had happened. As we approached the green, we got further confirmation — if it was needed — from the players on the adjacent seventh green.”

Motivate Managing Partner and Group Editor-in-Chief Ian Fairservice was on hand to watch the special moment.

Will Tickell struck an ace on the fourth hole on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club during Tuesday’s Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am — his first ever hole-in-one

Dubai Golf’s Will Tickell upstages Antoine Rozner with stunning hole-in-one at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am

Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston and his Falcon 3 ‘Good Good’ teammates claimed the Tuesday Hero Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am with an impressive score of 36-under on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club

TOURNAMENTTOWN SCHEDULE

Friday 09:00 - 17:00 Graffiti Artist

10:00 - 18:00 Caricaturist

12:00 - 17:50 Roaming Performances 13:25 - 13:40 Alice In Wonderland Children’s Show 14:00 - 16:00 Free Face Painting 14:25 - 14:40 Magic Show 14:40 - 14:55 Kids’ Lucky Dip 15:15 - 15:30 Kids ‘Lucky Dip 15:45 - 16:00 Alice In Wonderland Children’s Show 16:00 - 16:15 Kids’ Lucky Dip

16:45 - 17:00 Alice In Wonderland Children’s Show 18:00 - 23:00 Live Music

Saturday 09:00 - 17:00 Graffiti Artist 10:00 - 18:00 Caricaturist 10:00 - 17:30 Roaming Performances 10:20 - 10:50 Sustainability DIY Workshop 11:10 - 11:40 Sustainability Seed Bombs Workshop

12:00 - 12:30 Sustainability Urban Farming Workshop 12:50 - 13:20 Sustainability Sustainable Lucky Wheel 13:40 - 14:10 Sustainability DIY Workshop

14:30 - 15:00 Sustainability Seed Bombs Workshop 16:00 - 16:30 Sustainability Urban Farming Workshop 17:30 - 18:00 Sustainability Sustainable Lucky Wheel 18:00 - 23:00 Live Music

Sunday

09:00 - 17:00 Graffiti Artist

10:00 - 18:00 Caricaturist 10:20 - 10:50 Sustainability DIY Workshop 11:10 - 11:40 Sustainability Seed Bombs Workshop 12:00 - 12:30 Sustainability Urban Farming Workshop 12:50 - 13:20 Sustainability Sustainable Lucky Wheel 13:40 - 14:10 Sustainability DIY Workshop

14:30 - 15:00 Sustainability Seed Bombs Workshop 18:00 - 23:00 Live Music

We would like to thank the following for their invaluable support of the 2023 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, held at Emirates Golf Club from January 26 - 29