ROUND 4 • SUNDAY • JANUARY 30, 2022 • ISSUE 4
GAME ON
The 33rd Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic is set to go down to the wire. Will it be a battle of attrition like it was on moving day, a traditional back-nine birdie-fest, or a bit of both?
JUSTIN TIME?
By Kent Gray – Editor, Golf Digest Middle East
PAGE 02
J
ustin Harding plodded patiently on moving day at the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic while all around him superstars were spluttering along. Those who weren’t inexplicably slamming their title hopes into reverse that was. On a day when a perfect storm of tough pins and the Majlis’ freshly renovated and increasingly firm greens saw Shane Lowry’s 68 somehow emerge as the lowest score, Harding ground out a relatively stress-free 71. It saw the 35-year-old South African start and end a dramatic Saturday at Emirates Golf Club with a two-stroke lead. After a topsy-turvy 69, Rory McIlroy is ominously Harding’s closest pursuer heading into Sunday and perhaps now favoured to join Ernie Els’ as a three-time winner of the Dallah trophy. Then again, Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Erik Van Rooyen (71) are just three back and among the few to survive the third round without too much mental scarring. Defending champion Paul Casey and Tyrrell Hatton are among a group in the mix at eight-under although both suffered third round setbacks. Hatton was among those to go backwards spectacularly. He got it to 12-under for solo possession of the lead by the 5th and with four Rolex Series gold stars already, looked the slyncddc
man to beat. But his five-star Saturday turned turtle with four dropped shots in a miserable four hole stretch from the 12th. The Englishman frustratingly parred in from there but at least he didn’t bleed late oil like Lee Westwood. So close so many times on the Majlis, the 48-year-old was just two shots out of the lead when he reached the 18th. But after driving left, barely escaping the hardpan, laying up in the hay, fluffing it in the water, wedging again and two putting, he signed for a snowman eight in the desert. Westwood will start Sunday at seven-under. And thoroughly deflated. If Westwood can draw any inspiration, it will be from the fact he’s in the fourth from last group out with Padraig Harrington and Hatton, a dangerous position from which to set a tough clubhouse target. Fleetwood, winless since the Nov. 2019 Nedbank Golf Challenge, will tee it up in the final three-ball alongside Harding and McIlroy with visions of a Dallah to go with his two Abu Dhabi Falcons. Harding can become Dubai’s third South African champion after the late Wayne Westner and Els. It would be a first gold star, as it would be for McIlroy whose European résumé strangely includes a Rolex Series asterisk. With all those par 5s and his brilliant iron play from Saturday to draw on, McIlroy will take some beating. Mind you, Harding has already shown slow and steady might just win this race. slyncdubaidesertclassic.com
Justin Harding insists Sunday is just another day at the office.
READY THE RORS
Tactics and patience. That’s the Sunday game plan for Rory McIlroy. PAGE 03
WUNDERKIND
The rise and rise of Josh Hill continued on Moving Day. PAGE 10
Daily Draw Sheet & Course Map Navigate Emirates Golf Club with your guide to the first round groups. PAGE 8-9
PATRON & OFFICIAL PUBLISHER
#SlyncDDC #RolexSeries
2
NEWS
LEADERBOARD Rank Name (Country)
1
Par
R1 R2 R3
HARDING, Justin (RSA)
-12 65 68 71
2
MCILROY, Rory (NIR)
-10 71 66 69
T3
VAN ROOYEN, Erik (RSA)
-9
69 67 71
T3
FLEETWOOD, Tommy (ENG) -9
67 71 69
T5
HATTON, Tyrrell (ENG)
69 66 73
-8
T5
MERONK, Adrian (POL)
-8
69 68 71
T5
ZANOTTI, Fabrizio (PAR)
-8
66 70 72
T5
BLAND, Richard (ENG)
-8
69 68 71
T5
CASEY, Paul (ENG)
-8
70 68 70
T5
WIESBERGER, Bernd (AUT) -8
71 68 69
T11 HARRINGTON, Padraig (IRL) -7
70 70 69
T11 WESTWOOD, Lee (ENG)
69 69 71
-7
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Hanging
TOUGH
J
ustin Harding reckons it’ll be just another “day at the office, really”. With Rory McIlroy just two shots adrift and Ryder Cup stars lurking everywhere behind the Northern Irishman, the South African pacesetter’s premonition of Sunday at the 33rd Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic was kidding no one. Mind you, the way Harding rode the roller-coaster ride that was moving day at Emirates Golf Club on Saturday, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised if he goes wire-to-wire to a third DP World Tour victory. The 35-year-old started the third round two ahead, found himself two behind by the 11th and finished two in front again as the sun set on Emirates Golf Club. A younger man might have said, well, I need to press and catch up because I’m losing ground, but you didn’t and stayed patient? “I think it’s just that type of golf course,” said Harding. “The greens are tough. They are concrete and when you are chipping into them it’s difficult to chip them up close.
The 54-hole leader is adamant he won’t beat himself on Sunday.
You find yourself making 4- or 5-footers all day long. “On the front nine, there are a couple of strong par 4s and 15 and 16 are two holes that you need to get through on the back nine. I didn’t take advantage of 17 or 18 today. But I’m quite happy with it, and yeah, go again tomorrow. “I thought I played quite solid. It was a difficult day to be fair, and it had some tough flags to get at. There were times when I didn’t quite put the ball in play, and I couldn’t really go anywhere near them. The one bogey made was from long range with the putter, a bit disappointing and would have loved to have snuck one coming in, 17 or 18, but I was happy with those. So, to Sunday where a first Rolex Series gold star beckons. You’re in pole position, but wow, there’s some good players chasing down. “Look, at the end of the day, I’ve just got to go out and keep doing what I’m doing, and make a couple birdies and shoot 70, 69, something like that, and make them shoot 5- or 6-under par, credit to them. “Yeah, just another day at the office, really, to be fair.”
PROVEN PEDIGREE
3
Ready the
RORS Rory McIlroy reckons the Majlis could be the toughest final round foe.
T
he driver is working and the trademark skip in his step itching to come out for another circuit of the Majlis. Rory McIlroy looks to have rediscovered his mid-to-long iron striking of old too with three back-nine examples of exquisite quality on Saturday. But it’s tactics and patience that the world No.8 reckons will prove the difference when the 33rd Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic is decided today. McIlroy limited the damage when he needed to and pounced on the par-5s to sign for a 69 on Saturday and ease within two strokes of thus-far wire-to-wire leader Justin Harding. Ernie Els is the only three-time winner of the ‘Major of the Middle East’ but mightn’t be for long if McIlroy can keep his patience and somehow conjure in a few putts on what he describes as “crusty greens”. Yeah, I’m excited,” said the 2009 and 2015 champion. “I had a really good chance in 2018 and let it slip through my fingers there when Haotong won. Good to give myself another opportunity.” It will be, as McIlroy puts it, a “proper test”, regardless of how anyone else plays. The Majlis’ freshly renovated putting surfaces, dry and fast, will make sure of that. “You’ve got to hit it in the fairway to get control of your golf ball and get some spin on it, and then if you miss the greens, it’s really difficult to get the ball up-and-down. Today tested all aspects of your game off the tee, iron play, chipping, putting and probably most importantly, your sort of mental side of it. “I think everyone felt the same thing. It’s tricky out there, a bit of breeze, firm greens, pins are tucked away, it’s almost better off to have a 50-footer on the green than hit a good shot and then it run-off the green and you’re chipping on to those firm greens, is tricky. “So there’s a lot of tactics out there and just sort of A to B and trying to put yourself in the right spots. Overall, I thought anything in the 60s today was a good score.” The highlight of McIlroy’s 69 was his eagle three on the 10th. He also hit a 5 iron into 13 to set up a two-putt birdie before a 4-iron into 18 set up another gain. “It would be nice to get another win, especially here in Dubai. But it’s obviously nice to get a win anywhere early in the season. So I’ve just got to go out there w and try to play a good round of golf and hopefully it’s good enough. “There’s a great atmosphere out there. Hopefully another great atmosphere tomorrow. I mean, I’ve played in a lot of final groups here, so it’s nothing new to me at this point and I’m excited for it.” ◼
KIWI ACE
ONEDERFUL! Big-hitting Kiwi Ryan Fox is the proud owner of the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic’s 31st ace.
W
ith a rare third round cut announced, Ryan Fox set off early on Saturday morning of the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic with a simple game plan: go low and hopefully sneak into Sunday. Things didn’t auger well when the Kiwi due-sweeper started bogey-bogey-par but the 35-year-old’s fortunes changed with a perfect swing of his 9 iron on the par-3 4th. The ace from 175 yards was the 31st in the 33 year history of the DP World Tour event and the first since its elevation to $8 million Rolex Series status. It eventually propelled Fox, the son of former All Blacks flyhalf Grant, to a 69, up to a share of 33rd place and comfortably into the final round. “That was as good a shot as I could have hit on four, it was nice to see it go in but to be honest I would have been just as excited if it had been a birdie putt, given the start I had just had,” said Fox. “It was the perfect number for a nine iron for me, I tried to hit left and use the slope and I got the shot I wanted - quite surprising after the first three holes. There was a fair bit of luck but it was the shot I wanted to hit.” With more than 78 players (81 in total) making the 36-hole cut on Friday, an additional 54-hole cut to reduce the field to 72 players and ties was announced. Starting at one-over in the third group out on Saturday alongside China’s Ashun Wu and Victor Perez of France, Fox didn’t make things easy for himself even after the ace. He dropped further shots on the 5th and 8th but roared home with birdies on the 9th 10th, 12th, 17th and 18th. The hole-in-one sealed an eventful week for Fox, who led his fourball to victory in the pre-tournament Pro-Am on Tuesday. For the record, the players who made the 36 hole cut but not the third round chop will be paid on their third round position but will not play the final round. ◼
“ There was a fair bit of luck but it was the shot I wanted to hit.”
5
8
DRAW SHEET
Order of Play SUNDAY
JANUARY 30, 2022
Plan the day watching your favourite players with this guide to the groupings and tee times. 1. TIME 07:05 • HOLE 1 ◼ Thongchai JAIDEE (THA) ◼ Garrick HIGGO (RSA)
2. TIME 07:15 • HOLE 1
+5 +5
9. TIME 08:30 • HOLE 1 ◼ Johannes VEERMAN (USA) ◼ Kiradech APHIBARNRAT (THA) ◼ Nino BERTASIO (ITA)
+1 E E
18. TIME 10:13 • HOLE 1 ◼ George COETZEE (RSA) ◼ Lucas HERBERT (AUS) ◼ Joakim LAGERGREN (SWE)
-3 -3 -3
+5 +5 +5
10. TIME 08:40 • HOLE 1
19. TIME 10:24 • HOLE 1
+4 +4 +3
11. TIME 08:51 • HOLE 1
20. TIME 10:35 • HOLE 1
+3 +3 +2
12. TIME 09:02 • HOLE 1
21. TIME 10:51 • HOLE 1
+2 +2 +2
13. TIME 09:13 • HOLE 1
22. TIME 11:02 • HOLE 1
◼ Thorbjørn OLESEN (DEN) +2 ◼ Sebastian GARCIA RODRIGUEZ (ESP) +2 ◼ Thomas BJØRN (DEN) +2
14. TIME 09:24 • HOLE 1
23. TIME 11:13 • HOLE 1
+2 +2 +1
15. TIME 09:40 • HOLE 1
24. TIME 11:24 • HOLE 1
◼ Nicolai VON DELLINGSHAUSEN (GER) +1 ◼ Ross FISHER (ENG) +1 ◼ Adrian OTAEGUI (ESP) +1
16. TIME 09:51 • HOLE 1
25. TIME 11:35 • HOLE 1
17. TIME 10:02 • HOLE 1
26. TIME 11:46 • HOLE 1
◼ David LAW (SCO) ◼ Sebastian SODERBERG (SWE) ◼ Laurie CANTER (ENG)
3. TIME 07:25 • HOLE 1 ◼ Shubhankar SHARMA (IND) ◼ David DRYSDALE (SCO) ◼ Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA)
4. TIME 07:35 • HOLE 1 ◼ Charl SCHWARTZEL (RSA) ◼ Daniel GAVINS (ENG) ◼ Joachim B. HANSEN (DEN)
5. TIME 07:45 • HOLE 1 ◼ Justin WALTERS (RSA) ◼ Pablo LARRAZÁBAL (ESP) ◼ Ricardo GOUVEIA (POR)
6. TIME 07:55 • HOLE 1
7. TIME 08:05 • HOLE 1 ◼ Victor PEREZ (FRA) ◼ Henrik STENSON (SWE) ◼ John CATLIN (USA)
8. TIME 08:15 • HOLE 1
◼ Søren KJELDSEN (DEN) ◼ Haotong LI (CHN) ◼ Matthew JORDAN (ENG)
◼ Alexander BJÖRK (SWE) ◼ Grant FORREST (SCO) ◼ Daniel VAN TONDER (RSA) ◼ Antoine ROZNER (FRA) ◼ Thomas PIETERS (BEL) ◼ Richie RAMSAY (SCO)
◼ Maverick ANTCLIFF (AUS) ◼ Andy SULLIVAN (ENG) ◼ Julien GUERRIER (FRA)
◼ Rasmus HØJGAARD (DEN) ◼ Nacho ELVIRA (ESP) ◼ Jorge CAMPILLO (ESP)
◼ Ashun WU (CHN) ◼ Ryan FOX (NZL) ◼ Rafa CABRERA BELLO (ESP) ◼ Dean BURMESTER (RSA) ◼ Sam HORSFIELD (ENG) ◼ Andrea PAVAN (ITA) ◼ Brandon STONE (RSA) ◼ Scott JAMIESON (SCO) ◼ Edoardo MOLINARI (ITA)
E E E E E E
E -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2 -2
-2 -3 -3 -3 -3 -3
◼ Josh HILL (AM) (ENG) ◼ Shane LOWRY (IRL) ◼ Romain LANGASQUE (FRA) ◼ Adam SCOTT (AUS) ◼ Collin MORIKAWA (USA) ◼ Kalle SAMOOJA (FIN)x
◼ Matt WALLACE (ENG) ◼ Viktor HOVLAND (NOR) ◼ Marcus ARMITAGE (ENG) ◼ Matti SCHMID (GER) ◼ Sergio GARCIA (ESP) ◼ Jordan SMITH (ENG)
◼ Lee WESTWOOD (ENG) ◼ Padraig HARRINGTON (IRL) ◼ Tyrrell HATTON (ENG) ◼ Fabrizio ZANOTTI (PAR) ◼ Richard BLAND (ENG) ◼ Adrian MERONK (POL)
◼ Paul CASEY (ENG) ◼ Bernd WIESBERGER (AUT) ◼ Erik VAN ROOYEN (RSA)
◼ Tommy FLEETWOOD (ENG) ◼ Rory MCILROY (NIR) ◼ Justin HARDING (RSA)
-3 -3 -4 -4 -4 -5 -5 -6 -6 -6 -6 -6 -7 -7 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -9
-9 -10 -12
443
170
351
601
180
451
485
2
3
4
5
6
446
3356
488
3670
9
OUT
PL Players’ Lounge
EB Essences Bar
DR Driving Range
VIP Hospitality
MC Media Centre
TG Top Golf Bar
TV TV Compound
MV Marshals / Volunteers Area
Merchandise
Giant Screen
Scoreboard
Public Catering
Public Grandstands
Course Crossing
Walking Path
Parking Area
Solar Panels
KZ Kid’s Zone
Toilets
E
TT Tournament Town
72
37
5
4
4
3
4
5
4
3
5
PAR
General Public Access
Medical
6793
7428
TOTAL
516
3437
564
328
423
174
397
507
435
155
502
MTRS
3758
18
359
463
16
17
190
434
554
476
169
549
15
14
13
12
11
10
YDS
IN
35
4
4
3
4
4
3
5
4
4
#
Ticketing / Accreditation
420
186
459
7
8
412
165
550
321
429
469
1
MTRS PAR
YDS
#
MV
B
10
A
EB
VIP
16
TG
KZ
TT
11
15
17
MC
DR
PL
18
9
C
Al Khail Metro Station
D
TV
14
12
1
5
6
13
8
2
7
4
3
GENERAL PUBLIC
9
10
KIDS TODAY
Josh Hill is handling his Dubai debut with aplomb, on and off the Majlis.
Y
ou wouldn’t begrudge Josh Hill even a momentary leak of emotion given the amateur’s giddy Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic debut thus far. Instead, the 17-year-old is impressively flat-lining his way through the biggest week of his young career. A three-under 69 on Saturday made the Dubai-born world record holder one of the more noteworthy climbers on moving day
Level-headed
Even the way Hill dead-batted his postround media huddle was striking, like a player who’s been around the block a bit rather than someone who still needs parental approval to leave the house. He could easily have been sucked into a teenage gaff when a reporter jokingly asked if he’d like a “blow up” the notoriously difficult 9th ala Tyrrell Hatton after his repeated run-ins with the 18th at Yas Links. After dropping four shots in three visits to the par-4 so far, including a three-putt bogey in the third round, the England international has every right to feel a bit miffed with the outward nine’s final, water-guarded hole. Bernd Wiesberger, Paul Casey and Richard Bland all found H2O later to highlight the difficulty. But Hill is clearly as level-headed as he is hard-working, giving a thoughtful answer with zero chance of causing offence. “I think it’s the hardest hole on the course but I think it’s a fair hole and If you hit a good shot, you’re going to get rewarded as well, if you hit a bad shot… so I wouldn’t say I’d want to bomb it. Of course I’d like to take it off my scorecard but you can’t do that, so…” “Pretty annoyed” by the three-putt, Hill regathered himself to birdie his next three holes – with an 8 iron into the par-5 10th, a 9-iron to a foot on the par-3 11th and then a chip-in three on 14. There was a sloppy bogey on 16 but Hill rallied again to finish with a flourish.
WUNDERKIND
at the $8 million Rolex Series event, up to a share of 23rd place. You may be familiar with a few names surrounding the Trump Dubai club member on the leaderboard: Open champion Shane Lowry and 2020 Dubai victor Lucas Herbert are also on three-under. Former Masters champion Adam Scott and Collin Morikawa, the current world No.2? They’re only a single shot to the good. Excited? Hill surely must be but it’s hard to tell with that veteran game face masking his actual adolescent one. Like he did at Yas Links last week, when Hill made three birdies in his final four holes to make a first DP World Tour cut on the number, he’s taking it all in his stride. When you’ve been on the fast-track to a professional career since childhood, it’s nothing out of the ordinary. You’ve pounded thousands of balls to get here after all. Making the weekend in Abu Dhabi gave Hill the confidence that he truly belongs and he’s making the most of it in this week’s comfy surroundings on the Majlis. “I hit it a lot better today than I did yesterday. I think a quick range session last night was important and it showed today. I had the same amount of control on the ball as I did in the first round,” Hill said in an answer encompassing his scores of 70-74-69 heading into Sunday.
“I wanted a birdie down 18. I mean I hit a bad two-iron but it ended up in a perfect spot and I made a nice up and down so it was a good finish and a good way to get into tomorrow.” Hill faded to a share of 58th in Abu Dhabi so will be hoping to comfortably better than in Dubai. Surely though, with all the big names around you, you must be feeling the blow torch of expectation? “I feel like I normally do in a normal tournament to be honest,” the youngest winner of an OWGR event, the MENA Tour’s Al Ain Open in 2019, said with another of his matter-of-fact responses. Sure, but how are you going to approach Sunday? “Play good golf. There’s not much to think about, it’s just another round of golf, isn’t it. Just go and play golf and see what happens. “There’s just a few bigger names around me but I haven’t let that affect me. I’m just playing like it’s another amateur championship.” “Like it’s the Abu Dhabi Amateur championship [which Hill won to qualify for last week’s Role Series event at Yas Links],” a reporter posed. “Yeah, just like it’s the club champs,” Hill said, breaking into a rare laugh. There it was. The kid does have a pulse after all. And, after this week, a new legion of admirers as well. ◼
12
GREAT CAUSES
Fifty Shades of Pink Emirates Golf Club turned pink on day three of the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic as players, caddies, staff and spectators all wore a certain shade of rose to raise awareness and funds in the fight against breast cancer. The initiative is part of the event’s traditional Pink Saturday festivities – where even the pin flags are in on the act, taking on a deep pink hue for the day.
W
ith all donations going to Al Jalila Foundation, the likes of Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, and Ryan Fox, who claimed the tournament’s first holein-one on Saturday, all donned a range of pink shirts, hats, and ribbons in support of the cause, which aims to highlight the importance of early breast cancer detection and the diversity of treatments available for what is the world’s most commonly diagnosed cancer. “Obviously, it is a very important charity worldwide and seems like everyone here gets involved,” said Fox, after carding a hole-in-one on the par-3 4th hole. “I’ve seen a lot of pink – a lot of very bright pink as well! Hopefully it will raise a bit of money and raise some awareness as well.”
In Tournament Town, as music played and inflatable attractions swayed, a sea of rose-tinted fans enjoyed the chance to try their hand at crazy golf, putting for prizes, and a swing simulator, all under the watchful gaze of a hot-pink polygonal crocodile designed by French-Tunisian artist Idriss B. “It’s such a fantastic – and worthy – initiative for an important cause,” said Amanda Modesto, a Brazilian dressed in a pale pink two-piece dress suit attending the tournament with her daughter Aquira, who sported a pink winged-dinosaur outfit. “As much as there is the whole golf side of things, there is also that social element and so much for families to do: the bouncy castle, the running wall, the painting area... we are loving it.”
A pink flower wall adorned with roses and facts about breast cancer also attracted much attention as people wrote supportive messages before posing, pouting, and posting photos on social media. With 1.4 million women diagnosed with breast cancer each year and one in eight diagnosed in their lifetime according to the World Health Organisation, the Al Jalila Foundation has invested more than 8 million AED into life-saving treatment and research. “The engagement Pink Saturday has generated this year has been great to see,” said Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director. “Raising awareness about breast cancer is so important, the way everybody has embraced the initiative makes us all very proud.” ◼
14
THE 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 Cóceres 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 Ángel Jiménez 277 (-11) 2011 - Álvaro Quirós 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) 2021 - Paul Casey 271 (-17)
3
MOST WINS
Ernie Els1994, 2002, 2005
Majlis
WIRE-TO-WIRE WINNERS Eamonn Darcy, 1990 Seve Ballesteros, 1992 Ernie Els, 1994; José Coceres, 2000 Rory McIlroy, 2009 Sergio Garcia, 2017
Lowest 18-hole score 61 (-11), Ernie Els, 1994 Lowest first 18-hole score 61 (-11), Ernie Els, 1994 Lowest first 36-hole score 128 (-16), Tiger Woods, 2001 Lowest first 54-hole score 195 (-21), Stephen Gallacher, 2013 Lowest 72-hole score 264 (-24), Bryson DeChambeau, 2019 Lowest under par winning score 264 (-24), Bryson DeChambeau, 2019 Lowest final round by a winner 64 (-8), Bryson DeChambeau, 2019
Play-o ffs 1989 Mark James beat Peter O’Malley
1992 1997
Seve Ballesteros beat Ronan Rafferty
Richard Green beat Greg Norman and Ian Woosnam
2006 2010 2020
Tiger Woods beat Ernie Els
Miguel Ángel Jiménez beat Lee Westwood
Lucas Herbert beat Christiaan Bezuidenhout
LARGEST WINNING MARGIN Bryson DeChambeau 2019
7 shots
Memories All the key Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic facts and figures to enhance your viewing pleasure
rd
33 Edition
Emirates Golf Club is set to stage the Dubai Desert Classic for the 31st time. The event was twice held at Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in 1999 and 2000.
PRIZE PURSE
1989: €251,708.00 (Winner's share €58,324.00)
CONSECUTIVE WINS
Stephen Gallacher 2013 and 2014
2022: $8,000,000.00 (Winner's share: $1,333,330.00)
139 149 LOW CUT
HIGH CUT
(-5), 2018
(+5), 1989
T his is Major
The Desert Classic's roll of honour includes 11 Major champions: Ballesteros (1992), Els (1994, 2002, 2005), Couples (1995), Olazábal (1998), O’Meara (2004), Woods (2006, 2008), McIlroy (2009, 2015), Stenson (2007), Willett (2016), Garcia (2017) and DeChambeau (2019)
6 shots Biggest final round comeback by a winner: Lucas Herbert, 2020
OLDEST WINNER Mark O’Meara, 47 years and 54 days, 2004
McIlroy, YOUNGEST Rory 19 years and WINNER 273 days, 2009
15
HOLESIN-ONE
Miguel Ángel Jiménez 4th Hole, Rnd 2, 1990 Chris Moody 11th Hole, Rnd 3, 1990 Mark McNulty 11th Hole, Rnd 3, 1990 José Cóceres 7th Hole, Rnd 2, 1992 Wayne Westner 7th Hole, Rnd 1, 1995 José Cóceres 4th Hole, Rnd 1, 1996 Roger Wessels 7th Hole, Rnd 2, 1996 Peter Hedblom 15th Hole, Rnd 2, 1996 Stuart Cage 8th Hole, Rnd 1, 1999 (Dubai Creek) Peter Downie 16th Hole, Rnd 1, 2000 (Dubai Creek) Henrik Bjørnstad 7th Hole, Rnd 4, 2002 Brad Kennedy 4th Hole, Rnd 2, 2004 Yasin Ali 7th Hole, Rnd 1, 2005 Nobuhito Sato 15th Hole, Rnd 1, 2005 Stephen Gallacher 4th Hole, Rnd 4, 2005 Gonzalo Fernández-Castaño 4th Hole, Rnd 2, 2007 Miguel Ángel 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 Álvaro Quirós 11th hole, Rnd 4, 2011 Stephen Gallacher 15th hole, Rnd 1, 2012 Martin Kaymer 7th hole, Rnd 2, 2012 Álvaro Quirós 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 Ryan Fox 4th hole, Rnd 3, 2022 *All at Emirates G.C. unless noted
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to thank the following for their invaluable support of the 2022 Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, held at Emirates Golf Club from January 27 - 30
TITLE PARTNER
FOUNDING PARTNER
PARTNERS
PATRONS
OFFICIAL SUPPORTER
LOCAL GOVERNING PARTNERS