The quartet, all rising stars on the DP World Tour, will compete at Al Hamra Golf Club from January 25-28 before heading to Royal Golf Club in Bahrain the following week during the International Swing on the new-look 2024 Race to Dubai.

The events follow back-to-back weeks in Dubai with the Dubai Invitational and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic as the Middle East forms the focal point of the DP World Tour’s early 2024 schedule.

With defending champion Daniel Gavins having already confirmed his return to Ras Al Khaimah along with three-time Major Champion Pádraig Harrington and DP World Tour winners Rasmus Højgaard and Pablo Larrazábal, the field for the showdown at Al Hamra Golf Club is starting to take shape.

Padraig Harrington – Jared C. Tilton

Bradbury, who enjoyed a stand-out debut season in 2023, is looking forward to progressing further in 2024 after finishing 36th in his maiden year on the Race to Dubai.

“I enjoy playing golf in the Middle East so I’m excited to head back to Ras Al Khaimah and also visit Bahrain for the first time. They should be great events,” he said.

Fellow countryman Fitzpatrick earned his playing privileges for 2024 through a combination of the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca and strong performances in limited starts on the DP World Tour, including a tie for 17th in The Open at Royal Liverpool, and is now able to play a full schedule on the Race to Dubai.

“There was quite a lot of pressure last year because I felt like I had to play well in the limited opportunities I got to play, so it’s quite nice now to be able to plan my schedule a bit more,” said Fitzpatrick. “It’s always nice to go out to the Middle East so I’m looking forward to getting out there next month.”

Germany’s Paul, who won the 2021 Mallorca Golf Open, is also looking to build on a strong 2023 which included two runner-up finishes and five other top tens.

“I felt like I played some good golf last season, particularly in the first part of the year, so hopefully I can do that again next year. I can’t wait to see everybody in Ras Al Khaimah and Bahrain,” he said.

Two-time DP World Tour winner Smith is someone who knows Al Hamra Golf Club well, having won the Challenge Tour’s Ras Al Khaimah, 2016 Golf Challenge, and always enjoys returning to a place where he’s enjoyed previous success.

Jordan Smith – Challenge Tour / Getty Images

“That victory in 2016 effectively secured the number one spot on the Challenge Tour Rankings for me, so I’ll always enjoy going back to Al Hamra,” said Smith. “This event, in addition to Bahrain, will be a really fun part of the schedule and I’m looking forward to getting out there.”

Main Image: DP World Tour / Getty Images

The post Al Hamra poised for young guns in Ras Al Khaimah Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Sure enough, there was no banana-peel moment in the final round. A four-under 67 included a lone bogey on the 18th hole, but it was plenty for Bradbury to beat Finland’s Sami Valimaki by three shots and claim an unlikely, but life-changing win.

“I can’t tell you how it feels because it hasn’t sunk in,” Bradbury said upon finishing off a 21-under 263 performance and earning membership on the DP World Tour after playing on a sponsor’s exemption and having no status entering the week. “It’s just a lot of pressure taken off your back — that’s nice.”

In addition to grabbing a DP World Tour card, Bradbury also secured an invitation into the 2023 Open Championship at Royal Liverpool given to the top three finishers this week not already in the field next July (Valimaki and Christiaan Bezuidenhout claimed the other two).

Sitting 1,384 in the world ranks entering the week, Bradbury jumped to a quick start with an opening 63 that included a bogey and double-bogey on the card. He continued to fair well with a 66-67 that left him top of the leaderboard entering the final round.

Bradbury admitted to nerves before teeing off but after nearly holing a chip for eagle on the first, he said things settled down. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Bradbury said. “Once we got going, and started off nice, that solved the nerves quite a lot. There was a moment on the back nine where things got a little tighter.” Valimaki made back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th to cut Bradbury’s lead to two.

But Bradbury hit his tee shot on the par-3 16th to seven feet and converted the birdie to make things easier over the last two holes.

“I was a bit worried there on the 15th when Valimaki rolled that monster in but it was kind of the same thing all week, just keep playing my own game and I knew I was playing good enough,” Bradbury said. “It turned out that way in the end.”

You may also like:
Emotional triumph for Cam Smith in Australia
Cam Smith has a fantastic return to Oz
Tiger and Charlie Woods in PNC Championship field
Tiger set for rankings boost at Hero Open
Sergio Garcia to drop out of top 100
LOOK: Golf’s biggest turkeys of 2022
Rare data shows how dominant Tiger was some 20-odd years ago
All you need to know on the new golf rules for 2023
Cam Smith right at home at Australian PGA Championship
Gainer leads the way at LET finale in Spain
Adam Scott making big changes for 2023
Cameron Smith eyes winning return to Australia
‘I thought I was dying. How golf kept me going’
PGA Tour University star earns trip to Dubai Desert Classic
Jumeirah Golf Estates secures 10-year deal for DPWTC
City boss Pep enjoys World Cup break in UAE

The post Meet Dan Bradbury: No status on DP World Tour … Win on just sixth pro start … Now is playing in 2023 Open Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.