Ras Al Khaimah will host the DP World Tour for the third consecutive year, with Al Hamra Golf Club once again welcoming some of the world’s best golfers to the Emirate from January 25-28, 2024.

The event will be the third stop on the DP World Tour’s International Swing, following the inaugural Dubai Invitational at Dubai Creek Resort and the 35^th edition of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Last year, Gavins won his second DP World Tour title in the most dramatic of circumstances as he claimed victory by just one stroke after a double bogey on the 72^nd and final hole.

Daniel Gavins

The Englishman had a three-stroke lead on the 18^th tee but found the water twice on the daunting closing hole, however he held his nerve on the green as he made a 25-foot putt to take the title.

“It was fantastic to win my second DP World Tour title in Ras Al Khaimah, but I would have liked for it to have been less stressful,” said Gavins.

“I’m really pleased with how I kept my composure and made that putt on the last, it’s a moment I’ll always remember and it’s something I’m very proud of.”

Four-time DP World Tour winner Rasmus Højgaard will be looking to follow in his twin brother Nicolai’s footsteps when he tees it up in Ras Al Khaimah, after Nicolai won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2021.

“You want to win every time you play a tournament, and my brother and I are very competitive, so it would be special to see both of our names on the same trophy,” he said.

“I really feel as though I had an opportunity to win last year, so I’m hoping to make amends when I return to Al Hamra.”

Rasmus Højgaard – Getty Images

Larrazábal, who is seeking a tenth DP World Tour title, has claimed four wins on three continents since March 2022, with two wins in Europe, and one each in Africa and Asia.

The Spaniard is no stranger to winning in the United Arab Emirates, having claimed the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship in 2014, beating Major Champions Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson to the title by one stroke. He also finished in a share of third at the 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Classic.

“It will have been ten years since my victory in Abu Dhabi and it would be great to win again in the United Arab Emirates,” said Larrazábal. “I have really enjoyed my experiences in Ras Al Khaimah, and I’m sure we’ll get a warm welcome when we return in 2024.”

Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen will be teeing up in search of an eighth DP World Tour win and will arrive at Al Hamra buoyed by his tied fourth finish in the event earlier this year. The Dane has had consecutive winning years on the DP World Tour and he ended the season ninth on last year’s Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex, his second-highest career finish.

“I always enjoy starting my season in the UAE, so I’m excited to return to Ras Al Khaimah in January,” said Olesen.

“Al Hamra is a great venue and it’s a course I felt very comfortable on earlier this year. I’m looking forward to going back.”

Main Image: Supplied

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The 31-year-old from England started the final round of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship two strokes back of South Africa’s Zander Lombard, but made six birdies on a seven-hole stretch at Al Hamra Golf Club in the UAE to jump to the lead. Gavins started the back nine two shots ahead and was up by three over Sweden’s Alexander Bjork while standing on the 18th tee.

While at that moment, it seemed like Gavins’ day, the truth was he had been dealing with a bad back that limited his practice early in the week. The 296th-ranked player in the world also had been fighting his driver, which made his choice of using it off the tee on the par-5 576-yard home hole a bit surprising. And it became an issue when he pumped his tee ball into the water right of the fairway.

Drama at the last! @DanielGavins finds the water AGAIN.#RakGolfChamps https://t.co/yoXm4ACX3s pic.twitter.com/8a9dQWT79u

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 5, 2023

Gavin re-teed and put his third shot in the fairway, looking to salvage the hole and add a second title to his 2021 ISPS Handa World Invitational. But then with his fourth shot, a 3-wood from 286 yards, he once again hit a fade that wouldn’t stop fading.

Another in the penalty area, and now Gavins looked like he was a goner. He took another drop and played his sixth shot from 15 yards, leaving the ball 30 feet short of the hole. Then his attempt for double bogey did this:

WOW! ?

After finding the water twice, @DanielGavins makes a 26ft putt for the clubhouse lead! #RakGolfChamps pic.twitter.com/8VeJh7CuSd

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 5, 2023

If you’re wondering why Gavins wasn’t more excited when the putt fell, we’ll let him explain.

“That’s what I thought I’d done [blown it]. I put two in the water and I thought that’s what kind of makes the end of the tournament really. And I made the putt and went to the back of the green and saw I was actually winning still. That was a big shock.”

The double gave Gavins a three-under 69 for the day and a 17-under 271 total, but he had to wait to watch Lombard finish the last hole, having opened the door for an eagle three from the overnight leader to force a playoff. Lombard hit the green in two but missed a 24-foot putt, making a birdie that gave him a share of second but ultimately allowing Gavins to walk away with his memorable win.

"I just want to thank my family, they've supported me throughout my career."

Family first @DanielGavins ?#RakGolfChamps pic.twitter.com/wP5OMKqaHh

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 5, 2023

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The innovative team event was broadcast on television around the globe as well as on YouTube and social media, where fans could watch the stars of the DP World Tour in a more relaxed atmosphere – chatting regularly to on-course commentators and with some players miked up throughout their round.

“It feels fantastic, it was great fun today,” said Shinkwin. “I’m glad that the Tour and Hero put this up for us today because we’re here for two weeks, it was great fun to play and obviously Dan is a good friend of mine, so it was great. One of our caddies said ten under was going to win but thankfully he was wrong!”

In a classic better-ball scramble format, birdies were key and Gavins and Shinkwin looked unstoppable from the word go, birdieing every one of the first seven holes to storm into the lead. A par at the eighth briefly stunted their progress but a four at the par-5 18th hole laid down the gauntlet early on.

Many teams tried, but none could get within touching distance of the Englishmen, who earned a two-stroke victory over the field with an eight-under score of 28.

Second place was shared by nine teams on six under par, including that of winning 2018 Ryder Cup Captain Thomas Bjørn and his team-mate James Morrison, and in-form Englishman Richard Bland who teamed up with former Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson to card four birdies and an eagle two.

“It was good fun,” said Bland. “When we’re here for two weeks it’s nice to have a little bit of fun in between the two tournaments and to play with Ollie is always a pleasure. It was good fun.”

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By John Huggan
Comprising three concurrent events for men, women and those with disabilities, the mantra propounded by the grandly-titled ISPS Handa World Invitational at Galgorm Castle & Massereene in Northern Ireland was simple: “inclusion for all.” But, at least as far as the European Tour version is concerned, “life-changing” might have been more appropriate. Recording what was also his first top 10, Daniel Gavins is suddenly a winner on the Old World circuit.

Finishing more than an hour before those seemingly more likely to claim the title, the 30-year old Englishman’s closing bogey-free 65 took him to 13-under par and set a target that appeared to be, at first glance, at least one-shot light of ultimate victory.

Think again. Almost as soon as Gavins holed out on the 18th green, just about everyone in contention began to make mistakes. New Zealander Daniel Hillier’s bogeys at 16 and 17 saw him come up two shots shy of the leader in the clubhouse. Jordan Smith played the last eight holes in three-over and also finished two back. Masahiro Kawamura arrived on the 18th tee needing a birdie to tie — and made bogey.

Which is perhaps not too surprising. With competition from the Olympics in Japan and next week’s World Golf Championship in the United States, the quality/depth of the field suffered. Only five of the 41 men who played all four rounds started the week ranked inside the world’s top 200; as many as 22 were outside the top 400.

Still, of those who will walk away disappointed, eventual runner-up David Horsey will perhaps have most to reflect on. Four times a winner on the European Tour — the last in 2015 — the Englishman hit three wild and costly drives over the last eight holes. He found hazards with the first two, costing him three shots to par, but it was the third off the final tee that proved most crucial. Suffice to say the ball was never found, although Horsey did make birdie with his second ball to at least clinch second place on 268, 12-under par.

Which left the new champion to reflect on a turn of events that has suddenly transformed his life. While he arrived in decent form and on the back of two top 10s on the Challenge Tour, two previous visits to the European Tour in 2016 and 2019 produced only frustration and speedy returns to the lower reaches of the professional game. Indeed, Gavins spent 2018 competing on the third-division EuroPro Tour. Not surprisingly, he was rendered almost speechless, his thoughts all over the place, after watching Horsey’s last despairing effort to tie finish wide of the flag on the par-5 18th.

“I can’t believe this,” he said. “I was seven-shots back going into the last round so my aim was just to play a solid round. I really don’t know what to say. I was a little nervous going out. So all I was really trying to do was shoot as low as I could. I didn’t really think i had a chance to win. Which maybe put me under a bit less pressure. This hasn’t really sunk in yet. It’s just an amazing day. I was actually going to take this week off because I have a lot of Challenge Tour events coming up.”

Those events will still take place. But Daniel Gavins won’t be there. Suddenly, he has somewhere else to play for at least the next 16 months.

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