By Kent Gray
World No.1 George Groves will take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the inaugural EDGA Dubai Finale which is being played alongside the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

The Englishman, who has had a medical condition since birth called Erb’s Palsy which caused paralysis to his left arm, fired an impressive five-over 77 in his opening round on Earth Friday.

The World Ranking for Golfers with Disability (WR4GD) No.1, fresh from winning the 2019 English Disability Open over the Gainsborough course at Stoke by Nayland, was two shots clear of countryman Mike Browne (79) in the eight-player field. American Christopher Biggins occupied solo third after an 80 on the same layout being used by the field for the European Tour’s Race to Dubai decider.

There were some impressive shot-making in the opening round of the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) administered championship, including the championship opening tee shot from Swede Joakim Bjorkman. Check it out:

Flushed! https://t.co/JxGVdCujFq

— Golf Digest ME (@GolfDigestME) November 22, 2019

Bjorkman, who has Achondroplasia, a bone growth disorder that causes disproportionate short stature, trails the field after eventually signing for a 91. And how about this shot from Browne, a former Royal Artillery Gunner who had 22 (unsuccessful!) limb salvage operations after badly breaking his leg in a training exercise:

It wasn’t anywhere else ?️@edgagolf #DPWTC pic.twitter.com/fhbiZdX8rO

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 22, 2019

While you mull over Browne’s 79 – have you ever shot that off the back tees at Earth, or any course for that matter – consider his explanation of his injury on the EDGA website: “I was training in a place called Longmore in the UK. All I did basically was break my leg. I was on a training exercise and my leg collapsed…if you could imagine a bamboo stick when you crush it from the bottom up, well it was like that with my leg when I landed. I just thought that was it, you know, I’ll be back in six weeks, not a drama, back in the job doing what I was doing.”

It turns out it was far worse. A bad infection, which specialists are unsure whether he picked up in hospital or from the metalwork in his leg, consumed all the muscles around his knee.

“They actually took the knee joint out and tried to fuse my Tibia plateau to my Fema. So they had to break my shinbone, and stretch it about seven centimetres.” Ouch.

After two years in an Ilazarov frame with 52 wires running through his leg and daily one-millimetre adjustments to stretch his shinbone, the amputee now calmly says, “In hindsight – luckily it didn’t work.”

The final round of the 36-hole event is scheduled for early Saturday ahead of ‘moving day’ at JGE.

The WR4GD is administered by the USGA and R&A.

EDGA’s @BrendanLawlor97 meets @RCabreraBello ahead of the EDGA Dubai Finale.pic.twitter.com/9QTd9xTnL6

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 21, 2019

The post Groves fires 77 on Earth, leads inaugural EDGA Dubai Finale by two appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
Irishman Brendan Lawlor was given the honour of marking a month to go until the 11th DP World Tour Championship on Sunday, hitting a ceremonial tee shot off the 1st tee on Earth at Jumeirah Golf Estates to mark the occasion.

Lawlor is one of eight golfers of determination set to compete in the inaugural EDGA Dubai Finale, a 36-hole tournament that will be played in conjunction with the DPWTC using the same course set-up as the European Tour’s elite players.

The 22-year-old hit the shot in the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Fahim Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Emirates Golf Federation, and later hosted a coaching clinic for the Students of Determination from Dubai Heights Academy and the UAE’s U13 Boys squad who recently won the bronze medal at the Pan Arab Golf Championships in Egypt.

It was a memorable day at @JGEGolf as we officially marked ‘One Month To Go’ until the DP World Tour Championship with some very special guests ?

Register for free entry or hospitality tickets here: https://t.co/ekG3eJCI9Z#dpwtc #racetodubai #rolexseries @BrendanLawlor97 pic.twitter.com/xE9WoEbcxU

— DP World Tour Championship (@dpwtc) October 20, 2019

The introduction of the EDGA tournament marks the first time a golfers of determination event has been hosted in conjunction with a European Tour event in the region, following the successful EDGA Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club, which Lawlor won.

New European Tour Middle East Tom Phillips welcomed Lawlor to JGE.

“It’s great to have Brendan with us to celebrate our one-month countdown and we look forward to welcoming him and seven other Golfers of Determination back here to Jumeirah Golf Estates for the inaugural EDGA Dubai Finale,” Phillips said.

“Golf has always been an inclusive game and we are very proud that the European Tour is a driving force in opening up the sport to as many people as possible.”

The EDGA Dubai Finale dovetails nicely with the UAE’s official Year of Tolerance and DP World’s commitment to driving an inclusive and tolerant culture across its business, sponsorship platform and the wider UAE community.

“DP World aims to build a better future for everyone and it’s great to see, first-hand, children of all ages, backgrounds, genders and abilities playing a sport that means so much to our business,” said Mohammed Al Muallem, CEO and Managing Director of DP World.

“Golf is much more than just a game, it’s a platform for us to inspire people through the DP World Tour Championship and our partnership with the Emirates Golf Federation to build a more inclusive society.”

This year’s DPWTC will see the top 50 players on the European Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings – down from 60 – eligible to compete in the prestigious event over the Earth course from November 21-24. The tournament will also boast the richest first prize in golf with the champion receiving a mouth-watering US$3 million.

An estimated 65,000 spectators are expected to attend the free event with a further 500 million people tuning in across the globe to see the action unfold on television.

The post Lawlor launches 11th DPWTC countdown appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.