By Kent Gray
Dubai’s stop on the Ladies European Tour (LET) has undergone a radical makeover with a big clue to the pioneering transformation in its new name.

The LET’s end-of-season event since its inception in 2006, the OMEGA Dubai Ladies Classic has been renamed the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight  Classic.

The 13th edition of the 72-hole strokeplay event has been shifted from its traditional December timeslot – and the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club – to May 1-3 next year. Even more significantly, it will now be played in a 54-hole Pro-Am format with an innovative day-night system on the Majlis’ sister course, The Faldo.

The event will continue to be sanctioned by the LET and OMEGA’s sponsorship remains with the rebranding a nod to the floodlit portion of the event and one of the Swiss watchmaker’s most popular models, the Speedmaster Moonwatch Chronograph.

A total of 56 professionals – the top 35 players on the LET moneylist and 21 sponsor invites – will play their opening round during daylight hours on Wednesday, May 1 before being joined by three amateur partners for the final 36 holes. Each pro will finish either the second or third round under lights.

A special “Draft Cocktail Party” will be held after the opening round on the Wednesday night to allocate an amateur threesome to each professional. The teams will play for separate prizes over the final 36 holes in a “Tour Scramble” while the professionals will continue to play strokeplay over 54 holes for the famed Dallah trophy. The final prize fund for the rebranded event – US$500,000 last year – has not yet been released.

Tuesday’s revelation has massive ramifications for the embattled LET which has been forced into a significant scheduling rejig given the new direction unveiled by Falcon Golf, the owners of the Moonlight Classic, and a new date for the region’s other event, the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open at Saadiyat Beach G.C.

The Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club.

Golf Digest Middle East understands the 3rd edition of the FBMLO at Saadiyat Beach will shift from November to early January, slotting in the week before the European Tour’s Jan. 17-20 Desert Swing opener, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, at Abu Dhabi G.C., Saadiyat’s Troon sister club.

The draft party, meanwhile, is just the start of what Falcon Golf intend being a celebration of not only women’s golf but also the wider game in Dubai.

There will be a second party for golf industry heavyweights on the Thursday of championship week (May 2) as well as an official prize-giving gala dinner on the Friday (May 3).

The May time slot is a strategic ploy to highlight the longevity of Dubai’s golf season to international viewers who will undoubtedly be wowed by the Dubai Marina skyline, particularly at night, in the process.

It’s another bold step by the game in the UAE which also holds the honour of the first professional event played on a nine-hole layout, the Staysure Tour’s (formerly European Senior Tour) Sharjah Senior Golf Masters.

Falcon Golf chairman Peter Dawson believes the remodelled Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic will be embraced as an “exciting” development for the game.

“Set in one of the world’s most dynamic cities, the creation of the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic is an important initiative for golf and as always, we are greatly indebted to all of our partners and patrons for their continued support,” said Dawson, the former chief of the R&A.

“It is important for golf’s future that innovative ways continue to be found which embrace the changing needs of players, sponsors and fans.”

Tournament Director David Spencer insists the makeover will safeguard the future of professional women’s golf in the emirate.

“We have been huge supporters of women’s golf for many years and not only will the new format further the women’s game in the region, it also gives us an opportunity to make this event a highlight of Dubai’s golfing, sporting and social calendars,” Spencer said.

“The Pro-Am element of this tournament will be the hottest ticket in town.”

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By Kent Gray
Organisers hope Paige Spiranac will again lend her social media celebrity to December’s Omega Dubai Ladies Masters but admit “we may not put her through the trauma of playing” the season-ending Ladies European Tour [LET] event.

Tournament Director David Spencer has revealed the 24-year-old American is likely to be offered an ambassadorial role at the €515,000 tournament from December 6-9 after emotionally missing the cut at the LET event the past two seasons.

Spencer is also hopeful the aspiring professional golfer will consider returning to act as the official starter for the men at the European Tour’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic, also at Emirates Golf Club, in late January.

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Asked if Spiranac would again be invited to the Ladies Masters, Spencer told Golf Digest Middle East: “Maybe, but we may not put her through the trauma of [actually] playing.“

Related Video: Spiranac hopes to ‘save someone’s life’ by speaking out on cyber bullies

“We’re hoping to bring her to the ladies and the men’s [Desert Classic] and we’re actually considering asking her to be the starter at the men’s event, the official starter.”

Spiranac made her professional debut, and created a global media storm, at the 2015 Dubai Ladies Masters courtesy of a controversial sponsors’ invite.

When the Instagram superstar returned to Dubai last December, she tearfully admitted to an on-going struggle with depression and anxiety due to cyber bullying in the wake of her rounds of 77-79 the previous year.

She had toyed with quitting the game after “the hardest experience of my life” but felt compelled to fight on and speak out given concerning teen suicide rates. “Hopefully I can save someone’s life, I think that’s so much more important than if I make the cut or miss the cut,” she said at the time.

Video: Paige Spiranac’s Top 3 short game tips

Sadly, Spiranac continued to be targeted by faceless online trolls after carding rounds of 77 and 80 on the Majlis layout to finish 13 over par, nine shots shy of the cut which fell at +4, last year.

Spencer took plenty of heat when he first invited Spiranac to Dubai and expects fall-out from the lastest decision. But he remains unapologetic, insisting Spiranac had significantly raised the profile of the Dubai Ladies Masters and would continue to do so in an ambassadorial role.

“We took a lot of criticism for that [the 2015 sponsors’ invite] too but we are happy to stand by what we’ve been criticised for,” said Spencer, who also serves as a strategic adviser to Falcon Golf who now run both the Ladies Masters and Desert Classic.

“In my life I’ve been lucky enough to be in golf situations and see which golfers light up a room when they walk into it and I include in that [list] Seve, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman and Tiger, of course.

“But the one I’d add to that is Paige, in that she has great presence, she’s an interesting character, she’s got lots of interesting [charity] causes. Apart from being physically beautiful, which she obviously is, she’s got a heart of gold and that comes across in corporate situations.“

David Cannon/Getty Images Spiranac during the second round of the 2015 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.

Spencer admitted sponsors were initially reluctant for the tournament to be associated with Spiranac who profits from 1.2m followers on Instagram, and more than 235,000 and 162,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter respectively. But he said corporate backers had done a “complete 180 degree turn” and now, “I mean, they just love her.”

Related: Paige Spiranac and her crazy professional debut

“We think what may be happening is that people think this social media [strategy] is a sexist thing but I was so heartened at that public clinic [involving Spiranac] last year when we had all the young golfers there [watching],” Spencer said.

“There is obviously a connection to golf via social media and we’ve got to be competitive with other sports [and in the entertainment space]. It’s not easy to get sponsorship, whatever sport you have.”

Whatever transpires with Spiranac, four-time defending champion Shanshan Feng won’t return to defend her title due to a prior engagement back in China.

“Shanshan has requested a leave pass and [joked] it will give someone else a chance to win,’ Spencer said. “She said ‘I’ll win it again in 2018’.”

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Saadiyat Beach Golf Club will again host the US$550,000 event, the 14^th of the LET’s 19 events in 2017. The Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, to be promoted by Falcon Golf for the first time at Emirates Golf Club from December 6-9, is again the final event of the season.

The FBMLO dates were confirmed Tuesday as Saadiyat Beach and Troon Golf sister club Abu Dhabi GC joined seven other UAE clubs to celebrate International Women’s Golf Day with free learn to golf lessons. FBMLO prizes and VIP passes were up for grabs at the Abu Dhabi #WomensGolfDay events.

“The feedback we received from the players at the inaugural FBMLO was overwhelmingly positive, which is not surprising given the world-class facilitates on offer in Abu Dhabi,” LET CEO Ivan Khodabakhsh.

“Women’s Golf Day represents the global movement in women’s golf, which is inspiring a whole new generation of golfers and events like the FBMLO play a significant part to ensure this continued growth over the coming years.”

Scotland-based US professional Beth Allen won the inaugural FBMLO, finishing 21-under par to scoop the first women’s pro event staged in Abu Dhabi. It helped Allen capture the LET’s order-of-merit and Players’ player of the year titles but she has struggled in 2017.

A T37 finish in the LET’S season-opening Victorian Open and T7 placing in the LPGA’S Australian Open was encouraging but Allen has since missed five cuts in her last six event in the US.

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The Dubai club, which has hosted the Race to Dubai decider since its inception in 2009, has extended its host venue status for the US$8 million DP World Tour Championship until 2020.

The announcement, made on the sidelines of the European Tour’s flagship BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, came as global sea port operator DP World also reconfirmed its title sponsorship for the same period.

The European Tour’s top 60 players are set to tee it up at JGE for the ninth time from November 16-19 where the season-long race for the Race to Dubai’s $5million bonus prize pool will also be divvied out.

“The support of Jumeirah Golf Estates has been critical in the growth and development of the DP World Tour Championship over the past eight years and we are delighted they have reaffirmed their support until 2020,” said European Tour CEO Keith Pelley.

“Jumeirah Golf Estates is a world class golfing facility and this new commitment will help us further develop a tournament fitting not only for the final Rolex Series event of the season, but also the climax of the Race to Dubai. As the premier golf and residential community in the UAE, it will also help continue to promote the game of golf in Dubai as a whole.”

Peter Dawson, Chairman of Falcon Golf, the entity set up to optimise the benefits golf brings to Dubai that also manages Dubai’s sponsorship of the Race to Dubai which includes 47 tournaments in 26 countries, said: “…Jumeirah Golf Estates… continued commitment will be integral to the growth of the game and its increasing importance to the city.”

“The Earth course has a reputation for delivering dramatic finales and providing a stage for the biggest stars to shine, making the tournament an incredible showcase of Dubai’s golf offering. It not only highlights that visitors can watch elite players up close, but also the extraordinary golfing experiences available. Few places in the world can offer tourists the chance to walk so easily in the footsteps of champions on courses designed by legends in perfect conditions.”

Abdulaziz Bukhatir, Executive Director and Deputy CEO of Jumeirah Golf Estates (left) with European Tour CEO Keith Pelley

JGE CEO Yousuf Kazim said the contract extension would help the city in its bid to attract 20 million tourists by 2020.

“Not only does hosting such a tournament underscore Dubai’s credentials as a global hub for international sport, it also provides a platform to tell Dubai’s story on a world stage and provides the perfect showcase to promote golf at a grass roots level across the UAE.”

His Excellency Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DP World Group Chairman and CEO, said: “Golf’s international exposure and reputation as a global sport for all is one that fits with our direction as a business, enabling trade for nations across the world. Dubai has now become a leading destination for golf, with many world class courses, regularly attracting top players and contributing significantly to sport tourism in the UAE.  We are delighted to continue our commitment to the grand finale of the Race to Dubai, the DP World Tour Championship, and look forward to the ongoing development and enjoyment of the ‎sport across all generations.”

JGE’s Earth course, a member of the European Tour Properties network and branded as a European Tour Destination, has been the permanent home of the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai for the last eight years and will be the the last of eight venues in the European Tour’s new Rolex Series this November.

Past champions include Lee Westwood (2009), Robert Karlsson (2010), Alvaro Quiros (2011), Rory McIlroy (2012 and 2015), Henrik Stenson (2013 and 2014). Englishman Matthew Fitzpatrick won the 2016 event.

JGE encompasses two Greg Norman-designed Championship layouts, Earth and Fire, a luxury residential golf community, a eye-popping clubhouse and the first European Tour Performance Institute in the Middle East.

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First it was Tiger Woods serving as the honourary starter for Falcon Golf, hitting balls from the foot of the Burj Al Arab to unveil the new government-backed entity during February’s Desert Classic. Now Sergio Garcia has lent his suddenly major name to launch the body’s new online home.

The newly minted Masters champion has teamed up with Indian No.1 Anirban Lahiri to headline the content on golfindubai.com, a long overdue one-stop shop for golf tourism in the emirate.

Falcon Golf engaged Garcia and Lahiri in a friendly long drive duel at Skydive Dubai during the Desert Classic. If they couldn’t believe their luck when the Spaniard went on to win the “major of the Middle East” at Emirates Golf Club, imagine the delight when Garcia edged Justin Rose in an epic Sunday showdown at Augusta National in April.

In conjunction with key local stakeholders including clubs, tournament sponsors, Dubai Sports Council, Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and the Emirates Golf Federation, golfindubai.com centralises information for tourists and tour operators.

Commenting on the new website, Peter Dawson, Chairman of Falcon Golf, said: “Driving greater golf tourism is one of the key goals we set ourselves on our establishment, and I’m delighted that just a few months into our operations we have launched a website which for the first time provides one place where Dubai’s fantastic golf offering is showcased in full.”

The new Golf in Dubai website is a one-stop shop showcase of Dubai’s 11 courses (and counting) for golf tourists and tour operators

“A coordinated approach between all parties who together make up Dubai’s golf experience will unquestionably pay dividends for all concerned. golfindubai.com is one important step in our endeavour to rekindle awareness among discerning holiday makers, business travellers and Dubai residents of the enjoyment they all can have playing or watching golf here.

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Former R&A chief Peter Dawson to helm Falcon Golf

“Not many places in the world can so readily offer the access to walk in the footsteps of champions like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia and Shanshan Feng while playing a round of golf during your holiday or business trip. Dubai can, and thanks to the new website, finding out how has become a lot easier.”

Said His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of DTCM: “Dubai is one of the most esteemed golf locations in the world and has much to offer beyond the courses, from incredible hotels and pristine beaches, as well as world-class attractions for all ages, such as Dubai Mall, the Burj Khalifa and amazing water and theme parks,” he said.

“With more courses in the pipeline to complement the world-class choices already available, and initiatives such as this new website, there is huge potential for the sport to help us hit our target of 20 million visitors by 2020.”

The website was officially launched today at the Asia Golf Tourism Convention in Danang, Vietnam. A VIP trip to Dubai, including a start in the 2018 Omega Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am, has been teed up to lure traffic to the new site.

Photographs by Getty Images

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Falcon Golf, the most exciting if worst-kept industry secret since golf first met grass in the emirate nearly three decades ago, was finally unveiled Wednesday with Dawson as its high-profile and globally-networked chairman.

As well as enhancing the emirate’s world-class golf tourism offering, promoting grass roots participation and using the sport as a platform to tell Dubai’s remarkable growth story overseas, Falcon Golf will oversee two of Dubai’s three professional tournaments – the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.

Sergio Garcia teeing off at the 28th Omega Dubai Desert Classic (Photo: Getty Images)

Management of the events will transfer to Falcon Golf from ‘golf in DUBAi’ on April 1. Mohamed Juma Buamaim has accepted the role of Honorary President of the two Emirates Golf Club tournaments while ‘golf in DUBAi’ – under a yet to be announced new moniker – will continue to administer the MENA Golf Tour.

In Dawson, Falcon Golf have headhunted one of the most influential powerbrokers in golf. As well as serving as R&A chief executive for 16 years, the 68-year-old Scotsman is a former Secretary of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and was instrumental in securing golf’s reintroduction to the Olympic Games after a 112-year hiatus as President of the International Golf Federation, a position he still holds.

His pulling power is illustrated by this interview with Tiger Woods, shot during last week’s Desert Classic before the former world No.1 withdrew citing back spasms following his opening round of 77.

Dawson said he was “delighted” to have been chosen for this “special role” and motivated to promote Dubai “through the lens of golf,” as well as boost the emirate’s reputation as one of the world’s leading golf destinations.

“Dubai has a fantastic golf offering and, combined with the emirate’s forward-thinking approach, I believe there is a real opportunity to develop it further,” he said.

“Dubai’s investment in its golfing credentials, including its relationship with the European Tour, has proved to be very successful and I look forward to working with all of our stakeholders as we look to the future.

“Mohamed Juma Buamaim and the team at ‘golf in DUBAi’ have done an outstanding job and I look forward to building on the strong foundations they have laid.”

One of Dawson’s first and most stiffest challenges will be the bringing together of a various local stakeholders, not all of whom have been keen to collaborate previously, to maximise international opportunities. Promisingly, Falcon Golf appears to have widespread support.

“Golf has been played in the UAE for more than 40 years. In Dubai, as recently highlighted in a Deloitte report, it has grown into an industry worth $270 million. In Falcon Golf, we now have an entity that is responsible for the growth of the game,” said Khalid Mubarak Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the Emirates Golf Federation.

Buamaim, chairman and CEO of ‘golf in DUBAi’, added: “These are very energising times for Dubai and its golf offering and I am excited to see the industry being convened in this way.

“I am honoured to have been able to contribute to the success of Dubai’s growth through golf over the last two decades and look forward to my continued involvement, guiding the success of the two tournaments that are so close to my heart.”

Dubai Sports Council Secretary General, His Excellency Saeed Hareb, said Dubai had “long recognised the potential of both golf’s contribution to the sport economy and the platform it provides to tell our story to the world”.

“[Falcon Golf] will bring together the emirate’s fantastic golf assets and ensure that these continue to deliver for Dubai. This is great news for the continued development of the game in this part of the world,” Hareb said.

“With world-class facilities and courses, a number of professional golfers calling Dubai home, including Rory McIlroy and Rafael Cabrera Bello, as well as new courses coming to the market, we see a clear opportunity for future growth.”

Falcon Golf Management Ltd, established late last year, is a subsidiary of Falcon and Associates FZ-LLC which is an independent strategic advisory company working on behalf of the Dubai leadership to enhance the emirate’s position as a global hub for finance, business and tourism.

Dawson and his team certainly have a solid platform to build from. Deloitte’s ‘2015 Economic Impact of Sport in Dubai’ report found that golf generates US$270m in gross expenditure each year with $131m coming from overseas (economic impact). The three professional tournaments account for 61% of golf’s direct economic impact in Dubai while the emirate’s nine clubs and 11 courses (Al Badia has since shut its doors but will soon be replaced by Trump International GC Dubai) contribute an additional $120m of the total spend on golf in Dubai.

17th hole of the Trump International Golf Club Dubai (Photo: Kevin Murray)

A key target area for Falcon Golf will be tourism which pumps in excess of $38m into the economy annually. The Deloitte report found 16,000 golfers visit Dubai, annually, each staying an average of five nights, playing 2.5 rounds of golf and spending around $410 a day.

Golf employs around 1800 people in Dubai and is enjoyed by around 6000 resident golfers who collectively play approximately 400,000 rounds a year.

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