The 14th DP World Tour Championship takes place from November 17-20, and promises to be another cracker as the top 50 players in the rankings fight it out on two fronts.

First of all, there is the DPWTC itself, the individual strokeplay event that brings the curtain down on the 2022 DP World Tour season. 

Then there is the season-long DP World Tour Rankings race, with the fans guaranteed a treat as two of the tour’s top names are set to fight it out on both fronts.

FedEx Cup champion, two-time DPWTC winner and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy is set to do battle with US Open Champion Matt Fitzpatrick as both are confirmed for the fifth and final Rolex Series event of the season on the famous JGE Earth Course.

Northern Irishman McIlroy has led the way in the Rankings since July when he finished third at the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews. Fitzpatrick, who shot to global fame when he won his maiden major at the US Open in Brookline, is breathing down his neck.

Ras Al Khaimah champ Ryan Fox is hunting his third DP World Tour title of the season. Getty Images

JGE has been a happy hunting ground for both McIlroy and Fitzpatrick, with the world No. 1 having won the Race to Dubai (as it was known then) in 2012, 2014 and 2015, doubling up with the DP World Tour Championship in 2012 and 2015.

For his part, Fitzpatrick claimed the DPWTC in 2016 and 2020 and narrowly missed out on defending his title to Collin Morikawa last time out. 

“I’m really excited to return to the DP World Tour Championship, especially with a chance of winning the Harry Vardon Trophy [Rankings] for a fourth time,” McIlroy said. “I have some great memories of playing golf in Dubai, from making my first cut on Tour as an amateur, to winning my first DP World Tour title and then finishing top of the rankings on three occasions.

“To win both the DP World Tour Rankings and the FedEx Cup in the same season would be a great achievement and would cap what has been a memorable year on the golf course.”

Fitzpatrick, 28, has steadily rose to prominence over the past few seasons and won his eighth DP World Tour title at the US Open at the Country Club — the same course where he won the US Amateur nine years earlier, becoming just the second golfer in history after Jack Nicklaus to win both championships at the same venue.

The Englishman has stayed in form since his June triumph at Brookline, and just missed out on winning the Italian Open in September.

“It’s very exciting to go to Dubai with a chance of winning the DP World Tour Rankings,” said Fitzpatrick. “I’ve come very close to finishing top in the past, so I’ll be going to Jumeirah Golf Estates with a lot of confidence knowing that I’ve had some great results on the Earth Course in the past.”

McIlroy has a commanding lead in the Rankings standings, but with 12,000 points on offer in Dubai (2,000 to the DPWTC winner), things can change rapidly, as McIlroy knows all too well as he was overhauled on the final day of the 2021 campaign when Morikawa took both the Rolex Series title and the season-long race crown. 

Rory McIlroy is not the only Irish interest in Rankings contention as Shane Lowry also has a chance for glory. Getty Images

McIlroy can mathematically still be caught by seven other players in the standings and that could possibly increase with the Portugal Masters and Nedbank Golf Challenge still to be played ahead of the season finale in Dubai, and McIlroy expected to skip both events. 

Looking ahead to the event, Tom Phillips, Head of the Middle East, DP World Tour, said: “Anticipation is building across the UAE, not just among golf fans but also the general public who are looking forward to enjoying some of the finest premium experiences a golf tournament can offer.

“We’ve had a huge number of fans already register and we expect many more to avail the free general admission tickets in the final weeks leading up to the greatest weekend on Earth at Jumeirah Golf Estates.”

While this pair will certainly draw the crowds, there will be no shortage of other stars — some of whom while be plotting their own move to take one or both of the titles on offer. 

Ras Al Khaimah Classic and Alfred Dunhill Links Championship winner Ryan Fox has been in consistent form all year and the Kiwi would love to claim his third win of the year in Dubai.

Norwegian Viktor Hovland is no stranger to victory in the UAE and claimed the Dubai Desert Classic crown in January. Mr Consistent Will Zalatoris, Abu Dhabi HSBC champ Thomas Pieters, BMW PGA Championship winner Shane Lowry and Irish Open champion Adrian Meronk could all still reel in McIlroy as it stands. 

Whatever happens, everyone who can should get down to Earth.

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EVENTS

A week-long festival planned on Earth

The fun in Dubai begins well before Thursday’s official tee-off as the DP World Tour Championship, celebrating its 14th year, prepares for a week of entertainment on and off the course.

It all kicks off with the Rolex Pro-Am event on Tuesday, as guests will have the chance to watch the pro golfers, sporting stars and other celebrities play a fun competition. There will also be meet & greet opportunities as well as family-oriented activations, entertainment and F&B at the Jumeirah Fan Village.

On Friday, the tournament will host a Community Day, inviting schools, junior golfers and people of determination to experience behind-the-scenes tours, first-hand introduction to golf clinics, innovative kids’ workshops, as well as sundowners for the adults.

Following last year’s success, making its return to the DPWTC is Ladies Day on Saturday. Female guests will be treated to two complimentary beverages, ladies’ golf clinics, a ‘best dressed’ competition and plenty of perks.

Also taking place over Friday and Saturday is the new-look G4D (Golf for the Disabled) Tour Series Finale, which will see the world’s eight leading golfers of determination come together to compete in the series finale in Dubai. The G4D golfers will play on the same course as the top 50 golfing professionals participating in the DPWTC.

The finale on Sunday will see Jumeirah Golf Estates host a Family Day with a variety of activities including children’s shows and interactive events in the Village.

Gates will open at 7am each day with general admission tickets available free of charge. Tickets are also available for the tournament chalets and Earth Lounge.

The post Pulling rank: The crowds are set for a thrilling DP World Tour Championship appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Matt Smith

Clash of the captains

Emirates Golf Club celebrated its annual Captains Matchplay Challenge which saw 32 pairings compete for the title, representing either Amarjeet Radia’s Lady Captains Team or Abdulfattah Sharaf’s Men’s Captains Team. It was the Lady Captains team who were victorious by four points, prevailing 10.5-7.5.

New-look in Ajman

The Al Zorah clubhouse design

There was some exciting news out of Ajman as construction work began at the clubhouse at Al Zorah Golf Club, with the aim of transforming it into the leading tourist and golfing destination in the northern Emirates. The clubhouse at the Troon-managed course will offer full leisure facilities, including a gym, golf shop, tennis courts and swimming pool, plus food and beverage outlets will offer visitors a choice to dine, socialise and relax within the club.

Dubai Ladies take centre stage

Sara Chadwick, Jacqueline de Vries and Sheila McIlroy won the Park Hyatt Dubai Ladies at Jumeirah Golf Estates

Jumeirah Golf Estates hosted The Park Hyatt Dubai Ladies in a three-player cha-cha-cha format over the Fire Course. The format is the best score on hole 1, best 2 scores on hole 2, best 3 scores on hole 3 back to best score on hole 4 and so on. Sheila McIlroy, Sara Chadwick, and Jacqueline de Vries came up with the goods to win with 79 points (7-under), ahead of Trudi McMullan, Rim Sun Lee, and Anna Abbott with 77 points.

Success at Yas Acres

Mousa Shana’ah triumphed at Yas Acres

Over at Yas Acres, Mousa Shana’ah overcame Ji Li, Paul Rezko and Jonathan Selvaraj to win the Gem International Amateur Golf Tour by a commanding seven strokes.

Hole-in-one at Hamra

Patrick Stevens

Patrick Stevens, the 2022 Al Hamra Golf Club Champion, had another reason to celebrate after hitting a hole-in-one on the Ras Al Khaimah Par 3 course.

Black on top at EGC

Emirates Golf Club Gents Tournament of Champions winner Gary Black

It was a busy time at Emirates Golf as the Gents Tournament of Champions also took place, with 30 golfers competing on the Majlis Course in a strokeplay format. Gary Black’s net 67 was good enough for top spot.

Fine on Faldo

Emirates Golf Club Ladies Mutt & Jeff champ Haide Wright

Not to be outdone, EGC held its Ladies Mutt & Jeff Competition , with 16 golfers battling it out on the Faldo Course in a Stableford format. Haide Wright took the honours with a better back six over Fiona Berry.

Peter Cowen Academies bring down curtain

Peter Cowen Academy Dubai Junior Medal Grand Final winners

The Peter Cowen Academy Dubai Junior Medal Grand Final took place at Jumeirah Golf Estates, with the last event of the season seeing 22 juniors from JGE, Emirates Golf Club and Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club compete. Winning the best net score was EGC’s Jameel Choudry, who just edged out Dubai Creek’s Audrey Wulff. Best Gross went to JGE’s Ties Wolters.

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The post The Gulf Club: Your round-up of action from golf clubs across the UAE in May appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Ryan Herrington
Jon Rahm is skipping the European Tour 2021 finale, and with it giving up on the chance to win the tour’s season-long points title for the second time in three years.

The World No. 1 announced that he won’t be playing in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, deciding to forego the travel to remain with his family.

“After lengthy discussions with my team, I have come to the difficult decision not to travel to Dubai next week,” Rahm said in a statement. “The demands of a long season with many ups and downs has taken a lot out of me. I feel I need to take time to recharge my batteries while spending quality time with my family.

MORE: Why JB Hansen deserved better on Sunday and how the DPWTC has sadly lost its lustre   

“I would like to take this opportunity to wish DP World and the European Tour all the best for the season-ending event, which is always such a special tournament. I would also like to reiterate my congratulations to both for the announcement of the DP World Tour earlier this week, and I look forward very much to competing on the DP World Tour next year.”

Rahm currently is third in the European Tour’s Race to Dubai standings behind Collin Morikawa and Billy Horschel. He previously won the season-long title in 2019. He’s also won the year-end tournament at Jumeriah Golf Estates in 2019 and previously in 2017. The 27-year-old Spaniard’s decision not to play increases the chances that an American will win the Race to Dubai title for the first time in history.

RELATED: European Tour reveals divorce from Asian Tour in email to members

Rahm competed in 21 events on the PGA and European Tour in 2021 along with the Ryder Cup, recording 12 top-10 finishes. He last competed in October at the Spanish Open and Andalucia Masters in his home country of Spain. He finished T-17 in the former event before missing the cut the next week. Afterward, Rahm noted how tied he was after a long season that included the high of winning his first major title at the U.S. Open and the low of twice testing positive for COVID-19 and having to withdraw from the Memorial and the Tokyo Olympics.

“This is the first time in my life that I don’t want to see a golf club,” Rahm said last month. “And this comes from someone who loves the sport, and after a year in which some pretty good things have happened to me.

“More than my body, it is my mind that can’t take it. If we add it all up, I need to rest.”

The post Jon Rahm WDs from European Tour finale, ends bid to win Race to Dubai title appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
On the subject of book-ending his season with Dubai wins, Paul Casey was hedging his bets. On the future of the European Tour, even though it won’t be known as such, the Englishman was unequivocal.

The 44-year-old world No.26 enjoys star billing at the penultimate event of this challenging Race to Dubai season alongside Tommy Fleetwood, 600-man Stephen Gallacher and defending champion Antoine Rozner.

After three weeks off, Casey feels “refreshed” for the $1.5 million AVIV Championship and would love to add a 16th European Tour victory at Jumeirah Golf Estates to his15th at the Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club in January.

RELATED: Stephen Gallacher happy to celebrate European Tour milestone in Dubai, the place that ‘put me on the map’

That said, as much as the Fire course has (finally) caught his eye in practice, Casey isn’t entirely sure it is a layout that suits his renowned ability to scrap when the going gets tough.

“I think if you look at stats I’m probably a guy who likes a seven, eight, nine under winning score, something that’s quite tough, where a really good round is something where you just break par. Those big, big birdie fests maybe not as much,” Casey said.

All of which is problematic when you consider Rozner won the inaugural Golf in Dubai Championship on Fire with a 25-under total last December. Still, Casey is hoping this week’s relatively unfamiliar surroundings will help spark a strong finish to 2021.

RELATED: European Tour to become DP World Tour from 2022 with record total prize fund in excess of $140m

“I like the Fire Course. For all the years I’ve been here I’ve walked right next to it and never paid any attention – it’s a very good golf course. Visually for me it’s very appealing, I played it well today in the pro-am, I’m looking forward to getting stuck in,” said Casey who is off at 7.40am in the first round alongside Fleetwood and Aussie Min Woo Lee.

“…Any time I turn up I’m turning up to try and give it my best and try and win the tournament. I’ve had one victory in Dubai earlier this year and I’d love to add another one to that.”

Casey also added his voice to a chorus of approval after the European Tour announced Tuesday that it will be rebadged to the DP World Tour from 2022 with 47 events in 27 countries, all with minimum prize funds of $2 million.

“It is exciting stuff,” Casey said.

“I was disappointed it wasn’t called a world tour about 20 years ago. I always thought we should be the world tour, we play pretty much everywhere.

“It’s about time so I congratulate DP World and the European Tour on this announcement. It benefits the players but it benefits everybody that is out here on Tour. It’s not just the players making money that trickles down into caddies and support staff and media and everybody – the whole family benefits from this so fantastic news.

“This is massive and I think it shows the strength, considering that technically we’re still in a pandemic as well, that shows the strength of the Tour, the strength of golf globally.

“There’s a positive trajectory in the environment that we’re currently in. Imagine if travel becomes easier and sporting events without restrictions become the norm again, the trajectory could be even steeper than we’ve currently got.”

But that is for next year and beyond. Right now, the focus is on the final fortnight of a long year. After the AVIV Championship, there is the $9 million DP World Tour Championship on neighbouring Earth at JGE before then a much-needed break.

Casey admits “the form coming in is probably not great” for his return to Dubai.

“You’ve only got so much fuel in the tank and maybe it’s just been slowly leaking out. I’ve given it so much this year and there’s been some great moments but there are the big things that take the energy out – Ryder Cup, Olympics and things like that and all the majors.

“Sometimes you just need to sort of hit the reset button, I think the three weeks off puts me into a good position going into these last two. I feel energised, I feel ready to go. I’ve just had three weeks off and this will be my final two events of this season so I’m really excited.”

The post Casey excited by strangely unfamiliar Fire and the Race to Dubai’s suddenly brighter future appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Just ask five-time European Tour winner Ross Fisher who is trying his best to prove there is still room at the elite level for the old school guy. The Englishman is by no means short off the tee but is better known for cleverly plotting his way to a score rather the modern rip, wedge and putt method.

That was the case Wednesday as the Englishman opened the inaugural Golf in Dubai Championship at JGE with a bogey-free 63 to ease into a share of second place alongside countryman Matt Wallace and Frenchman Antoine Rozner.

The trio start Thursday’s second round two strokes adrift of Andy Sullivan. Fisher, who entered his fourth decade on November 22, just hopes he can keep the momentum going after a tough 2020 which has seen him miss eight cuts in 17 starts, seven of them since the resumption of the Race to Dubai after the COVID lockdown.

“I feel like it’s been there, but I just haven’t been able to find it for some reason,” Fisher said after negotiating Fire’s homeward nine in just 29 strokes including an eagle three at the 13th and two-putt birdie on 18.

Ross F̶i̶s̶h̶e̶r̶ Flusher#GolfInDubai pic.twitter.com/fU92SqX9YR

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) December 2, 2020

The third 63 of the day #GolfInDubai pic.twitter.com/u2QCNPx5bu

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) December 2, 2020

“I feel like I’ve hit the ball really well for a long time, worked hard at short game, worked hard at putting and it just, for some reason, hasn’t clicked for four rounds. I’ve had the odd round here and there, but it’s not through the want of trying.”

After missing the cut at both of the Aphrodite Hills Cypress Open and separate Showdown events last month, Fisher is 57th in the Race to Dubai standings and needs to finish to the top-60 to qualify for next week’s DP World Tour Championship.

“I was disappointed after Cyprus, I felt like I played really well and to miss out on both weeks was really disappointing. I had three weeks off to reflect and then came here with the bit between my teeth knowing I needed a solid performance here to consolidate and get into next week. To go out there and produce that today, I’m obviously delighted.”

Fisher is off 7.20am today and knows he’ll have to remain aggressive, especially on a course that is short and wide by elite standards. The greens are also rolling beautifully and without any firmness, they’re proving easy pickings;  no fewer than 73 of the 107 starters dipped under par on Wednesday.

“For me, growing up, we were told to keep the ball in play and play the game whereas you look at the way golf has gone now, I think if you ask coaches now what advice they’ve give to juniors and young golfers, is just ‘tee it up, smash it, and go find it’ because that’s the way golf is going,” said Fisher who last won at the 2014 Tshwane Open.

“You look at so many guys out here now who are coming out, they’re bombing it miles. At 40, I’m not getting any younger but I’m working hard in the gym, trying different things, and I was testing a long driver just to see what the differences are and it’s amazing.

“I would say that would be my one bit of advice. Everyone talks about how important the short game and putting is and don’t get my wrong, me and Matt Wallace and my caddie were talking about it last night and it’s obviously very important but if you can’t get it off the tee, you’re not going to be able to compete for a long period of time so it’s about working on those aspects, I would say.”

The post Ross Fisher, just 40, is doing his best to keep up with the young rip or bust brigade  appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Registrations for the opening round of the 20th Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge, proudly supported by Lincoln/Al Tayer Motors, are now open.

ENTER THE 20th Xerox Corporate Golf Challenge here TODAY! 

The September 27 qualifier on the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates falls on the Thursday before Thomas Bjorn’s Europeans square off against Jim Furyk’s visiting Americans near Paris. As such, the popular pairs betterball strokeplay event will open with a Ryder Cup twist.

As well as playing for first, second and third place qualifying glory and a total of five places in the 20th XCGC Grand Final in December, each pair entered will be drawn to represent either “Europe” or “Team USA” at Fire.

The pair in each fourball that records the lowest combined net score over 18 holes will contribute a point towards their designated team – halves will count as such – with additional prizes on the line for the winners of the XCGC’s inaugural Ryder Cup.

For full entry details including special Xerox Emirates customer discounts and JGE club member and Emirates Golf Federation rates, click here.

Stay tuned to Golf Digest Middle East – the official media partner of the XCGC – for all the news and results from the 20th edition of the region’s best corporate golf series.

Paul Abouchacra and Hisham Shammas were crowned last season’s champions after 36 high quality and high pressure holes on JGE’s Fire and Earth courses.
Here they are flanked left by Onside Sports Steven Munro and Xerox Emirates GM Chris Govier (far right).

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