Junior Dubai Desert Classic Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Junior Dubai Desert Classic returns for second edition in January 2024

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 07 Dec 2023 06:55:41 +0000

Ahead of the 35th edition of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, organisers have confirmed the Junior Dubai Desert Classic will return next January with the second edition providing a unique opportunity for young aspiring golfers in the UAE and beyond to gain competitive experience.

Hosted by Hero Dubai Desert Classic in collaboration with Emirates Golf Federation, registration is now open for the 2024 tournament which will take place on 13th and 14th January at Emirates Golf Club.

Following a historic inaugural edition in 2023, which saw champion Joe Jones take victory after the Briton’s two-stroke triumph, organisers are looking forward to welcoming golf’s brightest young stars at the start of the new year.

The youth tournament, open to players aged 18 and under, will take place just a few days before golf’s top stars take to the greens for the 35th edition of the historic Hero Dubai Desert Classic from 18th to 21st January.

As part of the 36-hole tournament, golf’s next generation will each play one round on the famed Faldo and Majlis courses, giving amateurs an opportunity to experience what it is like to be a professional at an elite tournament with access to the courses, driving range, locker rooms and lounges.

Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, said: “The game of golf is growing at a rapid pace across the globe, and it’s no different in the Middle East region with a large number of young players taking to the courses every week.

“As organisers of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, we are committed to nurturing young talent and developing the sport’s stars of tomorrow regularly and the 2024 Junior Dubai Desert Classic reaffirms this. Not only can juniors look forward to a unique opportunity of playing in world-class facilities in a professional-like tournament setting at the Emirates Golf Club but playing against the best young talents in the region will help their game to the next level.”

Following the tournament, organisers have confirmed the winning player of the tournament will enjoy a range of exclusive prizes, including invites to the Faldo Series Grand Final 2024 and the Shubhankar Sharma Junior Invitational Final 2024 alongside several experiences across the weekend of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Registration closes on 15th December at midday. Players must be aged 18 or under on 13th January 2024 and hold a valid handicap of 14.4 or below.

To register or for more information, click here.

Main image: Supplied

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Joe Jones shows teen spirit at inaugural Junior Dubai Desert Classic

Matt Smith — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 02:30:59 +0000

It turned out that Joe Jones’ decision to come to the UAE for some winter training was an inspired one as the 18-year-old wrote a bit of history last week by claiming the inaugural Junior Dubai Desert Classic. The Welsh youngster entered the competition at Emirates Golf Club — played over the same competition-standard Majlis Course as this week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic — and came out on top with a one-under 143, two-stroke victory from Adrian Larsson.

“It feels great, especially to be able to play here right before the Dubai Desert Classic,” Jones said after picking up the trophy from two-time Dubai Desert Classic winner and 2023 Europe Junior Ryder Cup captain Stephen Gallacher.

“It is really special and the event has been run so well. That makes it even better.”

The Junior Dubai Desert Classic ensured there was plenty of excitement on the course and the tournament was open to both male and female players in a mixed field. “To get have a mixed event is great and it was a great effort to have everyone playing out there together and make it fair for all competing,” said Jones, who also claimed a spot at the Adidas Golf Junior 6s Tour event in Australia with his win.

While winning the Junior Dubai Desert Classic is one thing, Jones has aspirations of competing at the DP World Tour event proper in the future — even if the strapping 6ft-plus teenager insists he has a lot of work to do.

“It is definitely a dream to get back here at some point and compete in the Dubai Desert Classic, but in order to make the grade with these guys, I need to pretty much be better at everything in my game,” he said with a chuckle.

“That’s the way golf is going, isn’t it? You’ve got to go far and then figure it out from there. I am still growing, so when we get there we will see where we are.”

Jones has been playing since he was 11 years old, and was pretty content with his performance that saw him claim top spot with an under-par score on Sunday.

“I drove very well here,” the Welsh youngster said. “At the Majlis you need to hit the fairways if you want to contend and I managed to do that and that is why I got round in the score I did.

“I have actually played some competition-standard courses this year in qualifiers and I think that helped me coming here. I don’t think I played great, if I am honest, but on a course playing as tough as this, it was good.

“Tour golf is different to a ‘normal’ course, so getting round here is a different beast.”

Jones, who is a plus-5 handicap, plans to stay as an amateur for at least another year before making any decisions on his future, adding: “I think I will take a bit more time over the next 12 months and see where my game is at, and then think about turning pro.”

On that note: Will we expect to see the name Joe Jones on the Rolex Series leaderboards in the future?

“Give it a few years and, yeah, we will get there,” he signs off with a confident air that convinces you he just well might.

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Stars of the future to follow in footsteps of their heroes at Junior Dubai Desert Classic

Matt Smith — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 09:45:29 +0000

By GolfDigestME.com
Aspiring young golfers will get the chance to tread the same greens and fairways as their heroes following the introduction of the Junior Dubai Desert Classic.

Organised by the Dubai Desert Classic and sanctioned by the Emirates Golf Federation, the tournament will feature some of the best local, regional, and international talent coming together to experience what it is like to take part in elite competition.

A field of 72 boys and girls, under the age of 18 and with a maximum handicap of 14, will compete in the mixed event over two days on the famed Faldo and Majlis courses at Emirates Golf Club — the weekend before the world’s best battle it out for the Dubai Desert Classic title on the same greens of the Majlis.

Played over 36 holes on January 21 and 22, the event is intended to give young players a taste of what it is like to compete as a professional with all aspects of the tournament mirroring that of the pros — from the courses, to the driving range, locker rooms, and lounges. Falcon and Associates want to inspire future generations of players, and create a competition elite youngsters aspire to play in as part of their golfing journey.

Players will get the exhilarating experience of playing under the lights on the Faldo, before a final day showdown on the Majlis.

General Al Hashmi from the Emirates Golf Federation said: “This is another indication of our commitment to growing the game of golf in the UAE and wider region. We want to encourage the stars of tomorrow and what better way than to treat them like their heroes to get an insight into what it is like to be a tour player.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for players to walk the fairways of two magnificent courses, and use the players’ lounge and locker rooms the weekend before the world’s best will do the same. We want to inspire a generation, and make the Junior Dubai Desert Classic a key milestone on a player’s journey into the professional ranks and hope to see some of the youngsters teeing up in January making a name for themselves on the world stage in years to come.”

Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director of Dubai Desert Classic, added: “We are constantly looking at how we can evolve the Dubai Desert Classic and to introduce the Junior version of the tournament is a natural progression. For young players to take on the Faldo and Majlis courses under championship conditions will be an experience and challenge like never before and a huge step forward in their golfing education.

“The DP World Tour works off principles of innovation and inclusivity and we have both those elements in the Junior Dubai Desert Classic. For us to be able to invite boys and girls to the tournament gives them a chance to showcase their capabilities in a setting which will give them a taste of what it is like to be a professional player, and hopefully we will see them in the full Dubai Desert Classic in the not-too-distant future.”

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