In what is the busiest time of the golfing year in the Middle East, we preview the DP World Tour’s five-week swing of events which span across Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, Bahrain and Qatar – spearheaded by the 35th edition of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, and an exclusive interview with the current Champion Golfer of the Year, Brian Harman. We get to know more about the journey of UAE National Player, Joshua Grenville-Wood, and Amy Condon, the only female professional in Abu Dhabi who is growing the women’s game. A catch-up with eGolf Megastore, as they are expanding their stores in the region and Club Lab Golf shows us what goes into getting your clubs fitted and built.

All this and much, much more in the January 2024 edition of Golf Digest Middle East.

The issue is again free to our loyal audience. You can scroll through the ISSUU link provided here or download to your favourite device for later. Alternatively, pick up a copy at your favourite club. Whatever option you take, we hope you enjoy the read.

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The most popular golf topics in the search engine for 2023 were split into categories of golfers (overall), golfers (monthly) and golf-related terms (overall). To get a ranking for each, Google listed searches according to its trends data within the search engine. It analyzed “search interest” for subjects using a sample of all searches and then indexing the topics in relation to the top item on each list. So the top player in each category tops the list at 100 percent, and the percentages decrease from there. Google did not provide raw numbers for the 2023 search volume.

Let’s start with Woods. He also topped the Google list last year, and likely every year since it was created, despite the fact the 15-time major winner played just two official PGA Tour events in 2023.

At the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles that he hosts each February, Woods made the cut in his 2023 debut before shooting a thrilling 67 in the third round at Riviera. At Augusta National two months later, the 47-year-old matched a tournament record already held by Gary Player and Fred Couples with 23 successive Masters cuts made. But in cold temperatures and constant rain, Woods succumbed to his ongoing plantar fasciitis and withdrew before the delayed third round resumed. He didn’t play again until December’s Hero World Challenge, though Woods was in the news for ramping up with the TGL simulator league that ultimately had to be postponed, and for joining the PGA Tour Policy Board following the June framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy was second in Google searches, generating 88.7 per cent of the search interest of Woods. McIlroy caused a stream of headlines, including several wins and close calls. He won the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour in January, and at the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, a late bogey thwarted his hopes of ending a nine-year majors victory drought. In July, McIlroy won the Genesis Scottish Open the week before the Open Championship. At the end of September, the Northern Irishman had a blow-up outside the clubhouse of the Ryder Cup following a verbal altercation with Patrick Cantlay’s caddie Joe LaCava on the 18th green during a Day 2 match. In December, McIlroy stepped down from the tour’s Policy Board, citing inability to commit to its time requirements.

Coming in third was LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka (70.8 per cent of the search interest), who caused many Google queries when he was shown in a vulnerable, injured light during a dedicated episode of Netflix’s “Full Swing” docuseries. He finished second to Masters winner Jon Rahm and a month later, at the PGA Championship, Koepka became the first LIV golfer to win a major, capturing a fifth career title and third PGA. He also featured on the losing US Ryder Cup team in September.

Predictably, the top five most-searched golfers by month highlighted the gap between what the Internet finds interesting and what the biggest golf-centric storylines were.

For example, you might think the biggest golf story in January was Rahm winning twice on the PGA Tour, at the Sentry on Maui and the American Express in the California desert. The internet would disagree. Sam Ryder wearing maroon jogger pants at Torrey Pines—and getting criticized on social media for doing so by John Daly and Phil Mickelson—catapulted him to the most Googled golfer in January. In February, Woods making the cut at Riviera gave him the No. 1 spot, while in March, Scottie Scheffler took the mantle on the strength of him winning the elite Players Championship.

In April, Rahm winning the Masters for his second career major was not enough for the Spaniard to be the most Googled golfer that month. Instead, it was a fellow Masters competitor and amateur, Sam Bennett, with Rahm at No. 2. Bennett, the US Amateur champion and Texas A&M star, contended deep into the weekend at Augusta National and had a moving backstory that compelled sports fans to root for him: He lost his father, Mark, to early onset Alzheimer’s disease in June 2021. Bennett got a tattoo on his arm to honour his dad.

In May, Michael Block and his story—a club pro who scored an ace during the final round at the PGA Championship while playing with McIlroy en route to a T-15 finish—made him the most Googled golfer. In June, McIlroy held the top spot courtesy of finishing second at the US Open and being the focal point of the framework agreement news. July was a layup on Google for celebrity golfer Steph Curry, with the Golden State Warriors icon making a hole-in-one and winning the American Century Championship with a final-hole eagle. Unlucky was the second-most searched golfer in July, Brian Harman. All he did was win the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.

Shooters Shoot!!! Hole In One vibes out here in Lake Tahoe. That’s?@acchampionship @callawaygolf pic.twitter.com/8Nzlznf9EL

— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) July 16, 2023

In August, we’re unsure if Lucas Glover winning back-to-back weeks—or his incredible sweat patches during those victories—caused him to be the most searched golfer, but he was. Viktor Hovland’s $18 million FedEx Cup win had him No. 2 on Google for the month. In September, Woods returned to his Google throne but was then No. 2 in October behind Andy Bean, the 11-time PGA Tour winner who died aged 70 after undergoing a double-lung transplant. Woods then returned to No. 1 for November, while in December the announcement of Rahm signing with LIV Golf allowed him to topple Woods.

Finally, we get to golf-related topics. For the second straight year, “LIV Golf” was the most Googled subject this year, while “US Open golf” was second. The one phrase including a player’s name among the top 20 might surprise you: “sam bennett golf.”

Most Googled golfers for 2023—top 5 (per month) and top 10 (indexed search interest)

January
1. Sam Ryder
2. Davis Thompson
3. Max Homa
4. Tiger Woods
5. Rory McIlroy

February
1. Tiger Woods
2. Brooks Koepka
3. Joel Dahmen
4. Rory McIlroy
5. Scottie Scheffler

March
1. Scottie Scheffler
2. Tiger Woods
3. Rory McIlroy
4. Jordan Spieth
5. Rickie Fowler

April
1. Sam Bennett
2. Jon Rahm
3. Tiger Woods
4. Brooks Koepka
5. Phil Mickelson

Then amateur Sam Bennett gained national attention when he contended at the Masters in April. Ben Walton

May
1. Michael Block
2. Brooks Koepka
3. Rory McIlroy
4. Tiger Woods
5. Harry Hall

June
1. Rory McIlroy
2. Wyndham Clark
3. Rickie Fowler
4. Nick Taylor
5. Sam Bennett

July
1. Steph Curry
2. Brian Harman
3. Rickie Fowler
4. Rory McIlroy
5. Lee Hodges

August
1. Lucas Glover
2. Viktor Hovland
3. Rory McIlroy
4. Tiger Woods
​​5. Bryson Dechambeau

September
1. Tiger Woods
2. Rory McIlroy
3. John Daly
4. Ludvig Aberg
5. Andrea Lee

October
1. Andy Bean
2. Tiger Woods
3. Lexi Thompson
4. Rory McIlroy
5. John Daly

November
1. Tiger Woods
2. Jon Rahm
3. George Bryan
4. Rory McIlroy
5. John Daly

December 1-18
1. Jon Rahm
2. Tiger Woods
3. Rony Finau
4. Rory McIlroy
5. Nelly Korda

2023 (full year to date)
1. Tiger Woods (100 per cent)
2. Rory McIlroy (88.7)
3. Brooks Koepka (70.8)
4. Jon Rahm (62.1)
5. Rickie Fowler (58.5)
6. Scottie Scheffler (51.1)
7. Jordan Spieth (49.9)
8. Phil Mickelson (46.0)
9. Justin Thomas (35.5)
10. Viktor Hovland (34.6)

Top 20 most Googled golf terms (full year)
1. liv golf
2. us open golf
3. golf channel
4. callaway golf
5. golf now
6. golf shoes
7. golf clubs
8. pga tour
9. golf leaderboard
10. used golf clubs
11. nike golf shoes
12. world golf rankings
13. golf scores
14. sam bennett golf
15. pga golf
16. golf simulator
17. liv golf leaderboard
18. global golf
19. jordan golf shoes
20. golf balls

Main image: Tiger Woods laughs during the 2023 PNC Championship. Mike Ehrmann

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The partnership will position Destination Sport to help golf fans get closer to the action, through exclusive Majesticks GC ticket and hospitality packages curated by its brands Sportsbreaks.com and Sportsworld, unlocking access to the team consisting of Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson and Sam Horsfield. They will also work together to provide premium benefits to fans & followers of Majesticks GC via giveaways, discounts and more.

Destination Sport will also provide business travel services to Majesticks GC, supporting with global travel and accommodation across the team. The group’s specialist division for elite sports travel management – Destination Sport Travel – works with

35+ teams and governing bodies, including Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, British Cycling, Football Association of Wales, Scottish Rugby and International Ice Hockey Federation.

“I am thrilled to announce this long-term partnership with Destination Sport. As a truly global team with tournaments in 14 destinations around the world, we’re not only excited to work with Destination Sport to expertly deliver for our team and staff, but to also create unique and engaging experiences as well as exclusive offers to benefit our fans,” said James Dunkley, Team Principal Majesticks GC. “Alongside Destination Sport, Majesticks GC are looking forward to building on the success of our 2023 fan experience by delivering unique access and behind-the-scenes opportunities for fans in 2024.”

With over 250 staff in 14 countries around the world, Destination Sport have expertise in travel management for elite sports clubs and governing bodies, supporter travel, global hospitality, youth development programmes, endurance, and participation travel plus global destination management.  

“We’re delighted to announce a new partnership with Majesticks GC, representing our first involvement with the LIV Golf League. It’s fantastic to be working with a team who are leading the way in innovation in this new format of golf, and as two organisations with British roots and a global outlook, it’s a perfect fit for us,” said Destination Sport Group Managing Director Paul Hemingway. “The global nature of LIV Golf results in a significant volume of travel so we’re excited to provide Team Majesticks’ players, caddies and staff with a best-in-class travel provision to support their preparations and performance.

“The LIV Golf League is a unique, engaging format of professional golf which lends itself to exciting experiences for spectators. We look forward to working closely with Team Majesticks to create new fan travel and event hospitality experiences via our Sportsbreaks.com and Sportsworld brands which we hope will appeal to new and existing golf fans alike, starting at next year’s UK tournament.”

Ian Poulter, Co-Captain of Majesticks GC, added, “We’re really excited about the possibilities of the partnership between Destination Sport and Majesticks GC, and are looking forward to being involved in some fantastic bespoke fan experiences. We also know the level of support and service that Destination Sport provide to elite sports teams, and we are thrilled to have them on board to offer their expertise and help the team.”

Main image: LIV Golf

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“I think what Jon said about growing the game and stuff, that’s obviously what they have to say,” Lowry said, according to the Irish Independent, at a press conference this week promoting next year’s Amgen Irish Open on the DP World Tour. “They’ve signed on the dotted line. They’ve been told by the communications team that this is what you say when you’re asked this and you have no other choice really because they own you now.

“I don’t know if it’s been damaging, but people who have spent their hard-earned money going out to join a golf club and buy golf clubs and play golf for the weekend, it’s tough for them to listen to the guy who’s already worth whatever say he has to do this to put food on the table for his wife and kids.”

Lowry is one of many who hopes that the standoff between the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour will come to a halt sometime soon as the disruption caused by LIV has put golf in a “funny place.” He didn’t go so far as to attack executives at the PGA Tour, à la Viktor Hovland, but the 2019 Open champ is undoubtedly exhausted by the never-ending news cycle.

“Do I think they’ve been amazing? No, probably not,” Lowry said. “But I’m not going to criticise them because I think they couldn’t foresee this coming. It was something that just happened. I don’t really know.

“A lot of players have a lot of opinions on the leadership of the tour. But I don’t consider myself clever enough to be able to comment on running a billion-dollar organisation.”

Lowry echoed those comments while speaking with Irish sports website Balls.ie, where it was obvious his disappointment that he won’t get to tee off against Rahm until the Masters. His fellow pros hopping around has forced him to become a bit more “selfish” as well.

“Because it’s been going on for so long now, at the start it was dispiriting, but now, I’ve talked about this a lot with my team, you just have to worry about yourself,” Lowry told the website. “You just have to become that selfish golfer who picks their schedule and wants to play and win the best tournaments in the world. The best tournaments in my mind are Riviera, Bay Hill, the Players, and then leading up to the Masters. They are the tournaments I want to win.”

With all that said, Lowry is fanatical when it comes to the Ryder Cup, and he doesn’t see a reason for Team Europe to lose Rahm just because of his recent about-face. When it comes down to it, Lowry wants to win (and celebrate) the biennial event, and having Rahm on the team is certainly better than not having him.

Rory McIlroy recently called for a rules change to insure the Spaniard could make Team Europe’s Bethpage squad in 2025, but Lowry seemed confident that it won’t need to come down to that.

“The reason they [Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood] couldn’t play Ryder Cup this year was because they resigned their [DP World Tour] membership,” Lowry said Irish Open press conference. “There were certain players that would have been able to make the team if they played good enough, but they just didn’t. I am sure Rahmbo can play well enough to make the team, so if he doesn’t resign his membership, he can still make the team.”

Image: Andrew Redington

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Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who played on Europe’s winning Ryder Cup team before competing in a major and captured his first PGA Tour title in November, said on a Eurosport podcast that he is “super confident” in his decision to play on the PGA Tour rather than the LIV Golf League that is run by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

Aberg, 24, said he received the latest LIV offer after finishing his rookie season with a victory in the RSM Classic, where he shot 61-61 on the weekend.

The news of Aberg’s decision comes in the wake of Jon Rahm leaving for LIV, along with a couple of other high-profile PGA Tour players rumoured to be going to the upstart circuit—World No. 4 Viktor Hovland and Tony Finau—saying they were staying.

In translated text from the podcast interview, Aberg said, “There were a number of red flags, which is not good. We realised that I could potentially burn a lot of bridges, and I wasn’t interested in that. When I look back, I am very confident in my decision. I will never chase money; what I do is compete. I did the right thing.”

Of course, others, such as Rahm and Brooks Koepka, have taken similar stances, only to eventually leave the tour for LIV.

“I want to play against the best, because I am a competitive person and like to compete against the best players,” Aberg said. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that at the moment, it’s a bit more fragmented.”

“When I look at the PGA Tour and the competitions there, there is so much history around all the competitions. And that’s what I like, that’s what I go for. But then you have to respect everyone’s decisions.”

A Texas Tech product who was the first player to earn his card by being No. 1 in the PGA University standings, Aberg showed potentially transcended talent by notching eight top-25 finishes in 11 starts. After going 2-2 in the Ryder Cup, his season built to a crescendo with a runner-up in the Sanderson Farms Championship and four-shot victory in the RSM, at which he scored 29 under for the week.

Image: Ross Kinnaird

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Boasting an increased prize pool of US$23 million, the pathway series to the LIV Golf League, sanctioned by the Asian Tour, will once again commence the year in Oman before making further return journeys to Hong Kong, Indonesia, Morocco, and Qatar.

Following the announcement in November of the inaugural International Series Macau presented by Wynn, the US$5 million PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers has also been confirmed as a further addition to The International Series 2024 schedule.

Abraham Ancer pictured during round four at the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers at Royal Greens Golf and Country Club – Asian Tour / International Series

The following tournaments are all confirmed for the 2024 Asian Tour calendar:

International Series Oman | 22-25 February | US$2 million
International Series Macau presented by Wynn | 14-17 March | US$2 million
International Series Morocco | 04-07 July | US$2 million
Indonesian Masters | 31 October-03 November | US$2 million
International Series Qatar | 28 November-01 December | US$2.5 million
Hong Kong Open | Dates TBC | US$2 million
PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers | Dates TBC | US$5 million

Three further venues will be announced to complete the 10-event series that comprises the International Series, integrated into the Asian Tour schedule, with all tournaments carrying a minimum US$2 million prize fund.

Rahul Singh, Head of The International Series said: “Competition to host International Series events has been high, with interest coming from around the globe as venues, destinations and stakeholders embrace the new competition and excitement that The International Series has brought since launching in 2022.

“We remain committed to our mission of enhancing opportunities for players around the world and an open player pathway into the LIV Golf League and are excited to add some marquee events to the schedule for 2024.

“This will be a landmark season for The International Series, and we continue to go from strength to strength. We remain committed to providing a transparent player pathway that enables global golfers to compete in our tournaments and take an opportunity to play over the season for a place on the LIV Golf League.

“With our first confirmed dates for the season spanning the Arabian Gulf, China’s southern coast, southeast Asia and North Africa, the schedule underscores our commitment to being a truly International Series.”

Singh concluded: “Oman once again provides a fitting curtain raiser to the season, while Macau breaks new ground for us in a region that has a rich heritage of golf. By returning to Morocco for the first time since our inaugural season, we have compelling proof that our events are an attractive proposition to destinations with world-class golfing pedigree.”

Images: Asian Tour / International Series

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Speaking on Discovery’s FORE podcast in his native Norway, Hovland, 26, expressed “doubt” that he would follow recent convert Jon Rahm to LIV amid reports that Hovland was getting ready to jump. Having committed to six early-season PGA Tour events, including the season-opening Sentry Tournament of Champion in Kapalua, Hawaii, Hovland indicated that his allegiance was strictly personal and related to his development as a player.

“If I had gone to LIV, I don’t think I would have become a better golfer, and then it is, in a way, end of discussion,” said Hovland, the No. 4 golfer in the world, citing LIV’s 54-hole, no-cut format. “You need the competition with 150 players and a cut. If you don’t play well enough, you’re out. There is something about it that makes your game a little sharper.”

That said, Hovland was in no way critical of Rahm for his recent about-face and joining the upstart circuit and added that he “wasn’t really shocked” by the Spaniard’s decision. “It would be a bit silly to criticize players for leaving,” he said. “After all, you only hear one angle in the media, and there are quite a few different parts happening at the same time. I totally understand why he [Rahm] left. That’s a lot of money.”

Hovland saved his sharpest remarks for the tour’s leadership.

“Just to be clear, I’m not complaining about the position I’m in, and I’m very grateful for everything,” Hovland said. “But the management has not done a good job. They almost see the players as labour and not as part of the members. After all, we are the PGA Tour. Without the players, there is nothing.

“When you get to see what happens behind closed doors, how the management actually makes decisions, which are not in the players’ best interest, but best for themselves and what they think is best. They are not professional golfers after all. There is a great deal of arrogance behind it all.”

Hovland’s candid comments come on the heels of an unusual bout of reticence earlier this month at the Hero World Challenge; the two-time defending champion, who is known for his accommodating personality, declined requests from the tour to appear for a formal pre-tournament press conference in the Bahamas.

Hovland won three times on the PGA Tour in 2023, including the final two playoff events, the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship to claim the $18 million bonus that goes to the FedEx Cup winner. The Norwegian also was one of the stars for Europe in its decisive Ryder Cup victory over the U.S. in Italy, but during the podcast he said that he will compete in fewer DP World Tour events in 2024. Hovland has six PGA Tour titles and two on the DP World Tour.

Viktor Hovland poses with the FedEx Cup Trophy after winning the Tour Championship in August – Kevin C. Cox

A native of Oslo who was an All-American at Oklahoma State and won 2018 U.S. Amateur before turning professional in 2019, Hovland expressed hope that the professional golf’s primary factions come to a truce. The PGA Tour currently faces a deadline of Dec. 31 to negotiate a final deal with PIF, the financial muscle behind LIV, after announcing a framework agreement with the Saudi investment firm in June. The tour also said it is moving forward with talks with the business consortium Strategic Sports Group on a potential investment arrangement.

“There is, of course, a division. The PGA Tour is not as strong as before—that’s a fact,” Hovland said. “The more people leave for LIV the stronger they become and the weaker the PGA Tour becomes. I think that’s crazy. I just hope that it will return to normality in the future.”

Main Image – Ross Kinnaird

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The signing of Ogletree, the 2019 U.S. Amateur champion, fills the HyFlyers’ roster vacancy created by the relegation of James Piot, winner of the 2021 U.S. Amateur. Ogletree joins Mickelson, Cameron Tringale and Brendan Steele on the all-American roster, which is now set for 2024.

“Andy is one of the most impressive young players in the game who has earned his spot on LIV,” Mickelson said. “The work he has continued to put in and the resiliency he showed this past year in creating his own success was awesome to see. He makes the HyFlyers a contender next year and just as importantly, Andy fits in perfectly with everyone on the team.”

Ogletree earned his LIV Golf spot for 2024 by finishing first in the season-long International Series standings. Ogletree was the dominant player on the International Series, a set of 10 elevated tournaments on the Asian Tour supported by LIV Golf. The 25-year-old from Mississippi produced two wins – in Qatar in February and England in August – and earned 1,101,828.33 in prize money, nearly $525,000 more than his closest pursuer. He also was the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit winner in 2023.

“Andy has played some outstanding golf this year and has been head and shoulders above his peers on The International Series,” said Asian Tour Commissioner and CEO Cho Minn Thant.

Ogletree, who competed in LIV Golf’s inaugural Invitational Series event in London in 2022, played in three LIV Golf tournaments in 2023 as a reserve. He finished sixth on the points leaderboard in DC, shooting 7 under as a starter for injured Crushers DC player Paul Casey. He replaced injured Majesticks co-captain Lee Westwood for the final round in Tulsa, shooting 62. And he started in Orlando as a replacement for Crusher GC’s Anirban Lahiri, finishing 43rd on the points leaderboard.

Despite the limited starts, he finished in the Open Zone of the point standings (Nos. 25-44), enabling him to sign with any team that had a vacant spot instead of waiting for the draft.

“I started getting some phone calls and it was kind of like college recruiting all over again,” Ogletree said. “A few teams wanted to meet and I had conversations with some of the captains and it followed from there. Since LIV Golf owns the teams, the final contract had to be approved and all of this was navigated over the last few weeks.

“I was in a fortunate situation being able to travel with LIV during the year. I was at every tournament as a reserve. I was seeing how every tournament works and the team dynamic and the support structure they put in place. I was able to ask a lot of questions and get opinions from different players. And I liked the way Phil went about things and to get that knowledge from one of the greatest of all time is an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.”

In addition to winning the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst in 2019, Ogletree also played for the winning U.S. team at the 2019 Walker Cup, and was the low amateur at the 2020 Masters, turning pro shortly thereafter.

Image: LIV Golf

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The South African entered round four at Heritage La Réserve Golf Club with a one-shot lead but soon saw that disappear as playing partner Jacques P de Villiers, England’s Laurie Canter and the charging Sebastian Söderberg all staked a claim.

.@Louis57TM wins back-to-back events for the first time in his career ?#AfrAsiaBankMauritiusOpen pic.twitter.com/IdswcFcXUq

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) December 17, 2023

It was nip and tuck over a dramatic back nine in the Indian Ocean but in the end Oosthuizen’s 69 was enough to hand him a two-shot victory over Canter at 17 under.

South African de Villiers, Swede Söderberg – who carded the lowest round of the day with a 63 – and England’s Daniel Brown finished at 14 under, one clear of South Africa’s Jayden Schaper.

Oosthuizen’s victory also saw Min Woo Lee crowned the winner of the Opening Swing, handing the Australian US$200,000 and a place in the second part of the DP World Tour season – the Back 9.

The triumph at the weather-delayed Alfred Dunhill Championship last time out was Oosthuizen’s first for five years but he now has two in six days, with this week’s coming over a course he co-designed with Peter Matkovich.

“Golf is the strangest thing,” he said. “The last five weeks I’ve not done a lot with golf, I’ve played a few rounds and when I got to Leopard Creek I was working on a small little thing. I started hitting it really good and I know I’m putting well and then I just carried on with that momentum.

“I started off very poorly and that errant second shot on 16 made it interesting but I hit a few good shots coming in… I’m glad I held onto it.

“I’m glad I could pull this off this week, it’s sort of a dream come true being able to play a tournament on a golf course you helped design and end up winning it.

“This is the first event my daughters have been to where I won, this is very special.”

Both Oosthuizen and De Villiers dropped shots after missing the green at the fourth and there was a two-shot swing on the par-five next as Oosthuizen needed a drop off the tee and De Villiers got up and down for birdie.

Canter had made a two-putt birdie on the par five and he followed it with another gain from eight feet on the driveable sixth but De Villiers made an excellent up-and-down after finding a tricky spot off the tee on the same hole to lead alone.

Oosthuizen also took advantage of the short par four despite finding sand off the tee, with an excellent pitch at the par-five eighth helping him move back into a share of top spot.

The 41-year-old then holed a very long putt at the tenth to lead alone and both he and De Villiers made two-putt birdies on the par-five 12th before the latter got back into a share following a brilliant second after missing the green at the driveable par-four 13th.

Canter had done well to save par after missing the green at the ninth and tenth and he kept himself right in the mix, making two putts from the fringe on the 12th and driving the 13th to be just one shot back.

De Villiers joined him at 15 under after a three-putt on the 15th and Oosthuizen was two ahead when a beautiful pitch on the same hole spun back to tap-in range.

The lead was cut to one after a ragged Oosthuizen tee-shot and second at the 16th and De Villiers’ chance was gone after missing the green at the par-three 17th.

Canter could not take advantage of the par-five 18th as he signed for a bogey-free 68 to hand Oosthuizen a one-shot lead coming down the last and a two-putt birdie extended the winning margin, with De Villiers making par for a 71.

Söderberg twice held the lead and set the clubhouse target earlier in the day before the later groups edged clear, recovering from an opening bogey with ten birdies as he came home in 29.

Brown was bogey-free in his 65, making birdies on the fifth, seventh, 12th, 13th, 15th, 17th and last.

Schaper sandwiched five birdies with bogeys on the fourth and 17th in his 69 to finish a shot ahead of countrymen Thomas Aiken, Lyle Rowe and Darren Fichardt and two clear of American John Catlin.

Image: DP World Tour X / Twitter

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The reigning Masters champ was in Spain on Wednesday to accept an award for his career from a private club in his native Basque Country. But he was surprised to see any cameras there and made it very clear he would not be doing any media, according to a Reuters report.

“I am under very strict instructions not to do public events, which I have imposed on myself a little bit for myself, and for the change I have given to the world of golf in the last week,” Rahm said.

When asked if he planned on giving an interview, the 29-year-old added, “No!”

It’s unclear where these instructions are coming from, but it has been reported that previous LIV contracts include restrictions about interviews needing to be pre-approved. Regardless, it sounds like the normally outgoing Rahm won’t be talking until the start of the 2024 LIV season.

“There will be nothing until February,” said Rahm, who is expected to make his LIV debut at the season-opening Mayakoba event Feb. 2-4. “I’m not allowed to.”

Rahm’s deal with LIV has been reported to be worth anywhere from $300-$600 million. And he now gives the Saudi-backed league three of the past five major champs as it continues its negotiations with the PGA Tour.

“I don’t consider that what I do is much different, and that I am more or less important than the rest,” Rahm said on Wednesday. “The only thing is that I’m seen on TV right now and that’s it . . . hopefully a little less so in the future.”

Main Image: Sam Greenwood

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