To that end, tournament organisers Falcon & Associates have set out on a sustainability journey to reduce carbon emissions, water use, waste and plastic as part of their vision towards a greener future — on and off the course.

“It is vital for us as a tournament to push the sustainability story and actually act on it, too,” said Dubai Desert Classic Executive Tournament Director Simon Corkill, who is working closely with the DP World Tour to ensure this free-to-attend event is bigger, better and greener than ever. “We have embarked on a three-year journey to become a GEO-Certified event with the GEO Foundation in St Andrews. Fingers crossed we are going to get there in year two but it is only a start.

“It is very important we work together with the DP World Tour and support their Green Drive initiative and their season-long version of sustainability initiatives.”

Following on from 2022’s initial push on raising awareness about helping the environment at the Dubai Desert Classic, Falcon are now pushing even further.

“There is a number of initiatives being implemented this year at Emirates Golf Club that we are adding in,” said Corkill. “Key ones include solar panels on the roof of the media centre to help offset carbon emissions and the planting of 2,000 native ghaf trees, which require little water to grow, at Emirates Golf Club.

“We are also working with the DP World Tour’s Rolex Series to offset our carbon emissions along with other projects around the world such as a safe-water programme in Mozambique and a UAE-based project to plant mangroves in Abu Dhabi which is very important to the environment.

“Another message we try to get across is encouraging the use of public transport. We actually have a metro station on the grounds of Emirates Golf Club — we think it is the only one in the world but we are not sure. There are clubs that have stations nearby but not actually on the property so we really encourage the fans to take public transport and come here and enjoy themselves.

“One final key initiative is Liquid for Life, where we provide water for everyone on-site and eliminate the use of single-use plastic water bottles. We have started to do that from a player point of view and with media and officials. We have eliminated plastic in these areas and now we hopefully will encourage the public to do the same as we go forward.”

Alongside environmental visions for the future, the on-course action is also set for its latest chapter as some of the world’s best golfers battle it out in the $9 million Rolex Series event, with world No. 1 McIlroy the clear star of the show. Corkill agrees that the continued success of the Dubai Desert Classic hinges on its ability to attract some of the world’s best players, with the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Fred Couples, Jose Maria Olazábal, Mark O’Meara and Tiger Woods among those who have lifted the famous Coffee Pot trophy.

“It is the 34th year and it is key to get the best players coming back,” said Corkill. “A lot of people have enjoyed this event over the years and a lot of my predecessors have created a great canvas for this tournament. But we have to keep improving and it is important for Dubai that we are up there. Dubai expects the best and hopefully we can deliver once again.

“So having Rory come here is fantastic He is the world No. 1, he has won here twice should have won last year and he is in fine form after some time off.

“But with Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood and the rest of the DP World stars it is going to be a tough week if you want to win.

In-keeping with the future theme, Corkill also oversaw the successful launch of the inaugural Junior Dubai Desert Classic, which took place on the tournament-ready Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Course on Sunday, with Welsh youngster Joe Jones held off a high-quality mixed field featuring some of the globe’s best young male and female golfers to claim the title on one-under.

“It has been a plan of ours to get this event up and running for some time now but Covid-19 put paid to that for a couple of years,” said Corkill. “So to finally see such a field of this quality get out there and have a winner under par is amazing. We now have done the first one and we can grow from here.

“We have this opportunity at a great venue like Emirates Golf Club to allow these players to play under tournament conditions, which doesn’t happen very often, and also let them use all the players facilities. If they are going to go on and become professionals then this is a great experience to help them on that journey and whet their appetite for the future.

“We want to give the next generation every opportunity. We are working closely with the Emirates Golf Federation to help inspire UAE golfers as well and improve their game on a junior global scale. So to give them that opportunity is important and it is great to see so many players from different countries here too.”

The post Emirates Golf Club goes back to roots with an eye of future appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

“I’m excited to play my first DP World Tour event in Dubai, and I want to win,” said the Texas A&M University senior who received a sponsor’s exemption courtesy of being the top-ranked player in the PGA Tour University Velocity Global Ranking.

“Any week I tee it up that’s the aim. I’m not here to make the cut or the top 20. I feel my game is ready and I belong out here. I’m going to try to win this golf tournament.”

The 22-year-old American hotshot seemed blissfully nonchalant about taking his place in a prestigious Dubai field that counts defending champion Paul Casey, three of the world’s top 10 players, multiple Masters, Open and Major winners, numerous Ryder Cup veterans, as well as serial DP World Tour and PGA Tour event winners.

“I’d like to play with Rory [McIlroy] on Thursday and Friday, but I’m OK playing with anyone. Hopefully I get a good pairing or group,” said Bennett who also revealed a tourism bucket-list for his first trip the UAE.

RELATED: Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett is on a very different college road trip as he tees it up in Dubai

“Dubai is awesome, it’s certainly a lot different from the small town in Texas where I live. The big skyscrapers are unreal. It looks like Las Vegas in the Middle East. The drive to the hotel from the airport was unbelievable with these big buildings and billboards everywhere.

“I’m here with my cousin and girlfriend and we have a few tourist things on the list. We’re going to hit Mall of the Emirates to go skiing, the Burj Khalifa – we have to see the tallest building in the world – and we’ll go to The Palm to visit Atlantis – they’re all on my girlfriend’s list.”

Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director – Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, revealed Bennett’s grandstand ability and infectious enthusiasm are vital ingredients in delivering a potentially memorable Dubai debut.

“Sam has fantastic ability and, like so many of the young guns ripping up the U.S. college circuit, amazing mental fortitude for such a young man,” said Corkill. 

“He has the world at his feet and I am sure our knowledgeable galleries at Emirates Golf Club will take great delight watching a young talent who is destined for the highest echelons of the game.” 

As it turns out, Bennett hasn’t drawn McIlroy but will partner Andy Sullivan and Sami Valimaki instead, off the 10th at 11.40am.

The post PGA Tour wannabe Sam Bennett isn’t in Dubai for a holiday even if he’s loving being a tourist appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Tournament Director Simon Corkill was delighted with this year’s edition. “The tournament’s been absolutely fantastic and it’s great to be able to host this event at such a great location. It’s been wonderful to see everyone out here enjoying themselves with fantastic golf.” 

In terms of all the different entertainment on-site, Simon said: “We’ve got world-class golf as well as Truckers UAE, the come and try sessions for ladies and everything else. It’s been really successful and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

RELATED: Brilliant Bronte epitome of clutch as Dubai Moonlight Classic decided on final hole

The post Simon Says: Tournament Director rates Dubai Moonlight Classic resounding success appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Kent Gray
The Jutanugarn sisters, Ariya and Moriya, will be joined by another high-flying Thai prodigy, Atthaya Thitikul, as the headline acts at the 15th Dubai Moonlight Classic later this month.

Legendary Dame Laura Davies, the now 57-year-old four-time major champion, and two-time Solheim Cup-winning captain Catriona Matthew, 52, were the other big names confirmed on Monday for the Oct. 27-29 Ladies European Tour Pro-Am to be played on The Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club.

After an 11-year association with Omega, the UAE’s only professional ladies event also has a new tournament partner with the €260,000 Dubai Moonlight Classic now “presented by EGA”. Emirates Global Aluminium is a long-time supporter of the Dubai Classics which are owned and organised by Falcon and Associates.

Ariya Jutanugarn, 25, is a former world No.1 and became the first golfer, male or female, from Thailand to win a major when she captured the 2016 Women’s British Open. She has since won the 2018 U.S. Open among her 12 LPGA Tour victories.

Moriya, 27, was LPGA Tour rookie-of-the-year in 2013 and has gone on to claim two titles on the world’s richest female tour, the most recent of which, the Dow Great Lakes Bay (teams) Invitational, was emotionally shared with her younger sister in July.

Thitikul is famous for becoming the youngest golfer ever to win a professional golf event when she won the LET’s Thailand Championship as an amateur on July 9, 2017, aged just 14 years, 4 months and 19 days.

David Cannon/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
Atthaya Thitikul during the opening round of the AIG Women’s Open at Carnoustie Golf Links on August 19, 2021 in Carnoustie, Scotland.

Now 18, Thitikul’s résumé boasts four LET wins and she is the current leader of the circuit’s season-long Race to Costa del Sol courtesy of victories in the Czech Ladies Open and Swiss Ladies Open and eight other top 10s in her 15 starts this season.

Thitikul is rated 28th in the latest Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, five places behind Ariya Jutanugarn and six spots ahead of 34th-ranked Moriya.

Davies, a seven-time LET Order of Merit winner and 20-time LPGA event champion, continues to compete at the highest level. She is 484th in the Rolex Rankings and finished 66th in both the Scottish and Women’s British Opens earlier this year. Matthew, meanwhile, is the first European captain to mastermind back-to-back Solheim Cup wins after orchestrating a thrilling 15-13 triumph at the Inverness Club in Ohio last month. She is 577th in the Rolex Rankings and has won six LET titles in a glittering career.

After Covid-19 safety precautions ensured the 2020 Dubai Moonlight Classic was played behind closed doors in a bio-secure bubble, the 2021 tournament will return with fans. However, there is a small tweak to the format with the Pro-Am portion of the event now limited to 18 holes after the amateurs contested the opening 36-holes last year.

“In addition to free entry for all, a collaboration with Truckers UAE is set to provide spectators with a variety of culinary delights from the city’s vibrant local F&B scene, while golf taster sessions run by the Peter Cowen Academy will be available for all age groups and abilities, providing family fun under the floodlights,” Falcon and Associates said in a media statement.   

They said it…

Laura Davies
“It is always a pleasure to return to Dubai; the players love to come here and tackle the Faldo. The weather and conditions are perfect for golf, and the atmosphere is always excellent. Playing under floodlights is something unique and it gives the event an attractive dimension for new fans.”

Catriona Matthew
“Dubai has always been a favourite destination for women’s golf and the city is a long-term supporter of the Ladies European Tour. Once again the strong field and the tournament will inspire more interest in the game with female audience – it would be great to see more young Arab girls playing the sport.”

Simon Corkill, Executive Tournament Director
“The Dubai Moonlight Classic is one of the most highly anticipated, inclusive events on Dubai’s social and sporting schedule.  We look forward to welcoming fans on Thursday and Friday to a celebration of world-class sport, food, and entertainment set against the stunning Dubai Marina backdrop.”     

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Thursday surprise announcement will see the prize fund for the Jan. 27-30 event at Emirates Golf Club bolstered to $8m – a near $5 million injection – and promises all the associated star player pulling power.

It also means OMEGA’s 12-year association with the oldest European Tour event outside continental Europe is now over. Texas, Dallas-based Slync.io, a technology provider to the global logistics industry, replaces the Swiss watchmaker as naming rights sponsor.

The 33rd (but 1st) Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic will again follow the week after the Abu Dhabi Championship which retains its Rolex Series status for 2022. Add the season-ending, $9 million DP World Tour Championship at Jumeriah Golf Estates in November 2022 and the UAE will be home to three of the European Tour’s five Rolex events next year. The tour’s flagship BMW Championship at Wentworth and the Scottish Open, which was recently granted co-sanction status by the PGA Tour, are the other Rolex tournaments which promote the season’s richest purses, strongest fields, enhanced media coverage and a gold – albeit virtual – star for the eventual champion.

There was no mention of the fate of the Saudi International, the third leg of the Desert Swing for the past three years, in Thursday’s media statement, unsurprising given the ructions swirling the international game. Golf Digest Middle East understands the Saudi event will become part of a reinvigorated Asian Tour in 2022, possibly in the same time slot as Dubai which could lead to a marquee player bidding war.

OPINION: Dubai’s sudden Rolex Series upgrade shrouded in global intrigue

The Dubai Desert Classic becomes Slync.io’s first naming rights sponsorship in golf although the company already enjoys a strong representation in the game. Justin Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion and 2016 Olympic Games gold medallist, is the biggest name amongst its stable of brand ambassadors. Others include Viktor Hovland, Erik van Rooyen, 2021 Solheim Cup rookie Jennifer Kupcho, Bernd Wiesberger, Sepp Straka, Albane Valenzuela, and Xinjin Zhang.

A new chapter for the Rolex Series ?

Introducing the @slyncio Dubai Desert Classic ??#SlyncDDC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/Sc2T7eXZd8

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 2, 2021

It was immediately unclear if the Slync.io’s brand ambassadors will be contractually required to tee it up on the Majlis course which will feature freshly renovated greens in January. No mention of big-name signings was made in the media release. Rose made his first appearance at the Desert Classic since 2009 this past January, finishing in a tie for 35th. Paul Casey won the 32nd edition with a -17, 271 total for a four-stroke victory over South African Brandon Stone. The Englishman pocketed €435,485 for his 14th European Tour victory.

Slync.io Founder, Chairman and CEO Chris Kirchner

“We are excited to partner with the European Tour and Rolex on the Dubai Desert Classic,” said Slync.io Founder, Chairman and CEO Chris Kirchner in a prepared statement.

“Dubai is one of the great cities and a key player in global logistics. This event will be a great place for us to kick off our year with our customers and enjoy some world-class golf.”

Desert Classic Executive Tournament Director Simon Corkill welcomed Slync.io and predicted the company’s technological savviness would bring long-term benefits to the event and “Dubai Inc”.

“Slync’s status as a leading global logistics technology provider will help to bring innovative ideas to the tournament and ensure it continues to evolve and grow,” Corkill said. “These changes will bring a host of benefits to Dubai and the tournament, in addition to offering our international fans enhanced coverage of the venue and players.

“We look forward to working with Slync.io and the rest of our sponsors to deliver a world-class event during a pivotal year for Dubai, when all eyes will descend on the city during the UAE’s 50th anniversary celebrations and the landmark hosting of Expo 2020 Dubai.”

European Tour CEO Keith Pelley described Slync’s partnership with the Dubai Desert Classic and the Rolex Series as “a real statement of intent”.

“… we look forward to working together to build on the incredible history of the Dubai Desert Classic and to continue to showcase Dubai as a global sporting and trade hub,” Pelley said.

“Alongside the Genesis Scottish Open and the BMW PGA Championship, the three Rolex Series events in the Middle East mean our five premium tournaments in 2022 will be played at key times in the golfing calendar when the eyes of the world are on the European Tour.

“They will be incredible highlights in what promises to be a momentous 50th anniversary season for the European Tour.”

The post Dubai Desert Classic elevated to Rolex Series status appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The trio join defending champion Nuria Iturrioz, Solheim Cup stars Georgia Hall, Charley Hull and Céline Boutier and Catriona Matthew, who will return as  European next year, in the 56-player, US$285,000 Ladies European Tour event set for Emirates Golf Club from Nov. 4-6.

Ko’s signature is a coup given the 54-hole Pro-Am will need to rely on live television coverage (including Dubai Sports) for exposure after organisers have bowed to the inevitable and decided to play the tournament behind closed doors.

The OMEGA DUBAI MOONLIGHT CLASSIC ? is back!

It’s time for the @LETgolf players to battle it out once again, under the floodlights at @EmiratesGC, Dubai. Watch live on TV from 4-6 November… #TimeToShine ?

Player announcements coming soon ?… #ODMC #MadeForGreatness pic.twitter.com/wCAebctH4U

— OMEGA Golf Dubai (@OMEGAGolfDubai) October 8, 2020

The 23-year-old New Zealander, who will make her debut in Dubai, is a two-time major champion but perhaps better known for becoming the youngest player, male or female, to ascend to the top of the world rankings when she was 17 – and for her plethora of swing coaches she’s tinkered with ever since. Now with Tiger Woods former swing coach Sean Foley, Ko is ranked 38th but has shown a hint of her undoubted talent with a T-2 at the recent the Marathon Classic and is being talked of as a real threat at this week’s KMPG Women’s PGA Championship.

Lee finished T-11 in her Dubai debut in 2014.

At No.6, Australian Minjee Lee is the highest-ranked player thus far confirmed for the 14th edition of Dubai’s LET stop. The 24-year-old will arrive at the Faldo course at Emirates G.C. fresh from three top-four finishes in five starts since the post-COVID resumption and determined to better her T-11 finish in the Emirates in 2014.

He might be ranked a lowly 449 but she won’t struggle for attention. The 21-year-old Chinese star claimed her first tournament victory on the Symetra Tour in July 2018 at the inaugural Prasco Charity Championship in Maineville, Ohio. A follow-up win at last November’s LPGA Q-Series was enough to secure her 2020 LPGA Tour membership and Dubai will be a prime opportunity for her to prove her burgeoning potential.

RELATED: Lily He: ‘My Instagram fame used to define me”

The OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic will mark the return of sporting events to Dubai and take place under the appropriately named theme “Time To Shine” moniker after many tournaments have been cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“2020 has been a very difficult year globally, not just for sports, and as such we are very grateful to Dubai Sports Council and all our partners,” said Tournament Director, Simon Corkill. “Without their support this tournament simply wouldn’t have been possible.

“With some of the game’s best players set to attend this year’s tournament, we’ve gone above and beyond to ensure the necessary safety precautions are in place for November. Whilst we won’t be able to welcome spectators this year, we are delighted that Dubai will host the unique and day and night event which will be broadcast globally to 60 countries and 348m households.”

Formerly known as the OMEGA Dubai Ladies Masters, the inaugural tournament was played in 2006, with a strong rollcall of previous winners, including two-time winner, Annika Sorenstam, and four-time champion, Shanshan Feng. Sorenstam won the first two events back to back in 2006 and 2007, while Chinese former world no.1, Feng, dominated from 2014-2016, winning the tournament three times in-a-row.

The newly named and scheduled tournament has been switched from May to November after its first staging in spring 2019, when it achieved global recognition as the world’s first professional day-night tour event.

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By Kent Gray
A few days either side of captivating victories by Daniel Berger and Webb Simpson at the Charles Schwab Challenge and RCB Heritage respectively, Nick Watney and Cameron Champ tested positive for coronavirus. Then, in a blink, Graeme McDowell and Brooks Koepka, like Champ, withdrew from the Travelers Championship in Connecticut after their respective caddies returned positives tests. Simpson and Chase Koepka scratched themselves hours later out of an abundance of caution. Cracks had suddenly appeared in the PGA Tour’s travelling bubble with fears it might burst, leading to another indefinite shutdown.

Trying to navigate his own COVID-19 conundrum at the time – namely how to get back to Dubai after being caught in Australia with the family when travel restrictions were imposed – Simon Corkill watched the drama unfold with a deeper interest than most.

Like the rest of us, the return of top-flight golf, even without spectators, was heartening. Indeed, the golf was exceptional at times, Berger, Simpson and co. showing few signs of ring rust. But as the Executive Tournament Director for Falcon and Associates, the positive tests on the other side of the world must have felt disconcerting close to home for the Englishman.

There is still a way to go before Corkill will assist at the inaugural $1 million Aramco Saudi Ladies International (rescheduled to Oct. 8-11) and oversee Dubai’s own Ladies European Tour stop, the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic from Nov. 4-6. There’s longer still until the European Tour’s OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic returns to the Majlis course in late Jan. All going well, spectators will be allowed at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City and at Emirates Golf Club for both the women’s and men’s events in Dubai. But the first fortnight or so into the PGA Tour’s return showed elite golf and those tasked with delivering it are walking a wobbly health and safety tightrope. Above an equally scary business knife edge.

Fans could be marshalled around the majlis in COVID-friendly zones. (Getty Image)

“Yeah, it’s had its challenges,” Corkill admits. “We’ve spent the last few months looking at contingency plans for all our events, scenario A, B, C and D and even E on everything and it changes daily with the news.

“That stands us in good stead though. We already had emergency plans for all sorts of things but this has refocused everyone’s time. It’s interesting. There are seminars and talks going on at the minute about sports events [in the COVID era] but we’re well ahead of that because we’ve been living and breathing it since February when we were talking about it with the Saudi Ladies event [originally planned for late March].

While sagely planning for every conceivable eventuality (who saw a global pandemic coming?), Corkill insists the outlook for the Middle East events is positive. While the Desert Classic is in a “strong position” with all the event’s sponsors still on board for now, other European Tour events aren’t so fortunate. Corkill won’t be surprised if more fall by the wayside but is hopeful replacements will pop up in their place.

As European Tour chief Keith Pelley has said, the circuit will look radically different going forward, perhaps even with a PGA Tour twist with rumours of a takeover still swirling around the financially troubled European Tour. Only time will tell what the global golf landscape looks like post COVID but the impact, fingers crossed, mightn’t be so noticeable in the Middle East.

“The Desert Classic fits in where it has always been. It’s been one of the long-standing events on the European Tour, 31 years, the heritage is all still there and it will still be one of the best events on the tour,” Corkill said when asked where the Old World tour’s longest-running event outside continental Europe will fit in what is already a new-look European Tour.

“The talk of prize funds being reduced and courtesy cars not happening and different things, unless there are serious restrictions with COVID, that’s not going to happen. We are in very healthy shape as an event. We want to build on the success of the last few years and the event will be as good, if not better, than last year.”

Spaniard Nuria Iturrios is the defending Moonlight Classic champ. (Tristan Jones)

Falcon and Associates will, of course, be guided by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and the Dubai Sports Council at the two upcoming events. The Moonlight Classic will serve as a smaller scale testbed for the seemingly inevitable player and patron testing and social distancing measures set to be in place at Emirates G.C. in January. Corkill has vowed to share learnings from the Moonlight with the team tasked with delivering the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates in December.

The talk of prize funds being reduced and courtesy cars not happening and different things, unless there are serious restrictions with COVID, that’s not going to happen.

“I think there will be a number we will be restricted to have on-site [for the LET Moonlight Classic] but with a golf course, it’s very big, we can work around those restrictions. As you look forward to bigger numbers [at the Desert Classic], yeah there is going to be restrictions but I think they’re going to be manageable. We can be creative with zones and things, how many people go in each area. Yes, there is going to be challenges around 18 [the hospitality chalets and spectator stands] but let’s be positive and think by the end of January, we’re in better shape.

“I think there will be social distancing elements around the golf club but that’s the norm anyway. The golf clubs have been fantastic in how they’ve adapted to this, they’re all geared up for it already, way ahead of a lot of businesses in the way they are dealing with it.”

Corkill insists the bullish attitude is rooted in lashings of real-world reality. He knows the region, as financially robust as it is, isn’t immune to any further global disruption caused by COVID. It’s a matter of being nimble, Corkill says, able to react swiftly and call on plans B, C, or D. Maybe even plan E.

“We’ve got to be prepared if we get something from left field that causes us to change things. If we get a second wave of COVID, then the whole world is going to change but we’ve prepared for everything. We’ve prepared for player safety, patron safety and it will be a fantastic event.

“The restrictions they [European Tour members] would have played in throughout the next six months, they’re driving to venues, and they’ll be staying in these bubbles, I don’t think we’ll be in a position where they’ll have to stay in bubbles. But if we have to create one, go to JA Resorts, we put them in a bubble, they come off flights and they go there, then so be it. But I don’t think we’ll be in that situation.”

The Saudi Ladies International has been rescheduled for October.

Approaching his second Desert Classic in charge, Corkill could never have imagined how his role (Falcon & Associates have also been appointed to assist with the delivery of rugby’s Dubai 7s) has changed so quickly. He’s thrilled with how his team have quickly adapted to the new norm that is online meetings but couldn’t wait to get back to Dubai and back to business, with all the new complexities confronting sports administrators the world over

“Yeah, there’ going to be challenges, there are no two ways about it, we are going to have to look at ways and think about how can we do it all a bit more efficiently,” he said.

“But the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic is going to give us a great launching pad for the Desert Classic. What we really want to do for the Desert Classic is [show] Dubai’s back, it’s 2021, this is Expo year, we’re back, we can run a world-class event with everything that has been thrown at us. I’d like to think everyone who comes to the Desert Classic in 2021 won’t notice anything different apart from improvements.”

Here’s hoping.

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Indeed, there will be more moon – and definitely more floodlighting – at the second edition of the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic this year after feedback from players and fans following last year’s change to a Pro-Am format under lights.

In reality, the pros played as few as five of the 54 holes last May under floodlights on the Faldo and found it difficult transitioning between dusk and full darkness at Emirates Golf Club. There will be no such challenges for the 56 pros at the $285,000 event from November 4-6 – they will play two of the three rounds completely under the Faldo’s LED lights.

“The Moonlight Classic was a new initiative last year which was day-night golf. After last year’s inaugural event, we got feedback from the players, feedback from the sponsors and we felt the night elements were good but there wasn’t enough of it,” said tournament director Simon Corkill.

“We’ve got a great concept, great golf course, the Faldo course under lights, let’s really maximise it and tell that story for Dubai. There aren’t many places you can play championship golf under lights on such a wonderful golf course.”

The shift from May to November and to later tee times – alternating 11.30am and 5.30pm shotgun starts in rounds one and two and the final round fully under lights – won’t be the only noticeable change to the Moonlight Classic.

Corkill and the team from Falcon and Associates want the LET event to be a conduit to golf for non-golfers and are introducing a food market as one way to achieve that remit.

“We looked at the event last year and thought, alright, if we are going to really change to a night event, let’s create a reason for people to come to the golf club as well as for the golf,” Corkill said.

“Providing a location and also an activity for friends, family, couples, everyone, to decide to come to Emirates Golf Club, we need to create an attractive proposition so having a night food market, a music element, having a come and try golf experience, is imperative.”

The challenging closing hole on The Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club.

Corkill also hopes regular golfers will take the chance to watch a game with which they are more familiar, notwithstanding potential social distancing and probable health and safety restrictions likely to be in place during the three-day tournament.

“I think it is great to educate everyone in the game of golf and what is so fantastic about the ladies game is people can relate to it. I mean the guys are bombing it so far, you can’t relate to it. The women’s game is excellent and the women players are very accessible as well.”

Corkill is hopeful of having “the top players” from the LET as part of the “intimate” field come November and is also chasing a handful of LPGA Tour stars, pending any COVID-19 travel challenges.

“We’re trying to get two or three marquee players. One reason for the change to the November date is that it is against the LPGA in Japan which is a limited field so we hope to get two to three players, whether they are the top Europeans who play on the LPGA Tour or Americans, we’re certainly looking to get some key, marquee players to headline the event.”

The 13th edition of Dubai’s annual LET stop enjoyed a grandstand finish last May with Spaniard Nuria Iturrios (pictured below) edging Germans Olivia Cowan and Esther Henesleit by a stroke to become the first nighttime winner.

The post OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic organisers double down on night aspect, add food market to LET stop appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic Tournament director Simon Corkill has confirmed 2019 champion Bryson DeChambeau headlines his most wanted player list for the 32nd edition of the $3.25 million European Tour event, tentatively scheduled for Jan. 28-31.

The 26-year-old Californian captured his sixth PGA Tour win with a brilliant seven-under 65 for a three-stroke victory over Matthew Woolf at the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club overnight.

It continues an extraordinary run for the scientifically reimagined and physically re-engineered Ryder Cupper who is sure to improve from his current position of 10th when the new world rankings are released on Monday (US time). It was DeChambeau’s first victory since his record romp to victory on the Majlis in 2019 and continued his remarkable consistency since the PGA Tour’s return from the coronavirus shutdown; he rattled off  T-3, T-8 and T-6 placings at the Charles Schwab Challenge, the RBC Heritage and Travelers Championship respectively in the lead-up to Detroit and is now up to fourth in the FedEx Cup standings.

DeChambeau’s well documented physical transformation, which has produced increasingly eye-popping distances off the tee and now a win in four straight seasons, has made him the most talked about player in golf. He’s always done things differently and ruffled feathers along his merry way with his mostly open-book methods and once glacial pace of play. And that’s just the ticket for Corkill who is tasked with maintaining the Desert Classic’s own reputation as one of the premier events on what is sure to be a new-look European Tour next year.

Corkill is quietly confident COVID-19 travel restrictions will have eased by Jan. and that DeChambeau’s desire to etch out a reputation as a player who can win around the world will lure the American back to Dubai.

“Bryson is certainly a target for us again. He’s very good for golf,” said Corkill, Executive Tournament Director for Falcon and Associates who also deliver the Dubai Moonlight Classic and Aramco Saudi Ladies International, both LET events.

“He’s obviously been in the headlines a lot the last couple of weeks, obviously playing well. You either love him or hate him but I think he’s fantastic for golf. He’s different, he says what he thinks, he’s a young guy as well so he connects with the younger guys, he talks about a lot of the gaming he plays and that’s the reality for a lot of people. He gets it. I think he’s going to be around for a long time.“

Bryson DeChambeau with the Dallah trophy in 2019.

DeChambeau rewrote the Desert Classic history books with a record score (264,  -24), record final round (64) and record margin (seven strokes over Matt Wallace) en-route to his maiden European Tour win in 2019.

He finished T-8 in defence of the Dallah trophy last year when his physical transformation was taking shape. A dusty closing round of 76 saw him slip down the leaderboard on Sunday but clearly not in Corkill’s estimation.

“The time I spent with him this year, I’ve never seen a player more focused, more dedicated to achieving excellence and good luck to him,” Corkill said.

“Elite sport is decided by the finest margins and if his way is to bulk up, hit the ball much further, get the club speed going up…it’s obviously doing something good for him.

“Even this year he was practicing with a 4½ degree driver at Emirates and constantly coming in saying ‘I’m not quite there, not quite there’ which probably showed in his final round. I think he’s playing a 5 ½ degree driver now and put on another 20 pounds (9kg) …but wow, he’s come out all guns blazing. The proof is in the pudding. He’ll obviously be in contention in the majors this year.”

Corkill remains hopeful of another stellar cast for the Desert Classic despite the rapidly evolving, albeit currently geographically constrained, shape of professional golf.

“We had a fantastic field last year and we still plan to bring in international players as well as the great European Tour players. “It’s definitely still the goal [attracting marquee players],” Corkill said.

“The commitment stage has been pushed back because a lot of the meetings usually happen at the [cancelled] Open Championship. Those are obviously not going to happen now but a lot of managers are saying let’s just get past the PGA Tour end of season, past the FedEx Cup. But everyone is engaged, they want to come. The field will be very strong. It’s just locking people down.

“We’ve got some locked down which we obviously haven’t announced yet but we’ve got at least seven or eight great players that are locked in and if we said right, there’s no one else who is going to play, so be it. We’d still have a good field, not as strong as we obviously want, but if we had to not commit to other players going forward, we’d still have a fantastic field.

“There’s some young players in there that are going to be in the top 10 in the world within a couple of years to be honest.”

Australian Lucas Herbert is the defending OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic champion.

The post Brilliant Bryson top target for OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The 26-year-old American headlines seven big names unveiled today for the 31st edition of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic from the Jan. 23-26. Also confirmed for the oldest European Tour stop outside mainland Europe are resurgent former world No.1 Lee Westwood, fellow Ryder Cuppers Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Rafa Cabrera Bello, as well as Matt Wallace, already a four-time European Tour winner and last year’s runner-up. 

But it is DeChambeau who is again sure to generate the most interest leading up to the Desert Swing event on The Majlis course. The ‘Golf Scientist’ won the prized Dallah with a record 24-under-par (264) total, low final round (64) and record winning margin – seven shots over Wallace who was the best of the blown away rest – last January. It was the culmination of an extraordinary run after DeChambeau won four of his five PGA Tour titles in a five-month spell to earn a Ryder Cup debut in Paris last September courtesy of a captain’s pick from Jim Furyk. He finished a creditable 12th place in the just-completed 2018-19 FedEx Cup standings with one win, in his first event of the wraparound 2019 season, the Shriners Hospital for Children Open, confusingly in Nov. 2018.

RELATED: Records tumble as DeChambeau blitzes Desert Classic field for fourth win in eight starts

But it hasn’t all been hits and giggles for DeChambeau since his maiden European Tour win in January as he’s become an unwitting poster boy for slow play. There were even hints of what was to come at Emirates G.C. last January. Check it out in this ditty between the Californian and his caddie Tim Tucker following his Sunday 64:

An insight into @B_DeChambeau’s process ? pic.twitter.com/WfTyzstkDu

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) January 27, 2019

Things came to a head at the first FedEx Cup playoff in August when DeChambeau was caught on camera taking an inordinate amount of time going through his complicated pre-shot science at the Northern Trust at Liberty National, including three minutes to play a 70 yard pitch shot and more than two minutes pondering an eight foot putt. It earned the game’s almost collective ire, spearheaded by world No.1 and pace-of-play crusader Brooks Koepka.

DeChambeau initially reacted to the global criticism with defiance but it seems peer pressure finally came to bare after an impromptu meeting with Koepka the following week. DeChambeau vowed to speed up but it seems he still has a way to go, ensuring his every move, indeed almost every shot, is now under a microscope. It will be no different on his return to the “Major of the Middle East”. 

Still, the world No.11 is nothing if not different in the often vanilla world of professional golf and most definitely refreshing in the media room.

RELATED: DeChambeau on influencing the next-gen like Tiger: “This is actually not a joke. This is legitimate science”

DeChambeau can’t wait to return either as he looks to build his international brand.

“I really enjoyed my time in Dubai and to cap the week with my first international win was amazing,” he said in a statement. “I have always spoken about how important it is for me to be regarded as a successful international player and to win around the world. The Omega Dubai Desert Classic was a great start and it will be an honour to return to this beautiful city and defend my title.”

Simon Corkill, the Desert Classic’s new Executive Tournament Director, is just as excited.

“We have been fortunate enough to welcome the biggest names in golf to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic for the past three decades and this year’s field promises to be no different,” Corkill said.

“Bryson’s victory earlier this year was as impressive as any we have seen here and to be able to announce his return alongside that of six such stalwarts of European golf, is further proof of the event’s international appeal. Couple this with our new and improved hospitality offering for 2020 and this promises to be another fantastic event for players and fans alike.”

The inaugural Omega Dubai Desert Classic was played in 1989 and won by England’s Mark James. Since then, the roll of honour has boasted some of the biggest names in golf over the past 30 years, including Seve Ballesteros, Fred Couples, Ernie Els, Rory McIlroy, Colin Montgomerie and Tiger Woods.

Explore more news and info at the official Omega Dubai Desert Classic website here

For hospitality package info, click here

The post Defender DeChambeau headlines six Ryder Cuppers confirmed for 31st Desert Classic appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.