By Joel Beall
Although the build-up to the Masters has golf’s full attention, there’s still an entire season to be played after the green jacket is awarded. A sentiment instilled on Monday when Tiger Woods announced he’s committed to play in The National, a tournament that benefits his foundation, this summer.

“I am really looking forward to being back in the D.C. area this summer playing in The National,” Woods said in a statement on his website. “As a two-time champion of this event benefiting my foundation, The National has always been a special event for me.”

Formerly the AT&T and Quicken Loans National, Woods hasn’t competed in the event since 2015. This year’s tournament will be hosted at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm.

The announcement comes as the National faces an uncertain future. This year’s event is without sponsor after Quicken Loans did not renew its support, and without financial backing there’s a chance the tournament is eliminated when the revamped 2019 PGA Tour schedule is released.

Woods will make his next start at Augusta National. In his final Masters tune-up, the 42-year-old Woods posted a T-5 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

The post Tiger Woods adds first summer event to his 2018 schedule appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Little arm-twisting is required when a stay and play invitation pops into my inbox.

Fancy some golf and a night or two at the Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa? That’s the hotel on the doorstep of Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the luxurious sanctuary for golf’s best early season field each January and the course they market as the ‘The Home of Champions’, right? Okay, let me think ab…Yes please!

Why not take a detour to our sister property Saadiyat Beach Golf Club on the way down from Dubai and play their annual Gourmet Golf day. You already had me at ‘stay and play’ if I’m honest but that sounds mouthwatering. Count me in.

Just one thing, there seems to be something amiss here with this otherwise tempting itinerary. I can find no mention of golf on The National course where Tommy Fleetwood won the 12th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship a few weeks back. I’m not so sure I want to emulate Tommy’s mullet and I’m absolutely certain I can’t play golf like the Englishman. But I’d love the chance to try on the Peter Harradine-designed course. Any chance?

A whiz-boing of emails confirmed my disappointment. I’m down to play Abu Dhabi GC’s nine-holer, secretly referred to as the Garden Course but officially known as ‘Holes 19-27’.

I feel so close and yet so far from the European Tour course when I eventually arrive at the Westin to meet the already checked-in family after being well and truly fed and watered during a grand afternoon at Saadiyat Beach GC. Eighteen holes on a European Tour venue or half as many on a course with no real name. Ah well, beggars can’t be choosers I suppose.

Fast-forward to the following evening after a relaxing day by the pool and its time to get this half round of golf out of the way. Out of the way…how wrong I was.

The floodlight ‘19-27’ course which is a hidden gem beyond the driving range.
(Main Image) The 25th hole on Abu Dhabi GC’s nine holer can play anywhere from 165 to 88 yards.

Holes 19-27 (seriously?) is a not so little gem. From the black tee tips it measures 3341 yards and is home to some truly memorable holes – the picturesque, slightly downhill par 3 21st hole (the 3rd to the rest of us), the par 4 23rd hole which doglegs left around a lake and the island-style green on the tiny par 3 25th the best among them.

I could easily have looped the course over and over but a cold wee caddy and a dinner date on The Terrace back at Abu Dhabi Golf Club (tasty fare and even better service) mean we’ll definitely come back another time.

For a golf addict, nothing can beat 18-holes on a course that regularly hosts the European Tour’s best. But our stay at the Westin was a timely reminder that precious family time needn’t be golf free time. A fractured left pinky finger precluded the little one from playing but with forward tees offering nine holes from just 2530 yards, this is an ideal course for families with golf rookies or for nine more after your Fleetwood impersonation act. Mullet optional. We’ll definitely hit the range next time too – Mum and Dad were super impressed with the well-organised Future Falcons junior coaching we spied from our hotel balcony while sipping coffee the following morning, and junior more than a little intrigued.

Fairways offers international dining

With six dining outlets including ‘Fairways’, the resort’s all-day restaurant with live international food stations, and golf for all levels, the Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa is proof you don’t have to travel far for a great stay and play.

For more info, visit westinabudhabigolfresort.com

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The 32-year-old put in the most significant shift on moving day at the Desert Swing opener, a sizzling 64 helping the American drawcard soar 36 places into a five-way share of second, just a shot adrift of Englishman Tyrrell Hatton.

Hatton is at -13 heading into Sunday with Johnson joined on -12 by three-time champion Martin Kaymer (72), 2014 winner Pablo Larrazabal (69), Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat (70) and Englishman Tommy Fleetwood (70).

With another five players at -11, Open champion Henrik Stenson lurking alongside the likes of serial winners Lee Westwood and Alex Noren just three back on -10 and a total of 34 players within five shots of Hatton, an epic final round shootout for the famed Falcon Trophy beckons.

Johnson rattled off six birdies in his best-of-the-day and equal best-of-the-week eight-under loop Saturday. But for the third successive round there wasn’t a single birdie on any of The National’s four par 5s. Do not adjust your spectacles. That’s not a misprint.

The Ryder Cupper did chip in for an eagle three on the par 5 8th but 11 other birdie-less attempts on The National’s longest holes is like something out of the Twilight Zone (the destination normally reserved for his tee shots). Just for clarification, this is the same DJ who ranked second in driving distance on the PGA Tour last year with a 313.6 yard average and who was a combined 123 under on par 5s in 87 rounds.

“It’s been a while,” Johnson offered when asked the last time he failed a four on a par 5 through 54 holes.

“But you know, I feel like I’ve given myself some good looks. Hit the flag on two with a wedge shot. Was heading really close to the hole but hit the pin. I’ve had a lot of good looks. Just haven’t really holed anything on the par 5s.”

The world No.3 has suffered from jetlag since arriving from the U.S. and was so out of kilter he even turned up for his second round 25 minutes early Friday. He slept well on an eventual second round 68 and took advantage of an early tee time Saturday before the wind got up.

“Yeah, finally. I got a good night’s sleep. I even got up and went to the gym this morning before I teed off,” said Johnson who will tee off in the final group with Hatton and Larrazabal Sunday.

“Definitely by far the best day I’ve been feeling out on the golf course. You know, just felt the swing, my body, was moving a lot better. I swung it a lot better, especially with the driver.

“Hit a lot of greens. I had to get one up-and-down I think on No. 11. That was maybe the only green I missed all day. So yeah, I mean, I just hit the ball well today.”

Asked afterwards where he thought he’d be positioned heading into the final round, Johnson said: “I have no idea. Three, four, five back?”

He’s just a shot shy as it transpires and brings the biggest gun to what shapes as a stereotypical back-nine shootout Sunday. The prospect is compelling and his lack of success on the par 5s thus will probably concern his rivals more than Johnson himself. Surely he can’t go four rounds without gorging himself on the all eminently birdie-able par 5s?

“I started eight shots behind, so I know I’ve got to post a really good score today [Saturday] and I’m going to have to shoot another really good score tomorrow [Sunday] if I want any chance to win this tournament.

“But the golf course is in perfect shape. Greens are perfect. As long as you hit quality golf shots, you can make some birdies.” The field can’t say they haven’t been warned.

Main image: Farooq Salik

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A topsy-turvy even par 72 kept the 36-hole leader on -12 through 54-holes of the 12th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship but saw the 32-year-old drop a spot into a five-way share of second heading into the final round.

The world No.53 was regarded as one of the coolest closers in golf until he infamously let a 10-stroke lead slip with just 13 holes of the 2015 championship to play, handing the Falcon to Frenchman Gary Stal.

As such, the two-time major champion doesn’t mind starting Sunday a shot adrift of English pace-setter Tyrrell Hatton who carded a 68 Saturday to lead at -13.

“I just really enjoy the challenge tomorrow,” Kaymer said.

“I’m not having a lot of pressure of winning the golf tournament. Always when you lead a golf tournament by three or four shots, you kind of expect yourself to win, and I don’t really have that pressure tomorrow. I know I’ve done very well here in the past, so I can play very free and very aggressive tomorrow.”

But surely The National owes you one after 2015?

“It doesn’t really owe me one. It was my own fault. I didn’t really get unlucky. It was just poor golf shots at the wrong time. It was in the past. Let’s keep it that way.”

Kaymer mixed three birdies with as many bogeys on Saturday as the wind whipped up.

“I missed a few fairways today and then it’s difficult to create birdie chances. And then I had a couple of poor shots on 10 and 11. Made a couple bogeys there,” he said.

“The wind was strong from the first tee to maybe 13 or 14, and then it was quite tricky to hit the fairways, because the holes, even when it was downwind, you have to cut so much off of the fairway. Almost the holes become doglegs. I found it very difficult today to hit fairways and therefore, didn’t shoot the best score.

“I fought back well with another birdie, and then the putts didn’t drop in the end. So overall, still a decent round. I think I’m in very good position for tomorrow.”

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The sweet-swinging Spaniard is banging on the door again after a topsy-turvy 67 in the opening round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to be just three shots off early pacesetter Henrik Stenson.

Cabrera Bello has become the European Tour’s nearly-man since claiming the second of his two European Tour titles at the 2012 Desert Classic.

The 32-year-old world No.28 came into Abu Dhabi on the back of a runner-up to unheralded Australian Sam Brazel at the Hong Kong Open after racking up five top 5 finishes last season including back-to-back bridesmaid efforts at the Qatar Masters and Desert Classic. In the three seasons prior to that he had 14 top 10s.

Aren’t all the near misses driving you crazy?

“I think it’s one of those things, you just have to think sometimes many great players, much better players than myself, have gone on longer non-winning streaks.,” said Cabrera Bello who contributed an unbeaten 2½ points in his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine after earlier finishing fifth at the Rio Olympics.

“I know I finished second or third many times but not all of them felt like losses. They felt like good comebacks to finish second or third. I feel like I’m close, but we will know soon.”

Cabrera Bello started with a roar Thursday with three birdies in his first four holes. There were four more but the man from Gran Canaria let solo second place slip from his grasp with a double bogey six on the 13^th.

“Sloppy swing. Pulled my tee shot and ended up in a bad place. I had to take a drop and just missed a short one. It was just a lot of…all of the mistakes in the round were on that particular hole. I don’t know, it’s just golf,” he said.
There’s still a lot of golf to be played in Abu Dhabi but Cabrera Bello, in a four-way share of sixth overnight alongside Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton and Julien Quesne, believes good things will follow what seems an inevitable victory.

“I really hope so, yes,’ he said when asked if he believed the floodgates could open. “I want to think that way. I want to think that the fourth one won’t make me wait so long for it.”

The post Rafa’s ready already appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

A new entry and a new no.2 are the big stories in our fourth biennial ranking of the best courses in the Middle East on a list of the highest quality
By Robbie Greenfield

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he Middle East has always been a golf destination that punches well above its weight. When top European Tour players speak in glowing terms about the courses and the facilities here, they’re not just trotting out some well-worn line. They really, really mean it, and our exclusive images for this new Top 10 ranking will illustrate precisely why.

Using the tried and trusted Golf Digest methodology, we have ranked the best courses here with the combined insight of 28 expert panelists, but that doesn’t mean you’re supposed to agree with us. This is a celebration of golf courses that as a collective whole must undoubtedly rank among the finest concentrations in the world.

Below you will find the new top 10 list, along with a personal take on each course from a different member of our expert panel.

Related: Top 10 Golf Courses in the Middle East 2018
Meet the panel and how they ranked the courses
Check out the best in the Middle East
Readers’ Choice: Your favourites revealed
The UAE’s hardest golf holes

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1) Yas Links Golf Club
2013 Ranking: 1  •  Design: Kyle Phillips (2010)
Abu Dhabi, UAE  •  Par 72  •  Yards 7,414  •  Total Score 64.80

By Jake Shepherd (Tour Professional)
The main attraction of Yas Links is how naturally beautiful it looks. I know they moved a lot of earth in construction, but Yas looks likes a piece of land that could have been there for hundreds of years. It has got an authenticity to it that hits you from the moment you drive through the gates, and it has maintained that almost quaint feel that you find with some of the classic British and Irish links courses. For individual shot value, it just has so many memorable shots. The par 3 17th is hands down my favourite hole in the UAE, closely followed by 16. Yas is a bucket list course, probably the only one in the UAE that could be considered a true trophy course. It reminds me of Whistling Straits, and for me, is every bit as good.
Jake Shepherd won the inaugural MENA Golf Tour Order of Merit in 2011

2) Almouj Golf
2013 Ranking: 4  •  Design: Greg Norman (2012)
Muscat, Oman  •  Par 72  •  Yards 7,300  •  Total Score 64.27

By Robbie Greenfield (Editor, Golf Digest Middle East)
Almouj Golf was a new entry at No.4 in our 2013 ranking and this time around it ascends two places, only narrowly missing out on the top spot. Those who haven’t played it could be forgiven for being sceptical, while those who have are in almost unanimous agreement: this is an absolute belter of a golf course. There are no gentle crescendos on this Greg Norman design. The location is spectacular, but the great thing about Almouj Golf is it would be fantastic even without the coastal setting, too. The sea enhances this rugged modern links, but it’s not its defining feature.
Robbie Greenfield has been covering golf in the Middle East since 2005

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3) The Majlis, Emirates Golf Club
2013 Ranking: 2  •  Design: Karl Litten (1988)
Dubai, UAE  •  Par 72  •  Yards 7,301  •  Total Score 64.03

By Matt Turner (Tour Professional)
I was a junior member at Emirates Golf Club growing up, and when I look back now I realise how spoilt I was to call the Majlis my home course. Layout-wise, it’s got to be the best in the region for me. Even if you play the course once or twice, you don’t really forget any of the holes. Nothing is the same, visually, all the par 3s are outstanding. The par 4 eighth hole for me (pictured) is one of those iconic landmarks in global golf. As far as golf courses in the UAE goes, it’s the only one that holds that kind of truly iconic appeal for me.
Matt Turner is the first (and to date, only) locally-based amateur to make the cut in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic

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4) Earth, Jumeirah Golf Estates
2013 Ranking: 3  •  Design: Greg Norman (2009)
Dubai, UAE  •  Par 72  •  Yards 7,675  •  Total Score 62.81

By Scott Sullivan (General Manager, ProGolf International)
Personally, I think Earth is the best manicured course in the Middle East, certainly all-year round and the week of the DP World Tour Championship it’s just perfect, which is a huge plus for me. What I like about the layout is there’s a lot of vegetation – it feels like a mature golf course. It’s totally different to anything else in the Middle East. Visually, Earth is stunning, and a little intimidating in places as well. Although the central fairway bunkers look imposing, a lot of them aren’t really in play. I like that because it makes you think twice, you’re not just standing up and trying to bomb it down an open fairway.
Scott Sullivan is the current Arabian Ranches club champion

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5) Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club
2013 Ranking: 7  •  Design: Thomas Bjørn Redesign (1993)
Dubai, UAE  •  Par 71  •  Yards 6,967  •  Total Score 62.31

By Trevor Marshall (Tour Professional)
What I love about The Creek is the fact it’s a bit more of an old-style golf course, it’s not a ‘bash driver’ type of golf course. You’ve got to use anything from a rescue to a driver off the tee, but that being said there is a lot of risk and reward out there if you are willing to challenge it. Obviously, the Creek’s finish gets talked about a lot, it’s both spectacular and demanding. In tournaments you’re invariably playing it into the wind and on 18 in particular, there’s just no margin for error. On most holes you can get away with one poor shot. You can’t afford to hit one here.
Trevor Marshall is a three-time runner-up on the MENA Golf Tour

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6) The National, Abu Dhabi Golf Club
2013 Ranking: 5  •  Design: Peter Harradine (2000)
Abu Dhabi, UAE  •  Par 72  •  Yards 7,334  •  Total Score 62.15

By Steven Munro (PGA Professional)
For me, the National is probably now the best-conditioned course in the UAE. Having caddied at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship last year for Tianlang Guan, it goes without saying that during that week the course is impeccable, but what impresses me is the quality of its conditioning all year round. The agronomy team have a little-and-often approach to course maintenance, which I think is proven to work very well. In terms of the course, I think it’s a fantastic layout and there are some very challenging stretches. But in general play, the National isn’t overly penal for amateurs. There are no surprises out there, you see everything in front of you on the golf course – I think that’s a big reason why the tour players love it.
Steven Munro captained the professional team in the 2014 Dubai Golf Trophy

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7) The Els Club
2013 Ranking: 9  •  Design: Ernie Els (2008)
Dubai, UAE  •  Par 72  •  Yards 7,538  •  Total Score 61.79

By Clarke Lutton (Tour Professional)
The Els Club is appealing to a wide range of players because it’s got a lot of variety. Its condition is always fantastic, truly incredible. You’ve got to hit good shots, especially on the greens, because if you don’t putt well you’re going to struggle a lot of the time. It’s very much a second shot golf course for the pros. It’s very generous off the tee, but if you don’t hit the right approach shots into the greens you can find yourself in a lot of trouble. You can short-side yourself so easily around this course. The configuration of the swales and basins makes chipping tricky because every green is raised.
Clarke Lutton won the 2015 MENA Golf Tour’s Citizen Classic at The Els Club

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8) Saadiyat Beach Golf Club
2013 Ranking: 8  •  Design: Gary Player (2010)
Abu Dhabi, UAE  •  Par 72  •  Yards 7,806  •  Total Score 60.48

By Callum Nicoll (PGA Professional)
Saadiyat Beach Golf Club is visually very beautiful. Everything is right in front of you. You can see all your landing areas from the tees and the fairways. The shaping at Saadiyat is what makes it eye-catching and the wispy grass in the native areas has really matured over the last few years. From the tee, everything comes towards you, with all the hazards and features accentuated. This makes Saadiyat a very straightforward golf course. It also unquestionably has some of the best looking holes in the Middle East. The two par 4s that play towards the sea, five and 16, are hard to beat in terms of panoramas, while the two par 3s on the beach, six and 17, are really pretty as well.
Callum Nicoll is a multiple UAE PGA Order of Merit champion

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9) Doha Golf Club
2013 Ranking: 6  •  Design: Peter Harradine (1998)
Doha, Qatar •  Par 72  •  Yards 7,374  •  Total Score 60.40

By Robbie Greenfield (Editor, Golf Digest Middle East)
One of the first rounds of golf I ever played in the Middle East was on the championship course at Doha Golf Club. Coming from southeast England, the land of short, tree-lined Harry Colt layouts, I found the test on this host venue for the Qatar Masters to be somewhat challenging, to say the least. For a start, this is a long, long golf course. It’s the kind where you reach what you think is your best drive of the day and then find yourself squinting into the distance in an effort to make out the flagstick. It’s also exposed, and windy. If you don’t have your pro ball flight dialled in (I didn’t) then you’re liable to visit many interesting spots. The designer, Peter Harradine, cites Doha as the best site he’s ever had to work on in the Middle East. That’s due to natural rock formations that Harradine fought to keep as an integral feature of the course. Needless to say, he was right.
Robbie Greenfield has been covering golf in the Middle East since 2005

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10) Al Zorah Golf Club
2013 Ranking: New Entry  •  Design: Jack Nicklaus (2015)
Ajman, UAE  •  Par 72  •  Yards 7,169  •  Total Score 58.44

By Shaun McGuckian (Golf Writer & Editor)
The childlike sensory overload that comes with new ’toys’ hits you as soon as you roll out across the wooden gangway to Ajman’s newly-opened Al Zorah Golf Club. Its mangrove and tidal setting immediately feels exotic and different to other courses in the UAE and, despite its infancy, it already plays like some of the finer parts of Yas Links and The Els Club. The par threes are superb. Real thinkers. If you can get through those with minimal damage done, then there are plenty of birdie chances to be had, but you have to earn them as this course can quickly punish casual shots. Normally, we only play with shiny, new things until something else catches our attention. I don’t think that’s going to be the case with Al Zorah.
Shaun McGuckian is a former Editor of GolfPunk magazine

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MEET THE PANEL  •  READERS’ CHOICE  •  THE BEST IN THE MIDDLE EAST
•  THE UAE’S HARDEST GOLF HOLES

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