DP World Tour : Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic Thursday Tee Times
Thomas Peiters didn't have far to carry his trophy from Abu Dhabi along the Persian Gulf to Dubai , 140 kilometers or about 1hr 30min to be exact. That's how far the field has moved for this week's Dubai Desert Classic
On the other hand, Miguel Jimenez with his Mitsubishi Electric trophy has just flown the 22 hours from Honolulu to Dubai, with enough cash for one of those Emirates 1st class flights with your own bed and breakfast.
The Slync.Io Dubai Desert Classic, which is the oldest DP World Tour tournament in the Middle East and the longest-running outside of Europe, returns this week to Emirates Golf Club for its 33rd edition - and first as a Rolex Series event.
First played in 1989, the tournament has been hosted at Emirates Golf Club on all but two occasions (Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club in 1999 and 2000). It is the third event on the 2022 schedule and is the second of five Rolex Series events set to be played this year, following Thomas Pieters’ first Rolex Series triumph in Abu Dhabi last week.
The tournament has been won by some of golf’s greatest names, including Major Champions Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Danny Willett – who are all in the field this week – Seve Ballesteros, Ernie Els, Fred Couples, José Maria Olazábal, Mark O’Meara, Tiger Woods, and Bryson DeChambeau.
Paul Casey returns this week to defend the title he won by four shots last year, which saw him earn a milestone 15th European Tour title.
The Englishman already boasted an excellent record in the United Arab Emirates with victories in Abu Dhabi in 2007 and 2009, and was emotional after joining the prestigious list of former champions following his desert hat-trick at Emirates Golf Club.
This may be the 31st time that this particular tournament has been played at Emirates Golf Club, but a new challenge awaits on the greens of the Majlis course in 2022.
All 18 greens have been recreated following the 2021 event, which have seen a substantial increases in size that is more like their original composition. On average, it equates to roughly a 33 percent increase, with the biggest of those at the first, and the result is a variety of new options for pin positions.
A star-studded field of Rolex Series Champions heads to Emirates Golf Club this week for the second Rolex Series of the year, including current DP World Tour Number One Collin Morikawa, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry and Lee Westwood.
An in-form Rory McIlroy is one of several former champions who are heading to Dubai this week following a strong performance in Abu Dhabi. The two-time champion, who is making his first start in this event since a runner-up finish in 2018, hasn’t finished outside of the top ten here since his victory in 2009. He finished in a tie for 12th last week.
Another player in form is 2012 champion Rafa Cabrera Bello. The man who also finished as the runner-up in this event in 2016 hasn’t had as much success in recent years, but he’ll be hoping to bring momentum over from Abu Dhabi after ending the week in a tie for second place.
Meanwhile, Thomas Pieters comes fresh from his second victory in his last three starts on the DP World Tour, aiming to do the double in the UAE. He’s joined by new World Number Five Viktor Hovland, who has also claimed two victories in his last four starts, and heads to Dubai after a fourth place finish in Abu Dhabi.
Bryan Angus
(europeantour.com)
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