BlogDubai Classic Preview and Picks

The Buzz:

This event has always been one of the richest on the European Tour ever since it was first played in 1989.  Dubai is know for it’s wealth, it’s sky line is something out of a futuristic science fiction movie and you can buy just about anything know to humans, with the exception of alcohol which is scarce because of religious beliefs.  Over the course of the last 28 years, this event has taken a bite on whatever west coast event is played on the PGA Tour, those that run Dubai would pay top dollar for the best players in the world.  But there is change in the air, Abu Dhabi is doing a better job of getting better fields.  Yes Tiger Woods is here, but he is no longer the force he used to be The field is still good with 12 top-50 players but Phoenix has a far better field.  Yes it could of helped having Rory McIlroy, who was planning on playing before he got hurt. Another problem that this event has is the purse is low so a lot of top European players like Branden Grace, Ernie Els and Charl Schwartzel are taking a pass on playing.

Another sad thing, this event is not getting many American players to venture over.  Yes Tiger is playing but you know he is making more than the winner gets.  So with Qatar and Dubai losing it’s luster, the European Tour has to do something to change the downward slide. In the future it looks like the European Tour is going to get involved with the Australian Tour, hopefully adding the Australian Open one day. Guess we can call all of this evolution.

• Course Information 
• Played at the Emirates Golf Club
• Doha, Qatar – Par:  72 / Yardage: 7,316
• Emirates Golf Club, not only hosts the Omega Dubai Desert Classic but also the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters in December.  It was the first all grass championship golf course in the Middle East when it opened in 1988. The club is part of a 54 hole facility with the Faldo Course and the Creek course, which held this tournament in 1999 and 2000.
• The Emirates course was designed by Florida architect Karl Litten and lie amongst a plethora of sand dunes, on a site originally donated by Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum, on whose instructions was that the desert flora was maintained in its natural state. Within a year of opening, the newly christened Majlis hosted the inaugural Dubai Desert Classic in February 1989.  The sprinklers on the Majlis course keep the Bermuda grass growing, alongside the indigenous desert flora, giving a picturesque contrast. The lush fairways and large greens provide a formidable test of golf, guaranteeing a magnificent finish on the 18th hole, a long dog-leg, which has seen as many inspirational finishes as watery disasters in its 19 year history.  Other course highlights include the par three 7th and the gruelling par four 8th.
• There are 5 lakes dotted around the course with water coming into play on seven holes.  There are only 41 bunkers on the course but something a bit unique, five greens with no bunkers guarding them.  There isn’t that much rough but if you hit it off the fairway you could find yourself in desert scrub which is sometimes harder to hit out of than rough.  The course is always in great shape and in a way follow the same creed as Augusta National in which the staff works hard to maintain this course in a manner that many feel it’s always the best manicured course on the European Tour.
• Just like last week the key to playing the course is to have windless conditions.  If by chance the area is hit by the Shamal winds it makes the course very tough, but this event has never suffered any weather problems like Qatar has experienced.  In looking at the weather forecast, there is zero percent chance of rain with temperatures in the mid 70s, but it’s going to be very windy on Thursday and Friday which will create a challenge for most of the players

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic:

Key stat for the winner:

What is the key stat that helps players win in Dubai?  Seems that hitting lot’s of greens is very important.  Of the last eight winners going back to 2009 all of them were in the top-19 with Rafael Cabrera-Bello leading that stat in 2012 while Stephen Gallacher was 12th in both his wins in 2013 and 2014.  In 2015 Rory McIlroy hit 60 of 72 greens and ranked T-5th so it’s important that the winner hits lot’s of greens.  Last year Danny Willett was the worst of the pack, hitting 56 of 72 greens to rank T-19th.

Here are some more key stats to look to for this week:

• The Dubal Desert Classic has been known as a tournament that produces low scores as the winner has had an average score of 16 under par.  In 2015 Rory McIlroy was 22 under while last year Danny Willett was 19 under.  Again watch the winds, that has a lot to do with the scoring.
• You can’t call this course a long hitters paradise.  Yes Alvaro Quiros won in 2011 averaging the best of those in the field and the same with Rory McIlroy in 2015 but the other winners have been in the middle in hitting it long.  Also hitting fairways is not very important and only one winner in the last seven years has been in the top-25 of this stat.  In 2015 Rory hit only 25 fairways and ranked T-65th while last year’s champion Danny Willett ranked 10th in driving distance and he hit 31 fairways which ranked T-38th.
• Mastering the par 5s is the key, 2015 winner Rory McIlroy may of only been 10 under while in 2009 McIlory played them in 12 under.  Last year Danny Willett was 12 under on the par 5s.
• The only way that a winner goes over par in any single round is because of the wind.  Henrik Stenson in 2007 was the last player to shot all four rounds in the 60s but only 3 champions (Alvaro Quiros 73, 1st rd in 2011, Tiger Woods 73, 3rd rd in 2008 and Jose Coceres 73, 4th round in 2000) have had a single round over par and that was on a day of high winds.