The Woods and Els show rolls in to Dubai
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2007 Dubai Desert Classic | Preview | 31 Jan 2007
The final leg of a three week Middle East swing hits Dubai this week for the Dubai Classic at the Emirates Golf Club, a pending clash between the World number one and four golfers, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els, the talking point.
Woods arrives from a brilliant first up victory at the Buick Invitational while Els has been first and third in his last two starts, the last of which was at the Qatar Masters.
Both players have won the event previously, Els on three occasions and Woods just once, twelve months ago when he defeated none other than Els in a playoff. It is shaping as a great clash although as is so often the case there are many others who could spoil the script.
The Emirates Golf Club is a Karl Litten designed layout and has been part of golf in the Desert since it was opened in 1988. A year later the first staging of the event was held when Mark James became the tournament’s first winner.
Henrik Stenson has been close in each of his last two starts in Abu Dhabi and Qatar and did play well last year when 7th. A win in this event could see the Swede get close to the top ten of the game.
Paul Casey surprisingly missed the cut last week in Qatar after winning in Abu Dhabi. He is such a good player that he could produce a form reversal for the second week in succession, this time however in his favour.
Sergio Garcia finally got it going in the final round last week in Qatar and he has played well enough in both Abu Dhabi and Qatar to suggest he might go even better this week.
Richard Green finished fourth last week in Qatar and has won this event previously. He should have won twelve months ago but a bogey at the last hole when leading saw him gazumped by both Woods and Els. Still his third place was another good finish at the Emirates golf Club, a venue that no doubt means a lot to him having won his first and only European Tour event there in 1997.
Stuart Appleby finally found his ’Desert feet’ when he rushed home with a final round 66 to finish 4th in last week’s Qatar Masters. He gets another chance this week for one of his rare wins outside of the USA.
Miguel Angle Jimenez and Robert Karlsson are others who play well in the Desert and who have played well enough of late.
Other Australians in the field are Greg Norman who will no doubt be incorporating this tournament into his many golf course design duties in the region, the improving Peter O’Malley, Marcus Fraser and Brett Rumford.
