Cream of golf tee off for Desert
Classic
Dubai-based Dane Thomas Bjorn will be hoping to make Dubai Desert
Classic history when he returns from injury to take on some of
Europe's best golfers in the £1 million ($1.45m) PGA Tour event
which tees off today at the Emirates Golf Club's recently revamped
Majlis Course.
The 31-year-old Dane upset the odds last year when he beat the world
No 1 Tiger Woods in a protracted battle of attrition and will be
hoping to become the first man in the tournament's 13-year history
to successfully defend his title.
Bjorn is one of the nicest sportsmen you could ever meet, however,
the niceties will be dispensed with this morning when he tees off in
pursuit of the handsome winner's purse of £166,660.
Golf has proved to be no respecter of reputations so far and it will
be anything but easy for Bjorn who has not played on the European
Tour this year thanks to the recurrence of a shoulder injury.
However, local golf enthusiasts would still like to consider the
Dane, who calls Dubai his winter home, as a warm favourite to regain
the title.
The 150-strong field includes 50 players from the Top 100, among
them the new world number three Ernie Els, from South Africa, seven
times European number one Colin Montgomerie from Scotland, Ireland's
Padraig Harrington who finished third behind Bjorn and Tiger last
year, and former British Open champion Mark O'Meara from America.
Harrington, the second highest ranked player in the tournament at No
11, is joined by five members from Europe's Belfry-bound Ryder Cup
team, including former Dubai Desert Classic Champion Montgomerie,
Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke (15), Sweden's Niclas Fasth (39)
and Pierre Fulke (51) and Philip Price.
The tournament has attracted eight previous winners, including
Ireland's Eamon Darcy (1990) and Spanish great Seve Ballesteros
(92), and dual Major winner Nick Faldo who has not played the
Emirates since 1993.
Els, who beat Tiger Woods by two shots at Miami on Sunday, is
clearly the man in form.
The big South African has fond memories of the Emirates, having set
a course and European Tour record when returning a 61 en route to
winning in 1994.
That effort is perhaps the one defining moment of the tournament, if
not the European Tour, and must supplement his confidence as he bids
to maintain his winning momentum for the year.
Commenting on his chances he said: "The course looks in great shape,
a little different perhaps. But the greens are running beautifully
and there should be good scoring if you are playing decent.
"I'm very comfortable with my game at the moment which is good going
into a tough tournament like this. It's very tough to say what it
will take to win but I think if you shoot four rounds under 70
you'll be very close."
Bjorn believes that the longer holes hold the key to the course.
"At the Emirates you have to take advantage of the par 5s, that's
your best chance at keeping your score down. But the wind is also a
factor. A lot depends on how it blows on a particular day and how
you can cope with it."
What are his chances of a repeat win? "Tough. I'll just go in there
and try and concentrate on my golf and play as good as I can and see
if it's good enough," he says.
Whichever way you look at it the next four days are sure to serve up
a golfing feast.
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