Tournament: Hero Dubai Desert Classic
Race to Dubai: Tournament 6 of 42
International Swing: Tournament 2 of 8
Venue: Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Prize Fund: US$9,000,000
ASAP Transcript Link: Click here
Hashtag: #HeroDubaiDesertClassic #RolexSeries
Tournament preview
Tommy Fleetwood is more determined than ever to put himself on the Hero Dubai Desert Classic roll of honour as he prepares to compete for the Dallah Trophy for the 14th consecutive season.
The Englishman has never missed an edition of the event, which is celebrating it’s 35th edition, since graduating from the European Challenge Tour in 2011, and the Dubai resident would love to add a third Rolex Series title to his collection with victory at Emirates Golf Club.
The 2017 Race to Dubai Champion claimed the Dubai Invitational title the week prior to this event last season, and after adding a Team Cup victory as part of the Great Britain & Ireland side last week to his two individual titles in Abu Dhabi, Fleetwood is aiming to top a stellar field over the Majlis Course as part of his UAE success story.
Two-time Major winner Jon Rahm is making his Hero Dubai Desert Classic debut this week alongside a host of stars who will be aiming to claim the Dallah Trophy from defending champion and four-time winner Rory McIlroy.
The Spanish Ryder Cup star has also enjoyed Dubai success in the past, claiming the season-ending DP World Tour Championship title in 2017, 2019 and 2022, and he admits he’s looking forward to competing once again in a place that he loves.
Two-time PGA TOUR winner Akshay Bhatia is thrilled to join Rahm as a tournament debutant as he fulfils a long-held ambition to tee it up in the longest-running event in the Middle East, and says he is looking forward to taking advantage of opportunities to play around the world in future.
Player Quotes
Tommy Fleetwood: “I love the look of the trophy for this tournament. I’ve played it every year since my first year on tour. I always love coming back here. I absolutely love the golf course. I just haven’t managed to put myself in a position to contend for this tournament yet but I will continue to try.
“I think everybody loves this time of year here. I think everybody starts out feeling fresh, with a really positive attitude.
“I think the course is great and I think Dubai as a city, everybody just loves coming back and they just feel very familiar with the place because it’s played such a role over the years in tour life.
“I don’t think I’ve been far away. I think my game has actually held up pretty well most of the time and I haven’t putted well enough around here. So I’ll be looking at that this week.
“Certain elements of this golf course are so important. I know it sounds daft a bit, but the dog-legs left on that back nine, I can definitely do a better job on those. I actually don’t hit those tee-shots as well as I would like to give myself the opportunities on what is the slightly scorable back nine.
“It’s a really strong driving golf course and you have to play the par fives very, very well. I don’t think I’ve been miles away. I just have to try and put it all together out here.”
Jon Rahm: “It’s a tournament I’ve wanted to play. There’s a lot of history in this event. There’s a lot of great champions in this event. It’s very, very quality championship. Again, I love the city. I love coming here. Any chance I get to come to a tournament and play this event and come to the city, to me, it’s a good opportunity.
“I’ve only played the front nine. So I’m going to get to see the back nine today. So I can’t make a full assessment. But fantastic golf course. Obviously I’ve seen this event on TV many, many times. And, you know, the past schedule, I chose not to come for some of the events in California, right, because some events I played really good at and I really liked.
“You know, the way things have evolved in the last few years, I’m glad that I have this open to come and enjoy this great event. Hopefully do as well as I have so far in Dubai. It’s a city that I love. It’s a city that is worth coming to, and it’s probably — the great vibe that I have when I come here, the reason I didn’t played so well. So I hope I can keep playing really well and win in Dubai.”
Akshay Bhatia: “First time (in Dubai). I’ve always wanted to be here, and thankfully it worked in the schedule this year. And this is kind of the one event that I really wanted to kind of check off my list and so far, it’s been amazing. So I hope to kind of come back more and more.
“I hope so. Still getting my foot out on the PGA TOUR. So I’m hoping once I kind of get to the level where I have time to come over here, and it’s a little easier to travel and it just makes sense.
“I want to travel globally. I want to meet a lot of different people and see different cultures and so it’s really enjoyable for me and especially being young, it’s really nice to have the opportunity.”
