5 minute read
Editor’s Letter
T
S JUMEIRAH GOLF ESTATES preps to bring down the curtain on the 2021 Race to Dubai, at Golf Digest Middle East we can’t help getting ahead of ourselves.
While the pandemic, and no doubt a carefully considered PR strategy, has thus far prevented the European Tour from confi rming its complete 2022 schedule, we have at least been drip-fed the early season Desert Swing. The new-look Middle East panorama is sumptuous.
But fi rst, a little scene-setter. Saudi Arabia’s departure for Asia in a historic 10-year deal is pivotal to the European Tour’s early 2022 narrative. The Saudi International will now be the season opening, $5 million “fl agship” event of a revived Asian Tour
Happy New Year! Club to Yas Links. Of all the new Desert Swing developments, we’re most excited about seeing Kyle Phillips’ architectural gem beamed to television audiences around the globe, letting the rest of the KENT GRAY world in on one of the game’s best kept sekent.gray@motivate.ae • Twitter: @KentGrayGolf / @GolfDigestME crets despite Yas Links’ ranking inside the top half of Golf Digest’s top-100 courses schedule which is set to have wider impli- (outside the U.S.). cations for the European Tour once it is fi - Yas slipped down Golf Digest Middle nally released. Wentworth have retorted by East’s own Top 10 Courses of the Middle slotting the new $2 million Ras Al Khaimah Ranking in 2020, to third place behind Championship into the hole vacated by the Majlis and Al Mouj. The fall was conSaudi, while also bolstering the region’s troversial and mostly down to a decline in trailblazing Dubai Desert Classic. conditioning due to water challenges. But The welcome arrival of Al Hamra Golf the agronomy team have worked wonders Club to the big time will come after back- getting the desert-links layout back to its to-back Rolex Series events in Abu Dhabi pristine former self. and Dubai to open the calendar year. A new “I am very proud of our team who have sponsor for the Desert Classic and the up- been hard at work over the past two years grade to one of the ET’s premier $8 million to successfully deliver a series of extensive events should be a boon for Dubai fans in on-course improvements at Yas Links Abu terms of the event’s star pulling power. Dhabi,” said Troon International President Arguably the most signifi cant develop- Mark Chapleski. ment though is the shift of the Abu Dhabi “As the fi rst true links style course in the HSBC Championship from Abu Dhabi Golf Middle East, its current playability is sec-
ond to none and this is recognised globally thanks to its top 50 ranking on Golf Digest’s Top 100 courses in the world. The course’s signature finishing holes on 16, 17 and 18 are regarded as one of the toughest trios in the UAE with the mangroves looming down the left of all three and it will be fascinating to see how the pros approach them in January.”
Indeed it will. Fingers crossed those famous afternoon breezes waft in off the Arabian Gulf to challenge the European Tour’s finest. As much as we admire Peter Harradine’s clever Abu Dhabi G.C. design, we’re giddy with anticipation ahead of the move to Yas Links after 16 years and hope the course extracts a measure of revenge on the pros for all us long-suffering weekend warriors. They say a change is as good as a holiday and Yas Island, with all its leisure facilities, is as good a place as any in the Middle East for some serious golf-centric R&R. Now the rest of the golfing world will know our little secret and that can only be good for tourism long term. Ditto for the Qatar Masters and the fifth Desert Swing to be announced in “due course”, presumably the Oman Open back at Al Mouj.
But that is all for the New Year, For now, we look forward to the JGE double-header to see out another challenging season for the European Tour. It’s great for Fire to get another shot at the big-time, as disappointing as it is for the Nedbank Golf Challenge Hosted by Gary Player to be cancelled for the second successive year. The Middle East has become an even more important bolt-hole for the European Tour in the COVID-19 era but it is important for the long-term health of the circuit that we get back touring the globe as soon as possible.
Here’s hoping the DP World Tour Championship proves a fitting finale to 2021 and that every player in the top-10 in the Race to Dubai rankings show up, not to mention the big name drawcards who don’t stand a chance of winning the season. The Middle East does so much for the European Tour, the least the headliners can do is pay tribute to the region by teeing it up on Earth, especially now general admission fans are allowed back into JGE.
editor-in-chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer managing partner & group editor Ian Fairservice
editor Kent Gray art director Clarkwin Cruz editorial assistant Londresa Flores instruction editors Luke Tidmarsh, Euan Bowden, Tom Ogilvie, Matthew Brookes, Alex Riggs chief commercial officer Anthony Milne publisher David Burke general manager - production S. Sunil Kumar assistant production manager Binu Purandaran
the golf digest publications editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde
director, business development &
partnerships Greg Chatzinoff international editor Ju Kuang Tan
golf digest usa editor-in-chief Jerry Tarde general manager Chris Reynolds editorial director Max Adler executive editor Peter Morrice art director Chloe Galkin managing editors Alan P. Pittman, Ryan Herrington (News) chief playing editor Tiger Woods playing editors Phil Mickelson, Francesco Molinari, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Bubba Watson, Tom Watson
Scan the QR Code to read, download and share the latest, and back issues, of Golf Digest Middle East.
head office: Media One Tower, PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE Tel +971 4 427 3000; Fax +971 4 428 2270 dubai media city: SD 2-94, 2nd Floor, Building 2, Dubai, UAE Tel +971 4 390 3550; Fax +971 4 390 4845 abu dhabi: PO Box 43072, UAE Tel +971 2 657 3490; Fax +971 2 657 3489 london: Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER, UK, E-mail: motivateuk@motivate.ae
GOLF DIGEST and HOW TO PLAY, WHAT TO PLAY, WHERE TO PLAY are registered trademarks of Discovery Golf, Inc. Copyright © 2021 Discovery Golf, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Volume 72, Issue 2. GOLF DIGEST (ISSN 0017-176X) is published eight times a year by Discovery Golf, Inc. Principal office: Golf Digest, 1180 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y., 10036. Discovery Golf, Inc.: Alex Kaplan, President & GM; Gunnar Wiedenfels, Chief Financial Officer. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices.
