SPECIAL REVIEW EDITION
SATURDAY
NOVEMBER 7, 2020
ISSUE 4
Minjee’s moment in the Moonlight Australian Minjee Lee survived a nerve-jangling Friday night under The Faldo’s floodlights to add her name to the illustrious roll-call of champions engraved on the Dallah Trophy.
By Kent Gray – Editor, Golf Digest Middle East many rate minjee lee the best player in the women’s game without a major. The way she bravely clung onto the emotional rollercoaster that unceremoniously shed joy seekers all over The Faldo on Friday night, it seems only a matter of time before that unofficial asterisk is passed on to another unwitting recipient. The 24-year-old Australian came up clutch late in regulation play and again in overtime to claim the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic at a club getting awfully good at unearthing major champions-in-waiting. With a curling, uphill birdie putt centre-cupped from 18 feet, Lee edged French Solheim Cupper Celine Boutier at the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to tag a second LET win onto her five LPGA Tour titles and already exalted international reputation. Lee will now see her name on the Dallah Trophy alongside legendary Annika Sörenstam, Lexi Thompson and Shanshan Feng, major champions all. For a further confidence injection, she need only have
surveyed the men’s honours board in the clubhouse foyer for more proof of Emirates Golf Club’s enviable status for anointing superstars ahead of time. Indeed, after learning from a final round pairing with eventual champion Sophia Popov en-route a major championship best third place at September’s British Open, it seems there is little other than a little luck stopping Lee from emulating Messrs Willett, Garcia and DeChambeau soon. The Perth pro has one last chance in this crazy old year and it helps that the rescheduled U.S. Women’s Open at the Champions Golf Club in Houston next month isn’t far from her Texas-base. But that is for the future. For now, Lee can bask in the afterglow of a nerve-jangling Moonlight Classic where no fewer than five players still had a legitimate shot at glory with two holes to play. The 14th edition of Dubai’s history rich LET stop may have been sans fans due to the coronavirus but there was no lack of drama. Turn to page 2
What might have been
Inside the Ropes
What. A. Finish!
Final #TimeToShine
Swede Caroline Hedwall finds solice in wire-to-wire bid that falls just short. PAGE 3
Scot Kylie Henry puts her course record Faldo signoff into 2020 context. PAGE 3
Pro-Am joy for UAE national team players and captain Charley Hull. PAGES 4-5
Enjoy a selection of the best action pictures from the final round. PAGE 6
E M I R AT E S G O L F C LU B D U BA I
SPEEDMASTER 38 MM
4 – 6 N OV E M B E R , 2020
PATRON & OFFICIAL PUBLISHER
@OmegaGolfDubai #TimeToShine #MadeForGreatness
More information available at OMEGA Middle East, Emirates Towers, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 3300455
NEWS
2
LEADERBOARD Rank Name (Country)
R1 R2 R3 Par
1 Minjee Lee (AUS)
72 65 69 -10
2 Celine Boutier (FRA)
67 71 68 -10
T3 Laura Fuenfstueck (GER) 67 70 70
-9
T3 Nuria Iturrioz (ESP)
69 71 67
-9
T3 Caroline Hedwall (SWE)
65 70 72
-9
T6 Aditi Ashok (IND)
75 69 64
-8
T6 Meghan MacLaren (ENG) 69 67 72
-8
T8 Kelsey Macdonald (SCO) 72 69 68
-7
T8 Bronte Law (ENG)
70 70 69
-7
T10 Lydia Ko (NZL)
68 70 72
-6
T10 Kylie Henry (SCO)
75 72 63
-6
T10 Georgia Hall (ENG)
72 73 65
-6
T10 Alison Lee (USA)
72 68 70
-6
celine boutier
visit
golfdigestme.com for full report
Continued from cover page... “I couldn’t really see the break too well on the last hole, but I thought it would be about two cups outside the right and luckily I hit it hard enough and it dropped,” Lee said of her playoff clincher to collect the champion’s €36,266 cheque. “It feels pretty special to be here playing at night-time and the course has been amazing. It’s been a really fun week and just an unreal experience for me.” Starting the final round two strokes adrift of Swedish pole-sitter Caroline Hedwall, Lee complied a closing round of 67 to match Boutier’s clubhouse target of -10. Both former amateur world No.1s and both now based in Texas, Lee and Boutier (68) were the only players among the six legitimate contenders starting Friday’s shotgun to break 70. But while the likes of Hedwall struggled early and finished strongly, Lee and Boutier went from cruise mode to late wobblers. Boutier led by two for much of the final round but opened the door when
Editor-in-Chief Obaid Humaid Al Tayer
Chief Commercial Officer Anthony Milne
Group Editor and Managing Partner Ian Fairservice
Publisher David Burke
Editor Kent Gray Art Director Clarkwin Cruz Images Tristan Jones/LET, Getty Images, Supplied by Falcon Associates
General Manager – Production S. Sunil Kumar Assistant Production Manager Binu Purandaran
This year has been tough but it is a nice way to close it out.”- Minjee Lee
she pushed a fairway wood well right and into the water on the par-5 16th en-route to a bogey. A hole behind, Lee inexplicably fatted her approach to the par-4 and left her par putt attempt in the jaws of the cup. But the Aussie rebounded immediately with an up and down birdie from the front left trap on the 16th after deliberately hooking her approach around a floodlight and into the bunker. Kiwi Lydia Ko’s chances had long since evaporated courtesy of five pesky outward nine bogeys. Englishwoman Meghan MacLaren, second starting the final round, likewise never gave in but as much as she willed her icy cold putter, it wouldn’t listen. MacLaren finished T-6 on -8 but will long rue three missed tiddlers, all from inside two feet. After three bogeys in an outward 39, Hedwall rallied to get it back to where she had started the day at -9 and had two decent birdie attempts on the 53rd and 54th holes to get into the playoff. She eventually had to settle for a share of third with the impressive German Laura Fuenfstueck and Spaniard Nuria Iturrioz whose title defence lasted till her final hole, the 16th, when an eagle try slid agonisingly by. Lee had a chance to win on the 54th hole but undercooked her left-to-right downhiller. The putt she faced in the playoff was almost a mirror image and she ensured the grainy Faldo greens wouldn’t be a handbrake a second time. “This year has been tough but this is a nice way to close it out. I’ve really enjoyed the format and everything about the week. My second time playing night golf was certainly memorable.” A memorable week in a year not quite finished yet. Roll on the U.S. Women’s Open. ◼
Head Office: Media One Tower, PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE; Tel +971 4 427 3000; Fax +971 4 428 2270 Dubai Media City: Office 508, 5th Floor, Building 8, Dubai, UAE; Tel +971 4 390 3550; Fax +971 4 390 4845 Abu Dhabi: PO Box 43072, UAE; Tel +971 2 657 3493 London: Acre House, 11/15 William Road, London NW1 3ER, UK; E-mail: motivateuk@motivate.ae
3
The contrasting fortunes of Hedwall, Henry and co.
A
at the names beneath Minjee Lee on the front page of the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic leaderboard read like a who's who of what might have been, tales that some were happy to articulate, others not at all. While Frenchwoman Celine Boutier, clearly crestfallen at her playoff loss to Lee, escaped into the night without a word, Swede Caroline Hedwall and Scot Kylie Henry stuck about to add context to a dramatic Friday on The Faldo. The leader by one heading into the final round, Hedwall eventually missed the playoff by the same margin after three front nine bogeys meant she was always playing catch-up down the floodlit stretch. She did so bravely but simply couldn’t will either of the birdie looks she had on the final two holes into the cup, including a great chance after a near repeat of her opening round slam dunk ace on 17. The six-time LET winner eventually had to settle for T-3 alongside Laura Fuenfstueck (70) and fast-finishing defending champion Nuria Iturrioz (67) who were others to come close and finish yet so far. “It wasn’t the start I wanted but I think I fought back very well and the last couple of cu rs ory g l a nc e
holes I played really, really well, gave myself the opportunities but just didn’t make the putts in the end,” said Hedwall who signed for a 72 and a decent dollop of confidence to take into Saudi next week and beyond. “Yeah, absolutely, I mean I feel well with my game, I’m playing solid. I just need to get that momentum I had the greens the first day [a 65] and I know I can score low.” Henry was never really in ‘what might have been’ range after starting the final round so far back. But she was elated all the same with a course-record 63 to catapult herself from +3 to -6 and into the top-10. The highlight came at the par-3 8th where she summoned an 8-iron to a foot from the cup but her most impressive moment came afterwards when she spoke on behalf of all those with Moonlight narratives good, great and sad. “I’m just so delighted to be playing tournaments,” Henry said. “I’m so grateful to everybody at the LET who is working doubly hard and all our sponsors who’ve got us back up and running through this pandemic. It’s made us all remember how much we love the game and we’re really appreciating the opportunity to be out here competing for a living.” ◼
I played really well...just didn't make the putts in the end.”
4
PRO-AM GLORY
Hull makes Pro-Am win extra special for EGF infused EGA V H
ow g o od was the experience of being inside the ropes as an amateur at the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic? For Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) Operations and Marketing Manager Robert Fiala and Emirati national team players Khalid Yousuf and Abdulla Al Musharrekh, it was priceless and not simply for the obvious reason. Captained by effervescent English LET and LPGA Tour winner Charley Hull, the trio won the teams portion of the innovative LET Pro-Am at Emirates Golf Club. Representing Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA V), Hull’s quartet edged the Marianne Skarpnor-skippered OMEGA I team of Beatrice Galeppini Salani, Edoardo Galeppini and Max Burrow by a stroke, -45 to -44 in the scramble format. Gabriella Cowley’s JA Resorts & Hotels IV team of Natalii Gupta, Scott Flewellen and Peter England completed the podium on -43. Fiala normally scripts and distributes media releases promoting the deeds of others at EGF events or when UAE reps such as +4-handicapper Yousuf are representing the UAE at Middle East and world amateur events such as the Eisenhower
Progress through innovation Emirates Global Aluminium is the world’s largest ‘premium aluminium’ company, and one of the most innovative. For over 25 years, we have focused on research and technology development to improve our aluminium smelting process. Our latest technology is amongst the most energy efficient in the world, reducing emissions and helping make our metal more sustainable for our customers. Innovation is one way we make modern life possible.
5 charley hull
Charley was fantastic, chatting with us, cracking jokes...” - Abdulla Al Musharrekh Trophy. It was sure fun being the news creator rather than a recorder of history for a change. “Wow…super excited, said the South Florida seven-handicapper. “The format worked in our favour and playing with Charley gave us an edge. Khalid and Abdallah were perfect off the tee and that really paired nicely with my iron game.” Winning was sweet but the ring-side seat with Hull for the opening 36 of the Moonlight’s 54-holes was what made the week for Fiala. “Charley is impressive. We fed off her focus and competitiveness,” he said. “Her caddie Adam controlled the pace and force of the group very nicely. It’s completely different from other Pro-Am formats because the rounds count for the pros as well. It gives the amateurs a more competitive feel knowing your pro is playing for the ‘real prize’. The engagement between the pros, caddies and amateurs was amazing given the current COVID situation. Wearing the mask all the time between shots was tough but being able to play with a professional is worth it.” For 32-year-old five-handicapper Al Musharrekh, the older brother of the only Emirati professional Ahmed Al Musharrekh, playing the Moonlight was an “absolute privilege”. He likened it the AT&T at Pebble Beach and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland that he watches on TV every year. “Charley was fantastic to be honest,” said Al Musharrekh, a UAE national team rep since the age of 15, a 2011 Pan Arab teams gold medallist in Qatar in 2011 and a regular Pro-Am starter. “Of course, she is playing the main tournament, obviously one of the top pros on the tour, ranking’s right up there, so what I initially thought is, okay, she’s going to be very serious, she’s not really going to talk to us, greet us obviously but that’s it, she’s going to be completely focused on her game throughout. “I was wrong. She was fantastic. She was chatting with us, she was cracking jokes, she was asking about the UAE, about the heritage, what [tourist] things she should be doing, food, how the culture really works, so that was intriguing. “When we asked her any questions she would happily answer so very, very friendly. Obviously she would zone into her circle when she was approaching her shots but beyond that she was very, very amazing to play with, such a pleasure to be honest. We got really, really lucky to play with Charley.”
marianne skarpnord
A COVID-19 survivor, Hull entered as one of the pre-tournament favourites but had a topsy-turvy week, struggling to bounce back from a triple bogey 8 on the 16th in her opening round. The world No. 30 eventually signed for rounds of 7269-78 to finish on 222 -- 16 shots adrift of winner Minjee Lee -- in a share of 35th place with Dame Laura Davies and German Esther Hensele who was runner-up at last year’s Moonlight. Hull’s game still thoroughly impressed Al Musharrekh. “I don’t think she played her best golf but what really impressed me about her, like if she made bogey, I would look at it and she made a bogey from such an easy situation, you’d say, ‘oh wow’, this is such a silly bogey, you know. With amateurs, if we make such a silly bogey, with me, I’d probably struggle to come back and make a string of pars and birdies. But she would come back and birdie the next hole. If you look at her scorecards, she did it so many times. “What I also found really interesting about her game is, I think she hits it a very long way to be honest. I mean, I would consider myself a very long hitter and when I really catch it, I am longer than her but not miles longer. I’ve played in one or two other ladies Pro-Ams before and honestly my driver would be a comfortable 50-60 yards ahead of the pro on average but with Charley I think she is one of the longer hitters. She hits it really, really hard, you could see that in the swing.” ◼
LEADING FINAL PRO-AM TEAMS Rank Name
gabriella cowley
Team
R1 R2 Par
1 Charley Hull EGA V Khalid Yousuf [+4] Abdalla Al Musharrekh [5] Robert Fiala [7]
122 117
-45
2 Marianne Skarpnord OMEGA I Beatrice Galeppini Salani [8] Edoardo Galeppini [0] Max Burrow [+2]
122 111
-44
3 Gabriella Cowley JA Resorts Natalii Gupta [+3] & Hotels IV Scott Flewellen [8] Peter Englund [8]
111 110
-43
4 Alison Lee ODMC VII Peter Finch [+2] Victoria Johnson [20] Nicsha Russouw [11]
125 124
-39
5 Minjee Lee OMEGA V Naima Maya [5] Martha Wong [13] Yana Jamieson [8]
131 120
-37
PICTURE ROUND-UP
6 a panorama of the faldo from the
5 th hole
caroline hedwall receives an omega speedmaster 38 co -axial chronograph for her 1 st round ace
minjee lee
georgia hall
a desert fox on the 14 th hole
olivia jackson
7 7
OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic winner to be presented with the Speedmaster 38mm timepiece
F
or the Swiss watchmaker OMEGA, golf is a passion that stretches across the globe. In the Middle East, the brand has a particularly esteemed standing as the title sponsor of two popular tournaments: The OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic and the OMEGA Dubai Desert Classic. Both tournaments attract some of the game’s most talented golfers and are a notable highlight on the annual sporting calendar. This November, all eyes are on the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic once again, as the 2nd edition of the LET event plays out. At its dramatic conclusion, OMEGA will present the winner with the exclusive Speedmaster 38mm timepiece, to go along with the championship cheque and trophy. The beautiful watch features a full 18K Sedna™ gold case with a “cappuccino” dial and a taupe-brown leather strap. The watch’s bezel features the Speedmaster’s famous tachymeter scale as well as a circle of sparkling diamonds. Just like the winner of the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic 2020, this captivating wristwatch performs with ultimate precision and flair.
E M I R AT E S G O L F C LU B D U BA I
SPEEDMASTER 38 MM
4 – 6 N OV E M B E R , 2020
More information available at OMEGA Middle East, Emirates Towers, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 3300455