Lee Westwood has won back-to-back twice four times in his career and is confident of making it five at this week’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Picture by GETTY IMAGES.

LEE Westwood prepares to tee it up at Omega Dubai Desert Classic – keen to continue his perfect start to the season off the back of his 25^th European Tour victory on Sunday.

Westwood has managed to win back-to-back four times so far in his a career and the Newcastle-based Ryder Cup ace now has four wins in his 40s.

Nottinghamshire’s “Worksop Wonder” produced a brilliant final round display to claim the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship – his 44^th worldwide victory – bringing his winning run into a fourth decade, having secured his maiden title in 1996 at the Scandinavian Masters.

Westwood now has the same number of wins in his 40s as Bernhard Langer, who is still going strong on the PGA Champions Tour at 62, and Colin Montgomerie.

Lee said at the Emirate Golf Club on Tuesday: “I think the more you win, the more you get used to getting back to being on an even keel.

“A lot of people, if they are won early in their career, they struggle to bring themselves back again, but I’ve won a lot of tournaments and I’ve won weeks back-to-back.

“Obviously, over the years, I’ve had to really kind of evaluate everything, take it all in, process it, if you call it that – I hate that term – and then get ready for the following week.

“Yesterday I came up, hit a few balls, but being here in Dubai, letting people congratulate me, kind of being around, being present and getting that out of the way, lets me focus on this week’s tournament quicker.

“The goal is to work on the mental side of the game because I feel like that part of the game, if anything, has been lacking and that’s going to enable me to play my best more often.

“It is basically just go out, try my best, have fun, and just control what I control.

“I know if I get it in the right positions on the golf plane, I hit the ball straight, and you know what, shock – if I hit the ball straight and start holing a few putts, I’m talented enough to win tournaments.

“And if win tournaments, I move up with the world rankings and move up the money list and start qualifying for World Golf Championships and Majors – and possibly at the end of the year, the Ryder Cup team, who knows?”

Now the former World No. 1 returns to the Emirates Golf Club for the 25^th occasion – having finished runner-up twice in 1999 and 2010.

He arrives with a fresh mental approach to the game and as the new Race to Dubai No. 1 – a title he claimed back in 2009 after victory in the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai that season.

His first European Tour Order of Merit triumph came back in 2000 when he clocked up five wins.

The veteran of 10 Ryder Cups now has four wins in his 40s – team-mate Miguel Angel Jimenez, picked up 14 of his 21 European Tour wins in his 40s, including five in 2004 after turning 40 that January.

And for anyone looking for some other links between the two premium ball-strikers, the “Mechanic” was 46 when he won the Omega Dubai Desert Classic 10 years ago, pipping Westwood in play-off.

Westwood has finished in the top five of the money list eight times in his career – with a runners-up finish in 1999, having been third two years in a row after turning pro.

Fleetwood’s praise for Westwood’s longevity

WESTWOOD’S countryman Tommy Fleetwood was quick to praise the 46-year-old’s longevity in the game.

The runner up in Dubai at last season’s DP World Tour Championship is himself searching for a sixth European Tour win of his career – and third in the Middle East – following his victories in Abu Dhabi in 2017 and 2018.

Fleetwood said of Westwod: “I think longevity, it’s going to be the standard word used for him now now.

“His swing hasn’t changed since he was about 20 and it’s been working fine for the last three decades, so it might as well work in this one. I think he’s in a really good place himself at the moment, and it’s a different inspiration now.

“Because you watch him play as a kid, and now – as good as he is as a competitor – I class him as a friend and somebody that we can speak to, and great to hang around with and learn off.

“I think we’re all lucky to have Lee out on the Tour and absolutely if you can aspire to somebody, Lee is a fantastic person, looking at his career and the way he’s played – and how good he’s been for a long time.

“It’s very impressive,” added the World No. 10 – who was crowned European No. 1 three years ago – and who came close to winning himself last week.

The Lancastrian signed for a 63 on Sunday to finish tied second alongside Hallamshire’s Matthew Fitzpatrick and France’s Alfred Dunhill Links winner Victor Perez.

Fleetwood added: “I think most players feel very at home when they come out here.

“There are so many events now in the Middle East or the UAE.

“You always start the year out here and hopefully you end the year here. It’s not a given but generally we always end the year in Dubai.

“You get used to the golf courses. That’s one side. I’ve not always done well in the Middle East.

“I feel like I’ve grown to improve, and actually I feel comfortable and it is such a great place to play golf.

“You’re talking about second-place finishes in the last couple events in the UAE or second-place finishes in the in Majors,” added Fleetwood, who returned to the winner’s enclosure at the Nebank, in November, having gone nearly two years without a victory.

“The positive thing is they’re second-place finishes, I’m up there plenty of times, and hopefully it’s just a matter of time and eventually it will be my time – and I would love to get one whenever that is.”

Fleetwood, a Walker Cup player at Merion in 2009 – having lost the Amateur Championship final a year earlier – turned pro in 2010 after winning the English and European Amateur titles in the same season.

The reputation of the Southport-born and bred pro has been building year-on-year over the last decade.

Yet ultimately Fleetwood’s eyes are firmly focused on adding another trophy to his cabinet, as he enters his 30th year – and 10 years on Tour – having accumulated five titles, including two Rolex Series victories.

American Bryson DeChambeau joins the world-class field as defending championship alongside the Green Jacket winners of 2016 and 2017 – Danny Willett and Sergio Garcia respectively.

The Masters champions both started their Major winning years with victory at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

Meanwhile 2019 Open Champion Shane Lowry, who picked up the Abu Dhabi title six months before claiming the Claret Jug, is also in the field at the Emirates GC.

•Check for Thursday’s full first round tee times in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic by clicking here.

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THE European Tour has launched golf’s first esports series, the European eTour – which will see players taking on Topgolf’s World Golf Tour, which is played by some 20 million people online worldwide.

And the best esport players in the world will get the chance to qualify for the live onsite events via an online tournament.

Starting at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January, the inaugural season-long eTour will feature six esports contests held at European Tour tournaments around the world.

A long-time leader in online golf competitions, WGT by Topgolf offers the most photorealistic golf gaming experience – giving players the opportunity to virtually play some of the most famous golf championship courses.

The eight players who qualify will compete onsite at European Tour events in an exciting nine-hole knockout matchplay format, initially in two round-robin groups, before straight knockout semi-finals and final.

The five tournament winners, along with three wildcards qualifiers, will then contest the season-ending finale at the European Tour’s own season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, which takes place at Jumeirah Golf Estates, from November 19-22, 2020.

Topgolf is currently developing additional European Tour virtual venues to add to its portfolio of WGT golf courses and helping the Wentworth-based Tour – along with epsorts specialists Dreamhack.

DreamHack will bring their extensive esports events and streaming production capabilities to create a premium fan experience.

Fans will be able to enjoy extensive live coverage as well as bespoke ancillary content of all six European eTour events across a multitude of platforms, including broadcast, digital and social media.

The European Tour held its first esports event earlier this year with WGT and DreamHack.

The inaugural European eTour Championship took place at the 2019 Made in Denmark, and the success of that tournament led to the development of the new series of one-day events across the 2020 calendar.

The exclusivity of the European Tour’s esports experience amplifies the benefit of players participating in the event, and the ability to virtually be part of real world tournaments, said a spokesman.

Chief content officer Rufus Hack said: “The launch of the eTour underlines the European Tour’s commitment to innovation, and we believe this is an exciting opportunity for us to be leaders in a market that has huge growth potential.

“The esports industry allows the European Tour to engage with our existing audience in a different way and attract new fans outside of our traditional demographic through our broadcast and digital platforms.

“Our inaugural event in Denmark earlier this year gave a glimpse into the popularity of esports and we are looking forward to launching golf’s first esports Tour in 2020.”

Dreamhack Sports Games chief executive Peter Nørrelund said: “We see a great future for sports games in esports.

“The combination of a good game and a strong player in traditional sports is a winning recipe.

“World Golf Tour is a superior golf game and natural platform for golf esports, and European Tour is one of the strongest brands in the world of sports.

“With our ability to create content, media products and build strong communities I am sure, the European eTour will be a smashing success.

“I am thrilled with the partnership,” Mr Nørrelund added.

Topgolf media president YuChiang Chen said: “We are constantly innovating around how we can connect people in meaningful ways and the competition of esports brings a large, diverse group of people together to share a common experience.

“WGT was always built to be a realistic simulation of golf – rewarding skill and mirroring the level of strategy, course management and mental toughness required to win in professional golf.

“The WGT players have been urging us to take this next step and we look forward to partnering with such innovative partners to further enhance the modern competition of golf and launch an unmatched esports tournament experience on WGT.”

The esports industry is one of the fastest growing media sectors with an audience of more than 380 million enthusiasts worldwide which is forecasted to surpass 1.6 billion by 2022.

A majority of esports fans are in the 18-34 age demographic.

•Find out more about Topgolf’s World Golf Tour by clicking here.

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Michael Lorenzo-Vera led the 2019 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai

FRANCE’S Mike Lorenzo-Vera finished with four consecutive birdies in an opening round of 63 to take a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy in the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

Despite feeling “under the weather,” Lorenzo-Vera equalled his lowest round of the season to set the early pace on nine-under par in the final Rolex Series event of 2019.

Biarritz-based Lorenzo-Vera, who was reputed for his fiery temper when he first came on Tour, still seeking his first Euorpean Tour win some 12 years later.

Thirty-four-year-old Lorenzo-Vera said: “Honestly I’m not the feeling well at all. I have no energy.

“I was down, I had a lung infection in South Africa and a lot of treatment, and really just feel bad on top of that.

“Just one of those days where you try to put the ball in play. I played four holes yesterday as practise, and I felt that if I really relaxed a lot, just swing it, like 70 per cent or maybe less, ball was still flying pretty well.

“Well, nothing’s clicking, really. I’m just trying to do well in every part of the performance and sometimes it clicks and sometimes it doesn’t click.

“I have a lot to do better to be more consistent on good weeks. That’s why I think I haven’t won yet. There’s plenty of work to do.”

Lorenzo-Vera even held a three-shot advantage at one point until four-time Major winner McIlroy produced his own spectacular finish.

Former World No. 1 McIlroy birdied the 15th and 16th holes then executed his “best shot of the year” on the last – a majestic three wood from 290 yards which finished five feet from the pin, en route to a closing eagle.

The Northern Irishman, who also posted five birdies on the front nine, carded a 64 as he chases back-to-back European Tour victories following his win in the WGC-HSBC Champions three weeks ago in Shanghai.

McIlroy, who cannot win the extra $2million for winning the Race to Dubai after missing points in two World Golf Championship events when he was not a European Tour member earlier in the year said: “It was great.

“I started off fast at four-under through six, five-under through seven. I held a couple of really good putts starting off, but I birdied the two par fives on the front nine and did what I needed to do.

“Then it got a little slow around the start of the back nine, but it was obviously nice to finish the way I did.

“I hit some really quality shots coming in which gives me a lot confidence going into the next few days,” added McIlroy, who has The Players Championship to his name in 2019, and claimed a second FedEx Cup at East Lake, in August.

“Honestly it’s possibly the best shot I’ve hit all year,” said McIlroy. “I had the equivalent 272 to the front, 291 to the pin, sort of back in off the left.

“Wind was off the left so it was a nice one for me to just aim straight at the pin and know if I hit my little draw it should hold.

“But if it gets going on the wind, obviously the bunker on the right is better than the water on the left. I just flushed it.

“When I was over it, it was sort of enough left and I sort of carried my three-wood off the deck about 280, so it was right on the limit but as soon as I hit it, I knew it was perfect.

“It was right out of the middle. Great to finish like that, and it was a great round of golf.”

Both players will have their eyes on the title and the $3million winner’s cheque – the richest first prize in tournament golf – while Jon Rahm has that and the Race to Dubai title in his sights after opening with a six -under par 66.

The Spaniard is currently third in the tournament and third in the Race to Dubai, and showed no sign of rust after a six-week spell off recharging his batteries.

Rahm bolstered his chances of overhauling Bernd Wiesberger in the contest to become Europe’s No. 1 with four birdies on the back nine.

“Really good, even though I tried my best to mess it up on the last hole,” said Rahm.

“Really good round. Six weeks of not competing, out of all those six weeks, most of the five were not touching a club.

“Pleased with the way I’m performing. I could tell how rested I was mentally because on some holes, I never lost patience.

“I never really got down on myself and stayed with that positive attitude. I’m hoping I can keep playing solid and keep it for the next three days.

“It was hard to kind of stop golf for a while, and then after a certain time, it was hard to pick it up again.

“So it was hard to get into that routine again but once I came to the tournament, you kind of switch, you get to the tournament, you get to grinding.

“I think it’s just getting the feel of putting, chipping, so I spent a lot of time doing that, a lot of short game, putting.

“The swing, I was feeling good, so all I had to do was make sure my pace was fast – greens were good. So far it’s been good.”

Fleetwood holes out to stay in Race to Dubai

LANCASHIRE’S Tommy Fleetwood also put the pressure on Race to Dubai leader Wiesberger – his playing partner in the opening round – by holing his second shot on the first hole for an eagle and birdieing the second.

The Ryder Cup hero eventually signed for a 67 to sit four shots back in a share of fourth place with Hertfordshire’s Tom Lewis, recent winner of the Korn Ferry Tour Championship in the States, who has a PGA Tour card for 2020.

Fleetwood, who is four shots behind leader Lorenzo-Vera, said: “You can only put yourself out of it on day one. There’s a lot more to do. There’s 54 holes now.

“There are great players up there and all I can do, is do my stuff. I’ve got three days of work left really until the end of the year.

“Just make the most of them. Stay very present. Keep doing my best on every golf shot and see how we can get on.

“I would love to be up there come Sunday but that’s a very long way away. I’ve got a little bit of practice tonight, have dinner and on to tomorrow,” added last week’s winner of the Nedbank Golf Challenge, which earned Fleetwood $2.5million, golf’s biggest tournament prize until this week.

“Very nice start,” Fleetwood added. “Hit a great drive and then I actually didn’t expect the nine to reach the pin.

“I knew it would be so close. You can’t see it, so you just take people’s reaction, but it was the perfect start.

“I didn’t feel too up or down. I was just happy with the execution of the golf shots. It’s nice, last event of the year, only four days left, so make the most of a good start.”

Wiesberger is a further three shots adrift, but the Austrian, who was one over par after his third bogey of the day on the 10th hole, was rightly pleased with his back nine.

He made birdies on the 11th, 13th and 18th holes that moved him back into the red on two-under par and into a share of 14th position.

Wiesberger said:“I put myself in tricky positions. Had a lot of sand off the tee, unfortunately, and couldn’t attack, even though conditions were a little bit windy it’s still gettable.

“There’s low scoring. Again like last week, I came off a sloppy start and we hung in there and shot a couple under par, so that’s a positive.

“It’s good. I try to cherish it as much as I can. I’m just thinking 72-hole tournament this week.

“I’m not trying to look at what is happening. I can’t control what Tommy, Matt, Shane and Jon are doing or any other of the 49 guys.

“So whatever is in my control, I try to do as good as possible, and I’ve done pretty well with that this year and no reason to change that.

“I’m trying to play for a tournament here and I’m trying to play for the Race to Dubai title, and if I do my very best to finish this tournament as high as possible, that’s all I can do.

“We’ll add it up at the end.”

•For live scoring in the second round of the DP Tour World Championship click here.

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Bernd Wiesberger can upstage Ryder Cup players Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick by landing the Race to Dubai. Picture by GETTY IMAGES

BERND Wiesberger is determined to hold off the challenge of three Ryder Cup players and The Open Champion as he aims to become Austria’s first Race to Dubai Champion at the European Tour’s season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.

The 34-year-old, who missed most of the 2018 season through injury, has enjoyed an impressive 2019 campaign, winning three times, including Rolex Series titles at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and the Italian Open.

After a tied third place finish at last week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge, Wiesberger holds a 722-point advantage over Tommy Fleetwood, the champion in South Africa, on Sunday, in the Race to Dubai.

Wiesberger, who has the chance to land this week’s record $3million first prize in the United Arab Emirates, said: “It would be a first off, obviously. Unfortunately, we haven’t had an Austrian winner of the Race to Dubai or the overall rankings at any point.

“Personally, it would be a huge achievement for me, something that, you know, growing up watching European Tour golf and watching legends like Seve, Olazábal and Colin Montgomerie – who himself has won so many times in a row – at the time when I started getting into golf.

“It’s something that looked a long distance away, but obviously much closer now.

“We are looking forward to the next four days and going to give it everything we have. And hopefully if we count up all the points at the end of Sunday, we’re still up there and it would be amazing.

“I’m very, very lucky right now in Austria with not only myself playing well this year, but also Matthias (Schwab) doing a great job, and almost catching a couple titles this year.”

Fleetwood, who won the Race to Dubai two years ago, said: “This is my third year in a row where I’m one of those players that has a chance to win the Race to Dubai.

“It’s very special. There’s only a certain number of people that have the Race to Dubai on their resume, and I’m lucky to be one of them.

“I think it’s one of my greatest achievements and I think I have experienced both sides,” said one of the heroes of Europe’s 2018 Ryder Cup winning team.

“In 2017 when I won, I led it for such a long time. In 2018, I set out and it was never a goal at the start of the year to win the Race to Dubai.

“And all of a sudden, just because it was a possibility, it became something that really hurt when I didn’t.

“But realistically, I had not thought about it all year until sort of the last few events that I had a chance.

“I just think it’s important this year that I take those experiences into it and know that it still takes a lot to do it and it’s not in my hands at all.

“I can only do my best this week, take one shot at a time.” added Fleetwood, who had not won for nearly two years before his stunning final round containing three eeagles at Sun City’s Gary Player Country Club.

With 2,000 Race to Dubai points on offer to the winner of the DP World Tour Championship, along with the richest-ever first prize in world tournament golf, Spaniard Jon Rahm, Champion Golfer of the Year Shane Lowry and Yorkshire’s Matthew Fitzpatrick can also win the coveted European No. 1 title, on Sunday.

Wiesberger is in pole position and should he either win or finish second alone in the tournament at Jumeriah Golf Estates, he will be crowned Race to Dubai champion regardless of how the others finish.

Rahm has been lightly raced since the end of the FedEx Cup, and will be hoping to emulate his hero Seve Ballesteros by becoming European No. 1.

“I was fortunate enough to be able to take a lot of important weeks off and still have a chance to win the Race to Dubai,” said Rahm.

“I know even though it was a smaller event, winning in Spain was important in that sense.

“I’d rather be the front man, honestly. You don’t necessarily have to win. You just need to play good.

“Anybody that’s not the leader has a chance to win. I know there’s always odds, I think if I finish tied for second and some other things happen, I might win, as well.

“But I’m here to win, and hopefully I just get it done and not have to think about possible consequences about it.”

With Wiesberger’s closest rivals needing to either win or finish second to stand any chance of overhauling him, Wiesberger could also benefit from strong performances from those outside the top five on the Race to Dubai.

That includes World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who has twice won the DP World Tour Championship alongside four other top 10 finishes in his nine appearances.

The winner of the Players Championship, the FedEx Championship and the WGC-HSBC Champions in 2019 ironically deprived himself the chance of a fourth Race to Dubai title this week – and his first European / PGA Tour double – by his decision not to rejoin the European Tour after the Masters.

That cost McIlroy, who won the Race to Dubai in 2012 2014 and 2015, more than 1,700 Race to Dubai points.

Lowry looking to deny Wiesberger

Lowry had been very bullish about his chances of becoming European No. 1 back in September with the Rolex Series events at Wenworth, and in Italy.

But the 32-year-old has failed to reignite his form since the memorable scenes when he lifted the Claret Jug, at Royal Portrush, in July

“I suppose I’ve not really thought about it before the last few months,” Lowry admitted.

“I did have a chance here in 2015, if I won the tournament, I could have won the Race to Dubai – and I’m in a similar situation this week.

“I ended up finishing fifth that year,” added Lowry, who won the WGC Bridgestone Invitational that summer to jump up the rankings.

“It would be great,” said Shane. “You look at the names that are on the trophy and the people that have won it.

“I think anybody who is anybody in golf has won that trophy.

“Obviously, it would be really nice. It would be icing on the cake to cap off what is a good year.”

Matthew Fitzpatrick is also trying to maintain his record of having won on tour every year, and already has a victory on the Earth Course to his name three years ago.

“I think having that experience in 2016, to have been able to done it around this golf course, was massive,” said the Sheffield ace.

“You know, when I first ever came here, it wasn’t a golf course that people thought I could do well around, really.

“But it’s a golf course I love. I feel like it suits my game. I have good iron play and really good putting, and that’s the big difference.

“I feel like my last couple of results, I have two top 10 and my game feels like it’s trending in the right direction.

“It’s a shame that the year is coming to an end and there’s not a major coming up soon, but it’s been a good year and, I feel pretty confident right now,” said Fitzpatrick.

•For a full analysis of the season-ending permutations, click here. Follow live scoring in the first round at the DP World Tour Championship by clicking here.

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Amy Boulden Camilla Lennarth, Noemi Jimenez and Silvia Banon before the first Omega Moonlight Classic at Dubai’s Emirates Golf Club. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

LIGHTS, camera… action! The Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic gets under way tomorrow (Wednesday) over the Faldo Course at Emirates Golf Club.

The revolutionary Dubai course will host the world’s first professional day-night golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour.

The field of 56 professionals had the chance to practise under the lights on Monday and are ready to make history in the 54-hole tournament.

Each of the professionals will play at least nine holes of one of their opening two rounds under Faldo’s powerful new eco-friendly LED floodlights.

It will be fascinating innovation within the battle at Emirates Golf Club in what is an exciting new chapter for Dubai golf and the Ladies European Tour (LET).

Cheyenne Woods, who has returned to Dubai to compete for her second LET title, said: “It will be a very new challenge but I’m excited. I think it’s a great event for golf.

“I think these formats keep the fans interested and it’s good for us too, just having a different experience playing.

“I feel like I’m playing really well, just putting the pieces together,” added Cheyenne, the niece of 15-time Major winner Tiger Woods.

“I feel like mentally, physically, I just feel like I’m in a really good place to play some really great golf so the more I play the closer I think I’ll get to where I want to be.”

Wellingboro’s Meghan MacLaren, who is looking for her third LET title, has welcomed the change of tack.

She said: “Any time that golf tries to innovate it creates a bit of a buzz, which I think is exactly what the game needs.

“Hopefully the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic means a few more people will be paying attention just to see something different happening.

“The playing level is and always will be there, so it’s about forcing people to sit up and take notice.

“The idea of playing under floodlights is pretty cool. I’ve always enjoyed going to watch evening football matches so hopefully golf will be the same.”

For Welsh pro Amy Boulden, who has her heart set on winning a first LET title in the vibrant metropolis, winning against the backdrop of the glittering Dubai Marina would be extra special.

She said: “It’s really exciting. I’ve played night golf before, in Dubai and in Abu Dhabi, but not in a tournament.

“I think we’ll all have fun playing under the lights and I think Dubai is the perfect place to do it.

“It’s going to be a great test and I think everybody will have great fun.

“When I come to Dubai, it feels like home to me. The greens are the best we play on, in Dubai, so it’s always nice to come to play on perfectly conditioned greens.”

Camilla Lennarth, who will be looking for her second win and her first in five years, said: “I’m excited too. I haven’t played that much night golf at all.

The Swede added: “It will be a first for me, but the lights are really bright, so I think it will be a fair test.

“I think it’s good to try new concepts and see what works and what captures a different crowd,” Lenarth added.

Fan engagement is exactly what the LET and all about.

LET to stage 2019 Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic under lights

Rising star Noemi Jimenez-Martin said: “I’m really excited and can’t wait because it’s going to be an interesting tournament.

“We are going to make history so it’s going to be really exciting.

“I think a lot of people will watch this event because it’s new and it’s going to create a different buzz,” added Jimenez-Martin.

“It’s definitely helping women’s golf because more people will get to see the  game in a fun environment.”

Another young Spanish talent – Silvia Bañon – is also happy to be part of the history-making event.

“It’s the first time playing under lights so it’s an honour to be here,” said Bañon.

“It’s an incredible environment and we are really happy and excited to play.

“It’s my first time in Dubai and it’s really different. I was saying to Noemi, I’ve only seen these buildings in pictures.”

The Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic will be played from Wednesday to Friday, and the move of the LET’s revered stop in the emirate from December to May will showcase Dubai’s extended golf season, say organisers.

At the same time, it will profile the stunning venue which will be a fitting destination to showcase the incredible golfers who play on the LET, and who have come to Dubai from all around the world.

•To follow scoring in the first round click here.

Amy Boulden during a practice round on the Faldo Course for this week’s Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

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