GOLF – TOMMY Fleetwood arrives at this week’s $9 million Hero Dubai Desert Classic chasing further success on the DP World Tour, with ambitions of lifting the Dallah Trophy and securing a third Rolex Series title.
The Englishman is looking to continue a remarkable run of recent success that saw him win his first PGA Tour title – and the FedExCup – at last season’s Tour Championship.
The 35-year-old then added a victory at the DP World India Championship and arrives at Emirates Golf Club at a career-high third in the Official World Golf Ranking.
And before Major season begins, Fleetwood first attempts to tame the Majlis Course – a challenge he admits has not come easily during his career. This week marks his 15th consecutive appearance at the Desert Classic and, while he has missed just two cuts, he has recorded only two top-ten finishes.
“I think there are times I’ve played very well around this course and I just haven’t put the all-around game together,” said Fleetwood yesterday during a pre-event Press conference. “There’s times where maybe I’ve let myself down on the greens or haven’t scored as well, or times where I’ve not played the par fives as well. It’s just putting everything together where you can contend.
“I love the challenge and I really do enjoy playing around here. And there’s a lot of aspects about the course that suit the way I see golf.”
Meanwhile, Shane Lowry has won a Major and holed the retaining putt at a Ryder Cup but insists that does not dim his desire to win every time he tees it up on the DP World Tour.
Lowry arrives at this week’s tournament already a two-time Rolex Series winner but his victory at the BMW PGA Championship in 2022 was his last worldwide individual triumph.
The 38-year-old had a golden chance to end that mini drought at last week’s Dubai Invitational but a double-bogey on the last saw him finish two shots behind eventual winner Nacho Elvira.
While the Irishman admits that is still stinging as he moves across the Emirate to the Majlis Course, he is happy to have the chance to bounce back at one of the DP World Tour’s most storied events for the first time since 2023.
“I think what the DP World Tour is all about is a lot of history,” said Lowry yesterday. “Obviously this event is not like a hundred years old but there’s a lot of history to it. Since 1989, you look at the winners, it’s one of the great places to come.
“The trophy is iconic, and you want to put your name on that trophy. I think that’s what the DP World Tour is about. It’s a lot about history and a lot about great events around the world. I think this is certainly one of the great events on any tour that we play. Like it is one of the events that you would love to have on your mantelpiece.”
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