Golf in Dubai Championship First-Round Leader Tips: Fisher price appeals

Dave Tindall
10 November 2021
4:00 min read

England's Ross Fisher can go low in the desert again

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The European Tour heads back to the desert and Dave Tindall has three each-way picks to be First Round Leader at the Fire Course...

"The Englishman opened with a 63 at this week's track, the Fire Course, last year to sit second after 18 holes."

Back Ross Fisher E/W @ 96.095/1

Each-way terms: 1/5 odds, 6 places

Weather forecast for Thursday: We're in Dubai so that means sunny skies! Temperatures rise from 80 degrees in the morning to something in the early 90s after lunch. The wind doubles to 15mph in the afternoon so the morning starters look to have better conditions.

Fisher can fly out of the blocks

Ross Fisher is a proven desert performer with an early tee-time and that's going to be the theme of this week's three FRL picks.

The Englishman opened with a 63 at this week's track, the Fire Course, last year to sit second after 18 holes and he was ninth after the opening lap of his most recent UAE start, the 2021 Dubai Desert Classic.

He was also in the top five after day one in both the 2018 Abu Dhabi Championship and the DP World Tour Championship.

Crossing to the Saudi International, he's been second (2019) and eighth (2020) following the first round in two of the last three editions. And in the Qatar Masters he's been in the top 10 on the R1 leaderboard three times.

More recently, he opened with a 65 to sit third at August's Hero Open and a top 30 in Portugal last week suggests his game is in decent enough shape to go low early here.

Take the industry-high 95/1.

Look to Lemke

Niklas Lemke hasn't played too much golf in the desert but, when he has, the Swede has cashed in early.

He was the first-round leader in the 2018 Challenge Tour Grand Final in the UAE and started out with a 66 at this tournament last year to lie 12th.

Lemke finished sixth and eighth in those two events while his two appearances in the Qatar Masters have resulted in third (2020) and ninth (2021).

Away from the desert, two starts ago he threw down a Thursday 63 to be second on the leaderboard after day one at the Mallorca Open.

Lemke, like Fisher, goes out at 07:50.

Detry to make early impression

Another morning starter I like is Thomas Detry, albeit at a shorter price.

The Belgian is a 40/1 chance but that seems justified on his Thursday performances.

Earlier in the year, he twice started well in the desert. A 67 put him fifth after day one of the Dubai Desert Classic and he was sixth after an opening 66 in the Qatar Masters.

Heading forward to the summer, Detry was first-round leader at the European Open and since then he's been fourth after 18 holes in the Irish Open, Scottish Open and Dutch Open.

During that run he also posted a Thursday 65 in the European Masters to sit sixth.

Detry is an even earlier starter at 07:00.

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