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World No 1 seeks third victory at Emirates
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Good course for golf's longer hitters
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In-form Meronk to contend on Sunday
It's the third week of four in the United Arab Emirates, as the players travel 60 miles north from last week's venue to tee-up in the prestigious Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
With the action switching from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, the tournament takes place at Emirates Golf Club, one of the oldest courses in the Middle East.
The Dubai Desert Classic is the longest-running Tour event in the region, having made its debut in March 1989.
And this will be the 32nd time that Emirates Golf Club has been part of the DP World Tour schedule.
Course Characteristics
Opened in 1988, the Majlis Course at Emirates is largely flat and located a few miles south of Dubai City centre.
Designed by American architect Karl Litten, it was the first grass course to be opened in the Middle East.
Water comes into play on eight holes, while the greens are reasonably tame and uncomplicated.
However, the greens did undergo a major renovation two years ago. Director of Agronomy at Emirates Golf Club, Matthew Perry, told Dubaigolf.com: "We re-created the original size of all 18 greens, as designed by Karl Litten in the 1980s.
"This has resulted in an overall 33% increase in green size, while bringing many more greenside bunkers into play. On the first hole, the size of the putting surface increased by as much as 67%.
"The greens have been rebuilt using layers of drainage, gravel and sand. This classic course has been brought into the 21st century and it now measures 7,400 yards from the back tees."
The game's longer hitters have generally thrived in the dry desert conditions at Emirates providing, of course, they are also carrying a hot putter.
Latest betting for this week's Hero Dubai Desert Classic
Stroke Averages
Lowest 15 At Emirates Golf Club (2017-22)
Average .... (Rounds)
69.20: Tyrrell Hatton (20)
69.88: Lucas Herbert (16)
70.00: Thorbjorn Olesen (16)
70.13: Kalle Samooja (16)
70.14: Tommy Fleetwood (22)
70.35: Ian Poulter (20)
70.38: Shane Lowry (16)
70.44: Justin Harding (16)
70.50: Ashun Wu (22)
70.54: Thomas Pieters (24)
70.57: Adri Arnaus (14)
70.58: Andrew Johnston (12)
70.70: Bernd Wiesberger (20)
70.75: Hao Tong Li (20)
70.77: Lee Westwood (22)
Min. No. of Rounds = 10
Only those entered this week are included in table
Four To Watch
Tyrrell Hatton: Two previous podium finishes at Emirates. The Englishman made a slow start in Abu Dhabi last week but posted a closing 65 to finish tied-seventh.
Rory McIlroy: Tees-up for the first time since the middle of November when he finished fourth a few miles down the road at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Is a two-time winner at Emirates where his last nine starts have all yielded top-10s.
Adrian Meronk: Tied-fourth here 12 months ago when his World Ranking - going into the tournament - was 172. Since then there's been two DP World Tour victories, plus three other podium finishes. Poland's top golfer is currently No 51 in the world.
Min Woo Lee: The 24-year-old Aussie has started the New Year in the same rich vein of form as he ended the old one. He tied-second in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, which was his seventh straight top-12 finish.
This excellent run has included four visits to a DP World Tour podium. Chasing a third victory on Tour, the last one arrived in Scotland in July 2021.
Latest betting for this year's Masters Tournament
MC* - Missed Additional 54-Hole Cut
Note: List Contains Leading Reserves