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Rory 10/34.33 chases fourth Emirates success
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Large, uncomplicated greens
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Meronk 22/123.00 to continue good run of form
Tournament and Course Notes
• Is the first of five Rolex Series events on the DP World Tour this season, and the only one taking place between January and early July;
• The Dubai Desert Classic is the longest-running Tour event in the region, having made its debut in March 1989. This will be the 33rd time that the tournament has been staged at Emirates Golf Club;
• 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. Three years ago all 18 greens returned to their original dimensions, which resulted in a collective 33% increase regarding overall size. The first hole's putting surface increased by as much as 67%;
• The game's longer hitters have generally thrived in the dry desert conditions at Emirates, with the course now measuring over 7,400 yards from the back tees.
Latest betting for this week's Hero Dubai Desert Classic
Good Current Form
Adrian Meronk 22/123.00 sneaked into the top-10 on Sunday and appears to have started the New Year as he ended the old one.
The Pole is making only his third appearance at Emirates where he finished tied-fourth on his debut in 2022.
Another in-form player is Thriston Lawrence 28/129.00 who ended last year on a high, and opened his 2024 campaign by being joint-runner-up alongside Rory McIlroy.
The South African consistently blasts the ball in excess of 320 yards, so this week's layout should certainly suit his strengths.
Another master-blaster is Malaysia's Gavin Green 100/1101.00 who led the Strokes Gained: Putting stats for 2023.
Green didn't play last week but he did compete in three South African events during November/December, so should still be relatively competitive and a potential E/W selection.
Tommy Fleetwood 8/19.00, who won by a single shot on Sunday, goes again in Thursday's opening round.
Latest betting for this year's Masters Tournament
Good Course Form
Rory McIlroy 10/34.33 will be keen to make up for last week's late blunder which cost him victory a few miles away at Dubai Creek.
The world No 2 has finished inside the top 10 in each of his last 10 appearances at Emirates. These include a trio of titles in 2009-15-23.
World No 15 Tyrrell Hatton 8/19.00 has made a satisfactory start to 2024 with finishes of 13th and 14th in Hawaii.
His form at Emirates is pretty good too, with three T4s from his last six visits.
And Thorbjorn Olesen 28/129.00, who tied-eighth on Sunday, has had a sprinkling of T10s at this week's venue.
Stroke Averages
Lowest 10 At Emirates (2018-23)
Average .... (Rounds)
67.67: Rory McIlroy (12)
69.55: Tyrrell Hatton (20)
69.63: Thorbjorn Olesen (16)
69.88: Tommy Fleetwood (24)
70.13: Ashun Wu (24)
70.15: Kalle Samooja (20)
70.28: Adri Arnaus (18)
70.45: Bernd Wiesberger (20)
70.50: Jamie Donaldson (10)
70.61: Romain Langasque (18)
Min. No. of Rounds = 10
Only those entered this week are included in table
Note: Tables Contains Leading Reserves