Omega Dubai Desert Classic: Your form guide for this week's event at Emirates Golf Club

The European Tour remains in the Middle East for the 32nd instalment of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

All but two previous editions have been held at Emirates Golf Club, which once again takes centre stage this coming week.

The players have journeyed around 70 miles north from Abu Dhabi to compete in what is the oldest and longest-running European Tour event on the Arabian Peninsula.

Course details

Opened in 1988, the Majlis Course at Emirates is largely flat and laid out 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.

In typically dry desert conditions, the game's longer-hitters have generally thrived at Emirates, providing they also have a hot putter.

At last year's event, 24-year-old Australian Lucas Herbert secured the biggest triumph of his career by playing solid golf from tee-and-green.

He was seventh in the category Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green and fifth for Greens in Regulation. He was also top-12 for Driving Distance.

It was a similar story in 2019, when American winner Bryson DeChambeau was third in Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green and fourth for Greens in Regulation.

Man of the moment

Last week's winner in Abu Dhabi, Tyrrell Hatton, tees it up again as the new world No 5.

The 29-year-old from High Wycombe is now the highest-ranked British and Irish golfer, and second best European behind Spaniard Jon Rahm.

However, he's not the highest-rated pro taking part this week, as this honour belongs to world No 4 American Collin Morikawa who makes his Emirates debut - a course on which Hatton has posted two podium finishes.

Check out the latest betting ahead of this week's Omega Dubai Desert Classic

Another in-form pro is Christiaan Bezuidenhout, runner-up at Emirates 12 months ago.

The South African won back-to-back co-sanctioned European Tour events in his home country before Christmas and tied-12th in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

With regards to Driving Distance, the 26-year-old held a mid-ranking position on the European Tour last season, but was among the leading handful of putters.

Back in top 100

Further down the current World Ranking list at 83 is former No 16 Rafa Cabrera-Bello.

The Spaniard endured his poorest year for more than a decade during 2020, and even slipped out of the world's top 100. However, the 36-year-old will be encouraged by finishing fourth in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, his best result since October 2019.

Cabrera-Bello is a former champion at the Emirates where he has also been a runner-up.

Another golfer moving in the right direction again is Englishman Matt Wallace who won three times on the European Tour during 2018 and reached a career-high No 23 the following summer.

The Englishman seemed to lose some of his sparkle last season and he even slipped out of the top 50.

But he bounced back by posting a brace of runner-up finishes late in the year and tied-seventh on Sunday, ending the tournament eighth in the category Strokes Gained: Putting.

Twitter: Andy Swales@GolfStatsAlive

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves