Milestones.
With the Omega Dubai Desert Classic celebrating its 30th anniversary and the Saudi International making its European Tour bow at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, the Desert Swing will know at least two in 2019. ▶ Count on t
Before it all, of course, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship tees off the tour’s calendar year in its traditional slot, not that the 14th edition of the Middle East swing opener was ever going to be ordinary. The Abu Dhabi Sports Council was ever going to allow its friendly neighbours to hog all the headlines.
That was assured when the Open de France lost its title sponsor and Abu Dhabi stepped up to give the tour’s eight, elite Rolex Series events a new launch pad from Jan. 16. The $4 million increase in prize money and enhanced media coverage hasn’t worked miracles; Rory McIlroy (probably), Justin Rose, Jon Rahm, Francesco Molinari and Danny Willett won’t be among the usual suspects chasing the coveted Falcon trophy, convinced all that a PGA Tour start to the year is their best path to major success in 2019.
But with world No.1 Brooks Koepka returning for the first time since 2014 and pal Dustin Johnson back after his second placing two years ago and top-10 back-up last season, Abu Dhabi Golf Club promises an intriguing opening to 2019 and a wraparound season which will already be five events old.
A 54-hole qualifier at Yas Links on Jan. 6-7 to find an Emirati, UAE PGA teaching professional or resident amateur and potentially one other qualifier will add a local subplot to this year’s show. There is also Tommy Fleetwood’s tilt at a title three-peat, no mean feat if the history of current European Tour events is any indication.
Martin Kaymer might have won Abu Dhabi three times but the last player to complete a pure hat-trick at the same regular season European Tour event (e.g. not a WGC or major) is Sergio Garcia whose victory in Andalucia Valderrama Masters in June followed success in 2017 and 2011 following the event’s five-year hiatus.
Indeed, Fleetwood would join illustrious company if he can hoist the Falcon trophy again come Saturday, Jan. 19 with Colin Montgomerie (BMW PGA Championship ’98 to 2000), Sir Nick Faldo (Irish Open (’91 to ’93), Marcel Dallemagne (Open de France ’36 to ‘38), Aubrey Boomer (KLM Open ’24-’26) and Ángel de la Torre (Open de España 1916, ’17 and ’19) the only other players to achieve the feat in events still on the schedule.
There are other examples of players winning three straight – Thomas “Henry” Cotton (German Open Open), Ernie Els (both the Heineken Classic and former World Matchplay – twice – at Wentworth) and Ian Woosnam (Monte Carlo Open). Percy Alliss, the father of famed TV commentator Peter, even won the German Open four successive years from 1926 to ’29. But it’s a historical anomaly with two-time defending champion Tyrrell Hatton showing how elusive the feat is, finishing T-2 at last year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland alongside Fleetwood, a shot behind Lucas Bjerragaard.
Kaymer, for the record, added 2010 and 2011 victories to his first Abu Dhabi triumph in 2008 but missed the cut in 2012 with rounds of 77-73.
“Fleetwood would join illustrious company if he can hoist the Falcon trophy again come the Saturday night of the 14th Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.”
Brandon Grace had the last shot at a pure Desert Swing hat-trick, only to withdraw from last year’s Qatar Open after wins in 2016-’17.
Fleetwood is joined by Matthew Fitzpatrick (Omega European Masters in Cranssur-Sierre this Aug.) and Rose (Turkish Airlines Open in Nov.) in chasing pure hat-tricks in 2019, along with Koepka who can become the first player since Scot Willie Anderson (in 1903 to 1905) to win three straight U.S. Open titles at Pebble Beach, and the first player since Peter Thomson, who won The Open in 1954, ‘55 and ‘56, to achieve a major hat-trick. Indeed, only six players in history have achieved major hattricks including Tom Morris Jnr who won the Open four times (1868, ’69, ’70 and ’72) and Walter Hagen who won an unbroken quartet of U.S. PGA titles between 1924-’27. Coincidentally, no player has achieved a Masters hat-trick with Jack Nicklaus, Faldo and Tiger Woods the only back-to-back winners.
To complete the hat-trick history lesson and tie it back into the European Tour, Woods’ record 18 WGC titles have included two hat-tricks, at what is now the WGC-Mexico in 2005-’07 and before that the Bridgestone Invitational from 1999-2001.
One player desperate to deny Fleetwood in Abu Dhabi, which will start and finish a day earlier than tradition (e.g. Wed to Sat) to accommodate football’s Asian Cup being played across the UAE, is Henrik Stenson. The Swede has teed it up in every iteration of the event since 2006 when he finished runner-up to Chris DiMarco by a shot. He’s was also bridesmaid by four shots to Kaymer in 2008 and has the honour overleaf as our preview continues.
“Kaymer, for the record, added 2010 and 2011 victories to his maiden Abu Dhabi triumph in 2008 but missed the cut in 2012 with rounds of 77-73.”