Justin Rose and Shane Lowry clearly know what they need to do when it comes to walking away with the Race to Dubai title with a win sorting out all the likely DP World Tour Championship scenarios.
Rose heads into the tournament third in the standings, 650,999 points behind leader Rory McIlroy, with Lowry a further 51,480 points back in fourth, but with 1,333,330 points on offer this week, a win for either player would give them a good chance of finishing the season at the top of the pile.
World Number Five Rose has a good record at Jumeirah Golf Estates, finishing in a share of second place last year and the sole runner-up to McIlroy in 2012, when he shot a course-record 62.
Justin Rose (ENG) speaking during his press conference ahead of the DP World Tour Championship, Earth Course, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, UAE. 18/11/2015.
Picture: Golffile | Fran Caffrey
And the 2013 US Open Champion is delighted to still be in the hunt ahead of the final event of the season.
He said: “I obviously always enjoy finishing the season here in Dubai. It’s a course that I really enjoy playing. It’s a course that’s good for me.
“I’ve played well here the last few years and I come in here with the exciting chance of trying to win The Race to Dubai. It’s going to be a fun week.
“The way I see it, if I win this tournament, I would be very unlucky not to win The Race to Dubai. So for the most part I’ve done my job of getting to this point in the season with a great chance to win it all.”
“I fancy my chances,” added Rose. “I think he (McIlroy) pipped me in 2012, was it. I remember being two ahead playing the last and he was a few holes behind. I looked at the leaderboard – I was two ahead playing the last and I made birdie on his last.
Shane Lowry (IRL) on the 18th tee during the preview for the DP World Tour Championship at the Earth course, Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, UAE, 18/11/2015.
Picture – Thos Caffrey/www.golffile,ie
“Very few times you play the last two ahead and make birdie and lose but then Rory birdied the last five to win.
“Obviously he has a great record. Henrik Stenson has a great record here. I would say me, Rory and Henrik, all of us have played incredibly well at this venue the last few years.
“There’s a pretty fair chance that one of us is going to be there on Sunday, and obviously we are all hoping it’s going to be the right guy from our own point of view.
“But there’s definitely going to be a lot of challengers this week. Whoever wins is going to still have to play their best golf.”
Lowry is well aware that he must win at Jumeirah Golf Estates if he is to have a realistic chance of reaching the The Race to Dubai summit.
Shane Lowry (IRL) on the 18th green with Fran Caffrey (Golffile) during the preview for the DP World Tour Championship at the Earth course, Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai, UAE, 18/11/2015.
Picture: Golffile | Thos Caffrey
All photo usage must carry mandatory copyright credit (© Golffile | Thos Caffrey)
He said: “I know what I need to do this week. I know I need to go and win the tournament. But that’s like no other week for me.
“I just need to go out there Thursday and Friday and try to put myself in a position going into the weekend.
Hopefully I can make it as exciting as I can on Sunday – Lowry
Lowry was frustrated with his putting as he finished in a share of 56th in last week’s BMW Masters, but the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational Champion is “quietly confident” ahead of the event.
He added: “I feel like I struggled in China. I played okay, but struggled on the greens.
“But I played the Pro-Am yesterday and I really felt like I was playing well.
“So I’m going to play nine holes this afternoon, and I’m quietly confident that I’m playing well enough; that I think if my putter warms up, I can definitely give this a run at the weekend. Fingers crossed that happens.”
Lowry and Rose will get their opening rounds under way at 12.30 on Thursday, ten minutes before leading pair McIlroy and Willett.
