Golf, by TourMiss

Dubai, UAE …. The severe toughening of the Emirates Course, and as reported yesterday by www.golfbytourmiss.com produced a dramatic 30-year old change in the first-round scoring. Just 29 players managed to break par and the lowest number since 25 broke par on day one in the 1990 event, and the then third staging of the tournament. This is in huge contrast to a year ago when 74 players were under par on day one while there was 104 under par after the first 18 holes in 2018 and that was one shy ...

Dubai, UAE … It’s clear Rory McIlroy stirred the controversy pot last October with his ‘too easy’ course set-up comments post the staging of the 2019 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland. McIlroy finished T26th in the pro/amateur event but was far from happy and also having a ‘dig’ at the set-up of the Scottish Open earlier in the year at The Renaissance Club after he posted a 14-under par tally but ended-up sharing 34th place. And now a year after American ...

Dubai, UAE … Graeme McDowell knows he’ll be travelling to this year’s Ryder Cup but the big question is will he also be packing his golf clubs for the journey to rural Wisconsin. McDowell’s got the nod from European Team captain, Padraig Harrington he will be one of the fellow Irishman’s vice-captains but then McDowell is fiercely determined to qualify automatically the Whistling Straits team. G Mac’s predominant PGA Tour 2020 season schedule means if he’s to qualify it will be ...

Dubai, UAE …. Triple Major winning Padraig Harrington is excited at the prospect next year of being voted into the ‘World Golf Hall of Fame’ and this after the eligibility criteria was reduced earlier this week from age 50 to 45. For a time, the minimum age was 40, which is why the likes of Ernie Els (2022) and Phil Mickelson (2012) were long ago inducted. The age limit was then raised to 50 but now it’s back to 45 that opens the door for the 2021 male inductees to be Tiger Woods, Jim ...

Dubai, UAE …Defending Omega Dubai Desert Classic champ Bryson DeChambeau admits he’s dazzled by the Dubai traffic lights. DeChambeau, 26 brilliantly won five-times on the PGA Tour before venturing to the Middle East a year and shoot the lights out in winning by seven shots and setting a new Desert Classic scoring record of 24-under par. And on the eve of the event the current World No. 17 was quizzed what he liked about Dubai from his maiden visit last year. He said: “The stoplights here ...

Dubai, UAE … The tougher version of thie Emirates Course proved no concern for top-ranked Scot Robert MacIntyre who seemed to brush off any left-hand injury concern launching a 325-yard ‘bomb’ off the 18th tee during Wednesday’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am. The top world-ranked Scot then later gave both thumbs up to making his 2020 European Tour debut this week after sitting out last week’s Tour stop in neighbouring Abu Dhabi. He said:  “I’m going out there to play aggressive, ...

Dubai, UAE …Rory McIlroy’s controversial ‘too easy’ comments late last year at St. Andrews has had a dramatic impact on the set-up of this week’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic host layout. That’s the view of double Dubai winning Scot Stephen Gallacher and plenty more teeing-up in the 31st edition of the event at the Emirates Club in Dubai. Gallacher won back-to-back in 2013 and 2014 with a respective 22-under par and 16-under tally. The Bathgate pro’s first Dubai win was a dozen shots ...