Rory McIlroy defends the title in Dubai, in the last round on the gulf, the Omega Desert Classic, from today to Sunday, on the fantastic route of the Emirates, a green oasis reclaimed from the desert. The field is of a high level, thanks to a consistent number of European players who also dominate the world scene. Rory is second in the world ranking, behind Texan Jordan Spieth, who rests this week. The goal of the Northern Irishman is to get back to first position and already last week he was back to second, after the slip of the Australian Jason Day, who moved to third position due to the bad performance in San Diego, where he didn't even pass the cut .
Rory is fit, he wants to win and to have a great season. In Dubai, the young champion also proved to be a champion in terms of friendship, especially towards Tiger Woods. “Tiger is a great person, on and off the golf courses – Rory said on local radio – I very much hope to see him again in competition, because I've always been a fan of him. My generation grew up watching Tiger, a true benchmark for golf. Thanks to him, this sport has become younger, fresher, more athletic. We all wanted to emulate him. I could list all of his successes in his career, when he won, where he won, where I was when he won. In short, I was and am a big fan of him, like a lot of kids of my generation ”.
Unfortunately Tiger, after three back operations, is not in Dubai, while only three years ago he was the star of the tournament and there are no predictions about his return to the tour, however Rory sent him an invitation to the Irish Open, scheduled for May. Who knows if the former number one is back in shape by that date.
In the meantime, let's enjoy a golf without Tiger, but still of the highest level. In Dubai we find the Swede Henrik Stenson, number 6 in the world, Graeme McDowell, Martin Kaymer, Louis Oosthuizen and Ernie Els, all major winners. The Italians field three players: Matteo Manassero, Edoardo Molinari and Renato Paratore. The blue hopes are concentrated on the latter, eighteen years old, from Rome, also in view of the Olympic Games in August and the Ryder Cup in September. The road is long, but we need to start bringing home some good results.
The prize pool is close to 2,5 million euros; more than 400 thousand euros for the former. The weekend is particularly interesting for golf, also because another top-level tournament is held in the States: the Waste Management Phoenix Open, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Among the big Rickie Fowler, number four in the world, the champion Phil Mickelson and then Bubba Watson, Steve Stricker, Brandt Snedeker, the latter winner last week at Torrey Pines. The pot is rich: 6,5 million dollars, over a million for the first course. Both appointments are broadcast live on Sky Sports.
