After another enthralling edition of The European Tour’s annual ‘Desert Swing’ concluded last Sunday in Dubai, europeantour.com took a numerical, and sometimes sideways, look back at three memorable weeks in the Gulf…
366,870 – The amount of euros won by Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher in finishing T8at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, T28at the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters and1st at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic
832 – Shots and a cumulative32under par Gallacher was for the Desert Swing
441 – Euros earned by the39 year old per strike in3weeks in the Gulf
1 – Gallacher was the biggest earner on the2014 Desert Swing
37 – Where the Scot has moved to in the Official World Golf Ranking, his highest career position
2 – Out of the3 events won by Spaniards (Pablo Larrazabal in Abu Dhabi and Sergio Garcia the week after in Qatar)
840 – World Ranking Points available in the Gulf
45 – Places Pablo Larrazabal leapt up the OWGR after three Desert Swing events – from101st to56th – the biggest rankings mover in this time on The European Tour
63 – The low round of this year’s Desert Swing, jointly held by Phil Mickleson and Danny Willett in Abu Dhabi and Stephen Gallacher and Rory McIlroy in Dubai
21 – Number of former winners reunited last week for the25th edition of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic
1 – Albatross on the Desert Swing (Steve Webster, on his first hole, the10th, during round1 in Qatar), the first time any player has started an event with an albatross in European Tour history
1 – Hole in1 in the Gulf this year (Brandon Stone, on the13th hole during round2 in Qatar)
4.27 – The average score on the par4 9th at Abu Dhabi Golf Club – statistically the hardest hole on the2014Desert Swing
98 – Bogeys and21 double bogeys or worse were made on the456-yard hole
4.52 – The average score on the par5 10th at Emirates Golf Club – statistically the easiest hole on the2014 Desert Swing
11 – Eagles and192 birdies yielded on the549-yard hole
439 – Round trip mileage for those players to have contested in all3 Desert Swing events
39 – Events and9 or so months until The European Tour returns to the UAE for the2014 season finale – the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai
