Golf fans in Dubai are poised to welcome one of the most exciting new talents in world golf to the Dubai World Championship in December in the shape of England’s Tom Lewis.
The 20 year old, who won the Portugal Masters at the Oceânico Victoria Golf Course on the Algarve last weekend on only his third professional appearance on The European Tour, moved up a staggering 182 places in The Race to Dubai following his victory, from 235th to 53rd place.
With only the top 60 players in The Race to Dubai at the culmination of the UBS Hong Kong Open qualifying to play in season-ending Dubai World Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates from December 8-11, Lewis has now given himself an excellent opportunity to part of the thrilling end of season spectacle.
“Having claimed my first European Tour victory in Portugal, obviously, my goals for the rest of the year have changed and one of the main ones I am now looking forward to is competing in the Dubai World Championship and trying to finish as high as possible in The Race to Dubai,” he said.
“The Race to Dubai is a great concept and the Dubai World Championship as a tournament looks superb – it certainly did on the television over the past couple of years and now I can hopefully be a part of it come December.”
Such is his ability that it would not be a surprise to see him qualify to play, as Lewis has taken the golfing world by storm in recent times. In July, he shot to fame with his opening 65 at Royal St George’s, which was the lowest round by an amateur in The Open Championship and gave him a share of the lead.
He was then part of the victorious Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team at Royal Aberdeen before joining the professional ranks, producing a top ten finish in the Austria GolfOpen and playing all four rounds in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Lewis’ seven under par round final round 65 at Oceânico Victoria Golf Course in Portugal saw him cut through the field, and at 21 under par for the week he finished two shots clear to win on only his third professional appearance, two starts quicker than Tiger Woods.
Should Lewis remain in the top 60 of The Race to Dubai come December, he will join a galaxy of stars heading for Jumeirah including the current top three players in the Official World Golf Ranking – Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy – along with Major Champions Charl Schwartzel and Martin Kaymer, who between them make up the current top five in The Race.
