REWIND
A brilliant clutch putt on the final hole from Danny Willett in a final round of 69 handed him victory in dramatic style at Emirates Golf Club.
Starting the day with a one-shot lead, the Englishman extended that to three shots twice on Sunday afternoon, but a birdie on the last from Andy Sullivan and a birdie-birdie finish from Rafa Cabrera Bello meant he needed to make a 15-foot putt for the title.
And make it he did, sending the ball down the slope, left-to-right and into the cup to seal his fourth European Tour win with a winning total of 19 under par, with Sullivan and Cabrera Bello finishing just one shot off the pace.
Byeong-hun An and 2011 champion Alvaro Quiros both finished with rounds of 65 to sit three behind Willett at 16 under, while Rory McIlroy was a further shot back after a 65 of his own, alongside Henrik Stenson.
BITE-SIZED HISTORY
The Omega Dubai Desert Classic was first played in 1989 and the roll of honour includes nine different Major Champions.
The illustrious list features the names of some of the greatest golfers in recent history including Spanish duo Seve Ballesteros (1992) and José María Olazábal (1998), America’s Fred Couples (1995), Mark O’Meara (2004), and Tiger Woods (2006, 08), Henrik Stenson (2007), as well as Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy (2009, 15) and Danny Willett (2016).
South Africa’s Ernie Els has tasted success on three occasions in Dubai (1994, 02, 05) and between them, they have won 34 Major Championships. Since the tournament began in 1989, it has had 22 different winners from 12 different nations.
THE FIELD
Defending champion and current Masters Tournament champion Danny Willett returns as part of a star-studded field in Dubai with 2016 Race to Dubai Champion Stenson one of many big names set to challenge for the title.
Stenson, a former champion in 2007, finished tied eighth at the recent Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and has an outstanding record in the Middle East having played in 50 events, he has won four titles and placed in the top ten 20 times overall.
Willett and Stenson are part of the ten members from The 2016 European Ryder Cup taking on the Majlis Course on Thursday, including World Number 15 Sergio Garcia, two-time Major Champion Martin Kaymer, 23-time European Tour winner Lee Westwood, and Ryder Cup rookies Cabrera Bello, Thomas Pieters, Sullivan, Matthew Fitzpatrick, and Chris Wood.
Meanwhile, 14-time Major champion Tiger Woods is making his first appearance in a European Tour event since the 2015 US PGA Championship. In a tournament where he has had considerable success, winning the title in both 2006 and 2008, Woods will return to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic for the eighth time during his career and first since 2014.
The American has finished in the top five on five occasions from his seven appearances. He is a total of 92 under par for his 28 rounds in the event, with a stroke average of 68.71. All but three of his 28 rounds have been worse than par or better.
THE COURSE
Designed by course architect Karl Litten, the 7,328-yard, par 72 Majlis Course at the Emirates Golf Club is worthy of its reputation worldwide as a testing layout for the best golfers.
The original 18 holes were built in and around the dunes on the edge of the city of Dubai and features hundreds of indigenous species of flora and fauna, beautifully complemented by meandering fairways and seven fresh and saltwater lakes.
The Majlis, the first grass course in the Middle East, takes its name from the Arabic word for 'meeting place'. One of the most prominent features on the course is the Majlis building itself positioned between the eighth and ninth holes and a Dubai landmark since 1988.
DID YOU KNOW?
• The Dubai Desert Classic was first played in 1989 and the roll of honour includes nine different Major Champions. They are: Seve Ballesteros (1992), Ernie Els (1994, 02, 05), Fred Couples (1995), José María Olazábal (1998), Mark O’Meara (2004), Tiger Woods (2006, 08), Henrik Stenson (2007), Rory McIlroy (2009, 15) and Danny Willett (2016). Between them they have won 34 Major Championships.
• Should Danny Willett make a successful defence of his crown, he would become the first Englishman to win the same event in back-to-back years since Luke Donald (2011-12 BMW PGA Championship).
• On his way to victory in 2011, Alvaro Quiros made a hole-in-one at the 11th hole in the fourth round. He became only the then third player in European Tour history to win a European Tour event and record an ace in the final round. He followed Thongchai Jaidee (2004 Malaysian Open) and Miguel Angel Jiménez (2008 BMW PGA Championship).
• The 2011 event witnessed four holes-one. All of them were in separate rounds. The only other time this has occurred on the European Tour was the 1991 Fujitsu Mediterranean Open.
• Since 1989 the tournament has seen 22 different winners from 12 different nations.
• Should Henrik Stenson claim the title for a second time, he would move to the top of the list for most European Tour titles in the Middle East, with five. The 2016 Open Champion won the 2006 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, 2007 Omega Dubai Desert Classic and 2013 and 2014 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai.
• Stenson has played 50 European Tour career events in the Middle East, winning four and earning 20 top tens overall.
• Tiger Woods is making his first appearance in a European Tour event since the 2015 US PGA Championship. This tournament represents the first time the 14 Major Champion would have played in a regular European Tour event since the 2014 Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
• The 2006 and 2008 champion, Woods will make a return to the Omega Dubai Desert Classic for the eighth time during his career and first since 2014. The American has finished in the top five on five occasions from his seven appearances. He is a total of 92 under par for his 28 rounds in the event, with a stroke average of 68.71. All but three of his 28 rounds have been worse than par or better.
