Golfers Unfiltered: Introducing The Green Room

The Dubai Invitational marked the start of a new year on the DP World Tour and saw the introduction of the Green Room, aimed to elicit unfiltered emotions from players at key moments during the season.

For some, the inaugural tournament at Dubai Creek Resort proved to be their return to competitive action for the first time since the DP World Tour Championship at the end of the 2023 campaign, while for others it saw them tee it up again following the festive break.

With a 60-strong field assembled for the first of back-to-back events in the United Arab Emirates, how would players react to having a scorecard back in their hand?

Whether it was pre-round nerves, frustration at disappointing finishes or happiness at being back around home comforts, there were plenty of raw emotions to be heard in our Big Brother-style interview room.

• READ MORE: The debrief: Dubai Invitational
• READ MORE: With this win... Tommy Fleetwood at the Dubai Invitational

Here, we recap the best post-round comments from some of those in action at the opening event of the International Swing on the 2024 Race to Dubai.

Francesco Molinari was pleased to know he "can still play some decent golf" after shooting a final round eight-under 63 to finish in fifth place - his best result on the DP World Tour since the 2019 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

The 2018 Open Champion added: "I have got one goal in mind, it is in two years time and I think you can work out pretty easily what it is. It is a long way to go.

"I just want to play some decent golf and enjoy my time on the golf course a little more because it has been a pretty miserable time the last few years."

Back for the first time since the ISPS HANDA Australian Open at the start of December, Sean Crocker offered a honest insight into his pre-tournament feelings after opening with a four-under-par 67 on Thursday.

"I felt like a 12-year-old, nervous as s* * *," he said. "My heart was pounding.

"All I saw was the water to the right on the tenth tee. I tell you what, I made sure that golf ball went nowhere but left.

"If you take a little break from tournament golf, for me at least and I know it is the same for a lot of other guys, you are so nervous coming back.

"You always wonder if you are going to have it or if you are still going to be able to play golf the same way you did the last time you played..."

How about being back on the road? Was the Zimbabwean-born American excited for the year ahead as he targets a second DP World Tour title.

"It is always good to be back," he said. "For me, I miss the lads. I miss the banter. I miss my caddie, I miss the environment.

"You want to go home but after two weeks you really want to go back to the Tour life... it is not always great but I personally always miss it when I stay away from it."

That was a sentiment echoed by his friend Ewen Ferguson after the two-time winner from Scotland opened his year with a two-under 69.

"I love being out on Tour," he said. "I do love my job. These few weeks are probably my favourite time of the year.

"I live in the Marina in Dubai. I have got my own car, I can stay at home for a few weeks in a row.

"I have missed everyone. I am so glad to be back. Here's to another year full of good memories and hopefully some trophies along the way."

There aren't many more experienced golfers than Thomas Bjørn but the Dane couldn't hide his frustration at finishing triple-bogey, bogey after the third round.

"The only thing on my mind is this lovely 7-5 finish," he vented after carding a 75. "Who finishes 7-5 to destroy hard work?!

"I remember I played once at Augusta with Steve Pate and we came off the 18th and we'd had a miserable day on the golf course and he looked at these people from Augusta National in the recording area and said, 'why don't we just have a padded cell at the back of the 18th green where we can go in and shout, scream and hit everything we want to hit and then we will come out and everything will be fine'. Here (The Green Room) is the padded cell.

"I just want to stand up and beat this room to pieces. Honestly, for 29-30 years I have kept saying tomorrow is a new day. It very rarely is a better day..."

So, a day later, how would the 2018 Ryder Cup-winning Captain be feeling after closing out the week with a three-under 68?

"I hate this game," he said. "I honestly can't understand this game.

"Beautiful day, golf was easy today. Putts rolled in, yesterday they didn't. No mistakes today, big mistakes yesterday. Why is it like this?

"Why does this game have to test us every single day? No wonder we are all nuts. I just don't think the human brain is made for golf."

Marcus Armitage, AKA 'The Bullet', is regarded as one of the most charismatic characters on Tour and his thoughts were one of semi-embarrassment after failing to register a birdie during the second round.

"I am enjoying the weather," he said after following a one-over 72 with a 73 on day two at the no-cut event.

"That is all I have enjoyed today, unfortunately. Not my day, no birdies.

"All the boys back at the golf club (Howley Hall Golf Club) will be telling me that I have lost my pro status. You have got to take the rough with the smooth, that's the game."

Lastly, how about our event winner Tommy Fleetwood. What were the emotions going through the Englishman as he lined up his tournament-winning birdie putt on the 72nd hole?

"As I was looking at it, I felt like I was probably going to make it but also I remember the way Rory (McIlroy) finished in Scotland and I was playing with him," he said.

"There was just something about the putt that seemed very similar to that one he holed (on the 18th at the Renaissance Club) and I just thought it is probably my time.

"It felt great, of course you are playing against one of your friends and you are competing in the right way.

"I am glad I won with my whole family there. I had never won with my wife and all the kids there.. that was really cool, very satisfying."