2018 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai

http://www.europeantour.com/europeantour/season=2018/tournamentid=2018090/index.html

Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Purse: US$ 8.0 million

Full players list:

• British & Irish: Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Eddie Pepperell, Ian Poulter, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Matt Wallace, Lee Westwood, Russell Knox, Ross Fisher, Shane Lowry, Chris Wood, Tom Lewis, Paul Dunne, Andy Sullivan, Jordan L Smith, Chris Paisley, Sam Horsfield, Matthew Southgate, Aaron Rai, Robert Rock, Lee Slattery, Danny Willett.
  
• Continental Europeans: Francesco Molinari, Jon Rahm, Sergio Garcia, Rafa Cabrera Bello, Alex Noren, Henrik Stenson, Thorbjorn Olesen, Lucas Bjerregaard, Alexander Bjork, Thomas Pieters, Adrian Otaegui, Jorge Campillo, Alexander Levy, Mike Lorenzo-Vera, Andrea Pavan, Mikko Korhonen, Joost Luiten, Thomas Detry, Martin Kaymer, Marcus Kinhult, Joakim Lagergren.
  
• Aus & NZ: Lucas Herbert, Ryan Fox, Wade Ormsby.
  
• Americans: Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed.
  
• South Africans: Branden Grace, Dylan Frittelli, Brandon Stone, Erik van Rooyen, Darren Fichardt, Dean Burmester.
  
• Asians: Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Haotong Li, Shubhankar Sharma, Hideto Tanihara, Wu Ashun.
  

Anyone know if Xander Schauffele is taking up full membership? Not sure exactly how its works in terms of eligibility for the bonuses but I think he's currently only an affiliate(or associate) member.

Anyone know if Xander Schauffele is taking up full membership? Not sure exactly how its works in terms of eligibility for the bonuses but I think he's currently only an affiliate(or associate) member.

Not sure if he is taking membership but he has the option due to his earnings this season.

Really looking forward to the event as again it is on a tough but stunning golf course. Some of the excitement has been lost due to Rose and Molinari not competing this week.

A few years ago when McIlroy went head to head in the last group with Andy Sullivan (2015 I think!) with everything on the line was great to watch. The golf was good, you could see the different stories unfolding and Andy had just come off of 3 ET wins but couldn't keep up with Rory.

The scheduling for next year (Rolex events) is a bit peculiar so it will be interesting to see how much interest it generates in the future. It's great that the ET try and have a regular season but those playing on the PGA Tour as well are usually running on empty and their season has already started so something has to give.

Anyone know if Xander Schauffele is taking up full membership? Not sure exactly how its works in terms of eligibility for the bonuses but I think he's currently only an affiliate(or associate) member.

 

Not sure if he is taking membership but he has the option due to his earnings this season.

 

Really looking forward to the event as again it is on a tough but stunning golf course. Some of the excitement has been lost due to Rose and Molinari not competing this week.

 

A few years ago when McIlroy went head to head in the last group with Andy Sullivan (2015 I think!) with everything on the line was great to watch. The golf was good, you could see the different stories unfolding and Andy had just come off of 3 ET wins but couldn't keep up with Rory.

 

The scheduling for next year (Rolex events) is a bit peculiar so it will be interesting to see how much interest it generates in the future. It's great that the ET try and have a regular season but those playing on the PGA Tour as well are usually running on empty and their season has already started so something has to give.

Molinari is playing this week, paired with (guess who) Fleetwood ;)

Casey is not playing.

Anyone know if Xander Schauffele is taking up full membership? Not sure exactly how its works in terms of eligibility for the bonuses but I think he's currently only an affiliate(or associate) member.

 

Not sure if he is taking membership but he has the option due to his earnings this season.

 

Really looking forward to the event as again it is on a tough but stunning golf course. Some of the excitement has been lost due to Rose and Molinari not competing this week.

 

A few years ago when McIlroy went head to head in the last group with Andy Sullivan (2015 I think!) with everything on the line was great to watch. The golf was good, you could see the different stories unfolding and Andy had just come off of 3 ET wins but couldn't keep up with Rory.

 

The scheduling for next year (Rolex events) is a bit peculiar so it will be interesting to see how much interest it generates in the future. It's great that the ET try and have a regular season but those playing on the PGA Tour as well are usually running on empty and their season has already started so something has to give.

 

Molinari is playing this week, paired with (guess who) Fleetwood ;)

Casey is not playing.

Ah my bad, thought he'd decided to sit it out. In an interview he said he was running close to empty because of the full on Summer. Good news if Moliwood are playing, brings a bit more casual interest to the event.

Cheers!

Round 1 Tee Times

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, let's hope they play well!

Hoping to see a Detry/Pieters pairing at some point on the weekend.

European Tour can't even get Justin Rose for this one, nobody would miss the Tour Championship. With Rory's comments this week, the European Tour is in trouble.

I just caught some of the Hero Challenge event on Golf Channel now and saw Fleetwood vs. Stenson "match". They were both firing at the pin on the water and smack talking each other. Stenson is hilarious! This event/show is much more entertaining to watch than that Shotmakers show GC did with amateurs. Hearing the pros chop it up in this fun competition is awesome.

Westwood and Garcia would be interesting to follow both great ball strikers and Westwood coming off a win .

European Tour can't even get Justin Rose for this one, nobody would miss the Tour Championship. With Rory's comments this week, the European Tour is in trouble.

JRose don't get out of bed for less than $15MM, yo ; )

Since one's focus tends to be on the last tournaments played, my immediate question when seeing Naburus eminent list (Still putting peninsular Europeans in the continental Europe list, but...) I find myself spinning those lists down to - was Westys putting a temporary fluke or has he found something on the greens?

Apart from that, the Americanos have both shown rising form of lately. Surprised there arent more guys from the US taking part.

Rose and McIlroy does seldom make fools of themselves at Jumierah. Stenson, just back from injury has done well too earlier years but noone knows where he stands. As all my fellow countrymen on the big tours his year has been mediocre. Garcia will of course be a contender with his RC form kick. Mollywood, run out of steam? But I think Wallace might contend. That last round last week should have given him some courage for a comeback after poorer rounds, poorer shots. He said on the on course interview that he picks out his patience, but patience does not seem like his biggest inherent ability. Seems to kick himself hard after misgivings. Reminds me a little of a younger Stenson in that sense.

Or maybe Kinhult finally will get his act together. I have been waiting for his breakthrough a long time now.

Rose missing out is a massive insult to the Tour. The course is extremely boring and has few memorable holes. A shame that the flagship cannot be held in Europe itself, on a superior venue like Monte Rei, San Gaul or something equally high class. I realise the Dubai money is the issue but the venue is so so at best.

Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, let's hope they play well!

Although it could be quite entertaining if they don't! Over/under on Fbombs and club tosses?

Hoping to see a Detry/Pieters pairing at some point on the weekend.

I-L-L - I-N-I

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Some of the shots during the hero challenge were on fire. Westwood was so unlucky when he hit the pin and bounced out of the high scoring zone.

It'll be interesting to see how the tour moves forward if some of the big names do keep distancing themselves from it.

 

Hoping to see a Detry/Pieters pairing at some point on the weekend.

 

I-L-L - I-N-I

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Off on a tangent, but the Illini signed a kid from the Netherlands today. European pipeline is expanding...

European Tour can't even get Justin Rose for this one, nobody would miss the Tour Championship. With Rory's comments this week, the European Tour is in trouble.

Justin's resting up for Tiger's HERO Challenge.

Which will probably have nearly as many ranking points as this tournament.

I wonder how much he's getting to go back and defend his title at the Indonesian Masters.

Hoping to see a Detry/Pieters pairing at some point on the weekend.

 

I-L-L - I-N-I

I-L-L - I-N-I

I-L-L - I-N-I

 

Off on a tangent, but the Illini signed a kid from the Netherlands today. European pipeline is expanding...

Coach Small probably took a wrong turn in Antwerp and wound up in Rotterdam.

Justin's resting up for Tiger's HERO Challenge.

Some are saying he's currently away testing new equipment.

No wind so expecting the usual low scoring.

Danny Willett 67 (-5) tied for the lead with Jordan Smoith. Thomas Pieters going well -4 thru 8.

Good round from Joost Luiten as he continues his comeback 69 (-3), Hideto Tanihara also posted a 69.

So little break on some of the greens....almost resort course level. Seriously need a stiffer test than this.

So little break on some of the greens....almost resort course level. Seriously need a stiffer test than this.

Supposedly when Greg Norman was building the course it was intended to be a resort course and halfway thru the powers that be decided they'd make it a championship course.

Francesco off to a great start

Westwood and Garcia would be interesting to follow both great ball strikers and Westwood coming off a win .

Westwood is also using Garcia's old caddie this week, should be a bit of banter I imagine

It is still a resort course in my eyes. And very dull visually. I will watch the highlights later instead of the live coverage.

I will never get tired of watching Rahm yell at non existent spike marks.

If it wasn’t for Stenson 3w I wouldn’t remember a single hole of this course... great conditions though!

So little break on some of the greens....almost resort course level. Seriously need a stiffer test than this.

 

Supposedly when Greg Norman was building the course it was intended to be a resort course and halfway thru the powers that be decided they'd make it a championship course.

The US has resort courses that are also good tests. I hear Doral has an opening and it's close to homes of many of the tour's top players.

Pieters leads Detry by two for low Belgian Illini named Thomas.