The rain couldn’t hold off this nail-biting finish to the Dubai Desert Classic.

The Dubai Desert Classic started its annual opening round on Thursday at the Emirates course in the UAE, and from the get-go, players were battling it out for the lead. With a mix of PGA and LIV Tour players entered into the tournament, the air was a little testy here and there between certain players.

The recent ‘teegate’ drama between Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed hasn’t gone away with the two world-class players scoring competitively low. At the end of round 2 they were both 8 under par and biting at the heels of the joint leaders on 10 under.

The momentum carried through into Saturday’s penultimate round where Rory McIlroy took control and shot 7 under to break from the crowd and secure him a three-shot lead at 15 under. It was a dramatic revelation when Sunday’s final round was delayed due to flooding. 60mm of rain fell over Dubai over the course of two days, the result of which pushed the final round onto the Monday morning.

With the grounds suitable for resuming play, the quality of play continued as the tournament came to a dramatic end. Henrik Stenson put in a good final round scoring 8 under to finish 12 under. Herbert Lucas was similarly playing well scoring 6 under to finish at 16 under, but all eyes were on Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy as they dueled back and forth for the lead.

Reed finished the tournament at a whopping 18 under par, putting incredible pressure on Rory as he was on the same score with one hole to play. A par would have meant a playoff, a bogey second place, but against the odds McIlroy dominated the par 5 final hole and rolled in a birdie putt to secure him the lead and finish at 19 under par. A truly gripping end to the tournament given the ‘teegate’ spat with Reed. McIlroy put his win down to his own mental fortitude, overcoming all distractions to focus on the round at hand “I had to forget who was up there on the leaderboard. I felt I showed a lot of mental strength.”

Doesn’t seeing these pros pull off birdie after birdie whet your appetite for a game yourself?

The golfing spectacles continue to amaze on the DP World Tour with a dramatic ending to the HSBC Championship.

On Sunday we saw Victor Perez lift the trophy at the Rolex Series HSBC championship with a commendable six-under 66 on the final round, bringing him to a total of -18 at the end of play. Stay with us as we go through all the ins-and-outs of this year’s Tour golf tournament at Yas Links.

With familiar faces like Padraig Harrington and the Molinari brothers, as well up-and-coming stars like Ramus Højgaard and Min Woo Lee, the field was a real mix of talent and experience. The first round saw Luke Donald leading the charge after the first day scoring an opening 8 under 64, giving him a tight one-shot lead.

However, by the end of day 2, two Italians overtook him. Francesco Molinari and Guido Migliozzi were joint first both with 10 under. It only got more tense by the end of the third round with Molinari pushing his lead by three while Shane Lowry and Min Woo Lee played well to join him at thirteen under. It was all to play for on Sunday with a huge fifteen golfers within four shots of the leader.

The tournament momentum continued into the final round as some players excelled while others ran out of steam. Lowry and Migliozzi fell behind by scoring over par on Sunday with +4 and +1. The Finn Sami Välimäki shot a thrilling -10 to finish 12 under alongside six other players. It was an extremely tight competition with some very low scores but Victor Perez played consistently to victory making the winning score a respectable 18 under par.

In top form from start to finish, Perez finished under par on each day, scoring -1, -7, -4, and -6 on each progressing round. His world-class performance included a riveting birdie chip-in on the penultimate hole. When all was said and done, Perez ecstatically claimed “I got off to a good start and I was just focusing on me and trying to do the best I can”.

One of the most admirable traits these Tour pros show is how they can shake off the pressure with so many eyes on them. With the Ryder Cup in September getting ever closer, who’ll make up the final teams?

What's in the Bag?

Driver: PING G430 LST

Fairway wood: PING G430 MAX

Irons: PING I59

Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9,  Titleist Vokey WedgeWorks

Putter: PING Sigma 2 ZB

Ball: Titleist Pro V1

Ahead of this year’s Ryder Cup team Europe battled it out internally in Abu Dhabi. The UAE was alive with golfing greats from both sides of the English Channel battling it out in Abu Dhabi this past weekend.

As is sometimes the case with these huge matchplay competitions, we see a back-and-forth, but as always, only one team can come out on top. Molinari’s Continental Europe secured a safe victory over Fleetwood’s Great Britain & Ireland with a final outcome of 14.5 to 10.5. Please read on as we recap how the continental players paved the way to the win.

The tournament was a tight game up to the close of play on Saturday. Power & MacIntrye beat Straka & Meronk 4 & 3 on the Friday, while on Saturday morning Molinari & Højgaard beat Shinkwin & Wallace when they were 3 up with 1 to play. Going into the final round, Europe were at a two-point advantage over Britain & Ireland with the scores standing at 8.5 to 6.5.

The Sunday singles matches saw the captains shine as both Molinari & Fleetwood won their respective games against Lowry & Pieters. The final day saw some impressive scores with Hatton, MacIntyre, and Straka all winning their matches by 5-up. But ultimately, 6 European and 4 Britain & Ireland victories were made on Sunday to reach the final standing of 14.5 to 10.5. Molinari praised his team’s success and claimed “It’s a great motivation for me”.

Thinking further down the line, he added “Being in Rome would be absolutely incredible” as the players set their sights on this year’s Ryder Cup. Team Captain Luke Donald has been observing and analysing the performances at the Hero Cup closely as he leads his team to Rome in September, “It’s how they react to the pressure and how they perform when it really matters – whether they win the match or not”.

Which was your favorite moment of this year’s Hero Cup? What are your predictions for the Ryder Cup?

Tour golf kicked off in Hawaii with the Sentry Tournament of Champions, some big names appearing in the field. Collin Morikawa held the lead for the majority of the week, but ultimately Jon Rahm made a stunning comeback, scoring 9 birdies and an eagle on Sunday to secure the trophy, earning him his eighth win on Tour.

Morikawa had played solidly the first three days to give himself a six-shot advantage entering the final round. He even made three front-nine birdies to extend the lead on Sunday. However, the pressure caught up with the 2021 Open Champion on the back-nine as he made three consecutive bogeys on 14, 15, and 16. Morikawa later described the last-round collapse as a frustrating “sadness,” putting the blame on his “bad timing on bad shots”.

Rahm entered the final round seven shots behind Morikawa’s lead, but the tables turned over the course of the last 18 holes. While Morikawa faltered on the back-nine, Rahm made three solid birdies on the front nine, and led a glorious charge on the final 9, scoring five birdies and an eagle to give him a three-shot margin lead, meaning Morikawa had to then score an albatross on the final hole to tie, which he only birdied. Rahm was full of confidence coming off the course stating “I feel like since August I’ve been the best player in the world.”

How are you hoping to get your game in shape this year? There’s no better feeling than being in top form and scoring well hole-after-hole!

What's in the Bag?

Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond

3-wood: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond T HL

5-wood: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond T

Irons: Callaway X Forged UT, Callaway Apex TCB

Wedges: Callaway Jaws Forged

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie S

Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X