Omega Dubai Desert Classic News

The major of the Middle East the Omega Dubai Desert Classic sets attendance record

A record number of fans turned up on Sunday to watch world number one Rory McIlroy deliver a tactical masterclass as he secured his second Omega Dubai Desert Classic title in six years at Emirates Golf Club. With the 26th edition of the “Major of the Middle East’ boasting truly a ‘Classic field’ that comprised nine Major champions with a total of 17 Major victories, six of the seven top-ranked European Tour players and 83 European Tour winners with 358 titles between them, it was no surprise to see attendance touch a new peak.

The tournament week recorded a healthy attendance of 38,165, which was well over last year’s figure. 11,077 fans were on hand on Sunday, beating the previous best figure of 9,508 recorded in 2011 when Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Tiger Woods, the top three players in the world at the time, featured in the tournament which was won eventually by Spain’s Alvaro Quiros.

The crowd couldn’t have asked for more as McIlroy, whether in conservative or aggressive mode, showed them how to win big in big tournaments.

Conscious of recent turnarounds on the European Tour when Martin Kaymer and Charl Schwartzel relinquished substantial final round leads, McIlroy stuck to his game plan to get the job done in style, his 22-under 266 matching the lowest winning total by Thomas Bjørn (2001) and Stephen Gallacher (2013) in the 26-year history of the tournament.

“It is always great coming back here, it is nice to put my name on the trophy once again,” said the 25-year-old Northern Irishman after reclaiming a title he last won in 2009, which was then his maiden professional title.

He has statistics to back his love affair with the Majlis course where he is now 81 under par for his last six appearances that have yielded a first in 2009, sixth in 2010, tenth in 2011, fifth in 2012, ninth in 2014 and first in 2015.

En route to his emphatic three-shot win — his 10th in his 145th European Tour events — McIlroy produced 24 birdies against just two bogeys – the first on the ninth in the first round and the second, after 51 holes, on the seventh on the final day. He birdied the par-5, third on all four days and played the par-5, 10th in three-under par.

The world number one is now 118 under par for his last seven European Tour events which have seen him secure four wins — including The Open Championship and the US PGA Championship — and three runners-up spots.

With this success, he has also joined Ernie Els (1994, 2002, 2005), Tiger Woods (2006, 2008) and Stephen Gallacher (2013, 2014), as only players to record multiple victories in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.

The Omega Dubai Desert Classic is backed by OMEGA as the title sponsor and Emirates Global Aluminium PJSC as sponsor. The co-sponsors are: CNN, Drydocks World & Maritime World, Emirates NBD, Gulf News, JA Resorts and Hotels, Mercedes-Benz and wasl, while Dubai Duty Free, Neocasa Interiors and Motivate Publishing are the Patrons in golf in DUBAi’s drive to showcase the emirate’s vibrant golfing scene to a worldwide audience.

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