European Tour Fantasy Race Week 3 Preview

By Mo Yoshimoto on Wednesday, January 30th 2013
European Tour Fantasy Race Week 3 Preview

The European Tour is staying in the Middle East for the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates GC.  This is Week 3 of the Fantasy Race to Dubai 2013 on the European Tour and is the last of three tournaments that make up the “Desert Swing”.


Tournament Notes:

• Field size has increased this week to 132 players (including two amateurs).

• Rafa Cabrera-Bello defending champion.

• Englishman Lee Westwood is the highest ranked player in the field at World No. 8 and his making his 2013 debut. He is paired the first two days with last week’s winner Chris Wood (also an Englishman).

• Former champions of this event in the field:  Cabrera-Bello; Henrik Stenson; Mark O’Meara; Robert-Jan Derksen; Thomas Bjorn; David Howell; Jose Maria Olazabal; Richard Green & Colin Montgomerie. 

• Former champions not in the field include 2011 champion:  Alvaro Quiros; 2010:  Miguel Angel Jimenez; 2009:  Rory McIlroy; 2x champion Tiger Woods (’06 and ’08); and 3x champion Ernie Els (’94, ’02 and ’05).

• Course measures 7,301 yards.

• Interesting course layout with three par-fives on the back nine & only one on the front.  Par 72 (35-37).

• No par-three measures more than 200 yards on the scorecard.

• All par-fives are reachable in two for the majority of the field.

• Winning scores have varied.  Last year Cabrera-Bello with a winning total of -18. The three prior years:  -11, -11, -19 were the winning scores.

• PGA Tour members Seung-Yul Noh and Ben Curtis (winner of the 2012 Valero Texas Open) jump the pond and are also in the field.

• Scotland’s Scott Jamieson looking for a bounce back week.  After finishing solo 2nd in the season opening Volvo Golf Champions, Jamieson missed the cut in his next two events.  T5 in his only appearance here in Dubai last year should get him back on track.

• After missing 10 of 12 cuts in mid-2012 and recovering from injury, the resurgence from Paul Casey has since been remarkable.  Casey is on a consecutive cuts-made streak of seven and has five Top 25 finishes during this streak.  Solo 11th last time he played here in 2010.

• Not a particularly star-studded field with only seven of the World’s Top 50 players in the field so this should be a chance for the relative unknowns to put their names up on the leader board.

• If you don’t already play, you can sign-up at fantasyrace.europeantour.com


Good luck!
 

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