Smylie and Micheluzzi play first Dubai Desert Classic
Elvis Smylie – yielding the benefits from his impressive win in Brisbane
This week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club in Dubai will feature a typically strong field involving the best of European golf.
Four-time winner Rory McIlory will be joined by Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Robert McIntyre, and the like, but there will be healthy representation from our part of the world, with Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee, Ryan Fox, Daniel Hillier, Jason Scrivener, Elvis Smylie, and David Micheluzzi to tee it up.
Previous winners of the event from Australasia are Richard Green and Lucas Herbert, but Adam Scott, who will play the event for just the fifth occasion, recording top-ten finishes in each of the past two years, appears to have a good chance of contending at some stage.
Scott finished 3rd at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November and was 15th two weeks ago at the Sentry Tournament at Kapalua in the first week of January in his only event since. He appears to be playing some very good golf at present and while he faces a particularly strong field, the event has proven to be a good starting point to his golfing year in recent times.
Min Woo Lee was perhaps disappointing during his Australian campaign but will play this event for the third time, a solid 13th place finish two years ago suggesting this golf course holds no fears and a great place to kick off his 2025 ahead of a return to the PGA Tour.
Ryan Fox now has full status on the PGA Tour but has played this event on eight occasions. Although he has finished no better than 20th in those appearances, he clearly sees this as a great way to start his year.
Daniel Hillier has missed the cut in each of his two appearances here and although he has been playing reasonably well in recent times (he has made his last eight cuts), he might struggle to improve his record at the venue.
Jason Scrivener played last week’s Australasian Tour event in Perth ahead of his return to the DP World Tour and will play this event for the ninth time. Scrivener has finished inside the top ten on two occasions at the Emirates Golf Club, but that aside, there has not been a lot to get excited about. He is a fine player however and could possibly contend at various stages during the week.
David Micheluzzi and Elvis Smylie will play the event for the first occasion, both only recently earning the right to play the lucrative (US$9 million) event.
Micheluzzi now has full DP World Tour status this season, courtesy of heading the 2022/2023 PGA Tour of Australasia Tour money list and Smylie’s win at the Australian PGA Championship earning him status in Europe.
Smylie finished 5th at the Australian Open the week after his victory in Brisbane and 14th in South Africa a week later, while Micheluzzi was 5th at the Australian PGA Championship and midfield in two subsequent events.
Smylie is seen as a genuine future star Australian golf and his progress this week and indeed this year will be followed with interest.
