Dubai: Rafael Cabrera-Bello is eyeing victory at this weekend’s Omega Dubai Desert Classic in order to complete a Spanish hat-trick in the European Tour’s 2014 Desert Swing.
Pablo Larrazabal won the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship and Sergio Garcia claimed the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters over the past two consecutive weekends, while Cabrera-Bello finished tied for fourth and third respectively.
The 2012 Omega Dubai Desert Classic (ODDC) winner made a further statement of intent in a special 25th anniversary 18-hole Champions’ Challenge exhibition match — involving all 21 past ODDC winners — at Emirates Golf Club on Tuesday. Tied for first with 2007 winner Henrik Stenson, they shared $500,000 in prize money after they both hit six-under par.
“This Desert Swing has been unbelievable,” Cabrera-Bello said. “With Pablo winning Abu Dhabi and Sergio winning last week, and myself and the other Spanish guys also playing good both weeks, hopefully we can make it a real Spanish hat-trick.”
Of his form and chances of contention heading into the weekend, he said: “Everything adds up. I’ve been working on my confidence lately. I forgot how to score last year but this year has been very good, I’m hitting the right spots. My short game is a little sharper and I am making fewer mistakes and more putts for birdies.”
Cabrera-Bello credited the conditions here for Spaniards’ success — five of the Desert Classic’s 21 former champions hail from Spain, more than any other nationality.
“Myself and any other of the Spanish players, we all feel very comfortable here,” said Cabrera-Bello, who followed Miguel Angel Jimenez and Alvaro Quiros in making it three consecutive ODDC wins for the Spaniards here in 2012. “Being from Spain we enjoy the warm weather and enjoy playing in short sleeves.
“When you come to a tournament like this where Seve [Ballesteros] has won and Ole [Jose Maria Olazabal], as well as Miguel [Angel Jimenez] and Alvaro [Quiros] and myself, it’s always a good atmosphere. We all have good stories going around here so there are positives surrounding us.”
Meanwhile, Stenson, who shared top spot in Tuesday’s exhibition match with Cabrera-Bello, also stated his title credentials.
A win on Sunday would be a welcome return to form for the Swede, who after becoming the first golfer to win the Race to Dubai and FedEx Cup in the same season last year has started 2014 with a missed cut in Abu Dhabi and tied-for-28th place finish in Qatar.
“I really felt I was in good competitive mode today,” he said. “That was probably the first round of the year where I felt I got going. That’s a good sign and I look forward to the rest of the week.”
