Dubai: The eighth annual €500,000 (Dh2.49 million) Omega Dubai Ladies Masters tees off at Emirates Golf Club’s par 72, 6425 yard Majlis Course from Wednesday.
With the Ladies European Tour money-list wrapped up by Norway’s Suzann Pettersen long before this four-round season-ender even began, attention will instead turn to the ‘Rookie of the Year’ contest between English youngsters Charley Hull and Holly Clyburn.
Event debut challenger Stacy Lewis and defending champion Shanshan Feng — Major winners and respective World No.3 and No.4 ranked golfers — are expected to dominate the 108-strong field this weekend, especially after the omission of US regulars Michelle Wie and 2011 champion Lexi Thompson.
However, record seven-time Ladies European Tour Order of Merit winner Laura Davies, and last year’s Dubai-clinching Order of Merit and Rookie of the Year double-act Carlota Ciganda, will be looking to ensure the LPGA sponsor’s invitees don’t have it all their own way.
“Anytime you have a tournament and a trophy and there’s a winners cheque, I think everybody is still going to come and play,” Lewis said. “I don’t think the Ladies European Tour money-list having already been decided will affect things too much.”
Davies said Wie and Thompson’s absence didn’t take anything away from the field. “We’ve got Stacy in the field. That’s one of the bigger American names we’ve ever had. Lexi’s obviously won it and it’s a shame she’s not back here to try and win it again. The Tour School in America has cost us quite a few big names like Lee-Anne Pace and Rebecca Flood.
“But Charley Hull is here and she’s obviously an exciting new prospect, and everyone wants to see her play. Strength of field-wise, there’s a lot of strength at the top of the field and that’s always a good thing for the galleries. They want to see the Stacy Lewises of the world, so it’s good she’s here.”
Of a possible Saturday afternoon pairing between the two tournament favourites, 2012 LPGA Champion Feng and Women’s British Open holder Lewis, who also won the Kraft Nabsico Championship in 2011, she said: “I can definitely see that playing out. I played with Shanshan on Sunday last week at our [LPGA] season-ending tournament in Naples, Florida [The CME Group Titleholders] and watched her play some pretty unbelievable golf. She’s playing really well right now and I’ll definitely have to be on top of my game to beat her.
“She’s played so solid over the last year or two, winning Majors and she won in China [the Reignwood LPGA Classic], she’s played some great golf. So, hopefully I can give her a bit of a run.”
