Dubai: This week's Omega Dubai Desert Classic is anyone's to win, according to Lee Westwood, who has heralded the European Tour's strength in depth following a recent spate of surprise winners.
In the five events in the 2012 European Tour so far, there have been three wildcard champions — Robert Rock and Paul Lawrie taking respective honours in Abu Dhabi and Qatar and unheralded South African rookie Branden Grace with back-to-back victories in his home country. Only 2010 Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen's curtain-raising triumph at the African Open in East London could be deemed non-anomalous.
Such is this opening flurry of wins for the usual also-rans that Westwood can't see beyond an underdog again for the 23rd edition of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at The Emirates Golf Club, which starts tomorrow.
Westwood, 38, said: "I think it shows the strength in depth of the European Tour. We're very strong right now. Like Robert [Rock] has always looked a good player. It's just a case of knuckling down and putting his mind to it, it seems with him.
Talented club
"He's obviously got a very good game. And he seems like the kind of player that, once he gets the knack of winning will win quite a bit, and he seems pretty fearless playing in the company that is around him as there was in Abu Dhabi.
"Paul [Lawrie] is a major champion [1999 Open] and I think, as hard as the course was in Qatar, it was windy the first couple of days. He's a good wind players — and you have to be as an Open champion — and he putts well on grainy greens, putts well in the desert. He came second at the end of last year at the Earth Course [Dubai World Championship].
"It seems that some people's games are suited to desert golf. You've got [Alvaro] Quiros, who's won in Dubai a few times and Rory [McIlroy] seems to have done well in the desert. When they get into contention they feel comfortable with it and carry on — that's where Paul has proved himself on many occasions. It was no real surprise when he was leading last week to see him come out and shoot the best round of the day," the Englishman said.
Consistent form
He added: "That's generally what natural winners do. I actually didn't realise he'd been playing that poorly. I thought he'd been playing quite consistently and showing a lot of form over the last few years. I think he won Spain [Andalucia] last year and had a few close calls, so he's not been far away. It's just a matter of getting on a golf course that he liked and in conditions that he plays well in."
