Dubai: World number one Lee Westwood will join Tiger Woods in the star-studded Omega Dubai Desert Classic field, aiming to further solidify his reign at the top when the European Tour event gets under way at the Emirates Golf Club from February 7 to 13.
The clash between the planet's two best golfers will certainly be one of the highpoints of the 22nd edition of the tournament, promoted and organised by Golf in Dubai.
England's Westwood, who overtook Woods at the top of the world rankings on October 31, 2010, boasts 33 professional wins besides two top-two finishes at the majors since turning pro in 1993, but would relish his first win at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, an event he considers one of his favourite stops on the tour.
Narrow miss
The 37 year old from Worksop flirted with success last year when he agonisingly came close to inscribing his name on the trophy, but missed two championship putts before losing to Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez in the third playoff hole after the pair topped the leaderboard at 11 under par, a shot clear of Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee.
Westwood, who closed the most successful year of his career by winning South Africa's Nedbank Golf Challenge by a staggering eight shots, is determined to keep the momentum going and get the job done this time around on a course he is quite familiar with.
"I know the [Majlis] course well, and it's a good golf course.
"They set it up great," said Westwood, adding: "I have always enjoyed playing in this tournament. It's a big event which attracts the world's leading players each year. And this year is no exception," said Westwood, Europe's first number one golfer since compatriot Nick Faldo achieved the feat in 1994.
"You have to be at your best if you aim to succeed. The plan is the same: Just go out and enjoy," said Westwood.
"Golf in Dubai" is backed by Omega as the title sponsor and Dubal (Dubai Aluminium) as the sponsor. The co-sponsors are CNN, Emirates Airline, Emirates NBD, Gulf News, Jumeirah, Mercedes-Benz and wasl.
