Classic swing

A lot has transpired since that unforgettable evening in January 1989 when England's Mark James calmly rolled in his putt on the 18th hole at the newly built Emirates Golf Club to secure a unique slice of sporting history as the inaugural winner of the Dubai Desert Classic.

From that humble beginning, on a course that was carved out from a piece of barren desert and designed by American Karl Litten, the tournament has grown, way beyond expectations, into one of the most prestigious events on the European PGA Tour.

It now boasts a hefty prize fund of $2.5 million (Dh9.4 million) and is fully worthy of the soubriquet 'jewel in the crown'.

In the 17 times that the Classic has been staged since James's defining victory, a total of 15 different players have lifted the famous trophy, a giant, glittering Arabian coffee pot.

Among them have been golfing greats like Seve Ballesteros (1992), Fred Couples ('95), Ernie Els ('94, '02, '05), Colin Montgomerie ('96), Mark O'Meara ('04) and Tiger Woods ('06).

One wonders if even His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who gave his approval for a grass golf course to be built in the desert and has helped pioneer the phenomenal development of the emirate, envisaged the event would evolve into a world-class tournament in such a short span of time by attracting the best golfers on the planet.

And they're back again this year - Woods, Els, Montgomerie along with a rapidly growing pack of talented youngsters from Europe and Asia.

Blistering start

Woods, who made a blistering start to his season, winning the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines in California last week by an eight-stroke margin, is clearly the man to beat.

Looking to accomplish that will be Swede Henrik Stenson who 12 months ago played four magical rounds of golf to win by one stroke from Els, with Woods, two strokes further back in third.

Stenson, who has lived in Dubai since 2004, looks to be in red-hot form having finished runner-up over the last two weeks at Abu Dhabi and Doha.

"It's a nice feeling every time I've been to the club since I won last year," he said.

"You've got the picture in there and you've got your name on the trophy, so it's always nice to come back to the Emirates Golf Club when you have won the Desert Classic and at least have a chance to win it twice in a row. But I might need to move to a level where I've never been before though."

Other top contenders appear to be England's Lee Westwood, Spain's Sergio Garcia and Els, who holds the course record with a round of 61.

The Asian challenge is led by India's Jeev Milkha Singh and Jyoti Randhawa, together with Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee and Chapchai Nirat and Japan's Hideto Tanihara.