It’s going to be a special edition, Abu Dhabi Golf Championship official says

Abu Dhabi: For more than three decades on the DP World Tour, Miguel Vidaor has been responsible for what happens inside the ropes.

As senior tournament director, his vital job has spanned course set-up, rules, and everything involving the players. In January 2006, he travelled to the Abu Dhabi for the first time to help stage what was then a new addition to the schedule: the Abu Dhabi Championship. He has been part of its evolution ever since.

“I’ve been on Tour since 1993. This is now 32 years I’ve been doing this and I’m still loving it. I started as a referee and then became a tournament director in 1998. I had been to Dubai before, but it was my first trip to Abu Dhabi in 2006,” he says.

Back then, Abu Dhabi Golf Club was still evolving. The now-iconic falcon-shaped clubhouse stood over a course better known for leisure resort play than elite competition.

“It was a nice, lovely resort-type of course. But every single year they did something new — they put in new tees; they put in new bunkers. And eventually, after about five, six, seven years, it became a really good, strong championship course. To see that development was great.”

In the early editions, Abu Dhabi wanted to make a statement: the hospitality would be almost as memorable as the golf, especially the players’ hotel.

“In the early years, the players were staying at the Emirates Palace. It was like being in a dreamland, I mean it is a monument, right? I don’t know how many stars it has — eight stars, I don’t know — but there were butlers in the rooms. The guys were like, ‘wow, what is this?’”

But as the city grew, so did the commute.

“It got to the point where in rush hour it could take them over an hour to get from the hotel to the golf course. Which is something players absolutely don’t like. So, we moved them to the Shangri-La hotel, which is much closer. And eventually, after 16 years, we moved to Yas Links.”

Miguel has watched Abu Dhabi grow at its own pace.

“Abu Dhabi was kind of starting (as a golfing destination). Dubai had developed quicker but Abu Dhabi did it step by step, and they’ve kept it under control.

“The UAE has been fabulous for us. The players have always enjoyed well-conditioned golf courses, first-class hospitality, and great weather, to the point that many of them now have their bases in the UAE. And that’s where they practise in the winter and they love it. The facilities out here are brilliant,” says Miguel.

The region’s rise has also shaped the Tour.

“For us, having DP World as our title sponsor and the strength of the championships there are amazing. For us, it’s mega. Abu Dhabi went from being a strong Tour event to becoming part of the Rolex Series, and now it has gone to another level as part of the DP World Tour Play-Offs.

“So, these are our premium events and I can see it staying like this because we have great support from Abu Dhabi Sports Council, they’ve been behind the tournament from the word go.

“They realise how important it is and they deliver. So, I think we’re in very good hands and I can see us staying there for as long as possible.”

Among two decades of editions, some memories stand out more than others.

“In 2009, we had a hailstorm. I don’t think the locals had seen hail before. The Gulf Coast was completely white. It was just a little dark cloud that started getting bigger and bigger and bigger, and suddenly it just dumped on us. I mean, of course, we had to suspend play. It was completely white.”

There have been fog delays too — long, thick, unmovable. “A couple of days we just could not play golf for four hours. But weather-wise it’s generally been great — but that was a peculiar one.”

Another of the most ‘peculiar’ moments in the championship’s history came in 2012, when Tiger Woods played Abu Dhabi at his awesome best. Miguel remembers it clearly.

“Tiger came at his peak and he’s playing the first couple of rounds. I remember he’s playing with Martin Kaymer,” he said. “On the fifth hole … basically, he hit it near a bush. And the rule is, if you get an embedded ball in grass, you can actually take free relief. But if it’s embedded in the desert in sand, there’s no relief. Okay?”

Miguel was nearby. “I’m literally 100 yards away, parked with my buggy. And I see Tiger looking for his ball around this bush. He calls over Martin Kaymer. They’ve seen me — if they need anything, they can call me. Next thing, I see Tiger picking up the ball from a distance and dropping it. So, I say nothing. We want the players to get on with the rules. If they need us, they can call us.”

Then came the alert. “An American journalist came to me and said: ‘Can you take a drop from an embedded ball in the desert?’ And I said, ‘no. If it’s in grass, yes. If it’s in sand, no’. He said, ‘Well, I think you might want to have a look at what’s happened with Tiger on the previous hole’. And I’m thinking, ‘oh my God, here we go’…”

Miguel went to inspect the spot. “I drove over, had a look at the bush. He had some creeping grass kind of growing. But clearly it was not grass, if you know what I mean. So, they thought this is OK, which wasn’t OK. So basically, that means Tiger has breached the rules and Tiger is going to incur a two-shot penalty.”

And then — the twist. “This is Friday. Let’s not forget this. He was on the bubble to make the cut. So, we told him … and amazingly he missed the cut by one with the penalty.

“So, you can imagine, that was just a disaster for the tournament. But rules are rules. He didn’t know the rule, Martin Kaymer didn’t know the rule. And Peter German (a Senior Vice President Golf Tournament Director for IMG) — a legend — was obviously livid. He understood, of course, but you can imagine all the sponsors and everybody not having Tiger over the weekend. He was like, ‘oh, my God’.”

For Miguel, some champions define eras: “Robert Rock winning was very special. He was a good player but my goodness, he’s playing against the best in the world (including Woods and Rory McIlroy), and he managed to beat them. And I remember the crowd went crazy about it. They were singing ‘Rocky’ as he approached the 18th. He’s no longer playing any more but a lovely man and that was just a life-changer for him.”

And more recently: “Victor Pérez’s win two years ago — that bunker shot he had on 17 — that was quite a moment as well at Yas Links.”

This year, the tournament marks its 20th edition and returns to Yas Links with one of the strongest fields on the DP World Tour calendar including Ryder Cup winners Rory McIlroy, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Ludvig Åberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rasmus Højgaard, Robert MacIntyre and Sepp Straka. .

More magical moments are sure to come, and the Championship Village layout is being redesigned to bring fans closer to the action, a move very much to Miguel’s liking.

“We’re using one of the two driving ranges. And it’s going to be a special edition. It’s going to be very special. Rory’s coming back with his Grand Slam. I think the fans will go away with a very good memory because it’s going to be a great tournament.”