The crowds had barely dispersed after Viktor Hovland’s extra-hole victory at the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic before attentions began to turn to the third of a quartet of DP World Tour events in the UAE.
The ‘UAE Swing’ began in with a pair of Rolex Series events in Abu Dhabi and Dubai over the past fortnight, and now it relentlessly drives on to Ras Al Khaimah for the inaugural $2 million RAK Championship at Al Hamra Gold Club, which begins on Thursday.
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We have already seen two 2022 champions crowned in the UAE — Belgium’s Thomas Pieters at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship and Norway’s Hovland at Emirates Golf Club just down the road in Dubai on Sunday.
It is anyone’s guess who will add their name to that list in a historic four-week stretch in the UAE as the Ras Al Khaimah Championship is swiftly followed by the RAK Classic on the same course, with the same prize money and the same rapid introduction to the DP World Tour schedule with its first bow on the calendar.
The 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett is one of the star this week in RAK, as the Englishman lines up with some big stars including Bernd Wiesberger — who ran Rory McIlroy and Hovland close in Dubai — plus Dubai resident and recent Golden Visa recipient Nicolas Colsaerts.
Looking ahead, Pablo Larrazabal, Stephen Gallagher and Dubai runner-up Richard Bland will tee it up for the Classic alongside Scott Hend, Justin Harding and Li Haotong over the second week in the RAK Classic.
As we approach tournament three of a historic six UAE events on the DP World Tour this season, there is plenty to look forward to in the UAE as golf gets on with its historic start to the 2022 DP World Tour campaign.
