Westwood to compete in Omega Dubai Desert Classic

Dubai: Lee Westwood completed a breathtaking comeback in 2009, and the new European No 1 is determined to keep the momentum going when he competes in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic at the Emirates Golf Club from February 1 to 7.

Dressed in Nottingham Forest red, the Englishman produced flawless golf to win the Dubai World Championship by a staggering six-stroke margin and with it regained the number one ranking in Europe after nine years.

In between, Westwood had to endure highs and lows of the game and did not visit the winner's circle for nearly three full seasons. He never gave up and finally found the elusive touch in 2009, landing over €3million (Dh15.88 million) in prize money in one single season.

Six top-fives

Westwood played in 26 European Tour events in 2009, making the cut in 25 of them. He racked up six top-fives, including two wins, and 13 top-10 finishes to end the year on a high — ranked number four in the world, matching his highest career position.

"It's hard to imagine playing better and getting the breaks when I needed them. I learned a lot from the pain of my Open Championship experience and tried to put it into practice. It definitely paid off," said Westwood who finished joint third in The Open Championship and US PGA Championship in 2009.

‘Golf in DUBAi' is backed by Omega as the title sponsor and Dubal (Dubai Aluminium) as the sponsor while BMW, CNN, Emirates Airline, Emirates NBD, Gulf News, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Jumeirah Hotels, MasterCard and wasl are co-sponsors in its drive to showcase the emirate's vibrant golfing scene to a worldwide audience.