A galaxy of stars from the Ladies European Tour will join a slew of big names from the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Tour in what promises to be an absorbing battle in the sun at the season-ending Omega Dubai Ladies Master that gets under way at the Emirates Golf Club from Wednesday.
Promoted and organised by ‘golf in Dubai’, the tournament wears truly a global look to it with players from 27 countries represented in the strong 108-player field, which is one of the strongest ever assembled in Dubai. If the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters is popularly referred to as the Major of the Middle East, it’s for a reason.
American powerhouse Michelle Wie and defending champion In-Kyung Kim of South Korea will be up against virtually the who’s who of Europe, all capable of writing a new script on their day.
Wie is hoping to make a triumphant comeback to golf after having been out of the game with a back injury for almost a month since withdrawing from the second round of the recent Lorena Ochoa Invitational.
Wie said she was hoping to give herself a boost before taking a holiday.
“I’ve just been rehabbing, recovering. I hit some balls last week so this week I’m just going to go out there and try to play pain free,” Wie said.
“It’s really important to finish strong, so I think it would make my vacation a lot more fun if I play really well this week, just go out there and ending with a bang would be great.
“I did feel like I improved over the course of the season so that was good. You know, obviously little glitches here and there held me back, but hopefully, for the next year I’ll be a lot stronger mentally and physically.
“I really hope I haven’t reached my peak yet. I do feel like I have a lot more.”
Genial In-Kyung Kim, the world’s number seven, is riding high on confidence following her stunning victory at the recent Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico while Wie displayed her awesome talent to capture the CN Canadian Women’s Open for her second career victory on the LPGA Tour in August 2010.
Wie led the tournament from start to finish and held off some of the biggest names in women’s golf, including defending champion Suzann Pettersen, Kristy McPherson and former number one ranked player Jiyai Shin to eventually win by three strokes.
Included in the field are Britain’s all-time great and ‘golf in Dubai’ ambassador Laura Davies and in-form Lee-Anne Pace who will renew their rivalry in fight for the European Tour’s Money List winner. With a total earnings of euro 337,567 from 24 events, the South African is now euro 32,400 and some pocket change ahead of second-placed Davies, who like Pace, has also raked in five wins this season.
The battle for the Rookie of the Year - another major highlight of the tournament - is weighed heavily in favour of In-Kyung Kim, who is well ahead of her nearest challenger Maria Hernandez of Spain.
South Korea’s Kim, who earned exemption to the Ladies European Tour following her victory in the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, leads the race with euro 176,904.69 to her credit from three events while Hernandez’s earnings stand at euro 108,476.32 from six tournaments.
Providing the Arabian flavour to the event will be the presence of Naela El Attar of Egypt and Morocco’s rising star Maha Haddioui. Naela, the only woman professional in Egypt, is making her second appearance in the event while for Maha it will be her first experience to play competitive golf at this highest level.
In line with their long-held tradition of encouraging and promoting emerging players, ‘golf in Dubai’ has extended a special invitation to Rhea Nair, a young prodigy who learned the basic rudiments of the game at Emirates Golf Federation’s Junior Development Programme before honing her competitive edge in the United States.
The 21-year-old prodigy has just turned professional after graduating from the Alabama University where she was a key member of the women’s team. Coached by famed Gary Gilchrist among others, Rhea will be playing her first tournament as a professional.
“It is, far and away, the best field ever seen in Dubai,” Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice-chairman and CEO of ‘golf in Dubai’, said, adding: “The fact we have some top LPGA stars joining the cream of the Ladies European Tour players clearly reflects on the growing stature of the tournament in women’s golf.
“It’s been our constant endeavour to try and assemble the best possible field. We have been doing that because of the enthusiastic support of the players,” said Buamaim. “All these big players, like Michelle Wie, certainly brings star value to the event, but the reputation of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters is built on the collective presence of the players,” said Buamaim, who also lauded Dubai’s new partnership with Omega.
“We feel honoured to have Omega is our title sponsor until 2014, a partnership which has grown with time. Together we will strive and deliver an event in sync with Dubai’s reputation as an ideal golfing destination,” he said.
In a bid to encourage more and more fans come to the watch the action, the organisers have once again announced that there will be no entry fee and the tournament, for the second time, will have a Saturday finish.
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