Fantasy Golf Tournament Preview- DP World Tour Championship (European Package)

OVERVIEW

The final week in the Race to Dubai Championship is finally here as we head to the Greg Norman designed Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai where the greens are large, and the fairways are easy to hit. The course is long, so naturally we’ll be targeting bombers off the tee, though some short hitters have fared well here in the past (Matthew Fitzpatrick, last week’s winner – Lee Westwood in 2009). With Rory and Henrik being multiple time winners here, it’s pretty obvious the course favors those who can hit it close on approaches, so of course guys who bomb it AND strike it from the fairway should have a leg up on the field who only possesses one of those skills. Last year Jon Rahm nudged out Lowry and The Barn Rat to capture the win and comes in this week having not played in three weeks which might be a story in itself as when I was looking at the field, I basically glossed over his name because of the players at the top and the value plays I really liked this week. Rough shouldn’t be an issue this week, as the fairways are large and generous and if players do spray it, it’s pretty short. Putting will be the deciding factor this week as the greens are fast & undulating and if you’re not hitting approaches close you’re going to have some slippery birdie putts.

TOURNAMENT BACKGROUND
o The Course
• Earth Course
• Par: 72
• Yardage: 7,800 yards
• Greens: Bermuda (fast greens)
o Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
o Past Champions:
• 2017: Jon Rahm -19 over Kiradech Aphibarnrat & Shane Lowry
• 2016: Matthew Fitzpatrick -17 over Tyrrell Hatton
• 2015: Rory McIlroy -21 over Andy Sullivan
• 2014: Henrik Stenson -16 over Victor Dubuisson, Rory McIlroy & Justin Rose
• 2013: Henrik Stenson -25 over Ian Poulter

KEY STATS TO TARGET
o Strong Emphasis – Greens in Regulation, Driving Distance, Ball Striking
o Important – Current Form, Scrambling, Putting Average, Course History
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