On the eve of next week’s Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, four Major champions will be among the eight golfing greats battling it out for glory and a good cause in a fun match-play tournament with a difference, as the JA Lake View Hotel in Dubai welcomes back its Rooftop Charity Challenge on Monday January 24.
JA Resorts and Hotels ambassador Rafa Cabrera Bello will lead the star-studded field, which also includes the Challenge’s defending champion - Dubai-based Adri Arnaus - along with Charl Schwartzel and Danny Willett, Masters champions from 2011 and 2016 respectively, Open Championship winners Henrik Stenson (2016) and Shane Lowry (2019), Swedish star Sebastian Soderberg and US amateur Sam Bennett.
The Challenge takes place from 4.30pm on January 24 in the Bibe rooftop lounge of the hotel, with the players hitting 90-yard shots from an elevated tee on to the second hole of the nine-hole golf course 30 yards below. The winning player will secure up to Dh25,000 for the Al Jalila Foundation.
From January 18, local golf fans can win a chance to watch the action by following the JA The Resort Instagram page. At the event, guests can predict which player will win the Challenge to claim prizes including staycations, meals for two, and rounds of golf. A Q&A session will also take place with all the golfers.
Director of Golf at JA The Resort, Stuart McMurdo, said: “We are privileged to host this event once again, after its inception in 2020. This year features some of the world’s best players who come from all corners of the globe. It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase our wonderful golf course and resort facilities.”
The Rooftop Charity Challenge is being held in the build-up to the Dubai Desert Classic, the region’s longest running golf event, which has been elevated to a Rolex Series event for 2022, bringing together global stars in a celebration of world-class sport, food and entertainment.
For the first time in the event’s 33-year history, the Dubai Desert Classic is free to attend for all spectators and will feature four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy, recently crowned DP World Tour No. 1 Collin Morikawa, defending champion Paul Casey, world No, 7 Viktor Hovland, 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia, and five-time DP World Tour winner Tommy Fleetwood.
