The climax of a four-week festival of golf in the UAE is in upon us as the Ras Al Khaimah Classic begins this week.
We have already seen three DP World Tour champions crowned in the UAE this year and we will see a fourth added to the list by this Sunday.
The inaugural RAK Classic comes hot on the heels of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, which was won by Denmark’s Nicolai Hojgaard by four strokes from Jordan Smith at Al Hamra Golf Club on Sunday.
The RAK double-header follows on from the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship — where Belgium’s Thomas Pieters came out on top — and the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic, where Norway’s Viktor Hovland was victorious to climb to No. 3 in the world.
There will be plenty of talent to rival Hojgaard this week, who will play alongside his twin brother in an innovative new televised team event — the Hero Challenge — on Tuesday, before the Classic tees off a second consecutive week at Al Hamra on Thursday.
In the 120-strong field, the Hojgaard twins will face competition from UAE-based players Rafa Cabrera Bello, who was second in Abu Dhabi at Yas Links, Adrian Otaegui, Adri Arnaus and Ahmad Skaik.
Richard Bland, who lost out to Hovland at Emirates Golf Club in a playoff, will also tee it up, alongside big names such as Pablo Larrazabal, Stephen Gallacher, Scott Hend, Ashun Wu, Haotong Li, Robert MacIntyre, David Howell, Jamie Donaldson, James Morrison and Andy Sullivan.
Paraguay’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medallist Fabrizio Zanotti and former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn are also in the field.
The Hero Challenge offers a little fun and variety between the two RAK competitions and is a one-day exhibition event that will be played on Tuesday at Al Hamra. It will feature 26 teams of two professionals per team playing over nine holes in a classic scramble format. The exhibition event is the latest in a series of Hero Challenges that take place on the DP World Tour each season, which see the world’s best players compete in unique challenges and competition formats.
Dr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman and CEO, Hero MotoCorp, said: “Golf has rapidly gained popularity on the world stage, and yet there is a constant need to push the envelope and bring innovation to attract younger audiences. Hero MotoCorp has been one of the largest promoters of multiple disciplines of sports around the world for more than two decades now, and Golf remains a key focus for us. The Hero Challenge has been one of our initiatives as part of this commitment. We are delighted to be the Title Partner of this unique one-day exhibition event. As part of this collaboration, we are also happy to be an official partner of the Ras Al Khaimah Classic.”
Guy Kinnings, Deputy CEO and Chief Commercial Officer of the European Tour group, added: “Whether it’s setting new Guinness World Records or bringing players together for fun exhibition events, our series of Hero Challenges are attracting more fans to the game. The Hero Challenge in Ras Al Khaimah will certainly be a unique test for the world’s best players, with a classic scramble format no doubt leading to some remarkably low scoring.”
