Review
Final round of two under 70 sees Padraig finish in a tie for 6th at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. He got off to a nice start when he picked up a shot on the par five 3rd hole but then hit a rocky patch where he dropped two shots in three holes. This had him out in one over par but he powered home on the back nine with three birdies that sent him from a top twenty spot to tied 6th. In all, he recorded 19 birdies for week so there is plenty of good golf there if he could eradicate some of the mistakes. He gets a six figure payday for his best finish in quite some while and he will also have been pleased to see Paul Casey win which will help him make the Ryder Cup team on his own merits.
Another solid round of 69 sees Padraig in the top ten going into Sundays final round. The ideal start with two opening birdies was followed by another birdie on the par four 8th hole but a dropped shot on the 9th had him out in 33 shots. Two more birdies followed with a dropped shot on the par five 13th hole to see him well in contention going into the final round.
Padraig shoots a second round of three under par 69 after the most unusual start. He doubled bogied the first hole and then had four birdies in a row. He dropped another shot at the par four 6th hole but picked up that shot at the short par three 7th hole. So, he had now played seven holes without recording a par! Five pars followed with two birdies and a a bogie to sign for a 69.
Padraig opens his account in Dubai with a pleasing round of one under par 71 but it could have been so much better. He got off to the perfect start on the back nine with an opening birdie four and finished that nine in the same manner to be out in two under par. He followed that with a birdie on the par four second hole but two dropped shots late on took the shine off an otherwise fine round. He tees off late Friday at 12.40pm.
Padraig tees it up this week at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic. It is the second event in the European Tours desert swing and the course is testament to what can be built in a desert. It is a par 72, measuring 7,424 yards and plays hard and fast with lush rough and plenty of water to contend with. Lucas Herbert is your defending champion with a nine under par total last year but 24 under won in 2019 so a lot will depend of weather conditions.
Tee Times – Padraig tees off at 8.20am on Thursday and 12.40pm on Friday with Matthias Schwab and Antoine Rozner.