Six to Watch Your guide to the big names in the hunt to hoist the famed Dallah trophy today. PAGE 4 Paige Impressions A lucky amateur will lead out today’s final round with Paige Spiranac. PAGE 3 Picture Round-Up All the best action from Thursday’s second round on The Faldo course. PAGE 5 Final Round Tee Times Plan your viewing pleasure with the groups and tee times for round 3. PAGE 6 ROUND 3 FRIDAY MAY 3, 2019 #ODMC2019 @OmegaGolfDubai PATRON & OFFICIAL PUBLISHER NURIA ITURRIOS has a shot at joining a rare band of back-to-back Ladies European Tour winners but knows the game of golf, not to mention a quartet of pursuers desperately chasing their maiden wins, will ensure her bid for a place in the history books is anything but a cinch. e 23-year-old Spaniard starts the final round of the $285,000 Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic tied atop the leaderboard with German Esther Henseleit at -9 and has the advantage of being the only player in the top five to have won on tour, as recently as last week at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco. Another German, Olivia Cowan, is third a shot further back while compatriot Karolin Lampert and first round leader Leona Maguire are at -6 and -5 respectively. Iturrios would become the first player since India’s Aditi Ashok in 2016 to capture back-to-back titles if she can get over the line today. But given the low scoring for two-thirds of the new- look 54-hole Pro-Am thus far, the six players within five strokes of Iturrios and Henseleit will fancwy their chances in Friday’s final round. Even ai Kanyalak Preedasuttijit, Swede Caroline Hedwall and Finn Noora Komulainen at -4 have given themselves an outside shot. “It would be awesome, of course, but it’s still 18 holes to play... Turn to page 2 Nuria Iturrios and Esther Henseleit top a cluttered leaderboard heading into the final round of the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic. By Kent Gray – Editor, Golf Digest Middle East Back-to-back for Nuria? More information available at OMEGA Middle East, Emirates Towers, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 3300455 SEAMASTER AQUA TERRA MASTER CHRONOMETER EMIRATES GOLF CLUB DUBAI 1 – 3 MAY, 2019
Transcript
Six to WatchYour guide to the big names in the hunt to hoist the famed Dallah trophy today. PAGE 4
Paige ImpressionsA lucky amateur will lead out today’s final round with Paige Spiranac. PAGE 3
Picture Round-UpAll the best action from Thursday’s second round on The Faldo course. PAGE 5
Final Round Tee TimesPlan your viewing pleasure with the groups and tee times for round 3. PAGE 6
ROUND 3 FRIDAY MAY 3, 2019
#ODMC2019@OmegaGolfDubai
PATRON & OFFICIAL PUBLISHER
nuria iturrios has a shot at joining a rare band of back-to-back Ladies European Tour winners but knows the game of golf, not to mention a quartet of pursuers desperately chasing their maiden wins, will ensure her bid for a place in the history books is anything but a cinch.
The 23-year-old Spaniard starts the final round of the $285,000 Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic tied atop the leaderboard with German Esther Henseleit at -9 and has the advantage of being the only player in the top five to have won on tour, as recently as last week at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco. Another German, Olivia Cowan, is third a shot further back while
compatriot Karolin Lampert and first round leader Leona Maguire are at -6 and -5 respectively.
Iturrios would become the first player since India’s Aditi Ashok in 2016 to capture back-to-back titles if she can get over the line today. But given the low scoring for two-thirds of the new-look 54-hole Pro-Am thus far, the six players within five strokes of Iturrios and Henseleit will fancwy their chances in Friday’s final round. Even Thai Kanyalak Preedasuttijit, Swede Caroline Hedwall and Finn Noora Komulainen at -4 have given themselves an outside shot.
“It would be awesome, of course, but it’s still 18 holes to play... Turn to page 2
Nuria Iturrios and Esther Henseleit top a cluttered leaderboard heading into the final round of the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic.
By Kent Gray – Editor, Golf Digest Middle East
Back-to-back for Nuria?
More information available at OMEGA Middle East, Emirates Towers, Dubai, UAE. Tel: +971 4 3300455
SEAMASTER AQUA TERRA MASTER CHRONOMETER
EMIRATES GOLF CLUB DUBAI
1 – 3 MAY, 2019
2
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NEWS
so that’s fine for me. I made some putts and missed some, so we’ll see for tomorrow.”
Henseleit produced the lowest round on Thursday which is even more notable given her 66 included a double bogey on the par-3 17th when she splashed out of a greenside bunker and three-putted. But with four top-10s already in her rookie campaign, the 20-year-old is clearly in a good space.
“My long game is really solid and my ball striking is really good, so my swing is feeling good. I just felt like I could attack some pins and also putted really well, so I had a lot of birdies,” Henseleit said.
“Sadly I had a double bogey on 17, which was not that good, but that happens. I’m still quite happy about my round.”
Claiming a first LET win would obviously be something else to get excited about, not that Henseleit is getting ahead of herself.
“It would mean everything. I think everyone wants to win and to do this in your first year is really good, but there is still one day to go and I’m not thinking of the win. I want to do my best and see what happens.”
Cowan carded a 70 to go with her opening 66 and would love to claim her maiden win in Dubai given her close connections to the Emirate, including a sponsorship deal with JA The Resort.
“I want to go out and play good golf and see what happens: hopefully win.
It would mean the world. It would be amazing. I’ve been close a few times and I’m just waiting for that one little step. It would be amazing, here in Dubai, with my sponsors.”
Leona Maguire is perhaps the closest player to Iturrios and Henseleit with the most to prove. After her sizzling course record 64 on Wednesday, the 24-year-old Irishwoman stuttered to a 75 in the second round – an 11 shot reserve which saw her slide to fifth overnight.
“I didn’t give myself many chances today,” said the former world amateur No.1 before getting into some of the ugly specifics. “On
seven, I wanted to hit 7-wood, my caddie wanted me to hit a 9 and I hit a 9 in the water [en-route to a double bogey], which was quite annoying to finish with.
“I didn’t give myself enough chances and didn’t hole any putts, so no birdies today. I need to play a lot better tomorrow and hit my irons better to give myself some more chances.” ◼
Continued from cover page...and you never know. It’s golf…” said Iturrios before reflecting on her second round of 68.
“So I want to enjoy it. I want to relax and prepare my mind for tomorrow. I didn’t see the scores, but I’m still feeling good, so let’s keep going.”
Iturrios has only signed for two birdies in the opening 36 holes and has played her last six rounds, including the four en-route to victory in Rabat, in a thoroughly impressive 32-under-par. She certainly seems to have all facets of her game in fine shape.
“I made two birdies from really good bunker shots on holes 10 and 13 [yesterday], where I can reach the greens in two. I love bunker shots,
LEADERBOARD Rank Name Country R1 R2 To Par
T1 Esther Henseleit GER 69 66 -9
T1 Nuria Iturrios ESP 67 68 -9
3 Olivia Cowan GER 66 70 -8
4 Karolin Lampert GER 68 70 -6
5 Leona Maguire IRL 64 75 -5
T6 Kanyalak Preedasuttijit THA 71 69 -4
T6 Caroline Hedwall SWE 68 72 -4
T6 Noora Komulainen FIN 70 70 -4
T9 Hannah Burke ENG 72 69 -3
T9 Marianne Skarpnord NOR 69 72 -3
11 Kylie Henry SCO 69 73 -2
T12 Liz Young ENG 71 72 -1
T12 Carly Booth SCO 68 75 -1
T12 Beth Allen USA 72 71 -1
T12 Sarah Kemp AUS 69 74 -1
It would mean everything. I think everyone wants to win and to do this in your first year would be really good.”co-leader esther henseleit
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On the tee, Paige Spiranac, Rafa Cabrera Bello and the luckiest amateur in the world.
RegaRdless of how she plays, Paige Spiranac is going to find her entire
round on The Faldo course today much easier than the partial hole she negotiated under lights on Wednesday night. We can also guarantee Sara Wiedenhaefer will find her loop of the pristine Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic venue an utter blast.
Wiedenhaefer has jetted into Dubai on Emirates Airlines after winning a social media competition where a round with Spiranac and four nights at the JA Palm Tree Court Hotel completed the once- in-a-lifetime prize. But not only will the Washington D.C. amateur tee it up with the Instagram star and golf influencer, she’ll also have the dream bonus of playing alongside Ryder Cupper Rafa Cabrera Bello and Majed Al-Sorour, the chief executive of the Saudi Golf Federation.
The quartet will tee it up at 10am, 59 minutes exacly before the first group goes out in the final round of the $285,000 Moonlight Classic. As a professional golfer, Spiranac is unlikely to suffer from 1st tee nerves and she’ll most definitely find it easier than on Wednesday night when she was challenged to hit a drive from the 11th tee and perform trick shots blindfolded as part of the event’s PR drive.
Spiranac has played in Dubai’s Ladies European Tour stop twice before but nowadays brings her celebrity to the fore in a promotional capacity. And while she’s not in the field proper this week, she’s been a big hit spearheading the Moonlight Classic’s @OmegaGolfDubai social media channels.
“Dubai is amazing and I am so excited to be back…I would always recommend people to come and visit,” said Spiranac. “It’s everything you can hope for and more. There is so much to do out here and you really need to come out to Dubai to
get the full experience.“Every time I’ve been at Emirates
Golf Club, it’s been in pristine condition. The staff are always so nice and so welcoming and people that I haven’t seen since my first trip still remember me and are so welcoming, which I really appreciate and enjoy.”
And what do you make of Emirates Golf Club’s night golf offering which has been showcased this week in pro golf’s first day-night tournament?
“I live in Arizona where it get’s really hot, similar to Dubai. We don’t have night golf – if we did I would be playing all the time,” the 26-year-old said.
“Night golf really extends the golfing season in Dubai. It’s so great for people who work during the day – they can come out at night and get their round of golf in and I think it’s growing the game of golf by doing that. People now have options when they can play and fit it around their schedule.” ◼
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PaigeImpression
4
SIX TO WATCHGet to know the LET stars in the hunt to win the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic
did you know? Spent a record 135 weeks atop the world amateur rankings before turning pro last June. Won her first pro title last month at the Windsor Golf Classic on the LPGA’s feeder tour.
Making modernlife possible
Esther Henseleit
age: 20 nationality: German turned pro: 2019 let wins: 0 let career earnings: €16,337 let oom: 6th world ranking: 436th
did you know? The joint leader has enjoyed four top-5 finishes in five events since turning professional. Rounds of 69-66 here give her a great shot at a rookie campaign win.
Nuria Iturrios
age: 23 nationality: Spanish turned pro: 2015 let wins: 2 let career earnings: €173,734 let oom: 1st world ranking: 302nd
did you know? Won last week’s Lalla Meryem Cup in Rabat after finishing runner-up to Marianne Skarpnord in the recent Australian Ladies Classic in Bonville.
did you know? Caroline was both the LET ‘Player of the Year’ and ‘Rookie of the Year’ in 2011. Starts the final round five strokes adrift of the co-leaders after rounds of 68-72.
Motivate and their UK film company partners from Lorton Entertainment host lunch for media professionals in the research stage of a new feature film documentary about the life of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. (From L-R) Riyad Mickdady, David Fairservice, Hugh Barnes, Abdulwahed Juma, Khadeja Al Marzooqi, Antony Easton, Motivate Media Group Editor and Managing Partner Ian Fairservice, Lucy Trendel and Ahmed Al Hammadi
Germany's Olivia Cowan
Co-leader Esther Henseleit
Spaniard Nuria Iturrios
Germany's Laura Fuenfstueck
Karolin Lampert
Swede Cajsa Persson
6 FINAL ROUND TEE TIMES – FRIDAY, MAY 3
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1. TIME 10:59 • HOLE 1 ◼ Victoria FRICOT AUS +14 ◼ Manon MOLLE FRA +102. TIME 11:08 • HOLE 1 ◼ Becky BREWERTON WAL +9 ◼ Cheyenne WOODS USA +9 ◼ Camilla LENNARTH SWE +83. TIME 11:19 • HOLE 1 ◼ Lisa MAGUIRE IRL +7 ◼ Carmen ALONSO ESP +7 ◼ Valdis Thora JONSDOTTIR ISL +74. TIME 11:30 • HOLE 1 ◼ Felicity JOHNSON ENG +6 ◼ Lydia HALL WAL +6 ◼ Sophie LAMB ENG +65. TIME 11:41 • HOLE 1 ◼ Rebecca ARTIS AUS +5 ◼ Silvia BANON ESP +5 ◼ Emily Kristine PEDERSEN DEN +46. TIME 11:52 • HOLE 1 ◼ Noemi JIMENEZ MARTIN ESP +4 ◼ Emma CABRERA-BELLO ESP +3◼ Diksha DAGAR IND +37. TIME 12:03 • HOLE 1 ◼ Isabelle BOINEAU FRA +3 ◼ Camille CHEVALIER FRA +3 ◼ Amy BOULDEN WAL +3
8. TIME 12:14 • HOLE 1 ◼ Maha HADDIOUI MAR +3 ◼ Julia ENGSTROM SWE +2 ◼ Katja POGACAR SLO +29. TIME 12:30 • HOLE 1 ◼ Sian EVANS ENG +2 ◼ Cajsa PERSSON SWE +2 ◼ Stacy Lee BREGMAN RSA +210. TIME 12:41 • HOLE 1 ◼ Florentyna PARKER ENG +2 ◼ Astrid VAYSON DE PRADENNE FRA +2 ◼ Becky MORGAN WAL +211. TIME 12:52 • HOLE 1 ◼ Trish JOHNSON ENG +1 ◼ Laura FUENFSTUECK GER +1 ◼ Marta SANZ BARRIO ESP +112. TIME 13:03 • HOLE 1 ◼ Lina BOQVIST SWE +1 ◼ Gabriella COWLEY ENG +1 ◼ Tonje DAFFINRUD NOR E13. TIME 13:14 • HOLE 1 ◼ Christine WOLF AUT E ◼ Lynn CARLSSON SWE E ◼ Linda WESSBERG SWE E
14. TIME 13:25 • HOLE 1 ◼ Ursula WIKSTROM FIN E ◼ Meghan MACLAREN ENG E ◼ Holly CLYBURN ENG E15. TIME 13:41 • HOLE 1 ◼ Sarah KEMP AUS -1 ◼ Beth ALLEN USA -1 ◼ Carly BOOTH SCO -116. TIME 13:52 • HOLE 1 ◼ Liz YOUNG ENG -1 ◼ Kylie HENRY SCO -2 ◼ Marianne SKARPNORD NOR -317. TIME 14:03 • HOLE 1 ◼ Hannah BURKE ENG -3 ◼ Noora KOMULAINEN FIN -4 ◼ Caroline HEDWALL SWE -418. TIME 14:14 • HOLE 1 ◼ Kanyalak PREEDASUTTIJIT THA -4 ◼ Leona MAGUIRE IRL -5 ◼ Karolin LAMPERT GER -619. TIME 14:25 • HOLE 1 ◼ Olivia COWAN GER -8 ◼ Nuria ITURRIOS ESP -9 ◼ Esther HENSELEIT GER -9
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