Golf prodigy Bryson DeChambea to headline Desert Classic

Joy Chakravarty 12:05 22/12/2015
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  • Coming to Dubai: Bryson DeChambeau.

    Bryson DeChambeau, who became only the fifth player to win both the US Amateur Championship and the NCAA individual title in the same year, will be one of the star attractions at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic early next year.

    The 22-year-old Californian, widely considered to be the next big thing in world golf, has decided to turn professional after playing the Masters in April as an amateur, and the trip to Emirates Golf Club between February 4 and 7 would be a great preparation towards the tournament for the young American.

    His 2015 exploits in the amateur tournaments puts him in the elite company of Jack Nicklaus (1961), Phil Mickelson (1990), Tiger Woods (1996) and Ryan Moore (2004) as the only other players to win both the biggest American amateur titles in a single season.

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    It’s not just his golfing skills that are being talked about, but also his cerebral approach to the game. DeChambeau, who is majoring in physics, is known to bring his education into the sport and one of the most interesting things about him is the length of the shaft of his irons. In his effort to get a repeatable single plane motion, all the irons and wedges in DeChambeau’s bag is cut to the same size clubs of his 7-iron.

    “It will be my first visit to Dubai, but I have heard many good things about the city from fellow players and know the tournament attracts a very strong field each year,” said DeChambeau, who made his PGA Tour debut in June 2015 at the FedEx St Jude Classic, finishing in 45th place.

    “If you look at the roll of honours, it’s so impressive with some of the greatest players in the game such as Seve Ballesteors, Ernie Els, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in the list of proud past winners.

    “It will feel nice to have my name written on a famous trophy, but I don’t want to get ahead of time and will take things as they come. It would take something special to beat the challenge, but I will try my best and see what happens.

    “All I know is that, it will be fun playing in Dubai and I am looking forward to visiting the city where so much golf action is happening. A big thank you to ‘golf in DUBAi’ for the invitation.”

    Mohamed Juma Buamaim, vice chairman and CEO of ‘golf in DUBAi’, was delighted with DeChambeau signing up for the oldest golf tournament in the region.

    “Bryson is an incredible talent, one who is not afraid to experiment with new things. His off-the-wall thinking has already yielded great results. We look forward to welcoming him to Dubai and hope he will return home richer in experience,” said Buamaim.

    “It has been our tradition to give young people the opportunity to be the best and we see Bryson as somebody who will not only fulfil his massive potential, but also demonstrate the quality of character, richness of spirit and strength of self-belief.

    “Rory (McIlroy, the defending champion) also first played in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic as an amateur in 2006, and today he is a world-class player because of his hard work and dedication. I am sure his presence in the field will certainly be a big source of inspiration for Bryson,” he added.

    The Omega Dubai Desert Classic is backed by OMEGA as the title sponsor and Emirates Global Aluminium PJSC as sponsor.

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