While world No. 1 Jon Rahm plays at his favorite place this week, world No. 2 Collin Morikawa accepts yet another fat, seven-figure appearance fee and will be trying to rebound this week at the Dubai Desert Classic.
Morikawa was a complete dud in Abu Dhabi last week — he finished tied for 62nd at the new Yas Links venue. Winds that blew up to 40 miles per hour during the course of the tournament, confounded a lot of players, including Morikawa.
“I didn’t know where the golf ball was going,” Morikawa said of his difficulties in Abu Dhabi. So this week, the reigning Open champion and Race To Dubai winner said he has hit his “reset button.”
“I had my agent and my caddie, and we were just literally sitting on the range for hours trying to figure out what to do,” Morikawa said of what he called a “deep dive” on his first day of practice in Dubai. “We know what’s not working. It’s just trying to get back to my old swing and trying to get back to what I know I can do. So, I still have a couple of things I’ve got to work out and feel, but I’m in a much better position right now, at least if I had to go play tomorrow or right now, versus where I was last week.”
While the Yas Links was a new venue for the entire field, the Dubai Desert Classic is back at a familiar setting for everyone — the Emirates Golf Club. Morikawa fell on his face in this event last year — he finished tied for 68th.
“What happened last week, I wasn’t really in my head,” Morikawa explained. “I wasn’t playing to my strengths. Obviously, I had no clue where the ball was going out, which makes it a lot harder,” he said.
“But out here (Emirates GC), I know the golf course and I know where I need to hit it. And so, at that point, it’s just going out and playing golf, executing the shots I know, talk to my caddie like we do all the time when we’re playing really well and just stick to the same process.”
Viktor Hovland (fifth in the world rankings) was in the hunt last week and eventually finished tied for fourth, two shots behind winner Thomas Pieters. Viktor is picking up another nice appearance fee this week and so is eighth-ranked Rory McIlroy, who never met an appearance fee he didn’t like.
Rory struggled in the win but started to rally on Sunday until he fell apart on the back nine at Yas Links although he shot 67-69 on the weekend.
The field is similar to that in Abu Dhabi, with McIlroy and Viktor Hovland joining Morikawa in playing in back-to-back events in the United Arab Emirates.
China’s Zecheng Dou Leads Great Abaco Classic:
Once again, the Korn Ferry Tour’s second event of the season will have a Wednesday finish (by design) and they’re chasing Zecheng Dou of China. Dou is 15-under par at the Abaco Club after rounds of 68-66-66. Brandon Harkins is a shot back while Eric Barnes and Alvaro Ortiz were in at 13-under par.
Last week’s winner — Akshay Bhatia, was two-over through 36-holes and missed the cut.
Great Abaco Classic Scoreboard:
