Dubai:Golf’s top three face-off

UAE,February,9-2011:Tiger Woods will tee off with Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer – in the first two rounds of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
It is the first time since 1994 that golf’s top three players have all competed in a European Tour event other than the majors and the World Golf Championships.
Woods’s five-year reign as number one was ended by Westwood in October, while Kaymer’s eight-shot victory at the Abu Dhabi Championship three weeks ago knocked him down to third.
The German failed to dethrone Westwood in Qatar last week, but has another chance now. Anything worse than second place on Sunday will not be good enough, however.
Woods, without a victory since the sex scandal that hit the headlines in November 2009, is playing his second event of the year. He was only 44th at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines two weeks ago.
Despite being number one in the world Westwood is the fourth favourite this week. He was only 64th in Abu Dhabi, then missed the halfway cut in Qatar and Kaymer, Woods and Rory McIlroy are all ahead of him in the tournament odds.
Woods beat Kaymer by a shot on his last visit to the Desert Classic in 2008. He was out injured the following year and last February was still taking time off to try to sort out his private life.
The 35-year-old was also the champion in 2006 and third in 2007, making him a cumulative 50 under par for his last three trips.
For Kaymer it will be a first-ever round with Woods.
“Of course I’ve met him, but I don’t know how it is to play with him,” he said on the European Tour website.
“It will be great for the tournament, so I look forward to it.
“I think we shouldn’t really see it as a rivalry. We are out here to have fun and play good golf and show the people that we do our job with passion and love.
“It’s not about winning or losing in the end of the day. It’s about challenging each other and having fun.
“I think I have a better chance to become the number one this week than last week because I fancy the golf course much more than Qatar.”
Westwood stated: “It is a fantastic draw for the tournament and for people watching. I think that’s what people like to see.
“Certainly where you draw the three major champions together in the PGA Championship that’s always exciting and having the top two in the world, with the person that’s dominated the game over the last 15 years playing in the same threeball, would be great for the Tour and great for golf.
“It would draw a lot of attention to the European Tour in a period where sponsorship and things like that is very competitive.
“I think we want to be making our game look as attractive and glitzy as possible.”

source:espnstar.com

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