Couples eager for Dubai Desert Classic return

List of former winners returning to UAE continues to grow

Fred Couples will be among the former winners in the field of this year's Omega Dubai Desert Classic. Hunter Martin / Getty Images

DUBAI // Fred Couples will play in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic later this month, hoping to pick up from where he left off last season.

Inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2013, Couples ended the year on a high with a six-shot win in the Champions Tour’s season finale, the Charles Schwab Cup Championship.

“Winning anything, even if it’s a club championship, you’re thrilled,’’ said the American, 54, who will join an elite field led by world No 1 Tiger Woods, European No 1 Henrik Stenson and world No 6 Rory McIlroy, among other past winners, in the 25th Desert Classic.

One of the big names on the PGA Tour in the 1990s, Couples delivered a shining example of his creative talent at the 1995 Dubai Desert Classic when he secured his first win on the European Tour with a bogey-free final round of 66.

For a man who missed the cut the previous year on his debut in Dubai and ended up doing television commentary, the victory held special significance, making him the first American to put his name on the trophy.

“I have such great memories of Dubai and it will be fun to play in a field loaded with excellent worldwide players for the 25th anniversary of the event,” said Couples, who boasts nine victories on the Champions Tour after winning 15 times on the PGA Tour and playing on five Ryder Cup and four Presidents Cup teams.

“I think the Majlis golf course is a good challenge and there should be some exciting play from the great field.

“If you look at the tournament’s list of past champions, it includes many great names and that’s a tribute to the growing success of the event,” said Couples, who earned US$112,500 (Dh413,000) for his win in 1995.

The winner’s purse is now US$416,660.