DUBAI // Wearing casual black shorts and a unflashy white shirt, the world’s No 666-ranked golfer crept on to the far edge of the range at the Emirates Golf Club, and tried to go about his business inconspicuously.
Tiger Woods failed on that front. He had only taken a break from his corporate commitments to hit a few balls, before he ramps up his Omega Dubai Desert Classic preparations properly on the eve of the tournament.
Despite being at a mostly empty course, two days before the competitive action starts, Woods’s very presence caused a buzz. Even the young European Tour professional directly to his left took his chance and bagged an autograph.
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Marcus Armitage, a 29-year-old newcomer to the tour who is eighth reserve for the Classic, now has “Tiger Woods” scrawled on his red Nike top.
He is not the only one happy to be in the presence of all-time golfing greatness this week. The majority of the field would likely acknowledge they have been inspired at some point in time by Woods’s feats.
Rayhan Thomas, the Dubai schoolboy who is playing his second European Tour event in the space of three weeks as an amateur, used to follow Woods as a supporter from the other side of the ropes in the past.
Woods, a two-time winner of the Dallah Trophy, has not been back to this event since 2014. Absence will likely make the galleries grow stronger.
“I was about 200 yards away,” Thomas, 17, said of watching a player he will be teeing off 20 minutes after, when Round 1 gets under way tomorrow. “I couldn’t get close to him. I’ve not been able to watch him that much, because there’s just too many people watching.
“He’s a huge role model for me. I’ve probably watched every major of his on YouTube. I look at him as one of the greatest athletes of all time, for sure.”
Given such starry company, the two amateurs in the starting list – Thomas and the highly rated Australian Curtis Luck – might be forgiven for feeling a sense of trepidation ahead of the start.
However, Luck, the world’s No 2-ranked amateur who made the cut at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship two weeks ago, is relishing the prospect.
“When I was 10, he was kind of the guy that we were all watching in majors, just killing it,” Luck said. “It’s hard not to admire him. He’s always been one of my favourite players. So hopefully he can get back to his old ways and start dominating again.
“Ultimately we’ve earned our spot in this field, so there’s no reason why we should be intimidated. I’m pretty comfortable in saying that I feel like I can compete at this level.”
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