Emirates – the Official Airline of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic – gave golf fans the chance to test themselves against some stars of the game in the tournament’s Pro-Am.
The nine amateurs in the three Emirates teams lined up with New Zealand’s Michael Campbell, the 2005 US Open champion; India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, a three-time winner on the European Tour; and South Korea’s emerging star Seung-yul Noh.
Ron Barker, Madhu Gopinath and Lorne Rutherford, members of Skywards – the airline’s frequent flyer programme – won a qualifying tournament for a place in the event at Emirates Golf Club.
“It was great privilege to play in a field including the three best players in the world. The course has been set up to test them and playing under those conditions was an amazing experience,” said Barker, 61, from Australia, who played with Milkha Singh.
“The pros make it look so easy, but – believe me – it is far from it. It was incredible to be walking down the 18th fairway alongside Jeev and a tremendous learning experience to study his game up close. He was very friendly and shared handy tips throughout the round,” added the 19 handicapper.
In addition to Campbell, several other players will be flying the flag for Emirates at the $2.5 million event which gets under way at the Majlis course tomorrow, including Colin Montgomerie, a Ryder Cup great and Emirates ambassador; Ben Curtis, the 2003 Open Championship winner who has Arizona Cardinals quarterback Derek Anderson caddying for him; and British rookie Chris Cannon.
