Dubai Desert Classic: Power ranking the top 10 at Emirates GC

Henrik Stenson hasn’t missed an edition of the Dubai Desert Classic since debuting in 2001, and for good reason. After missing his first two cuts at Emirates GC, the Swede made the weekend in 2003 and was off from there.

Stenson made his next eight cuts in a row including a win in 2007 that was part of a run of five straight top-10s. He’s now seeking his fourth straight top-10 in Dubai after going T6-2-T6 the last three years.

“I think one of the main things that I really like with this golf course is it never really seems to play the same day-in and day-out. The way the two nines are looped; you get a slight change in wind direction, and some of the holes that played really short yesterday might play a little longer today and vice versa,” Stenson said during his pre-tournament press conference. “You can always find a new line on a par 5 off the tee, and it never really plays the same two days after each other. So it’s not a course you’re going to get bored with and feel like you’re playing it the same way every day.”

Stenson got his 2019 underway last week in Abu Dhabi where he missed the cut. Dubai seems like the place to get back on track and he’s not far removed from greater success.

He closed 2018 by racking up a pair of fourth-place finishes at the Hero World Challenge and Indonesian Masters as part of five top-30s in his last six starts of the year.

Stenson is another flush ball striker in my top 10 this week. The  42-year-old proved he’s spry as ever, ranking first in strokes gained approach on the PGA Tour last season. He averaged a remarkable 73.51 percent greens in regulation.

The putter kept him from the winner’s circle, but he should have this week’s Tiff Eagle Bermuda greens down pat from experience.