Getty Images/Emirates G.C.
Californian teen Angel Yin won last year’s Ladies European Tour stop in Dubai, an event that will change forever come 2019.

By Kent Gray
Dubai’s stop on the Ladies European Tour (LET) has undergone a radical makeover with a big clue to the pioneering transformation in its new name.

The LET’s end-of-season event since its inception in 2006, the OMEGA Dubai Ladies Classic has been renamed the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight  Classic.

The 13th edition of the 72-hole strokeplay event has been shifted from its traditional December timeslot – and the Majlis course at Emirates Golf Club – to May 1-3 next year. Even more significantly, it will now be played in a 54-hole Pro-Am format with an innovative day-night system on the Majlis’ sister course, The Faldo.

The event will continue to be sanctioned by the LET and OMEGA’s sponsorship remains with the rebranding a nod to the floodlit portion of the event and one of the Swiss watchmaker’s most popular models, the Speedmaster Moonwatch Chronograph.

A total of 56 professionals – the top 35 players on the LET moneylist and 21 sponsor invites – will play their opening round during daylight hours on Wednesday, May 1 before being joined by three amateur partners for the final 36 holes. Each pro will finish either the second or third round under lights.

A special “Draft Cocktail Party” will be held after the opening round on the Wednesday night to allocate an amateur threesome to each professional. The teams will play for separate prizes over the final 36 holes in a “Tour Scramble” while the professionals will continue to play strokeplay over 54 holes for the famed Dallah trophy. The final prize fund for the rebranded event – US$500,000 last year – has not yet been released.

Tuesday’s revelation has massive ramifications for the embattled LET which has been forced into a significant scheduling rejig given the new direction unveiled by Falcon Golf, the owners of the Moonlight Classic, and a new date for the region’s other event, the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open at Saadiyat Beach G.C.

The Faldo course at Emirates Golf Club.

Golf Digest Middle East understands the 3rd edition of the FBMLO at Saadiyat Beach will shift from November to early January, slotting in the week before the European Tour’s Jan. 17-20 Desert Swing opener, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, at Abu Dhabi G.C., Saadiyat’s Troon sister club.

The draft party, meanwhile, is just the start of what Falcon Golf intend being a celebration of not only women’s golf but also the wider game in Dubai.

There will be a second party for golf industry heavyweights on the Thursday of championship week (May 2) as well as an official prize-giving gala dinner on the Friday (May 3).

The May time slot is a strategic ploy to highlight the longevity of Dubai’s golf season to international viewers who will undoubtedly be wowed by the Dubai Marina skyline, particularly at night, in the process.

It’s another bold step by the game in the UAE which also holds the honour of the first professional event played on a nine-hole layout, the Staysure Tour’s (formerly European Senior Tour) Sharjah Senior Golf Masters.

Falcon Golf chairman Peter Dawson believes the remodelled Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic will be embraced as an “exciting” development for the game.

“Set in one of the world’s most dynamic cities, the creation of the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic is an important initiative for golf and as always, we are greatly indebted to all of our partners and patrons for their continued support,” said Dawson, the former chief of the R&A.

“It is important for golf’s future that innovative ways continue to be found which embrace the changing needs of players, sponsors and fans.”

Tournament Director David Spencer insists the makeover will safeguard the future of professional women’s golf in the emirate.

“We have been huge supporters of women’s golf for many years and not only will the new format further the women’s game in the region, it also gives us an opportunity to make this event a highlight of Dubai’s golfing, sporting and social calendars,” Spencer said.

“The Pro-Am element of this tournament will be the hottest ticket in town.”