The second stop in the European Tour's 2018 Desert Swing could see some golf under the lights at the Omega Dubai Desert Classic.
The promoters of the tournament have propped up state-of-the-art floodlights around the ninth and 18th holes on the host Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club to make sure darkness doesn't stop golfers from completing play each day.
So, why'd they do it? Well, the tournament has been moved up a week on the calendar this year, and organizers and Tour officials worried that the slightly diminished amount of daylight would mean the full field of 132 players couldn't complete the rounds on Thursday and Friday. The lights are designed to fix that potential problem so the field wouldn't have to be reduced.
“This is a wonderful idea, and fits perfectly with our desire to bring innovation to our sport” said European Tour commissioner Keith Pelley. “We thank the promoters of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic for their inventiveness and imagination which will allow six more players to compete in what is already a world-class field. No professional golfer ever wants to come back the following morning to complete a round due to lack of daylight and this intervention, should it be required, will rule out that necessity.”
The Faldo Course at Emirates Golf Club was the first course to be fully lit for all 18 holes, with that installation going online in 2010.
