The inaugural Long Drive World Series proved to be a phenomenal spectacle played out to a pumping soundtrack in front of a packed audience of over 1,000 fans at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai last month.
The event featured eight of the longest hitters in the world and two wildcard picks – one of which was eGolf Megastore representative, Ricky Dominguez, who won a spot among the elite after hitting a drive 351.7 yards in the X-Golf simulator at eGolf Megastore’s Al Wasl branch.
Dubai-based Dominguez unfortunately couldn’t handle the heat in the qualifiers as he failed to land a drive within the designated landing zone but the other wildcard pick Ryan Reisbeck advanced all the way to the final before losing to two-time long drive world champion Tim Burke for the title and the lion’s share of the £50,000 prize fund. The muscle bound competitors looked more like wrestlers than golfers, apart from 19-year-old Emil Rosberg, who edged out two-time world champion Joe Miller for a podium finish and more than made up for his lack of size with his larger than life personality.
The Long Drive World Series proved to be a refreshing different addition to Dubai’s golf scene and don’t be surprised to see the big dogs back in the UAE next year after the success of this first showing.
WHAT THEY SAID:
Tim Burke – 2017 Long Drive World Series champion
I am glad to come on top in these tough conditions. I had some difficult matches especially against Miller and Reisbeck but I just concentrated on hitting the centre of the face of the ball and just tried to stay loose, almost feeling like a noodle.
It is the first time that I have ever travelled this far (from the USA to the USA), so the jetlag was pretty bad. It almost made me feel relaxed, though, because I was so tired. The adrenaline wasn’t kicking in like it normally would be but I enjoyed the experience.
I have never seen so many people on a long drive event before so that was great. Everything went smoothly and I am glad that I got the win today. The future of the Long Drive World Series looks bright. I see great people, great sponsors and great competitors down here. I would like to thank the fans who showed up, I really appreciate it and can’t wait for the next one.
Julian Small – Managing Director, Club Operations at Jumeirah Golf Estates
It was a brilliant event and I think golf needs to start looking at these types of fun events. The Jumeirah Golf Estates hosts the DP World Tour Championship and to have the inaugural event of the Long Drive World Series is another great first for Dubai. There is a big opportunity to raise the game from here. When you host an inaugural event you learn a lot and I think we are really going to make grow this into something very special.
Emil Rosberg – Third place finish
I have been playing ‘normal’ golf all my life, but five years ago I found out that I can hit the ball a long way so I started focusing purely on that. Last year I went for my first tournament and I knew that this is what I want to do. The adrenaline of standing on the tee box with people screaming and shouting is an incredible experience and I think that more folks should try it out. My advice to the people who want to get into it is that it is okay to scream as you hit the ball! You should also hit the gym as much as you can. The game is a mix between strength, speed and technique, so you don’t have to bench press 50 kg or squat 200 times; you just need to have the right muscles to keep things going. The event has been great and my friends are crazy about the Series, they wanted to join me on my trip here! Hopefully later on I will have my own crowd going with me. The audience was awesome and the atmosphere was electric.
Joe Miller – Two-time Long Drive world champion
It has been a fantastic event! It has not gone great on my part but for what they have done here has been incredible, they really did a great job. Everyone here is here for a reason, the guys here are the best in the world and hats off to them for playing so well. Off the back of this event I can see that the Series has the potential to seriously grow in the region. The people working behind the scenes are very ambitious. I hope Dubai can be a fixed venue for the Series, everyone here has been brilliant and the reception was fantastic. This city could be the next ‘home of golf’.
