World Number One George Groves got his hands on the inaugural EDGA Dubai Finale trophy after carding rounds 77 and 82 over same Earth course setup as this week’s DP World Tour Championship field.
The Englishman, who has Erb’s Palsy which leaves him with 20 percent strength in his left arm after a medical accident during birth, started the event strongly with an opening 77 on Friday to hand him a three-stroke lead heading into the final round. Groves looked to be running away with things after making a birdie at the first but Chad Pfiefer applied some pressure with a 77, the lowest round of the day. But it wasn’t enough to deny Groves with his closing 82 enough for a three-shot triumph at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
“Being in Dubai and playing in the final was unbelievable, I wouldn’t mind coming here and playing golf again, that’s for sure,” said Groves. “The European Tour has been fantastic with us and given us all immense support. They have treated us like true professionals like they would with the big stars on the Tour. It’s incredible that they invited us over to play on the same course and same conditions, it was a very good experience.”
@edgagolf players Chris Biggins, @BrendanLawlor97, Charles-Henri Quelin and @georgegroves21 are inspiring the next generation at the @EuropeanTour @dpwtc in Dubai. 👏🏌️♀️🏌️♂️🏆 pic.twitter.com/fBLp4gQs2d
— ‘Golfers First’ (@edgagolf) November 21, 2019
The 36-hole event featured eight of the world’s best Golfers of Determination and was played alongside the 11th edition of the European Tour’s final event, marking the second time an EDGA tournament had taken place in conjunction with a Rolex Series event after Brendan Lawlor secured the EDGA Scottish Open earlier this year.
Danny van Otterdijk, SVP Group Communications at DP World said: “Congratulations to George for winning the EDGA Dubai Finale and well done to the rest of the field who really animated the tournament this weekend. We’ve seen some fantastic golf and DP World, together with the European Tour, are privileged to have hosted the EDGA players alongside the pros competing in the DP World Tour Championship this year.
One story we’ve all been inspired by 👊
The @edgagolf story. pic.twitter.com/h3kqMQL4Q4
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 20, 2019
“Inclusion sits at the heart of DP World’s values and is integral to both our business and our sponsorships. One of the main objectives of our golf programme is to inspire people of all ages, backgrounds, genders and abilities to get involved in the game. We believe this tournament has done exactly that.”
American Christopher Biggins finished at 20 over, with Frenchman Charles-Henri Quélin, Irishman Lawlor, Australian Geoff Nicholas and Swede Joakim Bjorkman rounding out the field.
