Tommy Fleetwood hits a poor second shot on the 18th hole at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club and puts his foursome partner Justin Rose in a tricky situation. We are in the second session of the Team Cup, Saturday morning in the United Arab Emirates. The Englishmen have reached this final hole one up against Francesco Molinari and Julien Guerrier. They did so by winning the 17th with a great shot from Rose and a good putt from Fleetwood. They need to halve the hole to win the point; otherwise, it will be half a point for each.
Rose is under pressure. Let’s set the scene. Fleetwood has hooked with the wood and gone left of the green. Far to the left. Beyond the path. The flag, of course, is short left. Therefore, there is very little space. Rose takes his time. First, he takes relief from the path, as his left foot was on the concrete. Then, he walks towards the green to decide where he wants to land it. There is no margin. He must do it just on the green, past the collar, with a little lob to stop it and leave it close to the flag.
This is when, to the amateur golfer’s eyes, a scene unfolds that confirms, once again, that these gentlemen are from another galaxy. Rose counts exactly the steps between his ball and the edge of the green. There are 36 and a half. That is the shot he must execute. And he does. Mathematical. Clinical. Surgical. However you want to call it. Another galaxy. He leaves it just over a metre from the hole. So, to the question posed in the title, if you are Justin Rose, yes, you can do it. We have proof.
It’s interesting to watch the pair Matt Wallace and Tyrrell Hatton up close. They are not exactly the players with the best temperament in world golf. Well, we can confirm, after following them for several holes, that Wallace is the closest thing to a little sister of charity next to Hatton. He even seems affable and really tries to make his partner smile when things go wrong. And he succeeds. They have understood each other. It’s a duo that shows promise, although it won’t be easy to separate Hatton from Jon Rahm’s side.
Nicolai Hojgaard is not playing due to illness. Remember, he was replaced by Julien Guerrier. However, he has stayed in Abu Dhabi. On the front line. This morning he was closely following all the matches, cheering on the Danes and, in general, the Continental Europe team. Luke Donald, logically, doesn’t miss a detail either. The captain jumps from match to match, talking to one and another. At times he seems ubiquitous. He is professionalism personified as a captain. Things may go better or worse for him, but it will never be for lack of dedication, commitment, and passion.
Speaking of passion, José María Olazábal. Another who is working for the Ryder Cup team this week in Abu Dhabi. He communicates everything through the earpiece, focused, accompanying the match at hand, taking very seriously what he is doing. In short, what he has done all his life. If he commits, he commits. A luxury for the European team. Also around are Paul McGinley, team advisor, although he is seen more in the background, Nicolas Colsaerts, and Guy Kinnings, executive director of the DP World Tour, who doesn’t leave Donald’s side.
How different the Emirates course looks compared to when it was the venue for the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship years ago, before moving to Yas Island. Without the stands, it seems different. However, the greens are still amazing. The years go by, and the ball continues to roll spectacularly on these surfaces.
