Matteo Manassero wins DP World Tour title for the first time in 11 years

“It is the best day of my life on the golf course.”

Just two days after shooting a career-best 61, Matteo Manassero celebrated what he tabbed “the best day of my life on the golf course.”

The 30-year-old Italian shot a final-round 66 at Glendower Golf Club on Sunday to win the Jonsson Workwear Open in Johannesburg, South Africa. His three-shot win over a trio of players marked Manassero’s first victory on the DP World Tour in 11 years.

“It has been a crazy journey, but in the last few years I knew I was getting back on track,” Manassero said. “Golf is such a difficult game. I am just so happy to be here now. I played well today, but the guys behind were playing some incredible golf and every time I looked at the leaderboard it was a new name with more birdies.”

Born near Verona, Manassero started playing golf at age three with a set of plastic clubs. At 16, he became the youngest winner of the British Amateur Championship in 2009 before taking the silver medal for low amateur in the 2009 British Open Championship. Manassero still holds the record as the youngest-ever winner on the DP World Tour at 17 years, 188 days in 2010 (Castello Masters Costa Azahar in Spain), but he had recorded only seven top-10 finishes since winning the 2013 BMW PGA Championship, the tour’s flagship event and his fourth career title.

Manassero climbed as high as 25th in the Official World Golf Ranking before chasing distance gains and losing control of his swing. As the frustration mounted, he even quit playing for a brief stretch five years ago, and entered the week ranked No. 381. Manassero won twice on the Challenge Tour last season to regain his DP Tour privileges for the first time in five years.

Manassero shot 26-under par to edge Shaun Norris (68), Thriston Lawrence (63) and Jordan Smith (68), who shared second.

After a long and winding road, the can’t-miss kid who missed has found his way back to the winner’s circle.

Photos: Golf TV commentator Tony Johnstone shares his deep love of wildlife photography

“Delight in the wildlife. That’s my idea of heaven.”

Tony Johnstone waited 20 years to get his first photograph of a gorgeous bushshrike, a bird that is easily heard, but it takes something of a miracle to be seen.

Johnstone’s favorite bird is the lilac-breasted roller, which is unofficially considered the national bird of Kenya.

“It’s the most stunning bird you’ve ever seen in your life,” said Johnstone, who hails from Zimbabwe but now lives in Sunningdale, England. “I can’t drive past one without stopping to take it.”

When the DP World Tour heads to South Africa this week for the Jonsson Workwear Open, Johnstone will be there, colorfully calling the action at Glendower Golf Club from the booth.

Lilac-breasted roller (Tony Johnstone photo)

A six-time winner on the DP World Tour, the 67-year-old Johnstone is one of golf’s great characters. Combine his passion for the game with his passion for the wildlife in Kruger National and the result is a television series called “Bush Hacking,” where Johnstone offers insight on birds and animals as he plays a round of golf through the African bush. The series lasted three seasons, and snippets are still shown when the tour plays events in the area.

Johnstone describes himself as fanatical about his photography, and he loves to share his discoveries on social media. His fascination with birds began about 25 years ago and now extends to creatures of all sizes. He’s fond of going out in Kruger National Park around 4:30 a.m. with his wife and staying out until 6 p.m.

“We just drive the whole day, and just delight in the wildlife,” he said. “That’s my idea of heaven.”

The talented Johnstone shared a number of his favorite wildlife photographs from over the years with Golfweek. Scroll on to get lost in another world.

Rory McIlroy makes DP World Tour history with 2024 Hero Dubai Desert Classic win

McIlroy is the tour’s first four-time winner of the event, having done so in 2009, 2015, 2023 and 2024.

Rory McIlroy defended his title at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic and made a little history, too.

The 34-year-old Northern Irishman won the event for a fourth time on Sunday at Emirates Golf Club in the UAE, the first to do so in DP World Tour history.

McIlroy was 10 shots back entering Saturday’s third round before a 9-under 63 vaulted him into the final group Sunday. Two shots back to start the final round, the 17-time DP World Tour winner made three birdies on his front nine and held on to win by one shot at 14 under despite just one bogey on the round at the par-5 13th, his lone bogey of the weekend and first since the 11th hole on Friday.

“It’s a great start to the season,” said McIlroy who finished runner-up at last week’s Dubai Invitational. “I started well last year with the win here. A couple of little things still to work on but these weeks are great. You learn a ton from them and obviously great to get the competition and come out on top as well.”

“I thought on Friday night, I thought ten under for the weekend, I would have a really good chance to win,” he continued. “I shot (11 under) and ended up winning by one.”

If you’re keeping track at home, that’s now six wins in Dubai for McIlroy, where he’s adored by the fans.

“I’ve played the game long enough to sort of know how these things are going to go. Thankfully I played the golf I needed to and it’s just incredible to get my fourth win here at the Emirates.”

Adrian Meronk (71) finished runner-up at 13 under, while Cameron Young (74) came in third at 12 under. Pablo Larrazabal shot the low round of the day, a 6-under 66, to finish T-4 at 10 under alongside Aaron Cockerill (68) and Joaquin Niemann (70).

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Rory McIlroy charges with 63, only two back of leader Cameron Young at Hero Dubai Desert Classic

Rory McIlroy’s round was the best of the day… by four shots. 

Rory McIlroy started the day 10 shots behind leader Cameron Young.

With 18 holes left at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club, McIlroy trails by only two. He shot 9-under 63 in the third round Saturday, moving into a tie for second at 12-under alongside Adrian Meronk.

McIlroy’s round was the best of the day… by four shots. His best shot was his last, an eagle putt from the fringe on the par-5 18th.

“I was walking up with the putter in my hand, and as I got closer to the ball, I saw that there was a lot of fringe to go through,” McIlroy said. “And I said to Harry, like I sort of want to chip it but the lie wasn’t great. I could just see the club bouncing. I was like, I’ll just sort of, I guess, ride my luck with the putter, and it came out perfectly. And as soon as it got on the green, it actually wasn’t as fast as I thought it was going to be once it got on the green. And it was tracking perfectly. Obviously a huge bonus for something like that to go in.

“But you know, for the rest of the day, I played some very, very good golf. Definitely better than I played the last couple of days and nice to get myself right back in the tournament.”

McIlroy went out in 5-under 30 before adding two more birdies and the eagle on the back nine.

McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic last year and has had plenty of success playing all over the world thanks to his incredible consistency. What is he most proud of during that time?

“I think the fact that I turn up every day still trying to get better,” McIlroy said. “I think the consistency that I’ve shown throughout my career, I’ve never lost the hunger to go out and play better. But I’ve also never lost the joy of the game, which I think is really, really important. It’s never felt like a job to me, and the day it does feel like a job is the day I need to give up.”

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland celebrates after an eagle putt on the 18th green during Round Three of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on January 20, 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Young, who held a three-shot lead heading into the day, had his most up-and-down day of the tournament yet. After an 8-under round on Friday, he shot 1 under on Saturday in a round that includes four birdies, a bogey and a double.

“The front nine, especially, is kind of one of those days when a few things don’t quite go your way,” Young said. “I didn’t putt quite as well as I have the last few days, and with a little bit more wind, it wasn’t that easy. I think all in all, it was a good battle. And not obviously trying to be winning by ten after today, but two is better than none.”

Behind nine birdies, Cameron Young takes three-shot lead into weekend at Hero Dubai Desert Classic

Cameron Young is hitting bombs and dropping putts.

After two rounds at Emirates Golf Club, it doesn’t look like it’s Cameron Young’s first time at the course.

The American fired the round of the tournament Friday in Dubai, shooting 8-under 64 to take a three-shot lead heading into the weekend. Young had nine birdies and one bogey on his card and sits at 13 under in his Rolex Series event debut.

“I putted fantastic,” Young said. “I made a couple long ones yesterday and then made a few more today that those had no right going in I feel like. I hit a bunch of good putts but just one of those days where you kind of have a couple 30-footers and you look up and they are going right in the middle, which doesn’t happen all that often to have a bunch of them in one round. But really nicely and putted great.”

Young leads by three over Adrian Meronk, who Wednesday won the Seve Ballesteros Award as the DP World Tour’s Player of the Year for 2023, and Andy Sullivan.

Young had four straight birdies on Nos. 16-18 and No. 1 (he started on No. 10) and also added a pair of circles as Nos. 3-4 for six in seven holes. He bogeyed his closing hole, the par-4 ninth, his second 5 on the hole in as many days.

Tommy Fleetwood, who won last week, is T-15 at 5 under. Rory McIlroy sits T-25 at 3 under.

It was also a special round for European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald, as he aced the par-3 fourth hole on Friday.

The victorious captain from 2023 and future captain for 2025 sits at 2 under for the tournament.

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Rory McIlroy recounts battle with Patrick Reed at Hero Dubai Desert Classic: ‘Had to be him’

“I think Patrick had just made eagle and I’m just like ‘Had to be him.'”

Last year was a battle between old foes — a challenge Rory McIlroy looks back on fondly.

The Northern Irishman and Ryder Cup rival Patrick Reed were once again in the midst of a showdown, this time at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Punches were thrown, rebuttals came frequently, and the trophy came down to the final hole.

After he was forced to lay up on the closing par 5, McIlroy hit his third to makeable range. Once the winning putt fell, McIlroy’s celebration showed the importance of the day.

“I think mentally today was probably one of the toughest rounds I’ve ever had to play because it would be really easy to let your emotions get in the way and I just had to really concentrate on focusing on myself,” said McIlroy afterward. “Forget who was up there on the leaderboard, and I did that really, really well.”

Hero Dubai Desert Classic
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland celebrates after holing the winning putt on the 18th green during the final round of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club on January 30, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, McIlroy was asked to recount the moment.

“What I remember, I remember standing on the 10th tee and I think Patrick had just made eagle and I’m just like (dropping head), ‘Had to be him.’

“But I think just the sort of mental fortitude I showed on that back nine to not sort of let my emotions get the better of me and really stay focused, and yeah, just to make that birdie on the last to win by one, yeah, it meant — in the grand scheme of things, are people going to remember my third Dubai Desert Classic, I don’t know.

“But it meant a lot to me. I felt like I came through a bit of, not adversity, but I really just had to control my mind and my thoughts and my emotions on that back nine. I felt like I did a really golf club of that.”

Dubai Desert Classic: Photos

At a golf course where McIlroy owns an impressive course history — 3rd in 2022 on top of his wins in ’23, ’15 and ’09— it’s easy to see why he’s the favorite in ’24, especially when you account for his runner-up finish last week to Tommy Fleetwood at the Dubai Invitational.

Before his solo second, McIlroy has played competitively just once since the Ryder Cup, the DP World Tour Championship in November, a tournament McIlroy admits he wasn’t “100 percent motivated.” (McIlroy had already locked up the season-long points title.)

“I feel like I’ve had a three-month off-season, basically. So I think once — you’re going to come back and play,” he said. “You’re going to make some of those mistakes early on, and you know, it’s good to play an event like last week where you can learn from them and try to put those things right this week.

“And in the bigger scheme of things, you know, with this being a Rolex Series Event and the success that I’ve had here, look, I would have loved to have won last week.

“But even with all those mistakes I made, the fact that I still had a one-shot lead going down the last, you know, it says to me that my game is in really good shape, and I should be quite excited for this week.”

After his title defense in Dubai, McIlroy is headed to the States for the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the second signature event of the season.

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After back injury, top amateur Michael Thorbjornsen set to return at Hero Dubai Desert Classic

Thorbjornsen competed at the Dubai Desert Classic last year and finished T-20.

Michael Thorbjornsen, one of the best players in amateur golf, is set to make his return this week after an extended layoff because of a back injury.

The senior at Stanford will tee it up this week at the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic, his first start since last summer at the Western Amateur, where he was one of 16 golfers to make match play. A week before the U.S. Amateur last August, Thorbjornsen announced he would miss the competition, as well as the Walker Cup, because of a stress fracture in his back.

Ranked fourth in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, Thorbjornsen received the exemption into the Dubai Desert Classic thanks to his ranking in the PGA Tour University standings. As the No. 1 player, he received an exemption into the field and will play alongside stars like Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and others at Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Dubai Desert Classic: Photos

Last summer, he made four professional starts, including his third at the U.S. Open. He missed three cuts but finished T-17 at the John Deere Classic. Thorbjornsen also finished fourth at the 2022 Travelers Championship.

He competed at the Dubai Desert Classic last year and finished T-20, including a 64 in the third round. This is the third year the tournament has offered an exemption to the top player in the PGA Tour University rankings, with Sam Bennett (2022) and Ludvig Aberg (2023) earning the spots the previous two years.

As a junior, Thorbjornsen won the Fighting Illini Invitational and Pac-12 Championship. He was also tabbed 2023 Pac-12 Golfer of the Year and earned Golfweek First Team All-America honors.

Photos: Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood and other stars at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic

The field in Dubai is loaded.

The DP World Tour is in Dubai for the second week in a row, this time for the Hero Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates GC. Defending champion Rory McIlroy headlines the stacked field, and he’ll be joined by Tommy Fleetwood, last week’s winner at the Dubai Invitational (McIlroy finished runner-up).

Other names in the field include Champion Golfer of the Year Brian Harman, Adam Scott, Nicolai Hojgaard, Cameron Young and LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann.

On the betting side, McIlroy is the favorite at +260, followed by Tyrrell Hatton at 10/1 and Tommy Fleetwood at 11/1.

Here are some of the best photos from the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Dubai Desert Classic: Leaderboard

Outgoing DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley calls out PGA Tour’s lack of global vision

“I’ve believed that we should unify and all work together. I’ve believed that for years,” said Pelley.

DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley has one foot out the door on his way to his next gig as the president and chief executive of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, and the 60-year-old has some thoughts to get off his chest before he leaves the golf industry later this year.

Pelley called out the PGA Tour and its players for a lack of global vision while speaking with reporters ahead of the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic this week and seemed to hint that his opinions weren’t taken seriously in the past.

“This is a global game. Every business now that is growing wants to be global. What I would like to see is the game becoming unified with a global strategy,” said Pelley, who has held his current title since 2015. “I think the PGA Tour is coming to the realization is global is the key for the growth. They have heard me say it once or twice.”

MORE: European pros react to Pelley leaving the DP World Tour

Pelley echoed PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan with his belief that progress has been made towards a deal with the Strategic Sports Group and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to create a for-profit golf entity – known as PGA Tour Enterprises – that would aim to reunite the professional game. The initial framework agreement was announced on June 6, 2023.

“Our goal is to unify the game,” Pelley added. “I don’t think all of the dialogue that has happened has been positive for the game and I think that the game is growing at a rapid pace coming out of Covid. The professional game needs to be unified to capitalize on the growth of the amateur game. There’s so many wonderful things happening in our game.”

“That’s what the whole concept was behind the framework agreement, and I think some of the top players in the US are starting to realize that that’s exactly what the purpose of the framework agreement was. It was to unify the game,” he continued. “Unfortunately after that framework agreement, some of the top players in the United States didn’t support it, which we needed them to support. I think they are realizing now that the best way forward is to unify the game. I think we will know the direction of travel over the next couple of months.”

The direction of travel towards an agreement with the SSG and PIF may be clear, but the destination sure isn’t. ESPN has reported that anywhere from $3 billion to $7 billion may be in play if an agreement is reached, but what will a schedule look like? Will the PGA Tour need to cut events? Do LIV Golf and the delayed TGL get placed under the PGA Tour Enterprises umbrella? What will players who resigned membership need to do to regain status? It’s easy to point the finger when you won’t be around to solve the problem.

“If the game didn’t unify, I would be quite disappointed. I’ve believed that we should unify and all work together. I’ve believed that for years,” said Pelley. “So I was overjoyed with what transpired in June, and that was the right direction. I still believe it’s the right direction. What that means in terms of what the product looks like down the road, that’s the second step.”

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Club pro at Michael Jordan’s Grove XXIII finishes 72 strokes behind winner on DP World Tour in Dubai

Ken Weyand made just two birdies all week in Dubai.

Unless you were diligently watching the DP World Tour’s 2024 opener or you’ve played Michael Jordan’s exclusive golf club, Grove XXIII in Hobe Sound, Florida, chances are you’ve never heard of Ken Weyand.

Weyand is listed online as the President/GM/Director of Golf for Grove XXIII and has served in that position since November 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile. This week he played in the 2024 Dubai Invitational – a 60-player, no-cut event – as a sponsor invite and made quite the name for himself. The 54-year-old club pro faired about as well as one can expect against a field of professionals and shot rounds of 87-82-82-86 to finish in dead last at 53 over, a whopping 72 strokes behind winner Tommy Fleetwood. Sweden’s Jens Dantorp finished 59th at 14 over, 39 shots clear of Weyand in last. He made just two birdies all week.

Never afraid to share his mind, Eddie Pepperell took to social media to share his displeasure with the sponsor selection’s performance, writing “I don’t care if he’s Ken from Barbie, it shouldn’t happen.”

Earlier in the week, Weyand’s playing partner Richard Mansell dished on what it was like to play with the struggling invitee.

“Yeah, it’s been a tricky few days and I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t distracting,” Mansell said. “Look, I saw what Eddie posted and I’ve read a few more comments and I can understand where they’re coming from. But the way I look at it is that without the sponsor, this tournament doesn’t happen. So for their special two invites, or whatever they got this week, they can invite who they want, I suppose. That’s golf. I do feel for Matty Jordan, though.”

Mansell was referencing Matthew Jordan, the home club kid who put on a show at last year’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool, who was first on the reserve list for the Dubai Invitational.

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