Posted By: Chris Garrett ·
After 50 events and 382 days, the European Tour's Race to Dubai culminates this week with the top 58 players competing in the Dubai World Championship on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates. At stake is recognition as Europe's number one golfer of 2009 and, of the three players who can win the season-long Race by winning the World Championship, two of those are FootJoy players. Another can triumph with a win and some help.
Leading the way following his runner-up finish last week, is 20-year-old Rory McIlroy (FJ ICON). McIlroy burst on the scene as a Tour rookie this year and sent notice he would be a force to be reckoned with when he finished tied for second in his first professional event at the UBS Hong Kong Open. In fact, he recorded four top 10's in his first six events, none more important than his dramatic wire-to-wire victory at the Dubai Desert Classic. Overall, he's amassed 13 top 10 finishes this year - including six in his last seven events - to claim the top spot in the Race to Dubai with one event remaining. Might McIlroy have the edge considering he is sponsored by the resort where the tournament will be contested?
Rory has been battling another FJ player for the top spot in the Race most of the year and narrowly passed him just last week. However, Lee Westwood's (FJ ICON, PureTouch Limited glove) pursuit of a second Order of Merit title remains firmly in his hands as a victory in Dubai will give him the crown. The 36-year old ended a two-year winless streak just last month with his win at the Portugal Masters and has contended at several other events throughout the year. In fact, after getting off to a fairly slow start, Lee has reeled off an incredible 10 top 10 finishes over his last 12 tournaments, including five consecutive top 10's twice!
Another FJ player, Ross Fisher (FJ ICON) is also in position to win the Race to Dubai if he wins the World Championship and McIlroy and Westwood finish worse than second place. Fisher won the inaugural Volvo World Match Play title a few weeks ago in a grueling 36-hole final to collect the third European Tour win of his career. He has proven himself capable of challenging at the very highest level by leading all four Major Championships at one stage in 2009.
So after all the dust settles on Sunday, do you think McIlroy, Westwood or Fisher will be standing tall as the 2009 Race to Dubai Champion?
Posted By: Chris Garrett ·
Ian Poulter and Ross Fisher will represent England at the World Cup in
a few weeks and the duo will arrive with lots of confidence following
their matching victories this past weekend. While both wore the new FJ
ICON golf shoes en route to the winner's circle, their paths to victory
were very different.
Ian Poulter, who regularly wears custom FJ ICON golf shoes from the
MyJoys program and SciFlex gloves to match, carded a final round
1-over 72 to complete a wire-to-wire victory at the Barclays Singapore
Open. Poulter's eighth career European Tour title, and first since 2006,
tested all of his skill and nerves with players from around the
world trying to wrestle the tournament from his grasp but the
Englishman would not yield and, following a stellar sand save on 17,
he converted a clutch par at the 18th for the win.
Ian opted for a stylish pair of brown/orchid (pink) FJ ICON golf shoes
in the asymmetrical pattern to perfectly coordinate with his new line
of clothing from the company that bears his name, IJP Design. He also wore a
custom SciFlex glove.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, fellow Englishman Ross
Fisher also wore FJ ICON shoes to complete a memorable marathon effort
in winning the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain.
The 28 year old, who will join Poulter in the World Cup and could also
team with him at the Ryder Cup in Wales next October, won the final
4&3 after playing an amazing 126 holes in four days. With the win,
Fisher moves up to a career-best 17th in the World Rankings and also
takes him to fourth in the European Tour's Race to Dubai with just a
few events remaining.
Fisher needed three sudden death holes to defeat fellow FootJoy player,
and current Masters champion, Angel Cabrera in the semi-finals but was
in control of the finals from the moment he birdied the first hole.
"I'm absolutely ecstatic," he said. "It's been a long, gruelling week, but obviously very worthwhile.
Fisher and Poulter will represent England when they team up at the World Cup in China, November 26-29.