Thursday 15th November
Our event of the day is Day 1 of the DP World Tour Championship at the Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai. The DP World Tour Championship is the final event of the PGA European Tour and the culmination of the ‘Race to Dubai’ series. Current tour leader Francesco Molinari hopes to become the first Italian to win the vaunted title of ‘European Number One’. However, Tommy Fleetwood will look to upset his close friend and win his second consecutive European Number One title. It’s all to play for so be sure you don’t miss out on the start of this exciting end to the 2018 European Tour. It has been a career year for Francesco Molinari. After finishing 9th in the 2017 European Tour, the Italian has bounced back to prove his place amongst the golfing elite. Molinari’s year really began with a breakout performance at the BMW PGA Championship in May. After finishing the first round five shots behind the leader, Molinari put on a spectacular display and found himself tied for first with Rory McIlory by the end of the third round. The final round was close but Molinari prevailed, taking the tournament by two shots. He next found success at the 147th Open Championship. Playing through an unexpected Scottish heatwave, Molinari was once again absent from the top of the standings until late in the competition. A phenomenal third round, which saw him hit six under par, put him in fifth going into the final round. Molinari hit two under par to give him a final score of eight under par, giving him his first major win, as well as becoming the first Italian to win a major.
`While he has finished the year quietly, he is in prime position to become the European Number One. He needs to finish tied-fifth or better in Dubai to secure the title. The only man who can potentially stop him is his friend, Tommy Fleetwood. Fleetwood, whose relationship with Molinari was highlighted during their successful Ryder Cup campaign this year, has struggled down the stretch towards this final competition in Dubai. Despite hitting, thirteen under par at his last tournament outing at the recent Turkish Airlines Open, Fleetwood finished tied-seventh in the tournament. Most pundits agree that the Turkish Airlines was a tournament Fleetwood needed to win in order to challenge Molinari. Fleetwood would need a tournament win in Dubai to take the title away from Molinari. However, even that isn’t enough as Molinari stills win if he finishes in the top five. It is definitely an uphill battle for the defending European Tour champion but we are still set for an exciting four days of golf.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the NBA, where the Houston Rockets host the Golden State Warriors at the Toyota Center. After a heart-breaking game seven loss to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals last season, the Rockets have struggled to find momentum this season. They sit in 12th with a 6-7 record. The Warriors continue to dominate west coast basketball and lead the Western Conference with a 12-3 record. Be sure you don’t miss a game between a team looking to continue their dominance and another just looking for revenge. Elsewhere, in International Football, England host the United States at Wembley for a friendly. In theNFL, the Seattle Seahawks face the Green Bay Packers at CenturyLink Field. The Grand Slam of Darts continues in Wolverhampton. Play continues at the ATP Finals at the O2 Arena in London.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Fixture
Photos by European Tour
Originally published at www.fixturecalendar.com/blog. To see what else is happening in the world of sport use the Fixture Calendar.
The post Event of the Day: Day 1 of the DP World Tour Championships appeared first on #TheSportsBlog.
Source : Event of the Day: Day 1 of the DP World Tour Championships
