Dubai Desert Classic Tips: Paul Dunne

The final leaderboard in the Farmers Insurance Open showed how much good young talent there is in the game but that doesn’t just apply to the PGA Tour, there’s people ready to make waves on the European Tour too. The likes of Thomas Detry, Jordan Smith and Romain Langasque could all be winning soon but the best of the bunch might be Paul Dunne.

I tipped the young Irishman a couple of times last season and in hindsight perhaps it was a mistake. Dunne was chasing the cash to retain his playing rights and therefore had goals divergent from mine.

This season promises to be much better. He knows most of the courses and although this is his first look at Emirates GC he’s been playing some excellent golf during the Desert Swing.
In both Abu Dhabi and Qatar he’s got to within touching distance of the lead before falling back on Sunday but that is perhaps inexperience. The more times he gets into contention the better he’l become and that might pay off in Dubai this week.

The desert seems to suit his wayward driving and the quick greens are no problem for a player who came through the American collegiate system. He’s got an excellent short game and if he doesn’t win this week, he will soon.