Amateurs rub shoulders with green giants

Lucky golf fans in Dubai got a taste of life as a professional as they teed off in the same tournament as some of the world’s finest players this week - including the likes of Tom Watson, Lee Westwood and defending champion Rory McIlroy.

For the amateurs who lined up in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic Pro-Am, it was an opportunity to test their skills on the magnificent Majlis course at its toughest, with the greens set up to challenge the pros when the tournament gets under way tomorrow.

It was a day to remember for the nine amateurs who got to play in the Emirates airline teams with former US Open champion Michael Campbell, Erik Compton of the USA – who are both flying the flag for Emirates at the $2.5 million tournament – and Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke.
   
As well as getting a few handy hints from the pros, the players on the Emirates teams were given a gift bag on arrival and joined the stars for lunch and a prize presentation.

Emirates is the Official Airline of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic and, in addition to Campbell and Compton, is sponsoring Wayne Westner from South Africa.

The airline also extends its support of golf to passengers by allowing them to check in a set of golf clubs free of charge - in addition to their normal checked baggage allowance - in any class of service on all Emirates flights.