Lexi's brother set for Dubai Desert Classic

Nicholas Thompson will be hoping to draw inspiration from his younger sibling’s amazing run of success on the international circuit when he competes in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, starting at the Emirates Golf Club from February Thursday.

It has been a challenging couple of years for Thompson, the brother of 2010 Omega Dubai Ladies Masters winner Alexis Thompson, but he believes a good showing in the $2.5 million European Tour event will help resurrect his professional career.

Thompson, who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour, hails from a family of golfers. His younger brother Curtis is a highly-ranked amateur while his 16-year-old sister Alexis is the rising LPGA star who created history last year, becoming the youngest professional winner on both the LPGA and Ladies European Tours.

With her father on the bag, Alexis followed her win in the Navistar LPGA Classic in October 2011 with the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters title two months later. “Well, it feels nice to come to a venue where someone in the family has enjoyed success and that could well provide the spark to lift my game,” said Thompson, who will be competing in Dubai on a sponsor’s exemption.

“It will be my first visit to Dubai, but my dad and Alexis keep talking highly of Dubai and they might even come and watch me play. From the entry list I can make out the tournament has (again) attracted a very strong field and it will be fun to be part of the line-up, said Thompson who earned his PGA Tour card for 2008 after winning the HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship on the Nationwide Tour in 2007.

He finished a creditable tied 24th in the 2008 US PGA Championship, but since then it has been a roller coaster for Thompson, who is looking for a change of fortune in Dubai. “I think a strong finish there will put my career back on the track,” said Thompson, who has earned over $3.3 million in his PGA Tour career.

The 23rd edition of the Omega Dubai Desert Classic will see three of the world’s top four ranked players headline the field which also includes PGA Tour veterans Fred Couples and John Daly among other big names.

“We are delighted to invite Nicholas who is an extremely talented player.  I hope he won’t be lacking on crowd support since his sister Alexis has already become a household name in this part of the world following her victory in the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters in December.

“I wish him the very best and hope he follows in the footsteps of her famous sister, who may visit Dubai to watch Nicholas play from behind the ropes. If that happens, it will be an added attraction for the fans.”

'golf in DUBAi' is backed by Omega as the title sponsor and Dubal (Dubai Aluminium) as the sponsor.

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