The DP World Tour have once again started their calendar year out in Dubai, with one of their marquee events in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic taking place at Emirates Golf Club.
The event in Dubai has become a staple of the Tour calendar, ever since it became the first tournament on the circuit to be played outside of Europe in 1988. Since then, the host city and the tournament has come a long way, with its Rolex Series status showing its importance to the DP World Tour.
The event has as good a past-champion list as any with Tiger Woods, Seve Ballesteros, Fred Couples, Colin Montgomerie, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy all successful around the Majlis.
McIlroy has become the most recognisable name in golf in recent years, and there are not many more tournaments in the world that have as a good a connection with the four-time winner. The first of his 41 professional wins came at the Desert Classic back in 2009, and since then three more have followed, including back-to-back victories in 2023 and 2024.
With the ever-growing dominance of golf over on the United States and the PGA Tour, having a name like McIlroy at Emirates Golf Club week-in-week-out is huge for the event. “It is fantastic that Rory plays,” tournament director Simon Corkill told Mirror Sport.
“We can’t take him for granted, he said a few months ago that he was going to reduce his schedule, but the great advantage we have is he played here as an amateur, won his first professional tournament here and is now going for a record-breaking week.”
McIlroy is not the only big name in the field this week. He is competing alongside a number of his Ryder Cup teammates, including LIV Golf star Jon Rahm, who went up against McIlroy just six times across the whole of 2024, with only two of those coming away from the four majors.
Attracting such a big field, is a huge plus for Corkill and the event. “[McIlroy] is box office, Jon Rahm is box office, Viktor Hovland is box office, Tommy Fleetwood is box office,” he added. “Having Rory here helps attract the others to come. You see the camaraderie with the Ryder Cup members, it has been amazing to see.
“That bond is there from Rome, and hopefully they go on to Bethpage in September.” Golf has been left divided in recent years amid the ongoing saga surrounding the PGA Tour and LIV setup. The DP World Tour, and the the Desert Classic in particular though, has helped reunite the sport for one week at least, something the tournament director takes great pride in.
“We are very proud,” Corkill said of bringing players together from all tours. “It is something we work hard at. We try to create the event, and create an experience [for the players]. Everyone knows when they come here they are going to have a great time.”
For many, Dubai signals the start and the end of the DP World Tour season, with the Rolex Series beginning in January at Emirates, and playoffs ending at Jumeirah Golf Estates in November. The circuit’s commitment to host its top events in the region is a sign of the importance to the city in professional golf, and Corkill has seen the growth first hand.
“We are seeing a positive impact,” he continued. “This was the first event on the DP World Tour that was played outside of Europe in 1989. That has helped grow golf in the region. You will see here in Dubai how many golf courses there are. We have some fantastic golf courses and that is in the DNA of Dubai golf.”
The cherry on top of the cake for golf in the region in 2024 came through Adrian Otageui, as the Dubai resident and five-time DP World Tour winner change his playing nationality from Spain to the UAE. “With the Emirates Golf Federation they want to elevate the game,” Corkill said of the move. “With Adrian now playing under the UAE flag it really pushes everyone in the system to step up. He is a multi-winner on the tour, and his aspirations to be at the Olympics, that is fantastic, the players coming through see that.”
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